cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Replication of hepatitis C virus RNA occurs in a membrane-bound replication complex containing nonstructural viral proteins and RNA

Biochemical studies revealed that nonstructural proteins of hepatitis C virus (HCV) interacted with each other and were associated with intracellular membranes. The goals of this study were to determine whether nonstructural viral proteins are colocalized at specific intracellular sites where HCV RNA is replicated and to identify the virus components of the HCV replication complex (RC). Immunofluorescence and subcellular fractionation studies were performed to determine the intracellular colocalization of nonstructural HCV proteins and the replicating RNA in a human hepatoma cell line, Huh7, in which a subgenomic HCV RNA was replicated persistently. The replicating HCV RNA was labelled with 5-bromouridine 5'-triphosphate (BrUTP). Results show that each of the nonstructural HCV proteins was colocalized predominantly with the newly synthesized HCV RNA labelled with BrUTP and an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) protein, calnexin. Consistent with these findings, subcellular fractionation and Western blot analyses revealed that the nonstructural HCV proteins were colocalized with HCV RNA mainly in the membrane fractions. Conversely, the viral nonstructural proteins and RNA remained in the soluble fractions upon treatment with detergent, confirming the membrane association of the HCV RC. HCV RNA in the membrane-bound RC was resistant to RNase treatment, whereas it became sensitive to RNases once the membranes were disrupted by treatment with detergent, suggesting that the HCV RC is assembled within membrane structures. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that HCV RNA replication occurs in the perinuclear ER membrane-bound HCV RC, containing nonstructural viral proteins and RNA.
Extraordinary refraction and dispersion in two-dimensional photonic-crystal slabs.

Studies of the refraction and dispersion properties of two-dimensional (2D) photonic-crystal (PC) slab waveguides are reported. The photonic band structure is strongly modified in a slab PC, and only a small number of bands satisfy the guiding conditions imposed by the lack of translation symmetry in the direction perpendicular to the slab; however, it was found that a significant number of the guided modes retain the giant refraction and strong dispersion properties discovered previously in pure 2D PCs. A small change in incident angle resulted in a dramatic change in refraction angle. Furthermore, the dispersion surface exhibited a strong dependence on the frequency, resulting in a superprism effect similar to what has been predicted for pure 2D PCs. In the silicon-based slab PC studied, refraction angles as high as nearly 70° were predicted for incident angles of less than 7°, and frequency components differing by 3% were separated by 15°. The demonstration of giant refraction and superprism phenomena in slab waveguide PCs open the possibility of developing new classes of optical devices that can, for example, be used to develop 2D optical integrated circuits for communications and computing.
Effects of Waste Composition and Loading on the Chemical Durability of a Borosilicate Glass

The effects of waste composition and percent loading in a borosilicate glass designed for US defense high level wastes (HLW) have been evaluated. Three types of simulated wastes were investigated; high alumina, high iron and a composite representative of an average waste composition from Savannah River Plant (SRP) waste tanks. Corrosion resistance of the borosilicate glass is significantly enhanced by the presence of any of the three types of wastes. Additionally, corrosion resistance is improved as the % waste loading is increased in the glass. The best corrosion performance was obtained with the high alumina waste in deionized water.
Studies on some physiological functions and morphological characters of Rhabditis (Rhabditidae, nematodes)

Intravitam stains were used to determine the functions of several organs in two species of nemas (Rhabditis strongyloides and Rhabditis elongata). The organs were also studied in section. From the results obtained it is concluded that the amphids are not excretory in function, but more probably sensory, for definite connections were observed to extend to the nerve ring. No migratory cells, such as those described by Stefanski, were seen. The phasmids stained with all intravitam stains used. but were never observed to secrete. It seems doubtful that they serve as excretory organs. The excretory system was seen to consist of a typical X system. Actual excretion was observed. Deirids were seen for the first time in both species. Oesophageal glands were also described. A study was made of the structure of the intestinal cells, rectal glands, and anal muscles. Attention was called to the fact that there are two kinds of ejaculatory glands, one of which probably serves as a ‘cement gland,’ while the function of the other is still in doubt.
Factor Structure of the Test Anxiety Inventory for Children and Adolescents (TAICA) Scores Across Gender Among Students in Elementary and Secondary School Settings

The factor structure of the Test Anxiety Inventory for Children and Adolescents, a new multidimensional measure used to assess test anxiety in elementary and secondary school students, is examined across gender. The sample consisted of 696 elementary and secondary school students (391 girls and 305 boys). Coefficient of congruence and salient variable similarity index values reported between each pair of six matched factors (Cognitive Obstruction/ Inattention, Performance Enhancement/Facilitation Anxiety, Physiological Hyperarousal, Social Humiliation, Worry, and Lie) and the Total Test Anxiety factor suggest that the factor structure is similar across gender. Results of a planned multivariate group comparison and three analyses of variance found that girls scored statistically significantly higher than boys on the debilitating test anxiety factors and boys scored statistically significantly higher on the Lie factor. No gender difference was found on the Performance Enhancement/Facilitation Anxiety factor...
Correlates of Neighborhood Environment With Walking Among Older Asian Americans

