cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High-dose cyclophosphamide in severe aplastic anaemia: a randomised trial

Summary Background High-dose cyclophosphamide has been proposed as an alternative immunosuppressive agent for treatment of severe aplastic anaemia, with a response rate similar to that with regimens containing antithymocyte globulin (ATG) but neither relapse nor clonal haematological complications. We undertook a phase III, prospective, randomised trial to compare response rates to immunosuppression with either high-dose cyclophosphamide plus ciclosporin or conventional immunosuppression with ATG plus ciclosporin in previously untreated patients. Methods Between June, 1997, and March, 2000, 31 patients were enrolled. 15 were assigned cyclophosphamide (1 h intravenous infusion of 50 mg/kg daily for 4 days) and 16 were assigned ATG (40 mg/kg daily for 4 days); both groups received ciclosporin, initially at 12 mg/kg daily with adjustment to maintain concentrations at 200–400 μg/L, for 6 months. The primary endpoint was haematological response (no longer meeting criteria for severe aplastic anaemia). The trial was terminated prematurely after three early deaths in the cyclophosphamide group. Analyses were by intention to treat. Findings Median follow-up was 21–9 months (range 1–33). There was excess morbidity in the cyclophosphamide group (invasive fungal infections, four cyclophosphamide vs no ATG patients; p=0·043) as well as excess early mortality (three deaths within the first 3 months cyclophosphamide vs no ATG patients; p=0·101). There was no significant difference at 6 months after treatment in the overall response rates among evaluable patients (six of 13 [46%] cyclophosphamide vs nine of 12 [75%] ATG). Interpretation A longer period of observation will be necessary to assess the secondary endpoints of relapse and late clonal complications as well as disease-free and overall survival. However, cyclophosphamide seems a dangerous choice for treatment of this disorder, given the good results achievable with standard therapy.
Novel applications of the dielectric resonator

Unconventional applications of the dielectric resonator are described. These include frequency discriminators implemented in a planar circuit environment, a perturbative method for material property measurement employing a semi-open resonant structure, and dielectric loaded waveguiding structure for particle acceleration.
beads and money: notes toward a theory of wealth and power

Why have so many societies adopted beads or other objects of adornment as currencies of trade? The question opens up a series of other questions about the nature of exchange, visibility and invisibility, and the relation of exchange both to conceptions of the human person and ways of exercising power over others.
Quantitative Determination of the Hydrolysis Products of Nitrogen Mustards in Human Urine by Liquid Chromatography-Electrospray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Nitrogen mustards are a public health concern because of their extreme vesicant properties and the possible exposure of workers during the destruction of chemical stockpiles. A sensitive, rapid, accurate, and precise analysis for the quantitation of ultratrace levels of N.ethyldiethanolamine (EDEA) and N-methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) in human urine as a means of assessing recent exposure to the nitrogen mustards bis(2-chloroethyl)ethylamine and bis(2-chloroethyl)methylamine, respectively, was developed. The method was based on solid-phase extraction, followed by analysis of the urine extract using isotope-dilution high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry with TurbolonSpray ~ ionization and multiplereaction monitoring. The method limits of detection were 0.41 ng/ml, for EDEA and 0.96 ng/ml, for MDEA in I mt of urine with coefficients of variation < 10% for both compounds.
Traumatic Retrovesical Testicular Dislocation

Bilateral traumatic dislocation of the testis is rare. We report a case of testicular rupture and bilateral dislocation with associated pelvic fracture caused by a motorcycle accident. Serious testicular trauma resulting in testicular rupture is not uncommon. However, testicular dislocation is rare and occurs along the inguinal canal. Pelvic fractures from motorcycle accidents predispose ectopic dislocation. We report a case of retrovesical testicular dislocation in the presence of pelvic fracture. CASE REPORT A 37-year-old male presented after a head-on high velocity motorcycle accident. Injuries included a comminuted pelvic fracture (see figure). There was marked scrotal and perineal ecchymosis and hematoma. Both testes were impalpable. Ultrasound confirmed an empty scrotum and demonstrated the left testis in the groin. Scrotal exploration revealed a partially ruptured left testis in the left superficial inguinal pouch. The perineal floor was disrupted because of the pelvic fracture and the intact right testis was located retrovesically. Repair of the left testis and bilateral orchiopexy were performed. DISCUSSION
Particle Transport Through a Hollow Canine Airway Cast by High-Frequency Oscillatory Ventilation

High-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFV) of the mammalian respiratory tract can maintain good respiratory ventilation, even with tidal volumes less than half of the anatomic dead space. A steady bidirectional drift is established in airways when the frequency is > 2 Hz, resulting in quasi-steady axial streams in the airways. Convective transport from the trachea to peripheral airways takes place in the central core of the bifurcating network of the bronchial tree. It takes place in the opposite direction in the annular regions near the airway walls. In this study, aerosol particle transport was measured in a hollow cast of a canine tracheobronchial tree that extended from the trachea to terminal bronchioles. The 0.5 μm particles, placed in the upper trachea as a bolus, were transported rapidly to the terminal airways of the cast by HFV with tidal volumes of less than one third the volume of the cast. Carrier gases of different kinematic viscosity were used to investigate the fluid dynamics of the tran...
Long-run purchasing power parity: evidence from some European Monetary System countries

