cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nicotine related brain activity: the influence of smoking history and blood nicotine levels, an exploratory study.

Abstract Objective In this study, we sought to explore brain activity in nicotine-dependent men in response to acute intravenous nicotine using pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging (phMRI). Methods phMRI was used to evaluate brain activity in response to 1.5 mg/70 kg intravenous nicotine or saline. The nicotine and saline were administered on different visits. The time courses of individual subjects’ nicotine levels were used as regressors to assess neural activity relating to the infusions. The influence of smoking history and physiological measures on the response to nicotine were also investigated. Results Greater lifetime exposure to cigarette smoking was significantly correlated with higher peak serum nicotine levels. PhMRI analysis of the differential response of nicotine compared to the saline condition showed distinctive activation patterns when analyzed with the (a) nicotine time course, (b) nicotine time course controlling for smoking history (pack years), and (c) pack years controlling for nicotine. Conclusions These results suggest that smoking exposure history influences serum nicotine levels and the brain's response to nicotine. Alterations in brain activity may be a result of vascular and neuro-adaptations involved in drug exposure and addiction.
Laminar mixed convection in an isothermal horizontal tube: Correlation of heat transfer data

Abstract A semi-analytical correlation for laminar mixed convection in an isothermal, horizontal tube is developed and found to describe all the available heat transfer data (excluding that of Kern and Othmer) with an RMS deviation of 11.7% based upon log-mean Nusselt number, 11.0% based on arithmetic-mean Nusselt number and 9.8% based on fractional bulk-temperature rise. The fact that the correlation does not describe the bulk of the Kern and Othmer data is attributed to the correspondingly large Rayleigh numbers, for which further investigations will be required. Although derived for a large-Prandtl-number fluid, the correlation is found to equally well describe available buoyancy-dominated heat transfer in air.
Globalization, cosmopolitanism, and the Kantian revival: Commentary on David Held's ‘At the global crossroads’

David Held is in the vanguard of the effort to elaborate cosmopolitan ethics and to apply these norms in an era marked by globalizing processes. A senior scholar, he writes elegantly and envisages ...
Urinary diversion during and after pediatric pyeloplasty: a population based analysis of more than 2,000 patients.

Purpose: We evaluated the use and efficacy of intraoperative urinary diversion with ureteral stent or nephrostomy tube during pyeloplasty in children.Materials and Methods: The Faculty Practice Solutions Center® national billing database was queried to identify all pediatric pyeloplasties performed from 2009 to 2012. Patient variables, surgical approach, use of intraoperative stent/nephrostomy tube and return for postoperative stent/nephrostomy tube or second pyeloplasty were obtained.Results: A total of 2,435 children underwent open (1,792) or laparoscopic/robotic (643) pyeloplasty, with intraoperative urinary diversion rates of 45% and 83%, respectively. Comparing patients with and without an intraoperative stent/nephrostomy tube, 5.6% and 7.4%, respectively, returned to the hospital for urinary diversion. Multivariable analysis revealed no association with surgical approach, but higher surgeon volume (p <0.01) and use of an intraoperative stent/nephrostomy tube (p <0.01) were associated with decreased ...
Primary Cutaneous Adenomyoepithelioma

Adenomyoepitheliomas are biphasic tumors composed of epithelial and myoepithelial components in varying proportions. They are commonly reported in the breast, uncommonly in salivary glands, and rarely in the lungs and vulva. Recent molecular analysis has shown that p27/kip-1 protein may play a role in their development. Primary cutaneous adenomyoepithelioma is an extremely rare tumor with only three well documented cases reported to date. We report a case of primary cutaneous adenomyoepithelioma with histological and immunohistochemical characterization, and discuss their differential diagnosis, biologic behavior and treatment strategies.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Human Immunodeficiency Virus–Discordant Partnerships among Men Who Have Sex with Men

Sexually active men who have sex with men (MSM) at 5 Seattle clinics were assessed for bacterial sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-discordant partnerships, sexual behavior, and drug use. Of the HIV-positive men, 45% reported having HIV-negative sex partners and 42% reported having sex partners with unknown serostatus during the past 2 months, whereas 14% and 57% of HIV-negative men reported having HIV-positive and unknown-serostatus sex partners, respectively. Correlates of sex partners with unknown serostatus were recruiting sex partners at bathhouses or parks. Gonorrhea, chlamydia, or syphilis was diagnosed in 12% of HIV-positive and 13% of HIV-negative MSM, and the rates did not differ between men with HIV-concordant and HIV-discordant partnerships. High prevalences of bacterial STDs and HIV-discordant partnerships emphasize the need for interventions to foster serostatus discussion, condom use, fewer anonymous partners, and STD screening.
Are motherhood penalties and fatherhood bonuses warranted? Comparing pro-work behaviors and conditions of mothers, fathers, and non-parents

