cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reliability and Clinical Utility of the CARDS Classification for Degenerative Spondylolisthesis.

Study design Retrospective cohort study. Objective The objective of this study is to determine the reliability and clinical utility of the of the proposed CARDS classification for degenerative spondylolisthesis. Background The Clinical and Radiographic Degenerative Spondylolisthesis (CARDS) classification system was recently proposed as an alternative to the Meyerding system for classifying degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS). Unlike Meyerding, CARDS considers other relevant radiographic findings such as disk space collapse and segmental kyphosis to stratify DS into 4 radiographically discreet types. Currently, no studies have been conducted to assess the clinical utility of the CARDS system. Methods A total of 78 consecutive surgical patients with L4-L5 DS were rated as CARDS types A through D and Fleiss' κ for interobserver agreement was calculated. Then, demographics as well as preoperative and postoperative outcome scores (ODI, SF-12 mental and physical, VAS) were collected. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to detect significant differences amongst CARDS types. An unpaired t test was used to compare individual CARDS types with all other subtypes combined. Results Grading showed: 4 type A, 19 type B, 45 type C, and 8 type D (k=0.63). There was a statistically significant difference in preoperative back pain (P=0.046) between groups. CARDS type D had the highest mean back pain scores (8.8) of all subtypes which was significantly higher than mean back pain for all other subtypes combined (P=0.016). CARDS D showed the largest degree of improvement in all outcome measures. There was a trend towards an increased improvement in ODI (P=0.074) and SF-12 MCS (P=0.095) in the CARDS D subtype relative to the rest of the cohort. Conclusions The CARDS classification system represents a reliable method for classifying cases of DS. Our results indicate that kyphotic segmental alignment (CARDS D) may be a less common, yet clinically distinct subset of DS characterized by worse preoperative back pain. CARDS type D cases may also show a greater degree of improvement in multiple outcome measures following surgical intervention.
Examining the Landscape of Section 501(c)(4) Social Welfare Organizations

This article will be part of a symposium issue on social welfare organizations exempt from income tax under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. The articles in the symposium issue will cover many aspects of section 501(c)(4). This contribution gives an overview of the provision, including applicable law, legislative history, and, relying on some recent empirical work from the Urban Institute, a description of the many kinds of entities it includes. The article emphasizes that political activity is not key for most section 501(c)(4) organizations. Thus, focusing only on section 501(c)(4) political activities, as much recent coverage of section 501(c)(4) has done, misrepresents and misunderstands the subsector. The article argues that section 501(c)(4) often carries out a border control function by providing a home for entities that are almost but not quite eligible for exemption as charities under section 501(c)(3) or other provisions of section 501(c). At other times, however, section 501(c)(4) does the opposite – undermining rather than protecting the limits of other provisions of section 501(c). As a result, section 501(c)(4) has witnessed many border skirmishes, including conflicts that produced statutory changes regarding veterans’ organizations, homeowners’ organizations, amateur sports and credit counseling. The article suggests reforms of section 501(c)(4), including possible taxation of investment income, and predicts growth of the subsector in light of the 2017 tax legislation that increased the standard deduction and limited certain itemized deductions.
Failure to screen: predictors and burden of emergency colorectal cancer resection.

Objective To evaluate predictors and burden of emergency colorectal cancer resection (E-CCR). Study design Cross-sectional study of 127,975 discharges of patients with colorectal cancer undergoing resection. Methods We used the 2002 Nationwide Inpatient Sample of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project; E-CCR was identified based on the presence of bowel perforation, peritonitis, or obstruction. Bivariate and multilevel multivariable analyses were used to study the association between E-CCR and patient attributes, including demographics, insurance status, comorbidities, health status, and teaching hospital status. Results Among younger patients, Medicaid enrollees (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 2.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.68-2.58) and the uninsured [AOR], 2.62; 95% CI, 2.05-3.34) were at higher risk for E-CCR. Among older patients, those dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid were at higher risk for E-CCR (AOR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.11-1.70). Emergency colorectal cancer resection was associated with greater than 3-fold increased in-hospital mortality, 54 979 (95% CI, 38 731-71 226) excess hospital days as a result of longer lengths of stay, and more than 250 million dollars (95% CI, 180 million-334 million dollars) in hospital charges. Conclusion Targeted interventions to increase colorectal cancer screening in vulnerable subgroups of the population would reduce the substantial patient and societal burden associated with failure to screen.
Case Study: A Stress Update Algorithm for D-P Constitutive Model

A special stress update algorithm, called closet point project (CPP), for D-P constitutive model is studied with some numerical examples comparing CPP results with corresponding analytical solution. CPP is found to have uniformly consistency and unconditional numerical stability. We found that this algorithm is especially effective when used in geotechnical projects, which usually sees large step loading or unloading and requires strongly both stability and accuracy. A simple numerical example is given in the end for demonstration.
Electoral Competitiveness and the Voting Decision Evidence from the Pooled Senate Election Study

