cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Smartwatches For Junior/Senior Level CS Education (Abstract Only)

Incorporating smartwatch app development into mobile app development classes has educational benefits. However, choice of a smartwatch platform imposes constraints on eligibility of students that can take the class because some of the platforms (ex. Pebble, Samsung Gear2, AGENTWATCH) use proprietary SDKs with programing environment very different from the smartphone's. This makes such classes too difficult for CS1/CS2 level students.This poster shows how newer smartwatches (Android Wear OS and Watch OS based) can make such classes accessible to CS1/CS2 students and how these newer smartwatches can broaden the CS topics that can be learned. For example, the hardware of Android Wear devices coupled with similar programing approach with Android OS, make a friendly platform for integrating smartwatch development into an Android app development class. These smartwatches offer new levels of information affordance with instantly obtainable interactive information on the wrist. It is possible to use such smartwatches as a tool for exploration of the fundamentals of Human Computer Interaction. Students can identify problems in existing interactive systems and design solutions with smartwatch capabilities in mind. Problems can be identified through exploratory studies of existing systems. Prototypes can be designed and implemented followed by evaluations. Students can also exercise concepts of Usability Engineering as there is need to address the ergonomic constraints of smartwatches, such as, small screen, poor visibility and fixed position on the body. In addition, Designing Android apps with Android Wear extensibility in mind can reinforce fundamental modularity concepts from Software Engineering in a natural setting.
Causes of Coconut Nutfall and Gumosis

WAY1 has reported that the coreid bug Theraptus sp. is the cause of nutfall and gumosis of coconuts in East Africa. During more recent investigations to discover economical methods of combating this pest, it has been found that Theraptus sp. is only one of at least four insect pests causing either nutfall or gumosis or both. The larvae of the weevil Diocalandra frumenti F. will cause both nutfall and particularly gumosis of immature nuts. Mansfield-Aders2 noted the presence of D. frumenti in coconuts in Zanzibar and suggested that it might be a cause of nutfall and gumosis. D. frumenti thrives best in areas infested by Theraptus sp. and Anoplolepis longipes Jerd. It is preyed upon by both Anoplolepis custodiens Smith and Œcophylla smaragdina L., var. longinoda Latr. The larvae of the moth Lamoria sp. cause considerable nutfall in palms foraged by A. longipes and Pheidole sp. by boring into and eating the bases of the young nuts. A major cause of nutfall in areas where Theraptus sp., D. frumenti and Lamoria sp. have been either eradicated or controlled by insecticides is the ant Polyrhacis schistacea Gerst., vars. rugulosa Mayr and militaris F. These ants nest both in the ground and in the palms, and feed mostly on pollen and nectar. They are so efficient at removing the nectar from flowering nuts that they remove the lining of the stigmata and prevent fertilization. In palms heavily foraged by Polyrhacis sp. complete loss of nuts occurs.
Iododeoxyuridine administered to mice is de-iodinated and incorporated into DNA primarily as thymidylate

Iododeoxyuridylic acid, a structural analog of thymidylic acid, is extensively de-iodinated in vivo by the enzyme thymidylate synthetase. Substantial amounts of the deoxyuridylic acid formed by this process are subsequently methylated and incorporated into DNA as thymidine. As a result, when mice are given tritiated iododeoxyuridine, most of the tritium incorporated into their DNA is present in thymidine rather than in iododeoxyuridine. Some, but not nearly as much, tritium from tritiated bromodeoxyuridine is also incorporated into DNA thymidine.
Physically-proximal human-robot collaboration for air and space applications

In Aerospace applications, human safety is of paramount importance given harsh environmental conditions that require persistent electromechanical life support. The resulting inherent proximity between humans and "robotic support" requires effective communication and collaboration in emerging systems where the robot is not strictly a "tool" for a human operator/pilot to command. This paper investigates the challenges of human-robot collaboration in the context of two critical Aerospace applications, airspace management and planetary surface exploration. We first present a spectrum of alternative air traffic management designs ranging from centralized to fully-decentralized. Discussion focuses on roles of human versus synthetic decision-makers, associated efficiency bounds, and metrics for quantifying performance and safety. Next, a space exploration scenario is investigated in which robots and human astronauts are both modeled as "agents" with specific skills and resources available for tasking by a (computerized) planner. Emphasis is placed on real-time reconfiguration when astronauts purposely deviate from their default plan or are in need of assistance, accounting for astronaut-initiated activities while proactively enhancing astronaut safety.
Successful transformation of yeast mitochondria with RPM1 : an approach for in vivo studies of mitochondrial RNase P RNA structure, function and biosynthesis

Mitochondrial RNase P RNA (Rpm1r) is coded by the RPM1 gene of mitochondrial DNA in many yeasts. As an initial step to developing a genetic approach to the structure and biogenesis of yeast mitochondrial RNase P, biolistic transformation has been used to introduce wild type and altered RPM1 genes into strains containing no mitochondrial DNA. The introduced wild type gene does support RNase P activity demonstrating that pre-existing RNase P activity is not necessary for the biosynthesis of the enzyme. Mutations introduced into RPM1 in vitro result in reduced accumulation of mature tRNA and in an alteration of the processing of Rpm1r in vivo.
Highly sensitive refractive index sensor based on structure modulation of digital versatile discs

