cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Articulatory suppression and the irrelevantspeech effect in short-term memory: Does the locus of suppression matter?

Immediate serial recall for letter sequences was impaired when irrelevant speech (IS) was presented throughout stimulus input and a subsequent rehearsal interval. This irrelevant-speech effect was eliminated when participants engaged in articulatory suppression (repeated articulation of one or more digits) during stimulus input but not when suppression occurred during the postinput rehearsal period. Also, changing-state suppression (articulation of multiple items) impaired the overall level of performance more than did steady-state suppression (repetition of a single item), whereas both forms of suppression had the same influence on the IS effect. Our results suggest that the locus of suppression (during or after stimulus input) may have contributed to discrepant findings in the prior literature regarding the influence of articulatory suppression on the IS effect. We consider the implications of our findings for three prominent models of immediate memory: the working memory model, the objectoriented episodic record model, and the feature model.
Dedicated breast CT: fibroglandular volume measurements in a diagnostic population.

Purpose: To determine the mean and range of volumetric glandular fraction (VGF) of the breast in a diagnostic population using a high-resolution flat-panel cone-beam dedicated breast CT system. This information is important for Monte Carlo-based estimation of normalized glandular dose coefficients and for investigating the dependence of VGF on breast dimensions, race, and pathology. Methods: Image data from a clinical trial investigating the role of dedicated breast CT that enrolled 150 women were retrospectively analyzed to determine the VGF. The study was conducted in adherence to a protocol approved by the institutional human subjects review boards and written informed consent was obtained from all study participants. All participants in the study were assigned BI-RADS{sup Registered-Sign} 4 or 5 as per the American College of Radiology assessment categories after standard diagnostic work-up and underwent dedicated breast CT exam prior to biopsy. A Gaussian-kernel based fuzzy c-means algorithm was used to partition the breast CT images into adipose and fibroglandular tissue after segmenting the skin. Upon determination of the accuracy of the algorithm with a phantom, it was applied to 137 breast CT volumes from 136 women. VGF was determined for each breast and the mean and range were determined. Pathology resultsmore » with classification as benign, malignant, and hyperplasia were available for 132 women, and were used to investigate if the distributions of VGF varied with pathology. Results: The algorithm was accurate to within {+-}1.9% in determining the volume of an irregular shaped phantom. The study mean ({+-} inter-breast SD) for the VGF was 0.172 {+-} 0.142 (range: 0.012-0.719). VGF was found to be negatively correlated with age, breast dimensions (chest-wall to nipple length, pectoralis to nipple length, and effective diameter at chest-wall), and total breast volume, and positively correlated with fibroglandular volume. Based on pathology, pairwise statistical analysis (Mann-Whitney test) indicated that at the 0.05 significance level, there was no significant difference in distributions of VGF without adjustment for age between malignant and nonmalignant breasts (p= 0.41). Pairwise comparisons of the distributions of VGF in increasing order of mammographic breast density indicated all comparisons were statistically significant (p < 0.002). Conclusions: This study used a different clinical prototype breast CT system than that in previous studies to image subjects from a different geographical region, and used a different algorithm for analysis of image data. The mean VGF estimated from this study is within the range reported in previous studies, indicating that the choice of 50% glandular weight fraction to represent an average breast for Monte Carlo-based estimation of normalized glandular dose coefficients in mammography needs revising. In the study, the distributions of VGF did not differ significantly with pathology.« less
TU‐G‐BRC‐04: The Dosimetric Impact of Prostate Rotations during Electromagnetically Guided External Beam Radiation Therapy

Purpose: To measure the dose decrement to the prostate caused by daily prostate motion and to correlate target coverage with prostate rotations to establish individualized rotational tolerances and PTV margins. Methods: Real—time tracking data for 26 patients were obtained during RT and used to calculate “&#61455;average” prostate rotations and translations. For each patient, IMRTtreatment plans meeting RTOG0126 dosimetric criteria were created with 0, 2, 3, and 5 mm PTV margins. Daily translations and rotations were used to calculate prostate delivered (dynamic) dose from the planned (static) dose.Dose volume histograms, D95, and V79 are computed from the dynamic dose to evaluate the coverage and the adequacy of PTV margins under measured target motion. The intra‐fractional effective rotations of the prostate (rotations weighted by rotation lever arm and prostate geometrical shape) were obtained for each patient. Results: Large variations in dosimetric coverage were seen among patients. Adequate coverage to target was met in 39%, 65%, and 84% of the patients for plans with 2, 3, and 5 mm PTV margins, respectively. This dosimetric coverage could not be correlated with measured rotations for any of the PTV margins. Prostate shape and the length of rotation lever‐arm were parameterized and used to obtain effective rotations from the measured rotations. Clear correlations were seen between effective rotations and the prostate delivered dose. Conclusions: Prostate rotations, if left unmanaged, could cause significant underdosing to the target even if daily translational tolerances applied and a 5 mm PTV margin is used. Unlike translations, effective management of prostate rotations requires individualized rotational tolerances due to variations in prostate shape and rotation lever‐arm length among patients. Consequently, individualized rotational tolerances enable PTV margins to be individualized.
An Energy-Efficient Reconfigurable Baseband Processor for Flexible Radios

