cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of local speaking rate context on the perception of voice-onset time in initial stop consonants

This study explored the prediction that local speaking rate context affects the perception of voice-onset time (VOT) in initial stop consonants not only for ambiguous stimuli at the category boundary, but also for good exemplars from the category center [Volaitis and Miller, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 92, 723–735 (1992)]. Naturally produced exemplars of the voiceless phonetic category were presented in the context of syllables produced at fast or slow speaking rates in a series of perceptual tasks, including phonetic discrimination, identification, and goodness rating. The results from all three tasks revealed no effects of speaking rate context on the perception of VOT in initial stop consonants. Rather, it appears that listeners perceive longer VOTs as better exemplars of the voiceless phonetic category, irrespective of the rate context. Further, an additional condition, in which the instructions and familiarization tasks presented prior to the administration of the perceptual tests were similar to those used by Volaitis and Miller [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 92, 723–735 (1992)], revealed that the previous results may have been influenced by the experimental design.
Corneal ulceration following cataract surgery in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

A sterile corneal ulcer was observed in four cataract patients (two with intraocular lenses) during the early postoperative period. All patients had a history of rheumatoid arthritis and were on systemic antiinflammatory agents. The two patients treated medically exhibited a short recovery phase with complete healing over several days and no recurrence. Aggressive treatment of the dry eye syndrome with artificial tears, bandage lenses, punctal occlusion, tarsorrhaphy, and antibiotics resulted in immediate improvement. In this report, variabilities in corneal ulceration are stressed while emphasis is given to the role of dry eyes and exposure as the principal common factor. A discussion of risk factors, presentation, treatment, pathogenesis, and prevention is provided.
Infections in Returned Travelers

Infection in the returned traveler can be challenging to evaluate in the emergency department. Diagnostic evaluation should be driven by region of travel, activities undertaken while abroad, physical examination findings (including disease severity and duration), and knowledge of the most common pathogens seen in a given area. Etiologic agents may be divided into 3 categories: diseases distributed globally, diseases that are almost exclusively imported to a given country, and disease seen domestically and internationally, although at different frequencies. Particular importance should be given to the identification of treatable etiologies (eg, malaria) and those etiologies associate with substantial morbidity and mortality, where supportive care is critical.
The microbiota and infectious diarrhea

Understanding the importance of the fecal microbiota has been key in understanding the pathophysiology of some infectious diarrheas. In addition to normal protective measures of bile, gastric acid, and immune response, among others, we now know that the healthy gut flora protects us from some infectious diarrheas. Antibiotic associated diarrhea (AAD) is an excellent example, as antibiotics perturb the normal flora; the resulting diarrhea may be due to changes in short chain fatty acid metabolism. A severe form of AAD is due to Clostridium difficile, a pathogen that can cause severe diarrhea, colitis and even death. Recurrent Clostridium difficile diarrhea is a difficult clinical problem to treat successfully because one recurrence makes further recurrences more likely, probably because antibiotics are still needed to treat and thus the fecal flora remains abnormal. There is no single effective treatment but therapies include pulsed and tapered antibiotics, the probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii as an adjunct to antibiotics, and even fecal flora reconstitution. It is likely that we will learn even more in the future about the beneficial effect of our microbiota.
Role of vestibular adaptation in vestibular rehabilitation

Recovery of gaze and postural stability in human beings with vestibular deficits is well documented. The mechanisms that contribute to this recovery form the basis for the exercises used in the rehabilitation of these patients. These mechanisms include the central preprogramming of eye movements and of postural responses, the potentiation of the cervico-ocular reflex, modification of saccadic eye movements, and the substitution of visual and somatosensory cues for the lost vestibular cues. The mechanism most successful in contributing to recovery, however, is probably adaptation of the vestibular system itself. Understanding the various compensatory mechanisms and their limitations for improving gaze and postural stability should lead to more effective treatment of these patients.
The homotopy fiber of profinite completion

Abstract We show that the basepoint-component of the homotopy fiber of Sullivan's profinite completion map c :Y→ Y is always an H-space, provided Y is nilpotent of finite type. This observation allows for a reworking of the completion/rationalization approach to phantom map theory and leads to more direct, transparent proofs of various results in the recent literature on phantom maps.
Transverse Shear Including Skin Effect for Composite Sandwich with Honeycomb Sinusoidal Core

Honeycomb fiber-reinforced polymer (HFRP) sandwich panels with sinusoidal core geometry have been used extensively for new construction and replacement of bridge decks. The core geometry used consists of large cavities and represents a new type of core configuration. This study is concerned with the behavior of HFRP panels under transverse shear considering skin effect, and addresses the two contributing factors due to shear warping and bending warping. Shear warping corresponds to the assumption of having a hinge connection between facesheet and core, and bending warping is induced for the assumption of a rigid connection. All previous studies have been focused mainly on shear warping, neglecting for the most part bending warping. A closed-form solution based on proper description of displacement field at the interface is derived considering shear warping. The accuracy of this solution is verified by finite-element (FE) results. The FE model is then applied to study bending warping effect, and also the c...
Quench Behavior of YBa $_{2}$ Cu $_{3}$ O $_{7}$ Coated Conductor With AC Transport Current

