cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ex vivo investigations of laser auricular cartilage reshaping with carbon dioxide spray cooling in a rabbit model.

Laser cartilage reshaping (LCR) with cryogen spray cooling is a promising modality for producing cartilage shape change while reducing cutaneous thermal injury. However, LCR in thicker tissues, such as auricular cartilage, requires higher laser power, thus increasing cooling requirements. To eliminate the risks of freeze injury characteristic of high cryogen spray pulse rates, a carbon dioxide (CO2) spray, which evaporates rapidly from the skin, has been proposed as the cooling medium. This study aims to identify parameter sets which produce clinically significant reshaping while producing minimal skin thermal injury in LCR with CO2 spray cooling in ex vivo rabbit auricular cartilage. Excised whole rabbit ears were mechanically deformed around a cylindrical jig and irradiated with a 1.45-μm wavelength diode laser (fluence 12–14 J/cm2 per pulse, four to six pulse cycles per irradiation site, five to six irradiation sites per row for four rows on each sample) with concomitant application of CO2 spray (pulse duration 33–85 ms) to the skin surface. Bend angle measurements were performed before and after irradiation, and the change quantified. Surface temperature distributions were measured during irradiation/cooling. Maximum skin surface temperature ranged between 49.0 to 97.6 °C following four heating/cooling cycles. Significant reshaping was achieved with all laser dosimetry values with a 50–70 °C difference noted between controls (no cooling) and irradiated ears. Increasing cooling pulse duration yielded progressively improved gross skin protection during irradiation. CO2 spray cooling may potentially serve as an alternative to traditional cryogen spray cooling in LCR and may be the preferred cooling medium for thicker tissues. Future studies evaluating preclinical efficacy in an in vivo rabbit model are in progress.
Stability analysis of closed-loop discrete-time systems with clock frequency drifts

The effect of a slight mismatch in the clock frequencies of a distributed feedback system is investigated. The stability behavior is analyzed and necessary and sufficient conditions for BIBO stability are derived. It is shown that stability of the synchronously operating feedback system can be lost for even extremely small frequency drifts, i.e. the synchronously operating system has no stability robustness with respect to clock frequency drifts.
Structuring survivorship care: discipline-specific clinician perspectives

Introduction Several models for survivorship care are prominent within the cancer literature; however, there is little empirical research that examines what oncology clinicians perceive to be the best approach to caring for cancer survivors, what services survivorship programs should include, and how prepared they feel to care for cancer survivors.
A new record of amphisexual care in an insect with exclusive paternal care: Rhynocoris tristis (Heteroptera: Reduviidae)

We describe the first record of amphisexual care in an insect with uniparental male care. Male Rhynocoris tristis are noted for aggressively guarding multiple egg masses. When a male is unable or unwilling to guard eggs, a female that has previously contributed eggs returns to the egg mass and defends it until the eggs hatch. We compared the frequency and intensity of parental aggression in both sexes and found no difference in either form of guarding behavior. Evidence of amphisexual care in R. tristis provides an opportunity to quantify the cost of care in both sexes within a single species.
Spatial knowledge representation and retrieval in 3-D image databases

In multimedia retrieval applications such as architectural design, interior design, and real estate marketing, there exists a generic class of user queries that require retrieving images in the database that are spatially similar to the user query. We propose an image representation scheme (referred to as 3D spatial orientation graph or simply SOG) and an algorithm (referred to as SIM/sub 3D/) for retrieving 3D images of relevance (based on spatial similarity) to user queries from large image collections. Spatial similarity between a query and a database image is quantified based on the number as well as the extent to which the edges of SOG of the database image conform to the corresponding edges in the SOG of the query image. The time complexity of SIM/sub 3D/ is /spl Theta/(|E/sub q/|+|E/sub d/|) where |E/sub q/| and |E/sub d/| are the number of edges in the query and database images. SIM/sub 3D/ is robust in the sense that it can recognize translation and scale variants of apt image and these properties are shown formally. The effectiveness of SIM/sub 3D/ is evaluated using a testbed image collection. The testbed comprises 60 images and are produced by generating 3 variants of each of the 15 original images. Image variants are produced by translation and scale transformations, and an arbitrary composition of these two transformations. The variants are designed to examine the robustness of the proposed algorithm. The results produced by the algorithm on a set of test queries are in agreement with the intuitively expected results.
Q-MAR: a QoS resource conflict identification model for situation-aware middleware

A situation-aware middleware provides standardized communication protocols to interoperate an application with others under dynamically changing situations. Since the application needs of middleware services and computing environment (resources) keep changing as the application change, it is difficult to analyze: 1) whether it is possible that all Quality of Service (QoS) requirements are met, 2) and what QoS requirements have tradeoff relationships. In this paper, we propose a QoS resource conflict identification model called "QoS-Mission-Action-Resource (Q-MAR)" for situation-aware middleware. The Video On Demand (VOD) system is used as an illustrative example of the Q-MAR model and its resource conflict identification.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LOCUS OF CONTROL, TASK CHARACTERISTICS AND WORK ATTITUDES