Most existing techniques for reconfigurable processors focus on the computation model. This paper focuses on increasing the granularity of configurable units without compromising flexibility. This is carried out by matching the granularity to the degree-of-freedom (DOF) processing in most wireless systems. A design flow that accelerates the exploration of tradeoffs among various micro-architecture for the configurable unit is discussed. A prototype processor is implemented using the Intel 0.13 ?m CMOS low-power standard cell library. The estimated energy efficiency is on the same order of dedicated hardware implementations.
Surrounding control in cooperative agent networks

In this paper, two surrounding control problems are proposed, where a team of followers is used to surround a team of leaders. The problems are solved under a decentralized estimation-and-control framework. Using tools from algebraic graph theory and dynamical systems theory, it is shown that the two teams, involving a team of leaders and a team of followers, preserve some desired convergence properties, even if the geometric center of the leaders can only be obtained from estimators. A simulation example is presented to verify the validity of the derived results.
Inhibition of the in vitro infectivity and cytopathic effect of human T-lymphotrophic virus type III/lymphadenopathy-associated virus (HTLV-III/LAV) by 2',3'-dideoxynucleosides.

Abstract Human T-lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III)/lymphadenopathy-associated virus (LAV) is a a newly discovered lymphotropic retrovirus that is cytopathic for helper/inducer T cells in vitro. This virus is the etiologic agent of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and related diseases. In the current study, we tested the capacity of purine and pyrimidine nucleoside derivatives to inhibit the infectivity and cytopathic effect of human T-lymphotropic virus type III in vitro. With the ribose moiety of the molecule in a 2',3'-dideoxy configuration, every purine (adenosine, guanosine, and inosine) and pyrimidine (cytidine and thymidine) nucleoside tested suppressed the virus, although the thymidine derivative seemed to have substantially less activity in our system than the others. In general, we observed essentially complete suppression of the virus at doses that were lower by a factor of 10 to 20 than those needed to inhibit the proliferation of the target T cells and the immune reactivity of normal T cells in vitro. An analysis of five adenosine congeners, which differed only in the sugar moiety, revealed that reduction (an absence of hydroxyl determinants) at both the 2' and 3' carbons of the ribose was necessary for an anti-viral effect, and an additional reduction at the 5' carbon nullified the anti-viral activity. These observations may be of value in developing a new class of experimental drugs for the therapy of human T-lymphotropic virus type III infections.
Drosophila Krüppel protein is a transcriptional represser

KRUPPEL (Kr), one of the zygotically active Drosophila segmentation genes, is expressed in a restricted domain during the blastoderm stage of embryogenesis and is involved in the control of development of the thoracic and abdominal segments of the fly1. Kr encodes a polypeptide containing DNA-binding zinc-finger motifs2, disruptions of which yield Kr mutants3,4. We have assayed the transcriptional activities of wild-type Kr protein as well as Lac repressor/Kr fusion proteins in HeLa and CV-1 cells. Wild-type Kr and a Lac–Kr chimaeric protein repressed transcription from reporter promoters in which a consensus Kr binding site derived from sequences within the even-skipped promoter5 had been inserted in an upstream position. We mapped the repression function of Kr to an alanine-rich amino-terminal region of the protein, as a Lac/Kr fusion protein containing only amino acids 26–110 of Kr repressed transcription from a reporter promoter containing upstream lac operators. This demonstrates that the DNA-binding and repression activities of the Kr protein are distinct. These data are consistent with genetic evidence that Kr represses even-skipped6,7 and hunchback8 expression, and suggest that Kr is a negative regulator of transcription in Drosophila.
Regional organization of eukaryotic DNA sequences as studied by the formation of folded rings

Abstract The observed frequency of folded rings has been determined as a function of fragment length and degree of resection for DNA from mouse and Necturus . The thermal stability of the ring closure and the kinetics of ring formation have been studied. As seen in the case of Drosophila DNA, mouse and Necturus DNA display a decreasing frequency of folded rings as fragment length increases. We interpret this to mean that repetitious sequences of a given type are clustered into many thousands of characteristic regions, called g-regions. The present paper focuses on the interior organization of g-regions. Variations of two competing models may be entertained: “tandem repetition” and “intermittent repetition”. If the g-regions were composed of exact, tandemly-repeating sequences, all observations can be easily explained. In order to maintain the idea that the g-regions contain repetitious blocks located at regular, or irregular intervals, one must suppose that such repetitious blocks are long (>200 nucleotide pairs), not internally repetitious, and represent perhaps 80% of the nucleotides in the g-region. Such a sequence can be thought of as a fractional-tandem repeat. For example: HIJXXXABC … HIJXXXABC … HIJXXX, where the X's stand for nucleotides composing sequences that are unrelated to each other, and the letters (ABC … HIJ) represent nucleotides in the non-internally-repetitive repeating sequence. We feel that debate cart now be profitably devoted to the question of whether approximately 80 or 100% of the tandemly-repetitious unit is in fact tandem.
Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigen 3C Regulates Cyclin A/p27 Complexes and Enhances Cyclin A-Dependent Kinase Activity