Research has confirmed a motherhood penalty and fatherhood bonus at work. Employers, it appears, regard mothers and fathers differently from one another and differently from non-parents. We have yet to systematically explore whether mothers exhibit fewer prowork behaviors than fathers and non-parents or whether fathers engage in more of them than mothers and non-parents. This article draws on nationally representative data from full-time employed adults to investigate mother, father, and non-parent differences in work effort, work intensity, job engagement, and four measures of work enhancement from home. Mothers and fathers are similar on five out of seven outcomes tapping pro-work dimensions. When they differ, mothers report greater job engagement and work intensity than fathers. Mothers are no different from non-parents on all outcomes. All findings hold net of individual, job, and family controls. I conclude that reducing workplace gender inequality will require organizational changes that pay explicit attention to workers’ care-giving responsibilities.
Disciplinary choices of mothers of deaf children and mothers of normally hearing children.

Objective: To assess the disciplinary preferences of mothers of profoundly deaf children and normally hearing children in a test of the hypothesized link between child disabilities and punitive parenting. Method: Disciplinary preferences of mothers seeking a cochlear implant for their profoundly deaf child ( n = 57), mothers not seeking an implant for their deaf child (n = 22), and mothers of normally hearing children (n = 27) were assessed using an analog task in which subjects select discipline in response to slide images of children engaging in normative or frankly deviant behaviors that are potentially irritating. Results: Results indicated that mothers of children with profound hearing impairments were more likely to select physical discipline in response to depicted child transgressions and more likely to escalate to physical discipline when the depicted child was described as persisting in the transgression. Additionally, escalation was more probable in response to scenes depicting children engaged in dangerous and destructive acts than in rule-violating acts. Conclusions: Findings were consistent with the hypothesized link between childhood disabilities and child maltreatment as well as the hypothesis that children with disabilities associated with communication problems could be at risk of physical abuse. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Positive behavior support: Supporting adults with autism spectrum disorders in the workplace

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) can present challenging behavior at work. In fact, it is likely that the presence of challenging behavior can act as a major barrier for individuals with ASD achieving competitive employment. Community-based work environments can present challenges in the implementation of behavior intervention plans. Positive behavior support (PBS) is a behavior intervention model that presents opportunities to implement socially valid behavior inter- ventions in supported and competitive workplaces. This article describes the PBS model and provides a case example for an individual with ASD at work. Finally this article presents recommendations for future research in supporting individuals with ASD at work.
A higher‐order covolume method for planar div–curl problems

Covolume methods constitute a generalization to unstructured meshes of classical staggered mesh techniques. In this paper, a fourth-order method is proposed and it is proved rigorously that the order is indeed 4 in a standard norm. This result is for structured meshes only, and for div-curl equations in two-dimensional space
Interaction of scaling trends in processor architecture and cooling

It is predicted that two important trends are likely to accompany traditional CMOS semiconductor technology scaling - chip multiprocessors and 3D integration. With the ever-increasing power consumption and the consequent difficulty in heat removal, it is important to consider the limits and implications of different cooling methods for the upcoming many-core and 3D era. In this paper, we consider both technology scaling and many-core architecture scaling trends in conjunction with conventional air cooling and advanced microchannel cooling for both 2D and 3D microprocessors and identify interesting inflection design points down the road.
Robust Mean Estimation Under a Possibly Incorrect Log-Normality Assumption

Nonparametric and parametric estimators are combined to minimize the mean squared error among their linear combinations. The combined estimator is consistent and for large sample sizes has a smaller mean squared error than the nonparametric estimator when the parametric assumption is violated. If the parametric assumption holds, the combined estimator has a smaller MSE than the parametric estimator. Our simulation examples focus on mean estimation when data may follow a lognormal distribution, or can be a mixture with an exponential or a uniform distribution. Motivating examples illustrate possible application areas.
Legal Liability: The Board of Directors

As director liability problems increase, it becomes increasingly important for directors to understand their legal responsibilities.
Territory acquisition in loons: the importance of take-over.

We examined patterns of territory acquisition and reconnaissance in common loons, Gavia immer, from northern Wisconsin. Among all territory acquisitions, 41.5% occurred through passive occupation of territories left vacant after the death or desertion of a previous resident, 17% constituted founding of new territories and the remaining 41.5% came about through take-over: either usurpation of defended territories or appropriation of territories before the seasonal return of previous owners. Take-overs occurred in both sexes, but individuals acted alone, never in pairs. Displaced breeders usually took refuge on undefended lakes near their former territories; about half of these loons later regained former territories through passive occupation or took possession of new territories elsewhere. As predicted by the reconnaissance hypothesis, usurpations occurred most often in territories that had produced chicks during the previous 12 months, suggesting that loons use the presence or absence of chicks as a cue for territorial usurpation. Large individuals of both sexes held onto territories longer than small individuals, an indication that body size might be correlated with fighting ability. In terms of life history, loons appear to locate good territories through reconnaissance, usurp them in a subsequent year and recover from displacements by reclaiming their original territories or new ones.
Ferromagnet-coated carbon nanotube tips for high-resolution magnetic force microscopy

