cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Machine Learning Prediction of Heat Capacity for Solid Inorganics

Many thermodynamic calculations and engineering applications require the temperature-dependent heat capacity (Cp) of a material to be known a priori. First-principle calculations of heat capacities can stand in place of experimental information, but these calculations are costly and expensive. Here, we report on our creation of a high-throughput supervised machine learning-based tool to predict temperature-dependent heat capacity. We demonstrate that material heat capacity can be correlated to a number of elemental and atomic properties. The machine learning method predicts heat capacity for thousands of compounds in seconds, suggesting facile implementation into integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) processes. In this context, we consider its use to replace Neumann-Kopp predictions as a high-throughput screening tool to help identify new materials as candidates for engineering processes. Also promising is the enhanced speed and performance compared to cation/anion contribution methods at elevated temperatures as well as the ability to improve future predictions as more data are made available. This machine learning method only requires formula inputs when calculating heat capacity and can be completely automated. This is an improvement to common best-practice methods such as cation/anion contributions or mixed-oxide approaches which are limited in application to specific materials and require case-by-case considerations.
The burden of dementia

Dementia care is a significant and growing healthcare need that will have major economic and medical impact as the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias continues to increase in the United States during the next 50 years. The ability to differentiate the signs and symptoms of the most common dementing illnesses - AD, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and dementia with Lewy bodies - is essential to dementia care and management. Additionally, dementia patients in longterm care (LTC) facilities are prone to significantly greater risk of negative outcomes compared with nondemented residents as a result of a decline in activities of daily living, physical capacities, and behavioral manifestations. Careful and active assessment of risk factors and their management provides opportunities for improving outcomes. These include behavioral manifestations of pain, wandering, and risks of malnutrition, falls and injuries, and restraint use. Specific nonpharmacologic interventions to promote restraint- and pain-free care in LTC are highlighted.
Description of the Illinois/West Virginia Project

The Illinois/West Virginia Project was a three-year research and demonstration effort funded by the United States Children’s Bureau. Its main purpose was to develop and test procedures for decision making at child welfare intake.1 Intake was defined to include all transactions that occur between workers and clients from the point of initial contact through development of a service plan.2
Mobility Programmes for Disadvantaged Populations: The Moving to Opportunity Programme

The intersection of a concern with providing opportunities for inner city, mostly minority, residents in US metropolitan areas and of identifying neighbourhood effects on individual well-being, came together as an experiment about whether housing voucher programmes help inner city poor families achieve more satisfactory housing. The stimulus for a social science experiment on the value of special vouchers arose from litigation against the Chicago Housing Authority (The Gautreaux case). The court ordered a special voucher programme and a large number of inner city minority households moved to the Chicago suburbs. The voucher programme in Chicago was used as the basis for a wider voucher programme and a large-scale social science experiment to measure the outcomes of housing voucher provision (the Moving to Opportunity study). There has been a debate about both the extent to which the vouchers increased opportunities and about the value of the social science experiment. Overall, research with the Moving to Opportunity data has yielded mixed results for individuals but an inability, because of the experimental design, to provide new information on neighbourhood effects.
Commentary by Basil L. Copeland, Jr.

Professor Trebing has written a stimulating and provocative precis of the regulatory dilemma arising out of the rapid rate of technological change in telecommunications. I’ve always been impressed with Professor Trebing’s ability to distill and synthesize material from a variety of sources. But he does more than merely synthesize the work of others. He invariably stamps it with his own insight and observation, and usually in a way that cautions us from a too-easy acceptance of the latest fad in the economics of regulation. He has done it again here, in his cautionary tale of two theories, the theory of unfettered markets on the one hand (or whatever you want to call the theory of “contestable markets”), and the theory of the regulated firm on the other.
An Ancient Greek Lament Form

An unusual ancient Greek lament form, hitherto overlooked by students of the subject, displays the following syntax: parallel sentences with verb in initial position (Vi) expressing the loss, followed by the grammatical subject (S). Sometimes the same verb was used in each of the parallel lines. ViS parallelism is a subliterary syntax reflecting a very old style. A number of Greek authors adopted this syntax to represent or allusively echo the form. Examples, although relatively scarce, are spread through a diverse range of ancient literature spanning at least six centuries, from the second century BC to the fourth century AD, with earlier echoes as far back as Homer.
Coronary artery disease in adults with tetralogy of Fallot.

