cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identifying critical computed tomography (CT) imaging findings for the preoperative planning of ventral hernia repairs

Computed Tomography (CT) reports vary in qualitative detail and may not capture the information required for the preoperative planning of ventral hernia repairs. The goals of this study were to first survey general and hernia surgeons to establish key hernia imaging characteristics that should be included on CT reports and secondly, to retrospectively review preoperative CTs to determine the percentage that these same imaging characteristics are being reported. General and hernia surgeons were surveyed and asked to rank important hernia imaging factors as determined by two academic hernia surgeons on a Likert scoring scale. Additionally, preoperative abdominal/pelvic CT reports of patients who underwent a ventral hernia repair at a single academic institution were retrospectively reviewed for the presence of these imaging factors. Fifty-one general and hernia surgeons responded to the survey. The most important imaging findings as determined by survey respondents were size of the hernia defect and presence of previous mesh. Additionally, 61% of respondents felt that the imaging report was less important than their own personal CT interpretation. Of the 257 preoperative CT reports reviewed, the number of defects was the most commonly reported factor (100%). The size of the defect and the presence of prior mesh was only included on 38% and 15% of reports, respectively. CT reports vary in their reported imaging findings and often fail to include important preoperative hernia features. Future studies should aim to standardize imaging reports to better utilize CTs for the preoperative planning of abdominal wall reconstructions.
Thromboembolic complications of COVID-19

The symptomology of patients afflicted with novel 2019 coronavirus disease (SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19) has varied greatly, ranging from the asymptomatic state to debilitating hypoxemic respiratory failure caused by severe atypical viral pneumonia. Patients may also develop a hyper-inflammatory state that can lead to multi-organ failure. It has become increasingly apparent that, as part of the hyper-inflammatory state, COVID-19 infection increases susceptibility to systemic thromboembolic complications that can contribute to rapid clinical deterioration or demise. This article aims to review imaging features of various systemic thrombotic complications in six patients with moderate to severe disease. This case series includes examples of pulmonary embolism, stroke, right ventricular thrombosis, renal vein thrombosis, and aortic thrombosis with leg ischemia.
The Role of MRI-Guided Radiation Therapy for Palliation of Mobile Abdominal Cancers: A Report of Two Cases.

ABSTRACT Clinical use of and indications for magnetic-resonance image-guided radiotherapy (MRgRT) have expanded since its first clinical implementation in 2014. However, in present implementation, it is a resource-intense treatment modality, often requiring physician and physicist presence at the treatment console. It is therefore most commonly utilized for advanced practice radiotherapy techniques such as online adaptive radiotherapy and stereotactic body radiotherapy with reduced treatment margins. In contrast, image guidance for palliative radiotherapy typically comprises simple x-ray imaging for bony anatomic patient alignment at the first fraction, with only rudimentary alignment procedures for subsequent fractions. However, the high-quality on-board imaging inherent to MRgRT as well as the opportunity for flexible on-table plan adaptation may also have a role for select palliative treatment cases. We present two cases where standard x-ray image guidance would have failed due to abdominal target mobility, and where MRI-guided radiotherapy with online plan adaptation enabled effective treatment.
Research Report on Federal Agency ALJ Hiring after Lucia and Executive Order 13843

This draft report examines federal agency hiring practices for administrative law judges ("ALJs"), who preside over formal agency hearings, in light of the Supreme Court's determination that ALJs are constitutional officers and President Trump's executive order to exempt ALJs from certain statutory competitive-service hiring requirements. The report also provides recommendations for best agency hiring practices. Professors Jack Beermann and Jennifer Mascott co-authored this initial draft report. After Professor Mascott stepped down from the Administrative Conference of the United States to work in the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel, Professor Beermann edited the report and produced its final May 2019 version, which is available here: https://www.acus.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Submitted%20final%20draft%20JB.pdf.
Should the European Union Fix, Leave or Kill the Energy Charter Treaty?

The ECT hinders EU climate and investment policy objectives. This piece explores the low likelihood of successful “modernization,” the EU’s role in convincing partners that it would be best to terminate the ECT, and steps for the EU to exit the treaty and neutralize its sunset clause.
Association of Demographic and Geospatial Factors With Treatment Selection for Laryngeal Cancer.