Nano-magnetic materials and the shrinking bit size of magnetic recording media demand improvement in magnetic imaging techniques and in local magnetic metrology. In this paper, we describe the new ferromagnet-coated carbon nanotube tips and also the improvements in the process and the resulting process yield; present experimental evidence for the ultimate limits on the sensitivity and resolution related to the development of superparamagnetism in the probe tip; and briefly discuss two other promising techniques for quantifying the properties of sub-10-nm nanomagnets.The spatial resolution of Magnetic Force Microscopy (MFM) is limited by the tip's size, shape, and height above the sample surface. Among other recent innovative MFM probes, we recently reported the development of metal-coated carbon nanotube (CCNT) probes to address this need.
Mathematical Models of Memory CD8+ T-Cell Repertoire Dynamics in Response to Viral Infections

Immunity to diseases is conferred by pathogen-specific memory cells that prevent disease reoccurrences. A broad repertoire of memory T-cells must be de- veloped and maintained to effectively protect against viral invasions; yet, the total number of memory T-cells is constrained between infections. Thus, creating memory to new infections can require attrition of some existing memory cells. Furthermore, some viruses induce memory T-cell death early in an infection, after which surviving cells proliferate to refill the memory compartment. We develop mathematical models of cellular attrition and proliferation in order to examine how new viral infections impact existing immunity. With these probabilistic models, we qualitatively and quantitatively predict how the composition and diver- sity of the memory repertoire changes as a result of viral infections. In addition, we calculate how often immunity to prior diseases is lost due to new infections. Compar- ing our results across multiple general infection types allows us to draw conclusions about, which types of viral effects most drastically alter existing immunity. We find that early memory attrition does not permanently alter the repertoire composition, while infections that spark substantial new memory generation drastically shift the repertoire and hasten the decline of existing immunity.
Gender Stereotypes about Mathematics and Science and Self-Perceptions of Ability in Late Childhood and Early Adolescence

A model linking children's perceptions of adults' gender stereotypes about mathematics and science ability, children's stereotypes, and children's perceptions of their own mathematics and science competence was tested in 302 fourth, sixth, and eighth graders. When boys believed that adults hold more traditional stereotypes, they tended to hold corresponding beliefs that girls are relatively less capable or that boys are more capable in mathematics and science. These group competence ratings, in turn, were related to self-perceptions of ability for sixth-and eighth-grade boys. In contrast, most paths were nonsignificant for girls. The results provided support for both social status theory and experiential theory. We discuss implications regarding the influence of stereotypes on motivation and identity development.
Getting a grip on Thy-1 signaling

A recent study by Hermosilla et al. [T. Hermosilla, D. Munoz, R. Herrera-Molina, A. Valdivia, N. Munoz, S.U. Nham, P. Schneider, K. Burridge, A.F. Quest, L. Leyton, Direct Thy-1/alphaVbeta3 integrin interaction mediates neuron to astrocyte communication, Biochim Biophys Acta 1783 (2008) 1111–1120] demonstrates that Thy-1 on neurons binds to αvβ3 integrin on astrocytes via a conserved RLD motif, triggering the formation of focal adhesions and stress fibers via tyrosine phosphorylation and RhoA activation. This study adds to growing evidence regarding the signaling mechanisms and biological roles of Thy-1, an important regulator of context-dependent signaling. As knowledge of Thy-1 approaches its fiftieth year, it is critical to begin to synthesize insights from different fields to determine how this heretofore enigmatic molecule modulates cell behavior in both cis and trans.
Overweight exceeds underweight among women in most developing countries

Background: It is generally believed that overweight is less prevalent than undernutrition in the developing world, particularly in rural areas, and that it is concentrated in higher socioeconomic status (SES) groups. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine patterns of adult female overweight and underweight in the developing world by using categories of urban or rural status and SES strata. Design: Body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2) data collected in 36 countries from 1992 to 2000 by nationally representative cross-sectional surveys of women aged 20-49 y (n = 148 579) were classified as indicating underweight (BMI < 18.5) and overweight (BMI greater than or equal to 25). Associations between the nutritional status of urban and rural women and each country's per capita gross national income (GNI) and level of urbanization were explored in the overall sample and among different SES groups. Results: Overweight exceeded underweight in well over half of the countries: the median ratio of overweight to underweight was 5.8 in urban and 2.1 in rural areas. Countries with high GNIs and high levels of urbanization had not only high absolute prevalences of overweight but also small urban-rural differences in overweight and very high ratios of overweight to underweight. In the more-developed countries, overweight among low-SES women was high in both rural (38%) and urban (51%) settings. Even many poor countries, countries in which underweight persists as a significant problem, had fairly high prevalences of rural overweight. Conclusions: In most developing economies, prevalences of overweight in young women residing in both urban and rural areas are higher than those in underweight women, especially in countries at higher levels of socioeconomic development. Research is needed to assess male and child overweight to understand the dynamics facing these groups as well.
Gene Therapy Studies in a Canine Model of X-Linked Severe Combined Immunodeficiency

