cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Immune Signatures Predict Prognosis in Localized Cancer

The host immune response can impact cancer growth, prognosis, and response to therapy. In colorectal cancer, the presence of cells involved with T-cell-mediated adaptive immunity predicts survival better than the current staging method. We used the expression of genes recently associated with host immune responses (TH1-mediated adaptive immunity, inflammation, and immune suppression) to perform hierarchical clustering of multiple large cohorts of cancer specimens to determine if immune-related gene expression resulted in clinical significant groupings of tumors. Microarray data from prostate cancer (n = 79), breast cancer (n = 132), lung cancer (n = 84), glioblastoma multiforme (n = 120), and lymphoma (n = 127) were analyzed. Among adenocarcinomas, the TH1-mediated adaptive immunity genes were consistently associated with better prognosis, while genes associated with inflammation and immune suppression were variably associated with outcome. Specifically, increased expression of the TH1-mediated adaptive immunity genes was associated with good prognosis in breast cancer patients under 45 years of age (p = .04, hazard ratio [HR] = 0.42) and in prostate cancer patients (p = .03, HR = 0.36) but not in lung cancer patients (p = 0.45, HR = 1.37). In lymphoma, patients with increased expression of inflammation and immune suppression genes had better prognosis than those expressing the TH1-mediated adaptive immunity genes (p = .01, HR = 0.43) and in glioblastoma multiforme, the expression of inflammation genes conferred improved prognosis than those expressing immune suppression genes (p = 0.05, HR = 0.62). In aggregate, the gene expression signatures implicating specific components of the immune response hold prognostic import across solid tumors.
Psoralens and ultraviolet A therapy of pityriasis lichenoides

Three patients with long-standing pityriasis lichenoides, which was resistant to other forms of therapy, were successfully treated with PUVA (psoralens and ultraviolet light of wavelength A). One patient had complete clearing of all lesions, and the other two had marked improvement. PUVA is being used to treat increasing numbers of patients with pityriasis lichenoides, and the results have been very good.
Acquisition of troubleshooting skills in a computer simulation: Worked example vs. conventional problem solving instructional strategies

In a computer-based simulation of a chemical processing plant, the differential effects of three instructional strategies for learning how to troubleshoot the plant's malfunctions were investigated. In an experiment concerning learners' transfer performance and mental effort, the simulation presented the three strategies to three groups of learners and measured their performance on the transfer tasks. In this experiment, conventional problem solving was contrasted with two worked example strategies. The results indicated a significant difference between practicing problem solving and using worked examples. Learners who practiced problem solving in an interactive simulation outperformed the learners who studied computer-based worked examples. They also invested lower mental effort in transfer tasks. When accounting for the difference in the learners' domain knowledge, the strategies were not significantly different among the more experienced learners. For the less experienced learners, those who practiced problem solving significantly outperformed their worked example counterparts. Among all participants and also among less experienced learners the problem solving group invested significantly lower mental effort in the performance of transfer tasks. Based on the results of this study, the authors recommend the use of the conventional problem solving strategy with or without worked examples for learning complex skills.
Additional organ resection combined with pancreaticoduodenectomy does not increase postoperative morbidity and mortality

The mortality associated with pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) has decreased substantially in recent times, but high morbidity continues to be a significant problem. With reductions in mortality, there is increasing willingness to combine organ resections with PD when indicated. There is, however, a paucity of information regarding the morbidity and mortality of multivisceral resection (MVR) that involves pancreaticoduodenectomy (MVR-PD). Patients undergoing PD between January 2002 and November 2007 by a single surgeon were reviewed and perioperative outcomes determined. Those treated by PD alone were compared to those undergoing MVR-PD. There were 105 patients overall who underwent PD during the study period, with MVR-PD performed in 19 patients. Twelve (63%) patients required PD combined with right colectomy, two (11%) underwent PD combined with right nephrectomy, two (11%) required liver resection with PD, and the remaining three (16%) had various combinations of kidney, colon, adrenal and small bowel resection in addition to PD. In both groups, the main indication for surgery was pancreatic cancer; however, there were proportionally more patients in the MVR-PD group with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (two (11%) patients), sarcomas (two (11%) patients) and metastases to the periampullary region (three (16%) patients). The overall complication rate in this study was 60%. Delayed gastric emptying (39%) and pancreatic fistula (16%) were the most common complications. There was no significant difference in complications between the two groups. A non pylorus-preserving PD was more commonly performed in cases of MVR-PD (53% vs 28%; p = 0.007), operating times were longer (9.5 vs 8 h; p = 0.002), and surgical intensive care unit stay was greater (2 vs 1 days; p < 0.001). The overall median length of hospital stay (7 days) and readmission rate were similar between the groups. MVR-PD can be performed without significant added morbidity compared to PD alone. The main indication for MVR-PD is locally advanced pancreatic cancer requiring PD combined with right hemicolectomy.
Colon Necrosis Due to Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate with and without Sorbitol: An Experimental Study in Rats.

