cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cardiovascular Interventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Interventional cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (iCMR) refers to catheter-based therapeutic procedures using MRI rather than conventional radiographic guidance. iCMR promises to further blur the distinction between medical and surgical therapeutics by permitting surgical-quality “exposure” in minimally invasive procedures. Catheter-based procedures conducted without x-rays may be useful in avoiding or reducing radiation exposure to children1 and clinical staff,2 in avoiding nephrotoxic radiocontrast,3 and in reducing staff musculoskeletal injury4 from x-ray–protective lead aprons. More important, iCMR is exciting because it should permit an entirely new range of procedures otherwise attainable only with open surgical exposure. iCMR requires “real-time” imaging, which for our purposes means image acquisition and display to clinicians, completely refreshed 1 to 10 frames per second, depending on the application, within a short delay (approximately 250 ms). Clinical investigational procedures have begun at several centers. The chief limitation to clinical translation, at present, appears to be the availability of clinical-grade catheter devices. This brief review will survey interventional cardiovascular imaging, treatment, and patient handling considerations; unique iCMR catheter design requirements; proof-of-concept animal and clinical experiments conducted to date; and novel applications we can expect in the near future. MRI is possible because water protons, ubiquitous in tissue and blood, have magnetic moments (or “spins”) that align in a magnetic field like compass needles. These spins have a characteristic resonance frequency at which they absorb electromagnetic radiation, a frequency that varies with the intensity of the surrounding magnetic field. Exposed to radio waves, spins become energized at these characteristic frequencies and afterward emit radio signals (“relax”), a process that can be detected with sensitive radio hardware. Pictures of tissues inside the magnet bore are created by “encoding” the position of proton spins in space by using small magnetic field changes (gradients). The positions correspond to known emitted …
The Size of Diatoms V. The Effect of Animal Grazing

It has been suggested in Part IV of these contributions that the larger diameter of centric diatom cells met with in collections made in the oceans in the lower latitudes might be caused in part by the relatively greater grazing known to take place in these areas (Steemann-Nielsen, 1962; Lohmann, 1912). Eight series of experiments were therefore carried out to determine any effect that might be attributed to animals grazing on populations of centric marine diatoms.
Mentoring for Line-Level Employees:

An initial survey of mentoring relationships for front-line hotel-industry employees shows that employees who have a mentor are inclined to demonstrate above-average commitment to their hotel. Work...
Longitudinal study of the substantia nigra in Parkinson disease: A high-field 1 H-MR spectroscopy imaging study

Introduction The value of biomarkers in early diagnosis and development of therapeutics in Parkinson's disease (PD) is well established. Methods We used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in a prospective, longitudinal study of 23 patients with early PD, naive to dopaminergic therapy, and six age-matched healthy controls to examine the temporal changes in metabolic profile of substantia nigra over a period of 3 months. Results N-acetyl aspartate to creatine ratio at month 3 was compared with baseline values in the PD and control groups, as well as the side-to-side difference of the ratio at baseline. By month 3, n-acetyl aspartate to creatine ratio had decreased by 4.4% in patients with PD (P = 0.024), without a concomitant change in healthy controls. The side-to-side asymmetry was significantly higher in the PD group (16.7%) vs. healthy controls (1.6%, P = 0.0024). Conclusion Estimation of change in the n-acetyl aspartate to creatine ratio appears to be a fast, quantifiable, and reliable marker of dopaminergic neuronal viability in PD. © 2015 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Single- and Multiple-Dose Pharmacokinetics of Oral Creatine

Supplementation with exogenous creatine (Cr) has shown physiological benefits in humans, but little is known about the pharmacokinetics of Cr in humans. Six healthy males completed an open-label study consisting of a full pharmacokinetic analysis following a single oral dose of Cr monohydrate (71 mg kg-1) and at steady-state after 6 days of Cr administration (71 mg kg-1 qid). After the single oral dose, the clearance (CL/F) was 0.20 +/- 0.066 L h-1 kg-1, tmax was 1.9 +/- 0.88 hours, and Cmax = 102.1 +/- 11.2 mg h L-1. At steady-state, CL/F decreased to 0.12 +/- 0.016 L h-1 kg-1, tmax did not change, and Cmax increased to 162.2 +/- 30.0 mg L-1. Penetration (AUCMUSCLE/AUCPLASMA) of Cr into the interstitial muscle space, as determined by microdialysis, was 0.47 +/- 0.09 and 0.37 +/- 0.27 for the single dose and at steady-state, respectively. Plasma and muscle data were simultaneously fitted with a model incorporating a saturable absorption and first-order elimination process. In conclusion, repeated dosing of Cr caused a reduction in clearance that could result from saturation of the skeletal muscle pool of Cr.
Fifteen-Year Trends in Cardiovascular Risk Factors (1980–1982 through 1995–1997)The Minnesota Heart Survey

