cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia – an unusual reaction following tattoo: report of a case and review of the literature

A 59-year-old woman presented with an itchy and uncomfortable raised lesion at a tattoo site (Fig. 1) on the lateral aspect of the left leg, just above the ankle. The tattoo had been placed 2 years before her presentation and the tattoo site was sun exposed. Immediately after she had the tattoo, she noticed redness of the skin. After a week, a pruritic and red scaly nodule developed that continued to gradually enlarge until her presentation. The patient had tried topical vitamin A and D ointment with no relief. The patient also had tattoos on the arms without any noticeable skin changes. The patient reported that the tattoo procedure on her leg was more painful than that on her arms, and was performed by a different (and perhaps inexperienced) tattoo artist. The original tattoo contained red, green, and yellow pigments. Figure 1. Raised nodular lesion with irregular margins A diagnosis of tattoo granuloma was considered; squamous cell carcinoma and fungal infection were included in the differential diagnosis. A punch biopsy was performed, followed by complete surgical excision of the lesion with a split-thickness skin graft from the right thigh. The skin excision specimen showed a 3 × 2.5-cm granular and pitted pink lesion with well-demarcated, somewhat irregular borders. The lesion was raised 0.5 cm above the skin surface. The lesion was present in the center of the original tattoo. Portions of the original tattoo with green and blue–green pigmentation were visible on either side of the lesion. No satellite lesions were identified. Microscopically, the raised lesion demonstrated striking pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia, with irregular acanthosis of the epidermis and follicular infundibula, hyperkeratosis, and parakeratosis (Fig. 2). Follicular plugging was present with keratin-filled cystic spaces. There was a brisk mononuclear inflammatory infiltrate in the dermis, composed primarily of lymphocytes, with admixed plasma cells and histiocytes. Giant cells were occasionally identified. Dermal pigment deposition was noted both within the lesion and in the surrounding skin, corresponding to the original tattoo. Variable dermal fibrosis was noted, with thick collagen bundles in some areas. There was no evidence of epidermal keratinocytic atypia, dyskeratosis, or increased suprabasal mitotic activity. Special stains (periodic acid–Schiff and acid-fast) for microorganisms were negative. Figure 2. (a) Raised lesion with marked pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia and follicular plugging (hematoxylin and eosin; magnification, ×2.5). (b) Irregularly elongated and thickened rete pegs with blunt ends associated with dermal chronic inflammation (hematoxylin and eosin; magnification, ×5). (c) Follicular dilation and plugging with keratin-filled cystic spaces (hematoxylin and eosin; magnification, ×5). (d) Dermal pigment and fibrosis (hematoxylin and eosin; magnification, ×10)
Recent oceanographic research at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California

The general program of research at the Scripps Institution has been presented on so many occasions that there seems to be no need to repeat it. It will be said, however, that the first endeavor in the plan of the Institution's work is to get as good a picture as is practicable of the physical and chemical features of the masses of water with which we are dealing and that the next endeavor, is to relate the results of the study of other marine phenomena and processes to that general setting. The following synopsis will present the recent results of the researches under four captions: (1) Dynamical oceanography, (2) chemistry of sea-water, (3) biology of marine organisms, (4) geologic processes.
Cancer Therapy–Induced Cardiotoxicity: Basic Mechanisms and Potential Cardioprotective Therapies

The patient is a 63-year-old man with a history of well-controlled hypertension who is diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and treated with a doxorubicin-containing chemotherapy regimen. During therapy, he is continued on hydrochlorothiazide for his hypertension. Three months later, he
Effect of diffuse layer and pore shapes in mesoporous carbon supercapacitors

In the spirit of the theoretical evolution from the Helmholtz model to the Gouy-Chapman-Stern model for electric double-layer capacitors, we explored the effect of a diffuse layer on the capacitance of mesoporous carbon supercapacitors by solving the Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) equation in mesopores of diameters from 2 to 20 nm. To evaluate the effect of pore shape, both slit and cylindrical pores were considered. We found that the diffuse layer does not affect the capacitance significantly. For slit pores, the area-normalized capacitance is nearly independent of pore size, which is not experimentally observed for template carbons. In comparison, for cylindrical pores, PB simulations produce a trend of slightly increasing area-normalized capacitance with pore size, similar to that depicted by the electric double-cylinder capacitor model proposed earlier. These results indicate that it is appropriate to approximate the pore shape of mesoporous carbons as being cylindrical and the electric double-cylinder capacitor model should be used for mesoporous carbons as a replacement of the traditional Helmholtz model.
Application-Tailored Cache Consistency for Wide-Area File Systems

The inability to perform optimizations based on application-specific information presents a hurdle to the deployment of pervasive LAN file systems across WAN environments. This paper proposes a novel approach addressing this problem through application-tailored caching and consistency in widearea file systems. It leverages widely available Network File System (NFS) deployments without any modifications to kernels nor applications, and employs middleware to dynamically establish Grid-wide Virtual File System (GVFS) sessions with application-tailored cache consistency. Two consistency models are discussed in this paper: a relaxed model based on invalidation polling, and a stronger model based on delegation and callback. Experimental evaluation based on microbenchmarks and scientific applications show that with application-tailored cache consistency, GVFS is able to both improve application runtimes and reduce server load significantly, compared to kernel-level NFS in WAN.
Abstract 3192: The environmental estrogen bisphenol A (BPA) regulates mammary gland stem cells