Introduction Based on a single rat study by Lillemoe et al, the consensus has been formed to implicate sorbitol rather than sodium polystyrene sulfonate (SPS) as the culprit for colon necrosis in humans treated with SPS and sorbitol. We tested the hypothesis that colon necrosis by sorbitol in the experiment was due to the high osmolality and volume of sorbitol rather than its chemical nature.
Low-Income Pennsylvanian Parents of 10-14 Year Olds Reveal Stressors That Challenge Obesity Prevention Efforts

Design, Setting and Participants: We carried out a survey targeting 152 subjects of 5 to 12 years old, who enrolled in this study and visited community child centers located in Gyeongju, South Korea. Outcome Measures and Analysis: SPSS program. Results: Results showed significant differences in diverse side dishes of diversity realms, at 5 to 6 years old (P < 0.05). Also, regularity realms of NQ questionnaire showed significant differences by ages. In sodium intake habits, 4 items of 10 questions, that is preference of side dishes including a salted mackerel and dried shredded squid, preference of fried dish and fish cake with a soy sauce dip, frequency of a potato chip intake (over 3-4 times a week), and frequency of dine out/delivery food service (2-3 times a week, respectively), showed significant differences, according to age. Conclusions and Implications: Nutrition education is necessary to increase the frequency of vegetable intake and reduce the frequency of sodium intake from food at community child care center. The current study will be foundational research for developing nutritional education programs for children in a community child center based on food behavior, nutritional status and sodium intake habits. Funding: None.
A Wakimoto Type Realization of Toroidal &#x1d530;&#x1d529;n+1

The authors construct a Wakimoto type realization of toroidal &#x1d530;&#x1d529;n+1. The representation constructed in this paper utilizes non-commuting differential operators acting on the tensor product of two polynomial rings in infinitely many commuting variables.
Infrarot(IR)-Absorptionsspektroskopie

Der Infrarot-Bereich des Spektrums umfast Strahlung mit Wellenzahlen von 12800 cm−1 bis 10 cm−1 bzw. Wellenlangen von 0,78 µm bis 1000 µm.1 Sowohl aus Sicht der Anwender als auch aus technischen Grunden wird das Infrarot-Spektrum in die Bereiche der nahen, mittleren und fernen Infrarot-Strahlung aufgeteilt; grobe Grenzen fur jeden Bereich sind in Tabelle 12.1 aufgefuhrt. Bislang sind die meisten analytischen Anwendungen auf einen Teil des Mittinfrarot(MIR)-Bereichs von 4000 cm−1 bis 400 cm−1 (2,5 µm bis 25 µm) beschrankt. Jedoch findet sich in der heutigen analytischen Literatur eine standig wachsende Zahl von Anwendungen der Nah(NIR)- und Ferninfrarot(FIR)-Spektroskopie.
The Effects of the Holidays on Eating Disorders

The holiday season, the time from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, is a period filled with many joyous occasions, including family, friends and food. However, one must also consider the negatives that come along with these moments. Family feuds, financial difficulties and personal issues tend to heighten during the holiday season. For the average person, this provides an abnormal amount of stress. However, for someone suffering from an eating disorder, the holiday season is more difficult than one can imagine. With about thirty million people battling an eating disorder in their lifetime, it is important to remember the ongoing fight these people deal with, especially during Thanksgiving and Christmas. While the holidays prove to be difficult for many people, it can be concluded that the holiday season tends to have a more considerable effect on those suffering from eating disorders, due to the significant emphasis on food and elevated levels of stress.
Control of mesoscopic transport by modifying transmission channels in opaque media

Based on experiments and simulations, the authors use waveguides of nonuniform cross-sectional width to tailor the spatial distribution of the energy density of transmission channels and to realize conversion between evanescent and propagating channels. For particular geometries, perfect reflection channels are created, and their large penetration depth into the medium as well as the complete return of probe light to the input end should greatly benefit sensing and imaging applications.
Requiring a Jury Vote of Censure to Convict

This Article proposes changing the way juries (and judges) render their verdicts in criminal cases by explicitly requiring a separate finding before a defendant can be convicted: censure. Under mandatory jury censure, the criminal trial jury (or judge, if serving as fact-finder) would be required to make a specific finding of censure in addition to any factual finding required under the law before a defendant could be convicted, as opposed to the current system of a general verdict finding the defendant guilty or not guilty. In this context, censure means an explicit finding that the facts proven in the case at trial are worthy of the moral condemnation of the community. The Article explains how a simple change in the way juries are charged and instructed can force new and useful information into the light, permitting lawmakers, law enforcers, and the public to determine which laws are in accord with public sentiment. Mandated jury censure will separate the currently ambiguous general verdict of guilty or not guilty in criminal cases into more specific factual and moral findings. Acquittals will be more likely to reflect actual innocence rather than mere failure to convict, and convictions will be based on firm juror commitments regarding the factual and moral guilt of the accused. The Article also incorporates comparative law lessons from the Scottish experience with three verdicts.
Dopamine dynamics and cocaine sensitivity differ between striosome and matrix compartments of the striatum