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is a key sensing technique for chemical and biological sensor. Recently, researchers proposed different nanostructures for refractive index and bio-sensing [1–4]. In this work, we proposed a high sensitivity refractive index sensor based on modulations of digital versatile discs (DVD) structures. We used laser beam lithography process to fabricate regular substructures on the lands of DVD substrate. We found the modulated structure will narrow the resonance spectrum and improve sensitivity a little. However, the substructure will significantly improve the coupling efficiency of incident light to excite surface plasmon. Based on our fabrication technique, a cheap and uniform surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor with sensitivity of 764nm per refractive index unit (nm/RIU) and ∼20 figure of merit (FoM) is demonstrated experimentally.
The role of behavior in sheep production: A review of research

Abstract Sheep production systems vary throughout the world, but many of the limitations and problems of production are universal. The behavior of sheep may be a limiting factor in some situations, while in others behavior facilitates the operation. The allocation of spatial resources, grazing behavior and feeding behavior in confinement are important for sheep to maintain themselves and grow efficiently. As sheep are social animals, sexual and maternal behavior must be viewed in a group context to ensure the highest reproductive rate and offspring survival. A review of recent literature on sheep behavior illustrates how production systems and behavior are intertwined.
Transitional sharp waves at ictal onset--a neocortical ictal pattern.

Abstract Objective Some seizures are characterized by a transitional sharp wave (TShW) at ictal onset. We evaluated the clinical significance and localizing value of TShW in partial-onset seizures. Methods We identified and analyzed all scalp ictal recordings with a TShW at ictal onset in the Vanderbilt Epilepsy Monitoring Unit over a period of 12 months. Results A total of 52 ictal discharges in 13 patients started with a TShW. The center of TShW field was concordant with the final localization/lateralization, while that of the subsequent ictal discharge was concordant in only 6 patients. The subsequent rhythmic ictal discharge was non-localizing in 4 patients and misleading in the remaining 3 patients. The final localization was neocortical temporal or frontal in 11 patients, occipito-parietal in one, and undetermined in 1 patient. None of 61 ictal discharges in 15 patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy studied in the same time period started with a TShW. Conclusion In this patient series, the TShW was a marker of neocortical seizure onset. The TShW field provided more accurate localization or lateralization of the ictal focus than the following rhythmic ictal discharge. Significance TShW at seizure onset should suggest a neocortical rather than hippocampal seizure onset.
Potato production on wide beds: Impact on yield and selected soil physical characteristics

Planting three rows of potatoes in a bed the width of two conventional rows offers an easily managed way to increase seed piece populations, with the potential of increasing tuber yield and enhancing tuber quality. A wide bed production system (3 rows of potatoes planted on a 1.9 m flat-topped raised bed) was compared to a conventional-ridged system (1 row of potatoes in sharply sloped ridges on 96 cm centers) in 1996 and 1997 on a Norfolk sandy loam soil and a Portsmouth fine sandy loam soil in eastern North Carolina. Potato plant stands, leaf area index at approximately 9 WAP, yield, and quality were measured. Soil temperature, soil moisture, and cone index, as a measure of soil penetration resistance, were also measured, wide beds were more moist than conventional ridges early in the season. Cone index was greater throughout the root profile in wide beds in two of three tests. The row on the west side of an individual wide bed was most similar to conventional ridges in daily soil temperature fluctuations between minimum and maximum temperatures, and had greater fluctuations than the middle and eastern rows of the wide bed. Total yield and yield of grade A potatoes were not significantly different between wide beds and conventional ridges at either site. At one site, yield of grade B potatoes was significantly less in the wide bed; among the three rows in the wide bed, the eastern row had significantly lower yield of grade B potatoes. Conventional ridges had a higher percent of green grade A potatoes than the wide beds in one of three trials. Under North Carolina conditions, changing production systems would be unadvisable for most growers because wide beds do not increase yield enough to justify spending the money for more seed and to change equipment.
Fostering Global Perspective Taking at American Colleges and Universities.