Background There are limited data about outcomes of coronary artery disease (CAD) in adults with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence and treatment of CAD in adults with TOF, and the impact of CAD on long-term survival. Methods Retrospective review of MACHD database for adults with repaired TOF who underwent aortic root/selective coronary angiogram, 1990-2017. Patients were categorized into three groups: (1) No CAD defined as normal coronary angiogram; (2) Mild CAD defined as ≤50% stenosis in all vessels; and, (3) Significant CAD defined as >50% stenosis in any vessel. Results We identified 105 (23%) of 465 TOF patients that had angiograms; mean age 47 ± 12 years. The prevalence of mild CAD and significant CAD was 19% (20 patients) and 15% (16 patients), respectively. Of these 16 patient with significant CAD, 9 (56%), 3 (19%), and 4 (24%) patients received guideline directed medical therapy, percutaneous coronary intervention, and coronary artery bypass grafting, respectively. Significant CAD was an independent risk factor for mortality (HR: 2.03, 95% CI 1.64-4.22, P = .022) after adjustment for differences in age, and prevalence of atrial fibrillation and renal dysfunction. Conclusions Based on a review of a selected cohort of 105 TOF patients, the prevalence of mild CAD and significant CAD was 19% and 15%, respectively. Significant CAD was an independent risk factor for mortality. There is need for more research to determine optimal noninvasive diagnostic strategies and optimal patient selections and methods for revascularization.
Prevention of degradation of human polymorphonuclear leukocyte proteins by diisopropylfluorophosphate.

Proteases can complicate the characterization of proteins from cells, especially human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN), which contain abundant neutral proteases. We tested the ability of agents to inhibit proteolysis, with special reference to the subunit polypeptides of the contractile proteins actin, myosin, and actin-binding protein (ABP). Phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), O-phenanthroline, EGTA, EDTA, N- ethylmaleimide, alone or in combinations, failed to prevent extensive proteolysis of the PMN proteins during solubilization of cells with dodecyl sulfate. These inhibitors and also alpha-1-antitrypsin and soybean trypsin inhibitor similarly could not prevent proteolysis during homogenization of cells in cold isosomolar sucrose. Treatment of PMN with greater than or equal to mM diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP) prior to solubilization or homogenization markedly inhibited proteolysis. PMSF and DFP were equally effective in inhibiting proteolysis in PMN extracts, suggesting that the efficacy of DFP may result from its permeation of intact cells and granules before barriers are disrupted by detergents or homogenization. Treatment of PMN with DFP under conditions inhibiting proteolysis did not affect their rate of phagocytosis. We recommend the use of DFP in future studies correlating functions and protein structure of PMN.
Creating and Measuring Brand Value

Few concepts are more central to marketing than brand. Despite the importance of brand, estimation of the value of a brand and the return on marketing investments employed to build brands has been elusive. This chapter examines the measurement of brand health and value, identifies drivers of brand value, and develops a formal model for valuing a brand and for determining the value of brand-building activities and expenditures.
Serotonergic multilocus genetic variation moderates the association between major interpersonal stress and adolescent depressive symptoms: Replication and candidate environment specification.

Abstract Serotonin-linked genetic risk and stressful life event (SLE) interaction research has been criticized for using single genetic variants with inconsistent replicability. A recent study showed that a multilocus genetic profile score (MGPS) capturing additive risk from five serotonin-linked polymorphisms moderated the association between major interpersonal SLEs and depression, but no subsequent replication attempts have been reported. Moreover, major interpersonal SLEs have been suggested as “candidate environments” for this MGPS, but it has never been demonstrated that gene-environment interactions (G × Es) for major interpersonal SLEs are significantly stronger than for other contexts. Adolescents ( N = 241) completed contextual-threat life stress interviews and clinical interviews assessing depressive symptoms, and provided DNA. MGPS intensified the major interpersonal stress-depression association; the interaction accounted for 4% of depressive symptom variance. Genetic moderation was statistically unique to major interpersonal stress versus other environments. Extending previous findings, results support an MGPS approach and underscore the cruciality of the G × E candidate environment.
The ethics of the special ranking for pregnancy in tennis

In this paper, we provide a normative analysis of the Women’s Tennis Association revised policy on maternity leave, which is regulated by its special ranking rule. To do so, we first explore how th...
Elevated circulating CCL2 in prostate cancer patients.

201Background: Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (CCL2 or MCP-1), a chemokine secreted by monocytic cells, is critical in recruiting Treg and MDSCs into the tumor microenvironment and in regulatin...
Reply to Humphries and Simner, “Verification Is an Integral Part of Antimicrobial Susceptibility Test Quality Assurance,” and Wojewoda et al., “College of American Pathologists (CAP) Microbiology Committee Perspective: the Need for Verification Studies”

We thank Drs. Humphries and Simner and the CAP Microbiology Resource Committee for their interest in our commentary ([1][1]). In their letters to the editor, they bring up points directly addressed in our article as well as related issues. Both deserve further discussion. As a general observation,
Nutrient enrichment and neopolyploidy interact to increase lifetime fitness of Arabidopsis thaliana

