cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Employment and disability issues in systemic lupus erythematosus: a review.

Objective To summarize research pertaining to work disability in lupus patients, discuss challenges patients face applying for federal disability assistance in the US, and make recommendations for clinical and health policy research. Methods We searched Medline for articles on work or disability in lupus patients and gathered information from the Social Security Administration and the National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives. Results We found 12 publications with employment-related data; 6 included analysis of predictors of work status. The prevalence of inability to work or cessation of work was 15–51% in these studies (3–15 years after diagnosis); 20–32% of patients received disability benefits. Lower education level, higher disease activity, higher disease damage, older age, and higher physical job strain were independent predictors of work disability or work cessation in at least 2 studies. Lupus patients may be less successful than patients with other diseases when applying for federal disability assistance, possibly because medical records may not accurately reflect functional limitations. In addition, symptoms contributing to work disability (e.g., fatigue, pain, neurocognitive dysfunction) may be difficult to assess and quantify. Conclusion Work disability in lupus patients is common. Additional research on risk factors for work disability in lupus patients and on strategies for reducing the impact of these factors on work-related activities is needed. The development of better measures and rating scales for the symptoms responsible for work disability in lupus patients and studies of factors influencing the success of obtaining federal disability benefits would also be useful.
Modeling Cognitive Radio Networks for Efficient Data Transfer Using Cloud Link

Cognitive radio is a recent innovative technique to exploit the current limitations on spectrum scarcity. Defined from software defined radio, the cognitive users use the unused spectrum (spectrum holes) using various techniques to detect and efficiently allocate the unused spectrum. The process requires complex computations and many times software packages to be downloaded. This drains the battery power and panics the mobile users and other users with limited battery power. To meet the consequences, a new model called cognitive radio networks with cloud (CRNC) is introduced in this research. The proposed model eliminates the current problems in transmission of information and helps in the real-time process. Simulations were conducted with the proposed CRNC model and discussed the possible packet transfer.
Prospective Multicenter Study of Quantitative Pretest Probability Assessment to Exclude Acute Coronary Syndrome for Patients Evaluated in Emergency Department Chest Pain Units

Study objective We compare the diagnostic accuracy of 3 methods—attribute matching, physician's written unstructured estimate, and a logistic regression formula (Acute Coronary Insufficiency-Time Insensitive Predictive Instrument, ACI-TIPI)—of estimating a very low pretest probability (≤2%) for acute coronary syndromes in emergency department (ED) patients evaluated in chest pain units. Methods We prospectively studied 1,114 consecutive patients from 3 academic EDs, evaluated for acute coronary syndrome. Physicians collected data required for pretest probability assessment before protocol-driven chest pain unit testing. A pretest probability greater than 2% was considered "test positive." The criterion standard was the outcome of acute coronary syndrome (death, myocardial infarction, revascularization, or >60% stenosis prompting new treatment) within 45 days, adjudicated by 3 independent reviewers. Results Fifty-one of 1,114 enrolled patients (4.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.4% to 6.0%) developed acute coronary syndrome within 45 days, including 4 of 991 (0.4%; 95% CI 0.1% to 1.0%) patients, discharged after a negative chest pain unit evaluation result, who developed acute coronary syndrome. Unstructured estimate identified 293 patients with pretest probability less than or equal to 2%, 2 had acute coronary syndrome, yielding sensitivity of 96.1% (95% CI 86.5% to 99.5%) and specificity of 27.4% (95% CI 24.7% to 30.2%). Attribute matching identified 304 patients with pretest probability less than or equal to 2%; 1 had acute coronary syndrome, yielding a sensitivity of 98.0% (95% CI 89.6% to 99.9%) and a specificity of 26.1% (95% CI 23.6% to 28.7%). ACI-TIPI identified 56 patients; none had acute coronary syndrome, yielding sensitivity of 100% (95% CI 93.0% to 100%) and specificity of 6.1% (95% CI 4.7% to 7.9%). Conclusion In a low-risk ED population with symptoms suggestive of acute coronary syndrome, patients with a quantitative pretest probability less than or equal to 2%, determined by attribute matching, unstructured estimate, or logistic regression, may not require additional diagnostic testing.
Stable motions of vehicle formations

We investigate stable maneuvers for a group of autonomous vehicles while moving in formation. The allowed decentralized feeback laws are factored through the Laplacian matrix of the communication graph. We show that such laws allow for stable circular or elliptical motions for certain vehicle dynamics. We find necessary and sufficient conditions on the feedback gains and the dynamic parameters for convergence to formation. In particular, we prove that for undirected graphs there exist feedback gains that stabilize rotational (or elliptical) motions of arbitrary radius (or eceentricity). In the directed graph case we provide necessary and sufficient conditions on the curvature that guarantee stability for a given choice of feedback gains. We also investigate stable motions involving reorientation of the formation along the direction of motion.
Computing DNA duplex instability profiles efficiently with a two-state model: trends of promoters and binding sites