The objective was to describe trends in cardiovascular risk factors between 1980-1982 and 1995-1997 in metropolitan Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Four population-based surveys of 4,000-6,000 adults aged 25-74 years were conducted in 1980-1982, 1985-1987, 1990-1992, and 1995-1997 using consistent sampling strategies and protocols. The authors completed interviews and examinations to characterize cardiovascular risk factors. Blood samples were drawn and assayed for several analytes including total cholesterol. Although total cholesterol decreased 7-9 mg/dl during the 1980s, no further reduction was noted between 1990-1992 and 1995-1997. Hypercholesterolemia prevalence (total cholesterol of >240 mg/dl and/or use of lipid-lowering medication) fell between 1980-1982 and 1990-1992 but increased thereafter. Current cigarette smoking, systolic blood pressure, and hypertension prevalence decreased significantly between 1980-1982 and 1995-1997. Body mass index increased substantially across the four surveys. Although there was little change in the mean leisure-time physical activity, the proportion of the population not engaging in regular exercise increased between 1990-1992 and 1995-1997. Dietary fat decreased consistently from 1980-1982 to 1995-1997, while overall caloric intake rose 8% in women but not men. To conclude, the favorable trends in hypertension, cigarette smoking, and dietary fat consumption observed in Minneapolis-St. Paul from 1980-1982 to 1995-1997 were paralleled by less favorable recent trends in total cholesterol, hypercholesterolemia, adiposity, and physical activity.
Transition probabilities in the spectra of Ne i

Transition probabilities have been computed for the Ne i transition arrays 2p53p–2p54s, 2p53p–2p5 5s, 2p54p–2p55s, and 2p53s–2p54p. Intermediate-coupling theory, including an effective correction for configuration interaction, has been used. An absolute scale is obtained by use of the Coulomb approximation. The eigenvectors obtained in this manner give a better fit to the observed energies and Lande g values than eigenvectors obtained without configuration interaction. There is also a significant improvement of agreement of the calculated transition probabilities to the few experimental values for these arrays.
Stacked InGaN/AlGaN Double Heterostructures

InGaN ternary alloys can be the basis for light emission from the near UV to the red region of the electromagnetic spectrum. When InGaN/AIGaN double heterostructures emitting different colors are stacked in a single structure, simultaneous emission of different wavelengths will be achieved. If the color and the intensity of emission for each well are adjusted properly, tailored emission spectra, including white light, will be feasible. We demonstrate this concept with two wells emitting at different wavelengths that are stacked between AIGaN barrier layers. The emitted PL spectra for the stacked structure is found to be the superposition of the emission from the individual double heterostructures that were grown separately.
Battling Crack A Study of the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition’s Tactics

The crack crisis of the 1980s and 1990s was a social and cultural tipping point with regards to race and the criminal justice system. The Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, a ten-thous...
Fusion of Biometric Trades in authentication System

Biometrics is combination of two Greek words Bios (life) and metrics (measure). It is recognized that some human body characteristics such as face, Finger or voice can be used to distinguish individual from a group of people. In a biometrics system a person is recognized on the basis of physical and behavioral traits. This paper gives a comparison on the various techniques used for finger print recognition, face recognition and speech recognition.
Bayesian Hierarchical Cross-Clustering

Most clustering algorithms assume that all dimensions of the data can be described by a single structure. Cross-clustering (or multiview clustering) allows multiple structures, each applying to a subset of the dimensions. We present a novel approach to crossclustering, based on approximating the solution to a Cross Dirichlet Process mixture (CDPM) model [Shafto et al., 2006, Mansinghka et al., 2009]. Our bottom-up, deterministic approach results in a hierarchical clustering of dimensions, and at each node, a hierarchical clustering of data points. We also present a randomized approximation, based on a truncated hierarchy, that scales linearly in the number of levels. Results on synthetic and real-world data sets demonstrate that the cross-clustering based algorithms perform as well or better than the clustering based algorithms, our deterministic approaches models perform as well as the MCMC-based CDPM, and the randomized approximation provides a remarkable speedup relative to the full deterministic approximation with minimal cost in predictive error.
Survey for Spotted-Wing Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in the Five-County Nursery Production Region of Middle Tennessee, USA

Through global trade, spotted-wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), a native of Southeast Asia, has spread to at least 3 other continents since 2008. Initial reports of the fly in new regions often are associated with damage in agriculture fields, but the fly may be present in the landscape for years before populations reach a level at which they become a pest in fruit production. In 2012, spotted wing drosophila was reported in blueberry fields in eastern Tennessee, USA, for the first time. In order to determine whether the fly was established in middle Tennessee, we conducted landscape surveys over 2 yr in the middle of the state's ornamental nursery industry where many fruit and ornamental hosts of the fly are grown. Red and yellow colored traps baited with yeast solution were placed in 17 locations of the 5-county nursery production region of middle Tennessee. Traps were monitored weekly for 8 wk in 2013 and 9 wk in 2014. Flies were caught at all 17 locations in 2013 and 16 of 17 locations in 2014. First activity was delayed 3 wk and total captures were 77% lower in 2014 relative to the previous year, likely due to high mortality of overwintering flies resulting from unusually cold winter temperatures in the region. No statistical differences were detected between trap colors in the landscape or between total captures of each sex, despite a trend for more female than male captures by the end of the season. Beginning Feb 2014, we also sampled weekly from a single yellow monitoring trap suspended within a plot of mixed-species dogwood trees (Cornus spp.; Caryophyllales: Cornaceae) for nearly 1 yr. Adult D. suzukii consistently were caught from late Jul until mid-Dec when the first frost occurred. Our surveys confirm that spotted wing drosophila is well established in the middle Tennessee nursery production region, despite no concurrent reports of damage by local small-fruit producers in the region.
True digestible phosphorus requirement for forty- to eighty-kilogram pigs