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) nuclear antigen 3C (EBNA3C) is essential for primary B-cell transformation. In this report we show that cyclin A, an activator of S phase progression, bound tightly to EBNA3C. EBNA3C interacted with cyclin A in vitro and associated with cyclin A complexes in EBV-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines. Importantly, EBNA3C stimulated cyclin A-dependent kinase activity and rescued p27-mediated inhibition of cyclin A/Cdk2 kinase activity by decreasing the molecular association between cyclin A and p27 in cells. Additionally, phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma protein, a major regulator of cell cycle progression, was enhanced both in vitro and in vivo in the presence of EBNA3C. Cyclin A interacted with a region of the carboxy terminus of EBNA3C, shown to be important both for stimulation of cyclin A-dependent kinase activity and for cell cycle progression. This provides the first evidence of an essential EBV latent antigen's directly targeting a cell cycle regulatory protein and suggests a novel mechanism by which EBV deregulates the mammalian cell cycle, which is of critical importance in B-cell transformation.
The molecular genetics of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors

The pathobiology of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) is hampered by the lack of scientific tools that define their mechanisms of secretion, proliferation, and metastasis; and, currently, there are no accurate means to assess tumor behavior and disease prognosis. Molecular biologic techniques and genetic analysis may facilitate the delineation of the molecular pathology of NETs and provide novel insights into their cellular mechanisms. The current status and recent advances in assessment of the molecular basis of tumorigenesis of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) were reviewed (1981–2004). The objectives of this retrospective study were to provide a cohesive overview of the current state of knowledge and to develop a molecular understanding of these rare tumor entities to facilitate the establishment of therapeutic targets and rational management strategies. Multiple differences in chromosomal aberration patterns were noted between gastrointestinal (GI) neuroendocrine and pancreatic endocrine tumors (PETs). Divergence in gene expression patterns in the development of GI carcinoids and PETs was identified, whereas examination of the PET and GI carcinoid data demonstrated only few areas of overlap in the accumulation of genetic aberrations. These data suggest that the recent World Health Organization classification of GEP-NETs may require updating. In addition, previous assumptions of tumor similarity (pancreatic vs. GI) may be unfounded when they are examined at a molecular level. On the basis of the evolution of genetic information, enteric neuroendocrine lesions (carcinoids) and PETs may need to be classified as two distinct entities rather than grouped together as the single entity “GEP-NETs.” Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.
Multitasking and monotasking: the effects of mental workload on deferred task interruptions

Recent research has found that forced interruptions at points of higher mental workload are more disruptive than at points of lower workload. This paper investigates a complementary idea: when users experience deferrable interruptions at points of higher workload, they may tend to defer processing of the interruption until times of lower workload. In an experiment, users performed a mail-browser primary task while being occasionally interrupted by a secondary chat task, evenly distributed between points of higher and lower workload. Analysis showed that 94% of the time, users switched to the interrupting task during periods of lower workload, versus only 6% during periods of higher workload. The results suggest that when interruptions can be deferred, users have a strong tendency to ''monotask'' until primary-task mental workload has been minimized.
A technique of automating compensator design for lung inhomogeneity correction using an electron portal imaging device

A technique of automating compensator design for lung inhomogeneity correction using an electron portal imaging device (EPID) has been investigated. This technique utilizes exit-radiation information as detected by an EPID to determine the thickness of the compensator desired. In this particular study, the compensator thickness is determined to provide a uniform gray-level distribution (related to uniform exit-dose distribution) in the region of the portal image to be compensated. Initially, a compensation characteristic curve, which relates the compensator thickness to the pixel value of the electronic portal image, is measured for both the Lead and Lipowitz compensator materials and a 6-MV photon beam. Then, a chest-treatment field is simulated using an anthropomorphic phantom. Based on the analysis of the profile (gray-level distribution) across the lung and mediastinum regions in the electronic portal image, the average of pixel values within the mediastinum region is selected as the matching level and the regions to be compensated are determined. With the aid of the predetermined compensation characteristic curve and proper distance scaling, the compensator thickness at each pixel location is automatically calculated at the block tray level to correct lung inhomogeneity. In a simple test using a single anterioposterior (AP) chest field, the compensated profile in the electronic portal image presents a uniform gray-level distribution (related to uniform exit dose) compared to the uncompensated profile.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A Dozen Years of Single-Molecule Spectroscopy in Physics, Chemistry, and Biophysics

