cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Acute cortical deafness in a child with MELAS syndrome

Auditory impairment in mitochondrial disorders are usually due to peripheral sensorineural dysfunction. Central deafness is only rarely reported. We report here an 11-year-old boy with MELAS syndrome who presented with subacute deafness after waking up from sleep. Peripheral hearing loss was rapidly excluded. A brain MRI documented bilateral stroke-like lesions predominantly affecting the superior temporal lobe, including the primary auditory cortex, confirming the central nature of deafness. Slow recovery was observed in the following weeks. This case serves to illustrate the numerous challenges caused by MELAS and the unusual occurrence of acute cortical deafness, that to our knowledge has not be described so far in a child in this setting.
Naphthalene as a Fumigant for the Immature Stages of Clothes Moths and Carpet Beetles

Naphthalene, in the form of flakes and of moth balls, has been used as a fumigant for the immature stages of clothes moths and carpet beetles in a series of experiments extending over a period of several months. Naphthalene flakes at the rate of from 2 to 3 ounces to 5 cu. ft. proved toxic to the eggs and larvae of clothes moths when confined, for a sufficient length of time, in a tight trunk or in a box. Moth balls at the rate of 8 ounces to 5 cu. ft. proved toxic to the larvae of clothes moths when confined in a tight box for a considerable period of time. The results with the immature stages of carpet beetles were only partially satisfactory.
The effect of emigration upon socioeconomic structure: the case of Paraguay

This paper presents an analysis of the Paraguayan emigration to Argentina, by area of emigration, the size of the flow and the structural factors fostering the movement. Finally, the authors elaborate upon the effects of this migration upon the Paraguyan socioeconomic structure.
Factors Influencing Willingness to Donate to Marine Endangered Species Recovery in the Galapagos National Park, Ecuador

Willingness to donate money for the conservation of endangered species may depend on numerous factors. In this paper, we analyze data from a survey given to tourists visiting Ecuador’s Galapagos National Park and Marine Reserve to investigate determinants of their willingness to donate (WTD) towards the conservation of two marine endangered species--the scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) and the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas). Specifically, we use regression analysis to analyze the influence of attitudes and beliefs toward species conservation, levels of concern for specific species, recreational motivations, and past donation patterns on WTD, while also controlling for individual characteristics such as age, gender, place of residence, and other demographics. Additionally, we evaluate the sensitivity of WTD to the species being protected by conservation efforts. Our results demonstrate that specific concern about the species, beliefs about donating to the protection program, and past donation behavior significantly influence the intention to donate money towards the recovery of the two marine endangered species. The likelihood of donating to green sea turtle conservation efforts is marginally higher than for hammerhead sharks, possibly due to its more charismatic nature. In contrast, visitors who are more willing to donate for shark conservation appear to be those with a strong desire to see them in the wild. The results provide useful information on the heterogeneity of tourist preferences towards donating to species conservation efforts, which has broad implications for resource agencies seeking ways to fund conservation actions.
Information Management and Service of Agricultural Libraries under Internet Environment

Based on analyzing the impacts of Internet environment on agricultural library information management,this paper has summarized the development trends of agricultural library management under Internet environment,identified existing problems,and provided improving measures.
Female genital mutilation in Britain. Why the problem continues in Britain.

Female genital mutilation has been outlawed in Britain for nearly 10 years, and yet there are an estimated 10000 girls and young women still at risk of the dangerous practice in this country. Why? According to its proponents, female genital mutilation is a traditional or cultural practice. Irrespective of the fact that there seems to be little or no justification for it in religious texts, this does leave anyone dealing with the problem in Britain with a dilemma. Am I being racist or culturally insensitive if I choose to outlaw or criticise this practice? Beyond the fear of cultural steamrolling, there is …
Liquid Chromatographic Identification of Meats

Raw beef, pork, veal, lamb, chicken, turkey, and duck have been identified with a liquid chromatographic (LC) method. Meat samples are blended in water, and soluble proteins in the aqueous blends are separated by the LC method. Meat cuts and parts from same species had similar chromatographic profiles and differed only quantitatively. However, meat cuts or parts from different species resulted in different chromatographic profiles. The qualitative and quantitative chromatographic differences among meat species were used for their identification. The LC method applies only to fresh and frozen meats. It is simple, rapid, and reliable, and can be used for quantitative detection of meat species in unheated meat blends.
Invasive EEG in Mesial Temporal Epilepsy

