cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect of ultraviolet light (UVL) on the lysosomes of hairless mouse epidermis.

An increased release of acid phosphatase from the lysosomes of UVL irradiated hairless mouse epidermis is demonstrated. The results indicate that lysosomal membrane stability is decreased when the hairless mouse is exposed to either acute or chronic UVL.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension: Comparison with Matched Population Data (P07.261)

Objective: To compare the prevalence and severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) patients with the prevalence and severity from matched population data. Background Patients with IIH frequently have coexisting OSA. However, it is unclear if the prevalence and severity of OSA is greater in IIH patients than would be expected given their other risk factors for OSA (e.g., obesity). Design/Methods: We included patients with a new diagnosis of IIH who satisfied modified Dandy criteria and underwent overnight polysomnography. We collected demographic data, anthropometric data, and the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) from polysomnography. We also calculated the expected AHI for our patients, based on their age, sex, race, BMI, and menopausal status, using a model derived from 1741 randomly-sampled members of the general population with overnight in-lab polysomnography scored using similar criteria. We compared the obtained AHI values to those predicted by the model using a paired t-test. Our study had 80% power to detect a 10 unit change in AHI at α = 0.05. Results: We included 24 IIH patients, of which 20 were female (83.3%), 13 were Caucasian (54.2%), and 11 were African-American (45.8%). Patient age ranged from 16-54 yrs (median = 32 yrs; mean±SD = 32±10 yrs). Body mass index ranged from 27.3-45.9 (median = 39.5; mean±SD = 38.1±5.3). AHI from the sleep studies ranged from 0-63.3 (median = 3.3; mean±SD = 9.4±15.8). Predicted AHI ranged from 2.1-14.5 (median = 5.4; mean±SD = 5.9±3.0). The AHIs from the sleep studies were not significantly different from those predicted by the population-derived model (p = 0.14). Conclusions: The prevalence and severity of OSA in IIH patients is no more than would be expected for their age, sex, race, and BMI. It remains unclear if the presence or treatment of coexisting OSA influences the clinical course of IIH. Supported by: In part by a departmental grant (Department of Ophthalmology) from Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc., New York, by core grant P30-EY06360 (Department of Ophthalmology), and by K23-EY019341 (Dr. Bruce). Dr. Newman is a recipient of the Research to Prevent Blindness Lew R. Wasserman Merit Award. Disclosure: Dr. Thurtell has nothing to disclose. Dr. Trotti has nothing to disclose. Dr. Bixler has nothing to disclose. Dr. Rye has received personal compensation for activities with GlaxoSmithKline, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, UCB Pharma, and Jazz Pharmaceuticals as a consultant, advisor, or speaker. Dr. Bliwise has received personal compensation for activities with Ferring Pharmaceuticals as a consultant. Dr. Newman has received personal compensation for activities with Biogen Idec. Dr. Biousse has nothing to disclose. Dr. Bruce has nothing to disclose.
Computerized Interactive Morphometry and the Diagnosis of Lymphoid-Rich Effusions

An experimental computerized interactive morphometry system for the classification of lymphoid-rich effusions is presented. The relatively inexpensive microcomputer-based system was assembled in our laboratory with commercially available hardware and software. One hundred twenty-two effusions (86 benign lymphocytoses, 26 lymphomas, and 10 chronic lymphocytic leukemias) were studied. Lymphoid cells were selected randomly by the system from real-time images of Papanicolaou-fixed and stained cytospin smears of pleural, peritoneal, and pericardial effusions. Parameters of nuclear shape, area, and optical density were measured automatically. Multiparameter statistical procedures of discriminant classificatory analysis analyzed the distribution of lymphoid nuclear profile integrated optical density to yield three groups of effusions, each with a predictive value of diagnosis of 100%. Neither these statistical procedures nor a simple rule-based expert system accurately classified chronic lymphocytic leukemia effusions based on the distribution of lymphoid nuclear profile area. When chronic lymphocytic leukemia effusions were excluded, however, the predictive values of a diagnosis of lymphoma by statistical analysis and by rule-based expert system were 92.3% and 88.9%, respectively, whereas the predictive values of a diagnosis of benign lymphocytosis were 97.7% and 91.3%, respectively. Potential applications and limitations of this technology for the diagnosis of lymphoid-rich effusions are discussed.
Hepatic function and other physiologic studies in monkeys with experimental pneumonic plague.

to prevent death, even though bacterial infection is brought under control.1 This suggests that profound physiologic disturbances may take place as infection proceeds and that these are not promptly alleviated when bacterial multiplication ceases. Experimentally a substance can be extracted from plague bacilli which is lethal to rats, mice and monkeys, causing increased vascular permeability, shock and hepatic necrosis in rats and mice.2'3 Similar pathologic changes, notably vascular engorgement and parenchymatous liver changes, have been observed at autopsy in pneumonic plague in man.4 Since clinical ob-
Serum type and antibiotic resistance of Salmonella spp. in infectious diarrhea cases from Zhengzhou City,2006-2011

