cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Setting priorities for comparative effectiveness research on management of primary angle closure: a survey of Asia-Pacific clinicians.

Purpose To set priorities for new systematic reviews (SRs) and randomized clinical trials on the management of primary angle closure (PAC) using clinical practice guidelines and a survey of Asia-Pacific clinicians. Methods We restated the American Academy of Ophthalmology's Preferred Practice Patterns recommendations for management of PAC into answerable clinical questions. We asked participants at the Asia-Pacific Joint Glaucoma Congress 2010 in Taipei to rate the importance of having an answer to each question for providing effective patient care, using a Likert-type scale and scoring from 0 (not important at all) to 10 (highly important). We identified relevant SRs and mapped the evidence to clinical questions to identify evidence gaps. Results We generated 42 clinical questions. One hundred seventy-five individuals agreed to participate in the survey, 132 responded (75.4% response rate) and 96 completed the questionnaire (54.9% usable response rate). Questions rated important include laser iridotomy for the prevention of angle closure in primary angle-closure suspects, further therapies in eyes with plateau iris syndrome after laser iridotomy, and evaluation of the fellow eye in acute angle-closure patients for improving prognosis. Up-to-date and conclusive SR evidence was not available for any of the 42 clinical questions. Conclusions We identified high priority clinical questions on the management of PAC, none of which had reliable SR evidence available. New SRs and randomized clinical trials can be initiated to address these evidence gaps.
Modification of Sample Size in Group Sequential Clinical Trials

In group sequential clinical trials, sample size reestimation can be a complicated issue when it allows for change of sample size to be influenced by an observed sample path. Our simulation studies show that increasing sample size based on an interim estimate of the treatment difference can substantially inflate the probability of type I error in most practical situations. A new group sequential test procedure is developed by modifying the weights used in the traditional repeated significance two-sample mean test. The new test has the type I error probability preserved at the target level and can provide a substantial gain in power with the increase of sample size. Generalization of the new procedure is discussed.
Control of Nucleosome Positions by DNA Sequence and Remodeling Machines

Recent studies have shown that promoter nucleosomes frequently adopt specific positions, and indicate that these positions functionally regulate transcription factor binding. Other studies indicate that DNA sequence has a major role in establishing these nucleosome positions, suggesting that evolution has selected for specific, default arrangements of promoter nucleosomes. Finally, recent studies indicate that ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complexes move nucleosomes away from default positioning sequences, either to complex-preferred locations or to establish a complex-preferred spacing between nucleosomes. Here we will review these recent findings, and consider how combinations of promoter sequence and specific remodeling complexes may act to switch chromatin between permissive and repressive conformations.
Geographic structure of lineage associations in a plant‐bacterial mutualism

Two species linked by a mutualistic relationship may evolve correlated population differentiation if there is long-term continuity of interactions between specific partners. This phenomenon was analyzed by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis on the annual legume Amphicarpaea bracteata and its nitrogen-fixing bacterial symbionts (Bradyrhizobium sp.) sampled from >20 sites over a 1000 km area. Three analyses indicated that genetic differentiation was correlated in the two organisms. First, the genetic distance between bacterial populations at each pair of sites was significantly positively related to the genetic distance between their host plant populations, as evaluated by the Mantel test. Second, a cluster analysis revealed that several divergent lineages were present both among plants and among bacteria. Bacterial lineages showed a highly nonrandom distribution across plant lineages that was consistent in each of two regions sampled. Finally, there were numerous cases where populations of the same plant lineage 1000 km apart harbored bacterial isolates with an identical multilocus genotype. Thus, despite recurrent opportunities for partner switching, particular genotypes of these two organisms associate consistently across multiple habitats throughout their geographic range.
Evidence For the Presence of the Asialoglycoprotein Receptor in Coated Vesicles Isolated from Rat Liver

Coated vesicles were isolated from rat liver by a modification of the procedure described by Nandi et al. for bovine brain (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 1982; 79:5881-5885). The hepatic receptor for asialoglycoproteins was shown to be an integral constituent of these vesicles as evidenced by their ability to bind 125I-asialo-orosomucoid in a specific and saturable manner. The specific binding activity of the purified vesicles was 17-fold greater than that of the original liver homogenate based on a protein determination. Binding was 97% latent and was made fully manifest only after removal of the clathrin coat and disruption of the exposed smooth membrane vesicles by detergent. Based on this finding, it was concluded that the binding protein for asialoglycoproteins was oriented toward the inner surface of the vesicle. In addition, evidence is presented that purification procedures employing detergent may result in coated vesicles deficient in one or more integral membrane proteins.
End-connection reactance of synchronous machines

Much has been published lately on the subject of armature reaction, and the designer is now able to predetermine performances with a considerable degree of accuracy; but many of the assumptions made for the purpose of obtaining a mathematical solution to a difficult problem have tended to obscure rather than elucidate the physical conception of armature reactance. This may be of no serious importance when dealing with standard types of design, but in the development of new ideas or in making calculations on abnormal designs, a clear conception of the magnetic flux linking with the armature windings and so causing a reactive voltage is necessary to the development of new formulas or the intelligent application of existing formulas.
The seasons of the year in Old English