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses role of invasive electroencephalogram (EEG) in mesial temporal epilepsy. The objective of intracranial EEG is to record electrophysiological data from intracerebral structures in the hope of defining a primary epileptogenic area amenable to surgical resection. The intracranial EEG is contraindicated in very young or mentally retarded patients who are unable to cooperate fully during the implantation and subsequent recording period and in patients with paranoid psychosis or serious psychiatric disturbances. Depth electrodes are ideally suited to investigation of mesial temporal structures such as the amygdala, hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus. Two approaches have been used to sample EEG from the mesial temporal lobe. In the lateral orthogonal approach, multiple electrodes can be placed at various anterior and posterior locations to achieve adequate sampling of mesial temporal structures as well as simultaneous recording from the lateral temporal neocortex. It is found that with this technique the risk of injury to cortical arteries and veins is significant, and stereotaxic angiography is mandatory. It is observed that invasive electrode recording can provide unparalleled detail at a single site within the brain, but because of sampling bias, its significance in the brain as a whole must be determined only in context with the additional noninvasive information provided during presurgical evaluation.
Introduction to Markov chains

A Markov chain is a random process with the property that given the values of the process from time zero up through the current time, the conditional probability of the value of the process at any future time depends only on its value at the current time. This is equivalent to saying that the future and the past are conditionally independent given the present (cf. Problem 70 in Chapter 1). Markov chains often have intuitively pleasing interpretations. Some examples discussed in this chapter are random walks (without barriers and with barriers, which may be reflecting, absorbing, or neither), queuing systems (with finite or infinite buffers), birth–death processes (with or without spontaneous generation), life (with states being “healthy,” “sick,” and “death”), and the gambler's ruin problem. Section 12.1 briefly highlights some simple properties of conditional probability that are very useful in studying Markov chains. Sections 12.2–12.4 cover basic results about discrete-time Markov chains. Continuous-time chains are discussed in Section 12.5. Preliminary results We present some easily-derived properties of conditional probability. These observations will greatly simplify some of our calculations for Markov chains.
A particle-in-cell method for the simulation of plasmas based on an unconditionally stable field solver

Abstract We propose a new particle-in-cell (PIC) method for the simulation of plasmas based on a recently developed, unconditionally stable solver for the wave equation. This method is not subject to a CFL restriction, limiting the ratio of the time step size to the spatial step size, typical of explicit methods, while maintaining computational cost and code complexity comparable to such explicit schemes. We describe the implementation in one and two dimensions for both electrostatic and electromagnetic cases, and present the results of several standard test problems, showing good agreement with theory with time step sizes much larger than allowed by typical CFL restrictions.
How hearing about harmful chemicals affects smokers' interest in dual use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes.

Abstract Substantial harm could result from concurrent cigarette and e-cigarette use (i.e., dual use) were it to undermine smoking cessation. Perceptions of chemical exposure and resulting harms may influence dual use. We conducted a probability-based phone survey of 1164 U.S. adult cigarette smokers in 2014–2015 and analyzed results in 2016. In a between-subjects experiment, smokers heard a hypothetical scenario in which cigarettes and e-cigarettes had the same amount of harmful chemicals or cigarettes had more chemicals than e-cigarettes (10 × more, 100 × more, or chemicals were present only in cigarettes). Smokers indicated how the scenario would change their interest in dual use and perceived health harms. Few smokers (7%) who heard that the products have the same amount of chemicals were interested in initiating or increasing dual use. However, more smokers were interested when told that cigarettes have 10 × more chemicals than e-cigarettes (31%), 100 × more chemicals than e-cigarettes (32%), or chemicals were present only in cigarettes (43%) (all p
Modeling Bioactive Materials

In this chapter we examine the mechanical properties of the ventral interior lateral muscle of the tobacco hornworm caterpillar, Manduca sexta. Uniaxial loading–unloading shows that the tissue is capable of large nonlinear pseudo-elastic deformations, has a hysteretic behavior and displays stress softening during the first few cycles of repeated loading. The data are used to develop a constitutive model that accounts for the observed material response, including a continuous transition from passive to active states. We consider the material initially incompressible, pseudo-elastic and transversely isotropic with preferred orientation parallel to the longitudinal direction of the muscle. The constitutive formulation is then generalized to account for slightly compressible materials and adapted for finite element implementation. The corresponding incremental equations and the associated isochoric and volumetric parts of the elasticity tensor are derived. To account for pseudo-elasticty, the isochoric part is modified accordingly. The simulation of a bio-actuated micro-pump is used to validate and demonstrate the capability of the model.
Iterative User Interface Design for Automated Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score Calculator in Sepsis Detection.