Importance Guidelines for many head and neck cancers, especially laryngeal cancers, allow for multiple treatment options. Currently, inequitable provision of surgery may contribute to outcome disparities. However, the role of geospatial factors remains understudied. Objective To assess the association between US geospatial factors and treatment selection for patients with laryngeal cancer. Design, Setting, and Participants In this retrospective cohort study, patients diagnosed with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2014, were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) for surgical treatment were generated from multivariable, hierarchical models to assess associations with oncologic, demographic, and county variables. Outlier US counties with the highest and lowest aORs were described. Data analysis was performed from April 29 to September 11, 2020. Exposures County of residence. Main Outcomes and Measures The aORs for surgical treatment were generated from multivariable, hierarchical models. Outlier counties with the highest and lowest aORs are described. Results The cohort includes 21 289 patients (mean [SD] age, 63.6 [11.2] years; 17 214 [80.9%] male) in 598 counties. Most counties had no otolaryngologist (365 [61.0%]) or radiation oncologist (434 [72.6%]). Surgery rates varied from 7.1% to 85.7% among counties with at least 10 cases. After oncologic variables were controlled for, factors independently associated with surgical treatment included patient age (aOR [95% CI], 0.94; 0.91-0.98 per 10 years), marital status (single versus married: aOR [95% CI], 0.87 [0.79-0.97]), and county social deprivation index (aOR [95% CI], 0.98 [0.97-1.00 per 5 points]) but not physician number (≥2 otolaryngologists: aOR [95% CI], 0.91 [0.75-1.11] vs ≥1 radiation oncologist: aOR [95% CI], 0.91; 0.75-1.11). The 5% of counties most likely to provide surgery (aOR, >1.23) were nearly all large metropolitan areas (2593 patients [93.3%]) and treated a disproportionately large number of patients (2778 [13.1%]). The 5% of counties least likely to provide surgery (aOR, <0.79) were also mostly large metropolitan areas (1676 patients [91.2%]) and treated a disproportionately large number of patients (1838 [8.6%]). Patients in counties least likely to provide surgery had inferior survival compared with those most likely to provide surgery (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.00-1.35). Conclusions and Relevance These findings suggest that sociodemographic factors contribute to the wide variety in surgical treatment practices by county. The largest metropolitan counties were often outliers regarding their adjusted odds of surgical treatment. This finding is concerning for the counties least likely to provide surgery where survival is inferior.
Genome wide association study reveals plant loci controlling heritability of the rhizosphere microbiome

Host genetics has recently been shown to be a driver of plant microbiome composition. However, identifying the underlying genetic loci controlling microbial selection remains challenging. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) represent a potentially powerful, unbiased method to identify microbes sensitive to the host genotype and to connect them with the genetic loci that influence their colonization. Here, we conducted a population-level microbiome analysis of the rhizospheres of 200 sorghum genotypes. Using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, we identify rhizosphere-associated bacteria exhibiting heritable associations with plant genotype, and identify significant overlap between these lineages and heritable taxa recently identified in maize. Furthermore, we demonstrate that GWAS can identify host loci that correlate with the abundance of specific subsets of the rhizosphere microbiome. Finally, we demonstrate that these results can be used to predict rhizosphere microbiome structure for an independent panel of sorghum genotypes based solely on knowledge of host genotypic information.
An Algorithm for Generating N-Dimensional Rotation Matrix

This paper describes a new algorithm for generating an N-dimensional rotation matrix M that rotates a given N-dimensional vector X in the direction of a given N-dimensional vector Y of the same dimension. The N-dimensional Rotation Matrix Generation Algorithm (NRMG) uses two-dimensional rotations to rotate provided vectors X and Y in the direction of coordinate axis x1. Matrix M is created by multiplying matrix MX by the inverse of matrix MY, which rotates the given vectors in the direction of axis x1. RMG algorithm does not determine how the Mx and My matrices are calculated. An algorithm for their calculation using rotations in the coordinate planes is proposed, but they can also be obtained by the Householder transformation, which will be more efficient for "dense" vectors. The prospect of performing parallel calculations of two-dimensional rotations is also investigated.
Happily ever after Egyptians' values and life satisfaction after the Arab Spring

The Arab Spring provoked significant political turbulence in the region which impacted people's perceptions of happiness and life satisfaction. People's initial values regarding the importance of p...
A lumped-film model for gas-liquid partition chromatography: Part II. Experimental evaluation of analytical solutions

Summary The differential equations governing gas-liquid partition chromatography have been simplified by using the assumptions of linear solubility and no pressure drop and introducing the concept of a lumped liquid film. Analytical solutions of the equations have been obtained for the cases with and without longitudinal dispersion. The solutions show that a finite rate of mass transfer into the liquid phase can affect both the shape of the elution curve and the retention time. A simple equation has been obtained relating the apparent retention time to the column variables and the depth of penetration into the liquid film. Experimental data on the elution of a pure isobutylene slug with helium using a stationary phase of dinonyl phthalate on fireback has shown the average fractional depth of penetration to be in the range 0.6–0.9 under normal operating conditions. It was found that the peneration model correlatates the retention time at various temperatures remarkably well, provided the slug size and the amount of stationary phase are held constant.
Meeting the needs of industry: a bold new curriculum in informatic science

This paper describes the development of a new curriculum to prepare the next generation of information specialists. The project is unique in that half of the task force developing the curriculum is from business and industry. The curriculum is designed to produce a graduate who possesses the skills described in the ‘profile of the graduate’ which was developed by the representatives from industry. The curriculum is information centric and integrates communication skills, ethics and teamwork from the beginning. Student learning is top-down: from the broad perspective to the technical details. To accomplish this the pedagogy employed has been changed.
Results of a survey on using international virtual teams in engineering