A study by the Centers for Disease Control revealed detectable levels of the environmental toxin Bisphenol A (BPA) in urine samples from over 92% of people in the NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) study. BPA is a small molecule used in the polymerization of polycarbonate plastics. These plastics are widely used in food containers, water bottles, dental fillings and toys, among many other products. BPA is similar to the synthetic estrogen diethylstilbesterol (DES) and can bind to estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) or estrogen receptor beta (ERβ). Because BPA is lipophilic and has been detected in mammary gland fat in humans, we hypothesize that BPA is an estrogen mimic in the stromal adipocytes in the breast and can induce stem cell proliferation and survival, leading to breast tumor formation. Indeed, BPA increases the size and number of mammospheres from normal mouse mammary gland and from human MCF7 breast cancer cells. Adipocytes co-cultured with mammospheres increased the size of the spheres, and BPA further increased the size of adipocyte co-cultured mammospheres. BPA upregulates the stem cell markers Nanog, OCT4 and SOX2 in mammospheres. ERα and pCREB were shown to bind to an enhancer downstream of the SOX2 gene after BPA treatment. Finally, BPA increased the size of tumor xenografts in NUDE mice. Together these experiments demonstrate that BPA may induce breast cancer via ERα and pCREB regulation of breast cancer stem cells. Citation Format: Cydney Nichols, Xiangming Ding, Gustavo Miranda-Carboni, Susan Amy Krum. The environmental estrogen bisphenol A (BPA) regulates mammary gland stem cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3192. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3192
Relation between the level of lymph node metastasis and survival in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND The current head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) staging system may not capture the full prognostic implications of regional lymph node involvement. This study investigated the impact of the level of lymph node metastasis (LNM) on survival. METHODS The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry was queried for oral cavity (OC), oropharynx (OP), larynx (LAR), and hypopharynx (HP) HNSCC. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate whether the level of LNM was an independent prognostic factor. Site-specific recursive-partitioning analysis was performed to classify patients into different risk groups. RESULTS In all, 14,499 patients, including OC (n = 2463), OP (n = 8567), LAR (n = 2332), and HP patients (n = 1137), were analyzed. Both the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) N classification and the level of LNM showed significant effects on overall survival (OS) in patients with OC, OP, or LAR HNSCC but not in patients with HP HNSCC. In patients with N2 disease, the AJCC subclassification (N2a, N2b, or N2c) was significantly associated with the OS of patients with OP and LAR HNSCC but not with the OS of patients with OC or HP HNSCC, whereas the level of LNM (primary, secondary, or tertiary) was significantly associated with the OS of patients with OC, OP, and LAR HNSCC but not HP HNSCC. With recursive-partitioning analysis, a simple, primary site–specific prognostic tool integrating the AJCC T and N classifications and the level of LNM was designed, and it could be easily used by health care providers in clinic. CONCLUSIONS The level of LNM is an independent prognostic factor for patients with locally advanced HNSCC and could add to the prognostic value of AJCC T and N classifications in patients with locally advanced HNSCC. Cancer 2016;122:534–545. © 2015 American Cancer Society.
Characteristics of patients with upper respiratory tract infection presenting to a walk-in clinic.

Objective To profile patients with upper respiratory tract infection (URI) presenting to a walk-in clinic, to quantify their perspectives on the need for antibiotic therapy, and to find out their predictions of future behavior for similar illnesses. Patients and Methods In the spring of 1998, previsit and postvisit questionnaires were distributed at the clinic to patients 18 years of age or older with URI symptoms. Results Based on 210 completed previsit questionnaires, 161 respondents (77%) had been ill 5 or more days, 200 (95%) had cough, 177 (84%) had phlegm, 132 (63%) had sinus pain, and 79 (38%) had fever. Additionally, 54 patients (26%) reported a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, or chronic sinusitis, and 37 (18%) were smokers. Most patients were between 18 and 40 years of age. The 210 patients were categorized into 2 groups: those who believed that antibiotics were necessary (157 [75%]) and those who believed antibiotics were unnecessary (53 [25%]). The only statistically significant difference between the 2 groups was in patients with sinus pain: 109 (69%) wanted antibiotics compared with 23 (43%) who did not (P Conclusions The majority of patients with presumed URI presenting to this walk-in clinic expect to receive treatment with antibiotics. Of our 130 study patients, 83 (64%) received antibiotics regardless of their desire for antibiotic treatment. Satisfaction with the office visit was independent of patients' initial beliefs about antibiotics and whether antibiotics were prescribed.
Finding a Place for Microorganisms in the Field of Ecology

McArthur, J. Vaun. 2006. Microbial ecology: an evolutionary approach. Elsevier, Burlington, Massachusetts. xii + 416 p. $79.95, ISBN: 978-0-12-369491-1 (alk. paper).
Expression patterns and regulation of glutamate transporters in the developing and adult nervous system.