Background: The new sepsis definition has increased the need for frequent sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score recalculation and the clerical burden of information retrieval makes this score ideal for automated calculation. Objective: The aim of this study was to (1) estimate the clerical workload of manual SOFA score calculation through a time-motion analysis and (2) describe a user-centered design process for an electronic medical record (EMR) integrated, automated SOFA score calculator with subsequent usability evaluation study. Methods: First, we performed a time-motion analysis by recording time-to-task-completion for the manual calculation of 35 baseline and 35 current SOFA scores by 14 internal medicine residents over a 2-month period. Next, we used an agile development process to create a user interface for a previously developed automated SOFA score calculator. The final user interface usability was evaluated by clinician end users with the Computer Systems Usability Questionnaire. Results: The overall mean (standard deviation, SD) time-to-complete manual SOFA score calculation time was 61.6 s (33). Among the 24% (12/50) usability survey respondents, our user-centered user interface design process resulted in >75% favorability of survey items in the domains of system usability, information quality, and interface quality. Conclusions: Early stakeholder engagement in our agile design process resulted in a user interface for an automated SOFA score calculator that reduced clinician workload and met clinicians’ needs at the point of care. Emerging interoperable platforms may facilitate dissemination of similarly useful clinical score calculators and decision support algorithms as “apps.” A user-centered design process and usability evaluation should be considered during creation of these tools. [JMIR Hum Factors 2017;4(2):e14]
Detailed characteristics of radiation belt electrons revealed by CSSWE/REPTile measurements: Geomagnetic activity response and precipitation observation

Earth's outer radiation belt electrons are highly dynamic. We study the detailed characteristics of relativistic electrons in the outer belt using measurements from the Colorado Student Space Weather Experiment (CSSWE) mission, a low Earth orbit (LEO) CubeSat, which traverses the radiation belt four times in one orbit (~1.5 hr) and has the advantage of measuring the dynamic activities of the electrons including their rapid precipitation. We focus on the measured electron response to geomagnetic activity for different energies to show that there are abundant sub-MeV electrons in the inner belt and slot region. These electrons are further enhanced during active times while there is a lack of >1.63 MeV electrons in these regions. We also show that the variation of measured electron flux at LEO is strongly dependent on the local magnetic field strength, which is far from a dipole approximation. Moreover, a specific precipitation band, which happened on 19 Jan 2013, is investigated based on the conjunctive measurement of CSSWE, the Balloon Array for Radiation belt Relativistic Electron Losses (BARREL) and one of the Polar Operational Environmental Satellites (POES). In this precipitation band event, the net loss of the 0.58~1.63 MeV electrons (L=3.5~6) is estimated to account for 6.8% of the total electron content.
The state of innovation in modeling and simulation: the last 50 years

Innovation in Modeling and Simulation (M&S) refers to exploiting new ideas, exploiting new technology, and employing out-of-the-box thinking, which lead to the creation of new methodologies, techniques, concepts, frameworks, and software. This paper addresses the following questions: (a) what was the state of the art in M&S 50 years ago, what is it today, how much progress has been made? (b) how much innovation in M&S has been accomplished over the last half a century? (c) what were the obstacles to innovation in M&S? (d) what are some recommendations to promote innovation in M&S? (e) what message should be sent to the funding agencies to encourage innovation in M&S?
Parallel co-optimization of unit commitment and transmission switching

Transmission switching is an efficient way to improve the network controllability and increase the economic benefits of power systems. The co-optimization of the generating unit commitment and transmission switching is a large-scale and computationally complex optimization problem, which is hard to solve by traditional centralized and/or master-slave based decomposition approaches. This paper presents a parallel approach to obtain an efficient and fast solution for this co-optimization problem considering post-contingency corrective actions. Augmented Lagrangian method and auxiliary problem principle (APP) are adopted to decompose the original problem into three solution modules: the unit commitment (UC) module, the optimal power flow (OPF) module and the transmission switching (TS) module. These three modules can be solved simultaneously, which makes the proposed method favorable for parallelization and consequently higher computational efficiency. Numerical cases are tested on a distributed computing cluster with 16 computers to justify efficiency of the proposed approach.
AFDC and Homicide

Conservatives generally believe that government largess has created a morally defective welfare subculture. Some argue that excessive welfare payments contribute to high homicide rates by undermining individual responsibility and attachment to traditional social institutions. Liberals, on the other hand, suggest that higher welfare benefits may reduce homicide rates by alleviating the strains of poverty and promoting educational achievement. Drawing on a review of literature and aggregate welfare data, this study examined the relationship between local AFDC benefit levels and homicide rates. Variables were derived from Department of Health and Human Services, 1990 Census, and FBI data describing social/economic areas (N=394). Controlling for several economic and demographic variables, higher AFDC payments were associated with lower homicide rates. In addition, AFDC benefit level had an indirect negative effect on the homicide rate via its negative association with the high school dropout rate. Overall, these findings support the welfare-as-an-investment-in-youth and integrated strain-disorganization perspectives
Crystal-Induced Arthritides in the Elderly: An Update.