The objective of the present study is to understand the serotype distribution and antibiotic resistance of Salmonella spp.in infectious diarrhea cases,and to provide the scientific basis for diseases control and treatment.Salmonella strains were isolated from infectious diarrhea cases and tested for serotyping and antibiotic sensitivity during 2006-2011.Results were analyzed by WHONET 5.4 software,and all 196 isolates of Salmonella were detected from 3 266 diarrhea patients and distributed in 10 serogroups and 37 serotypes.The detection rate was 6.0% and there were about 66 isolates belong to serogroup B(33.67%) and 63 belong to serogroup D1(32.14%).The main serotypes were Salmonella enteritis and Salmonella typhimurium(29.59%,58/196;19.90%,39/196).Antibiotic sensitivity tests showed the isolates were resistant to nalidixic acid,ampicillin,tetracycline,and SXT,and the resistance rates were 42.34%,44.90%,32.14%,and 34.18%,respectively.It's suggested that there is significant to monitor the serotypes and antibiotic resistance of Salmonella spp.infection for prevention and control of epidemic diarrhea.
Current management of varicoceles.

SUMMARY In spite of all that has been written about the varicocele, it is still not clear who will benefit from occlusion of the spermatic vein or why improvement in semen takes place in some patients but not in others. Because fertility is usually assessed in the framework of a couple who are trying to establish a pregnancy, it is important to evaluate both partners before making any recommendations regarding therapy. If the man is found to have a varicocele and semen analyses that indicate deficits in either the quantity or quality of the sperm, surgical ligation or transvenous occlusion should be considered as one appropriate form of therapy. Varicocele ligation and embolotherapy both can be performed as an outpatient procedure with minimal morbidity and equal effectiveness regarding pregnancy outcome. The cost, if the procedures are done in an outpatient facility, should be approximately equal. The obvious benefits of the percutaneous technique are a slightly lower recurrence rate and a more rapid return to full physical activity. The surgical procedure described by Marmar and associates appears to have a similar rate of recurrence and short postoperative period of recovery.32 Greater experience by more urologists using this technique needs to be gained to compare it adequately with the other methods described. Varicocele ligation by the inguinal or retroperitoneal routes is familiar to most urologists and does not require the operating microscope or other special instruments. With greater understanding of the venous anatomy and with careful dissection, the persistence and recurrence rate can be acceptably low and the postoperative recovery relatively rapid and smooth.
Regional brain glycogen stores and metabolism during complete global ischaemia.

Microwave fixation in situ was used to assess regional glycogen and glucose stores in normal rat brain. Glycogen levels were highest in the cerebellum and pons/medulla (38.0 and 35.6 nmol/mg protei...
Stakeholder Participation in Wildlife Management: Adapting the Nominal Group Technique in Developing Countries for Participants with Low Literacy

ABSTRACTParticipatory methods for people with diverse literacy levels are needed for community-based wildlife conservation, particularly in developing countries. The Nominal Group Technique was adapted for 55 illiterate and semi-literate attendees across 10 stakeholder meetings with rural populations in Kenya. Ranking cards with different colors, sizes, and symbols were used concomitant with research assistants to engage community members and prioritize ideas. This Adapted Nominal Group Technique elicited 544 ideas in response to four discussion and ranking questions. This process facilitated participation by individuals with low literacy and those with low levels of formal education. This led to inclusive planning for community projects. This Adapted Nominal Group Technique appears to be promising for application in other developing country settings for rapid exploratory data collection.
The Influence of Water on the Alkyl Region Structure in Variable Chain Length Imidazolium-Based Ionic Liquid/Water Mixtures

Solutions of room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) and water were studied by observing the reorientational dynamics of the fluorescent probe perylene. Perylene is solvated in the alkyl regions of the RTILs. Its D2h symmetry made it possible to extract dynamical information on both in-plane and out-of-plane reorientation from time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy measurements. Perylene reorientation reports on its interactions with the alkyl chains. The RTILs were a series of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborates (CnmimBF4, where n is the number of carbons in the alkyl chain), and the effects on perylene’s dynamics were observed when varying the alkyl chain length of the cation (n = 4, 6, 8, and 10; butyl, hexyl, octyl, decyl) and varying the water content from pure RTIL to roughly three water molecules per RTIL ion pair. Time correlated single photon counting was used to measure the fluorescence anisotropy decays to determine the orientational dynamics. The friction coefficients for both the in-...
A passion for boats

One day this summer, Frank Sinden plans to put a strange-looking, home-built vessel on a trailer, drive it with his daughter and son-inlaw to northern New Jersey, and launch it in a lake. The last time the inventor, puzzle designer and retired mathematician launched a craft of his own design, the sail flew off and the boat had to be ignominiously towed to shore. Such failures don't bother Sinden much though; they just give him new ideas.
Iron, Steel, and Ferroalloys Investigated at Bruceton