Abstract Glutamate and aspartate are the primary excitatory neurotransmitters in the mammalian central nervous system and have also been implicated as mediators of excitotoxic neuronal injury and death. The precise control of extracellular glutamate and aspartate is crucial to the maintenance of normal synaptic transmission and the prevention of excitotoxicity following acute insults to the brain, such as stroke or head trauma, or during the progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The removal of excitatory amino acids (EAAs) from the extracellular space is primarily mediated by a family of sodium-dependent glutamate transporters. These transporters use the sodium electrochemical gradients of the cell to actively concentrate EAAs in both neurons and glia. Five members of this transporter family have been cloned recently and include both 'glial'-specific and 'neuron'-specific subtypes. Although these subtypes share many common functional properties, there are considerable differences in developmental expression, chronic and acute regulation by cellular signaling pathways, and contribution to disease processes among the subtypes. In this review recent studies of glutamate transporter expression, regulation, function, and pathological relevance are summarized, and some of the discrepancies and unexpected results common to any rapidly progressing field are discussed.
The Effects of Estradiol-17 β and Progesterone on the Volume of Uterine Fluid in Ovariectomized Mice

Numerous reports have appeared dealing with various molecular components of uterine fluid during implantation or delayed implantation (Pinsker et al., 1974; Aitken, 1977; Surani, 1977; Hoversland and Weitlauf, 1978) and the findings have led to the suggestion that components of uterine fluid influence or even regulate metabolism in preimplantation embryos. In those experiments, uterine fluid was usually collected by flushing buffer through the uterus. The resulting fluids were analyzed for the total amount of various components, or the ratio of those components to protein. One difficulty in interpreting such data is that the concentration of the various substances in situ cannot be determined without an estimate of the original volume of uterine fluid. To resolve this difficulty, the present experiments were undertaken to determine the volume of uterine fluid in mice under various endocrine regimens. The method used was a modification of the technique described by Kulangara (1972).
Age Differences in Causal Attributions From an Adult Developmental Perspective

Causal attributions for events varying on level of informational ambiguity, outcome valence (positive, negative), and situation (relationship, achievement) were examined among young, middle-aged, and older adults. Participants rated the degree to which a cause of an event was a function of the primary character, situation, or a combination of both (interactive attributions). All adults made interactive attributions for ambiguous events, dispositional attributions with increasing involvement of the primary character, and situational attributions with less involvement of the primary character. Older adults made more interactive attributions in relationship situations and more dispositional attributions in negative situations. For achievement situations, younger adults made more interactive attributions for ambiguous events.
Application of Time Series Landsat Images to Examining Land-use/Land-cover Dynamic Change

A hierarchical-based classification method was designed to develop time series land-use/land-cover datasets from Landsat images between 1977 and 2008 in Lucas do Rio Verde, Mato Grosso, Brazil. A post-classification comparison approach was used to examine land-use/land-cover change trajectories, which emphasis is on the conversions from vegetation or agropasture to impervious surface area, from vegetation to agropasture, and from agropasture to regenerating vegetation. Results of this research indicated that increase in impervious surface area mainly resulted from the loss of cerrado in the initial decade of the study period and from loss of agricultural lands in the last two decades. Increase in agropasture was mainly at the expense of losing cerrado in the first two decades and relatively evenly from the loss of primary forest and cerrado in the last decade. When impervious surface area was less than approximately 40 km2 before 1999, impervious surface area was negatively related to cerrado and forest, and positively related to agropasture areas, but after impervious surface area reached 40 km2 in 1999, no obvious relationship exists between them.
MTR-03ATRX REDUCTION PROMOTES ALKYLATING AGENT RESISTANCE AND XENOGRAFT GROWTH IN A SUBSET OF GLIOMAS

MTR-03. ATRX REDUCTION PROMOTES ALKYLATING AGENT RESISTANCE AND XENOGRAFT GROWTH IN A SUBSET OF GLIOMAS Ming Yuan, Ping An, Kah Suan Lim, Isabella Taylor, Fausto Rodriguez, Eric Raabe, and Charles Eberhart; Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA BACKGROUND:Loss ofATRXfunctionhas been implicated inalternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) and is common in IDH mutant astrocytoma of varying grades. However, the functional effects of ATRX loss on glioma growth are not clear, although it has been suggested that it can modulate response to ATR inhibitors such as VE-821. METHODS: We evaluated the ALT-positive GBM neurosphere line JHH-GBM14, which retains ATRX expression in a subset of cells, the ALT-negative neurosphere line 040821 and LN229 cells. Two distinct shRNA were used to suppress ATRX protein expression. RESULTS: ATRX knockdown had no effect on the overall in vitro growth of the three lines, but GBM14 cells became resistant to temozolamide and hydroxyurea after ATRX knockdown, while the two ALT-negative lines did not. A modest, non-significant increase in radiation resistance was also noted. Sensitivity to the ATR inhibitor VE-821 was not affected by decreased ATRX levels in any of the three lines. Interestingly, clonogenic growth of GBM14, theexpression of several stemcellmarkers, aswellas its ability togenerate large flank and intracranial xenografts was increased by ATRX knockdown, while these effects were not seen in 040821 GBM neurospheres. CONCLUSIONS: While ATRX knockdown had little effect on in vitro tumor growth, it dramatically affected the treatment response, clonogenicity and in vivo growth of ALT-positive GBM14 cells, but not two GBM models lacking ALT. These data suggest that in some GBM, ATRX can modulate growth and treatment sensitivity as well as affecting telomere biology. Neuro-Oncology 17:v124–v129, 2015. doi:10.1093/neuonc/nov219.3 Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Neuro-Oncology 2015.
The Relationship Between Cochleovestibular Orientation, Age, and Sensorineural Hearing Loss Implications for Cochlear Implantation