The prevalence of gout increases with age. After the serum concentration of urate exceeds the saturation or solubility point, it deposits in and around the joints. Presentation in the elderly is often atypical and challenging to diagnose. Treatment depends on disease stage, health status, and comorbidities. Elderly patients often have several confounding issues; treatment decisions can be complicated and therapeutic options limited. To prevent recurrence, serum concentration of urate should be maintained well below the saturation threshold of 6.8 mg/dL, leading to dissolution of urate deposits and preventing recurrence.
Constitutive Modeling of Plasticity in Nanostructured Materials

We review recent developments in micro and nano plasticity modeling. We focus on non-local gradient type models and a hybrid approach of molecular dynamics (MD) and finite elements. Gradient theories and MD both target plasticity problems at overlapping size scales. In this paper we review a handshaking method to interface finite elements with MD in the aim to model plasticity at the nano-level. We also discuss the use of the weak form of a non-local continuum theory, the gradient, in modeling nano material behavior. Numerous other approaches maybe used to model the nano structural level such as micropolar theories. However, they are beyond the scope of this work and will not be addressed in this review article.
Comparative Economics Systems in the Undergraduate Curriculum

This study reports on the status of Comparative Economics Systems (CES) courses in the U.S. undergraduate economics curriculum. The treatment of CES topics in introductory courses is examined through a survey of standard textbooks; findings indicate that the education of American students is highly parochial compared to international peers. To evaluate the status of CES at the advanced undergraduate level, we rely on survey data, searches of course catalogs, and an evaluation of available textbooks. We find course offerings in CES have declined noticeably since Foley and Pyle’s (2003) survey, with departments shifting to courses that study the economics of specific regions or countries. We suggest this is a mistaken strategy. Rather than considering comparative economics systems as a niche course, a subset of theories of economic development or of the peculiarities of cross-country studies, we argue that economics is comparative by definition. Accepting this premise suggests we need to think of new methods for treating traditional subjects and the way comparative economic systems is taught.
Interdiffusion Kinetics in Thin Film Couples

We have evidence which indicates that processes of nucleation and growth of grains can sometimes dominate the interaction between thin metal films. The evaluation of backscattering profiles for such samples is discussed.
Alimentary Performances: Mimesis, Theatricality, and Cuisine

A pea soda. An apple balloon. A cotton candy picnic. A magical mole. These are just a handful of examples of mimetic cuisine, a diverse set of culinary practices in which chefs and artists treat food as a means of representation. As theatricalised fine dining and the use of food in theatrical situations both grow in popularity, Alimentary Performances traces the origins and implications of food as a mimetic medium, used to imitate, represent, and assume a role in both theatrical and broader performance situations. Kristin Hunt's rich and wide-ranging account of food's growing representational stakes asks: What culinary approaches to mimesis can tell us about enduring philosophical debates around knowledge and authenticity How the dramaturgy of food within theatres connects with the developing role of theatrical cuisine in restaurant settings Ways in which these turns toward culinary mimeticism engender new histories, advance new epistemologies, and enable new modes of multisensory spectatorship and participation. This is an essential study for anyone interested in the intersections between food, theatre, and performance, from fine dining to fan culture and celebrity chefs to the drama of the cookbook.
CDKN2A copy number loss in HPV- and HPV+ head and neck cancer to indicate poor prognosis: An integrated genomic and clinical TCGA analysis.

6060Background: HPV infection is associated with high p16 expression and relatively good prognosis in head and neck cancers. Analysis of CDKN2A, the gene that encodes the p16 tumor suppressor prote...
CHAPTER XV – Transferases

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on transferases. Transferase is a group of enzymes that catalyzes the transfer of larger entities than electrons or hydrogen atoms. These enzymes catalyze the transfer of radicals, such as phosphoryl, methyl, acetyl, glucosyl, or fructofuranosyl radicals. These transfers have some special features that are worthy of note. In many cases the free energy change accompanying the transfer is small. As a consequence, such reactions are freely reversible. An appreciation of the significance of the conservation of the bond energy in such transfers has been one of the most important recent advances enzyme chemistry. Q-enzyme, in combination with potato phosphorylase, synthesized from glucose-1-phosphate a polysaccharide resembling natural amylopectin. Thus, it appears that two enzymes are responsible for the synthesis of branched polysaccharides such as glycogen and amylopectin. Amylomaltase is a cell-free enzyme from a special strain of Escherichia coli that converts maltose into a starchlike polysaccharide.
Molecular Pathway and Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization Testing of ERBB2 (HER2) Gene Amplification in Invasive Ductal Carcinoma of Breast

