cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Therapeutic selective neck dissection: a 25-year review.

Objectives/Hypothesis The aim of the study was to show the efficacy of selective neck dissection in combination with postoperative radiation therapy in controlling squamous cell carcinoma metastatic to the cervical lymph nodes. The study compared the incidence of recurrences and overall disease-free survival between comparable cohorts undergoing a selective neck dissection and classic radical or modified neck dissection. Study Design Retrospective, 25-year review was made of data from a tertiary care academic facility comprising both private patients and veterans. Methods Inclusion criteria studied patients with untreated head and neck cancer who had squamous carcinoma metastatic to cervical lymph nodes on histological examination and were treated with a selective (n = 61), modified (n = 54), or radical neck dissection (n = 61). The three groups were compared with respect to regional control and overall cancer-free survival. All patients remained cancer free at the primary site, received postoperative radiation therapy, and had a minimum follow-up of 2 years. The median follow-up was 4.3 years. Results Control of recurrent carcinoma in the neck, as well as the incidence of overall cancer-free survival, was comparable in the three cohorts with no significant statistical difference. Eight of 176 sides of the necks (4.5%) showed evidence of recurrence (2 of 61 [3.3%] in the selective neck dissection group and 6 of 115 [5.2%] in the radical and modified neck dissection group. Disease-free 2-year survival was 80% in the selective neck dissection group and 64% in the radical and modified neck dissection group. Conclusion Selective neck dissection, when used in combination with postoperative radiation therapy, is an efficacious way to manage metastatic squamous cell carcinoma to the neck.
I-fibrinogen as an oncophilic radiodiagnostic agent: distribution kinetics in tumour-bearing mice

Fibrinogen radioiodinated by the iodine monochloride method was tested as a tumour radiodiagnostic agent in mice. The I-fibrinogen cleared from the blood of tumour-bearing mice more rapidly than from that of normal mice, but it cleared from the whole body more slowly, suggesting it accumulated in a substantial tumour-related compartment in the abnormal mice. The tumour concentration steadily increased for 4 h after injection, at which time it reached a peak concentration of 11-4% of the injected dose/g. This concentration was higher than the peak concentration for Ga-citrate (not reached until 24 h) or any other oncophilic radiopharmaceutical tested in this tumour model. The early accumulation is consistent with the use of 123I as a tracer label for fibrinogen. A combination of the large tumour concentration of I-fibrinogen, an increased catabolic rate induced by chemical modification, and the exceptional nuclear properties of 123I for scintigraphic imaging, could lead to a very useful radiodiagnostic procedure for cancer.
The structure of dehydrogenases

Recent three-dimensional determinations of various dehydrogenase structures have shown some common architectural and chemical principles. This has provided insights into such diverse problems as catalysis, evolution and protein folding.
Development of Crystallographic Texture during High Rate Deformation of Rolled and Hot-Pressed Beryllium

Weakly textured hot-pressed (HP) beryllium and strongly textured hot-rolled beryllium were compressed using a split-Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) (strain rate ∼4500 s−1) to a maximum of 20 pct plastic strain as a function of temperature. The evolution of the crystallographic texture was monitored with neutron diffraction and compared to polycrystal plasticity models for the purpose of interpretation. The macroscopic response of the material and the active deformation mechanisms were found to be highly dependent on the orientation of the load with respect to the initial texture. Specifically, twinning is inactive when loaded parallel to the strong basal fiber but accounts for 27 pct of the plastic strain when loaded transverse to the basal fiber. In randomly textured samples, 15 pct of the plastic strain is accomplished by twinning. The role of deformation mechanisms with components out of the basal plane (i.e., twinning and pyramidal slip) is discussed.
Beat wave injection of electrons into plasma waves using two interfering laser pulses

An electron injector concept that uses a single injection laser pulse colliding with a pump laser pulse in a plasma is analyzed. The pump pulse generates a large amplitude laser wakefield (plasma wave). The counter propagating injection pulse collides with the pump laser pulse to generate a beat wave with a slow phase velocity. The ponderomotive force of the slow beat wave is responsible for injecting plasma electrons into the wakefield near the back of the pump pulse. Test particle simulations indicate that significant amounts of charge can be trapped and accelerated ({approx} 10 pC). For higher charge, beam loading limits the validity of the simulations. The accelerated bunches are ultrashort ({approx} 1 fs) with good beam quality (relative energy spread of a few percent at a mean energy of {approx} 10 MeV and a normalized rms emittance on the order 0.4 mm.mrad). The effects of interaction angle and polarization are also explored, e.g., efficient trapping can occur for near-collinear geometries. Beat wave injection using a single injection pulse has the advantages of simplicity, ease of experimental implementation, and requires modest laser intensity I {approx_equal} 8.8 x 10{sup 17} W/cm{sup 2}.
Obsessive-compulsive behaviour in American medicine.