Optical spectroscopy at the ultimate limit of a single molecule has grown over the past dozen years into a powerful technique for exploring the individual nanoscale behavior of molecules in complex local environments. Observing a single molecule removes the usual ensemble average, allowing exploration of hidden heterogeneity in complex condensed phases as well as direct observation of dynamical state changes arising from photophysics and photochemistry, without synchronization. This paper reviews single-molecule spectroscopy experiments of the Moerner group, both at liquid helium temperatures and at room temperature, in the areas of physical chemistry, quantum optics, and biophysics. Due to the breadth of applications now appearing, single-molecule spectroscopy may be viewed as a useful new tool for the study of dynamics in complex systems.
Operations and co-operations in Morava $E$-theory

Let E = En denote the Morava E-theory spectrum, and let i be the Morava stabilizer group of ring spectrum isomorphisms of E. We revisit the isomorphism …⁄LK(n)(E ^ E) » C(i;E⁄) of graded formal Hopf algebroids, and its dual isomorphism E ⁄ E » E⁄[[i]].
Cancer: Genomics of metastasis

Cancer cells that invade other parts of the body do so by accumulating genomic aberrations. Analysis of the genomic differences between primary and metastatic tumours should aid the understanding of this process.
Problems with Contraception in Adolescents: The Successful Use of an Intrauterine Device

Contraceptive methods of all types have their highest failure rates in young or nulliparous females. This paper describes ex periences with intrauterine contraceptive devices in adolescents.
Design of a monolithic CMOS image sensor integrated focal plane wire-grid polarizer filter mosaic

Polarization is one of the important characteristics of visible light that can not be detected by human visual system or traditional image sensors. In this paper, we report on an image sensor integrated focal plane 2 × 2 wire-grid polarizer filter mosaic targeted at visible spectrum fabricated in 65nm standard CMOS processing line, which enables the reconstruction of the polarization response characteristic for each pixel. Finite-Difference Time-Domain method has been used for the first time to optimize the extinction ratio in visible spectrum of the multilayer focal plane wire-grid polarizer. Experimental results show that an extinction ratio around 10 is achieved with a standard error of around 0.25% between the experimental results and the fitting sinusoidal polarization response curve. A phase error at the level of less than 2% to the measurement phase resolution is achieved. These results are the best reported for a monolithic wire-grid polarization image sensor design for visible spectrum.
Toward AUV survey design for optimal coverage and localization using the Cramer Rao Lower Bound

This paper discusses an approach to using the Cramer Rao Lower Bound (CRLB) as a trajectory design tool for autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) visual navigation. We begin with a discussion of Fisher Information as a measure of the lower bound of uncertainty in a simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) pose-graph. Treating the AUV trajectory as an non-random parameter, the Fisher information is calculated from the CRLB derivation, and depends only upon path geometry and sensor noise. The effect of the trajectory design parameters are evaluated by calculating the CRLB with different parameter sets. Next, optimal survey parameters are selected to improve the overall coverage rate while maintaining an acceptable level of localization precision for a fixed number of pose samples. The utility of the CRLB as a design tool in pre-planning an AUV survey is demonstrated using a synthetic data set for a boustrophedon survey. In this demonstration, we compare the CRLB of the improved survey plan with that of an actual previous hull-inspection survey plan of the USS Saratoga. Survey optimality is evaluated by measuring the overall coverage area and CRLB localization precision for a fixed number of nodes in the graph. We also examine how to exploit prior knowledge of environmental feature distribution in the survey plan.
A resilience intervention in African American adults with type 2 diabetes: a pilot study of efficacy.

Purpose The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the feasibility of offering the authors' Diabetes Coaching Program (DCP), adapted for African Americans, in a sample of African American adults with type 2 diabetes.Methods The study used a 1-group, pretest-posttest design to test the acceptance and potential effectiveness of the DCP. Subjects were a convenience sample of 16 African Americans (8 women, 8 men) with type 2 diabetes; 12 subjects (6 women, 6 men) completed the program. The DCP included 4 weekly class sessions devoted to resilience education and diabetes self-management, followed by 8 biweekly support group meetings. Psychosocial process variables (resilience, coping strategies, diabetes empowerment) and proximal (perceived stress, depressive symptoms, diabetes self-management) and distal outcomes (body mass index [BMI], fasting blood glucose, HbA1C, lipidemia, blood pressure) were assessed at baseline and at 6 months after study entry. Qualitative data were collected at 8 months via a f...
The role of PML in hematopoietic and leukemic stem cell maintenance

The tumor suppressor promyelocytic leukemia (PML) was first identified as a component of PML–RARα fusion protein, one of the initiating cytogenetic abnormalities in acute promyelocytic leukemia. PML is now known to have diverse functions regulating the DNA-damage response, apoptosis, senescence, and angiogenesis. Recent investigations have identified PML as a regulator of metabolic pathways in stem cell compartments, including the hematopoietic system, and have provided researchers with new strategies for controlling stem cell maintenance and differentiation. Studies of PML in leukemia-initiating cells demonstrate that PML is also an essential component of their maintenance, which has drawn tremendous attention to PML from scientists in various stem cell fields. Here, we review research into PML and its associated pathways, including recent studies of PML as it relates to stem cell biology, as well as our finding that PML regulates fatty acid oxidation, which is essential to the maintenance of normal hematopoietic stem cells. We also discuss the therapeutic potential of controlling PML-associated pathways. In particular, we describe promising evidence for the use of arsenic trioxide in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia.
The muscles controlling courtship stridulation in the cockroach, Nauphoeta cinerea