Objective: There is a limited research and understanding regarding the physical activity (PA) of older Asian Americans. This study examined the associations between neighborhood factors and walking among older Asian Americans. Method: Drawing from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey, our sample included 1,045 older adults aged 55 and above representing five Asian groups: Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese. Zero-inflated negative binomial regression models were used to test the association between neighborhood factors and walking. Results: The results showed that different from the less active health profile among Asian Americans when compared with White adults, Asian older adults overall walked considerably more than White seniors. Higher neighborhood cohesion was associated with more walking among some groups but not all. Association between other neighborhood factors and walking varied among the ethnic groups. Discussion: Health promotion policies and programs should be strategi...
Odour influences whether females learn to prefer or to avoid wing patterns of male butterflies

Mating displays are often composed of multiple signals in multiple sensory modalities, with each individual signal contributing to the attractiveness of the displaying individual. Adult mate preferences for some of these signals are learned during premating, or juvenile, social experience with a sexually mature individual. While learned mate preferences have been described in multiple taxa, it is still unclear how the different display signals perceived during the learning period influence the development of adult mate preferences. Of particular interest is whether a learned mate preference for a sexual signal in one modality is context dependent (i.e. dependent on a second signal in either the same or a different sensory modality). Here we test whether a signal in one modality (odour) influences the interpretation (aversion or preference learning) of signals in a different modality (wing colour patterns) using the butterfly Bicyclus anynana. Previously we showed that female B. anynana learn to prefer additional ornaments, UV-reflective white spots, on the wings of males if they are exposed to these ornaments on the first day after eclosion from pupae. We now show that females exposed to males with manipulated odour do not learn to prefer these additional ornaments, and learn to avoid the wild-type male ornamentation. This aversion learning, where animals learn to avoid visual signals previously coupled with unattractive odours and to prefer visual signals previously coupled with attractive odours, demonstrates that visual mate preference learning in a butterfly is context dependent, and that specific sexual signals may have epistatic effects on mate preference development.
Sums of squares of trigonometric polynomials

(1988). Sums of squares of trigonometric polynomials. Communications in Algebra: Vol. 16, No. 7, pp. 1373-1382.
The Americanization of the holocaust

"If the Holocaust, as image and symbol, seems to have sprung loose from its origins, it does not mean we should decry Americanization; rather, the pervasive presence of representations of the Holocaust in our culture demands responsible evaluation and interpretation."-from the Introduction The Holocaust is everywhere in American cultural consciousness today-in movies, books, theater, and television, in college courses, museums, and public monuments. In The Americanization of the Holocaust, Hilene Flanzbaum presents a collection of essays on America's cultural appropriation of this central event in twentieth-century history. The authors discuss a broad range of topics and examples, from Schindler's List to Elie Wiesel's throwing out the first pitch at the Mets season opener in 1988, from the idealizations of Anne Frank to a cookbook of recipes from survivors of the Terezin concentration camp, from a look at Art Spiegelman's acclaimed comic book Maus to a contemporary faux pas at the Nike Corporation. While several authors draw directly from the testimony of survivors, the volume as a whole examines how much of our knowledge of the Holocaust comes to us through cultural filters--from editors and publishers, producers and directors, artists and advertising executives. Covering the more than fifty years since the end of the Holocaust, this rich and comprehensive overview spans a wide variety of critical approaches, media, and genres. Contents and contributors: The Imaginary Jew and the American Poet, Hilene Flanzbaum . Aliens in the Wasteland: American Encounters with the Holocaust on 1960s Science Fiction Television, Jeffrey Shandler . Imagining Survivors: Testimony and the Rise of Holocaust Consciousness, Henry Greenspan . America's Holocaust: Memory and the Politics of Identity, James E. Young . Inheriting the Holocaust: Jewish American Fiction and the Double Bind of the Second-Generation Survivor, Andrew Furman . Surviving Rego Park: Holocaust Theory from Art Spiegelman to Berel Lang, Amy Hungerford . "Three Thousand Miles Away": The Holocaust in Recent Works for the American Theater, Joyce Antler . The Cinematic Triangulation of Jewish American Identity: Israel, America, and the Holocaust, Sara R. Horowitz . Reflections on the Holocaust from Nebraska, Alan E. Steinweis . "You Who Never Was There": Slavery and the New Historicism-Deconstruction and the Holocaust, Walter Benn Michaels . Suffering as a Moral Beacon: Blacks and Jews, Laurence Mordekhai Thomas . Play Will Make You Free: Reprising The Triumph of the Will in Chicago's Nike Town, Andrew Levy
A Predictive Model of Unfavorable Outcomes After Benign Intracranial Tumor Resection.

