cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Response to Comment on Narayan. Type 2 Diabetes: Why We Are Winning the Battle but Losing the War? 2015 Kelly West Award Lecture. Diabetes Care 2016;39:653-663.

Reacting to the hypothesis that the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes may be fundamentally different in “thin” people developing the disease, Reaven (1) expresses concern that this position does not acknowledge the evidence from his group and others that there may be significant differences in the degree of insulin resistance across racial/ethnic groups that is independent of obesity. Insulin resistance is clearly a major factor in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes in all racial/ethnic groups. Furthermore, there is considerable individual variation in the role of obesity on the risk of type 2 diabetes even within ethnic groups. Some have even hypothesized a “personal fat threshold” to explain this variation, suggesting that individuals have a …
An Interview with Eddie Ellis

Edwin (Eddie) Ellis is President of the Community Justice Center, Inc., an anti-crime research, education, and advocacy organization located on 125th Street in Harlem, New York. A target of the FBI's Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO) for his Black Panther Party activities, Ellis served 25 years in various New York State prisons. While he was in prison, he earned a Masters degree from New York Theological Seminary, a Bachelor's from Marist College and a paralegal degree from Sullivan County Community College. Widely recognized as a writer, lecturer, and community activist, Ellis is credited with the successful public dissemination of the research findings of the Think Tank, a group of prisoners from Greenhaven Correction Facility which established that 75% of the prisoners in New York State come from seven neighborhoods in New York City. Eddie Ellis is a fellow of the Bunche Dubois Institute for Public Policy at Medgar Evers College/CUNY, serves on the Board of Directors of Center for Law and Justi...
Standards in Subnational Environmental Constitutionalism

This chapter examines the instantiation of environmental standards in subnational constitutions. Standards in environmental constitutionalism can emanate from subnational sources, including states, provinces, municipalities and additional meso-levels of governance that exists between the national and local governments. Subnational constitutionalism is worldwide, advancing myriad civil, political and socioeconomic rights, and often filling gaps in federal systems. Subnational governments around the globe have seen fit to constitutionalize substantive and procedural environmental rights, environmental duties, and sustainable development for present and future generations, often more elaborately than provided in national constitutions.
Coloration and Structure of the Wings of Chorinea sylphina Bates

The structure and the origin of transparency of the wings of Chorinea sylphina, a species of glasswinged butterflies, were explored using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, UV photography, spectrophotometry, and optical polarimetry. We found that for normally incident light, the clear transparent areas of the forewings and hindwings exhibit significant transmission as well as minuscule reflection throughout the visible regime in the electromagnetic spectrum. We found that the transparency results from the sparsity, the semitransparency, and the upright orientation of single scales on the wing membrane. The red and dark brown colors of the nontransparent areas of the wings have a pigmentary origin. Coherent scattering from the slanted and overlapping lamellae in the scale ridges and diffraction from every scale's longitudinal network of parallel ridges are responsible for blue iridescence and shimmer at large viewing angles. The transparent areas of the wings function as absorbing linear polarizers, due to both the parallel ridges and the almost unidirectional orientation of individual scales on those areas.
Doctoral Students' Experiences with Pedagogies of the Home, Pedagogies of Love, and Mentoring in the Academy

In this article, a group of nontraditional and/or doctoral students of color and our advisor discuss how the advisor-advisee mentoring relationship has positively affected our experiences within academia. The mentoring relationship, cultivated within a group mentoring model, was integral to our acclimation of the hidden culture of our doctoral programs. We elaborate on the history and mentoring model of the group of which we are a part, and follow with a review of the literature on mentoring practices and a discussion of methodology. Finally, through autoethnographic vignettes, each author discusses his/her experience as a non-traditional and/or student of color and how our relationship with the group has provided us with the logistical, emotional, and psychological support needed to progress in and complete our programs.
Correlation between the Rates and Mortality of Ischemic Heart Disease and Magnesium Concentrations in Ohio Drinking Water

This study tested the hypothesis that high concentrations of magnesium in drinking water may help reduce death from ischemic heart disease. The study was conducted using linear regression that relates ischemic heart disease, a dependent variable, to magnesium concentrations, an independent variable. Magnesium concentrations in 69 Ohio counties ranging from 10 to 70 mg/l were used in the study. An inverse correlation was obtained between heart disease (incidence and mortality) and magnesium concentrations supporting the subject hypothesis. Low correlation coefficients were obtained indicating that factors other than magnesium concentrations may also affect heart disease incidence and mortality (e.g., high blood pressure, high cholesterol, genetic factors, etc.). Magnesium concentrations in the water supply were highest where dolomite (carbonate rock rich in calcium and magnesium) bedrock and dolomitic-rich glacial till are present in Ohio.
Baseline aortic pulse wave velocity is associated with central and peripheral pressor responses during the cold pressor test in healthy subjects.