Nascent polyploids, or neopolyploids, frequently arise within diploid plant lineages and are expected to experience increased requirements for growth-limiting nutrients because of building a larger genome. Because this may have important consequences for the ecology of neopolyploids, we need studies that track the lifetime fitness effects of whole genome duplication. Here we investigated how multiple origins of neopolyploidy and nutrient supply rate affected fitness-related traits of Arabidopsis thaliana. We investigated the interaction between cytotype, independent neopolyploid origins, and soil fertility by conducting a greenhouse experiment with five nutrient treatments that varied nitrogen and phosphorus supply. We compared biomass, flowering phenology, fecundity, average mass per seed, and offspring germination rates of diploids and their descendent neotetraploids from four independent origins. The results supported the hypothesis that neopolyploidy increases nutrient limitation. Diploids outpaced their neotetraploid descendants in growth and composite fitness in all nutrient treatments except with high supply of nitrogen and phosphorus, where neotetraploid growth and composite fitness exceeded diploids. In contrast, we did not detect an interaction between cytotype and nutrient treatment for flowering phenology, but neotetraploids flowered later, and low nutrient supply caused earlier flowering. We additionally found that the trait responses of neotetraploids were strongly contingent on their independent, maternal origin. Polyploidy has myriad effects on plant physiology, but few studies have tested how neopolyploid-induced physiological changes can affect plant environmental interactions. By showing that neopolyploid fitness is more constrained by nutrient supply, we conclude that neotetraploidy increases nutrient limitation in A. thaliana.
The impact of COVID-19 on college students from communities of color.

To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on daily living, mental well-being, and experiences of racial discrimination among college students from communities of color. Participants: Sample com...
Electrochemical corrosion of a multiphase alloy/oxide composite nuclear waste form

Abstract Long-term corrosion rates of waste forms must be predicted for the range of environmental conditions that could occur during geologic disposal. Several standard electrochemical methods and microscopy were applied to a multiphase alloy/oxide composite material to study the effects of multiple phases on test responses. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy showed application of those methods altered the electrical properties of the stabilized surfaces and the corrosion rates. Those methods provide qualitative indications of the corrosion behavior, but alternative methods that do not disturb the surface properties are required to reliably quantify the corrosion rates of multiphase waste forms for long-term disposal assessments.
The Role of Computed Tomography and Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction in the Diagnosis and Prognostication of COVID-19

With the rapid spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) starting in early 2020, there has been much interest in the applicability of radiologic imaging in managing affected patients. From the initial screening to addressing the extent of pulmonary involvement, CT scans provide great value to hospitals overwhelmed by an influx of patients, including those with suspected COVID-19. Because CTs come at a high financial cost, lower cost real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) COVID-19 tests are critical due to their ability to identify asymptomatic carriers and properly handle patients during the ongoing pandemic. However, unlike RT-PCR, CT scans can also provide insight into the progression of the virus. The signs of acute COVID-19 infection include unique patterns of ground-glass opacities (GGO) with vascular thickening, enabling radiologists to diagnose COVID-19 with a high specificity. Additionally, there may be a significant value in the use of CT scans in predicting the outcomes.
Kinetic Monte Carlo Simulations

While previous chapters looked at examples of MC methods with a fixed time interval, in this chapter we present several examples of kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) methods. KMC methods are based on the concept that the variable time intervals between random events follow an exponential distribution. R codes are provided here for KMC methods applied to luminescence signals as stochastic birth and death processes. The chapter concludes with a different example of the KMC method, which describes quantum tunneling processes and the anomalous fading effect from a microscopic point of view. We compare the stochastic KMC results and the corresponding CV% uncertainties with the solution of the corresponding deterministic differential equation.
Predictors of Treatment Engagement Among Suicidal Youth Experiencing Homelessness

Homeless youth experience high rates of suicidal ideation and attempts, yet limited research has examined predictors of treatment engagement among this population. Suicidal homeless youth (N = 150) between the ages of 18 and 24 years were recruited from a drop-in center in Columbus, Ohio. Participants were randomly assigned to Cognitive Therapy for Suicide Prevention + treatment as usual through a local drop-in center (CTSP + TAU) (N = 75) or TAU alone (N = 75), and treatment attendance among those assigned to CTSP + TAU was examined in this study. As expected, among youth engaged in CTSP + TAU, those with a history of intimate partner violence (IPV) showed decreased odds of treatment attendance. Additionally, youth randomized into CTSP + TAU with higher acquired capability for suicide (ACS) scores and those identifying as Black were more likely to attend treatment sessions. Findings suggest that effective treatment implementation must consider youth’s trauma history, demographics and severity of suicidal ideation and behaviors.
Inclusion of Infants and Neonates in Pediatric Orphan Product Approvals.