Abstract There is a hard-work role in American medicine, known to the public and to the medical profession, at least implicitly, that may be responsible for much of what is both good and bad in American medicine. The name of the role, ‘obsessive-compulsive’, suggests the duality. On the one hand, the physician who follows its dictates is committed to high standards and to the service ideal; on the other hand, his workaholism, combined as it is with a highly technological approach to medical practice, may lead to over-diagnosis, over-treatment, and an inflationary medical bill. The role has implications for the health of the physician, as well as for that of the patient, since the former, in a vain attempt to be the perfect (i.e. omniscient and omnipotent) physician may lapse into alcoholism and drug addiction or so neglect his family that he becomes another divorce statistic. While the physician learns this role as a part of his professional socialization and as a reaction to the work situation, his personality type may predispose him to accept role demands; Type A personalities are particularly susceptible. The obsessive-compulsive role has an uncertain future in the American medical profession. The question is can a new role be constructed from the old that will promise a productive, yet healthy life for the physician, a lesser risk of iatrogenic illness for the patient, and a lower medical bill for society?
Nonlinear interaction of two waves in boundary‐layer flows

First‐order nonlinear interactions of Tollmien–Schlichting waves of different frequencies and initial amplitudes in boundary‐layer flows are analyzed using the method of multiple scales. Numerical results for flow past a flat plate show that the spatial detuning wipes out resonant interactions unless the initial amplitudes are very large. Thus, a wave having a moderate amplitude has little influence on its subharmonic although it has a strong influence on its second harmonic. Moreover, two waves having moderate amplitudes have a strong influence on their difference frequency. The results show that the difference frequency can be very unstable when generated by the nonlinear interaction, even though it may be stable when introduced by itself in the boundary layer.
Household Consumption of Food-Away-From-Home: Total Expenditure and by Type of Food Facility

Consistent with prior expectations based on household production theory, household income, time value, size and composition, and the environment in which production and consumption occurred were all important determinants of total household expenditures on food-away-from-home. However, the importance of these factors varied by type of food facility: conventional restaurants, fast-food facilities, and other commercial establishments. Decomposition of the tobit elasticities indicated the differential importance of market participation effects of household size, income, and time value by level of the variable and by type of food facility.
Emotional response as a predictor of compliance‐gaining message selection

The present study builds on Hunter and Boster's model of compliance‐gaining by adding conceptual and operational definitions of emotional response and by providing a theoretical framework for understanding relationships between emotional response and message selection. Specifically, Russell's (1978) and Mehrabian's (1980) three dimensional model of emotional response is offered to clarify the key concept—emotion. A measurement tool designed to tap the dimensions of pleasure, arousal, and dominance is used to test two hypotheses that seek to: (a) define the relative importance of the predicted emotional response of the selector and listener for compliance‐gaining message selection: and (b) define the relative importance of each dimension of the selector's predicted emotional response on compliance‐gaining selection. As predicted the selector's level of pleasure was most related to compliance‐gaining selection.
Relation between arterial hypoxemia and plasma eicosanoids in neonates with congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

Abstract Pulmonary hypertension is a major source of morbidity and mortality in infants born with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Increased pulmonary vascular resistance leads to right-to-left shunting, which is evident as decreases in the PaO 2 measured in postductal arterial blood. Thromboxane A 2 (TXA 2 ), a vasoconstrictor, and prostacyclin (prostaglandin I 2 , PGI 2 ), a vasodilator, have been studied as possible mediators of pulmonary hypertension in certain conditions of the newborn, including congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). The goal of our study was to determine the association of TXA 2 and PGI 2 levels with hypoxemia in infants born with CDH. Eleven newborn infants with severe respiratory insufficiency (birth weight 2.0–4.1 kg; gestational age 32–42 weeks) were studied 0–5 days after surgical repair of CDH. Umbilical artery samples were collected for arterial blood gas determinations and radioimmunoassay of thromboxane B 2 (TXB 2 ) and 6-keto prostaglandin F 1α (6-keto-PGF 1α ), stable metabolites of TXA 2 and PGI 2 , respectively. Postductal arterial hypoxemia (reflected by a low a-A ratio, the ratio of oxygen tension in arterial blood to that in the alveolus) was associated with increases in TXB 2 ( r = −0.71, P = 0.004) and 6-keto-PGF 1 ( r = −0.65, P = 0.017). The a-A ratio also correlated inversely with TXB 2 /6-keto-PGF 1α ( r = −0.50, P = 0.01), suggesting an increased influence of the vasoconstrictor TXA 2 . Increases in arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO 2 ) were associated with the highest levels of TXB 2 ( r = 0.70, P = 0.01) and 6-keto-PGF 1α ( r = 0.85, P = 0.001), but had no correlation with TXB 2 /6-keto-PGF 1α ( r = 0.04, P = 0.85). Low pH was associated with high postductal TXB 2 ( r = −0.49, P = 0.01) and 6-keto-PGF 1α ( r = −0.67, P = 0.001), but not with TXB 2 /6-keto-PGF 1α ( r = 0.02, P = 0.90). Stepwise multiple regression showed that a-A ratio and PaCO 2 , but not postductal arterial pH, had significant independent effects on TXB 2 and 6-keto-PGF 1α . Patients who died had higher mean TXB 2 and 6-keto-PGF 1α levels than survivors. Increased levels of TXA 2 and PGI 2 appear to be associated with postductal arterial hypoxemia and hypercarbia in CDH. These observations support the hypothesis that activation of the arachidonic acid cascade and the formation and release of TXA 2 and PGI 2 are among the biochemical influences that produce pulmonary hypertension in CDH.
Bomskov Reports on Thymus Mediation of Pituitary Function