In the present study those with greater internal orientation perceived greater job involvement, job satisfaction, job motivation, psychological growth satisfaction, task difficulty, and task variab...
Using the Clinical Linguistic and Auditory Milestone Scale for Developmental Screening in High-Risk Preterm Infants

Eighty-one preterm infants (mean gestational age 29 weeks, range 24-36 weeks) discharged from The Johns Hopkins Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit were followed up sequentially from birth to 2 years of age by use of the Clinical Linguistic and Auditory Milestone Scale (CLAM,S) to evaluate language development. Children were studied during three time intervals: Interval 1: 3-5 months chronologic age (CA); Interval 2: 9-14 months (CA); and Interval 3: 18-24 months (CA). Psychometric test scores were compared with CLAMS Language Quotients (LQ) by use of full, partial (75%, 50%, 25%), and no ‘correction’ for weeks of prematurity to determine whether ‘correcting’ for prematurity would yield a more accurate estimate of eventual cognitive outcome. CLAMS LQ at Interval 1 was highly correlated with CLAMS LQ at Interval 2 and CLAMS LQ at Interval 2 correlated well with CLAMS LQ at Interval 3 (r=0.57 and 0.64, respectively, P=0.0001). Correlations indicated that there was an orderly, sequential development of lan...
Elevated Rates of Prolonged Grief Disorder in African Americans

The prevalence of Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) in non-Whites is currently unknown. This study was performed to explore the prevalence of PGD in African Americans (AAs). Multivariable analysis of two studies of recently bereaved individuals found AAs to have significantly higher rates of PGD than Whites (21% [14 of 66] vs. 12% [55 of 471], respectively; p = 0.03). Experiencing a loved one's death as sudden or unexpected was also significantly associated with PGD over and above the effects of race/ethnicity. AAs may be at increased risk for the development of PGD. The development of effective interventions to treat PGD highlights the need to identify high-risk individuals and refer them to therapy and suggests the potential need for such therapies to adopt culturally sensitive approaches to care.
Microbial Scout Hypothesis, Stochastic Exit from Dormancy, and the Nature of Slow Growers

We recently proposed a scout model of the microbial life cycle (S. S. Epstein, Nature 457:1083, 2009), the central element of which is the hypothesis that dormant microbial cells wake up into active (so-called scout) cells stochastically, independently of environmental cues. Here, we check the principal prediction of this hypothesis: under growth-permissive conditions, dormant cells initiate growth at random time intervals and exhibit no species-specific lag phase. We show that a range of microorganisms, including environmental species, Escherichia coli, and Mycobacterium smegmatis, indeed wake up in a seemingly stochastic manner and independently of environmental conditions, even in the longest incubations conducted (months to years long). As is implicit in the model, most of the cultures we obtained after long incubations were not inherently slow growers. Of the environmental isolates that required ≥7 months to form visible growth, only 5% needed an equally long incubation upon subculturing, with the majority exhibiting regrowth within 24 to 48 h. This apparent change was not a result of adaptive mutation; rather, most microbial species that appear to be slow growers were in fact fast growers with a delayed initiation of division. Genuine slow growth thus appears to be less significant than previously believed. Random, low-frequency exit from the nongrowing state may be a key element of a general microbial survival strategy, and the phylogenetic breadth of the organisms exhibiting such exit indicates that it represents a general phenomenon. The stochasticity of awakening can also provide a parsimonious explanation to several microbiological observations, including the apparent randomness of latent infections and the existence of viable-but-nonculturable cells (VBNC).
The Regulatory Status of Genome-edited Crops

Summary Genome editing with engineered nucleases (GEEN) represents a highly specific and efficient tool for crop improvement with the potential to rapidly generate useful novel phenotypes/traits. Genome editing techniques initiate specifically targeted double strand breaks facilitating DNArepair pathways that lead to base additions or deletions by non-homologous end joining as well as targeted gene replacements or transgene insertions involving homology-directed repair mechanisms. Many of these techniques and the ancillary processes they employ generate phenotypic variation that is indistinguishable from that obtained through natural means or conventional mutagenesis; and therefore, they do not readily fit current definitions of genetically engineered or genetically modified used within most regulatory regimes. Addressing ambiguities regarding the regulatory status of genome editing techniques is critical to their application for development of economically useful crop traits. Continued regulatory focus on the process used, rather than the nature of the novel phenotype developed, results in confusion on the part of regulators, product developers, and the public alike and creates uncertainty as of the use of genome engineering tools for crop improvement.
Bayesian pixel classification using spatially variant finite mixtures and the generalized EM algorithm