The striatum is typically classified according to its major output pathways, which consist of dopamine D1 and D2 receptor-expressing neurons. The striatum is also divided into striosome and matrix compartments, based on the differential expression of a number of proteins, including the mu opioid receptor, dopamine transporter (DAT), and Nr4a1 (nuclear receptor subfamily 4, group A, member 1). Numerous functional differences between the striosome and matrix compartments are implicated in dopamine-related neurological disorders including Parkinson's disease and addiction. Using Nr4a1-eGFP mice, we provide evidence that electrically evoked dopamine release differs between the striosome and matrix compartments in a regionally-distinct manner. We further demonstrate that this difference is not due to differences in inhibition of dopamine release by dopamine autoreceptors or nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Furthermore, cocaine enhanced extracellular dopamine in striosomes to a greater degree than in the matrix and concomitantly inhibited dopamine uptake in the matrix to a greater degree than in striosomes. Importantly, these compartment differences in cocaine sensitivity were limited to the dorsal striatum. These findings demonstrate a level of exquisite microanatomical regulation of dopamine by the DAT in striosomes relative to the matrix.
Reduction of Excess Self-Interstitials in Silicon by Germanium and Silicon Implantation-Induced Damage

We have investigated a phenomena first reported by Pfiester and Griffin, that the presence of implanted Ge in Si can substantially reduce excess self-interstitial concentrations [ J. R. Pfiester and P. B. Griffin, Appl. Phys. Lett., 52, 471 (1988) ]. By studying the effects of Ge implantation on P diffusion, we are able to deduce that residual implantation damage can act as an efficient sink for self-interstitials. This effect can also be produced by Si self-implantation, demonstrating that there is nothing unique about the chemical indentity of Ge in reducing self-interstitial concentrations. Our experiments provide solid evidence that there is no unexpectedly strong interaction of Ge with self-interstitials, a situation that would undermine the validity of previous Ge diffusion experiments aimed at studying Si self-diffusion. Our experimental results show that the effect of Ge implantation on P diffusion is a complicated function of implantation conditions. Diffusion is affected by the order of thl P and Ge implants as well as by changes in implant energies and doses.
Temperature-dependent Development, Mortality, and Longevity of Microplitis rufiventris (Hymenoptera: Braeonidae), a Parasitoid of the Beet Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Development, mortality, and adult longevity of Microplitis rufiventris Kokujev, an imported parasitoid of the beet armyworm (BAW), Spodoptera exigua (Hubner), was studied in relation to constant temperatures in the laboratory. This study provided estimates of both lower (10.3°C) and upper (29.5°C) thresholds for development. M. rufiventris successfully attacked and parasitized second-instar BAW larvae, and regardless of rearing temperature usually emerged from fourth-instar larvae. Immature mortality ranged from 0.0 to 21% between 17.5 and 32°C; at 33.5°C all individuals died before reaching the adult stage. Adult longevity declined as a function of temperature, ranging from ca. 25 days at 17.5°C to 4 days at 32°C. Results of this study indicate that there is sufficient abiotic potential for M. rufiventris establishment in Arizona.
An Interview with Ernest J. Burras, S.J

April 20, 1907. He grew up on a farm at Ysleta, Texas, downstream from El Paso, where he spoke French and German, the languages of his Alsatian parents, and he learned Spanish and English, the languages of the area. Father Burrus's multilingual background, reinforced by a classical education in the Jesuit tradition, has made him a most talented textual critic in the field of colonial Mexican history. Educated in the United States, Canada, and Europe, he broadened his knowledge of mathematics and science, learned his philosophy, theology, and history, and expanded his languages to include Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Since 1923, when he entered Spring Hill College High School in Mobile, Alabama, Ernest Burrus has had a distinguished career in Jesuit education, especially in the training and formation of young members of the Order. * * Father Burrus first went to Rome in 1925 while a student-the first of many sojourns in Europe over the next six decades. In the mid- 1930S he prepared for his ordination in the theologate in Valkenburg, Holland, and in Innsbruck, Austria. He was ordained on July 17, 1938. These were anxious years in Europe for young Burrus, who witnessed the Nazi peril and did what his conscience demanded in alleviating the sufferings of the Jews. Arrested and deported by the Gestapo on March 30, 1939, he watched developments from Italy until he was called home. For the next decade he taught Jesuit juniors in Grand Coteau, Louisiana. During this time, and owing largely to the encouragement of Gabriel Mendez Plancarte (editor of the scholarly Mexican journal Abside, historian, essayist, and outstanding poet), Burrus developed his knowledge of colonial Mexico, publishing his first work in 1949, a critical edition of the first complete history of colonial Mexico, by the exiled Jesuit Andres
Ethical Regulation of Robots Must Be Embedded in Their Operating Systems

