cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intraoperative Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy of Thoracic Lesions

Forty-one intraoperative fine needle aspiration biopsies were performed on 35 patients during exploratory thoracotomy (33 patients) or mediastinoscopy (2 patients). Each biopsy was done with a 22 gauge needle. Smears were prepared at the operating table, air-dried, sent directly to the laboratory, stained, and interpreted immediately by the pathologist. Preparation and reporting time averaged ten minutes. Surgical decisions were made on the basis of the pathologist's reports. Intraoperative fine needle aspiration biopsy was 100% accurate in differentiating inflammatory from neoplastic lesions. Ninety-five percent diagnostic accuracy for malignancy (39 out of 41 specimens) was obtained. It permitted quick biopsy of lesions deep within the lung parenchyma without the need to cut across uninvolved tissue, thus permitting appropriate resection in each patient. There were no deaths related to the procedure.
Symbolic modeling of signal transduction in pathway logic

Pathway Logic is a step towards a vision of symbolic systems biology. It is an approach to modeling cellular processes based on formal methods. In particular, formal executable models of processes such as signal transduction, metabolic pathways, and immune system cell-cell signaling are developed using the rewriting logic language Maude and a variety of formal tools are used to query these models. An important objective of Pathway Logic is to reflect the ways that biologists think about problems using informal models, and to provide bench biologists with tools for computing with and analyzing these models that are natural. In this paper we describe the Pathway Logic approach to the modeling and analysis of signal transduction, and the use of the Pathway Logic Assistant tool to browse and query these models. The Rac1 signaling pathway is used to illustrate the concepts.
THYROID IN THE TREATMENT OF MENSTRUAL IRREGULARITIES

DURING THE PAST few years we have been impressed by the efficacy of thyroid medication in the treatment of menstrual irregularities. Because our series of cases has shown results similar to those reported by clinicians working elsewhere, it has seemed worth while to summarise our data and present it in confirmation of material published previously (2, 3). Fifty cases treated with thyroid have been observed for a period of from one to four years. These patients have been seen at least twice a month. Their ages have ranged from 16 to 34, although 41 of the series have been under 22 years of age. All have had complete physical examinations, pelvic studies, and repeated basal metabolic determinations. With a few exceptions, which will be discussed later, only those who showed no pathology in the pelvis have been treated with thyroid.
Development and psychometric validation of a Domestic Violence Coping Self-Efficacy Measure (DV-CSE)

Psychometric properties of a Domestic Violence Coping Self-Efficacy Measure were examined. Two-hundred eighty three women assaulted within the past 6 months were recruited. Internal reliability of the measure was very good (alpha = .97). Principle components factor analysis indicated one primary factor accounting for 56% of the variance. The measure was positively associated with optimism, adaptive coping, and healthy psychological functioning, and negatively associated with trauma-related distress, negative mood, and maladaptive coping. A small positive association with social desirability was found. This measure may have significant clinical utility in helping survivors by indicating areas where individuals feel especially vulnerable or empowered.
Robert Service, Comrades: A History of World Communism

Robert Service, Comrades: A History of World Communism (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2010). Pp.592. $19.95. Pb. ISBN 978-0674046993. Robert Service's Comrades is a thorough yet concise ...
The Effect of Diethylstilbestrol Implantation in Eight-Week Pullets on Their Reproductive Ability

Abstract THE use of diethylstilbestrol implantation as a fattening agent for chickens is a widespread and accepted practice. Meat birds, both pullets and cockerels, are implanted at about eight weeks of age with a pellet containing diethylstilbestrol and marketed as hormonized chickens four to six weeks later. Some of these hormonized pullets have found their way into the laying house and breeding pens. The question has arisen as to the damage which might have resulted from the hormone treatment. Akpinar and Shaffner (1953) found that implanting a pellet containing 15 mg. of diethylstilbestrol into 9-week old pullets reduced the number of eggs produced by these pullets, reduced the egg weight and decreased the specific gravity of the eggs produced. They found no effect on mature body size nor the days to sexual maturity. Fraps, Sohn and Olsen (1956) studying some effects of 1, 2, 4 or 8 implants of diethylstilbestrol into …
Effect of Electromagnetic Ruler Braking (EMBr) on Transient Turbulent Flow in Continuous Slab Casting using Large Eddy Simulations

