cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantitative meta-analysis of neural activity in posttraumatic stress disorder

In recent years, neuroimaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) have played a significant role in elucidating the neural underpinnings of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, a detailed understanding of the neural regions implicated in the disorder remains incomplete because of considerable variability in findings across studies. The aim of this meta-analysis was to identify consistent patterns of neural activity across neuroimaging study designs in PTSD to improve understanding of the neurocircuitry of PTSD. We conducted a literature search for PET and fMRI studies of PTSD that were published before February 2011. The article search resulted in 79 functional neuroimaging PTSD studies. Data from 26 PTSD peer-reviewed neuroimaging articles reporting results from 342 adult patients and 342 adult controls were included. Peak activation coordinates from selected articles were used to generate activation likelihood estimate maps separately for symptom provocation and cognitive-emotional studies of PTSD. A separate meta-analysis examined the coupling between ventromedial prefrontal cortex and amygdala activity in patients. Results demonstrated that the regions most consistently hyperactivated in PTSD patients included mid- and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and when ROI studies were included, bilateral amygdala. By contrast, widespread hypoactivity was observed in PTSD including the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the inferior frontal gyrus. Furthermore, decreased ventromedial prefrontal cortex activity was associated with increased amygdala activity. These results provide evidence for a neurocircuitry model of PTSD that emphasizes alteration in neural networks important for salience detection and emotion regulation.
A resolution measure for the MUSIC algorithm

The authors given an analytic solution to the resolution performance of the MUSIC algorithm through the introduction of a deterministic resolution measure. This measure is shown to represent the resolution property of the algorithm. A closed-form solution of this resolution measure for MUSIC is derived and shown to be in close agreement with the result obtained through an asymptotic statistical analysis by M. Kaveh and A. Barabell (1986). >
Dynamic Regulation of the Translation Initiation Helicase Complex by Mitogenic Signal Transduction to Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factor 4G

Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4F (eIF4F), comprising the cap-binding protein eIF4E, the helicase eIF4A, and the central scaffold eIF4G, is a convergence node for a complex signaling network that controls protein synthesis. Together with eIF3 and eIF4A/4B, eIF4G recruits ribosomal subunits to mRNAs and facilitates 5' untranslated region unwinding. Mammalian eIF4G contains three HEAT domains and unstructured regions involved in protein-protein interactions. Despite detailed eIF4G structure data, the mechanisms controlling initiation scaffold formation remain obscure. We found a new, highly regulated eIF4B/-3 binding site within the HEAT-1/-2 interdomain linker, harboring two phosphorylation sites that we identified as substrates for Erk1/2 and casein kinase 2. Phorbol ester-induced sequential phosphorylation of both sites detached HEAT-2 from the complex with eIF4A/-4B/-3 and stimulated the association of HEAT-3 with the mitogen-activated protein kinase signal integrating kinase Mnk1. Our results provide a mechanistic link between intracellular signal transduction and dynamic initiation complex formation coordinated by flexible eIF4G structure.
Models of Classroom Management as Applied to the Secondary Classroom.

(2005). Models of Classroom Management as Applied to the Secondary Classroom. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas: Vol. 79, No. 1, pp. 36-39.
Bending Gender, Ending Gender: Theoretical Foundations for Social Work Practice with the Transgender Community

Gender is a ubiquitous social construct that wields power over every individual in our society. The traditional dichotomous gender paradigm is oppressive, especially for transgendered people whose sense of themselves as gendered people is incongruent with the gender they were assigned at birth. Transgendered individuals are targeted for mistreatment when others attempt to enforce conventional gender boundaries. This article discusses gender-based oppression and the resulting psychosocial difficulties experienced by many transgendered individuals. The discussion advances a critical analysis of the dominant gender paradigm using two alternative theoretical perspectives on gender--queer theory and social constructionism. The article argues that the transgender community is an at-risk population and that empowering practice with this population calls on social workers to target society's traditional gender dichotomy for change. An overview of practice implications and research needs is provided.
Development of a Robotic Structural Steel Placement System

The NIST Construction Metrology and Automation Group, in cooperation with the NIST Intelligent Systems Division, is researching robotic structural steel placement as part of a project to develop an Automated Steel Construction Testbed. This project was initiated in response to industry requests for advanced tools and methodologies to speed the erection of steel structures while maintaining or enhancing standards for worker safety and facility reliability. This initial effort integrates and extends prior NIST research in robotic crane employment, teleoperated steel beam placement, laser-based site metrology, construction component tracking, and web-enabled 3-D visualization.
An Evaluation of Central Sensitization in Patients With Sickle Cell Disease

