cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Three-dimensional photoacoustic imaging using a two-dimensional CMUT array

In this paper, we describe using a 2-D array of capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) to perform 3-D photoacoustic and acoustic imaging. A tunable optical parametric oscillator laser system that generates nanosecond laser pulses was used to induce the photoacoustic signals. To demonstrate the feasibility of the system, 2 different phantoms were imaged. The first phantom consisted of alternating black and transparent fishing lines of 180 μm and 150 μm diameter, respectively. The second phantom comprised polyethylene tubes, embedded in chicken breast tissue, filled with liquids such as the dye indocyanine green, pig blood, and a mixture of the 2. The tubes were embedded at a depth of 0.8 cm inside the tissue and were at an overall distance of 1.8 cm from the CMUT array. Two-dimensional cross-sectional slices and 3-D volume rendered images of pulse-echo data as well as photoacoustic data are presented. The profile and beamwidths of the fishing line are analyzed and compared with a numerical simulation carried out using the Field II ultrasound simulation software. We investigated using a large aperture (64 x 64 element array) to perform photoacoustic and acoustic imaging by mechanically scanning a smaller CMUT array (16 x 16 elements). Two-dimensional transducer arrays overcome many of the limitations of a mechanically scanned system and enable volumetric imaging. Advantages of CMUT technology for photoacoustic imaging include the ease of integration with electronics, ability to fabricate large, fully populated 2-D arrays with arbitrary geometries, wide-bandwidth arrays and high-frequency arrays. A CMUT based photoacoustic system is proposed as a viable alternative to a piezoelectric transducer based photoacoustic systems.
Spillover effects between exchange rates and stock prices: Evidence from BRICS around the recent global financial crisis

Abstract This study examines the dynamic relationships among local stock returns, foreign exchange rates, interest differentials, and U.S. S&P 500 returns. The research countries are Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) in the regime of managed floating exchange rate, but China manipulates the foreign exchange rate, interest rate and restricts foreign capital flows most strictly. We find significant spillover effects from foreign exchange rates to stock returns in the short-run, but not vice versa. U.S. S&P 500 shocks significantly influence stock markets in Brazil, China, and South Africa. Furthermore, there are stronger spillover effects between exchange rates and stock returns during the 2007–2009 financial crisis.
Role of capillarity and microstructure on interfacial viscoelasticity of particle laden interfaces

The correlation between interfacial interparticle forces, microstructure, and rheology of particle laden interfaces is characterized for a system of polystyrene particles at an air/water interface by using both aqueous salt concentration and particle surface concentration as control parameters. Characterizing linear, interfacial shear viscoelastic moduli and microstructure simultaneously using a custom imaging system attached to a double wall ring interfacial rheometer allows the relationship between these properties to be evaluated. Interfacial viscoelastic moduli magnitude is found to be determined locally by the degree of restricted particle motion, which is dictated to both by interparticle attraction due to capillarity and severity of caging caused by local microstructure. However, macroscale rheological behaviors, such as elasticity and yield, are tied to the mesostructural organization of local microstructure. Large domains of aligned hexagonal packed particles create elastic interfaces; when these...
Color and Visual Organization

Hues cluster. This effect may be a function of the propensity of the eye and brain to make primary distinctions between colors. When grouped in an expanded visual field, individual hues tend to organize so that reds are visually connected to reds, blues to blues. It may be that the combining of hues according to like kind is the result of an opponent-response system in vision.
Recent developments in making glass shells from silicon doped GDP shells

Fluctuations are usually invoked to explain the anomalous transport in tokamaks. The main observations regarding fluctuating quantities obtained in a wide range of experiments are summarised. Fluctuations are turbulent with broad wavenumber and frequency spectra, the wavenumber being such that k ρL < 1 and frequencies in the diamagnetic drift frequency range. Density, potentiel and temperature (electrostatic) fluctuations at the edge are generally observed to account for particle and energy transport. This direct comparison cannot be done in the core because of the limited available measurements, and fluctuation driven transport is to be estimated through the various theories. However the fluctuation level is generally observed to be correlated with the transport properties in a wide range of regimes. In particular in improved confinement regimes with transport barriers, turbulence is drastically reduced, magnetic/velocity shear are identified as the control parameters.
Testing Predictors of Instructional Practice in Elementary Science Education: The Significant Role of Accountability

Many resources have been committed to research on science teaching pedagogies, resulting in a robust understanding of best instructional practices. Yet, exposure to excellent science instruction in elementary school is haphazard at best and often inequitable. Although the research community has attended to the role of teacher traits, such as attitude and preparation, very little research examines the role of policy and context in constraining or supporting such best practices at the elementary level. This study attempts to fill this need through a multilevel model of how teacher traits, socioeconomic context (SE context), and accountability pressures predict students’ opportunity to engage in hands-on and laboratory science education. Results indicate accountability pressure eclipsed all other predictors, including SE context, in accounting for variance in the model. Final analysis indicates that teachers at high accountability pressure schools spent about 60% less time using hands-on and laboratory teaching methods than teachers at lower accountability pressure schools, an equity issue given the distribution of underrepresented students. Teacher traits including professional development, experience, attitude, and degree were insignificant in the model. This has implications for efforts to improve elementary science education in the United States, as research and national priorities have been focused primarily on teacher development.
Brevipalpus pini and Eriophyoid Mite Injury on Monterey Pine