Background DNA instability profiles have been used recently for predicting the transcriptional start site and the location of core promoters, and to gain insight into promoter action. It was also shown that the use of these profiles can significantly improve the performance of motif finding programs.
Per-Survivor Processing (PSP)

The principle of Per-Survivor Processing (PSP) provides a general framework for the approximation of likelihood-based data detection (search) algorithms whenever the presence of unknown quantities prevents the precise use of the classical Viterbi Algorithm (VA). The PSP concept is based on the realization that decision-directed estimation of the relevant unknown parameters should be embedded into the structure of the search algorithm itself, thus joining together the two main functions of the receiver. We argue that PSP not only offers superior and robust performance versus the classical segregated-task architectures in many challenging environments, but that it is also the natural way of approaching the decoding problem from first principles, thus making it the appropriate vehicle for integrated-task receiver design.
National security and the two Koreas

A continuous time model of the military competition between North and South Korea is developed and tested using data from 1960–1987. Several policy simulations are explored using this model. We find that there is considerable potential for moderate defence reductions on the peninsula. However, a strong South Korean economy is likely to accommodate real increases in both military and private consumption.
Methods to detect nitric oxide and its metabolites in biological samples

Nitric oxide (NO) methodology is a complex and often confusing science and the focus of many debates and discussion concerning NO biochemistry. NO is involved in many physiological processes including regulation of blood pressure, immune response, and neural communication. Therefore its accurate detection and quantification are critical to understanding health and disease. Due to the extremely short physiological half-life of this gaseous free radical, alternative strategies for the detection of reaction products of NO biochemistry have been developed. The quantification of NO metabolites in biological samples provides valuable information with regard to in vivo NO production, bioavailability, and metabolism. Simply sampling a single compartment such as blood or plasma may not always provide an accurate assessment of whole body NO status, particularly in tissues. Therefore, extrapolation of plasma or blood NO status to specific tissues of interest is no longer a valid approach. As a result, methods continue to be developed and validated which allow the detection and quantification of NO and NO-related products/metabolites in multiple compartments of experimental animals in vivo. The methods described in this review is not an exhaustive or comprehensive discussion of all methods available for the detection of NO but rather a description of the most commonly used and practical methods which allow accurate and sensitive quantification of NO products/metabolites in multiple biological matrices under normal physiological conditions.
Status of CDF 11 and Prospects for Run 11

This report provides a snapshot of the status of the CDF 11 detector at Fermilab as of Sept 2002. Improvements are rapidly being made to both the Tevatron and CDF 11 and at the time of writing some of the performance numbers quoted have already been exceeded.
Results of partial left ventriculectomy for dilated cardiomyopathy: Hemodynamic, clinical and echocardiographic observations

OBJECTIVES The study was done to prospectively measure the echocardiographic, hemodynamic and clinical outcomes after partial left ventriculectomy (PLV). BACKGROUND Although PLV can improve symptoms of advanced heart failure, immediate postoperative echocardiographic findings remain abnormal. METHODS Fifty-nine patients with cardiomyopathy and advanced heart failure underwent PLV and concomitant mitral valve surgery between May 1996 and December 1997. Thirty-nine percent were on inotropic therapy. All were New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class III or IV. Mechanical circulatory support (LVAD) and transplant were provided for rescue therapy when hemodynamic compromise occurred. Patients were followed for a mean of 405 ± 168 days, and clinical, echocardiographic and hemodynamic measures were obtained preoperatively, immediately postoperatively, and at 3 and 12 months prospectively. RESULTS Comparing preoperative and 12-month postoperative values in event-free survivors, we found: NYHA functional class improved from 3.6 to 2.1, p < 0.0001; peak oxygen consumption increased from 10.8 to 16.0 ml/kg/min, p < 0.0001; LV ejection fraction increased from 13 ± 6.0% to 24 ± 6.9%, p < 0.0001; LV end diastolic diameter decreased from 8.2 ± 1.03 to 6.2 ± 0.64 cm, p < 0.0001, and volume was reduced from 167 ± 60 to 105 ± 38 ml/m2, p = 0.02. Central hemodynamics did not normalize after surgery. CONCLUSIONS Partial left ventriculectomy can provide structural remodeling of the heart that may result in temporary improvement in clinical compensation. However, perioperative failures and the return of heart failure limit the propriety of this procedure.
Dynamical model for velocity-gradient evolution in compressible turbulence

Velocity-gradient evolution in compressible turbulence is modelled with an autonomous dynamical system of equations that are able to explain important non-isentropic, Mach-number and viscous effects. This enhanced homogenized Euler equation (EHEE) model is validated against the Burgers equation and direct numerical simulation (DNS) computations at the appropriate limits of Mach number. The EHEE model qualitatively captures crucial nonlinear physical features – especially various dilatational aspects of the flow field – observed in DNS over a range of Mach, Reynolds and Prandtl numbers. The model can serve as the basis of more quantitative statistical and stochastic closure models.
Enhancing fuzzy robot navigation systems by mimicking human visual perception of natural terrain traversability