‘Feower tida synd getealde on anum geare’, AElfric writes in De temporibus anni, translating a portion of Bede's De temporum ratione, and he enumerates the seasons together with their Latin counterparts: ‘Ver is lenctentid … Aestas is sumer … Autumnus is haerfest … Hiems is winter.’ Byrhtferth of Ramsey enumerates ‘Þa feower timan … lengten, sumor, haerfest and winter’, allegorizing them as symbols of childhood, adolescence, manhood and old age, of blood, choler, black bile and phlegm, and of air, fire, earth and water, and elsewhere he refers to ‘gewrixlunge Þaesra feower timan, Þaet ys lenctenis and sumoris and haerfestis and wintres’. From these passages, and others like them, it would appear that the Anglo-Saxons observed four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. This conclusion seems obvious enough and represents the conceptual baseline for the Bosworth–Toller dictionary entries for lencten, and lenctentid, sumer, haerfest and winter, even though it is clear from their own citations that lencten and lenctentid often mean ‘Lent’ and haerfest often means ‘harvest’.
Dynamic placement for clustered web applications

We introduce and evaluate a middleware clustering technology capable of allocating resources to web applications through dynamic application instance placement. We define application instance placement as the problem of placing application instances on a given set of server machines to adjust the amount of resources available to applications in response to varying resource demands of application clusters. The objective is to maximize the amount of demand that may be satisfied using a configured placement. To limit the disturbance to the system caused by starting and stopping application instances, the placement algorithm attempts to minimize the number of placement changes. It also strives to keep resource utilization balanced across all server machines. Two types of resources are managed, one load-dependent and one load-independent. When putting the chosen placement in effect our controller schedules placement changes in a manner that limits the disruption to the system.
An autocorrelation-based time domain analysis technique for monitoring perfusion and oxygenation in transplanted organs

In designing an implantable sensor for perfusion monitoring of transplant organs the ability of the sensor to gather perfusion information with limited power consumption and in near real time is paramount. The following work was performed to provide a processing method that is able to predict perfusion and oxygenation change within the blood flowing through a transplanted organ. For this application, an autocorrelation-based algorithm was used to reduce the acquisition time required for fast Fourier transform (FFT) analysis while retaining the accuracy inherent to FFT analysis. In order to provide data proving that the developed method is able to predict perfusion as accurately as FFT two experiments were developed isolating both periodic and quasi-periodic cardiac frequencies. It was shown that the autocorrelation-based method was able to perform comparably with FFT (limited to a sampling frequency of 300 Hz) and maintain accuracy down to acquisition times as low as 4 s in length.
Cross-Modal Equivalence of Visual and Auditory Scatterplots for Exploring Bivariate Data Samples:

The equivalence of visual and auditory scatterplots was examined in two experiments. Experiment 1 examined the relationship between actual Pearson's r and visual and auditory judgments of direction and magnitude of correlation for 24 bivariate data samples. Experiment 2 directly evaluated visual and auditory perceptual sensitivity to outliers by examining changes in perceived magnitude and direction of correlation estimates for scatterplots from Experiment 1 that were altered by the addition of outlier points. Results suggest that the information conveyed by visual and auditory scatterplots is used very similarly by the two modalities. Both visual and auditory scatterplots are quite efficient in conveying sign and magnitude of correlation, and the effect of outliers on judged magnitude of correlation is similar for the two types of data display.
Void formation in irradiated austenitic stainless steels

Publisher Summary The understanding and elimination of irradiation-induced voids in structural materials for fission breeder reactors is currently a major scientific and technical objective. This is in part reflected by the vast literature that has appeared on the subject over the past five years. Volumetric swelling caused by void formation has become a generally observed phenomenon for metals and alloys after both neutron and charged-particle irradiation in the temperature range of 0.3 to 0.55 Tm. This chapter provides an overview of the available literature on irradiation-induced void swelling in austenitic stainless steels. A comprehensive review of void formation in the various metals and alloys is not attempted to retain a central focus on materials of immediate interest to LMFBR application. However, nickel is included prominently in some sections, as it represents a high-purity homolog for austenite and as nickel-base alloys also have immediate and future application to LMFBR's.
A Tool for Creating Healthier Workplaces: The Conducivity Process

The conducivity process, a methodology for creating healthier workplaces by promoting conducive production, is illustrated through the use of the “conducivity game” developed in the NordNet Project in Sweden, which was an action research project to test a job redesign methodology. The project combined the “conducivity” hypotheses about a combination of employees’ skills and the Scandanavian “dialogue-based” participatory practice. The goal of the conducivity game is to develop a flexible division of labor that enhances employees’ skills and facilitates development of customer-adaptable products. The game develops “local languages” of worker coordination using visual images of a multiworker skill integration based on “skill plates.” Usage of the game in the companies activated shop-floor workers and companies to engage in self-managed work reorganization activities.
From Containment to Interdependence