Students at American colleges and universities do become more advanced in their global perspective taking along all three dimensions–cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal. Their degree of involvement in a number of cocurricular activities and their perceptions of the campus community are correlated with their level of perspective taking on the three dimensions. Student affairs professionals can make a difference when they provide focused and intentional activities, ones that foster specific goals in global perspective taking.
BOLUS ADMINISTRATION OF BUFFERING AGENTS IMPROVE HEMODYNAMICS DURING HYPOXIC LACTIC ACIDOSIS IN NEWBORN SHEEP. 299

Recent studies report deleterious effects of sodium bicarbonate (BIC) in treatment of hypoxic lactic acidosis and have shown carbicarb (CAR), a CO2 consuming buffer, to be more beneficial. In a previous study we found no differences in hemodynamic effects of BIC, CAR or saline (SAL) when administered slowly over 30 min. to hypoxia-induced lactic acidotic lambs. During resuscitation, buffers are generally administered over a much shorter period. We hypothesized that administering buffers in a rapid injection, as in a resuscitative effort, would improve hemodynamics compared to use of SAL. Six newborn lambs underwent surgical instrumentation for catheter and transducer placement to allow measurements of blood pressure (BP), cardiac output (CO) and stroke volume (SV) and allowed 2 days for recovery. The animals were then intubated and mechanically ventilated. Hypoxia was induced using a mixture of 92% nitrogen and 8% oxygen until pH reached 7.0 and the lactic acid reached 13 mmoles/L. BIC, CAR, or equimolar SAL in equal volumes were administered over two minutes. Each animal underwent three experiments receiving each infusion in a randomized fashion. The animals were then placed in room air and allowed to recover. Hemodynamic measurements prior to the boluses were similar between the three groups. Hemodynamic responses pre and post-bolus are shown in thetable. In the SAL group, hemodynamics tended to continue to deteriorate whereas they improved with either BIC or CAR. We conclude, when administered in a rapid fashion, buffers improve hemodynamics during hypoxic lactic acidosis in newborn lambs. This gives support to the use of buffers in neonatal resuscitation.
The Most Difficult Revolution: Women and Trade Unions

Historically trade unions were in the forefront of social reform, campaigning against child labour, against the 12‐hour day and for free public education and universal suffrage. But with their achievement of great power and influence in the modern societies they have been less sensitive to the present day exploited and oppressed — to women and guestworkers and all those foreign in colour and language, in customs, sex and tastes. To be sure these groups are often unfamiliar with unions, and reluctant to join them even if invited because of the fear of employer reprisal and their weak position in the labour market. Characterised as they have been by transiency, dependency and divided loyalties, the unions long wished them away or accepted them if they behaved like native men, that is to say in an understandable way and with acceptable rationality. Although the similarities between the problems of women and foreign workers or workers of colour in the labour markets of the industrialised countries is an intriguing study, we shall here look specifically at the case of women, recognising the while that their problems are not unique and their oppression not unprecedented.
The ATPase activity of chaperonin GroEL is highly stimulated at elevated temperatures

Abstract The chaperonin GroEL is a heat-shock protein that stabilizes folding intermediates by forming binary complexes. The release of bound polypeptides as active proteins requires ATP hydrolysis by GroEL. The ability of GroEL to support the folding of urea-unfolded rhodanese and to hydrolyze ATP was investigated at high temperatures. We found that the chaperonin-mediated folding of rhodanese and the ATPase activity of GroEL are temperature dependent. The GroEL ATPase activity, however, increases very strongly over the range of temperatures that is physiologically relevant for Escherichia coli growth. Further, GroES partially suppresses the GroEL ATPase activity in the same temperature range.
Differential effects of cigarette smoking on performance of a smooth pursuit and a saccadic eye movement task in schizophrenia.

Schizophrenic patients demonstrate a number of physiological defects including smooth pursuit eye movement dysfunction (SPEM), involuntary reflexive saccades to a prepotent stimulus during saccadic tasks, and increased response to the second of two identical auditory stimuli, the P50 evoked potential response. The P50 deficit appears to be mediated by the α7 nicotinic cholinergic receptor. This study compared the failure of saccadic inhibition demonstrated in two different eye movement tasks, to see if either deficit, like the P50 inhibitory deficit, was normalized by nicotine. Fifteen smoking schizophrenic patients and 15 smoking non-schizophrenic subjects were compared on the percentage of premature saccades in a memory-guided saccadic task, and the frequency of intrusive small and large anticipatory saccades during a SPEM task. No significant effects or interactions of smoking, group or time on premature or large anticipatory saccades were detected. However, leading saccades demonstrated a significant group × time × smoking interaction. Leading saccades may therefore be a measure of cholinergic inactivity and thus part of the α7 nicotinic receptor dysfunction observed in schizophrenia. However, premature saccades and large anticipatory saccades, although measures of inhibitory dysfunction in schizophrenia, appear to be unrelated to the nicotinic system.
A combined silver and acetylcholinesterase method for staining intramuscular innervation.