Standard screening of breast tumors involves morphologic, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization (FISH) analyses to assess pathogenicity and to identify possible treatment strategies. Among breast cancer types, invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), in particular, exhibits amplification of the HER2 (ERBB2) gene that can be detected by FISH as defined by the current American Society of Clinical Oncology/College of American Pathologists (ASCO/CAP, 2013, 2018) scoring guidelines. One criterion for amplification of the HER2 gene is based on the ratio of HER2 gene signals to centromere 17 signals obtained from microscopic analysis of 20 cells by FISH. A second criterion requires an average of more than 6 copies of HER2 signals per cell out of 20 cells screened by FISH. If either of these criteria is met, then individualized therapy with adjuvant chemotherapy and the HER2-targeted drug Trastuzumab (Herceptin®) is indicated, which remarkably improves prognosis by decreasing local recurrence and metastasis. If HER2 is not amplified in IDC of breast, further testing is performed and alternative treatments are considered which may have less favorable prognoses. Genetic heterogeneity (GH) is when IDC of breast has between 5 and 50% of cells that are positive for HER2 amplification by FISH. Such cases fall short in meeting the amplified status criteria currently mandated by ASCO/CAP. Based on our, and data from literature review, an update to the most recent ASCO/CAP guideline (issued in June 2018) criteria for positive amplification to include HER2 GH+ cases with greater than 25% HER2 amplification would extend the beneficial HER2-targeted therapy that is regulated by ASCO and the FDA to an additional 8% of patients .
Using technology to maximize engagement and outcomes in family–school partnerships

Collaborative relationships among families and educators can benefit children, families, and schools. However, barriers to developing and sustaining a collaborative relationship often constrain benefits. Technology can facilitate collaborative relationships by minimizing many structural barriers, such as time and schedule limitations. Videoconferencing and other web-based processes can facilitate meetings conducted when individuals are in different locations. In addition, technologies can serve as a mechanism to building parenting skills and home-to-school planning. Implications for school psychology as well as future directions for this line of rapidly developing work are discussed.
Mechanisms of Myocardial Injury in Coronavirus Disease 2019

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) predominantly presents with symptoms of fever, fatigue, cough and respiratory failure. However, it appears to have a unique interplay with cardiovascular disease (CVD); patients with pre-existing CVD are at highest risk for mortality from COVID-19, along with the elderly. COVID-19 contributes to cardiovascular complications including arrhythmias, myocardial dysfunction and myocardial inflammation. Although the exact mechanism of myocardial inflammation in patients with COVID-19 is not known, several plausible mechanisms have been proposed based on early observational reports. In this article, the authors summarise the available literature on mechanisms of myocardial injury in COVID-19.
Concepts of Connected Vehicle Applications: Interface Lessons Learned from a Rail Crossing Implementation

Emerging connected vehicle (CV) technologies provide timely, advance warnings of roadway hazards to road users who may be incapable of perceiving them otherwise. Between 2012 and 2019, United States government transportation agencies deployed V2X Hub, an open platform supporting a broad set of transportation safety applications. This platform facilitates real-time data sharing between infrastructure, in-vehicle, or mobile devices to communicate hazards using Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC). Armed with expertise gained in developing the technology, along with a renewed focus for the design of the in-vehicle safety system's Human-Machine Interface (HMI), the Rail Crossing Violation Warning (RCVW) research team evaluated practical driver use cases and extended the system capabilities to meet a broader set of safety goals.
Do RRA Earnings Improve the Usefulness of Reported Earnings in Reflecting the Performance of Oil and Gas Producing Firms

This study employs a regression model and an inside-trading model to evaluate whether three component values of the Reserve Recognition Accounting (RRA) Supplemental Earnings Summary improve the extent to which reported earnings reflect factors affecting stock prices. The analysis is conducted for the 1979-1980 period of volatile oil prices, when the events that the RRA Earnings Summary was designed to reflect (exploration and discovery) were more likely to be significant.Results from the regression analysis indicate that RRA earnings variables make a significant incremental contribution to explaining the variance in abnormal returns accumulated over the fiscal years described by the annual earnings values. Results from an inside-trading model indicate that advance knowledge of RRA earnings would be more useful to an investor than advance knowledge of the traditional historical cost earnings. The implication of these results is that data from the RRA Supplemental Earnings Summary improve the usefulness of...
Long lasting protective effects of early l-arginine treatment on endothelium in an in vitro study.