Long-run purchasing power parity (PPP) for five countries participating in the European Monetary System (EMS) during the recent floating exchange rate period is studied. Using new econometric techniques, evidence is found supporting long-run purchasing power parity. Moreover, the long-run PPP relationship is generally stable throughout the period since the dissolution of the Bretton-Woods period, even with the advent of the European Monetary System. Frequent realignments within the EMS may have served to maintain competitiveness between member countries.
Treatment of Leptomeningeal Carcinomatosis in a Patient With Metastatic Cholangiocarcinoma

A 49-year-old woman with cholangiocarcinoma metastatic to the lungs presented with new-onset unrelenting headaches. A lumbar puncture revealed malignant cells consistent with leptomeningeal metastasis from her cholangiocarcinoma. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain revealed leptomeningeal enhancement. An intrathecal (IT) catheter was placed and IT chemotherapy was initiated with methotrexate. Her case is notable for the rarity of cholangiocarcinoma spread to the leptomeninges, the use of IT chemotherapy with cytologic and potentially symptomatic response, and a possible survival benefit in comparison to previously reported cases of leptomeningeal carcinomatosis secondary to cholangiocarcinoma.
11° east: The intersection of Scarpa and Fehn

On the advice of Jorn Utzon, Sverre Fehn travelled to Morocco in 1952. The influence on his own work of the architecture he experienced in Morocco is well documented by Fehn and scholars alike. His own essay published in the same year of his travel on the architecture of Morocco is a testament to the influence. It is clear from the scholarship that Fehn learned as much about himself and his Norwegian identity as he did the “primitive” architecture of Morocco. A decade later, Fehn travelled to Venice for the opening of the Nordic Pavilion at the 1962 Biennale. While in Italy he met with Carlo Scarpa and toured the recently renovated Castelvecchio museum in Verona. Less studied is the influence of Fehn’s trip to Venice and, for example Scarpa’s museum on Fehn’s own work and, specifically, the Storhamarlaven in Hamar. This essay will demonstrate the intersections that exist between the two museums designed by Scarpa and Fehn. Importantly, the intersections reveal as much about the specificity of place and identity as they do the ability to transcend both. Oddly enough, both museums intersect at 11 degrees east.
FPGA-Based Multigrid Computation for Molecular Dynamics Simulations

FPGA-based acceleration of molecular dynamics (MD) has been the subject of several recent studies. Implementing long-range forces, however, has only recently been addressed. Here we describe a solution based on the multigrid method. We show that multigrid is, in general, an excellent match to FPGAs: the primary operations take advantage of the large number of independently addressable RAMs and the efficiency with which complex systolic structures can be implemented. The multigrid accelerator has been integrated into our existing MD system, and an overall performance gain of 5x to 7x has been obtained, depending on hardware configuration and reference code. The simulation accuracy is comparable to the original double precision serial code.
Racial disparity in colorectal cancer: the role of ABO blood group.

Background We tested the hypothesis that racial differences that exist in the distribution of ABO blood type would partially explain the racial disparity in overall survival seen in colorectal cancer. Methods retrospective analysis of the cancer registry of a university hospital for patients treated for colorectal cancer between 1996 and 2008. Demographic, tumor-specific, and treatment-specific variables were abstracted. We also obtained ABO blood group data. The primary end point was overall survival. We divided patients into two groups based on where they underwent surgery: the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) or outside facilities. Results Of 833 patients, 182 (21.8%) were black. There was no difference in overall survival between blacks and whites for the entire group (P = 0.61). There was a statistically significant difference in overall survival between patients at the UAMS and outside facilities (P Conclusions In this study, racial differences in ABO blood group distribution had no effect on overall survival.
Orthopaedic care aboard the USNS Mercy during Operation Unified Assistance after the 2004 Asian tsunami. A case series.

