cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis of 60 Reported Glioma Risk SNPs Replicates Published GWAS Findings but Fails to Replicate Associations From Published Candidate‐Gene Studies

Genomewide association studies (GWAS) and candidate-gene studies have implicated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in at least 45 different genes as putative glioma risk factors. Attempts to validate these associations have yielded variable results and few genetic risk factors have been consistently replicated. We conducted a case-control study of Caucasian glioma cases and controls from the University of California San Francisco (810 cases, 512 controls) and the Mayo Clinic (852 cases, 789 controls) in an attempt to replicate previously reported genetic risk factors for glioma. Sixty SNPs selected from the literature (eight from GWAS and 52 from candidate-gene studies) were successfully genotyped on an Illumina custom genotyping panel. Eight SNPs in/near seven different genes (TERT, EGFR, CCDC26, CDKN2A, PHLDB1, RTEL1, TP53) were significantly associated with glioma risk in the combined dataset (P 0.05). Although several confirmed associations are located near genes long known to be involved in gliomagenesis (e.g., EGFR, CDKN2A, TP53), these associations were first discovered by the GWAS approach and are in noncoding regions. These results highlight that the deficiencies of the candidate-gene approach lay in selecting both appropriate genes and relevant SNPs within these genes.
It’s Premature to Write the Obituary for Humanistic Psychology: Comments on Humanistic Psychology for the 50th Anniversary of the Journal of Humanistic Psychology

Humanistic psychology has often been misportrayed as obsolete, especially by some positive psychologists who have tended to minimize their humanistic roots and to co-opt the humanistic psychology a...
“You have to adapt because you have no other choice”: The stories of strength and resilience of 208 homeless youth in New York City and Toronto

Presented in this paper are the results of a qualitative analysis of the narratives of 208 homeless youth interviewed on streets and in agencies in New York City and Toronto. The interviews focused on the participants' stories about their struggles to survive and negotiate meaningful and healthy lives in coming to the streets, living on the streets, and finding ways off the streets. Analysis of the narratives revealed shifts in the youths' senses of self/identity, and related understandings of agency, self-worth, value systems, and connectedness in their various efforts to adapt to a range of street and nonstreet contexts. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A pure-Cartesian formulation for tracking filters

A pure-Cartesian formulation is presented for angle-only and angle-plus-range tracking filters. Unlike conventional angle-only filters, which use target elevation and bearing as measurements, the filter expresses the sensor measurements in Cartesian coordinates. Consequently, the filter performs equally well for any line-of-sight (LOS) geometry, even when target elevation approaches or is equal to +or-90 degrees . >
Quantification of receptor targeting aptamer binding characteristics using single‐molecule spectroscopy

This experimental design presents a single molecule approach based on fluorescence correlation spec- troscopy (FCS) for the quantification of outer membrane proteins which are receptors to an aptamer specifically designed to target the surface receptors of live Salmonella typhimurium. By using correlation analysis, we also show that it is possible to determine the associated binding kinetics of these aptamers on live single cells. Aptamers are specific oligonucleotides designed to recognize con- served sequences that bind to receptors with high affinity, and therefore can be integrated into selective biosensor platforms. In our experiments, aptamers were constructed to bind to outer membrane proteins of S. typhimurium and were assessed for specificity against Escherichia coli .B y fluorescently labeling aptamer probes and applying FCS, we were able to study the diffusion dynamics of bound and unbound aptamers and compare them to determine the dissociation constants and receptor densities of the bacteria for each aptamer at single molecule sensitivity. The disso- ciation constants for these aptamer probes calculated from autocorrelation data were 0.1285 and 0.3772nM and the respective receptor densities were 42.27 receptors per mm 2 and 49.82 receptors per mm 2 . This study provides ample evidence thatthenumberofsurfacereceptorsissufficientfor binding and that both aptamers have a high-binding affinity and can therefore be used in detection processes. The methods developed here are unique and can be generalized to examine surface binding kinetics and receptor quantifica- tion in live bacteria at single molecule sensitivity levels. The impact of this study is broad because our approach can provide a methodology for biosensor construction and calculation of live single cell receptor-ligand kinetics in a variety of environmental and biological applications.
Secondary in-the-bag intraocular lens implantation in children who have been aphakic since early infancy