The feeding of Brevipalpus pini Baker (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) and Platyphytoptus sabinianae Keifer (Acari: Eriophyidae) causes chlorosis of Monterey pine needles. However, the discoloration produced is seldom severe and is limited to the least conspicuous portions of the pine needles. B. pini feeds by inserting its cheliceral stylets through the stomata near the base of the pine needle, particularly on the needle’s. inner face. P. sabinianae feeds beneath the pine needle sheath. No injury was associated with field populations of Trisetacus ehmanni Keifer or Setoptus jonesi (Keifer) (Acari: Nalepellidae). The 3 eriophyoid species and B. pini were not observed causing stunted or deformed needle growth or premature loss of needles on Monterey pine.
Optical Quantum Information Processing using Forced Fermion-like Behavior of Photonic Qubits

We review a new paradigm for optical quantum logic gates that relies on forced “fermion-like” behavior of photonic qubits, and describe experimental work on demonstrating these gates with entangled photons from a parametric down-conversion source
Robust control of microdomain orientation in thin films of block copolymers by zone casting.

Block copolymers with chemically immiscible segments exhibit a variety of microphase-separated nanostructures on the scale of 10–100 nm. Controlling the orientation of these microphase separated nanostructures is vital in many applications such as lithography, membranes, data storage, and so forth. Typical strategies involve the use of external fields or patterned substrates. Here, we report a robust zone casting technique to achieve highly ordered thin films of block copolymers on centimeter-scale substrates. The robustness of this technique is its powerful control on diverse morphologies and exceptional tolerance on versatility of block copolymer chemistry as well as allowance of a wide spectrum of substrates. We demonstrate that perpendicular orientations with respect to the surface are achieved for block copolymers with both lamellar and cylindrical morphologies by controlling solution casting rate, temperatures, and block copolymer chemical structures. Thin films of both noncrystalline and crystallin...
Effects of professional discipline and experience on group therapists' clinical reactions.

(1977). Effects of Professional Discipline and Experience on Group Therapists' Clinical Reactions. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy: Vol. 27, No. 2, pp. 165-175.
Introducing Annals for Hospitalists: New Knowledge, Novel Formats, and Unique Perspectives.

This issue marks the introduction of Annals for Hospitalists, a collaboration between the University of Michigan Hospitalist Program and Annals that enables hospitalists to stay abreast of salient ...
Long-Range Interactions in Heterogeneous Systems

This book is motivated by problems where nanoscale phenomena and applications meet significant computational challenges and interesting numerical techniques. One case in point is long-range electro- or magnetostatic multiparticle interactions in homogeneous media, with applications in molecular dynamics, polymer and biomolecular simulation.
Perception and the Origins of Temporal Representation

Is temporal representation constitutively necessary for perception? Tyler Burge argues that it is, in part because perception requires a form of memory sufficiently sophisticated as to require temporal representation. I critically discuss Burge's argument, maintaining that it does not succeed. I conclude by reflecting on the consequences for the origins of temporal representation.
Cellulose nanofibers coated with silver nanoparticles as a SERS platform for detection of pesticides in apples

A nanocomposite based on cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) coated with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was developed in this study as a flexible and effective substrate for use in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) analysis. An effective Raman indicator molecule, 4-aminothiophenol (pATP), was used to characterize AgNPs impregnated on CNFs. The CNF-AgNP films were used in SERS analysis to detect thiabendazole (TBZ) pesticides in apples. The influence of pH on the SERS spectra of TBZ was investigated because TBZ is a neutral molecule that has a low affinity for AgNPs. The pH of TBZ solution was decreased to below the TBZ's pKa, thus enabling the electrostatic attraction between TBZ and AgNPs. CNFs can prevent the uncontrolled aggregation of AgNPs in low pH environment and serve as an effective AgNP/nanocellulose platform for SERS analysis. Results of this study demonstrate that CNF-AgNP nanocomposites can be used to rapidly detect TBZ pesticides in various food products.
Cellular cholesterol regulates monocyte deformation

The role of cholesterol content on monocyte biomechanics remains understudied despite the well-established link between cholesterol and monocytes/macrophages in atherosclerosis, and the effect on other cell types. In this work, we have investigated the effect of cholesterol on monocyte deformability and the underlying molecular mechanisms. We altered the baseline cholesterol in human monocytic cell line THP-1, and investigated the changes in monocyte deformability using a custom microfluidic platform and atomic force microscopy. We observed that the cholesterol depletion lowered deformability while enrichment increased deformability compared to untreated cells. As a consequence of altered deformability, cholesterol depleted cells spread more on collagen-coated surfaces with elongated morphology, whereas cholesterol enriched cells had a more rounded morphology. We observed that the decreased deformability in cholesterol depleted cells, despite an increase in the fluidity of the membrane, is due to an increase in phosphorylation of Protein Kinase C (PKC), which translates to a higher degree of actin polymerization. Together, our results highlight the importance of biophysical regulation of monocyte response to cholesterol levels.
Nichtmetalle – alle Nichtmetalle sind Hauptgruppen-Elemente

