cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison between transarterial chemoembolization in combination with radiofrequency ablation versus microwave ablation in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma

Purpose Retrospective comparison of treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) followed by radiofrequency ablation (RFA) versus TACE followed by microwave ablation (MWA) evaluating overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS) and successful bridge to liver transplant. Materials and Methods Data were collected using retrospective chart review of cirrhotic patients with HCC who received TACE in conjunction with RFA or MWA at our institution from Nov 2003 to Nov 2011. In the RFA cohort, 41 patients (Child-Pugh class A or B) underwent TACE plus RFA and in the MWA cohort, 57 patients (Child-Pugh class A or B) underwent TACE plus MWA. The OS, DFS, percent of patients successfully bridged to liver transplant and prognostic factors were statistically analyzed. Results In TACE-RFA group the 1, 2 and 3-year OS rates were 87.8% (36/41), 53.7% (22/41) and 44.7% (18/41) respectively, and the 1, 2 and 3-year DFS rates were 70%, 41.7% and 37.9% respectively. 29.3% (12/41) of patients were successfully bridged to liver transplant. In TACE-MWA group the 1, 2 and 3-year OS rates were 86.0% (49/57), 73.8% (42/57) and 58.9% (34/57) respectively, and the 1, 2 and 3-year DFS rates were 54.4% , 30.9% and 23.3% respectively. 15.8% (9/57) of patients were successfully bridged to liver transplant. No statistically significant difference in the OS (p=0.31) and overall DFS (p=0.08) between TACE-RFA versus TACE-MWA was observed. However, when controlling for tumor size, the RFA cohort had 43% improved DFS compared to MWA cohort (p=0.033). Univariate and Cox regression analyses indicated that tumor size was unfavorable prognostic factors for OS (p Conclusion The combined procedures of TACE and percutaneous thermal ablation (MWA and RFA) are both safe and effective for treatment of HCC. While no statistically significant differences in both overall survival and overall disease free survival were observed between the two cohorts, when controlling for tumor size the RFA cohort had a 43% improved disease free survival compared to MWA cohort.
Membrane Domains and Macromolecular Transport in Intestinal Epithelial Cells

Epithelial cell plasma membranes are organized as biochemically and functionally distinct domains and subdomains. We have explored the composition and maintenance of specific membrane regions during endocytosis and transepithelial vesicular transport in specialized cells of the intestinal epithelium. A unique membrane glycoprotein has been identified in apical endocytic subdomains and endosomal tubules of absorptive cells in suckling rat ileum. This endocytic system is involved in sorting and transepithelial transport of peptide growth factors as well as delivery of milk macromolecules to lysosomes. In M cells of follicle-associated epithelium, we have shown that membrane-bound proteins are efficiently transported to a specialized subdomain of basolateral membrane. The apical membranes of these cells bear immunoglobulin binding sites and transport monoclonal IgA antibodies to the basolateral side, where they may interact with cells of the mucosal immune system.
Specific expression of nuclear proto-oncogenes before entry into meiotic prophase of spermatogenesis

The expression of proto-oncogenes representative of several functional categories has been investigated during development of mouse male germ cells. The c-raf proto-oncogene and three members of the c-ras gene family were expressed in mitotically active stem cells, throughout the prophase of meiosis and to varying extents in post-meiotic cell types. In contrast, the nuclear proto-oncogenes c-fos, c-jun, and c-myc were specifically expressed at high levels in type B spermatogonia. High levels of c-myc and c-jun RNAs were also detected in spermatocytes early in the prophase of meiosis. The type B spermatogonia represent the last mitotic cell division before entry into meiotic prophase; therefore, these nuclear proto-oncogenes may be involved in altering programs of gene expression at this developmental transition.
Blood Lipids of Cows at Different Stages of Lactation

Abstract The levels and uptake by the mammary gland of blood lipid components, acetate, ketone bodies, and glucose during early or late lactation were compared to the values during the dry period. During the dry period, levels of plasma phospholipids, cholesterol esters, and free cholesterol dropped to 38.0, 51.7, and 63.9%, respectively, whereas plasma triglycerides rose to 146% of the late-lactation levels. The only positive arteriovenous difference observed consistently during the dry period was for plasma acetate. During early lactation, levels of total plasma triglycerides were lower, whereas those of phospholipids and cholesterol esters were similar to levels of the same components during the dry period. The arteriovenous differences for blood glucose and ketone bodies during early lactation were higher than during any other period. No consistent arteriovenous differences for plasma phospholipids, cholesterol esters, free cholesterol, or free fatty acids were observed during any period, except for the large and consistently positive arteriovenous differences for free fatty acids in two out of three cows during early lactation.
How Accurate Are 3 Risk Prediction Models in US Women