Global virtual teams are being used by engineering organizations around the world' sometimes deliberately and sometimes without any recognition that this type of team is a relatively new phenomenon. Research on virtual teaming is plentiful and broad. The survey research reported here seeks to assimilate existing research in meaningful ways so as to better understand how engineering professionals are using global virtual teams. Two hundred and eighty-five engineering professionals from around the world participated in this survey in the spring of 2013. Participants worked in many areas of engineering, including electrical and electronic, chemical, construction, mechanical, and aerospace. A small portion of data from this large survey is reported in this brief paper. These data can contribute to effective strategic planning and implementation of global virtual teams.
Dynamics of Voids and Clusters and Fluctuations in the Cosmic Background Radiation

I want to “make propaganda” for some calculations carried out at Cornell; a detailed paper is available on this work (Hoffman, Salpeter and Wasserman 1982, hereafter HSW), so I only summarize it briefly (Sect. 2) and concentrate mainly on implications. Like previous work by Peebles (1982) and by Occhionero et al (1982), these calculations use spherically symmetric models without dissipation for the dynamical development of large voids and galaxy clusters (and superclusters) from small underdensities and overdensities, respectively, at the recombination era. We now know how this development depends on various parameters and on the asymmetries between over- and under-densities. I discuss conjectures for more complex geometries in Sect. 3.
Want reprogramming? Cut back on the chromatin assembly!

Totipotency, the ability of early embryonic cells to generate a complete adult organism as well as extraembryonic tissue, is a fleeting property found only in very early embryonic cells. A breakthrough study now shows that inhibition of DNA replication–linked nucleosome assembly causes embryonic stem cells to resemble totipotent cells. Notably, inhibition of chromatin assembly stimulates reprogramming during somatic-cell nuclear transfer experiments.
GENE TRANSFER BY F′ STRAINS OF ESCHERICHIA COLI K-12 II. Interaction Between F-Merogenote and Chromosome During Transfer

Pittard, James (Yale University, New Haven, Conn.) and Edward A. Adelberg. Gene transfer by F′ strains of Escherichia coli K-12. II. Interaction between F-merogenote and chromosome during transfer. J. Bacteriol. 85: 1402–1408. 1963.—When F′ strains harboring the F-merogenate F 14 are mated with female recipients, the transfer of the F-merogenote begins, in the majority of cases, before chromosome transfer. The markers on F 14 are transferred in the sequence met-1, arg-1, ilva-16 , and sex-factor, met-1 being transferred first and sex-factor being transferred last, 9 min after met-1 . In the class of zygotes that have received both the F-merogenote marker met-1 and the chromosomal marker xyl or mal , the gradient of recombination frequencies for the F-merogenote markers arg-1 and ilva-16 is much steeper than in the corresponding zygotes that have not received chromosomal markers. In F′ strains which exhibit an increased frequency of transfer of chromosome markers, this gradient of recombination frequencies for merogenote markers is much steeper. An analysis of experiments involving an F′ strain with a much shorter F-merogenote, F 16 , and of a triparental mating in which F-merogenote and chromosome were transferred from different donor cells reveals that the effect of chromosome transfer on the recovery of distal F-merogenote markers in the zygotes is not due to any form of postzygotic elimination. It is suggested that, when F′ strains which are transferring F-merogenote begin to transfer chromosome, the latter event causes breakage of the F-merogenote. A second consequence of this interaction is a delay of 8 to 10 min in the first appearance of chromosomal markers in the zygotes.
Planned Hypothesis Tests Are Not Necessarily Exempt From Multiplicity Adjustment

Decreased research participation hinders advancement in the understanding and treatment of dementia in African Americans. This article describes the experience of a nurse researcher using culturally informed strategies to enhance recruitment in the African American population in southern Louisiana, as part of a study on family involvement in health promotion activities for older adults with dementia. Strategies went beyond having minority recruiters and recruiting from churches to becoming familiar with the context and culture of southern Louisiana through engagement with the community and attaining buy-in from formal and informal contacts. The researcher kept field notes, journals, and a record of recruitment activities to assure accountability during recruitment. An analysis of the field notes revealed the salience of six themes, namely Gaining Trust, Visibility, Networking, Follow-up, Purposeful Activity, and Community Engagement. Barriers that were overcome included knowledge deficit about dementia in the target community and the cultural unsuitability of the terminology linked to dementia. Benefits included community awareness and development of community and family partnerships, and of course, the recruitment of adequate number of research participants.
A formal architecture of shared mental models for computational improvisational agents