The authors argue that unless computational deontic logics (or, for that matter, any other class of systems for mechanizing moral and/or legal principles) or achieving ethical control of future AIs and robots are woven into the operating-system level of such artifacts, such control will be at best dangerously brittle.
Flow Cytometry Enables Multiplexed Measurements of Genetically Encoded Intramolecular FRET Sensors Suitable for Screening

Genetically encoded sensors based on intramolecular FRET between CFP and YFP are used extensively in cell biology research. Flow cytometry has been shown to offer a means to measure CFP-YFP FRET; we suspected it would provide a unique way to conduct multiplexed measurements from cells expressing different FRET sensors, which is difficult to do with microscopy, and that this could be used for screening. We confirmed that flow cytometry accurately measures FRET signals using cells transiently transfected with an ERK activity reporter, comparing responses measured with imaging and cytometry. We created polyclonal long-term transfectant lines, each expressing a different intramolecular FRET sensor, and devised a way to bar-code four distinct populations of cells. We demonstrated the feasibility of multiplexed measurements and determined that robust multiplexed measurements can be conducted in plate format. To validate the suitability of the method for screening, we measured responses from a plate of bacterial extracts that in unrelated experiments we had determined contained the protein kinase C (PKC)-activating compound teleocidin A-1. The multiplexed assay correctly identifying the teleocidin A-1-containing well. We propose that multiplexed cytometric FRET measurements will be useful for analyzing cellular function and for screening compound collections.
Bond mechanism and bond strength of GFRP bars to concrete: A review

Abstract Glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) reinforcements are taken as an alternative solution for the deterioration of civil infrastructures. GFRP bars have received increasing attention due to low cost compared to carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) bars. Bond characteristic of GFRP bars in concrete is the most critical parameter for implementation of the material to the corrosion-free concrete structures. Unlike steel reinforcement, GFRP materials behave anisotropic, non-homogeneous and linear elastic properties, which may result in different force transfer mechanism between reinforcement and concrete. With the purpose of covering the most valuable contributions regarding bond mechanism in the past work, a comprehensive review focusing on the failure mode and bond strength is carried out in this paper. A database consisted of 682 pullout-test specimens was created to observe the factors affecting bond behavior. Basic relationship between bond strength/slip and factors was analyzed accordingly. In addition, the development of bond degradation under environmental conditions, such as freezing-thawing cycling, wet-dry cycling, alkaline solutions and high temperature was presented thereafter. These environmental influences need to be further investigated.
Analysis on the Determination of Lung Function among 1392 Dust exposed workers

[Objective] To understand the lung function status of dust exposed workers in different ages and seniorities,and lung dysfunction types of dust exposed workers in different industries.[Methods] 1392 dust exposed workers were conducted lung function determination based on age,seniority and industry.[Results] Abnormal rate of lung function(56.4%)increased with ages and seniorities,and the highest detection rate of industry was coal.The restrictive type of Ventilation dysfunction took the first place,obstructive type hold the second place followed by mixed type.[Conclusion] ①The incidence of abnormal lung function is related with dust exposure time and the age of the workers.②Changes in lung function are earlier than that in chest X-ray examination.
Themycoplasma and chlamydia infection and drug resistance of mycoplasma of pregnant women with premature rupture of membranes

Objectives: To understand the status of hemycoplasma and chlamydia infection and drug resistance of reproductive tract of pregnant women with premature rupture of membranes( PROM),providing basis for clinical mycoplasma and chlamydia screening and treatment. Methods: 368 pregnant women with PROM were selected to conduct Uu and Ct detection and susceptibility testing,and the results were recorded. Results: The pathogens positive rate of all 368 pregnant women was 78. 26%( 288 /368),including 55. 82%( 205 /368) of Uu single infection,5. 98%( 22 /368) of Ct single infection,4. 08%( 15 /368) of Uu + Mh infection,7. 61%( 28 /368) of Uu + Ct infection,0. 82%( 3 /368) of Uu + Mh + Ct infection,68. 21%( 251 /368) of Uu infection and 14.40%( 53 /368) of Ct infection; as the susceptibility results showed,the resistance of Uu against doxycycline and minocycline was 0,3. 41% for josamycin,22. 93 % for tetracycline,over 50% for erythromycin and other macrolide and about 40%- 50% for norfloxacin quinolone; while the resistance rate of Ct was 4. 55% for doxycycline and minocycline,22. 73% for tetracycline,31. 82% for josamycin,and over 50% for other macrolides and quinolones;in mixed infection of Uu + Ct,the drug resistance was similar with increased resistance rate,especially for minocycline and doxycycline. Conclusion: The high detection rate of mycoplasma and Ct suggest it is closely associated with PROM and tetracyclines especially josamycine,minocycline and doxycycline are preferred for clinical treatment.
Phase-Insensitive Detection of Backscattered Ultrasound for Void Content Determination in Fiber Reinforced Composites

