cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Race/Ethnicity and Desirable Social Characteristics on Physicians' Decisions to Prescribe Opioid Analgesics

Objective: Racial/ethnic disparities in physician treatment have been documented in multiple areas, including emergency department (ED) analgesia. The purpose of this study was to determine if physicians were predisposed to different treatment decisions based on patient race/ethnicity and if physicians’ treatment predispositions changed when socially desirable information about the patient (occupation, socioeconomic status, and relationship with a primary care physician) was made explicit. Methods: The authors developed three clinical vignettes designed to engage physicians’ decision-making processes. The patient’s race/ethnicity was included. Each vignette randomly included or omitted explicit socially desirable information. The authors mailed 5,750 practicing emergency physicians three clinical vignettes and a one-page questionnaire about demographic and practice characteristics. Chi-square tests of significance for bivariate analyses and multiple logistic regression were used for multivariate analyses. Results: A total of 2,872 (53%) of the 5,398 potential physician subjects participated. Patient race/ethnicity had no effect on physician prescription of opioids at discharge for African Americans, Hispanics, and whites: absolute differences in rates of prescribing opioids at discharge were less than 2% for all three conditions presented. Making socially desirable information explicit increased the prescribing rates by 4% (95% CI ¼ 0.1% to 8%) for the migraine vignette and 6% (95% CI ¼ 3% to 8%) for the back pain vignette. Conclusions: Patient race/ethnicity did not influence physicians’ predispositions to treatment plans in clinical vignettes. Even knowing that the patient had a high-prestige occupation and a primary care provider only minimally increased prescribing of opioid analgesics for conditions with few objective findings. Key words: emergency department; analgesia prescription; race/ethnicity; usual source of care; communication; access. ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2003; 10:1239–1248.
The Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, with paroxysms of ventricular tachycardia

Abstract Three cases of Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome are described (short P-R and long QRS intervals in patients who are prone to paroxysmal tachycardia, but have no apparent evidence of organic heart disease). Whereas in cases of this type as originally described there were paroxysms of auricular tachycardia or fibrillation, these three patients had paroxysms of ventricular tachycardia. In one case an erroneous diagnosis of acute coronary thrombosis, which it closely simulated, was made. In another case there was evidence of an acute cardiac emergency, and the patient responded promptly to quinidine therapy. An additional case is described which shows that advanced congestive failure can result, even in the absence of organic heart disease, if a rapid heart rate is permitted to continue for a long time. These patients present clinical problems that may be serious, and yet are amenable to the proper therapy.
The design of collectives of agents to control non-Markovian systems

The "Collective Intelligence" (COIN) framework concerns the design of collectives of reinforcement-learning agents such that their interaction causes a provided "world" utility function concerning the entire collective to be maximized. Previously, we applied that framework to scenarios involving Markovian dynamics where no re-evolution of the system from counter-factual initial conditions (an often expensive calculation) is permitted. This approach sets the individual utility function of each agent to be both aligned with the world utility, and at the same time, easy for the associated agents to optimize. Here we extend that approach to systems involving non-Markovian dynamics. In computer simulations, we compare our techniques with each other and with conventional "team games" We show whereas in team games performance often degrades badly with time, it steadily improves when our techniques are used. We also investigate situations where the system's dimensionality is effectively reduced. We show that this leads to difficulties in the agents' ability to learn. The implication is that "learning" is a property only of high-enough dimensional systems.
The Influence of Being under the Influence Alcohol Effects on Adolescent Violence

The authors examine the relationship between intoxication, chronic alcohol use, and violent behavior using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The authors introduce a method for disentangling spuriousness from the causal effects of situational variables. Their results suggest that drinkers are much more likely to commit violence while sober than non-drinkers, suggesting that a considerable portion of the relationship between prevalence of drinking and violence is spurious. The authors find evidence of a causal effect of intoxication, however, when they examine the relationship between frequency of drinking and violence while sober or drinking. Intoxication has stronger effects on adolescents who are older, White, and who already have violent tendencies.
Glycosylation of native MHC class Ia molecules is required for recognition by allogeneic cytotoxic T lymphocytes