This paper proposes a formal approach of constructing shared mental models between computational improvisational agents (improv agents) and human interactors based on our socio-cognitive studies of human improvisers. Creating shared mental models helps improv agents co-create stories with each other and interactors in real-time interactive narrative experiences. The approach described here allows flexible modeling of non-Boolean (i.e. fuzzy) knowledge about scene and background concepts through the use of fuzzy rules and confidence factors in order to allow reasoning under uncertainty. It also allows improv agents to infer new knowledge about a scene from existing knowledge, recognize when new knowledge may be divergent from the other actor's mental model, and attempt to resolve this divergence to reach cognitive consensus despite the absence of explicit goals in the story environment.
Performance assessment of along-track interferometry for detecting ground moving targets

Along-track interferometry (ATI) is an interferometric synthetic aperture radar technique that can be used to measure Earth-surface velocities. As such, the ATI technique holds promise for the detection of slowly moving ground targets. However, the models often used to characterize ATI performance were developed mainly in the context of mapping ocean currents, and they do not necessarily apply to the case of discrete, moving ground targets amidst clutter. We provide expressions for more accurately modeling the behavior of an ATI system in the context of ground moving target indication. Analysis and design equations are given for topics including target defocus, signal-to-noise and signal-to-clutter ratios, interferometric correlation, interferometric phase bias, target detection, geolocation accuracy, and area coverage rate.
Biologic agents and liver toxicity: an added concern or therapeutic opportunity?

The effects of biologic agents on the liver are both a cause for concern with regards to potential toxicity and an opportunity to discover new therapeutic opportunities, as is discussed in this Viewpoint.
Development of polymorphic microsatellite markers in Hessian fly, Mayetiola destructor (Say)

A microsatellite library was prepared from size-selected genomic DNA of Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor). Approximately 81% of recovered clones hybridized with microsatellite motif-specific probes. Subsequently, 2350 clones were sequenced. Sixty-two individual flies from laboratory strains were used to test for reliability and polymorphism in 50 of the microsatellites by gel electrophoresis; 18 were further tested with capillary electrophoresis. Of these, 17 behaved as a polymorphic single locus appropriate for population analysis.
Parental Cohabitation Experiences and Adolescent Behavioral Outcomes

Children are increasingly spending time in cohabiting parent families. Most studies that examine the implications of parental cohabitation focus on parental living arrangements at a single point in time. Using data from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), we assess whether and how parental cohabitation during childhood influences adolescent girls’ well-being. This work moves beyond prior studies by specifically considering the effects of the exposure to, transitions, and age at which children lived in cohabiting parent families. The results indicate living in cohabiting parent families is consequential for earlier sexual initiation, likelihood of having a teen birth, and high school graduation. Prior work suggests that the explanation for the negative effect of parental cohabitation is family instability. Yet, our empirical work shows that family instability does not explain the relationship between cohabitation and negative child outcomes. We conclude that the best way to understand the implications of parental cohabitation is to adopt a dynamic family experience model.
Regulation and function of ferredoxin-linked versus cytochrome b-linked hydrogenase in electron transfer and energy metabolism of Methanosarcina barkeri MS

Acetate-grown cells of Methanosarcina barkeri MS were found to form methane from H2:CO2 at the same rate as hydrogen-grown cells. Cells grown on acetate had similar levels of soluble F420-reactive hydrogenase I, and higher levels of cytochrome-linked hydrogenase II compared to hydrogen-grown cells. The hydrogenase I and II activities in the crude extract of acetate-grown cells were separated by differential binding properties to an immobilized Cu2+ column. Hydrogenase II did not react with ferredoxin or F420, whereas hydrogenase I coupled to both ferredoxin and F420. A reconstituted soluble protein system composed of purified CO dehydrogenase, F420-reactive hydrogenase I fraction, and ferredoxin produced H2 from CO oxidation at a rate of 2.5 nmol/min · mg protein. Membrane-bound hydrogenase II coupled H2 consumption to the reduction of CoM-S-S-HTP and the synthesis of ATP. The differential function of hydrogenase I and II is ascribed to ferredoxin-linked hydrogen production from CO and cytochrome b-linked H2 consumption coupled to methanogenesis and ATP synthesis, respectively.
The elusive progesterone receptor in Xenopus oocytes

