cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Smart engine speed control system with ECU system interface

Despite decades of reformative legislation regarding the safety of motorists and immense efforts by manufacturers to improve vehicle safety features, motor vehicle accidents related to speeding claim the lives of approximately 3000 teenagers (aged 16–19) each year. This study proposes an embedded smart control system to limit the vehicle speed to the maximum allowable road speed. This can be achieved by establishing a live communication between the cruise control system and the onboard GPS module. Using the Engine Control Unit (ECU) to control the electronic throttle and air valve, the maximum rotational velocity of the engine can be limited so that the vehicle's speed does not surpass a road speed limit. By implementing this embedded system to control the speed of the motor vehicle, this system has the potential to reduce the number of speeding-related accidents. This study evaluates the practicability of the proposed embedded system and discusses alternative controlling methods. For this purpose, a graphical user interface (GUI) module is also developed to make the system more user-friendly. The data used to test the system was collected through a GPS service from the streets around the campus of the University of Central Oklahoma.
Psychological Factors in Hypertension Development and Treatment

This chapter begins with the ambitious aim of reviewing the evidence for psychosocial factors in the development and treatment of hypertension. The literature base is now nearly a century old, and comprises well over a thousand empirical and narrative manuscripts. The methodologies employed, psychological constructs of interest, and theoretical underpinnings in this research are many and varied, reflecting the numerous trends and cultural zeitgeists of the previous decades. At the time of this writing, the relationship between psychological factors and hypertension is a topic of growing interest, spurred by recent reviews and the continuing influx of prospective data from several large US-based cohort studies [1]–[4]. It is not the purpose of this paper to comprehensively review this extensive database. Rather, the intention is to provide a) an overview of the primary theories, methods of study and evidence for emotional factors in hypertension, with an emphasis on recent findings; b) a review of the multiple behavioral and physiological mechanisms proposed by researchers to bridge the association between psychological characteristics and blood pressure regulation, and c) a discussion of the evidence and implications for the treatment of psychological factors among patients with current or elevated risk for hypertension.
Drugs as chemical stimuli.

Analogies can be drawn at many levels between psychoactive drug effects as discriminative stimuli and stimulus control by traditional exteroceptive stimuli. The most useful analogy may be between drug stimuli and the chemical senses. At the behavioral level, drug discrimination studies have already drawn heavily from behavioral science research on stimulus control. Training of a drug discrimination is operationally identical to training discriminations based on exteroceptive stimuli. Concepts from generalization studies and research with compound stimuli have also been used in drug discrimination research. At the cellular level, a parallel can also be drawn between the study of mechanisms for drug stimulus effects and research on olfactory transduction. One theory of olfactory transduction proposes receptor-mediated actions of odorants, with subsequent biochemical events involving the cyclic neucleotide cascade, that is very similar to theories of receptor-mediated drug action. There is a broad basis for cross-fertilization between the study of drug stimuli and behavioral and cellular studies in classical sensory systems.
Highlights of Solar System Development on the 200th Anniversary of Men on the Moon

Since humans returned to the Moon, we went from being an outpost on a barren rock orbiting Earth to being a nascent civilization on the Moon and Mars, with outposts on dozens of asteroids, outer planets and their moons. We went from a population of under a dozen to one approaching 300,000 extraterrestrials.
I'm leaving you, Travis: a continuous integration breakup story

Continuous Integration (CI) services, which can automatically build, test, and deploy software projects, are an invaluable asset in distributed teams, increasing productivity and helping to maintain code quality. Prior work has shown that CI pipelines can be sophisticated, and choosing and configuring a CI system involves tradeoffs. As CI technology matures, new CI tool offerings arise to meet the distinct wants and needs of software teams, as they negotiate a path through these tradeoffs, depending on their context. In this paper, we begin to uncover these nuances, and tell the story of open-source projects falling out of love with Travis, the earliest and most popular cloud-based CI system. Using logistic regression, we quantify the effects that open-source community factors and project technical factors have on the rate of Travis abandonment. We find that increased build complexity reduces the chances of abandonment, that larger projects abandon at higher rates, and that a project's dominant language has significant but varying effects. Finally, we find the surprising result that metrics of configuration attempts and knowledge dispersion in the project do not appear to affect the rate of abandonment.
LY6E mediates an evolutionarily conserved enhancement of virus infection by targeting a late entry step

Interferons (IFNs) contribute to cell-intrinsic antiviral immunity by inducing hundreds of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). In a screen to identify antiviral ISGs, we unexpectedly found that LY6E, a member of the LY6/uPAR family, enhanced viral infection. Here, we show that viral enhancement by ectopically expressed LY6E extends to several cellular backgrounds and affects multiple RNA viruses. LY6E does not impair IFN antiviral activity or signaling, but rather promotes viral entry. Using influenza A virus as a model, we narrow the enhancing effect of LY6E to uncoating after endosomal escape. Diverse mammalian orthologs of LY6E also enhance viral infectivity, indicating evolutionary conservation of function. By structure-function analyses, we identify a single amino acid in a predicted loop region that is essential for viral enhancement. Our study suggests that LY6E belongs to a class of IFN-inducible host factors that enhance viral infectivity without suppressing IFN antiviral activity.
MRI imaging for in vivo free radicals and bioenergetics in mouse skeletal muscle

