cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract B43: The Vitamin D receptor and retinoid X receptor-alpha expression related to DNMT levels in a murine model of colitis

Vitamin D 3 , whose functionality is controlled by signaling through the vitamin D receptor (VDR), plays a regulatory role in inflammation. To properly signal, VDR must heterodimerize with its signaling partner, Retinoid X Receptor (RXRα). When the signaling capability of Vitamin D 3 goes awry, this mechanism of inflammation regulation is unchecked and cells are free to proliferate and release inflammatory signaling molecules. Inflammation and dysregulated Vitamin D 3 signaling have been implicated in allowing the progression of colitis to cancer, but the mechanism by which this happens is poorly understood. Previous studies in our laboratory revealed that expression of RXRα is decreased in high-grade dysplasia in a mouse model of colon cancer. Whether RXRα or VDR are downregulated in human colitis remains to be clarified. The dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) model is a well-accepted animal model for human colitis, based on its histological similarity to human disease. Addition of azoxymethane (AOM), a carcinogen, is often utilized to encourage colon cancer development in mice with DSS-induced colitis. As a first step, we examined the expression profiles of RXR and VDR in the DSS induced and the DSS/AOM induced mouse models of colitis. To achieve colitis with the DSS model, ten C57BL/6J mice were given 2% DSS for one week followed by a two week recovery period with water and five control mice received only water. This was repeated two times to simulate the remission and relapses evidenced in human colitis. Mice were sacrificed after the third cycle. For the AOM/DSS model, ten C57BL/6J mice were intraperitoneally (IP) injected with 10mg/kg of AOM (control mice were IP with saline) and allowed to recover for one week with water before being given the same DSS model as described above. Mice were killed after one cycle for the acute model or after three cycles for the chronic model. At sacrifice, colons were either swiss-rolled for IHC analysis of VDR, RXRα and PCNA or the mucosal layer was scraped for determination of VDR, RXRα and DNA methyltranferase (DNMT) expression and protein levels. We found that in both mouse colitis protocols VDR protein levels were decreased with altered levels of RXRα protein. In accord with these primary effects, we also found DNMT expression to be altered. We conclude that downregulation of key transcription factors by epigenetic mechanisms could play a role in murine colitis models. We are also investigating whether this find translates to one9s risk for colon cancer Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2011;4(10 Suppl):B43.
Quantification of Protein Incorporated into Electrospun Polycaprolactone Tissue Engineering Scaffolds

The surface modification of synthetic tissue engineering scaffolds is essential to improving their hydrophilicity and cellular compatibility. Plasma treatment is an effective way to increase the hydrophilicity of a surface, but the incorporation of biomolecules is also important to control cellular adhesion and differentiation, among many other outcomes. In this work, oriented polycaprolactone (PCL) electrospun fibers were modified by air-plasma treatment, followed by the covalent attachment of laminin. The amount of protein incorporated onto the fiber surface was controlled by varying the reaction time and the protein solution concentration. The protein concentration and coverage were quantified using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), solid-state ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–vis) and two fluorescence-based assays. XPS results showed a nearly linear increase in protein coverage with increasing protein soaking solution concentration until a monolayer was formed. Results from XPS and the NanoO...
Pluton assembly and the genesis of granitic magmas: Insights from the GIC pluton in cross section, Sierra Nevada Batholith, California

The ~151 Ma Guadalupe Igneous Complex (GIC) is a tilted, bi-modal intrusion that provides a rare view into the deeper, mantle-derived portions of a granitic pluton. Major oxide relationships show that GIC granitic rocks formed by in situ differentiation. Assimilation of sedimentary country rock is precluded, as GIC alumina saturation indices (ASI) are too low by comparison, while TiO2 and P2O5 contents disallow partial melting of metavolcanic lower/middle crust. In contrast, Rb-Sr systematics support in situ magmatic differentiation, as unaltered GIC whole rock samples fall on a single 151 Ma isochron (initial 87Sr/86Sr = 0.7036) matching zircon age dates (Saleeby et al. 1989). Crystal/liquid segregation, though, was not continuous: mafic and felsic samples form discordant compositional trends, with a gap between 60–66% SiO2. We posit that crystal/liquid segregation is continuous between 50–60% SiO2, and leads to the genesis of intermediate composition liquids that are then too viscous to allow further continuous liquid segregation. Further crystal/liquid separation thereafter occurs discontinuously (at F ≈ 45–50%), to yield a mafic crystalline (52–59% SiO2) residue and a silicic (70–75% SiO2) liquid (Bachmann and Bergantz 2004), which are, respectively, preserved in the Meladiorite and Granite/Granophyre units of the GIC. Outcrops in the gabbroic section support this view, where mafic crystalline layers feed directly into granitic dikes, and intermediate compositions are absent; mass balance calculations at the outcrop scale also support this model. It is unclear, though, to what extent this model applies to larger Sierran plutons; the smaller GIC may represent an end-member process, where rapid cooling limits mixing, due to rapid increases in mafic/felsic melt viscosity contrasts.
Flame-vortex interaction in the near field of exothermic jets