The objective of this study was to determine the true digestible P requirement of 40- to 60-kg (Exp. 1) and 60- to 80-kg (Exp. 2) pigs by broken-line analysis of growth performance data using 6 levels of true digestible P. In each 3-wk experiment, 108 barrows and gilts were used, and 6 levels of monocalcium phosphate were added to a corn-soybean meal-based diet to establish 6 graded levels of true total tract digestible P ranging from 1.26 to 3.98 g/kg of diet in Exp. 1 or from 1.21 to 3.31 g/kg in Exp. 2. The true digestible P content was calculated using true total tract digestibility of 40.53%, 35.96%, and 84.31% for P in corn, soybean meal, and monocalcium phosphate, respectively. Limestone was added accordingly to maintain a constant Ca level across all diets of each experiment. The results of Exp. 1 showed that with graded supplementation of monocalcium phosphate, ADG linearly increased ( < 0.001) in wk 1 and both linearly and quadratically increased ( < 0.01) in wk 2, wk 3, and wk 0 to 3, and G:F linearly improved ( < 0.001) in wk 1, quadratically improved ( < 0.05) in wk 3, and both linearly and quadratically improved ( < 0.05) in wk 2 and wk 0 to 3 ( < 0.05). In Exp. 2, ADG linearly increased ( < 0.001) in wk 1 and both linearly and quadratically increased ( < 0.05) in wk 2, wk 3, and wk 0 to 3, with the graded supplementation of monocalcium phosphate, and G:F linearly improved ( < 0.01) in wk 1 and wk 3 and both linearly and quadratically improved ( < 0.001) in wk 2 and wk 0 to 3. In Exp. 1, the true digestible P requirement was estimated to be 2.66, 2.79, and 2.51 g/kg of diet (884 g DM/kg) for pigs of mixed sex, barrows, and gilts, respectively, on the basis of broken-line regression of ADG data for wk 0 to 3 against 6 true digestible P levels. Using G:F, the P requirement estimate was correspondingly 2.67, 2.51, and 2.93 g/kg of diet. In Exp. 2, the true digestible P requirement was estimated to be 2.29, 2.20, and 2.39 g/kg of diet (884 g DM/kg) using ADG data for wk 0 to 3 as the response variable and to be 2.33, 2.19, and 2.47 g/kg using wk 0 to 3 G:F data for pigs of mixed sex, barrows, and gilts, respectively. In conclusion, the mean TTTD-based P requirement was 2.66 and 2.31 g/kg of diet (884 g DM/kg) for 40- to 60-kg and 60- to 80-kg pigs, respectively.
Keloid formation from levonorgestrel implant (Norplant system) insertion

A resident at the Family Practice Clinic of the University of California Davis inserted a levonorgestrel implant (Norplant system) into a 25-year-old African-American women as she requested. The resident used the 7-step method recommended by the manufacturer to insert the implant. The woman went to the emergency department 24 hours after the insertion because the insertion site had diffuse redness swelling and blistering. Physicians prescribed 500 mg dicloxacillin every 6 hours for 10 days to treat suspected cellulitis. She returned to the clinic 1 week later at which time the redness and blisters had disappeared. No drainage fluctuance or tenderness remained at the insertion site which was clean. At her 3 month follow-up appointment the insertion site itched constantly. The physician noted a fan-shaped area of hyperpigmentation at the insertion site. The physician prescribed 0.1% triamcinolone cream and told her to return for follow-up care. She returned in 3 months with complaints of itching and pain at the site. The physician noticed a fan-shaped keloid over the implant site and at the wound site. The patient asked for the implants to be removed. The physician did not encounter any difficulties in removing the 6 capsules and injected aqueous triamcinolone acetate into the keloid. Her mother had also experienced keloid formation. Resolution of the keloid at the implant site was noted at her 6-month follow-up visit. Based on a review of the literature the cause of blister formation and subsequent keloid formation was likely multifactorial. The risk for keloid formation is highest in people with deeper skin pigmentation regardless of race a family history of keloid own history of keloid and ethnic background. Patients should be counseled about the possibility of skin reactions such as keloid to implants.
Long-pulse coherent waveforms from a fiber laser

We have found that the combination of fiber laser media with gratings and passive mode-locking reflectors yields an excellent source of long-pulse (0.5-2 ns), relatively-low-PRF (<50 Hz] coherent wavereforms.
Response—Ecosystem Services: Free Lunch No More

We agree with Corbera and Pascual that payments for ecosystem services (PES) should be deployed only if they improve overall human wellbeing. We also agree that the credibility and acceptability of PES schemes likely require that participants view both the process and the outcomes as fair. We do not
HREM In-Situ Studies of Electron Irradiation Effects in Oxides

