cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Synthesis of Planar, Shape-Changing Rigid-Body Mechanisms

This paper presents a procedure to synthesize planar linkages, composed of rigid links and revolute joints, capable of approximating a shape change defined by a set of curves. These “morphing curves” differ from each other by a combination of rigid-body displacement and shape change. Rigid link geometry is determined through analysis of piecewise linear curves to achieve shape-change approximation, and increasing the number of links improves the approximation. A mechanism is determined through connecting the rigid links into a single chain and adding dyads to eliminate degrees of freedom. The procedure is applied to two open-chain examples.
New insights into the carrier phase(s) of extraterrestrial 3He in geologically old sediments

To better understand the composition, characteristics of helium diffusion, and size distribution of interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) responsible for the long-term retention of extraterrestrial 3He, we carried out leaching, stepped heating, and sieving experiments on pelagic clays that varied in age from 0.5 Ma to ∼90 Myr. The leaching experiments suggest that the host phase(s) of 3He in geologically old sediments are neither organic matter nor refractory phases, such as diamond, graphite, Al2O3, and SiC, but are consistent with extraterrestrial silicates, Fe–Ni sulfides, and possibly magnetite. Stepped heating experiments demonstrate that the 3He release profiles from the magnetic and non-magnetic components of the pelagic clays are remarkably similar. Because helium diffusion is likely to be controlled by mineral chemistry and structure, the stepped heating results suggest a single carrier that may be magnetite, or more probably a phase associated with magnetite. Furthermore, the stepped outgassing experiments indicate that about 20% of the 3He will be lost through diffusion at seafloor temperatures after 50 Myrs, while sedimentary rocks exposed on the Earth’s surface for the same amount of time would lose up to 60%. The absolute magnitude of the 3He loss is, however, likely to depend upon the 3He concentration profile within the IDPs, which is not well known. Contrary to previous suggestions that micrometeorites in the size range of 50–100 μm in diameter are responsible for the extraterrestrial 3He in geologically old sediments [Stuart, F.M., Harrop, P.J., Knott, S., Turner, G., 1999. Laser extraction of helium isotopes from Antarctic micrometeorites: source of He and implications for the flux of extraterrestrial 3He flux to earth. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta63, 2653–2665], our sieving experiment demonstrates that at most 20% of the 3He is carried by particles greater than 50 μm in diameter. The size-distribution of the 3He-bearing particles implies that extraterrestrial 3He in sediments record the IDP flux rather than the micrometeorite flux.
Probing for new physics in polarized Λ b decays at the Z pole

Polarized ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{b}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\Lambda}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ decays at the Z pole are shown to be well suited for probing a large variety of new physics effects. A new observable is proposed, the angular asymmetry between the ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{b}$ spin and photon momentum, which is sensitive to the relative strengths of the opposite chirality and standard model chirality $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{b}s\ensuremath{\gamma}$ dipole operators. Comparison with the $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ decay polarization asymmetry and with the ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{b}$ polarization extracted from semileptonic decays allows important tests of the $V\ensuremath{-}A$ structure of the standard model. The modifications of the rates and angular asymmetries which arise at next-to-leading order are discussed. The measurements for ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{b}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\Lambda}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ and the $\mathrm{CP}$ conjugate mode, with branching ratios of a few times ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}5},$ are shown to be sensitive to nonstandard sources of $\mathrm{CP}$ violation in the ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{b}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\Lambda}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ matrix element. Form factor relations for heavy-to-light baryon decays are derived in the large energy limit, which are of general interest.
Schedulability comparisons among periodic and distance-constrained real-time schedulers

Tasks in a real-time system must be scheduled to meet their timing constraints. In this paper, we discuss the schedulability relationship among two well-known schedulers EDF and RM, and a recently proposed scheduler Sr/sup b/. We also compare the schedulability of Sr/sup b/ to other pinwheel schedulers Sx, Sr, and Sx/sup b/. Although EDF has the biggest schedulable task set than RM and Sr/sup b/, the schedules produced by EDF are the most vulnerable to system overloads and with the least predictability. RM has a better predictability than EDF for tasks with a high priority but not for lower priority tasks. Since Sr/sup b/ schedules the tasks according to a set of transformed harmonic distance constraints, the produced schedule is very regular and provides the best predictability.
Impacts of signal slew and skew variations on delay uncertainty and crosstalk noise in coupled RLC global interconnects

This paper addresses the impacts of signal slew time and signal skew variations on delay uncertainty and cross talk noise in coupled inductive lines for different switching patterns. Our findings reveal that delay variation in a victim line always increases with the reduction of signal slew time and increase in signal skew. We also observe that cross talk noise reduces with increasing signal skew, and the impacts of skew variation on cross talk noise is more prominent for lines with strong capacitive coupling. Here, equivalent circuit model parameters have been extracted using FastCap and FastHenry field solvers, and results have been obtained by HSpice simulation.
Molecular dynamics simulations of the orientational motion of liquid chloroform at 298 K and 220 K