Abstract 1. 1. The muscles which control the patterned movements of the pronotum over the tegmina to produce courtship stridulation in the cockroach, Nauphoeta cinerea (Olivier), were determined by chronic electromyography in unrestrained male animals. 2. 2. Of the 28 pairs of muscles attached to the pronotum (Storch, 1968), seven are involved in the coordinated movements producing sounds. 3. 3. Three stout dorsolongitudinal muscles attached near the midline of the pronotum and to the lateral portion of the first phragma are largely responsible for stridulation. 4. 4. Muscle Ph3 pulls the posterior edge of the pronotum down to engage the striae of the pronotum with those of the costal veins of the tegmina, pulls the pronotum posteriorly during complex pulse trains, and twitches to produce the chirps. 5. 5. Muscle Ph1pulls the pronotum posteriorly during complex pulse trains. 6. 6. Muscle Ph2 causes the pronotum to pivot from side to side during complex pulse trains. 7. 7. Four dorsoventral remotor muscles pull the pronotum down against the tegmina during complex pulse trains. 8. 8. No muscles operating as antagonists to the above muscles during stridulation were found.
Pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance study of irradiated lithium hydride

Lithium hydride doped with H3 expands by a self-damaging process. Samples stored at 23, 70, 125, and 250° were studied at 23° with pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance. Motionallynarrowed signals were found for H1, H3, Li7, and He3. The numbers of nuclear spins in these signals were measured and compared with the fractional volumetric increase of the LiH. The intensity of H1 and H3 signals correlates with the initial swelling up to a growth of 25–30 volume percent. The build-up of He3 probably causes (the) later stage growth. Lithium metal precipitation increases with increasing temperature. The form of the free hydrogen in the lower temperature samples is unknown. In the 250° sample the transverse relaxation time (T2) is approximately equal to the spin-lattice relaxation time (T1), which is normally observed for hydrogen gas.
A Troubled Corner: the ruined and rebuilt environment of a Central American barrio In post‐Rodney‐King‐riot Los Angeles

tics of a Central American immigrant barrio during the period between the 1992 Rodney King Riot and the most recent Los Angeles Police Department Rampart scandal. Under consideration here are Rebuild Los Angeles’s (RLA) redevelopment and the Rampart Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums (CRASH) gang abatement unit’s crime prevention strategies, and the representations of the space of the barrio therein. Specifically, I examine how both redevelopment and law enforcement employ the idiom of community to rebuild the ruined environment of Pico-Union and to smooth over spatioeconomic conflicts and contradictions in Los Angeles. [Redevelopment, policing, community, Los Angeles Riots, Central American and Latino immigrants]
Technology for Submillimeter Astronomy

Despite about three decades of progress, the field of submillimeter astronomy remains quite challenging, because the detection technology is still under development and the transmission of the atmosphere is poor. The latter problem has been overcome by constructing submillimeter telescopes at excellent sites, first on Mauna Kea and later in Chile and Antarctica, and also by using airborne and space telescopes. Meanwhile, the improvements in technology over the past several decades have been remarkable. While considerable opportunities for improvement remain, existing detector and receiver technologies now often approach fundamental limits. This technological revolution has brought submillimeter astronomy from the fringes to the forefront of modern astrophysics and has stimulated major investments such as the 50-element ALMA interferometer and the ESA/NASA Herschel Space Observatory.
Corporate Governance and Internal Organization

This paper investigates how corporate governance affects managerial incentives inside the firm. While the internal organization of a firm affects competition between lower level managers to become the CEO, performance-based CEO dismissal and replacement alters the incentives due to this competition. I show that optimal governance mechanisms that dismiss CEOs are more likely to be accompanied by an outside replacement and such governance mechanisms make managerial competition more productive. However, strong governance may also reduce managerial incentives to acquire skill to become the CEO. As lower level managers have a greater impact on firm performance and increase in number, strong governance is optimal.
Report on the IEEE standard for a software quality metrics methodology (draft) P1061, with discussion of metrics validation

Describes an IEEE standard which provides a methodology for establishing quality requirements and for identifying, implementing, analyzing and validating software quality metrics. >
Home polysomnography in the management of noninvasive ventilation in neuromuscular patients