On December 26, 2004, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake occurred off the northwest coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The subsequent tsunami caused unprecedented destruction throughout the Indian Ocean basin1. In eleven nations, millions were injured and/or displaced and, although estimates vary, as many as 300,000 lives may have been lost2-4. Within days after this natural disaster, hundreds of humanitarian organizations and thousands of military troops from several countries mobilized to offer assistance5-7. The U.S. military response came in the form of Operation Unified Assistance, a mission of humanitarian aid and disaster relief8. Within days, the U.S. Navy carrier strike group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln and the expeditionary strike group led by the USS Bonhomme Richard were sent to provide aid to heavily damaged areas. Numerous U.S. military aircraft were also dispatched to facilitate the safe movement of personnel, food, medicine, and drinking water9,10. In addition to providing immediate relief services, the U.S. Navy deployed a hospital ship to the region. The USNS Mercy departed San Diego, California, on January 5, 2005, en route to the Aceh province of Sumatra, Indonesia. The mission of the USNS Mercy was to conduct medical humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations in support of the government of Indonesia to reduce suffering and improve public health. The Mercy crew of health-care providers included medical and surgical staff from the U.S. Navy and officers from the U.S. Public Health Service. To augment the Navy Medical Corps, approximately 100 civilian volunteer physicians, nurses, and technologists from the non-governmental organization Project HOPE were included11, making this the first mission in history to utilize civilian medical personnel aboard a U.S. Navy vessel. From February 5 through March 16, 2005, the USNS Mercy provided …
Polygyrid land snails, Vespericola (Gastropoda: Pulmonata), 4. A new and possibly extinct species from central California, U.S.A.

Vespericola ohlone sp. nov. , is described from material collected in the nineteenth century, probably around freshwater marshes in Alameda County, central California. No more recent collecting records have been found, and the species may be extinct. The new species differs from Vespericola pilosus (Henderson, 1928) in having its base produced and somewhat excavated around the umbilicus, the inner quadrant of the base with a small shelf set off by a spiral sulcus behind the basal lip, and the inner part of the basal lip angled, rather than gently curved, forward. The soft anatomy is unknown.
A new signal processing course for digital culture

Signal processing algorithms, software, and hardware are being used in several fields including non-engineering areas such as arts and media. Students in these fields and particularly in the new Digital Culture major at Arizona State University (ASU) use signal processing tools in several of their projects and artistic endeavors. Yet the blind use of these DSP tools in other disciplines, without understanding their properties has been a long-standing problem. In fact, the broader issue is the disconnect between engineers that develop tools and artists that use them to design the next generation digital art applications. In that context, ASU has formed the Arts Media and Engineering (AME) School and more recently, the multidisciplinary undergraduate Digital Culture degree granting program. In order to provide formal training in signal processing to students that are non-Electrical Engineering majors, we piloted a new course titled Signal Processing for Digital Culture. This course, which is being offered online, teaches non-majors some of the basics of signal processing and covers several applications. The only prerequisite to the course is general sophomore calculus. This new online course contains several topics and is focused on an approach that teaches concepts by connecting theory to compelling applications. Future plans include introducing this course at Clarkson University as a Knowledge Area course open to students from all majors.
Strobe Rearing Prevents the Convergence of Inputs With Different Response Timings Onto Area 17 Simple Cells

Humphrey, Allen L., Alan B. Saul, and Jordan C. Feidler. Strobe rearing prevents the convergence of inputs with different response timings onto area 17 simple cells. J. Neurophysiol. 80: 3005–3020,...
Parallelisms and Distinctions: Chicago Jewry Once a Shadow of New York Jews

For centuries, Jews have lived in cities throughout Europe underneath the oppressive rule of tyrants, separatist and religious purist that have commonly shared and expressed an anti-Semitic antipathy for the Jewish community at large. The fact that Jews knew this to be their history is confirmed by the German writer L. Kompert in his essay “Off to America” written in 1848. Kompert writes, “Our history has been nothing but a silent acceptance of every torture, agony and restriction they have chosen to impose on us!” As a result of this European attitude, Kompert offers to his audience, the idea of emigration to America as an alternative solution to their perennial problems. Given this historical backdrop, this investigation will explore the emigration experience as it affected German and Eastern European Jewish emigrants that settled in the American cities of Chicago and New York. By examining many similarities and a few of the distinctions found between these two cities, it is hoped that this analysis will provide a more balanced view of the important Jewish developments that made Chicago’s contributions to the American Jewish heritage equal to New York’s contributions.
Load Balancing and Accelerating Parallel Spatial Join Operations Using Bitmap Indexing

Spatial data arises in a variety of contexts, including Geographical Information Systems (GIS), scientific simulations, and medical applications. With growing size of spatial data, there is an increasing emphasis on efficiently parallelizing spatial join algorithms. In this paper, we show how existing parallel spatial join algorithms suffer from load imbalance problem. Next, we describe an effective approach for load balancing that is based on using bitmaps as a summary structure of the data. We also use bitmaps to speedup in-memory sequential processing. The specific algorithms we have developed are Bitmap Partitioning Spatial Join (BPSJ), where the main ideas is to perform effective load balancing using bitmaps, and In-memory Bitmap-based Spatial Join (IBSJ), which uses bitmaps for efficient spatial join filtering step. Both algorithms have been compared against existing methods. Parallel BPSJ algorithm outperforms parallel well-known PBSM method by an average of 6.1x while IBSJ has an average speed-up of 4.2 times over plane-sweep and 3.06 times over the R-tree method.
The mid-atlantic autumn cold pool during GliderPalooza-2013