ConclusionsWith 3 different preparations of an ether-soluble extract of calf thymus unsuccessful attempts were made to confirm certain results reported by Bomskov and coworkers. No significant leucocytosis was obtained in rats. Short-term tests showed no appreciable effects on bodily growth in young rats, chicks and pigeons. Neither glycogenolytic, glycemic nor ketogenic activity was observed in rather extensive tests on rats and pigeons.
Transient probabilistic systems

Abstract The probabilistic finite element method (PFEM) for the transient analysis of random field problems by the finite element method is presented with improved computational procedures. The theoretical development of PFEM is reviewed with the inclusion of a transformed uncorrelated random variable, the formulation of the decoupled PFEM equations, and the computations of the probabilistic distributions. A method is presented to reduce the PFEM equations to a smaller system of tridiagonal equations. The reduction scheme is based on a highly efficient Lanczos algorithm which forms a reduced basis from the system eigenproblem. The application of PFEM via a sensitivity method for transient problems can result in the emergence of undesirable secular terms. A method based on Fourier analysis is presented for removing secularities from the PFEM. The effectiveness of the Lanczos reduction technique and the secularity elimination scheme is demonstrated with application to a linear continuum problem and potential applications to nonlinear problems are discussed.
The effects of growth hormone, prolactin, corticotropin, and thyrotropin on the production and secretion of somatostatin by hypothalamic cells in vitro.

The influence of GH and several other pituitary hormones on the secretion and intracellular content of immunoreactive somatostatin (IRS) in cultured hypothalamic cells was examined. Hypothalamic cells prepared from 17-day-old rat embryos and maintained as reaggregate monolayers for 12 days in vitro were used. Short term release of IRS from these cultures was found to be stable and relatively constant. IRS release was enhanced by 60 mm K+ in a calcium-dependent fashion and by dopamine at concentrations as low as 1 nm. GH (1 μm) increased medium IRS content above baseline 12, 24, and 48 h after the incubation was begun, but had no effect after only 4 h. Hypothalamic cell content of IRS was increased by a 24-h incubation in 0.3 and 1.0 μm GH, but not by 0.1 μm GH. TSH (1 μm) induced an increase in IRS release comparable to 1 μm GH. However, intracellular IRS content was decreased after exposure to TSH. Cosyntropin, an ACTH analog, inhibited both IRS release and cell content, whereas PRL had no effect on eith...
Chronic toxicity of a purified extract of Veratrum viride.

Summary(1) A purified extract of Vera-trum viride, Veriloid, was fed to growing rats and adult dogs for 12 months. (2) A graded retardation of growth was observed in the rats consuming 3, 5, 8 and 10 mg kg per day of the drug. No such gradation of pathologic change was found. (3) Weight loss and emesis resulted in the dogs. The mean daily intake for this species was limited to 0.19 mg/kg by emesis and failure of animals to eat. (4) No specific organ toxicity was found in either species.
Downregulation of topoisomerase I in differentiating human intestinal epithelial cells.

To better understand the increased sensitivity of proliferating intestinal epithelial cells to topoisomerase I (topo I) poisons, we examined differentiation of a human intestinal cell line (Caco-2) in the presence of camptothecin (CPT) and its analogs irinotecan (CPT-11) and topotecan (TPT). The prodrug CPT-11 exerts its antitumor activity after transformation to SN-38. We show that cleavable complex formation in vivo (on genomic DNA) induced by CPT or SN-38 is 4- to 7-fold reduced in fully differentiated cells relative to undifferentiated cells. TPT-induced cleavable complexes, however, are reduced by 30-fold. In contrast, CPT-11-driven cleavable complexes did not change during cell differentiation. In general, cytotoxicity closely paralleled cleavable complex formation, as attested to by the four- to 6-fold decrease in cytotoxicity in fully differentiated cells treated with CPT and SN-38 compared with proliferating cells. Topo I activity and polypeptide levels decreased 4-fold over the course of differentiation. This reduction occurs as Caco-2 cells approach G1 and simultaneously differentiate. In contrast, human diploid fibroblasts do not show a reduction in topo I when entering G1; therefore, topo I downregulation is a differentiation-specific event in the Caco-2 cell line. Cleavable complex formation and cytotoxicity induced by CPT and SN-38 correlate with topo I level and activity in cells at different stages in their differentiation. Thus, high target levels correspond closely with drug sensitivity and since proliferating cells contain larger amounts of topo I, we conclude that epithelial crypt cells probably succumb to chemotherapy involving topo I poisons. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Influence of Microcracking on Shear Localization