Abstract Cold environmental temperatures increase sympathetic nerve activity and blood pressure, and increase the risk of acute cardiovascular events in aged individuals. The acute risk of cardiovascular events increases with aortic pulse wave velocity as well as elevated central and peripheral pulse pressures. The aim of this study was to examine the independent influence of aortic pulse wave velocity upon central and peripheral pressor responses to sympathetic activation via the cold pressor test (CPT). Twenty‐two healthy subjects (age: 18–73 years) completed a CPT with the left hand immersed in 2–4°C water for 3 min. During the CPT, central (from: 36 ± 7 to: 51 ± 12 mmHg) and peripheral pulse pressure increased (from: 54 ± 7 to: 66 ± 11; both P 0.05). In all subjects the increase in central pulse pressure during the CPT was independently associated with baseline aortic pulse wave velocity ( r 2 = 0.221, P = 0.027) but not age ( P > 0.05). In a subset of subjects with higher arterial stiffness, the increase in peripheral pulse pressure during the CPT was independently associated with baseline aortic pulse wave velocity ( r 2 = 0.415, P = 0.032) but not age ( P > 0.05). These data indicate that central and peripheral pulse pressure responses during sympathetic activation are positively and independently associated with aortic pulse wave velocity through a wide age range. Decreasing aortic pulse wave velocity in aged individuals with elevated arterial stiffness may help reduce the incidence of acute cardiovascular events upon exposure to cold environmental temperatures.
A bi-objective batch processing problem with dual-resources on unrelated-parallel machines

Abstract In this paper, a bi-objective batch processing problem with dual-resources on unrelated-parallel machines is addressed. Typically, both machines and operators as dual-resources are required to process the setup and run of any batch on any machine. The pursuit of this research is motivated by the adoption of the just-in-time philosophy on unrelated-parallel machines, where both the production time and cost are considered. A mathematical programming model is proposed in four layers for simultaneously minimizing the production cost including total cost of tardy and early jobs along with total batch processing cost as well as the makespan with dual-resources. Four bi-objective particle swarm optimization based search algorithms are proposed to efficiently solve the optimization problem for medium- and large-size instances. To reflect the real industry requirements, dynamic machine and operator availability times, dynamic job release times, machine eligibility and capability for processing jobs, batch capacity limitations, machine-dependent setup time, and different skill levels of operators are considered. Several numerical examples are generated by a comprehensive data generation mechanism to compare the search algorithms with respect to four performance indicators. A comparison of small-size instances between performance indicators of the best search algorithm and optimization method shows the same performance to find non-dominated solutions in the final Pareto optimal solutions, while the best search algorithm spreads and extends more in the entire Pareto optimal region and shows that it is less capable in converging to the true Pareto optimal front. To the best of our knowledge, this research is the first of its kind to provide a comprehensive mathematical model for bi-objective batch processing problem with dual-resources.
What Is Statistics Education

Statistics education is an interdisciplinary field that is focused on the teaching and learning of statistics. This chapter describes how the discipline of statistics education has emerged and evolved from the training of statistics practitioners to the education of students at all levels and from a practice rooted in mathematics and science to a subject utilized across many disciplines. It also examines the current landscape of statistics education, exploring the diversity in the content and setting of statistics instruction around the world. Finally, the chapter outlines several opportunities and challenges on the horizon for statistics education.
Prescribed burning: requiem or renaissance

Various perceptions of prescribed burning of woodlands are described. Most states prohibit setting fire to woodlands except under specific circumstances. Requirements for authorization to burn vary from state to state. The extent of restriction appears to be inversely proportional to amount of fire use, with little or not burning done in states having the strictest fire laws. However, under the 1970 Clean Air Act, individual states are required to develop regulations that will at least maintain national standards for air quality. 25 references.
IDENTIFICATION OF SIMIAN VARICELLA VIRUS HOMOLOGUES OF VARICELLA ZOSTER VIRUS GENES

Clinical, pathologic, immunologic and virologic features of simian varicella virus (SVV) infection in primates resemble human varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection. Further, the SVV and VZV genomes are similar in size and structure, show striking homology in their configuration and DNA sequences, and encode antigenically related polypetides. Although the entire VZV genome is present during latency in human ganglia, transcription is limited. VZV genes 21, 29, 62 and 63 are transcribed during latency, while genes 4, 10, 40, 51 and 61 are not transcribed. The entire VZV genome has been sequenced, but the SVV genome has not. Thus, to analyze SVV genes transcribed during latency, we have begun to identify SVV homologues of the above VZV genes. We used nick-translated [32p]-labeled-VZV open reading frame (ORF)-specific probes to screen Southern blots containing EcoRI-digested SVV genomic DNA and recombinant clones of SVV EcoRI and BamHI DNA fragments spanning ∼97% of the virus genome. We showed that SVV homologues of VZV ORFs 4, 10, 29, 40, 51 and 61 mapped to SVV DNA fragments EcoRI I, A, N, BamHI E, EcoRI D and E, respectively. We also confirmed earlier reports that SVV homologues of VZV genes 21 and 63 mapped to SVV EcoRI DNA fragments H and C, respectively. Viral genes on the SVV and VZV genomes seem to be collinear.
GEOMATICS MAPPING OF NATURAL HAZARDS: OVERVIEW AND EXPERIENCES