During the autumn of 2013 the Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System (MARACOOS) - under the auspices of the NOAA Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) - coordinated the shelf deployments of nine ocean gliders between Nova Scotia and Georgia in an exercise called GliderPalooza 2013. This paper describes the use of four of those gliders to map the September 2013 Cold Pool in the - the Middle Atlantic Bight (MAB). The Cold Pool is a swath of distinctive, highly-variable, bottom-trapped, cold water mass found during summer over the mid and outer continental shelf between Cape Cod and Cape Hatteras; and a dominant component of the summer MAB habitat. During September, three of the gliders each occupied a pair of cross-shelf transects extending beyond the shelfbreak south of the New England, off New Jersey, and off Maryland respectively; while the fourth patrolled inside of the 30m isobath off New Jersey. The spatially variable Cold Pool was defined at each cross-shelf glider transect in terms of its temperature departure (TD) relative its particular section-minimum temperature Tmin; or for TD <4°C. We found that the loci of Tmins or Cold Pool core, was just inshore and offshore of the shelfbreak in the eastern and western MAB, respectively. The inshore Cold Pool boundary varied between the 20m and 40m isobath alongshelf, while the offshore boundary generally was beyond the shelfbreak in association with the shelfbreak front.
Freeway truck travel time prediction for freight planning using truck probe GPS data

Predicting truck (heavy vehicle) travel time is a principal component of freight project prioritization and planning. However, most existing travel time prediction models are designed for passenger vehicles and fail to make truck specific forecasts or use truck specific data. Little is known about the impact of this limitation, or how truck travel time prediction could be improved in response to freight investments with an improved methodology. In light of this, this paper proposes a pragmatic multi-regime speed-density relationship based approach to predict freeway truck travel time using empirical truck probe GPS data (which is increasingly available in North American and Europe) and loop detector data. Traffic regimes are segmented using a cluster analysis approach. Two case studies are presented to illustrate the approach. The travel time estimates are compared with the Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) model and the Akcelik model outputs. It is found that the proposed method is able to estimate more accurate travel times than traditional methods. The predicted travel time can support freight prioritization and planning.
Effect of storage temperature on survival and growth of foodborne pathogens on whole, damaged, and internally inoculated jalapeños (Capsicum annuum var. annuum).

There is a lack of general knowledge regarding the behavior of foodborne pathogenic bacteria associated with jalapeno peppers. The survival and growth behaviors of Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Salmonella enterica on the interior and exterior of jalapeno peppers were determined under different storage conditions. Jalapenos were inoculated with a five-strain cocktail of L. monocytogenes, E. coli O157:H7, or S. enterica on the intact external surface, injured external surface, or intact internal cavity of jalapeno peppers and held at 7 or 12°C for a period of 14 days. Populations of each pathogen were determined at 0, 1, 2, 5, 7 10, and 14 days throughout storage. The uninjured, intact external surface of jalapeno peppers did not support growth of the pathogens tested under both storage conditions, with the exception of L. monocytogenes at 12°C. Populations of E. coli and S. enterica declined on the external injured surface of peppers at 7°C, but populations of L. monocytogenes remai...
Derivative Properties in Fundamental Laws

ABSTRACTOrthodoxy has it that only metaphysically elite properties can be invoked in scientifically elite laws. We argue that this claim does not fit scientific practice. An examination of candidat...
Reflections on sustainable development of disease control and prevention system

With the deepening of health care system reform, the sustainable development of disease control and prevention CDC system has become the public concern again. This article proposed the driving force and vision for the sustainable development of CDC system, in terms of six aspects including public awareness strengthening, legal enforcement, government financial investment, capacity building of grass-roots, role redefinition of CDC s at all levels and public participation.It is aimed to provide an insight for the development of CDC system that meets the requirements of current health care reform, works totally for public interests and fits the needs of the general public, and finally promote the sharing of health care reform achievements among all the people.
The prevalence of selected risk factors for chronic disease among American Indians in Washington State.

DESPITE GREAT IMPROVEMENTS in recent decades, the health status of American Indians continues to lag behind that of other Americans. Continued health improvement will depend largely on changes in individual behavior. Until recently, however, few data existed on health risk behaviors among American Indians. We conducted personal interviews among the adult population of an Indian Health Service Service Unit in Washington State to estimate the prevalence of some health risk behaviors. This analysis focuses on three of the many topics covered in the survey : tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and weight. Cigarette smoking was more prevalent among both men and women than it was in the general population in the same area with 43% of men and 54% of women among the American Indians interviewed reported that they currently smoked. However, they tended to smoke much less heavily than smokers in the general population. Smokeless tobacco use was concentrated among young men, with the overall prevalence similar to that found in the general population. Acute heavy drinking was found to be common with 40% of men and 33% of women reporting this behavior for the previous month. The prevalence of substantial overweight was 45% among men and 43% among women, considerably higher than in the general population. Tribal leaders and the Indian Health Service are using the findings to design disease prevention and health promotion activities. In addition to providing valuable information about the surveyed populations, the survey served as a pilot for similar studies of other American Indian groups.
Coherence and Discourse