Background Accumulation of mitochondrial dysfunction, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative damage play a causal role in skeletal muscle atrophy and contractile dysfunction. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology is an excellent tool to assess redox imbalance within tissue and to measure dynamics of blood flow and oxygenation in skeletal muscle in vivo real time. Methods We used wildtype mice, mice lacking the cytosolic superoxide scavenger CuZn-superoxide dismutase (CnZnSOD, Sod1-/- mice), and a mouse model engineered to express Sod1 selectively in neuronal tissue under the control of synapsin 1 promoter on an Sod1-/- genetic background (neuronal SynTgSod1-/- rescue mice) to test the role of neurogenic oxidative stress in skeletal muscle redox status. By combining molecular magnetic resonance imaging (mMRI) and immunospin-trapping technologies using DMPO, we monitored the levels of free radicals in vivo real time. For functional MRI, we placed an electrode directly on gastrocnemius. A 15-min exercise protocol was achieved by electrical stimulations (2 mA, 0.5 Hz, 0.2 ms pulse duration). We obtained relative changes of blood oxygenation level dependent-signal intensity (BOLD-SI) of exercising skeletal muscle using a 7.0T MRI system. Results In vivo free radical levels in lower limb muscles were elevated by ~3 fold in Sod1-/- mice but normalized to wildtype level in SynTgSod1-/- mice. Skeletal muscle mass was significantly reduced in Sod1-/-, but fully reversed in SynTgSod1-/-. Relative muscle oxygenation was decreased Sod1-/- mice and remained reduced in SynTgSod1-/- . Similarly, relative muscle blood flow in Sod1-/- is decreased to ~50% of wildtype and remained low in SynTgSod1-/- mice. Conclusion We demonstrate that free radical levels can be assessed by MRI coupled with immunospin trapping in skeletal muscle. Our data also indicates an inverse relationship between muscle mass and in vivo free radicals in muscle. Neuron-specific expression of CuZnSOD prevented muscle atrophy independent of perfusion rate or oxgen tension in muscle.
Impact of RF Shimming on RF-Induced Heating Near Implantable Medical Electrodes in a 3T MRI Coil

Radio frequency (RF) shimming is a widely used method to improve the MRI quality by adjusting the magnitude and phase of the transmit elements in the RF coil and eliminating the field inhomogeneity in 3T MRI system. This process alters the field distribution inside the MRI borehole and changes both the level and location of the absorbed RF energy in patients. It is necessary to assess the impact of RF shimming on the risk of RF-induced heating for patients especially those who have implantable longitude medical electrodes in place during the MRI procedure. This paper investigates the impacts of RF shimming on the RF-induced heating of a generic pacemaker electrode using a transfer function method. Two different shimming schemes were studied. The first excitation scheme was designed to obtain a homogeneous ${B_{1 + }}$ field in the image region-chest region. The second condition maximized the temperature rise around the generic pacemaker electrode with different implant trajectories. All the results were normalized to 2 W/kg average whole-body specific absorption rate (SAR) and a Q-matrices method was used to improve the SAR calculation efficiency. The average temperature rise at the electrode tip under quadrature excitation was 3.7 °C while under optimized excitation was 2.3 °C. The worst-case temperature rise for a selected trajectory was found to be 33.17 °C, which was almost 6 times of the temperature rise under quadrature excitation. Therefore, the RF-shimming condition can significantly change the RF-induced heating of electrodes. To ensure patient safety under MRI, RF-shimming condition should be considered and thoroughly integrated into the RF heating assessment.
A Prospective Correlation of Tissue Histopathology With Nucleic Acid Yield in Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Biopsy Specimens

Abstract Objective To determine histopathologic, exome, and transcriptome nucleic acid material yield from prospectively collected metastatic tissue biopsy specimens in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Patients and Methods Patients with mCRPC initiating abiraterone acetate therapy underwent 2 serial metastatic site core needle biopsies after study activation on May 17, 2013. Multiple cores were obtained, and from each core, 1- to 2-mm segments were separated and formalin fixed for histopathologic examination. Tumor purity was determined for DNA and RNA from the rest of the biopsy specimen. RNA quality was assessed by calculation of an RNA integrity number and a DV200 score. Results A total of 89 patients underwent 172 uniformly processed core needle biopsies (89 on visit 1 and 83 on visit 2) between May 30, 2013, and September 10, 2015. Metastatic sites biopsied included bone (131), lymph nodes (31), liver (5), lung (3), and pelvic soft tissues (2). Of the 172 biopsy specimens, 85 (49%) had at least one of the multiple cores positive for tumor on histopathologic examination (53 of 88 [60%] from visit 1 and 32 of 83 [39%] from visit 2; P=.006). Metastatic carcinoma was observed in 50 of 130 bone lesion specimens (38%), compared to 35 of 41 nonbone specimens (85%) (P Conclusion This study found that biopsy specimens from mCRPC sites yield adequate histopathologic, exome, and transcriptome material in most, but not all, cases. This finding has relevance for future genome sequencing studies on the introduction of targeted therapeutic agents. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: 01953640.
An Action Seminar in Mathematics Education.