Generell werden Elemente in Metalle, Halbmetalle und Nichtmetalle unterteilt. Die Halbmetalle Bor, Silicium, Germanium, Arsen, Antimon, Selen, Tellur, Polonium und Astat (Abb. 12.1, gelb) trennen die auf der linken Seite des PSE angesiedelten Metalle (69 Elemente, hellblau hinterlegt) von den auf der rechten Seite anzutreffenden Nichtmetallen (16 Elemente, grun hinterlegt). Die Halbmetalle werden mit Ausnahme von Bor in Kap. 13 besprochen.
The History and Basic Ideas of Computer Chess

This chapter presents the history and basic ideas of computer chess. In 1864, the subject of computer chess was discussed by Charles Babbage. However, the chess program was introduced in 1955. Alan Newell, John Shaw, and Herbert Simon began work on their program in 1955, at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh. The Newell, Shaw, and Simon (NSS) program is different than its predecessors in three respects. It is the first program written in a high-level language. The chess program is coded in IPL-IV, a language designed to operate on lists and on the types of data structures that arise in chess programs. Their program uses a set of explicit goals to guide the tree search and there are no limits to the width and depth of search. The goals depend on the particular board position. The scoring function is composed of vector components, with each component being a measure of the degree of success in reaching one of the goals. In each position, an analysis is carried out to see if the value of any component of the scoring function might be significantly changed by making a move. Their program uses the alpha–beta algorithm. The alpha–beta algorithm supplements the minimax algorithm: it allows the computer to avoid generating irrelevant sequences of moves in a minimax search. The alpha–beta algorithm is an example of backward pruning. It finds branches from the back of the tree that are unnecessary to examine and prunes them from the tree.
Public receptiveness of vertical axis wind turbines

Abstract Most of the scholarly focus to date has been on large horizontal axis rather than vertical axis wind turbines. It may be possible to improve the efficiency of vertical axis wind technology by deploying turbines in clusters. There might also be advantages to deploying vertical axis turbines at a smaller scale in urban or suburban areas and in places where the risk of bird damage is highest. Would these features increase public acceptance of new wind turbine installations and possibly open up new areas for wind energy development? We conducted a public opinion poll in California to examine public receptiveness. We used experimental design to assess the willingness to accept vertical axis turbines in certain urban settings. We find that the visual differences between the vertical and conventional wind turbines did not matter very much in any of the hypothetical settings in which we placed them. However, the prospect of killing fewer birds registered strongly with our survey respondents, though it could be outweighed by concern for cost. We also show that certain segments of the population, particularly those who are more educated, may be open to a more extensive deployment of vertical axis turbines in urban communities.
The Effect of Botulinum Toxin on Network Connectivity in Cervical Dystonia: Lessons from Magnetoencephalography.

Background: Pharmacological management of cervical dystonia (CD) is considered to be symptomatic in effect, rather than targeting the underlying pathophysiology of the disease. Magnetoencephalography (MEG), a direct measure of neuronal activity, while accepted as a modality for pre-surgical mapping in epilepsy, has never been used to explore the effect of pharmacotherapy in movement disorders. Methods: Resting state MEG data were collected from patients with CD, pre- and post-botulinum toxin injections. All of these patients exhibited good clinical benefit with botulinum toxin. Resting state MEG data from four age- and gender-matched healthy controls with no neurological disorders were also collected. Results: Our exploratory study reveals a difference in coherence between controls and patients in the following regions: fronto-striatal, occipito-striatal, parietostriatal, and striato-temporal networks. In these regions there is an increase after botulinum toxin. Specifically, increased coherence in the left putamen and right superior parietal gyrus was noticeable. Both intrahemispheric and interhemispheric networks were affected. Discussion: This is the first attempt to directly assess changes in functional connectivity with pharmacotherapy using MEG. Botulinum toxin might affect sensorimotor integration, leading to clinical benefit. The presence of increased interhemispheric coherence and intrahemispheric coherence points to the importance of global and local networks in the pathophysiology of dystonia.
Crack layer analysis of fatigue crack propagation in rubber compounds

A methodology to characterize the resistance of rubber compounds to crack propagation (fracture toughness) is presented. A constitutive model based on the crack layer theory is utilized to extract the specific energy of damage γ*, a material parameter characteristic of the material's resistance to crack propagation and the dissipative characteristic, β. The model expresses the rate of crack propagation as
Dynamic public learning in networks of strategic agents: The role of inter/intra-community ties