A spatially variant finite mixture model is proposed for pixel labeling and image segmentation. For the case of spatially varying mixtures of Gaussian density functions with unknown means and variances, an expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm is derived for maximum likelihood estimation of the pixel labels and the parameters of the mixture densities, An a priori density function is formulated for the spatially variant mixture weights. A generalized EM algorithm for maximum a posteriori estimation of the pixel labels based upon these prior densities is derived. This algorithm incorporates a variation of gradient projection in the maximization step and the resulting algorithm takes the form of grouped coordinate ascent. Gaussian densities have been used for simplicity, but the algorithm can easily be modified to incorporate other appropriate models for the mixture model component densities. The accuracy of the algorithm is quantitatively evaluated through Monte Carlo simulation, and its performance is qualitatively assessed via experimental images from computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Basolateral amygdala involvement in memory reconsolidation processes that facilitate drug context-induced cocaine seeking

Understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of putative memory stabilization processes that maintain context-response-cocaine associations in long-term memory and underlie contextual control over addictive behavior is of great interest from an addiction treatment perspective. Using an instrumental animal model of contextual drug relapse we show that the protein synthesis inhibitor anisomycin, administered into the basolateral amygdala (BLA) immediately after limited (15- or 60-min) re-exposure to a previously cocaine-paired context, subsequently disrupted the ability of the previously cocaine-paired context to reinstate extinguished cocaine-seeking behavior relative to vehicle. Consistent with a BLA-mediated memory reconsolidation deficit, a similar impairment in cocaine-seeking behavior was not observed in (i) 'no-reactivation' control groups that received anisomycin into the BLA after (re)exposure to either a novel unpaired or an extinction-paired context or in (ii) a neuroanatomical control group that received anisomycin into the posterior caudate-putamen, dorsally adjacent to the BLA, after re-exposure to the cocaine-paired context. Furthermore, anisomycin administered into the BLA after brief (5-min) or extensive (120-min) re-exposure to the cocaine-paired context (which was sufficient to extinguish cocaine-seeking behavior in a vehicle control group) also failed to alter responding. Together, these findings suggest that re-exposure to a cocaine-paired context in the absence of cocaine reinforcement is sufficient to trigger memory reconsolidation processes that support future drug-seeking behavior. The presence and duration of drug-related memory reactivation critically influences, and anisomycin-sensitive mechanisms in the BLA selectively control, this phenomenon. These findings support the feasibility of novel pharmacotherapeutic approaches that selectively inhibit the reconsolidation of cocaine-related memories in order to prevent drug relapse.
The Effectiveness of the FLU-FOBT Program in Primary Care A Randomized Trial

Background The FLU–FOBT Program is an intervention in which nurses provide home fecal occult blood tests (FOBTs) to eligible patients during annual influenza vaccination (FLU) campaigns. The effectiveness of the FLU–FOBT Program when implemented during primary care visits has not been extensively studied. Purpose The effectiveness of the FLU–FOBT Program was tested as adapted for use during primary care visits in community clinics serving multiethnic patients with low baseline colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates. Design Randomized clinical trial. During intervention weeks, nurses routinely initiated the offering of FOBT to eligible patients who were given FLU (FLU–FOBT group). During control weeks, nurses provided FOBT with FLU only when ordered by the primary care clinician during usual care (FLU-only group). Setting/participants The study was conducted in six community clinics in San Francisco. Participants were patients aged 50–75 years who received FLU during primary care visits during an 18-week intervention beginning on September 28, 2009. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was the change in CRC screening rates in the FLU–FOBT group compared to the FLU-only group at the end of the study period, on March 30, 2010. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine predictors of becoming up-to-date with CRC screening. Results Data were analyzed in 2010. A total of 695 participants received FLU on FLU–FOBT dates, and 677 received FLU on FLU-only dates. The CRC screening rate increased from 32.5% to 45.5% (+13.0 percentage points) in the FLU–FOBT group, and from 31.3% to 35.6% (+4.3 percentage points) in the FLU-only group (p=0.018 for change difference). For those due for CRC screening, the OR for completing CRC screening by the end of the measurement period was 2.22 (95% CI=1.24, 3.95) for the FLU–FOBT group compared to the FLU-only group. Conclusions FLU–FOBT Program participants were twice as likely to complete CRC screening as those receiving usual care. The FLU–FOBT Program is a practical strategy to increase CRC screening in community clinics. Trial registration # NCT01211379
Growth Mechanism and Dislocation Characterization of Silicon Carbide Epitaxial Films

SiC homo-epitaxial layers were grown in a chemical vapor deposition process using silicon tetrachloride and propane precursors with hydrogen as a carrier gas. Growth rates were found to increase as temperatures increased at high carrier gas flow rate, while at lower carrier gas flow rate growth rates were observed to decrease as temperature increased. Based on the equilibrium model, “thermodynamically controlled growth” accounts for the growth rate reduction. The grown epitaxial layers were characterized using various techniques. Reduction in the threading screw dislocation (SD) density in the epilayers was observed. Suitable models were developed for explaining the reduction in the screw dislocation density as well as the conversion of basal plane dislocations (BPD) into threading edge dislocations (TED).
Recent concepts in feline lower urinary tract disease.