Background Patients with neuromuscular disease (NMD) on long-term noninvasive ventilation (NIV) require reevaluation of ventilator setting, which is better performed during nocturnal polysomnography (PSG). Studies on the role of home PSG in the management of NIV in NMD patients are lacking. Objective To compare feasibility, reliability, subjective and objective sleep quality and patients' acceptance of PSG during NIV performed either in hospital or at home. Methods Fifty-two consecutive NMD patients on long-term NIV were assigned to home or to unassisted hospital PSG during NIV application. A 7 item self-questionnaire was administered after PSG to explore perceived sleep efficiency, sleep quality, awakenings, and acceptance of the polysomnographic procedure. Sleep was scored according to AASM rules. Results One home and 1 hospital PSG were not reliable due, respectively, to insufficient sleep or to signal loss. Four hospital and three home recordings showed minor technical problems that did not affect their reliability. The remaining 43 recordings were technically excellent both as regards neurological and respiratory signals. Subjective (382.80±114.28 vs 347.94±77.3 minutes, respectively) and objective total sleep time and sleep efficiency (68.80±19.40 vs 72.03±15.86 %), that were correlated to each other, were similar in the two groups. Acceptance of home PSG (8.28±1.99 on a scale from 0 to 10) was higher than for hospital PSG (6.84±2.42, p=0.02) Conclusion In ventilated NMD patients, feasibility and reliability of PSG, as well as subjective and objective sleep quality, do not differ if it is performed in hospital or at home. Acceptance of the procedure in the home environment is higher.
The Influence of Sample Thickness on the DCDC Fracture Test

The double cleavage drilled compression (DCDC) fracture test uses axial compression to drive stable cracks in glasses and brittle polymers. The cracks are generated by regions of tension in a rectangular column of material containing a central hole. The observed relationship between crack length and the applied axial stress is fitted with a two-dimensional finite element model to estimate fracture toughness. The model is applied to previous DCDC experimental results for poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) samples of varying thicknesses. Both plane stress and plane strain cases are considered. Three dimensional finite element models of the DCDC test indicate plane stress analysis is the most applicable condition and suggest explanations for the effect of sample thickness.
Diagnosing and Treating Hepatitis C Virus Infection

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the leading cause of cirrhosis and liver transplantation in the United States. It is difficult to assess the prevalence of HCV infection; the asymptomatic nature of acute infection and early chronic infection leaves many infected individuals undiagnosed. Exposure to infected blood is the primary means for HCV transmission, with intravenous drug use the most common source. Genotype 1 HCV infection accounts for approximately 75% of cases. Because of the asymptomatic and slow course of HCV infection, many physicians and healthcare advocates support routine testing at the primary care level, especially in patients 40 to 65 years of age. Approximately 80% of individuals infected with HCV fail to clear the virus, although this varies considerably based on sex, age at infection, immune status, route of infection, race, alcohol use, and presence of steatosis. Long-term outcomes of chronic HCV infection are cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The current standard of care for patients with chronic HCV infection is combination therapy with subcutaneous injections of peginterferon plus oral ribavirin for 48 weeks. A sustained virologic response (SVR) is also considered a virologic “cure.” There is a trend toward response-guided therapy, in which treatment duration is shortened or lengthened based on viral genotype, patient characteristics, and viral kinetics. The efficacy and tolerability of peginterferon therapy, however, is limited. Approximately 45% of patients infected with HCV genotype 1 achieve an SVR, whereas 65% of those infected with gentoype 2 or 3 do so. Moreover, retreatment or switching to other interferons provides little benefit. Several new therapies for HCV infection are in development. Protease inhibitors are expected to become the new standard of care for nonresponders, with the potential to become a first-line treatment for chronic HCV infection. (Am J Manag Care. 2011;17:S108-S115)
No Structure Before Its Time

Dr. Schleyer asks a number of important questions. These might be summarized as asking why, as a discipline, are we not focusing on improving the acquisition of structured data rather than going through computational acrobatics to extract codified representation from narrative text? Should we not be focusing our efforts to ensure a fully-structured record? We agree with Dr. Schleyer that a fully-structured record is …
Enhanced antigen sampling and T cell priming in tumors expressing TAP and MHC class I molecules

C265 The transporter for antigen processing (TAP) and the major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) are two important components of the MHC-I antigen presentation pathway. These components are often deficient in tumor cells, resulting in tumor avoidance of T-cell-based immune responses. Restoration of TAP and MHC-I expression has shown some potential to re-establish the tumor cell’s ability to become antigenic and immunogenic. However, it is unclear if TAP and MHC-I expression in tumor cells can affect T cell priming. We address this important issue by using the mouse lung carcinoma cell line CMT.64 and its TAP and Kb transfectants to immunize syngeneic mice and generate antigen specific T cell populations for comparison of their activities. In a setting where each cell line expresses equivalent amounts of the Kb-restricted peptide-based antigen of vesicular stomatitis virus nucleocapsid protein (VSV-Np), as a model tumor antigen, we demonstrate that the TAP and Kb-expressing tumor cells can prime VSV-Np epitope-specific T cells with greater efficiency than CMT.64 cells or TAP1-expressing CMT.64 cells. However, this difference is only displayed at the lowest antigen protein level when the entire VSV-Np gene is expressed in either cell line at different levels. In addition to the VSV-Np antigen, γ-irradiated TAP and Kb expressing CMT.64 as a source of tumor antigens can induce greater anti-tumor immune responses than γ-irradiated TAP and Kb deficient CMT.64, as demonstrated by showing a significant increased survival of immunized mice challenged with live TAP and Kb expressing CMT.64. Thus, TAP and MHC-I co-expression can increase the induction phase of T cell immune responses against peptide-based antigens, and this enhancement induced by the whole-protein antigens may be subject to a critical value at which the activities of T cell response are regulated. Our data suggests that the enhanced activities of T cells are due to an increase in the amount of peptide antigens that are associated with MHC-I complexes being required for T cell induction and this may provide a method for increasing the efficacy of tumor immune responses.
Evaluation of Patient-Oriented, Internet-Based Information on Gender-Affirming Hormone Treatments