A combined acetylcholinesterase and silver stain for demonstrating the intramuscular innervation of fresh frozen tissue is described. Intramuscular nerves, subterminal axons, and motor end plates are simultaneously stained brown or black with minimal staining of connective tissue and muscle fibers in longitudinal sections 30-100 μ thick. The method has been applied to fetal and adult rat, porcine, and bovine skeletal muscle. Antemortem and postmortem tissue samples stained equally well. The method facilitates simultaneous appreciation of morphological alterations in nervous and muscular tissues; in clinical and research laboratories alike it is of value when muscle abnormalities which may be dated to disorders of nervous origin are studied. Compared with other published procedures this method has shorter time requirements, uses fresh frozen tissue, and displays superior staining characteristics.
A fluorescence LIDAR sensor for hyper-spectral time-resolved remote sensing and mapping

In this work we present a LIDAR sensor devised for the acquisition of time resolved laser induced fluorescence spectra. The gating time for the acquisition of the fluorescence spectra can be sequentially delayed in order to achieve fluorescence data that are resolved both in the spectral and temporal domains. The sensor can provide sub-nanometric spectral resolution and nanosecond time resolution. The sensor has also imaging capabilities by means of a computer-controlled motorized steering mirror featuring a biaxial angular scanning with 200 μradiant angular resolution. The measurement can be repeated for each point of a geometric grid in order to collect a hyper-spectral time-resolved map of an extended target.
Defining the molecular and cellular basis of toxicity using comparative models.

A critical element of any experimental design is the selection of the model that will be used to test the hypothesis. As Claude Bernard proposed over 100 years ago “the solution of a physiological or pathological problem often depends solely on the appropriate choice of the animal for the experiment so as to make the result clear and searching.” Likewise, the Danish physiologist August Krogh in 1929 wrote that “For a large number of problems there will be some animal of choice, or a few such animals, on which it can be most conveniently studied.” This scientific principle has been validated repeatedly in the intervening years as investigators have described unique models that exploit natural differences in chemical and molecular structure, biochemical function, or physiological response between different cells, tissues, and organisms to address specific hypotheses. Despite the power of this comparative approach, investigators have generally been reluctant to utilize nonmammalian or nonclassical experimental models to address questions of human biology. The perception has been that studies in relatively simple or evolutionarily ancient organisms would provide little insight into “complex” human biology. This perception, although always somewhat misguided, is now even less tenable given the results of the genome sequencing projects, which demonstrate that the human genome is remarkably similar to that of evolutionarily ancient organisms. Thus, the various life forms on Earth share much more in common then anyone had previously envisioned. This realization provides additional rationale for the use of nonclassical experimental models and provides perhaps the strongest validation of Bernard's and Krogh's assertions. This overview emphasizes some of the special attributes of alternative animal models that may be exploited to define the molecular and cellular basis of toxicity. For each attribute, selected examples of animal models and experimental approaches are presented. It focuses on the areas of neurotoxicology, reproductive and developmental toxicology, organ systems toxicology, carcinogenesis, and functional genomics/toxicogenomics and highlights the use of fish, avian, Drosophila, Caenorhabditis elegans, and yeast models in such studies.
Problem-Focused Group Treatment for Clients With Mild Aphasia

This report describes a problem-focused group treatment approach for treatment of persons with mild aphasia. The program aids its clients in compensating for and adjusting to day-to-day cognitive/c...
Using morphology in document image processing

ABSTRACT To improve the readability, image compression, and optical character recognition (OCR) system performance fortwo-tone (binary) text image data, we investigated morphological methods of image processing. We found them to be fastand effective not only with noisy text images but with relatively noise-free images as well. Using morphology, weimproved text image readability as judged in a blind test, increased compression ratio using CCITF Group 4, and reducedOCR error (cluster) rates in a commercial omnifont scanner. 1. INTRODUCTION Technology advances continue to drive down the costs of electronic data processing, storage, and networking whilethe costs of handling paper and microfilm are increasing. As a consequence, many government agencies and privateorganizations that process large quantities of paper or microfilm are seeking to reduce their processing costs throughconversion of their documents to electronic form. Ideally, these documents will be converted to character format ratherthan raster image format, thus allowing full text searching and more efficient use of storage and bandwidth. However,because the documents often contain text in fonts that are not known a priori, the process of conversion requires anomnifont optical character recognition (OCR) system. Unfortunately, image noise tends to slow the OCR process andincrease recognition errors. There is thus motivation to decrease the noise in the document images prior to OCRprocessing. Furthermore, even if the documents are only stored in raster image format, noise can significantly increase thestorage requirements as a consequence of the run-length based compression techniques usually employed.Although preprocessing of gray scale images can substantially reduce image noise, document images are oftenobtained from scanners which only provide bitonal (binary) output There are also large inventories of document imageswhich have already been thresholded (converted into binary images). The choice of image processing techniques is,therefore, often limited to those which operate on binary images.We have investigated morphological methods of binary image processing1 in an attempt to develop techniqueswhich are fast and effective in removing the noise that is often present in binary document images. We have found thatsuch methods can be effective in selectively removing certain types of image noise, and thereby, in improving imagecompression ratios and, to a limited degree, improving the performance of omnifont OCR systems.All document images used in this study were captured in a production mode scanning operation. The noise wastherefore "naturally acquired" (either during scanning or inherent in the paper document as caused by bleed-through andyellowing) and not artificially synthesized.The sections that follow will discuss morphological methods in binary image processing, our methodology, ourresults, an implementation of morphological filters, and our conclusions.
Comparative evaluation of iterative and non-iterative methods to ground coordinate determination from single aerial images