While the US Bureau of Mines research in iron and steel is widely scattered through 22 institutions, work done at the Bruceton Pyrometallurgical Laboratory in Bruceton, Pa., has been responsible for many important steps forward in iron and steel technology. This is a review of the work and a description of the laboratory written by its Director.
Adaptive Reconnaissance Attacks with Near-Optimal Parallel Batching

In assessing privacy on online social networks, it is important to investigate their vulnerability to reconnaissance strategies, in which attackers lure targets into being their friends by exploiting the social graph in order to extract victims' sensitive information. As the network topology is only partially revealed after each successful friend request, attackers need to employ an adaptive strategy. Existing work only considered a simple strategy in which attackers sequentially acquire one friend at a time, which causes tremendous delay in waiting for responses before sending the next request, and which lack the ability to retry failed requests after the network has changed. In contrast, we investigate an adaptive and parallel strategy, of which attackers can simultaneously send multiple friend requests in batch and recover from failed requests by retrying after topology changes, thereby significantly reducing the time to reach the targets and greatly improving robustness. We cast this approach as an optimization problem, Max-Crawling, and show it inapproximable within (1 - 1/e +). We first design our core algorithm PM-which has an approximation ratio of (1 - e-(1-1/e)) using adaptive monotonic submodular properties. We next tighten our algorithm to provide a near-optimal solution, i.e. having a ratio of (1 - 1/e), via a two-stage stochastic programming approach. We further establish the gap bound of (1 - e-(1-1/e)2) between batch strategies versus the optimal sequential one. We experimentally validate our theoretical results, finding that our algorithm performs near-optimally in practice and that this is robust under a variety of problem settings.
Baroque Topologies: Novel Approaches to Analysis and Representation of the Baroque Interior in the Era of Big Data

The era of “big data” has fostered the need for new approaches to analysis and representation in all fields of design. Existing representation and documentation of Italian Baroque Architecture are inadequate for precise perception, representation and analysis of the full three-dimensional multiplicity deep-rooted in the work. Current surveying tools including LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) and photogrammetry allow the capture of high-resolution and precisely measured three-dimensional data sets previously unobtainable. Along with capturing, recording and simulating data sets of unprecedented resolution and precision, Baroque Topologies utilizes new surveying instruments to develop novel techniques and methods for understanding and assessing complexity and representation of the space of Italian Baroque Architecture. Inherent in the process is a re-examination of the value-laden tools of contemporary representation and their impact on current architectural production.
CRT-100.54 Culpritvessel-only Versus Multi-vessel Percutaneous Coronary Intervention In Patients With Cardiogenic shock complicating ST-segment-elevation Myocardial Infarction outcomes In Short Term Mortality: An Updated Meta-analysis

In patients who have acute myocardial infarction with cardiogenic shock, early revascularization of the culprit artery by means of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) improves outcomes. However, the majority of patients with cardiogenic shock have multi-vessel disease, and whether PCI should be
Walking: connecting sustainable transport with health

People may wonder why a basic activity like walking—done so regularly that it may not be consciously considered a part of daily transport or physical activity routines—should be featured in a book....
Population structure analysis and association mapping for iron deficiency chlorosis in worldwide cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) germplasm

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) is a legume consumed for its high protein content. It provides nutrient-dense food opportunities for human consumption. Iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC) manifests as yellowing of the leaves and reduced plant growth, resulting in reduced yield potential. Use of IDC tolerant cowpea cultivars is an efficient method to address this problem. The objectives of this study were to conduct a population structure analysis, to carry out an association mapping study, and to identify SNP markers associated with IDC tolerance in cowpea. A total of 353 cowpea accessions were evaluated for tolerance/susceptibly to low soluble iron conditions on higher pH soils. A total of 1006 SNP markers postulated from genotyping-by-sequencing were used after filtering for population structure and association analysis studies. Results revealed that: (1) a substantial variability in degree of tolerance to low soluble iron conditions was found among the cowpea accessions; (2) delta K peak was identified at K equal to 2, indicating two subpopulations within the cowpea accessions tested for adaptation to IDC, a second delta peak corresponding to K equal to 3 was also found; and (3) nine SNP markers, C35081162_3130, Scaffold16136_2033, Scaffold1764_4741, Scaffold18262_4480, Scaffold30165_15499, Scaffold47194_5530, Scaffold73235_6677, Scaffold77932_9959, and Scaffold86559_7193, were significantly associated with IDC tolerance in cowpea. These results can be used as tools to select cowpea genotypes tolerant to IDC under low soluble iron conditions.
Control de constitucionalidad y legitimidad política

This article analyzes the relationship between a judicial review of legislation and the principle of political legitimacy understood as the capacity of a legal and political system to generate support for the implementation of laws and policies, even among those who are opposed to them on their merits. The article claims that, despite the existence of multiple forms of judicial review, as well as diverse and respectable sources of legitimacy, judicial review is not designed to generate political legitimacy. In this sense, given the impossibility of solving this ‘democratic difficulty,’ the article proposes different approaches that might help to mitigate it, as is the case of judicial super-majorities to strike down legislation, following a strong presumption of constitutionality or offering explicit reasons for addressing these democratic concerns. Finally, the article calls for civility in constitutional litigation in order to prevent demonization of the opponent and to open the door to political legitimacy in the context of judicial review.
Thrift Conversions and Windfall Profits: An Empirical Examination