The Orphan Drug Act (ODA) of 1983 was enacted to provide financial incentives to drug sponsors to develop therapies for rare diseases. Although this act increased the number of orphan products approved, there are still a limited number of products available for the pediatric population because orphan drug products are exempt from the Pediatric Research Equity Act. The objectives of this study were (i) to evaluate the pediatric orphan drug studies submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the period of 2007-2018 and (ii) to examine whether orphan drug products were fully labeled with a pediatric indication in infants and neonates. Out of the 468 indications evaluated, 171 (37%) were FDA-labeled for use in the pediatric population. Labeling for the 12 to < 18 years age group was most common (98%). Fifty-two percent of FDA-labeled pediatric indications included the newborn to < 2 years of age group. In this newborn to < 2 years age group, the indication was labeled without pivotal clinical trials in 43% of the programs. Of the 60 new indications not labeled down to birth, 50% were found to have an age of onset and diagnosis that occurs earlier than the age approved for use of the product for that indication. In summary, although the ODA has been successful in improving pediatric access to medications for rare diseases, our analysis identified the incomplete labeling for pediatric patients under 2 years of age. Strategies to include the birth to < 2 years old group of pediatric patients in orphan drug development programs should be explored.
Deep Reinforcement Learning for Crowdsourced Urban Delivery

Abstract This paper investigates the problem of assigning shipping requests to ad hoc couriers in the context of crowdsourced urban delivery. The shipping requests are spatially distributed each with a limited time window between the earliest time for pickup and latest time for delivery. The ad hoc couriers, termed crowdsourcees, also have limited time availability and carrying capacity. We propose a new deep reinforcement learning (DRL)-based approach to tackling this assignment problem. A deep Q network (DQN) algorithm is trained which entails two salient features of experience replay and target network that enhance the efficiency, convergence, and stability of DRL training. More importantly, this paper makes three methodological contributions: 1) presenting a comprehensive and novel characterization of crowdshipping system states that encompasses spatial-temporal and capacity information of crowdsourcees and requests; 2) embedding heuristics that leverage information offered by the state representation and are based on intuitive reasonings to guide specific actions to take, to preserve tractability and enhance efficiency of training; and 3) integrating rule-interposing to prevent repeated visiting of the same routes and node sequences during routing improvement, thereby further enhancing the training efficiency by accelerating learning. The computational complexities of the heuristics and the overall DQN training are investigated. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated through extensive numerical analysis. The results show the benefits brought by the heuristics-guided action choice, rule-interposing, and having time-related information in the state space in DRL training, the near-optimality of the solutions obtained, and the superiority of the proposed approach over existing methods in terms of solution quality, computation time, and scalability.
Outcomes of endoscopically harvested saphenous vein for lower extremity bypass.

OJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of endoscopically harvested saphenous vein (EHSV) for lower extremity bypass (LEB) surgery. METHODS Data from 91 consecutive patients who underwent LEB using EHSV between February 2003 and November 2012 were analyzed. Outcomes of interest were wound infection, patency, re-intervention and limb loss. RESULTS Fifty-eight (64%) and 33 (36%) patients underwent femoropopliteal (FP) and femorotibial (FT) bypass using EHSV. Three (3%) patients had superficial and 1 (1%) deep wound infection. Primary and primary assisted patency at 5 years was 68% and 71% in the FP group and 56% and 65% in the FT group. Six (6%) patients underwent major amputation. No predicting factors for wound infection or graft patency were found. CONCLUSIONS EHSV carries a low incidence of perioperative wound complication and has a reasonable mid-to-long-term patency regardless of the length of vein harvested.
Leakage aware SER reduction technique for UDSM logic circuits

With technology scaling aggressively into the very deep submicron era, leakage power and single event upsets (SEUs) pose serious challenges to circuit designers. Here, we present a technique to reduce the soft error rate (SER) in combinational circuits, with minimal area overhead using minimum leakage input vector (MLIV) leakage reduction technique. Simulation results show significant reduction in area overhead as compared to existing techniques, while reducing the leakage power by nearly 40%.
Frequency Analysis: The Fourier Series

In this chapter we consider the frequency representation of periodic signals by means of the Fourier series, an infinite expansion in terms of orthonormal complex exponentials or sinusoids. Representing aperiodic signals in terms of periodic signals will permit us to extend the Fourier series representation to the Fourier Transform valid for periodic and aperiodic signals. The Fourier series coefficients are obtained using the orthonormality of complex exponentials or sinusoidal bases and efficiently computed using the Laplace transform of a period. The line spectrum, obtained from the Fourier series coefficients, indicates how the power of the signal is distributed to harmonic frequency components in the series. Properties of the Fourier series allow visualization of the power distribution over frequency, the symmetry of the spectrum, and the nature of the Fourier coefficients depending on the symmetry of the signal. Taking advantage of the eigenfunction property of linear time-invariant (LTI) systems, the steady-state response of these systems to periodic signals is easily obtained. MATLAB is used to represent and process periodic continuous-time signals.
Vitamin D during pregnancy and maternal, neonatal and infant health outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Vitamin D has well-defined classical functions related to calcium metabolism and bone health but also has non-classical effects that may influence other aspects of health. There has been considerable recent interest in the role of vitamin D on outcomes related to pregnancy and young child health but few efforts have been made to systematically consolidate this evidence to inform the research and policy agenda for low-income countries. A systematic review was undertaken to identify intervention and observational studies of vitamin D supplementation, intake or status (25-hydroxy-vitamin D) during pregnancy on perinatal and infant health outcomes. Data from trials and observational studies isolating the effect of vitamin D supplementation and intake were extracted and study quality was evaluated. Meta-analysis was used to pool effect estimates. We identified five randomised trials with outcomes of relevance to our review. All had small sample size and dosage amount, duration and frequency varied as did the ability to correct deficiency. Pooled analysis of trials using fixed-effects models suggested protective effects of supplementation on low birthweight (three trials, risk ratio (RR) = 0.40 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.23, 0.71]) and non-significant but suggestive effects of daily supplementation on small-for-gestational age (two trials, RR = 0.67 [0.40, 1.11]). No effect on preterm delivery (<37 weeks) was evident (two trials, RR = 0.77 [0.35, 1.66]). Little evidence from trials exists to evaluate the effect of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy on maternal, perinatal or infant health outcomes. Based on both trials and observational studies, we recommend that future research explore small-for-gestational age, preterm delivery, pre-eclampsia, and maternal and childhood infections, as outcomes of interest. Trials should focus on populations with a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, explore the relevance of timing of supplementation, and the dosage used in such trials should be sufficient to correct deficiency.
Electrophoretic identification of an isoenzyme of amylase which increases in serum in liver diseases.