We study the quality of information aggregation in a dynamic quadratic game of incomplete information. Agents in each generation have access to a public history of noisy aggregate actions in previous generations. Each agent also belongs to an information community, where they share a private noisy signal about the state. We quantify the quality of information aggregation as the asymptotic precision of the publicly learned signal about the state, and study how the interactions between/within information communities affect the quality of learning. By characterizing the precision of aggregate learning for random walks with low volatility, we show the inefficiency of learning from the public history: while for a static state, public history fully reveals the state, a small perturbation in the state from generation to generation significantly degrades the quality of public learning. As for the effect of information-action structure, we show that the intercommunity interactions exhibit a double-edged effect: while the inter-community interaction of local influencers and influences improves the quality of learning for slow dynamics, the intercommunity interaction of global influencers and influences hampers learning for fast dynamics. As a result, we may observe phase transition in the quality of learning between different information-action structures.
Common proteomic profiles of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived three-dimensional neurons and brain tissue from Alzheimer patients.

Abstract We established a unique platform for proteomic analysis of cultured three-dimensional (3D) neurons and brain tissue from Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. We collected peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), converted PBMC to induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines, and differentiated the iPSC into human 3D neuro-spheroids. The postmortem brain tissue from the superior frontal cortex, inferior frontal cortex and cerebellum area of the AD patients was compared to the same regions from the control subjects. Proteomic analysis of 3D neuro-spheroids derived from AD subjects revealed the alteration of a number of proteins involved in axon growth, mitochondrial function, and antioxidant defense. Similar analysis of post-mortem AD brain tissue revealed significant alteration in proteins involved in oxidative stress, neuro-inflammation, along with proteins related to axonal injury. These results clearly indicate that the dysfunction of 3D neurons from AD patients in our in vitro environment is comparable to the post-mortem AD brain tissue in vivo. In conclusion, our study revealed a number of candidate proteins that have important implications in AD pathogenesis and supports the notion that the iPSC-derived 3D neuronal system functions as a model to examine novel aspects of AD pathology. Significance In this study, we present a unique platform for proteomic analysis of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived three dimensional (3D) neurons and compare the results to those from three regions of post-mortem brain tissue from Alzheimer's disease patients and normal control subjects. Our results show that the dysfunction of 3D neurons from AD patients in our in vitro environment is comparable to the post-mortem AD brain tissue in vivo. Our results revealed several candidate proteins that have important implications in AD pathogenesis.
Inhibitory Effects of Cycloheximide and Flunarizine on Light-Induced Apoptosis of Photoreceptor Cells

The pathogenesis of photic retinopathy has been actively investigated for many years. Although the exact pathogenic mechanism involved in light-induced photoreceptor degeneration remains unknown, certain hypotheses were made based on previous animal studies [1-8]. Free radical formation and lipid peroxidation are among the most widely accepted hypotheses regarding the pathogenesis of photic retinopathy [1-5]. In addition, possible roles for protein synthesis and alteration of intracellular Ca2+ concentration in light-induced photoreceptor cell death have been suggested [6–8]. Protein synthesis inhibitors, such as cycloheximide and Ca2+ channel overload blockers, such as flunarizine, were both demonstrated to have ameliorative effects on retinal photic injury [6–8]. These findings provided supportive evidence of the possible involvement of protein synthesis and alteration of intracellular Ca2+ concentration in retinal photic injury. However, the mechanism whereby these two factors ameliorated light-induced photoreceptor cell death was not determined.
Let Agency Circulate: Architectures and Strategies for Pan-European e-Justice

The development of a pan-European e-justice platform supporting transborder proceedings requires shared infrastructures supporting interoperability at legal, semantic, technological and institutional level. The challenge may quickly reach high level of complexity hindering the development and use of the system. Moving from the theoretical framework developed in the book, and from the findings of six case studies, the chapter pinpoints design principles addressed to ease the design and development of an e-justice platform supporting the circulation of agency in transborder judicial proceedings. Principles are meant to keep the development and use of the system below the threshold of maximum manageable complexity, without impinging the requirements of legal and social performa-tivity needed by judicial proceedings. The design principles, being relevant for e-justice application at national and pan-European level, are used to identify alternative techno-institutional architectures supporting the circulation of agency in the Payment Order and Small Claims Proceedings recently introduced by the Euro-pean law. Architectures are assessed considering their impact on complexity and the effects on the circulation of agency. Finally, the chapter suggests a strategy based on the cultivation of the installed base and on the decupling of European and national e-Justice platforms to cope with the multiple and contradictory requirements of e-justice development in transborder proceedings.
Scientific evidence underlying the American College of Gastroenterology's clinical practice guidelines