Purpose To report the results of secondary in-the-bag intraocular lens (IOL) implantation compared to secondary sulcus IOL implantation in eyes that received cataract extraction during early infancy. Methods This was a comparative retrospective study. Data were collected for the ages at cataract extraction and at secondary IOL implantation, the length of follow-up, the reasons for IOL insertion, postoperative complications, and pre- and postoperative best-corrected visual acuity. Eyes with less than 6 months of follow-up were excluded from the analysis of postoperative outcome but were included in the rest of the analysis. Results Thirty-three eyes received in-the-bag secondary IOL implantation at the Storm Eye Institute, Medical University of South Carolina, during the past 10 years and were compared with 21 eyes that received secondary sulcus IOL implantation during the same time period. Both groups had cataract extraction during the first 4 months of life. The 2 groups were comparable in terms of age at secondary IOL implantation, sex, ethnicity, laterality, and eye measurements except for a longer mean axial length for the eyes implanted in the sulcus. The complications were comparable in both groups. The last follow-up best-corrected visual acuity clustered around a median of 20/40 and was not significantly different between the 2 groups or from the median preoperative best-corrected visual acuity of 20/50. Conclusions Secondary in-the-bag IOL implantation has comparable early results with sulcus IOL implantation while still allowing the use of single-piece acrylic IOLs and offering the chance, in suitable eyes, for implanting a secondary IOL in the anatomical space of the capsular bag.
Fine-scale heterogeneity in overstory composition contributes to heterogeneity of wildfire severity in southern boreal forest

Wildfire can create a mosaic of impacts of varying severity across the landscape. Although widely recognized, this feature and its causes are little understood or studied in ecology. We studied a 1,200-ha wildfire in the southern boreal forest of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in northeastern Minnesota, USA, using 275 ground plots (stand-scale) and 1:7,000 scale aerial photographs for the entire burned area (landscape- scale). Fire severity was markedly heterogeneous. Overall, 50% of the burn extent was classified as high burn severity, but patches burned this severely were on average less than 70 m from patches of low severity. As expected, lowlands had lower average fire severity than uplands, but several lowland areas burned, and some upland areas remained unburned. At the landscape scale, pre-fire vegetation type—itself heterogeneous—and patch size of less flam- mable cover types influenced fire severity. Crown fire severity in upland areas was lowest in pure aspen-birch and red/white pine stands and highest in jack pine and spruce-fir stands. At the stand-scale, slope position and the density of certain tree species at adjacent plots influenced fire severity. Improved understanding of the severity patterns created by wildfire can help to guide the man- agement of spatial patterns of forested systems. Based on our study, a larger range in disturbance severity at scales of 0.1 to several ha and increasing the average size, and range of sizes, of residual patches would in aggregate better mimic natural disturbance than typical harvests.
Structural Variation in the Human Genome and its Role in Disease

During the last quarter of the twentieth century, our knowledge about human genetic variation was limited mainly to the heterochromatin polymorphisms, large enough to be visible in the light microscope, and the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified by traditional PCR-based DNA sequencing. In the past five years, the rapid development and expanded use of microarray technologies, including oligonucleotide array comparative genomic hybridization and SNP genotyping arrays, as well as next-generation sequencing with “paired-end” methods, has enabled a whole-genome analysis with essentially unlimited resolution. The discovery of submicroscopic copy-number variations (CNVs) present in our genomes has changed dramatically our perspective on DNA structural variation and disease. It is now thought that CNVs encompass more total nucleotides and arise more frequently than SNPs. CNVs, to a larger extent than SNPs, have been shown to be responsible for human evolution, genetic diversity between individuals,...
Feature Selection and Decision Space Mapping for Sensor Fusion

An information fusion approach is presented for mapping a multiple dimensional feature space into a lower dimensional decision space with simplified decision boundaries. A new statistic, called the tie statistic, is used to perform the mapping by measuring differences in probability density functions of features. These features are then evaluated based on the separation of the decision classes using a parametric beta representation for the tie statistic. The feature evaluation and fusion methods are applied to perform texture recognition.
Interferon Induction in Mice by Lipopolysaccharide from Brucella abortus

Endotoxin or lipopolysaccharide isolated from Brucella abortus (strain 456) produced a typical endotoxin-type interferon response in mice with peak levels of the inhibitor occurring 2 h after intravenous injection of the stimuli. Brucella lipopolysaccharide was a much less effective interferon stimulus than the lipopolysaccharide isolated from Salmonella typhimurium (strain LT-2).
Scorpaenodes quadrispinosus: A New Indo-Pacific Scorpionfish (Teleostei: Scorpaenidae)

Abstract A new scorpionfish species is described from Fiji and Enewetak in the Marshall Islands, where it was collected from high-energy habitats. It is most similar to Scorpaenodes parvipinnis, with which it coexists, but differs in having four suborbital spines instead of five or more, by lacking a spine on the lachrymal ridge, and in coloration. It differs from S. parvipinnis and all other species of Scorpaenodes by having the second spine on the suborbital ridge extending dorsally above the lower orbit margin.
Just Caring for Caregivers: What Society and the State Owe to Those Who Render Care