Scholarship on congressional elections holds that competitive elections are different from noncompetitive elections. Specifically, some scholars argue that the level of competitiveness determines the criteria or the weight of various criteria for the voting decision. Using the 1988–1990–1992 Pooled Senate Election Study, this research finds that enhanced electoral competitiveness increases the importance of assessments of presidential performance on the voting decision. These effects are particularly large for voters with high levels of educational attainment. Contrary to previous research, in highly competitive elections the role of ideological considerations is smaller than in less competitive elections.
Evolution Education: A Lay of the Land

Current academic discussions of the public relationship toward, and broad-based rejection of, evolution are, as I argue, limited by the philosophical positions that underpin the dominant voices of science and science education. Reviewing past research concerning student, teacher, and community disposition toward evolution, there is clearly a lacking commitment toward enacting evolution education unqualified by religious deference in the USA. In this introductory chapter, I unpack crucial issues to understanding misunderstandings in evolution education.
Dermatologic Conditions in Elite Tennis Players

Those who provide medical care for the elite tennis player will commonly encounter players with skin conditions. In this chapter we review the most common skin conditions that affect elite tennis players. We have divided these into four main causes: infectious, allergic, inflammatory, and traumatic. The infectious disorders include bacterial infection such as community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection (CA-MRSA). The viral disorders are varicella/zoster and human papilloma virus causing cutaneous warts. Cutaneous fungal infections are another common problem in the tennis athlete commonly affecting the feet and toenails. Allergic disorders include exercise-induced urticaria and anaphylaxis, the latter being potentially life-threatening. Inflammatory disorders include acne, xerosis, and dermatitis. Lastly, the traumatic causes are solar or ultraviolet ray disorders including skin cancer, friction, and pressure phenomenon such as tennis toenail and talon noire.
Rise in Node-Positive Prostate Cancer Incidence in Context of Evolving Use and Extent of Pelvic Lymphadenectomy.

Abstract Background The incidence of node-positive prostate cancer has risen and might be partially explained by evolving use of lymphadenectomy at a population level. We assessed trends of node-positive prostate cancer in context of extent of lymphadenectomy among men treated surgically for prostate cancer. Patients and Methods This was a retrospective study using data from a population-based cancer registry to identify men older than 50 years of age diagnosed with prostate cancer from 2010 to 2015 without distant metastases. We considered extent of node dissection as ordinal (1-4, 5-9, 10-14, 15-19, ≥20) and dichotomous (1-14, ≥15) variables. We fit multivariable models to assess trends in receipt of extended lymphadenectomy and then estimated odds of node-positive cancer on the basis of extent of lymphadenectomy. Results We identified 280,156 men diagnosed from 2010 to 2015; 5355 men (1.9%) had positive lymph nodes. Incidence of positive nodes increased from 6.4 to 8.4 cases per 100,000 men from 2010 to 2015 (standardized rate ratio, 1.31; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.20-1.44). Compared with 2010, prostatectomy patients with high-risk (odds ratio [OR], 1.66; 95% CI, 1.42-1.95) and intermediate-risk tumors (OR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.47-1.88) were more likely to undergo extended lymphadenectomy in 2015. Among high-risk patients, men with ≥20 nodes removed were 7 times more likely to have positive nodes, versus Conclusion Increased incidence of node-positive prostate cancer in the United States is partially explained by more frequent use of extended lymphadenectomy.
Physico-Chemical Processes for the Treatment of Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS): A review

AbstractThe recalcitrant behavior of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to most traditional water treatment processes is driving the development of new or modified treatment approaches for ...
Contemporary techniques in human otopathology and promise for the future

Contemporary histopathology of the ear is based on an evolution of equipment and histological techniques over the last 500 years, including the invention of the light microscope and protocols for fixation, embedment, sectioning, and staining of tissue samples, and visual documentation of findings. Several recent techniques which can be utilized in otopathology hold promise for significant improvement in methods and a better understanding of pathologic processes in diseases of the ear.
Mesoscale All-Atom Influenza Virus Simulations Suggest New Substrate Binding Mechanism

Influenza virus circulates in human, avian, and swine hosts, causing seasonal epidemic and occasional pandemic outbreaks. Influenza neuraminidase, a viral surface glycoprotein, has two sialic acid binding sites. The catalytic (primary) site, which also binds inhibitors such as oseltamivir carboxylate, is responsible for cleaving the sialic acid linkages that bind viral progeny to the host cell. In contrast, the functional annotation of the secondary site remains unclear. Here, we better characterize these two sites through the development of an all-atom, explicitly solvated, and experimentally based integrative model of the pandemic influenza A H1N1 2009 viral envelope, containing ∼160 million atoms and spanning ∼115 nm in diameter. Molecular dynamics simulations of this crowded subcellular environment, coupled with Markov state model theory, provide a novel framework for studying realistic molecular systems at the mesoscale and allow us to quantify the kinetics of the neuraminidase 150-loop transition be...
Atorvastatin Reduces In Vivo Fibrin Deposition and Macrophage Accumulation, and Improves Primary Patency Duration and Maturation of Murine Arteriovenous Fistula.