Vincent Rock's A Strategy of Interdependence is a pioneering effort to consider the positive connotations of peace. Considering that a large proportion of “peace research” still takes the form of empirical, inventory-type work on the level of “subsystems” analysis carried out with highly sophisticated and successful computational and allied methods, Rock's work, which is based on a macroconceptual framework, deserves the thorough and careful consideration of political scientists.
Dynamic Biomechanics of the Normal Foot and Ankle During Walking and Running

This article presents an overview of dynamic biomechanics of the asymptomatic foot and ankle that occur during walking and running. Functional descriptions for walking are provided along with a review of quantitative findings from biomechanical analyses. Foot and ankle kinematics and kinetics during running are then presented, starting with a general description that is followed by more specific current research information. An understanding of the dynamic characteristics of the symptom-free foot and ankle during the most common forms of upright locomotion provides the necessary basis for objective evaluation of movement dysfunction.
Addressing the Demand for Cultural Relevance in Intervention Design

This article describes the development of a model to promote physical activity in Hispanic women that embeds a life course perspective and culture to enhance comparative effectiveness in intervention design. When working with diverse cultural groups, researchers often struggle with intervention designs and strategies to enhance cultural relevance; they do so based on the assumption that this will enhance efficacy and make interventions more sustainable. In this article, the authors discuss how the model was used in two interventions designed for younger and older Hispanic women. These interventions were guided by a life course perspective, incorporated social support, and included salient elements from the women’s culture. Three considerations underpinned the development of the model: (a) infusing concepts and values of a culture and tradition into the interventions, (b) viewing participants through a life course perspective to assess how an intervention can build on developmental transitions, and (c) det...
Sintering, Creep, and Electrical Conductivity of Model Glass-Matrix Composites

The sintering, creep, and electrical conductivity of model glass-matrix composites were investigated as functions of inclusion content and size. The composites consisted of spherical soda–lime glass particles and spherical nickel inclusions. At inclusion volume fractions below 10 vol% there was no inclusion size effect on the creep viscosity. Above 10 vol% there was an inclusion size effect, with the viscosity increasing significantly with decreasing inclusion size. The increase in electrical conductivity commenced at lower inclusion volume fractions as the inclusion size decreased. The data indicate that interactions between the inclusions might be responsible for the observed inclusion size effect. The sintering rates of the composites were compared with the predictions of Scherer's self-consistent model. Good agreement was obtained when the measured creep viscosity was used in the model equations.
Amiodarone induces a caffeine-inhibited, MID1-depedent rise in free cytoplasmic calcium in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Summary Calcium signalling is involved in myriad cellular processes such as mating morphogenesis. Mating in yeast induces changes in cell morphology with a concomitant increase in calcium uptake that is dependent on the MID1 and CCH1 genes. Mid1p and Cch1p are believed to function in a capacitive calcium entry (CCE)-like process. Amiodarone alters mammalian calcium channel activity but, despite its clinical importance, its molecular mechanisms are not clearly defined. We have shown previously that amiodarone has fungicidal activity against a broad array of fungi. We show here that amiodarone causes a dramatic increase in cytoplasmic calcium ([Ca2+]cyt) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The majority of this increase is dependent on extracellular Ca2+ nonetheless, a significant increase in [Ca2+]cyt is still induced by amiodarone when no uptake of extracellular Ca2+ can occur. The influx of extracellular Ca2+ may be a direct effect of amiodarone on a membrane transporter or may be by a CCE mechanism. Uptake of the extracellular Ca2+ is inhibited by caffeine and reduced in strains deleted for the mid1 gene, but not in cells deleted for cch1. Our data are the first demonstrating control of yeast calcium channels by amiodarone and caffeine.
Copy number networks to guide combinatorial therapy for cancer and other disorders

The dwindling drug pipeline is driving increased interest in the use of genome datasets to inform drug treatment. In particular, networks based on transcript data and protein-protein interactions have been used to design therapies that employ drug combinations. But there has been less focus on employing human genetic interaction networks constructed from copy number alterations (CNAs). These networks can be charted with sensitivity and precision by seeking gene pairs that tend to be amplified and/or deleted in tandem, even when they are located at a distance on the genome. Our experience with radiation hybrid (RH) panels, a library of cell clones that have been used for genetic mapping, have shown this tool can pinpoint statistically significant patterns of co-inherited gene pairs. In fact, we were able to identify gene pairs specifically associated with the mechanism of cell survival at single gene resolution. The strategy of seeking correlated CNAs can also be used to map survival networks for cancer. Although the cancer networks have lower resolution, the RH network can be leveraged to provide single gene specificity in the tumor networks. In a survival network for glioblastoma possessing single gene resolution, we found that the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) oncogene interacted with 46 genes. Of these genes, ten (22%) happened to be targets for existing drugs. Here, we briefly review the previous use of molecular networks to design novel therapies. We then highlight the potential of using correlated CNAs to guide combinatorial drug treatment in common medical conditions. We focus on therapeutic opportunities in cancer, but also offer examples from autoimmune disorders and atherosclerosis.
RSR13, a potential athletic performance enhancement agent: detection in urine by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