Abstract. This paper reviews the major Geomatics solutions available on the market and explores their potentialities for rapid disaster assessment applications. The attention is primarily focused on the most recent satellite and airborne / UAV optical imaging systems, with the goal of providing an update that will assist the selection process when involved in Rapid Mapping. Furthermore, two relevant and on-going experiences, carried out by the authors within international cooperation frameworks, are described with special focus on hazardous events or situations in the Alpine region: (i) Rapid Mapping of mudflow event, by exploiting LiDAR data and satellite, airborne, helicopter- and UAV-based imagery; (ii) multi-temporal monitoring for displacement assessment of landslide event, by integrating multi-sensor and multi-platform Geomatics techniques. Results and lessons learnt are presented that may support the choice of the most suited Geomatics technique.
Multiple Imputation and Analysis with SPSS 17-20

In this chapter, I provide step-by-step instructions for performing multiple imputation and analysis with SPSS 17-19. I encourage you to read Chap. 3 before reading this chapter.
Mechanism of Antitumor Drug Action Assessed by Cytometry

Publisher Summary This chapter provides some underlying principles that are important in studying the drug activity in model systems. The chapter highlights some of the problems and pitfalls that may arise when deciding the approaches to be used or interpreting experimental results. The choice of model system depends on choosing a cell system. Exposing cells to a compound, and doing growth and viability curves provide information on the minimum concentration necessary to effect proliferation, the dose that prevents growth, and doses that induce some degree of cell death. Cell cycle phases for specific agents is affected by exposing cells to agents of interest for extended lengths of time (continuous exposure) or exposing the cells to a compound for a time considerably less than the doubling time of the culture, removing the compound by washing the cells, and returning the cells to culture in drug-free media (pulse exposure). Single-parameter DNA histograms are the oldest and widely used approaches to study drug effects on cell cycle kinetics and one of the earliest applications of flow cytometry. Multiparameter cytometric approaches to the study of the cell cycle can provide critical insights into the study of drug mechanism of action. With the discoveries of new cell cycle control molecules, new molecular probes are constantly arising that allow detailed descriptions of the cell cycle, its control mechanisms, and the perturbations of those mechanisms associated with cancer.
Combined Implantation of Artificial Sphincter and Penile Prosthesis

Concurrent sphincteric incontinence and organic impotence are not uncommon; they can be caused by many congenital and acquired conditions. In the past simultaneous implantation of the artificial sphincter and penile prosthesis was met with skepticism. Of 65 patients who had concurrent implantation of the artificial sphincter and various categories of penile prosthesis 60 were followed for a mean of 35.74 months (range 8 to 55 months). Continence was graded as good or satisfactory in 95 per cent of the patients and poor in 5 per cent. The penile implants were functional in 98 per cent of the patients. Of the 60 patients 33 required 59 corrections, for an average of 0.98 correction per patient. These results indicate that staged or concurrent implantation of dual prostheses is feasible technically, functionally and cosmetically, and without increased risk for surgical or mechanical problems.
Amicus Curiae Brief to the NLRB in Purple Communications, Inc.

This amicus brief urges the NLRB to reverse its ruling in Register-Guard, which gave employers virtually unfettered authority to restrict employees' use of employers' electronic communication systems. In particular, the brief argues that preexisting Supreme Court precedent and basic principles of property law give employees in many instances the right to communicate with each other about protected topics using employers' electronic communications systems.
Somaclonal Variation for Nematode Resistance

The development of disease-resistant cultivars through plant breeding depends on the extent of variability in a plant population with resistance-bearing traits that can be selected for transfer into new cultivars. Breeders have been relatively successful in transferring nematode resistance into some crop species. through selection of variants occurring in genotypes and through introgression. For some crop species. the gene base for nematode resistance is extremely wide, and resistance can be easily transferred when it is expressed by a single dominant gene; in others, the base is so narrow that nematode resistance is nonexistent (Fassuliotis 1987). To increase the natural variation in plant populations, mutation techniques have produced some lines with increased nematode resistance (Fassuliotis 1987). The use of wild species as parental sources for resistance has been extremely successful in some crops. The tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). to which root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne spp.) resistance was transferred by introgression of genes from the wild species Lycopersicon peruvianum. is an excellent example. F1 hybrids were brought to maturity through embryo culture (Smith 1944). Eggplant, Solanum melongena lacks resistance to root-knot nematodes, and attempts to cross it with the resistant wild species, S. sisymbriifolium. have been unsuccessful (Fassuliotis 1975). In potato breeding Solanum vernei has served as an important source of resistance against the potato cyst nematode, Globodera pallida.
Knowledge transfer: what, how, and why