Since the occurrence of T cell leukemias in the original human γ-retroviral gene therapy trials for X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (XSCID), considerable effort has been devoted to developing safer vectors. This review summarizes gene therapy studies performed in a canine model of XSCID to evaluate the efficacy of γ-retroviral, lentiviral, and foamy viral vectors for treating XSCID and a novel method of vector delivery. These studies demonstrate that durable T cell reconstitution and thymopoiesis with no evidence of any serious adverse events and, in contrast to the human XSCID patients, sustained marking in myeloid cells and B cells with reconstitution of normal humoral immune function can be achieved for up to 5 years without any pretreatment conditioning. The presence of sustained levels of gene-marked T cells, B cells, and more importantly myeloid cells for almost 5 years is highly suggestive of transduction of either multipotent hematopoietic stem cells or very primitive committed progenitors.
Blackout mitigation assessment in power transmission systems

Electric power transmission systems are a key infrastructure and blackouts of these systems have major direct and indirect consequences on the economy and national security. Analysis of North American Electrical Reliability Council blackout data suggests the existence of blackout size distributions with power tails. This is an indication that blackout dynamics behave as a complex dynamical system. Here, we investigate how these complex system dynamics impact the assessment and mitigation of blackout risk. The mitigation of failures in complex systems needs to be approached with care. The mitigation efforts can move the system to a new dynamic equilibrium while remaining near criticality and preserving the power tails. Thus, while the absolute frequency of disruptions of all sizes may be reduced, the underlying forces can still cause the relative frequency of large disruptions to small disruptions to remain the same. Moreover, in some cases, efforts to mitigate small disruptions can even increase the frequency of large disruptions. This occurs because the large and small disruptions are not independent but are strongly coupled by the dynamics.
Krishnamurti: Reflections on the Self.

This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Theological Studies at Digital Commons @ Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theological Studies Faculty Works by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@lmu.edu. Repository Citation Chapple, Christopher Key, "Krishnamurti: Reflections on the Self " (1999). Theological Studies Faculty Works. Paper 92. http://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/theo_fac/92
Adjectives and determiners

Traditional grammar conflates a variety of categories that are distinguished in modern syntactic theory. Items now classified as degree elements (very, extremely, mostly, completely) are assimilated by traditional grammar into the broad class of adverbs. Likewise items now classified as determiners (the, that, a, every, both) are assimilated into the class of adjectives. The distinction between A and D assumes particular importance within recent debates about whether languages might lack the D category – the Parameterized DP-Hypothesis of Fukui (1986), Corver (1992), Zlatic (1997), Baker (2003), Boskovic (2005), Despic (2011), among others. This view holds that languages lacking a definite article do not project DP at all, and realize typical determiner elements uniformly within the category of adjective. In this paper I examine data from Serbian, a much discussed candidate for “DP-less” status, looking at the behavior of the relevant elements both with respect to proposed universal diagnostics for adjectivehood and in comparison with neighboring, uncontroversial DP languages (Macedonian, Bulgarian). I show there is no evidence from either source for assuming adjectival status of the relevant items in Serbian. This finding opposes the crucial prediction of the Parameterized DP-Hypothesis. This work is intended to contribute to the existing cross-linguistic discussion on the issues of determiner parameterization (Basic, 2004; Pereltsvaig, 2007; Caruso, 2011; Bailyn, 2012; Pereltsvaig, 2013, i.a.).
Serial study of bone marrow in hemolytic disease of the newborn (erythroblastosis fetalis)

Fourteen infants with erythroblastosis fetalis were studied with particular reference to bone marrow activity and its relation to anemia in the infants. Serial studies of the marrow were done in 12 of the 14 infants, and single specimens were examined in two infants. No attempt is made to define the etiology or pathogenesis of the anemia of erythroblastosis fetalis. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between degree of anemia and normoblastic activity of bone marrow, as ascertained by morphologic techniques. On the basis of a review of the literature and the experience with this series of infants, true "aregenerative anemia" appears to be a rare occurrence. Indeed, to suggest that the anemia of erythroblastosis is commonly due to a cessation of erythropoiesis seems totally unjustified, because these infants show hyperplasia of the marrow which is analogous to that seen in other compensated hemolytic anemias. Human and Sturgeon have stated, and the authors agree, that a relative hypoplasia may occur as cell destruction exceeds cell production. This does not necessarily imply marrow failure or an "aregenerative state," but it may indicate that the balance can be in favor of blood destruction and an anemia of some degree is the result. In a previous report, infants after exchange transfusion did show excessive destruction of donor erythrocytes. The rate of destruction of Rh-negative cells in erythroblastosis fetalis was twice that of normal. Some of the cases reported in the literature as "aregenerative anemia" lack adequate marrow studies and cannot be accepted as well-documented. It should be emphasized that it may be unwise to conjecture about activity of the bone marrow from reticulocyte studies of the peripheral blood alone. In this series, the percentage of normoblats in the bone marrow was increased in proportion to the degree of anemia.
When Jews Speak Arabic: Dialectology and Difference in Colonial Morocco