This work examines the influence of microcracking on a material’s tendency to shear localize under compressive loading. A two-dimensional (2D) finite-element framework with explicit crack representation using cohesive-element methodologies is employed. The influence of microcracking is examined by taking the fracture toughness of the cohesive elements as a free parameter. The simulations suggest that an optimum fracture toughness exists for promoting shear localization. This value corresponds to the limiting mode I fracture toughness, below which microscopic material defects lead to brittle compressive failure, as opposed to shear localization. While in the presence of confinement, this value is shown to be close to zero; in the absence of confinement, it is computed to be 28% of the shear band toughness for the specific case of ultrafine-grained tungsten. More generally, it is found that the ratio of mode I fracture toughness to shear band toughness provides a crude indicator for predicting whether mate...
Hydrothermal discharge and alteration in near-surface sediments from the Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California

Abstract In the Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California, hydrothermal fluids discharge onto the seafloor via both direct emanation through hydrothermal spires and diffusely through the sediments. The latter mode is the focus of this study. Short (≤20 cm) sediment cores were taken in zones of diffuse hydrothermal flow for chemical investigation of interstitial fluids and bulk solids. The hydrothermal component of the pore fluids was quite variable, indicating the heterogenous nature of the near-surface flow regimes. The bulk solids chemistry indicates that the suite of cores has encountered different amounts of cumulative hydrothermal exposure. Dissolution of biogenic silica and deposition of large amorphous silica clasts in the sediment are related to the extent of hydrothermal exposure. Surface enrichments in Ba are formed as barite precipitates when Ba-rich hydrothermal fluids mix with sulfate-rich seawater at the seafloor. Formation of pyrite and removal of Mg from the solid phases are also observed effects of hydrothermal flow through these sediments.
Sequence of raccoon IAPP supports importance of a specific structural motif in the development of pancreatic islet amyloidosis

The amino acid sequence of raccoon islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP), as predicted by analysis of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified sequences from genomic DNA, contains the same putative amyloidogenic sequence (GAILS) at residues 24-28 as human and cat IAPP. These findings are consistent with evidence that the occurrence of islet amyloidosis, usually in association with age-associated (type 2) diabetes, is limited to a few unique species (e.g., humans, cats, raccoons) that produce IAPP molecules containing an inherent amyloidogenic structural motif. Although the presence of an intrinsic amyloidogenic structural motif within the IAPP molecule appears to be a prerequisite for the development of this form of amyloidosis, it is increasingly clear that additional factors are importantly involved in the ultimate expression of IAPP fibrillogenesis and deposition as islet amyloid deposits.
Psychopathy and behavioral correlates of victim injury in serious juvenile offenders

The study examines delinquent behavior and psychopathy and assesses their relationship to victim injury in a population of 168 incarcerated juvenile delinquent males with lengthy histories of criminal and violent behavior. A series of multiple regressions found that 17% of the variance associated with level of victim injury was accounted for by a model that included the three-factor model of the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version [Forth, Kosson, and Hare, 2003], criminal versatility, and age of onset of criminal offending. Notably, anger and DSM-IV symptoms of conduct disorder were not related to level of victim injury. The results of this study support an escalation hypothesis where individuals with earlier onset to criminal behavior and greater criminal versatility escalate to more severe violence. The current results demonstrate the importance of integrating established theories of juvenile delinquency when explaining severe violence in youth. Aggr. Behav. 33:537–544, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Who Will Speak For the Religious Traditions

THE FIRST YEAR I began studying Greek I recall the instructor passed out a diagram illustrating the meanings of the many Greek prepositions. At the center of the sheet was a circle and the prepositions were located at different points in relation to the circle. One preposition was in the circle, another outside the circle, one sat on a line through the circle, others were alongside it, above it or below it. Prepositions, we learned, signified relations between things, persons, and ideas, and without a clear grasp of how the prepositions worked it was impossible to understand Greek or any language. Prepositions are the joints and hinges that hold together conceptions about scholarship and teaching in the field of religion, as can be seen in the expressions we use to depict our common intellectual endeavor. I am referring of course to the phrases: the study of religion and teaching about religion. These expressions have become so commonplace that it is easy to forget that they have a history and have achieved canonical status only in recent times. Underneath them lie notions about religion that are relative newcomers to our intellectual life. Western thinkers, writes Jonathan Z. Smith, have only "had the last few centuries in which to imagine religion." In this view, religion "is solely the creation of the scholar's study. It is created for the scholar's analytic purposes by ... imaginative acts of comparison and generalization. Religion has no independent existence apart from the academy. For this reason, the
Featherweight X10: a core calculus for async-finish parallelism