BACKGROUND Arteriovenous fistulas placed surgically for dialysis vascular access have a high primary failure rate resulting from excessive inward remodeling, medial fibrosis, and thrombosis. No clinically established pharmacologic or perisurgical therapies currently address this unmet need. Statins' induction of multiple anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic effects suggests that these drugs might reduce arteriovenous fistula failure. Yet, the in vivo physiologic and molecular effects of statins on fistula patency and maturation remain poorly understood. METHODS We randomized 108 C57Bl/6J mice to receive daily atorvastatin 1.14 mg/kg or PBS (control) starting 7 days before end-to-side carotid artery-jugular vein fistula creation and for up to 42 days after fistula creation. We then assessed longitudinally the effects of statin therapy on primary murine fistula patency and maturation. We concomitantly analyzed the in vivo arteriovenous fistula thrombogenic and inflammatory macrophage response to statin therapy, using the fibrin-targeted, near-infrared fluorescence molecular imaging agent FTP11-CyAm7 and dextranated, macrophage-avid nanoparticles CLIO-VT680. RESULTS In vivo molecular-structural imaging demonstrated that atorvastatin significantly reduced fibrin deposition at day 7 and macrophage accumulation at days 7 and 14, findings supported by histopathologic and gene-expression analyses. Structurally, atorvastatin promoted favorable venous limb outward remodeling, preserved arteriovenous fistula blood flow, and prolonged primary arteriovenous fistula patency through day 42 (P<0.05 versus control for all measures). CONCLUSIONS These findings provide new in vivo evidence that statins improve experimental arteriovenous fistula patency and maturation, indicating that additional clinical evaluation of statin therapy in patients on dialysis undergoing arteriovenous fistula placement is warranted.
$\lambda_S$: Computable Semantics for Differentiable Programming with Higher-Order Functions and Datatypes

Deep learning is moving towards increasingly sophisticated optimization objectives that employ higher-order functions, such as integration, continuous optimization, and root-finding. Since differentiable programming frameworks such as PyTorch and TensorFlow do not have first-class representations of these functions, developers must reason about the semantics of such objectives and manually translate them to differentiable code. We present a differentiable programming language, $\lambda_S$, that is the first to deliver a semantics for higher-order functions, higher-order derivatives, and Lipschitz but nondifferentiable functions. Together, these features enable $\lambda_S$ to expose differentiable, higher-order functions for integration, optimization, and root-finding as first-class functions with automatically computed derivatives. $\lambda_S$'s semantics is computable, meaning that values can be computed to arbitrary precision, and we implement $\lambda_S$ as an embedded language in Haskell. We use $\lambda_S$ to construct novel differentiable libraries for representing probability distributions, implicit surfaces, and generalized parametric surfaces -- all as instances of higher-order datatypes -- and present case studies that rely on computing the derivatives of these higher-order functions and datatypes. In addition to modeling existing differentiable algorithms, such as a differentiable ray tracer for implicit surfaces, without requiring any user-level differentiation code, we demonstrate new differentiable algorithms, such as the Hausdorff distance of generalized parametric surfaces.
An empirical assessment of common or usual names to label cell‐based seafood products

An important consideration in the commercialization of cell-based meat, poultry, and seafood is what common or usual name to use on package labels to meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations. However, naming these products has been the subject of considerable debate. This study used a 3 × 10 between-subjects online experiment involving a quota sample of 3,186 U.S. adult panel participants to test common or usual names using images of realistic packages of three types of seafood that a consumer might encounter in a supermarket. The terms tested were, "cell-based seafood," "cell-cultured seafood," "cultivated seafood," and "cultured seafood" and the phrases, "produced using cellular aquaculture," "cultivated from the cells of ____," and "grown directly from the cells of ____," where the blanks are filled by the name of the seafood product. Five criteria were used for evaluation, including each term's ability to: enable consumers to distinguish cell-based seafood from wild and farmed fish, to signal potential allergenicity, be seen by consumers as an appropriate term to identify the product, not disparage either cell-based or conventional products, and not evoke thoughts, images, or emotions that are inconsistent with the idea that the products are safe, healthy, and nutritious. The results showed that "cell-based seafood" outperforms the other names tested. It enables consumers to recognize that the products are neither wild caught nor farm raised, signals potential allergenicity, is seen as an appropriate name for describing the technology/process, and it performs well with respect to measures of consumer acceptance, particularly in comparison to conventional products. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Creating consensus around a single common or usual name for cell-based meat, poultry, and seafood products is clearly important both for regulatory reasons and for shaping public perceptions and understanding of the products that are labeled with it. Our findings suggest that "cell-based" is the best common or usual name for seafood products that both meets FDA regulatory requirements and performs well with respect to potential consumer acceptance. Consistent use of this term by industry, advocates, and regulators would help orient consumers to what is likely to be a transformational food technology.
Cutaneous findings in Fanconi anemia