Fiber reinforced composites use one of many polymeric resins to bind the fibers into the proper configurations and to provide the compressional elastic properties missing in the fibers. Various problems during the resin cure cycle can produce a distribution of small voids ranging in size from 20 - 300 µm. This porosity can degrade the compression related strength, and induce structural and safety problems. The parameter of central engineering interest in these porous laminates is the void content, C, defined as the percentage of the total volume occupied by the voids. Void content can be related empirically to various mechanical strengths, therefore, providing a potential platform for nondestructive measurement of mechanical properties. The PMR-15 resin system was chosen for this study because of its increasing use in hightemperature, primary structures and its propensity to create porosity even during nominally correct cure cycles.
Parathyroid hormone-related protein, an autocrine growth inhibitor of alveolar type II cells

Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHRP) is an autocrine regulator of differentiation for type II pneumocytes [R. H. Hastings, D. Summers-Torres, T. C. Cheung, L. S. Ditmer, D. W. Burton, E. M. Petrin, R. G. Spragg, J. Li, and L. J. Deftos. Am. J. Physiol. 270 (Lung Cell. Mol. Physiol. 14): L353-L361, 1996]. We investigated autocrine effects on growth by decreasing endogenous PTHRP in rat type II cells. Cultured cells were incubated with antibodies against PTHRP-(1-34) (8B12) or PTHRP-(109-141) (9H7) or an irrelevant antibody (1 microg/ml) for 3 days. Conditioned media from the irrelevant antibody group contained 143 +/- 8 fg PTHRP/ 100,000 cells. The 8B12 and 9H7 reduced levels to 45 +/- 8 and 88 +/- 16 fg PTHRP/100,000 cells, respectively (n = 4 cell isolations, P < 0.05). Cells treated with the PTHRP antibodies nearly tripled in number. The irrelevant antibody had no effect on growth. Exogenous PTHRP-(1-34) (2.5 nM) blocked the growth-stimulating effect of 9H7. Instilled intratracheal 8B12 and 9H7 induced expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen in clusters of alveolar cells in rats. Clustered cells expressed surfactant apoproteins and cytokeratin 19. These data suggest that endogenous PTHRP-(1-34) inhibits proliferation of type II cells in vivo and in vitro.
Silver-Free Palladium-Catalyzed sp3 and sp2 C–H Alkynylation Promoted by a 1,2,3-Triazole Amine Directing Group

Triazole amine was identified as an effective directing group in promoting C–H alkynylation under silver-free conditions. No other external oxidant was required, and the alkynylation products were received in good to excellent yields. X-ray crystallographic analysis confirmed a direct C–H activation intermediate. Other typical directing groups, including pyridine amine (PIP) and 8-aminoquinoline (QA), gave almost no reaction under identical conditions, which highlighted the unique reactivity of the triazole directing group in direct C–H functionalization.
Biohydrogen: An opportunity for international cooperation

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses photobiological hydrogen, one such technology, as well as the recent research and development (R&D) directions in the United States in this field and the need and opportunities for international collaborative R&D efforts. The ultimate goal of biohydrogen R&D is to provide a major source of sustainable and renewable energy free from hazardous greenhouse gas emissions. Realization of practical processes for photobiological hydrogen production from water by microalgae or cyanobacteria requires a long term, sustained, and substantial investment in basic and applied research to achieve the scientific and technological advances required. The cost of these efforts, and their long-term nature, makes collaborative efforts at the international level, through the pooling of resources, personnel and skills, a cost effective and logical approach to this R&D effort. Applied research in biological hydrogen production is currently being supported by the United States and Japanese governments with European efforts mainly, though not exclusively, in more basic areas such as structure and mechanism of hydrogenases and microbial hydrogen metabolism and genetics.
Quality of life improvement after pressure equalization tube placement in Down syndrome: A prospective study.

Abstract Objective To evaluate quality-of-life changes after bilateral pressure equalization tube placement with or without adenoidectomy for the treatment of chronic otitis media with effusion or recurrent acute otitis media in a pediatric Down syndrome population compared to controls. Study design Prospective case-control observational study. Methods The OM Outcome Survey (OMO-22) was administered to both patients with Down syndrome and controls before bilateral tube placement with or without adenoidectomy and at an average of 6–7 months postoperatively. Thirty-one patients with Down syndrome and 34 controls were recruited. Both pre-operative and post-operative between-group and within-group score comparisons were conducted for the Physical, Hearing/Balance, Speech, Emotional, and Social domains of the OMO-22. Results Both groups experienced improvement of mean symptom scores post-operatively. Patients with Down syndrome reported significant post-operative improvement in mean Physical and Hearing domain item scores while control patients reported significant improvement in Physical, Hearing, and Emotional domain item scores. All four symptom scores in the Speech domain, both pre-operatively and post-operatively, were significantly worse for Down syndrome patients compared to controls (p ≤ 0.008). Conclusions Surgical placement of pressure equalizing tubes results in significant quality of life improvements in patients with Down syndrome and controls. Problems related to speech and balance are reported at a higher rate and persist despite intervention in the Down syndrome population. It is possible that longer follow up periods and/or more sensitive tools are required to measure speech improvements in the Down syndrome population after pressure equalizing tube placement ± adenoidectomy.
The SMAL web server: global multiple network alignment from pairwise alignments.