Background Clinical practice guidelines contain recommendations for physicians to determine the most appropriate care for patients. These guidelines systematically combine scientific evidence and clinical judgment, culminating in recommendations intended to optimize patient care. The recommendations in CPGs are supported by evidence which varies in quality. We aim to survey the clinical practice guidelines created by the American College of Gastroenterology, report the level of evidence supporting their recommendations, and identify areas where evidence can be improved with additional research. Methods We extracted 1328 recommendations from 39 clinical practice guidelines published by the American College of Gastroenterology. Several of the clinical practice guidelines used the differing classifications of evidence for their recommendations. To standardize our results, we devised a uniform system for evidence. Results A total of 39 clinical practice guidelines were surveyed in our study. Together they account for 1328 recommendations. 693 (52.2%) of the recommendations were based on low evidence, indicating poor evidence or expert opinion. Among individual guidelines, 13/39 (33.3%) had no recommendations based on high evidence. Conclusion Very few recommendations made by the American College of Gastroenterology are supported by high levels of evidence. More than half of all recommendations made by the American College of Gastroenterology are based on low-quality evidence or expert opinion.
A Monograph of the South American Species of Draba (Brassicaceae)

Eighty-two species are recognized in the present revision of South American Draba L., of which D. humbertii Al-Shehbaz, D. quearaensis Al-Shehbaz, and D. yungayensis Al-Shehbaz are described as new from Venezuela, Bolivia, and Peru, respectively. The generic limits and current knowledge of molecular, cytological, breeding systems, and distributional data are briefly discussed primarily in connection with the South American representatives. Lectotypes are designated for Nesodraba Greene and 32 species and infraspecific taxa, including D. aretioides Humb. & Bonpl., D. aretioides var. leiocarpa O. E. Schulz, D. atuelica Chodat & Wilczek, D. atuelica var. histutior O. E. Schulz, D. benthamiana Gilg, D. brackenridgei A. Gray, D. cheiranthoides Hook. f., D. cheiranthoides var. leiocarpa O. E. Schulz, D. chodatii O. E. Schulz var. subtorta O. E. Schulz, D. cryptantha Hook. f., D. depressa Hook. f., D. discoidea Wedd., D. extensa Wedd., D. farsetioides Linden & Planch., D. gilliesii Hook. & Arn., D. grandiflora Hook. & Arn., D. hemsleyana Gilg, D. herzogii O. E. Schulz, D. obovata Benth. var. dasycarpa O. E. Schulz, D. pachythyrsa Triana & Planch., D. pamplonensis Planch. & Linden, D. pickeringii A. Gray, D. pseudoeuryops Linden & Planch., D. pulvinata Turcz., D. rosularis Chodat & Wilczek, D. schoenleinii F. Meigen, D. scopulorum Wedd., D. scopulorum var. elongata Wedd., D. siliquosa Hook. f. var. antisana Hook. f., D. splendens Gilg, D. thlaspiformis (Phil.) Al-Shehbaz, and D. violacea Humb. & Bonpl. Two other taxa are synonymized here under what follows in parentheses: D.macleaniiHook. f. var. stylosa A. Gray (=D. pickeringii) and D. solitaria O. E. Schulz (=D. ochropetala O. E. Schulz). Draba confertifolia Turcz. and D. pycnophylla Turcz. are reported here for the first time as new to Colombia, D. discoidea and D. soratensis Wedd. as new to Peru, and D. cuzcoensis O. E. Schulz as new to Bolivia.
Variation in the food environment of small and non-traditional stores across racial segregation and corporate status

OBJECTIVE We examined differences in consumer-level characteristics and structural resources and capabilities of small and non-traditional food retailers (i.e. corner stores, gas-marts, pharmacies, dollar stores) by racial segregation of store neighbourhood and corporate status (corporate/franchise- v. independently owned). DESIGN Observational store assessments and manager surveys were used to examine availability-, affordability- and marketing-related characteristics experienced by consumers as well as store resources (e.g. access to distributors) and perceived capabilities for healthful changes (e.g. reduce pricing on healthy foods). Cross-sectional regression analyses of store and manager data based on neighbourhood segregation and store corporate status were conducted. SETTING Small and non-traditional food stores in Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN, USA.ParticipantsOne hundred and thirty-nine stores; seventy-eight managers. RESULTS Several consumer- and structural-level differences occurred by corporate status, independent of residential segregation. Compared with independently owned stores, corporate/franchise-owned stores were more likely to: not offer fresh produce; when offered, receive produce via direct delivery and charge higher prices; promote unhealthier consumer purchases; and have managers that perceived greater difficulty in making healthful changes (P≤0·05). Only two significant differences were identified by residential racial segregation. Stores in predominantly people of colour communities (<30 % non-Hispanic White) had less availability of fresh fruit and less promotion of unhealthy impulse buys relative to stores in predominantly White communities (P≤0·05). CONCLUSIONS Corporate status appears to be a relevant determinant of the consumer-level food environment of small and non-traditional stores. Policies and interventions aimed at making these settings healthier may need to consider multiple social determinants to enable successful implementation.
Feasibility analysis of mutational status of advanced colorectal cancer patients and correlation to disease progression.

e14177 Background: Mutational Analyses are being increasingly performed on colorectal cancer patients. More efforts are needed to correlate this data to clinical outcomes such as disease prognosis,...
Immunosuppression in murine renal cell carcinoma. I. Characterization of extent, severity and sources.