Abstract Central sensitization (CS), nociceptive hyperexcitability known to amplify and maintain clinical pain, has been identified as a leading culprit responsible for maintaining pain in several chronic pain conditions. Recent evidence suggests that it may explain differences in the symptom experience of individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD). Quantitative sensory testing (QST) can be used to examine CS and identify individuals who may have a heightened CS profile. The present study categorized patients with SCD on the basis of QST responses into a high or low CS phenotype and compared these groups according to measures of clinical pain, vaso-occlusive crises, psychosocial factors, and sleep continuity. Eighty-three adult patients with SCD completed QST, questionnaires, and daily sleep and pain diaries over a 3-month period, weekly phone calls for 3 months, and monthly phone calls for 12 months. Patients were divided into CS groups (ie, no/low CS [n = 17] vs high CS [n = 21]), on the basis of thermal and mechanical temporal summation and aftersensations, which were norm-referenced to 47 healthy control subjects. High CS subjects reported more clinical pain, vaso-occlusive crises, catastrophizing, and negative mood, and poorer sleep continuity ( P s Perspective In general, SCD patients with greater CS had more clinical pain, more crises, worse sleep, and more psychosocial disturbances compared with the low CS group.
Decorating Nanoparticle Surface for Targeted Drug Delivery: Opportunities and Challenges

The size, shape, stiffness (composition) and surface properties of nanoparticles (NPs) have been recognized as key design parameters for NP-mediated drug delivery platforms. Among them, the surface functionalization of NPs is of great significance for targeted drug delivery. For instance, targeting moieties are covalently coated on the surface of NPs to improve their selectively and affinity to cancer cells. However, due to a broad range of possible choices of surface decorating molecules, it is difficult to choose the proper one for targeted functions. In this work, we will review several representative experimental and computational studies in selecting the proper surface functional groups. Experimental studies reveal that: (1) the NPs with surface decorated amphiphilic polymers can enter the cell interior through penetrating pathway; (2) the NPs with tunable stiffness and identical surface chemistry can be selectively accepted by the diseased cells according to their stiffness; and (3) the NPs grafted with pH-responsive polymers can be accepted or rejected by the cells due to the local pH environment. In addition, we show that computer simulations could be useful to understand the detailed physical mechanisms behind these phenomena and guide the design of next-generation NP-based drug carriers with high selectivity, affinity, and low toxicity. For example, the detailed free energy analysis and molecular dynamics simulation reveals that amphiphilic polymer-decorated NPs can penetrate into the cell membrane through the “snorkeling” mechanism, by maximizing the interaction energy between the hydrophobic ligands and lipid tails. We anticipate that this work will inspire future studies in the design of environment-responsive NPs for targeted drug delivery.
Dimensionless Criteria for Selecting Tidally Influenced Advective-Dispersive Desalination Brine Mixing Plume Characterization Models

The very nature of expected requirements for an implementation of desalination process is highly spatial, creating the need to secure both a source for the desalination operation and a sink for handling the resultant brine dilution. Thus typical coastal location in consideration is bound to have its natural tidal mixing characteristics and be subjected to a near- or a farfield availability for source and sink of the desalination process. Mixing characteristics of coastal waters are very different from one point to another due to the spatiotemporal tidal characteristic in loco in a manner that can vary from being highly advective to completely dispersive dominant. Once a location is identified, the predesign phase estimation of water availability and demand and resultant adjective-dispersive mixing plume from desalination brine dilution need to be evaluated. In this study, two different models, steady-state finite segment method (FSM) and time-variant analytical method (AM), are proposed to simulate the brine plume dispersion process along with the tidally influenced flow with sloping seabed in near- and far-fields. Oscillating flow and flow reversals are also considered in the models using a harmonic function to reflect directional tidal currents. To select the most applicable model for a given site, a nondimensional number, Shahvari-Yoon (SY) number is proposed in this study to describe in loco stability of advective-dispersive flux and to determine the range of in loco applicability of FSM and AM models. Results from several comparative case studies of two implemented models indicate that AM model can be applied for any SY number range of advective or advective-dispersive or dispersive-dominant coastal regions worldwide, whereas the FSM model is found effective when a SY number range of equal and less than zero, representative of advective or advective-dispersive dominant coastal regions.
Critical Behavior of the Low Temperature Dielectric Constant of Si:As

Capacitance measurements on insulating uncompensated Si:As have been made to temperatures as low as 10mK from 10Hz to 1MHz. As T→0 C(ω,T) shows very little dispersion from hopping and one obtains the dielectric response e'(N)-eh=4πχ'(N). As N→Nc-χ'(N)∝(Nc/N-1)-ζ and we obtain ζ=1.18±.08 for Nc=8.55±.05×1018/cm3, thus finding ζ=2µ where µ is the DC conductivity exponent. These agree with Si:P results and confirm universality of the exponents and the Mott criterion for n=type Si.
Promoting Strategic Readers: Insights of Preservice Teachers' Understanding of Metacognitive Reading Strategies.

