cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Platelet Hyperactivity in TNFSF14/LIGHT Knockout Mouse Model of Impaired Healing

Objective: Impaired and chronic wounds occur due to defects in one or more of the overlapping stages of healing. However, problems related to the vascular system are critical for nonhealing, and chronic wounds in humans often show the presence of fibrin cuffs/clots. We hypothesized that these clots are due to alterations in platelet function; hence, we have investigated whether alterations in platelet function are present during impaired healing. Approach: Platelets were subjected to different agonists to determine the rate of aggregation and evaluate the molecules involved in adhesion and aggregation that could lead to faster thrombosis and potentially contribute to impaired wound healing. Results: We show that wounding of TNFSF14/LIGHT-/- mice, which have impaired healing, leads to an enhanced response in platelet aggregation and a faster time to blood vessel occlusion (thrombosis). In addition, after wounding, platelets from these mice have increased levels of P-selectin, integrin αIIbβ3, and phosphatidylserine, molecules that contribute to platelet adhesion. They also have more extensive open canalicular system than platelets of control mice, suggesting increased surface area for interactions upon activation. Innovation: These results show a novel function for TNFSF14/LIGHT during wound healing. Conclusion: The absence of TNFSF14/LIGHT from the cell surface of platelets causes rapid platelet aggregation and thrombus formation that may contribute to impaired healing by reducing the ability of the blood vessels to transport nutrients and oxygen and other molecules needed for proper healing.
Comments on Lusin’s Conjecture and Carleson’s Proof for L2 Fourier Series

More than fifty years after Lusin’s conjecture in 1913, L. Carleson proved the Fourier series of every L2 function converges a.e. In this paper we will review the work of Lusin which led to his conjecture and present an historical development of some related results. We will follow the development of results which are used in Carleson’s proof and briefly indicate how they are used. We will see that the conjugate function is central to both Lusin’s conjecture and Carleson’s proof. The Hardy-Littlewood maximal function and other maximal functions play important roles in the later development.
TH‐F‐202‐02: Current Applications of MRI in Radiotherapy

MRI has excellent soft tissue contrast and can provide both anatomical and physiological information. It is becoming increasingly important in radiation therapy for treatment planning, image-guided radiation therapy, and treatment assessment. It is critically important at this time point to educate and update our medical physicists about MRI to prepare for the upcoming surge of MRI applications in radiation therapy. This session will review important basics of MR physics, pulse sequence designs, and current radiotherapy application, as well as showcase exciting new developments in MRI that can be potentially useful in radiation therapy. Learning Objectives: 1.To learn basics of MR physics and understand the differences between various pulse sequences 2.To review current applications of MRI in radiation therapy.To discuss recent MRI advances for future MRI guided radiation therapy Partly supported by NIH (1R21CA165384).; W. Miller, Research supported in part by Siemens Healthcare; G. Li, My clinical research is in part supported by NIH U54CA137788. I have a collaborative research project with Philips Healthcare.; J. Cai, jing cai
Deformation of Earth Materials: Composition and structure of Earth's interior

The current status of our understanding of the structure and composition of Earth and other terrestrial planets is summarized with the emphasis on those issues that are critical to the rheological properties and the dynamics/evolution of terrestrial planets. A brief summary of the methods of inference of pressure, temperature and major element compositions is presented together with some major results. Current knowledge of the mineralogical composition of the crust, mantle and core is briefly reviewed together with a review of our knowledge on the water content and grain size. Key words Adams–Williamson equation, adiabatic temperature gradient, Bullen parameter, crust, mantle, core, transition zone, lower mantle, D″ layer, inner core, pyrolite model, chondrite model. Gross structure of Earth and other terrestrial planets This chapter provides a brief review of the structure and composition of Earth and other planetary interiors. The emphasis is on the issues that are critical to the understanding of rheological properties, and hence the dynamics and evolution of terrestrial planets. Several methods are currently used to infer the interior of Earth and other planets. (1) The gravity field outside a planet and related geodetic measurements provide constraints on the average density and the mass distribution in that planet. (2) The magnetic field outside a planet provides some clue as to the dynamics of planetary interiors. The magnetic field caused by remnant magnetization of crusts provides hints as to the dynamics of a planet in the past.
Long-Term Improvement in Glucose Control and Counterregulation by Islet Transplantation for Type 1 Diabetes.