The paper presents a technique for learning to assess terrain traversability for outdoor mobile robot navigation using human-embedded logic and real-time perception of terrain features extracted from image data. The methodology utilizes a fuzzy logic framework and vision algorithms for analysis of the terrain. The terrain assessment and learning methodology is tested and validated with a set of real world image data acquired by an onboard vision system.
Persistent Infection of Cells in Culture by Measles Virus III. Comparison of Virus-Specific RNA Synthesized in Primary and Persistent Infection in HeLa Cells

The pattern of actinomycin D-resistant RNA synthesis was examined during primary infection of HeLa cells by virulent Edmonston measles virus and in two HeLa clones persistently infected by the same strain of virus. One of these clones, K11, produces infectious virus of low virulence for HeLa cells, and the other, K11A-HG-1, has thus far failed to yield infectious virus. The patterns of virus-specific RNA synthesized in these three types of infection are qualitatively similar to each other and to the patterns of virus-specific RNA synthesis in other paramyxovirus infections. There were, however, quantitative differences. In addition, virions of the virulent Edmonston strain of measles virus were found to contain high-molecular-weight RNA with a sedimentation constant identical to that of Newcastle disease virus.
The primary care physician workforce in Massachusetts: implications for the workforce in rural, small town America

Context: Small towns across the United States struggle to maintain an adequate primary care workforce. Purpose: To examine factors contributing to physician satisfaction and retention in largely rural areas in Massachusetts, a state with rural pockets and small towns. Methods: A survey mailed in 2004-2005 to primary care physicians, practicing in areas designated by the state as rural, queried respondents about personal and practice characteristics as well as workforce concerns. Predictors of satisfaction and likelihood of remaining in current or rural practice somewhere were assessed. Findings: Of 227 eligible physicians, 160 returned their surveys (response rate, 70.5%). Approximately one third (34.0%) reported they had grown up in communities of 100,000 or larger. Factors associated with higher overall practice satisfaction included not feeling overworked (P = .043) or professionally isolated (P = .004), and being involved in their practice (P = .045) and home communities (P = .036) as well as ease of seeking additional physicians for practice and obtaining CME credits (P = .014 and P = .017, respectively). Female physicians were more likely to report an intention to remain in rural practice somewhere for the next decade (P = .034). In rating their satisfaction with various aspects of the rural practice environment, physicians reported greatest satisfaction with their practice overall (67%) and their call group size (66%). They were least satisfied with their current (30%) and likely future income (40%). In multivariate analyses, larger practice community size was positively related to the dependent variable of overall satisfaction and negatively related to likelihood of staying in current practice or in rural practice somewhere. Conclusions: Our findings reaffirm the importance of rural medical education opportunities in physician recruitment, retention, and practice satisfaction. They also indicate that in a small New England state, a major source of physicians for rural and small town communities is physicians who have been raised in urban/suburban communities and who were trained outside of the region but who were prepared to live and to practice in rural and small town communities.
Juvenile Leigh's encephalomyelopathy with peripheral neuropathy, myopathy, and cardiomyopathy.

A child with typical histopathologic changes of Leigh's subacute necrotizing encephalomyelopathy presented with a chronic demyelinating neuropathy. During her 11-year course, she developed an unusual myopathy and cardiomyopathy in addition to many of the previously described manifestations of Leigh's disease. Despite an extensive evaluation, the biochemical basis of her condition was never identified. This case demonstrates another unique constellation of clinical alterations associated with subacute necrotizing encephalomyelopathy, and that chronic demyelinating neuropathy can be an important initial presentation of the disease. (J Child Neurol 1991;6:159-163).
The SCA12 mutation as a rare cause of spinocerebellar ataxia

Background Spinocerebellar ataxias are a group of phenotypically and genetically heterogeneous disorders characterized by progressive degeneration of the cerebellum. The expansion of a CAG repeat upstream of thePP2APR55βgene has been recently reported as a novel cause of a dominantly inherited ataxia (SCA12) in a kindred with limb tremor as an early feature. Objective To explore the relative frequency of SCA12 among familial and sporadic spinocerebellar ataxias in an ethnically diverse patient population. Methods We used polymerase chain reaction to analyze CAG repeat size in a series of patients presenting to an ataxia clinic in California. Results The SCA12 expansion was not detected in any of the cases investigated. The largest allele found had 22 repeats, a finding within the proposed nonpathogenic range. Distribution of repeat size and heterozygosity were similar to that described previously. Conclusions These results, coupled with findings in other populations, indicate that the SCA12 mutation is a rare cause of spinocerebellar degeneration. Diagnostic testing for SCA12 should be considered in patients with cerebellum disorders and an atypical clinical phenotype, especially when tremor is initially present.
The kinetics of cyclosporine and its metabolites in bone marrow transplant patients.