We present a core calculus with two of X10's key constructs for parallelism, namely async and finish. Our calculus forms a convenient basis for type systems and static analyses for languages with async-finish parallelism. For example, we present a type system for context-sensitive may-happen-in-parallel analysis, along with experimental results of performing type inference on 13,000 lines of X10 code. Our analysis runs in polynomial time and produces a low number of false positives, which suggests that our analysis is a good basis for other analyses such as race detectors. Our calculus is also a good basis for tractable proofs of correctness. For example, we give a one-page proof of the deadlock-freedom theorem of Saraswat and Jagadeesan, and we prove the correctness of our type system.
Measurement of the Unsteady Thermal Green’s Function in a Boundary Layer Flow: A Preliminary Theory

Compared to the heat transfer coefficient, the thermal Green’s function concept is a more fundamental method of describing the relationship between local wall heat transfer and wall temperature. It is far more amenable to situations involving strong spatial, temporal, and boundary condition variability. The utility of this methodology has been established, in particular for the analysis of the conjugate heat transfer problem. A necessary element in this technique is an inverse theoretical model to infer the Green’s function from laboratory thermal response data. This paper presents preliminary results from the first attempt to develop such a measurement theory to extract local approximations to the unsteady thermal Green’s function (UTGF) in 3-D boundary layer flows. The flow model used is a linear shear flow, which is a sulution valid in the near wall region of laminar flows, as well as the viscous sublayer region of turbulent boundary layer. This model is governed by the shear velocity, which is a measure of the local wall shear stress. The solution methodology employs the mathematical theory of Green’s function solutions to the energy equation for a general 3-D boundary layer flow, where the UTGF of interest is the thermal response to an impulsive heat load. Analytic methods are used to condense the equation form a 3-D to a 2-D transient PDE, and the reduced equation is solved using a Petrov-Galerkin Finite Element Method. These data are used to construct a numerical UTGF uniquely determined by the shear velocity, flow angle, and the thermodynamic properties of the fluid. An error minimization scheme is proposed to find the appropriate value of the shear velocity, thus providing local UTGF, and shear velocity measurements.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
On the generalized twisted cube

Abstract The generalized twisted cube GQn, a variation on hypercubes (Qn) with smaller diameter, was introduced in [1]. In [1], we claimed that the complete binary tree on 2n − 1 nodes (Tn), which is not a subgraph of the Qn, is a subgraph of the GQn. The proof which appeared in [1] is incorrect. This note is intended to (1) support that claim and (2) present an efficient dilation 1 embedding of the N × N mesh of trees, a very powerful network for parallel computation, in the 4N2 — node GQ.
Resting B cells expand a CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Treg population via TGF‐β3

Regulatory T cells (Treg) play critical roles in maintaining tolerance and preventing autoimmunity. It is not fully clear how these cells are generated and maintained. Here, we show that resting B cells are able to expand Treg. This expansion requires TGF-β3 and signaling through the TCR and CD28. Upon activation, B cells express less TGF-β3, which reduces their capacity to expand Treg and which also results in increased Treg death. This may ensure that B cells can function as potent professional antigen presenting cells during infections. However, in the absence of any infection, we find that B-cell-deficient µMT mice have decreased percentages of Treg in the periphery. Our data suggest that resting B cells, which may be presenting self-antigens to T cells, can expand and maintain specific Treg and thus might be involved in the prevention of autoimmunity.
ACP Journal Club. Review: femoral and subclavian or internal jugular venous catheters do not differ for bloodstream infections.

Source Citation Marik PE, Flemmer M, Harrison W. The risk of catheter-related bloodstream infection with femoral venous catheters as compared to subclavian and internal jugular venous catheters: a ...
Mass spectra of complex molecules. I. Chemical ionization of sphingolipids.

Abstract Methane chemical ionization spectra of acetylated and perdeutero-acetylated ceramides, cerebrosides, and ceramide dihexosides have been analyzed and compared with electron impact ionization spectra of the same compounds. Abundant fragment ions for the loss of acetic acid from the protonated molecular ion in C.I. spectra readily enable the determination of the molecular weights of the principal species of sphingolipid mixtures. Complete structures can be elucidated by the combination of E.I. and C.I. mass spectra.
Leptin Induces Increased α2(I) Collagen Gene Expression in Cultured Rat Hepatic Stellate Cells

Leptin is a 16-kDa hormone with an array of biologic actions. We, and others, have demonstrated that leptin is critical to the development of liver fibrogenesis both in vitro and in the lean littermates of ob/ob mice exposed to carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Controversy exists as to whether leptin can act as a direct cytokine in the development of increased collagen expression, and whether ob/ob mice are resistant to potential injury from CCl4. Here, we provide evidence that strongly suggests that leptin acts to increase nascent production of mRNA for the α2(I) collagen gene based upon ribonuclease protection analysis (RPA). Actinomycin D, but not cyclohexamide, or the pan-neutralizing antibody to transforming growth factor beta one (TGFβ1), significantly diminished the effect of leptin on total α2(I) collagen mRNA levels. Further evidence that leptin acts directly on HSCs to alter gene expression in liver wounding is demonstrated by enhanced binding of phosphorylated signal transduction and activator of transcription factor 3 (pStat3) to a cis-inducible element (SIE) oligonucleotide by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). This consensus sequence is responsible for production of a critical collagen transcription factor, AP-1. Finally, we have demonstrated from the ob/ob mouse model that these animals are at least as sensitive to CCl4 as their respective lean animals as assessed by serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) measurements. Taken together, the current data provide a continued framework that leptin is a profibrogenic cytokine and plays a key role in liver fibrosis. J. Cell. Biochem. 89: 311–320, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A reduced frequency visit schedule underreports adverse events that resulted in dose modifications or treatment discontinuations in HIV/AIDS clinical trials: ACTG DACS 207