Four cell-mediated immunological responses related to tumor elimination have been examined in mice injected with a transplantable renal cell carcinoma (Renca). Lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells generatedin vitro from spleen cells of normal mice were capable of attacking Renca, EL-4, P815 and YAC-1 targets, but those from mice bearing Renca for 3 weeks could not. Natural killer activity, stimulatedin vivo by administering poly(I) poly(C), was less than 50% of normal in Rencabearing hosts. In addition, development of cytotoxic T lymphocytes to allogeneic targets was markedly inhibited in mice possessing the renal tumor. Finally, the delayed hypersensitivity response to a dermally applied hapten was approximately 70% less than normal in tumor-bearing mice, no matter whether the tumor existed subcutaneously or intrarenally. A kinetic study of the development of nonresponsiveness using the LAK assay showed onset of poor response at 1 week, which became maximal within 3 weeks following receipt of tumor subcutaneously. The immunological depression was seen to be attributable in part to suppressor cells present among spleen cells but not bone marrow cells of tumor-bearing hosts. The suppressor cells preventedin vitro LAK generation by normal spleen cells and, when adoptively transferred to normal mice, they inhibited natural killer stimulation and delayed hypersensitivity generation. Another source of immunological downregulation was provided by Renca cells themselves. Incorporation of Renca cells that had been X-irradiated with 30000 rad into cultures of normal and Renca-derived splenic cells suppressed replication of both almost completely. Furthermore, the presence of X-irradiated Renca cells in cultures of normal spleen cells prevented development of LAK cells. Thus, the suppression seen in Renca-bearing mice derives from multiple sources and whether each is in any way related to the other has been discussed. Identification of the phenotypes of cells responsible for the lymphoid cell-mediated suppression and examination of its elimination are communicated in the companion paper.
Diagnosis and categorization of malignant effusions: A 6-year review from a single academic institution.

BACKGROUND Cytologic detection of malignant cells in pleural, peritoneal, or pericardial effusion most likely indicates advanced stage of malignant disease. There are a few studies updating the categorization of malignant effusions. METHODS The electronic pathology database was searched to identify consecutive cases of malignant effusion during a 6-year period. Patient age and gender, origins of known malignancy, and cytologic diagnoses were recorded and summarized. RESULTS A total of 1059 specimens included 561 (53%) pleural, 441 (41.6%) peritoneal, and 57 (5.4%) pericardial fluids. Most of the pleural (516, 92.0%), peritoneal (418, 94.8%), and pericardial (53, 93.0%) specimens were derived from patients with a single known malignancy. More common origins involving pleural fluid were lung (152, 27.1%) followed by breast (103, 18.4%) and gastrointestinal tract (76, 13.5%). The most common etiology for women and men was breast (102, 30.8%) and lung (67, 36.2%), respectively. More common origins involving peritoneal fluid were gastrointestinal (158, 35.8%) and gynecologic (156, 35.4%) tracts, and breast (46, 10.4%). The most common etiology for women and men was Mullerian (156, 55.5%) and gastrointestinal tract (94, 68.6%), respectively. Most common origins involving the pericardial fluid were breast (20, 37.7%) and lung (17, 29.8%). Breast and lung were the most common etiology for women (20, 57.1%) and men (8, 44.4%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Breast and lung remain to be the most common origin of both malignant pleural and pericardial effusion for women and men, respectively. The most common origin involving peritoneal effusion is Mullerian for women and gastrointestinal tract for men.
Haploinsufficiency of A20 Due to Novel Mutations in TNFAIP3

Haploinsufficiency of A20 (HA20) is a newly described immune dysregulation disease due to the loss-of-function mutation in TNFAIP3. In the present study, we report six patients from four unrelated Chinese families with distinct pathogenic mutations in TNFAIP3, including three novel variants. All of the patients presented with early-onset autoimmune/auto-inflammatory diseases, including Crohn's disease, Behcet's disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, and unclassified auto-inflammatory syndrome. Immunological phenotype tests showed elevated levels of serum pro-inflammatory cytokines, reduced naive B cells and TFH cells, an inverted CD4:CD8 ratio, and increased susceptibility to restimulation-induced cell death (RICD) and FASL-induced apoptosis in derived T cells. Insufficient expression of A20 was found in these patients. A20 truncated protein was detected in mutant-transfected 293T cells. Upon TNF-α stimulation, the NF-κB pathway was over-activated in both derived T cells of these patients and mutant-transfected Hela cells. In conclusion, clinical manifestations are diverse in patients with HA20, even in those with the same TNFAIP3 mutation. A20 inhibits the NF-κB pathway and plays a crucial role in the regulation of cell death. Haploinsufficiency of A20 leads to defects in both innate and adaptive immunity.
Influenza Impact on Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction and Reduced Ejection Fraction: Outcomes In the United States Between 2016 - 2017