Background Fanconi anemia (FA) is a genetic disorder that results in bone marrow failure, physical abnormalities, and solid organ malignancies. The diagnosis of FA is often delayed because the early disease characteristics have not been well established. Objective To outline the spectrum of cutaneous findings seen in patients with FA. Methods A cross-sectional study in which patients with FA received a full-body skin examination. Patient characteristics are summarized with mean (SD) for continuous and count (%) for categorical variables. Poisson regression and logistic regression models were used to examine the relationships between pigmentary changes and patient characteristics. Results At least 1 cutaneous pigmentary alteration was present in 96.8% of patients, most arising before the teenage years. The most common finding was cafe-au-lait macules. Other findings included hypopigmented macules, skin-fold freckle-like macules, extensive sun-exposed freckling, and both hypopigmented and hyperpigmented pigment macules. Limitations Patients received a single assessment, so the number of pigmentary changes could not be assessed over time. Conclusions Characteristic morphology of FA includes faint and ill-defined cafe-au-lait macules, hypopigmented skin-fold freckle-like macules and the concurrence of hypopigmented and hyperpigmented macules. The recognition of these findings could aid clinicians in making earlier diagnoses.
Critical Decisions in Crisis Management

This study explains aspects and strategies of critical decision in crisis management. Critical decisions enable organizations to cope with consequential environmental threats or take advantage of important opportunities in the presence of highly restricted time. In particular, critical decisions involve a process of thinking and acting for optimal solutions to complex problems in the presence of highly restricted time and aversive environments. The context of critical decisions can be due to scarce natural/economic resources, uncertain factors, aversive environment, environmental difficulties, ambiguous circumstances, unclear and volatile situations, or a combination of these factors. Firstly, this study presents different typologies of endogenous and exogenous crises for organizations and different types of critical decisions that can be categorized in responsitive, proactive and recovery. Secondly, the study proposes strategies for critical decisions in different environments based on theory of rational choice. Final part of this study shows how a complex problem can be treated in a wider perspective of ecological rationality by approaches of resolution, solution and dissolution that lead to satisficing critical decisions for bounded rationality of human societies.
Mapping the X Y Hamiltonian onto a network of coupled lasers

This article shows how dissipatively coupled laser networks evolve toward minimizing a Lyapunov function that turns out to be asymptotically equivalent with the XY Hamiltonian in the strong pump regime.
Research on the Step Response Testing Technology of DC Measuring Device in VSC-HVDC

According to technical requirements for the step response of DC(direct current) current measuring device in the flexible DC transmission project, we studied the measurement requirements and methods for the key technical indicators of step response, including rising time, delay time, overshoot and stabilization time. We designed a step response test scheme consisting of signal generator, transconductance amplifier, precise coaxial shunt, high-precision clock synchronization device and step response verification system. Step delay time of transconductance amplifiers and precision coaxial shunts is approximately 1$\mu$s, rising time is approximately 1.5$\mu$s. Step response verification system adopted resampling noise reduction technique and Labview measurement technique, time resolution is less than 1$\mu$s. DC current measuring devices were tested by using the step response test scheme. According to the results, magnitude of step current, rising time of step source and data calculation method all affect the key technical indexes of the step response, the test scheme meets the step response test requirements of DC current measuring device with the data sampling rate of 100kHz and the step response time less than 60$\mu$s in flexible DC transmission engineering.
Extensive and Intensive Mixture Properties and Partial Molar Properties

The material presented in this lecture is adapted from Chapter 9 in T&M. First, we will discuss extensive and intensive differentials of mixture thermodynamic properties, B (extensive) and B (intensive), using two sets of (n + 2) independent variables. The first set consists of the temperature, the pressure, and the n mole numbers of all the components comprising the mixture. The second set consists of the temperature, the pressure, the mixture composition, and the total number of moles of the components comprising the mixture. Second, we will introduce partial molar properties of thermodynamic properties of mixtures. Finally, we will show how to “assemble” an extensive thermodynamic property of a mixture comprising n components by adding up the products of the partial molar property of component i times the number of moles of component i.
Sleep in Children with Myelomeningocele

Children with myelomeningocele may experience a myriad of health challenges. In this chapter, we review the general medical and surgical care of these children, neurosurgical considerations, the pathophysiology underlying potential associated sleep-related breathing disorders, management approaches for sleep apnea, and other breathing disorders, challenges, and special considerations for noninvasive support, and sleep disorders beyond sleep apnea. Given the potential complex nature of medical issues in these children, we advocate for a multidisciplinary approach to their care. Abnormal brainstem function, chemoreceptor responsiveness, parenchymal pulmonary disease, and upper airway anatomy/function may all contribute to sleep-related breathing disorders including a combination of obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, hypoxemia, and/or hypoventilation. As such, management must be individualized to a given patient’s particular pathophysiology and overall goals of care, and a stepwise approach may include one or several of the following: supplemental oxygen, noninvasive positive airway pressure, or surgery (otolaryngology and neurosurgery evaluations). If these measures are ineffective, then tracheostomy with mechanical ventilation may be the appropriate next step. Likewise, episodes of acute respiratory failure or severe apnea may require placement of a tracheostomy. We discuss advanced modes of noninvasive ventilatory support and how lessons learned from other neuromuscular populations may apply to children with myelomeningocele. Finally, the limited available evidence also suggests that these children are at risk for other sleep disorders beyond those of respiration, including the effects of altered chronotype on sleep initiation and daytime sleepiness.
A Machine Learning Classifier Improves Mortality Prediction Compared With Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction-2 Score: Model Development and Validation.

