cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation (ECP) for childhood glaucoma: a large single-center cohort experience.

Purpose To assess the factors associated with successful outcomes in the management of childhood glaucoma treated with endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation (ECP) as both primary and adjunctive surgery. Methods The medical records of consecutive children with glaucoma treated by a single surgeon at a single center over a 17-year period using ECP procedures were reviewed retrospectively. Treatment failure was defined as (1) intraocular pressure (IOP) >24 mm Hg at two consecutive examinations despite maximal medical treatment, (2) any additional glaucoma surgery, (3) sight-threatening complications, or (4) progression to no light perception visual acuity. Success was defined as the absence of treatment failure. Results A total of 107 ECP procedures on 80 eyes of 70 children were included. Glaucoma diagnoses included: following-cataract-surgery (60%), anterior segment dysgenesis (13%), primary congenital (9%), and other (19%). Most eyes (67 [84%]) had prior glaucoma surgery, and 73 (91%) were aphakic or pseudophakic at first ECP. Median follow-up was 2.2 years (IQR, 1.1-3.5) after initial ECP; mean number of ECP treatments per eye was 1.3 (range, 1-3). Success for a single ECP treatment at 1, 3, and 5 years (Kaplan-Meier analysis) was 64% (95% CI, 54-76), 36% (26-50), and 16% (7-37), respectively. Cumulative success (≥1 ECP) at 5 years was 34% (23-50). In multivariable analysis, of many risk factors considered, only a preoperative IOP of Conclusions ECP represents a modestly effective long-term therapy for childhood glaucoma and may be most successful in patients with preoperative IOP of
C9orf72 dipeptide repeats inhibit UPF1-mediated RNA decay independent of stress granule formation

ABSTRACT Expansion of an intronic (GGGGCC)n repeat region within the C9orf72 gene is a major cause of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia (c9ALS/FTD). A pathological hallmark in c9ALS/FTD is the accumulation of misprocessed RNAs, which are often targets of RNA surveillance pathways in normal cells. Here we show that nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) and other RNA decay mechanisms involving upstream frameshift 1 (UPF1), collectively referred to as UPF1-mediated RNA decay (UMD), are broadly inhibited in c9ALS/FTD brains. These effects are recapitulated in cultured cells by the ectopic expression of arginine-rich dipeptide repeats (DPRs), poly(GR) and poly(PR). Despite these two DPRs causing the recruitment of UPF1 to stress granules, stress granule formation is neither sufficient nor necessary for UMD inhibition. Our results suggest that UMD inhibition may accelerate the accumulation of deleterious RNAs and polypeptides in c9ALS/FTD.
Innovative therapies for neovascular age-related macular degeneration

Introduction: Investigational anti-VEGF treatments for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) aim to improve visual outcomes and reduce treatment burden; these include long-acting agents, combination strategies, topical agents, sustained-release, and genetic therapies. Areas covered: The authors provide a comprehensive review of investigational therapies for nAMD, focusing on therapies currently in clinical trial. Expert opinion: Long-acting anti-VEGF agents have demonstrated promising results in phase 3 studies, and include Brolucizumab, a single-chain antibody fragment, and Abicipar, a designed ankyrin repeat protein (DARPin). Other unique anti-VEGF agents in current trials include Conbercept - a fusion protein of the VEGF receptor domains, KSI-301 - an anti-VEGF antibody biopolymer conjugate, and OPT-302 - an inhibitor of VEGF-C/D. Strategies to activate the Tie-2 receptor, some in combination with VEGF inhibition, are of interest, with recent trials of Faricimab, ARP-1536, and nesvacumab. Topical anti-VEGF ± anti-PDGF agents, such as pazopanib, squalamine lactate, regorafenib, and LHA510 have shown limited efficacy and/or have not been advanced, although PAN-90806 continues to advance with promising initial results. Sustained-release anti-VEGF treatments, to address treatment burden, include the ranibizumab Port Delivery System, GB-102, NT-503, hydrogel depot, Durasert, and ENV1305. Similarly, genetic therapies, including RGX-314 and ADVM-022, aim to provide sustained anti-VEGF expression from the retina.
The dynamics of subendocardial flow during cardiopulmonary bypass

Subendocardial flow was measured as a temperature differential between the epicardium and the subendocardium during cardiopulmonary bypass by a measured bolus of cold blood of known temperature injected into the aortic root. The probes, with 0.1 second time response, were accurately placed in the subendocardium and the subepicardium, equidistant from the nearest coronary vessel. The least change recorded was 0.015° C. Direct-current operational amplifier offset the basal temperature, which was measured by a separate probe and maintained constant by small variations from the heat exchanger. Subendocardial and subepicardial flows were recorded in 20 dogs at constant aortic root pressures in the empty, beating and the empty, fibrillating heart. The effects of varying the aortic root pressures on the subendocardial and subepicardial flow ratios were studied in the empty, beating and empty, fibrillating heart. At all pressures studied, the endocardial-epicardial ratio was significantly lower for the empty, fibrillating than for the empty, beating heart (p
The Added Value of 3D Real-Time Multiplanar Reconstruction for Intraprocedural Guidance of Challenging MitraClip Cases