Introduction: Recurrent hospitalizations in heart failure (HF) patients are associated with worse prognosis in patients with otherwise stable disease. Respiratory infections may precipitate up to 15.3% of HF admissions and increase in-hospital mortality by up to 60%. Influenza is one of the common respiratory infections linked with higher rates of HF hospitalizations and in-hospital morbidity (i.e. acute respiratory failure, need for mechanical ventilation and AKI). Most data about the effect of influenza in HF patients does not differentiate heart failure reduced (HFrEF) and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) although it is known these populations have different outcomes and prognosis. Objective: We attempt to describe the in-hospital outcomes of HFrEF versus HFpEF with concomitant influenza infection in the US population during the years of 2016 to 2017. Methods: The National Inpatient Sample database was queried for patients 18 years of age and older during 2016 and 2017 with a discharge diagnosis of HF by ICD-10 CM codes. Concomitant influenza infection was analyzed as an independent risk factor for in-hospital outcomes. Discharge weights were used to generate national estimates. Logistic regression was used to reduce the confounding effect of baseline characteristics and comorbidities. ANOVA was used for the analysis of continuous variables. A p value of Results A total of 7,486,086 HF patients were analyzed; 3,881,933 of which had HFrEF (51.9%) and 3,604,153 had HFpEF (48.1%). Of the overall HF patients 0.9% (67,740 patients) had concomitant influenza while hospitalized (0.8 % on the HFrEF and 1% on the HFpEF group). HF patients with concomitant influenza infection had a higher in-patient mortality rate compared to those without influenza. 6.6% vs 5.1% in the HFrEF group (aOR 1.38, 95% CI 1.32 - 1.45) and 5.0% vs 4.0% in the HFpEF group (aOR 1.41, 95% CI 1.35 - 1.49). HFrEF patients with influenza had higher in-patient mortality versus HFpEF patients with influenza (aOR 1.26, 95% CI 1.18 - 1.35). Patients with HFpEF and influenza had higher rates of acute respiratory failure (51.1%) when compared to patients with HFrEF (46.7%), aOR 1.16, 95% CI 1.12 - 1.20. This was also true for acute respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation, 42.3% vs 32.7% respectively, aOR 1.42 (95% CI 1.37 - 1.47). Finally, HFrEF patients with concomitant influenza infection had higher inpatient cost (20,0083 vs 16,754 USD, p
Neutron Radiation Testing of a TMR VexRiscv Soft Processor on SRAM-Based FPGAs

Soft processors are often used within field-programmable gate array (FPGA) designs in radiation hazardous environments. These systems are susceptible to single-event upsets (SEUs) that can corrupt both the hardware configuration and software implementation. Mitigation of these SEUs can be accomplished by applying triple modular redundancy (TMR) techniques to the processor. This article presents fault injection and neutron radiation results of a Linux-capable TMR VexRiscv processor. The TMR processor achieved a $10\times $ improvement in SEU-induced mean fluence to failure with a cost of $4\times $ resource utilization. To further understand the TMR system failures, additional post-radiation fault injection was performed with targets generated from the radiation data. This analysis showed that not all the failures were due to single-bit upsets, but potentially caused by multibit upsets, nontriplicated IO, and unmonitored nonconfiguration RAM (CRAM) SEUs.
Predicting suicide attempts and suicide deaths among adolescents following outpatient visits.

Abstract Background Few studies report on machine learning models for suicide risk prediction in adolescents and their utility in identifying those in need of further evaluation. This study examined whether a model trained and validated using data from all age groups works as well for adolescents or whether it could be improved. Methods We used healthcare data for 1.4 million specialty mental health and primary care outpatient visits among 256,823 adolescents across 7 health systems. The prediction target was 90-day risk of suicide attempt following a visit. We used logistic regression with least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and generalized estimating equations (GEE) to predict risk. We compared performance of three models: an existing model, a recalibrated version of that model, and a newly-learned model. Models were compared using area under the receiver operating curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value. Results The AUC produced by the existing model for specialty mental health visits estimated in adolescents alone (0.796; [0.789, 0.802]) was not significantly different than the AUC of the recalibrated existing model (0.794; [0.787, 0.80]) or the newly-learned model (0.795; [0.789, 0.801]). Predicted risk following primary care visits was also similar: existing (0.855; [0.844, 0.866]), recalibrated (0.85 [0.839, 0.862]), newly-learned (0.842, [0.829, 0.854]). Limitations The models did not incorporate non-healthcare risk factors. The models relied on ICD9-CM codes for diagnoses and outcome measurement. Conclusions Prediction models already in operational use by health systems can be reliably employed for identifying adolescents in need of further evaluation.
To Hope and Belong in Adolescence: A Potential Pathway to Increased Academic Engagement for African American Males

Despite the best intentions of many educators, scholars have theorized that systemic racism and sexism are major impediments to the academic engagement of African American males. The current study ...
Genetic studies of the lac repressor: XII. Amino acid replacements in the DNA binding domain of the Escherichia coli lac repressor☆☆☆