IT IS the responsibility of a university to provide for the individuals enrolled in its teacher-education program a place where they can observe, participate, and learn. This obligation was fulfilled for many years by the campus laboratory school. However, the campus laboratory school is becoming as extinct as the whooping crane. This unfortunate circum stance, coupled with the fact that many public schools in university towns forbid undergraduate education majors to ob serve or participate in the education proc ess, has made it impossible for teacher education majors to correlate textbook theory with the real world of the high school classroom. This paper will describe an action semi nar established cooperatively between In diana University of Pennsylvania and a local high school as a first step in enrich ing the internship phase associated with the undergraduate education of future high school mathematics teachers. The students who participated in the seminar were concurrently enrolled in the secondary mathematics methods course scheduled the semester preceding their student-teaching assignment. Therefore the seminar afforded them the opportu nity to come in contact with high school students while they were learning the theory associated with the process of teaching mathematics. The seminar was divided into two com plementary phases. In the first phase, the university students prepared a packet of study materials for use by an individual high school pupil. Since the purpose of this packet of materials was to allow the high school pupil to progress through selected portions of the regular school program at the learning rate that was most comfort able for him, it was given the name "go" by the seminar students. In the second phase of the seminar, the students identi fied and explored a problem or project of their own choosing that was associated with the teaching of mathematics. This paper will deal with the first phase of the seminar.
Keratopigmentation (Corneal Tattoo) and Prosthetic Contact Lenses

Prosthetic contact lenses and corneal tattooing have been used for both cosmetic purposes in nonfunctioning disfigured eyes and for therapeutic purposes in functioning eyes. For example, they are used in aniridia to avoid glare and double vision. In blind, disfigured non-painful eyes, these techniques have the advantage of low cost and the avoidance of more invasive procedures such as conjunctival flaps, evisceration, and enucleation. In certain patients with a close to normal-sized globe and minimal disfigurement, contact lenses are preferred for creating the best match to the contralateral eye. The lenses are commercially available in different iris diameters, colors, and base curves. However, if a more precise match is desired, prosthetic contact lenses can be hand painted and customized. On the other hand, when only acceptable cosmesis and lower maintenance are desired, or in patients with intolerance to prosthetic contact lenses, corneal tattooing can be used. Different dye materials, surgical techniques, and results have been described.
Big Data, Big Problems: Analysis of Professional Sports Leagues’ CBAs and Their Handling of Athlete Biometric Data

The use and integration of wearable technology (wearables) into professional sports is increasing rapidly. At a minimum, the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS have all integrated wearables into their training. Teams’ hope the biometric data obtained from the wearables will sharpen athletic performance, create competitive advantages, enhance fan experience, and generate new revenue streams. However, to obtain these desired outcomes leagues must adequately protect their athlete’s biometric data (ABD). The purpose of this paper is to examine and compare the CBAs of the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS management of wearables and ABD. Specifically, this paper will discuss the potential gaps in protection of ABD within the CBA and explore whether federal and state laws are applicable to protect the data. Findings from this analysis improve our understanding of professional sport leagues management of ABD and expose the limitations of protection at the league, state, and federal level.
Towards a model of bubble breakup in turbulence through experimental constraints

Abstract Complex bubble breakup in turbulence has been studied and modeled extensively by employing the population balance equation. This equation hinges on two quantities, i.e. daughter bubble size distribution and breakup frequency. Since there is no first-principle equation that can be solved to calculate these two quantities, many phenomenological models based on different physical mechanisms have been proposed. A large number of possible mechanisms at play leads to models with drastically different, and even contradictory, predictions. In contrast, experimental measurements of these two quantities, including several previous works and our own results collected in a vertical water tunnel that features a large homogeneous and isotropic region, seem to be consistent with one another. To resolve the difference between models and experiments, rather than following another physical argument, we approach the problem from a different direction by asking how to constrain a model based on experimental results. The specific constraints extracted from eight experimental results include: (i) direct measurements of daughter bubble size distribution; (ii) Super-Hinze-scale bubble size spectrum for constraining breakup frequency; (iii) Sub-Hinze-scale bubble size spectrum for modeling daughter bubble size distribution; (iv) Convergence time to an equilibrium state. Finally, based on these experimental constraints, a new breakup model that incorporates a corrected formulation for breakup frequency as well as a simplified function for daughter bubble distribution is developed to meet all constraints. Although the new model is deliberately not connected to any specific physical arguments for simplification, it appears to be robust and consistent with all experimental constraints mentioned.
Clitic position in Old Occitan affirmative verb-first declaratives coordinated by e: A variationist analysis