The flow in the near-field of high Damkohler number, strongly exothermic planar jets is analyzed using high resolution two-dimensional simulations. The focus of the analysis is the experimentally observed, and yet unexplained, tendency of the flame to locate itself outside the region of vortical structures and to experience minimum convolution by them. The Lagrangian transport element method is used to resolve the unsteady and unaveraged post transitional flow. The reacting field is represented by an infinite reaction rate model based on the Schvab-Zeldovich formulation. Results indicate that the flame behavior in the jet near-field is controlled by the presence of a wake region just downstream the nozzle wall and the interaction of this region with combustion exothermicity. The wake region is contaminated by vorticity from the upstream boundary layers. This vorticity experiences a maximum away from the initial location of the flame which is constrained by the diffusion of the previously unmixed reactants. The region of most intense vorticity gets destabilised in a shear layer mode and, in the absence of exothermicity, convolutes the flame by wrapping it around the vortical structures. When exothermic energy is present the resulting volumetric expansion pushes the flame and the developing shear layer away from one another diminishing/delaying their interaction. It is expected that this type of behavior becomes more pronounced with increasing combustion exothermicity and decreasing Reynolds number. The upstream physical arrangement of the nozzle is also important because it controls the nature of the boundary layers. Finally it is suggested that under most conditions, non-unity stoichiometry, differential diffusion effects and the presence of a weak co-flow have only a secondary impact on this phenomenon. Copyright © 1998 by M. C. Soteriou. Published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. with permission. ~ Assistant Professor, member AIAA. ? Graduate Student.
The Revolution from Above: The National Market and the Beginnings of Industrialization in North Carolina

Over a century after Henry W. Grady proclaimed the advent of a "New South," it is now safe to term the region "industrialized." Few southerners today live on farms or work in agriculture; indeed, in certain southern states workers rely far more heavily on factory jobs than do their counterparts elsewhere in the Union. Thanks largely to this shift, regional economic welfare has improved significantly; from a level of per capita income roughly half that of the nation as late as the 1930s, the states of the old Confederacy reached about 85 percent of parity by 1973. In many cases-notably in the high-tech complexes of Texas, Florida, Atlanta, and North Carolina's Research Triangle-southern industrial and technological attainments have been truly impressive. The temptation is strong to herald the elimination of yet another unhappy source of southern distinctiveness, widespread poverty in a land of plenty. Despite the unmistakable signs of industrial progress, the region's economic problems are far from vanquished. Since 1973 the advance toward national levels of per capita income in the Southeast has effectively halted. While pockets such as Atlanta thrive, much of the region is beset with sick industries, and the economies of such states as Mississippi have actually lost relative ground.1 The heritage of a staple-producing plantation slave society, disrupted by war and
Design of a transportable high efficiency fast neutron spectrometer

Author(s): Roecker, C; Bernstein, A; Bowden, NS; Cabrera-Palmer, B; Dazeley, S; Gerling, M; Marleau, P; Sweany, MD; Vetter, K | Abstract: A transportable fast neutron detection system has been designed and constructed for measuring neutron energy spectra and flux ranging from tens to hundreds of MeV. The transportability of the spectrometer reduces the detector-related systematic bias between different neutron spectra and flux measurements, which allows for the comparison of measurements above or below ground. The spectrometer will measure neutron fluxes that are of prohibitively low intensity compared to the site-specific background rates targeted by other transportable fast neutron detection systems. To measure low intensity high-energy neutron fluxes, a conventional capture-gating technique is used for measuring neutron energies above 20 MeV and a novel multiplicity technique is used for measuring neutron energies above 100 MeV. The spectrometer is composed of two Gd containing plastic scintillator detectors arranged around a lead spallation target. To calibrate and characterize the position dependent response of the spectrometer, a Monte Carlo model was developed and used in conjunction with experimental data from gamma ray sources. Multiplicity event identification algorithms were developed and used with a Cf-252 neutron multiplicity source to validate the Monte Carlo model Gd concentration and secondary neutron capture efficiency. The validated Monte Carlo model was used to predict an effective area for the multiplicity and capture gating analyses. For incident neutron energies between 100 MeV and 1000 MeV with an isotropic angular distribution, the multiplicity analysis predicted an effective area of 500 cm2 rising to 5000 cm2. For neutron energies above 20 MeV, the capture-gating analysis predicted an effective area between 1800 cm2 and 2500 cm2. The multiplicity mode was found to be sensitive to the incident neutron angular distribution.
Investigation on Cardiovascular System Functional Changes of Railcar Drivers