This study focuses on preservice teachers’ metacognitive reading strategies, in particular their awareness of such strategies as a reader and future teacher in three different stages (initial, middle, and final stages) of the teacher education program. The study had two research questions: (1) Are there any significant differences between metacognitive awareness and preservice teachers’ academic stages? and (2) What are preservice teachers’ perceptions of metacognitive awareness at the three different academic stages? One hundred sixteen preservice teachers participated in the study. Data included the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategy Inventory (MARSI) and open-ended questions. While the results indicated no significant differences between preservice teachers’ stages and the scores in the MARSI, they indicated significant differences among the mean scores for the sub-scores in the MARSI. Preservice teachers also viewed themselves as high-achieving readers, used various metacognitive reading strategies, and understood the importance of teaching these strategies to children.
Construction of an Architecture of Integrated Space-Ground Network for Spacecraft TT&C and Communication

Construction of an integrated space-ground spacecraft TTC(Telemetry,Tracking and Command)and communication network using internet technology is critical to integrated space information application,which is an evitable trend of development in the field of spaceflight.As a public services platform for transmission and dissemination of space information,the integrated space-ground spacecraft TTC and communication network facilitates unified command and control of TTC and communication missions,display of spacecraft status,integrated use of TTC and communication resources and sustainable development while all spacecraft,fixed and mobile stations on earth and in space,spacecraft control centers,customers,etc.are standard nodes in such a network.Following a summary of research results home and abroad,the paper proposes definition and future architecture of integrated space-ground spacecraft TTC and communication network and steps of implementation.An associated spaceflight test plan is also given together with a list of key technologies for development of an integrated space-ground spacecraft TTC and communication architecture.
Growth inhibition induced by Ro 31-8220 and Calphostin C in human glioblastoma cell lines is associated with apoptosis and inhibition of CDC2 kinase

Protein kinase C (PKC) is a central component in signal transduction and growth control and might be an appropriate target for the chemotherapy of human brain tumors. This study demonstrates that the staurosporine derivative Ro 31-8220, a potent PKC inhibitor, inhibited the growth of 7 human brain tumor cell lines with an IC50 of about 2 microM. Calphostin C, a structurally unrelated PKC inhibitor, inhibited the growth of two of these cell lines with an IC50 of about 100 to 300 nM. Drug withdrawal and clonogenicity assays indicated that the growth inhibition by both of these compounds was irreversible. Morphologic studies, DNA fragmentation studies and flow cytometric assays showed that the treated glioblastoma cells underwent apoptosis. Treatment of glioblastoma cells with Ro 31-8220 lead to a rapid decline in the level of the anti-apoptosis protein bcl-2. At least three of the glioblastoma cell lines carried mutant p53 alleles with missense mutations in the DNA binding domain of p53. Therefore, the induction of apoptosis in these cell lines occurred through a p53-independent mechanism. Furthermore treatment of these glioblastoma cell lines with Ro 31-8220 or calphostin C led to an increase of cells in the G2-M phase of the cell cycle. This correlated with a decrease in CDC2-associated histone H1 kinase activity, as well as a decrease in the level of the CDC2 protein as shown by immunoblotting. When added to subcellular assays Ro 31-8220 markedly inhibited CDC2 histone H1 kinase activity with an IC50 of 100 nM, but calphostin C directly inhibited this kinase activity only at very high concentrations (above 100 microM). Thus these compounds inhibit the growth of glioblastoma cells through novel mechanisms. Ro 31-8220, in particular, might be a useful agent for the treatment of human brain tumors.
The Revelation Principle for Mechanism Design with Reporting Costs

The revelation principle is a key tool in mechanism design. It allows the designer to restrict attention to truthful mechanisms, greatly facilitating analysis. This is also borne out algorithmically, allowing certain computational problems in mechanism design to be solved in polynomial time. Unfortunately, when not every type can misreport every other type (the partial verification model) or—more generally—misreporting can be costly, the revelation principle can fail to hold. This also leads to NP-hardness results. The primary contribution of this article consists of characterizations of conditions under which the revelation principle still holds when reporting can be costly. (These are generalizations of conditions given earlier for the partial verification case [11, 21].) Furthermore, our results extend to cases where, instead of reporting types directly, agents send signals that do not directly correspond to types. In this case, we obtain conditions for when the mechanism designer can restrict attention to a given (but arbitrary) mapping from types to signals without loss of generality.
Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation: Is a Cure at Hand?

The treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most vexing and frustrating problems in cardiology. It is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia and its prevalence is increasing [1,2], Even with treatment, AF is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality and is the most common cause of embolic stroke [3]. Recently, we have gained new insights into the mechanisms of AF that have made a significant impact on our approach to treatment. We now recognize that rapidly firing foci in the pulmonary veins play a critical role in the initiation and maintenance of AF [4]. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) to electrically isolate these foci has become an increasingly popular new approach for the treatment of AF. In this chapter, we review the evolution of AF ablation, the methodology of pulmonary vein isolation for AF and the results of this new approach.
Intracardiac Echocardiographic Measurement of Left Ventricular Volume

We tested the utility of intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) in measuring left ventricular (LV) volume. In 4 normal dogs, a 10-F percutaneous sheath was placed inside the LV along its major axis. An ICE catheter (9 F, 9 MHz) was then inserted through the sheath into the LV. The ICE catheter was pulled back in 1-mm intervals starting from the apex, and 2-D tomographic images were continuously acquired. Subsequently, the ICE catheter was replaced in the LV by a conductance catheter to measure single-beat volume signals. Stroke volume was determined by thermodilution for validation. All measurements were made in each dog while pacing the atrium at two different cycle lengths (range=300-500 ms). The endocardium was segmented in the ICE images throughout the cardiac cycle, and LV volume was computed by integrating multiple segments (range=55-70 mm). We found that ICE accurately reconstructed LV 3-D anatomy. Stroke volume by ICE was in excellent agreement with thermodilution (error=3.8±3.0%, r=0.99, n=8). Morphology of LV volume signals correlated well with instantaneous volume signals derived by conductance (r=0.93, n=8). In conclusion, ICE accurately reconstructs LV anatomy and volume throughout the cardiac cycle in the normal heart. This approach could facilitate interventional diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
Exposing digital forgeries from 3-D lighting environments

When creating a photographic composite, it can be difficult to match lighting conditions. We describe a technique for measuring lighting conditions in an image, and describe its use in detecting photographic composites. Specifically, we describe how to approximate a 3-D lighting environment with a low-dimensional model and how to estimate the model's parameters from a single image. Inconsistencies in the lighting model are then used as evidence of tampering.
Micro- and macro-segregation during alloy solidification

Abstract Formal expressions for fractional crystallization or 'coring' are briefly reviewed with attention to their limitations and modifications to account for partial stirring in the liquid or back diffusion in the solid. The application of these approaches is considered for the solidification of a casting, especially the extent to which they may be used to accurately predict the form of a cooling curve. Hence, the practice of curve fitting thermal analysis data and the possibilities of the predictive modelling of microstructural development are discussed. Various examples of macro-segregation - normal, inverse and those arising from gravitational forces - are reviewed, and the possibilities of realistically modelling these are also considered. In particular, the convective paths, rates and mechanisms for relatively long range transport are considered for different geometrical configurations. It is noted, in conclusion, that in most systems there can be micro-segregation with little or no macro-segregation, but rarely the reverse.
Intraprocedural monitoring for endovascular procedures

Peripheral (non-cardiac) endovascular interventions have penetrated the field of vascular surgery, and it is the standard of care in many occasions. Compared to traditional open peripheral operations, the minimal access and image-guided interventions have many advantages including shorter hospital stay and faster patient recovery. However, the interventions remain a high-risk procedure due to patients advanced age and significant comorbidities such as coronary artery disease and chronic renal and pulmonary disease. Procedure-specific factors further modulate the pre-existing risk factors and may add further complications during the procedure and in the postprocedural period. For example, in patients undergoing thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR), specific complications such as spinal cord injury and stroke are the focus of intraprocedural neurophysiologic monitoring, because neurological deficits remain of the most devastating complications after peripheral endovascular interventions.
Mirrizi Syndrome and Markedly Elevated Levels of Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9 in the Absence of Malignant Disease

Elevated carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) beyond 1000 U/L occurs in nonneoplastic conditions which is causing questioning of the use of CA19-9 as a marker for screening. We report a case where a 51-year-old male with Mirrizi Syndrome (MS) presented with markedly increased CA19-9 level (4,618 U/mL). MS is a rare complication characterized by compression of the common bile or hepatic duct caused by an impacted gallstone in the cystic duct or neck of the gallbladder. Biliary epithelial cells secrete CA19-9: it is hypothesized that increased proliferation of such cells caused by inflammation leads to increased secretion. CA19-9 should not be used as a diagnostic tool, but rather for surveillance.
Influenza vaccination rates in children decline when the live attenuated influenza vaccine is not recommended.