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death for US women, and nearly two thirds who died suddenly of CVD had no previous symptoms.1 Therefore, it is of great importance to identify “at-risk” women early, so that effective primary prevention strategies can be instituted. A universal recommendation of prevention guidelines is that all asymptomatic women should undergo a global risk assessment.2 Article see p 1748 The Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP-III) of the National Cholesterol Education Program set thresholds for lipid treatment based on one's predicted 10-year risk for a hard coronary heart disease (CHD) event (myocardial infarction or CHD death) using a modified Framingham risk score (FRS).3 There are limitations, however, with use of the ATP-III model for CVD prediction in women. The ATP-III version predicts “hard” CHD events but not angina or revascularizations, even if such revascularizations are performed to manage an acute coronary syndrome. Yet women are more likely to experience “soft” CHD events or strokes than men. Moreover, a single laboratory measurement does not reflect lipid values over a woman's lifetime. The FRS does not take into account family history of premature CHD, a well-established independent risk factor for CHD events.4 Also, because stroke accounts for a higher proportion of CVD events than CHD in women before age 75 years,1 we believe that total CVD risk should be the outcome for prediction and preventive strategies. Indeed, that is the conclusion of the 2011 American Heart Association CVD prevention guidelines for women.5 Furthermore, the FRS only predicts 10-year risk, whereas for women, the issue is most often “lifetime” risk. The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that among women without a history of CHD or diabetes, 92% of those aged 60 to 69 years and >98% aged <59 …
Progress in Understanding the Diffuse UV Background

The ultraviolet spectrometers aboard the Voyager spacecraft have been used to delineate, for the first time, the appearance of the diffuse component of the sky at wavelengths about 1000 A to 1100 A. To measure the diffuse background requires use of appropriate instrumentation. I explain how difficult it has been to ensure that investigation of the UV diffuse background radiation is carried out with instrumentation that is, in fact, capable of making the necessary measurements successfully.
A constant factor approximation algorithm for k-median clustering with outliers

We consider the k-median clustering with outliers problem: Given a finite point set in a metric space and parameters k and m, we want to remove m points (called outliers), such that the cost of the optimal k-median clustering of the remaining points is minimized. We present the first polynomial time constant factor approximation algorithm for this problem.
Specification of Acceptable Blade Porosity for Cavitation Performance of Marine Propellers

The issues of cavitation inception for porosity for cast propeller blades are addressed. Desinent cavitation measurements were made in the ARL Penn State 48-inch diameter water tunnel for a series of holes machined into inserts mounted in the tunnel test section. The data were compared to previous measurements with slots and isolated roughnesses. A design exercise is presented for a generic propeller blade to specify “acceptable” blade porosity for a given cavitation inception goal. The application to the blade accounts for the spanwise velocity distribution, local blade surface pressure distribution, local boundary layer thickness, and porosity size. The final result is a mapping of ranges in acceptable porosity for locations on the blade.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
A Commentary on the Future of Geropsychiatric Nursing Practice: Definition, Education, and Advocacy

Positioning geropsychiatric nursing (GPN) to meet the challenges of providing care to a growing population of older adults demands enhanced clarity in how the specialty defines the scope and focus of its practice. A distinctive professional profile will facilitate innovative approaches to other essential tasks: educating nurses as well as policy makers and the public about the unique contributions of GPNs to mental health care; advocating for more equitable treatment in the arenas of research support, reimbursement, and full participation on multidisciplinary clinical teams; and organizing GPNs into a critical mass capable of speaking with one compelling voice.
Scientific literacy: A systemic functional linguistics perspective

Scientific writing contains unique linguistic features that construe special realms of scientific knowledge, values, and beliefs. An understanding of the functionality of these features is critical to the development of literacy in science. This article describes some of the key linguistic features of scientific writing, discusses the challenges these features present to comprehension and composition of science texts in school, and argues for greater attention to the specialized language of science in teaching and learning. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed, 89:335–347, 2005
Automatic target recognition system using high-resolution radar

A system is proposed for joint tracking and recognition of airborne targets from the observations of radar sensors. It is assumed that the data available for the estimation of target orientation and recognition include sequences of range-profiles from a high resolution radar. Inference is performed using the posterior distribution on the complete parameters space, which includes the number of targets as well as their positions, orientations, and target types. The algorithm is critically dependent on appropriate sensor and target models, in the form of a likelihood for the range profiles given the target orientations, and a prior on the orientations determined by the target dynamics. Deterministic and stochastic models for high resolution radar data are presented, and the likelihood function under the deterministic model is examined. The viability of our approach is demonstrated through simulations that address two simplified recognition scenarios. The first simulation investigates joint tracking and recognition of a single maneuvering target from the simulated observations of both a cross-array tracking radar and a high resolution radar. In the second simulation, orientation estimation and recognition are performed for a single target which is approaching an airborne radar platform. Results from these simulations showing performance are given.
Negative Regulation of Yeast WASp by Two SH3 Domain-Containing Proteins