This article explores how Judeo-Arabic and its speaking population were constituted as objects of research and reformation in colonial Morocco. I argue that the colonial project of dialectology, which emphasized the differentiated linguistic terrain of indigenous society, operated at two opposing levels. On one hand, the study of Judeo-Arabic contributed to the idea of homogeneous orality attributed to native languages, which despite their diverse relationships with literate textuality were made to appear divorced from locally established systems of writing. On the other, the historical and affective relationship between Jews and their Arabic dialect was figured in terms that stressed Jewish alienation from their mother tongue and thereby cast native Jews as differentiated objects of francophone linguistic reform. I pay particular attention to the material mechanics of ethnographic methodology, orthographic entextualization, and editorial arrangement through which colonial dialectologists rendered the Jewish dialect as an essentially oral and Arabic dialect, despite the countervailing circulation of Judeo-Arabic texts written in the Hebrew script. This investigation contributes to our understanding of how dialectology operated as a colonial science through which the hierarchical social categories of colonial rule were established, sustained, and manipulated against the backdrop of linguistic practices that never fully conformed to their colonial representation.
Bacterial resistance to antibiotics as a function of outer membrane permeability

The outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria serves as barrier to permeation. Transport across this barrier often occurs through channels created by porins. Changes in these porins can account for antibiotic resistance. The combination of a permeability barrier and beta-lactamases in the periplasmic space leads to a situation in which concentrations, at the target, of even third-generation cephalosporins, can be significantly decreased.
Acculturation: Recommendations for Future Research

In this chapter, future directions in acculturation research and design are suggested which could provide valuable new insights and knowledge. Topics discussed include the importance of subject-selection procedures (ranging from individual characteristics to group commonalities), various measurement issues (such as instrumentation and scoring methods), and research design procedures (including discussion of complexities in design).
Volatile preservatives for culture media.

SummaryA mixture by volume of 1 part o-fluorotoluene, 2 parts n-butyl chloride, and 1 part 1,2-dichlorethane, is recommended as a chemically nearly inert but nevertheless effective preservative for biological solutions. This preservative, used at approximately the 1% level, is completely removed under the usual conditions of steam sterilization.
Bleifreie Laufschicht für hochbelastete Haupt- und Pleuellager

Blei war schon immer eine wichtige Komponente in der Gleitlagertechnik. Bis heute gelten vollstandig bleifreie Losungen fur hochbelastete Gleitlager als technisch nicht machbar. Deshalb nennt die europaische Altautoverordnung (2000/53/EG), die seit dem 1. Juli 2003 in Kraft ist, als Ausnahme die kupferbasierten Bleibronzelager. Die Gleitlagergruppe von Federal-Mogul hat jetzt ihren Ruckzug aus der Verarbeitung von Blei angekundigt und geht das Thema Schicht fur Schicht an. Ein kurzlich eingefuhrtes, anpassungsfahiges Lager fur High-End-Verbrennungsmotoren verfugt uber eine bleifreie Laufschicht. Bei diesem neuen Lager verandern sich die technischen Eigenschaften wahrend der Einlaufphase.
Hypercalcemia complicating Marjolin's ulcer.

ABSTRACTA 54-year old male with chronic osteomyelitis presented with new-onset hypercalcemia. Extensive initial evaluation did not reveal the underlying cause of his hypercalcemia. Subsequent biopsies revealed squamous cell carcinoma transformation consistent with Marjolin’s ulcer. Timely surgery had been shown to be effective in achieving remission in patients with Marjolin’s ulcers, even in the presence of hypercalcemia. Therefore, we recommend that patients with chronic wounds and new-onset or otherwise unexplained hypercalcemia should be evaluated for development of Marjolin’s ulcers.
The Psychosocial Assessment of Candidates for Transplantation: A Cohort Study of its Association With Survival Among Lung Transplant Recipients ☆