With the recent expansion of US Food and Drug Administration approval of the MitraClip to encompass secondary ([1][1]) and primary ([2][2]) mitral regurgitation (MR), the number of procedures is expected to increase considerably. Real-time imaging with transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is
Ordering towards disorder: Explaining the stability of non-layered morpheme structure in Athabascan languages

Abstract In Athabascan languages, verbal morphological structure does not follow the cross-linguistically more common and stable ‘layered’ order: derivational and lexical affixes are not necessarily closer to the stem than inflectional affixes. While the emergence of the Athabascan order is understandable through different layers of grammaticalization (Mithun 2011), the question of why this order is relatively stable in the language family has not yet been satisfactorily answered. The distributional properties of cognate Athabascan morphemes reveal historical tendencies for fusion and reordering that suggest that affixes remain in or change their position depending on the semantic relevance to other affixes, not necessarily to the stem alone, as Bybee’s (1985) morphological theory would predict. An additional factor for the stability of non-layered structure of morphemes is the high degree of semantic generality found in affixes between the stem and other lexical and derivational affixes.
Combinatorial Properties of Self-Overlapping Curves and Interior Boundaries

We study the interplay between the recently defined concept of minimum homotopy area and the classical topic of self-overlapping curves. The latter are plane curves which are the image of the boundary of an immersed disk. Our first contribution is to prove new sufficient combinatorial conditions for a curve to be self-overlapping. We show that a curve $\gamma$ with Whitney index 1 and without any self-overlapping subcurves is self-overlapping. As a corollary, we obtain sufficient conditions for self-overlappingness solely in terms of the Whitney index of the curve and its subcurves. These results follow from our second contribution, which shows that any plane curve $\gamma$, modulo a basepoint condition, is transformed into an interior boundary by wrapping around $\gamma$ with Jordan curves. Equivalently, the minimum homotopy area of $\gamma$ is reduced to the minimal possible threshold, namely the winding area, through wrapping. In fact, we show that $n+1$ wraps suffice, where $\gamma$ has $n$ vertices. Our third contribution is to prove the equivalence of various definitions of self-overlapping curves and interior boundaries, often implicit in the literature. We also introduce and characterize zero-obstinance curves, further generalizations of interior boundaries defined by optimality in minimum homotopy area.
AFPP and Unions of Convex Disks in the Digital Plane

We use results of [6] to enlarge our knowledge of the approximate fixed point property (AFPP) for digital images in $\mathbb{Z}^2$.
Hearing Their Voices: Parents’ Perceptions of Preschool Special Education Evaluations With Dual-Language Learners

Advancing equity in early childhood education is crucial as our broader society faces issues of inequities across systems, including education. Professionals must honor children’s home language and...
Impact of acute visual experience on development of LGN receptive fields in the ferret

Abstract Selectivity for direction of motion is a key feature of primary visual cortical neurons. Visual experience is required for direction selectivity in carnivore and primate visual cortex, but the circuit mechanisms of its formation remain incompletely understood. Here we examined how developing lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) neurons may contribute to cortical direction selectivity. Using in vivo electrophysiology techniques, we examined LGN receptive field properties of visually naive female ferrets before and after exposure to 6 hours of motion stimuli in order to assess the effect of acute visual experience on LGN cell development. We found that acute experience with motion stimuli did not significantly affect the weak orientation or direction selectivity of LGN neurons. In addition, we found that neither latency nor sustainedness or transience of LGN neurons significantly changed with acute experience. These results suggest that the direction selectivity that emerges in cortex after acute experience is computed in cortex and cannot be explained by changes in LGN cells. Significance Statement The development of typical neural circuitry requires experience-independent and experience-dependent factors. In the visual cortex of carnivores and primates, selectivity for motion arises as a result of experience, but we do not understand whether the major brain area that sits between the retina and the visual cortex – the lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus – also participates. Here we found that lateral geniculate neurons do not exhibit changes as a result of several hours of visual experience with moving stimuli, at a time when visual cortical neurons undergo a rapid change. We conclude that lateral geniculate neurons do not participate in this plasticity, and that changes in cortex are likely responsible for the development of direction selectivity in carnivores and primates.
selscan 2.0: scanning for sweeps in unphased data

Haplotype-based scans to identify recent and ongoing positive selection have become commonplace in evolutionary genomics studies of numerous species across the tree of life. However, the most widely adopted approaches require phased haplotypes to compute the key statistics. Here we release a major update to the selscan software that re-defines popular haplotype-based statistics for use with unphased "multi-locus genotype" data. We provide unphased implementations of iHS, nSL, XP-EHH, and XP-nSL and evaluate their performance across a range of important parameters in a generic demographic history. Source code and executables are available at https://www.github.com/szpiech/selscan.
682 PKC agonism restricts innate immune suppression, promotes antigen cross-presentation and synergizes with agonistic CD40 therapy in breast cancer