Abstract Background: WASp family proteins promote actin filament assembly by activating Arp2/3 complex and are regulated spatially and temporally to assemble specialized actin structures used in diverse cellular processes. Some WASp family members are autoinhibited until bound by activating ligands; however, regulation of the budding yeast WASp homolog (Las17/Bee1) has not yet been explored. Results: We isolated full-length Las17 and characterized its biochemical activities on yeast Arp2/3 complex. Purified Las17 was not autoinhibited; in this respect, it is more similar to SCAR/WAVE than to WASp proteins. Las17 was a much stronger activator of Arp2/3 complex than its carboxyl-terminal (WA) fragment. In addition, actin polymerization stimulated by Las17-Arp2/3 was much less sensitive to the inhibitory effects of profilin compared to polymerization stimulated by WA-Arp2/3. Two SH3 domain-containing binding partners of Las17, Sla1 and Bbc1, were purified and were shown to cooperate in inhibiting Las17 activity. The two SLA1 SH3 domains required for this inhibitory activity in vitro were also required in vivo, in combination with BBC1 , for cell viability and normal actin organization. Conclusions: Full-length Las17 is not autoinhibited and activates Arp2/3 complex more strongly than its WA domain alone, revealing an important role for the Las17 amino terminus in Arp2/3 complex activation. Two of the SH3 domain-containing ligands of Las17, Sla1 and Bbc1, cooperate to inhibit Las17 activity in vitro and are required for a shared function in actin organization in vivo. Our results show that, like SCAR/WAVE, WASp proteins can be controlled by negative regulation through the combined actions of multiple ligands.
Evaluation of the intermetallic compound Al2Ti for elevated-temperature applications

Abstract Al 2 Ti is a stable intermetallic phase being investigated for elevated-temperature applications. The density of Al 2 Ti measured by helium pycnometry is 3.53–3.54 g cm −3 , in excellent agreement with the density of 3.530 g cm −3 calculated from X-ray diffraction data. Compression testing was performed on samples of as-cast, cast and hot isostatically pressed (cast and HIPed), and powder-processed materials in argon between 25 and 1000 °C. The yield strength of powder-processed Al 2 Ti at 400 °C is approximately 1000 MPa, decreasing to about 500 MPa at 800 °C, over six times greater than the yield strength of cast Al 3 Ti over this same temperature range. Oxidation testing was performed on samples of Al 2 Ti in the same three material conditions at 815 °C (1500 °F) and 982 °C (1800 °F) using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The weight gain after 100 h at 815 °C was about 1.0 mg cm −2 for the cast and cast and HIPed material conditions, comparable to those reported for TiAl and Al 3 Ti at this temperature. The weight gain for powder-processed Al 2 Ti was only 0.15 mg cm −2 after 100 h at 815 °C. The thermal expansion of Al 2 Ti was measured by thermomechanical analysis. The coefficient of thermal expansion varied from approximately 12 × 10 −6 °C −1 at 200 °C to 16 × 10 −6 °C −1 at 900 °C.
Experience in implementing the algebraic multilevel iteration method on a SIMD-type computer

Abstract In this presentation we discuss the Algebraic Multilevel Iteration method and some aspects of its implementation for massively parallel distributed memory computer systems (CM-2, CM-200). Numerical results are presented and compared with those obtained from a serial implementation of the method (IBM RS/6000, SUN SPARC work stations).
A contingency management technique for increasing student attention in a small group setting

Abstract Fifty-four elementary school children previously identified as consistently inattentive were involved in an extraclassroom treatment program comparing three conditions. In the E condition, attention was reinforced by making the earning of token points (exchangeable for rewards) contigent upon appropriate responses to a signal detection task embedded in the lessons. C1 condition subjects participated in the same lessons without the token system, while C2 subjects remained in their regular classrooms throughout the study. Four participating classroom teachers received brief training in behavior modification techniques for maintaining student attention. Subjects in the E condition were found to be significantly more attentive during the treatment lessons. Changes did not transfer to the regular classroom, however, and training for teachers did not affect in-class attention scores of subjects.
The Effect of HIV/AIDS Education on Adolescents in Trinidad and Tobago

Objective. This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of an HIV/AIDS educational intervention on adolescents’ knowledge about and perceptions of susceptibility and severity of HIV/AIDS. We also examined whether providing information about assertiveness skills led to an intention to delay initiation of sexual activity. Methods. A quasi-experimental design was used to conduct this study among secondary school students in Trinidad and Tobago. The five constructs of the Health Belief Model were used to design and test the impact of the educational lessons for the intervention group while the comparison group watched one educational video about HIV over four sessions. A total of 196 secondary school students (from nine schools) between the ages of 11 and 18 years participated in the study, 92 in the intervention group and 104 in the comparison group. Results. Those in the comparison group had higher knowledge scores at posttest than the intervention group, controlling for pretest knowledge (), but those in the intervention group were more likely to plan to delay sexual initiation (). Conclusions. While knowledge scores increased for both groups, intention to delay sexual intercourse was only seen among the intervention group and within the younger age groups.
Epilepsy in the setting of neurocutaneous syndromes