Traditional considerations of justice for those who require caregiving have centered on what is due to the dependent person. However, considerations of justice also bear strongly on what is due to the caregiver. I focus on unpaid dependency work, too long treated as a private matter rather than a public concern. More is owed to those who render care: the division of labor is unjust, the nature of dependency work creates vulnerabilities for caregivers, and unpaid caregivers are disadvantaged in the world of paid work. Obligations to mitigate these facts are ultimately based on the truth that all members of society at some point in their lives benefit from caregiving and that noncaregivers benefit unfairly from the heavy distribution of dependency work to a small number of certain kinds of individuals. It is necessary to ask which agents of justice are responsible for remedying this state of affairs, and how. I propose a distributed scheme of obligation in which members of society and the state, as arbiter of social responsibility, share responsibility for the remedy. It is incumbent upon us as a society to refrain from making vulnerable the most essential among us, to reap benefits without sowing unjust burdens.
Duke Power Company: Equity-for-Debt Swap (a)

A commissioner of the North Carolina Utilities Commission strongly dissents from the commission's decision to allow Duke Power to complete a proposed debt-for-equity swap and take into its equity the accounting gain on the swap (see UVA-F-0561 and UVA-F-0562). The task for the student is to assess the criticisms.
Reactive Ion Etching of Silicon and Silicides in SF 6 or NF 3 / CCl4 or HCl Mixtures

Etude comparative de la gravure ionique reactive de silicium mono- et polycristallin et de 2 siliciures (MoSi 2 et NbSi 2 ) dans des melanges SF 6 ou NF 3 /CCl 4 ou HCl. Etude par actinometrie optique des concentrations respectives
Response of complex networks to compression: Ca, La, and Y aluminoborosilicate glasses formed from liquids at 1 to 3 GPa pressures

Aluminoborosilicate glasses containing relatively high field strength modifiers (Ca, La, and Y) have been compressed at pressures up to 3 GPa and near the glass transition temperature (Tg) and quenched to room temperature at high pressure followed by decompression. Structural changes were quantified with high-resolution 27Al and 11B MAS nuclear magnetic resonance at 14.1–18.8 T. The changes with pressure in Al and B coordinations in the recovered samples are quite large with more than 50% decreases in tetrahedral aluminum (IVAl) and 200%-300% increases in tetrahedral boron (IVB). Glasses with higher field strength modifiers (La and Y) contain more high coordinated aluminum (V,V IAl) at all pressures studied. More high coordinated boron also correlates with higher field strength modifier if all three compositions are compared on an isothermal basis. Although lowering fictive temperature and increasing pressure both increase Al and B coordinations, our study shows that the actual mechanisms for structural changes are most probably different for temperature and pressure effects. Using a rough thermodynamic model to extrapolate to higher pressures, it appears that a simple non-bridging oxygen (NBO) consumption mechanism is not sufficient to convert all the aluminum to octahedral and boron to tetrahedral coordination, suggesting other mechanisms for structural changes could occur at high pressure as NBO becomes depleted.
Research Note: Comparison of Commercial Turkey Roasts Made from Large Hens and Small Tom Turkeys

Abstract Large type hens (LH) and small type toms (ST) at 14 wk of age were commercially processed into white meat and white-dark meat roasts. Ready-to-cook weights were similar for LH and ST but white-dark roasts were heavier than white roasts. Roasts were cooked in a standard oven (163 C) to an internal temperature of 80 C. Although differences in cooking time were not detectable, total loss was greater for the white-dark meat than white meat, and fat in the drip was more extensive for LH than ST. Roasts from ST yielded more total meat than from LH birds, whereas the proportion of dark meat in the white-dark roasts was unaffected. Moisture content of white meat increased when dark meat was part of the roast. Fat in skin and in both white and dark meat was greater using LH than ST.
Baseline vitamin B12 and folate levels do not predict improvement in depression after a single infusion of ketamine.

Introduction: Deficiencies in both vitamin B12 and folate have been associated with depression. Recently, higher baseline vitamin B12 levels were observed in individuals with bipolar depression who responded to the antidepressant ketamine at 7 days post-infusion. This study sought to ­replicate this result by correlating peripheral vitamin levels with ketamine’s antidepressant efficacy in bipolar depression and major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods: Baseline vitamin B12 and folate levels were obtained in 49 inpatients with treatment-resistant MDD and 34 inpatients with treatment-resistant bipolar depression currently experiencing a major depressive episode. All subjects received a single intravenous ketamine infusion. Post-hoc Pearson correlations were performed between baseline vitamin B12 and folate levels, as well as antidepressant response assessed by percent change in Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) scores from baseline to 230 min, 1 day, and 7 days post-infusion. Results: No significant correlation was observed between baseline vitamin B12 or folate and percent change in HDRS for any of the 3 time points in either MDD or bipolar depression. Discussion: Ketamine’s antidepressant efficacy may occur independently of baseline peripheral vitamin levels.
Flight Loads and Atmospheric Turbulence Analysis From a Fleet of ASM/Lead Aircraft

The USFS has collected flight data on Beechcraft King Airs which are being used to support firefighting operations. The data from 3094 flights is presented in this paper. The flights are separated into six specific phases, some of which are unique for firefighting missions. The two-second rule is used to separate vertical loads into those due to gusts and those from maneuvering the aircraft. The incremental vertical gust loads are then used to find derived gust velocities. The derived gust velocities are shown in frequency of occurrence charts for the individual phases, as well as for the entire flight. The derived gust velocities are shown in AGL altitude bands, to show the results as height above the ground increases.
Quantitation of pulmonary fluid changes due to whole-body vibration in the mouse.