The single-ray backprojection problem refers to the process of determining ground coordinates of pixels in a single aerial image with the support of a digital surface model or a digital elevation model. Several methods have been employed to solve this problem. The iterative photogrammetric (IP) method, based on the inverse collinearity equations, is widely used in photogrammetry. The ray-tracing (RT) method, which is popular in computer graphics, computes the coordinates by intersecting the view ray with the surface. A third one is an iterative ray-tracing (IRT) method, which finds the intersection point by extending the view ray towards the surface by a certain step once a time until it hits the surface. Since the methods become diversified, there is a need to compare and evaluate them. This paper analyzes the principles of these three methods, tests them using a variety of data sets, and provides a comprehensive comparison on their strategies, parameter selection, divergence, occlusion-compliance, precision, robustness, and efficiency. The major difference of these methods is in the strategy of computing the intersection between the view ray and the surface, and this leads to their varied performance. It is found that the IP method is the most computationally efficient and can produce precise coordinates for simple surfaces, but it may surfer from the divergence and occlusion-induced problems for complicated ones. The rigorous RT method is precise, occlusion-compliant and parameter-free, but it is computationally intensive. The IRT method is intermediate in terms of efficiency. If the initial step is small enough, it can adequately address the occlusion-induced problem and produce satisfactory coordinates for complicated surfaces. This comparison provides a guide to method selection for the single-ray backprojection problem.
Femoral pulsatility index in the evaluation of aortoiliac occlusive disease.

Abstract Accurate, noninvasive, hemodynamic assessment of atherosclerosis involving the aortoiliac segment remains a frontier in vascular surgery. Femoral pulsatility index, a vessel/probe angle independent function derived from the common femoral artery sonogram, was evaluated by comparison to the invasive hemodynamic parameters of pressure and flow in the presence of experimentally produced, quantitated, iliac and superficial femoral arterial stenoses. The external iliac, common femoral, and superficial femoral arteries in 10 adult mongrel dogs were used. An arterial constrictor was placed around the external iliac and ipsilateral superficial femoral arteries so that the vessels could be constricted either individually or simultaneously. Superficial femoral artery branch vessels were cannulated for monitoring of intraarterial pressure. Simultaneously, flow was measured from the common femoral artery by a square-wave electromagnetic flow meter together with directional Doppler ultrasound magnetic tape recordings. Sound signals were then processed through a frequency spectrograph for calculation of pulsatility index. With increasing degree of stenosis, decreases in pulsatility index paralleled decreases in both pressure and flow. Large individual variance in femoral pulsatility index existed among animals for any given degree of stenosis. Changes in pulsatility index recorded from the common femoral artery were not significantly different when either an iliac artery stenosis or superficial femoral artery stenosis was present. In this nonatherosclerotic canine model using accurately placed and quantitated arterial stenoses, femoral pulsatility index was unable to reliably quantitate arterial stenoses and could not differentiate between inflow and outflow lesions.
The prediction of cutting forces in the ball-end milling process—II. Cut geometry analysis and model verification

Abstract In Part 1 of this work, a model for the prediction of cutting forces in the ball-end milling process has been presented. The model has the capability of estimating the cutting forces at any cutting conditions. In Part 2, 3-axis ball-end milling cut geometry is analyzed and combined with the force model so as to predict the cutting forces in the machining of a 3-D sculptured surface. A set of steady state model verification experiments has been performed to experimentally validate the predictive power of the model by comparing the predicted results of various cutting conditions frequently encountered in practice with force measurements. It is shown that, because of the inevitable deflections of the cutting system, the measured force signal is generally close to the prediction without runout and falls in the envelope created by the predictions with and without runout.
New Algorithm for Computing Eigenvectors of the Symmetric Eigenvalue Problem

We describe a design and implementation of a multi-stage algorithm for computing eigenvectors of a dense symmetric matrix. We show that reformulating the existing algorithms is beneficial in terms of performance even if that doubles the computational complexity. Through detailed analysis, we show that the effect of the increase in the asymptotic operation count may be compensated by a much improved performance rate. Our performance results indicate that using our approach achieves very good speedup and scalability even when directly compared with the existing state-of-the-art software.
Ethics and the computer world: a new challenge for philosophers