OBJECTIVES To determine if spatial orientation of the cochlea within the temporal bone is related to age or sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and describe the implications for cochlear implantation. METHODS Five angles of cochlear orientation were determined from computed tomography (CT) imaging of the temporal bones in adults with (n = 55) and without (n = 27) sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and children with (n = 45) and without (n = 12) SNHL: facial recess versus basal turn, posterior semicircular canal versus basal turn, round window versus basal turn (axial view), round window versus basal turn (coronal view), and the cochlear axis versus the mastoid facial nerve. RESULTS All angles showed substantial variation between subjects and between ears. The angles between the round window and basal turn (coronal view) and the posterior semicircular canal and basal turn were significantly correlated with age for all subjects with SNHL (r = 0.22, P = .002 and r = 0.15, P = .03, respectively). Patients with SNHL had significantly more acute angles (46.6° vs 55.8°) between the round window versus basal turn (axial orientation) compared to controls (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS Cochlear orientation within the temporal bone changes with age and the degree of SNHL. These results suggest that the approach to the round window for electrode insertion might differ between children and adults.
Silicone retrofill of askarel transformers

The purpose of this paper is to describe the actual method used in the field retrofilling of askarel filled transformers with silicone liquid and to enumerate the related issues involved, including liability, safety, and environmental problems. The discussion will cover such items as proper draining, flushing, regasketing and filling. The necessary pre-retrofill information such as that furnished by the owner and the information needed from the transformer manufacture will also be presented. The final section of the paper will consider the testing of the transformer both before and after retrofilling to determine if the unit is dielectricly acceptable.
Heritabilities and genetic correlations of growth and reproductive measurements in Hereford bulls.

Weight, hip height, heart girth, pelvic height, pelvic width and scrotal circumference were measured at 403 and 490 d on 427 Hereford bulls. The bulls were members of a random-selection herd so estimates of genetic parameters should have a minimum of bias due to selection. Heritabilities and genetic correlations were estimated by normal paternal half-sib (PHS) correlation procedures. In addition, 256 son-sire pairs (RSS) were used to estimate heritabilities and genetic correlations by regression and covariance methods. The PHS method produced heritability estimates in the range of .41 to .58 for all measures at both ages, with the exceptions of hip height at 403 d (.24) and pelvic height at 490 d (.23). The estimates derived in the RSS method ranged from .10 to .60. The RSS relationship would contain a portion of any maternal X direct covariance effects. A difference in heritability estimated by the two methods could be a reflection of this covariance. Genetic correlations tended to be larger than phenotypic and, in several cases, were negative. The difference in the correlation between two measurements taken at 403 d vs the same correlation estimated at 490 d was not readily explainable but may be evidence for differences in maturation rates or maternal effects. Scrotal circumference had a positive genetic correlation with weight and heart girth and near 0 or negative genetic correlations with pelvic measures. Hip height had positive genetic correlations with weight and heart girth at 403 and 490 d and with pelvic measurements at 403 d, but the correlations were not as large at 490 d.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Kalman filter robustness for fatigue usage monitoring of flexible frame structures

This paper explores the robustness of the Kalman filter in structural dynamics and fatigue monitoring applications. The study is carried out using simulations and small scale experiments. We investigate robustness to non-parametric errors in the description the unmeasured excitations, measurement noise and structural model.
A Molecular Basis for Innovation in Drug Excipients

Excipients are ubiquitous in drug formulation, ensuring that active ingredient drugs are properly released on dosing, retain their properties over time, and are palatable, among other roles. Despite their crucial roles, surprisingly little is known about their systemic availability and activities on molecular targets. Here we review key excipient properties, introduce a public-accessible database that enumerates and categorizes them, and sketch a strategy for exploring their possible direct actions on molecular targets.
Nonlinear Adaptive Approach to Microjet-Based Flow Separation Control