Abstract Background In 2016 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended against using the live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) for the 2016–2017 influenza season. This recommendation is potentially important for vaccination rates because perceived effectiveness and ease of administration are among the primary determinants of families decisions to vaccinate their children. This investigation sought to determine whether rates of pediatric influenza vaccination changed in a season when the LAIV was not recommended. Methods This study used cohort and cross sectional data from an academic primary care pediatric center in central Pennsylvania that serves approximately 12,500 patients. Early season (prior to November 1) and end-of-season (prior to March 1) vaccination rates in the 2015–16 and 2016–17 influenza seasons were recorded for individuals 2–17 years old. Repeat vaccination rates (percentage of children receiving influenza vaccination in one season who were also vaccinated in the next season) were recorded for the 2015–16 into 2016–17 seasons. A logistic regression model adjusting for race, ethnicity, age, insurance type and type of vaccination received was employed to identify predictors of repeat vaccination. Results In the absence of LAIV (2016–17) early vaccination rates were significantly higher (24.7% vs 22.8%, p = 0.004), but end-of-season rates were lower (50.4% vs 52.0%, p = 0.03) than when LAIV was offered (2015–16). After adjusting for covariates, those who had received IIV in the 2015–16 season had higher odds (OR 1.32, 95% CI, 1.15–1.52) of getting a repeat vaccination in the 2016–17 season, compared with those who had received LAIV in the 2015–16 season. Conclusions End-of-season vaccination rates were lower in 2016–17 when LAIV was not recommended, particularly among children who received LAIV in the preceding year. Unavailability of LAIV in the 2016–17 season may have impacted influenza vaccination convenience and perceived effectiveness, two factors which could influence vaccine uptake in pediatric populations.
Extracting Cardiac Myofiber Orientations from High Frequency Ultrasound Images

Cardiac myofiber plays an important role in stress mechanism during heart beating periods. The orientation of myofibers decides the effects of the stress distribution and the whole heart deformation. It is important to image and quantitatively extract these orientations for understanding the cardiac physiological and pathological mechanism and for diagnosis of chronic diseases. Ultrasound has been wildly used in cardiac diagnosis because of its ability of performing dynamic and noninvasive imaging and because of its low cost. An extraction method is proposed to automatically detect the cardiac myofiber orientations from high frequency ultrasound images. First, heart walls containing myofibers are imaged by B-mode high frequency (>20 MHz) ultrasound imaging. Second, myofiber orientations are extracted from ultrasound images using the proposed method that combines a nonlinear anisotropic diffusion filter, Canny edge detector, Hough transform, and K-means clustering. This method is validated by the results of ultrasound data from phantoms and pig hearts.
Learning deficits and activity changes: a partial laboratory model in postencephalitic rats for studies of brain damage.

Rats ranging from 8–21 days of age were inoculated in the right cerebral hemisphere with St Louis encephalitis virus, Japanese B encephalitis virus, Murray Valley encephalitis virus. Mumps virus however, was injected at age one day. When very young rats were injected with these viral preparations, fatal encephalitis usually developed. Rats injected at ages of more than two weeks showed little or no clinical signs of infection. When inoculated at ages between these extremes, clinical disease developed in most rats but many survived. Physically most of these surviving animals appeared to be normal, but when tested at maturity in a rather complex maze, they showed a marked reduction in learning ability. Tilting-cage-type activity measurements taken overnight with the Murray Valley encephalitis group also indicated that most of the postinfectious rats were hyperactive. These data imply that such a laboratory model might be related to similar hyperactivity and learning disabilities seen in certain types of minimally brain damaged children. A viral-sex interaction often seen in earlier studies is also noted in our animals injected at younger ages.
Wave energy characterization and assessment in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, East and West Coasts with Energy Event concept

Abstract Wave energy is one of the most concentrated ocean renewable energy resources. Although wave energy has been studied extensively for more than four decades, there is no large commercial installation for wave energy production or a consensus framework on how to exploit this resource. Wave energy is a complex resource that directly depends on two meteorological parameters, which produced significant fluctuations of wave energy in both temporal and spatial criteria. This paper presents a new concept called Energy Event, to analyze meteorological data generated by WaveWatch III over 36 years in the U.S. to characterize and assess wave energy behavior using the peak-over-threshold methodology. This methodology used extreme statistics, segmented the wave energy with different thresholds, and assessed wave energy production on a temporal and spatial framework. Three areas were studied in this paper, including the Gulf of Mexico, the East and West U.S. Coasts. The results indicated that wave energy behaved as a two-state energy system with each state having independent characteristics. The main difference among the three studied areas was the constant baseline of wave power density, with the West Coast having the highest constant baseline and the Gulf of Mexico having the lowest baseline.
A 20-year and 46,000-specimen journey to Paris reveals the influence of reporting systems and passive peer feedback on pathologist practice patterns.