RSR13 (2-[4-[[(3,5-dimethylanilino)carbonyl]methyl]phenoxyl]-2-methylpropionic acid) is a synthetic allosteric modifier of hemoglobin that is currently in a phase III clinical trial as a radio-enhancing agent. RSR13 has been shown to increase maximum oxygen uptake (VO(2max)) in a canine skeletal model, which makes it a potential performance-enhancing agent for endurance athletes, since VO(2max) is an index of aerobic capacity. In this study we present a method for the detection of RSR13-bis-TMS in human urine by gas chromatography/electron impact ionization mass spectrometry (GC/EI-MS) suitable for doping control laboratories. The presence of RSR13 is detected by monitoring the ions m/z 485 ([M](+.)) and 470 ([M - CH3](+)). The limit of detection (LOD) is less than 2 ng/mL in urine. Urine samples collected from clinical trial subjects immediately prior to receiving an infusion of RSR13 showed no evidence of RSR13, whereas post-infusion urine samples contained up to 1181 microg/mL. A urine sample collected 36 h after administration of a small dose (10 mg/kg) and diluted 100-fold showed a signal 80 times higher than the LOD. Urine samples obtained from 100 randomly selected athletes in our routine testing program did not show any traces of RSR13. Sport authorities may wish to add RSR13 to the list of prohibited substances.
Sweet Water and Bitter: The Ships That Stopped the Slave Trade. By Siân Rees. (Durham, NH: University of New Hampshire Press, 2011. Pp. xii, 340. $27.95.)

Scholars may find Britain's suppression of the African slave trade a tired topic; after all, the famous W. E. B. Du Bois established the broad outlines of that story in the ninth chapter of his dis...
Reconstructing ancestral patterns of colonization and dispersal in the Hawaiian understory tree genus Psychotria (Rubiaceae): a comparison of parsimony and likelihood approaches.

Systematic and biogeographical relationships within the Hawaiian clade of the pantropical understory shrub genus Psychotria (Rubiaceae) were investigated using phylogenetic analysis of 18S-26S ribosomal DNA internal (ITS) and external (ETS) transcribed spacers. Phylogenetic analyses strongly suggest that the Hawaiian Psychotria are monophyletic and the result of a single introduction to the Hawaiian Islands. The results of phylogenetic analyses of ITS and ETS partitions alone give slightly different topologies among basal lineages of the Hawaiian clade; however, such differences are not well supported. Relationships in the section Straussia clade in particular are not well resolved because of few nucleotide changes on internal branches, suggesting extremely rapid radiation in the lineage. Parsimony and likelihood reconstructions of an- cestral geographical distributions using the topologies inferred from both parsimony and likelihood analysis of combined data and using different combinations of models and branch lengths gave highly congruent results. However, for one inter- nal node (corresponding to the majority of the "greenwelliae" clade), parsimony reconstructions were unable to distinguish between three possible island states, whereas likelihood reconstructions resulted in clear ordering of possible states, with the island of Oahu slightly more probable than other islands under all but one model and branch length combination considered (the Jukes-Cantor-like model with branch lengths inferred under parsimony, under which conditions Maui Nui is more probable). A pattern of colonization from oldest to youngest islands was inferred from the phylogeny, using maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood. Additionally, a much higher incidence of intraisland versus interisland spe- ciation was inferred. (Ancestral character state reconstruction; biogeography; ETS; Hawaii; island evolution; ITS; molecular systematics; Psychotria.)
Magnesium chloride‐supported high‐mileage catalysts for olefin polymerization XI. Determinations of poly(decene‐1) molecular weight chain dimension and thermal transitions

Decene-1 was polymerized with the CW catalyst and fractionated by precipitation technique. Light-scattering and viscometric measurements on these fractions established the relationship [η] = 5.19 × 10−3M. The unperturbed mean square end-to-end distance is (〈R〉/M)1/2 = (6.17 ± 0.34) × 10−9. Light-scattering data is consistent with a relatively stiff molecule with length of L = 1.75 × 10−5 cm for poly(decene-1) with MW = 397,000. Its mean square radius of gyration 〈R〉 is 2.79 × 10−11 cm.2 The ratio of L2/〈R〉 = 11 is close to the theoretical ratio of 12 for this kind of macromolecule.
The Mind in Motivation: A Social Cognitive Perspective on the Role of Consciousness in Goal Pursuit

This chapter summarizes and critically evaluates recent social cognitive work on the construct of human goals. The authors begin by defining goals from a social cognitive perspective, and then intro- duce what they believe is one of the most important outstanding questions in contemporary research on goal pursuit: What is the role of consciousness? The authors identify the conceptual landscape of this question and summarize what current evidence indicates as well as outstanding theoretical issues and unexplored questions. A number of interesting avenues for future research are identified.
Cupric Acetate Treatment for Shrinkage-Resistance of Wool:

Wool fabric was treated with a hot aqueous solution of cupric acetate, then extracted with boiling ethanol and dried. The product was green-colored and shrink-resistant. A mixture of cupric carbonate and propionic acid also shrinkproofed wool, but cupric chloride, nitrate, or sulfate did not. Some effects of the treatment were examined by copper analysis, electron paramagnetic absorption, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy.
Physical and Functional Interaction of Growth Hormone and Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I Signaling Elements

GH and IGF-I are critical regulators of growth and metabolism. GH interacts with the GH receptor (GHR), a cytokine superfamily receptor, to activate the cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase, Janus kinase 2 (JAK2), and initiate intracellular signaling cascades. IGF-I, produced in part in response to GH, binds to the heterotetrameric IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR), which is an intrinsic tyrosine kinase growth factor receptor that triggers proliferation, antiapoptosis, and other biological actions. Previous in vitro and overexpression studies have suggested that JAKs may interact with IGF-IR and that IGF-I stimulation may activate JAKs. In this study, we explore interactions between GHR-JAK2 and IGF-IR signaling pathway elements utilizing the GH and IGF-I-responsive 3T3-F442A and 3T3-L1 preadipocyte cell lines, which endogenously express both the GHR and IGF-IR. We find that GH induces formation of a complex that includes GHR, JAK2, and IGF-IR in these preadipocytes. The assembly of this complex in intact cells is rapid, GH concentration dependent, and can be prevented by a GH antagonist, G120K. However, it is not inhibited by the kinase inhibitor, staurosporine, which markedly inhibits GHR tyrosine phosphorylation. Moreover, complex formation does not appear dependent on GH-induced activation of the ERK or phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling pathways or on the tyrosine phosphorylation of GHR, JAK2, or IGF-IR. These results suggest that GH-induced formation of the GHR-JAK2-IGF-IR complex is governed instead by GH-dependent conformational change(s) in the GHR and/or JAK2. We further demonstrate that GH and IGF-I can synergize in acute aspects of signaling and that IGF-I enhances GH-induced assembly of conformationally active GHRs. These findings suggest the existence of previously unappreciated relationships between these two hormones.
Short-term exercise training protects against doxorubicin-induced cardiac mitochondrial damage independent of HSP72

Doxorubicin (Dox) is an antitumor agent used in cancer treatment, but its clinical use is limited due to cardiotoxicity. Although exercise training can defend against Dox-mediated cardiac damage, t...
High temperature reactions within SiC–Al2O3 composites

Composites of SiC–Al2O3 and SiC–mullite are unstable at high temperatures. The reactions occurring within the composites between 1700 and 1850 °C in stagnant inert atmospheres were characterized. Gaseous products cause excessive weight losses which cannot be attributed to passive oxidation. These losses can be successfully retarded by processing under high pressures. Compatible phases were determined by x-ray analysis for mixtures lying in the section SiC–Al4C3−Al2O3−SiO2. The reactions produced condensed phases of Al2OC and Al4O4C as well as gaseous SiO and CO. The condensed phases have high vapor pressures above 1700 °C. The effect of these reactions on densification of composites by firing at different temperatures for various periods under different pressures was studied. Dense materials prepared under high pressures at 1825 °C were tested at 1700 °C under normal pressure in argon, where active oxidation is expected, and weight losses were insignificant.
Olfactory Communication and Neighbor Recognition in Giant Kangaroo Rats

We hypothesized that olfactory communication facilitates neighbor recognition in the giant kangaroo rat, Dipodomys ingens, and is therefore influential in coordinating social interactions in this solitary, desert rodent. We tested whether (i) D. ingens can discriminate between odors of same- and opposite-sex conspecifics; and (ii) the kangaroo rats exhibit scent preferences based on familiarity. In habituation-discrimination tests, we found that both genders distinguish differences between the scent of individuals of the same- and opposite-sex. In olfactory preference tests, both males and females spent significantly more time investigating the scent of their familiar cagemate than the scent of an unfamiliar conspecific. Giant kangaroo rats may be able to recognize familiar neighbors from olfactory cues, thus supporting a hypothesis of neighbor recognition. Neighbor recognition may be an important mechanism of social interactions in this endangered species.
New ophthalmic manifestations of branchio-oculo-facial syndrome