The thrift industry has been studied extensively in recent years due to the enormous costs to resolve failed thrifts during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Almost all of the studies have focused on the causes of these failures. Yet an important but relatively neglected development that merits further study is the conversion of mutual institutions to the stock form of ownership. Such conversions raise questions regarding the appropriate price for the shares in initial offerings, particularly in view of reports that windfall profits have been realized by the initial investors in numerous cases and who should receive the shares. The purpose of this article is to examine mutual thrifts that converted to stock ownership form during 1992 and 1993 to determine whether excess returns were indeed realized and, if so, to identify the determinants of those excess returns. The empirical results indicate the initial investors do indeed benefit from significantly positive abnormal returns during the first few days of trading after conversion. Additional empirical results indicate that both the pro-forma price-to-book ratio and the dollar amount of shares management intends to purchase are significant factors in explaining the variation in the abnormal returns.
Convergence of Medicines: West Meets East in Newly-Discovered Organs and Functions

Although the foundations and evolution of Chinese medicine and Western medicine are very different, an increasing amount of research has revealed that those Eastern medicine principles practiced over thousands of years are confirmed by new technologies applied to the basic science of the human body. Recent scientific discoveries present enticing opportunities to reconcile Chinese medicine theories with Western biomedicine. Is there a trend toward the convergence of Eastern and Western medicine? Four studies which exemplify the potential for convergence are described in this article. The studies present findings in regard to mesentery, interstitium, a gut-lung axis, and lung-centered hematopoiesis, and were published recently in leading journals such as Science, Nature, and Lancet.
Objective Detection of Eloquent Axonal Pathways to Minimize Postoperative Deficits in Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Using Diffusion Tractography and Convolutional Neural Networks

Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have recently been used in biomedical imaging applications with great success. In this paper, we investigated the classification performance of CNN models on diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) streamlines defined by functional MRI (fMRI) and electrical stimulation mapping (ESM). To learn a set of discriminative and interpretable features from the extremely unbalanced dataset, we evaluated different CNN architectures with multiple loss functions (e.g., focal loss and center loss) and a soft attention mechanism and compared our models with current state-of-the-art methods. Through extensive experiments on streamlines collected from 70 healthy children and 70 children with focal epilepsy, we demonstrated that our deep CNN model with focal and central losses and soft attention outperforms all existing models in the literature and provides clinically acceptable accuracy (73%–100%) for the objective detection of functionally important white matter pathways, including ESM determined eloquent areas such as primary motors, aphasia, speech arrest, auditory, and visual functions. The findings of this paper encourage further investigations to determine if DWI-CNN analysis can serve as a noninvasive diagnostic tool during pediatric presurgical planning by estimating not only the location of essential cortices at the gyral level but also the underlying fibers connecting these cortical areas to minimize or predict postsurgical functional deficits. This paper translates an advanced CNN model to clinical practice in the pediatric population where currently available approaches (e.g., ESM and fMRI) are suboptimal. The implementation will be released at https://github.com/HaotianMXu/Brain-fiber-classification-using-CNNs .
Child and Family Characteristics that Predict Autism Spectrum Disorder Specialty Clinic Appointment Attendance and Alignment with Providers

We examined factors contributing to initial appointment attendance, alignment between parents’ pre-visit and clinicians’ diagnostic impressions, and family commitment to follow-ups at an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) specialty clinic. Sample sizes were n = 6558 (initial), n = 1430 (alignment), and n = 1353 (follow-up). Parents completed surveys and clinicians provided their ASD diagnostic impressions. When children were not receiving intervention, families were less likely to keep their initial appointment. Families residing long distances and having older children were less likely to keep their initial and follow-up appointments. African American families were less likely to keep their initial appointment and expressed initial doubts with providers about the diagnosis. Findings suggest that some children are not getting diagnostic clarity or accessing timely services.
Myelomeningocele sac associated with worse lower-extremity neurological sequelae: evidence for prenatal neural stretch injury?