Objectives To determine whether machine learning algorithms can better predict PICU mortality than the Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction-2 score. Design Retrospective study. Setting Quaternary care medical-surgical PICU. Patients All patients admitted to the PICU from 2013 to 2019. Interventions None. Measurements and main results We investigated the performance of various machine learning algorithms using the same variables used to calculate the Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction-2 score to predict PICU mortality. We used 10,194 patient records from 2013 to 2017 for training and 4,043 patient records from 2018 to 2019 as a holdout validation cohort. Mortality rate was 3.0% in the training cohort and 3.4% in the validation cohort. The best performing algorithm was a random forest model (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.867 [95% CI, 0.863-0.895]; area under the precision-recall curve, 0.327 [95% CI, 0.246-0.414]; F1, 0.396 [95% CI, 0.321-0.468]) and significantly outperformed the Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction-2 score (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.761 [95% CI, 0.713-0.810]; area under the precision-recall curve (0.239 [95% CI, 0.165-0.316]; F1, 0.284 [95% CI, 0.209-0.360]), although this difference was reduced after retraining the Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction-2 logistic regression model at the study institution. The random forest model also showed better calibration than the Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction-2 score, and calibration of the random forest model remained superior to the retrained Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction-2 model. Conclusions A machine learning model achieved better performance than a logistic regression-based score for predicting ICU mortality. Better estimation of mortality risk can improve our ability to adjust for severity of illness in future studies, although external validation is required before this method can be widely deployed.
Quantum Dot Gate Field-Effect Transistors: Theory and Device Modeling

The device model of the QDGFET and its theory are discussed in Chapter 4. The modification of band diagram of QDGFET due to the presence of quantum dots in the gate region is shown in this chapter. The theory of operation based on self-consistent solution of Schrodinger and Poisson equations is also presented in this chapter.
Embiidina: (Embioptera, Webspinners)

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses Embiidina insects. Embiids are perhaps most closely related to stone flies and stick insects (Phasmida), but probably since Carboniferous or Permian times, have followed their own specialized evolutionary line. Only about 300 species are named, but the order perhaps comprises about 2000 species. The most peculiar feature of all embiids, regardless of developmental stage or sex, is an ability to spin hundreds of strands of silk with each stroke of the greatly enlarged, gland-packed basal segment of the foretarsi. Except for short, hazardous dispersal of adults, embiids almost never leave the shelter of their self-created microenvironment, and most of the order's anatomical and behavioral characteristics foster very smooth, rapid, reverse movement in narrow galleries. Few such specializations include a linear, short-legged, supple body with the head projected forward; rapid reverse movement aided by great enlargement of depressor muscle of the hind tibiae; highly sensitive cerci serving as tactile guides during backward movement.
Mechanisms of cell death.

Cell death during the ontogeny of the nervous system allows for competitive innervation of targets (Hamburger and Oppenheim, 1982; Levi-Montalcini, 1987). Neurons that successfully compete for target-derived trophic factors, such as NGF, at critical stages in development are spared cell death. Exogenous NGF, or its withdrawal by anti-NGF, has permanent effects on survival of peripheral and striatal neurons (Levi-Montalcini, 1987; Perez-Polo, 1987). The relationship between developmental neuronal cell death and its counterparts after injury or during aging in CNS is not known. Since neurons have low endogenous levels of antioxidants, NGF effects on oxidant-antioxidant balance in the CNS can affect neuronal survival after mechanical trauma, ischemia, and reperfusion injury. Since neuronal cell death is an end point of more than one physiologic process, NGF activity may be but one of several regulatory processes at work. The NGF effect on oxidant-antioxidant balance may be but one of several mechanisms by which NGF regulates neuronal survival.
Mengovirus-Induced Cytopathic Effect in L-Cells: Protective Effect of Interferon

Abstract The effect of interferon on mengovirus-induced cytopathic effect (CPE) in L cells, the cut-off of host-cell protein synthesis, and production of mature virus were found to be dependent on the concentration of interferon. CPE and inhibition of host protein synthesis were not affected until the concentration of interferon was increased 100-fold over that required to reduce viral yields by 90%.
Experimental and Numerical Analysis of the Three-Dimensional Evolution of an Axisymmetric Jet