Background Immunotherapies that reinvigorate T cell responses have transformed the treatment of many cancers showing unprecedented durable antitumor responses. However, most patients do not respond to immunotherapy due in part to immunosuppression. Immunotherapy non-responders have high levels of circulating myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs)- an innate cell population that expands in pathological conditions such as cancer and suppresses T cells via production of immunosuppressive factors. In contrast, immunotherapy success is dependent on the ability of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) to cross-present tumor antigens to cytotoxic T cells. Immunogenic cross-presentation by APCs requires a specific subtype of dendritic cells (DCs) called conventional DC1 (cDC1) which are dysfunctional in cancer. Novel ways to increase cDC1 function are promising and under active investigation. One of these ways is ligation of CD40 which is primarily expressed by myeloid cells and its agonism leads to myeloid cell activation. Thus, targeting MDSCs while simultaneously expanding cross-presenting DCs represents a promising strategy that, when combined with agonistic CD40, will likely result in long-lasting protective immunity. Methods Using in vitro, ex vivo, in vivo and adoptive transfer systems, we investigated the effect of PKC agonists PEP005 and prostratin on MDSC expansion, differentiation to APC-like cells and recruitment to the TME. MDSC suppressive capacity was investigated using functional coculture assays with CD8+ T cells. Furthermore, we assessed the effect of PKC agonists on MDSC cross-priming capacity using in vitro coculture assay with OT-I CD8+ T cells as well as adoptive transfer experiments. We also investigated the effect of PKC agonists on cDC1 expansion from the BM in vitro and in vivo. Finally, we tested the efficacy of PKC agonism in combination with agonistic CD40 using the E0771 murine breast cancer orthotopic mouse model. Results Herein, we show that PKC agonists decreased MDSC expansion from hematopoetic progenitors in the BM and induced M-MDSC differentiation to an APC-like phenotype that expresses cDC1-related markers and the transcription factor Irf8. Simultaneously, PKC agonists favored cDC1 expansion at the expense of cDC2 and plasmocytoid DCs (pDC). Functionally, PKC agonists blunted MDSC suppressive function of T cells and promoted MDSC cross-priming capacity. Finally, combination of PKC agonism with agonistic CD40 mAb resulted in a marked reduction in tumor growth while synergistically increased intratumoral activated CD8+ T cells and tissue-resident memory CD8+ T cells. Conclusions In sum, we propose a novel promising strategy to simultaneously target MDSCs and promote APC function that may have potential clinical relevance in cancer patients.
Anarchism and Rights Violations

Smith is walking in the park. He is mugged by Jones, who takes his last ten dollars. Smith recognizes Jones and sets out to punish Jones and to exact compensation from him. Smith is bent on private enforcement of justice; this will involve the use of force on his part against Jones. Smith and Jones are in a territory governed by a state. I shall use 'Ipswich' to designate the particular state involved. Ipswich does not allow private enforcement of justice. Jones knows this. He also knows Smith knows that it was Jones who mugged Smith. Jones knows that Smith will come after him as a result. Jones knows there were no other eye witnesses and that it would be Jones' word against Smith's in Ipswich's courts. Thus, Jones has no fear of Ipswich's police. So he calls them, asking their protection against Smith. He gets it. The police forcibly prohibit Smith from carrying out his plans. Did Smith have a right to punish Jones and exact compensation from him? If so, then Ipswich violated this right. We have what appears to be plausible argument for the moral illegitimacy of Ipswich.
Oparin’s coacervates as an important milestone in chemical evolution

Although Oparin’s coacervate model for the origin of life by chemical evolution is almost 100 years old, it is still valid. However, the structure of his originally proposed coacervate is not considered prebiotic, based on some recent developments in prebiotic chemistry. We have remedied this deficiency of the Oparin’s model, by substituting his coacervate with a prebiotically feasible one. Oparin’s coacervates are aqueous structures, but have a boundary with the rest of the aqueous medium. They exhibit properties of self-replication, and provide a path to a primitive metabolism, via chemical competition and thus a primitive selection. Thus, coacervates are good models for proto-cells. We review here some salient points of Oparin’s model and address also some philosophical views on the beginning of natural selection in primitive chemical systems.
Light-induced absorbance changes of cytochromes and other pigments in pea chloroplasts and chloroplast fragments. II. The effect of inhibitors, uncouplers and ionophores.

Abstract In high-salt intact chloroplasts the reversible cytochrome f photo-oxidation is relatively insensitive to 3,4(dichlorophenyl) 1,1′-dimethylurea (DCMU) and is accompanied by changes in the region 560 to 572 nm which are inhibited by n -heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline- N -oxide and antimycin A. These results indicate a cyclic electron-transport system around photosystem I which may involve chtochrome b 6 . In intact chloroplasts (low-salt) treated with medium concentrations (1 μ m ) of carbonylcyanide p -trifluoromethoxy phenylhydrazone (FCCP), cytochrome b -559 is photo-oxidized in far-red light. This also occurs to a small extent with high concentrations of antimycin A and in aged chloroplast fragments. It is not found in chloroplasts uncoupled by valinomycin plus nigericin (or plus NH 4 Cl). These results are taken to mean that FCCP induces a secondary effect as well as its primary uncoupling action, causing structural changes which result in an unnatural connection of cytochrome b -559 to photosystem I. Other effects of FCCP are also discussed. Valinomycin alone, caused marked changes in the light-induced responses of cytochrome f and in the region of the b cytochromes but these were substantially different from the effect in combination with nigericin (or NH 4 Cl). The results are discussed in terms of a possible effect of an electrical potential difference across the functional photosynthetic membrane.
Comparison of statistics for candidate-gene association studies using cases and parents.