Abstract Purpose: Transgender people have difficulty accessing gender-affirming hormone therapy (HT), a medically necessary treatment, in part due to a lack of provider knowledge. Patients often seek information on gender-affirming medical care using the Internet. Patients who are better informed about their own care may receive better care. This study evaluated the quantity and quality of online information about HT using several existing and novel measures. Methods: Structured Google searches were conducted. Sites were evaluated using previously described Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), DISCERN, and Health On the Net (HON) criteria, for citation of the Endocrine Society Guidelines and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Standards of Care (SOC), and other topic-specific measures. Results: Forty sites were evaluated. The median JAMA score was 3.5/7, and the median DISCERN score was 51/80. No sites held HON certification. Citation of the Endocrine Society G...
Learning from Physical Pain to Help with the Management of Emotional Pain

There may be important similarities between chronic emotional pain and chronic physical pain. Both forms of chronic pain may promote negative beliefs about the self and the future. Chronic emotional pain and chronic physical pain both serve to disrupt patients’ focus from their actions and goals. Techniques used for the treatment of physical pain may be translated into the treatment of emotional pain. Four core strategies are reviewed including: (1) reducing catastrophic interpretations, (2) increasing tolerance by promoting acceptance, (3) cultivating positive expectations, and (4) remaining flexible in movements and attitudes. Patients can learn to tolerate limitations while pursuing their goals. Clinicians can help patients to reduce emotional pain by making a series of small changes in their thoughts and behavior.
Valvular and Mural Endocardiosis in Aging Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Endocardiosis or myxomatous degeneration of the cardiac valves is a well-described age-related change in humans and dogs. Lesions consist of polypoid nodular proliferations of loose extracellular matrix and valvular interstitial cells, most commonly affecting the mitral valve. This entity has not been previously described in fish. Herein we report the appearance, location, and occurrence of valvular and mural endocardiosis in a retrospective survey of aging laboratory zebrafish. Endocardiosis was present in 59 of 777 fish (7.59%), most commonly affecting the sinoatrial (34 fish; 57.6%) and atrioventricular (33 fish; 55.9%) valves. Lesions were more common in fish raised in recirculating water systems and fed commercial diets (52/230 fish; 22.6%) versus flow-through systems with fish fed semi-purified diets (4/234; 1.71%). Lesions were overrepresented in fish heterozygous for a mutant smoothened allele (34/61 fish, 55.7% vs 17/168, 10.1% wild type). There was no association between endocardiosis and intestinal carcinoids. Valvular endocardiosis is a significant age- and husbandry-related background finding in zebrafish and should be considered in the design and interpretation of research studies.
Understanding the Mechanisms of Cobalt-Catalyzed Hydrogenation and Dehydrogenation Reactions

Cobalt(II) alkyl complexes of aliphatic PNP pincer ligands have been synthesized and characterized. The cationic cobalt(II) alkyl complex [(PNHPCy)Co(CH2SiMe3)]BArF4 (4) (PNHPCy = bis[(2-dicyclohexylphosphino)ethyl]amine) is an active precatalyst for the hydrogenation of olefins and ketones and the acceptorless dehydrogenation of alcohols. To elucidate the possible involvement of the N–H group on the pincer ligand in the catalysis via a metal–ligand cooperative interaction, the reactivities of 4 and [(PNMePCy)Co(CH2SiMe3)]BArF4 (7) were compared. Complex 7 was found to be an active precatalyst for the hydrogenation of olefins. In contrast, no catalytic activity was observed using 7 as a precatalyst for the hydrogenation of acetophenone under mild conditions. For the acceptorless dehydrogenation of 1-phenylethanol, complex 7 displayed similar activity to complex 4, affording acetophenone in high yield. When the acceptorless dehydrogenation of 1-phenylethanol with precatalyst 4 was monitored by NMR spectros...
Paper: Recent trends in feedback design: An overview

To convey the richness of content and diversity of style of the feedback renaissance of the 1980s, this brief overview discusses four recent approaches: linear robust multivariable control, adaptive control, nonlinear composite control and external linearization design.
Surveillance data analysis and prevention countermeasures of brucellosis in Shanxian from 2011 to 2012