Molecular dynamics simulations of liquid chloroform at 298 K and 220 K, using established optimized potential parameters and run on single-processor workstations, are employed to compute the first- and second-order Legendre polynomial, single-molecule orientational correlation functions describing the tumbling motion of the carbon-hydrogen bond direction. The results of the simulated Raman correlation functions compare well with their experimental counterparts from previously reported Fourier-transformed band contours of two totally symmetric vibration-rotation modes of the liquid. Simulated angular momentum, angular velocity, and intermolecular torque correlation functions are shown, and helped to characterize the insignificance of free orientational mobility within the system. Perturbation effects from rotation-vibration interaction and collision-induced intensities are present, but their effects on the correlation results are not sufficiently high to be of major significance.
Goodness of Fit of Social Network Models

We present a systematic examination of a real network data set using maximum likelihood estimation for exponential random graph models as well as new procedures to evaluate how well the models fit the observed networks. These procedures compare structural statistics of the observed network with the corresponding statistics on networks simulated from the fitted model. We apply this approach to the study of friendship relations among high school students from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (AddHealth). We focus primarily on one particular network of 205 nodes, although we also demonstrate that this method may be applied to the largest network in the AddHealth study, with 2,209 nodes. We argue that several well-studied models in the networks literature do not fit these data well and demonstrate that the fit improves dramatically when the models include the recently developed geometrically weighted edgewise shared partner, geometrically weighted dyadic shared partner, and geometrically w...
Dietary fat intake and risk for Parkinson’s disease

Previous epidemiological studies have generated inconsistent results regarding the associations between dietary fat intakes and risk for Parkinson's disease (PD). We therefore prospectively examined these associations in the National Institutes of Health–American Association of Retired Persons (NIH-AARP) Diet and Health Study. A 124-item food frequency questionnaire was administered at baseline in1995 to 1996, and PD diagnosis was self-reported at the follow-up survey in 2004 to 2006. A total of 1,087 cases with a PD diagnosis between 2000 and 2006 and 299,617 controls were included in the analyses. Overall, intakes of fats and other macronutrients were not associated with PD risk. However, we found a weak positive association between n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and the risk for PD. After adjusting for potential confounders, the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) between extreme quintiles of n-6 PUFA intake was 1.23 (95% CI = 1.02-1.49, P for trend = 0.02). A similar association was observed for the intake of linoleic acid. Results were similar among men and among women. Our study suggests that fat intake in general is not related to the risk for PD. The weak positive association between intake of n-6 PUFA and PD risk needs further investigation. © 2014 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
family and land in peasant ritual1

Though peasants adhere to each of four major religious traditions, problems common to peasant life find expression in similar ritual observances. This emerges most clearly among those peasant communities with patrilineal household arrangements. Common religious practices include household shrines, periodic ancestral rituals, and rituals that tie the family to the land. The recurrence of these forms is seen as a response to the tensions derived from this form of family life which such ritual counteracts.
MYC rearrangement and translocations involving band 8q24 in diffuse large cell lymphomas.

The configuration of the MYC gene in diffuse large cell lymphomas (DLCL) with translocations involving band 8q24 [t(8q24)] has not been systematically studied. We collected cytogenetic and clinical data on 171 consecutive cases of DLCL, including cleaved, noncleaved, and immunoblastic types, of which 96 had DNA available and 124 had abnormal karyotypes. The cases with DNA available were evaluated for MYC rearrangement (MYC-R) by Southern hybridization of EcoRI-digested tumor DNA using an exon-1 probe, a combination of probe and enzyme known to detect over 85% of breaks in sporadic Burkitt's lymphoma. In cases studied at diagnosis, MYC-R, t(8;14)(q24;q32), or other t(8q24) were not prognostically significant. Among the 124 cases with karyotypic abnormalities, seropositivity for human immunodeficiency virus was significantly more common in cases with a t(8q24) (72%) than in cases without it (9%) (P less than .05). Of the four cases with an MYC -R, two had a t(8;14), one had a t(7;8;14)(p15;q24;q32), and one had a t(8;?)(q24;?) and a del(8)(q24). In the three previous cases with translocations involving 8q24 and 14q32, comigration of the rearranged MYC band with either the J region or the switch-mu region of the Ig heavy chain gene could not be demonstrated, leaving the 14q32 breakpoint undefined at the molecular level. Among the remaining 72 cases where both an abnormal karyotype and molecular data were available, 11 had a t(8q24), either t(8;14) or t(8;22)(q24;q11), in the absence of an MYC-R. In these cases, the 8q24 break was presumably located outside of the EcoRI MYC fragment. All 15 cases with a t(8q24) were also screened for point mutations in the PvuII site in the first exon of MYC; two cases that were not MYC-R showed loss of this restriction site. These results indicate that in most DLCL with t(8;14) or other t(8q24), the 8q24 breakpoint lies away from the MYC gene; in a minority of these cases, point mutations in regulatory noncoding regions were detected.
A Geometric Approach to Support Vector Regression