Abstract Studies of association between candidate genes and disease can be designed to use cases with disease, and in place of nonrelated controls, their parents. The advantage of this design is the elimination of spurious differences due to ethnic differences between cases and nonrelated controls. However, several statistical methods of analysis have been proposed in the literature, and the choice of analysis is not always clear. We review some of the statistical methods currently developed and present two new statistical methods aimed at specific genetic hypotheses of dominance and recessivity of the candidate gene. These new methods can be more powerful than other current methods, as demonstrated by simulations. The basis of these new statistical methods is a likelihood approach. The advantage of the likelihood framework is that regression models can be developed to assess genotype-environment interactions, as well as the relative contribution that alleles at the candidate-gene locus make to the relative risk (RR) of disease. This latter development allows testing of (1) whether interactions between alleles exist, on the scale of log RR, and (2) whether alleles originating from the mother or father of a case impart different risks, i.e., genomic imprinting.
Economic and Demographic Determinants of the Viability of Nations

This article presents an economic and demographic model of a nation facing a growing external threat which can be countered by military efforts. The model shows how such a nation might be gradually debilitated by its enemies and how a nation might defend itself through various economic, demographic, and technological investments. Applications of the model to Israel are discussed. More genera! versions of this model could be applied to conflict between other social units.
Wavelets on a Bounded Interval

The aim of this paper is to present two different approaches to the study of multiresolution analysis and wavelets on a bounded interval. Recently, Meyer obtained orthonormal wavelets on a bounded interval by restricting Daubechies’ scaling functions and wavelets to [0, 1] and applying the Gram-Schmidt procedure to orthonormalize the restrictions. Our own approach — presented in the second part of the paper — is based on the semi-orthogonal Chui-Wang spline-wavelets. In this case we no longer have orthogonality in one scale, but there are explicit formulae for these wavelets.
Impact of the NBDE grading change on postgraduate admissions processes.

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of discontinuing the reporting of National Board Dental Examination (NBDE) Part I numerical scores on postgraduate program directors’ admissions selection processes. This cross-sectional survey-based study collected information about two admissions cycles (2012–13 and 2013–14) from directors of American Dental Education Association Postdoctoral Application Support Service (ADEA PASS SM ) programs in all postdoctoral training disciplines; the response rate was 54.5%. According to the 2012–13 cycle results, these program directors rated an NBDE Part I score the third most important part of an application, behind grade point average (GPA) and class rank (ranked first and second, respectively). In the 2013–14 cycle, in the absence of an NBDE Part I score, almost all other parts of the application increased in importance for the responding directors, but the relative rank of factors remained almost unchanged. Significantly, 71% of the directors reported that it was now more difficult to select interview candidates, and 76% said they wanted some form of national, numerically scored exam. No significant change was noted between the two years in the number of applications or interviews offered per resident position, although the standard deviation of the number of interviews offered increased in both pediatric dentistry and postdoctoral general dentistry.
Actions to control high blood pressure among hypertensive adults in Texas counties along the Mexico border: Texas BRFSS, 2007.

OBJECTIVES We examined the prevalence of actions taken to control blood pressure as measured by taking antihypertensive medication or making lifestyle modifications among hypertensive adults residing along the Texas/Mexico border. METHODS We used self-reported data from the 2007 Texas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, with oversampling of border counties. We calculated the age-standardized prevalence of actions taken to control hypertension by selected characteristics. RESULTS In analyses that combined ethnicity with predominant language spoken, those least likely to take any action to control their blood pressure--either by taking an antihypertensive medication or by making any of four lifestyle modifications--were Spanish-speaking Hispanic people (83.2% ± 2.7% standard error [SE]), with English-speaking non-Hispanic people (88.9% ± 0.8% SE) having the highest prevalence of taking action to control blood pressure. When analyzed by type of medical category, uninsured Hispanic people (63.8% ± 4.8% SE) had the lowest prevalence of taking action to control their blood pressure compared with uninsured non-Hispanic people (75.4% ± 4.7% SE). Nonborder Texas residents with hypertension were more likely to take antihypertensive medications (78.4% ± 1.0% SE) than border county residents with hypertension (70.7% ± 2.0% SE). CONCLUSIONS Public health efforts must be undertaken to improve the control of hypertension among residents of Texas counties along the Mexico border, particularly for uninsured Hispanic people.
Understanding the Role of Process Parameters on the Characteristics of Transition Metal Oxide RRAM/Memristor Devices