I shall assume that our job as moral philosophers is to follow the time-honored tradition set by Socrates and to serve as gadflies. In ethics, the pursuit of Socratic questioning has been called critical ethics. Its task is to subject commonly accepted conventions, popular superstitions, social prejudices and prevailing mythologies to critical ethical scrutiny. Its method consists of persistent and uncompromising questioning of concepts, premises, arguments and presuppositions and applying logical and conceptual analysis to commonly accepted and seldom challenged opinions. For that reason, Collingwood aptly described philosophy as the critique of presuppositions. In order to carry out this challenging task philosophers, good philosophers, must of necessity be outsiders. Spinoza, one of the Netherland's most eminent sons is a prototype. I am glad to see some veteran outsiders on the program. Even Kant, whom most people do not recognize to be the radical thinker that he was, remarked in a handwritten note in the Bemerhungen that a philosopher is useless as far as ordinary morality is concerned but, on the other hand, most useful, even indispensable in confronting "oppression from superstition and from the use of violence and power." As far as computers are concerned, there is a lot both of superstition and power--as I shall briefly try to show.
Chronic comorbid conditions associated with risk of febrile neutropenia in breast cancer patients treated with chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia (FN) is associated with increased patient mortality and health care costs. Comorbid conditions such as liver and renal dysfunction have been linked to increased risk of FN. However, the effects of other chronic comorbid conditions on risk of FN have not been well studied. To examine the association between chronic comorbid conditions and FN in breast cancer patients, we identified incident breast cancer patients from 2000 to 2009 treated with chemotherapy at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, a large managed care organization. Patients who received primary prophylactic granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) were excluded. We assessed history of comorbid conditions prior to cancer diagnosis using ICD-9 codes and disease registries. FN events were identified in the first chemotherapy cycle using a combination of ICD-9 codes and hospital discharge diagnoses. For each comorbid condition, propensity scores that included patient characteristics and other predisposing comorbid conditions were calculated and adjusted for in Cox models to determine associations between that comorbid condition and FN. We also evaluated secondary models that additionally adjusted for cancer stage, baseline absolute neutrophil count (ANC), chemotherapy regimen, and dose reductions. A total of 7,127 breast cancer patients were included; median age was 55 years, and the majority had localized (47 %) or regional (49 %) disease at diagnosis. In the first chemotherapy cycle, 335 (4.7 %) patients developed FN. Congestive heart failure (HR = 3.0; 95 % CI: 1.3–5.9), osteoarthritis (HR = 2.0; 95 % CI: 1.4–2.8), previous cancer (HR = 3.4; 95 % CI: 1.2–7.5), and thyroid disorder (HR = 1.6; 95 % CI: 1.1–2.3) were associated with increased risk of FN. These estimates were similar to those from secondary models that also adjusted for additional cancer and treatment-related covariates. Our findings suggest that several chronic comorbid conditions may be associated with risk of FN. This information, if confirmed by others, may aid clinical decision making with respect to use of prophylactic G-CSF during chemotherapy treatment.
Meander tail reveals a discrete developmental unit in the mouse cerebellum.

Abstract Analyses of phenotypic mutations with altered patterns of cellular organization in invertebrate systems have lead to the identification of genes important to histogenesis. Efforts to identify genes defining segments or compartments in mammalian systems and demonstrate a role for such genes in the establishment of the cellular architectonics of the brain have been hampered by the absence of phenotypic mutations that reveal compartments. Evidence is presented that in the cerebellum of the mutant mouse, meander tail, there is an abrupt transition from the normal cytoarchitecture seen in the posterior lobes to a severely disorganized cellular pattern. Thus, in the anterior lobes the Purkinje cells are positioned randomly throughout the cortex, and other cellular layers, including the internal granule cell layer, do not form. In addition, radial Bergmann glial processes are virtually absent. One explanation for the discrete boundary of the affected area in the anterior portion of this mutant cerebellar cortex is that the meander tail gene influences compartmental cellular organization in mammalian brain.
Significance of extensive ‘leaky’ cell junctions in the avian salt gland

CURRENT models for hypertonic sodium secretion by salt glands assume there are physiologically tight junctions between the principal cells of the secretory tubules and that these cells actively secrete sodium across the cell membrane at the lumen in a one-stage process1. Our recent data require consideration of a new two-stage hypothesis concerning the secretory mechanism. Our freeze–fracture studies demonstrate that these cell junctions (zonulae occludentes) in the nasal salt gland of the herring gull (Fig. 1) should be classified as ‘very leaky’2. Also, the extraordinary conformation of the apices of the principal cells within the epithelium makes these cell junctions most extensive (Fig. 2). Therefore, we propose that the salt glands of vertebrates produce their hypertonic effluent from the primary isotonic secretion of the peripheral cells at the ends of the secretory tubules, followed by the secondary reabsorption of water through the leaky junctions of the principal cells and not simply by the extrusion of Na+ across the luminal membranes of the principal cells. This new hypothesis is consistent with the accepted theories of sweat gland and salivary gland function, except that in the salt gland the second stage after isotonic secretion is water absorption, rather than salt reabsorption.
Changes in the Regulatory Base of the Budget Process in September 2013

The Government of the Russian Federation has issued documents which introduce from 2014 a simplified procedure for withdrawal of land plots from public (municipal) entities and state-owned enterprises in favor of the state treasury; amendments were introduced in to the procedure for provision of state guarantees on loans attracted by enterprises of the defense industry complex.
Newer advances in the diagnosis and treatment of mitral stenosis