Static electromagnetic braking (EMBr) fields affect greatly the turbulent flow pattern in steel continuous casting, which leads to potential benefits such as decreasing flow instability, surface defects, and inclusion entrapment if applied correctly. To gain a fundamental understanding of how EMBr affects transient turbulent flow, the current work applies large eddy simulations (LES) to investigate the effect of three EMBr ruler brake configurations on transient turbulent flow through the bifurcated nozzle and mold of a liquid-metal GaInSn model of a typical steel slab-casting process, but with deep nozzle submergence and insulated walls with no solidifying shell. The LES calculations are performed using an in-house graphic-processing-unit-based computational-fluid-dynamics code (LES-CU-FLOW) on a mesh of ~7 million brick cells. The LES model is validated first via ultrasonic velocimetry measurements in this system. It is then applied to quantify the mean and instantaneous flow structures, Reynolds stresses, turbulent kinetic energy and its budgets, and proper orthogonal modes of four cases. Positioning the strongest part of the ruler magnetic field over the nozzle bottom suppresses turbulence in this region, thus reducing nozzle well swirl and its alternation. This process leads to strong and focused jets entering the mold cavity making large-scale and low-frequency (<0.02 Hz) flow variations in the mold with detrimental surface velocity variations. Lowering the ruler below nozzle deflects the jets upward, leading to faster surface velocities than the other cases. The double-ruler and no-EMBr cases have the most stable flow. The magnetic field generates large-scale vortical structures tending toward two-dimensional (2-D) turbulence. To avoid detrimental large-scale, low-frequency flow variations, it is recommended to avoid strong magnetic fields across the nozzle well and port regions.
Reconstruction of the Immune System After Unrelated or Partially Matched T-Cell-Depleted Bone Marrow Transplantation in Children: Immunophenotypic Analysis and Factors Affecting the Speed of Recovery

We prospectively studied immune reconstitution in 102 children who underwent T-lymphocyte depleted bone marrow transplants using either closely matched unrelated donors or partially matched familial donors by assaying total lymphocyte counts (TLC), T-cell subsets, B cells, and natural killer cells. TLC, CD3+, and CD4+ T-cell counts remained depressed until 2 to 3 years posttransplant, whereas CD8+ T-cell counts normalized by 18 months, resulting in an inverted CD4:CD8 ratio until 12 months posttransplant. Although the percentage of NK cells was elevated early posttransplant, their absolute numbers remained normal. CD20+ B cells were depressed until 12 to 18 months posttransplant. Factors affecting immunophenotypic recovery were analyzed by nonparametric statistics. Younger patients tended to have higher TLC posttransplant. Higher marrow cell doses were not associated with hastened immunophenotypic recovery. Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and/or its treatment significantly delayed the immune reconstitution of CD3+, CD4+, and CD20+ cells. The presence of cytomegalovirus was associated with increased CD8+ counts and a decrease in the percentages of CD4+ and CD20+ cells.
Crowdsourcing High Quality Labels with a Tight Budget

In the past decade, commercial crowdsourcing platforms have revolutionized the ways of classifying and annotating data, especially for large datasets. Obtaining labels for a single instance can be inexpensive, but for large datasets, it is important to allocate budgets wisely. With limited budgets, requesters must trade-off between the quantity of labeled instances and the quality of the final results. Existing budget allocation methods can achieve good quantity but cannot guarantee high quality of individual instances under a tight budget. However, in some scenarios, requesters may be willing to label fewer instances but of higher quality. Moreover, they may have different requirements on quality for different tasks. To address these challenges, we propose a flexible budget allocation framework called Requallo. Requallo allows requesters to set their specific requirements on the labeling quality and maximizes the number of labeled instances that achieve the quality requirement under a tight budget. The budget allocation problem is modeled as a Markov decision process and a sequential labeling policy is produced. The proposed policy greedily searches for the instance to query next as the one that can provide the maximum reward for the goal. The Requallo framework is further extended to consider worker reliability so that the budget can be better allocated. Experiments on two real-world crowdsourcing tasks as well as a simulated task demonstrate that when the budget is tight, the proposed Requallo framework outperforms existing state-of-the-art budget allocation methods from both quantity and quality aspects.
Quantification of Flavin-containing Monooxygenases 1, 3 and 5 in Human Liver Microsomes by UPLC-MRM-based Targeted Quantitative Proteomics and Its Application to the Study of Ontogeny

Flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMOs) have a significant role in the metabolism of small molecule pharmaceuticals. Among the five human FMOs, FMO1, FMO3, and FMO5 are the most relevant to hepatic drug metabolism. Although age-dependent hepatic protein expression, based on immunoquantification, has been reported previously for FMO1 and FMO3, there is very little information on hepatic FMO5 protein expression. To overcome the limitations of immunoquantification, an ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC)-multiple reaction monitoring (MRM)-based targeted quantitative proteomic method was developed and optimized for the quantification of FMO1, FMO3, and FMO5 in human liver microsomes (HLM). A post-in silico product ion screening process was incorporated to verify LC-MRM detection of potential signature peptides before their synthesis. The developed method was validated by correlating marker substrate activity and protein expression in a panel of adult individual donor HLM (age 39-67 years). The mean (range) protein expression of FMO3 and FMO5 was 46 (26-65) pmol/mg HLM protein and 27 (11.5-49) pmol/mg HLM protein, respectively. To demonstrate quantification of FMO1, a panel of fetal individual donor HLM (gestational age 14-20 weeks) was analyzed. The mean (range) FMO1 protein expression was 7.0 (4.9-9.7) pmol/mg HLM protein. Furthermore, the ontogenetic protein expression of FMO5 was evaluated in fetal, pediatric, and adult HLM. The quantification of FMO proteins also was compared using two different calibration standards, recombinant proteins versus synthetic signature peptides, to assess the ratio between holoprotein versus total protein. In conclusion, a UPLC-MRM-based targeted quantitative proteomic method has been developed for the quantification of FMO enzymes in HLM.
Positionally defined, binary semiconductor nanoparticles synthesized by scanning probe block copolymer lithography