OBJECTIVE To determine whether the presence of a myelomeningocele (MMC) sac and sac size correlate with compromised lower-extremity function in fetuses with open spinal dysraphism. METHODS A radiology database search was performed to identify cases of MMC and myeloschisis (MS) diagnosed prenatally in a single center from 2013 to 2017. All cases were evaluated between 18 and 25 weeks. Ultrasound reports were reviewed for talipes and impaired lower-extremity motion. In MMC cases, sac volume was calculated from ultrasound measurements. Magnetic resonance imaging reports were reviewed for hindbrain herniation. The association of presence of a MMC sac and sac size with talipes and impaired lower-extremity motion was assessed. Post-hoc analysis of data from the multicenter Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS) randomized controlled trial was performed to confirm the study findings. RESULTS In total, 283 MMC and 121 MS cases were identified. MMC was associated with a lower incidence of hindbrain herniation than was MS (80.9% vs 100%; P < 0.001). Compared with MS cases, MMC cases with hindbrain herniation had a higher rate of talipes (28.4% vs 16.5%, P = 0.02) and of talipes or lower-extremity impairment (34.9% vs 19.0%, P = 0.002). Although there was a higher rate of impaired lower-extremity motion alone in MMC cases with hindbrain herniation than in MS cases, the difference was not statistically significant (6.6% vs 2.5%; P = 0.13). Among MMC cases with hindbrain herniation, mean sac volume was higher in those associated with talipes compared with those without talipes (4.7 ± 4.2 vs 3.0 ± 2.6 mL; P = 0.002). Review of the MOMS data demonstrated similar findings; cases with a sac on baseline imaging had a higher incidence of talipes than did those without a sac (28.2% vs 7.5%; P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS In fetuses with open spinal dysraphism, the presence of a MMC sac was associated with fetal talipes, and this effect was correlated with sac size. The presence of a larger sac in fetuses with open spinal dysraphism may result in additional injury through mechanical stretching of the nerves, suggesting another acquired mechanism of injury to the exposed spinal tissue. Copyright © 2019 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Amplification and overexpresssion of IKBKE activates NF-kB pathway in breast cancers.

5261 Since the successful use of kinase inhibitors in the clinical setting (e.g., Gleevec and Iressa), kinases have become an area of intense focus in the search for oncogene candidates. Based on our array CGH (Comparative Genomic Hybridization) and SAGE (Serial Analysis of Gene Expression) data on breast tumors, we selected 22 kinases that were both amplified and overexpressed in breast tumors as candidate oncogenic kinases. Quantitative PCR (QPCR) was performed to verify amplification and overexpression of these kinases in 30 breast tumors using genomic DNA and cDNAs, respectively. The result was further confirmed using additional samples from 13 breast tumors which had not been analyzed by array CGH. This lead us to find 9 kinases that were amplified to different degrees in breast tumors and had concomitant overexpression when compared to normal breast tissues. Among these putative oncogenes we focused on IKBKE, which encode IkB kinase epsilon (IKKe), a kinase involved in NF-kB and interferon activation. Array CGH analysis and QPCR demonstrated that IKBKE was gained or amplified in at 10 of 30 breast tumors, which is accompanied by overexpression in at least 8 tumors. It is also amplified/gained and overexpressed in three breast cancer cell lines (ZR75-1, UACC812, and MCF-7). QPCR also detected overexpression of IKKe in non-amplified tumors and cell lines, suggesting other mechanisms are involved in IKKe upregulation. We demonstrated that overexpression of IKKe lead to transformation of kidney embryonic cells, while downregulation of IKKe by RNAi inhibited growth of ZR75-1 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Thus, IKBKE represents a promising oncogene candidate that function through activation of NF-kB in breast cancers and a promising therapeutic target.
Improving performance of zoom-in cosmological simulations using initial conditions with customized grids

Abstract We present a method for customizing the root grid of zoom-in initial conditions used for simulations of galaxy formation. Starting from the white noise used to seed the structures of an existing initial condition, we cut out a smaller region of interest and use this trimmed white noise cube to create a new root grid. This new root grid contains similar structures as the original, but allows for a smaller box volume and different grid resolution that can be tuned to best suit a given simulation code. To minimally disturb the zoom region, the dark matter particles and gas cells from the original zoom region are placed within the new root grid, with no modification other than a bulk velocity offset to match the systemic velocity of the corresponding region in the new root grid. We validate this method using a zoom-in initial condition containing a Local Group analog. We run collisionless simulations using the original and modified initial conditions, finding good agreement. The dark matter halo masses of the two most massive galaxies at z = 0 match the original to within 15%. The times and masses of major mergers are reproduced well, as are the full dark matter accretion histories. While we do not reproduce specific satellite galaxies found in the original simulation, we obtain qualitative agreement in the distributions of the maximum circular velocity and the distance from the central galaxy. We also examine the runtime speedup provided by this method for full hydrodynamic simulations with the ART code. We find that reducing the root grid cell size improves performance, but the increased particle and cell numbers can negate some of the gain. We test several realizations, with our best runs achieving a speedup of nearly a factor of two.
Medicinal Chemistry and Methodological Advances in the Development of Peptide-Based Vaccines

The evolution of rapidly proliferating infectious and tumorigenic diseases has resulted in an urgent need to develop new and improved intervention strategies. Among the many therapeutic strategies at our disposal, our immune system remains the gold-standard in disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Vaccines have played an important role in eradicating or mitigating the spread of infectious diseases by bolstering our immunity. Despite their utility, the design and development of new, more effective vaccines remains a public health necessity. Peptide-based vaccines have been developed for a wide range of established and emerging infectious and tumorigenic diseases. New innovations in epitope design and selection, synthesis, and formulation as well as screening techniques against immunological targets have led to more effective peptide vaccines. Current and future work is geared toward the translation of peptide vaccines from preclinical to clinical utility.
Engineering microenvironment of biodegradable polyester systems for drug stability and release control.