Context: Islet transplantation has been shown to improve glucose counterregulation and hypoglycemia symptom recognition in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) complicated by severe hypoglycemia episodes and symptom unawareness, but long-term data are lacking. Objective: To assess the long-term durability of glucose counterregulation and hypoglycemia symptom responses 18 months after intrahepatic islet transplantation and associated measures of glycemic control during a 24-month follow-up period. Design, Setting, and Participants: Ten patients with T1D disease duration of approximately 27 years were studied longitudinally before and 6 and 18 months after transplant in the Clinical & Translational Research Center of the University of Pennsylvania and were compared to 10 nondiabetic control subjects. Intervention: All 10 patients underwent intrahepatic islet transplantation according to the CIT07 protocol at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Main Outcome Measures: Counterregulatory hormone, end...
Scalable three-dimensional optical interconnects for data centers

Abstract Technology scaling has paved the way to integrate hundreds and probably thousands of cores on a single-chip in the future. As the numbers of cores increases, energy efficiency and scalability of Network-on-Chips(NoCs) has become a critical challenge that could potentially hinder the performance of future warehouse scale computers (WSC) or datacenters. Emerging technologies such as silicon photonics and 3D stacking are currently being explored to overcome the drawbacks of traditional metallic interconnects for on-chip networks. In this chapter, we combine 3D stacking and silicon photonics to deliver high on-chip bandwidth and low energy/bit to achieve a high throughput, reconfigurable, energy efficient photonic NoC fabric. We propose to develop a multi-layer photonic interconnect that can dynamically reconfigure without system intervention and allocate channel bandwidth from less utilized links to more utilized communication links. In addition, we propose a Power Reduction Technique (PRT) that dynamically deactivates photonic interconnects that are idle and reduce power dissipation. For 64-core reconfigured network, our simulation results indicate that the performance can be further improved by 10%-25% for Splash-2, PARSEC and SPEC CPU2006 benchmarks, whereas simulation results for a 256-core chip indicate a performance improvement of more than 25% while saving 23% of energy when compared to state-of-the-art on-chip electrical and optical networks.
Chapter 13 – Matrix Inversion

Matrix processing is a heavily used technique in communications, radar, medical imaging, and many other applications. This is particularly prevalent in systems with many antennas and performing multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) processing. In 5G wireless, for example, QR decomposition (QRD) is used in both MIMO processing and amplifier digital predistortion adaptation. In radar, QRD is used in space–time adaptive processing (STAP) and can be used to extract signals well below the noise floor. This chapter has more math than most. These functions are usually already available as library functions for high performance CPUs, GPUs, and FPGAs.
Interviewer and Client Behaviors in Supportive and Defensive Interviews

At the core of the process by which social services are delivered is the interview between providers and low-income clients. These interviews, while crucial to the continuation of the interviewer-i...
Shear shock waves observed in the ex-vivo brain

For the past 50 years head injury biomechanics has been guided by measurements of accelerometers attached to the skull. These measurements provide a partial and indirect estimate of brain motion because the internal deformation of the brain is far more complex than the rigid motion of the skull. In this context, brain tissue behaves nonlinearly under conditions that are generally met by injurious impacts. Attempts to measure the in situ nonlinear brain mechanics with imaging methods (MRI, CT) have lacked the penetration, frame rate, or motion detection accuracy to capture the nonlinear transient events during traumatic injury. Here we present a high framerate (6200 images/second) ultrasound imaging method that can accurately measure the internal brain motion during the rapid transient events associated with a mild impact in an ex-vivo porcine brain. Our method relies on two main advancements 1) A flash focus ultrasound sequence which reduces the side lobes by 19dB and increases the SNR deep in the brain compared with a conventional plane wave compounding sequence. 2) An adaptive tracking algorithm which uses a quality weighted median filter to iteratively optimize correlation estimates. By imaging brain motion directly we were able to observe the formation of shear shock waves within the brain. The measured shock waves have a specific odd harmonic signature predicted by theory describing a cubically nonlinear elastic soft solid. Measurements of the frequency dependent attenuation and dispersion were used to fit this nonlinear theoretical model to our data. This yielded the first estimates of the cubic nonlinear parameter for brain tissue. This previously unobserved shear shock wave phenomenology dramatically amplifies the acceleration at the shock front, deep in the brain, compared with the acceleration imposed at the brain surface (up to a factor 8.5). A 30 g acceleration at the brain surface therefore develops into a 255 g shock wave deep inside the brain. The highly localized increase in acceleration suggests that the shear shock wave is a primary mechanism for traumatic injuries.
Natriuretic hormones II.

Renal sodium metabolism, an important determinant of blood pressure, is regulated with great precision by a variety of endocrine, autocrine, and neuronal factors. Although these factors regulate sodium metabolism by affecting the rate of tubular sodium reabsorption, the molecular mechanisms by which they act are poorly understood. It has been proposed that the antidiuretic agents angiotensin II and norepinephrine and the diuretic agents dopamine and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) may achieve their effects through a common pathway that involves a bidirectionally regulated intracellular protein phosphorylation cascade. This in turn modulates the activity of renal tubular Na+/K+-ATPase [1]. An exaggerated natriuretic response to acute volume expansion by intravenous saline has been demonstrated in essential [2] as well as borderline hypertension [3]. The overall response to acute volume expansion by intravenous saline has been characterized by a complex humoral pattern which includes the acute suppression of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system [4]. Recent studies by Bullivant et al. [5] demonstrate that plasma levels of angiotensin II, prostaglandins, kinins, dopamine, ANP, adrenal hormones, or factors released by the renal nerves are unchanged by renal arterial saline infusion. Thus none of these is directly responsible for the saline induced natriuresis.
Teacher Knowledge and Teaching Practices in Linguistically Diverse Classrooms