People learn from prior experiences. We first learn how to use a spoon and then know how to use a different size of spoon. We first learn how to sew and then learn how to embroider. Transferring knowledge from one situation to another related situation often increases the speed of learning. This observation is relevant to human learning, as well as machine learning. This thesis focuses on the problem of knowledge transfer — an area of study in machine learning. The goal of knowledge transfer is to train a system to recognize and apply knowledge acquired from previous tasks to new tasks or new domains. An effective knowledge transfer system facilitates learning processes for novel tasks, where little information is available. For example, the ability to transfer knowledge from a model that identifies writers born in the U.S. to identify writers born in Kiribati, a much lesser known country, would increase the speed of learning to identify writers born in Kiribati from scratch. In this thesis, we investigate three dimensions of knowledge transfer: what, how, and why. We present and elaborate on these questions: What type of knowledge to transfer? How to transfer knowledge across entities? Why a certain pattern of knowledge transfer is observed? We first propose Segmented Transfer — a novel knowledge transfer model — to identify and learn from the most informative partitions from prior tasks. The proposed model is applied to Wikipedia vandalism detection problem and to entity search and retrieval problem and improves the predictions. Based on the foundation of knowledge transfer and network theory, we propose Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN), a novel type of network describing transfer learning relationships among problems. KTN is not only a knowledge representation, but also a framework to select an effective and efficient ensemble of learners to improve a predictive model. This novel type of network provides insights on identifying ontological connections that were initially obscured. For example, we may observe knowledge transfer occurs among dissimilar tasks, such as transferring from using a knife and fork to using chopsticks.
Phosphate-Based Cross-Linked Polymers from Iodo–ene Photopolymerization: Tuning Surface Wettability through Thiol–ene Chemistry

Motivated by the various reported potential applications of poly(phosphine oxide) materials, a visible light photoinitiated iodo–ene reaction was successfully employed in network polymerization between the phosphorus-containing multifunctional monomer, tris(allyloxymethyl)phosphine oxide (TAOPO), and diiodoperfluorobutane. The cross-linked poly(phosphine oxide) network exhibited a higher glass transition temperature than a similarly cross-linked polymer formulated with trimethylolpropane triallyl ether (TMPTAE). Interestingly, the TMPTAE/DIPFB cross-linked polymer, changed color from clear to yellow within 10 min of exposure to air, whereas the cross-linked poly(phosphine oxide) underwent a similar change only upon heating. Upon investigation, it was determined that alkenes were generated within the polymer network, presumably via elimination, accounting for the observed color. These double bonds, formed in the polymer matrix, permitted surface modification via radical thiol–ene reaction. The successful s...
Mitochondrial-nuclear heme trafficking is regulated by GTPases that control mitochondrial dynamics

Abstract Heme is an essential cofactor and signaling molecule. All heme-dependent processes require that heme is trafficked from its site of synthesis in the mitochondria to hemoproteins in virtually every subcellular compartment. However, the mechanisms governing the mobilization of heme out of the mitochondria, and the spatio-temporal dynamics of these processes, are poorly understood. To address this, we developed a pulse-chase assay in which, upon the initiation of heme synthesis, heme mobilization into the mitochondrial matrix, cytosol and nucleus is monitored using fluorescent heme sensors. Surprisingly, we found that heme trafficking to the nucleus occurs at a faster rate than to the matrix or cytosol. Further, we demonstrate that GTPases in control of mitochondrial fusion, Mgm1, and fission, Dnm1, are positive and negative regulators of mitochondrial-nuclear heme trafficking, respectively. We also find that heme controls mitochondrial network morphology. Altogether, our results indicate that mitochondrial dynamics and heme trafficking are integrally coupled.
Treatment with combination of all-trans retinoic acid and interferon-gamma regressed human glioblastoma T98G xenografts in nude mice

4035 Glioblastoma is the most malignant and prevalent human brain tumor of astroglial origin. It is considered as the death sentence in patients due to its poor response or resistance to existing therapeutic agents. Therefore, the search continues for an effective therapy for controlling the growth of this devastating cancer. This investigation used all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) alone and in combination for controlling the growth of human glioblastoma T98G xenografted in nude mice. For development of xenografts, 6-week old nude mice (about 20 g each) were subcutaneously injected with a (1:1) mixture of exponentially growing T98G cells (6 million cells/mouse) and Matrigel. The mice were allowed to develop the tumors. Animals with the 3-week old xenografts were randomly assigned to four different groups: control, ATRA, IFN-γ, and ATRA plus IFN-γ. Control animals did not receive any therapy. Other animals with xenografts received a daily dose of ATRA (1.5 µg/kg), IFN-γ (5000 units/kg), or ATRA (1.5 µg/kg) plus 4 h later IFN-γ (5000 units/kg) for 7 days. Histopathological examination showed characteristic growth of glioblastoma in control group, inhibition of tumor cell proliferation and astrocytic differentiation in ATRA group, induction of modest amount of apoptosis in IFN-γ group, and occurrence of differentiation and enhancement of apoptosis in ATRA plus IFN-γ group. Western blot analyses showed that ATRA plus IFN-γ treatment activated extrinsic pathway of apoptosis by activation of caspase-8 and cleavage of Bid to tBid and also down regulated anti-apoptotic hTERT, c-IAP2 and survivin, favoring the process of apoptosis. Western blotting showed activation of cysteine protease calpain and involvement of both mitochondrial caspase-independent pathway by robust release of AIF and caspase-dependent pathway by the activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3 in T98G xenografts for apoptosis following combination therapy with ATRA plus IFN-γ. Increased activities of calpain and caspase-3 degraded 270 kD α-spectrin at the specific sites to generate 145 kD spectrin breakdown product (SBDP) and 120 kD SBDP, respectively. Further, increased activity of caspase-3 cleaved inhibitor-of-caspase-activated DNase (ICAD) and release CAD for DNA fragmentation for apoptosis in tumors treated with the combination of ATRA and IFN-γ. In situ TUNEL and double immunofluorescent labelings detected apoptosis with increased expression of calpain, caspase-12, and caspase-3 in tumors treated with IFN-γ, or ATRA plus IFN-γ. Thus, we developed a combination therapy for increasing apoptosis in human glioblastoma in vivo. This investigation was supported in part by the R01 grants (CA-91460 and NS-57811).
Computer technology in the movie industry