Background Benchmarking of outcomes and individualized risk prediction are central in patient-oriented shared decision making. We attempted to create a predictive model of complications in patients undergoing benign intracranial tumor resection. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study involving patients who underwent craniotomies for benign intracranial tumor resection during the period 2005–2011 and were registered in the National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample database. A model for outcome prediction based on individual patient characteristics was developed. Results There were 19,894 patients who underwent benign tumor resection. The respective inpatient postoperative incidences were 1.3% for death, 22.7% for unfavorable discharge, 4.2% for treated hydrocephalus, 1.1% for cardiac complications, 0.9% for respiratory complications, 0.5% for wound infection, 0.5% for deep venous thrombosis, 2.3% for pulmonary embolus, and 1.5% for acute renal failure. Multivariable analysis identified risk factors independently associated with the above-mentioned outcomes. A model for outcome prediction based on patient and hospital characteristics was developed and subsequently validated in a bootstrap sample. The models demonstrated good discrimination with areas under the curve of 0.85, 0.76, 0.72, 0.74, 0.72, 0.74, 0.76, 0.68, and 0.86 for postoperative risk of death, unfavorable discharge, hydrocephalus, cardiac complications, respiratory complications, wound infection, deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolus, and acute renal failure. The models also had good calibration, as assessed by the Hosmer-Lemeshow test. Conclusions Our models can provide individualized estimates of the risks of postoperative complications based on preoperative conditions and potentially can be used as an adjunct for decision making in benign intracranial tumor surgery.
Research abstract for semantic anomaly detection in dynamic data feeds with incomplete specifications

Everyday software must be dependable enough for its intended use. Because this software is not usually mission-critical, it may be cost-effective to detect improper behavior and notify the user or take remedial action. Detecting improper behavior requires a model of proper behavior. Unfortunately, specifications of everyday software are often incomplete and imprecise. The situation is exacerbated when the software incorporates third-party elements such as commercial-off-the-shelf software components, databases, or dynamic data feeds from online data sources. We want to make the use of dynamic data feeds more dependable. We are specifically interested in semantic problems with these feeds-cases in which the data feed is responsive, it delivers well-formed results, but the results are inconsistent, out of range, incorrect, or otherwise unreasonable. We focus on a particular facet of dependability: availability or readiness for usage, and change the fault model from the traditional "fail-silent" (crash failures) to "semantic". We investigate anomaly detection as a step towards increasing the semantic availability of dynamic data feeds.
The coefficient of intrinsic dependence (feature selection using el CID)

Measuring the strength of dependence between two sets of random variables lies at the heart of many statistical problems, in particular, feature selection for pattern recognition. We believe that there are some basic desirable criteria for a measure of dependence not satisfied by many commonly employed measures, such as the correlation coefficient, Briefly stated, a measure of dependence should: (1) be model-free and invariant under monotone transformations of the marginals; (2) fully differentiate different levels of dependence; (3) be applicable to both continuous and categorical distributions; (4) should not have the dependence of X on Y be necessarily the same as the dependence of Y on X; (5) be readily estimated from data; and (6) be straightforwardly extended to multivariate distributions. The new measure of dependence introduced in this paper, called the coefficient of intrinsic dependence(CID), satisfies these criteria. The main motivating idea is that Y is strongly (weakly, resp.) dependent on X if and only if the conditional distribution of Y given X is significantly (mildly, resp.) different from the marginal distribution of Y. We measure the difference by the normalized integrated square difference distance so that the full range of dependence can be adequately reflected in the interval [0, 1]. The paper treats estimation of the CID, provides simulations and comparisons, and applies the CID to gene prediction and cancer classification based on gene-expression measurements from microarrays.
Interactive terrain visualization enables virtual field work during rapid scientific response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake

The moment magnitude (Mw) 7.0 12 January 2010 Haiti earthquake is the fi rst major earthquake for which a large-footprint LiDAR (light detection and ranging) survey was acquired within several weeks of the event. Here, we describe the use of virtual reality data visualization to analyze massive amounts (67 GB on disk) of multiresolution terrain data during the rapid scientifi c response to a major natural disaster. In particular, we describe a method for conducting virtual fi eld work using both desktop computers and a 4-sided, 22 m 3 CAVE immersive virtual reality environment, along with KeckCAVES (Keck Center for Active Visualization in the Earth Sciences) software tools LiDAR Viewer, to analyze LiDAR pointcloud data, and Crusta, for 2.5 dimensional surfi cial geologic mapping on a bare-earth digital elevation model. This system enabled virtual fi eld work that yielded remote observations of the topographic expression of active faulting within an ~75-km-long section of the eastern Enriquillo‐Plantain Garden fault spanning the 2010 epicenter. Virtual fi eld observations indicated that the geomorphic evidence of active faulting and ancient surface rupture varies along strike. Landform offsets of 6‐50 m along the Enriquillo‐ Plantain Garden fault east of the 2010 epicenter and closest to Port-au-Prince attest to repeated recent surface-rupturing earthquakes there. In the west, the fault trace is well defi ned by displaced landforms, but it is not as clear as in the east. The 2010 epi center is within a transition zone between these sections that extends from Grand Goâve in the west to Fayette in the east. Within this transition, between L’Acul (lat 72°40′W) and the Rouillone River (lat 72°35′W), the Enriquillo‐Plantain Garden fault is un defi ned along an embayed low-relief range front, with little evidence of recent surface rupture. Based on the geometry of the eastern and western faults that show evidence of recent surface rupture, we propose that the 2010 event occurred within a stepover that appears to have served as a long-lived boundary between rupture segments, explaining the lack of 2010 surface rupture. This study demonstrates how virtual reality‐based data visualization has the potential to transform rapid scientifi c response by enabling virtual fi eld studies and real-time interactive analysis of massive terrain data sets.
Measuring Academic Proficiency Under the No Child Left Behind Act: Implications for Educational Equity