We report the first method for synthesizing binary semiconductor materials by scanning probe block copolymer lithography (SPBCL) in desired locations on a surface. In this work, we utilize SPBCL to create polymer features containing a desired amount of Cd2+, which is defined by the feature volume. When they are subsequently reacted in H2S in the vapor phase, a single CdS nanoparticle is formed in each block copolymer (BCP) feature. The CdS nanoparticles were shown to be both crystalline and luminescent. Importantly, the CdS nanoparticle sizes can be tuned since their diameters depend on the volume of the originally deposited BCP feature.
Accuracy of free-hand pedicle screws in the thoracic and lumbar spine: analysis of 6816 consecutive screws.

BACKGROUND: Pedicle screws are used to stabilize all 3 columns of the spine, but can be technically demanding to place. Although intraoperative fluoroscopy and stereotactic-guided techniques slightly increase placement accuracy, they are also associated with increased radiation exposure to patient and surgeon as well as increased operative time. OBJECTIVE: To describe and critically evaluate our 7-year institutional experience with placement of pedicle screws in the thoracic and lumbar spine using a free-hand technique. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed records of all patients undergoing free-hand pedicle screw placement without fluoroscopy in the thoracic or lumbar spine between June 2002 and June 2009. Incidence and extent of cortical breach by misplaced pedicle screw was determined by review of postoperative computed tomography scans. We defined breach as more than 25% of the screw diameter residing outside of the pedicle or vertebral body cortex. RESULTS: A total of 964 patients received 6816 free-hand placed pedicle screws in the thoracic or lumbar spine. Indications for hardware placement were degenerative/deformity disease (51.2%), spondylolisthesis (23.7%), tumor (22.7%), trauma (11.3%), infection (7.6%), and congenital (0.9%). A total of 115 screws (1.7%) were identified as breaching the pedicle in 87 patients (9.0%). Breach occurred more frequently in the thoracic than the lumbar spine (2.5% and 0.9%, respectively; P < .0001) and was more often lateral (61.3%) than medial (32.8%) or superior (2.5%). T4 (4.1%) and T6 (4.0%) experienced the highest breach rate, whereas L5 and 51 had the lowest breach rate. Eight patients (0.8%) underwent revision surgery to correct malpositioned screws. CONCLUSION: Free-hand pedicle screw placement based on external anatomy alone can be performed with acceptable safety and accuracy and allows avoidance of radiation exposure encountered in fluoroscopic techniques. Image-guided assistance may be most valuable when placing screws between T4 and T6, where breach rates are highest.
Resistance and its abatement of Blattella germanica in Suzhou urban districts

Objective To understand the resistance and its abatement of Blattella germanica in Suzhou urban districts. Methods Making Blattella germanica contact the insecticide in the bottle covered with the insecticides. Results The resistance ratio of the field-collected strains to DDVP66.85,and to propoxur,permethrin,cypermethrin and deltamethrin were 1.20,5.66,5.14 and 5.10 respectively.After 2 years,the resistance abatement ratio to four kinds of insecticide mentioned above were 82.75%,76.26%,76.68% and 87.77% respectively.Conclusion The field-collected strains of Blattella germanica in Suzhou urban districts was susceptible to propoxur.It had high resistance to DDVP,and was resistant to the other three kinds of insecticide in varying degree.Two years later,the resistance abatement ratio was above 70%.
Experimental Study of JianWeiShu Chewable Tablets on Improving Digestion Function of Animal

Objective To observe the effects of JianWeiShu Chewable Tablets on the digestion and absorption function.Methods The Distance of KM mice Knk moving was used to evaluate the effect.The mice were randomly divided into treatment groups,control groups and the Difenoxin model control group.Treatment groups fed with 0.67 g/kg,1.34 g/kg and 2.01 g/kg dosage(as 10、20、30 times of population recommended amount respectively).The body weight,food intakes,food efficiency ratio and the secretion amount of Wistar rats' gastric juice and pepsin activity were used to evaLuate the effect.The rats were randomly divided into treatment groups and control groups.Treatment groups fed with 0.34 g/kg,0.67 g/kg and 1.34 g/kg dosage(as 5、10、20 times of population recommended amount respectively).JianWeiShu Chewable Tablets were fed through oral for 30 days.Results JianWeiShu Chewable Tablets could increase the rate of ink promoting,which was superior to that in the Difenoxin modeL controL group(P0.05).The body weight,food intakes,food efficiency ratio and the secretion amount of gastric juice of Wistar rats compared with control group showed no obvious differences(p0.05).High dosage group aLso couLd promote the secretion amount of gastric pepsin,pepsin activity,which was superior to that in the control group(\%p\%0.05).Conclusion[WTBZ] JianWeiShu Chewable TabLets has the function of promoting the digestion and absorption function.
Comprehensive Analysis of Fatigue Driving Based on EEG and EOG