In this report, we studied the role of the oxygen concentration in TiO x layer of Ni/TiO x /TiO 2 /Ni stack based 2-terminal resistive random access memory (RRAM) devices. The sample with oxygen deficient TiO x layer showed Schottky diode type J-V characteristics in the as-fabricated state while the sample with higher oxygen content in TiO x demonstrated MIM or back-to-back connected diode behavior. The Capacitance-Voltage (C-V) profiling was performed and doping density vs. depletion width characteristic was obtained. The conductance technique was implemented to study the interface state density. The RRAM type switching behavior of these samples was studied. The sample with high oxygen in TiO x showed filament based switching after electroforming while the sample with low oxygen in TiO x showed switching governed by the charge trapping.
Strain differences in the disruption of prepulse inhibition of startle after systemic and intra-accumbens amphetamine administration

Background Sprague Dawley (SD) rats are significantly more sensitive than Long Evans (LE) rats to the disruption of prepulse inhibition (PPI) by systemically-administered dopamine (DA) agonists. This strain difference is heritable and insensitive to cross-fostering. Inherited differences in the ability of elevated DA activity to disrupt PPI may be useful for understanding the neural basis for PPI deficits in schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders.
"The more pain I have, the more I want to eat": obesity in the context of chronic pain.

Providers frequently report pain as a barrier to weight loss, and initial evidence suggests individuals with chronic pain and obesity experience reduced treatment success. However, scant evidence informs our understanding of how this comorbidity negatively influences treatment outcome. More effective programs might be designed with (i) insight into the patient's experience of comorbid chronic pain and obesity and (ii) improved understanding of the behavioral linkages between the experience of pain, engagement in health behaviors, and obesity treatment outcomes. Thirty adult primary care patients with mean BMI = 36.8 (SD 8.9) and average 0–10 pain intensity = 5.6 (SD 1.9) participated in semistructured, in-depth interviews. Transcriptions were analyzed using the constant comparative method. Five themes emerged indicating that patients with comorbid chronic pain and obesity experience: depression as magnifying the comorbid physical symptoms and complicating treatment; hedonic hunger triggered by physical pain and associated with depression and shame; emotional or “binge” eating in response to pain; altered dietary choices in response to pain; and low self-efficacy for physical activity due to pain. Individuals with chronic pain and obesity may be less responsive to traditional interventions that fail to address the symbiotic relationship between the two conditions. These individuals are at-risk for depressive symptoms and eating and activity patterns that sustain the comorbidity and make treatment problematic, and they may respond to pain with behaviors that promote weight gain, poor health and low mood. Further research is needed to examine behavioral mechanisms that promote comorbid pain and obesity, and to develop targeted treatment modules.
Hydrocarbon hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions in microfabricated catalytic reactors

Abstract Analytical chips to lower the cost and increase the effectiveness of chemical analyses, well proven in biochemical and biomedical applications, have a bright future for organic and inorganic reaction analyses. We demonstrate the use of microfabricated catalytic reactors constructed with silicon wafer technology for catalytic hydrocarbon conversion. The details of fabricating the devices are presented, as is the configuration for using them to characterize a heterogeneous gas–solid catalytic reaction. We present the results of a study of the reaction of cyclohexene in the presence of hydrogen over a platinum thin-film catalyst. In this experiment, we determined what factors affect the selectivity of the conversion to either cylcohexane (hydrogenation) or benzene (dehydrogenation). A reactor model based on published rate law data corroborated the behavior of the reactors for operation below 120°C. We verified literature reports of the decline of activity with temperature and observed a simultaneous shift in selectivity. These experiments demonstrate the value of microreaction devices for acquiring data traditionally taken by bulkier, more costly, and less efficient, bench-scale reactors.
Optical properties of strained layer (111)B Al 0.15 Ga 0.85 As-In 0.04 Ga 0.96 As quantum well heterostructures

Data presented here demonstrate that strained-layer (111)B Al0.15Ga0.85As-In0.04Ga0.96As quantum wells exhibit unique optical properties when compared to otherwise identical (100) oriented strained layers. Photoluminescence measurements identify a strain-induced electric field of order 6.7 Vµm-1 within the (111)B quantum well that is not present for the (100) case. Photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy measurements show that the heavy-hole to light-hole energy band splitting is approximately 7 meV larger for the (111)B structure than for the (100) structure.
Cytology, flow cytometry, image analysis, and interphase cytogenetics by fluorescence in situ hybridization in the diagnosis of transitional cell carcinoma in bladder washes: A comparative study