Background The United Network for Organ Sharing mandates a psychosocial assessment of transplant candidates before listing. A quantified measure for determining transplant candidacy is the Psychosocial Assessment of Candidates for Transplant (PACT) scale. This instrumentʼs predictive value for survival has not been rigorously evaluated among lung transplantation recipients. Methods We reviewed medical records of all patients who underwent lung transplantation at Mayo Clinic, Rochester from 2000–2012. A transplant psychiatrist had assessed lung transplant candidates for psychosocial risk with the PACT scale. Recipients were divided into high- and low psychosocial risk cohorts using a PACT score cutoff of 2. The main outcome variable was posttransplant survival. Mortality was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier estimator and Cox proportional hazard models. Results This study included 110 lung recipients: 57 (51.8%) were females, 101 (91.8%) Whites, mean age: 56.4 years. Further, 7 (6.4%) recipients received an initial PACT score p = 0.04). Conclusions Lung transplant recipients who initially received a low score on the PACT scale, reflecting poor or borderline psychosocial candidacy, experienced greater likelihood of mortality. This primary finding suggests that the psychosocial assessment, as measured by the PACT scale, may provide additional mortality risk stratification for lung transplant candidates.
Genome-Scale Discovery and Characterization of Class-Specific Protein Sequences

The increasing pace of acquisition of fully sequenced genomes makes desirable a program of discovery and characterization of protein sequences of biologically significant structural classes. An example is protein phosphatases, involved in modulating reversible protein phosphorylation events underlying the whole gamut of cellular biology. The ready availability of software that can be downloaded to run on a personal computer, or accessed on a server via the Web, allows appropriate sequences to be collected and analyzed. A process is outlined here that has been successfully employed in the description of the genomic complement of protein phosphatase catalytic subunits from the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. However, the methods are general and readily adapted to deal with any desired class of protein, from any organism of interest.
Computerized analysis of cellular features and biomarkers for cytologic diagnosis of early lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE To present a set of novel computerized analysis algorithms to construct a computer-aided cytologic diagnosis (CACD) system to differentiate lung cancer biomarkers and identify cancer cells in the tissue-based specimen images. STUDY DESIGN Molecular methods, including application of cancer-specific markers, may prove to be complementary to cytology diagnosis, especially when they are combined with CACD system for biomarker assessment. We trained a novel CACD system to recognize expression of the cancer biomarkers histone H2AX in lung cancer cells and then tested the accuracy of this system to distinguish resected lung cancer from preneoplastic and normal tissues. The major characteristics of CACD algorithms is to adapt detection parameters according to cellular image contents. Our newly developed wavelet transform is able to adaptively select different resolution and orientation features based on image content requirements. RESULTS Visual, statistical and quantitative results as CACD performance evaluation are presented in this paper. CONCLUSION The presented algorithms and CACD system for cellular feature enhancement, segmentation and classification are very important in distinguishing benign and malignant lesions.
Estimation of transient thermal efficiency of a biomass cookstove

Biomass cookstoves are used by many people throughout the developing world for daily cooking, which unfortunately brings inherent risks to individuals and the environment. During the past several decades, extensive efforts have been made to mitigate the harm by developing clean burning, high efficiency biomass cookstoves. However, comparison and selection of cookstoves has proven to be difficult. Generally, cookstoves are characterized using the Water Boiling Test (WBT) or a variant thereof. The WBT protocol identifies several metrics used to assess cookstoves, such as average thermal efficiency (ηavg), turn-down ratio, time to boil, and several pollutant-based metrics. Unfortunately, the results of lab tests often are not replicated by actual users in the field. Additionally, results may vary from lab to lab and sometimes within the same lab. To provide an additional tool for assessment, this study demonstrates how to predict a cookstove's average thermal efficiency with time (ηt) which enables analyses and comparisons not possible using ηavg obtained at the end of the WBT. Model predictions were validated with several experiments. Insights and benefits of time-dependent ηt analysis include reduced testing times, identification of the reasons ηavg varies in repeated experiments, comparison of ηt at specified times even when the length of tests differ, identification of ηt characteristics between cold and hot starts, and determination as to if and when ηavg has reached steady state. The only required modification of the current WBT protocol to obtain ηt is to record water temperature with time.
Electrolytes and Acid-Base Analysis

Educational Objectives 1. Understand physiologic regulation of serum electrolytes and describe common abnormalities 2. Understand the importance of acid base regulation in clinical practice 3. Describe the determinants of pH according to both the Stewart and traditional approach 4. Understand physiologic regulation of pH 5. Understand the causes of both metabolic and respiratory acid base disturbances 6. Understand risks and benefits of treatment options available for metabolic acidosis
Histopathologic Validation of Grayscale Carotid Plaque Characteristics Related to Plaque Vulnerability