Alternating current (ac) loss and quench behavior measurements were performed on a YBa2Cu3Ox coated conductor at 45 K. The minimum quench energies (MQEs) and the quench propagation velocities were measured as a function of transport current and frequency. AC losses were measured at the corresponding temperature and frequencies to quantify the internal thermal load during ac quench measurements. It was found that the direct current (dc) and ac quench behavior are similar, but that the MQE for dc experiments is higher than the corresponding ac cases. This difference is not seen in the normal zone propagation velocity data, indicating that the difference in MQE is minimal if the ac losses are included in the energy calculation. The ac experiments show that the MQE and propagation velocity varies weakly with frequency.
Risky College Investment under Alternative Bankruptcy Regimes for Student Loans

I consider the implications of alternative bankruptcy regimes for student loans in a heterogeneous model of life-cycle earnings and risky human capital accumulation. Findings suggest that the ability level of high-school graduates drives the decision to enroll in college, while the initial human capital level is crucial for completing college. Also, the correlation between parental wealth and ability and human capital stock is key in delivering enrollment and completion rates across income groups consistent with empirical findings. The model delivers higher college enrollment, dropout, and default rates when loans can be discharged. Under liquidation, financially constrained borrowers choose to default, whereas under reorganization borrowers default for other reasons rather than financial constraints. Dischargeability benefits college dropouts and students with low assets. It induces more human capital accumulation over the life-cycle relative to the reorganization regime. JEL classification: D91; G33; I22
Analysis of heterogeneous electromagnetic scatterers: research progress of the past decade

A review of the current status of integral equation and finite element (FEM) (including time domain) modeling as applied particularly to penetrable bodies is provided. The direct numerical solution of the appropriate frequency-domain partial differential equations is an alternative that has recently been the focus of much effort by the research community and appears to offer computational advantages over the integral equation formulations. These frequency-domain approaches require the solution of a matrix equation; the direct time-domain solution of partial differential equations offers a third formulation that does not require a matrix solution and may be more efficient for electrically large structures. The author summarizes the development of these modeling procedures and attempts to identify some of the unresolved issues associated with their development. >
USE OF NATIVE PLANTS FOR REMEDIATION OF TRICHLOROETHYLENE: II. CONIFEROUS TREES

The phytoremediation of trichloroethylene (TCE) from contaminated groundwater has been extensively studied using the hybrid poplar tree (Populus spp.). Several metabolites of TCE have been identified in the tissue of poplar including trichloroethanol (TCEOH) and dichloroacetic acid (DCAA) and trichloroacetic acid (TCAA). In addition to the use of hybrid poplar for the phytoremediation of TCE, it is important to screen native tree species that could be successful candidates for field use. This study involves a greenhouse-based comparison of four different native southeastern conifers to a hybrid poplar species for their potential to phytoremediate TCE through the analysis of various plant tissues for TCE and major TCE metabolites, as well as several growth parameters that are desirable for phytoremediation. Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), Leyland cypress (X Cupressocyparis leylandii), two varieties of Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), and hybrid poplar species H11-11 (Populus trichocarpa x deltoides) were examined for the concentration of TCE and its metabolites in their tissue following treatment with either a low (50 mg L-1) or high dose of TCE (150 mg L-1) for 2 mo. The amount of water taken up, change in height of the tree, TCE transpiration, and total fresh weight of various tissue types were also measured. All trees contained detectable levels of TCE in their root and stem tissue. TCEOH was found only in the tissue of longleaf pine, suggesting that TCE metabolism was occurring in this tree. TCAA was only detected in the leaves of hybrid poplar and piedmont loblolly pine. Conifers took up less water over the 2-mo treatment period than hybrid poplar and grew at a slower rate. However, phytoremediation field sites may benefit from the evergreen's ability to transpire water throughout the winter months.
Tail and nontail memory with applications to extreme value and robust statistics

New notions of tail and non-tail dependence are used to characterize separately extremal and non-extremal information, including tail log-exceedances and events, and tail-trimmed levels. We prove Near Epoch Dependence (McLeish 1975, Gallant and White 1988) and L0-Approximability (Potscher and Prucha 1991) are equivalent for tail events and tail-trimmed levels, ensuring a Gaussian central limit theory for important extreme value and robust statistics under general conditions. We apply the theory to characterize the extremal and nonextremal memory properties of possibly very heavy tailed GARCH processes and distributed lags. This in turn is used to verify Gaussian limits for tail index, tail dependence and tail trimmed sums of these data, allowing for Gaussian asymptotics for a new Tail-Trimmed Least Squares estimator for heavy tailed processes.
Simulation of large neuronal networks with biophysically accurate models on graphics processors