This study sought to empirically estimate teachers’ mathematical knowledge and knowledge of teaching linguistically diverse learners, and to shed light on the links that may exist between mathematical and teaching knowledge and classroom practices. Correlational analysis showed that there were strong associations between teachers’ mathematical knowledge and knowledge of teaching linguistically diverse learners. These in turn were strongly associated with rich mathematics and attention to students as learners during instruction.
Focal therapy versus surveillance in intermediate-risk cancer

Active surveillance has been proposed as a way to continue current prostate cancer screening programs while mitigating the risk of prostate cancer overdetection. Conversely, focal therapy has often been criticized based on the potential that multifocal disease may be missed. Unfortunately, the development of clinical trials to evaluate focal treatment of prostate cancer has been hampered by uncertainty with end points, the need for very long follow-up, and the desires by patients to undergo novel treatments in hopes that side effects will be minimized. In this clinical scenario, a 58-year-old man with a normal rectal exam presents with a PSA that is below the typical threshold but may be considered elevated after adjustment for age. He has undergone a systematic transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy with low-intermediate risk prostate cancer identified in 1 out of 12 cores. He is now considering active surveillance or focal therapy.
Biology of Normal Joint and Evaluation of the Joint Including Clinical, Imaging, and Pathologic Evaluation

The joints are specialized organs that allow for stability and locomotion. The joint structures are organized to promote efficient force transfer, optimal shock absorption, and frictionless load bearing. Synovial joint is the most common type of joint in the human body and also the most commonly affected by arthritis. Synovial joint is characterized by the presence of synovial tissue (synovium) which produces synovial fluid. The synovium covers the joint capsule and the tendon sheaths but does not cover the hyaline articular cartilage or menisci. This is important, both in health and in disease, because the articular cartilage and menisci are avascular and are dependent on the synovial fluid for their nutritional needs. Pathological processes that affect the joint components or interfere with optimal joint nutrition can result in abnormal joint biomechanics, produce pain, and ultimately disability. History and physical examination are essential for the evaluation of a patient with musculoskeletal complaints. Synovial fluid analysis and specific imaging modalities can help focus and better characterize the pathologic process responsible for the patients' symptoms and physical findings. Occasionally, synovial biopsy is necessary to make certain diagnoses.
Enalapril maleate versus captopril. A comparison of the hormonal and antihypertensive effects.

24 hypertensive patients were randomised into 2 groups to compare the antihypertensive effects of enalapril and captopril over a 10-week period. In the hydrochlorothiazide run-in period, blood pressure was reduced from 171 ± 4/109 ± 1mm Hg to 160 ± 4/ 103 ± lmm Hg (p <0.05). Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition decreased blood pressure to 132 ± 3/87 ± 2mm Hg. Captopril decreased diastolic blood pressure significantly more after 3 hours than enalapril (−24 versus −17mm Hg, p <0.05). After 10 weeks of therapy, this antihypertensive response was maintained at 134 ± 3/83 ± 1mm Hg. There was no difference between the captopril and enalapril treated groups. Acute and chronic responses of plasma renin activity, plasma aldosterone and ACE were determined. There was an acute positive correlation between the rise in plasma renin activity and the fall in blood pressures with captopril but not with enalapril. With chronic treatment there was no difference in the ability of either of the 2 drugs to reduce blood pressure, inhibit ACE, reduce aldosterone or stimulate plasma renin activity.
How Should We Enhance the Process and Purpose of Prognostic Communication in Oncology

We propose that effective prognostic communication requires attention to the process and purpose of communication, where purpose represents the will and process the ability to communicate. Prognostic communication has historically challenged clinicians and patients. Few interventions have been developed to improve prognostic communication, and those that have been developed largely target the process of communication. We argue that more work is needed to address the purpose of prognostic communication, because the first step in all effective communication is desiring to communicate well. In developing communication interventions, investigators should be thoughtful about the audience they are targeting, the goals of the intervention, and the feasibility of disseminating and implementing the intervention in busy health care systems with limited resources.
A Brief History and a Look to the Future of Family Business Heterogeneity: An Introduction

With family business heterogeneity entering the family business vernacular at the turn of the century, there have been increasing calls to study within family businesses and to move beyond comparing between nonfamily businesses to family businesses. In this introductory chapter, we provide a classifying framework to group preliminary heterogeneity articles into a 2 × 2 framework by forms of evidence (anecdotal-based and empirical based) and context comparison (between family and nonfamily firms and within family firms). We then introduce the 34 book chapters from leading authors from around the world and often from different disciplines. These chapters are organized in the following family heterogeneity thematic areas: the present state of family business research, family governance, nonfinancial and financial dynamics, organizational behavior and human resource management, and strategies. The intention of this edited volume of book chapters is to provide source material for additional conversations and evidence-based research on family business heterogeneity.
Prepubertal skeletal muscle growth requires Pax7-expressing satellite cell-derived myonuclear contribution