The question whether or not target cell N-linked carbohydrate participates in cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) mediated cytolysis has been in contention for well over a decade. Much of the evidence supporting a role for N-linked carbohydrate stems from the treatment of target cells with the glycosylation inhibitor tunicamycin (TM). In this report, we show that treatment of targets with TM, but not other inhibitors of complex carbohydrate formation (swainsonine, 1-deoxynojirimycin, and 1-deoxymannojirimycin), abrogates the lytic response. We conclude that N-linked complex carbohydrates are not absolutely required for the maturation or function of any target cell glycoconjugate directly involved in the lytic process. However, we show that TM treatment of target cells leads to the loss of an MHC class Ia epitope known to be required for T cell triggering. Further, we show that only target cells expressing class Ia molecules with functional glycosylation sequons are subject to the TM effect. From these results we conclude that while N-linked glycosylation of native MHC class Ia molecules is required for antigen presentation, the exact structural motif of the glycan is not important.
A micro particle sampler using electrowetting-actuated droplet sweeping

We report a new micro particle sampler where airborne particles can be efficiently swept from a solid surface and sampled into a liquid medium using moving droplets actuated by the electrowetting principle. We successfully demonstrate that hydrophobic (8 /spl mu/m-diameter Teflon-coated glass beads) as well as hydrophilic (8 /spl mu/m-diameter glass beads) particles on a solid surface are swept and sampled into electrowetting-actuated droplets. In both cases, high sampling efficiencies are obtained, especially estimated over 95% for the hydrophilic particles based on image comparison. This sampler can be highly compatible and easily integrated with lab-on-a-chip systems for follow-up biological/chemical analyses, thereby realizing handheld fast-response environmental monitoring systems capable of directly detecting airborne bio-warfare agents such as anthrax.
Hypervariable Noncoding Sequences in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Compared to protein-coding sequences, the evolution of noncoding sequences and the selective constraints placed on these sequences is not well characterized. To compare the evolution of coding and noncoding sequences, we have conducted a survey for DNA polymorphism at five randomly chosen loci among a diverse collection of 81 strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Average rates of both polymorphism and divergence are 40% lower at noncoding sites and 90% lower at nonsynonymous sites in comparison to synonymous sites. Although noncoding and coding sequences show substantial variability in ratios of polymorphism to divergence, two of the loci, MLS1 and PDR10, show a higher rate of polymorphism at noncoding compared to synonymous sites. The high rate of polymorphism is not accompanied by a high rate of divergence and is limited to a few small regions. These hypervariable regions include sites with three segregating bases at a single site and adjacent polymorphic sites. We show that this clustering of polymorphic sites is significantly greater than one would expect on the basis of the spacing between polymorphic fourfold degenerate sites. Although hypervariable noncoding sequences could result from selection on regulatory mutations, they could also result from transient mutational hotspots.
Religious Liberty: Roger Williams and the Revolutionary Era

The classical period for the establishment of the legal guarantees of religious freedom in America is the final quarter of the eighteenth century, otherwise known as the Revolutionary Era. Yet, enshrined in our national memory as the great hero of liberty of conscience is not a man of this classical period, but a doughty seventeenth century colonial—Roger Williams. The object of the present study is to view this hero in time and space—in that particular time remembered as the Revolutionary Era and that particular space occupied by thirteen colonies out to become a nation.
BINDING OF BACTERIAL LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE TO MURINE LYMPHOCYTES

Does LPS activate lymphocytes by binding to a specific cell-surface receptor or by nonspecific hydrophobic interaction with the plasma membrane? We examined this question by detecting cell-bound LPS using immunofluorescence microscopy and radiobinding techniques. LPS binding to splenic lymphocytes from C3H/St mice has characteristics of specific binding: saturability with respect to dose and time, selectivity for a subclass of B-cells, and a correlation between binding and mitogenesis. 125I-labeled LPS bound to cells and analyzed quantitatively by SDS-PAGE separated into 3 major components: peaks 1, 2, and 3 (1 equals the fastest moving). Lymphocytes preferentially bound peak 1, murine RBC peaks 1 and 2, and macrophages peak 2. In contrast, specific antibody preferred peaks 2 and 3. Differential staining of gels suggested that peak 3 is carbohydrate-rich and peak 1 is lipid-rich. LPS was released from these cells at different rates. We conclude that selectivity of LPS binding may be reflected in preferential binding of LPS subunits of different size and/or composition, as well as differential retention of bound LPS.
How and why Brains Create Meaning from Sensory Information

Semantics is the essence of human communication. It concerns the manufacture and use of symbols as representations to exchange meanings. Information technology is faced with the problem of using intelligent machines as intermediaries for interpersonal communication. The problem of designing such semantic machines has been intractable because brains and machines work on very different principles. Machines process information that is fed to them. Brains construct hypotheses and test them by acting and sensing. Brains do not process information because the intake through the senses is infinite. Brains sample information, hold it briefly, construct meaning, and then discard the information. A solution to the problem of communication with machines is to simulate how brains create meaning and express it as information by making a symbol to represent the meaning to another brain in pairwise communication. An understanding of the neurodynamics by which brains create meaning and represent it may enable engineers to build devices with which they can communicate pairwise, as they do now with colleagues.
Enhanced growth of primary moloney virus-induced sarcomas in mice.