The movie industry uniquely provides the opportunity to combine the creativity of the artist with the technology of science. It was in fact the marriage of art and science that gave birth to filmmaking. While many advances and discoveries have been made in the tools used to make movies, support their production and distribution, and enhance their exhibition, perhaps none since the camera will have the pervasive effect of the computer. Both behind the scenes and on the screen the ubiquitous computer is beginning to have an impact on the movie industry.
How We Each Emerged From Isolation, Found Each Other and a Common Voice:

The three authors of this article met in a purpose-driven way: They were each experiencing alarm at Donald Trump grounded in their individual professional experience. They responded to the challeng...
Recognizing spoken words in semantically-anomalous sentences: Effects of executive control in early-implanted deaf children with cochlear implants.

OBJECTIVES To investigate differences in speech, language, and neurocognitive functioning in normal hearing (NH) children and deaf children with cochlear implants (CIs) using anomalous sentences. Anomalous sentences block the use of downstream predictive coding during speech recognition, allowing for investigation of rapid phonological coding and executive functioning.Methods: Extreme groups were extracted from samples of children with CIs and NH peers (ages 9 to 17) based on the 7 highest and 7 lowest scores on the Harvard-Anomalous sentence test (Harvard-A). The four groups were compared on measures of speech, language, and neurocognitive functioning.Results: The 7 highest-scoring CI users and the 7 lowest-scoring NH peers did not differ in Harvard-A scores but did differ significantly on measures of neurocognitive functioning. Compared to low-performing NH peers, highperforming children with CIs had significantly lower nonword repetition scores but higher nonverbal IQ scores, greater verbal WM capacity, and excellent EF skills related to inhibition, shifting attention/mental flexibility and working memory updating.Discussion: High performing deaf children with CIs are able to compensate for their sensory deficits and weaknesses in automatic phonological coding of speech by engaging in a slow effortful mode of information processing involving inhibition, working memory and executive functioning.
Thermodynamic stability of defects in hybrid MoS2/InAs heterostructures

Abstract Vertical van der Waals heterostructures created from two chemically different two-dimensional (2D) materials have made significant headway in the current electronic manufacturing landscape since they demonstrate enhanced attributes. Recently, among the wide variety of possible van der Waals heterostructures, a 2D molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) thin film deposited on a 3D indium arsenide (InAs) semiconductor substrate has demonstrated promising properties. To realize the true potential of these hybrid heterostructures, it is imperative to understand their structural stability, as well as the thermodynamic stabilities of various defects at the heterointerface. We report first principles-based electronic structure calculations to study MoS2(1 0 0)/InAs(1 1 1) heterostructures with two different terminations of the substrate. We present relative stabilities of arsenic-terminated and indium-terminated heterostructures, and shed light on the thermodynamic stabilities of arsenic, indium, and sulfur vacancy defects at the heterointerface. Atomic-scale structure and electronic structure of defects is detailed along with changes in band gaps due to inclusion of vacancy defects. In general, defects are found to be energetically favorable to occur at the interface as compared to the bulk. We offer new insights into the fundamental role of interfaces in hybrid van der Waals heterostructures and their influence on defects, with potential implications for future design of next-generation semiconductors.
Stronger Microstructural Damage Revealed in Multiple Sclerosis Lesions with Central Vein Sign by Quantitative Gradient Echo MRI