1. The pharmacokinetics of cyclosporine (CsA) and the time course of CsA metabolites were studied in five bone marrow transplant patients after intravenous (i.v.) administration on two separate occasions and once after oral CsA administration. 2. Cyclosporine and cyclosporine metabolites were measured in whole blood by h.p.l.c. 3. Cyclosporine clearance after i.v. administration decreased from 3.9 +/- 1.7 ml min-1 kg-1 to 2.0 +/- 0.6 ml min-1 kg-1 after 14 days of treatment. The mean +/- s.d. absolute oral bioavailability of cyclosporine was 17 +/- 11%. 4. Hydroxylated CsA (M-17) was the major metabolite in blood. There were no significant differences in the mean metabolite/CsA AUC ratios between the first and second i.v. studies. 5. After oral administration, the metabolite to CsA AUC ratios were higher for most metabolites compared to those observed in the second i.v. study, suggesting a contribution of intestinal metabolism to the clearance of CsA.
Targeting a regulator of protein homeostasis in myeloproliferative neoplasms

A new study demonstrates that dysregulation of proteostasis can be a transforming event in hematopoiesis that could prove to be therapeutically actionable for treatment of myeloproliferative neoplasms.
Cytoplasmic localization and chordamesoderm induction in the frog embryo

The experiments described here were designed to reveal the distribution in the frog early embryo of components which are sufficient for specification of the dorsal structures of the embryonic body axis. The approach was to allow cleavage planes to divide the embryo into various well-defined regions and to transplant cells from each region into recipient embryos which would otherwise fail to form axial structures. Partial or complete body axis development could then be scored by the use of external criteria or histological methods. Recipients were embryos which had been irradiated before first cleavage with ultraviolet light on the vegetal surface. Irradiated embryos display a well-characterized set of deficiencies in the dorsal structures of the body axis, but their development can be 'rescued' toward normalcy in several ways. In particular, transplantation of certain small groups of blastomeres from the normal 32- to 64-cell embryo into irradiated recipients was sufficient to cause partial or complete axis development. Cell groups which could cause rescue were located in the vegetal and equatorial levels of one quadrant of the normal embryo--the quadrant centered on the future dorsal midline. Clonal marking analysis showed that the vegetal-most cells of this quadrant contribute primarily to endodermal structures in normal development. In rescued recipient embryos, these cells also contributed only to the endoderm; the dorsal mesoderm and central nervous system were formed exclusively by host cells which originated near the transplant. Rescue could also result from transplantation of equatorial cells from the dorsal quadrant of the normal embryo. As in normal development, these cells formed primarily the chordamesoderm of the rescued embryo. Host cells were induced to contribute the somitic mesoderm, central nervous system, and other structures which would have been missing but for the presence of the transplanted cells. The frequency and degree of rescue caused by equatorial and vegetal transplants is variable. This was explained by the discovery that the location of components needed for rescue varies among individual embryos without regard to the positions of cleavage planes. This was true even when donor embryos were selected on the basis of a precisely regular pattern of cleavage. In such selected embryos, particular blastomeres make a predictable contribution of progeny to the body axis. Thus it may be that the positions of components which can cause axis formation vary without exact regard to the fate map of prospective areas. The implications of this for the study of cytoplasmic localization in the early embryo are discussed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Comparison of conventional plating methods and PetrifilmTM for the recovery of aerobic bacteria and mold from hatchery fluff samples

SUMMARY The enumeration and evaluation of bacteria and mold are important elements in the evaluation of hatchery sanitation programs. However, detection of bacteria and mold in fluff samples is time consuming and cumbersome. The PetrifilmTM aerobic count plate (ACP) and the Petrifilm yeast/mold count plate are ready-to-use alternatives to the traditional enumeration media used for bacteria and mold associated with environment and food. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of Petrifilms for enumeration of aerobic bacteria and mold from hatchery fluff samples. Comparisons of ACP and mold counts were performed in 25 fluff samples. These samples were from 2 commercial hatcheries. ACP comparisons were made by evaluating the standard for pour plating with plate count agar versus aerobic count plate Petrifilm. Mold comparisons were made by evaluating Sabouraud dextrose agar versus yeast/mold plate count Petrifilm. Overall equivalent bacterial counts and mold counts were obtained by both enumeration methods. Because the Petrifilm method is convenient and gave comparative results, it offers a good alternative for fluff aerobic bacteria and mold counts.
Forced Dynamic Uplift of Floating Plates

A thin plate of infinite extent floating on a perfect fluid of finite depth is subjected to a central concentrated dynamic uplift force. For a specified upward displacement time-history at the center of the plate, the time- history of the uplift force potential is the solution of a Volterra integral equation of the first kind. A model problem is used to shed light on the ill-posed nature of the forced dynamic uplift problem and two canonical problems are discussed.
Do minimum wage increases influence worker health