Pre-treatment of BALB/c mice with an intraperitoneal injection of heat-inactivated serum obtained from BALB/c mice with progressively growing Moloney-virus-induced sarcomas (“progressor” mice) shortens the latent period and increases the growth rate and maximum size of primary sarcomas induced in these mice by Moloney virus inoculation 24 h after the serum injection. Pre-treatment with heat-inactivated serum obtained from BALB/c mice after the complete regression of Moloney sarcomas (“regressor” mice) decreases the growth of subsequently induced Moloney sarcomas in mice so treated. These observations are discussed in relation to the recent findings of Hellstrom and Hellstrom (1969, 1970) that serum fiom “progressor” mice blocks the cytotoxic effects of specifically immune lymph-node cells when tested against target Moloney sarcoma cells in vitro arid that serum from “regressor” mice competes with or abrogates the blocking effect of “progressor” serum.
The influence of lithium cations on dynamics and structure of room temperature ionic liquids.

The orientational relaxation dynamics of perylene in the room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl imide were studied as a function of lithium ion concentration. Perylene is nonpolar and locates in the alkyl regions of the RTIL. The lithium cation was added as lithium bis(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl imide, so the addition of Li+ did not change the anion. The Li+ concentration ranged from 0 to 0.4 mol fraction. The dynamics were measured by observing the fluorescence anisotropy decay using time correlated single photon counting. The anisotropy experiments and viscosity measurements were performed as a function of temperature for each Li+ concentration sample. Because perylene has high symmetry, it was possible to independently determine the in-plane and out-of-plane diffusion constants and friction coefficients. With increasing concentration of lithium salt the viscosity increases and both the in-plane and out-of-plane orientational relaxations of perylene b...
Structure and Inhibition of the M2 Proton Channel from the Influenza a Virus

The influenza A virus M2 proton channel (A/M2) is the target of the antiviral drugs, amantadine and rimantadine, whose use have been discontinued due to widespread drug resistance. Among the handful of drug-resistant mutants of M2, S31N, V27A and L26F were found in more than 99% of the currently circulating viruses. Discovery of inhibitors targeting these M2 mutants has been hampered by the lack of structural information and their limited sizes, polarity, and dynamic nature of their drug binding sites. Nevertheless, using an integrated approach including medicinal chemistry, molecular dynamics simulation, solid/solution-state NMR, X-ray crystallography, and pharmacological characterizations, we have discovered small molecule drugs that inhibit mutant M2 (S31N, V27A and L26F) with potencies greater than amantadine's potency against WT M2. A few compounds exhibiting EC50 around 100 nM are advanced to mice model studies. Structural characterization of S31N drug binding by NMR shows the drug bound in the homotetrameric channel, threaded between the side chains of Asn31. The S31N inhibitors, like other potent WT M2 inhibitors, contain a charged ammonium group. The ammonium binds as a hydrate to one of three sites aligned along the central cavity that appear to be hotspots for inhibition. These drug binding hotspots along the channel axis provide a general model of M2 inhibition that can be used to guide the design of other channel blockers.
Pulsed Electron Beam Emission in Space

During the Spacelab-2 mission of July 1985, electron beams (1 keV, 50-150 mA) pulsed at ELF and VLF frequencies were emitted from the Space Shuttle Orbiter. The wave fields generated by the beam were monitored by a Plasma Diagnostics Package which was released as a free-flying subsatellite during a six hour period. Measurements of the Orbiter potential and the return current during beam emissions were obtained from a Charge and Current Probe mounted in the payload bay.
The Effects of a 6-Week Plyometric Training Program on Agility