Summary Background & aims Excess nutrient supply, such as high fat and high glucose intake, promotes oxidative stress and advanced glycation end products accumulation. Oxidative stress and AGE accumulation cause pathological elevation of arginase activity and pro-inflammatory signaling implicated in endothelial dysfunction. Several studies showed positive effects of l -arginine supplementation in endothelial function but little is currently known about the role of l -arginine as prevention of endothelial dysfunction caused by excessive nutrient supply (overfeeding). Our aim was to evaluate a possible protective effect of l -arginine on endothelial dysfunction caused by excessive nutrient supply (overfeeding), using human endothelial cells line in an in vitro study. Methods Endothelial EA.hy926 cells were pre-treated with 1.72 mM of l -arginine for 24 h and afterwards subjected to nutritional stress (high lipid, high insulin and high glucose concentrations) for further 24 h. After treatment discontinuation, the cells were kept in culture for 48 h, in physiological condition, to evaluate the effects of treatments after normalization. Results Excess nutrient supply in EA.hy926 cell line showed an increase of oxidative and nitrosative stress, a rise of AGEs production, high arginase activity, leading the cells to acidosis and to cell death. l -arginine pretreatment protects the cells by reducing apoptosis, acidosis, oxidative and nitrosative stress, arginase activity and AGE accumulation. l -arginine pretreatment reduces AGEs generation and accumulation by regulating STAB1 and RAGE gene expression levels. STAB1, acting as receptor scavenger of AGEs, interferes with AGE-RAGE binding and thus prevents activation of intracellular signaling pathways leading to cell damage. Moreover the reduction of oxidative stress promotes a decrease of excessive activation of arginase involved in endothelial dysfunction. The effects of pretreatment with l -arginine last even in the absence of stimuli and despite after treatment discontinuation. Conclusions An early l -arginine treatment is able to prevent oxidative stress and AGEs accumulation caused by overfeeding in human endothelial cell line by regulating STAB1/RAGE gene expression and by reducing excess arginase activity. The positive effects of l -arginine pretreatment continue even after treatment discontinuation in normal conditions.
Automatic Deep Learning–assisted Detection and Grading of Abnormalities in Knee MRI Studies

Deep learning–driven severity staging achieved high sensitivity and specificity for binary and multiclass classification for multiple tissues of the knee, reduced interreader variability, and demon...
Evaluation of Serum Endocan-1 Levels in Neonates with Necrotizing Enterocolitis and Spontaneous Intestinal Perforation

BACKGROUND Endocan-1, a soluble proteoglycan expressed on endothelial cells, has been reported as a marker of endothelial pathology in the adult population with sepsis, hypertension, myocardial infarction, and kidney disease. Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) is an acute ischemic necrotizing disease of the GI tract of multifactorial etiology in very low birth weight newborns involving a large area of intestine. Spontaneous Intestinal Perforation (SIP) involves hemorrhagic necrosis involving a small focal lesion with an earlier onset than NEC. It appears both are separate and distinct …
Insights from the MEDE program: An overview of microstructure–property linkages in the dynamic behaviors of magnesium alloys

Abstract Magnesium (Mg) and its alloys have been the subject of intensive scientific research and development in the communities of materials science and engineering, mechanical engineering and manufacturing. Considering their light weight and high specific strength, current and potential applications include the aerospace industry, automobiles, and vehicle and personnel armors. This range of applications demands a good understanding of the behavior under extreme conditions such as impact or high strain rate loading. The past two decades have witnessed a surge of studies of the mechanical responses of Mg and its alloys under impact loading, both experimentally and using simulations and modeling at different spatial and temporal scales. Experimental examinations at strain rates up to 1 0 7 s − 1 (shock wave loading) have been published. In terms of simulations and modeling efforts, multi-physics, multi-scale investigations, from first principles calculations (density functional theory, DFT), molecular dynamics (MD), discrete dislocation dynamics (DDD), crystal plasticity (CP) and continuum mechanics have all been explored. To address the challenges in design, manufacturing and application of Mg alloys, the US Army Research Laboratory (US-ARL) created the Materials in Extreme Dynamic Environments (MEDE) Collaborative Research Alliance (CRA) in 2012. The goal of the Metals Program within the MEDE CRA has been to observe, understand, and design the mechanisms active within Mg and Mg alloys in these extreme conditions. In this paper, fundamental aspects of plastic deformation of Mg and Mg-alloys and the history of the research efforts in experiments, modeling, and simulations available in the literature are critically reviewed. Key findings and contributions from the Materials in Extreme Dynamic Environments (MEDE) Metals Collaborative Materials Research Group (CMRG) are presented, followed by summary and future perspectives.
The preleukemic syndrome: Correlation of in vitro parameters of granulopoiesis with clinical features

Abstract In vitro parameters of granulopoiesis were correlated with the clinical courses of 43 prospectively studied patients with the preleukemic syndrome. Clinical features of these cytopenic patients with marrow morphology showing hemopoietic dysplasia included the following: median age, 61 years; combined cytopenias, 60 per cent; low leukocyte alkaline phosphatase, 67 per cent; splenomegaly, 33 per cent; median survival, 18.9 months; and a 55 per cent two year actuarial probability of survival. Transformation into acute myeloid leukemia occurred in 19 patients (44 per cent) within a median period of 19.1 months. Presenting pancytopenia was the only clinical feature indicative of subsequent acute transformation, with 69 per cent of these patients undergoing such evolution within a median period of 15 months. Lethal infections were frequent during the preleukemic period. Abnormalities of in vitro marrow myeloid clonal growth were initially present in 72 per cent of the patients showing significantly low granulocyte-monocyte colony forming cell (CFU-GM) values and a high proportion of light density CFU-GM. Persisting or progressive decrements in CFU-GM sequentially occurred prior to or concomitant with acute transformation in six patients. Markedly diminished initial CFU-GM values (≤2 colonies/10 5 marrow cells) were predictive for a significantly decreased (19 per cent) two year probability of survival (p
Periocular infection after strabismus surgery