The EEG and EOG have significant changes when drivers are fatigued. So these two types of signals can be used to analyze fatigue driving. Firstly,the α rhythm w as extracted from drivers' EEG signals using w avelet packet decomposition and its relative pow er spectrum P w as calculated. Then the blinking characteristics of the EOG signals contained in F7 and F8 channels w ere analyzed and the interference signals w ere removed using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Finally,the blinking signals w ere identified using BP neural netw ork and the blinking rate w as calculated. The results show that using the comprehensive analysis of EOG and EEG can accurately identify the blinking signals and correctly detect the changes of driver fatigue state.
Gene therapy of gliomas : Receptor and transcriptional targeting

Through incremental increases in the overall therapeutic ratio of combined modality regimens, each addition of unique selective toxicity to a tumor moves one step closer to a cure. The primary advantage of adding gene therapy strategies to current oncologic regimens is the ability to design multiple levels of unique biologic selectivity into vectors using recombinant technology. This article presents an overview of current and potential methods for designing vectors targeted to high grade gliomas through selective cell entry or transcriptional regulation. Cell entry based methodologies are founded on increasing relative uptake of the vector through the chemical or recombinant addition of epitopes which bind to receptors selectively expressed on target cells. Transcriptional targeting utilizes promoter and enhancer systems which have potential for selectively activating transcription for transgene expression or vector propagation in target cells.
Serum amylase determination and blunt abdominal trauma

To determine the value of serum amylase sampling as an indicator of intra-abdominal injury, the records of 940 consecutive victims of blunt trauma were retrospectively reviewed. The sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value were poor in the determination of intra-abdominal injury, whether accompanied by craniofacial injury or not. It was concluded that routine serum amylase determination is of no value in the clinical management of the patient suffering blunt injury.
Contribution of net hepatic glycogenolysis to glucose production during the early postprandial period

Relative contributions of net hepatic glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis to glucose production during the first 12 h of a fast were studied in 13 healthy volunteers by noninvasively measuring hepatic glycogen content using 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Rates of net hepatic glycogenolysis were calculated by multiplying the change in liver glycogen content with liver volume determined by magnetic resonance imaging. Rates of gluconeogenesis were calculated as the difference between rates of glucose production determined with an infusion of [6,6-2H]-glucose and net hepatic glycogenolysis. At 6 P.M. a liquid mixed meal (1,000 kcal; 60% as glucose) was given, to which [2-2H]glucose was added to trace glucose absorption. Hepatic glycogen content was measured between 11 P.M. and 1 A.M. and between 3 and 6 A.M. At 11 P.M. the concentration was 470 mM and it decreased linearly during the night. The mean liver volume was 1.47 +/- 0.06 liters. Net hepatic glycogenolysis (5.8 +/- 0.8 mumol.kg body wt-1.min-1) accounted for, on average, 45 +/- 6% and gluconeogenesis for 55 +/- 6% of the rate of whole body glucose production (12.6 +/- 0.6 mumol.kg body wt-1.min-1). In conclusion, this study shows that, even early in the phase of the postabsorptive period when liver glycogen stores are maximal, gluconeogenesis contributes approximately 50% to hepatic glucose production.
CB2 receptors regulate natural killer cells that limit allergic airway inflammation in a murine model of asthma.

Background Allergic asthma is a chronic airway inflammatory disease involving the complementary actions of innate and adaptive immune responses. Endogenously generated cannabinoids acting via CB2 receptors play important roles in both homeostatic and inflammatory processes. However, the contribution of CB2-acting eicosanoids to the innate events preceding sensitization to the common house dust mite (HDM) allergen remains to be elucidated. We investigated the role of CB2 activation during allergen-induced pulmonary inflammation and natural killer (NK) cell effector function. Methods Lung mucosal responses in CB2-deficient (CB2−/−) mice were examined and compared with wild-type (WT) littermates following intranasal exposure to HDM allergen. Results Mice lacking CB2 receptors exhibited elevated numbers of pulmonary NK cells yet were resistant to the induction of allergic inflammation exemplified by diminished airway eosinophilia, type 2 cytokine production and mucus secretion after allergen inhalation. This phenomenon was corroborated when WT mice were treated with a CB2-specific antagonist that caused a pronounced inhibition of HDM-induced airway inflammation and goblet cell hyperplasia. Unexpectedly, the preponderance of NK cells in the lungs of CB2−/− mice correlated with reduced numbers of group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s). Depletion of NK cells restored the allergen responsiveness in the lungs and was associated with elevated ILC2 numbers. Conclusions Collectively, these results reveal that CB2 activation is crucial in regulating pulmonary NK cell function, and suggest that NK cells serve to limit ILC2 activation and subsequent allergic airway inflammation. CB2 inhibition may present an important target to modulate NK cell response during pulmonary inflammation.
Disengagement from Ideologically-Based and Violent Organizations: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Research on disengagement from violent extremism is an emerging field of inquiry. As compared to the related field of radicalization, there have been fewer studies of disengagement. Further, little effort has been made to conduct a large scale, systematic review of what is currently known about disengagement from violent extremism. This type of meta-literature assessment can play an important role in terms of informing strategies and programs designed to facilitate exit. To help fill this gap, our project systematically examines the disengagement literature to determine the range and frequency of various exit factors identified in previous studies. We also rely on parallel literatures such as exit from street gangs, mainstream religious groups, cults, and nonviolent social movements to build a robust sample of studies that assess the extent to which group exit factors may generalize across different populations.
Neuropilins in Lymphatic Development and Function