We develop an intuitive geometric framework for support vector regression (SVR). By examining when †-tubes exist, we show that SVR can be regarded as a classification problem in the dual space. Hard and soft †-tubes are constructed by separating the convex or reduced convex hulls respectively of the training data with the response variable shifted up and down by †. A novel SVR model is proposed based on choosing the max-margin plane between the two shifted datasets. Maximizing the margin corresponds to shrinking the eective †-tube. In the proposed approach, the eects of the choices of all parameters become clear geometrically. The kernelized model corresponds to separating the convex or reduced convex hulls in feature space. Generalization bounds for classification can be extended to characterize the generalization performance of the proposed approach. We propose a simple iterative nearest-point algorithm that can be directly applied to the reduced convex hull case in order to construct soft †-tubes. Computational comparisons with other SVR formulations are also included.
Getting ahead in professional organizations: individual qualities, socioeconomic background and organizational context

In order to understand inequality in society, it is necessary to understand the matching of people and positions in organizations through hiring, promotion, and other processes leading to the attainment of rank and authority. These processes are not necessarily the same in professional organizations—such as professional service firms, universities, and hospitals—as they are in non-professional settings. This essay reviews what we know about how organizational attainment processes operate in professional organizations. After examining the role of individual qualities—technical ability, cultural proficiency, and social connections—the essay turns to the effects of gender, race, and social class. Next, it traces the ways in which organizational context moderates processes occurring at the individual level. Many questions remain unanswered, and the essay concludes by outlining directions for future research.
Few U.S. schools of nursing on campuses with smoke-free policies: A Call for Action.

Abstract Introduction Tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Recognizing that smoke-free policies can significantly reduce tobacco-related morbidity and mortality by preventing exposure to second-hand smoke and increasing quit rates, members of the Tobacco Control Subgroup of the American Academy of Nursing's (AAN) Health Behavior Expert Panel launched a health policy initiative entitled the Smoke-Free Campus Policy for Schools of Nursing Campaign . Designed as a two-phased initiative, the Campaign is a Call to Action to increase smoke-free policies on campuses with Schools of Nursing across the United States by 2020. Methods Phase I of the AAN Campaign included a cross-sectional study using secondary data analysis to describe the presence of smoke-free policies on campuses of Schools of Nursing across the United States. A list of colleges and universities with smoke-free policies maintained by the Americans for Nonsmokers Rights Foundation in January 2015 was accessed to conduct the analysis. Schools of Nursing granting baccalaureate and graduate nursing degrees were included. Descriptive statistics were obtained for Schools of Nursing by region of the country and by highest level of nursing degree program of study at each institution. Results Smoke-free policies of 689 Schools of Nursing were examined. Of these, 442 (64%) did not have 100% smoke-free policies on their campuses. A greater percentage of nursing schools without a smoke-free policy were located in the Northeast (114, 79%) and West (70, 73%). Nearly half (57, 46%) of the Schools of Nursing with a PhD/DNS program had a smoke-free policy in place compared with all other degree program levels (BS/BSN: 69, 35%; MS/MSN: 83, 35%; DNP: 38, 30%). Conclusions With only 247 (36%) of Schools of Nursing on campuses with comprehensive smoke-free policies, more must be performed to promote healthy learning and working environments for nursing students, staff, and faculty. As public health advocates, nursing leaders in Schools of Nursing have a moral and ethical imperative to advance tobacco control on college campuses to meet the American College Health Association goals for smoke-free/tobacco-free environments.
LA-ICP-MS chemical analysis of archaeological otoliths as a tool for seasonality and site catchment studies

Abstract Analysis of the trace element chemistry of otoliths via Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) has become common in fisheries-related work, allowing biologists to trace connectivity between habitats over the life cycles of fish. For archaeological specimens, elements from the outer edges of archaeological otoliths have the potential to provide information on site seasonality complementary to oxygen isotope data; they also may inform on place of capture of fish, thus elucidating exploited ranges and/or social and economic links between settlements. Adopting this method will require careful consideration of a number of complicating factors related to metabolic processes affecting otolith production, analytical procedures peculiar to LA-ICP-MS, and diagenesis, in addition to the usual complications of species identification and assessment of sample adequacy. Here, we review such factors as they affect the utility of the method for sourcing and seasonality research with archaeological otoliths, using the results of a pilot study of specimens from two Woodland-period sites in coastal Alabama, southeastern USA, to illustrate the potential and the current limitations of the method for archaeological research.
Review of Introduction to American Government, 7th edition

Teaching a mandatory American Government 101 course while maintaining the interest of numerous students is a perennial challenge for political science professors. This is the one chance a professor...
Winckelmann: The Responsibility of Aesthetic Response