Fewer than 15 cases of cellulitis and subconjunctival abscess after extraocular muscle surgery have been reported in detail. In an effort to provide greater information about this serious complication, the members of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPO&S) were surveyed and contributed cases were analyzed. Among the 25 cases of cellulitis, there was a predominance of preschool age patients and Staphylococcus aureus cultures. Many cases presented after a normal initial postoperative visit. The most common symptoms were marked swelling and pain. Possible predisposing factors included unsuspected sinusitis, eye rubbing, and poor hygiene. Two patients had documented bacteremia, but no patient developed endophthalmitis. All cases resolved on antibiotics, but only five patients were successfully treated with oral antibiotics alone. Periocular infections after extraocular muscle surgery can present after a normal initial postoperative visit. Symptoms of marked swelling and pain are cause for closer inspection. S. aureus is the most common organism and oral antibiotics alone can fail to halt the infection.
STUDIES ON PLACENTAL METABOLISM. II. PURINE NUCLEOTIDE CATABOLISM IN EARLY PLACENTA.

Abstract Soluble extracts were used to measure the catabolism of purine 2′-, 3′, and 5′-ribonucleoside monophosphates in human placenta from specimens obtained during the first two trimesters of pregnancy. The specific activities of the enzymes involved are similar to those found in the term placenta, i.e., nucleoside phosphorylase was the most active of the enzymes measured and guanase, adenosine deaminase, and 5′-nucleosidase activities were present in lesser amounts.
What Makes a Good Summary

One of the biggest challenges for intelligence analysts who participate in prevention or response to a terrorism act is to quickly find relevant information from massive amounts of data. Along with research on information retrieval and filtering, text summarization is an effective technique to help intelligence analysts shorten their time to find critical information and make timely decisions. Multi-document summarization is particularly useful as it serves to quickly describe a collection of information. The obvious shortcoming lies in what it cannot capture especially in more diverse collections. Thus, the question lies in the adequacy and/or usefulness of such summarizations to the target analyst. In this chapter, we report our experimental study on the sensitivity of users to the quality and content of multi-document summarization. We used the DUC 2002 collection for multi-document summarization as our testbed. Two groups of document sets were considered: (I) the sets consisting of closely correlated documents with highly overlapped content; and (II) the sets consisting of diverse documents covering a wide scope of topics. Intuitively, this suggests that creating a quality summary would be more difficult for the latter case. However, human evaluators were discovered to be fairly insensitive to this difference. This occurred when they were asked to rank the performance of various automated summarizers. In this chapter, we examine and analyze our experiments in order to better understand this phenomenon and how we might address it to improve summarization quality. In particular, we present a new metric based on document graphs that can distinguish between the two types of document sets.
Multiple peptide composition of the large and small sub-units of Nicotiana tabacum fraction I protein ascertained by fingerprinting and electrofocusing

Abstract 14C-labeled Fraction I protein was synthesized by Nicotiana tabacum leaves during 20 h of photosynthesis in the presence of 14CO2. The crystalline protein was carboxymethylated, dissociated by sodium dodecylsulfate and subjected to Sephadex G-100 chromatography which resolved the large and small subunits in a 3:1 ratio according to 14C content of the peptides. The large subunit migrated as 56 000 dalton monomers during sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis; the small subunits as 12 500 dalton monomers. Fingerprinting resolved 54–56 tryptic peptides from the large subunit whereas 53–55 were expected from the number of arginine-lysine residues. Electrofocusing of carboxymethylated Fraction I protein showed the large subunit to be composed of three peptide bands which resolved in the pH 7 region and were nearly equal in density of staining. The number of tryptic peptides of the small subunit was twice the number of arginine-lysines; electrofocusing produced two approximately equal peptide bands in the pH 6 region. The same number of peptides as well as proportions of each was achieved by either staining of the bands or by autoradiography of 14C-labeled Fraction I protein. The three bands of different isoelectric points composing the large subunit have proved to be exceptionally useful as phenotypic markers for chloroplast DNA genes.
Extending Automated Analysis of Natural Language Use Cases to Other Languages

Natural language is the preferred form for writing use cases. While a few linguistic techniques exist that extract or validate structured information from unstructured natural language use case, they often cannot be extended beyond their primary language. Extending linguistic analysis and automated validation capabilities across multiple languages is necessary not only for widespread industrial adoption but it helps in analyzing a collection of multilingual use cases (quite frequent in multi-national projects) that need to be aggregated. We have published a UIMA (Unstructured Information Management Architecture) based linguistic engine for analyzing English use cases. In this paper, we report on extension of our linguistic technique to Japanese and effect of such an extension on the automated requirement validation suite.
Water quality dynamics and shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) production in intensive, mesohaline culture systems with two levels of biofloc management