High resolution electron microscope (HREM) studies provide the ability to study desorption and sputtering from the perspective of the analysis of the resultant materials, their structure, composition and atomic registry (orientation with respect to the original,material and the irradiation). This is a neglected facet of surface irradiation effects research, yet it is the most important from the technological point of view. In the current study, surface electron irradiation processes in oxides were studied in-situ in a Hitachi H-9000 HREM operated at incident electron energies of 100–300 keV. It was found that a wide range of processes occur in the HREM which are dependent on the energy and flux of the incident electrons and on the material properties. Both ballistic and electronic irradiation damage was observed and the material responses included surface sputtering, amorphisation, chemical disordering, desorption of O and metal surface layer creation, surface roughening and bulk defect creation.
Detecting malicious facebook applications

With 20 million installs a day [1], third-party apps are a major reason for the popularity and addictiveness of Facebook. Unfortunately, hackers have realized the potential of using apps for spreading malware and spam. The problem is already significant, as we find that at least 13% of apps in our dataset are malicious. So far, the research community has focused on detecting malicious posts and campaigns. In this paper, we ask the question: Given a Facebook application, can we determine if it is malicious? Our key contribution is in developing FRAppE---Facebook's Rigorous Application Evaluator---arguably the first tool focused on detecting malicious apps on Facebook. To develop FRAppE, we use information gathered by observing the posting behavior of 111K Facebook apps seen across 2.2 million users on Facebook. First, we identify a set of features that help us distinguish malicious apps from benign ones. For example, we find that malicious apps often share names with other apps, and they typically request fewer permissions than benign apps. Second, leveraging these distinguishing features, we show that FRAppE can detect malicious apps with 99.5% accuracy, with no false positives and a high true positive rate (95.9%). Finally, we explore the ecosystem of malicious Facebook apps and identify mechanisms that these apps use to propagate. Interestingly, we find that many apps collude and support each other; in our dataset, we find 1584 apps enabling the viral propagation of 3723 other apps through their posts. Long term, we see FRAppE as a step toward creating an independent watchdog for app assessment and ranking, so as to warn Facebook users before installing apps.
World Models: The Bases of Difference

Differences in global or world models, including dramatic variation in forecasts they produce, have drawn considerable attention. Most analyses in search of the bases for differences focus on general structural characteristics of the models. This article seeks the bases at three interrelated levels: general world view, specific theoretical and structural components, and data and parameter choices. After analysis of various models in these terms, the article describes a world model with sufficient structural and data/parameter flexibility that characteristics of other models can be introduced. Doing so produces behavior which emulates the other models and thereby supports the identification of the characteristics key to behavioral differences.
How to tune in to talent

What can we do as individuals to make physics a more inclusive environment? Jenni Dyer shares her top five tips.
Brief Probe into the Implementary Way to Maintain the University's Stability by Relying on the Superiority of Party Construction

It is an important political task for Party Committee to safeguard the stability of the university, so it's necessary to rely on the superiority of Party construction to construct the complete restraint mechanisms, the preventive system and the unified network for maintaining the university's stability,by giving play effectively to the leading group, the leading cadre, the primary Party organizations and the Party members, so as to establish the solid foundation for building the harmonious campus.
Reconstitution of abnormalities in the malignant hyperthermia-susceptible pig ryanodine receptor

Malignant hyperthermia-susceptible (MHS) pigs homozygous for the Cys615 ryanodine receptor allele demonstrate altered sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) ryanodine binding and Ca2+ release channel regulatory properties when compared with normal pigs homozygous for the Arg615 allele. While solubilized in 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate, the purified MHS and normal ryanodine receptors had a similar dissociation constant (Kd) for ryanodine, maximum binding, and Ca2+ concentration for half-maximal stimulation and inhibition of ryanodine binding (Ca2+(0.5)); however, after reconstitution into proteoliposomes, the purified MHS and normal receptors had Kd values for ryanodine of 75 and 150 nM, respectively, which were significantly different. The purified MHS and normal porcine ryanodine receptors also had similar single-channel Cs+ conductance, optimal cis-Ca2+ for channel opening, and cis-Ca2+(0.5) for channel activation. Significantly, at inactivating levels of cis-Ca2+ (> 0.1 mM), MHS channels had a greater open probability, a higher cis-Ca2+(0.5) for inhibition of channel opening (250 vs. 75 microM for MHS and normal, respectively), longer mean open times, and shorter mean closed times than did normal channels. We conclude that the mutation at residue 615 causes a detectable alteration in ryanodine receptor/Ca2+ channel activity and thus may represent the primary defect responsible for the altered SR Ca2+ regulation characteristic of MHS porcine muscle.
Unwidowing: Rachel Jeantel, Black Death, and the “Problem” of Black Intimacy