Abstract This paper offers a variationist analysis of object and adverbial clitic position in coordinated affirmative verb-first main declaratives introduced by e(t) “and” in Old Occitan. In this context, clitics occur in either preverbal (e·l vestit “and clothed him”) or postverbal position (e perdonet li “and pardoned him”). Following recent work on Medieval Romance coordination, I posit that proclitic and enclitic examples reflect different coordination structures at the underlying syntactic level. Data from complete analyses of five major 13th- and 14th-century texts, analyzed in a variationist approach using logistic regression, reveal that the choice between coordination structures – and hence, between proclisis and enclisis – is principled rather than random and depends on the degree of continuity or rupture/discontinuity between the conjuncts.
Robust Carbon-Based Electrodes for Hydrogen Evolution through Site-Selective Covalent Attachment of an Artificial Metalloenzyme

The use of biological systems for electrochemical energy conversion applications is often limited by instability of the protein or protein–electrode system. Here, we present a simple but efficient ...
Effects of residual disinfectants on the redox speciation of lead(II)/(IV) minerals in drinking water distribution systems

This study investigated the reaction kinetics on the oxidative transformation of lead(ii) minerals by free chlorine (HOCl) and free bromine (HOBr) in drinking water distribution systems. According to chemical equilibrium predictions, lead(ii) carbonate minerals, cerussite PbCO3(s) and hydrocerussite Pb3(CO3)2(OH)2(s), and lead(ii) phosphate mineral, chloropyromorphite Pb5(PO4)3Cl(s) are formed in drinking water distribution systems in the absence and presence of phosphate, respectively. X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) data showed that at pH 7 and a 10 mM alkalinity, the majority of cerussite and hydrocerussite was oxidized to lead(iv) mineral PbO2(s) within 120 minutes of reaction with chlorine (3 : 1 Cl2 : Pb(ii) molar ratio). In contrast, very little oxidation of chloropyromorphite occurred. Under similar conditions, oxidation of lead(ii) carbonate and phosphate minerals by HOBr exhibited a reaction kinetics that was orders of magnitude faster than by HOCl. Their end oxidation products were identified as mainly plattnerite β-PbO2(s) and trace amounts of scrutinyite α-PbO2(s) based on X-ray diffraction (XRD) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopic analysis. A kinetic model was established based on the solid-phase experimental data. The model predicted that in real drinking water distribution systems, it takes 0.6-1.2 years to completely oxidize Pb(ii) minerals in the surface layer of corrosion scales to PbO2(s) by HOCl without phosphate, but only 0.1-0.2 years in the presence of bromide (Br-) due the catalytic effects of HOBr generation. The model also predicts that the addition of phosphate will significantly inhibit Pb(ii) mineral oxidation by HOCl, but only be modestly effective in the presence of Br-. This study provides insightful understanding on the effect of residual disinfectant on the oxidation of lead corrosion scales and strategies to prevent lead release from drinking water distribution systems.
Sexual and Gender Minority Health in Neurology: A Scoping Review.

Importance Little is known about the neurologic health needs of sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals, and existing research indicates health care disparities for this group. Objective To describe the current state of science in SGM neurology and highlight areas of knowledge and gaps to guide future research. Evidence Review All articles published before April 12, 2020, in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, PsycInfo, CINAHL, and BIOSIS Previews were searched using a search string encompassing SGM descriptors and neurologic disorders. A total of 8359 items were found and entered into EndNote, and 2921 duplicates were removed. A blind title and abstract review was performed followed by full-text review in duplicate, with conflicts settled through consensus, to identify 348 articles eligible for data abstraction. Articles presenting primary data about an identified adult SGM population addressing a clinical neurology topic were included. Descriptive statistics were used for abstracted variables. Findings Of 348 studies, 205 (58.9%) were case reports or series, 252 (72.4%) included sexual minority cisgender men, and 247 (70.9%) focused on HIV. An association was found between autism spectrum disorder and gender dysphoria in 9 of 16 studies (56.3%), and a higher risk of ischemic stroke in transgender women was shown in other studies. Literature in neuroinfectious disease, the most common topic, largely focused on HIV (173 of 200 studies [86.5%]). Findings in other neurologic topics were limited by lack of data. Conclusions and Relevance In this rigorous compendium of SGM neurology literature, several deficiencies were found: most studies focused on a limited breadth of neurologic pathology, included only a portion of the overall SGM community, and did not assess other aspects of sociodemographic diversity that may contribute to disparities in health care access and outcomes among SGM individuals. Expanding neurologic research to include broader representation of SGM individuals and incorporating sociodemographic factors, like race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status, are essential steps toward providing equitable neurologic care for this community.
An Interprofessional Collaborative Practice Can Reduce Heart Failure Hospital Readmissions and Costs in an Underserved Population.