The functional role of Pax7-expressing satellite cells (SCs) in postnatal skeletal muscle development beyond weaning remains obscure. Therefore, the relevance of SCs during prepubertal growth, a period after weaning but prior to the onset of puberty, has not been examined. Here, we have characterized mouse skeletal muscle growth during prepuberty and found significant increases in myofiber cross-sectional area that correlated with SC-derived myonuclear number. Remarkably, genome-wide RNA-sequencing analysis established that post-weaning juvenile and early adolescent skeletal muscle have markedly different gene expression signatures. These distinctions are consistent with extensive skeletal muscle maturation during this essential, albeit brief, developmental phase. Indelible labeling of SCs with Pax7CreERT2/+ ; Rosa26nTnG/+ mice demonstrated SC-derived myonuclear contribution during prepuberty, with a substantial reduction at puberty onset. Prepubertal depletion of SCs in Pax7CreERT2/+ ; Rosa26DTA/+ mice reduced myofiber size and myonuclear number, and caused force generation deficits to a similar extent in both fast and slow-contracting muscles. Collectively, these data demonstrate SC-derived myonuclear accretion as a cellular mechanism that contributes to prepubertal hypertrophic skeletal muscle growth.
LIGO and Gravitational Waves, III: Nobel Lecture, December 8, 2017

The first observation of gravitational waves, by LIGO on September 14, 2015, was the culmination of a near half century effort by ∼1200 scientists and engineers of the LIGO/Virgo Collaboration. It was also the remarkable beginning of a whole new way to observe the universe: gravitational astronomy. The Nobel Prize for “decisive contributions” to this triumph was awarded to only three members of the Collaboration: Rainer Weiss, Barry Barish, and me. But, in fact, it is the entire collaboration that deserves the primary credit. For this reason, in accepting the Nobel Prize, I regard myself as an icon for the Collaboration.
Simulated digestion of polystyrene foam enhances desorption of diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and In vitro estrogenic activity in a size-dependent manner.

Marine polychaetes and fish are known to ingest polystyrene microparticles in the environment. Laboratory microplastic feeding experiments have demonstrated that plastic may release endocrine-disrupting compounds such as diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), which can cause adverse effects in both vertebrates and invertebrates. In order to determine the influence of size and digestive conditions on the desorption of DEHP and other plasticizers to polychaetes and fish, we exposed polystyrene particles of various sizes under invertebrate and vertebrate digestive conditions (vertebrate mimic; pepsin, pH = 2.0, 24 °C, invertebrate mimic; Na taurocholate pH = 7, 18 °C). Estrogen receptor activation and concentrations of 12 plasticizers were measured in the extracts. DEHP, bisphenol S and 4-tert-octylphenol were the only compounds detected. Simulated vertebrate gut digestion did not significantly enhance the release of chemicals nor estrogenic activity. However, a 6.3 ± 2.0-fold increase in the concentration of DEHP was observed in extracts from invertebrate gut conditions (Mean ± SD; N = 24, p < 0.0001). Additionally, estimated particle surface area was positively correlated with estrogenic activity across all treatment types (r = 0.85, p < 0.0001). Overall, these data indicate an elevated bioaccessibility of DEHP may occur in invertebrates, and size-dependent desorption of uncharacterized estrogenic compounds from plastic suggest additional complexity when considering the risks of MP to aquatic organisms.
The Fungibility of Damage Awards

Conventional wisdom suggests that punitive damages are growing out of control. To stop juries from awarding blockbuster punitive damages, a number of states have passed caps to set a ceiling on the amount of punitives. In principle, if plaintiffs' attorneys and/or juries wish to circumvent such caps, they could simply increase the amount of compensatory damages awarded. To investigate this possibility, we examine data from the Civil Justice Surveys performed by the National Center for State Courts and demonstrate, in a triple differences framework, that punitive damage caps are associated with a statistically significant increase in compensatory damage awards. This effect is robust to using various contemporaneous within-state counterfactual controls. These results suggest that caps alone are a poor way to constrain damage awards.
Water quality data from estuarine variable hydrologic flow regimes during frequent drought.

Abstract The present article provides water quality data collected from three South Texas Estuaries (Guadalupe, Nueces and Lavaca-Colorado Estuaries) during frequent drought from 2011 to 2014. The data described here are presented in the research article “The relationship between suspended solids and nutrients with variable hydrologic flow regimes” Paudel et al., 2019. Quarterly (i.e. four times a year) surface water quality data presented here were collected from various stations lie along river-estuary mouth to oceanic salinity gradient. Followings are the water quality data provided from Texas estuaries at different river flow regimes: pH, DO, TSS, salinity, chlorophyll-a, secchi disc reading, and nutrients (dissolved nitrogen, dissolved phosphorus and dissolved silicate). Surface inflow was obtained by adding gauged, modeled and return flow.
Packet Position Modulation: A Technique for Enhancing Information Transfer Capacity in Ultra-low Duty Cycle Networks