Coh-Metrix, it may be recalled, discusses coherence in terms of causal connecting words such as because and therefore, as well as overlapping meaning and reference through such devices as content word overlap. A mechanistic approach may find characteristics that in at least some contexts correlate with another formal measure such as cloze, or possibly with an intuitive sense of coherence, but it nevertheless does not really provide us any real sense of what coherence is. The formalistic properties of coherence used in Coh-Metrix fail to characterize coherence in texts. It is always possible to scramble a text so that it is absolutely meaningless while at the same time maintaining a high coherence value as measured by these formal characteristics, none of which would be disturbed by the scrambling.
Game Theory in Economics and Beyond

Within economics, game theory occupied a rather isolated niche in the 1960s and 1970s. It was pursued by people who were known specifically as game theorists and who did almost nothing but game theory, while other economists had little idea what game theory was. Game theory is now a standard tool in economics. Contributions to game theory are made by economists across the spectrum of fields and interests, and economists regularly combine work in game theory with work in other areas. Students learn the basic techniques of game theory in the first-year graduate theory core. Excitement over game theory in economics has given way to an easy familiarity. This essay first examines this transition, arguing that the initial excitement surrounding game theory has dissipated not because game theory has retreated from its initial bridgehead, but because it has extended its reach throughout economics. Next, it discusses some key challenges for game theory, including the continuing problem of dealing with multiple equilibria, the need to make game theory useful in applications, and the need to better integrate noncooperative and cooperative game theory. Finally it considers the current status and future prospects of game theory.
3DJ: An Analytical and Generative Design System for Synthesizing High-Performance Textures from 3D Scans

This paper presents “3D Sampling” as a new creative design process. Analogous to sample-based music, 3D Sampling provides conceptual and technical tools for hacking, mixing, and re-appropriating the material behavior, performance features, and structures of real world objects. Building on previous research, this paper demonstrates a new 3D Sampling design system—“3DJ”. 3DJ implements user-guidance features within an evolutionary design process to synthesize new texture designs from 3D scans. A case study demonstrates the use of 3DJ to generate novel designs for a site-specific architectural canopy from 3D scanned textures.
Tunisia: Language Situation

Tunisia possesses a level of linguistic and cultural homogeneity found in few other countries; however, Arabic diglossia exists and Berber is spoken by some 60 000 Tunisians. French, of course, remains the second language of Tunisia, while English is emerging as another language to be used for modernization and privatization.
Technology-enhanced mathematics instruction: A second-order meta-analysis of 30 years of research

Abstract It is important to assess the cumulative effects of technology on student achievement captured in the last 30 years of technologyenhanced mathematics instruction. Synthesizing the thousands of articles and gray literature on this subject is necessary but would require a considerable commitment of academic resources. A second-order metaanalysis or meta-analysis of meta-analyses is an alternative that is reasonable and effective. Thus, a second-order meta-analysis of 19 prior meta-analyses with minimum overlap between primary studies was conducted. The results represent 663 primary studies (approximately 141,733 participants) and 1,263 effect sizes. The random effects' mean effect size of .38 was statistically significantly different from zero. The results provide a historical and contextualized summary of 30 years of meta-analytic research, which supports meta-analytic thinking and better interpretation of future effect sizes. Results indicate that technology function and study quality are major contributors to effect size variation. Specifically, computation enhancement technologies were most effective, while studies that examine combinations of enhancements were least effective. Implications for technology-enhanced mathematics instruction and meta-analytic research are provided.
FSM Anomaly Detection Using Formal Analysis

Finite state machines (FSMs) control the functionality of the overall design. Any deviation from the specified FSM behavior can endanger the trustworthiness of the design. This is a critical concern when an FSM is responsible for controlling the usage or propagation of protected information (e.g. secret keys) in a secure component. FSM vulnerabilities can be created by a rogue designer or an attacker by inserting hardware Trojans in the FSM implementation. The vulnerability can also be introduced unintentionally by a CAD tool (e.g., when a synthesis tool is trying to optimize a gate-level netlist). In this paper, we present an efficient formal analysis framework based on symbolic algebra to find FSM vulnerabilities. The proposed method tries to find inconsistencies between the specification and FSM implementation through manipulation of respective polynomials. Security properties (such as a safe transition to a protected state) are derived using specification polynomials and verified against implementation polynomials. In a case of a failure, the vulnerability is reported. While existing methods can verify legal transitions, our approach tries to solve the important and non-trivial problem of detecting illegal accesses to the design states (e.g., protected states). We demonstrated the merit of our proposed method by detecting the vulnerabilities in various FSM designs, while state-of-the-approaches failed to identify the security flaws.
Performance of Coronary Risk Scores Among Patients With Chest Pain in the Emergency Department.