Polymeric systems made of poly(lactic acid) or poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) are widely used for long-term delivery of small and large molecules. The advantages of poly(lactic acid)/poly(lactic-co-...
Intravenous versus Oral iron for Iron-Deficiency Anemia in Pregnancy (IVIDA): A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE Iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) can have serious consequences for mothers and babies. Iron supplementation is recommended, but the administration route is controversial. We sought to conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) testing the effectiveness and safety of intravenous (IV) iron compared with oral iron on perinatal outcomes in pregnant women with IDA. STUDY DESIGN This open-label RCT randomized patients with IDA (hemoglobin [hgb] <10 g/dL and ferritin <30 ng/mL) at 24 to 34 weeks' to oral iron or single 1,000-mg dose of IV low-molecular weight iron dextran over one hour. The primary outcome was maternal anemia at delivery (hgb < 11 g/dL). Secondary outcomes were mild/moderate or severe adverse reactions, maternal hgb and ferritin at delivery, blood transfusion, gestational age at delivery, birth weight, neonatal hgb and ferritin, and composite neonatal morbidity. Analysis was as per protocol. RESULTS The trial was stopped early for logistical reasons, and the data analyzed as preliminary data to inform a larger, potentially externally funded, definitive trial. Of 55 patients approached, 38 consented. Of these, 15 were withdrawn: 5 received IV iron from their primary obstetrician after being randomized to oral iron and 10 declined to receive IV iron. Of the remaining 23 patients, who were included in the analytic population, 13 received oral iron and 10 received IV iron. The rate of maternal anemia at delivery (hgb < 11 g/dL) was high overall but significantly reduced with IV iron (40 vs. 85%, p = 0.039). Rates of maternal hgb < 10 g/dL were significantly lower in the IV iron group (10 vs. 54%, p = 0.029). There were no severe adverse reactions and similar rates of mild/moderate reactions between groups. CONCLUSION IV iron reduces rates of anemia at the time of admission for delivery, supporting a larger RCT comparing IV versus oral iron for the treatment of IDA of pregnancy powered for definitive clinical outcomes. However, issues uncovered in this RCT suggest that patient, clinician, and systems-level barriers associated with different IDA treatment modalities must be considered prior to conducting a larger RCT. This study is registered with clinicaltrials.gov with identifier no.: NCT03438227. KEY POINTS · IV iron decreases rates of anemia on admission for delivery compared with oral iron.. · In an unblinded randomized trial, a significant proportion of patients preferred alternate therapy.. · Future RCTs should incorporate double-blinded technique to reduce risk of patient crossover.. · Results from feasibility trial support a larger RCT comparing IV to oral iron for IDA in pregnancy..
Using Visual Analytics to Inform Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient Choices

Individuals diagnosed with chronic diseases often face difficult, potentially life-altering, treatment decisions. Without sufficient knowledge, it can be difficult for a patient to make an informed decision. An essential element of medical care is educating the patient regarding disease outcomes and treatment options, thereby reducing feelings of uncertainty and increasing confidence in the resulting decision. It has been shown that incorporating decision aids (DAs) based on serious computer games into medical care can increase health knowledge and assist decision-making of patients with a variety of diseases. We discuss the benefits and challenges of using serious games as patient decision aids. We focus on rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic disease that primarily affects the joints of the hand. We propose the use of serious games to enable RA patients to safely explore the uncertain effects of treatments through an avatar that performs common daily tasks, which are known to cause problems for RA patients, and experiences the side effects. We discuss the engineering challenges in building such a system and propose a data-driven approach using medical imagery to communicate the effects of the disease.
Why situational method engineering is useful to information systems development

Effective methods and methodologies for building information systems (IS) remain crucial to building successful IS. This paper investigates the use of situational method engineering for IS development (ISD) projects in a professional bureaucracy. This specialist organization methodology (SOM) is built starting with the philosophy of ISD moving through to flexible, amethodical implementation methods, a proposed instance of situational method engineering that is targeted towards professional bureaucracies. An in-depth philosophical discussion of the ontological, epistemological, research methodological and ethical underpinnings of SOM are outlined, in addition to its limitations, to develop the building blocks of a methodology to implement within a professional bureaucracy organization ISD scenario. Amethodical ISD will be introduced as the appropriate way to implement this developed methodology to build a successful IS. The contribution of this paper is to detail how to develop a philosophically consistent methodology for a specific organizational environment (in this case, using the specific organizational example of a professional bureaucracy) that, when combined with developers and tools, can create a method to be applied to build an IS that has a greater possibility of successful organizational adoption than an IS built using a method devised using more common IS method engineering approaches.
Communication Satellites: International Organization for Development and Control

T HE USE OF COMPUTERS, transistors, laser apparatus and new metals and plastics to solve old and new problems have implications for social scientists well beyond the reach of our present understanding. Technology moves swiftly but society adjusts slowly at times to accommodate the changes. As the benefits of the new technology are applied, there must be careful and continual maintenance of domestic and inter-
Mixed model segregation analysis of LDL-C concentration with genotype–covariate interaction