The accountability requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 place high-poverty schools and racially diverse schools at a disadvantage because they rely on mean proficiency scores and require all subgroups to meet the same goals for accountability. In this article, student achievement data from six states are used to highlight differences in the demographic characteristics of schools identified as needing improvement and schools meeting the federal adequate yearly progress requirements. School-level data from Virginia and California are used to illustrate that these differences arise both from the selection bias inherent in using mean proficiency scores and from rules that require students in racially diverse schools to meet multiple performance targets. The authors suggest alternatives for the design of accountability systems that include using multiple measures of student achievement, factoring in student improvement on achievement tests in reading and mathematics, and incorporating state acc...
Microstructure Evolution and Monomer Partitioning in Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain Transfer Microemulsion Polymerization

Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) studies of reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) microemulsion polymerizations of butyl acrylate and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate with the RAFT agent methyl- 2-(O-ethylxanthyl)propionate (MOEP) allow the observed rate retardation to be attributed to slow fragmentation of the macro-RAFT radical. Microemulsion polymerization allows the RAFT mechanism to be investigated in the absence of termination reactions so that the cause of the rate retardation frequently observed in both homogeneous and heterogeneous polymerizations may be isolated. However, the concentration of monomer at the locus of polymerization (Cmon ) must be known as a function of conversion before a mechanistic study of the RAFT reaction can be completed. SANS is uniquely capable of probing the evolving microstructure of both the micelles and polymer particles during the polymerization. Cmon then can be calculated by combining this microstructural information with material balances on the components of the microemulsion.
Block Quantization of Correlated Gaussian Random Variables

The paper analyzes a procedure for quantizing blocks of N correlated Gaussian random variables. A linear transformation (P) first converts the N dependent random variables into N independent random variables. These are then quantized, one at a time, in optimal fashion. The output of each quantizer is transmitted by a binary code. The total number of binary digits available for the block of N symbols is fixed. Finally, a second N \times N linear transformation (R) constructs from the quantized values the best estimate (in a mean-square sense) of the original variables. It is shown that the best choice of R is R = p^{-1} , regardless of other considerations. If R = P^{-1} , the best choice for P is the transpose of the orthogonal matrix wich diagonalizes the moment matrix of the original (correlated) random variables. An approximate expression is obtained for the manner in which the available binary digits should be assigned to the N quantized variables, i.e., the manner in which the number of levels for each quantizer should be chosen. The final selection of the optimal set of quantizers then becomes a matter of a few simple trials. A number of examples are worked out and substantial improvements over single sample quantizing are attained with blocks of relatively short length.
Immediate post-traumatic pulmonary embolism is not associated with right ventricular dysfunction.

Abstract Background Post-traumatic pulmonary embolic events are associated with significant morbidity. Computed tomographic (CT) measurements can be predictive of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction after pulmonary embolus. However, it remains unclear whether these physiologic effects or clinical outcomes differ between early ( Methods All patients with traumatic injury and CT evidence of PE between 2008 and 2013 were identified. The study population was divided into 2 groups based on the time of diagnosis of the PE. The primary outcome was PE-related mortality. Results Fifty patients were identified (14 early PE and 36 late PE). Patients sustaining a late PE had a higher PE-related mortality rate (16.7% vs 0%), larger RV diameters, RV/left ventricular diameter ratios, RV volumes, and RV/left ventricular volume ratios (all P Conclusions Early post-traumatic PE appears to be associated with fewer RV physiologic changes than late post-traumatic PE and may be representative of primary pulmonary thrombosis. It remains to be seen whether early CT findings of PE should be managed according to previously established guidelines for embolic disease.
Authigenic Clay Minerals in the Rustler Formation, WIPP Site Area, New Mexico