Abstract Background Both the modified History, Electrocardiogram, Age, Risk factors and Troponin (HEART) score and the Emergency Department Assessment of Chest pain Score (EDACS) can identify patients with possible acute coronary syndrome (ACS) at low risk ( Objectives The authors sought to assess the comparative accuracy of the EDACS (original and simplified) and modified HEART risk scores when using cardiac troponin I (cTnI) cutoffs below the 99th percentile, and obtain precise MACE risk estimates. Methods The authors conducted a retrospective study of adult emergency department (ED) patients evaluated for possible ACS in an integrated health care system between 2013 and 2015. Negative predictive values for MACE (composite of myocardial infarction, cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest, and all-cause mortality) were determined at 60 days. Reclassification analyses were used to assess the comparative accuracy of risk scores and lower cTnI cutoffs. Results A total of 118,822 patients with possible ACS were included. The 3 risk scores’ accuracies were optimized using the lower limit of cTnI quantitation ( Conclusions Among ED patients with possible ACS, the modified HEART score, original EDACS, and simplified EDACS all predicted a low risk of 60-day MACE with improved accuracy using a cTnI cutoff below the 99th percentile. The original EDACS identified the most low-risk patients, and thus may be the preferred risk score.
Integrative analysis of 5-methyl- and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine indicates a role for 5-hydroxymethylcytosine as a repressive epigenetic mark

Since the discovery of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) as a prominent DNA base modification found in mammalian genomes, an emergent question has been what role this mark plays in gene regulation. 5hmC is hypothesized to function as an intermediate in the demethylation of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and also in reactivation of silenced regulatory elements, including promoters and enhancers. Further, weak positive correlations have been observed between gene body 5hmC and gene expression. We previously demonstrated that ME-Class, which uses a high-resolution model of whole-genome bisulfite sequencing data, is an effective tool to understand relationships between 5mC and expression. In this work, we present ME-Class2, a machine-learning based tool to perform integrative 5mCG, 5hmCG and expression analysis. Using ME-Class2 we analyze whole-genome single-base resolution 5mC and 5hmC datasets from 20 primary tissue and cell samples to uncover relationships between 5hmC and expression. The addition of 5hmC improves model performance for tissues with high-levels of 5hmC such as the brain. Our analysis further indicates that conversion of 5mC to 5hmC within 2kb of the transcription start site associates with distinct functions depending on the summed level of 5mC + 5hmC. Unchanged levels of 5mC + 5hmC (i.e. conversion from 5mC to stable 5hmC) associate with repression. Meanwhile, decreases in 5mC + 5hmC (i.e. 5hmC-mediated demethylation) associate with gene activation. As more large-scale, genome-wide, differential DNA methylation studies become available, tools such as ME-Class2 will prove invaluable to interpret epigenomic data and guide mechanistic studies into the function of 5hmC.
Born to run: control of transcription elongation by RNA polymerase II

The dynamic regulation of transcription elongation by RNA polymerase II (Pol II) is an integral part of the implementation of gene expression programmes during development. In most metazoans, the majority of transcribed genes exhibit transient pausing of Pol II at promoter-proximal regions, and the release of Pol II into gene bodies is controlled by many regulatory factors that respond to environmental and developmental cues. Misregulation of the elongation stage of transcription is implicated in cancer and other human diseases, suggesting that mechanistic understanding of transcription elongation control is therapeutically relevant. In this Review, we discuss the features, establishment and maintenance of Pol II pausing, the transition into productive elongation, the control of transcription elongation by enhancers and by factors of other cellular processes, such as topoisomerases and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs), and the potential of therapeutic targeting of the elongation stage of transcription by Pol II.
Morphology of Drained Upland Depressions on the Des Moines Lobe of Iowa

An algorithm developed to derive the morphology of depressional landscape features was applied to the Iowa portion of the Des Moines Lobe using high-resolution hydrologically corrected digital elevation models. In total, 173,171 topographically intact, drained upland depressions were identified, and their individual morphologies determined. The frequency distributions of maximum area of inundation, maximum depth, and maximum storage volume of depressions were described by a power-law function. Maximum storage volume was strongly related to maximum inundation area through a power-law model, the parameters of which differ from those reported for other areas of the North American Prairie Pothole Region. The spatial distributions, densities, and bulk morphological attributes of upland depressions within the DML-IA tend to be coincident with the region's distinctive glaciated sub-regions.
Using inspection time and ex-Gaussian parameters of reaction time to predict executive functions in children with ADHD

Abstract Slower and more variable performance in speeded reaction time tasks is a prominent cognitive signature among children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and is often also negatively associated with executive functioning ability. In the current study, we utilize a visual inspection time task and an ex-Gaussian decomposition of the reaction time data from the same task to better understand which of several cognitive subprocesses (i.e., perceptual encoding, decision-making, or fine-motor output) may be responsible for these important relationships. Consistent with previous research, children with ADHD (n = 190; 68 girls) had longer/slower SD and tau than non-ADHD peers (n = 76; 42 girls), but there were no group differences in inspection time, mu, or sigma. Smaller mu, greater sigma, longer tau, and slower inspection time together predicted worse performance on a latent executive function factor, but only tau partially mediated the relationship between ADHD symptomology and EF. These results suggest that the speed of information accumulation during the decision-making process may be an important mechanism that explains ADHD-related deficits in executive control.
MRI and Mammography Surveillance of Women at Increased Risk for Breast Cancer. Recommendations Using an Evidence-based Approach