Boundary-layer separation, a critical phenomenon in the operation of aerodynamic surfaces, limits the performance of compressor and turbine blades, fixed and rotary wings, as well as bluff bodies moving through a fluid. Flow separation leads to increased drag, decreased lift, and unpredictable vibrations due to unsteadiness. On these systems, effective control of separation could provide greater maneuverability and performance, and reduced vibration. Separated flow is a macroscale phenomenon governed by complex flow interactions, but it can be controlled by microscale actuation. Recently, the emergence of closed-loop methods has enhanced robustness. Modern processors enable the use of sophisticated adaptive control methods that achieve separation control with adaptive models. This paper considers control of flow separation over a NACA-0025 airfoil using microjet actuators. Experimental results are presented for a novel approach to nonlinear model predictive control, referred to as adaptive sampling-based ...
Fate of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium DT 104, and Listeria monocytogenes in fresh meat decontamination fluids at 4 and 10°C

Bacterial pathogens may colonize meat plants and increase food safety risks following survival, stress hardening, or proliferation in meat decontamination fluids (washings). The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium DT 104, and Listeria monocytogenes to survive or grow in spray-washing fluids from fresh beef top rounds sprayed with water (10 or 85°C) or acid solutions (2% lactic or acetic acid, 55°C) during storage of the washings at 4 or 10°C in air to simulate plant conditions. Inoculated Salmonella Typhimurium DT 104 (5.4 ± 0.1 log CFU/ml) died off in lactate (pH 2.4 ± 0.1) and acetate (pH 3.1 ± 0.2) washings by 2 days at either storage temperature. In contrast, inoculated E. coli O157:H7 (5.2 ± 0.1 log CFU/ml) and L. monocytogenes (5.4 ± 0.1 log CFU/ml) survived in lactate washings for at least 2 days and in acetate washings for at least 7 and 4 days, respectively; their survival was better in acidic washings stored at 4°C than at 10°C....
The influence of dispersal on the realized trajectory of a pond metacommunity

Dispersal rates play a critical role in metacommunity dynamics, yet few studies have attempted to characterize dispersal rates for the majority of species in any natural community. Here we evaluate the relationship between the abundances of 179 plankton taxa in a pond metacommunity and their dispersal rates. We find the expected positive relationship between the regional abundances of phytoplankton, protozoa and metazoan zooplankton, which is suggestive of dispersal being a density-independent per capita rate for these groups. When we tested to see if the rates of dispersing taxa predicted changes in community composition, we found that dispersers had no measurable impact on the short-term trajectory of local pond communities or mesocosm communities established experimentally (assembled communities), but became increasingly represented in the overall pond metacommunity during the course of the full growing season. In comparison, the composition of experimental mesocosms that lacked any initial zooplankton community (unassembled communities) were found to be driven by dispersal measured at the local pond community but not by dispersal observed across the overall metacommunity. These results suggest that the role of dispersal may shift from a contributor to local, ecological dynamics to that of metacommunity-wide, colonization–extinction dynamics as communities assemble.
Distributed autonomous control of concurrent combat tasks

This article discusses the use of decentralized model predictive control to manage a set of related combat tasks (e.g., the destruction of anti-aerial defenses in a given geographical area by a wing of uninhabited air vehicles (UAVs)). The controller is meant to operate autonomously as it attempts to manage conditions in which success in all its objectives cannot be guaranteed at every step. It is also meant to work in a distributed fashion. This implies that complete knowledge of the state of each task is not needed at the central level. The approach presented suggests a way of aggregating battle information to be used at the higher levels of command. The aggregation used is based on combat models and physical concepts and does not rely on arbitrary valuations of assets and targets.
Abstract P5-13-14: Factors associated with multidisciplinary care in the management of early stage breast cancer

Introduction: In patients with early stage breast cancer (BC) treated with curative intent, multidisciplinary teams (MDT) have emerged as a way to involve a wide range of specialists and encourage effective communication to formulate an optimal treatment strategy for patients. We sought to evaluate the frequency and predictors of MDT evaluation in patients with BC. Methods: We used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked dataset to evaluate patients diagnosed with stages I and II breast cancer who underwent primary surgery from 2002-2007 and were followed through 2012. We evaluated claims for outpatient visits and characterized the treating physician as a surgeon, radiation oncologist (RO) or medical oncologist (MO). We defined MDT as having seen a physician in each of the three specialties within 12 months of diagnosis. We used multivariable logistic regression to evaluate factors associated with MDT. Results: A total of 35,484 stage I and II breast cancer patients were included in the analysis. Within the first year, 77.5% visited a medical oncologist, 57.8% visited a radiation oncologist, and 47% of women were seen by all 3 specialists. Prior to surgery, 4.9% of patients were seen by all 3 physicians, with 14.8% seen by a MO and 16.4% seen by a RO in addition to the surgeon. Evaluation by a MDT was more frequent in women who had a lumpectomy vs mastectomy (57.1% vs 28.4%, p Conclusions: Early stage breast cancer patients are evaluated by a medical oncologist, surgeon and radiation oncologist less than 50% of the time in the first year after diagnosis. Prior to surgery, where decision making may be most important, only 5% of patients were evaluated by all three specialties. Further research is needed to determine if MDT improves quality of care delivered, treatment adherence, patient satisfaction or breast cancer survival. Citation Format: Quyyumi F, Accordino MK, Buono DL, Neugut AI, Hillyer GC, Wright JD, Hershman DL. Factors associated with multidisciplinary care in the management of early stage breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-13-14.
Investigation of the C-3-epi-25(OH)D3 of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in urban schoolchildren