Efficient simulation of large-scale mammalian brain models provides a crucial computational means for understanding complex brain functions and neuronal dynamics. However, such tasks are hindered by significant computational complexities. In this work, we attempt to address the significant computational challenge in simulating large-scale neural networks based on biophysically plausible Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) neuron models. Unlike simpler phenomenological spiking models, the use of HH models allows one to directly associate the observed network dynamics with the underlying biological and physiological causes, but at a significantly higher computational cost. We exploit recent commodity massively parallel graphics processors (GPUs) to alleviate the significant computational cost in HH model based neural network simulation. We develop look-up table based HH model evaluation and efficient parallel implementation strategies geared towards higher arithmetic intensity and minimum thread divergence. Furthermore, we adopt and develop advanced multi-level numerical integration techniques well suited for intricate dynamical and stability characteristics of HH models. On a commodity GPU card with 240 streaming processors, for a neural network with one million neurons and 200 million synaptic connections, the presented GPU neural network simulator is about 600X faster than a basic serial CPU based simulator, 28X faster than the CPU implementation of the proposed techniques, and only two to three times slower than the GPU based simulation using simpler phenomenological spiking models.
Posttranscriptional Self-Regulation by the Lyme Disease Bacterium's BpuR DNA/RNA-Binding Protein

Bacteria require explicit control over their proteomes in order to compete and survive in dynamic environments. The Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi undergoes substantial protein profile changes during its cycling between vector ticks and vertebrate hosts. In an effort to understand regulation of these transitions, we recently isolated and functionally characterized the borrelial nucleic acid-binding protein BpuR, a PUR domain-containing protein. We now report that this regulatory protein governs its own synthesis through direct interactions with bpuR mRNA. In vitro and in vivo techniques indicate that BpuR binds with high affinity and specificity to the 5' region of its message, thereby inhibiting translation. This negative feedback could permit the bacteria to fine-tune cellular BpuR concentrations. These data add to the understanding of this newly described class of prokaryotic DNA- and RNA-binding regulatory proteins.
The Lawyers and New Granada's Late Colonial State

This article presents a portrait of New Granada's colonial lawyers. Though it focuses primarily on individuals qualified to practise law before the Audiencia, it deals not just with practising lawyers as such but also with those who, despite being qualified to practise law, ended up choosing other occupations; in particular, joining the bureaucracy. It examines the social characteristics, family strategies, and bureaucratic careers of these professionals to demonstrate how, as chief competitors for state jobs, lawyers complemented their clans' power in important ways. By providing a vital component of the colonial elite's survival kit – bureaucratic power – they increased their families' overall influence, honour, and social status. In doing so, some lawyers came to build true family-bureaucratic networks which proved resistant to the late colonial Bourbon reforms that sought to undo them.
Nonlinear detuning of three-wave interactions

The parametric decay and sum-frequency generation of intense optical radiation, in a medium with both second- and third-order nonlinearities, is considered. In steady state, nonlinear wave-number shifts usually detune these interactions before a complete exchange of energy between the pump and product waves can be achieved. Fortunately, however, it is possible to compensate for this nonlinear detuning by imposing a linear wave-number mismatch on each type of interaction. Simple criteria are given for the conditions under which a complete exchange of energy is possible, and a simple expression is obtained for the required medium length. Some exact solutions of the three-wave equations are used to illustrate the underlying wave physics, and some useful approximate solutions are described. As an application of the general theory, Type II frequency doubling in a KDP crystal is discussed briefly.
THE EFFECTS OF ADRENALECTOMY ON COBALT POLYCYTHEMIA IN THE RAT

Sixty-nine male Wistar (Purdue) rats were studied in three separate experiments. Daily intraperitoneal injections of cobalt chloride (2.5 mg. of elemental cobalt per kg. body weight) were given for 30 to 65 days to normal, adrenalectomized and sham-operated rats. Adrenalectomized rats treated with cobalt when compared with normal controls showed a decrease in blood values 20 days after adrenalectomy similar to adrenalectomized controls. Normal and sham-operated rats treated with cobalt showed a significant (P <.01) elevation in the erythrocyte count, hematocrit and hemoglobin after 20 days. During the period 30-65 days after the operation the adrenalectomized rats treated with cobalt did show a significant elevation of blood values which isexplained on the basis of the development of accessory adrenal cortical tissue. Other significant increases were: ratio of adrenal to body weight in normal animals given cobalt; red cell volumes in all cobalt treated animals at 60 days; MCV and MCH values at 20 days in ...
Communication rate allocation in quantized control

A linear-quadratic-Gaussian (LQG) delocalized control problem is formulated to require both specification of a control law and communication of measurements to controller and controls to plant. Efficient communication requires quantization of both measurement and control signals. The basic design problem is to allocate in an optimum fashion a fixed total communication rate to the measurement and control communication systems. A dynamic communication rate allocation algorithm is developed based on prediction error and entropy power. As intuitively expected, the rate allocation depends on both the measurement and plant noise powers, as well as the overall quadratic performance measure. Based solely on entropy power considerations, a larger rate should be allocated for communication of measurements than for communication of controls.
Prognostic molecular markers in early breast cancer.