Isoenzymes of amylase were studied in serum from 72 persons by means of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and a direct saccharogenic assay for amylase activity. In 37 normal individuals, there were two major peaks of amylase activity with mobilities similar to pancreatic and salivary amylases. In 11 patients with acute pancreatitis, the area of activity corresponding with pancreatic amylases increased disproportionately. Electrophoretic patterns of amylase activity in normal and pancreatitis urine were almost identical to the respective serum patterns from the same persons. In contrast, a prominent slower-moving peak of amylase activity occurred in the serum of 8 of 12 patients who had hyperamylasemia associated with various liver diseases. Traces of this third peak were identifiable in one-third of normal serum specimens, but no increases in its activity were observed in any specimen from 11 patients with pancreatitis or from 12 other patients with hyperamylasemia unassociated with liver disease. The slower-moving peak was absent from the urine of patients whose serum contained it. The origin of the slower-moving serum amylase appearing in patients with liver disease is not established by these studies. It is possible either that a hepatic amylase is liberated from damaged liver cells or that the metabolism of an amylase not originating in the liver is altered as a result of liver dysfunction.
The Perils of Commercialism

More than two decades ago, the Australian government decided that international higher education should become an industry; since then it has become a major income producer for the nation. The higher education sector was motivated to make money from international education by government budget cuts—with revenue to be made up largely by entrepreneurial international activity.
The Role of Microbiology in Models of Dental Caries

Models of dental caries (laboratory, animal, and human in situ models) vary markedly in their microbiological complexity. Laboratory models range from mono-cultures of cariogenic species providing an acidic challenge to enamel, to the development of diverse mixed cultures growing on a habitat-simulating medium in an artificial mouth or chemostat. The latter systems are of value in determining either mechanisms of action or cause-and-effect relationships--e.g., between dietary components or antimicrobial agents and the microflora. Laboratory models have also shown that the sensitivity of oral bacteria to inhibitors is markedly reduced when growing in biofilms such as dental plaque. Animal models have proved unequivocally that caries is an infectious and transmissible disease. Their use has enabled comparisons to be made of (a) the cariogenic potential of different bacterial species, (b) the role of the diet, and (c) the effects of potential anti-caries agents. It has been claimed that no caries-protective agent currently in use has failed a rodent test. In situ human models have been designed to permit the development of "natural" plaque on standardized enamel surfaces freely exposed to the human oral environment. The microflora that develops on unadulterated surfaces is similar in composition to that found at comparable sites on vital teeth. Demineralization can be accelerated by the inoculation of additional cariogenic bacteria coupled with either intra- or extra-oral sucrose rinses. The increased realism associated with the transition from laboratory to human in situ models is countered by a reduced ability to control or manipulate the system for experimental purposes. Thus a hierarchy of tests is needed for the study of anti-caries agents, each requiring a varying degree of microbiological complexity.
Computation of the conventional strain energy in oxaziridine

Abstract The conventional strain energy for oxaziridine is determined within the isodesmic, homodesmotic, and hyperhomodesmotic models. Using these models, the conventional strain energy for cyclopropane, cyclobutane, cyclopentane, and cyclohexane are also computed for comparison purposes. Optimum equilibrium geometries, harmonic vibrational frequencies, and corresponding electronic energies are computed for all pertinent molecular systems using SCF theory, second-order perturbation theory, and density functional theory and employing two basis sets of triple-zeta valence quality: 6-311G(d,p) and 6-311+G(2df,2pd). Single-point fourth-order perturbation theory and CCSD(T) calculations employing the larger basis set are also computed at the MP2/6-311+G(2df,2pd) optimized geometries to determine the effect of higher-order correlation effects on ring strain computation. Finally, the ring strain of oxaziridine is compared to other small ring systems.
Contribution of platelets to tumour metastasis.