AbstractThis article focuses on Rachel Jeantel’s testimony during the highly publicized George Zimmerman trial. Zimmerman was prosecuted on charges of second-degree murder in the death of Trayvon Martin, of which he was acquitted in July 2013. I treat Jeantel’s testimony as an act of what Sharon Holland terms “raising the dead” and as a form of black intimacy. In naming Jeantel’s testimony a practice of black intimacy, I am highlighting the ways in which it has become ordinary for black women—as wives, lovers, daughters, and mothers—to become mediums through which slain black men are allowed to speak, mediums who make visible black male pain, suffering, and disposability. I am also underscoring the ways that black intimacies are enacted, enjoyed, and staged in the face of black perishment in an ongoing moment where black bodies are relegated to what Holland calls the “space of death,” whether that space is the material death of bodies like Martin’s, what Lisa Cacho calls the “social death” of persistent d...
A shape constrained estimator of bidding function of first-price sealed-bid auctions

This paper is concerned with economic analysis of first-price sealed-bid auctions with risk averse bidders. The identification is based on exogenous variations in the number of bidders across auctions. We present a shape constrained estimator of the bidding function, which satisfies the theoretical properties of passing through origin, positivity and monotonicity. The underlying utility function and bidder value distribution are readily obtained from the estimated bidding function. Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate good performance of the proposed estimator.
Methodological Issues in Paleoethnobotany: A consideration of Issues, Methods, and Cases

This chapter summarizes the current perspectives on paleoethnobotany, and the methods and techniques involved in the analysis of archaeological plant remains. The topic is not new, and for nearly three quarters of a century, paleoethnobotanists have not only contributed substantially to a broad range of archaeological questions, but have also complied detailed guides and summaries of state-of-the-art recovery techniques and laboratory analyses. What is new are the more careful and explicit treatments of the processes that have led to the formation of the paleoethnobotanical record. These processes – or what can be thought of as additional variables – are the subject of field tests and laboratory experiments that have been conducted around the world. Because understanding these processes can contribute to the advancement of paleoethnobotany and are essential to attempts at integrating information derived from plant and animal assemblages, they drive much of the discussions in the pages that come up later (for similar treatment of zooarchaeological remains, see Peres, chapter “Methodological Issues in Zooarchaeology,” this volume).
Cubozoan Sting-Site Seawater Rinse, Scraping, and Ice Can Increase Venom Load: Upending Current First Aid Recommendations.

Cnidarian envenomations are the leading cause of severe and lethal human sting injuries from marine life. The total amount of venom discharged into sting-site tissues, sometimes referred to as “venom load”, has been previously shown to correlate with tentacle contact length and sequelae severity. Since <1% of cnidae discharge upon initial tentacle contact, effective and safe removal of adherent tentacles is of paramount importance in the management of life-threatening cubozoan stings. We evaluated whether common rinse solutions or scraping increased venom load as measured in a direct functional assay of venom activity (hemolysis). Scraping significantly increased hemolysis by increasing cnidae discharge. For Alatina alata, increases did not occur if the tentacles were first doused with vinegar or if heat was applied. However, in Chironex fleckeri, vinegar dousing and heat treatment were less effective, and the best outcomes occurred with the use of venom-inhibiting technologies (Sting No More® products). Seawater rinsing, considered a “no-harm” alternative, significantly increased venom load. The application of ice severely exacerbated A. alata stings, but had a less pronounced effect on C. fleckeri stings, while heat application markedly reduced hemolysis for both species. Our results do not support scraping or seawater rinsing to remove adherent tentacles.
The Art of Retreat: Salmagundi’s Elbow-Chair Domesticity

Laurel V. Hankins, “The Art of Retreat: Salmagundi ’s Elbow-Chair Domesticity” (pp. 431–456) James Kirke Paulding and William and Washington Irving’s literary periodical Salmagundi; or, the Whim-Whams and Opinions of Launcelot Langstaff, Esq. and Others (1807) has been incorporated into accounts of Washington Irving’s protoromanticism that define American romanticism through an oppositional relationship between the aesthetic retreat of the artist and the consensus-driven consumerism of a feminized reading public. This essay argues that through the self-conscious assumption of bachelor pseudonyms, the Salmagundi editors’ aggressively masculine domestic retreat can be read as a reaction to the insufficiently reductive categories of a literary culture increasingly organized by gender difference. Even as the Salmagundi bachelor-editors mock the performative virtue of feminine domesticity, their own humorous social critique works to reestablish the possibility of making reform feel in tune with natural impulses. The bachelors locate the source of their imaginative whimsy within the domestic sphere’s supposed transcendence of social artifice and market pressures, but they also claim authorship by distinguishing their imaginative output from the termagant’s domestic labor. Because the editors’ reformative project depends on readers recognizing the alienated bachelor as a humorous literary type, the hostile relationship to its readers that has earned Salmagundi a place in narratives of Irving’s protoromanticism actually signals a collaborative relationship with readers who are repeatedly forced to acknowledge the editors’ authorial design.
Diffusion-weighted imaging of hyperpolarized [13 C]urea in mouse liver.