A multitude of molecules involved in breast cancer biology have been studied as potential prognostic markers. In the present review we discuss the role of established molecular markers, as well as potential applications of emerging new technologies. Those molecules used routinely to make treatment decisions in patients with early-stage breast cancer include markers of proliferation (e.g. Ki-67), hormone receptors, and the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. Tumor markers shown to have prognostic value but not used routinely include cyclin D1 and cyclin E, urokinase-like plasminogen activator/plasminogen activator inhibitor, and cathepsin D. The level of evidence for other molecular markers is lower, in part because most studies were retrospective and not adequately powered, making their findings unsuitable for choosing treatments for individual patients. Gene microarrays have been successfuly used to classify breast cancers into subtypes with specific gene expression profiles and to evaluate prognosis. RT-PCR has also been used to evaluate expression of multiple genes in archival tissue. Proteomics technologies are in development.
Error/failure analysis using event logs from fault tolerant systems

A methodology for the analysis of automatically generated event logs from fault tolerant systems is presented. The methodology is illustrated using event log data from three Tandem systems. Two are experimental systems, with nonstandard hardware and software components causing accelerated stresses and failures. Errors are identified on the basis of knowledge of the architectural and operational characteristics of the measured systems. The methodology takes a raw event log and reduces the data by event filtering and time-domain clustering. Probability distributions to characterize the error detection and recovery processes are obtained, and the corresponding hazards are calculated. Multivariate statistical techniques (factor analysis and cluster analysis) are used to investigate error and failure dependency among different system components. The dependency analysis is illustrated using processor halt data from one of the measured systems. It is found that the number of errors is small, even though the measurement period is relatively long. This reflects the high dependability of the measured systems. >
Three-dimensional polarization states of monochromatic light fields

The 3×1 generalized Jones vectors (GJVs) [ExEyEz]t (t indicates the transpose) that describe the linear, circular, and elliptical polarization states of an arbitrary three-dimensional (3-D) monochromatic light field are determined in terms of the geometrical parameters of the 3-D vibration of the time-harmonic electric field. In three dimensions, there are as many distinct linear polarization states as there are points on the surface of a hemisphere, and the number of distinct 3-D circular polarization states equals that of all two-dimensional (2-D) polarization states on the Poincare sphere, of which only two are circular states. The subset of 3-D polarization states that results from the superposition of three mutually orthogonal x, y, and z field components of equal amplitude is considered as a function of their relative phases. Interesting contours of equal ellipticity and equal inclination of the normal to the polarization ellipse with respect to the x axis are obtained in 2-D phase space. Finally, the 3×3 generalized Jones calculus, in which elastic scattering (e.g., by a nano-object in the near field) is characterized by the 3-D linear transformation Es=T Ei, is briefly introduced. In such a matrix transformation, Ei and Es are the 3×1 GJVs of the incident and scattered waves and T is the 3×3 generalized Jones matrix of the scatterer at a given frequency and for given directions of incidence and scattering.
Transcriptional analysis of endocrine disruption using zebrafish and massively parallel sequencing

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), including plasticizers, pesticides, detergents, and pharmaceuticals, affect a variety of hormone-regulated physiological pathways in humans and wildlife. Many EDCs are lipophilic molecules and bind to hydrophobic pockets in steroid receptors, such as the estrogen receptor and androgen receptor, which are important in vertebrate reproduction and development. Indeed, health effects attributed to EDCs include reproductive dysfunction (e.g. reduced fertility, reproductive tract abnormalities, and skewed male:female sex ratios in fish), early puberty, various cancers, and obesity. A major concern is the effects of exposure to low concentrations of endocrine disruptors in utero and post partum, which may increase the incidence of cancer and diabetes in adults. EDCs affect transcription of hundreds and even thousands of genes, which has created the need for new tools to monitor the global effects of EDCs. The emergence of massive parallel sequencing for investigating gene transcription provides a sensitive tool for monitoring the effects of EDCs on humans and other vertebrates, as well as elucidating the mechanism of action of EDCs. Zebrafish conserve many developmental pathways found in humans, which makes zebrafish a valuable model system for studying EDCs, especially on early organ development because their embryos are translucent. In this article, we review recent advances in massive parallel sequencing approaches with a focus on zebrafish. We make the case that zebrafish exposed to EDCs at different stages of development can provide important insights on EDC effects on human health.
Escape from Vasopressin-Induced Antidiuresis: Insights at the Molecular Level.