The purpose of the study was to determine if six weeks of plyometric training can improve an athlete's agility. Subjects were divided into two groups, a plyometric training and a control group. The plyometric training group performed in a six week plyometric training program and the control group did not perform any plyometric training techniques. All subjects participated in two agility tests: T-test and Illinois Agility Test, and a force plate test for ground reaction times both pre and post testing. Univariate ANCOVAs were conducted to analyze the change scores (post - pre) in the independent variables by group (training or control) with pre scores as covariates. The Univariate ANCOVA revealed a significant group effect F2,26 = 25.42, p=0.0000 for the T-test agility measure. For the Illinois Agility test, a significant group effect F2,26 = 27.24, p = 0.000 was also found. The plyometric training group had quicker posttest times compared to the control group for the agility tests. A significant group effect F2,26 = 7.81, p = 0.002 was found for the Force Plate test. The plyometric training group reduced time on the ground on the posttest compared to the control group. The results of this study show that plyometric training can be an effective training technique to improve an athlete's agility. Key PointsPlyometric training can enhance agility of athletes.6 weeks of plyometric training is sufficient to see agility results.Ground reaction times are decreased with plyometric training.
Reconstitution of COPII vesicle fusion to generate a pre-Golgi intermediate compartment.

What is the first membrane fusion step in the secretory pathway? In mammals, transport vesicles coated with coat complex (COP) II deliver secretory cargo to vesicular tubular clusters (VTCs) that ferry cargo from endoplasmic reticulum exit sites to the Golgi stack. However, the precise origin of VTCs and the membrane fusion step(s) involved have remained experimentally intractable. Here, we document in vitro direct tethering and SNARE-dependent fusion of endoplasmic reticulum–derived COPII transport vesicles to form larger cargo containers. The assembly did not require detectable Golgi membranes, preexisting VTCs, or COPI function. Therefore, COPII vesicles appear to contain all of the machinery to initiate VTC biogenesis via homotypic fusion. However, COPI function enhanced VTC assembly, and early VTCs acquired specific Golgi components by heterotypic fusion with Golgi-derived COPI vesicles.
A novel maximum likelihood decoding algorithm for orthogonal space-time block codes

In this letter, we propose a low complexity maximum likelihood (ML) decoding algorithm for orthogonal spacetime block codes (OSTBCs) based on the real-valued lattice representation and QR decomposition.We show that for a system with rate r = K/T, where K is the number of transmitted symbols per T time slots, the proposed algorithm decomposes the original complex-valued system into a parallel system represented by 2K real-valued components, thus allowing for a simple and independent detection of the real and imaginary parts of each complex transmitted symbol. We further show that for square L-QAM constellations, the proposed algorithm reduces the decoding computational complexity from O(L) for conventional ML to O(radicL) without sacrificing the performance.
Hydrogen peroxide relaxes porcine coronary arteries by stimulating BKCachannel activity

It has been known for a number of years that neutrophils and macrophages secrete H2O2while fighting disease, and the levels obtained within the vasculature under these conditions can reach several ...
Suture Button Compared With K-Wire Fixation for Maintenance of Posttrapeziectomy Space Height in a Cadaver Model of Lateral Pinch

Purpose Hematoma distraction arthroplasty has regained popularity as a treatment for thumb carpometacarpal arthritis with reports of satisfactory results. Our goal was to investigate the use of a suture button device to maintain the posttrapeziectomy space height of the thumb metacarpal. Our hypothesis is that a suture button that suspends the thumb metacarpal from the second metacarpal, when applied to the hematoma distraction arthroplasty technique, would provide subsidence resistance comparable to traditional K-wire fixation. Methods Ten fresh frozen matched pairs of human cadaveric arms were used. After open trapeziectomy, suspension of the thumb metacarpal was performed with either a 1.4-mm (0.045-inch) K-wire advanced through the base of the thumb metacarpal into the second metacarpal shaft or a suture button device that suspended the thumb metacarpal from the second metacarpal shaft. Cyclic pinch was simulated by using a lateral pinch model previously described and validated. Lateral pinch is simulated by loading the extensor pollicis longus, adductor pollicis, abductor pollicis brevis, and flexor pollicis longus in a 1:5:6:10 ratio. Dynamic pinch is achieved with cyclic unloading of the abductor pollicis brevis, adductor pollicis, and flexor pollicis longus tendons. Measurements were made of the height of excised trapeziums, the distance from the metacarpal base to the scaphoid after trapeziectomy (trapeziectomy space height) at time zero, both loaded and unloaded, and at sequential loading cycles of 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000, and 10,000 cycles. Results Student t -test evaluation showed no significant differences between the groups in initial trapeziectomy space height (p = .10), postfixation trapeziectomy space height (p = .10), or loss of trapeziectomy space height between precycling and after 10,000 cycles (p = .80). Conclusions Suture button fixation maintains similar posttrapeziectomy space height and prevents subsidence of the thumb metacarpal when compared with K-wire fixation in this model. This technique may allow for earlier range of motion after the hematoma distraction arthroplasty.
An integarted surgical suite management information system