PURPOSE To compare the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of hyperpolarized (HP) [13 C,15 N]urea to the ADC of endogenous water in healthy and fibrotic mouse liver. MATERIALS AND METHODS ADC measurements for water and [13 C]urea were made in agarose phantoms at 14.1T. Next, the ADC of water and injected HP [13 C,15 N]urea were measured in eight CD1 mouse livers before and after induction of liver fibrosis using CCl4 . Liver fibrosis was quantified pathologically using the modified Brunt fibrosis score and compared to the measured ADC of water and urea. RESULTS In cell-free phantoms with 12.5% agarose, water ADC was nearly twice the ADC of urea (1.93 × 10-3 mm2 /s vs. 1.00 × 10-3 mm2 /s). The mean ADC values of water and [13 C,15 N]urea in healthy mouse liver (±SD) were nearly identical [(0.75 ± 0.11) × 10-3 mm2 /s and (0.75 ± 0.22) × 10-3 mm2 /s, respectively]. Mean water and [13 C,15 N]urea ADC values in fibrotic liver (±SD) were (0.84 ± 0.22) × 10-3 mm2 /s and (0.75 ± 0.15) × 10-3 mm2 /s, respectively. Neither water nor urea ADCs were statistically different in the fibrotic livers compared to baseline (P = 0.14 and P = 0.99, respectively). Water and urea ADCs were positively correlated at baseline (R2 = 0.52 and P = 0.045) but not in fibrotic livers (R2 = 0.23 and P = 0.23). CONCLUSION ADC of injected hyperpolarized urea in healthy liver reflects a smaller change as compared to free solution than ADC of water. This may reflect differences in cellular compartmentalization of the two compounds. No significant change in ADC of either water or urea were observed in relatively mild stages of liver fibrosis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 1 Technical Efficacy: Stage 1 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;47:141-151.
Exploration of Viability of Spark Plasma Sintering for Commercial Fabrication of Nuclear Fuel Pellets

The viability of spark plasma sintering (SPS) for fabrication of industrial-grade nuclear fuel pellets is explored by utilizing die designs for single- and multiple-pellet manufacturing. Traditiona...
The Practical Exposome: Education at the University and Community Level

The ultimate scientific composition of the exposome will surely be complicated and cumbersome. However, as a scientific and intellectual concept the exposome has many immediate practical implications. The exposome serves as a unifying mental framework to understand and synthesize the complex exposures we face as humans. Even without the scientific entity being defined, the concept is workable now. It provides excellent opportunities for scientists and practical solutions for the general public. The exposome is a holistic mental model that helps us bring clarity to the complex influences that contribute to the nurture side of our biology.
Know Thy Enemy: A Review and Agenda for Research on Competitor Identification:

Competitor identification, a core element of competitive dynamics, has been of long-standing interest to researchers in management and related disciplines. This broad interest has resulted in vario...
Signal Transduction Pathways in BCR-ABL Transformed Cells

The Bcr-Abl oncoprotein affects and perturbs several signal transduction pathways within the leukemic cell. Based on mouse leukemia model studies, the Ras pathway is critically required for the onset of leukemia in these mice. The IL-3/GM-CSF- receptor pathways are also critically involved. Stimulation of secretion of these cytokines provide an autocrine growth mechanism. However in parallel, independent activation of both the Jak2 and Stat5 pathways are also involved, although critical experiments in mouse models are needed to verify their importance to the leukemia syndrome. Other interesting alterations of signaling proteins also take place in Bcr-Abl positive leukemia cells. For example, reducing the activity of p53 occurs by a unique translational control mechanism that increases the synthesis of Mdm2, a negative regulator of p53 [40]. Another translational control affect is also mediated by Bcr-Abl. Thus, Bcr-Abl blocks expression of the transcription factor C/EBPα [41], which is required for initiating myeloid differentiation toward granulocytes. Bcr-Abl expression also increases the efficiency of DNA repair mechanisms [43], prolongs the cell cycle by blocking cells at the G2/M phase checkpoint, and stimulates the production of proapoptotic factors of the Bcl-2 family members, thereby providing an environment for drug/radiation resistance. In addition, the Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase in aptly suited to functionally reduce its cellular inhibitor, Bcr, by a process of tyrosine phosphorylation [24,25]. Thus, the oncogenic effects of the Bcr-Abl oncoprotein can be strongly inhibited by modest over-expression of a cDNA of Bcr, either first exon sequences or the full length BCR sequence. Because of these findings discussed above, further investigations are warranted to develop new treatment strategies to enhance the effects of Gleevec with Bcr and other gene products for the therapy of CML [71].
Radioiodine Dosimetry with Recombinant Human Thyrotropin

Although radioactive iodine (RAI) has been an essential tool in the management of thyroid cancer for more than 60 years, there continues to be a lack of scientific rigor regarding the optimal choice of administered activity for individual patients. Often, activities of 30–75 mCi are administered for RAI remnant ablation, 100–150 mCi for adjuvant therapy in patients at significant risk of having microscopic residual disease, while activities ranging from 150 to 250 mCi are usually reserved for treatment of known metastatic disease. In most cases, the activity selected is based on an empiric regimen without knowledge of the rate of RAI clearance or specific lesional dosimetry for that individual patient.
Differentially Private Learning with Kernels