In this section we feature some of the latest and most striking new findings in physiology, interpreting the term “physiology” in its broadest sense. In each instance, an effort will be made to place the new findings in perspective. Heinz Valtin Editor, trendsetters In 1878, Claude Bernard
Adaptive Quantization for Hashing: An Information-Based Approach to Learning Binary Codes

Large-scale data mining and retrieval applications have increasingly turned to compact binary data representations as a way to achieve both fast queries and ecient data storage; many algorithms have been proposed for learning eective binary encodings. Most of these algorithms focus on learning a set of projection hyperplanes for the data and simply binarizing the result from each hyperplane, but this neglects the fact that informativeness may not be uniformly distributed across the projections. In this paper, we address this issue by proposing a novel adaptive quantization (AQ) strategy that adaptively assigns varying numbers of bits to dierent hyperplanes based on their information content. Our method provides an information-based schema that preserves the neighborhood structure of data points, and we jointly nd the globally optimal bit-allocation for all hyperplanes. In our experiments, we compare with state-of-the-art methods on four large-scale datasets and nd that our adaptive quantization approach signicantly improves on traditional hashing methods.
Beach Changes on Coasts with Different Wave Climates

Seasonal and longer-term beach variability is quantified for seven U.S. beaches exposed to widely varying wave climates. One U.S. west coast location (southern California) and six U.S. east coast locations (from North Carolina to Massachusetts) form the basis of this study. Wave exposure varies from complete exposure to open ocean waves, to partly sheltered locations, and finally to nearly complete sheltering where locally-generated waves dominate. Beach response was documented with beach profiles distributed along each of the seven coastal locations, spanning a minimum of five years of observation. Frequency of measurement was at least once per month, with periods of more intense weekly sampling lasting for up to two years (southern California location). Wave climate was either measured directly or estimated from hindcast and/or compilations of ship observations. Consequently, wave information varies in detail from joint statistics of wave height, frequency, and direction, to compilations of local storm history (and hence inferred wave behaviour). Magnitude of annual beach variability ranged from 3.3 m3 per metre of beach to 0.2 m3 per metre of beach, with the greatest variability in regions exposed to open ocean waves (most severe wave climate) and the lowest variability along protected coasts (least severe wave climate). All open coast locations studied had a seasonal variability which accounted for at least 50% of the beach variability. Protected coastal locations had less pronounced seasonal signatures. These seasonal and aseasonal beach responses mirror corresponding seasonality (or lack thereof) in wave and storm climates. The study re-emphasizes the need for careful measurement or estimation of coastal wave climate to enable predictive modelling of shoreline behaviour, and discusses different analysis techniques for analyzing changes in beach profiles through time.
Family history of colorectal cancer: How often and how accurately is it recorded?

PURPOSE: A family history of colorectal cancer is an important risk factor for the disease. A positive family history means that endoscopic screening should be recommended and a strongly positive family history raises the possibility of a dominantly inherited syndrome. This study was performed to find how often and how accurately a family history of colorectal cancer was recorded in the charts of patients on a colorectal surgical ward. A second aim was to see whether family history-taking could be improved. METHODS: The charts of 100 inpatients on a colorectal surgical floor were reviewed for the presence of a family history of colorectal cancer. Any chart documentation was compared with a family history obtained by a detailed interview. The chart review was repeated four years later. RESULTS: In the initial review, we found that a family history was recorded in 45 of 100 charts. It was accurate for colorectal cancer in 36 charts. Four years later, the rate of family history recording increased to 61 of 96, whereas the accuracy rate (45/61) did not change. Responses to a simple screening question asking about a family history of colorectal cancer were accurate in 77 percent of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Not all colorectal surgical patients have their family histories recorded, and even when it is recorded, it is not always correct. Despite improvement during a four-year period, there is still room for further improvement in the recording of a family history of colorectal cancer. Physicians should make an effort to ask this question and document the response in the hospital chart.
NIMG-25IMPROVED LEAKAGE CORRECTION FOR DYNAMIC SUSCEPTIBILITY CONTRAST (DSC) PERFUSION MRI ESTIMATES OF RELATIVE CEREBRAL BLOOD VOLUME (rCBV) IN HIGH-GRADE GLIOMAS BY ACCOUNTING FOR BIDIRECTIONAL CONTRAST AGENT EXCHANGE