Out of the first 62 residues of the lac repressor, 38 positions have been substituted by at least one amino acid exchange. The total number of replacements in this region is 131. Data from several studies are considered.
Twenty-Eight Words: Enforcing Corporate Fiduciary Duties Through Criminal Prosecution of Honest Services Fraud

This article examines the federal government's growing use of 18 U.S.C. § 1346 to prosecute public company executives for breaching their fiduciary duties. Section 1346 is a controversial but under-examined statute making it a felony to engage in a scheme "to deprive another of the intangible right of honest services." Although enacted by Congress over twenty years ago, the Supreme Court repeatedly declined to review the statute, until now. In 2009, Justice Antonin Scalia pointed to the numerous interpretive questions dividing the federal appellate courts and proclaimed that it was "quite irresponsible" to let the "current chaos prevail." Since then, the Court has granted certiorari in no fewer than three separate cases construing the honest services law.The questions before the Supreme Court are of particular interest to public company executives and their professional advisors. Following revelations of massive fraud and management wrongdoing at Enron and other public companies, the Justice Department employed § 1346 to indict executives accused of breaching their fiduciary duties. Former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling and former Hollinger CEO Conrad Black are just two of the corporate fiduciaries found guilty of breaching their duties and convicted under the statute. Traditionally, Delaware law has governed the content and enforcement of executives' legal duties, largely protecting public company fiduciaries from civil liability. Now, with the emergence of honest services fraud as a weapon against corporate wrongdoing, and pressure from Congress for more prosecutions, civil and criminal law are trending in opposite directions. Corporate fiduciaries may become criminally liable for conduct that would not subject them to civil sanctions. Furthermore, because these fiduciaries look to state law for the standards governing their conduct, this anomalous development has profound implications for public company governance.This article analyzes the issues before the Supreme Court in light of these contradictory enforcement trends. Spill-over from federal criminal jurisprudence to state fiduciary duty doctrine is one concern, but overcriminalization and prosecutorial abuse also must be considered. I conclude this article by proposing a statutory amendment that may advance Congress's interest in prosecuting public company executives for serious fraud while limiting federal interference with potentially conflicting fiduciary obligations arising under state law.
Reliability and fracture of metal-polymer structures with fine-line geometries (packaging)

The fracture behavior of metal-polymer line structures as a function of dimensions was investigated using a stretch-deformation technique. The effects of line orientation, line width, and film thickness are reported. When the line orientation is parallel to the stretching direction, only formation of cracks normal to the lines is observed. However, when the line is perpendicular to the stretching direction, delamination becomes the dominant mode of fracture. Wide lines (16 mu m) exhibit larger shear stress at the edge of the metal-polymer interface, therefore delaminating earlier than narrow lines (4 mu m). By decreasing the metal film thickness, the depth of stress penetration at the interface decreases, making the propagation of cracks more difficult in thin films than in thick films. Finite-element analysis has been carried out to account for the experimental observations, and good agreement was obtained. In the analysis, the plastic deformation characteristics of the metal and the polymer have been specifically taken into account. In comparison with a linear elastic analysis, the linear model predicts significantly higher stress levels and local concentrations than the nonlinear model. >
Numerical Modeling of Droplet Splitting and Merging in a Parallel-Plate Electrowetting-on-Dielectric (EWOD) Device

Micro water droplet splitting and merging in a parallel-plate electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) device has been studied numerically. The transient governing equations for the microfluidic flow are solved by a finite volume scheme with a two-step projection method on a fixed computational domain. The interface between liquid and gas is tracked by a coupled Level Set and Volume-of-Fluid (CLSVOF) method. A Continuum Surface Force (CSF) model is employed to model the surface tension at the interface. The physics of the fluid dynamics within the EWOD device has been examined. Contact angle hysteresis, which is an essential component in EWOD, is implemented together with a simplified model for the viscous stresses exerted by the two plates at the solid-liquid interface. The results of the numerical model have been validated with published experimental data. A parametric study has been performed in which the effects of channel height and several other parameters on the fluid motion have been studied.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Why Hypothetical Syllogism is Invalid for Indicative Conditionals

In this article, I present a schema for generating counterexamples to the argument form known as Hypothetical Syllogism (HS) with indicative conditionals. If my schema for generating counterexamples to HS works as I think it does, then HS is invalid for indicative conditionals.
A Review of New Technologies in Synthetic Fiber Production

New developments in the areas of the synthetic fiber production of polypropylene, polyesters, polyamides, and acrylics are described. In the area of polypropylene fiber production, the synthesis of metallocene-based polypropylene materials is discussed. The new technologies described for polyesters include ultra-high speed melt spinning, bacterial polyesters, and the thermotropic polyester fiber, Vectran™. Polyamide topics include Nomex™, Kevlar™, and Technora™. The high speed spinning of acrylic fibers is also described.