SummaryThe lungs of mice, subjected to whole-body vibration of 25 Hz at ± 10g for a period of 30 min, as well as of a group of nonvibrated control mice, were excised and lung weight and lung hemoglobin concentration was determined. From these values, the weight of pulmonary blood and water were calculated as indices of pulmonary blood content and edema, respectively. It was found that mice dying during vibration showed a significantly greater amount of blood, but not of edema fluid, than survivors. No difference in lung whole-blood content was found between the surviving mice and control mice. It is concluded that an increase in pulmonary whole blood content is a major factor in vibrational lethality, and that pulmonary edema contributes little to the incidence of death due to whole-body vibration.
Investigation and analysis on lead,cadmium,arsenic and mercury content in vegetables in Nanning markets

[Objective]To understand the pollution situation of lead,cadmium,arsenic and mercury in vegetables in Nanning markets,detect the hidden danger in food safety,and provide the basis for risk early warning.[Methods]13 varieties of 390 vegetable samples were randomly collected from farm markets in 6 districts of Nanning city in 2011,and the samples were analyzed according to GB / T 5009.The recovery experiment was adopted for quality control.[Results]The detection rate of lead,cadmium,arsenic and mercury was respectively 89.2%,91.3%,61.8% and 7.4%,and no sample exceeded the standards.[Conclusion]The lead,cadmium,arsenic and mercury contents in vegetables in Nanning markets have not exceeded the limit standards,which is the slight pollution.
Quick guide and formation damage predicting system for fluids injected into well.

In operations such as perforation and oil stimulation, fluids injected into well make damage to reservoir formation in different degree. Literatures indicated that the damage degree is a comprehensive result of many aspects. Based on both the actual test and laboratorial simulations, a quick guide and formation damage predicting system for fluids injected into well was developed. In this system, correlation equations of detrimental effect on permeability with various fluid factors (including Reynolds number, pH value, dilatability and surface tension) were regressed. Regression of comprehensive factors and the detrimental permeability was also made. Case study showed this system works well in predicting damage to reservoir. It provides evidence for quickly selecting liquid to be injected down hole.
Spectral Analysis of Electrocardiograms in Patients with Inducible Atrial Fibrillation after Catheter Ablation Predicts Sinus Rhythm Maintenance.

Background We aimed to develop a novel predictive marker for atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence in patients with inducible AF after catheter ablation, based on power spectral analysis of baseline and postablation electrocardiograms. Methods Twenty-five patients who had undergone their first AF ablation procedure (pulmonary vein isolation and ganglionated plexi ablation) and had inducible AF after ablation were included. A 30-second interval of AF was chosen for each patient before and after ablation, and a periodogram of the atrial activity was computed. A ratio of the power in the dominant frequency to the power in the remainder of the periodogram (DFR) was calculated. Results Eight (32%) patients had recurrent AF at 1 year. The clinical and echocardiographic characteristics of patients with and without recurrence were similar (P > 0.05). After ablation, there was organization of atrial activity, evidenced by an increase in the DFR (0.28 ± 0.22 vs 0.53 ± 0.29; P = 0.001). The percent change in DFR before and after ablation (median [interquartile range]) was significantly higher in patients without AF recurrence (120% [30% to 344%] vs 3% [−27% to 66%]; P = 0.01). Receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis demonstrated that a less than 16% increase in DFR postablation was able to predict recurrence of AF (area under ROC curve = 0.82; P = 0.03) with 75% sensitivity and 94% specificity. Conclusion AF ablation leads to variable organization of atrial activity. Organization of atrial activity after AF ablation is associated with lower 1-year recurrence rates and may be used intraprocedurally after as a novel end point for AF ablation. Larger prospective studies are warranted.
Internal Flexibility of Inhibitors Bound to Electrophorus electricus Acetylcholinesterase : Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Flexibility of each of five inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase (AchE) has been determined from proton NMR line width of the inhibitor methyl peak on binding to 11.8 S AchE and to 11.8 S AchE previously carbamylated or sulfonylated at the active-site serine residue. When bound to unmodified AchE, all studied inhibitors show high rotational lability. For carbamylated or sulfonylated enzyme, inhibitor flexibility decreases as inhibitor size increases. The results suggest that these inhibitors (trimethylammonium, phenyltrimethylammonium, cis -2,6-dimethylspiro(piperidine-1,1-pyrrolidinium), atropine, and eserine) bind in a spatious anionic pocket near the active-site serine residue.
Lightweight hardware support for transparent consistency-aware checkpointing in intermittent energy-harvesting systems