This study investigates whether minimum wage increases impact worker health in the United States. We consider self-reported measures of general, mental, and physical health. We use data on lesser-skilled workers from the 1993 to 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey. Among men, we find no evidence that minimum wage increases improve health; instead, we find that such increases lead to worse health outcomes, particularly among unemployed men. We find both worsening general health and improved mental health following minimum wage increases among women. These findings broaden our understanding of the full impacts of minimum wage increases on lesser-skill workers. (JEL I1, I11, I18)
Challenging the assumptions about chemical thromboprophylaxis in knee replacement: commentary on an article by Alma B. Pedersen, MD, PhD, et al.: "Venous thromboembolism in patients having knee replacement and receiving thromboprophylaxis: a danish population-based follow-up study".

In this study, the authors performed a database-driven, population-based survey of the frequency of hospitalization with (or rehospitalization for) symptomatic deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) within ninety days of total knee arthroplasty. The setting was Denmark whose nationalized health system has little emigration and so little loss to follow-up. Denmark also boasts excellent administrative registries but permits lengths of stay after arthroplasty that are longer than those in the U.S.; patients in this cohort were hospitalized for an average of seven days after total knee arthroplasty. The major findings were that just over 1% of the patients were hospitalized for symptomatic thromboembolic disease within ninety days of surgery (three-quarters of those hospitalizations were for DVTand one-quarter, for pulmonary embolism) and that
Automated reconstruction of standing posture panoramas from multi-sector long limb x-ray images

Due to the digital X-ray imaging system's limited field of view, several individual sector images are required to capture the posture of an individual in standing position. These images are then “stitched together” to reconstruct the standing posture. We have created an image processing application that automates the stitching, therefore minimizing user input, optimizing workflow, and reducing human error. The application begins with pre-processing the input images by removing artifacts, filtering out isolated noisy regions, and amplifying a seamless bone edge. The resulting binary images are then registered together using a rigid-body intensity based registration algorithm. The identified registration transformations are then used to map the original sector images into the panorama image. Our method focuses primarily on the use of the anatomical content of the images to generate the panoramas as opposed to using external markers employed to aid with the alignment process. Currently, results show robust edge detection prior to registration and we have tested our approach by comparing the resulting automatically-stitched panoramas to the manually stitched panoramas in terms of registration parameters, target registration error of homologous markers, and the homogeneity of the digitally subtracted automatically- and manually-stitched images using 26 patient datasets.
Complement Fixation in Vaccinia and in Variola

Although the reported results of the application of complement fixation to vaccinia are not in complete agreement, a survey of the literature indicates that many authors have obtained evidence highly suggestive of a specific reaction. The first report is that of Jobling,1 who in 1906 demonstrated a positive reaction in the blood of two vaccinated calves, while serums from a normal ox and a normal calf were negative. Sugai2 and Kolmer 3 confirmed this observation, but Beintker 4 was unsuccessful, possibly because he used serum collected on the third day after vaccination, before antibodies had developed. In most investigations, calf lymph, prepared with minor variations in technic, was employed. Using this antigen, Sugai,2 Kolmer,3 Teissier and Gastinel,5 Gastinel6 and Xylander 7 demonstrated fixation of complement in about half the cases. With rabbits, Kolmer3 observed fixation in about the same incidence. Hammerschmidt and Konschegg 8 obtained positive reactions in four fifths of the individuals with a good "take"; those with an immune reaction rarely gave even a ? fixation. Bermbach 9 and Frankenstein,10 although they obtained positive results, did not consider them strong enough to be significant. Hallwachs 11 laid great stress on the time of collection of the serum, having obtained positive results in rabbits
Overcoming Drug Resistance Of FLT3-ITD By SAR302503

A recent discovery of secondary mutations in the kinase domain of Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) targeted by kinase inhibitor AC220 (quizartinib) established it as a relevant target in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, at the same time these observations suggest to identify next-generation inhibitors to target the resistant variants of FLT3. Here we show that SAR302503, a JAK2/FLT3 inhibitor in phase III trial for the treatment of polycythemia vera (PV) and myelofibrosis (MF), can potently inhibit FLT3-ITD variants that confer resistance to AC220. Interestingly, In vitro drug selection against SAR302503 at Cmax value (3 uM) failed to develop resistant clones suggesting it will be more effective in preventing the emergence of resistant clones. Structural modeling suggests that SAR302503 is a type I inhibitor that binds to ATP site in a DFG-in conformation. Altogether our data supports for clinical evaluation of SAR302503 for naive and resistant variants of FLT3-ITD in AML patients to manage clinical resistance. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Numerical investigation of wave elevation and bottom pressure generated by a planing hull in finite-depth water