This paper presents a data packet position modulation (DPPM) paradigm to enhance information transfer capacity of communication links used by energy-constrained devices. Packet transmissions in low duty cycle networks are often scheduled as TDMA slots, whose periodicity is determined based on application sampling requirements and the energy inflow, often in the form of energy harvesting. The key idea of DPPM is to modulate the inter-packet spacing for coding additional information without incurring additional transmission energy expenditures. This paper presents a DPPM based solution for single-hop transmit-only networks in which a number of low-energy nodes transmit data to an aggregator. The architecture is first developed for a two-node point-to-point link, followed by a multipoint-to-point multiaccess network. Detailed analytical and simulation models are developed to demonstrate the performance of a symmetric and an asymmetric version DPPM. It is shown that by carefully choosing the protocol parameters, DPPM can enhance the effective information transfer capacity of an ultra-low duty cycle network by up to 65% in certain scenarios.
Combining computational controls with natural text reveals new aspects of meaning composition

To study a core component of human intelligence---our ability to combine the meaning of words---neuroscientists look for neural correlates of meaning composition, such as brain activity proportional to the difficulty of understanding a sentence. However, little is known about the product of meaning composition---the combined meaning of words beyond their individual meaning. We term this product ``supra-word meaning99 and devise a computational representation for it by using recent neural network algorithms and a new technique to disentangle composed- from individual-word meaning. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we reveal that hubs that are thought to process lexical-level meaning also maintain supra-word meaning, suggesting a common substrate for lexical and combinatorial semantics. Surprisingly, we cannot detect supra-word meaning in magnetoencephalography, which suggests that composed meaning is maintained through a different neural mechanism than synchronized firing. This sensitivity difference has implications for past neuroimaging results and future wearable neurotechnology.
US-Swiss Term Structures and Exchange Rate Dynamics

In this study, a multi-country nonlinear model is constructed to simultaneously estimate the exchange rate dynamics and the term structure of interest rates in the US and in Switzerland. The model has better empirical performance compared to the earlier well-known affine international models. Risk premiums of bond yields vary between the two countries. The estimated state variables exhibit local characteristics. These conclusions imply the potential advantages of international diversification and demonstrate the Home Bias puzzle. Exchange rate dynamics estimated by the models account for the Forward Premium Anomaly.
Lessons Learned During COVID-19 That Can Move Telehealth in Primary Care Forward.

Introduction: Our university hospital-based primary care practices transitioned a budding interest in telehealth to a largely telehealth-based approach in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Initial work: Implementation of telehealth began in 2017. Health system barriers, provider and patient reluctance, and inadequate reimbursement prevented widespread adoption at the time. COVID-19 served as the catalyst to accelerate telehealth efforts. Implementation: COVID-19 resulted in the need for patient care with “social distancing.” In addition, due to the pandemic, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and other insurers began expanded reimbursement for telehealth. More than 2000 providers received virtual health training in less than 2 weeks. In March 2020, we provided 2376 virtual visits, and in April 5293, which was more than 75 times the number provided in February; 73% of all visits in April were virtual (up from 0.5% in October 2019). As COVID-19 cases receded in May, June, and July, patient demand for virtual visits decreased, but 28% of visits in July were still virtual. Lessons learned: Several key lessons are important for future efforts regarding clinical implementation: (1) prepare for innovation, (2) cultivate an innovation mindset, (3) standardize (but not too much), (4) technological innovation is necessary but not sufficient, and (5) communicate widely and often.
A path toward the clinical translation of nano-based imaging contrast agents

Recently, nanoparticles have evolved ubiquitously in therapeutic applications to treat a range of diseases. Despite their regular use as therapeutic agents in the clinic, we have yet to see much progress in their clinical translation as diagnostic imaging agents. Several clinical and preclinical studies support their use as imaging contrast agents, but their use in the clinical setting has been limited to off-label imaging procedures (i.e., Feraheme). Since diagnostic imaging has been historically used as an exploratory tool to rule out disease or to screen patients for various cancers, nanoparticle toxicity remains a concern, especially when introducing exogenous contrast agents into a potentially healthy patient population, perhaps rationalizing why several nano-based therapeutic agents have been clinically translated before nano-based imaging agents. Another potential hindrance toward their clinical translation could be their market potential, as most therapeutic drugs have higher earning potential than small-molecule imaging contrast agents. With these considerations in mind, perhaps a clinical path forward for nano-based imaging contrast agents is to help guide/manage therapy. Several studies have demonstrated the ability of nanoparticles to produce more accurate imaging preoperatively, intraoperatively, and postoperatively. These applications illustrate a more reliable method of cancer detection and treatment that can prevent incomplete tumor resection and incorrect assessment of tumor progression following treatment. The aim of this review is to highlight the research that supports the use of nanoparticles in biomedical imaging applications and offer a new perspective to illustrate how nano-based imaging agents have the potential to better inform therapeutic decisions. This article is categorized under: Diagnostic Tools > In Vivo Nanodiagnostics and Imaging.
Feyerabend’s Against Method: Rationalism vs. Pseudo-irrationalism