[Objective]To investigate the effect of railcar driving on the cardiovascular system of drivers.[Methods]A total of 241 railcar drivers and 37 the new joined drivers were selected and examined for blood pressure and ECG.[Results]The cardiovascular system functional change of the new joined drivers was lower than the railcar drivers group.There was significant difference between the 2 groups in hypertension prevalence rate.(P0.01).With the extending of service length,the abnormal rate of cardiovascular system increased;hypertension prevalence rate increased significantly with extending of service length(P0.01).ECG abnormal rate,ST-T changes of new drivers were significantly lower than those of railcar drivers(P0.05).[Conclusion]The railcar driving work has effect on the cardiovascular system of the railcar drivers to some extent.It is necessary to strength the occupational health surveillance of cardiovascular system of the railcar drivers to ensure the safety of transportation.
Fixed Point Techniques and Generalized Right Fractional Calculus

We present a fixed point technique for some iterative algorithms on a generalized Banach space setting to approximate a locally unique zero of an operator. Earlier studies such as [8, 9, 10, 15] require that the operator involved is Frechet-differentiable. In the present study we assume that the operator is only continuous.
The AbCs of rhinophyma management.

BACKGROUND Rhzinophyma is a benign inflammatory growth of the nose. It usually involves the caudal one-third of the nose in men. It not only affects the patient's appearance, but also can have profound functional implications. Many difficult treatment methods have been advocated, often with acceptable success. Because there appears to be no distinct advantages in the different therapeutic modalities, no one modality is universally endorsed. METHODS We performed a retrospective review of patients from 1990-2001 who underwent treatment of their rhinophyma at Louisiana State University, Health Science Center and Overton Brooks Veteran's Hospital in Shreveport, LA. The tumescent anesthesia. Weck blade excision and argon beam coagulator technique (TWA) was used on 51 patients. RESULTS Patients undergoing this technique have operating times no greater than ten minutes. The average blood loss was less than 5cc. No surgical complications were noted. CONCLUSION The TWA technique yields good cosmetic results and is cost-effective.
Postirradiation Vaginal Occlusion: Nonoperative Management

The effects of irradiation therapy on the surrounding pelvic structures are well known. Most women develop some degree of vaginal stenosis following irradiation for cervical cancer. Although complete vaginal occlusion is less common, it seriously affects the patient's self-image. The author treated five patients who had complete vaginal occlusion following irradiation for stage II uterine cervical carcinoma. By means of a regimen of digital pressure and an estrogenic cream, for an average of six weeks, the function of the vagina was restored.
Effect of wind and wave directionality on the structural performance of non‐operational offshore wind turbines supported by jackets during hurricanes

Risk of hurricane damage is an important factor in the development of the offshore wind energy industry in the United States. Hurricane loads on an offshore wind turbine (OWT), namely wind and wave loads, not only exert large structural demands, but also have temporally changing characteristics, especially with respect to their directions. Waves are less susceptible to rapid changes, whereas wind can change its properties over shorter time scales. Misalignment of local winds and ocean waves occurs regularly during a hurricane. The strength capacity of non-axisymmetric structures such as jackets is sensitive to loading direction and misalignment relative to structural orientation. As an example, this work examines the effect of these issues on the extreme loads and structural response of a non-operational OWT during hurricane conditions. The considered OWT is a 5 MW turbine, supported by a jacket structure and located off the Massachusetts coast. A set of 1000 synthetic hurricane events, selected from a catalog simulating 100,000 years of hurricane activity, is used to represent hurricane conditions, and the corresponding wind speeds, wave heights and directions are estimated using empirical, parametric models for each hurricane. The impact of wind and wave directions and structural orientation are quantified through a series of nonlinear static analyses under various assumptions for combining the directions of wind and wave and structural orientation for the considered example structure. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Phyllodes Tumor of the Breast: Histopathologic Features, Differential Diagnosis, and Molecular/Genetic Updates.

Context.—Phyllodes tumor (PT) of the breast is a rare fibroepithelial neoplasm with risks of local recurrence and uncommon metastases. The classification proposed by the World Health Organization for PTs into benign, borderline, and malignant is based on a combination of several histologic features. The differential diagnosis between PT and fibroadenoma and the histologic grading of PT remain challenging. In addition, the molecular pathogenesis of PT is largely unknown. Objective.—To provide an updated overview of pathologic features, diagnostic terminology, and molecular alterations of PT. Data Sources.—Current English literature related to PT of the breast. Conclusions.—Phyllodes tumor shows a wide spectrum of morphology. There are no clearly distinct boundaries between PT and fibroadenoma. Strict histologic assessment of a combination of histologic features with classification can help to achieve the correct diagnosis and provide useful clinical information. The genomic landscapes of PT generated from ...
Keynote Address: Device reliability physics: Past, present, and future

Summary form only given. The importance of CMOS reliability grows as the world becomes more interconnected and instrumented. At the same time, the understanding of CMOS reliability is continuously challenged and transformed by the rapid evolution of technology. The recent introduction of new materials and structures (high-k, metal-gates, and FinFETs) challenges our understanding and ability to rapidly qualify new technologies. This talk will offer a selective retrospective of reliability physics in old-fashioned SiO 2 -based MOSFETs with poly-Si gates, and explore the extent to which the old models remain valid in present-day and future technologies.
Abstract 5410: Aspirin attenuates tumor initiating cell growth and induces reprogramming factors of mesenchymal to epithelial transition in breast cancer cell