Purpose To report new ocular manifestations of branchio-oculo-facial (BOF) syndrome. Design Case report. Methods A 10-year-old girl with known BOF syndrome was referred because of a fundus lesion in her left eye. Results She had undergone excision of a left orbital dermoid cyst at age 18 months and a branchial cleft fistula from the right side of neck at age 4 years. Examination disclosed openings of sinus tracts on each side of the nose connecting the lacrimal sac to skin. In the right eye, an iris pigment epithelial cyst was confirmed with ultrasound biomicroscopy. In the left eye, there was a combined hamartoma of the retina and retina pigment epithelium. Conclusion BOF syndrome can display mild to severe craniofacial, auricular, oral, and ophthalmic anomalies. In this case, the ophthalmic manifestations included lacrimal sac fistula, orbital dermoid cyst, iris pigment epithelial cyst, and combined hamartoma of the retina and retinal pigment epithelium.
Observations of a Terrain-Forced Mesoscale Vortex and Canyon Drainage Flows along the Front Range of Colorado

Abstract Observations taken during the February 1991 Atmospheric Studies in Complex Terrain (ASCOT) Winter Validation Study are used to describe the wind field associated with a terrain-forced mesoscale vortex and thermally forced canyon drainage flows along the Front Range of northeastern Colorado. A case study is presented of the night of 6/7 February 1991 when a weak vortex formed and propagated through the ASCOT domain. The NOAA/ERL Environmental Technology Laboratory Doppler lidar, one of an ensemble of instruments participating in the ASCOT field experiment, obtained high-resolution measurements of the structure of both the vortex and the canyon drainage flows. The lidar observations documented the kinematic and structural changes in the cyclone and their relationship to a drainage jet exiting a nearby canyon. Lidar analyses clearly show the layering and stratification present during this case, specifically the drainage jet flowing under the cyclone. A period of strong intensification of the drainag...
Fetal metabolic response to endogenous insulin release

Abstract The fetal metabolic response to tolbutamide-induced insulin release was evaluated in nine chronically catheterized fetal lambs. Tolbutamide produced an elevation in fetal insulin that persisted throughout the 1-hour experimental period (peak insulin concentration achieved was 76.1 ± 9.5 μU/ml). Fetal hyperinsulinemia was associated with a fall by 30 minutes in both fetal arterial and umbilical venous glucose concentrations as well as an increase in the umbilical glucose venous-arterial difference. This increase was associated with an elevation of fetal glucose uptake 65.6% ± 29.6% above control at 30 minutes after infusion. Fetal arterial oxygen content fell after tolbutamide administration and was accompanied by an increase in the umbilical venous-arterial oxygen content difference (13.0% ± 5.0% above the basal level.) Despite the increased venous-arterial difference, however, no change in umbilical oxygen consumption was noted. Isolated endogenous fetal insulin release is thus associated with a relatively rapid increase in umbilical glucose uptake as well as concomitant fetal hypoglycemia. The etiology of the mild fetal hypoxemia produced is unclear. The alterations in fetal glucose uptake in the ovine fetus after tolbutamide mimic those changes occurring after fetal exogenous insulin infusion. These alterations strongly suggest a significant role for insulin in the modulation of fetal carbohydrate metabolism and perhaps oxygen utilization.
A Novel Immunocompetent Mouse Model of Pancreatic Cancer with Robust Stroma: a Valuable Tool for Preclinical Evaluation of New Therapies

A valid preclinical tumor model should recapitulate the tumor microenvironment. Immune and stromal components are absent in immunodeficient models of pancreatic cancer. While these components are present in genetically engineered models such as Kras(G12D); Trp53(R172H); Pdx-1Cre (KPC), immense variability in development of invasive disease makes them unsuitable for evaluation of novel therapies. We have generated a novel mouse model of pancreatic cancer by implanting tumor fragments from KPC mice into the pancreas of wild type mice. Three-millimeter tumor pieces from KPC mice were implanted into the pancreas of C57BL/6J mice. Four to eight weeks later, tumors were harvested, and stromal and immune components were evaluated. The efficacy of Minnelide, a novel compound which has been shown to be effective against pancreatic cancer in a number of preclinical murine models, was evaluated. In our model, consistent tumor growth and metastases were observed. Tumors demonstrated intense desmoplasia and leukocytic infiltration which was comparable to that in the genetically engineered KPC model and significantly more than that observed in KPC tumor-derived cell line implantation model. Minnelide treatment resulted in a significant decrease in the tumor weight and volume. This novel model demonstrates a consistent growth rate and tumor-associated mortality and recapitulates the tumor microenvironment. This convenient model is a valuable tool to evaluate novel therapies.
Examples of Middle Range Theory

The papers presented here are intended as “examples of middle range theory” of organizations and organizational behavior. Quite different approaches were taken in the development of the various papers, yet a discussant must search for common dimensions on which to compare the papers. Common dimensions that appeared in my analysis of the papers relate to issues and topics that were the subject of earlier sessions. Repeated examination of certain of these issues is inevitable and, at this stage, probably desirable. The dimensions that appeared common to all five papers are outlined below as questions and provide the framework for my comparison and evaluation of the different papers. Certain authors addressed these questions explicitly, other authors addressed them only inferentially. My inferences based upon these papers are open to challenge and I’m confident the authors will exercise this right to challenge. Each of the papers represents a condensation of some larger body of thought, and my inferences about that larger body of thought based upon the condensed papers may well be faulty.
Delayed-Mode Calibration of Autonomous CTD Profiling Float Salinity Data by θ–S Climatology*