Abstract Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions typically form around a central vein that can be visualized with FLAIR* MRI, creating the central vein sign (CVS) which may reflect lesion pathophysiology. Herein we used Gradient Echo Plural Contrast Imaging (GEPCI) MRI to simultaneously visualize CVS and measure tissue damage in MS lesions. We examined CVS in relation to tissue integrity in white matter (WM) lesions and among MS subtypes. Subjects and Methods Thirty relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS) subjects and 38 progressive MS (PMS) subjects were scanned with GEPCI protocol. GEPCI T2*-SWI images were generated to visualize CVS. Two investigators independently evaluated WM lesions for CVS and measured lesion volumes. To estimate tissue damage severity, total lesion volume, mean lesion volume, R2t*-based tissue damage score (TDS) of individual lesions and tissue damage load (TDL) were measured for CVS+, CVS-, and confluent lesions. Spearman correlations were made between MRI and clinical data. A paired t-test was used to compare measurements of CVS+ versus CVS- lesions in each individual. Results 398 of 548 lesions meeting inclusion criteria showed CVS. Most patients had ≥ 40% CVS+ lesions. CVS+ lesions were present in similar proportion among MS subtypes. Interobserver agreement was high for CVS detection. CVS+ and confluent lesions had higher average and total volumes versus CVS- lesions. CVS+ and confluent lesions had more tissue damage than CVS- lesions based on TDL and mean TDS. Conclusion CVS occurred in RRMS and PMS in similar proportions. CVS+ lesions had greater tissue damage and larger size than CVS- lesions.
Identifying Equitable Screening Mammography Strategies for Black Women in the United States Using Simulation Modeling.

Background Screening mammography guidelines do not explicitly consider racial differences in breast cancer epidemiology, treatment, and survival. Objective To compare tradeoffs of screening strategies in Black women versus White women under current guidelines. Design An established model from the Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network simulated screening outcomes using race-specific inputs for subtype distribution; breast density; mammography performance; age-, stage-, and subtype-specific treatment effects; and non-breast cancer mortality. Setting United States. Participants A 1980 U.S. birth cohort of Black and White women. Intervention Screening strategies until age 74 years with varying initiation ages and intervals. Measurements Outcomes included benefits (life-years gained [LYG], breast cancer deaths averted, and mortality reduction), harms (mammographies, false positives, and overdiagnoses), and benefit-harm ratios (tradeoffs) by race. Efficiency (benefits per unit resource), mortality disparity reduction, and equity in tradeoffs were evaluated. Equitable strategies for Black women were defined as those with tradeoffs closest to benchmark values for screening White women biennially from ages 50 to 74 years. Results Biennial screening from ages 45 to 74 years was most efficient for Black women, whereas biennial screening from ages 40 to 74 years was most equitable. Initiating screening 10 years earlier in Black versus White women reduced Black-White mortality disparities by 57% with similar LYG per mammogram for both populations. Selection of the most equitable strategy was sensitive to assumptions about disparities in real-world treatment effectiveness: The less effective treatment was for Black women, the more intensively Black women could be screened before tradeoffs fell short of those experienced by White women. Limitation Single model. Conclusion Initiating biennial screening in Black women at age 40 years reduces breast cancer mortality disparities and yields benefit-harm ratios that are similar to tradeoffs of White women screened biennially from ages 50 to 74 years. Primary funding source National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health.
Experimental Infection of Domestic Piglets (Sus Scrofa) with Rift Valley Fever Virus.

Rift Valley fever phlebovirus (RVFV) is a mosquito-transmitted phlebovirus (Family: Phenuiviridae, Order: Bunyavirales) causing severe neonatal mortality and abortion primarily in domestic ruminants. The susceptibility of young domestic swine to RVFV and this species' role in geographic expansion and establishment of viral endemicity is unclear. Six commercially bred Landrace-cross piglets were inoculated subcutaneously with 105 plaque-forming units of RVFV ZH501 strain and two piglets received a sham inoculum. All animals were monitored for clinical signs, viremia, viral shedding, and antibody response for 14 days. Piglets did not develop evidence of clinical disease, become febrile, or experience decreased weight gain during the study period. A brief lymphopenia followed by progressive lymphocytosis was observed following inoculation in all piglets. Four piglets developed a brief viremia for 2 days post-inoculation and three of these had detectable virus in oronasal secretions three days post-inoculation. Primary inoculated piglets seroconverted and those that developed detectable viremias had the highest titers assessed by serum neutralization (1:64-1:256). Two viremic piglets had a lymphoplasmacytic encephalitis with glial nodules; RVFV was not detected by immunohistochemistry in these sections. While young piglets do not appear to readily develop clinical disease following RVFV infection, results suggest swine could be subclinically infected with RVFV.
Program Analysis of Overlap Area Usage in Self-Similar Parallel Programs

Highly parallel computers have the memory capacity and potential speed to perform very high-resolution time-dependent calculations. Parallel computers with hundreds of fast processors require highly scalable algorithms to avoid wasting expensive resources. On these machines careful attention must be given to program design to fully exploit scalable algorithms. We have proposed a programming model that can express a class of scalable algorithms. In this paper we show how compiler analysis can ease the task of writing programs within this programming model. We have used this programming model manually and have achieved good results in reducing communication and synchronization overhead. We describe early results of a prototype compiler transformation tool called TOPAZ that applies this analysis to real programs.
Northern Ireland: The Intelligence War 1969–75

Contemporary security affairs depend on accurate and timely military intelligence; without them, security efforts can descend into farce or something altogether more dangerous: civil war. The role of intelligence is central to any serious attempt to end violence. Many important lessons can be learned from the United Kingdom's security efforts in Northern Ireland and the importance of effective military intelligence policy is one of these lessons. This article will show how damaging the ineffective and inefficient United Kingdom security policy was in Northern Ireland, how the lack of co-operation at a variety of levels acted to the detriment of the security situation in Northern Ireland and how this negatively impacted the ability of security force personnel to counter adequately the increasing violence.
Effects of tea on carcinogenesis in animal models and humans.