The neurocutaneous syndromes are characterized by congenital dysplastic abnormalities involving the skin and nervous system. The commonest neurocutaneous syndromes manifesting epilepsy are tuberous sclerosis and the Sturge-Weber syndrome. Neurofibromatosis and other lesser-known entities, such as epidermal nevus syndrome, are also known to be accompanied by epilepsy. These syndromes are not related to one another. This article reviews what has been learned about the epileptic syndromes in these disorders.
Technology and ideology in the cinema

(1977). Technology and ideology in the cinema. Quarterly Review of Film Studies: Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 288-301.
Physics textbook illustrations

The phrases “works of art” and “physics textbooks” rarely occur in the same sentence. But a 1943 University of Chicago physics textbook, Analytical Experimental Physics by Lemon and Ference, has chapter headings that could easily be framed and placed in an art gallery. Eight of them are reproduced here
Thymosin β4 inhibits benzalkonium chloride-mediated apoptosis in corneal and conjunctival epithelial cells in vitro

Thymosin beta-4 (Tbeta(4)) is known to promote ocular wound healing, to decrease ocular inflammation, and to have anti-apoptotic effects on corneal epithelium. In this study, the effect of Tbeta(4) on the survival of human ocular surface epithelial cells exposed to benzalkonium chloride (BAK) was measured. Human conjunctival epithelial cells (HC0597) or human corneal epithelial cells (HCET) were treated with 0%, 0.001%, 0.01%, or 0.1% BAK for 15 min. After 3 or 24h of recovery in culture medium containing 1 microg/ml Tbeta(4), a dosage that has been demonstrated effective in several published studies, DNA synthesis was measured using a colorimetric BrdU incorporation assay. Both conjunctival and corneal epithelial DNA synthesis was inhibited by BAK in a dose-dependent manner. Tbeta(4) did not protect the epithelial cells from BAK-induced inhibition of proliferation. To assess the ability of Tbeta(4) to prevent apoptosis, epithelial cells were treated with 0.01% BAK+Tbeta(4) and cell death was measured using a colorimetric assay. BAK-induced apoptosis increased throughout the duration of the assay, which was carried out to 5 days in culture. Treatment of HC0597 cells with Tbeta(4) significantly inhibited the apoptosis shown to be initiated by BAK. Treatment of non-transformed human corneal epithelial cells (HCEC) with Tbeta(4) also significantly inhibited the apoptosis shown to be initiated by BAK at later times in culture. Ocular solutions containing BAK as a preservative are typically used for extended periods of time. This study suggests that Tbeta(4) may be able to overcome the apoptotic side effect of BAK, and may be a useful additive to solutions containing this preservative.
Issues in pediatric critical care medicine

'T IS AN OFTEN-HEARD ADAGE that chil.dren are a unique species and not just small adults. There are few areas of pediatrics where this is more true than in the care of the critically ill child. Even though it has taken many years to organize the specialized skills and care into dedicated units and develop the subspeciality of pediatric critical care medicine, few specialities have experienced the tremendous growth that pediatric critical care has seen. Critically ill children can now receive care that results from a marriage of the most powerful advances in technology with an in-depth understanding of the unique physiology of the developing child under the guidance of physicians schooled within a multidisciplinary framework incorporating anesthesia, pediatrics, and all of the pediatric medical and surgical subspecialties. It has been through this synthesis and the thoughtful application of technology that the role of the pediatric critical care physician has evolved from that of a postoperative adjunct to that of the true intensivist of today. Pediatric intensive care units are multidisciplinary ICUs that care for children with the whole spectrum of critical illness. Clearly, pediatric critical care medicine is a complex area that is constantly evolving. Thus, it would be impossible to discuss the entire spectrum of critical care for children in this article. The authors have selected a few areas of interest where significant developments in understanding or practice have changed in the last few years, and they present these as an update on the practice of pediatric critical care medicine. As the pediatric ICU continues to develop technologically, thus enabling increasingly sophisticated monitoring and intervention, new challenges
Effects of denervation upon sodium excretion, hydrogen ion, and osmolality in the human kidney.

Most of the current knowledge pertaining to the function of denervated kidneys has been obtained from renal allografts. However, little information is available about the functional capacity of the human kidney, immediately before and after denervation, as it occurs during nephrectomy for renal transplantation. The present study was designed with the purpose of evaluating the functional changes of the kidney that occur during donor nephrectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS In six healthy patients with normal renal function, nephrectomy was performed through a flank incision resecting the 12th rib. Balanced general anesthesia with droperidol fentanyl (Innovar) as the main agent was used in all cases. Prior to operation, a catheter was placed in the superior vena cava or right atrium for monitoring central venous pressures. A Foley catheter was also inserted in the bladder. All donor patients received 1000 ml of crystaloid solution, infused at a rate of 125 ml/hr 8 hr prior to anesthesia and 250 ml/hr during the 2 hr before operation.
Review of Robert Trivers’s The Folly of Fools: The Logic of Deceit and Self-Deception in Human Life (New York: Basic Books, 2011)