This is a critical examination of Paul Feyerabend’s Against Method (originally published in 1975). I argue that, although Feyerabend’s book may superficially appear as primarily destructive, he is really practicing a relatively novel and essentially sound approach to the analysis of scientific rationality; Feyerabend’s approach is a concrete, empirical, historical, and rhetorical one, and his account of Galileo’s methodology is meant to be a case study. I also argue that Feyerabend’s account of Galileo’s methodology is not really irrationalistic, but pseudo-irrationalistic; in reality, Galileo proceeds rationally for Feyerabend, as long as the concept of scientific rationality is expanded to allow for rhetorical factors that are a-logical rather than anti-logical, and for epistemological practices neglected by orthodox scholars but ultimately reducible to reasoning and argumentation. Finally, I elaborate, along such lines, a critical appreciation of Feyerabend’s discussion of Galileo’s critique of the vertical-fall argument against the earth’s motion.
Caspase-Cleaved Tau Co-Localizes with Early Tangle Markers in the Human Vascular Dementia Brain.

Vascular dementia (VaD) is the second most common form of dementia in the United States and is characterized as a cerebral vessel vascular disease that leads to ischemic episodes. Whereas the relationship between caspase-cleaved tau and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been previously described, whether caspase activation and cleavage of tau occurs in VaD is presently unknown. To investigate a potential role for caspase-cleaved tau in VaD, we analyzed seven confirmed cases of VaD by immunohistochemistry utilizing a well-characterized antibody that specifically detects caspase-cleaved tau truncated at Asp421. Application of this antibody (TauC3) revealed consistent labeling within NFTs, dystrophic neurites within plaque-rich regions and corpora amylacea (CA) in the human VaD brain. Labeling of CA by the TauC3 antibody was widespread throughout the hippocampus proper, was significantly higher compared to age matched controls, and co-localized with ubiquitin. Staining of the TauC3 antibody co-localized with MC-1, AT8, and PHF-1 within NFTs. Quantitative analysis indicated that roughly 90% of PHF-1-labeled NFTs contained caspase-cleaved tau. In addition, we documented the presence of active caspase-3 within plaques, blood vessels and pretangle neurons that co-localized with TauC3. Collectively, these data support a role for the activation of caspase-3 and proteolytic cleavage of TauC3 in VaD providing further support for the involvement of this family of proteases in NFT pathology.
Pheromones, Odors, and Vasanas: The Neuroendocrinology of Social Chemosignals in Humans and Animals

Publisher Summary Social chemosignals are not simply vestigial. Rather, they are the oldest sensory system for coordinating social and reproductive behavior. Because they are evolutionarily conserved, they are a parsimonious system for integrating social interactions, emotions, and motivation in a variety of physical contexts and endocrine states. Hormones play a role in three ways: they change the meaning of an odorant, often without changing sensitivity or acuity; hormones are regulated by social odors and pheromones; hormones are social chemosignals themselves, functioning as odors, pheromones, and vasanas. Including humans in the comparative psychology and neuroendocrinology of social chemosignals provides animal research with a rich framework for addressing the relationship among perception, psychological responses, and levels of awareness. The animal literature brings precise insights into neuroendocrine mechanisms of production and response. It also brings a heightened appreciation of the diversity of ways that the same social function can be achieved.
SU-E-T-559: Monte Carlo Simulation of Cobalt-60 Teletherapy Unit Modeling In-Field and Out-Of-Field Doses for Applications in Computational Radiation Dosimetry

Purpose: Mean organ doses from structures located in field and outside of field boundaries during radiotherapy treatment must be considered when looking at secondary effects. Treatment planning in patients with 40 years of follow-up does not include 3-D treatment planning images and did not estimate dose to structures out of the direct field. Therefore, it is of interest to correlate actual clinical events with doses received. Methods: Accurate models of radiotherapy machines combined with whole body computational phantoms using Monte Carlo methods allow for dose reconstructions intended for studies on late radiation effects. The Theratron-780 radiotherapy unit and anatomically realistic hybrid computational phantoms are modeled in the Monte Carlo radiation transport code MCNPX. The major components of the machine including the source capsule, lead in the unit-head, collimators (fixed/adjustable), and trimmer bars are simulated. The MCNPX transport code is used to compare calculated values in a water phantom with published data from BJR suppl. 25 for in-field doses and experimental data from AAPM Task Group No. 36 for out-of-field doses. Next, the validated cobalt-60 teletherapy model is combined with the UF/NCI Family of Reference Hybrid Computational Phantoms as a methodology for estimating organ doses. Results: The model of Theratron-780 hasmore » shown to be agree with percentage depth dose data within approximately 1% and for out of field doses the machine is shown to agree within 8.8%. Organ doses are reported for reference hybrid phantoms. Conclusion: Combining the UF/NCI Family of Reference Hybrid Computational Phantoms along with a validated model of the Theratron-780 allows for organ dose estimates of both in-field and out-of-field organs. By changing field size, position, and adding patient-specific blocking more complicated treatment set-ups can be recreated for patients treated historically, particularly those who lack both 2D/3D image sets.« less
Cost study of the ESPRESSO blanket for a tandem mirror reactor

A detailed cost study of the ESPRESSO blanket concept for the Tandem Mirror Fusion Reactor (TMR) has been performed to complement the thermal-hydraulic parametric study and to help narrow down the choice of parameters for the final design. The ESPRESSO blanket consists of a number of structurally independent ring modules. Each ring module is made up of a number of mutually pressure-supporting canisters containing arrays of breeder tubes. Two separate helium coolant flows are used: a main flow to cool the tube bank and a cooler first wall flow.
Characterization of a specific ligand for P-selectin on myeloid cells. A minor glycoprotein with sialylated O-linked oligosaccharides.