Transuranic waste is planned for disposal in the Late Permian evaporites of the Delaware Basin, southeastern New Mexico, at the WIPP Site. The disposal horizon is located in the bedded halite of the Salado Formation, which is overlain by the impure halite-anhydrite (gypsum)-siltstone-mudstone of the Rustler Formation. The Rustler Formation also contains two dolomite members, the Magenta and Culebra, which transmit water. The Culebra Member is suspected to have actively interacted with waters at time(s) from the Late Permian to the present, and it is important to assess the reactivity of these waters in conjunction with WIPP stability. We have investigated the Rb-Sr systematics of clay minerals from the Culebra Member and elsewhere in the Rustler Formation. By separating the less than 0.125 µm size material we are able to deal with presumed true authigenic clay minerals. The authigenic fraction is especially sensitive to chemical and isotopic exchange with waters, and an episodic exposure to a large amount of water will re-set the clay minerals to such a time. Our data yield 259 ± 22 Ma Rb-Sr isochron, which is consistent with the Late Permian age of the Rustler Formation. This age demonstrates that age-determining cations in these clay minerals have preserved their isotopic and chemical integrity since the Late Permian.
Renal function and vasomotor activity in mice lacking the Cyp4a14 gene

The production of 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) in the kidney is thought to be involved in the control of renal vascular tone and tubular sodium and chloride reabsorption. Cytochrome (Cyp) P-450 enzymes of the Cyp4a family in the mouse, namely 4a10, -12 and 14, are involved in 20-HETE synthesis. Recent advances in the molecular genetics of the mouse have produced mice in which Cyp4a isoforms have been disrupted and the consequence of such an approach is examined. This study evaluated the effect of deletion of the Cyp4a14 gene on blood pressure, renal vascular responses and tubular function. When compared with the wild-type (WT) litter mates, systolic blood pressure was greater in Cyp4a14 null (KO) mice as were renal vascular responses to angiotensin II or phenyephrine, G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) agonists, but not KCl, a non-GPCR agonist. Renal vascular responses to guanosine 5'-O-(gamma-thio)triphosphate, a non-hydrolyzable GTP analog, or NaF(4), an activator of G-proteins, were also enhanced. However, vasodilation to bradykinin or apocynin but not sodium nitroprusside was blunted in Cyp4a14 null (KO) kidneys. These changes in KO mice were accompanied by increased 20-HETE synthesis, reduced renal production of nitric oxide (NO), increased lipid hydroperoxides and increased apocynin-inhibitable vascular NADPH oxidase activity that was prevented by administration of NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor, suggesting endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) uncoupling. Cyp4a14 KO mice also exhibited a diminished capacity to excrete an acute sodium load (0.9% NaCl, 2.5 mL/kg). These data suggest that deletion of the Cyp4a gene conferred a prohypertensive status via mechanisms involving increased 20-HETE synthesis and eNOS uncoupling leading to increased oxidative stress, enhanced vasoconstriction but diminished vasodilation as well as a defect in the renal excretory capacity in Cyp4a14 KO mice. These mechanisms suggest that the Cyp4a14-deficient mouse may be a useful model for evaluation of NO/20-HETE interactions.
Effect of Hexaethyl Tetraphosphate on Choline Esterase in vitro and in vivo.

SummaryHexaethyl tetraphosphate exerts a strong inhibitory effect on mammalian and insect cholinesterase in vitro and in vivo. This finding, in conjunction with its gross effects on animals suggests that its physiological effects may be at least in part due to its inhibition of this enzyme.
Prevalence and risk factors of chronic diseases among residents in Jiangbei district of Ningbo city

Objective To examine prevalence and behavioral risk factors of chronic diseases among residents in Jiangbei district of Ningbo city for prevention and control of the diseases. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with two stage random sampling to select 2 354 residents aged 15-69 years from 2 communities for a face-to-face questionnaire survey. Results Among the residents,the prevalence of chronic diseases was 27. 2% and there were significant differences in the prevalence among the residents of different gender,age,education level,marriage status,occupation,whether consuming excessive salt,lacking physical exercise,and overweight. The results of multivariate logistic regression showed that at the age of 35 years or older,retirement,and overweight were risk factors and female and lack of physical exercise were protective factors for chronic diseases. Conclusion Gender,age,occupation,lack of physical exercise,and overweight are important factors for chronic diseases among the residents in Jiangbei distric of Ningbo city.
Children search for information as efficiently as adults, but seek additional confirmatory evidence.

Like scientists, children and adults learn by asking questions and making interventions. How does this ability develop? We investigate how children (7and 10-year-olds) and adults search for information to learn which kinds of objects share a novel causal property. In particular, we consider whether children ask questions and select interventions that are as informative as those of adults, and whether they recognize when to stop searching for information to provide a solution. We find an anticipated developmental improvement in information search efficiency. We also present a formal analysis that allows us to identify the basis for children’s inefficiency. In our 20-questions-style task, children initially ask questions and make interventions no less efficiently than adults do, but continue to search for information past the point at which they have narrowed their hypothesis space to a single option. In other words, the performance change from age seven to adulthood is due largely to a change in implementing a “stopping rule”; when considering only the minimum number of queries participants would have needed to identify the correct hypothesis, age differences disappear.
Competitive markets for individual health insurance.