MOTIVATION Alignments of protein-protein interaction networks (PPIN) can be used to predict protein function, study conserved aspects of the interactome, and to establish evolutionary correspondences. Within this problem context, determining multiple network alignments (MNA) is a significant challenge that involves high computational complexity. A limited number of public MNA implementations are available currently and the majority of the pairwise network alignment (PNA) algorithms do not have MNA counterparts. Furthermore, current MNA algorithms do not allow choosing a specific PPIN relative to which an MNA could be constructed. Also, once an MNA is obtained, it cannot easily be modified, such as through addition of a new network, without expensive re-computation of the entire MNA. RESULTS SMAL (Scaffold-Based Multiple Network Aligner) is a public, open-source, web-based application for determining MNAs from existing PNAs that addresses all the aforementioned challenges. With SMAL, PNAs can be combined rapidly to obtain an MNA. The software also supports visualization and user-data interactions to facilitate exploratory analysis and sensemaking. SMAL is especially useful when multiple alignments relative to a particular PPIN are required; furthermore, SMAL alignments are persistent in that existing correspondences between networks (obtained during PNA or MNA) are not lost as new networks are added. In comparative studies alongside existent MNA techniques, SMAL MNAs were found to be superior per a number of measures, such as the total number of identified homologs and interologs as well as the fraction of all identified correspondences that are functionally similar or homologous to the scaffold. While directed primarily at PPIN-alignment, SMAL is a generic network aligner and may be applied to arbitrary networks.Availability information: The SMAL web server and source code is available at: http://haddock6.sfsu.edu/smal/ CONTACT: rahul@sfsu.eduSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Regulatory T Cells

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are a subset of CD4+ T cells that express the transcription factor Foxp3 and potently suppress many immune responses. As the field of Tregs has only begun to unfold in the last decade, this chapter will provide a comprehensive background and will discuss the current state of the field of Tregs. The chapter will then focus on our current state of knowledge regarding toxicology and Tregs. The Treg subset balances the immune system by preventing or dampening immune responses and although much is known regarding the toxic effects of many factors on the immune system and in particular on T cells, these effects need to be reassessed in the context of Tregs. This reassessment has only just begun but it appears that Tregs are differentially susceptible to many toxic agents when compared to conventional CD4+ cells. A greater understanding of toxic agents, including environmental toxins and pathogens, on Tregs may give us insights into the processes that lead to autoimmune disease and cancer.
A Qualitative Exploration of Student Perspectives on Social Media use, Abuse and Content

We review relevant literature from the social media domain, identifying common research foci, as well as a gap and justification for this study which seeks to bring about a better understanding of, and contribute to, the nascent literature stream in the field of social media marketing research. We investigate just exactly how this powerful new force, social media, is being adopted, utilized and leveraged by students, the one group of individuals most likely to walk a delicate balance between personal and (budding) professional lives. We then share four major themes (ease of use, self-censoring and privacy, community and collectivism, and relationships with brands and businesses) and eighteen sub-themes which capture the essence of the impact this phenomenon is having on our target population. We conclude with a discussion of the findings and their associated implications, as well as insight into the limitations of our study and ideas for future research.
La renovación carnavalesca en el libro de Ezequiel

La lectura carnavalesca de textos sagrados es un acto de trasgresion, pues si se es consecuente con la propuesta bajtiniana, el analisis deparara mucha risa ante la lectura de un texto de inspiracion divina. Este trabajo presenta una perspectiva de lectura del libro de Ezequiel que ha sido fundamentada en la propuesta teorica del carnaval segun Bajtin.
The Right to Quality Education for Refugee Children Through Social Inclusion

The number of refugees worldwide has increased exponentially in recent years, and children represent more than half of the refugee population. The needs of refugee children are complex. Many have traumatic experiences and disrupted education, and are then tasked with adapting to a new culture. The literature emphasizes the importance of education in determining the future of young refugees and its potential to transform lives for those who have access to it. This article will focus on the right to education and social inclusion of refugee children in the school system from a human rights perspective. The author proposes that schools play a critical role in helping refugee children find some sense of safety and helping maximize their learning potential. This human rights and social inclusion approach requires active participation from government, school administration, the ESL and mainstream teachers, the social workers, students and their parents, refugee students and their parents, and the community to partner together to create an environment for active learning and socialization for productive citizenry in the USA. The author maintains that social work is in a unique position and suggests strategies that facilitate a broader effort toward social inclusion which is vital to the well-being of refugee children and allows them to become an integral part of society.
The Goddess on Wheels: Maria R. Palacios:

This article discusses the performance work by disability activist, Maria R. Palacios who is a Latina feminist writer, poet and spoken word performer. Using narrative inquiry as a method of investi...
The Ideology of Creole Revolution: Imperialism and Independence in American and Latin American Political Thought

The American and Latin American independence movements emerged from distinctive settings and produced divergent results, but they were animated by similar ideas. Patriotic political theorists throughout the Americas offered analogous critiques of imperial rule, designed comparable constitutions, and expressed common ambitions for their new nations' future relations with one another and the rest of the world. This book adopts a hemispheric perspective on the revolutions that liberated the United States and Spanish America, offering a new interpretation of their most important political ideas. Simon argues that the many points of agreement among various revolutionary political theorists across the Americas can be attributed to the problems they encountered in common as Creoles - that is, as the descendants of European settlers born in the Americas. He illustrates this by comparing the political thought of three Creole revolutionaries: Alexander Hamilton of the United States, Simon Bolivar of Venezuela, and Lucas Alaman of Mexico.
The Influence of Incision Type on Patient Satisfaction After Plate Fixation of Clavicle Fractures

Background:Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of the clavicle is a common procedure that has been shown to have improved outcomes over nonoperative treatment. Several incisions can be used...
Estudos sobre a vegetação das Campinas Amazônicas - I Introdução a uma série de publicações sobre a vegetação das Campinas Amazônicas

Resumo Com este trabalho e iniciada uma serie de publicacoes sobre a vegetacao das campinas amazonicas de regossois (areia branca). Constitui uma introducao aos primeiros 3 (tres) trabalhos da serie, e um resumo dos assuntos em estudo no momento.
The Impact of Religiosity on Substance Abuse and Obesity in African Americans

Among the African American community, there exist many health disparities which warrant greater examination through the practice of social work. The aim of the present research was to explore the impact of religiosity on substance abuse and obesity among African American populations by employing a systematic review of the current body of literature on this subject. While many of the studies reviewed found at least a weak relationship between religiosity and obesity, such results were not consistent across all materials examined. Among those studies that found a correlation between these factors, many demonstrated that religiosity had a positive impact on substance abuse and obesity. A discussion of the implications of these findings is submitted as a means of illuminating the significance of all research findings that were examined. Limitations such as more standardized criteria for inclusion of research material are identified and discussed. Implications for future research are presented to promote the advancement of future efforts in this area research.
Use of a channelized Hotelling observer to assess CT image quality and optimize dose reduction for iteratively reconstructed images.

The use of iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithms in CT generally decreases image noise and enables dose reduction. However, the amount of dose reduction possible using IR without sacrificing diagnostic performance is difficult to assess with conventional image quality metrics. Through this investigation, achievable dose reduction using a commercially available IR algorithm without loss of low contrast spatial resolution was determined with a channelized Hotelling observer (CHO) model and used to optimize a clinical abdomen/pelvis exam protocol. A phantom containing 21 low contrast disks—three different contrast levels and seven different diameters—was imaged at different dose levels. Images were created with filtered backprojection (FBP) and IR. The CHO was tasked with detecting the low contrast disks. CHO performance indicated dose could be reduced by 22% to 25% without compromising low contrast detectability (as compared to full-dose FBP images) whereas 50% or more dose reduction significantly reduced detection performance. Importantly, default settings for the scanner and protocol investigated reduced dose by upward of 75%. Subsequently, CHO-based protocol changes to the default protocol yielded images of higher quality and doses more consistent with values from a larger, dose-optimized scanner fleet. CHO assessment provided objective data to successfully optimize a clinical CT acquisition protocol.
Ranking Medical Terms to Support Expansion of Lay Language Resources for Patient Comprehension of Electronic Health Record Notes: Adapted Distant Supervision Approach

Background: Medical terms are a major obstacle for patients to comprehend their electronic health record (EHR) notes. Clinical natural language processing (NLP) systems that link EHR terms to lay terms or definitions allow patients to easily access helpful information when reading through their EHR notes, and have shown to improve patient EHR comprehension. However, high-quality lay language resources for EHR terms are very limited in the public domain. Because expanding and curating such a resource is a costly process, it is beneficial and even necessary to identify terms important for patient EHR comprehension first. Objective: We aimed to develop an NLP system, called adapted distant supervision (ADS), to rank candidate terms mined from EHR corpora. We will give EHR terms ranked as high by ADS a higher priority for lay language annotation—that is, creating lay definitions for these terms. Methods: Adapted distant supervision uses distant supervision from consumer health vocabulary and transfer learning to adapt itself to solve the problem of ranking EHR terms in the target domain. We investigated 2 state-of-the-art transfer learning algorithms (ie, feature space augmentation and supervised distant supervision) and designed 5 types of learning features, including distributed word representations learned from large EHR data for ADS. For evaluating ADS, we asked domain experts to annotate 6038 candidate terms as important or nonimportant for EHR comprehension. We then randomly divided these data into the target-domain training data (1000 examples) and the evaluation data (5038 examples). We compared ADS with 2 strong baselines, including standard supervised learning, on the evaluation data. Results: The ADS system using feature space augmentation achieved the best average precision, 0.850, on the evaluation set when using 1000 target-domain training examples. The ADS system using supervised distant supervision achieved the best average precision, 0.819, on the evaluation set when using only 100 target-domain training examples. The 2 ADS systems both performed significantly better than the baseline systems (P<.001 for all measures and all conditions). Using a rich set of learning features contributed to ADS’s performance substantially. Conclusions: ADS can effectively rank terms mined from EHRs. Transfer learning improved ADS’s performance even with a small number of target-domain training examples. EHR terms prioritized by ADS were used to expand a lay language resource that supports patient EHR comprehension. The top 10,000 EHR terms ranked by ADS are available upon request.
Practice patterns in radiation therapy for bone metastases in multiple histologies.