BACKGROUND: Contrast agent exchange through a compromised BBB results in imprecise estimates of rCBV using DSC-MRI. The current methods for leakage correction, however, are inaccurate in that they only account for leakage from the vascular to extravascular space. The current study explores a new bidirectional leakage model for DSC-MRI for improved rCBV estimates in high-grade gliomas. METHODS: The traditional model-based post-processing leakage correction algorithm that assumes unidirectional contrast agent extravasation (Boxerman-Weisskoff mode, BW-model) to account for bidirectional contrast eagent exchange between intra- and extravascular spaces (Bidir-model). We compared goodness of fit to raw leakage-contaminated relaxation rate curves and differences between modeld interstitial relaxation rate curves collected using DCE-MRI data from the same patients. We then compared the ability for both models to predict response to bevcizumab in recurrent GBMs. RESULTS: Using a mathematical simplification originally applied to DCE data we were able to obtain comparable computation times between the two techniques. The Bidir-model had significantly improved goodness of fit when compared with the BW-model in terms of both fit to raw, contaminated relaxation rate signals from DSC-MRI (P < 0.0001) as well as relaxation rate estimates in the interstitial space estimated using DCE-MRI (P = 0.0041). On average, enhancing tumor rCBV for the traditional BW-model was higher by 16.6%. Specifically, when the DSC signal is corrupted by T1-leakage the BW-model underestimates rCBV, and when then DSC signal is corrupted by T2*-leakage the traditional model overestimates rCBV. Results also suggests changes in rCBV calculated after bevacizumab using the Bidir-model significantly predicts overall survival (P = 0.03), whereas the traditional estimates of rCBV from the BW-model were not predictive. CONCLUSION: Inclusion of bidirectional exchange in the leakage correction model for DSC-MRI significantly improves the model fit to leakage-contaminated DSC-MRI data, significantly improves estimation of rCBV in gliomas, and improves biomarker accuracy for predicting response to anti-angiogenic therapy.
Role of the barium enema in colorectal carcinoma

Colorectal carcinoma is the second most common cancer that occurs in women and men. To better appreciate the role of the barium enema in the evaluation of colorectal carcinoma, an understanding of its epidemiology, pathologic development, and current methods of detection is needed. Following review of these aspects of colorectal carcinoma, the barium enema is discussed more thoroughly regarding examination techniques, radiologic evaluation of colonic neoplasms, quality of the examinations, and radiologic efficacy.
Animals as More Than 'Mere Things,' but Still Property: A Call for Continuing Evolution of the Animal Welfare Paradigm

Survival of the animal welfare paradigm (as contrasted with a rights-based paradigm creating legal standing for at least some animals) depends on keeping pace with appropriate societal evolution favoring stronger protections for animals. Although evolution of animal welfare protection will take many forms, this Article specifically addresses models for evolving conceptualizations of animals’ property status within the context of animal welfare. For example, in 2015 France amended its Civil Code to change its description of companion animals and some other animals from movable property to “living beings gifted with sensitivity,” while maintaining their status as property. This Article will evaluate various possible approaches courts and legislatures might adopt to highlight the distinctiveness of animals’ property status as compared to inanimate property. Although risks are inherent, finding thoughtful ways to improve or elaborate on some of our courts’ and legislatures’ animals-as-property characterizations may encourage more appropriate protections where needed under the welfare paradigm, and may help blunt arguments that animals are “mere things” under the welfare paradigm. Animals capable of pain or distress are significantly different than ordinary personal property, and more vigorously emphasizing their distinctiveness as a subset of personal property would further both animal welfare and human interests.
Histopathologic and Ultrastructural Correlates of Tumor Growth Suppression by High Energy Shock Waves

Abstract: High energy shock waves (HESW) are cytotoxic to tumor cells as determined by vital staining and impaired ability of viable cells to form colonies in a clonogenic assay. In addition, direct exposure of tumor nodules to HESW results in suppression of tumor growth rate. In order to identify histopathologic and ultrastructural correlates of these observations, R3327AT-3 prostatic tumor cells were exposed to HESW in vitro and in vivo. Damage to cells in suspension was manifested by fragmentation of cells to form debris. At the ultrastructural level, mitochondria were swollen and contained distorted cristae following exposure of tumor cells to HESW. In vivo exposure of tumor nodules to HESW did not cause a distinct histopathologic or ultrastructural effect that could be qualitatively distinguished from spontaneously occurring cell death. Hemorrhage and necrosis were observed in muscle and fibroadipose tissue adjacent to tumor. The mechanism of HESW-induced cytotoxicity is not clear from our studies. E...
Abstract 300: The Actin Cytoskeleton Confers Specificity of Cx43 Delivery to Intercalated Discs