BACKGROUND An important goal of The Paris System for Reporting Urinary Cytology (TPS) is to reduce unnecessary atypical diagnoses given to urinary tract cytology (UTC) specimens. Since implementation of TPS at the study institution in 2016, the institutional atypical rate has declined only slightly. The authors speculated that TPS might not have had an immediate impact because several faculty members were involved in TPS committees and because TPS contains elements that already had been integrated into institutional practice. To identify factors contributing to alterations in the institutional atypical rate, the authors examined their practice over the last 22 years. METHODS UTC specimens submitted to the study laboratory between August 11, 1995, and August 10, 2017, were identified. Specimens were linked to the responsible pathologist, specimen diagnosis and type, association with high-grade urothelial carcinoma, and relevant cytomorphologic features. RESULTS An increase in the institutional atypical rate occurred between 2002 and 2005. The atypical rate among individual pathologists also peaked during this same time. The increase coincided with an increase in the use of UTC and the arrival of a pathologist with a higher rate of atypical diagnoses. A substantial decrease in the institutional atypical rate occurred between 2005 and 2010 and coincided with the creation of the Johns Hopkins Hospital Template, the authors' first standardized reporting system for UTC specimens. CONCLUSIONS The use of reporting systems (Johns Hopkins Hospital Template and TPS) has coincided with decreases in the institutional atypical rate at the study institution. An individual pathologist may influence the practice patterns of his or her colleagues, resulting in fluctuations in the institutional rate of atypia over time. Cancer Cytopathol 2018;126:381-9. © 2018 American Cancer Society.
Exploiting decomposability using recombination in genetic algorithms: an exploratory discussion

On certain classes of problems, recombination is more effective if the parents that are being recombined share common subsolutions. These common subsolutions can be used to decompose the recombination space into linearly independent subproblems. If a problem can be decomposed into k subproblems, a single greedy recombination can select the best of 2k possible offspring. The idea of exploiting decomposability works well for the Traveling Salesman Problem, and appears to be applicable to other problems such as Graph Coloring. For Search Based Software Engineering, these ideas might be useful, for example, when applying Genetic Programming to fix software bugs in large programs. Another way in which we might achieve decomposability is by exploiting program modularity and reoccurring program patterns.
STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF CALMODULIN-DEPENDENT PHOSPHODIESTERASE ISOZYMES

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the structure and the function of calmodulin-dependent phosphodiesterase isozymes. A cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (PDE) isozyme was the first calmodulin (CaM) target protein discovered and as such was an important enzyme in early investigations of CaM function. Binding of the Ca2+/CaM complex results in a 4–15 fold increase in the rate of cAMP hydrolysis (5,6). The Ca2+ /CaM-dependent PDE (CaM-PDE) is just one member of a large family of PDE isozymes that have been characterized. These PDE isozymes differ in apparent size, mode of regulation, substrate specificity and immunologic reactivity. There is clear evidence that several different isozymes of CaM-PDE are present in bovine tissues. The 61K and 63K isozymes of bovine brain, and the 59K isozyme from heart tissue have been purified and characterized. The 61K and the 63K brain isozymes have been distinguished in two laboratories primarily on the basis of apparent molecular weight and immunologic reactivity. The 59K isozyme of cardiac tissue has a significantly higher affinity for CaM and a lower apparent molecular weight.
Next-Generation Sequencing For Gene and Pathway Discovery and Analysis in Autism Spectrum Disorders

High-risk gene mutations and copy number variants have been identified for ASD but many hundreds of genes and loci remain to be identified. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) will provide a cost-effective means of identifying additional ASD risk loci. In this chapter, we introduce current NGS platforms and describe recent NGS successes in characterizing human genomic variation, identifying genetic variation in human disease, and functional analyses of the human genome, including applications around the transcriptome, epigenome and interactome. Ongoing whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing projects in thousands of ASD are summarized as well, which are already identifying new ASD genes.
Miami Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial(MRFIT)

In 1971 a Task Force on Atherosclerosis appointed by the National Heart and Lung Institute recommended the development and support of a preventive trial in men with multiple coronary heart disease risk factors.1 Previous studies in the United States and abroad have shown that elevated serum cholesterol, hypertension and cigarette smoking are clearly associated with a high incidence of coronary disease.2 The Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MRFIT) was therefore initiated to test the hypothesis that significant reduction of these three key variables through an intervention program would be associated with decreased morbidity and mortahty from coronary heart disease. From 1972 to 1974, 20 clinical centers were selected to participate.3 The Dade County Department of Pubhc Health in Miami was one of these centers and the only county health department to be included in the national program. In 1976 the Miami MRFIT also became associated with the Nutrition Division of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Miami School of Medicine.
Solid-propellant grain-to-case bond-stress measurement: Paper describes a study designed to evaluate theoretical approaches to grain stress analysis using experimental data from bond-stress gage