Mixed model complex segregation analyses have in the past ignored the possibility of genotype-covariate interaction. Only in the nonmixed model with polygenic heritability equal to zero have segregation analyses been performed that allowed for genotype specific regression of the phenotype on covariates. We present an extension of Hasstedt's [1982] mixed model likelihood approximation which does allow for genotype-covariate interaction in the mixed model. Following description of this approximation, we validate the likelihood calculation by a Monte Carlo procedure based on the actual pedigree and missing data structure used in a complex segregation analysis of low density plus very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C + VLDL-C) in baboons. The observed averages of the bootstrap parameter estimates adequately recover the generating values, which included parameters specifying genotype-covariate interaction. We then applied both a traditional complex segregation analysis and an analysis with genotype-covariate interaction to test for the presence of a major locus affecting LDL-C levels in baboons. The model including genotype-covariate interaction was significantly different from the model without interactions, and strongly supported the hypothesis that there is a segregating Mendelian locus as opposed to a random environmental factor. This major locus accounts for approximately 46% of the variance in LDL-C levels, as compared to 40% explained by a locus with no genotype-covariate interaction.
The Effect of Aluminum Hydroxide Dissolution on the Bleeding of Aluminum Lake Dyes

The effect of pH on the bleeding of FD&C yellow No. 5 aluminum lake and FD&C red No. 40 aluminum lake was investigated. The pH–bleeding profiles corresponded to the pH–solubility profile of aluminum hydroxide. The similarity of the bleeding profiles of both lake dyes and the pH–solubility profile of aluminum hydroxide indicates that pH related bleeding, other than that occurring by competition with anions, is a result of dissolution of the aluminum hydroxide substrate. This dissolution is related to the properties of the substrate rather than to the structure of adsorbed dye.
Jitter in a wireless clock distribution system

The jitter of a transmitted wireless clock signal has been measured and found to behave much like jitter of conventionally distributed clock signals. Noise from nearby digital circuits can degrade receiver sensitivity by reducing LNA gain and shifting the divider self-oscillation frequency. This increases clock jitter and, in extreme conditions, can cause failure in the clock receiver circuits to lock on to the transmitted clock signal. The clock can be re-locked by increasing the transmitted power.
Risk Factors for Acute and Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation with Umbilical Cord Blood and Matched Sibling Donors.

Abstract Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation is often complicated by graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). We analyzed the incidences and risk factors for acute (aGVHD) and chronic GVHD (cGVHD), and their impact on disease relapse and survival, among recipients of single umbilical cord blood (sUCB, n = 295), double umbilical cord blood (dUCB, n = 416), and matched sibling donor (MSD, n = 469) allografts. The incidences of grades II to IV aGVHD and chronic GVHD among dUCB, sUCB, and MSD were 56% and 26%, 26% and 7%, 37% and 40%, respectively. Development of aGVHD had no effect on relapse, nonrelapse mortality, or overall survival among cord blood recipients, but it was associated with worse nonrelapse mortality and survival in MSD recipients. Development of cGVHD was only associated with lower relapse in dUCBT. In multivariate analysis of GVHD incidence, age > 18 years was associated with higher incidence of aGVHD and cGVHD across all cohorts. In both UCB cohorts worse HLA match and prior aGVHD were associated with higher risks of aGVHD and cGVHD, respectively. Nonmyeloablative conditioning limited the risk of aGVHD compared with myeloablative conditioning in dUCB recipients. Cyclosporine A and mycophenolate mofetil as GVHD prophylaxis lowered the risk of cGVHD, compared with steroids with cyclosporine A, among sUCB recipients. This large contemporary analysis suggests distiinct risks and consequences of GVHD for UCB and MSD recipients. Limiting the severity of aGVHD remains important in all groups. Increasing the cord blood inventory or developing strategies that reduce the cell-dose threshold and thereby increase the chance of identifying an adequately dosed, better HLA-matched sUCB unit may further limit risks of aGVHD after UCB transplantation.
Astronomical Images before the Internet

Columnist Charles Day describes how the Internet boosts the beauty and power of astronomical images compared to seeing those same images on paper.
Hydrogen embrittlement studies of a trip steel

The conditions of cathodic charging, gaseous hydrogen environment, and loading for which a TRIP steel may or may not be susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement were investigated. In the austenitic state, the TRIP steel appeared to be relatively immune to hydrogen embrittlement. It was shown that it is the strain-induced martensitic phase, α′, which is embrittled. In TRIP steel single-edge-notch specimens under fixed loads in gaseous hydrogen, slow crack growth occurs when the stress intensity level exceeds a threshold level of about 25 ksi-in.1/2 and the growth rate varies approximately as the 2.5 power of the stress intensity level. The activation energy for this slow crack growth was found to be about 10,000 cal/g-atom, the approximate activation for hydrogen diffusion in martensite. Thus it was concluded that slow crack growth in TRIP steel loaded in gaseous hydrogen involves the diffusion of hydrogen through the α′ phase.
Predicting Death from Behavioral Test Performance.