Acetyl Salicylic Acid (ASA) also known as aspirin, a classic, non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDs) is widely used to relieve minor aches and pains and to reduce fever. Epidemiological studies and other experimental studies suggest that ASA use reduces the risk of different cancers including breast cancer (BC) and may be used as a chemo-preventive agent against BC and other cancers. These studies have raised the tempting possibility that ASA could serve as a preventive medicine for BC. However, lack of in-depth knowledge of the mechanism of action of ASA reshapes the debate of risk and benefit of using ASA in prevention. Our studies, using in vitro and in vivo tumor xenograft model, show a strong beneficial effect of ASA in the prevention of breast carcinogenesis. We find ASA not only prevents breast tumor cell growth in vitro and tumor growth in nude mice xenograft model through the induction of apoptosis, it also significantly reduces the growth of tumor initiating cells (TICs)/ cancer stem cells (CSCs) and delayed the formation of a palpable tumor. Moreover, ASA regulates other pathophysiological events in breast carcinogenesis, such as reprogramming the mesenchymal to epithelial transition (MET) and delaying in vitro migration in BC cells. The tumor growth-inhibitory as well as reprogramming roles of ASA could be mediated through inhibition of TGF-β-signaling pathway, which is associated with growth, motility, invasion and metastasis in advanced breast cancers. Collectively, ASA has a therapeutic or preventive potential by attacking possible target such as TGF-β- SMAD4 signaling in breast carcinogenesis. [This work is funded by VA Merit Awarded Grant (SB and SKB)] Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Gargi Maity, Archana De, Snigdha Banerjee, Amlan Das, Sandipto Sarkar, Sushanta K. Banerjee. Aspirin attenuates tumor initiating cell growth and induces reprogramming factors of mesenchymal to epithelial transition in breast cancer cell. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 5410. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-5410
Pancreatic Cancer Survival Outcomes at a Tertiary Medical Center Based on Sex and Geographic Location.

OBJECTIVES To describe the survival outcomes of patients with histologically proven primary pancreatic cancer based on geographic location and sex. METHODS We conducted a retrospective review of medical records from 2009 through 2013 of patients with pancreatic cancer using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code 157.9 and International Statistical Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision code C 25.9. The variables extracted included demographics, date of diagnosis, mode of diagnosis, duration, treatment methods, family history, history of chronic pancreatitis, and diabetes mellitus. ZIP codes were used to identify the geographic location of each subject, and rural urban commuting area codes were used to further classify the areas as metropolitan, micropolitan, small town, and rural. Population sizes were classified as metropolitan >50,000, micropolitan 10,000 to 49,999, small town 2500 to 9999, and rural <2500. Descriptive analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival for survival outcomes were performed with statistical significance identified as P < 0.05. RESULTS A total of 400 medical charts were extracted for review, 301 of which belonged to patients with primary pancreatic cancer. Of the 301 cases, we identified 175 men (58%), 125 women (41%), and 1 missing sex data. There were 280 whites (95%), 8 African Americans (2%), 2 Asian Americans (0.64%), 1 Hispanic American (0.34%) and 1 Native American (0.34%), with a mean age of 63.2 ± 12.6 years. Based on geography, there were 34%, 27%, 20%, and 19% in rural areas, metropolitans, small towns, and micropolitans, respectively. No statistically significant difference was noted in sex on survival outcomes (P = 0.85) or geography (P = 0.62). Additional analysis revealed no statistical significant difference between sexes when stratifying by location (P = 0.96). CONCLUSIONS There is no difference in survival outcomes of patients with primary pancreatic cancer based on sex or geographic location. Our survival outcomes differ from the national survival outcomes, which reveal that mortality in men is higher than it is in women.
Identification of Genes Mediating Drosophila Follicle Cell Progenitor Differentiation by Screening for Modifiers of GAL4::UAS Variegation

The Drosophila melanogaster ovarian follicle cell lineage provides a powerful system for investigating how epigenetic changes contribute to differentiation. Downstream from an epithelial stem cell, follicle progenitors undergo nine mitotic cell cycles before transitioning to the endocycle and initiating differentiation. During their proliferative phase, follicle progenitors experience Lsd1-dependent changes in epigenetic stability that can be monitored using GAL4::UAS variegation. Eventually, follicle progenitors acquire competence to respond to Delta, a Notch ligand present in the environment, which signals them to cease division and initiate differentiation. The time required to acquire competence determines the duration of mitotic cycling and hence the final number of follicle cells. We carried out a screen for dominant modifiers of variegation spanning nearly 70% of Drosophila euchromatin to identify new genes influencing follicle progenitor epigenetic maturation. The eight genes found include chromatin modifiers, but also cell cycle regulators and transcription factors. Five of the modifier genes accelerate the acquisition of progenitor competence and reduce follicle cell number, however, the other three genes affect follicle cell number in an unexpected manner.
The Response of the Hadley Circulation to Climate Changes, Past and Future