There have been significant changes in presentation, diagnosis, and therapy of patients with mitral stenosis. Both the prevalence of mitral stenosis, as well as the type of patient now with mitral stenosis, have changed significantly over the past few decades. In patients with mitral stenosis two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography have become the diagnostic modalities of choice. The advent of percutaneous mitral balloon valvotomy now provides a nonsurgical approach for the treatment of selected patients with mitral stenosis.
Extraction of Separation and Attachment Surfaces from Three-Dimensional Steady Shear Flows

We apply a recent analytic theory of three-dimensional steady separation to direct numerical simulations of backward-facing-step and lid-driven-cavity flows. We determine the exact location and slope of separation and attachment surfaces that have only been approximated heuristically in earlier studies. We also visualize the corresponding global separation and attachment surfaces, which reveal highly complex separated flow geometry.
Compartmental restrictions and blastema formation during pattern regulation in Drosophila imaginal leg discs

Abstract Clonal analysis was used to study the regulative behavior of cells in Drosophila imaginal leg discs. Such studies performed during normal development of the leg have revealed a clonal restriction known as the anterior-posterior compartment boundary (E. Steiner, 1976, Wilhelm Roux Arch. Entwicklungsmech. Organismen 180, 9–30) . When we tested a regulating fragment that contained cells from both anterior and posterior compartments this clonal restriction was maintained in the original fragment. However, in material produced by regulation, clones of cells induced at the time of fragmentation differentiated anterior and posterior structures. Clonal restriction was observed in the regulated material when clones were induced during in vivo culture. We deduced the position of the dividing cells that contributed to regulative growth from the positions of the clones within the differentiated disc tissue. We observed that initially the majority of dividing cells originated from and were localized to an area close to a region of the wound, resembling a blastema. As regulation proceeded, a localization of dividing cells was maintained. However, the blastema changed its position from the original material into the regulated part.
ACM SRC poster: combinatorial auction-based dynamic VM provisioning and allocation in clouds

Efficient Virtual Machine (VM) provisioning and allocation allows the cloud providers to effectively utilize their available resources and obtain higher profits. As supported by the economic theory, combinatorial auction-based mechanisms are more efficient than fixed price-based mechanisms for problems similar to the VM allocation problem in clouds. However, a standard combinatorial auction-based mechanism assumes that VM instances are already provisioned, that is, it assumes static VM provisioning. A better solution would be to take into account the users' demand when provisioning VM instances. We design an auction-based mechanism for dynamic VM provisioning and allocation that takes into account the user demand for VMs when making VM provisioning decisions. We perform extensive simulation experiments using real workload traces and show that the proposed mechanism can improve the utilization, increase the efficiency of allocation, and yield higher revenue for the cloud provider.
Aggregation and charge behavior of metallic and nonmetallic nanoparticles in the presence of competing similarly-charged inorganic ions.

The influence of competing, similarly charged, inorganic ions on the size and charge behavior of suspended titanium-dioxide (nTiO2), silver (nAg) and fullerene (nC60) nanoparticles (NPs) was investigated. Under pH and ionic conditions similar to natural water bodies, Ca2+ induced aggregation of nTiO2 and nAg NPs more strongly than K+ and Na+. Although K+ and Na+ had a similar effect on aggregation, K+ provided better screening of the particle surface charge presumably because of its small hydrated radius. These effects were decidedly more prominent for TiO2 than Ag. Anions (co-ions), SO42− and Cl−, affected the surface charge behavior of nTiO2 but not of nAg NPs. The zeta potential (ZP) of nTiO2 NPs was more negative at higher SO42−/Cl− ratios than lower. When Mg2+ was the counterion, charge inversion and rapid aggregation of nC60 NPs occurred under alkaline conditions, with a more pronounced effect for Cl− than SO42−. Response dissimilarities suggest fundamental differences in the interfacial-interaction...
FAST Observations of Inertial Alfven Waves in the Dayside Aurora

Bursts of large amplitude impulsive electric and magnetic field oscillations are a common feature observed from FAST when crossing the dayside auroral oval at altitudes from 1500–2500 km. The oscillations have transverse amplitudes of up to 1 V/m and 100nT and exhibit a parallel electric field component with amplitudes which may be as large as 100mV/m. Calculation of E1/B1 over 100 events yields an average value four times the local Alfven speed. The wave period is usually less than 0.25s with ‘perpendicular wavelengths’ which average to 7.1 electron skin depths (c/ωpe∼80m). Poynting flux calculations indicate predominately downward fluxes with magnitude up 10−2 Wm−2 usually accompanied by a smaller upwards component. Invariably these waves are accompanied by field-aligned fluxes of down going and sometimes counterstreaming suprathermal electrons. Comparison with theoretical studies indicate that these observations are consistent with the characteristics of a shear Alfven wave with k⟂∼ωpe/c propagating in the inertial dispersive regime and interfering with a reflected component. However the observed large parallel electric field component, if real, has yet to be explained
Abstract 1378: Identification and characterization of small molecule inhibitors targeting Eya phosphatase activity for anti-breast cancer therapy