Rationale and Objectives To evaluate breast cancer screening with mammography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in high-risk populations, including women with the BRCA mutation, using an evidence-based approach. Methods The MEDLINE, PubMed, EBM Reviews, ACP Journal Club, Cochrane Database MEDSEARCH, and SCOPUS databases were accessed and searched for articles up to August 2007. Articles were collected using the following terms and medical subject headings (MeSH) that applied to the focused clinical question: “BRCA1” and “BRCA2” with “mammography,” “MRI,” “prevention,” “screening,” and “surveillance.” References from retrieved articles were also used to identify relevant papers. Abstracts were screened and relevant papers retrieved. Retrieved papers were graded for quality. Summary performance measures were obtained by random effects modeling of study-specific performance estimates and standard errors derived from the multiple 2 × 2 tables. Additionally, studies meeting the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine level 2b quality were reviewed. Results In women with an increased risk without the BRCA gene, cancer detection rates by MRI were 0.011 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.003–0.019), by mammography 0.005 (95% CI 0.002–0.008), and by a combination of both, 0.012 (95% CI 0.004–0.020). False-positive rates by MRI, mammography, or a combination of both were 0.10 (95% CI 0.03–0.18), 0.05 (95% CI 0.03–0.06), and 0.14 (95% CI 0.04–0.24). In BRCA positive women, cancer detection rates by MRI were 0.027 (95% CI 0.015–0.040), by mammography 0.010 (95% CI 0.005–0.016), and by a combination of both 0.031 (95% CI 0.018–0.045). False-positive rates by MRI, mammography, or a combination of both were 0.10 (95% CI 0.01–0.19), 0.05 (95% CI 0.03–0.07), and 0.14 (95% CI 0.04–0.24), respectively. Conclusions The data support an essential role for screening MRI in women with an increased risk for breast cancer.
Development of Robust Fault Signatures for Battery and Starter Failure Prognosis

Battery and starter are crucial vehicle components, whose failures may cause customers to be stranded. To enhance customer satisfaction and improve dealership serviceability, the failure prognosis and fault isolation for battery or starter are very important. In order to develop a robust diagnostic and prognostic solution, in this work, the feature extraction algorithms are developed to extract two fault signatures, namely battery charging resistance equivalent and battery cranking resistance ratio. The algorithms are based on the equivalent circuit model for the battery and starter system, the battery empirical model, and the field knowledge about the driver’s behavior and battery management system. The proposed solution is a passive approach, and does not require any additional sensors for GM vehicles, or expensive computing hardware. Therefore, it is suitable for both onboard and off-board implementation. The solution has been validated with large fleet of vehicles under different scenarios, and implemented for selected GM vehicles through the OnStar™ Proactive Alerts service.
Micro-Cavity Fiber-Optic Pressure Sensor with Graphene Diaphragm

Micro-cavity fiber-optic pressure sensor with exfoliated graphene diaphragm is fabricated and tested. Analytical modeling indicates that pursuing ultra-thin diaphragm may not be necessary while non-trivial geometry of the cavity and reduced strain of the diaphragm help increasing the responsivity of the sensor.
Consultant Corner: Pancreatitis

Surgical consultation is useful in three specific scenarios: (1) when a surgical etiology of pancreatitis is identified, (2) when surgical complications of pancreatitis are identified, and (3) when a team approach is necessary to manage the long-term sequelae of pancreatitis. Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen and pelvis may be the first imaging study obtained, but if the diagnosis of pancreatitis is confirmed, ultrasound imaging of the gallbladder and hepatobiliary tree will help identify the most common etiologies (e.g., gallstone pancreatitis). Gallstone pancreatitis should prompt an evaluation for cholecystectomy during the index presentation. With the most recent literature suggesting that both under- and over-resuscitations have negative implications for patients with AP, we recommend using clinical markers of shock (skin perfusion, mental status, and urine output) coupled with laboratory markers of hypoperfusion (acidosis, hemoconcentration, organ failure) to guide resuscitation.
Nutrition Environment Scores of Local Food Retailers and Proximity to Study Participants' Residence in Rural South (P04-157-19)