We study the three-dimensional evolution of a transitional axisymmetric jet subjected to periodic perturbations both in the streamwise and in the circumferential direction. The combined analysis of flow visualization experiments and inviscid vortex dynamics simulations provides a detailed picture of the processes leading to the concentration, reorientation, and stretching of the vorticity. A single perturbation in the streamwise direction leads to the formation of vortex rings, while a free stagnation point forms in the downstream half of the braid region between successive vortices. If we also introduce a subharmonic perturbation in the streamwise direction, neighboring vortices proceed towards a pairing process. In addition, it is shown that when the jet is also subjected to a sinusoidal perturbation in the azimuthal direction, counterrotating pairs of streamwise vortex tubes are formed in the braid regions, and the cores of the vortex rings develop a wavy dislocation. We discuss the importance of global and local induction for the evolution and interaction of these three-dimensional instability modes.
The Elevation of Ingested Lipids within Plasma Chylomicrons Is Prolonged in Men Compared with Women

The lipemic response to a high-fat meal is greater in men than in women. However, sex-related differences in the metabolic fate of ingested fat are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to measure the recovery of ingested fat in plasma fractions of chylomicrons (CHYLO), VLDL, and plasma fatty acids, as well as in expired breath (i.e., oxidation) in men and women. Nonobese subjects (n = 10; 5 men, 5 women) consumed 0.7 g fat/kg body weight containing 7 mg/kg of [1,1,1 - 13 C]-trioleate the morning after an overnight fast. Plasma total triglyceride (TG) concentration and 13 C recovery in the CHYLO, VLDL, and plasma fatty acid fractions, as well as expired breath samples, were measured over the 11 -h period after the meal. Plasma total TG excursion was greater (P < 0.05) in men than in women during the 11 -h period after the meal. Similarly, the recovery of the ingested tracer-labeled fat in the CHYLO fraction was greater in men than in women (main effect for sex; P < 0.05). Recovery of ingested tracer-labeled fat in VLDL, the plasma fatty acid fraction, and expired breath did not differ in men and women. Therefore, the elevated postprandial lipemia found in men compared with women was due to a prolonged availability of the lipid in chylomicrons, but was not related to differences in oxidation rates or incorporation of the ingested lipid into VLDL by the liver.
Multiple shape memory polymers based on laminates formed from thiol-click chemistry based polymerizations

This investigation details the formation of polymer network trilayer laminates formed by thiol-X click chemistries, and their subsequent implementation and evaluation for quadruple shape memory behavior. Thiol-Michael addition and thiol-isocyanate-based crosslinking reactions were employed to fabricate each of the laminate's layers with independent control of the chemistry and properties of each layer and outstanding interlayer adhesion and stability. The characteristic features of step-growth thiol-X reactions, such as excellent network uniformity and narrow thermal transitions as well as their stoichiometric nature, enabled fabrication of trilayer laminates with three distinctly different glass transition temperatures grouped within a narrow range of 100 °C. Through variations in the layer thicknesses, a step-wise modulus drop as a function of temperature was achieved. This behavior allowed multi-step programming and the demonstration and quantification of quadruple shape memory performance. As is critical for this performance, the interface connecting the layers was evaluated in stoichiometric as well as off-stoichiometric systems. It was shown that the laminated structures exhibit strong interfacial binding and hardly suffer any delamination during cyclic material testing and deformation.
Activation of Hepatic NF-κB by Phenobarbital in Rats

Abstract Nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) is an important stress-induced transcription factor in many cell types. In this study we examined if the hepatic tumor promoting agent phenobarbital could activate NF-κB in the liver. Rats were fed 0.05% phenobarbital in the diet for 3, 6, or 10 days. Benzyloxyresorufin dealkylase activity was greatly increased in rats receiving phenobarbital. The DNA binding activity of NF-κB was determined using electrophoretic mobility shift assays. After 3 days, NF-κB activity was increased two-fold in rats receiving phenobarbital. NF-κB activity continued to increase at 6 and 10 days in rats fed phenobarbital, with a four-fold increase seen at day 10. Cold competition and antibody supershift experiments showed the DNA binding activity to be specific for NF-κB. These data show that phenobarbital activates hepatic NF-κB in rats.
Programming by non-programmers

Non-programmers were asked to organize natural English commands of a laboratory programming language into programs for solving name-sorting problems. The problems differed in the sort concept to be programmed (conjunction vs. disjunction) and in the form of expression of the letter tests to be made on the names (affirmation vs. negation.) Programming performance was found to be impaired with disjunctive concepts and with letter tests involving negation. Different classes of program structure were identified and were associated with certain problem conditions and error measures. An influence of prior experience with procedures on performance was suggested. Program debugging and testing performance was characterized.
B lymphocyte mediated antigen presentation of plasmid DNA

Meeting abstracts DNA vaccination is a safe and economical therapeutic modality that has demonstrated robust elicitation of (cellular and humoral) immunity and remarkable pre-clinical efficacy in over 30 disease models, including those of breast, prostate and colon malignancies, multiple myeloma,
Preface: Message from the program chairs