Steroid hormone receptors are a class of the nuclear receptor family whose mechanism of transcriptional regulation has been under intensive study for over 30 years. Yet beginning even 30 years ago there were suggestions that at least some effects of steroids, particularly proliferative and electrophysiological effects, might be mediated at the plasma membrane (refs. 1–3 for review). The evidence was based largely on immunofluorescence and the rapidity of the effects, but the entire field of nongenomic signaling by nuclear receptors was not widely appreciated until the recent demonstration that both the estrogen receptor and the progesterone receptor (PR) can activate the cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase c-Src and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway (4, 5). Very recently this activation of c-Src has been shown to be associated with binding of a proline-rich sequence in PR to the c-Src Src homology 3 domain, leading to reduced autoinhibitory repression of c-Src kinase activity (V. Boonyaratanakornkit, M. Porter-Scott, V. Ribon, L. Sherman, S. M. Anderson, T. W. Miller, and D. P. Edwards, personal communication). The activated c-Src/PR complex then mediates activation of the MAPK pathway. The proline-rich sequence of PR also binds to the Src homology 3 domain of Cbl-associated proteins and other signaling molecules (Boonyaratanakornkit et al., personal communication). c-Src is acylated at its N terminus with myristic acid, a modification thought to direct its localization to the plasma membrane (7). Thus, PR activation of c-Src is a presumed plasma membrane effect of PR. However, active c-Src also has been localized on the nuclear periphery (8), making it unclear where PR activation of c-Src occurs. Although these nongenomic actions of progesterone are clearly mediated by the nuclear receptor, in other systems it has been assumed that nongenomic actions of steroids are mediated by a distinct receptor located at the …
Full Stream Ahead

Data stream management is a great topic, and is the subject of this issue's special theme. EIC Fred Douglis reflects on some observations he's made in the course of his work in the field.
An Asymmetric Synthesis of l-Pyrrolysine

An efficient asymmetric synthesis of the 22nd amino acid l-pyrrolysine has been accomplished. The key stereogenic centers were installed by an asymmetric conjugate addition reaction. A Staudinger/aza-Wittig cyclization was used to form the acid-sensitive pyrroline ring. Pyrrolysine was synthesized in 13 steps in 20% overall yield.
Reactions of nitrogen oxides with heme models. Spectral and kinetic study of nitric oxide reactions with solid and solute Fe(III)(TPP)(NO3).

The reaction(s) of nitric oxide (nitrogen monoxide) gas with sublimed layers containing the nitrato iron(III) complex FeIII(TPP)(η2-O2NO) (1, TPP = meso-tetraphenyl porphyrinate2-) leads to formation of several iron porphyrin species that are ligated by various nitrogen oxides. The eventual products of these low-temperature solid-state reactions are the nitrosyl complex Fe(TPP)(NO), the nitro-nitrosyl complex Fe(TPP)(NO2)(NO), and 1 itself, and the relative final quantities of these were functions of the NO partial pressure. It is particularly notable that isotope labeling experiments show that the nitrato product is not simply unreacted 1 but is the result of a series of transformations taking place in the layered material. Thus, the nitrato complex formed from solid Fe(TPP)(η2-O2NO) maintained under a 15NO atmosphere was found to be the labeled analogue Fe(TPP)(η2-O215NO). The reactivities of the layered solids are compared to the behaviors of the same species in ambient temperature solutions. To interp...
The Role of Red Yeast Rice for the Physician

Red yeast rice is an ancient Chinese dietary staple and medication used by millions of patients as an alternative therapy for hypercholesterolemia. In recent years, the use of red yeast rice has grown exponentially due to increased public interest in complementary and alternative medications and the publication of several randomized, controlled trials demonstrating its efficacy and safety in different populations. The most promising role for red yeast rice is as an alternative lipid-lowering therapy for patients who refuse to take statins because of philosophical reasons or patients who are unable to tolerate statin therapy due to statin-associated myalgias. However, there is limited government oversight of red yeast rice products, wide variability of active ingredients in available formulations, and the potential of toxic byproducts. Therefore, until red yeast rice products are regulated and standardized, physicians and patients should be cautious in recommending this promising alternative therapy for hyperlipidemia.
Snapshot imaging spectropolarimeter

We present and analyze a technique for snapshot imaging spectropolarimetry. The technique involves the combination of channeled spectropolarimetry with computed tomography imaging spectrometry (CTIS). Channeled spectropolarimetry uses modulation to encode the spatial dependence of all four Stokes parameters in a single spectrum. CTIS is a snapshot imaging spectrometry method in which a computer-generated holographic disperser is employed to acquire dispersed images of the target scene, and both spatial and spectral information is reconstructed using the mathematics of computed tomography. The combination of these techniques provides the basis for a snapshot imaging complete Stokes spectropolarimeter which can be implemented with no moving parts. We present results of a simulation that we did using four input Stokes vectors that varied with wavelength. The reconstruction took into account dispersion from the retarders and that low frequency components will be missing in CTIS.
Annual testosterone rhythm in the adult white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus borealis).