Non-volatile memory (NVM) enables intermittent systems without batteries because of the persistence of NVM. However, the persistence presents a new challenge to memory consistency threatening to corrupt application data across a power failure. Prior work proposes various software-based techniques built upon compiler instrumentation to achieve memory consistency. However, those techniques are not only limited by the complexity, conservatism, and soundness of static program analyses resulting in an excessive amount of checkpoints, but also lack the guarantee of forward progress. This paper presents TCCP, a Transparent Consistency-aware CheckPointing hardware scheme that automatically checkpoints the system states, thus requiring neither recompilation nor user intervention. TCCP does not immediately perform committed stores to non-volatile memory as if they are speculative assuming an impending power failure. Across a failure, such speculation allows TCCP to rollback to an execution point with consistent program states by simply discarding the speculative stores. To achieve this, TCCP only requires very few modifications to conventional processor design practices, as it leverages the existing store buffer. To provide forward progress guarantee, TCCP also incorporates a simple counter-based logic. On average, TCCP incurs only 0.7% runtime overhead and reduces the number of checkpoints by 3.1X compared to the state-of-the-art software-based scheme.
Feature selection for RFID tag identification

We present a multi-objective optimization (MOOP) based feature selection technique for radio frequency identification (RFID) where a tag is identified by matching a set of unique characteristics measured from the tag to previous stored copies in a database. The aim of this paper is to select the most effective characteristics for tag identification. Different application scenarios require different levels of security and demand different false match rate (FMR) and false non-match rate (FNMR). To handle those two conflicting objectives in feature selection, we formulated it as a MOOP problem that generates a set of best possible FMR and FNMR performances a system can achieve with different feature combinations. Experiment results show that the proposed technique can provide a broad view of the effectiveness of the system permitting a system designer to meet specific security requirements for a given application scenario.
Fate of Selected Pathogens Inoculated into Foods Prepared in Slow Cookers

Staphylococcus aureus , Clostridium perfringens . Salmonella choleraesuis , and Salmonella typhimurium were inoculated (108 cells or spores) into two slow cookers containing green bean casserole, baked navy beans, chicken cacciatore, barbecued ribs or pork pot roast, and their fate determined after cooking. Heating patterns also were determined at three positions inside the two cookers. None of the foods cooked in either of the slow cookers contained detectable levels of S. aureus or salmonellae. The similarity between C. perfringens vegetative and spore counts indicate that only spores were present in the cooked foods. Except for the green bean casserole cooked using a low temperature setting, cooking resulted in a 0.44-1.67 and 0.36-1.54 log count reduction, respectively, of vegetative cells and spores of C. perfringens . Counts of vegetative cells and spores after cooking the green bean casserole were approximately .18 and .30 log counts higher than the uncooked counts. The mean times for the coldest areas in Cooker A to reach 50 C were 2.57 and 0.97 h, respectively, for the low (80 watts) and high (160 watts) temperature settings. The mean times for the coldest areas in Cooker B (removable liner) to reach 50 C were 2.35 and 0.52 h for the low (130 watts) and high (260 watts) temperature settings, respectively. Results suggest that when the recommended quantities of ingredients are used and the proper cooking procedure followed, foods prepared in the slow cookers studied do not present a health hazard.
Double photoionization of helium from the 1s2p {}^{3}{\rm{P}} excited state

Time-dependent close-coupling (TDCC) calculations are carried out for the double photoionization of Helium in the excited state. TDCC results are presented for the total and energy differential cross sections for the term. TDCC results are presented for the total and energy differential cross sections for the levels. Differences found between the level resolved double photoionization cross sections are due to varying degrees of continuum correlation found in the outgoing two electrons.
Angiosarcoma of the Breast Following Segmental Mastectomy Complicated by Lymphedema

A patient is discussed who had angiosarcoma of her lymphedematous right breast develop four years after segmental mastectomy for infiltrating ductal carcinoma. The lymphedema developed and persisted after an indolent and recurrent postoperative infection. The possibility that the second malignancy is a consequence of the chronic lymphedema, similar to the angiosarcomas of lymphedematous extremities after radical mastectomy, is cautiously entertained. This hypothesis is worthy of consideration as more breast conservation surgery is being done, with or without adjuvant radiation therapy, and accumulating evidence suggests that lymphedema of the breast is a common complication of surgery followed by radiation.
Engagement, procedural fairness, and perceived fit as predictors of applicant withdrawal intentions: A longitudinal field study

The current study draws upon image theory to identify predictors of applicant withdrawal intentions and behavior. Applicants from a U.S. manufacturing organization completed measures of engagement, procedural justice, perceived fit, offer expectancy, perceived alternatives, and withdrawal intentions. Results indicate that withdrawal intentions were lower when candidates were more engaged in the selection process, perceived a higher level of procedural justice in the application process, perceived a greater degree of fit, and had higher offer expectancies. Additionally, the person–job fit–withdrawal intentions relationship was moderated by perceived alternatives such that this relationship was strongest when candidates reported having more alternatives. Withdrawal behavior was significantly predicted by person–organization fit, engagement, and withdrawal intentions. These results suggest that withdrawal intentions may be reduced via the development of engaging and procedurally fair selection procedures that help candidates determine their fit with the job and the organization.
Interval Magnetic Resonance Imaging: an Alternative to Guidelines for Indeterminate Nodules Discovered in the Cirrhotic Liver