A clinical description of lower urinary tract disease (LUTD) in cats in 1925 [1] accurately described the clinical signs and the disease, and reported it to be commonplace. The terms feline urologic syndrome (FUS) and feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) have since been used to describe the constellation of clinical signs related to irritative voiding but do not identify the underlying etiology. Most cats with LUTD have feline idiopathic or interstitial cystitis (FIC), but urolithiasis, bacterial urinary tract infection (UTI), anatomic malformations, neoplasia, behavioral disorders, and neurologic problems (eg, reflex dysnergia) may also occur, although more uncommonly than FIC. Regardless of the underlying etiology, the resultant clinical signs are similar and include dysuria, stranguria, hematuria (macroscopic and microscopic), pollakiuria, and periuria (a word used to refer to urination in inappropriate places). Obstructive and nonobstructive uropathy are broader concepts that may also be used to classify LUTD by the presence or absence of urethral obstruction, respectively. Obstructive uropathy is rare in female cats and is primarily seen in male cats. The diameter of the urethra and frequency of obstructive uropathy do not differ between castrated and intact male cats, but urethral obstruction occurs with higher frequency in castrated male cats [2]. Diseases of the lower urinary tract are becoming more apparent clinically as indoor cats and multicat households are becoming more common. Inappropriate elimination results in the relinquishment of approximately 4 million cats annually to animal shelters because of behavior that is unacceptable to owners [3]. The estimated prevalence of LUTD in primary care practice in the United States has been reported to be approximately
Scientists Focus on Land Subsidence Impacts on Coastal and Delta Cities

Some coastal and delta cities around the world are sinking but not necessarily due only to sea level rise and impacts from extreme weather events. Land subsidence that is caused by anthropogenic processes—including the extraction of groundwater, oil, and gas and the drainage of soils—is a significant concern for Jakarta, Indonesia; Manila, Philippines; New Orleans, La.; and many other coastal and delta cities, according to scientists at a 28 April briefing held at the European Geosciences Union's General Assembly in Vienna, Austria.
Changes in Orangutan Caloric Intake, Energy Balance, and Ketones in Response to Fluctuating Fruit Availability

I used novel quantitative measures to assess the impact of fruit seasonality on changes in diet and energy balance during 4918 hours of observation on <60 orangutans in Gunung Palung National Park, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, from September 1994 through September 1995. During this period a mast fruiting occurred, resulting in large fluctuations in fruit availability, measured by monitoring of 558 orangutan fruit trees. Orangutan diet varied tremendously in accordance with these fluctuations. During the month of highest fruit production, 100% of the orangutan diet was composed of fruit. In contrast, during the fruit-poor period as little as 21% of the diet was fruit, while 37% was bark. Nutritional analyses of 78 of the foods most commonly eaten during this study show that mast foods were significantly higher in caloric content than were nonmast foods, which translates into substantial changes in caloric intake. During the month of highest fruit consumption (January), males consumed an estimated 8422 kcal/day and females consumed 7404 kcal/day. During the month of lowest fruit consumption (May), males consumed 3824 kcal/day and females consumed 1793 kcal/day. These differences were significantly different between the 2 months for both males and females. In May, males ate significantly more kcal/day than females did. Time spent feeding did not differ between the two periods for either males or females. I assessed the impact of these changes in diet and caloric intake on orangutan physiological functioning by measuring ketones in 257 urine samples collected from adult males and females. Ketones—products of fat metabolism—were present in urine only during the fruit-poor period. These data suggest that orangutans are highly efficient at storing fat during fruit-rich periods and utilizing the reserves during times of fruit shortfall. This response may have important implications for orangutan survivorship, reproduction, and behavior.
Developing Literary Reading Skills through Creative Writing in German as a Second Language

Literary reading skills in a second language (L2) are essential for student success at the advanced levels of collegiate language instruction. This article introduces an instructional approach that fosters the development of L2 literary reading skills through creative writing activities. First, the article identifies those skills that language learners need in order to become literary readers in German and argues that creative writing fosters the development of these skills. The article illustrates the potential of creative writing activities with writing samples and self-reflective statements of three advanced language learners. The article concludes with a set of pedagogical recommendations and identifies limitations of the approach.
Achieving software flexibility via intelligent workflow techniques

In this paper, we investigate innovative techniques of achieving software flexibility in a workflow environment. We believe that, by incorporating workflow technology and intelligent agent techniques into modern information systems, the software can be made more robust, more cost-effective to maintain and easier to change. In this paper, we present: (1) an in-depth investigation of software flexibility issues, (2) an integrated system architecture that combines workflow coordination mechanisms and agent-based decision-making capabilities, and (3) a framework to evaluate software architectures with an emphasis on the cost implications of system flexibility. A prototype system illustrating the implementation of intelligent workflow concepts is also reported.
Crafting the Third World: Theorizing Underdevelopment in Rumania and Brazil