In his autobiography, Charles Darwin wrote: “As a little boy I was much given to inventing deliberate falsehoods” (pp. 1958:23). In an example Darwin relates: “I remember stealing apples from the orchard, for the sake of giving them away to some boys and young men who lived in a cottage not far off, but before I gave them the fruit I showed off how quickly I could run and it is wonderful that I did not perceive that the surprise and admiration which they expressed at my powers of running, was given for the sake of the apples. But I well remember that I was delighted at them declaring that they had never seen a boy run so fast!” (p. 1958:24). Poignant as Darwin’s youthful self-deception was—handing out apples to the very people cheering his running skills —it also raises a fundamental scientific question: to what extent are humans subject to self-deception? Studies suggest self-deception may be far from uncommon. For instance, most people suffer from the so-called end of history illusion: when reflecting back on how much we have changed, we falsely believe we’ve reached the apex of our personal development, underestimating how much we will actually change in the future (Quoidbach et al. 2013). Yet if humans are so subject to self-deception, failing to see the world as it is, why would natural selection have favored this? Is self-deception adaptive? Robert Trivers—a luminary among evolutionary biologists, one of the foremost theoretical experts on social evolution, conflict, and cooperation, and also a 2007 Hum Nat (2014) 25:285–297 DOI 10.1007/s12110-014-9201-8
Estimates of test size for several test procedures based on conventional variance ratios in the repeated measures design.

Estimates of test size (probability of Type I error) were obtained for several specific repeated measures designs. Estimates were presented for configurations where the underlying covariance matrices exhibited varying degrees of heterogeneity. Conventional variance ratios were employed as basic statistics in order to produce estimates of size for a conventional test, an e-adjusted test, and e-adjusted test and a conservative test. Indices for empirical distributions of two estimators of e, a measure of covariance heterogeneity, were also provided.
Haloperidol and clozapine treatment and their effect on M-chlorophenylpiperazine-mediated responses in schizophrenia: implications for the mechanism of action of clozapine

Since clozapine is, in contrast to conventional neuroleptics, effective in treatment refractory schizophrenic patients its mechanism of action may be different from that of typical neuroleptics. Clozapine has been shown to display the highest binding affinity of all neuroleptics to one of the serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5HT) receptor subtypes, i.e., the 5HT1c receptor. Furthermore, clozapine, in contrast to conventional neuroleptics, blocks the effect of 5HT agonists on ACTH and corticosterone release in animals. This study hypothesized that clozapine, but not haloperidol would block ACTH and prolactin release induced by the 5HT agonist, m-chlorophenylpiperazine (MCPP). MCPP (0.35 mg/kg PO) was administered after a 3-week drug-free period, after 5 weeks of haloperidol treatment (20 mg/day) and finally after 5 weeks of clozapine treatment (> 400 mg/day) in ten male schizophrenic patients. Clozapine, but not haloperidol, blocked the effect of MCPP on ACTH and prolactin release. These results suggest that clozapine, in contrast to haloperidol, is a functional 5HT antagonist. Since MCPP-induced ACTH and prolactin release may be (partially) 5HT1c mediated, these results suggest that clozapine is a potent antagonist at the 5HT1c receptor.
LATE-ONSET PARANOID DISORDER

While the onset of paranoid states in the geriatric population has received some attention, recent research results on such proposed etiological factors as sensory impairments, cognitive decline, and pre-existing schizophrenia-spectrum pathologies remain equivocal. The authors present an alternative hypothesis positioning the interaction of pre-existing narcissistic personality features with unique aspects of the aging process. Case studies and innovative treatment strategies are discussed.
Interleukin-7 Receptor Mutants Initiate Early T Cell Precursor Leukemia in Murine Thymocyte Progenitors With Multipotent Potential

Early T cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ETP-ALL) exhibits lymphoid, myeloid, and stem cell features and is associated with a poor prognosis. Whole genome sequencing of human ETP-ALL cases has identified recurrent mutations in signaling, histone modification, and hematopoietic development genes but it remains to be determined which of these abnormalities are sufficient to initiate leukemia. We show that activating mutations in the interleukin-7 receptor identified in human pediatric ETP-ALL cases are sufficient to generate ETP-ALL in mice transplanted with primitive transduced thymocytes from p19Arf−/− mice. The cellular mechanism by which these mutant receptors induce ETP-ALL is the block of thymocyte differentiation at the double negative 2 stage at which myeloid lineage and T lymphocyte developmental potential coexist. Analyses of samples from pediatric ETP-ALL cases and our murine ETP-ALL model show uniformly high levels of LMO2 expression, very low to undetectable levels of BCL11B expression, and a relative lack of activating NOTCH1 mutations. We report that pharmacological blockade of Jak–Stat signaling with ruxolitinib has significant antileukemic activity in this ETP-ALL model. This new murine model recapitulates several important cellular and molecular features of ETP-ALL and should be useful to further define novel therapeutic approaches for this aggressive leukemia.
Fizzy: feature subset selection for metagenomics