Current guidelines for the management of indeterminate nodules discovered on surveillance imaging recommend alternate imaging modality or biopsy. This study evaluates the use of short interval MRI rather than immediate CT or biopsy. This retrospective cohort study examines outcomes of 111 patients with indeterminate nodules reviewed by a single institution’s Liver Tumor Board 2011–2016. Analysis was focused on outcomes stratified by management decision. The tumor board recommended biopsy or immediate repeat CT imaging in 13 (12%), 3-month interval MRI in 64 (58%) and 6-month interval MRI for 34 (30%) patients. Twenty-eight (29%) patients in the interval MRI subgroups were diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) during the period of follow-up, and 21 (75%) of these were located within the original indeterminate nodule. The median time to diagnosis was 6.5 months. Twenty-three (82%) were eligible for potentially curative therapy at the time of HCC diagnosis. Delay in HCC diagnosis was not the reason for inability to provide potentially curative therapy in any patient. This study supports the judicious use of interval MRI at 3 or 6 months in patients with liver cirrhosis and an indeterminate liver nodule rather than immediate CT scan or biopsy.
Distributions of fungal melanin across species and soils

Abstract Soil is one of Earth's largest carbon (C) sinks, and the diverse community of fungi it houses may affect soil C storage through the biosynthesis of recalcitrant cell wall polymers like melanin. We tested the hypotheses that (1) specific biological features of fungi - evolutionary history, functional guild, growth rate, and functional gene abundance in fungal genomes - predict fungal melanin content across species and (2) the abundance of melanin-producing fungi in soil is related to soil C storage and oxidative enzyme activity by colorimetrically assaying melanin in hyphal tissue of 62 fungal species. We found no phylogenetic signal for melanin content across the species used in our study. Instead, hyphal melanin content varied across fungal species, correlating with 177 protein domains encoded in fungal genomes. Melanin concentrations were positively correlated with protein domains involved in biosynthesis of phenolic melanin precursors, as well as primary and secondary metabolite biosynthesis, cell signaling, and oxidation-reduction reactions. By contrast, hyphal melanin content was negatively correlated with protein domains involved in DNA replication processes and stress response, as well as hyphal growth rate, suggesting a physiological tradeoff between melanin biosynthesis and cellular growth. Estimated melanin content of soil was positively correlated with total soil C and soil peroxidase activity, suggesting that fungal melanin may influence soil C cycling processes.
Inexpensive Microprocessor Systems, Tutorials and the Future of Computer-Assisted Instruction

Abstract Educational computing throughout the world is rapidly coming of age. The development of hardware in the last fourteen years has been astounding, and some successful CAI materials development projects have given us a glimpse of what the educational potential of this technology can be. However, the expectations of educational theorists and technologists for the expansion of CAI into all levels of education have not been realized. The principal reason why more students are not involved with CAI is that instructional materials development has not proceeded as fast as that of hardware. For the most part, CAI applications have not exploited the enormous information delivery capacity of this technology, and quality CAI materials of any sort are in short supply. The entry of inexpensive microprocessor systems into the educational market at once provides educators with many new instructional opportunities and threatens to compound the problem of CAI materials availability. A possible solution to this problem is a CAI application known as a tutorial developed by a group of instructional materials specialists at the University of Notre Dame. Tutorials make heavy use of the information delivery capacity and flexibility of microprocessors and are sufficiently versatile for adaptation to the teaching of any subject at any level. The marriage of inexpensive microprocessor systems with CAI tutorials seems to be a highly promising way of integrating computer technology into instructional processes and into the general understanding of our student and adult populations in the years ahead. Examples of CAI tutorials in several subjects appear in an appendix to this paper.
Composition–Structure–Activity Correlation of Platinum–Ruthenium Nanoalloy Catalysts for Ethanol Oxidation Reaction

Understanding the evolution of the composition and atomic structure of nanoalloy catalysts in the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) is essential for the design of active and robust catalysts for direct ethanol fuel cells. This article describes a study of carbon-supported platinum–ruthenium electrocatalysts (PtRu/C) with different bimetallic compositions and their activities in the EOR, an important anode reaction in direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs). The study focused on establishing the relationship between the catalyst’s composition, atomic structure, and catalytic activity for the EOR. Ex situ and in situ synchrotron high-energy X-ray diffraction (HE-XRD) experiments coupled with atomic pair distribution function (PDF) analysis and in situ energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis were employed to probe the composition and structural evolution of the catalysts during the in situ EOR inside a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) in the fuel cell. The results revealed an intriguing composition–structure–activi...
Radiotherapy in the setting of breast reconstruction: types, techniques, and timing