The lymphatic vascular system is important to maintain extracellular fluid homeostasis and crosstalk with the immune system. Neuropilin 1 and 2 (Nrp1, Nrp2) receptors have emerged as important regulators of lymphangiogenesis. This review summarizes recent findings regarding the roles of Nrp1 and 2 in lymphatic development.
Consistent histories and quantum reasoning

A system of quantum reasoning for a closed system is developed by treating nonrelativistic quantum mechanics as a stochastic theory. The sample space corresponds to a decomposition, as a sum of orthogonal projectors, of the identity operator on a Hilbert space of histories. Provided a consistency condition is satisfied, the corresponding Boolean algebra of histories, called a framework, can be assigned probabilities in the usual way, and within a single framework quantum reasoning is identical to ordinary probabilistic reasoning. A refinement rule, which allows a probability distribution to be extended from one framework to a larger (refined) framework, incorporates the dynamical laws of quantum theory. Two or more frameworks which are incompatible because they possess no common refinement cannot be simultaneously employed to describe a single physical system. Logical reasoning is a special case of probabilistic reasoning in which (conditional) probabilities are 1 (true) or 0 (false). As probabilities are only meaningful relative to some framework, the same is true of the truth or falsity of a quantum description. The formalism is illustrated using simple examples, and the physical considerations which determine the choice of a framework are discussed. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
Forced expiratory time was moderately useful for diagnosing obstructive airways disease

Source Citation Schapira RM, Schapira MM, Funahashi A, McAuliffe TL, Varkey B. The value of the forced expiratory time in the physical diagnosis of obstructive airways disease. JAMA. 1993 Aug 11;27...
SPONTANEOUS RESOLUTION OF POSTPARTUM HASHIMOTO ENCEPHALOPATHY WITH LEVOTHYROXINE THERAPY ALONE

ABSTRACT Objective: Hashimoto encephalopathy (HE) is an uncommon syndrome characterized by seizures, movement disorders, cognitive or neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with dysthyroidism, and elevated anti-thyroperoxidase antibodies. It is more prevalent in females and all age groups can be affected. While its pathophysiology remains unclear, it is commonly defined as a steroid-responsive condition. Rarely, HE manifests with cerebellar ataxia. Methods: We report the case of a 21-year-old female presenting with cerebellar HE after delivery spontaneously resolving without corticosteroid treatment. Results: This case adds to the limited data available on HE and challenges the common conception of HE as a steroid-responsive disease. Conclusion: While our case suggests that HE might spontaneously recover, it is too limited to be conclusive and further studies are needed to clearly define the mechanism, exacerbating factors, and treatment options. HE should be considered in patients with otherwise unexplaine...
Large scale adverse event data mining for targeted therapies development.

2538Background: Targeted anti-cancer small molecule drugs & immune therapies have had a dramatic impact in improving outcomes & the approach to clinical trials. Increasingly, regulatory approvals are expedited with small studies designed to identify strong efficacy signals. However, this may limit the extent of safety profiling. The use of large scale/big data meta-analyses can identify novel safety & efficacy signals in "real-world" medical settings. Methods: We used AERSMine, an open-source data mining platform to identify drug toxicity signatures in the FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System of 8.6 million patients. We identified patients (n = 732,198) who received either traditional and targeted cancer therapy & identified therapy-specific toxicity patterns. Patients were classified based on exposures: anthracyclines (n = 83,179), platinum (117,993), antimetabolites (93,062), alkylators (81,507), antimicrotubule agents (97,726), HER2 inhibitors (40,040), VEGFis (79,144), VEGF-TKis (90,734), multi TKis (...
Sensitivity of Cross-State Assessment Item Difficulty to Differences in State Curricular Content Standards

It has long been argued that U.S. states’ differential performance on nationwide assessments may reflect differences in students’ opportunity to learn the tested content that is primarily due to va...
Preserving source and destination location privacy with controlled routing protocol