Some of the current software tools for comparative metagenomics provide ecologists with the ability to investigate and explore bacterial communities using α– & β–diversity. Feature subset selection – a sub-field of machine learning – can also provide a unique insight into the differences between metagenomic or 16S phenotypes. In particular, feature subset selection methods can obtain the operational taxonomic units (OTUs), or functional features, that have a high-level of influence on the condition being studied. For example, in a previous study we have used information-theoretic feature selection to understand the differences between protein family abundances that best discriminate between age groups in the human gut microbiome. We have developed a new Python command line tool, which is compatible with the widely adopted BIOM format, for microbial ecologists that implements information-theoretic subset selection methods for biological data formats. We demonstrate the software tools capabilities on publicly available datasets. We have made the software implementation of Fizzy available to the public under the GNU GPL license. The standalone implementation can be found at http://github.com/EESI/Fizzy .
Unusual Palm Creases and Unusual Children The Sydney Line and "Type C" Palmar Lines and Their Clinical Significance In a Child Development Clinic

Inspection of palm creases should be a routine part of the pediatric physical examination. Any variation in the basic configuration should be cause for concern, irrespective of the age of the child. Is the "nor mal" child with an SPC, SL, or other type C palm really normal? Will time or psychologic evaluation uncover an unsuspected abnormality? An otherwise normal infant with palmar crease abnormalities should be considered at risk of developmental problems appearing later.
Predator-free enclosures improve post-release survival of stocked common snook

Hatchery-reared fish may not be behaviorally competent in the wild, thus increasing mortality rates of fishes stocked into natural environments. The goal of this study was to determine whether in situ acclimation at release sites can increase survival of juvenile hatchery-reared common snook (Centropomus undecimalis), a catadromous fish, stocked into an estuary in Sarasota, Florida. Juvenile snook (76–251 mm fork length) were tagged with coded-wire tags and released in four locations distributed along a salinity gradient of North Creek estuary. Three replicate releases were performed at each location. Overall, 1935 snook were acclimated in enclosures for 3 d, then, released simultaneously with 1925 non-acclimated snook (non caged snook transported direct from the laboratory and stocked into the creek). For recaptures of snook at large for 3 d or more, mean recapture rates of experimental release groups were significantly different (multiway ANOVA testing recapture rates by acclimation treatment, release site, and interactions, P=0.001). Specifically, mean recapture rates of acclimated groups were 1.92 higher than those for non-acclimated groups (P=0.002); hatchery snook recaptured from two of the four release sites represented 70% of total recaptures (P=0.001); interactions between acclimation treatment and release site were not significant (P=0.71). Site fidelity was approximately 60% regardless of acclimation condition, and did not significantly influence recapture rates. Thus, in situ acclimation has potential to significantly improve both post-release survival and information gained in stocking programs.
Commentary: South African Contributions to the Study of Intergroup Relations

The articles in this issue provide an overview of recent research on intergroup relations in South Africa. Most of them focus on intergroup contact theory, and they replicate and advance the theory in a variety of ways. They also emphatically counter those critics who believe that the theory does not apply in parts of the world with long histories of intergroup discrimination and conflict. Earlier work in Northern Ireland reached the same conclusion. The mandate for future social psychological efforts in this research area is to place contact theory and other social psychological processes in their broader structural context. Only then can this essentially bottom-up approach to social change be made useful for broad social policy. The South African emphasis on the conditions needed to achieve intergroup contact after centuries of discrimination and separation offers a solid beginning for this needed new direction.
Biostability of Low‐Temperature Co‐Fired Ceramic Materials for Microfluidic and Biomedical Devices

Integrated low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) modules are widely used in commercial wireless data and cellular communication devices. Recently, a number of researchers have demonstrated the use of LTCC materials and assembly processes to build integrated microelectromechanical and microfluidic devices, incorporating a variety of electrical, optical, electromechanical, and fluidic functions. However, the long-term stability and biocompatibility of the LTCC materials for microfluidic and specifically biomedical devices have yet to be addressed. The biostability of LTCC materials has been examined in three different commercial LTCC materials using a bioleaching approach. The leaching rate has been obtained in several common biological fluids using weight loss and elemental analysis to quantify the leaching rate. Our results indicate significant dissolution of LTCC materials in simulated gastric fluid and highly basic solutions. However, only minimal leaching was demonstrated in both phosphate buffer saline and simulated body fluid solutions.
An improved measurement placement method against loss of multiple measurements and branches

A meter placement method that ensures network observability in case of a loss of a single measurement or a branch outage, has been presented earlier (see F.H. Magnago et al., IEEE Trans. Power Syst., vol15, 2000). This paper extends the results of the previous work and develops an improved method which can place meters in a way that will maintain full observability even when a group of measurements or branches are eliminated from the system. The method is described in detail along with a numerical example which illustrates its application.
Decomposition of the neutron reflection coefficient in the stratified surface layer model