This innovative study compares the history of economic ideas and ideologies in Romania and Brazil - and more broadly, those in East Central Europe and Latin America - in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Whereas previous histories of the idea of economic development have focused on 'First World' theorists, this book considers theorists in two 'backward' countries who made important contributions to the field. Latin America is well known to economic historians as the region that gave rise to the Structuralist school and Dependency movement. Less well known is the fact that East Central Europe is important as the early training ground and the empirical concern of the first generation of development economists. This comparative study examines the ways in which economists and other social scientists in Romania and Brazil confronted the issues of economic backwardness.
Statistics Anxiety among African American Graduate Students: An Affective Filter?:

The recruitment and retention of African Americans in graduate schools remains a significant problem. Statistics anxiety has been found to be prevalent among graduate students, being implicated both as a barrier to success in quantitative courses and a barrier to completion of theses and dissertations. To date, it is unclear whether African American graduate students experience higher levels of statistics anxiety. Thus, the purpose of this study was to compare levels of statistics anxiety between African American and Caucasian American graduate students. A series of t tests revealed that the African American graduate students had higher levels of statistics anxiety than did their Caucasian American counterparts. Recommendations for future research are provided. Also, implications for educators responsible for recruiting and retaining African American graduate students are discussed.
Analysis of Responses to Lipreading Prompts as a Window to Deaf Students’ Writing Strategies

The responses of deaf students to lipreading prompts were analyzed for strengths and weaknesses in mastery of written English. We identified the four VL2 participants who wrote the most sentences and then analyzed those sentences with respect to the vocabulary and syntactic structures written. We observed four trends in the responses of these four students: (1) function words were usually used correctly; (2) syntax errors were similar to those reported in the literature in other writing tasks; (3) semantically appropriate responses were constructed even when the student did not lipread the stimuli correctly, and (4) words that matched the syllabic structure of the stimuli were written even though the response words did not match the stimulus words. We also reviewed the VL2 demographic questionnaire for characteristics common to the four writers we analyzed. We found that these students were all encouraged by parents to read and write English. We concluded that existing written material can provide useful information concerning mastery of written English.
A Behavioral Choice Model Analysis of the Budget Allocation Behavior of Academic Deans

A model of behavioral choice based on expectancy theory was tested in the context of budget allocation decision making by academic deans. Hypotheses dealing with both the direction and magnitude of...
Stomach and pyloric sphincter histology in certain microtine rodents.

The stomach and pyloric sphincter of four genera of microtine rodents (27 specimens) have been investigated grossly and histologically. Two distinct types of stomach can be demonstrated by means of the type of epithelium lining the stomach. the first consists of a forestomach (cornified stratified squamous epithelium) and pyloric or fundo-pyloric stomach (glandular mucosa) with continuity of glandular mucosa through the pyloric sphincter. the second stomach type consists of three stomach areas, forestomach (cornified stratified squamous epithelium), narrow glandular stomach, and pylorus with forestomach type lining in the pylorus and at the pyloric sphincter. Inferred muscle action at the pyloric sphincter also consists of two types: one, a nearly symmetrically circular action, and, two, a milking action. in both cases the closing mechanism of the pyloric sphincter is assisted in forming a tight seal at the gastroduodenal junction by means of the type of epithelium present at this junction. Cell types in the glandular mucosa are also noted and discussed.
Study of the Fluid Dynamics of Thin Liquid Films Flowing Down a Vertical String With Counterflow of Gas

Direct-contact heat transfer between a falling liquid film and a gas stream yield high heat transfer rates and as such it is routinely used in several industrial applications. This concept has been incorporated by us into the proposed design of a novel heat exchanger for indirect cooling of steam in power plants. The DILSHE (Direct-contact Liquid-on-String Heat Exchangers) module consists of an array of small diameter (∼ 1 mm) vertical strings with hot liquid coolant flowing down them due to gravity. A low- or near-zero vapor pressure liquid coolant is essential to minimize/eliminate coolant loss. Consequently, liquids such as Ionic Liquids and Silicone oils are ideal candidates for the coolant. The liquid film thickness is of the order of 1 mm. Gas (ambient air) flowing upwards cools the hot liquid coolant. Onset of fluid instabilities (Rayleigh-Plateau and/or Kapitza instabilities) result in the formation of a liquid beads, which enhance heat transfer due to additional mixing. The key to successfully designing and operating DILSHE is understanding the fundamentals of the liquid film fluid dynamics and heat transfer and developing an operational performance map. As a first step towards achieving these goals, we have undertaken a parametric experimental and numerical study to investigate the fluid dynamics of thin liquid films flowing down small diameter strings. Silicone oil and air are the working fluids in the experiments. The experiments were performed with a single nylon sting (fishing line) of diameter = 0.61 mm and height = 1.6 m. The inlet temperature of both liquid and air were constant (∼ 20 °C). In the present set of experiments the variables that were parametrically varied were: (i) liquid mass flow rate (0.05 to 0.23 g/s) and (ii) average air velocity (0 to 2.7 m/s). Visualization of the liquid flow was performed using a high-speed camera. Parameters such as base liquid film thickness, liquid bead shape and size, velocity (and hence frequency) of beads were measured from the high-speed video recordings. The effect of gas velocity on the dynamics of the liquid beads was compared to data available in the open literature. Within the range of gas velocities used in the experiments, the occurrence of liquid hold up and/or liquid blow over, if any, were also identified. Numerical simulations of the two-phase flow are currently being performed. The experimental results will be invaluable in validation/refinement of the numerical simulations and development of the operational map.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Expression of a uteroglobin-like protein in human prostate.