ABSTRACT: A more dynamic individual insurance market could match benefits with individual preferences, provide more portable and permanent coverage, and stimulate consumer-focused service. Necessar...
The Impact That Number of Analyzed Metastatic Breast Cancer Lesions Has on Response Assessment by 18F-FDG PET/CT Using PERCIST

The PET Response Criteria in Solid Tumors (PERCIST) are not specific regarding the number of lesions that should be analyzed per patient. This study evaluated how the number of analyzed lesions affects response assessment in metastatic breast cancer. Methods: In 60 patients, response was assessed by the change in SUVpeak, normalized to lean body mass, of the most 18F-FDG–avid lesion (PERCIST 1) and by the change in the sum of normalized SUVpeak for up to 5 lesions (PERCIST 5). The correlation between response by PERCIST and progression-free and disease-specific survival was evaluated. Results: In responders and nonresponders, the respective progression-free survival at 2 y was 37.26% and 6.43% for PERCIST 1 (P
Characterization of mechanical properties in the IrNbZr intermetallic system

The mechanical properties of very high melting intermetallic compounds are examined in the IrNbZr system. The IrNbZr system contains two related high temperature L12 intermetallic compounds, Ir3Nb and Ir3Zr, with similar lattice parameters and melting points of 2450 and 2280°C respectively. Microhardness and compression tests show that the Ir3Nb possesses twice the strength of the Ir3Zr despite their marked similarities in electronic structure and cohesive properties. Furthermore, preliminary studies of a ternary L12 compound of composition Ir0.71Nb0.21Zr0.08 show that it has a high temperature strength greater than that of either of the binary systems. Total energy electronic structure calculations confirm the similarity in the cohesive properties of the binary compounds, and point to differences in the density of states at the Fermi level as a possible reason for their dissimilar mechanical behavior.
Postoptimality Analysis II

In the preceding chapter we considered, in part, an assortment of postoptimality problems involving discrete changes in only selected components of the matrices C, b, or A. Therein emphasis was placed upon the extent to which a given problem may be modified without breaching its feasibility or optimality. We now wish to extend this sensitivity analysis a bit further to what is called parametric analysis. That is, instead of just determining the amount by which a few individual components of the aforementioned matrices may be altered in some particular way before the feasibility or optimality of the current solution is violated, let us generate a sequence of basic solutions which in turn become optimal, one after the other, as all of the components of C, b, or a column of A vary continuously in some prescribed direction. In this regard, the following parametric analysis will involve a marriage between sensitivity analysis and simplex pivoting.
Nonskeletal Risk Factors for Osteoporosis and Fractures

Nonskeletal risk factors either impact bone mineral density (BMD), fracture risk, or both. Weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) relate positively to BMD and inversely to fracture rates. Lean mass may be an important determinant of premenopausal bone mass, but fat mass is strongly related to postmenopausal BMD. Obesity is related to higher bone mass and lower rates of osteoporosis related fractures – but other fractures (humerus and ankle) may occur at higher rates. Weight loss is needed to reduce the risk of comorbid conditions, but is also detrimental to the skeleton. Smoking and excessive alcohol intakes have adverse skeletal effects, whereas moderate alcohol intake is associated with higher BMD. Lower serum estradiol is associated with lower BMD. Homocysteine elevations are related to increased fracture risk. The risk of fracture appears to vary with the different antihypertensive medications. Visual impairment increases the odds of a fracture and cataract surgery appears to lower this risk.
Ambivalence in the “New Positivism” for the Philosophy of Communication: The Problem of Communication and Communicating Subjects

The philosophy of communication in the United States grew out of a reaction to positivist approaches to communication research, which had managed to render processes of communication anonymous through the eradication of the epistemological subject. Although the pursuits varied among founding proponents of a “philosophy of communication” within the International Communication Association, the concepts nevertheless displayed partisanship for conceptualizations of communication that included communicating subjects. After the early responses to positivism, however, a “new positivism” emerged that challenged that vision. Linked to postmodernist developments in other fields, it joined the old positivist skepticism that subtracted epistemological subjects from knowledge by suggesting a path that would subtract “communicating subjects” and even “communication” from the work of the “philosophy of communication.” Most recently, the new positivism has produced ambivalence over the prospects for communication with co...
Psychiatric Disorders and ADD

The frequencies of various psychiatric and neuromaturational disorders were compared in 22 ADD children aged 5-16 yrs and in 20 normal control subjects studied by structured diagnostic interviews with mothers in the Pediatric Psychopharmacology Clinic and Child Psychiatry Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.
Inattention and hyperactivity in association with autism spectrum disorders in the CHARGE study.