Abstract Background Most large clinical trials for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) conducted at university medical centers require intensive real-time monitoring, with clinic visits at least every 4 to 8 weeks. Investigating a reduced frequency visit schedule will help determine whether the current amount of monitoring is needed to ensure subject safety. If we can show that subjects may visit the clinic less often than every 8 weeks and not miss important laboratory-related drug toxicities, then it may be feasible to conduct large studies with simpler designs without compromising the subjects' health. Methods In a retrospective analysis, we examined 3385 study participants who were enrolled in one of four clinical trials conducted by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease AIDS Clinical Trials Group. Variables examined included age, sex, race, CD4 cell count, HIV antiretroviral use, and medications to treat or prevent selected HIV-associated opportunistic infections. Results Significantly more than the hypothesized 5% of clinic visits with at least one drug toxicity were missed when visits were either every 16 or 24 weeks instead of every 8 weeks (exact Poisson lower 95% confidence bounds = 9.7% and 9.2%, respectively). In both visit-skipping scenarios, there were no significant differences found in the rates of missed drug toxicities by sex or age. However, entry CD4 cell count, HIV antiretroviral use, and medications to treat or prevent two HIV-associated opportunistic infections significantly affected the expected mean number of missed drug toxicities. Conclusion Study visits cannot be extended from every 8 weeks to every 16 or 24 weeks without potentially harming the subjects' health.
An integrated token-based algorithm for scalable coordination

Efficient coordination among large numbers of heterogeneous agents promises to revolutionize the way in which some complex tasks, such as responding to urban disasters can be performed. However, state of the art coordination algorithms are not capable of achieving efficient and effective coordination when a team is very large. Building on recent successful token-based algorithms for task allocation and information sharing, we have developed an integrated and efficient approach to effective coordination of large scale teams. We use tokens to encapsulate anything that needs to be shared by the team, including information, tasks and resources. The tokens are efficiently routed through the team via the use of local decision theoretic models. Each token is used to improve the routing of other tokens leading to a dramatic performance improvement when the algorithms work together. We present results from an implementation of this approach which demonstrates its ability to coordinate large teams.
Type II integral membrane protein, TM of J paramyxovirus promotes cell-to-cell fusion

Paramyxoviruses include many important animal and human pathogens. Most paramyxoviruses have two integral membrane proteins: fusion protein (F) and attachment proteins hemagglutinin, hemagglutinin-neuraminidase, or glycoprotein (G), which are critical for viral entry into cells. J paramyxovirus (JPV) encodes four integral membrane proteins: F, G, SH, and transmembrane (TM). The function of TM is not known. In this work, we have generated a viable JPV lacking TM (JPV∆TM). JPV∆TM formed opaque plaques compared with JPV. Quantitative syncytia assays showed that JPV∆TM was defective in promoting cell-to-cell fusion (i.e., syncytia formation) compared with JPV. Furthermore, cells separately expressing F, G, TM, or F plus G did not form syncytia whereas cells expressing F plus TM formed some syncytia. However, syncytia formation was much greater with coexpression of F, G, and TM. Biochemical analysis indicates that F, G, and TM interact with each other. A small hydrophobic region in the TM ectodomain from amino acid residues 118 to 132, the hydrophobic loop (HL), was important for syncytial promotion, suggesting that the TM HL region plays a critical role in cell-to-cell fusion.
Image segmentation with ratio cut

This paper proposes a new cost function, cut ratio, for segmenting images using graph-based methods. The cut ratio is defined as the ratio of the corresponding sums of two different weights of edges along the cut boundary and models the mean affinity between the segments separated by the boundary per unit boundary length. This new cost function allows the image perimeter to be segmented, guarantees that the segments produced by bipartitioning are connected, and does not introduce a size, shape, smoothness, or boundary-length bias. The latter allows it to produce segmentations where boundaries are aligned with image edges. Furthermore, the cut-ratio cost function allows efficient iterated region-based segmentation as well as pixel-based segmentation. These properties may be useful for some image-segmentation applications. While the problem of finding a minimum ratio cut in an arbitrary graph is NP-hard, one can find a minimum ratio cut in the connected planar graphs that arise during image segmentation in polynomial time. While the cut ratio, alone, is not sufficient as a baseline method for image segmentation, it forms a good basis for an extended method of image segmentation when combined with a small number of standard techniques. We present an implemented algorithm for finding a minimum ratio cut, prove its correctness, discuss its application to image segmentation, and present the results of segmenting a number of medical and natural images using our techniques.
Effects of time, initial composition, and stabilizing agents on the results of canine cerebrospinal fluid analysis.