The physiological relevance C-3 epimer of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (3-epi-25(OH)D) is not well understood among youth. The objective of this study was to assess whether demographic/physiologic character...
Iontophoresis Causes Molecular Transport Through Hair Follicles and Sweat Ducts in the Skin

Iontophoresis is the application of a small, constant electrical current (typically < 0.5 mA/cm2) to the skin, which can transport drugs or other molecules across. 1–3 Higher currents can transport more, but can also cause pain or irritation.4,5
The Receptor-like Cytoplasmic Kinase BIK1 Localizes to the Nucleus and Regulates Defense Hormone Expression during Plant Innate Immunity

Plants employ cell-surface pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) to detect pathogens. Although phytohormones produced during PRR signaling play an essential role in innate immunity, a direct link between PRR activation and hormone regulation is unknown. EFR is a PRR that recognizes bacterial EF-Tu and activates immune signaling. Here we report that EFR regulates the phytohormone jasmonic acid (JA) through direct phosphorylation of a receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase, BIK1. The BIK1 structure revealed that the EFR-phosphorylated sites reside on a uniquely extended loop away from the BIK1 kinase core domain. Phosphomimetic mutations of these sites resulted in increased phytohormones and enhanced resistance to bacterial infections. In addition to its documented plasma membrane localization, BIK1 also localizes to the nucleus and interacts directly with WRKY transcription factors involved in the JA and salicylic acid (SA) regulation. These findings demonstrate the mechanistic basis of signal transduction from PRR to phytohormones, mediated through a PRR-BIK1-WRKY axis.
An actor model implementation of distributed factored evolutionary algorithms

With the rise of networked multi-core machines, we have seen an increased emphasis on parallel and distributed programming. In this paper we describe an implementation of Factored Evolutionary Algorithms (FEA) and Distributed Factored Evolutionary Algorithms (DFEA) using the Actor model. FEA and DFEA are multi-population algorithms, which make them good candidates for distributed implementation. The Actor model is a robust architecture for implementing distributed, reactive programs. After walking through the translation of the serial pseudocode into an Actor implementation, we run validation experiments against an FEA baseline. The evidence supports the claim that the Actor versions preserve the semantics and operational performance of the FEA baseline. We also discuss some of the nuances of translating serial pseudocode into an actual distributed implementation.
Software review: Communication optimisation – The new mantra of database marketing. Fad or fact?

This paper describes the key components of analytical customer relationship management (CRM) and then explores the introduction of optimisation technology as a key component of an analytical CRM solution.
Impacts of Non-Domesticated Vertebrates on California Grasslands

The potential importance of animals in structuring natural communities has been explicitly recognized at least as far back as Darwin (1890), who estimated the volume of English soil turned over by earthworms. In spite of this, there is a latent tendency among plant-oriented ecologists to harbor the view that animals, while being responsive to the plant community, are not likely to have much effect upon it. Fortunately, this bias is rapidly disappearing as natural communities become better understood. This paper concerns a subset of this larger issue, namely, the impacts of vertebrate animals in California grassland communities. No one would deny the profound effects on this community-type imposed by grazing livestock. But what about non-domesticated vertebrates?
The Completion of Grassmann’s Natur-Wissenschaftliche Methode

In (Lewis 1977) Albert C. Lewis deduces, by a brilliant analysis, that the scientific method or ‘wissenschaftliche unity’ displayed in Grassmann’s Al is based mainly upon the philosophy of his father Justus Grassmann and that of the famous theologian F.E.M. Schleiermacher. Schleiermacher was one of Grassmann’s teachers during his student years at the University of Berlin.
Motor Units and Their Activity during Movement

The motor unit is the smallest functional subdivision of the neuromuscular system and, therefore, the smallest part of that system which can be controlled with any degree of independence. A motor unit is defined as a motoneuron, its axon, and all the muscle fibers which that axon innervates (Burke and Edgerton, 1975), although the original definition included only the axon and adjunct muscle fibers (Creed, Denny-Brown, Eccles, Liddell, and Sherrington, 1932; Liddell and Sherrington, 1925). Accepting the terminology of Burke (e.g., Burke, 1967), we will refer to the muscle fibers supplied by a single motoneuron as a muscle unit. A group of motor units, acting together, produces muscle force. The vast variety of movements of which we are capable—from tiny, precisely controlled motor acts to powerful, ballistic flailing of limbs—are all produced by varying numbers of motor units cooperating in different ways. This versatile repertoire of movements is brought about by two mechanisms: varying the number of motor units that are active or varying the discharge rate, and hence the force output, of individual motor units.
Space-time algebra: a model for neocortical computation

A proposed first step in replicating the computational methods used in the brain's neocortex is the development of a feedforward computing paradigm based on temporal relationships among inter-neuron voltage spikes. A "space-time" algebra captures the essential features of such a paradigm. The space-time algebra supports biologically plausible neural networks, as envisioned by theoretical neuroscientists. It also supports a generalization of previously proposed "race logic". A key feature of race logic is that it can be directly implemented with off-the-shelf CMOS digital circuits. This opens the possibility of designing brain-like neural networks in the neuroscience domain and implementing them directly in the CMOS digital circuit domain.
Reseña. La economía colombiana del siglo XX: Un recorrido por la historia y sus protagonistas. Carlos Caballero. Penguin Random House, 2016.