Efficiency in routing and security are two competitive design issues in wireless sensor networks. The most efficient and least secure routing protocol is shortest path routing. On the other hand, the most secure and least efficient routing protocol is random routing. In this paper, we propose the controlled routing protocol, a mixture of these two routing protocols that maintains a good balance between security and efficiency. Our proposed protocol is based on two principles: if all the messages do not follow the same path, then backtracking to the source node is not possible and when an adversary is very far away from the source and destination locations, then efficiency is more important than security. Based on these principles, we proposed the controlled routing protocol, in which the forwarding node forwards the message either to the node on the shortest path or a random neighbour with a variable probability. The probability of taking the shortest path increases by distance from the source and the destination node. In this paper, we also present our simulation results compared to other routing protocols.
A logic for causal inference in time series with discrete and continuous variables

Many applications of causal inference, such as finding the relationship between stock prices and news reports, involve both discrete and continuous variables observed over time. Inference with these complex sets of temporal data, though, has remained difficult and required a number of simplifications. We show that recent approaches for inferring temporal relationships (represented as logical formulas) can be adapted for inference with continuous valued effects. Building on advances in logic, PCTLc (an extension of PCTL with numerical constraints) is introduced here to allow representation and inference of relationships with a mixture of discrete and continuous components. Then, finding significant relationships in the continuous case can be done using the conditional expectation of an effect, rather than its conditional probability. We evaluate this approach on both synthetically generated and actual financial market data, demonstrating that it can allow us to answer different questions than the discrete approach can.
DNA Recombination in the Transgenic Mouse Brain

Ataxia-telangiectasia has been associated with abnormalities in the DNA recombination process that occurs in lymphocytes. This chapter will discuss the possibility that somatic DNA recombination may also occur in the brain (Matsuoka, et al., 1991).
Videoconferencing Psychotherapy and Depression: A Systematic Review.

Abstract Introduction: Depression is the leading cause of disability in the world. Despite the prevalence of depression, a small proportion of individuals seek mental health services. A cost-effect...
Pyelonephritis treatment in the community emergency department: Cephalosporins vs. first-line agents.

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to assess treatment with a fluoroquinolone or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole versus cephalosporins for pyelonephritis in discharged patients from a community hospital setting. Methods A retrospective chart review was completed for adult female patients who received a prescription for a cephalosporin, fluoroquinolone or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for the treatment of pyelonephritis within the network of a large healthcare system. The primary endpoint evaluated the failure rate of each treatment group. The secondary endpoint evaluated the difference between rates of resistance on culture and sensitivity reports for treatment groups. Results A total of 55 patients in the cephalosporin group and 43 patients in the fluoroquinolone and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole group were reviewed. The primary endpoint occurred in 0% of the patients in the cephalosporin group and in 23% of the patients in the fluoroquinolone and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole group, p Conclusion Failure of therapy for pyelonephritis occurred more often in the fluoroquinolone and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole group than in the cephalosporin group. The findings in this study are most applicable to patients who are treated on an outpatient basis. A prospective, randomized clinical trial is necessary to confirm these results.
Production of 15-F2t-isoprostane as an assessment of oxidative stress in dairy cows at different stages of lactation

Oxidative stress contributes to dysfunctional immune responses and predisposes dairy cattle to several metabolic and inflammatory-based diseases. Although the negative effects of oxidative stress on transition cattle are well established, biomarkers that accurately measure oxidative damage to cellular macromolecules are not well defined in veterinary medicine. Measuring 15-F2t-isoprostane, a lipid peroxidation product, is the gold standard biomarker for quantifying oxidative stress in human medicine. The aim of our study was to determine whether changes in 15-F2t-isoprostane concentrations in plasma and milk could accurately reflect changes in oxidant status during different stages of lactation. Using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, 15-F2t-isoprostane concentrations were quantified in milk and plasma of 12 multiparous Holstein-Friesian cows that were assigned to 3 different sampling periods, including the periparturient period (1-2 d in milk; n = 4), mid lactation (80-84 d in milk; n = 4), and late lactation (183-215 d in milk; n = 4). Blood samples also were analyzed for indicators of oxidant status, inflammation, and negative energy balance. Our data revealed that 15-F2t-isoprostane concentrations changed at different stages of lactation and coincided with changes in other gauges of oxidant status in both plasma and milk. Interestingly, milk 15-F2t-isoprostane concentrations and other indices of oxidant status did not follow the same trends as plasma values at each stage of lactation. Indeed, during the periparturient period, systemic 15-F2t-isoprostane increased significantly accompanied by an increase in the systemic oxidant status index. Milk 15-F2t-isoprostane was significantly decreased during the periparturient period compared with other lactation stages in conjunction with a milk oxidant status index that trended lower during this period. The results from this study indicate that changes in 15-F2t-isoprostane concentrations in both milk and plasma may be strong indicators of an alteration in redox status both systemically and within the mammary gland.
A Novel Two-Stage Alumina Reactor System for Burning Volatiles Generated in Situ from Biosolid: Effect of Pyrolysis Temperature and Combustion Conditions on PM1 Emission