Experimental evidence suggests that platelets contribute to metastasis through adhesive and haemostatic functions that promote cancer cell survival, immune evasion and interactions with vascular cells to assist organ colonization from the bloodstream. Extensive experimental evidence shows that platelets support tumour metastasis. The activation of platelets and the coagulation system have a crucial role in the progression of cancer. Within the circulatory system, platelets guard tumour cells from immune elimination and promote their arrest at the endothelium, supporting the establishment of secondary lesions. These contributions of platelets to tumour cell survival and spread suggest platelets as a new avenue for therapy.
Reliability Analysis of Ceramics Using the CERAM Computer Program

The CERAM computer program for the structural reliability analysis of ceramic parts is presented. CERAM is based upon the Weibull’s model and the more fundamental Multiaxial Elemental Strength Model placing emphasis upon the microstructural defects. Then, the analysis of thermal shocks failure for alumina disks provides an example of failure predictions using CERAM.Copyright © 1990 by ASME
The Rh antigen system and disaggregated human erythrocyte membranes

Abstract Sodium deoxycholate was used to solubilize Rh(D) antigenic activity and other protein species of the human erythrocyte membrane. Detergent removal followed by the slow addition of Mg 2+ or Ca 2+ by dialysis, allowed the formation of membraneous structures from solubilized membrane protein. These membraneous structures contained serologically specific Rh(D) antigenic activity. Use of immobilized lectins from Phaseolus lunatus and Lens culinaris demonstrated that Rh(D) antigenic activity in the detergent-bound soluble membrane phase could be separated from A antigenic activity, from glucoprotein I and partly from glycoprotein II. Solubilization of Rh(D)-positive membrane- 14 C-anti-D antibody complexes followed by chromatography on agarose columns demonstrated that these complexes had a higher mol. wt than 14 C-IgG. This indicates Rh(D) antigen-anti-D antibody association in detergent and represents the first demonstration of this antigen activity in an all-soluble system.
Explicit schemes to solve the Schrödinger field on a Galileo lattice

We discuss the properties of several explicit finite-difference schemes for the two-dimensional classical and quantum Schroedinger field.
Formal Groups and Dirichlet L-Functions, I

In [4], Honda presents a number of results concerning formal groups constructed from Dirichlet series. In particular, he shows that the formal group associated to the L-series for a quadratic character mod D is integrally isomorphic to the algebroid formal group X+ Y+ fi XY (Theorem 2 below). In this paper we generalize this result to non-quadratic characters by using higher dimensional analogues of Honda’s groups. In [S] Honda uses his result to give a proof of quadratic reciprocity. One of our aims in generalizing Honda’s result is to prove similarly the reciprocity law in a cyclotomic field. Replacing the algebroid group by the formal group 8 of an elliptic curve 6’ over Q, Honda also shows in [4] that 8 is strictly isomorphic to the formal group obtained from the zeta function of 8. (See also [3 1.) Moreover, this isomorphism is integral, i.e., its coefficients are in E. In this case, the analogue of quadratic reciprocity is the Atkin Swinnerton-Dyer congruences. As usual, for a prime p we will let Z,, Q,, and CP denote the p-adic integers, the p-adic rationals, and the completion of an algebraic closure of Q,, respectively. Also ord, will denote the p-adic valuation on C, normalized so that ord,(p) = 1. The authors thank Robert Gold and Lynne Walling for helpful conversations.
Proteolytic activity of Nomuraea rileyi on casein and host insect cuticle

Culture filtrates of Nomuraea rileyi showed comparable proteolytic activity on two substrates: casein and freeze dried cuticle of Heliothis zea larvae. Optimum proteolytic activity occurred on day 4 post inoculation. The enzyme was observed to have a broad pH optimum range from 6–9 with maximum activity occurring at pH 8. At pH 7.6, the enzyme showed a broad thermal stability, with optimum activity occurring between 35 and 50 °C and declining at 60 °C.
Chronic Vulvovaginal Candidiasis

Vulvovaginal symptoms are common, and they represent one of the most frequent reasons for visits to physicians by women in all age groups. Vulvovaginitis is rarely life-threatening, and it is therefore vastly understudied and poorly understood. However, it is associated with substantial, albeit poorly quantified, cumulative morbidity. It causes genital discomfort, loss of productivity, reduced sexual pleasure, and psychological distress and necessitates medical expenditures. Noninfectious vulvovaginitis is caused by a wide variety of inflammatory, hypersensitivity, and collagen vascular conditions.1 The most common cause of infectious vulvovaginitis is candidiasis, which accounts for 40 to 50 percent of all cases. Vulvovaginitis primarily . . .
Causality, cointegration, and control