To satisfy the need for better definition of solid rocket-motor grain stress state, a through-the-case bond-stress gage* which provides for measurement of the radial stress induced at the propellant/liner/case interface during environmental-temperature variations has been developed. This paper describes a study† designed to evaluate theoretical approaches to grain stress analysis using experimental data from these gages. Four analog motors were cast with cylindrical-bore propellant grains in steel sleeves using a mechanically characterized solid propellant. The analog motors were exposed to thermal changes typical of prototype rocket motors. Radial stresses at the propellant-case interface were monitored using the stress gages during propellant cure and subsequent thermal testing. Correlation of the monitored results with state-of-the-art analytical methods reveals the need for improved analytical treatments and further application of experimental techniques.
Analysis of neurofilament concentration in healthy adult horses and utility in the diagnosis of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis and equine motor neuron disease

Neurofilaments (NFs) are structural proteins of neurons that are released in significant quantities in the cerebrospinal fluid and blood as a result of neuronal degeneration or axonal damage. Therefore, NFs have potential as biomarkers for neurologic disorders. Neural degeneration increases with age and has the potential to confound the utility of NFs as biomarkers in the diagnosis of neurologic disorders. We investigated this relationship in horses with and without neurological diagnosis. While controlling for horse type (draft, pleasure, and racing), we evaluated the relationship between serum heavy-chain phosphorylated neurofilaments (pNF-H) and age, sex, and serum vitamin E concentrations. Serum pNF-H concentrations increased by 0.002 ng/ml for each year increase in age. There were significant differences in the serum pNF-H concentration among the type of activity performed by the horse. The highest serum pNF-H concentration was found in horses performing heavy work activity (racehorse) and with lower serum pNF-H concentration found among light (pleasure riding) and moderate (draft) activity. There was no significant association between the pNF-H concentration and sex or vitamin E concentration. Serum pNF-H concentration was elevated among horses afflicted with EMND and EPM when compared with control horses without evidence of neurologic disorders. Accordingly, serum pNF-H concentration can serve as a useful biomarker to complement the existing diagnostic work-up of horses suspected of having EPM or EMND.
Collaborative Approaches to the Support of People with Disabilities: The Underserved and Unserved.

Background Underserved and unserved people are individuals who lack necessary health services. They can be found in both high- and low-income countries with disabilities in areas such as speech, language, hearing, swallowing, physical, and neurological, as well as other health problems. In addition, academic programs that prepare students to serve underserved or unserved communities do not exist in some countries. Collaborative projects allow those with expertise to share their knowledge, strategies, methods, and technologies with health practitioners, administrators, educators, students, and families. The goal is to assist populations who require special services. Collaborative projects can be interdisciplinary, international, or involve academic institutions or organizations. It is also essential that collaboration projects consider the strengths and assets that are present in the environment and in the population. This asset-based approach supports sustainability as long-term solutions can take advantage of existing strengths. Sustainability is essential so that the goals of projects can continue to contribute to a population. Objectives The primary objective of this article is to present collaborative projects that positively impact underserved and unserved populations. The strengths of these projects are also presented as a model for further work. Summary This article presents several collaborative projects, along with the impact of these efforts.
Role and impact of the gut microbiota in a Drosophila model for parkinsonism

ABSTRACT Drosophila is poised to be a powerful model organism for studies of the gut-brain axis due to the relative simplicity of its microbiota, similarity to mammals, and efficient methods to rear germ-free flies. We examined the gut-brain axis in Drosophila models of autosomal recessive parkinsonism and discovered a relationship between the gut microbiota and parkin loss of function. The number of live bacteria was increased approximately five-fold in the gut of aged parkin null animals. Conditional RNAi showed that parkin is required in gut enterocytes and not in neurons or muscle to maintain microbial load homeostasis. To examine the significance of gut microbiota, we reared germ-free parkin flies and discovered that removal of microbes in the gut improves the animals’ resistance to paraquat. Sequencing of 16S rDNA revealed microbial species with altered relative abundance in parkin null flies compared to controls. These data reveal a role for parkin activity in maintaining microbial composition and abundance in the gut, suggesting a relationship between parkin function and the gut microbiota, and deepening our understanding of parkin and the impacts upon loss of parkin function.
A Hierarchical Dimension Reduction Approach for Big Data with Application to Fault Diagnostics

Abstract About four zetta bytes of data, which falls into the category of big data, is generated by complex manufacturing systems annually. Big data can be utilized to improve the efficiency of an aging manufacturing system, provided, several challenges are handled. In this paper, a novel methodology is presented to detect faults in manufacturing systems while overcoming some of these challenges. Specifically, a generalized distance measure is proposed in conjunction with a novel hierarchical dimension reduction (HDR) approach. It is shown that the HDR can tackle challenges that are frequently observed during distance calculation in big data scenarios, such as norm concentration, redundant dimensions, and a non-invertible correlation matrices. Subsequently, a probabilistic methodology is developed for isolation and detection of faults. Here, Edgeworth expansion based expressions are derived to approximate the density function of the data. The performance of the dimension reduction methodology is demonstrated to be efficient with simulation results involving the use of big data sets. It is shown that HDR is able to explain almost 90% of the total information. Furthermore, the proposed dimension reduction methodology is seen to outperform standard dimension reduction approaches and is able to improve the performance of standard classification methodologies in high dimensional scenarios.
Resolving the ultrafast intersystem crossing in a bimetallic platinum complex.