Abstract Background Heart failure is a leading cause of hospitalization among adults in the United States. Nurse-led interprofessional clinics have been shown to improve heart failure outcomes in patients with heart failure, specifically decreasing readmission rates. Yet, there is little information on the impact of nurse-led interprofessional collaborative practice within an underserved population with heart failure. Thus, the purpose of this study was to compare the differences in readmission days and cost in patients followed by an interprofessional collaborative practice clinic (both engaged and not engaged) and those who did not establish care with the clinic. Methods and Results Demographic, clinical, and readmission data were compared among patients with heart failure (59% African American; 72% male; mean age, 49 years) stratified into 3 groups: engaged patients (n = 170), not-engaged patients (n = 103), and not-established patients (n = 111) who had an initial appointment to clinic but did not establish care. Patients with 6 months of data before and after the scheduled clinic visit were included in the study. Differences in baseline characteristics, frequency and length of hospital admissions, and costs were analyzed using analysis of variance, Wilcoxon matched-pairs testing, multivariate analysis of variance, logistic regression, and financial analytics. Overall, the number of inpatient hospital days decreased in the engaged group compared with those in the not-engaged and not-established groups (P Conclusions The findings of this study may steer health care providers to incorporate interprofessional collaborative practice into heart failure management with a particular focus on underserved populations.
Acute Effects of Cannabis Concentrate on Motor Control and Speed: Smartphone-Based Mobile Assessment.

Abstract Background: The use of cannabis concentrate is dramatically rising and sparking major safety concerns. Cannabis concentrate contains tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) potencies up to 90%, yet there has been little research on motor impairment after concentrate use (commonly referred to as “dabbing”). This study measured postural control and motor speed after the use of high potency concentrates in males and females. Methods: Experienced concentrate users (N=65, Female: 46%, 17±11 days/month of concentrate use) were assessed for motor performance in a mobile laboratory before, immediately after, and one hour after ad-libitum cannabis concentrate use. Plasma levels of THC were obtained via venipuncture at each timepoint. We used a remotely deployable motor performance battery to assess arm and leg movement speed, index finger tapping rate, and balance. The sensors on a smart device (iPod Touch) attached to the participant provided quantitative measures of movement. Results: Arm speed slowed immediately after concentrate use and remained impaired after one hour (p<0.001), leg speed slowed one hour after use (p=0.033), and balance decreased immediately after concentrate use (eyes open: p=0.017, eyes closed: p=0.013) but not at one-hour post-use. These effects were not different between sexes and there was no effect of concentrate use on finger tapping speed. Acute changes in THC plasma levels after use of concentrates were minimally correlated with acute changes in balance performance. Conclusions: Use of cannabis concentrates in frequent users impairs movement speed and balance similarly in men and women. The motor impairment is largely uncorrelated with the change in THC plasma levels. These results warrant further refinement of cannabis impairment testing and encourage caution related to use of cannabis concentrates in work and driving settings.
Pressure-Driven Fiber-Optic Sensor for Online Corrosion Monitoring

For many industrial applications, corrosion is a life-limiting phenomenon and therefore requires careful consideration and rigorous experimental testing before structural materials can be reliably deployed, particularly in harsh chemical environments. The traditional approach to measuring corrosion requires exposing many samples to the intended environment and then extracting them individually at discrete intervals for postexposure characterization. This approach does not provide a high degree of temporal resolution, nor does it provide any real-time information regarding dynamic changes in corrosion rates. Developing an online corrosion monitor capable of surviving harsh chemical environments could provide valuable information regarding the structural health of components and changing process conditions that could accelerate corrosion. To this end, a corrosion sensor was developed based on a pressure-driven Fabry-Perot cavity (FPC). This sensor uses a pressure control system to internally pressurize the FPC formed between the sensor’s housing and a metal-embedded singlemode optical fiber. Simultaneous measurement of the change in FPC length using low-coherence interferometry and the applied pressure enables the calculation of the relative changes in the sensor’s diaphragm thickness due to corrosion on its outer surface. Measurements were made in situ while actively corroding the sensor and were validated against surveillance specimens that were corroded simultaneously. The uncertainties in the measured corrosion were analyzed using error propagation of the uncertainties in the measured pressures and displacements and were found to be <1% of the initial diaphragm thickness.
Laparoscopic-assisted removal of multiple ingested magnets: An unusual and unique operative finding

Abstract Ingestion of two or more than two magnets is, almost never an innocent occurrence, because these are almost always associated with health morbidity, related to gastrointestinal tract complications. Children are more prone to this potentially life threatening hazard. Herein, we are presenting a unique case of three year old boy who ingested three magnetic beads one month back and presented with complaint of abdominal pain only with no other signs and symptoms. The magnetic objects were retrieved by laparoscopic assistance from gastro-colic ligament.
The chef goes to the slaughterhouse: animal pain and ethical pleasure in Southern cookbooks

This essay examines stories about animal slaughter and ethical meat eating in contemporary cookbooks from the US South. Though unexpected in a genre that is oriented toward pleasure, these stories ...
Lamina cribrosa vessel and collagen beam networks are distinct