A suite of altered climate experiments for the Paleocene, the last glacial maximum (LGM), and a 2 × CO2 climate were compared to assess the factors responsible for producing variations in Hadley cell intensity and extent. The climate simulations used best-guess topography and marine surface fields, as well as feasible alternative sea surface temperature (SST) patterns. The individual contributions to the circulations were quantified, and compared among the different simulations. The results show that the Hadley cell intensity is associated with the gradient in latent heat release from the tropics to the subtropics, driven in the model by the gradient in sea surface temperature. It is not related to the absolute warmth of the climate, or of the tropical sea surface temperatures. Eddy forcing, primarily through transient eddy heat transport, amplified the subtropical portion of the cell, as well as the mid-latitude Ferrel cell. The poleward extent of the Hadley cell is affected by numerous processes, including the influence of topography in the extratropics. It also does not vary systematically with global mean temperature. Only the strongest Hadley cell changes are longitudinally homogeneous; there is little relationship between the change in Hadley cell intensity and the change in strength of the Walker cell, and the Pacific Ocean is the most important basin for the zonal average Hadley cell response. Although the latitudinal average precipitation does respond interactively with Hadley cell intensity and extent, the soil moisture variations are less correlated, due to differing seasonal effects and the influence of temperature/evaporation changes. The importance of the Hadley cell variations for assessing past and future water availability changes should not be overestimated, although it is a contributing factor.
Hemiparesis and Demyelination as Presentation of NMDA Receptor Antibody Encephalitis (P02.111)

OBJECTIVE: To describe an unusual presentation of NMDA receptor antibody positive encephalitis. BACKGROUND: NMDA receptor antibody encephalitis is characterized by neuropsychiatric symptoms, seizures, autonomic changes and abnormal movements, together with laboratory evidence of the auto-antibodies. DESIGN/METHODS: Case report. RESULTS: A 22 year-old woman presented with personality changes, 65 lb weight loss and amenorrhea for 6 months. Examination showed decreased attention, short-term memory and judgment. She had mild upper motor neuron left facial paresis, 4/5 strength in her left arm and positive left Babinski sign. Brain MRI showed bitemporal T2- FLAIR hyperintensities involving both gray and white matter with mass effect on the frontal horn of the right lateral ventricle. Cerebrospinal fluid had 68mg/dl protein, 4 leukocytes/mm3 and normal glucose; CSF Herpes simplex PCR and serum Mayo clinic paraneoplastic panel were negative. EEG showed background slowing. A right temporal lobe biopsy showed perivascular lymphocytic infiltrates with CD3, rare CD20, and infiltrating CD68-immunopositive cells. The most striking feature was the presence of scanty residual axons in zones lacking any myelin suggesting demyelinating disease. Whole body CT and pelvic ultrasound were normal. Testing for serum NMDA receptor antibodies was positive. IV steroids for 5 days gave no improvement, so plasma exchange(5 sessions) was done after which her memory and strength improved. She relapsed 2 months later and plasma exchange was repeated. CONCLUSIONS: NMDA antibody receptor encephalitis is usually a paraneoplastic syndrome associated with ovarian teratoma or dermoid cyst. To our knowledge, a presentation with hemiparesis; and gray and white matter involvement with mass effect mimicking a tumor has not previously been reported. The biopsy results were confusing by showing demyelination and diagnosis of atypical MS was initially considered. In conclusion, NMDA receptor encephalitis should be considered in cases with bitemporal mass lesions presented with hemiparesis. A biopsy showing demyelination does not rule out the diagnosis. Disclosure: Dr. Bollu has nothing to disclose. Dr. Vellipuram has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sandhu has nothing to disclose. Dr. Miller has nothing to disclose. Dr. Chuquilin Arista has nothing to disclose.
Rust Belt Boomerang: The Pull of Place in Moving Back to a Legacy City

Research and journalistic accounts on the Rust Belt consistently focus on population decline and its consequences. As a result, we know little about the growing trend of return migration of young p...
Age Differences in the Desirability of Narcissism

Abstract. Young adult narcissism has been the focus of much discussion in the personality literature and popular press. Yet no previous studies have addressed whether there are age differences in the relative desirability of narcissistic and non-narcissistic self-descriptions, such as those presented as answer choices on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI; Raskin & Hall, 1979). In Study 1, younger age was associated with less negative evaluations of narcissistic (vs. non-narcissistic) statements in general, and more positive evaluations of narcissistic statements conveying leadership/authority. In Study 2, age was unrelated to perceiving a fictional target person as narcissistic, but younger age was associated with more positive connotations for targets described with narcissistic statements and less positive connotations for targets described with non-narcissistic statements, in terms of the inferences made about the target’s altruism, conscientiousness, social status, and self-esteem. In both s...
A New Civil Rights Campaign? Policies and Practices to Support Students’ Gender Diversity:

Ms. Barnard is faced with a complex dilemma. The district administrator in charge of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) initiatives and support was presented with a case of a transgende...
MAYA ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS AND THE AGRICULTURAL CYCLE IN THE POSTCLASSIC MADRID CODEX