Connexin 43 (Cx43) gap junctions (GJs) electrically couple ventricular cardiomyocytes at the intercalated disc (ID), orchestrating organized organ level contraction with each heartbeat. Disease-related disruption of the Cx43 cytoskeletal trafficking machinery is associated with mislocalization of the Cx43 gap junction protein away from the ID and lethal arrhythmias. We recently found that the majority of intracellular Cx43 cargo is associated with actin, not microtubules, and is either paused or moving slowly. It is not understood why actin is involved in Cx43 trafficking. Using micropatterned HeLa cell pairs and whole-cell automated single particle tracking algorithms, we detected that distinct actin polarity exists in the cell, including highly oriented long fibers associated with fast-moving Cx43 cargo aligned toward actively forming GJ plaques. F-actin disruption with latrunculin A (LatA) leads to a loss of Cx43 cargo directionality toward the cell-cell border, as well as a marked decrease in overall microtubule length. We also found a LatA-dependent biochemical interaction between β-actin and the microtubule plus-end-binding protein EB1, which leads growing microtubules and is a necessary component of the Cx43 forward trafficking machinery. In live cell pairs, F-actin disruption resulted in a decrease in overall EB1 activity and in the number of fully extended microtubules that reach the cell-cell border. Together, these results indicate that actin contributes to the specificity of Cx43 delivery by directing EB1-based microtubule growth toward the cell-cell junction (Please refer to attached diagram).
Determination of the Specificity Landscape for Ribonuclease P Processing of Precursor tRNA 5′ Leader Sequences

Maturation of tRNA depends on a single endonuclease, ribonuclease P (RNase P), to remove highly variable 5′ leader sequences from precursor tRNA transcripts. Here, we use high-throughput enzymology to report multiple-turnover and single-turnover kinetics for Escherichia coli RNase P processing of all possible 5′ leader sequences, including nucleotides contacting both the RNA and protein subunits of RNase P. The results reveal that the identity of N(−2) and N(−3) relative to the cleavage site at N(1) primarily control alternative substrate selection and act at the level of association not the cleavage step. As a consequence, the specificity for N(−1), which contacts the active site and contributes to catalysis, is suppressed. This study demonstrates high-throughput RNA enzymology as a means to globally determine RNA specificity landscapes and reveals the mechanism of substrate discrimination by a widespread and essential RNA-processing enzyme.
Review: Roberto Burle Marx: La Permanence de l’instable

Roberto Burle Marx: La Permanence de l’instable . Cite de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine, Paris. 23 March–11 July 2011 Landscape architecture—or perhaps the landscape—features prominently in contemporary design discourses. Seemingly all-encompassing, landscape practitioners intervene on post-industrial sites and regions; they envision scenarios for shrinking cities, hypercities, informal settlements, and shifting riparian zones. It should then come as no surprise that the frequency with which landscape is addressed by curators has recently increased, with Rising Currents at MoMA; Stadtgrun at the Frankfurt Architecture Museum; ManMade Environment initiated by Oslo’s DogA and later shown in Copenhagen, Stockholm, and now Helsinki; and La Ville fertile and Roberto Burle Marx at the Cite de l’Architecture in Paris. This sampling reflects not only the wide range of scales—garden to waterfront—that characterizes designing with/in the landscape but also the competing claims on landscape, greening, and sustainability by landscape architects, architects, and artists. In this fuzzy context, Roberto Burle Marx: La Permanence de l’instable , to whose catalogue this reviewer contributed an essay without in any way participating in the organization of the exhibition, reasserts blue-chip values by viewing the garden as an art form. Roberto Burle Marx (1909–1994) is a darling of architects and garden lovers, alternately championed as a painter with plants, a preservationist of Brazilian flora, and the inventor of a modernist landscape idiom. He first gained visibility in the 1930s and 1940s from his association with high-profile architects such as Lucio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer. By the 1950s his fame had reached international audiences. He exhibited his landscapes at the Pan-American Union in Washington, D.C., and the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, and designed the Brazilian garden at the Brussels world’s fair. MoMA acquired a Burle Marx gouache plan for the 1953 Ibirapuera Park in Sao Paulo, and included his work in Henry Russell Hitchcock’s 1955 exhibition and book Latin American Architecture since 1945 .1 More than thirty-five years later, …
The recursion operator of the Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation and the squared eigenfunctions of the Schrödinger operator

On deduit, grâce a un algorithme, l'operateur de recurrence de l'equation de Kadomtsev-Petviashvili. Cet operateur de recurrence est l'analogue a 2 dimensions d'espace de l'operateur de Lenard de l'equation de Korteweg de Vries
Disability as Disjuncture: A Theory to Guide Social Work Practice

Over the past several decades, disability and social work have become increasingly strange bedfellows, in large part due to the espousal of the medical model of disability on the part of social workers. This approach locates disability with the body as a deficit in need of repair, revision, or ongoing professional scrutiny. In opposition to this approach, disability scholars proposed the social model, which holds negative stereotyping and oppression as disabling factors, thereby creating a binary debate on cause and appropriate response to disability. We suggest that this binary is not useful in guiding social work to consider disability as a complex phenomenon, which requires multifaceted action responses. We therefore propose disability as disjuncture. This interactive model synthesizes a wealth of interdisciplinary fields to inform social work analysis and response to disability that meets the goals of advancing individual function, locating disability within a broad diversity dialog, and thus promoting equivalence of rights, choice, and opportunity for full participation for those who fit within the disability category. We conclude with exemplars of the thinking and action processes, guided by disjuncture theory, that illustrate the potency of this framework and its guiding properties for progressive social work disability practice.
Inspiration for Battlefield Situation Cognition from AI Military Programs Launched by DARPA of USA and Development of AI Technology