Year-round samples of blood were obtained from wild white-tailed deer. These were assayed for serum testosterone and the results were correlated with antler growth and testicular size. A circannual testosterone rhythm was found with high values in the fall months of August through November (mean 210 ng per 100 ml ± 51 SD), and low values from December through July (mean 34 ng per 100 ml ± 25 SD). Increasing serum testosterone values were correlated with increasing testicular size and hardening and velvet shedding of the antlers. Correlation of this work with previous studies on antler development suggests that the circannual testosterone rhythm is independent of nutrition, social factors, and exposure to females. It may be synchronized to photoperiodic cycles; however, it is present in the absence of photoperiodic stimulation. Specific factors controlling the circannual testosterone rhythm are unknown but appear in some way to be related to circadian rhythms.(Endocrinology 94: 1034, 1974)
BOUNCING TENDONS KEEP YOU RUNNING WELL

![Figure][1] How can the brain ensure that muscles are working efficiently? During running, for example, it seems that it would require exquisitely precise tuning of contraction timing, strength and duration to coordinate all the leg muscles. Does the brain orchestrate the split second
Hematological diseases: Prototypical conditions requiring the diagnostic and prognostic use of molecular data

The field of diagnostic hematopathology is dynamic and evolving given the ongoing accumulation of molecular information and demand for integration of this information into routine clinical practice. In light of this molecular revolution, the appropriate and effective utilization of molecular studies by clinicians/pathologists is of paramount importance to the current diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of nearly all hematologic diseases. In the routine workup of certain hematologic neoplasms, it is more pertinent and practical to understand the purpose of these analyses and how to generally apply them to particular diseases rather than trying to remember a likely outdated list of genes. We will see advances in the treatment of hematologic malignancies as drug development catches up to our molecular understanding of diseases.
Modeling of the time-dependent strain response of electroactive NCC-PEO and PVDF composites

Ionic electroactive polymers have been widely studied, wherein the electrically induced ionic motion generates an actuation response. The electromechanical bending observed in these polymers is due to the size difference between two types of ions which results in an unequal expansion and contraction between the two sides. Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) is a biodegradable, renewable, and inexpensive biomass derivative. Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) is also biodegradable and a well-known solid-state electrolyte capable of having both cations and anions diffuse through its matrix under an applied electric field. In this study, NCC is mixed with the PEO to make 0-3 composites with increased Young’s modulus and improved actuation performance. Experimental results showed that the time-dependent strain response for these composites followed an Arrhenius behavior. Using the Stokes- Einstein model, the flux of the ions within in the polymer matrix were defined as charged, spherical particles moving through a viscous medium with low Reynold’s number. This new approach makes it possible to calculate parameters that may otherwise have been difficult or impossible to obtain. In this work, calculations for these properties, such as: apparent ionic diffusion coefficient, ionic velocity, and the dynamic viscosity of the matrix material are analyzed and presented. For example, the parameters for PEO-NCC composites doped with 5.0 wt.% lithium were calculated to be 3.58e-10 cm 2 /s, 102 nm/s, and 275 Poise, respectively. Electroactive polyvinylidene fluoride films were also synthesized for comparison and refinement of the introduced model.
Changes in Physicochemical Properties of Retort-Sterilized Dairy Beverages During Storage

The effects of composition, storage time, and storage temperature on the physicochemical properties of a retort-sterilized dairy beverage were investigated. Drinks with eight formulations were stored at 4, 25, and 37°C for 6 mo and were analyzed monthly for pH, net color difference, apparent viscosity, sedimentation index, homogenization index, particle size index, and soluble calcium. The changes in the physicochemical properties of the beverages increased as storage time and temperature increased. The degree of change was affected by the composition of the product. Sodium tripolyphosphate was implicated in promoting age gelation of samples with 11% nonfat milk solids, but sedimentation was observed in the absence of sodium tripolyphosphate and carrageenan. The apparent viscosity of samples affected the rate of age gelation and sedimentation, both of which increased as viscosity decreased. Interactions between milk fat, carrageenan, and nonfat milk solids were important in determining the apparent viscosity of the beverages and the rate of change observed during storage.
Damage detection in initially nonlinear systems

Abstract The primary goal of Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is to detect structural anomalies before they reach a critical level. Because of the potential life-safety and economic benefits, SHM has been widely studied over the past two decades. In recent years there has been an effort to provide solid mathematical and physical underpinnings for these methods; however, most focus on systems that behave linearly in their undamaged state—a condition that often does not hold in complex “real-world” systems and systems for which monitoring begins mid-lifecycle. In this work, we highlight the inadequacy of linear-based methodology in handling initially nonlinear systems. We then show how the recently developed autoregressive support vector machine (AR-SVM) approach to time-series modeling can be used for detecting damage in a system that exhibits initially nonlinear response. This process is applied to data acquired from a structure with induced nonlinearity tested in a laboratory environment.
T c for dilute Bose gases: Beyond leading order in 1 / N

Baym, Blaizot, and Zinn-Justin have recently used the large-$N$ approximation to calculate the effect of interactions on the transition temperature of dilute Bose gases. We extend their calculation to next-to-leading order in $1/N$ and find a relatively small correction of $\ensuremath{-}26%$ to the leading order result. This suggests that the large-$N$ approximation works surprisingly well in this application.
The surfaces of solar‐system bodies