In this paper, we consider the problem of differentially private learning where access to the training features is through a kernel function only. As mentioned in Chaudhuri et al. (2011), the problem seems to be intractable for general kernel functions in the standard learning model of releasing different private predictor. We study this problem in three simpler but practical settings. We first study an interactive model where the user sends its test points to a trusted learner (like search engines) and expects accurate but differentially private predictions. In the second model, the learner has access to a subset of the unlabeled test set using which it releases a predictor, which preserves privacy of the training data. (NIH, 2003) is an example of such publicly available test set. Our third model is similar to the traditional model, where learner is oblivious to the test set but the kernels are restricted to functions over vector spaces. For each of the models, we derive differentially private learning algorithms with provable "utility" or error bounds. Moreover, we show that our methods can also be applied to the traditional model where they demonstrate better dimensionality dependence when compared to the methods of (Rubinstein et al., 2009; Chaudhuri et al., 2011). Finally, we provide experimental validation of our methods.
Energy-aware hardware implementation of network coding

In the last few years, Network Coding (NC) has been shown to provide several advantages, both in theory and in practice. However, its applicability to battery-operated systems under strict power constraints has not been proven yet, since most implementations are based on high-end CPUs and GPUs. This work represents the first effort to bridge NC theory with real-world, low-power applications. In this paper, we provide a detailed analysis on the energy consumption of NC, based on VLSI design measurements, and an approach for specifying optimal algorithmic parameters, such as field size, minimizing the required energy for both transmission and coding of data. Our custom, energy-aware NC accelerator proves the feasibility of incorporating NC into modern, lowpower systems; the proposed architecture achieves a coding throughput of 80MB/s (60MB/s), while consuming 22uW (12.5mW) for the encoding (decoding) process.
Crystal structures of two 1,3-thia­zolidin-4-one derivatives featuring sulfide and sulfone functional groups

The crystal structures of two closely related compounds, 1-cyclo­hexyl-2-(2-nitro­phen­yl)-1,3-thia­zolidin-4-one, C15H18N2O3S, (1) and 1-cyclo­hexyl-2-(2-nitro­phen­yl)-1,3-thia­zolidin-4-one 1,1-dioxide, C15H18N2O5S, (2), are presented. These compounds are comprised of three types of rings: thia­zolidinone, nitrophenyl and cyclo­hexyl. In both structures, the rings are close to mutually perpendicular, with inter­planar dihedral angles greater than 80° in each case. The thia­zol­idinone rings in both structures exhibit envelope puckering with the S atom as flap and the cyclo­hexyl rings are in their expected chair conformations. The two structures superpose fairly well, except for the orientation of the nitro groups with respect to their host phenyl ring, with a difference of about 10° between 1 and 2. The extended structure of 1 has two kinds of weak C—H⋯O inter­actions, giving rise to a closed ring formation involving three symmetry-related mol­ecules. Structure 2 has four C—H⋯O inter­actions, two of which are exclusively between symmetry-related thia­zolidinone dioxide moieties and have a parallel `give-and-take-fashion' counterpart. In the other two inter­actions, the nitrophenyl ring and the cyclo­hexane ring each offer an H atom to the two O atoms on the sulfone group. Additionally, a C—H⋯π inter­action between a C—H group of the cyclo­hexane ring and the nitrophenyl ring of an adjacent mol­ecule helps to consolidate the structure.
Opposition Boycotts in Algeria

This chapter examines the strategic choices of the Socialist Forces Front (FFS) across two legislative elections (2002 and 2007) and two presidential elections (1999 and 2004) in Algeria. The author shows that although the party had concerns about the freeness and fairness of the electoral process, it was ultimately driven to boycott by its perceptions about regime strength, beliefs which were informed by the social, political, and economic conditions surrounding each election. In this chapter, Buttorff also considers a second political party, the Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD), since the FFS and RCD adopted the same strategies in 1999 and 2002, but different strategies in the latter two elections. The discussion focuses in particular on how to explain the divergence in boycotting strategies of two parties facing the same electoral conditions and broader socioeconomic context. She concludes with a discussion of key issues raised by the Algerian case about the study of opposition politics in authoritarian regimes.
Towards Robustness: Machine Learning for MmWave V2X with Situational Awareness

High mobility poses challenges to millimeter wave (mmWave) vehicular beam tracking. In this paper, we propose to recommend a set of candidate beam pairs using machine learning classification and ranking, based on the target vehicle’s situational awareness. We observe that the optimal beam directions can be captured by the location of the receiver and the sizes and locations of the neighboring vehicles. This information is a natural part of the situational awareness exploited by connected and automated vehicles. The infrastructure conducts the beam search within the recommended beam set with the receiver. To further reduce overhead, we leverage a new beam search mechanism, where the search can automatically terminate when the current beam measurement exceeds a specific target power. We set the target power as the predicted average power of the top two beams. The numerical results show that the beam search overhead can be reduced by 70% when seven beams are recommended, at a comparable beam alignment probability.
China versus the United States: IMS Meets IPS

Currently both the International Monetary System (IMS) and the International Price Systems (IPS) are dominated by the United States. The emergence of China, both as reserve currency and as a currency of invoicing, is likely to disrupt this status quo. We provide a framework to understand the forces that will shape this transition and identify sources of instability. We highlight the risk of an abrupt shift triggered by a run on the dollar.
History of Schizophrenia Care