Research presented here demonstrates that an unusual almanac in the Madrid Codex (pages 12–18) integrates observations of the Venus cycle with eclipse events in the context of the agricultural year. Imagery in the 260-day almanac represents eclipse glyphs associated with Tzolkin dates that coordinate with eclipses visible in Yucatan during the fifteenth century, indicating the almanac dates to the Late Postclassic. The almanac also depicts seasonal events in the context of a repeating pattern of paired solar eclipses associated with observations of Venus as the evening star. Quetzalcoatl-Kukulcan's counterpart in the Madrid almanac is the Chicchan serpent, who plays the role of Venus in a sequence showing a fertile aspect of the planet linked with the 260-day agricultural cycle and the Pleiades. Clearly, Venus positions and eclipse events were closely watched in relation to the planting cycle, reflecting a form of “agro-astronomy” that we are only now beginning to understand.
Importance of wide re-resection in adult spermatic cord sarcomas: Report on oncologic outcomes at a single institution.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES We evaluated the effect of re-resection with wide margins (undertaken because initial resection performed elsewhere was incomplete) on survival in patients with spermatic cord sarcoma (SCS). METHODS After excluding those with metastatic disease and those not undergoing surgical intervention, the records of 72 consecutive patients treated for SCS between 1981 and 2011 at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center were reviewed. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and cancer-specific survival were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method for comparing between the 48 patients who underwent wide re-resection (WRR) within 5 months of diagnosis and the 24 who did not. The relationship of age, tumor size, tumor histology, adjuvant radiation, and wide re-resection with recurrence and death was assessed by univariate Cox regression. RESULTS WRR significantly improved RFS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.16, 95%CI 0.07-0.37; P < 0.0001), despite the fact that patients receiving WRR had higher-grade disease. Tumor-positive margins upon WRR were strongly associated with both disease recurrence (HR 5.56; 95%CI 1.14-27.11, P = 0.034) and death from cancer (HR 6.16, 95%CI 1.25-30.29; P = 0.025). CONCLUSIONS A WRR with negative margins is effective in the management of patients with SCS and leads to improved RFS.
A comparison of several functional computer languages: conference workshop

During last semester I taught a programming language class where we covered the usual paradigms: Imperative, Functional, Object Oriented, and Logical. In my teaching on the functional languages I solved several easy problems with several functional languages to illustrate how each language handled the solution. These languages included: Scheme, ML, Haskell, and F#. In this workshop I will show solutions to several easy problems using each one of these languages. I will also present what I think are the positives and negatives of each of these languages.
Alterations in vestibular function in individuals with cervical dystonia and the effects of botulinum toxin treatment

Abstract Introduction Individuals with cervical dystonia (CD) often report difficulty with balance and an altered perception of vertical. Previous studies have suggested a decreased proprioceptive response to stretch of neck muscle spindles in these patients, and impaired dynamic balance changes in individuals with tremor. Methods Participants with CD were divided into three groups based on severity of tremor and dystonic position on the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale 2 (TWSTRS2). Unaffected controls completed assessments including Fukuda, modified Romberg, and subjective visual vertical tests. Participants with CD completed the same assessments at baseline and 4 to 6 weeks following botulinum toxin treatment. Results CD participants with marked tremor and deviation had more difficulty perceiving what was vertical as demonstrated by a greater degree off midline on the subjective visual vertical test, compared to individuals with marked tremor with minimal deviation and controls, though this was not significant after adjustment for multiple comparisons. Individuals with CD also had more difficulty maintaining balance on a compliant surface with eyes closed compared to controls on the modified Romberg test. TWSTRS2 motor severity score was significantly associated with degrees off midline on the subjective visual vertical test at baseline for CD participants, but not after botulinum toxin treatment. Conclusions Individuals with more severe tremor and dystonic posture appear to have an altered perception of vertical associated with CD severity and that may improve following botulinum toxin treatment. Modified Romberg testing suggests that visual cues may also be important to compensate for tremor and dystonic positions found in CD.
Interaction of concanavalin A with the surface of virus-infected cells.

Infection of untransformed cells with a wide-range of non-oncogenic enveloped viruses causes a significant increase in their susceptibility to agglutination by concanavalin A (Con A). The increased Con A agglutinability of these cells is not caused by an increase in the number of Con A sites on the cell surface but involves alteration in the surface properties of infected cells to allow redistribution of Con A receptors to form “patches” following binding of Con A to the cell surface. Similarities between Con A-mediated agglutination of normal cells infected with non-oncogenic viruses and the agglutination response of cells transformed by oncogenic viruses will be reviewed. Finally, the use of Con A as an experimental tool to modify the replication and cytopathogenicity of non-oncogenic viruses grown in mammalian cells will be presented.
Introduction to the Physics of Random Systems

Quenched (frozen) randomness may bring qualitative novel behaviors. Disorder has traditionally been addressed as a perturbation, a nuisance, leading to distorsions without much surprise. The methods known as homogeneization theory [59] and effective medium theories [135] exemplify this by starting from the concept that an heterogeneous medium can be replaced for all its relevant observables by an effective and equivalent homogeneous medium.
Can the Subaltern Speak