Background Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is considered highly labile, but not all samples are analyzed immediately. Changes in the composition of CSF could potentially affect diagnostic test results and thus influence decisions about patient management. There has been little scientific inquiry into how variables such as time, initial composition, and storage conditions affect results of standard laboratory analysis of CSF. Objectives The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of time, protein concentration, and presence or absence of exogenous stabilizing agents on standard CSF analysis results. Methods Thirty abnormal CSF samples from 26 dogs were evaluated. Samples were divided into aliquots comprising different treatment groups and stored at 4 degrees C. Total nucleated cell count (TNCC), differential cell count (DCC), and cell morphology were evaluated for all groups; protein concentration was measured for selected groups. Unaltered aliquots were analyzed immediately (T0Hr) and at 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, and 48 hours (T2Hr-T48Hr); aliquots with added fetal calf serum (FCS) or hydroxyethyl starch (hetastarch) were analyzed at T48Hr. Results Significant time-dependent changes were observed in DCC in unaltered samples. Mononuclear cells deteriorated more rapidly than did neutrophils. Based on microscopic examination and subjective scoring of cell morphology, cells were consistently more degenerate by T24Hr compared with T0Hr. Samples with protein concentrations > or =50 mg/dL were less susceptible to cell deterioration than those with lower protein concentrations. Adding either FCS or hetastarch improved sample stability. Conclusions Delayed analysis of canine CSF by 4-8 hours is unlikely to alter diagnostic interpretation, especially for samples with protein concentrations > or =50 mg/dL. The likelihood of misinterpretation is higher for samples with low cellularity or low protein concentration. We provide specific recommendations for adding FCS or hetastarch to samples that will not be analyzed within 1 hour.
Characterization of Luminance and Color Properties of 6-MP Wide-Screen Displays

Luminance and color performance are routinely evaluated as part of acceptance testing of displays used in diagnostic radiology. Previous work has indicated that as some diagnostic liquid crystal displays (LCDs) increase in backlight hours (BLH), the luminance measured with an external luminance meter exceeds the luminance reported by the manufacturer’s built-in meter. The purposes of this work were as follows: first, to characterize several luminance and color performance characteristics for 23 Barco Coronis Fusion 6-MP MDCC 6230 color displays and, second, to provide initial data for a longitudinal study evaluating changes in luminance and color performance as BLH increase. Grayscale display conformance and maximum luminance were evaluated using a calibrated luminance meter and AAPM Task Group 18 test patterns, and agreement between target and measured luminance was calculated. Luminance uniformity was evaluated by calculating maximum luminance deviation. Color point and color uniformity were evaluated using a spectrophotometer, and the radial color distances between the corners and center of the display were calculated. Above 3 cd/m2, there was good agreement between the target and measured luminance. At the maximum luminance, the mean difference was less than 1 %. The mean maximum luminance deviation for these displays was 10.40 ± 2.38 %. Color point was observed to be very consistent between displays with mean values of u′ and v′ of 0.187 ± 0.002 and 0.474 ± 0.004, respectively. Among all displays, maximum radial color distance had a mean value of 0.003 ± 0.001. These data provide a baseline for the acceptance of future displays as well as for longitudinal studies of luminance and color performance.
Update on Metastatic Gastric and Esophageal Cancers

Cancers of the stomach and esophagus are among the most challenging cancers of the GI tract to treat, associated with poor median survivals for metastatic disease and significant, sometimes prolonged, deteriorations in patient performance status as the diseases progress. However, in the past decade, we have begun to better understand disease biology and carcinogenesis, leading to the identification of subtypes of these diseases. There is also an increasing awareness of the global heterogeneity of disease and its impact on drug development. Our improved understanding of the molecular underpinnings of gastric and esophageal cancers has been accompanied with the development of novel therapeutic strategies. Recent actively investigated targets in this disease include human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, angiogenesis, MET, and immune checkpoint inhibition, with approvals of two new targeted agents, trastuzumab and ramucirumab. Improvements in our ability to deliver cytotoxic therapy, which is better tolerated and allows patients an opportunity to benefit from second- and more advanced lines of therapy, have also been observed. In this review, the current state-of-the-art management of advanced and metastatic gastric and esophageal adenocarcinomas, specifically highlighting the development of targeted therapies in these diseases, is described.
Transfer learning for reinforcement learning on a physical robot

As robots become more widely available, many capabilities that were once only practical to develop and test in simulation are becoming feasible on real, physically grounded, robots. This newfound feasibility is important because simulators rarely represent the world with sufficient fidelity that developed behaviors will work as desired in the real world. However, development and testing on robots remains difficult and time consuming, so it is desirable to minimize the number of trials needed when developing robot behaviors. This paper focuses on reinforcement learning (RL) on physically grounded robots. A few noteworthy exceptions notwithstanding, RL has typically been done purely in simulation, or, at best, initially in simulation with the eventual learned behaviors run on a real robot. However, some recent RL methods exhibit sufficiently low sample complexity to enable learning entirely on robots. One such method is transfer learning for RL. The main contribution of this paper is the first empirical demonstration that transfer learning can significantly speed up and even improve asymptotic performance of RL done entirely on a physical robot. In addition, we show that transferring information learned in simulation can bolster additional learning on the robot.
Inhibition of ABCB1 (MDR1) expression by an siRNA nanoparticulate delivery system to overcome drug resistance in osteosarcoma.