Abstract Phospholipase A 2 (PLA 2 ) is a key enzyme that initiates the arachidonic acid cascade responsible for the synthesis of prostaglandins and leukotrienes, compounds well known for their inflammatory properties. Inhibition of this enzyme may modulate prostaglandin and leukotriene tissue levels. Uteroglobin is a potent PLA 2 inhibitor found in rabbit uterus, prostate, seminal vesicle, and tracheobronchial tree. Tissue from ten human patients undergoing prostatectomy was examined for presence of a uteroglobin-like protein. Seven patients underwent transurethral resection and three had an open prostatectomy. Preoperative diagnosis in nine of the 10 patients was benign prostatic hypertrophy. One suspected, poorly differentiated, adenocarcinoma was confirmed and one unsuspected, well differentiated, adenocarcinoma was discovered. Specimens were submitted for Western blot, electron microscopy with immunogold staining, radioimmunoassay, and immunofluorescence. Six patients had evidence of uteroglobin-like protein, three with high levels (≥1000 pg./mg. protein), two with moderate levels (75 to 250 pg.), one with a low level (≤75 pg.). Uteroglobin-like protein was present in all three patients who underwent open prostatectomy and in three of the seven patients with transurethral resections. The uteroglobin-like protein level was 2.5 to five times greater in both prostatic utricle specimens. All four assays corroborated these results. Because rabbit uteroglobin coats sperm and masks spermatic antigenicity in the rabbit female genital tract, this report of biochemical and immunological evidence for uteroglobin-like protein in the human prostate may have implications for human male fertility.
Outcome of successive cycles of ovulation induction in the same individual.

Because of the failure to conceive after the first cycle of in vitro fertilization (IVF), many couples often undergo repeated attempts. However, choosing the best stimulation protocol in successive cycles of IVF in the same individual is hindered by the lack of information regarding outcome in successive cycles following utilization of the same or different stimulation protocols. Examination of repeated cycles of the same stimulation protocol in 33 women demonstrated that comparing women with an initial "A" estradiol (E 2 ) pattern (daily E 2 levels that continued to rise throughout the stimulation) and those with non-A E 2 patterns (failure to have continually rising E 2 levels throughout the stimulation), the former were significantly less likely to have a subsequent passed cycle ( P = 0.007) and tended to be more likely to have a subsequent A cycle ( P = 0.079). Changing the stimulation protocol resulted in a different E 2 pattern in 15 of 20 subsequent cycles. Thus, it is suggested that after a cycle with an acceptable E 2 pattern, successive cycles be performed with the same stimulation protocol. However, after an initial unacceptable E 2 pattern, it may be more efficacious to utilize an alternate stimulation protocol.
Abstract 1940: Non-coding RNA regulation of eribulin response in neuroblastoma

Introduction: Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common cancer in infants and the most common extracranial solid tumor in children, accounting for 15% of all childhood cancer deaths. The overall prognosis for those with high-risk or relapsed disease remains poor despite the standard therapies of surgery, radiation, and high dose chemotherapy. We have previously shown that altering levels of specific microRNAs (miRNAs) can improve cellular response to microtubule-targeting agents (MTAs) and that exposure to MTAs results in dramatic changes in microRNA expression. Methods: Libraries of chemically synthesized ncRNA mimics and inhibitors, including both miRNAs and lncRNAs, are screened to identify ncRNAs that regulate neuroblastoma cell viability or sensitize neuroblastoma cells to specific microtubule-targeting agents. Candidate targets are validated using qRT-PCR, protein quantification, and luciferase reporter assays. The response of neuroblastoma cells to perturbations in candidate ncRNA levels is assessed through flow cytometric analysis of cell cycle phase distribution, density and anisotropy of microtubule bundles, and through colony formation and caspase activation assays, and validated in mouse xenograft models. Networks of miRNAs, mRNAs and lncRNAs are derived from combining complementary cellular response with potential regulatory interactions. Results: We previously reported the identification of miRNAs and lncRNAs that significantly decrease or increase neuroblastoma cell viability. Here, we extend those observations to drug response. We first demonstrate that the microtubule-targeting agent eribulin has both short-term and long-term effects, as reflected by a significant alteration in microtubule structure in response to high doses for short times and arrest at the G(2)/M phase of the cell cycle in response to low doses for long times. We next show that altering intracellular levels of ncRNAs that sensitize cells to eribulin both alters microtubule density and anisotropy and recapitulates the effect of eribulin treatment. Finally, we show that complementarity of effect between miRNAs and lncRNAs is accompanied by potential regulatory interaction. Conclusions: Taken together, our results suggest that the response of neuroblastoma cells to eribulin is mediated by a regulatory network that includes different coding and non-coding RNA species. While these RNAs may have intrinsic value as biomarkers or therapeutic agents, either individually or in combination, the vulnerabilities that they uncover may be exploited with pathway-specific perturbations. This project was supported by NIH R01 CA129632 and CPRIT Training Grant RP140105. Citation Format: Xiuye Ma, Xiaojie Yu, Harsh Patolia, Zhenze Zhao, Liqin Du, Alexander Pertsemlidis. Non-coding RNA regulation of eribulin response in neuroblastoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1940.
The Topless Professor in the Digital Age