The effects of tea consumption on cancer is an area of great scientific and public interest, and this topic was reviewed in 1993 in an article entitled “Tea and Cancer.”1 Since then more than one hundred new research articles related to this topic have been published. In this chapter, we review the available evidence from laboratory and epidemiological studies concerning the effects of tea on cancer formation. Possible mechanisms by which tea components inhibit carcinogenesis are discussed based on the results of some new studies.
Cooperative bug isolation: winning thesis of the 2005 ACM doctoral dissertation competition

Instrumentation Framework.- Practical Considerations.- Techniques for Statistical Debugging.- Related Work.- Conclusion.
Cerebral blood flow and evoked potentials during Cushing response in sheep.

We determined how alterations in systemic hemodynamics, characteristic of the Cushing response, are related to changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral metabolic rate of O2 (CMRO2), and brain electrical conductive function, as assessed by somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEP) and brain stem auditory-evoked responses (BAER). In three groups of eight pentobarbital-anesthetized sheep, intracranial pressure was gradually elevated to within 50, 25, or 0 mmHg of base-line mean arterial pressure and then held constant for 40 min by intraventricular infusion of mock cerebrospinal fluid. Microsphere-determined CBF fell when cerebral perfusion pressure was less than 50 mmHg. CMRO2 fell when CBF fell greater than 30-40%. Mean aortic pressure and cardiac output increased when CBF fell greater than 40%, i.e., at approximately the level at which CMRO2 fell. Furthermore, the magnitude of the increase in arterial pressure and cardiac output correlated with the reduction of CMRO2. SEP latency did not increase unless CBF fell greater than 55-65%, corresponding to a 20-30% reduction of CMRO2. Increased latency of BAER wave V was associated with a fall in midbrain blood flow of greater than 65-70%. Thus increase in SEP and BAER latencies required reductions of flow greater than those required to elicit a systemic response. This demonstrates that there is a range of intracranial pressure over which the increase in arterial pressure preserves sufficient CBF to sustain minimal electrical conductive function. The best predictor of the onset and magnitude of the Cushing response in adult sheep is the decrease in CMRO2.
Honey Production and Underlying Nectar Harvesting Activities of Africanized and European Honeybees

SummaryComparisons of Africanized and European honeybees (Apis mellifera) were made during two periods of different nectar availability in tropical dry forest in Venezuela. Field colonies were used to study honey yields, nectar-load characteristics, and flight activity including flight initiation and cessation. Observation-hive colonies were used to study dance communication and recruitment. Throughout these various measurements significant interactions occurred between geographic type of bee and period of nectar availability. Generally, in conditions of good nectar availability, European bees collected more and larger nectar loads, and produced more honey/colony/day than Africanized bees, possibly because of their more intensive recruitment of foragers. Africanized bees were marginally superior for some variables in conditions of low nectar availability. The results support the conclusion that, based on honey production alone, the European honeybee is the more desirable bee for use in commercial beekeeping.
Efficient patch-based auditing for web application vulnerabilities

POIROT is a system that, given a patch for a newly discovered security vulnerability in a web application, helps administrators detect past intrusions that exploited the vulnerability. POIROT records all requests to the server during normal operation, and given a patch, re-executes requests using both patched and unpatched software, and reports to the administrator any request that executes differently in the two cases. A key challenge with this approach is the cost of re-executing all requests, and POIROT introduces several techniques to reduce the time required to audit past requests, including filtering requests based on their control flow and memoization of intermediate results across different requests.A prototype of POIROT for PHP accurately detects attacks on older versions of MediaWiki and HotCRP, given subsequently released patches. POIROT's techniques allow it to audit past requests 12-51× faster than the time it took to originally execute the same requests, for patches to code executed by every request, under a realistic Media-Wiki workload.
The protein tyrosine kinase p56lck regulates thymocyte development independently of its interaction with CD4 and CD8 coreceptors [corrected]