Abstract Background Attention deficits in young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are not well understood. This study sought to determine: 1) the prevalence of ADHD symptoms in young children with ASD, typical development (TD), and developmental delay (DD) and 2) the association between ADHD symptoms and cognitive and behavioral functioning in children with ASD. Method ADHD symptoms, defined according to Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) hyperactivity subscale scores, were compared across children aged 2–5 from a large case-control study with ASD (n = 548), TD (n = 423), and DD (n = 180). Inattention and hyperactivity items within this subscale were also explored. Within the ASD group, linear and logistic regression were used to examine how ADHD symptoms were associated with cognition as assessed by the Mullen Scales of Early Learning and adaptive functioning as assessed by the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. Results Mean hyperactivity subscale scores were lowest in children with TD (mean = 3.19), higher in children with DD (12.3), and highest in children with ASD (18.2; between-group p Conclusion These results suggest ADHD symptoms may play a key role in the functioning of young children with ASD.
Attention and the Cognitive Penetrability of Perception

ABSTRACTOne sceptical rejoinder to those who claim that sensory perception is cognitively penetrable is to appeal to the involvement of spatial attention. While the sceptic is correct that some putative cases are accurately deflected in this way, the rejoinder oversimplifies the possible roles that attention might play in relevant contexts. This paper identifies alternative ways that selective attention might play a role in cognitive effects on perception. What emerges is a plausible and well-evidenced mental schema that describes attention-mediated cognitive penetration.
Electrokinetic Manipulation of Silver and Platinum Nanoparticles and Their Stochastic Electrochemical Detection.

Electrokinetic phenomena such as dielectrophoresis and electrothermal fluid flow are used to increase the rate of mass transfer of silver and platinum nanoparticles and improve their stochastic electrochemical detection. These phenomena are induced by applying a high frequency alternating current (ac) waveform between a counter electrode and a working disk microelectrode. By recording chronoamperograms at room temperature and various ac powers, it is shown that the ac heating leads to an increase in the collision frequency of studied nanoparticles with working electrode surface by a factor of ∼101–103 as well as the increase in the magnitude of the measured faradaic response. It is suggested that the developed methodology could be used in the future to improve the detection of ultralow concentrations of various important bioanalytes.
Role of lysophosphatidic acid and its receptors in the kidney

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a bioactive phospholipid that can exert diverse biological effects in various diseased states of the kidney by activating at least six cognate G protein-coupled receptors and its complex network of heterotrimeric G proteins. In many models of acute and chronic kidney injury, pathological elevations in LPA promotes abnormal changes in renal tubular epithelial cell architecture by activating apoptotic signaling, recruits immune cells to the site of injury, and stimulates profibrotic signaling by increasing gene transcription. In renal cancers, LPA can promote vascular cell proliferation and tumor cell invasion. In this review, a summary will be provided to describe the involvement of LPA, its synthetic enzymes, and its associated receptors in normal and diseased kidneys. Further elucidation of the LPA system may open new doors in developing a lipid-receptor therapeutic platform for kidney diseases.
Picard iteration-based variable-order integrator with dense output employing algorithmic differentiation

Motivated by the high accuracy requirements and the huge ratio of the largest to smallest time scales of Coulomb collision simulations of a considerable number of charges, we developed a novel numerical integration scheme, which uses algorithmic differentiation to produce variable, high-order integrators with dense output. We show that Picard iterations are not only a nice theoretical tool, but can also be successfully implemented to develop competitive integrators, especially when accuracies close to machine precision are required. The numerical integrators’ performance and applications to the electrostatic n-body problem are illustrated.
Components of Data Base Planning

One of the major administrative tasks assigned to the dba is the responsibility for data base planning. This responsibility entails setting goals and objectives for data base content and operation as well as selecting technical and organizational alternatives that most effectively utilize company resources to achieve these goals. Goals must be set in the context of organizational goals and management objectives. The selection of alternatives must reflect a knowledge of current and projected technological developments as well as an appreciation of the organizational implications of managing data as a resource.
Electronic Structure of Stacking Faults in Pd1−xCux, Pd1−xAgx, and Ag1−xAux Alloys

A face-centered cubic (FCC) crystal can be viewed as the …ABCABCABC… stacking of (111) planes. Stacking faults are caused by the disruption of this perfect stacking sequence. The most common fault found in a face-centered cubic (FCC) crystal, the intrinsic stacking fault, results when one atomic plane (a C plane) is removed, i.e. …ABCABABC…. When a <110|-type dislocation separates into two partial dislocations, the crystal contains an intrinsic stacking fault bounded by the two partial dislocation cores. The energy of the stacking fault determines the degree of separation and mobility of these partial dislocations. Dislocation mobility and core structure are some of the factors that influence ductility. Intrinsic stacking faults in FCC noble metals have been extensively studied experimentally,1,2and more recently theoretically.3,4 Pd1−x Ag x and Ag1−x Au x alloys form a series of FCC solid solutions over the entire range of x, Pd1−x Cu x also form a series of FCC solid solutions, though there is long range ordering at certain compositions. Thus, these three systems provide an excellent test of theoretical predictions of stacking fault energies in FCC alloys.
Elevation of serum cystathionine levels in patients with cobalamin and folate deficiency