A novel two-stage alumina reactor system is developed for studying particulate matter (PM) emission from in situ volatiles combustion. It enables the generation of in situ volatiles at different pyrolysis temperatures (up to 1300 °C) and the subsequent combustion of in situ volatiles in air and oxyfuel at 1300 °C. It is found that the PM emitted from volatiles combustion contains only PM with aerodynamic diameter <1 μm (PM1) and has a unimodal distribution. An increase in pyrolysis temperature from 1100 to 1300 °C results in a substantial increase in PM1 yield and a shift of fine mode diameter from 0.043 to 0.108 μm. The PM1 emitted from the volatiles generated at 1100 °C mainly consists of Na, K, S, and P. For PM1 emitted from the volatiles generated at 1300 °C, there are substantial increases in the yield of Na, K, and P; in addition, Mg and Si are present in PM1 because of the release of these inorganic species from biosolid into the volatiles. For trace elements, increasing pyrolysis temperature from ...
Second-line treatment in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: A meta-analysis.

e15779Background: There is paucity of data regarding the best available second-line treatment following progression on gemcitabine-based regimens in metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA...
(WIP) IoT Context Descriptor: Situation Detection and Action Invocation Model for Real-Time High-Volume Transactions

In our previous work, a runtime-specific rule was introduced that described how to detect situations and invoke actions of connected vehicles in the surrounding context. However, rule developers were required to check carefully whether each rule was consistent to the other rules or not. Our next challenge is how to simplify the validation of the application logics when the number of rules is increasing. In this paper, we propose IoT Context Descriptor, a context model for situation detection and action invocation for IoT that is aiming at accelerating easy development of situation detection and action invocation while securing the processing of real-time high-volume transactions.
Targeted deletion of Tcf7l2 in adipocytes promotes adipocyte hypertrophy and impaired glucose metabolism

Abstract Objective Activation of the Wnt-signaling pathway is known to inhibit differentiation in adipocytes. However, there is a gap in our understanding of the transcriptional network regulated by components of the Wnt-signaling pathway during adipogenesis and in adipocytes during postnatal life. The key intracellular effectors of the Wnt-signaling pathway occur through TCF transcription factors such as TCF7L2 (transcription factor-7-like 2). Several genetic variants in proximity to TCF7L2 have been linked to type 2 diabetes through genome-wide association studies in various human populations. Our work aims to functionally characterize the adipocyte specific gene program regulated by TCF7L2 and understand how this program regulates metabolism. Methods We generated Tcf7l2F/F mice and assessed TCF7L2 function in isolated adipocytes and adipose specific knockout mice. ChIP-sequencing and RNA-sequencing was performed on the isolated adipocytes with control and TCF7L2 knockout cells. Adipose specific TCF7L2 knockout mice were challenged with high fat diet and assessed for body weight, glucose tolerance, and lipolysis. Results Here we report that TCF7L2 regulates adipocyte size, endocrine function, and glucose metabolism. Tcf7l2 is highly expressed in white adipose tissue, and its expression is suppressed in genetic and diet-induced models of obesity. Genome-wide distribution of TCF7L2 binding and gene expression analysis in adipocytes suggests that TCF7L2 directly regulates genes implicated in cellular metabolism and cell cycle control. When challenged with a high-fat diet, conditional deletion of TCF7L2 in adipocytes led to impaired glucose tolerance, impaired insulin sensitivity, promoted weight gain, and increased adipose tissue mass. This was accompanied by reduced expression of triglyceride hydrolase, reduced fasting-induced free fatty acid release, and adipocyte hypertrophy in subcutaneous adipose tissue. Conclusions Together our studies support that TCF7L2 is a central transcriptional regulator of the adipocyte metabolic program by directly regulating the expression of genes involved in lipid and glucose metabolism.
Seed conglomeration: a disruptive innovation to address restoration challenges associated with small‐seeded species

Small‐seeded species are an integral component of many natural systems. However, small‐seeded species are often omitted from restoration projects due to limited flow through seeders, low broadcast distance, and inconsistent seeding rates. To address these problems, we developed a novel technique within a rotary coater that allows for the conglomeration of small, low‐purity seeds using a combination of clay, compost, water, and a polymer binder. We used Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis), which has a seed size of approximately 1 mm or less, as a model species to evaluate the technology. We demonstrated improved flowability of conglomerates over untreated (control) seeds through measurements of the Hausner ratio (8% decrease), the angle of repose (21% decrease), and delivery through a broadcast seeder. Seeding rates of conglomerated seed were more consistent than control seed over rugged terrain. Conglomerates were also broadcast 2.2 times further than control seed, which may mitigate the overall cost of implementing this technology. Laboratory trials demonstrated that the final germination of conglomerated seed averaged 15% higher than control seed. Field trials at two sites demonstrated that seedling emergence was similar for control and conglomerated seed. With no deleterious effects observed from the conglomeration treatment, additional research is merited for using conglomerates as a platform to apply various additives, such as fungicides, plant growth hormones, fertilizers, and biologicals. The potential outcomes of these strategies may have a significant impact on future seeding attempts by improving seed delivery and increasing overall seeding success.
Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) - State-of-the-art in Predictive Maintenance