A neutron reflection coefficient can be decomposed into two simpler reflection coefficients: the Fresnel coefficient for bulk material only, and a coefficient for the case where the surface layer is surrounded on both sides by bulk material. The latter coefficient is obtained via the usual matrix product whose factors correspond to homogeneous strata of the surface layer; or this coefficient can also be expressed as a sum of terms, one for each stratum of the surface layer. The purpose of this latter theorem is to reveal the algebraic structure of the scattering problem and the relation of the matrix method to the Born approximation. Zero absorption and diffuse scattering is assumed.
Variation in the Constituents of Milk Under Arizona Conditions. I. Variations of Individual Cows within Breeds by Calendar Months

Summary (1)In general, a corresponding rise was noted in the total solids, serum solids, and protein when the butterfat content increased, except that in some cases samples were abnormally high in fat and low in serum solids. (2)An increase in the protein content was accompanied by increased butterfat, total solids, and serum solids, and by a decrease in the ratio of fat to serum solids. (3)An inverse relationship existed between milk production and total solids, serum solids, and butterfat percentages of the milk. (4)In general, an inverse relationship was present between the lactose and the protein percentage of the milk. (5)The total solids, butterfat, and serum solids content of the milk was higher in winter and lower in summer. The difference presumably is due mainly to the higher environmental temperatures of the summer months. (6)The lower butterfat test of the Guernsey milk is due primarily to the higher environmental temperature. Milk from Guernsey cows had the greatest variation in fat test by season of the three breeds studied. (7)Environmental temperatures appear to exert a greater influence on milk and butterfat production than does the advancing stage of lactation. (8)The percentage of samples of milk falling below the minimum state requirement for serum solids and fat, respectively, were: Holstein, 47.5 and 22.7; Guernsey, 2.2 and 0.6; Jersey, 2.5 and 0. (9)Using averages for all animals as the basis of calculation, the butterfat content of milk decreased 0.1 per cent for each 10° rise in mean maximum temperature between 65 and 105° F. under Arizona conditions. (10)A Jersey cow family was found to produce milk 0.31 per cent lower in lactose than normal for the Jersey breed.
Long-segment substernal jejunal esophageal replacement with internal mammary vascular augmentation

We describe a technique that uses the internal mammary vessels to enhance long-segment jejunal graft blood supply in addition to an intact distal mesenteric vascular arcade. We believe that this technique, called vascular augmentation, improves jejunal graft perfusion and decreases ischemic complications.
Consensus with robustness to outliers via distributed optimization

Over the past few years, a number of distributed algorithms have been developed for integrating the measurements acquired by a wireless sensor network. Among them, average consensus algorithms have drawn significant attention due to a number of practical advantages, such as robustness to noise in the measurements, robustness to changes in the network topology and guaranteed convergence to the centralized solution. However, one of the main drawbacks of existing consensus algorithms is their inability to handle outliers in the measurements. This is because they are based on minimizing a Euclidean (L 2 ) loss function, which is known to be sensitive to outliers. In this paper, we propose a distributed optimization framework that can handle outliers in the measurements. The proposed framework generalizes consensus algorithms to robust loss functions that are strictly convex or convex, such as the Huber loss or the L 1 -loss. This generalization is achieved by posing the robust consensus problem as a constrained optimization problem, which is solved using distributed versions of classical primal-dual and augmented Lagrangian optimization methods. The resulting algorithms include the classical average consensus as a particular case. Synthetic experiments evaluate our robust consensus framework for several robust cost functions and show their advantages over the classical average consensus algorithm.
Kinetic Properties of Chitinase-1 from the Fungal Pathogen Coccidioides immitis†

The endochitinase from Coccidioides immitis (CiX1) is a member of the class 18 chitinase family. Here we show the enzyme functions by a retaining catalytic mechanism; that is, the β-conformation of the chitin substrate linkages is preserved after hydrolysis. The pattern of cleavage of N-acetyglucosamine (GlcNAc) oligosaccharide substrates has been determined. (GlcNAc)6 is predominantly cleaved into (GlcNAc)2 and (GlcNAc)4, where the (GlcNAc)2 group arises from the nonreducing end of the substrate and is formed as the β-anomer. With time, transglycosylation occurs, generating (GlcNAc)8 from the product dimer and fresh hexamer. Similar patterns are seen for the cleavage of (GlcNAc)5 and (GlcNAc)4 where dimers cleaved from the nonreducing end reflect the most common binding and hydrolysis pattern. Intrinsic fluorescence measurements suggest the dissociation constant for (GlcNAc)4 is 50 μM. Synthetic substrates with fluorescent leaving groups exhibit complicated profiles in the relationship between initial ve...
Daily blood feeding rhythms of laboratory-reared North American Culex pipiens