This chapter takes as its starting point a statement by Hegel: “Winckelmann is to be regarded as one of the men who, in the field of art, have opened up for the spirit a new organ and totally new modes of treatment”. Winckelmann inaugurated, for Hegel, a new, seminal way of looking at art, where the beautiful artwork, thanks also to the transfiguring gaze of the observer, becomes a site liminally poised between visible and invisible, a “middle between immediate sensuousness and ideal thought”. I discuss, here, how for Winckelmann aesthetics is constitutively bound up with art history: our encounter with classical beauty has a temporally plural nature. Classical beauty oscillates between two extremes: it can strike us as a ‘monument’, the miracle of a living address across the sands of time, but also as a ‘document’, the beautiful as a sad vestige of a vanished past. This oscillation is part and parcel of beauty and includes its impact on the spectator. I discuss Winckelmann’s argument against the foil of Lessing’s aesthetics. For Lessing, visual beauty was essentially decorative, and shorn of metaphysical or epistemic resonances.
P2-12-3MULTIDISCIPLINARY TREATMENT OF HILAR CHOLANGIOCARCINOMA IN A PATIENT WITH COMPLICATED NEW-ONSET CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE

Abstract Introduction: In non-cardiac surgery patients receiving antiplatelet therapy, especially in patients with recent coronary stent implantation, perioperative management is challenging due to increased risks of perioperative bleeding or thromboembolic complications. We have to balance both perioperative risk and oncological risk/benefit to make a decision. Case report: We report a 69-year-old man suffering hilar cholangiocarcinoma and concurrent new-onset complicated coronary artery disease. After implanting non-drug-eluting coronary stents, combination chemotherapy with gemcitabine and S-1 under continuation of dual antiplatelet therapy was carried out and partial tumor response was achieved. Subsequently, extended right hepatectomy was performed while continuing preoperative single antiplatelet therapy with aspirin, and the patient recovered well without any thromboembolic or bleeding complications. He developed carcinomatous pleurisy 20 months after the operation, and combination chemotherapy with cisplatin and gemcitabine was introduced and continued. He remained doing well with stable cancer condition 36 months after the original diagnosis was made. Conclusion: Like the current case, neoadjuvant chemotherapy and subsequent curative resection under continuation of antiplatelet therapy, followed by preceding coronary intervention, is one of the preferred options for the treatment of hepatobiliary malignancy in patients with concurrent new-onset coronary artery disease.
Measurement of uterine blood flow and uterine metabolism. IV. Results in normal pregnancy.

Abstract In previous papers1, 2 we discussed the possible application of the nitrous oxide method to the measurement of the uterine blood flow in nonpregnant and pregnant women. The techniques for obtaining samples of blood from the uterine veins and from the brachial artery were also outlined. The present paper deals with results of specific measurements obtained in normal pregnant subjects during the last month of gestation. Studies made on postpartum patients 24 to 48 hours following delivery will also be reported.
An agent-based model of the impact of devil facial tumor disease on an isolated population of Tasmanian devils

The Tasmanian devil population is being reduced in the wild at an alarming rate due to an epidemic, which is the result of an unusual disease mechanism. Infected animals "inject" cancer cells into other devils, which then clone the cells, developing tumors, which are invariably fatal. Field observers have developed hypotheses that include a life-history change for the species. It is hypothesized that this change has the potential to improve the population's survivability. An agent-based model of Tasmanian devils is used to evaluate these hypotheses. The model results suggest that the devils' intra-gender aggression as well as their aggressive mating practices render the life-history change hypotheses' correctness improbable.
Duodenal atresia and neonatal cholestasis in R117H cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis (CF) has 20% associated rate of neonatal cholestasis. This presents in classic type CF, which initially can be confused with biliary atresia. Additionally, CF has been described with intestinal atresias but not duodenal atresia (DA). This is a case presentation highlighting a previously unreported presentation of R117H 5T CF mutation: A mutation that has recently been described and is not well-characterized. A retrospective review of single case was done. The newborn screen was sent per protocol. A 32 and 6/7 week gestation male was born with DA. Perinatal testing showed R117H mutation and 5T variant on separate chromosomes. His DA was repaired at 4 weeks of life. He had persistent jaundice, hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid scan failed to identify the gallbladder, and raising concern for biliary atresia. At laparotomy, biliary tree was found to be normal on cholangiogram. Liver biopsy showed depleted interlobular bile ducts, with cholangiolar proliferation, consistent with CF induced cholestasis. This is an abnormal presentation for CF induced neonatal cholestasis and DA in the R117H 5T mutation that traditionally has been described as mild/atypical presentation of CF. Therefore, patients with this mutation who present with persistently elevated bilirubin should be evaluated for liver disease associated with CF.
Evidence for the Existence of Terminal Scandium Imidos: Mechanistic Studies Involving Imido–Scandium Bond Formation and C–H Activation Reactions