Our goal was to analyze the spatial interrelation between vascular and collagen networks in the lamina cribrosa (LC). Specifically, we quantified the percentages of collagen beams with/without vessels and of vessels inside/outside of collagen beams. To do this, the vasculature of six normal monkey eyes was labelled by perfusion post-mortem. After enucleation, coronal cryosections through the LC were imaged using fluorescence and polarized light microscopy to visualize the blood vessels and collagen beams, respectively. The images were registered to form 3D volumes. Beams and vessels were segmented, and their spatial interrelationship was quantified in 3D. We found that 22% of the beams contained a vessel (range 14% to 32%), and 21% of vessels were outside beams (13% to 36%). Stated differently, 78% of beams did not contain a vessel (68% to 86%), and 79% of vessels were inside a beam (64% to 87%). Individual monkeys differed significantly in the fraction of vessels outside beams (p 0.05). There were no significant differences between contralateral eyes in the percent of beams with vessels and of vessels outside beams (p>0.05). Our results show that the vascular and collagenous networks of the LC in monkey are clearly distinct, and the historical notions that each LC beam contains a vessel and all vessels are within beams are inaccurate. We postulate that vessels outside beams may be relatively more vulnerable to mechanical compression by elevated IOP than are vessels shielded inside of beams.
TU-AB-201-06: Evaluation of Electromagnetically Guided High- Dose Rate Brachytherapy for Ablative Treatment of Lung Metastases

Purpose: The advent of electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy has enabled minimally invasive access to peripheral lung tumors previously inaccessible by optical bronchoscopes. As an adjunct to Stereotactic Ablative Radiosurgery (SABR), implantation of HDR catheters can provide focal treatments for multiple metastases and sites of retreatments. The authors evaluate a procedure to deliver ablative doses via Electromagnetically-Guided HDR (EMG-HDR) to lung metastases, quantify the resulting dosimetry, and assess its role in the comprehensive treatment of lung cancer. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on ten patients, who, from 2009 to 2011, received a hypo-fractionated SABR regimen with 6MV VMAT to lesions in various lobes ranging from 1.5 to 20 cc in volume. A CT visible pathway was delineated for EM guided placement of an HDR applicator (catheter) and dwell times were optimized to ensure at least 98% prescription dose coverage of the GTV. Normal tissue doses were calculated using inhomogeneity corrections via a grid-based Boltzmann solver (Acuros_BV_1.5.0). Results: With EMG-HDR, an average of 83% (+/−9% standard deviation) of each patient’s GTV received over 200% of the prescription dose, as compared to SABR where the patients received an average maximum dose of 125% (+/−5%). EMG-HDR enabled a 59% (+/−12%) decrease in the aorta maximum dose, a 63% (+/−26%) decrease in the spinal cord max dose, and 57% (+/−23%) and 70% (+/−17%) decreases in the volume of the body receiving over 50% and 25% of the prescription dose, respectively. Conclusion: EMG-HDR enables delivery of higher ablative doses to the GTV, while concurrently reducing surrounding normal tissue doses. The single catheter approach shown here is limited to targets smaller than 20 cc. As such, the technique enables ablation of small lesions and a potentially safe and effective retreatment option in situations where external beam utility is limited by normal tissue constraints.
Group-Invariant Solutions of Hydrodynamics

The equations of hydrodynamics, being nonlinear, are in general difficult to solve analytically. A great deal of effort has therefore gone into the numerical solution of these equations, using a wide variety of algorithms. Issues associated with these numerical solutions include accuracy and stability of the algorithms and their associated solutions. Comparison to experiment is one basic way to address the validity of numerical solutions, but the issues of diagnostics and experimental error are always present. Further, there are regimes for which experimental results are either costly or impossible to obtain. Due to this, analytic solutions to such equations in relevant physical regimes have been sought. Such analytic, exact solutions can be used for three purposes: (1) benchmarks for numerical algorithms, (2) the basis for analytic models, (3) to provide insight into more general solutions.
How do “ghost transients” from past earthquakes affect GPS slip rate estimates on southern California faults?

[1] In this study, we investigate the extent to which viscoelastic velocity perturbations (or “ghost transients”) from individual fault segments can affect elastic block model-based inferences of fault slip rates from GPS velocity fields. We focus on the southern California GPS velocity field, exploring the effects of known, large earthquakes for two end-member rheological structures. Our approach is to compute, at each GPS site, the velocity perturbation relative to a cycle average for earthquake cycles on particular fault segments. We then correct the SCEC CMM4.0 velocity field for this perturbation and invert the corrected field for fault slip rates. We find that if asthenosphere viscosities are low (3 × 1018 Pa s), the current GPS velocity field is significantly perturbed by viscoelastic earthquake cycle effects associated with the San Andreas Fault segment that last ruptured in 1857 (Mw = 7.9). Correcting the GPS velocity field for this perturbation (or “ghost transient”) adds about 5 mm/a to the SAF slip rate along the Mojave and San Bernardino segments. The GPS velocity perturbations due to large earthquakes on the Garlock Fault (most recently, events in the early 1600s) and the White Wolf Fault (most recently, the Mw = 7.3 1952 Kern County earthquake) are smaller and do not influence block-model inverted fault slip rates. This suggests that either the large discrepancy between geodetic and geologic slip rates for the Garlock Fault is not due to a ghost transient or that un-modeled transients from recent Mojave earthquakes may influence the GPS velocity field.
A parallel processing architecture for GBPS throughput in transport protocols

Gigabit per second (Gbps) transmission rates place new demands on nodal protocols. The authors proposed a novel parallel processing based architecture that can realize significant gains in throughput without substantially altering the protocols and presented a receiver design capable of handling Gbps rates (see Proc. of SIGCOMM 90). They extend that architecture to incorporate a transmitter section using similar concepts. The key problems posed by a parallel processing architecture are reviewed along with the solutions. The simulation model and simulation results under varying load and traffic conditions are described. >
Optimal stimulus waveforms for eliciting a spike: How close is the spike-triggered average?