As the use of breast reconstruction and postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) has increased over the past decade, the typical approach to integrating radiotherapy with breast reconstruction has provoked intense controversy in the management of breast cancer. PMRT can lead to an increased frequency of complications in the reconstructed breast. Conversely, the reconstructed breast can increase the complexity of radiotherapy delivery. How to minimise the frequency of complications without compromising oncological or cosmetic outcomes of the reconstructed breast is an important shared multidisciplinary goal for oncologists and their patients. Several questions remain, however, regarding the type of reconstruction that should be used with PMRT, when reconstruction should be done relative to PMRT and whether radiotherapy treatment should be directed towards the tissue expander or the implant for women who opt for a two-stage expander-implant reconstruction. Following advances in the planning of radiotherapy treatment, new questions about the application of these technologies in the setting of breast reconstruction have arisen. In this Review, we address these questions by reviewing contemporary evidence on the optimal integration of radiotherapy and breast reconstruction in the management of breast cancer.
Do-Not-Resuscitate status as an independent risk factor for patients undergoing surgery for hip fracture

Do-Not-Resuscitate status as an independent risk factor for patients undergoing surgery for hip fracture
A fast algorithm with error bounds for Quadrature by Expansion

Abstract Quadrature by Expansion (QBX) is a quadrature method for approximating the value of the singular integrals encountered in the evaluation of layer potentials. It exploits the smoothness of the layer potential by forming locally-valid expansions which are then evaluated to compute the near or on-surface value of the potential. Recent work towards coupling of a Fast Multipole Method (FMM) to QBX yielded a first step towards the rapid evaluation of such integrals (and the solution of related integral equations), albeit with only empirically understood error behavior. In this paper, we improve upon this approach with a modified algorithm for which we give a comprehensive analysis of error and cost in the case of the Laplace equation in two dimensions. For the same levels of (user-specified) accuracy, the new algorithm empirically has cost-per-accuracy comparable to prior approaches. We provide experimental results to demonstrate scalability and numerical accuracy.
Abstract 365: Inhibiting Hmg Coa Reductase Reduces Palmitate-Induced Inflammation in Adipocytes

Adipose tissue inflammation associates with insulin resistance and increased cardiovascular disease risk. We previously observed that 3T3-L1 adipocytes exposed to palmitate become inflamed and demo...
An Introduction to Mohs Micrographic Surgery

The founding father of Mohs micrographic surgery is Frederic E. Mohs. He was only a medical student when he began to develop his new surgical technique during the 1930s. Mohs noticed that zinc chloride could be used to “fix” a tumor so that the histologic architecture could be viewed under a microscope. In 1936, Mohs translated his research method into use for cutaneous tumors in humans. It was at this time that chemosurgery (the precursor to modern day Mohs micrographic surgery) was born. In 1941, Mohs reported his findings using fixed tissue chemosurgery in the Archives of Surgery with 440 patients. Later in 1946, he reported more results at the American Academy of Dermatology in Chicago. In 1947, he described his technique and work in the Archives of Dermatology. In 1953, Mohs was creating a video illustrating the chemosurgery technique for the eyelid. In order to speed the surgery for the video, he did not use the zinc chloride fixative. Instead, he used fresh frozen tissue to generate the horizontal sections. Hence, the birth of the present day form of Mohs Micrographic Surgery began taking shape. In 1983, the first 1-year fellowship program was formally approved by the American College of Mohs Micrographic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology (ACMMSCO). Fourteen years after the approval of the first fellowship program, there were more than 60, 1–2-year training programs approved by the ACMMSCO. In addition, there are approved fellowships in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Mohs surgery is spreading across the world, and we have dedicated an entire section of this book to document its travel.
Expression of endogenous retroviruses and response to immune checkpoint therapy in renal cell cancer.

104Background: In certain cancers, including renal cell carcinoma (RCC), no clear correlation exists between mutation burden and response to immune checkpoint therapy. To look for other markers of immune activation, we investigated the correlation between expression of endogenous retroviruses (ERV) and evidence of immune checkpoint activation in multiple cancer types. Methods: RNA-seq data of 4,910 tumors of 21 cancers from TCGA was analyzed to identify cancers in which there was correlation between ERV expression and evidence of immune checkpoint activation as shown by increased expression of immune checkpoint genes and evidence of CD8+ T-cell infiltration. Expression of candidate ERVs was measured by quantitative RT-PCR in a set of 20 RCC specimens. Results: In the TCGA clear-cell renal cancer, ER+HER2- breast cancer, and colon cancer datasets showed correlation between expression of a subset of ERVs and markers of local immune checkpoint activation. Using hierarchical clustering, tumors could be classi...
A Minimax Performance Measure for Computed Tomography