The anilide–methyl complex (PNP)Sc(NH[DIPP])(CH3) (1) [PNP– = bis(2-diisopropylphosphino-4-tolyl)amide, DIPP = 2,6-diisopropylphenyl] eliminates methane (kavg = 5.13 × 10–4 M–1s–1 at 50 °C) in the presence of pyridine to generate the transient scandium imido (PNP)Sc═N[DIPP](NC5H5) (A-py), which rapidly activates the C–H bond of pyridine in 1,2-addition fashion to form the stable pyridyl complex (PNP)Sc(NH[DIPP])(η2-NC5H4) (2). Mechanistic studies suggest the C–H activation process to be second order overall: first order in scandium and first order in substrate (pyridine). Pyridine binding precedes elimination of methane, and α-hydrogen abstraction is overall-rate-determining [the kinetic isotope effect (KIE) for 1-d1 conversion to 2 was 5.37(6) at 35 °C and 4.9(14) at 50 °C] with activation parameters ΔH⧧ = 17.9(9) kcal/mol and ΔS⧧ = −18(3) cal/(mol K), consistent with an associative-type mechanism. No KIE or exchange with the anilide proton was observed when 1-d3 was treated with pyridine or thermolyzed ...
Informal caregivers' burden and stress in caring for stroke survivors with spatial neglect: an exploratory mixed-method study.

Background: Spatial neglect prolongs stroke survivors’ recovery to independence. However, little is known about the impact of spatial neglect on caregivers of stroke survivors.Objective: To explore the factors associated with burden and stress among informal caregivers of stroke survivors with spatial neglect.Methods: Following the previous study of 108 stroke survivors, we reached 24 stroke survivors’ caregivers, and 20 caregivers (age: M±SD=56.9±12.7 years; 12 females) completed the study. 10 survivors had symptoms of spatial neglect, and 10 did not (i.e., SN+ or SN-, respectively) at the time when discharged from inpatient rehabilitation, which was 9.3±6.2 months before the present study. Via a semi-structured telephone interview, we assessed caregivers’ burden and stress qualitatively and quantitatively.Results: No difference was observed across caregiver groups in cognitive function, depressive mood, or community mobility. In comparison, caregivers of the SN+ group allocated more time to care, contro...
Ligand Discovery Using Small-Molecule Microarrays

Genome-wide association studies and genetic linkage studies have created a growing list of proteins related to disease. Small molecules can serve as useful probes of function for these proteins in a cellular setting or may serve as leads for therapeutic development. High-throughput and general binding assays may provide a path for discovering small molecules that target proteins for which little is known about structure or function or for which conventional functional assays have failed. One such binding assay involves small-molecule microarrays (SMMs) containing compounds that have been arrayed and immobilized onto a solid support. The SMMs can be incubated with a protein target of interest and protein-small molecule interactions may be detected using a variety of fluorescent readouts. Several suitable methods for manufacturing SMMs exist and different immobilization methods may be more or less preferable for any given application. Here, we describe protocols for covalent capture of small molecules using an isocyanate-coated glass surface and detection of binding using purified protein.
optimization of optical fiber position in nir imaging of the rat cranium

Simulations of near-infrared light propagation based upon MRI images of a rat cranium are used to determine the optimum arrangement for maximum sensitivity in the brain. Singular value decomposition analysis is used to provide a quantitative measure for amount of information obtained in different fiber arrangements.
Lung Disorders of Uncertain Viral Etiology

Previous chapters in this volume have examined and discussed viral inflammatory and neoplastic disorders with a clear viral etiopathogenesis, i.e., pneumonias secondary to influenza or the more newly recognized pneumonias secondary to emergent viral zoonosis such as those associated with the Hendra or Nipah viruses.
Surfaces, Nanoparticles, and Foams

A surface is just the interface between a solid (or liquid) and a gas or vacuum. In general, the surface of a material, or any interface between materials, is a region of excess energy relative to the bulk or matrix. To maintain the lowest total energy for the system, the configuration of the surface adapts itself to minimize this excess energy. Impurities or dopants that lower the surface energy tend to concentrate in the surface. Similarly, such defects move to the interface if by segregating there they lower the overall energy of the system even if it raises the interfacial energy. The surface tends to orient parallel to certain crystallographic planes that have a lower energy.
Effect of Level of Urology Training on Gleason Score and Prostate Volume Estimation Agreement between Transrectal Ultrasound Guided Biopsy and Radical Prostatectomy Specimen