151Background: Radiation therapy (RT) is a common palliative treatment for bone metastasis. Despite copious evidence of palliative equipoise between single and multiple fractions, practice patterns vary widely amongst physicians. We evaluate practice patterns and the impact of treatment regimens on percentage of remaining life spent receiving RT (PRLSRT) and overall survival. Methods: Patients with metastases from Prostate, Lung, Breast, and Kidney to the bone who received RT were identified from the National Cancer Database. The percentage of remaining life spent receiving RT (PRLSRT) was calculated by dividing the elapse days of RT by the number of days they survive from starting RT to death. Results: 43516 patients met the inclusion criteria. The majority were non-small cell lung (64.7%), while breast (13.5%), prostate (11.0%), and kidney (10.8%) had almost equal amounts. Median patient age was 67 years old (18-90). Treated metastatic sites included the spine (61.9%), hip/pelvis (11.2%), and extremity ...
Surface hopping study of the photodissociation dynamics of ICN− and BrCN−

Abstract In this work the efficacy of semi-classical surface hopping approaches is investigated through studies of the photodissociation dynamics of BrCN− and ICN−. BrCN− provides a challenging situation for semi-classical approaches as excitation to the first bright state yields both Br− + CN and Br∗ + CN− products. Further, this branching is highly sensitive to the amount of rotational energy in the CN0/− fragment. The results of semi-classical and quantum mechanical descriptions of the dynamics are compared when the classical dynamics are propagated in an adiabatic and diabatic representation. The implications of the differences between the classical and quantum treatments of J = 0 are also explored.
Systemic Diseases and Chronic Rhinosinusitis

Many systemic diseases can cause nasal symptoms, either as an initial presentation or a manifestation later in the disease process. When patients present with nasal symptoms resembling infection—such as purulent nasal discharge, crusting, and congestion—acute rhinosinusitis is likely to be diagnosed. However, when these symptoms persist despite appropriate medical therapy, other etiologies should be considered. In some cases, underlying inflammation of the nasal mucosa causes recurrent or chronic sinusitis, as in nasal polyposis or allergic rhinitis. Less frequently, systemic rather than local conditions are the cause, requiring a more detailed evaluation, comprehensive systemic management, and long-term follow-up [1]. The number of systemic illnesses that can cause nasal symptoms is substantial; only those most commonly affecting the nose and sinuses are discussed here. For purposes of discussion, the diseases have been categorized as follows: autoimmune disorders, infectious processes, and hematologic-oncologic diseases. The discussion of these processes includes common presenting nasal symptoms, physical examination findings, recommended radiographic and serologic testing, and treatment options.
Experiences of distress by participants in the Adult Baby/Diaper Lover community

ABSTRACTThis study examined data on 1795 male, 139 female, and 78 gender non-binary members of the Adult Baby/Diaper Lover (ABDL) online community. Using grounded theory, qualitative analyses explored reasons for breaks in ABDL practices and reasons for distress lasting longer than 6 months due to ABDL interests. Quantitative analyses examined differences between participants reporting the aforementioned period of distress and those who did not. Negative reactions from parents and romantic partners appeared to cause breaks in ABDL behavior as well as distress due to ABDL interests. Other reasons for breaks were a living arrangement that interfered with ABDL behavior, a struggle in self-acceptance of ABDL interests, and lack of access to ABDL paraphernalia. Distress due to ABDL interests reflected mental health concerns, such as depression, due to conflicting feelings about their ABDL interests or due to interpersonal conflicts over the ABDL practices. Participants who reported distress were older, had pra...
Automated Speculation and Parallelism in High Performance Network Applications

Speculation and parallel processing can provide performance gains in many diverse applications. Compilers, grid computing, DSP, and bio-informatics are a representation of such areas where these concepts are utilized. In the field of network routers, packet processing can also use such speedups. As the line rate of packets increases with every new standard (Infiniband, 10-gigabit Ethernet), these speedups will become paramount for routers asked to do complicated tasks while still maintaining line speeds.