Just about twenty years ago I bought a book entitled Who Speaks for Appalachia? (Haddix 1975). The main point of the book is to show that Appalachia, for all its oppressive poverty and frequent bad press, is inhabited by men and women whose life stories deserve respect. Transcriptions of folk songs and texts penned by several prominent Appalachian-born writers—Thomas Wolfe, O. Henry, Robert Penn Warren, Caroline Gordon, Elizabeth Madox Roberts—implore readers to see the men and women of Appalachia as significant. Thinking about this book today, I am impelled to ask myself why I bought it. I have never been particularly drawn to Appalachia as a research subject, though my research on southern farm tenancy and slavery suggests that I have an abiding interest in poor and disenfranchised American southerners. Looking back on this book, though, I believe it attracted me for two reasons. First were the people themselves, the men and women of the mountains who, though desperately poor in economic terms, lived in dignity and projected an aura of strength and deeply felt tradition. The title of the book also drew me toward it. I was intrigued by the notion that speaking for Appalachia could be a contested issue. As the editor noted, however, the people of this remote, mountainous country have usually had others speaking for them, as if they were somehow incapable of self-expression.
Embryonic loss in mares: incidence, possible causes, and diagnostic considerations

Estimated embryonic loss rates through Day 14 postovulation were 0 to 9 per cent for young, normal mares and 62 to 73 per cent for aged, subfertile mares. The high rate of embryonic loss in subfertile mares appeared to be related to embryonic defects or oviductal abnormalities.
Young Children’s Conception of Mind and Emotion

Discussions about emotion—whether by anthropologists, psychologists, or linguists—often concern differences among types of emotions. At issue are questions such as: How to characterize happiness versus sadness versus anger; how to distinguish such basic emotions from more complex, derived ones like guilt or schadenfreude; whether Tahitians ever experience something like guilt or Americans ever experience the apparently commonplace Japanese emotion of amae; whether emotion categories are natural kinds or social constructions? An assumption underlying many, if not all, of these discussions is that emotions, generically, refer to a person’s internal experiential feelings, whatever their specific stripe. According to this presupposition, emotions are internal, mental, psychological states; call this a mentalistic construal of emotion. A mentalistic construal of emotion is common in scientific discussion and is also obvious in the everyday emotion conception of Western European and North American cultures and languages. Indeed, the common scientific assumption no doubt reflects this everyday construal. An intriguing question for this volume, therefore, focused as it is on everyday emotion understanding across a variety of different languages and cultures, concerns this generic characterization: Do all cultures conceive of persons as having internal emotional experiences? Do all folk recognize the existence of some such psychological states, regardless of the specific emotion categories they do and do not honor?
Breeding new varieties for controlled environments

Agricultural production in controlled environments is increasingly feasible, and may play an important role in providing nutrition and choice to growing urban centres. New technologies in lighting, ventilation, robotics and irrigation are just a few of the innovations that enable production of high-value specialty crops outside of a traditional field setting. However, despite all of the advances in the hardware within the plant factory operation, innovation of the most complex machine has been neglected - the plant itself. Indoor agricultural operations typically rely on legacy varieties, plants selected and bred for field conditions. In the field, phenotypic stability is paramount, as production must be consistent in an unpredictable and changing environment. However, the controlled environment affords focus on different breeding priorities as environmental flux, pests, pathogens and post-harvest quality are less formidable barriers to production. On the contrary, breeding for controlled environments shifts the focus to a completely different set of plant traits, such as rapid growth, performance in low light environments and active manipulation of plant stature. Instead of breeding for phenotypic stability, plants may be bred to maximise genetic plasticity, allowing specific traits to be presented as a function of the quality of the ambient light spectrum. In this scenario plant varieties may be grown with optimal size, supporting a focus on consumer traits like flavour or accumulation of health-related compounds. Gene editing may be a central technology in the production of designer plants for controlled environments. This review considers the opportunity for breeding for controlled environments, with a focus on a revision of priorities for controlled-environment breeders.
Initiation of a High-Frequency Jet Ventilation Strategy for Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation: Safety and Outcomes Data