Abstract A numerical investigation of the bottom pressure and wave elevation generated by a planing hull in finite-depth water is presented. While the existing literature addresses the free-surface deformation and pressure field at the seafloor independently, this work proposes a direct comparison between the two hydrodynamic quantities. The dependence of the pressure disturbances at the ocean floor from the waves generated at the free-surface by a planing hull is studied for several values of both the depth and hull Froude numbers. The methodology employed is Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH), a numerical technique based on the discretization of the continuum fields of hydrodynamics through mesh-less particles. The SPH code herein chosen is initially validated against experimental data for transom-stern flow. Subsequently, numerical simulations are presented for a planing hull in high-speed regimes. The results show a direct correlation between surface wave dynamics and hydrodynamic pressure disturbances at the seafloor as the value of the Froude number is varied. This is assessed by studying the inverse dependence of the low-pressure wake angle with the Froude number and by comparison of SPH results with similar works in the cited literature.
Nutrition and skin: Kids are not just little people

There has been a surge of new data regarding the pathophysiology of skin diseases. We are appreciating the sophisticated interplay among the skin, the immune system, and the environment. More elegant and highly specific medicines have been designed to target certain immune mediators of the adaptive immune system. In parallel fashion, we are learning more about the elegance of the innate immune system and how nutrition as early as the prenatal period can affect the priming of other immune cells. Concerns about the long-term impact of new immune-modulating medicines-especially in the pediatric population-have patients asking their dermatologists for nutritional alternatives to medical therapies. Nutrients and nutritional therapies appear to play a role at different ages for different dermatoses. Probiotics are showing promise as a therapeutic option for patients older than 1 year for atopic dermatitis. Systemic contact allergens appear to be a bigger burden on the adult population with atopic dermatitis. Obesity is a growing concern for both children and adults with psoriasis. Milk and high glycemic foods have a strong impact on the teenage acne population. Vitamins A and D are addressed as piece of the alopecia areata puzzle. Zinc and homeopathy are presented finally as possible treatments to the everlasting wart.
Ovarian Tumors, Stem Cells and Ontogeny: Imminentes Cognitiones

Two fundamental and inextricably interrelated issues limit understanding of ovarian malignancy. Clinically, we can neither recognize early lesions nor ascertain their potential. Hence, ovarian cancer management depends upon a “recognition/classification” paradigm wherein tumor recognition, classification and therapy depends upon the morphology of advanced lesions. There is a parallel inability to fully describe the participants and processes of early ovarian development, making it impossible to definitively exclude one or more of the three major theories on the ontogeny of ovarian tissues (1,2). Models and methods used to explore these problems have serious limitations. In carcinogenesis the early lesions are yet to be defined, while in ovarian embryology the minuscule size of the tissues involved and the limited numbers of participating cells restrict research opportunities.
Sharp Decline In Prostate Cancer Treatment Among Men In The General Population, But Not Among Diagnosed Men

The indolent nature of many prostate cancers has heightened concerns that harms from treatment may outweigh those from the disease and has resulted in a growing consensus in favor of less aggressiv...
Non-neutralizing Antibodies Alter the Course of HIV-1 Infection In Vivo.

Summary Non-neutralizing antibodies (nnAbs) to HIV-1 show little measurable activity in prevention or therapy in animal models yet were the only correlate of protection in the RV144 vaccine trial. To investigate the role of nnAbs on HIV-1 infection in vivo, we devised a replication-competent HIV-1 reporter virus that expresses a heterologous HA-tag on the surface of infected cells and virions. Anti-HA antibodies bind to, but do not neutralize, the reporter virus in vitro. However, anti-HA protects against infection in humanized mice and strongly selects for nnAb-resistant viruses in an entirely Fc-dependent manner. Similar results were also obtained with tier 2 HIV-1 viruses using a human anti-gp41 nnAb, 246D. While nnAbs are demonstrably less effective than broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) against HIV-1 in vitro and in vivo, the data show that nnAbs can protect against and alter the course of HIV-1 infection in vivo. PaperClip
Interactions between urban heat islands and heat waves