Welcome to the third Symposium on Large-Scale Data Analysis and Visualization, held this year in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Utility of Supplemental Oxygen During Emergency Department Procedural Sedation With Propofol: A Randomized, Controlled Trial

Study objective We determine whether supplemental oxygen reduces the incidence of hypoxia by 20% compared with breathing room air in adult study patients receiving propofol for emergency department procedural sedation. Methods Patients were randomized to receive either supplemental oxygen or compressed air by nasal cannula at 3 L per minute. Physicians were blinded to the gas used and end tidal CO 2 (etco 2 ) data. Respiratory depression was defined a priori as oxygen saturation less than or equal to 93%, an etco 2 level of greater than or equal to 50 mm Hg, an absolute etco 2 change from baseline of greater than or equal to 10 mm Hg, or loss of the etco 2 waveform. Results Of the 110 patients analyzed, 56 received supplemental oxygen and 54 received room air. Ten (18%) patients in the supplemental oxygen group and 15 (28%) patients in the compressed air group experienced hypoxia ( P =.3, effect size=10%, 95% confidence interval −24% to 7%). Twenty-seven patients (20 supplemental oxygen; 7 room air) met etco 2 criteria for respiratory depression but did not become hypoxic. Physicians identified respiratory depression in 23 of 25 patients who developed hypoxia compared with only 1 of 27 patients who met etco 2 criteria for respiratory depression but who did not have hypoxia. One patient in the supplemental oxygen group experienced a transient arrhythmia and had a short apneic episode, both of which resolved spontaneously. The patient was admitted for observation. Conclusion Supplemental oxygen (3 L/minute) trended toward reducing hypoxia in adult study patients; however, the 10% difference observed was not statistically significant and was below our a priori 20% threshold. Blinded capnography frequently identified respiratory depression undetected by the treating physicians.
Aminoguanidine, a Selective Type II (Inducible) Nitric Oxide Synthase Antagonist, Attenuates Vasodilation to Birth-Related Stimuli in the Ovine Lung

Aminoguanidine, a Selective Type II (Inducible) Nitric Oxide Synthase Antagonist, Attenuates Vasodilation to Birth-Related Stimuli in the Ovine Lung
A Parameterized Representation of Uncertain Conceptual Spaces

Most conceptual modeling in geographic information science to date has used a symbolic approach with little or no recognition of the semantic uncertainty often found in geographic concepts. This work describes a concept model based on parameterized concept descriptions that uses a spatial metaphor, the conceptual space, as an organizing structure (Gardenfors 2000). This cognitive theory of conceptual spaces is combined with a formal representation of semantic uncertainty based on rough fuzzy sets. The conceptual space then represents each concept as a collection of rough fuzzy property definitions with associated salience weights, where a property itself can be treated as a special case of a concept. Instead of explicitly defining concept hierarchies, we can allow different conceptual structures to emerge through measures of concept inclusion and similarity. A land use/land cover example demonstrates how the model represents concepts, concept similarity, hierarchical structures and the context dependence of concepts. The final section of the paper points to the need for further studies of context effects, concept similarity measures, and uncertainty representation using the proposed model.
Detection of early-stage lung cancer: computed tomographic scan or chest radiograph?

Abstract Objective: Computed tomography has recently been proposed as a useful method for the early detection of lung cancer. In this study we compared the stage distribution of lung cancers detected by a computed tomographic scan with that of lung cancers detected by a routine chest x-ray film. Methods: Two groups of patients with biopsy-proven non–small cell lung cancer were reviewed. In the first group of 32 patients, the tumors were detected by a computed tomographic scan. In a second group (n = 101), the lung cancers were detected on routine chest x-ray films. Patients with pulmonary symptoms or a history of cancer were excluded. Results: There was no difference in age, sex, or cell-type distribution between the 2 groups. A significantly greater number of patients undergoing a computed tomographic scan had stage IA disease compared with those having an x-ray film. Of the 32 patients in the group having a scan, 10 had tumors 1 cm or less in size versus 6 of 101 in the group having a chest radiograph. Additionally, there was a significant reduction in advanced stage disease in the group having a scan. Conclusions: In this retrospective study, a higher incidence of stage IA lung cancers and significantly fewer cases of more advanced disease were observed in patients screened with computed tomography than in those having a chest radiograph. These data suggest that computed tomographic screening may be of value in improving the survival of patients with non–small cell lung cancer. (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2001;121:1053-7)
Heterogeneity of technological regimes and banking efficiency in former socialist economies

Cost efficiency of banks in 20 former socialist emerging economies is analyzed using a latent class stochastic efficiency frontier model that explicitly accounts for unobserved differences in technological regimes due to the heterogeneity of economic environments in which the banks are operating. We find that banking systems in former socialist emerging economies are characterized by three distinct technological regimes. Based on the estimated efficiency scores we group the countries into three categories and provide an intuitive interpretation of these three regimes.
A high containment polymodal pilot-plant fermenter--design concepts.