A professor recounts her personal experience when private photographs of her bare-chested body went public on the nightly news. The pictures garnered more than 1 million views, catapulting her into a public scandal. She explains how she weathered the storm, standing unwavering for her freedom despite raging pundits and scolding university administrators.
Treatment of head and neck cancer in the elderly.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and the majority of patients present with advanced stage disease. Chemotherapy is an important component of head and neck cancer treatment regimens and has shown beneficial effects in locally advanced and recurrent/metastatic stages of disease. Approximately 25% of HNSCC patients are aged 70 and older, often associated with co-morbid medical conditions. Most clinical trials exclude patients of advanced chronological age such that valid information about the efficacy and safety of drugs and treatment regimens in elderly patients is not available.Areas covered: Surgery, radiotherapy and particularly chemotherapy with the six FDA-approved chemotherapeutic agents for head and neck cancer treatment are discussed with a focus on age, performance status, comorbidities. New targeted therapies and the field of immune checkpoint inhibitors are evaluated in the context of elderly populations.Expert opinion: ...
The Inequality Story in Latin America and the Caribbean: Searching for an Explanation

Income inequality is a salient economic malaise in Latin America and the Caribbean, where for decades it has been higher than in any other region in the world (Williamson 2015). A growing body of literature suggests that after a long period of growing or stagnant inequality, the trajectory of household income inequality shows a visible kink around 2003—rising during the 1990s and until about 2002, when it started to descend, a trend that was particularly steep during the boom period of 2003–2011 before flattening out during the post-2011 slowdown. This trajectory contrasts with that of Latin America and the Caribbean in previous periods or other regions in the same period (Alvaredo and Gasparini 2015; De Ferranti et al. 2004; De la Torre et al. 2014; Gasparini and Lustig 2011; Lopez-Calva and Lustig 2010).
Uncovering the Cellular Target of Agelastatin A

McClary et al. (2017) identify the eukaryotic ribosome as a cellular target of agelastatin A, resolving the long-standing mystery surrounding the cytotoxic natural product's mechanism of action. Structural and modeling studies further pinpointed the molecule's binding site to the ribosome peptidyl transferase center, revealing key molecular interactions that drive binding.
Genomic profiling of metaplastic breast cancer: A single center experience.

e12041Background: Metaplastic breast cancer (MpBC) is a rare malignancy with aggressive clinical presentation and poor prognosis. The goal of this study is to characterize MpBC at the genomic level...
Chronic Myeloproliferative Neoplasm, Rare Types

Chronic neutrophilic leukemia (CNL) and chronic eosinophilic leukemia (CEL) are rare types of BCR/ABL1-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms characterized by neoplastic proliferation of neutrophilic granulocytes and eosinophilic granulocytes, respectively. Patients with CNL present with sustained proliferation of segmented neutrophils in blood and proliferation of neutrophilic granulocytes in bone marrow. Nearly all CNL patients possess somatic activating mutations in CSF3R gene, which is included as a new diagnostic criterion in the recent revision of WHO classification of hematolymphoid neoplasms. Diagnosis of CEL is based on sustained eosinophilia in blood and proliferation of eosinophils and precursors in bone marrow with either increase in blasts or demonstration of clonality. Recent studies have shown genomic abnormalities in up to 50% CEL. However, unlike CNL, no single recurrent-mutated gene was detected in CEL. The commonly noted mutations are ASXL1, TET2, EZH2, CBL1, and NOTCH1, which are likely not disease specific for CEL. Target therapies on CSF3R are currently under investigation.
The ecological landscape of microbiome science

Two reports examine the sources of variation in methods for analyzing microbial communities.
Tricontinuous Nanostructured Polymers via Polymerization-Induced Microphase Separation