With the growing advancement in sensor technology and automated controls in engineering systems, trend of on-board data recording has greatly increased. The data analysis tools along with the real-time sensor data, have resulted in a paradigm shift in the way systems are maintained. After the industrial revolution, the first generation of maintenance philosophy was corrective maintenance, in which, components or systems were fixed once they got failed. In safety critical systems, this maintenance philosophy produced catastrophic results. The next generation of maintenance philosophy was preventive maintenance, in which maintenance was performed based on the manufacturer's or OEM specified life. Although, this maintenance philosophy has been able to achieve better results in terms of safety, however, in perspective of life-cycle costs, preventive maintenance philosophy is wasteful. Therefore, a few decades back, the concept of predictive maintenance became popular. Ever since it came into being, predictive maintenance has gone through several evolutionary stages. Reliability centered maintenance or RCM, makes calculated estimates of maintenance schedules based on the archived statistical data from the field. With the development in MEMS sensor technology, Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) using real-time data has become the prevalent maintenance philosophy. The recent advances in data processing technologies have enabled us to determine not only the present health but also to predict the future health of systems. In other words, system's health is can not only be estimated but health can also be managed. Therefore, another phase of predictive maintenance, that is Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) has evolved. In PHM, two key modules are fault diagnostics and failure prognostics. In fault diagnostics, the current health of the system using sensor data is estimated, while in failure prognostics future evolution of health is predicted. This lecture consists of a review of fundamental concepts of fault diagnostics / failure prognostics, which will be followed by the tools and techniques used to develop PHM algorithms. The lecture also includes a review of the state-of-the-art in this field. A few case studies related to fault detection / prediction in aircraft engine, electromechanical and electrochemical domains will also be discussed.
Impacts of an invasive grass on soil organic matter pools vary across a tree-mycorrhizal gradient

Increases in carbon (C) inputs can augment soil organic matter (SOM), or reduce SOM by accelerating decomposition. Thus, there is a need to understand how and why ecosystems differ in their sensitivity to C inputs. Invasive plants that invade wide-ranging habitats, accumulate biomass rapidly, and contribute copious amounts of C to soil can be ideal for addressing this gap. We quantified the effects of the invasive C4 grass, Microstegium vimineum, on SOM in three temperate forests across plots varying in their relative abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) versus ectomycorrhizal (ECM) trees. We hypothesized that invasion would differentially affect SOM along the mycorrhizal gradient owing to recognized patterns in nitrogen availability (AM > ECM) and the proportion of unprotected SOM (ECM > AM). Across all sites, M. vimineum was associated with lower particulate organic matter (POM) in ECM-dominated plots, consistent with our hypothesis that invader-derived C inputs should stimulate decomposers to acquire nitrogen from unprotected SOM in soils with low nitrogen availability. However, the pattern of lower POM in the ECM-dominated soils was offset by greater mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM)—and isotopic data suggest this was largely driven by native- rather than invader-derived SOM—implying an invasion-associated transfer of native-derived POM into MAOM. Our results demonstrate a context-dependent shift in the form of SOM in a system with presumably enhanced C inputs. This finding suggests a need to look beyond changes in total SOM stocks, as intrinsic SOM changes could lead to important long-term feedbacks on invasion or priming effects.
Abstract 4472: The hippo pathway effector TAZ regulates ferroptosis in renal cell carcinoma

Ferroptosis is a newly appreciated lipid peroxidation-dependent regulated cell death with relevance for many human diseases, which may be a tumor suppression mechanism and may have antitumor potential. Elucidation of the mechanism is therefore important. Here, we reported that ferroptosis sensitivity is significantly influenced by cell density. The effectors of the Hippo pathway, YAP/TAZ, are the molecular sensors of cell density that regulate cell proliferation, survival, and organ size determination. Therefore, we determined the potential role of YAP/TAZ in regulating ferroptosis sensitivities. RCC cell lines and RCC PDX tumor cells mainly express TAZ that undergoes density-dependent nuclear translocation. Importantly, the removal of TAZ confers ferroptosis resistance, while the expression of constructively active TAZ sensitizes cells to ferroptosis. Mechanistically, we found that TAZ knockdown reduced ferroptosis through the repression of its target gene, EMP1. EMP1 affects ferroptosis through the regulation of NOX4 and lipid peroxidation. Collectively, we have shown that the ferroptosis can be regulated by non-genetic factors, such as cell density, through the Hippo pathway and suggest the therapeutic potential of ferroptosis-inducing agent, such as erastin, for TAZ-activated tumors. Citation Format: Wen-Hsuan Yang, Jen-Tsan Chi. The hippo pathway effector TAZ regulates ferroptosis in renal cell carcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4472.