El siglo XX colombiano fue un periodo de profundas transformaciones que se dieron en contextos contradictorios de guerra y paz, de autoritarismo y democracia, y de proteccionismo y liberalizacion de los mercados. Se podria afirmar que en dicho siglo, la economia y la sociedad colombiana transitaron el camino hacia la modernidad de la mano de la produccion y exportacion de cafe y posteriormente de la industrializacion. La industria colombiana crecio 5,8% entre 1925 y 1928, tasa superior al 4,9% a la cual crecio la economia en el mismo periodo (Echavarria y Villamizar, 2007, p. 177). En Bogota y Medellin aparecieron fabricas dedicadas a la produccion de bienes de consumo interno como cervezas, chocolate, fosforos, jabones, textiles, etc. De la misma manera, el precio del cafe y sus exportaciones aumentaron al final de la decada de 1910 y entre 1924 y 1928, en un contexto de evolucion favorable de los terminos de intercambio y aumento de la inversion extranjera con destino a la produccion de otros productos como el petroleo y el banano. A partir de la decada de 1930, el ciclo economico colombiano siguio de cerca las oscilaciones del precio del cafe a la par que surgio un grupo de industriales que pudieron acceder a financiamiento y bienes de capital en el exterior gracias a las condiciones favorables generadas por las exportaciones de cafe. Asi, la modernizacion del pais, el desarrollo economico y la politica economica estuvieron fuertemente influenciados por los hombres detras de la produccion cafetera e industrial, ?quienes eran estas personas? ?Cual era su procedencia? ?Como afectaron la politica publica y el desarrollo economico colombiano entre 1930 y 1990? Todas estas preguntas las aborda Carlos Caballero, profesor de la Universidad de los Andes, en su libro La economia colombiana del siglo XX.
Psoriasis and Obesity: A Review of the Current Literature

Obesity is currently considered a low-grade chronic inflammatory condition that has well-documented associations with heart disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome. In addition to these conditions, there is growing evidence that the inflammatory cytokines produced in obesity may play contributory roles in other inflammatory phenomena. Notably, numerous studies over the last several decades have shed light on the genetic, mechanistic, and epidemiologic links between obesity and psoriasis, with implications for the treatment of these patients. This article reviews the current literature regarding the relationship of obesity and psoriasis, with exploration of their common mechanistic etiology and the necessary considerations in the management, both pharmacological and otherwise, of this patient population.
71 Removal of hypotaurine from porcine embryo culture medium decreases message for pro-apoptotic genes but does not affect development at low oxygen tension

Hypotaurine (HT) is a routine additive to embryo culture medium, acting primarily as an oxygen radical scavenger. However, the practice of culturing embryos at ~5% O2 has been widely adopted because this is more physiologically relevant to the oxygen tensions detected in the oviduct and uterus. Thus, the utility of HT may be diminished as fewer oxygen radicals are produced during culture at 5% O2. The objective here was to determine the effects of removing HT from our porcine embryo culture medium (MU2) on the development of embryos incubated at a lower oxygen tension (5% O2) compared with atmospheric oxygen (~20% O2). Porcine cumulus-oocyte complexes were aspirated, matured, and fertilized with standard procedures from our laboratory. Presumptive zygotes were cultured in 1 of 4 conditions: MU2 with 5 mM HT at 5% O2 (low O2 +HT; control), MU2 without HT at 5% O2 (low O2 −HT), MU2 with 5 mM HT at 20% O2 (high O2 +HT), or MU2 without HT at 20% O2 (high O2 −HT). The percentage of presumptive zygotes that developed to the blastocyst stage on Day 6 and total number of nuclei in the blastocysts were determined. The RNA was extracted from pools of 30 blastocysts, and cDNA was synthesised for quantitative PCR for genes associated with HT synthesis, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. Damage to DNA was assessed by TUNEL staining of Day 6 blastocysts. Data were analysed for normality by using a Shapiro-Wilk test, and differences between means were detected by using 2-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s honest significant difference test with P < 0.05 considered significant. Embryos cultured with high O2 −HT had significantly decreased blastocyst development compared with all other groups (26.2 ± 2.5% v. 36.9-41.7 ± 3.3-4.3%). Embryos cultured with low O2 −HT had significantly more nuclei than those cultured with high O2 +HT (50.5 ± 1.5 v. 45.5 ± 1.2). Notably, differences in blastocyst development (41.7 ± 3.3% v. 36.9 ± 3.3%) or total number of nuclei (50.0 ± 1.8 v. 50.5 ± 1.5) were not detected between embryos cultured with low O2 +HT or low O2 −HT. The abundance of messages for genes involved in HT synthesis (cysteine sulfinic acid decarboxylase [CSAD]) and oxidative stress (superoxide dismutase 1 [SOD1] and glutathione peroxidase 6 [GPX6]) did not differ between groups. Contrarily, messages for 2 pro-apoptotic markers (BCL2 associated agonist of cell death [BAD] and caspase 3 [CASP3]) were significantly increased in embryos cultured with +HT regardless of oxygen tension; however, percentages of DNA-damaged nuclei in blastocysts after TUNEL staining were not different between groups (5.4-6.5 ± 0.5-1.0%). These results indicate that HT is not necessary for porcine pre-implantation development at 5% O2 but is beneficial at atmospheric oxygen tension. Further investigation is required to confirm if HT promotes apoptosis in pre-implantation embryos. This research was supported by Food for the 21st Century at the University of Missouri and R01 HD080636.
Southern California Water Politics at the Salton Sea: When “Increased Efficiency” Is not Enough