Bimetallic platinum complexes have interesting luminescent properties and feature long-lasting vibrational coherence and ultrafast intersystem crossing (ISC) after photoexcitation. Ultrafast triplet formation is driven by very strong spin-orbit coupling in these platinum (II) systems, where relativistic theoretical approaches beyond first-order perturbation theory are desirable. Using a fully variational relativistic theoretical method recently developed by the authors, we investigate the origins of ultrafast ISC in the [Pt(ppy) (μ-tBu2pz)]2 complex (ppy = phenylpyridine, pz = pyrazolate). Spin-orbit coupling values, evaluated along a Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics trajectory, are used to propagate electronic populations in time. Using this technique, we estimate ultrafast ISC rates of 15–134 fs in this species for the possible ISC pathways into the three low-lying triplet states.
Gene Expression Profiles of Hydroxyurea Tolerant Cell Lines Identify Genetic Mechanisms That Influence Hydroxyurea Maximum Tolerated Dose

Abstract 1005 Hydroxyurea has emerged over the past decade as an effective therapeutic agent for patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA). However, drug dosing and hematological responses can be highly variable; both %HbF response and maximum tolerated dose (MTD) vary widely among patients with SCA who receive hydroxyurea treatment. To obtain further insight into the cellular and molecular pathways, as well as genetic factors that might influence the hydroxyurea MTD, K562 erythroleukemia cells were exposed to hydroxyurea in vitro , to create cell lines that were highly drug tolerant to doses ranging from 250μM to 1500μM. Cell lines had dose-response curves that exhibited clear drug tolerance; naive K562 showed 50% proliferation in the presence of 250μM hydroxyurea, while tolerant cell lines showed >90% proliferation at the same dose as measured by the BrdU Cell Proliferation Assay. In addition, the tolerant lines showed normal and equivalent progression through cell cycle by flow cytometry cell cycle analysis. After 15 weeks of continuous exposure, cells were harvested and mRNA microarray expression profiles were analyzed for naive K562 (no hydroxyurea exposure) and cell lines tolerant to 500, 1000, or 1500μM hydroxyurea. Gene expression was measured on Affymetrix U133 Plus 2.0 chips. Differential expression between sample groups was determined using ANOVA, and p-values were corrected for multiple testing using the Benjamin-Hochberg false discovery rate (FDR) method to identify genetic profiles and genes consistently increased or decreased compared to naive K562 cells. Using a threshold of 2-fold change compared to untreated cells and a false discovery rate in vitro exposure of K562 cells to hydroxyurea leads to tolerant cell lines that feature substantial changes in gene expression. Altered expression of certain genes present in erythroid cells including RRM2 and membrane transporters represent compensatory changes in response to hydroxyurea exposure, and may help explain the variability in hydroxyurea MTD observed among patients with SCA. Disclosures: Off Label Use: Hydroxyurea is not FDA approved for pediatric sickle cell patients. Howard: Baylor College of Medicine: Employment.
Self-Display and Farewell Counsel: The Occasional Preface in the Early and High Tang

In traditional Chinese literature, prefaces (xu 序) were written not just for books but also for works produced at various social occasions, as well as for sets of poems composed by a group on parti...
On the active site for electrocatalytic water splitting on late transition metals embedded in graphene

Transition-metal atoms embedded in nitrogen-doped graphene can be used for electrocatalytic water splitting, but there are open questions regarding the identity of the active site. We study the formation of hydrogen and oxygen as well as the reduction of oxygen on 14 transition metals embedded in nitrogen-doped graphene using density functional theory and find that the stability and the catalytic properties of the metals depend on the nitrogen content of the support. While previous studies focus on metal atoms inside nitrogen-free and fully substituted vacancies, we find that partially nitrogen-substituted single sites are significantly more active for later transition metals (groups 10–11). These sites are also more stable than previously suggested active-site models. Our findings suggest that stability and catalytic activity of late transition metals embedded in graphene could be increased by controlling the nitrogen content of the support to obtain partially substituted vacancy sites. For early transition metals, fully substituted vacancies represent the most active site.
False Claims in Fight Over California's False Claims Act

Author(s): Ventry, Dennis | Abstract: In this article, Ventry reviews the business lobbying efforts that derailed California legislation to amend the state’s False Claims Act by permitting tax claims. He argues that opposition to the bill was based on false or misleading claims, and that those efforts effectively helped conceal tax fraud. Ventry also connects the campaign against private enforcement of tax laws with recent “antideference” efforts that undercut public enforcement of those same laws.