Author(s): Zhao, L; Oppenheimer, M; Zhu, Q; Baldwin, JW; Ebi, KL; Bou-Zeid, E; Guan, K; Liu, X | Abstract: Heat waves (HWs) are among the most damaging climate extremes to human society. Climate models consistently project that HW frequency, severity, and duration will increase markedly over this century. For urban residents, the urban heat island (UHI) effect further exacerbates the heat stress resulting from HWs. Here we use a climate model to investigate the interactions between the UHI and HWs in 50 cities in the United States under current climate and future warming scenarios. We examine UHI2m (defined as urban-rural difference in 2m-height air temperature) and UHIs (defined as urban-rural difference in radiative surface temperature). Our results show significant sensitivity of the interaction between UHI and HWs to local background climate and warming scenarios. Sensitivity also differs between daytime and nighttime. During daytime, cities in the temperate climate region show significant synergistic effects between UHI and HWs in current climate, with an average of 0.4 K higher UHI2m or 2.8 K higher UHIs during HWs than during normal days. These synergistic effects, however, diminish in future warmer climates. In contrast, the daytime synergistic effects for cities in dry regions are insignificant in the current climate, but emerge in future climates. At night, the synergistic effects are similar across climate regions in the current climate, and are stronger in future climate scenarios. We use a biophysical factorization method to disentangle the mechanisms behind the interactions between UHI and HWs that explain the spatial-temporal patterns of the interactions. Results show that the difference in the increase of urban versus rural evaporation and enhanced anthropogenic heat emissions (air conditioning energy use) during HWs are key contributors to the synergistic effects during daytime. The contrast in water availability between urban and rural land plays an important role in determining the contribution of evaporation. At night, the enhanced release of stored and anthropogenic heat during HWs are the primary contributors to the synergistic effects.
Multicultural Education Past, Present, and Future: Struggles for Dialog and Power-Sharing

Using Kymlicka’s analysis of conflicts between “imperatives of state control” and “objectives of social movements,” I draw on my experiences with multicultural education to extrapolate some trends from the past and present that may inform the future. After briefly describing the origins of multicultural education (mainly within the United States), I situate struggles over education in the context of the global expansion of neoliberalism, critique “neoliberal multicultural education,” then briefly describe some efforts that push back. This essay concludes with four recommendations for moving forward.
Inferior and Unworthy Transportation Mega-Projects

In the previous chapters we saw that many countries, especially in the developed world, have adopted formal project appraisal and selection procedures. While not always mandatory, we might assume that their availability does facilitate the making of rational choices with respect to which projects are worthy among the proposed investment alternatives. And yet, this assumption has been proven wrong in many cases. Various surveys of mega-projects worldwide have revealed that a significant number of the projects selected are inferior to other investment alternatives or even totally unworthy (e.g., see Pickrell 1990, 1992; Flyvbjerg 2007, 2009). Why does this happen?
Designing Training Mechanism for the Elderly to Use Social Media Mobile Apps – A Research Proposal

This is a research proposal to demonstrate a suggested training design that can potentially be suitable to training mild cognitively-impaired elderly to successfully use social media mobile apps. To test its success, the researchers propose a 3 by 1 experimental design involving three training groups receiving similar training treatments. Training sessions will be followed by observation meetings in two weeks period to conduct three measures: whether participants were able to repeat and complete tasks successfully; whether they were able to retain the information using the mobile tutoring app after a certain period of time; and whether the child narrator embedded in the mobile app design affects the learning process. The experimental design will be explained in greater detail later in this research proposal.
Differentiating tumor recurrence from radiation-induced necrosis: An image-based mathematical modeling framework

Patients with intracranial metastases often undergo stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for local control. Following SRS, some patients develop radiation-induced necrosis, which appears radiographically similar to tumor recurrence on follow-up imaging. Both may appear as an enhancing lesion in MR T 1 -weighted contrast enhanced imaging with surrounding FLAIR abnormality, complicating diagnostic and therapeutic efforts. We develop a spatiotemporal model of tumor growth in this work to parameterize tumor growth kinetics, based on contrast enhanced Ti-weighted serial MR imaging. In a proof-of-concept study to demonstrate feasibility of the framework, we evaluated two patients, one with recurrence and one with radiation-induced necrosis. Model-data fits were used to parameterize tumor cell diffusion coefficient and tumor cell proliferation rate. Differences between the pathologies were found when comparing the tumor cell proliferation rate, suggesting the potential of this model to distinguish between diagnoses in a biophysical model-based image analysis framework.
Measures of the Dispersion of a Population Based on Ranks

Gini’s (1912) coefficient of concentration is recommended as the basis for a significance test to compare the dispersions of two negative binomial populations. The data are assumed to be quadrat counts, and the jackknife technique is used to estimate standard error. Simulation studies indicate that as few as 20 quadrats may be adequate for some negative binomial populations. Application is made to the comparison of dispersions of the adult southern green stinkbug (Nezara Viridula) on three row crops.
Community Consent for Research on the Impaired Elderly

It has been noted often that the elderly do not participate enough in research protocols, though they require a substantial proportion of health care interventions that benefit from research. Less than one percent of elderly persons sign on to research projects, but persons over 65 years of age require twice the health care dollars as younger generations, and those over 85 expend three times as much on health care (Callahan 1990). It seems important from the standpoint of justice to raise the number of elderly who could and should participate in biomedical research. One of the major impediments to this increase is the fact that a large number of projects that might benefit the elderly regard research on neurological diseases that impair their ability to consent, not the least of which are projects on Alzheimer’s disease and on strokes (Whitehouse 1998). There are also other considerations as explored by Professor Schafer earlier in the preceding chapter.
Epidermal dystrophy and actinic keratoses in psoriasis patients following oral psoralen photochemotherapy (PUVA): Follow-up study