Abstract The first sections of the paper show that causality tests can be relevant when considering the effectiveness of a control mechanism, rejecting some results in earlier papers. The relevance comes from a more careful consideration of what information is available to whom and when, compared to previous work. The final section of the paper extends this analysis to cointegrated variables, when causality is a necessary consequence.
A QoS architecture for quantitative service differentiation

For the past decade, a lot of Internet research has been devoted to providing different levels of service to applications. Initial proposals for service differentiation provided strong service guarantees, with strict per-flow bounds on delays, loss rates, and throughput, but required high overhead in terms of computational complexity and memory, both of which raise scalability concerns. Recently, the interest has shifted to class-based service architectures with low overhead. However, these newer service architectures only provide weak service guarantees, which do not always address the needs of applications. In this article we introduce a service architecture that supports strong per-class service guarantees, can be implemented with low computational complexity, and only requires maintenance of a little state information. A key mechanism of the proposed service architecture is that service rate allocation to classes is adaptive, and combined with buffer management. Furthermore, instead of using admission control or traffic policing, the proposed architecture exploits explicit congestion notification for the purpose of regulating the traffic entering the network.
Comparison of pediatric robotic-assisted laparoscopic nephroureterectomy and laparoendoscopic single-site nephroureterectomy.

Objective To compare outcomes between pediatric robotic-assisted laparoscopic nephroureterectomy (RALNU) and laparoendoscopic single-site nephroureterectomy (LESSNU). Methods A retrospective cohort study was performed of all patients who underwent RALNU and LESSNU at a single pediatric institution from April 2009 to April 2013. Patient demographics, perioperative details, and outcomes were reviewed. Results Thirty-two patients (20 men, 12 women) were identified. Twenty-four patients underwent RALNU and 8 patients underwent LESSNU. There was no significant blood loss, intraoperative complication, or conversion to open or standard laparoscopy for either procedure. Median age was 55.1 months (range 4.5-171.8 months) for RALNU and 51.6 months (range 16.3-144.9 months) for LESSNU (P = .695). Median weight was 19.1 kg (range 7-55 kg) for RALNU and 16.9 kg (range 11-41 kg) for LESSNU (P = .727). Median operative time was 227 minutes (range 112-362 minutes) for RALNU and 174 minutes (range 74-288 minutes) for LESSNU (P = .028). Median length of hospital stay was 2 days (range 1-4 days) for RALNU and 1 day (range 0-6 days) for LESSNU (P = .134). Median in-patient postoperative narcotic use of morphine-equivalent was 0.03 mg/kg/day (range 0-0.2) for RALNU and <0.01 mg/kg/day (range 0-0.2) for LESSNU (P = .134). Median in-patient postoperative Ketorolac use was <0.01 mg/kg/day (range 0-0.8) for RALNU and <0.01 mg/kg/day (range 0-0.5) for LESSNU (P = .784). Median follow-up was 22 months (range 0.8-48.4 months) for RALNU and 18.8 months (range 0.3-29.4 months) for LESSNU (P = .361). We observed 2 complications (8.3%) in RALNU and 1 in LESSNU (P = 1). Conclusion LESSNU has a significantly shorter operative time with comparable in-patient postoperative narcotics use as compared to RALNU.
Disruption of Sarcoendoplasmic Reticulum Calcium ATPase Function in Drosophila Leads to Cardiac Dysfunction

Abnormal sarcoendoplasmic reticulum Calcium ATPase (SERCA) function has been associated with poor cardiac function in humans. While modifiers of SERCA function have been identified and studied using animal models, further investigation has been limited by the absence of a model system that is amenable to large-scale genetic screens. Drosophila melanogaster is an ideal model system for the investigation of SERCA function due to the significant homology to human SERCA and the availability of versatile genetic screening tools. To further the use of Drosophila as a model for examining the role of SERCA in cardiac function, we examined cardiac function in adult flies. Using optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging in awake, adult Drosophila, we have been able to characterize cardiac chamber dimensions in flies with disrupted in Drosophila SERCA (CaP60A). We found that the best studied CaP60A mutant, the conditional paralytic mutant CaP60A(kum170), develops marked bradycardia and chamber enlargement that is closely linked to the onset of paralysis and dependent on extra cardiac CaP60A. In contrast to prior work, we show that disruption of CaP60A in a cardiac specific manner results in cardiac dilation and dysfunction rather than alteration in heart rate. In addition, the co-expression of a calcium release channel mutation with CaP60A (kum170) is sufficient to rescue the cardiac phenotype but not paralysis. Finally, we show that CaP60A overexpression is able to rescue cardiac function in a model of Drosophila cardiac dysfunction similar to what is observed in mammals. Thus, we present a cardiac phenotype associated with Drosophila SERCA dysfunction that would serve as additional phenotyping for further large-scale genetic screens for novel modifiers of SERCA function.
Providing location privacy in assisted living environments

While pervasive technology becomes more widely used in assisted living environments, it becomes more important to preserve the privacy of patients being monitored. Location data of patients can be collected through sensors for behavior patterns analysis, and they can also be shared among researchers for further research for early disease diagnosis. However, sharing location information also introduces privacy concerns. A series of consecutive location samples can be considered as a trajectory of a single person, and this may leak private information if obtained by malicious users. In this paper, this problem is discussed and a location randomization algorithm is proposed to protect users' location privacy. We defined privacy metrics according to location privacy and proposed a method using dynamic mix zones to confound trajectories of two or more persons.
Effect of two different methods of initiating atomoxetine on the adverse event profile of atomoxetine.