Abstract Lectin-carbohydrate recognition between the selectins and their ligands are among the earliest events in leukocyte recirculation, leukocyte recruitment into inflamed areas, and abnormal egress of leukocytes in diseases. Previously, we have described a dimeric sialoglycoprotein from myeloid cells with subunits of molecular mass = 120 kDa, which is selectively recognized by P-selectin (Moore, K.L., Stults, N.L., Diaz, S., Smith, D.F., Cummings, R.D., Varki, A., and McEver, R.P. (1992) J. Cell Biol. 188, 445-456). Here, we demonstrate that this P-selectin ligand carries alpha 2-3-linked sialic acids and the sialyl-Lewisx (SLex) tetrasaccharide motif. This glycoprotein contains < 1% of the total membrane-bound sialic acids and a very small fraction of the total SLex on neutrophil membranes. In spite of a relative resistance to sialidase digestion, the predominant form of sialic acid on the ligand is N-acetylneuraminic acid. Selective periodate oxidation of the side chain of sialic acids does not affect P-selectin binding and allows the introduction of tritium label into the truncated sialic acids. beta-Elimination with alkaline borohydride releases labeled O-linked oligosaccharides both from the labeled neutrophil ligand and from the ligand purified from HL-60 cells metabolically labeled with [3H]glucosamine. The ligand from both neutrophils and HL-60 cells is also susceptible to cleavage by the enzyme O-sialoglycoprotease from Pasteurella hemolytica. Analysis of the specificity of this enzyme suggests that the P-selectin ligand carries large numbers of closely spaced sialylated O-linked oligosaccharides. O-Sialoglycoprotease abolishes both direct binding of P-selectin to HL-60 cells and the adhesion of HL-60 cells to immobilized P-selectin, without significantly decreasing overall cell surface SLex expression. This indicates that the 120-kDa ligand may be the major determinant of P-selectin:myeloid cell interaction in vivo. Finally, based on the current and previous data, we hypothesize that the high affinity recognition site(s) of this P-selectin ligand may be derived from a "clustered saccharide patch" of sialylated fucosylated O-linked oligosaccharide sequences.
Mariner 10 mission to Venus and Mercury

The unmanned spacecraft Mariner 10 was launched on November 3, 1973. Investigations conducted during the first part of its journey included studies carried out to calibrate the instruments in the well-known environment of the earth-moon system. Images of the north polar region of the moon were obtained and observations of the comet Kohoutek were made. Mariner confirmed the presence of a Venus bowshock. Information obtained by the spacecraft about the Venus atmosphere is considered. On March 29, 1974, Mariner 10 passed across the night side of Mercury only 703 kilometers above the planetary surface. It was found that Mercury is a moon-like body, heavily cratered, and with large, flat, circular basins similar to those on the moon and Mars.
ROLE OF CITRITASE IN ACETOIN FORMATION BY STREPTOCOCCUS DIACETILACTIS AND LEUCONOSTOC CITROVORUM

Harvey, R. J. (University of California, Davis) and E. B. Collins. Role of citritase in acetoin formation by Streptococcus diacetilactis and Leuconostoc citrovorum. J. Bacteriol. 82:954-959. 1961.-Cell-free extracts of Streptococcus diacetilactis and Leuconostoc citrovorum converted citrate to acetate, oxalacetate, pyruvate, carbon dioxide, and acetoin. The products, stoichiometry, and cofactor requirements of the citrate-splitting reaction were identical to those reported for citritase. Coenzyme A was not required; the reaction was stimulated by magnesium or manganous ions, and inhibited by calcium ions. In S. diacetilactis the enzyme is constitutive; it has been found inducible in all other organisms that have been studied. Ten strains of S. diacetilactis, three strains of Leuconostoc, and one strain of S. liquefaciens contained the enzyme; 21 strains of S. cremoris and 3 strains of S. lactis did not. Cell-free extracts of S. diacetilactis and L. citrovorum converted pyruvate to acetoin and carbon dioxide in the presence of manganous ions and thiamine pyrophosphate.
Immediate and distal effects of the good behavior game