Inflammation and angiogenesis play major roles in carotid plaque vulnerability. The purpose of this study was to determine whether gray-scale features of carotid plaques are associated with histologic markers for inflammation. Thirty-eight individuals completed a dedicated research carotid ultrasound exam before carotid endarterectomy. Gray-scale analysis was performed on plaque images to measure plaque echogenicity (gray-scale median [GSM] pixel brightness), plaque area, presence of discrete white areas (DWAs) and the percent of black area near the lumen on any one component of the plaque. Plaques with higher ultrasound GSM had greater percent calcification (p = 0.013) on histopathology. Presence of an ultrasound DWA was associated with more plaque hemosiderin (p = 0.0005) and inflammation (p = 0.019) on histopathology examination. The percent of plaque black area in any one component was associated with a higher score for macroscopic ulceration (p = 0.028). Ultrasound plaque characteristics (GSM, DWAs and black areas) represent histopathologic markers associated with plaque vulnerability. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02476396.
No Magic Bullet: A Theory-Based Meta-Analysis of Markov Transition Probabilities in Studies of Service Systems for Persons With Mental Disabilities

Objective:A random-effects meta-analysis of studies that used Markov transition probabilities (TPs) to describe outcomes for mental health service systems of differing quality for persons with serious mental illness was implemented to improve the scientific understanding of systems performance, to use in planning simulations to project service system costs and outcomes over time, and to test a theory of how outcomes for systems varying in quality differ.Methods:Nineteen systems described in 12 studies were coded as basic (B), maintenance (M), and recovery oriented (R) on the basis of descriptions of services provided. TPs for studies were aligned with a common functional-level framework, converted to a one-month time period, synthesized, and compared with theory-based expectations. Meta-regression was employed to explore associations between TPs and characteristics of service recipients and studies.Results:R systems performed better than M and B systems. However, M systems did not perform better than B sy...
Predicting Group Decisions Based on Group Information Seeking and Assembly Behavior

In group decision making situations, group members may have or may express preferences for decision alternatives only indirectly or incompletely, based on goals and on information collected from the environment. For example, group members undertaking a route-planning task may express a preference only for route segments, such as traveling from home to the supermarket. The method developed in this research uses information collected on task structure and on group information seeking and (implied) preferences to predict group decisions on a dynamic decision making task. An advantage of the method is that it relies upon data collection methods that are either unobtrusive (e.g. clickstream logging) or minimally intrusive (i.e. recording of conversations) to inform predictions. The method is illustrated using data from the performance of a simulated emergency response task by experienced emergency response personnel. Potential use of the proposed method in predicting group decisions in certain dynamic decision...
The Observant Jewish Victim of Spouse Abuse: Dynamics and Countertransference Issues

This article provides an overview of the dynamics of wife abuse, including its definition, the victim's tendency towards self blame, and the forces keeping her in the relationship. Socio-cultural and practical concerns relevant to the Orthodox victim are specifically examined. These include stigma of divorce, Rabbinic involvement, difficulties with obtaining the Get, and reluctance to seek shelter away from the community. Common countertransference issues that clinicians may struggle with when working with women who are abused are discussed, for example feeling pressured to save the marriage, frustration with resistance, and/or rescue fantasies. The article also offers implications for practice with this very complex population.
SYMMETRY IN VIRIONS

From the studies on isolated virus particles and their components carried out with the aid of a large variety of physicochemical methods, it is now possible to group these infective agents within three main geometrical and symmetry plans. This chapter discusses the composition of geometrical groups: (1) virions with helical symmetry, (2) those with icosahedral symmetry, and (3) those with combined symmetries or complex geometrical patterns. The rod-shaped tobacco mosaic virus is the best example for illustrating the presence of helical symmetry in a virion. The chapter presents the morphology of the rods as seen in the electron microscope together with the data derived from X-ray diffraction studies. The symmetry and shape of the regular icosahedron is also presented in the chapter. It is shown that the icosahedron possesses 5. 3. 2. rotation symmetry which is particularly relevant to the viral capsids.
Human and Animal Models for the Study of Muscle Pain

Muscle pain typically results from engaging in novel or unaccustomed levels of muscle activity. It may also result from a sharp blow or other direct trauma. Typically this type of pain resolves over a few days. However, several clinical conditions are associated with muscle pain that may range in severity from an intermittent but recurring distraction, to a debilitating disorder lasting for months that is accompanied by severe stress and in some cases significant motor impairment. The cost of medical treatment and lost work productivity runs in the billions of dollars, yet little is known about the etiology of chronic muscle pain. This chapter will explore how experimental approaches have been used in an effort to model clinical pain in humans and in experimental animals, and provide practical information regarding the implementation, interpretation, and limitations of these methods. Parallels between human and animal experiments will be emphasized.
Protein Purification by Ethanol-Induced Phase Transitions of the Elastin-like Polypeptide (ELP)

Thermoresponsive elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) tags provide an efficient and highly scalable route to purifying recombinantly expressed proteins without the need for chromatography. By changing te...
Abstract 4281: LT-IIc, a bacterial type II heat-labile enterotoxin, induces specific lethality in triple negative breast cancer cells by modulaton of autophagy and induction of apoptosis and necroptosis