A look back at our discipline’s history is needed to understand our current institutions and systems of care since they were not created de novo but represent the product of many decisions that we collectively made in very particular historical contexts. I am going to emphasize the asylum era, the community psychiatry movement, the group of antipsychiatrists, and the disgraceful role that psychiatry played in Nazi Germany. A historical perspective will allow us to set priorities for a redesign of mental health that provides equitable and high-quality care. Professionalism demands our active engagement in advocating for humane care for all people with serious mental illness.
PERCEPTIONS SURROUNDING THE REALITY FOR WOMEN IN POVERTY IN SAUDI ARABIA: AN EXHAUSTIVE DESCRIPTION OF POOR WOMEN’S EXPERIENCES IN SAUDI ARABIA

This research analyzes perceptions surrounding the social reality for women in poverty in Saudi Arabia (K.S.A.) to assist policy-makers in the creation of programs better able to help women in poverty. This study may be considered the first of its kind that includes Saudi women and foreign-born females in the K.S.A. In this study, poor women in Saudi Arabia were examined using the phenomenological approach. Using open-ended questions, in-depth one-onone interviews with the participants were conducted. The findings indicate that the reasons behind their situations include the following key points: (1) dependency on women’s traditional roles, (2) poverty relating to more structural attributes than individual factors, (3) less decision-making power, (4) intersection of gender, citizenship, and tribe status, including occupational status, stateless or non-tribes, education, and age, where older and less educated women experienced more poverty, and (5) financial assistance from SSD and other charities that is not sufficient to leave poverty.
BRCA Mutation Association with Recurrence Score and Discordance in a Large Oncotype Database.

BACKGROUND The Oncotype DX Breast Cancer Assay is a 21-gene assay used to predict the likelihood of distant recurrence and the benefit of chemotherapy in patients with node-negative, tamoxifen-treated breast cancer. Prior studies demonstrated 7-19% discordance, or a difference between the recurrence score (RS) and tumor grade (TG) in breast cancer patients. BRCA mutated tumors (BRCA+) have been shown to be associated with higher RS as compared to BRCA-negative patients (BRCA-). OBJECTIVES We developed a large Oncotype RS database to determine if the BRCA mutation status is associated with discordance. METHODS We identified 723 patients (32 [4%] mutation-positive and 691 [96%] mutation-negative patients) with early-stage, hormone-positive breast cancer treated between 2006 and 2018, with tumor characteristics available for analysis. Discordance was defined as one- or two-step difference between RS (low, intermediate, high risk) and TG (well [WD], moderately [MD], and poorly [PD] differentiated). Mutation positive was defined as BRCA1 deleterious mutation, BRCA2 deleterious mutation, BRCA mutation of unknown type, BRCA variant of undetermined significance (VUS) or other mutation (classified as other VUS). Number (%) or median were used to describe patient characteristics between groups and were compared by the Kruskal-Wallis test at a significance level of 5%. RESULTS Among these patients, there were 32 (4% of total) who were identified as mutation-positive. Of those patients, 16% had a documented deleterious mutation in BRCA1, 22% in BRCA2, 6% had a BRCA mutation of unknown type (either 1 or 2), 25% were BRCA VUS, and 31% other VUS (most commonly CHEK2 and ATM). The median RS was 23.5 in patients with deleterious BRCA mutations (1, 2 or unknown) versus 16 in patients in the BRCA-negative database, which was statistically significant (p < 0.01). One- and two-step discordance was present in 46 and 8%, respectively, of patients with deleterious BRCA mutations versus 53 and 11%, respectively, in the BRCA-negative database. CONCLUSIONS Patients with deleterious BRCA mutations demonstrated no difference in rates of discordance as compared to BRCA-negative patients. We further demonstrated that patients with BRCA-positive tumors display higher RS than patients with BRCA-negative tumors.
Recognizing Laboratory Medicine's Collaborative Role in Identifying and Eliminating Health Disparities.

Background A health disparity is a health outcome that presents in a lesser or greater extent between populations. Health disparities in diseases are products of complex interactions between social, economic, and to a lesser extent, biological factors and can be mediated by structural racism and discriminatory policies. The objective of this review is to understand how both laboratorians and nonlaboratorians think about the relationship between laboratory medicine and health disparities and to highlight ways in which laboratory medicine can play a role in eliminating health disparities. Content We developed an electronic survey from which we selected the top responses reported by the 215 participants to frame a discussion around why laboratorians perceive health disparities exists, and how they can reduce health disparities. Summary We found that both laboratorians and nonlaboratorians feel that laboratory medicine can and should play a role in reducing health disparities using many tools already in use in the clinical laboratory. The skills of laboratory workers in data generation, the establishment of reference ranges, control over the presentation of laboratory results, generation of test menus, and the development of novel diagnostics may impact health disparities. Laboratorians' responses in our survey indicated that they felt that they could reduce health disparities by using laboratory data to proactively track in cooperation with healthcare providers individuals with chronic conditions to prevent acute events, ensuring gender and ethnic diversity in new clinical trials, including appropriate curriculum in laboratory medicine training, using equations and reference intervals based on physiological differences and participating in unconscious bias training.