Abstract Objectives The aim of the current investigation is to examine whether use of high-frequency jet ventilation (HFJV) during pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) performed with force-sensing catheters is associated with improved outcomes. Background Catheter ablation is well established as therapy for symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF). Reconnection following PVI is commonly observed during repeat ablation procedures. Technologies that may optimize catheter stability and lesion delivery include both force-sensing ablation catheters and HFJV. Methods Patients undergoing PVI at Johns Hopkins Hospital were prospectively enrolled in a registry. The study compared procedural characteristics, adverse event rates, and 1-year procedural outcomes in patients undergoing PVI supported either by standard ventilation or HFJV. Patient and procedural aspects were otherwise constant. Results Eighty-four HFJV patients and 84 matched control patients with 1-year outcome data were identified. Atrial arrhythmia recurrence occurred in 26 of 84 HFJV patients (31%) and 42 of 84 control patients (50%; p = 0.019). In patients with paroxysmal AF, arrhythmia recurrence in HFJV and control patients was 27.3% and 47.3%, respectively (p = 0.045). In patients with persistent AF, arrhythmia recurrence rates were not significantly different (37.9% in HFJV patients, 55.2% in control patients; p = 0.184). On multivariate analysis, HFJV was independently associated with improved freedom from arrhythmia recurrence. Vasopressor use during HFJV cases was significantly higher than during standard ventilation (79.7% vs. 22.4%; p = 0.001). Indices of catheter stability and contact force adequacy were significantly higher in the HFJV patients than in control patients. Complication rates in the 2 groups were similarly low. Conclusions Use of HFJV in patients undergoing PVI with radiofrequency force-sensing catheters is associated with improved outcomes, without appreciable increase in adverse procedural events.
Picoliter Cuvette inside an Optical Fiber to Track Gold Nanoparticle Aggregation for Measurement of Biomolecules.

This study demonstrated a measurement approach for biomolecules at the picoliter scale, using a newly developed picoliter cuvette inside an optical fiber constructed via near-ultraviolet femtosecond laser drilling. The sensing capacity was estimated to be within 0.4–1.2 pL due to an optical path length of 3–5 microns, as measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The picoliter cuvette exhibited a change in the optical extinction spectrum after addition of biomolecules such as L-cysteine, in conjunction with a gold nanoparticle (GNP) dispersion solution, following a simple measurement configuration involving a small white light source and a compact spectrometer. A linear attenuation of the spectral dip near a wavelength of 520 nm was observed as the L-cysteine concentration was increased at 4 wt% of the GNP mass concentration. The measurement resolution of the concentration using the picoliter cuvette was evaluated at 0.125 mM. The experimental results showed the difference in aggregation processes caused by a different concentration of GNPs. Moreover, they revealed the ability of the picoliter cuvette to verify whether the concentration of GNPs in the liquid sample correspondingly determines homogeneous or inhomogeneous GNP aggregation, as supported by SEM observation and numerical calculations based on Mie theory.
Removing Disparate Impact of Differentially Private Stochastic Gradient Descent on Model Accuracy.

When we enforce differential privacy in machine learning, the utility-privacy trade-off is different w.r.t. each group. Gradient clipping and random noise addition disproportionately affect underrepresented and complex classes and subgroups, which results in inequality in utility loss. In this work, we analyze the inequality in utility loss by differential privacy and propose a modified differentially private stochastic gradient descent (DPSGD), called DPSGD-F, to remove the potential disparate impact of differential privacy on the protected group. DPSGD-F adjusts the contribution of samples in a group depending on the group clipping bias such that differential privacy has no disparate impact on group utility. Our experimental evaluation shows how group sample size and group clipping bias affect the impact of differential privacy in DPSGD, and how adaptive clipping for each group helps to mitigate the disparate impact caused by differential privacy in DPSGD-F.
Breast Cancer Screening in Inner City and County Populations: A Tale of Two Centers.

BackgroundNew York’s statewide “Get Screened, No Excuses” campaign has been one of the nation’s most aggressive actions to improve access to breast cancer screening. Inner city and suburban county ...
An Open-Label Study of the Safety and Efficacy of Morotocog Alfa (AF-CC) in Previously Untreated Patients Aged <6 Years in Usual Care Settings

Abstract Background: Moroctocog alfa (AF-CC) (ReFacto AF), a purified recombinant B-domain deleted factor VIII (FVIII) protein, is indicated for the treatment and prophylaxis of bleeding events in patients (pts) with hemophilia A and is manufactured in the absence of human albumin and purified using an affinity chromatography purification process along with additional filtration. It replaced the predecessor product moroctocog alfa, which was manufactured with human serum album and utilized murine monoclonal antibody purification. Data in previously untreated patients aged Aims: To fulfill a European Medicines Agency requirement for post-authorization safety surveillance and risk management that moroctocog alfa (AF-CC) was acceptable in terms of efficacy and safety (including inhibitor development) in the usual care setting. Methods: This was a nonrandomized, open-label study that enrolled male patients with severe hemophilia A (FVIII activity Results: Twenty-three patients aged Conclusions: The clinical inhibitor rate along with the overall safety and efficiacy of moroctocog alfa (AF-CC) is similar to its predecessor product supporting that the change in manufacturing did not alter the overall clinical benefit. These data also support the use of moroctocog alfa (AF-CC) for the treatment of previously untreated hemophilia A patients less than 6 years of age. Disclosures Kavakli: Shire: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bayer: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Baumann: Inventiv: Other: Contractor working for Pfizer on the submitted study. Huard: Pfizer: Employment. Smith: Pfizer: Employment. Alvey: Pfizer: Other: Retired former employee. Korth-Bradley: Pfizer: Employment. Rendo: Pfizer: Employment. Rupon: Pfizer: Employment.