Autonomous CTD profiling floats are free-moving floats that report vertical profiles of salinity, temperature, and pressure at regular time intervals. The Argo program plans to deploy 3000 such floats to observe the upper 2000 m of the global ocean. These floats give good measurements of temperature and pressure, but salinity measurements may experience significant sensor drifts with time. The moving nature of these floats means that it is too expensive to retrieve them regularly for physical calibrations. Thus a system has been set up to correct the drift in these profiling float salinity data by using historical hydrographic data. An objective mapping technique is used to estimate the background climatological salinity field onu surfaces from nearby historical data. Temporal variations in water mass properties are accounted for in the objective estimate. The float salinity data are fitted to the background climatology in potential conductivity space by weighted least squares with a time-varying slope. The error associated with estimating the background climatology is carried through in the weighted least squares calculations. The result is a set of calibrated salinity data with error estimates. Because of the need to accumulate a time series for calculating a stable slope correction term, this system is a delayed-mode quality control system, with reliable calibrations available a few months after float data are obtained. However, contemporary ship-based measurements are essential in determining whether a measured trend is due to sensor drift or due to natural variability.
Scaling up crowd-sourcing to very large datasets: a case for active learning

Crowd-sourcing has become a popular means of acquiring labeled data for many tasks where humans are more accurate than computers, such as image tagging, entity resolution, and sentiment analysis. However, due to the time and cost of human labor, solutions that rely solely on crowd-sourcing are often limited to small datasets (i.e., a few thousand items). This paper proposes algorithms for integrating machine learning into crowd-sourced databases in order to combine the accuracy of human labeling with the speed and cost-effectiveness of machine learning classifiers. By using active learning as our optimization strategy for labeling tasks in crowd-sourced databases, we can minimize the number of questions asked to the crowd, allowing crowd-sourced applications to scale (i.e., label much larger datasets at lower costs).Designing active learning algorithms for a crowd-sourced database poses many practical challenges: such algorithms need to be generic, scalable, and easy to use, even for practitioners who are not machine learning experts. We draw on the theory of nonparametric bootstrap to design, to the best of our knowledge, the first active learning algorithms that meet all these requirements.Our results, on 3 real-world datasets collected with Amazons Mechanical Turk, and on 15 UCI datasets, show that our methods on average ask 1--2 orders of magnitude fewer questions than the baseline, and 4.5--44× fewer than existing active learning algorithms.
Plasma Oxidation Kinetics of Gold Nanoparticles and Their Encapsulation in Graphene Shells by Chemical Vapor Deposition Growth

High-throughput chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of carbon or graphene shells encapsulating gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is a challenge due to limited solubility of carbon in AuNPs. Such a growth is only possible by utilizing surface-oxidized AuNPs. There is a lack of fundamental understanding regarding the role of morphology and surface oxidation of AuNPs in the formation of graphene shells. Here, we studied a simple wet-chemical synthesis of AuNPs with hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide as a surfactant and the effect of postsynthesis quenching on size, shape, and defect density of AuNPs. In the next step, plasma oxidation kinetics of AuNPs to form surface gold oxide (AuOx) was studied. The surface gold oxide shell thickness was found to be independent of stoichiometry of AuOx and followed the Cabrera–Mott model for oxidation kinetics. The surface-oxidized AuNPs were further utilized as catalysts for the growth of graphene shell encapsulated AuNPs (GNPs) in a xylene CVD process. The unstable surface ...
Immunotherapies in Rasmussen’s Encephalitis

Corticosteroids, IV immunoglobulins (IVIg), cyclophosphamide, therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE), and protein A IgG immunoadsorption (PAI) were evaluated in 15 patients with confirmed Rasmussen’s encephalitis (RE) and reported from various centers in Italy.
Analysis of HIV/AIDS Sentinel Surveillance of Male Outpatients in STDClinic in Qiandongnan f rom 2010 to 2012

Objective For investigation object in HIV/AIDS prevention and control knowledge, infection rate and related risk behavior factors were analyzed, and to provide basis for AIDS prevention and control strategies. Methods Collecting sentinel surveillance data from 2010 to 2012 of Kaili, using SPSS statistical software analysis. Results In 1202 valid samples, there were significant differences of HIV/AIDS knowledge to answer correct and age group; The number of the people who had sexual relations with sex workers or temporary partners in recent three months is 7.2%; In recent years had sexually transmitted disease accounted for 34.5%; From 2010 to 2012, HIV antibody positive detection rate is 1.6%; Different years and gay sex HIV antibody positive detection rate has significant difference. Conclusion The awareness rate of male outpatients is low, should find some ways to improve the awareness rate;frequent high-risk behavior occurred frequenty, higher proportion of venereal disease, HIV detection rate is observed among people is high, should intensify propaganda and intervention.
Investigation of breeding habitats and population density of Aedes albopictus at Yunfu port, Guangdong province, China