The lck gene encodes a lymphocyte-specific protein tyrosine kinase of the nonreceptor type that is implicated in signal transduction pathways emanating from the CD4 and CD8 coreceptors. Previous studies also support a role for p56lck in regulating T cell receptor beta gene rearrangements and, more generally, thymocyte development. Here we report that a mutant form of p56lck, which is incapable of interacting with CD4 or CD8, behaves indistinguishably from association-competent p56lck with respect to its ability to affect thymocyte maturation. The effects of p56lck remained specific in that the closely related src-family kinase p59hck was incapable of substituting for p56lck in arresting beta locus gene rearrangements. These data support the view that src-family kinases perform highly specialized and often nonoverlapping functions in hematopoietic cells, and that p56lck acts independently of its association with CD4 and CD8 to regulate thymocyte development.
Back to Basics: Risk Matr ices and ALARP

Risk matrices are tools for comparing risks relative to one another (e.g. within a single system) and hence being able to ‘rank’ them relative to each other for the purposes of risk mitigation and the allocation of safety resources. Risk matrices are not tools for determining the tolerability, or otherwise, of individual or ‘single risks’. However, the current trend of using risk matrices to determine whether individual risks are tolerable, and hence subject to ALARP arguments, stretches the risk matrix concept beyond its breaking point, and is thus leading to potentially misinformed decisions by senior managers regarding the true level of risk present, and hence whether risk reduction options are either needed or are reasonably practicable, across a range of projects for which they have responsibility.
Neurosurgical developments on the horizon.

We live in an age of rapidly evolving and disseminated knowledge. New developments are springing up all the time often blurring the distinction between what is currently done, what can be done, and what should be done. The aim of this special issue for Surgical Neurology International – entitled “Neurosurgical Developments On The Horizon” – is to look at particular areas within the scope of Neurosurgery in a way that asks and answers the question of what developments lie on the horizon (i.e., are within sight but not yet clinically available). These developments can be either new diagnostic methods and/or therapies for which there is already good evidence (at least at the proof of concept level) and a clear pathway making it likely, or at least possible, that they will be a part of our clinical tool box within the next 5 years. As the guest editor of this issue, I understand that no one has a crystal ball. Nevertheless I have asked the authors to participate because of their unique vantage point in standing at the leading edge of their proven areas of expertise. It was my hope that they would use this invitation as an opportunity to pause, survey the landscape of their area of expertise, identify important clinical needs and opportunities, and then see and describe for the rest of us what worthwhile developments lie on the horizon that are within distance of realistically reaching within the next 5 years. It is also my hope that this special issue of Surgical Neurology International is one that wets the appetite of the next generation of neurosurgeons and infuses them with an exciting sense of anticipation that they are entering a field where dreams are becoming a reality and making a real difference in improving the clinical outcome of our patients.
The effect of nephrotoxic furans on urinary N-acetyl-glucosaminidase levels in mice

The effects of several potentially nephrotoxic furans on urinary levels of N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAG) were examined to determine whether this test might serve as a useful quantitative index of nephrotoxicity for this series of compounds. Whereas others have found that nephrotoxins such as sodium salicylate and biphenyl cause increases in urinary NAG, we observed that these furans, which were shown to be nephrotoxic by histological procedures, caused significant decreases in urinary levels of the enzyme. This effect was dose-related in the one case examined.
Post-synthetic modifications of nuclear proteins. High mobility group proteins are methylated.

Abstract Calf thymus high mobility group proteins 1 and 2 (HMG-1 and HMG-2) were purified to homogeneity from a 0.35 M NaCl extract of chromatin by selective precipitation with trichloroacetic acid followed by ion exchange chromatography on CM-Sephadex. Amino acid analysis of an acid hydrolyzate of HMG-1 and HMG-2 proteins revealed the presence of a ninhydrin-positive peak identified as NG,NG-dimethylarginine. Radioactive tracer experiments confirmed the presence of methylated arginine in HMG proteins.
Time required for blood lead levels to decline in nonchelated children.

Objective: To determine the time for a decline in blood lead to less than 10 μg/ dL in nonchelated children who are enrolled in case management. Study Design: Retrospective analysis of venous blood...
Magnetoresistance for organic semiconductors: Small molecule, oligomer, conjugated polymer, and non-conjugated polymer

Abstract Organic semiconductor (OSC) devices have been shown to have a large magnetoresistance (MR) response at room temperature for relatively small-applied magnetic fields of 0.1–100 milli-Tesla (mT). This large MR is not limited to one class of organics, but is seen in small molecules, oligomers, conjugated polymers, and non-conjugated polymers. In this paper, data is presented on the MR effect for the poly(phenylene vinylene) (PPV) derivative “Super Yellow,” for poly(vinylenecarbazole) (PVK), for alpha-sexithiophene (α-6T), and for tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq 3 ). The data is analyzed in the context of the Magnetoresistance by the Interconversion of Singlets and Triplets (MIST) model. The MR data of Alq 3 for magnetic fields of less than 1 mT are fitted to a polynomial expansion, and an estimate for the hyperfine interaction constant, which is consistent with values for small molecules, is extracted from the fitting parameters. Curve fits at fields in the 100 mT range are also presented and they show that there exist two kinds of magnetic field behavior, inverse square root, and inverse even orders. Furthermore, the scaling factor at this range is one order of magnitude larger than that found in the 3 mT range.