The Good Behavior Game (GBG) has been demonstrated to reduce disruptive student behavior during implementation. The effects of playing the GBG on disruption immediately before and after the GBG are unknown. The current study evaluated the effects of the GBG on disruption in 5 kindergarten classes immediately before, during, and after GBG implementation. The GBG reduced disruption during implementation but did not affect rates of disruption during activity periods that preceded or followed the GBG.
Fused Raised Pavement Marker Detection Using 2D-Lidar and Mono Camera

In this paper, we describe a raised pavement markers detection algorithm using a monocular camera and a 2d lidar that supports automated driving in urban and highways scenes. For each sensor, we present a detection methode based on its sensing properties and range. The results of these approaches are tracked with a multi Kalman filter and are represented as mixtures of Gaussians. Afterwards, we use a Random Sample Consensus (RANSAC) spline fitting algorithm for a robust estimation of the road boundary. To improve the precision of the applied RANSAC we use the detected painted lane markings. Eventually, we fuse the tracked features with the lane markings on the basis of a product approximation method for Gaussian Mixtures. Experimental results show the reliability and the realtime capability of our approach based on the data we collected in California and Nevada.
Fair Quantized Congestion Notification in Data Center Networks

Quantized Congestion Notification (QCN) has been developed for IEEE 802.1Qau to provide congestion control at the Ethernet Layer or Layer 2 in data center networks (DCNs) by the IEEE Data Center Bridging Task Group. One drawback of QCN is the rate unfairness of different flows when sharing one bottleneck link. In this paper, we propose an enhanced QCN congestion notification algorithm, called fair QCN (FQCN), to improve rate allocation fairness of multiple flows sharing one bottleneck link in DCNs. FQCN identifies congestion culprits through joint queue and per flow monitoring, feedbacks individual congestion information to each culprit through multi-casting, and ensures convergence to statistical fairness. We analyze the stability and fairness of FQCN via Lyapunov functions and evaluate the performance of FQCN through simulations in terms of the queue length stability, link throughput and rate allocations to traffic flows with different traffic dynamics under three network topologies. Simulation results confirm the rate allocation unfairness of QCN, and validate that FQCN maintains the queue length stability, successfully allocates the fair share rate to each traffic source sharing the link capacity, and enhances TCP throughput performance in the TCP Incast setting.
Learning and prediction of nuclear stability by neural networks

Abstract The backpropagation learning algorithm is used to teach layered feedforward networks of model neurons the existing data on nuclear stability and atomic masses. Specific applications include (i) the construction of networks that decide stability, (ii) learning and prediction of nuclear mass excesses and (iii) analysis of the systematics of neutron separation energies. With suitable architecture and representation of input and output data, learning can be accomplished with high accuracy. Evidence is presented that these new adaptive computational systems can grasp essential regularities of nuclear physics including the valley of β-stability, the pairing effect and the existence of shell structure. Significant predictive ability is demonstrated, opening the prospect that neural networks may provide a valuable new tool for computing nuclear properties and, more broadly, for phenomenological description of complex many-body systems.
Unmasking concealed long QT syndrome

m c L t m n o S Not so very long ago, congenital long QT syndrome LQTS) was viewed as a tragic rarity, a profoundly lethal eritable arrhythmia syndrome due to an unknown pathoenic mechanism that fortunately affected only 1 in 25,000 eople or so. Fast forward into the new millennium, and QTS is recognized as a cardiac channelopathy stemming rom over 10 distinct LQTS-susceptibility genes that encode ither critical channel pore-forming alpha subunits or esential channel interacting proteins or ChIPs. Moreover, QTS is now recognized to be as common as the epithelial hannelopathy known as cystic fibrosis, affecting 1 in 2500 ndividuals but overall is a highly treatable condition where udden death should very much be the tragic exception ather than the rule. Genetic testing continues to expose the roverbial “iceberg” of LQTS, showing a significant proortion of individuals with low penetrant, negligibly expresive disease, referred to as occult LQTS, latent LQTS, onpenetrant LQTS, normal QT interval LQTS, or conealed LQTS. Although the sudden death risk associated with conealed LQTS is substantially less than patients with maniest or overt LQTS, the LQTS scientific community has yet o establish the fingerprint of patients with NO RISK LQTS. s such, the correct identification of this low risk subset of ndividuals with concealed LQTS is deemed laudable as it vails the patient to prudent preventative health measures ncluding minimizing exposure to medications that can proong the QT interval as an unwanted side effect (www. tdrugs.org) and consideration of possible risk reducing harmacotherapy such as beta blocker therapy. Already, provocative testing is a standard adjunct to the iagnostic evaluation of LQTS expressly for the purpose of xposing the individual with concealed LQTS, particularly ype 1 LQTS (LQT1). Whether using the Shimizu bolus rotocol or the Mayo continuous infusion protocol, the epiephrine QT stress test has been demonstrated to provide 75% positive predictive value and 95% negative preictive value for LQT1 with paradoxical lengthening of the ate corrected QT interval (QTc, Shimizu protocol) or par-
Nonnegative interpolation formulas for uniformly elliptic equations

Abstract In this paper, we show the existence of nonnegative interpolation formulas for functions which are solutions of second-order uniformly elliptic equations over bounded domains.