Abstract Introduction Transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy may be performed by operators with various levels of training. Little is known about the impact of training level on biopsy results. We evaluated the effect of training level on the accuracy of transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy findings. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 500 consecutive patients who underwent transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy and subsequent radical prostatectomy. Transrectal ultrasound operators were stratified based on level of training as junior, senior, chief, fellow or staff. Linear regression was performed to analyze the effect of training level on volume estimates. A weighted Kappa statistic evaluated agreement between biopsy and pathological Gleason scores while an adjusted cumulative logistic regression model analyzed the effects of training level. Results A total of 482 patients were included in the final analysis. Transrectal ultrasound guided biopsy was performed by staff in 78 (16%) patients, by fellows in 18 (4%), chief residents in 48 (10%), senior residents in 126 (26%) and junior residents in 212 (44%). There was no significant difference between transrectal ultrasound and radical prostatectomy specimen volume estimates among the training levels. Level of training was not significantly associated with pathological features, including Gleason score, primary Gleason grade, highest single Gleason grade and estimated tumor volume. Study limitations include the retrospective design and the variability among members of the same group. Conclusions Agreement between biopsy and pathological Gleason scores is high for all levels of training. Training level has no impact on prostate volume estimations or the prediction of pathological features.
Gene-Hormone Therapy Interaction and Fracture Risk in Postmenopausal Women.

Context Evidence supports a protective effect of menopausal hormone therapy (HT) on bone. However, whether genetic susceptibility modifies the association of HT and fracture risk is not sufficiently explored. Objective The objective was to test an interaction between genetic susceptibility and HT on fracture risk. Design We constructed two weighted genetic risk scores (GRSs) based on 16 fracture-associated variants (Fx-GRSs) and 50 bone mineral density variants (BMD-GRSs). We used Cox regression to estimate the main effects of GRSs and their interactions with HT on fracture risk. We estimated the relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) as a measure of additive interaction. We also used the case-only approach to test for a multiplicative interaction. Setting Forty US clinical centers. Participants A total of 9922 genotyped white postmenopausal women (age, 50 to 79) from the Women's Health Initiative HT randomized trials. Main Outcome Measures Adjudicated fracture incidence. Results Both GRSs were associated with fracture risk per 1-unit increment in GRS (hazard ratio, 1.04 [95% confidence interval, 1.02 to 1.06] for Fx-GRS and hazard ratio, 1.03 [95% confidence interval,1.02-1.04] for BMD-GRS). We found no evidence for multiplicative interaction for either of the GRS. However, we observed a substantial additive interaction, where the highest quartile of both GRSs and randomization to placebo have excess fracture risk: Fx-GRS P for RERI = 0.047, BMD-GRS P for RERI = 0.046. Conclusions These results suggest that HT reduces fracture risk in postmenopausal women, especially in those at highest genetic risk of fracture and low BMD.
Abstract TMEM-039: THE ROLE OF SNAIL IN CELL DIFFERENTIATION STATUS: EPITHELIAL-MESENCHYMAL TRANSITION AND CANCER STEM CELLS

PURPOSE: The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process by which epithelial cells lose their cell polarity and cell-cell adhesion, and become mesenchymal cells with migratory and invasive properties. EMT is essential for numerous developmental processes such as gastrulation, and is involved in the initiation of metastasis for cancer progression. Cancer cells that undergo EMT are enabled to metastasize to form secondary tumors. One characteristic of advanced tumors is a low expression level of let-7, a miRNA known to be vital in both maintenances of cellular differentiation and tumor suppression. There is a gap in the literature concerning the mechanism of let-7 downregulation. Our purpose in this study is to present data that shows Snail, an EMT inducer, directly represses let-7, hence inducing cancer stem cells. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES: Ovarian, pancreatic and breast cancer cell lines treated with TGFβ or EGF, inducers of EMT, were studied in our experiments. Expression of several markers at protein level was visualized with immunofluorescence and quantified with flow cytometry. Gene expression of mesenchymal, epithelial and pluripotency factors and miRNAs was detected by q-RT-PCR. Chromatin immunoprecipitation of Snail was performed in ovarian cancer lines. Let-7i promoter luciferase with and without Snail were co-transfected into OVSAHO and 293T cell lines and followed by luciferase assays for detection of bioluminescence. Snail was knocked down by lentiviral small hairpin RNA. Snail was overexpressed by estrogen receptor fusion protein. Orthotopic xenografts of patient-derived ovarian cancer cells were used to test the effect of Snail knockdown on tumor burden. RESULTS: In selected ovarian cancer lines, levels of Snail expression correlated directly with Nanog, and indirectly with let-7 expression. Snail bound promoters of let-7 in cell lines tested. Luciferase assays demonstrated direct repression of let-7 transcription by Snail. Metastatic burden was significantly reduced in cell line xenografts in which Snail was knocked down. CONCLUSIONS: Let-7 is confirmed to be negatively related to Snail. Our preliminary data also shows Snail directly represses let-7, therefore induces properties of stemness in cancer cells. Cell line and patient-derived data support the relationship between Snail expression, let-7 downregulation, and the induction of cancer stem cells. Snail knockdown appears to disrupt the cancer stem cell state and reduces disease progression. Citation Format: Hanmin Wang, Alyse Huisken-Hill, Evgeny Chirshev, Juli Unternaehrer-Hamm. THE ROLE OF SNAIL IN CELL DIFFERENTIATION STATUS: EPITHELIAL-MESENCHYMAL TRANSITION AND CANCER STEM CELLS [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 11th Biennial Ovarian Cancer Research Symposium; Sep 12-13, 2016; Seattle, WA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2017;23(11 Suppl):Abstract nr TMEM-039.
Percutaneous Cryoablation of Renal Tumors: Is It Time for a New Paradigm Shift?