Background Blood feeding by free-living insect vectors of disease is rhythmic and can be used to predict when infectious bites will occur. These daily rhythms can also be targeted by control measures, as in insecticide-treated nets. Culex pipiens form pipiens and C.p. f. molestus are two members of the Culex pipiens assemblage and vectors of West Nile Virus throughout North America. Although Culex species vector human pathogens and parasites, the daily blood feeding rhythms of C.p. f. molestus, to our knowledge, have not been studied. We described and compared the daily blood feeding rhythms of three laboratory-reared populations of Culex pipiens, one of which has confirmed molestus ancestry. We also examined the plasticity of blood feeding time for these three populations.
Influence of Whorl Region from Resistant and Susceptible Corn Genotypes on Fall Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Growth and Development

The effect of diets prepared from whorl tissue of resistant and susceptible corn genotypes, Zea mays L., on the larval growth, development, and physiology of fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), was analyzed. Larvae reared on an optimized artificial diet had a higher growth rate and developed faster than those reared on lyophilized whorl tissue from resistant and susceptible genotypes. Larvae reared on the resistant material were smaller and had a longer developmental period. Larvae reared on yellow-green and green whorl sections from resistant plants were significantly smaller than those reared on the same sections of susceptible plants. There was no significant difference in weight when larvae were reared on the yellow whorl regions from either resistant or susceptible lines. Physiological indices were determined for larvae fed resistant and susceptible lyophilized and fresh whorl material. Larvae fed resistant lyophilized material had significantly lower growth rate (GW) and efficiency of conversion of ingested food to body substance (ECI) than those reared on artificial diet or susceptible material. However, there were no significant differences in consumption index (CI), approximate digestibility (AD) and efficiency of conversion of digested food to body substance (ECD) between larvae reared on lyophilized tissue from resistant and susceptible genotypes. Larvae reared on fresh yellow-green whorl sections from resistant plants had significantly lower GW, ECI, and ECD than those reared on susceptible material. In contrast, no significant differences in any of the estimated food consumption and utilization indices were observed between larvae reared on fresh yellow whorl sections from resistant or susceptible plants. These results suggest that some components of whorls from resistant plants, especially the yellow-green region, inhibit food utilization in fall armyworm larvae.
A Data Mining Approach for Retailing Bank Customer Attrition Analysis

Deregulation within the financial service industries and the widespread acceptance of new technologies is increasing competition in the finance marketplace. Central to the business strategy of every financial service company is the ability to retain existing customers and reach new prospective customers. Data mining is adopted to play an important role in these efforts. In this paper, we present a data mining approach for analyzing retailing bank customer attrition. We discuss the challenging issues such as highly skewed data, time series data unrolling, leaker field detection etc, and the procedure of a data mining project for the attrition analysis for retailing bank customers. We use lift as a proper measure for attrition analysis and compare the lift of data mining models of decision tree, boosted naive Bayesian network, selective Bayesian network, neural network and the ensemble of classifiers of the above methods. Some interesting findings are reported. Our research work demonstrates the effectiveness and efficiency of data mining in attrition analysis for retailing bank.
Hallucinogen-like actions of 2,5-dimethoxy-4-(n)-propylthiophenethylamine (2C-T-7) in mice and rats

Few studies have examined the effects of 2,5-dimethoxy-4-(n)-propylthiophenethylamine (2C-T-7) in vivo. 2C-T-7 was tested in a drug-elicited head twitch assay in mice and in several drug discrimination assays in rats; 2C-T-7 was compared to the phenylisopropylamine hallucinogen R(−)-1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylphenyl)-2aminopropane (DOM) in both assays, with or without pretreatment with the selective 5-HT2A antagonist (+)-(2,3-dimethoxyphenyl)-1-[2-(4-fluorophenylethyl)]-4-piperidine-methanol (M100907). Finally, the affinity of 2C-T-7 for three distinct 5-HT receptors was determined in rat brain. Drug-elicited head twitches were quantified for 10 min following administration of various doses of either 2C-T-7 or R(−)-DOM, with and without pretreatments of 0.01 mg/kg M100907. In rats trained to discriminate lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), 2C-T-7 and R(−)-DOM were tested for generalization. In further studies, rats were trained to discriminate 2C-T-7 from saline, then challenged with 0.05 mg/kg M100907. In competition binding studies, the affinity of 2C-T-7 was assessed at 5-HT2A receptors, 5-HT1A receptors, and 5-HT2C receptors. 2C-T-7 and R(−)-DOM induced similar head twitch responses in the mouse that were antagonized by M100907. In the rat, 2C-T-7 produced an intermediate degree of generalization (75%) to the LSD cue and served as a discriminative stimulus; these interoceptive effects were attenuated by M100907. Finally, 2C-T-7 had nanomolar affinity for 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors and lower affinity for 5-HT1A receptors. 2C-T-7 is effective in two rodent models of 5-HT2 agonist activity and has affinity at receptors relevant to hallucinogen effects. The effectiveness with which M100907 antagonizes the behavioral actions of 2C-T-7 strongly suggests that the 5-HT2A receptor is an important site of action for this compound.