Extensive study of the lunar surface using spacecraft (Ranger, Surveyor, Orbitor, and Apollo projects) and a surge of activity at visible, IR, and radio wavelengths using ground-based telescopes during the past 5 years has resulted in a staggering increase in knowledge of the moon. It is impossible to cover properly even the major results in this limited format. We give here a very abbreviated discussion and refer the interested reader to the project reports and review articles listed in the first section of the bibliography. Individual references in the text are not given when the topic is covered in the appropriate mission report, usually by several authors. Articles that appeared separately in the literature are referenced in the text. The bibliography contains only articles that appear in major scientific journals. Again the extent of the literature has required extensive, and perhaps some improper, deletions.
Identifying consistent brain networks via maximizing predictability of functional connectome from structural connectome

Recent studies have suggested that structural brain connectivity is strongly correlated with functional connectivity. However, the relationship between structural and functional connectivity at the whole brain connectome scale has been rarely explored. This paper presents a novel framework to infer brain networks that are consistent across multiple neuroimaging modalities and across individuals at the connectome scale. Our basic premise is that the predictability of functional connectivity from structural connectivity within each brain network should be maximized, which is formulated by and solved via a novel feedback-regulated multi-view spectral clustering algorithm. We applied and tested the proposed algorithm on the multimodal structural and functional brain connectomes of 50 healthy subjects, and obtained promising results. Our validation experiments demonstrated that the derived brain networks are in agreement with current neuroscience knowledge and offer novel insights into the close relationship between brain structure and function at the connectome scale.
Enhancement of irinotecan (CPT-11) activity against central nervous system tumor xenografts by alkylating agents

Two major obstacles in the treatment of patients with central nervous system malignancies are drug resistance and host toxicity. The goal of combination chemotherapy is to achieve therapeutic effects that are more favorable than using a single drug alone, but without an increase in normal organ toxicity. The study reported here examined the combination of a topoisomerase I inhibitor, irinotecan (CPT-11), with three different alkylating agents: 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea, busulfan, and cyclophosphamide. We evaluated the antitumor effects of these three combinations against a panel of human tumor xenografts derived from central nervous system malignancies, including adult high-grade gliomas (D-54 MG, D-245 MG) and a childhood ependymoma (D-612 EP). In replicate experiments, the alkylating agents were given on day 1 in doses varying from 10% to 75% of the dose lethal to 10% of the animals, and CPT-11 was given on days 1-5 and 8-12 in doses varying from 10% to 100% of the dose lethal to 10% of the animals. The antitumor effects of the various combinations ranged from less than additive (7.61 days below additive with 0.5 CPT-11 + 0.75 cyclophosphamide in D-54 MG) to statistically significant (P < 0.001) supraadditive effects (18.80 days above additive with 0.5 CPT-11 + 0.5 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea in D-54 MG). These studies show that the combination of the topoisomerase inhibitor CPT-11 and alkylating agents may increase the antitumor effect in some cases well above additive with no increase in host toxicity (0/10 deaths in both experiments cited above) and should be considered for combination chemotherapy of central nervous system malignancies.
West of Center: Art and the Counterculture Experiment in America, 1965-1977

By 1934 the Communist Party of America (CPUSA), largely through the John Reed Club art section and the Artists Union, more or less acknowledged Social Realism. Doctrinaire Proletkult representation...
Effects of Alcohol on Speech

In this paper we summarize previous research that assessed the effects of alcohol on speech production and discuss an analysis of the speech produced by the captain of the Exxon Valdez recorded at several points around the time of the accident at Prince William Sound. Analysis of a small number of tokens of speech recorded before, during and after the accident suggests that the captain was probably intoxicated when his ship ran aground. Large changes in pitch, duration and spectral characteristics of several classes of speech sounds suggest impairment in the fine motor control necessary for the production of speech. These findings are consistent with the results from an earlier laboratory study in which the talkers were intoxicated to known BAL values. The results are discussed in terms of the legal aspects of using speech analysis techniques to assess sensory-motor impairment from alcohol.
Comparing FAA Activities The economic and regulatory state of Unmanned Aircraft Systems & Commercial Space Flight

This paper compares the Unmanned Aircraft System Industry to the Commercial Space Industry for both Economic Condition and Regulatory Framework. Both industries are within the regulatory responsibility of the Federal Aviation Administration and where Commercial Space has a very well established code of federal regulations, the UAS industry is still largely unregulated and unable to move forward with development until it is. The paper offers insight as to why this might be as a result of economic and social factors.
Influence of pavement condition on horizontal curve safety