Objective To investigate the breeding habitats and seasonal population fluctuation of Aedes albopictus at Yunfu port, Guangdong province, China and to observe the effect of mosq ovitraps applied at the port. Methods Various water containers were examined carefully to record the types of containers and whether Ae. albopictus larvae bred in the containers. The seasonal population fluctuation of Ae. albopictus was monitored by labor hour method in typical habitats. Mosq ovitraps were set to monitor the seasonal fluctuation in container index (CI) of Ae. albopictus larvae. Results There were 569 water containers detected, 76 of which contained Ae. albopictus larvae, with a mean CI of 13.36%. The water containers at Yunfu port were mainly waste tires, and those in households mainly included waste buckets, pots, and reservoirs. The population density of Ae. albopictus peaked from mid May to August. A total of 1620 mosq ovitraps were set from June to November in 2011, and oviposition was found in 151 of them, with a mean oviposition index (OI) of 9.41%. The OI peaked from June to September. Conclusion The breeding habitats and seasonal population fluctuation of Ae. albopictus at Yunfu port are acquired in the study. This information provides a scientific basis for Ae. albopictus control and essential data for setting of mosq ovitraps at the port.
Relationship between areas of cognitive functioning on the Mini-Mental State Examination and crash risk.

Previous studies have suggested that the pattern of cognitive impairment in crash-involved older drivers is different from non-crash-involved older drivers. This study assessed the relationship between seven areas of cognitive functioning (orientation to time, orientation to place, registration, attention and calculation, recall, language, and visual construction) on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) collected at baseline and rates of future crash involvement in a prospective population-based sample of older drivers. Motor vehicle collision (MVC) involvement was obtained from the Alabama Department of Public Safety. Poisson regression was used to calculate crude and adjusted rate ratios (RR). Older drivers having difficulties in place orientation were more than 6 times (95% CI 1.90–19.86) more likely to be involved in a future crash (adjusted RR = 6.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.90–19.86) and at-fault crash (adjusted RR = 6.39, 95% CI 1.51–27.10). Impairment in the other cognitive areas was not associated with higher rates of crash or at-fault crash involvement. The findings were validated in an independent sample of high-risk older drivers and a similar pattern of results was observed. Spatial orientation impairment can help identify older drivers who are more likely to crash in the future.
Soft Tissue Coverage of the Hand and Upper Extremity: The Reconstructive Elevator

Soft tissue reconstruction of the upper extremity is a complex topic because every defect has multiple potential solutions. Whereas the often-cited reconstructive ladder advised selection of the simplest reconstruction of the defect, the newer concept of the reconstructive elevator allows freedom to choose a more complex reconstruction to account for specialized function and aesthetic outcome. An algorithm for assessment of the defect is presented and demonstrated in this review, using 6 case examples to highlight key concepts. Representative flaps are presented and a discussion of functional and aesthetic outcomes is undertaken to provide a framework for achieving the patient's and surgeon's goals of reconstruction.
Power Converters and Control of Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Systems

Photovoltaic (PV) installations have had an exponential growth mainly due to the governments and utility companies that support programs that focus on grid-connected PV systems (Haeberlin H (2001) Evolution of inverters for grid-connected PV systems from 1989 to 2000, in Proceedings of the 17th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, pp. 426–430. Munich). In an effort to use solar energy effectively, a great deal of research has been done on the grid-connected PV generation systems. Out of the total PV power installed in the Europe, 98.7 % are grid-connected PV systems and 1.3 % are off-grid PV systems. Therefore, in grid-connected PV systems, the inverter which converts the output direct current (DC) of the solar modules to alternating current (AC) is receiving increased interest in order to generate power to utility. A key consideration in the design and operation of inverters is how to achieve high efficiency with power output for different power configurations. The requirements for inverter connection include maximum power point, high efficiency, control power injected into the grid, and low total harmonic distortion of the currents injected into the grid. Consequently, the performance of the inverters connected to the grid depends largely on the control strategy applied. Many topologies are used for this purpose.
Sparse Steinian Covariance Estimation

ABSTRACTWe consider a new method for sparse covariance matrix estimation which is motivated by previous results for the so-called Stein-type estimators. Stein proposed a method for regularizing the sample covariance matrix by shrinking together the eigenvalues; the amount of shrinkage is chosen to minimize an unbiased estimate of the risk (UBEOR) under the entropy loss function. The resulting estimator has been shown in simulations to yield significant risk reductions over the maximum likelihood estimator. Our method extends the UBEOR minimization problem by adding an l1 penalty on the entries of the estimated covariance matrix, which encourages a sparse estimate. For a multivariate Gaussian distribution, zeros in the covariance matrix correspond to marginal independences between variables. Unlike the l1-penalized Gaussian likelihood function, our penalized UBEOR objective is convex and can be minimized via a simple block coordinate descent procedure. We demonstrate via numerical simulations and an analys...