Computing the average input stimulus preceding a spike, the spike-triggered average (STA), has been a powerful tool for discovering a neuron's ‘preferred’ stimulus feature that enables efficient encoding of sensory information. Recent work in the squid giant axon has shown that STA waveforms can be remarkably similar to the energetically optimal stimulus waveforms for eliciting a spike. In the present study, we show using the Hodgkin-Huxley model that the STA can deviate from the global optimal solution if there is averaging of multiple solutions across different time scales and of multiple modes of spike induction. These findings inform attempts to develop model-free stochastic algorithms for finding energy-optimal stimuli, which is relevant to the efficient delivery of exogenous therapeutic stimuli in neurological diseases.
On the stability of finitely deformed elastic membranes

Die Arbeit befast sich mit einigen Stabilitatsproblemen bei elastischen Membranen unter endlichen Deformationen und konservativer Belastung. Im Teil I wird die Anderung der Verzogerungsenergie diskutiert, hervorgerufen durch eine kleine der endlichen Anfangsverformung ubergelagerten Deformation. Im Hinblick auf spatere numerische Anwendungen folgt die Herleitung von empirischen Formanderungsfunktionen aus experimentellen Resultaten von Treloar fur vulkanisierte Gummimembranen. Fur ein Blatt unter gleichmasigem Zug wird die Stabilitat bei fehlender Belastung oder bei eingespanntem Rand untersucht.
The Set3 Complex Antagonizes the MYST Acetyltransferase Esa1 in the DNA Damage Response

Acetylation is a dynamic posttranslational modification that contributes to chromatin-regulated processes, including DNA replication, repair, recombination, and gene expression. Acetylation is controlled by complexes containing opposing lysine and histone acetyltransferase (KAT and HAT) and deacetylase (KDAC and HDAC) activities. The essential MYST family Esa1 KAT acetylates core histones and many nonhistone substrates. Phenotypes of esa1 mutants include transcriptional silencing and activation defects, impaired growth at high temperatures, and sensitivity to DNA damage. The KDAC Rpd3 was previously identified as an activity opposing Esa1, as its deletion suppresses growth and silencing defects of esa1 mutants. However, loss of Rpd3 does not suppress esa1 DNA damage sensitivity. In this work, we identified Hos2 as a KDAC counteracting ESA1 in the damage response. Deletion of HOS2 resulted in changes of esa1's transcriptional response upon damage. Further, loss of HOS2 or components of the Set3 complex (Set3C) in which it acts specifically suppressed damage sensitivity and restored esa1 histone H4 acetylation. This rescue was mediated via loss of either Set3C integrity or of its binding to dimethylated histone H3K4. Our results thus add new insight into the interactions of an essential MYST acetyltransferase with diverse deacetylases to respond specifically to environmental and physiological challenges.
Differential processing of colony-stimulating factor 1 precursors encoded by two human cDNAs.

Abstract The biosynthesis of macrophage colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1) was examined in mouse NIH-3T3 fibroblasts transfected with a retroviral vector expressing the 554-amino-acid product of a human 4-kilobase (kb) CSF-1 cDNA. Similar to results previously obtained with a 1.6-kb human cDNA that codes for a 256-amino-acid CSF-1 precursor, the results of the present study showed that NIH-3T3 cells expressing the product of the 4-kb clone produced biologically active human CSF-1 and were transformed by an autocrine mechanism when cotransfected with a vector containing a human c-fms (CSF-1 receptor) cDNA. The 4-kb CSF-1 cDNA product was synthesized as an integral transmembrane glycoprotein that was assembled into disulfide-linked dimers and rapidly underwent proteolytic cleavage to generate a soluble growth factor. Although the smaller CSF-1 precursor specified by the 1.6-kb human cDNA was stably expressed as a membrane-bound glycoprotein at the cell surface and was slowly cleaved to release the extracellular growth factor, the cell-associated product of the 4-kb clone was efficiently processed to the secreted form and was not detected on the plasma membrane. Digestion with glycosidic enzymes indicated that soluble CSF-1 encoded by the 4-kb cDNA contained both asparagine(N)-linked and O-linked carbohydrate chains, whereas the product of the 1.6-kb clone had only N-linked oligosaccharides. Removal of the carbohydrate indicated that the polypeptide chain of the secreted 4-kb cDNA product was longer than that of the corresponding form encoded by the smaller clone. These differences in posttranslational processing may reflect diverse physiological roles for the products of the two CSF-1 precursors in vivo.
Parasagittal biopsies add minimal information in repeat saturation prostate biopsy