Battlefield situation intelligent cognition is very important for the warfare, but this kind of technology is very hard for breakthrough. ‘Deep Green’ program which is launched by DARPA of USA to study military intelligent command and operation for modern warfare is unsuccessful. The key problem is that the technology of battlefield situation intelligent cognition is no breakthrough. Later on, USA pays more attention to the AI technology applied in the military filed, especially in the cognition intelligence aspect. The supported money from DARPA is increased apparently year by year. As some new technologies, such as Big Data and Bayesian Deduction, especially Deep Learning technology, are presented, and these new technologies are applied in the wider and wider range of domains, the development of the AI technology takes a big step forward. We also find some researches on the Deep Learning technology is applied in the situation cognition. Therefore, some significant inspirations for battlefield situation cognition in the military domain can be brought to us. In the paper, the main AI military programs launched by DARPA are combed and analyzed. Big Data, Bayesian Deduction and Deep Learning contained by the AI technology are introduced. Especially, the research status of Deep Learning and its applications in the situation cognition are generalized. On the basis of that, the researches on the military battlefield situation cognition based on the AI technology are prospected according to some relative knowledge.
Helicobacter pylori vacuolating cytotoxin and gastric cancer risk: reconsidered.

Although Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) cause gastric cancer, cancer develops in a fraction of H. pylori infected patients. Based on the notion that polymorphisms in the H. pylori vacuolating cytotoxin gene might be a determinant of clinical outcome, Abdi et al . used meta-analysis to examine the association between vacA gene subtypes and the risk of developing atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia or gastric cancer (1).
A Characterization of Microparticles in Stored Packed Red Blood Cell Units.

Abstract Microparticles are cell membrane derived vesicles that are released from apoptotic and activated cells. Recent studies have identified microparticles as the main source of circulating functionally active tissue factor, and increased numbers of tissue factor positive plasma microparticles have been associated with hypercoagulable states. Although the subject is controversial, some authors have suggested that red blood cell transfusions may be associated with increased risk of myocardial infarction in patients with acute coronary syndromes. This association could be due to prothrombotic elements in packed red blood cell units. We decided to characterize the microparticle content of packed red blood cell units, examining the microparticles for expression of annexin V, tissue factor, glycophorin-A, and CD41. We chose units near their expiration date because we hypothesized that the generation of microparticles would be time dependent and that units at this time would have the maximum number of microparticles. We isolated microparticles from 7 packed red blood cell units and from 4 samples of normal control plasma, and then used flow cytometry to count the number of annexin V positive microparticles with forward scatter characteristics that were similiar to 1 um beads. Next we used flow cytometry to examine these microparticles for expression of tissue factor, CD41, and Glycophorin A. We found that packed red blood cell units contain annexin V positive microparticles that segregate into two subsets- one group with a high level of annexin V expression and one group with a low level of annexin V expression. These two subsets appear to be distinct, with the high annexin V group expressing significantly more glycophorin-A (81.8% vs 8.9%, p
Abstract TP119: Angiogenic Factor Profiling in Medical Treatment of Intracranial Atherosclerosis (ICAS)

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify circulating angiogenic factor profiles associated to success or failure of intensive medical treatment in ICAS patients. Methods: Prospective observational study of circulating angiogenic factors in 72 patients with ICAS treated medically. Twenty-one pro and antiangiogenic factors were isolated from plasma in patients with intracranial arterial stenosis greater than 70% due to ICAS. Patients were followed for 6 months and mRS were collected. Failure to medical management was defined as presence of TIA or stroke within 30 days of presentation. Levels of angiogenic factors were determined by plasma multiplex sandwich ELISA. Samples were run in duplicate with variation coefficient lower than 20%. Angiogenic profiles (APs) were defined using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Seven profiles were selected (Eigenvalue greater than 1.0). A logistic regression model was built for the outcome variable medical management failure/success using the 7 APs as predictors. An ordinal logistic regression model was built to predict the outcome variable mRS at 6 months using age, gender, baseline mRS and APs as predictors. Results: Seventy-two patients with ICAS were included. Mean age was 61.8 (SD 12.3)yrs. There were 53% females. The predominant region of stenosis was the MCA. Of the 7 APs defined by PCA, the regression model identified AP-4 as significantly associated to failure of medical management (P=0.02). AP-4 was characterized by high levels of HGF and the anti-angiogenic factors VEGFR1, Endostatin, Angiostatin, VEGFR3, and TSP2. In the long-term follow up, AP-4 was positively associated with mRS, independently of baseline mRS and age (P=0.002). Conclusion: In this extensive prospective study of angiogenic factors in patients with ICAS, a profile characterized by elevation of HGF and several circulating anti-angiogenic factors was strongly associated with failure to medical management and poor outcomes at 6 months.