Abstract Purpose To retrospectively assess long-term outcomes of percutaneous renal cryoablation, including factors affecting complications and local recurrence rates. Materials and Methods A total of 357 computed tomographic (CT) fluoroscopy–guided percutaneous cryoablation procedures were performed for 382 masses in 302 outpatients; 347 were biopsy-proven renal-cell carcinoma (RCC) or Bosniak category > III masses (n = 28). Benign pathologic conditions (n = 18) or metastatic non-RCC disease (n = 17) were included to analyze procedural complication rate, but recurrence rates, tumor staging, and nephrometry score were limited to RCCs. The average tumor diameter was 2.9 cm (range, 1–10.3 cm), and median nephrometry score for RCC was 8 (mean, 7.4). Protection of adjacent vital structures was performed in 34% of procedures (n = 121), and ureteral stent placement was performed for 9.2% (n = 33). All major complications were graded per surgical Clavien–Dindo criteria. Results The average CT-visible cryoablation zone diameter was 5 cm (range, 2.5–10.5 cm). Grade ≥ 3 complications occurred in 2.8% of procedures (n = 10), and appeared related to only high nephrometry scores ( P = .0086) and larger tumors ( P = .0034). No significant changes in renal function before and after the procedure were noted ( P = .18). At a mean follow-up of 31.8 months, the local tumor recurrence rate was 3.2% (11 of 347) for RCC, and no significant difference was noted between tumors larger or smaller than 3 cm ( P = .15). The difference reached significance only among the small number of stage ≥ T2 RCC tumors ( P = .0039). Conclusions Long-term follow-up of percutaneous renal cryoablation demonstrates low recurrence rates with preserved renal function, even for patients with high nephrometry scores and body mass index, assuming thorough cytotoxic technique and protection measures.
A Neural Measure of Item Individuation

Over recent decades, numerous studies have examined the N2pc component of the event-related potential waveform—a phasic negativity in posterior electrode sites, contralateral to an attended stimulus, with a latency of 200–300 ms. These studies have typically associated the N2pc with shifts of spatial attention, especially when there is competition from nearby distractors. Here we discuss multiple studies that converge on a possible refinement of this hypothesis. Specifically, we suggest that the N2pc may provide a neural measure of item individuation , the process of forming distinct representations of multiple items. Evidence is presented from a diverse set of tasks (e.g., subitization, visual search, multiple object tracking, working memory) showing that N2pc amplitude covaries with the number of items that can be simultaneously apprehended or stored, and is a robust predictor of behavioral success. This shared neural signature suggests that multiple stages of processing—including both internal storage and external encoding—are constrained by a common “individuation thread”.
Surface Chemistry Mechanism of Ultra-Low Interfacial Resistance in the Solid-State Electrolyte Li7La3Zr2O12

The impact of surface chemistry on the interfacial resistance between the Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) solid-state electrolyte and a metallic Li electrode is revealed. Control of surface chemistry allows the interfacial resistance to be reduced to 2 Ω cm2, lower than that of liquid electrolytes, without the need for interlayer coatings. A mechanistic understanding of the origins of ultra-low resistance is provided by quantitatively evaluating the linkages between interfacial chemistry, Li wettability, and electrochemical phenomena. A combination of Li contact angle measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), first-principles calculations, and impedance spectroscopy demonstrates that the presence of common LLZO surface contaminants, Li2CO3 and LiOH, result in poor wettability by Li and high interfacial resistance. On the basis of this mechanism, a simple procedure for removing these surface layers is demonstrated, which results in a dramatic increase in Li wetting and the elimination of nearly all interfa...
The Pediatric Eating Assessment Tool: Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties.

ABSTRACTObjectives:The Pediatric Eating Assessment Tool (PediEAT) is a parent-report instrument developed to assess symptoms of feeding problems in children aged 6 months to 7 years. The purpose of this study was to identify the factor structure of the PediEAT and test its psychometric properties, i
Investigation into the Microstructure, Texture and Rheological Properties of Chocolate Ganache.