The diagnosis of transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) in bladder washes is a diagnostic challenge to cytology. This study assessed the role of flow cytometry (FCM), image analysis (IA), and interphase cytogenetics by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) as adjuncts in the cytodiagnosis of TCC in bladder washes. Forty separate samples of bladder washes were prospectively evaluated by conventional cytology (CY), FCM, IA, and FISH, and the results were compared with the subsequent surgical biopsy specimens which revealed 26 TCC (3 GR I, 6 GR II, 17 GR III) and 14 benign lesions. Using histology as the "gold standard" and following the previously published criteria for detection of TCC by CY, FCM, IA, and FISH, the concordance rates between histology and CY, FCM, IA, and FISH were 75, 74, 89, and 83%, respectively. CY, FCM, IA, FISH, and histology were concordant in 54% of the cases. The sensitivity of CY, FCM, IA, and FISH were 61, 72, 91, and 73%, respectively, while the specificity were 100, 80, 83, and 100%, respectively. The combined sensitivity of all the parameters was 96%. Interestingly, the false positive cases by FCM and IA showed cystitis. We conclude that IA has the highest sensitivity in detecting TCC in bladder washes followed by FISH, FCM, and CY, while CY and FISH have the highest specificity. This study indicates that FCM, IA, and FISH are useful adjuncts to cytology in the diagnosis of TCC in bladder washes. The finding of DNA-aneuploidy in cystitis warrants further investigation.
CAMAC Multi-Microprogrammed IO Processor

A CAMAC Branch Driver is described which provides multiple channel direct memory access to a host computer via a single DMA interface. Command lists in computer memory select micro-programmed sequences, stored in a fast-access Control Memory, which transfer data between CAMAC devices and lists in computer memory.
Abundance, distribution and patch formation of zooplankton

Abstract The goal of studies described here was to determine the responses of zooplankton taxa to phytoplankton patches which develop in and near intrusions of cold, nutrient-rich Gulf Stream water. To achieve this goal we determined the horizontal and vertical distributions of abundant mesozooplankton taxa on the south-eastern continental shelf of the USA between 29°30′ and 31°N. The study period was from June 23 to August 16, 1981. Highest concentrations of zooplankton usually occurred in and near patches of phytoplankton. Increased phytoplankton appeared to trigger the formation of patches of the calanoid copepod Temora turbinata and the cyclopoid copepods Oithona spp. and Oncaea spp. The patches of zooplankton had greater alongshore than cross-shelf dimensions. T. turbinata responded rapidly to increased concentrations of phytoplankton by reproducing and aggregating in and above intruded waters. Oithonidae which were often, but not always, abundant in phytoplankton patches eventually attained high concentrations over most of the middle and part of the inner shelf. Their concentration and that of Oncaeidae increased steadily. Oncaeidae were not abundant in recently upwelled waters, as was T. turbinata but reached high concentrations in older intrusions when the abundance of T. turbinata remained level or decreased slowly. Both cyclopoid taxa are thought to reproduce slowly (egg sacs) compared to T. turbinata. Another taxon, the doliolids, became abundant far more rapidly in intruded waters (by asexual reproduction) than did the other three taxa. Doliolids were the most opportunistic intrusion zooplankton form. They do not regularly occur in low abundance on the shelf, as do the three copepod taxa, but develop in pulses in regions where T. turbinata and Oncaea are not abundant. Of the four taxa studied the abundance of doliolids increased and decreased most rapidly, whereas Oithona and Oncaea increased slowly and did not decrease during the study period. T. turbinata and Oncaea were most abundant at 60% of all stations in the intruding water. Doliolids and Oithona on the other hand, were mostly in the thermocline and intrusion. Whereas phytoplankton patches, which developed in intrusions, were physically induced (PAFFENHOFER and LEE, 1988), patches of zooplankton were biologically induced.
Optimal design of parity tests

Abstract Researchers often test a null hypothesis of no ability in the populattion (the so-called “parity” hypothesis) using a single, forced-choice question with k alternatives. In this study a result is presented which should help researchers select the number of alternatives that maximizes the statistical power of the parity hypothesis test. Also the conditions under which it is always beneficial to add alternatives to the test are derived. Finally, the derived result is used to compare several popular parity test designs. The results show that the frequently used triangle test is optimal under a very broad range of plausible conditions.
Design of reflection retarders by use of nonnegative film–substrate systems

A reflection-type film–substrate retarder is an optical device that changes the relative phase but not the relative amplitude of light upon reflection from a film–substrate system. While there are several such device designs based on the common negative film–substrate system, very little has been done with the other two categories of systems, zero and positive. The system category is determined by the relationship between the refractive indices of the ambient N0, film N1, and substrate N2. If N1 N0N2, the system is positive. The design procedure and characteristics of zero-system reflection retarders are discussed. The polarization and ellipsometric properties of the positive system preclude the existence of a reflection retarder. First, a brief characterization of the zero and positive systems by means of constant-angle-of-incidence contours and constant-thickness contours of the ellipsometric function is presented and discussed. Then an algorithm outlining the design procedures is presented, and the characteristics of the obtained designs are optimized, analyzed, and discussed. The exact retarder is valid for a single wavelength at a set angle of incidence. The design tolerance to changes in the design parameters is analyzed and discussed. In general, N1⩽N1N2 is the condition to be satisfied to realize reflection-type retarders with film–substrate systems.
Soil organic matter dynamics in grassland soils under elevated CO2: Insights from long-term incubations and stable isotopes