Eya proteins are transcriptional co-activators of the homeobox gene Six1 and are also unique protein tyrosine phosphatases. Six1 and Eya2 are required for normal development but are down-regulated in most adult tissues. However, Six1 and Eya are over-expressed in a large number of breast tumors and play a causal role in the initiation and development of these tumors. The phosphatase activity of Eya was shown to be important for the transformation, migration, invasion, and metastasis of breast cancer cells. Eya9s phosphatase activity therefore provides an attractive enzymatic target for anti-breast cancer therapy. In addition, Eyas also direct cells to a DNA-damage-repair pathway instead of an apoptotic pathway upon DNA damage through the dephosphorylation of histone H2AX. Inhibiting Eya phosphatase activity can therefore potentially sensitize tumor tissue to radiation or chemotherapy treatment. We developed an HTS assay to identify small molecule inhibitors of Eya9s phosphatase activity. In collaboration with the NIH Chemical Genomics Center, we have screened over 300,000 compounds and identified several promising lead compounds. These hits are currently being evaluated for their potency, specificity, and mechanism of action using biochemical, structural, and cell-based assays. We believe that Eya is a significant target for cancer therapy through sensitizing cancer cells to radiation and chemotherapy and through the inhibition of Six1-mediated tumorigenesis and metastasis. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1378. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-1378
The relationship between unpaired spin concentration, structure, and electrical conduction of a pyrolytic aromatic polyimide†

When films of poly[N,N′-(p,p′-oxydiphenylene)pyromellitimide] are pyrolyzed in vacuum between 575 and 800°C., they are converted into products having electrical conductivities as high as 20 (ohm-cm.)−1 measured at 25°C. This transformation of the polymer from an insulator into an electroconductor is accompanied by distinct changes in the electron paramagnetic resonance absorption (EPR) vs. time curves, x-ray diffraction, elemental composition, and density. From the rates of EPR absorption, a tentative activation energy of 25 ± 3 kcal./mole was calculated for this internal transformation. The absence of polarization effects and the fact that repeated thermal cycling does not significantly diminish the observed electrical conduction suggest that it is electronic rather than ionic in character. The development of electrical conduction in the pyrolyzed polymer occurs well below the graphitization temperature and with the retention of considerable quantities of nitrogen and oxygen. Apparently a fused conjugated network with a large pool of π-electrons and π-orbital overlap develops and the reduction of interboundary resistance at sufficiently high temperatures causes the appearance of electrical conduction.
The F centres in MgF2. II. Optical absorption and EPR

For Pt. I see ibid. vol. 4, 2992 (1971). The 260 nm optical absorption band in irradiated MgF2 has been identified as the F band. The irradiation dose dependence, irradiation temperature dependence, optical bleaching behaviour and thermal annealing properties of this band and the EPR F centre were compared using the same samples for both the optical and EPR work. A close correlation of all the properties measured with both techniques established that in irradiated MgF2, the 260 nm band is indeed the F band with a oscillator strength of approximately one.
Visual diagnosis: Enucleation status post gunshot wound to the head: A visual diagnosis/case report

We present the case of a patient who attempted to commit suicide via a gunshot to the head. However, instead of ending his life, he destroyed both of his eyes. Computed tomography scans are shown.
The nicotinic α4β2 receptor selective agonist, TC-2559, increases dopamine neuronal activity in the ventral tegmental area of rat midbrain slices

Abstract The ability of α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors to modulate dopaminergic (DA) cell activity in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in rat midbrain slices was assessed using a selective α4β2 receptor agonist, TC-2559 ((E)-N-methyl-4-[3-(5-ethoxypyridin)y1]-3-buten-1-amine). The selectivity of TC-2559 was characterized across 6 recombinant human nicotinic receptors (α4β2, α2β4, α4β4, α3β4, α3β2 and α7) stably expressed in mammalian cell lines. Using a fluorescent imaging plate reader and fluo-3 to monitor changes in intracellular calcium, TC-2559 was found to be at least 69 fold more potent on α4β2 than on other heteromeric subtypes, with an efficacy of 33%. No activity on the homomeric α7 subtype was detected. TC-2559 also showed selectivity for α4β2 over the α4β4 and α7 subtypes expressed in Xenopus oocytes. When bath applied to VTA slices, TC-2559 increased the firing of DA cells in a dose-dependent manner, in the same concentration range that activates α4β2 receptors in recombinant cell lines or oocytes. The effect of TC-2559 was blocked by 2 μM dihydro-β-erythroidine (an α4β2-preferring antagonist), but not by 10 nM methyllycaconitine (an α7 antagonist). Glutamate receptor antagonists (6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione and D(−)-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid) did not reduce TC-2559-induced responses, suggesting that the increase in DA cell firing induced by TC-2559 is caused by direct postsynaptic depolarisation via the activation of α4β2 receptors and not by enhancement of glutamate release.