Crash statistics suggest that horizontal curves are the most vulnerable sites for crash occurrence. These crashes are often severe and many involve at least some level of injury due to the nature of the collisions. Ensuring the desired pavement surface condition is one potentially effective strategy to reduce the occurrence of severe accidents on horizontal curves. This study sought to develop crash injury severity models by integrating crash and pavement surface condition databases. It focuses on developing a causal relationship between pavement condition indices and severity level of crashes occurring on two-lane horizontal curves in Texas. In addition, it examines the suitability of the existing Skid Index for safety maintenance of two-lane curves. Significant correlation is evident between pavement condition and crash injury severity on two-lane undivided horizontal curves in Texas. Probability of a crash becoming fatal is appreciably sensitive to certain pavement indices. Data suggested that road facilities providing a smoother and more comfortable ride are vulnerable to severe crashes on horizontal curves. In addition, the study found that longitudinal skid measurement barely correlates with injury severity of crashes occurring on curved portions. The study recommends exploring the option of incorporating lateral friction measurement into Pavement Management System (PMS) databases specifically at curved road segments.
Multisensor Aggregation Algorithms for Structural Damage Diagnosis Based on a Substructure Concept

One of the important goals of structural health monitoring is damage detection. Although many methods have been proposed to detect the existence of structural damage, relatively few studies are found on higher-level damage diagnosis such as identification of the location and extent of damage. In this paper, multiple substructural damage identification models based on regression between internal responses and boundary responses of individual beam elements in either plane or three-dimensional space are derived. Three damage indexes are defined from regression model characteristics, and two change-point analysis methods are adopted to capture changes in damage index sequences which are extracted from structural monitoring data sets from healthy and unknown states. Possible damage locations are identified as where the most significant changes in the damage indexes occur, and a voting scheme is used to synthesize the results from different algorithms. This damage detection approach is straightforward and efficient, with the regression coefficients directly related to the structural stiffness properties. The numerical and experimental application results show that the method successfully identifies and locates structural change in most of the cases.
A Role for Set1/MLL-Related Components in Epigenetic Regulation of the Caenorhabditis elegans Germ Line

The methylation of lysine 4 of Histone H3 (H3K4me) is an important component of epigenetic regulation. H3K4 methylation is a consequence of transcriptional activity, but also has been shown to contribute to “epigenetic memory”; i.e., it can provide a heritable landmark of previous transcriptional activity that may help promote or maintain such activity in subsequent cell descendants or lineages. A number of multi-protein complexes that control the addition of H3K4me have been described in several organisms. These Set1/MLL or COMPASS complexes often share a common subset of conserved proteins, with other components potentially contributing to tissue-specific or developmental regulation of the methyltransferase activity. Here we show that the normal maintenance of H3K4 di- and tri-methylation in the germ line of Caenorhabditis elegans is dependent on homologs of the Set1/MLL complex components WDR-5.1 and RBBP-5. Different methylation states that are each dependent on wdr-5.1 and rbbp-5 require different methyltransferases. In addition, different subsets of conserved Set1/MLL-like complex components appear to be required for H3K4 methylation in germ cells and somatic lineages at different developmental stages. In adult germ cells, mutations in wdr-5.1 or rbbp-5 dramatically affect both germ line stem cell (GSC) population size and proper germ cell development. RNAi knockdown of RNA Polymerase II does not significantly affect the wdr-5.1–dependent maintenance of H3K4 methylation in either early embryos or adult GSCs, suggesting that the mechanism is not obligately coupled to transcription in these cells. A separate, wdr-5.1–independent mode of H3K4 methylation correlates more directly with transcription in the adult germ line and in embryos. Our results indicate that H3K4 methylation in the germline is regulated by a combination of Set1/MLL component-dependent and -independent modes of epigenetic establishment and maintenance.
Synthesis and Activity of New Aryl- and Heteroaryl-Substituted Pyrazole Inhibitors of the Transforming Growth Factor-β Type I Receptor Kinase Domain

Pyrazole-based inhibitors of the transforming growth factor-β type I receptor kinase domain (TβR-I) are described. Examination of the SAR in both enzyme- and cell-based in vitro assays resulted in the emergence of two subseries featuring differing selectivity versus p38 MAP kinase. A common binding mode at the active site has been established by successful cocrystallization and X-ray analysis of potent inhibitors with the TβR-I receptor kinase domain.
Future Directions in Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor–Targeted Therapy for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

Bevacizumab, the first approved vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-targeted agent for metastatic colorectal cancer, continues to be developed in phase III trials in other tumor types. Its use is being explored not only in advanced disease, but also in earlier-stage disease in the adjuvant setting. Preclinical and clinical research is also addressing several potential strategies for maximizing the benefits of bevacizumab and other VEGF-targeted agents, including (1) dual inhibition of VEGF and platelet-derived growth factor signaling to target both the endothelial and the pericyte components of tumor vasculature; (2) combining VEGF-targeted agents with other targeted agents, such as inhibitors of HER2 or epidermal growth factor receptor signaling, which affect several angiogenic pathways; and (3) combining VEGF-targeted agents with low-dose, metronomic chemotherapy. The optimal dose and schedule of VEGF-targeted agents is another unanswered question. Further investigation of the mechanism of action and vascular effects of VEGF-targeted agents in humans will help to address these questions. Mechanistic studies in humans will be aided by the development and validation of surrogate clinical end points such as noninvasive assessment of hemodynamics and vascular changes within tumors, using imaging studies.