Homocysteine can be methylated to form methionine by the cobalamin- (Cbl) and folate-dependent enzyme, methionine synthase; serum levels of total homocysteine are elevated in greater than 95% of patients with either Cbl or folate deficiency. Homocysteine can also condense with serine to form cystathionine in a pyridoxal phosphate-dependent reaction catalyzed by cystathionine beta-synthase. Cystathionine is subsequently cleaved to cysteine and alpha-ketobutyrate by the pyridoxal phosphate-dependent enzyme gamma-cystathionase. To assess levels of cystathionine in Cbl and folate deficiency, we developed a new capillary gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric assay and measured cystathionine in the serum of normal subjects and patients with clinically confirmed deficiencies of these vitamins. The normal range for serum cystathionine was 65 to 301 nmol/L (median = 126 nmol/L) for 50 normal blood donors. In 30 patients with clinically confirmed Cbl deficiency, values for cystathionine ranged from 208 nmol/L to 2,920 nmol/L (median = 816 nmol/L) and 26 (87%) had levels above the normal range. In 20 patients with clinically confirmed folate deficiency, cystathionine concentrations ranged from 138 nmol/L to 4,150 nmol/L (median = 1,560 nmol/L) and 19 (95%) had values above the normal range. Five homozygotes for cystathionine beta-synthase deficiency had high values for serum-total homocysteine and low or low-normal values for serum cystathionine that ranged from 30 nmol/L to 114 nmol/L even though they were on treatment with pyridoxine and had partially responded. One patient with a defect in the synthesis of 5-CH3-tetrahydrofolate and five patients with defects in the synthesis of CH3-Cbl had high values for serum-total homocysteine and high values for cystathionine that ranged from 311 nmol/L to 1,500 nmol/L even though they were on treatment with folic acid and Cbl, respectively, and had partially responded. We conclude that levels of cystathionine are evaluated in the serum of most patients with Cbl and folate deficiency and that they are useful in the differential diagnosis of an elevated serum-total homocysteine level.
September 1971–June 1975

This chapter presents a case history of Genie's condition during September 1971–June 1975. Genie continually chose the path of least effort. She did not initiate action. She moved slowly and listlessly, and she others to do things for her that she was capable of performing herself. Although being taught to and encouraged to chew, she continued to let her saliva break down the food in her mouth rather than chew it, and she continued to select foods that did not require chewing as often as she could. When being taught to print, she held her pencil loosely, making barely visible marks on the paper. She followed directions, obeyed orders, and cooperated in activities, but she did not initiate activity. Genie, like normal children, was unable to imitate or even retain in memory, syntactic structures that were not in keeping with her grammatical development. In January 1972, Genie used language for the first time in reflecting about a past event. Even after Genie started to speak, she remained very limited in her vocal abilities. She did not sob when she cried.
Can whole brain nerve conduction velocity be derived from surface-recorded visual evoked potentials? A re-examination of Reed, Vernon, and Johnson (2004).

Abstract Reed, Vernon, and Johnson [Reed, T. E., Vernon, P. A., & Johnson, A. M. (2004). Sex difference in brain nerve conduction velocity in normal humans. Neuropsychologia, 42, 1709–1714] reported that “nerve conduction velocity” (NCV) of visual transmission from retina to the primary visual area (V1) is significantly faster in males than females. The authors estimated the NCV by dividing head length (nasion-to-inion distance) by the latency of the well-known P100 component of the visual evoked potential (VEP). Here, we critically examine these metrics and we contend that knowledge of the underlying physiology of neural transmission across the initial stages of the visual processing hierarchy dictates that a number of their assumptions cannot be reasonably upheld. Alternative, and we believe, more parsimonious interpretations of the data are also proposed.
Induction of Cytochrome P450 Enzymes

Over the last decade, great strides have been made in understanding the roles that the nuclear receptors PXR, CAR, PPARα, and AHR play in the induction of CYP genes. The ability of xenobiotics to bind and activate NRs to induce the expression of the CYP enzymes involved in their metabolism provides a mechanism by which an organism can mount an adaptive response to its changing chemical environment. The identification of endogenous ligands for some NRs indicates that these receptors play important roles in regulating CYP levels during physiological processes as well. It has become clear that the expression of many CYP genes is dependent on more than one NR. Recent studies have demonstrated that NRs often share xenobiotic ligands, response elements, and target CYP genes. The existence of multiple xenobiotic receptors with broad and sometimes overlapping functions likely increases the ability of an organism to detect and respond to a wide range of chemicals. The challenge for the future will be to understand how the NRs participate in a complex network to regulate CYP gene expression and to mediate the physiological response to xenobiotics.