ABSTRACT Objective: To compare the effects of two different methods for initiating atomoxetine in terms of the incidence of early adverse events. Method: Data on atomoxetine treatment-emergent adverse events in youths, ages 6 to 18 years, were analyzed from five randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, acute-phase studies. Two studies involve once-daily dosing and titration to 1.2 mg/kg/day over 3 days (fast/once daily, n = 234) and three involve twice-daily dosing and titration to a dose of 1.2 mg/kg/day over at least 2 weeks (slow/twice daily, n = 213). Results: During the first 2 weeks of treatment, fast/once daily titration patients showed higher rates of spontaneously reported adverse events than patients in the slow/twice daily titration group. This included decreased appetite (14.3% versus 8.0%, p = .036) and somnolence (14.3% versus 4.2%, p Conclusions: When starting atomoxetine, the risk of adverse events within the first few weeks of treatment may be lower if patients are dosed twice daily and titrated to the 1.2 mg/kg/day total daily dose over the first week.
High-power microwave frequency modulated KrF laser

The authors report on the development of a 260mJ 248 nm KrF laser with 98.7% depth of modulation at 1.3 GHz and 77% depth of modulation at 2.6 GHz using a 1.3 GHz microwave source driving a Pockel`s cell. Subsequent single-pass amplification of the modulated KrF source to the 1/4-joule level is shown to be straight forward with no noticeable degradation of the modulation depth.
TH‐C‐303A‐09: 4D CT Sorting Based On Patient Internal Anatomy

Purpose: To obtain a robust 4D CT sorting algorithm based on patient internal anatomy by combining multiple respiratory features and to compare with sorting algorithms based on external surrogates. Method and Materials: A four‐slice GE LightSpeed™ CT scanner was used to acquire the CT data in cine mode and respiratory signals were synchronously recorded by the Varian RPM system for comparison purposes. To generate respiratory signals directly from the axial CTimages, five respiratory features have been evaluated, namely, air content, body area, lung volume, conditional mean with threshold and conditional mean with percentile. For each four‐slice couch position, a quantitative measure called spatialcoherence was used to select the optimal internal features for generation of respiratory phases for slice sorting, which, along with the sorted CTimages were compared with those obtained from RPM, respectively. Results: Patient studies showed that the respiratory signals generated from internal features are similar to RPM signals for patients with regular breathing patterns (average correlation with RPM signals at all couch positions is above 0.92 in 9 out of 10 patients) and result in sorted images with fewer motion artifacts for patients who exhibited relatively irregular breathing patterns. Conclusion: This work demonstrates the feasibility and potential benefits of using internal anatomy for 4D CT sorting in thoracic and abdominal cancer patients. The sorting results are similar to those obtained with RPM signals for regular breathing patterns and better when irregular ones occur. The proposed algorithm is simple and robust, which makes it amenable for clinical implementation. In the future, alternative measures for the quality of respiratory signals may be investigated in the temporal domain, e.g., smoothness. In parallel, other useful respiratory features may be combined easily with existing ones for better accuracy and more robustness.
Predicted fitness changes along an environmental gradient

The relations between enzyme activity and the intensity of selection across an environmental gradient are investigated usingEscherichia coli growing on mixed resources. Experimental results demonstrate that the direction and intensity of natural selection can be predicted solely from a knowledge of the underlying biochemistry, physiology and ecology of the organism. Ecological theory, based on the logistic equation, is unable to use this information to predict the outcome of competition — the best it can do is to fit constants to data points. Our results also suggest that partitioning of the phenotypic variance using quantitative genetics need not correspond to the underlying molecular structure generating phenotypes.
Neurodevelopmental bases of spelling acquisition in children treated for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

Abstract Neurobehavioural substrates of spelling acquisition were investigated by assessing the spelling of school-age children who received C.N.S. treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (A.L.L.). The central question was whether the normal acquisition of spelling skill, specifically phonologic and orthographic strategies, depends on distinct neurobehavioural substrates, each having its own maturational schedule. The relationship between error patterns and treatment age can serve as a means of inferring neuro-behavioural events occurring during specific developmental periods. We compared the spelling errors of a patient group with those of a control group matched for sex and spelling age. Spelling errors from the Wide Range Achievement Test (W.R.A.T.-R.) were classified as phonologically or orthographically accurate. Children in the patient group who were treated at younger ages committed fewer phonologically accurate errors than did those treated when older or controls. The findings are consistent w...