Nanostructured tricontinuous block polymers allow for the preparation of single-component materials that combine multiple properties. We demonstrate the synthesis of a mesoporous material from the selective orthogonal etching of a microphase-separated tricontinuous block polymer precursor. Using the synthetic approach of polymerization-induced microphase separation (PIMS), divinylbenzene (DVB) is polymerized from a mixture of poly(isoprene) (PI) and poly(lactide) (PLA) macro-chain transfer agents. In the PIMS process in situ cross-linking by the DVB arrests structural coarsening, resulting in a disordered block polymer morphology that we posit exhibits three nonintersecting continuous domains. Selective etching of the PI domains by olefin cross metathesis and PLA domains by hydrolytic degradation produces a mesoporous polymer with two independent pore networks arising from the different etch mechanisms.
Gastrointestinal Disorders and Autism

Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant medication that is also used for the treatment of anxiety. It is also used for the treatment of bipolar illness. The mechanism of action of gabapentin is complicated and not completely understood. It appears to assist with the decreased excitability in the brain. However, it does not appear to directly affect the GABA system in the brain. Recent evidence suggests that it exerts its positive effects by turning down calcium channels. This would fit with its effect to decrease excitability in the brain. There are no studies of gabapentin in children with autism spectrum disorders. However, it is used as an anticonvulsant in children.
Capital in the First Century: The Evolution of Inequality in Ancient Maya Society

We investigated the evolution of inequality in ancient Maya society using the sizes of houses as a proxy for household wealth. We used several mathematical and statistical methods to study the distribution of wealth at four major archaeological sites in the Maya lowlands: Komchen, Palenque, Sayil, and Mayapan. We calculated the Gini coefficient and the probability density function of the distribution of the house sizes as a measure of the wealth distribution at each site. We found that the wealth distributions had some characteristics of an approximate power law at all the sites, yet the exact distributions were statistically different from each other. The results indicate that the evolution of Maya culture across these sites cannot be understood as simply dependent on a monotonic evolution of the wealth distribution with time but should rather be explained by the historical circumstances surrounding each community. Specifically, the analyses show that, before the evolution of urban, state-level society, significant inequality existed in the Late Preclassic period, but a Pareto distribution either had not emerged or was incipient. In the Late and Terminal Classic periods, economic inequality became increasingly pronounced, while in the succeeding Postclassic period inequality ameliorated, although it seems that poverty prevailed.
Cannabis users exhibit increased cortical activation during resting state compared to non-users.

Studies have shown altered task-based brain functioning as a result of cannabis use. To date, however, whether similar alterations in baseline resting state and functional organization of neural activity are observable in cannabis users remains unknown. We characterized global resting state cortical activations and functional connectivity via electroencephalography (EEG) in cannabis users and related these activations to measures of cannabis use. Resting state EEG in the eyes closed condition was collected from age- and sex-matched cannabis users (N = 17; 6 females; mean age = 30.9 ± 7.4 years) and non-using controls (N = 21; 9 females; mean age = 33.1 ± 11.6 years). Power spectral density and spectral coherence were computed to determine differences in cortical activations and connectivity between the two groups in the delta (1-4Hz), theta (4-7 Hz), alpha (8-12 Hz), beta (13-30 Hz), and gamma (31-50 Hz) frequency bands. Cannabis users exhibited decreased delta and increased theta, beta, and gamma power compared to controls, suggesting increased cortical activation in resting state and a disinhibition of inhibitory functions that may interrupt cognitive processes. Cannabis users also exhibited increased interhemispheric and intrahemispheric coherence relative to controls, reduced mean network degree, and increased clustering coefficient in specific regions and frequencies. This increased cortical activity may indicate a loss of neural refinement and efficiency that may indicate a "noisy" brain. Lastly, measures related to cannabis use were correlated with spectral power and functional connectivity measures, indicating that specific electrophysiological signals are associated with cannabis use. These results suggest that there are differences in cortical activity and connectivity between cannabis users and non-using controls in the resting state that may be related to putative cognitive impairments and can inform effectiveness of intervention programs.
Passive one-dimensional self-transmission imaging of subcritical metallic plutonium assemblies

Abstract We present a new passive technique to assess the spatial extent of subcritical metallic assemblies of plutonium . This technique could be used in disarmament verification where the size of the assembly is a verification attribute. The technique is based on measurements of neutron and gamma-ray coincidences from fission events within special nuclear material (SNM) and is analogous to active transmission imaging where the interrogating source is the SNM itself. Experimental measurements were performed using a 252Cf source and a 4.5 kg sphere of weapons-grade plutonium metal. These measurements and Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate that this technique is highly sensitive to the outer radius of metallic spherical assemblies of plutonium and moderately sensitive to the presence of a void inside the plutonium.
Sound production in sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus and S. platorynchus (Acipenseridae)

Sound production has been recently discovered in several species of Acipenser. Our work has focused on testing for sound production in species of sturgeon in the genus Scaphirhynchus. We discovered that pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus and shovelnose sturgeon, S. albus produce sounds during the breeding season. These signals may be used as part of efforts to localize populations of sturgeon in the field, including the Alabama sturgeon, S. suttkusi.