Despite the recent advances in breast cancer treatment, triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains a serious health problem with limited treatment options. Poor prognosis is due to the development of chemoresistance. To discover novel therapeutic approaches to treat TNBC, we screened cholera toxin (CT) and the members of the bacterial type II heat-labile enterotoxin family (LT-IIa, LT-IIb, and LT-IIc) for their capacity to induce cell death in TNBC cells. LT-IIc, but not the other toxins, significantly reduced viability of the TNBC cell lines BT549 and MDA-MB-231 (IC50 = 82.32 nM). LT-IIc had no significant cytotoxic effects on MCF10A (IC50 = 2600 nM), a non-tumorigenic breast epithelial cell line, and minimal effects on MCF7 and T47D, ER+ breast cancer cells, or SKBR-3, HER2+ cells. LT-IIc stimulated autophagy through inhibition of the mTOR pathway, while simultaneously inhibiting autophagic progression, as observed by the accumulation of LC3B-II and p62 proteins. Morphologically, LT-IIc induced accumulation of enlarged LAMP2+ autolysosomes selectively in TNBC cells. Bafilomycin A1, an inhibitor of autophagic flux, blocked the formation and/or retention of these autolysosomes. The increase in caspase 3, 7 activity and annexin V staining indicated that LT-IIc induced an apoptotic response. Co-treatment with necrostatin-1, however, demonstrated that the lethal response to LT-IIc is elicited, at least in part, by concomitant induction of necroptosis. Collectively, these experiments demonstrate that LT-IIc acts bifunctionally, inducing autophagy while simultaneously blocking autolysosomal progression in TNBC cells, resulting in specific cytotoxicity in this breast cancer subtype. Citation Format: Patricia A. Masso-Welch, Sofia Girald Berlingeri, Natalie D. King-Lyons, Lorrie Mandell, John C. Hu, Christopher Greene, Matthew Federowicz, Peter Cao, Yasser Heakal. LT-IIc, a bacterial type II heat-labile enterotoxin, induces specific lethality in triple negative breast cancer cells by modulaton of autophagy and induction of apoptosis and necroptosis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4281.
Teaching Partial-Interval Recording of Problem Behavior with Virtual Reality

Virtual reality (VR) places individuals within a simulated experience using an array of visual, auditory, and tactile interfaces. Research suggests VR, which facilitates the rehearsal of actual job duties and performance assessment during training, may improve professional development across a range of disciplines. Although studies incorporating technology into professional development for educators are increasingly common, few have examined the potential for VR as a training tool. Direct observation represents a fundamental skill for professionals involved in behavior change. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of an automated simulation in teaching graduate and undergraduate students (N = 31) to collect partial-interval recording data pertaining to inappropriate behavior. Participants were randomly assigned to either a control condition or intervention condition consisting of a brief simulated observation of a student exhibiting problem behavior. Results suggest participants who used VR were more confident in their ability to collect data; however, evidence for improved outcomes related to data collection was not identified. These mixed findings provide tentative support for further research in this area.
Weighted Meta-Learning

Meta-learning leverages related source tasks to learn an initialization that can be quickly fine-tuned to a target task with limited labeled examples. However, many popular meta-learning algorithms, such as model-agnostic meta-learning (MAML), only assume access to the target samples for fine-tuning. In this work, we provide a general framework for meta-learning based on weighting the loss of different source tasks, where the weights are allowed to depend on the target samples. In this general setting, we provide upper bounds on the distance of the weighted empirical risk of the source tasks and expected target risk in terms of an integral probability metric (IPM) and Rademacher complexity, which apply to a number of meta-learning settings including MAML and a weighted MAML variant. We then develop a learning algorithm based on minimizing the error bound with respect to an empirical IPM, including a weighted MAML algorithm, $\alpha$-MAML. Finally, we demonstrate empirically on several regression problems that our weighted meta-learning algorithm is able to find better initializations than uniformly-weighted meta-learning algorithms, such as MAML.
The Networks Don't Lie: Social Relations and the Performance of Different Startup Types

There is significant and growing interest in entrepreneurship. Notwithstanding this interest, sizable barriers limit our understanding of the phenomenon and, by implication, our understanding of who is most likely to succeed in it. One fundamental challenge we face is the confounded language we employ: “Self-employment,” “business ownership,” and various conceptualizations of “entrepreneurship” have often been used interchangeably. This chapter argues that a potentially fruitful basis for predicting the probable form and performance of various startups is offered by attending to the social relational characteristics of the individuals or teams engaged in them, including their advisors and investors. Using this approach, novel propositions are proposed that draw and define boundary conditions.
MRI of the Acute Abdomen in Adults.

Abstract Although advanced imaging such as ultrasound and CT is more commonly used in the evaluation of the acute abdomen, MRI continues to play an important role in selected clinical scenarios. Following a discussion of the relative advantages of ultrasound, CT, and MRI in the evaluation of the acute abdomen, standard MRI protocols and the use of intravenous contrast will be described. Several examples will be provided of the application of MRI in the assessment of the acute abdomen.