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristic of brucellosis in Shanxian county during the period from 2011 to 2012. Methods The data of brucellosis active and passive monitored in Shanxian county were epidemiologically analyzed. Results In 2011～2012,83 new cases were reported. Compared to 2011,the infection in 2012 increased by 109.54%,the rate of positive cases of RBPT in high risk population monitored was higher,83.13% of the patients detected during March to October and 95.18% of them were over 40 years old. The ratio of male to female was 3.88: 1. The diagnosis duration for brucellosis patients was longer and the sources of infection was sick sheep. Conclusions Brucellosis showed a rapid increase in Shanxian county and there is the possibility of brucellosis outbreak.
Textual Research of the Historical Events about the South Palace in Luoyang of the Eastern Han Dynasty

The South Palace and the North Palace of the Eastern Han Dynasty were the symbol of imperial power,and important political,economic and cultural center.Here were the places the emperor acceded to the throne and handled daily state affairs,and other major activities were held here;and also,members of the royal family were living and educated here.The South Palace and North Palace had special academic institutions,where a large number of documents and literature were collected,and the most outstanding talents gathered here.The palaces,Palace although have long been disappeared,the gate,que,temple,etc,are associated with some important historical events.
The predictive value of zona-free hamster egg sperm penetration assay for failure of human in vitro fertilization and subsequent successful zona drilling *

The value of various sperm parameters and the zona-free hamster egg sperm penetration assay (SPA) in predicting human in vitro fertilization (IVF) failure and subsequent successful fertilization with zona drilling was assessed. In 19 couples, throughout 31 IVF cycles, a total of 153 oocytes failed to be fertilized. In subsequent 12 cycles with zona drilling, 33 of 131 (25%) were fertilized. The incidence of teratospermia and asthenospermia was significantly higher in the study group than in the control, 74% versus 32% and 42% versus 5%, respectively. Although the mean values for the performance of sperm in SPA and fertilization of human eggs after zona drilling were remarkably similar (28±6 versus 28±4), there was no correlation between individual parameters ( r =0.15). Thus, whereas male factor infertility is more likely to be associated with teratoasthenospermia, neither the SPA nor other sperm parameters have any predictive value for failure in IVF. In addition, no criterion of sperm function has yet been identified that would eliminate oligoteratoasthenozoospermic males from consideration of IVF with zona drilling.
Predominance of high molecular weight plasma Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase inhibitor in essential hypertension.

Circulating inhibitors of the transport enzyme, sodium-potassium-activated adenosine triphosphatase (Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase), have been shown to be of possible pathogenetic importance in the mechanism of essential hypertension. Although previous studies have demonstrated the presence of both high molecular weight (HMW) and low molecular weight (LMW) natriuretic plasma Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase inhibitors, no previous attempts have been made to ascertain whether HMW or LMW forms predominate in hypertension. In this study, plasma samples obtained from 26 patients with essential hypertension, 12 normotensive controls, and six normotensives with a family history of hypertension, were separated into HMW and LMW moieties by passage through a 1 kDa Amicon membrane. The LMW moiety was separated on C18 Sep-Pak cartridges, applying a 10% step-wise acetonitrile trifluoroacetic acid gradient. The HMW moiety was further separated on Sephadex G-75. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that the fraction with inhibitory activity contained a distinct 12 kDa protein band, with staining intensity depending on the presence or absence of hypertension. Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase inhibitory activity was found in several LMW fractions, but differences between hypertensives and normotensives were observed in only one fraction (0.29 +/- 0.12 SD v 0.11 +/- .12 mumol/L ouabain equivalents, P < .01). Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase inhibitory activity in the HMW fraction was 38 x the inhibitory activity in the LMW fraction and was significantly increased in hypertensives as compared to normotensive controls (10.9 +/- 8.9 v 1.3 +/- 0.8 mumol/L ouabain equivalents, P < .01). Inhibitory activity in both HMW and LMW fractions correlated positively with mean blood pressure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Abstract WP299: An Expanded Definition of Caregiving Among Elderly US Stroke Survivors: Have We Understated the Problem?

Introduction: Previous studies exploring stroke caregiving have estimated that the average stroke survivor receives as many as 16 hours per week hours of informal caregiving at a societal cost of as much as $26.8 billion per year. However, these studies have focused on basic and instrumental activities of daily living, and have not included healthcare and transportation activities. We sought to determine whether, and at what cost, caregiving differs between stroke survivors and matched controls using an expanded definition of caregiving. Methods: A total of 892 stroke survivors were drawn from the 2011 wave of the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), a nationally representative survey of Medicare beneficiaries. One-to-one propensity matching was performed on demographics and comorbidities to create a sample of matched non-stroke controls. Caregivers were identified by detecting all helpers for NHATS respondents who had help with self-care or mobility activities or with household activities due ...
Quality of life changes over time in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Purpose of reviewChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often considered to be a disease in which an inevitable decline in lung function results in increasing dyspnea and deteriorating quality of life. This review summarizes recent data that calls this classic paradigm into question. Studie
Formulating the Research Question

In this chapter, the reader will learn how to convert a clinical question into a pertinent research question, which includes defining an appropriate study design, select a population sample, the exposure and outcome of interest.