Abstract Objectives To compare the outcome and efficacy of lateral biopsies with parasagittal biopsies in detecting prostate cancer during repeated biopsies performed using the “saturation” technique, which includes 24 cores per biopsy. Prostate biopsy may miss cancer in up to 38% of men eventually found to harbor the disease. Lateral biopsies are more likely than parasagittal biopsies to detect adenocarcinoma according to the findings of several studies. Methods A total of 100 patients, average age 62.1 ± 7.9 years, underwent repeated transrectal ultrasound-guided saturation biopsy. The study group included 31 patients with previous biopsy results demonstrating high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, 7 with atypia, and 62 with benign prostatic tissue but persistently elevated prostate-specific antigen levels. Patients had undergone an average of 1.65 previous biopsies. The average prostate-specific antigen level was 9.4 ± 6.8 ng/mL. Biopsies were obtained from five sectors on each side and examined histologically. Results Cancer was detected in 25 (25%) of the 100 patients. Malignancy was identified in the lateral cores of all patients with positive biopsies. Parasagittal biopsy cores were positive in association with a lateral-based biopsy in 9 (36%) of the 25 malignancies, for an overall parasagittal biopsy core rate of 9% (9 of 100 patients). No cancers were detected in the parasagittal biopsy cores alone. Conclusions Inclusion of parasagittal zone biopsy cores proved to have a low yield in detecting cancer on repeated biopsy. As all patients found to have cancer in the parasagittal biopsy cores also had cancer on the lateral biopsy cores, most time and effort can be spent obtaining lateral biopsy cores to increase the sensitivity on repeated saturation biopsy.
Zone-level control algorithms based on occupancy information for energy efficient buildings

We examine the problem of how to use occupancy information of various fidelity to reduce the energy consumed in maintaining desired levels of thermal comfort and indoor air quality (IAQ) in commercial buildings. We focus on the zone-level control, where the control inputs to be decided are the supply air (SA) flow rate and the amount of reheat. We propose three control algorithms with varying information requirements: (i) POBOC, that requires long-horizon accurate prediction of occupancy and a model of the hygrothermal dynamics of the zone, (ii) OMBOC, that requires only occupancy measurement and a dynamic model, and (iii) Z-DCV, that requires only occupancy measurement. The first two strategies use a model predictive control framework to compute the optimal control inputs, while the third one is a pure feedback-based control strategy. Simulations with a calibrated model show that significant energy savings over a baseline controller, the kind usually used in existing buildings, is possible with the last two strategies, that is, even without occupancy prediction. Trade-offs between complexity and performance of the control algorithms are discussed.
Somatostatin stimulates Ca2+-activated K+ channels through protein dephosphorylation

THE neuropeptide somatostatin inhibits secretion from electrically excitable cells in the pituitary, pancreas, gut and brain1. In mammalian pituitary tumour cells somatostatin inhibits secretion through two distinct pertussis toxin-sensitive mechanisms2–5. One involves inhibition of adenylyl cyclase6, the other an unidentified cyclic AMP-independent mechanism that reduces Ca2+ influx7,8 by increasing membrane conductance to potassium9,10. Here we demonstrate that the predominant electrophysiological effect of somatostatin on metabolically intact pituitary tumour cells is a large, sustained increase in the activity of the large-conductance Ca2+- and voltage-activated K+ channels (BK). This action of somatostatin does not involve direct effects of Ca2+, cAMP or G proteins on the channels. Our results indicate instead that somato-statin stimulates BK channel activity through protein dephosphorylation.
Nutritional Investigations with Turkey Hens: 4. Quantitative Requirement for Calcium

Abstract BECAUSE all-inclusive diets are now commonly used for turkeys, quantitative information on the nutrient requirements is greatly needed in formulating optimum levels in practical rations. Apparently no published information is available on the calcium requirement of turkey breeder hens. The National Research Council (1960) recommended a level of 2.25%. An experiment was conducted to estimate this requirement and the results are reported here. PROCEDURE One hundred and twenty Broad Breasted Bronze hens were randomly distributed into 12 pens of 10 hens each. Each pen was provided with one male, and all males were rotated from pen to pen weekly. Shavings were used for litter and the litter was not changed during the experiment. The hens were provided with 14 hours of light daily at 26 weeks of age, at which time they were also given the experimental rations. Composition of experimental diets is shown in Table 1. All experimental diets…
Comprehensive Cardiovascular Image Analysis Using MR and CT at Siemens Corporate Research

At Siemens Corporate Research we have created a set of tools for the analysis of MR and CT cardiovascular images in the applications Argus, Vessel View, and Proteus. Argus is designed to assess cardiovascular function by reporting measures of morphology and tissue health using a 2-D approach. Vessel View, a 3-D application, is capable of quantifying vascular integrity and provides tools for segmenting vessels. Lastly, Proteus has functionality for registering 3-D cardiac data sets (e.g., MR and CT). Taken together, these applications allow for a comprehensive analysis of MR and CT cardiovascular studies. Throughout this paper we will illustrate the capabilities of our tools via their application to an actual clinical case. Our contribution lies in combining several computer vision technologies and applying them to practical, real world problems.