Focal dystrophy of epidermal cells, which was initially reported in 19 of 37 patients with psoriasis who had been treated with psoralen and ultraviolet A (PUVA), has now been observed in more than half of 70 patients 1 year or more following onset of PUVA therapy. These dystrophic changes, which are similar to those found in actinic keratoses, were present in clinically uninvolved skin of sunlight-protected and sunlight-exposed areas. Control biopsies obtained prior to PUVA therapy of non-sun-exposed skin in 62 patients and sun-exposed skin of 22 of these revealed no such changes. The presence of epidermal dystrophic changes in 9 patients who had a several-month interruption in PUVA therapy indicates that these changes cannot all be attributed to acute effects of PUVA. In 104 PUVA-treated patients returning for dermatologic follow-up after the first year of therapy, 17 (16.3%) developed actinic keratoses during the course of, or following the cessation of, treatment with PUVA. Careful examination of these patients prior to PUVA therapy had revealed no such lesions. In the majority of patients, keratoses were multiple; they occurred in sun-exposed areas, suggesting a possible acceleration or promotion by PUVA of actinically induced lesions.
The People’s Lobby: A Model for Online Activist Deliberation

This article presents a model for a “People’s Lobby,” a digital process of deliberation and activism that allows citizens to have their voices heard on important political issues. The model described in this proposal attempts to achieve deliberation for its own sake, but also for the sake of an activist intervention geared toward immediate response—a process commonly called lobbying. In other words, this is a model that combines the fairness and inclusivity of deliberation with the prodding tension of organized activist lobbying. The People’s Lobby might not completely counteract the effects of more conventional corporate lobbying and other mass-organizational pressures, but if it increases the impact of citizens’ reflective and deliberative voices even marginally, it will be well worth the effort.
Book Review - Altered Traits: Science Reveals how meditation changes your mind, brain and body

A review of the book: Altered Traits: Science Reveals how meditation changes your mind, brain and body. By Daniel Goleman & Richard Davidson. Penquin Random House, LLC, New York, NY,
Direct conversion of carbon nanofibers and nanotubes into diamond nanofibers and the subsequent growth of large-sized diamonds

We report a pulsed laser annealing method to convert carbon fibers and nanotubes into diamond fibers at ambient temperature and pressure in air. The conversion of carbon nanofibers and nanotubes into diamond nanofibers involves melting in a super undercooled state using nanosecond laser pulses, and quenching rapidly to convert into phase-pure diamond. The conversion process occurs at ambient temperature and pressure, and can be carried out in air. The structure of diamond fibers has been confirmed by selected-area electron diffraction in transmission electron microscopy, electron-back-scatter-diffraction in high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, all showing characteristic diffraction lines for the diamond structure. The bonding characteristics were determined by Raman spectroscopy with a strong peak near 1332 cm−1, and high-resolution electron-energy-loss spectroscopy in transmission electron microscopy with a characteristic peak at 292 eV for σ* for sp3 bonding and the absence of π* for sp2 bonding. The Raman peak at 1332 cm−1 downshifts to 1321 cm−1 for diamond nanofibers due to the phonon confinement in nanodiamonds. These laser-treated carbon fibers with diamond seeds are used to grow larger diamond crystallites further by using standard hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD). We compare these results with those obtained without laser treating the carbon fibers. The details of diamond conversion and HFCVD growth are presented in this paper.
Constructing Tax Efficient Withdrawal Strategies for Retirees with Traditional 401(k)/IRAs, Roth 401(k)/IRAs, and Taxable Accounts

We construct an algorithm for United States retirees that computes individualized tax-efficient annual withdrawals from IRAs/401(k)s, Roth IRAs/Roth 401(k)s, and taxable accounts. Our algorithm applies a new approach that generates an individualized strategy that results in consistent improvements over non-individualized withdrawal strategies currently advocated by financial institutions and academics. Among other results, we quantifiably demonstrate why retirees should avoid, not seek, dividend producing stocks in their taxable accounts. Our model, which can work to optimize either portfolio longevity or the bequest to an heir, accommodates many salient tax code features, including dividends, different taxable lots, conversions, and required minimum distributions.
Parallelism and convergence in post-domestication adaptation in cereal grasses.

The selection of desirable traits in crops during domestication has been well studied. Many crops share a suite of modified phenotypic characteristics collectively known as the domestication syndro...
Studies on RF Propagation Path Gain Models for Free-Space Wireless Communication Links

In this paper, RF propagation path gain between two dipoles in free-space using Friis formula, and equivalent circuit impedance expression are calculated and compared with the full-wave (Method of Moments) solver in FEKO. Results are shown for the above cases. It can be noted that the path gain from Friis formula is not the same as from equivalent circuit impedance expression. However, when the antennas are separated by very large distances, it is shown that the results for the path gain from both the cases start agreeing.