Abstract Elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) levels generally stimulate carbon (C) uptake by plants, but the fate of this additional C largely remains unknown. This uncertainty is due in part to the difficulty in detecting small changes in soil carbon pools. We conducted a series of long-term (170–330 days) laboratory incubation experiments to examine changes in soil organic matter pool sizes and turnover rates in soil collected from an open-top chamber (OTC) elevated CO 2 study in Colorado shortgrass steppe. We measured concentration and isotopic composition of respired CO 2 and applied a two-pool exponential decay model to estimate pool sizes and turnover rates of active and slow C pools. The active and slow C pools of surface soils (5–10 cm depth) were increased by elevated CO 2 , but turnover rates of these pools were not consistently altered. These findings indicate a potential for C accumulation in near-surface soil C pools under elevated CO 2 . Stable isotopes provided evidence that elevated CO 2 did not alter the decomposition rate of new C inputs. Temporal variations in measured δ 13 C of respired CO 2 during incubation probably resulted mainly from the decomposition of changing mixtures of fresh residue and older organic matter. Lignin decomposition may have contributed to declining δ 13 C values late in the experiments. Isotopic dynamics during decomposition should be taken into account when interpreting δ 13 C measurements of soil respiration. Our study provides new understanding of soil C dynamics under elevated CO 2 through the use of stable C isotope measurements during microbial organic matter mineralization.
Protein-bound and unbound forms of plasma cortisol in piglets after castration at seven or 14 days of age

Male piglets from seven litters were used to evaluate the long-term effects of castration and age at castration on the concentrations of cortisol and its distribution in peripheral plasma. The piglets were allotted to one of three groups of 12 animals according to whether they had been castrated at seven or 14 days old or left intact. The animals were weighed and blood samples were collected from the anterior vena cava at three, seven, 10, 14, 17, 21, 28, 35 and 42 days of age. The plasma concentrations of albumin, total protein, cortisol, and the percentage distribution of cortisol among corticosteroid binding globulin-bound (CBG-bound), albumin-bound and unbound forms, were determined. Castration at seven or 14 days of age had no effect on any of the parameters measured. In all the piglets, the percentage of unbound cortisol decreased (P < 0.001) from 24.5 to 11.6 per cent over the period of sampling. The percentage of CBG-bound cortisol increased (P < 0.001) from 19 per cent on day 17 to 47 per cent on day 21, and albumin-bound cortisol declined from 61 to 37 per cent over the same period. These results agree with previous findings of age-related changes in the percentage distribution of cortisol in the piglet and demonstrate that these patterns are unaffected by castration.
Job Satisfaction among Employees of a Youth Development Organization

The purpose of this study was to explore the association between overall job satisfaction and selected demographic variables among 332 employees of a youth development organization. The Job Satisfaction Index (JSI) was used to measure the level of job satisfaction, and demographic information was obtained via a questionnaire developed by the researchers. Data analysis procedures included descriptive statistics, Spearman’s rho, Pearson r, t tests, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results indicated no significant relationships or differences (p = 0.05) between job satisfaction and demographic variables. These findings have implications for future research on job satisfaction and employee retention in youth development organizations.
Hardware-assisted code obfuscation for FPGA soft microprocessors

Soft microprocessors are vital components of many embedded FPGA systems. As the application domain for FPGAs expands, the security of the software used by soft processors increases in importance. Although software confidentiality approaches (e.g. encryption) are effective, code obfuscation is known to be an effective enhancement that further deters code understanding for attackers. The availability of specialization in FPGAs provides a unique opportunity for code obfuscation on a per-application basis with minimal hardware overhead. In this paper we describe a new technique to obfuscate soft microprocessor code which is located outside the FPGA chip in an unprotected area. Our approach provides customizable, data-dependent control flow modification to make it difficult for attackers to easily understand program behavior. The application of the approach to three benchmarks illustrates a control flow cyclomatic complexity increase of about 7× with a modest logic overhead for the soft processor.
Impacts of short-rotation hybrid poplar plantations on regional water yield

Hybrid poplar plantations are being established on northwestern Minnesota farmlands in response to demands for timber, pulp and paper, and as a potential source of biomass energy. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources estimates that between 30 000 and 40 000 ha of former cropland, and former conservation reserve program (CRP) land that was primarily herbaceous cover, will be converted to tree plantations by 2005. This paper reports the results of a 2-year study of the effects of such land use conversions on water yield for plots within tributary watersheds of the Red River of the North, in northwestern Minnesota. Three 8- and 9-year-old hybrid poplar plantations and three 22- to 34-year-old natural mixed hardwood stands were instrumented to measure precipitation, soil moisture, and soil water chemistry. Climatological observations at these sites were used to estimate potential evapotranspiration. These data were used to apply the GLEAMS model (Knisel, W.G. (Ed.), 1993. GLEAMS: groundwater loading effects of agricultural management systems. UGA-CPES-BAED Publication No. 5, University of Georgia. Coastal Plain Experimental Station, Tifton, GA, 259 pp.) to predict water yield from the two cover types. No significant differences in water yield were detected between hybrid poplar plantations and natural forest stands (α=0.05). The similarities between the hydrology of these two cover types suggest that increasing the acreage of short-rotation hybrid poplar plantations may influence average peak flows in streams, stormflow during average events, snowmelt runoff and spring flooding in the region.
Isopycnal mixing in ocean circulation models