More efficient agricultural water use sounds uncontroversial. Due to increased agricultural efficiency, about 300,000 acre-feet1 of water per year is made available and is being reallocated from the Imperial Irrigation District to Los Angeles, San Diego and Coachella. This increase in efficiency and transfer of conserved water, however, is predicted to cause a suite of environmental and public health harms as the region’s agricultural sump (the Salton Sea) shrinks. Southern Californian water politics are famously messy, contentious and high stakes. The State struggles with the need to increase its use efficiency and decrease its overall use of its allocation of Colorado River water that supplies Californian south coast cities and inland agriculture. Local, State and federal parties involved in these water allocation decisions conflict over how to mitigate the externalities as there is no clear assignment of liabilities. This case study uses historical documents and recent policy elite interviews to construct a broad understanding of the nature of the dilemma. By engaging with this case, readers will better understand the relative positions of the rural water supplier and the urban water users in the largest water transfer in US history, and understand that increasing use efficiency in one arena—agriculture—does not always work out best for the environment.
Zero-Inflated Regime-Switching Stochastic Differential Equation Models for Highly Unbalanced Multivariate, Multi-Subject Time-Series Data

In the study of human dynamics, the behavior under study is often operationalized by tallying the frequencies and intensities of a collection of lower-order processes. For instance, the higher-order construct of negative affect may be indicated by the occurrence of crying, frowning, and other verbal and nonverbal expressions of distress, fear, anger, and other negative feelings. However, because of idiosyncratic differences in how negative affect is expressed, some of the lower-order processes may be characterized by sparse occurrences in some individuals. To aid the recovery of the true dynamics of a system in cases where there may be an inflation of such “zero responses,” we propose adding a regime (unobserved phase) of “non-occurrence” to a bivariate Ornstein–Uhlenbeck (OU) model to account for the high instances of non-occurrence in some individuals while simultaneously allowing for multivariate dynamic representation of the processes of interest under nonzero responses. The transition between the occurrence (i.e., active) and non-occurrence (i.e., inactive) regimes is represented using a novel latent Markovian transition model with dependencies on latent variables and person-specific covariates to account for inter-individual heterogeneity of the processes. Bayesian estimation and inference are based on Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms implemented using the JAGS software. We demonstrate the utility of the proposed zero-inflated regime-switching OU model to a study of young children’s self-regulation at 36 and 48 months.
Robust Backstepping Control of Synchronverters under Unbalanced Grid Condition

Virtual Synchronous Generators, known as synchronverters, are inherently nonlinear systems and maintaining their consistent operation under faulty and distorted grid requires a nonlinear control design. This paper presents backstepping as an adaptive stabilizing technique which enables full power injection to the grid under unbalanced and weak conditions. The recursive structure of this methodology applied in a three-phase grid-connected inverter incorporates supplementary inner nonlinear controllers that can progressively regulate the power angle and inverter voltage as outer subsystems by using on-line backstepping update laws. Smooth active and reactive power injection during network unbalance is the target of the proposed control scheme which is successfully achieved and the stability of the system is determined via Lyapunov stability criteria. Several scenarios haven been examined through FPGA hardware cosimulation to prove the voltage fault ride-through and the pipelining scheme applied in the discretized model, enhances the capability of the controller in faster response and the robustness of the system.
Contingency Plans: Art Collectives, Shared Pseudonyms, and Theories of Collectivity

This review considers Jacopo Galimberti's Individuals Against Individualism: Art Collectives in Western Europe (1956–1969), 2017, and Marco Deseriis's Improper Names: Collective Pseudonyms from the...
Historical Experience and the Culture of Knowledge: Karl W. Deutsch from Prague to America

I am so honored to deliver a lecture on Karl W. Deutsch at an institution named after Simon Dubnow. Simon Dubnow is perhaps the most important and – considering his fate – also the most tragic of the three great modern historians of Judaism. The other two, of course, are Heinrich Hirsch Graetz and Salo Wittmayer Baron. Dubnow’s two-volume History of Chasidism was my introduction into this highly interesting and important field of Jewish life. His ten-volume [World] History of the Jews from the Earliest Times Until the Present Day [Weltgeschichte des judischen Volkes von den Uranfangen bis zur Gegenwart] is one of the great achievements of modern historiography, and not merely with respect to Jewish history.