Ganache is a mixture of chocolate and dairy. Although a popular confection, little is known about how it functions as a system. Objectives were to (1) determine if dairy fats and cocoa butter mix in ganache, (2) characterize ganache microstructure, and how structure affects texture and rheology, and (3) identify how changes in chocolate composition alter ganache. Textural analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, stress sweep tests, and microscopy were used to examine ganache formulations that varied in dairy source (cream or butter) or in solid fat content (SFC), composition or type of chocolate. Melting temperatures for all ganache formulations were lower than for chocolate, indicating that cream milk fat globules rupture during processing, and mix with cocoa butter. Altering the SFC of chocolate affected ganache hardness, spreadability, melting enthalpy, and resistance to deformation. Chocolate systems made with constant fat content and greater amounts of defatted cocoa powder relative to sugar or nonfat milk powder yielded ganache that was harder, less spreadable, and more resistant to deformation. Ganache made with commercially produced dark, milk, and white chocolates behaved similarly to model chocolate systems. Ganache attributes are affected by chocolate crystalline fat content in addition to particle phase volume—greater levels of cocoa powder, which is mostly insoluble, strengthens ganache structure, producing a firmer product, whereas greater levels of milk powder and sugar, which dissolve in the aqueous cream component, produce a softer ganache. Understanding how ganache functions as a system and how differences in chocolate composition affect its textural and rheological properties may allow for greater control over the desired characteristics of the final product. For example, this research shows how changing cocoa content of the chocolate affects ganache, which is useful when developing formulations involving chocolates with different cocoa percentages. There may also be cost saving implications; for example, using a chocolate with a harder cocoa butter may allow less total chocolate to be used in a formulation, while still achieving an appropriate texture.
Loss of the largest von Willebrand factor multimers from the plasma of patients with congenital cardiac defects

We identified a consecutive series of 12 children with noncyanotic congenital cardiac lesions with loss of the largest plasma von Willebrand factor (vWF) multimers determined by SDS-agarose electrophoresis. Seven had previous histories of mucocutaneous hemorrhage; ten had a prolonged bleeding time. Analysis of the factor VIII molecular complex revealed that six patients had reduced vWF measured both immunologically (vW:Ag) and by ristocetin cofactor assay (vW:rist). All had normal or borderline normal factor VIII procoagulant (F VIII) concentrations. Three children had prolonged partial thromboplastin times due to concurrent factor XII deficiency; none had laboratory evidence of intravascular coagulation. Five of the children were restudied after surgical correction of their cardiac lesions. Four had normalization of vWF multimers; the fifth, whose vWF was abnormal postoperatively, had a residual pressure gradient across a previous pulmonary artery banding site. Multimeric abnormalities were not found in the parents of three patients. Thus some patients with noncyanotic congenital heart disease may have an acquired abnormality of vWF that is normalized with correction of the abnormal hemodynamic state.
Probing The Collective and Independent-Particle Character of Atomic Electrons

Niels Bohr and Arnold Sommerfeld developed their model of the hydrogen atom and other one-electron atoms based on the concepts of discrete, stationary states and quantized energies and angular momenta of these atoms. Every stationary state carried its own constants of motion, to each of which corresponded a quantum number. Transitions between stationary states corresponded to sudden changes in the values of constants of the motion and of the corresponding quantum numbers, and to the absorption or emission of radiation to maintain conservation of energy.
Studies on Modified Hemoglobins: I. PROPERTIES OF HYBRID HEMOGLOBINS CONTAINING MANGANESE PROTOPORPHYRIN IX

Abstract Hybrid hemoglobins have been prepared containing manganese protoporphyrin IX in one type of hemoglobin subunit and iron protoporphyrin IX in the other type of hemoglobin subunit. These molecules are found to be tetrameric and show the optical absorption patterns of both metalloporphyrins. The manganese-containing subunits of these hybrids bind neither oxygen nor carbon monoxide, while the iron-containing subunits do. The oxygen affinities of the iron-containing subunits in these hybrids are lower than the affinities of the corresponding isolated hemoglobin subunits, although not as low as the affinity of native hemoglobin. The β subunits have the lower affinity in both the isolated and tetrameric states. This suggests a nonequivalence of oxygen-binding properties of the subunits in hemoglobin. The Hill coefficients for the hybrid hemoglobin oxygen equilibria indicate that a β-β subunit interaction may be present upon oxygen binding, and that it is stronger than an α-α subunit interaction, if in fact the latter exists at all. These manganese-containing hybrid hemoglobins appear to demonstrate a requirement for a prosthetic group to be present in each subunit in order that the proper configuration for lowered oxygen affinity be established in hemoglobin.
Sex Determination and the Interconversion of Mating Type

It has long been thought that sexual determination is an exceptionally complex, possibly incomprehensible process. This was particularly true of higher mammals including humans, where an organism may possess the karyotype, say of a male, but exhibit some of the characteristics of the female. Genetic disorders and artificial hormone therapy were known to give rise to phenotypic sex expression that did not reflect the sex chromosomal composition of the organism. Some degree of physical and psychological androgeny in humans is virtually universal, and in extreme cases, individuals exhibit physical characteristics of one sex but psychological and behavioral characteristics of the opposite sex. These observations emphasized the similarities and the extensive overlap that can occur between the male and female sexes. Every individual, regardless of sex, may possess the genetic potential to express the full complement of characteristics that typify both sexes.