Background The use of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in treating osteosarcoma has improved patients' average 5 year survival rate from 20% to 70% in the past 30 years. However, for patients who progress after chemotherapy, its effectiveness diminishes due to the emergence of multi-drug resistance (MDR) after prolonged therapy. Methodology/Principal Findings In order to overcome both the dose-limiting side effects of conventional chemotherapeutic agents and the therapeutic failure resulting from MDR, we designed and evaluated a novel drug delivery system for MDR1 siRNA delivery. Novel biocompatible, lipid-modified dextran-based polymeric nanoparticles were used as the platform for MDR1 siRNA delivery; and the efficacy of combination therapy with this system was evaluated. In this study, multi-drug resistant osteosarcoma cell lines (KHOSR2 and U-2OSR2) were treated with the MDR1 siRNA nanocarriers and MDR1 protein (P-gp) expression, drug retention, and immunofluoresence were analyzed. Combination therapy of the MDR1 siRNA loaded nanocarriers with increasing concentrations of doxorubicin was also analyzed. We observed that MDR1 siRNA loaded dextran nanoparticles efficiently suppresses P-gp expression in the drug resistant osteosarcoma cell lines. The results also demonstrated that this approach may be capable of reversing drug resistance by increasing the amount of drug accumulation in MDR cell lines. Conclusions/Significance Lipid-modified dextran-based polymeric nanoparticles are a promising platform for siRNA delivery. Nanocarriers loaded with MDR1 siRNA are a potential treatment strategy for reversing MDR in osteosarcoma.
Rendering fake soft shadows with smoothies

We present a new method for real-time rendering of shadows in dynamic scenes. Our approach builds on the shadow map algorithm by attaching geometric primitives that we call "smoothies" to the objects' silhouettes. The smoothies give rise to fake shadows that appear qualitatively like soft shadows, without the cost of densely sampling an area light source. The soft shadow edges hide objectionable aliasing artifacts that are noticeable with ordinary shadow maps. Our algorithm computes shadows efficiently in image space and maps well to programmable graphics hardware. We present results from several example scenes rendered in real-time.
Flame dynamics and structure within sub‐millimeter combustors

Non-premixed methane-oxygen flame dynamics and structures confined within an alumina combustor are described. Non-stabilized, transient flame dynamics and phenomena leading to the formation of a stable edge-like flame and distinct cellular structures that take place within combustor channels of dimensions 35 mm long, 5 mm wide, and 0.75 mm high (combustor volume ∼ 130 mm3) are discussed. These confined flames are surveyed by measuring the external wall temperatures, high-speed and still-frame visual flame imaging, recordings of emitted acoustics from the combustor, and capturing visible, CH*, and OH* chemiluminescence through a sapphire window. The observed dynamic flame structure is an oscillating edge-like flame accompanied by ignition-extinction events that precede the formation of a stable edge-like flame and flame cells in the reaction channel. The cellular flame structures in all cases exhibit a confined tribrachial structure with a folded or extinguished rich branch while the lean branch survives. © 2007 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2007
Enforcement and the Success of International Environmental Law

Professor O'Connell discusses the tradtional methods used for international law "enforcement, " and she argues that international law is generally obeyed. Its enforcement is based primarily on compliance, not enforcement. Accordingly, the author argues against using international enforcement mechanisms to enforce international environmental law. Instead, she posits that domestic courts should be used for international environmental law enforcement; however, certain obstacles, such as sovereign immunity, the doctrine of standing, and the principle of forum non conveniens, must be overcome. Professor O'Connell argues that it may be possible to overcome many of these court-made obstacles to enforcing international law through domestic courts. She notes that, to this end, progress has been made in the area of human rights, especially with respect to war crimes. The author concludes by asserting that, because domestic courts have control over persons and assets, the need for "borrowing" the forum of domestic courts will increase as environmental rules become more directed at those individuals.
Inclusion of letter knowledge, phonemic awareness, the alphabetic principle,and oral language is supported for early reading intervention for kindergarteners withlanguage difficulties

This review provides a summary and appraisal commentary on the treatment review by O’Connor, R. E., Bocain, K., Beebe-Frankenberger, M., & Linklater, D. L. (2010). Responsiveness to students with language difficulties to early intervention in reading. Journal of Special Education, 43, 220–235. Source of funding and disclosure of interest: This study was supported by Grant #R324B080008 from the Postdoctoral Research Training Program, U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Educational Sciences; the original authors of this research report no conflicts of interest.