A 225 dm3 pilot-plant bioreactor system has been designed and constructed that is suitable for biohazardous fermentations. The design enables operation at containment levels above the requirements of good industrial large-scale practice (GILSP) without secondary containment of the whole plant. The main biosafety features of the systems include the use of steam barriers on O-ring seals, supply lines and stirrer seals, multiple O-ring seals, piping of condensate lines and pressure relief systems to a ‘kill tank’, double filtration of inlet and off gases and a mobile isolation unit that allows localised containment of sample valve and probe entry ports. The fermenter can, with minor modifications, be operated as a bottom- or top-stirred reactor for the culture of microbial or animal cells, or as an airlift reactor. The design offers considerable flexibility that could prove cost-effective for process development and production. The relevance of the various design features to enable bioreactor operations at pilot-plant scale to be carried out in compliance with current guidelines for large-scale culture of recombinant microorganisms and microbial pathogens is discussed.
A Biopsy-based 17-gene Genomic Prostate Score Predicts Recurrence After Radical Prostatectomy and Adverse Surgical Pathology in a Racially Diverse Population of Men with Clinically Low- and Intermediate-risk Prostate Cancer.

Abstract Background Biomarkers that are validated in independent cohorts are needed to improve risk assessment for prostate cancer (PCa). Objective A racially diverse cohort of men (20% African American [AA]) was used to evaluate the association of the clinically validated 17-gene Genomic Prostate Score (GPS) with recurrence after radical prostatectomy and adverse pathology (AP) at surgery. Design, setting, and participants Biopsies from 431 men treated for National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) very low-, low-, or intermediate-risk PCa between 1990 and 2011 at two US military medical centers were tested to validate the association between GPS and biochemical recurrence (BCR) and to confirm the association with AP. Metastatic recurrence (MR) was also evaluated. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis Cox proportional hazards models were used for BCR and MR, and logistic regression was used for AP. Central pathology review was performed by one uropathologist. AP was defined as primary Gleason pattern 4 or any pattern 5 and/or pT3 disease. Results and limitations GPS results (scale: 0–100) were obtained in 402 cases (93%); 62 men (15%) experienced BCR, 5 developed metastases, and 163 had AP. Median follow-up was 5.2 yr. GPS predicted time to BCR in univariable analysis (hazard ratio per 20 GPS units [HR/20 units]: 2.9; p p p =0.032), although the event rate was low ( n =5). GPS was strongly associated with AP (odds ratio per 20 GPS units: 3.3; p Conclusions The association of GPS with near- and long-term clinical end points establishes the assay as a strong independent measure of PCa aggressiveness. Tumor aggressiveness, as measured by GPS, and outcomes were similar in AA and Caucasian men in this equal-access health care system. Patient summary Predicting outcomes in men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer is challenging. This study demonstrates that a new molecular test, the Genomic Prostate Score, which can be performed on a patient's original prostate needle biopsy, can predict the aggressiveness of the cancer and help men make decisions regarding the need for immediate treatment of their cancer.
Iodine-125 Radiation of Posterior Uveal Melanoma

Abstract Twenty-eight cases of posterior choroidal melanoma were treated with iodine-125 in gold eye plaques. Eleven cases were located within 3.0 mm of the optic nerve (group A), nine were within 3.0 mm of the fovea (group B), and eight were within 3.0 mm of the optic nerve and fovea (group C). The mean follow-up of group A was 46.3 months; group B, 25.5 months; and group C, 42.7 months. Complications included macular edema, cataract and tumor growth. Visual acuity remained within two lines of that tested preoperatively for 4 of 11 patients in group A, 4 of 9 in group B, and 5 of 8 in group C. These results with iodine-125 suggest it as an appropriate treatment for patients with choroidal melanoma located near optic nerve and/or macula.
Proteasome subunits encoded in the MHC are not generally required for the processing of peptides bound by MHC class I molecules

ANTIGEN processing provides major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules with short peptides, which they selectively bind and present to cytotoxic T lymphocytes1–4. The proteolytic system generating these peptides in the cytosol is unidentified, but their delivery into the endoplasmic reticulum is mediated by the TAP1–TAP2 transporter encoded in the MHC class II region5–9. Closely linked to TAP1 and TAP2 are genes for the LMP2 and LMP7 proteins10, which resemble components of proteasomes11–13, proteolytic complexes known to degrade cytosolic proteins14. This association has led to the common assumption that proteasomes function in this immunological pathway (discussed in ref. 15). We now show that the expression of stably assembled class I molecules and apparently normal peptide processing can be completely restored in the absence of LMP2 and LMP7 in the human lymphoblastoid cell line mutant 721.174 (refs 16, 17). The identity of LMP7 is directly confirmed by reconstitution of a proteasomal subunit after gene transfer. These results therefore dispute the hypothetical involvement of proteasomes in antigen processing, although a more subtle effect of LMP2 and LMP7 cannot be ruled out.