This study described several brief behavioral measures which, with further validation, could be useful in predicting the deaths of older adults within a five-year period following testing. Such tests can be used in routine biomedical examinations, alerting the physician to possible problems in the future. The study was based on a battery of 18 tasks as well as 8 measures of health, social activity, and demographic characteristics administered to 380 healthy men and women aged 60 to 89 years. Five years later, the scores of those who had subsequently died (N = 83) were compared with a matched sample of those still living. Thirteen of the 18 task performances significantly distinguished between those still living and those who died. Discriminative analyses were carried out, and the discriminative score cut-offs correctly classified 66% of the subjects as to survival status. Language: en
Homogeneous axial cosmologies with electromagnetic fields and dust

The requirement of total (extrinsic and intrinsic) axial symmetry for a system of electromagnetic fields and dust in a spatially homogeneous space-time leads uniquely to a vector cosmology of Bianchi type VII/sub h/, for which the solution is found and analyzed. The model is a natural generalization of the standard Friedmann model. 14 references. (auth)
Radiochemical purification of no-carrier-added scandium-47 for radioimmunotherapy

A procedure, adaptable to large-scale remote operation, was developed to purify no-carrier-added (NCA) 47Sc from irradiated Ti targets. Methods based on extraction chromatography and cation-exchange chromatography were compared. Results of this comparison led to the development of an optimized procedure based on cation-exchange with Dowex AG 50W-X4 and 47Sc elution with HCl/HF. This method gave 90-97% overall 47Sc recovery, with a Ti separation factor greater than 2.4 x 10(-5), and specific activities > or = 0.9 GBq microgram-1. Use of the 47Sc product, for labeling monoclonal antibodies, resulted in consistent labeling yields of > or = 90%.
Cancer Stem Cells and Microenvironment in Prostate Cancer Progression

For a study of interactions between the cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and the putative prostate cancer stem cells (CSCs), we used a conditional Pten deletion mouse model of prostatic adenocarcinoma to isolate both CAF cultures and CSC-enriched cell fractions from the primary tumors. The CSC subpopulation exhibited a collective phenotype of Lin(-)/SCA-1(hi)/CD49f(hi)/p63(hi)/CK5(hi)/AR(lo)/CK18(lo)/Survivin(hi)/Runx2(hi) and contained cells with the ability to both self-renew and differentiate into basal and luminal cells in vitro. The spheroids generated from the CSC-enriched subpopulation mimicked the glandular structures that could be produced from a similarly isolated cell fraction from the normal mouse prostate. The efficiency of spheroid formation was found to be influenced differentially by the nature of the fibroblasts that were co-cultured in the 3-D system. The growth and differentiation properties of the CSCs were significantly more enhanced by factors released from CAFs relative to normal prostate fibroblasts (NPFs). Additionally, increased commitment to differentiation to the luminal cell lineage was noted when CAFs were present. When CSCs admixed with either CAFs or NPFs were examined for formation of prostatic glandular structures in renal grafts in vivo, the lesions formed were generally more in numbers in the presence of CAFs than NPFs. Furthermore, lesions formed with CAFs often displayed tumor-like complex histopathology and contained increased numbers of proliferating cells. Taken together, the results suggested that the CAFs in the prostate tumor microenvironment can contribute to the biologic properties of the CSCs and by this account may play a major role in prostate tumorigenesis and progression. Thus, it would be important now to identify the paracrine and/or juxtacrine factors that are responsible for the stimulation of the cancer stem cells.
Concentration recovery for SPECT CNS dopamine‐receptor studies for monkeys

Most commercial SPECTscanners do not properly compensate for scattering and partial volume effects, which severely impacts the quantitation of clinical and research SPECT studies, especially in CNS dopamine studies. Hence, in this paper, a brain phantom containing a monkey skull was used to calibrate a Picker Prism 3000 SPECTcamera for quantitative studies of 123I and 99m Tc‐labeled radiopharmaceuticals. In the calibration study, two small vials representing basal ganglia were inserted into a skull phantom. A series of images were taken with different concentration ratios between the basal ganglia and the other brain compartments to simulate the dynamic imaging study of the dopamine D2 receptor in a monkey brain. Based on this calibration, a simple method is proposed for count correction in the region of interest (ROI). This technique is superior to using a single calibration factor from a cylindrical uniform activity phantom since it can compensate for both the partial volume effect and the dynamically changing effect of scattering. A significant difference between the true and measured values was observed in the correction factors (by a factor as much as 3). Furthermore, a cylindrical phantom, approximately the size of a monkey’s head and containing the same basal ganglia inserts, was used to investigate the feasibility of using a cylindrical phantom with the proposed correction method. The results indicate that it is feasible to use a cylindrical phantom for the case where the activity inside the brain cavity and the activity in the surrounding tissue are similar.