Abstract A subgrid-scale form for mesoscale eddy mixing on isopycnal surfaces is proposed for use in non-eddy-resolving ocean circulation models. The mixing is applied in isopycnal coordinates to isopycnal layer thickness, or inverse density gradient, as well as to passive scalars, temperature and salinity. The transformation of these mixing forms to physical coordinates is also presented.
Tetrapentylammonium (TPeA): slowly dissociating inhibitor of the renal peritubular organic cation transporter

The efflux of tetraethylammonium (TEA) from suspensions of rabbit renal proximal tubules is completely blocked by 500 microM tetrapentylammonium (TPeA) in the extracellular medium. The basis of this trans-inhibition of TEA transport by TPeA was examined in tubule suspensions. At TPeA concentrations 10 microM, TPeA reduced efflux an additional 50% to produce a near complete block of TEA efflux. Increasing concentrations of TPeA from 0-500 microM were found to produce a biphasic, concentration-dependent trans-inhibition of TEA efflux from tubule suspensions suggesting that TPeA may block efflux by binding to both a high and low affinity TPeA binding site. The trans-inhibition of TEA efflux by TPeA at low concentrations (< 10 microM) may result from a slow carrier turnover when TPeA is bound to the carrier site. To determine whether the inhibitory effectiveness of TPeA was also associated with its slow dissociation from the carrier site, the effect of a 10 s preincubation with 1 microM TPeA on TEA uptake was examined. The uptake of TEA by tubules preincubated for 10 s with TPeA was reduced by approximately 30-50% compared to control tubules not preincubated with TPeA. A 10 s preincubation with 150 microM unlabeled TEA had no effect on TEA uptake compared to control tubules not preincubated with TEA. When the 10 s preincubation with 1 microM TPeA was followed by a 10 min recovery period, TEA uptake returned to control levels, indicating that the prolonged inhibition was reversible. This prolonged inhibition of TEA uptake after a 10 s preincubation with 1 microM TPeA, as suspected, may arise from a slow dissociation of TPeA from the OC transporter following a rapid association to the binding site. TPeA inhibition of TEA uptake into tubules was competitive in nature with a Ki of 1 microM. The ability of TEA to compete with TPeA for binding to the carrier suggests that the binding of TPeA to the carrier can be displaced by large concentrations of TEA. These observations suggest that the interactions of TPeA, and perhaps similarly large hydrophobic OCs, with the OC transporter are complex.
Determination of immunity to varicella using an enzyme-linked-immunosorbent-assay.

Immunity to varicella was determined by a rapid, simple enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) utilizing commercially available reagents. When ELISA was compared with the indirect immunofluorescence assay (FAMA), there was over 97 percent agreement.
Designs of ultra wideband (UWB) printed elliptical monopole antennas with slots

Printed elliptical monopole antennas are discussed for ultra wideband (UWB) applications. To enhance the design flexibility of the UWB antennas, two slots are incorporated along the edges of the elliptically shaped monopole. By adjusting the size of the slots, the overall performance of the proposed antenna can be improved. Full wave electromagnetic simulations have been used to investigate the effects of different parameters (feed-line length, monopole shape, etc.) on the antenna performance. To verify the design concept, a prototype antenna was designed on the Rogers' RT/Duroid 5880 substrate, fabricated and characterized experimentally. The measured properties of the antenna, including return loss, radiation pattern, and gain, show good agreement with the predicted UWB behavior. Moreover, as a result of the flexibility provided by the proposed designs, an antenna that incorporates a notch frequency within the UWB band is easily achieved. This notch-filter antenna design is also presented along with its simulated performance. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 466–471, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24943
Proprioception Following Total Knee Arthroplasty With and Without the Posterior Cruciate Ligament

Proprioception was measured in two groups of patients following successful total knee arthroplasty (TKA). In one group, the posterior cruciate ligament was retained and an unconstrained cruciate-retaining total knee component was used; in the other group, the posterior cruciate ligament was excised and a cruciate-substituting design was implanted. Threshold to detection of passive motion was quantified as a measure of proprioception. The degree of preoperative arthritis was objectively classified according to Resnick and Niwoyama. There was no difference in threshold to detection of passive motion in cruciate-retaining versus cruciate-substituting TKA. In patients with a moderate grade of arthritis before surgery, the postoperative scores were virtually identical. When the grade of preoperative arthritis was severe, patients with cruciate-substituting TKAs performed significantly better than those with cruciate-retaining TKAs.
Infrared optogalvanic effects in xenon

A color-center laser operating near 2.7 microns has been used to study optogalvanic effects in a xenon dc glow discharge. Exciting eleven transitions between the higher lying Rydberg levels, with one exception, resulted in an increase in the discharge ionization rate. Absorption on the 5d(3/2)1-6p(1/2)0 transition in xenon caused the ionization rate to decrease. The mechanism for this effect is related to the extremely short radiative lifetime of the 5d(3/2)1 level.