An 18-month, two-arm, randomized, controlled trial designed to evaluate the comparative impact of two home visiting programs on gestational weight gain, postpartum weight loss, and diet was conducted with rural, Southern, African American women. Although nutrition education was an experimental treatment component, the intervention was not effective at improving participants’ poor diets. To better understand the dietary choices made by these women, an examination of the food environment was conducted in the towns in which they resided. Food retailers were measured with the Nutritional Environment Measures Surveys (NEMS). ArcGIS was used to geocode study participants’ residence and food retailers and to compute driving distances between participants’ residence and food retailers. Participants’ diet quality was measured with Healthy Eating Index (HEI). Associations among food retailers’ type and NEMS score, driving distances between residences and food retailers, and HEI total and component scores were examined. Significant differences between types of food retailers were found for % of maximum NEMS scores: grocery stores (60%), full service restaurants (42%), fast food restaurants (36%), and convenience stores (26%). Participants were closer to convenience stores (mean = .4 miles) and fast food restaurants (mean = .5 miles) than to full service restaurants (mean = 1.1 miles) and grocery stores (mean = 1.6 miles). Three-fourths of participants lived within ½ mile of a convenience store and two-thirds lived within ½ mile of a fast food restaurant, while 6% lived within ½ mile of a grocery store. Only 19% shopped at their closest grocery store while two-thirds traveled a greater distance to shop at a larger national chain grocery store. The mean distance to the closest grocery store was 1.6 miles as compared to 4.2 miles for the store where most of the food was purchased. The refined grains HEI score was negatively correlated with distances to the closest convenience store, fast food restaurant, and full service restaurant. The food environment of these rural, Southern, African American women provided numerous, convenient opportunities for unhealthy eating. US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.
Takeoff and Turbulence in Modernizing Peru

This essay reviews the following works: Peru: Elite Power and Political Capture. By John Crabtree and Francisco Durand. London: Zed Books (distributed by University of Chicago Press), 2017. Pp. viii + 206. $29.95 paperback. ISBN: 9781783609031. Peru in Theory. Edited by Paulo Drinot. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. Pp. ix + 255. $105.00 hardcover. ISBN: 9781137455253. Rethinking Community from Peru: The Political Philosophy of Jose Maria Arguedas. By Irina Alexandra Feldman. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2014. Pp. ix + 175. $29.95 paperback. ISBN: 9780822963073. The Rarified Air of the Modern: Airplanes and Technological Modernity in the Andes. By Willie Hiatt. New York: Oxford University Press, 2016. Pp. vii + 215. $49.54 hardcover. ISBN: 9780190248901. Andean Truths: Transitional Justice, Ethnicity, and Cultural Production in Post–Shining Path Peru. By Anne Lambright. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2015. Pp. vii + 212. $120.00 hardcover. ISBN: 9781781382516. Now Peru Is Mine: The Life and Times of a Campesino Activist. By Manuel Llamojha Mitma and Jaymie Patricia Heilman. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2016. Pp. ix + 229. $23.95 paperback. ISBN: 9780822362388. Peru: Staying the Course of Economic Success. Edited by Alejandro Santos and Alejandro Werner. Washington, DC: International Monetary Fund, 2015. Pp. xv + 440. $40.00 ISBN: 9781513599748.
Syntharch: interactive image search with attribute-conditioned synthesis

The use of interactive systems has been proposed and found to be a promising approach for content-based image retrieval, the task of retrieving a specific image from a database based on its content. These systems allow the user to refine the set of results iteratively until the target is reached. In order to proceed with the search efficiently, conventional methods rely on some shared knowledge between the user and the system, such as semantic visual attributes of the images. Those approaches demand the images to be semantically labeled and introduce a new semantic gap between the two parties’ understanding. In my thesis, I explore an alternative approach to interactive image search where feedback is elicited exclusively in visual forms, therefore eliminating the semantic gap and allowing for a generalized version of the method to operate on unlabeled databases. Thanks to the recent advancements in generative adversarial networks, we can now generate realistic images of certain controlled characteristics and use a multidimensional attribute space learned from an image database to condition image synthesis. I present Syntharch, a novel interactive image search approach which uses synthesized images as options instead of textual questions to gain information on the relative attribute values of the target image. For each iteration of the search, rather than asking the user to make an attribute-value comparison in words, Syntharch generates a pair of options (synthesized images) which varies only in one attribute and let the user select the option that is more visually similar to the target. I then demonstrate that using synthesized images rather than real images retrieved from the database as feedback options, Syntharch causes less confusion to the user. Further, I establish that the specific search method I propose performs similarly or better in comparison to the conventional approach. Overall, my thesis presents a new approach of interactive image search, proposes a specific implementation following that approach, and validates the hypotheses that guided the search approach as well as the implementation choices.
Complex Genetics and the Etiology of Human Congenital Heart Disease

The genetic architecture of human congenital heart disease (CHD) is as complex as the phenotypes it produces. The objective of this chapter is to review recent findings on the genetic basis and inheritance patterns of CHD. Rather than provide lists of identified genes, instead we offer a conceptual framework to understand the relationship between genetic variation and CHD. We review recent studies utilizing contemporary techniques, some of which may be difficult to interpret for the nonspecialist. This overview aims to educate students and clinicians, providing a background to understand pertinent genetic literature as it relates to human CHD.