Abstract A dense microbial community develops in the water column of intensive, minimal-exchange production systems and is responsible for nutrient cycling. A portion of the microbial community is associated with biofloc particles, and some control over the concentration of these particles has been shown to provide production benefits. To help refine the required degree of control, this study evaluated the effects of two levels of biofloc management on water quality and shrimp ( Litopenaeus vannamei ) production in commercial-scale culture systems. Eight, 50 m 3 raceways were randomly assigned to one of two treatments: T-LS (treatment-low solids) and T-HS (treatment-high solids), each with four replicate raceways. Settling chambers adjacent to the T-LS raceways had a volume of 1700 L with a flow rate of 20 L min −1 . The T-HS raceways had 760 L settling chambers with a flow rate of 10 L min −1 . Raceways were stocked with 250 shrimp m −3 , with a mean individual weight of 0.72 g, and shrimp were grown for thirteen weeks. Raceways in the T-LS treatment had significantly reduced total suspended solids, volatile suspended solids, and turbidity compared to the T-HS treatment ( P ≤ 0.003). The T-LS raceways also had significantly lower nitrite and nitrate concentrations, and the T-HS raceways had significantly lower ammonia and phosphate concentrations ( P ≤ 0.021). With the exception of nitrate, there were no significant differences between the change in concentration of water quality parameters entering and exiting the settling chambers in the T-LS versus the T-HS treatment. Nitrate never accumulated appreciably in the T-LS raceways, possibly due to denitrification in the settling chambers, bacterial substrate limitations in the raceways, or algal nitrate assimilation. However, in the T-HS raceways nitrate did accumulate. The T-HS settling chambers returned a significantly lower nitrate concentration and significantly greater alkalinity concentration than what entered them ( P ≤ 0.005), indicating that denitrification may have occurred in those chambers. There were no significant differences in shrimp survival, feed conversion ratio, or final biomass between the two treatments. However, shrimp in the T-LS treatment grew at a significantly greater rate (1.7 g wk −1 vs. 1.3 g wk −1 ) and reached a significantly greater final weight (22.1 g vs. 17.8 g) than shrimp in the T-HS treatment ( P ≤ 0.020). The results of this study demonstrate engineering and management decisions that can have important implications for both water quality and shrimp production in intensive, minimal-exchange culture systems.
From Histones to Ribosomes: A Chromatin Regulator Tangoes with Translation

Summary: Histone lysine methylation is a critical regulator of chromatin-templated processes such as gene transcription and DNA repair, and is dynamically controlled by enzymes that write and erase this posttranslational modification. Although histone methylation has been well studied, the functions of nonhistone lysine methylation and its regulatory enzymes, particularly outside the nucleus, are poorly defined. In this issue of Cancer Discovery , Van Rechem and colleagues shed light on a new role for the lysine demethylase KDM4A as a regulator of protein translation and identify a single-nucleotide polymorphism in the KDM4A gene as a candidate biomarker for mTOR inhibitor therapy. Cancer Discov; 5(3); 228–30. ©2015 AACR . See related article by Van Rechem and colleagues, [p. 245][1] See related article by Van Rechem and colleagues, [p. 255][2] [1]: /lookup/volpage/5/245?iss=3 [2]: /lookup/volpage/5/255?iss=3
Effects of cyanine dye membrane probes on cellular properties.

IN a number of systems, the fluorescence of a dye molecule has been useful in correlating membrane potential with biological properties of the system1. The dye molecule can be a unique tool in cases where the insertion of microelectrodes is precluded because of interference with the biological phenomena under observation or because the cell is too small to accomodate an electrode. During studies using cyanine dyes2 to correlate bacterial chemotaxis with membrane potential, side effects were observed. We report here that these side effects are caused by the interaction of light, the cyanine dye and the biological system. Although they can be avoided in many cases, the light and dye concentrations are those used in many biological studies and, therefore, the likelihood of similar perturbations in other systems must be taken into account during the design and interpretation of experiments.
Shape Resonances: A Comparison between Parabolic and Flat Bottom Potentials

Abstract Sharp exponential bounds are obtained for resonance states ψ and complex eigenvalues z for the Schrodinger equation H λ ψ ≡(− d 2 / dx 2 + λV ) ψ = zψ on [0, ∞). In a compact region V ( x ) is either a square-well or a parabolic potential. As x →∞, V ( x )∼ V ∞ + V M x − μ for some μ >0. The three cases V ∞ V ∞ =0 and 0 V ∞ V M are considered. Results are used to study the stratified wave propagator K =− c 2 (| y |)( Δ x + Δ y ). Depending on the shape of the velocity function c ( s ), resonances of K are shown to exist.