An error measure for computed tomography is proposed which accounts for both random and systematic errors. System performance is evaluated by maximizing the error over the set of possible signals, and optimal system performance is the value of a minimax problem. Simple upper and lower bounds are derived, and the techniques are applied to the problem of optimal reconstruction from a limited range of angles.
Background Material on Manifolds

In this chapter, we recall some basic definitions and facts concerning analysis on manifolds (mainly of dimension 1 or 2).
Mathematical Truth Regained

Benacerraf’s Dilemma (BD), as formulated by Paul Benacerraf in “Mathematical Truth,” is about the apparent impossibility of reconciling a “standard” (i.e., classical Platonic) semantics of mathematics with a “reasonable” (i.e., causal, spatiotemporal) epistemology of cognizing true statements. In this paper I spell out a new solution to BD. I call this new solution a positive Kantian phenomenological solution for three reasons: (1) It accepts Benacerraf’s preliminary philosophical assumptions about the nature of semantics and knowledge, as well as all the basic steps of BD, and then shows how we can, consistently with those very assumptions and premises, still reject the skeptical conclusion of BD and also adequately explain mathematical knowledge. (2) The standard semantics of mathematically necessary truth that I offer is based on Kant’s philosophy of arithmetic, as interpreted by Charles Parsons and by me. (3) The reasonable epistemology of mathematical knowledge that I offer is based on the phenomenology of logical and mathematical self-evidence developed by early Husserl in Logical Investigations and by early Wittgenstein in Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus.
Transgenic Bt Corn Hybrids and Pest Management in the USA

Corn, Zea mays L., grown in many areas of the United States suffers from a variety of insect species that attack virtually all parts of the growing plant. Many conventional pest management programs have been developed to combat these insects with varying degrees of success. In the mid-1990s, the commercial introduction and subsequent widespread adoption of Bt transgenic hybrids has all but transformed conventional corn pest management programs. The initial target of Bt corn, which contains insecticidal protein encoding genes from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), were stalk boring insects, such as the European and southwestern corn borers. Within a few years of the introduction of Bt hybrids for stalk boring insects, Bt hybrids targeting western and northern corn rootworms were introduced. Since their introduction, however, Bt corn hybrids have come under considerable scrutiny. They have been reported to produce higher yields as well as lower pesticide exposure to humans, non-target organisms, and the environment. Questions, however, have been raised on such issues as contamination of the food chain, resistance development, the overall sustainability of the technology, and more recently, the high costs of Bt hybrids relative to non-Bt hybrids. The present chapter delves into some of the issues and challenges surrounding the continued use of Bt corn hybrids and the strategies employed to address such issues.
Loadability Improvement of Unbalanced Hybrid AC-DC Microgrids Using a Supervisory Control Scheme for Interlinking Converters

This paper proposes a supervisory control scheme for hybrid AC-DC microgrids to enhance the system loadability under unbalanced loading conditions by implementing a new power routing mechanism for AC/DC converters. The system is studied on grid-connected mode and the supervisory control strategy is aimed to maximize the system loadability at the point of common coupling (PCC). The supervisory control receives the measurements from the PCC and calculates active and reactive power mismatches for all three phases. Afterward these mismatches are assigned to all three-phase interlinking converters (ICs) to keep the power balance at the PCC. Balancing the three-phase loadings at the PCC not only enhances the system loadability index, but also decreases voltage deviations and energy losses in the microgrid. Numerical results obtained by implementing the proposed method on the modified IEEE 13 bus system show the validity of the proposed control strategy.
Digital Natives as Budding Journalists: College TV Stations’ Uses of Twitter:

This content analysis examines how award-winning student-run TV stations use Twitter to promote their work and to communicate with followers on campus and beyond. As digital natives and budding pro...
Evaluation of Ventilation Shutdown in a Multi-level Caged System

SUMMARY In 2015, the United States experienced an extensive outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza resulting in the depopulation of 42.1 million commercial egg-laying hens. Existing mass depopulation methods in multilevel caged systems utilized throughout the egg industry provide a challenge for producers and emergency personnel. An alternative depopulation method with potential for use in the egg industry is ventilation shutdown (VSD), which uses a combination of increasing heat and carbon dioxide (CO2) levels to promote death by hyperthermia and hypoxia. This proof-of concept study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of VSD, VSD with supplemental heat (VSDH), and VSD with CO2 (VSDCO2) as alternative mass depopulation methods in a multilevel caged system. Assessment parameters included ambient and core body temperatures, time to death, and survivability. Time to death for VSD, VSDH, and VSDCO2 were 3.75, 2, and 1.5 h, respectively. Survivability in VSD did not meet the flock depopulation standard of 100% lethality. Based on 100% lethality and time to death, VSDH and VSDCO2 are equivalent in their ability to effectively depopulate hens in a multi-level caged system. Air mixing should be used to prevent stratification of heat or CO2 concentrations between the top and bottom levels of a caged system. While the data emulate a commercial layer environment, application of the techniques in this study still need to be evaluated in a commercial setting.