The operational aspects, application areas, and results achieved from an integrated surgical suite management information system are described. The system, which has been operating within Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, for 4 years, captures comprehensive data for each surgical episode, performs extensive edits on these data to assure data base integrity, and utilizes this data base in multiple applications. These applications include fixed-format reporting for medical staff and management; ad hoc retrieval capabilities to support research, education, and decision making; and linkage to other hospital systems to reduce both data redundancy and paper flow.
Netrin-1 Regulates Th1/Th2/Th17 Cytokine Production and Inflammation through UNC5B Receptor and Protects Kidney against Ischemia–Reperfusion Injury

Overwhelming evidence suggests that ischemia-reperfusion injury of the kidney is an inflammatory disease mediated by innate and adoptive immune systems. The neuronal guidance molecule netrin-1 was shown to modulate inflammatory responses. Given that ischemic kidney is particularly prone to reperfusion-elicited inflammation, we sought to determine the function of netrin-1 and its receptor UNC5B in ischemia-reperfusion-induced inflammation. Renal ischemia-reperfusion caused a rapid decrease in serum netrin-1 levels. Administration of recombinant netrin-1 before or after renal ischemia-reperfusion reduced kidney injury, apoptosis, monocyte and neutrophil infiltration, and cytokine (IL-6, IL-1beta, and TNF-alpha) and chemokine (MCP-1, macrophage-derived cytokine, monokine-induced IFN-gamma, keratinocyte-derived chemokine, and chemokine with 6 cysteines) production. Analysis for different netrin-1 receptors on leukocytes showed very high expression of UNC5B but not UNC5C, UNC5D, neogenin, or deleted in colorectal cancer. Expression of UNC5A was low. Neutralization of UNC5B receptor reduced netrin-1-mediated protection against renal ischemia-reperfusion injury, and it increased monocyte and neutrophil infiltration, as well as serum and renal cytokine and chemokine production, with increased kidney injury and renal tubular cell apoptosis. Finally, investigation into netrin-1's effect on CD4 T cell stimulation showed suppression of Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokine (IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, IL-13, IL-17, IFN-gamma, IL-4, and TNF-alpha) production in vitro. Our studies demonstrate that netrin-1 acting through UNC5B receptor reduces renal ischemia-reperfusion injury and its associated renal inflammation.
FoXS: a web server for rapid computation and fitting of SAXS profiles

Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is an increasingly common technique for low-resolution structural characterization of molecules in solution. SAXS experiment determines the scattering intensity of a molecule as a function of spatial frequency, termed SAXS profile. SAXS profiles can contribute to many applications, such as comparing a conformation in solution with the corresponding X-ray structure, modeling a flexible or multi-modular protein, and assembling a macromolecular complex from its subunits. These applications require rapid computation of a SAXS profile from a molecular structure. FoXS (Fast X-Ray Scattering) is a rapid method for computing a SAXS profile of a given structure and for matching of the computed and experimental profiles. Here, we describe the interface and capabilities of the FoXS web server (http://salilab.org/foxs).
Statistics of One: What Earth can and can't tell us about life in the unive rse.

Recent studies have attempted to extrapolate the abundance of life in the universe and the properties of such life from the history of life on Ear th. A common “reasonable” assumption in such studies is that the history of life o n earth is typical of life in the universe.(1) In this poster we examine the question of whether life on Earth is likely to be typical of life in the universe. In determining t his we must consider that, as observers, we are biased by having only one example of life: the example that led to our evolution on a 4.5 billion year old earth. This “anthro pic principle,” is more accurately described as an anthropic bias, which alters the relationship between measured quanities such as evolutionary timescales and the distribution of values these quantities may have in reality. In some instances this bias c an be quantified. We apply a statistical approach to quantifying this bias in the case o f the timescales involved in abiogenesis and evolution of intelligent species. Methodology For simplicity, we model the evolution of intelligent life a s two Poissonian processes, abiogenesis, and evolution of intelligence with typical timesc ales of τbio and τevo. In practice, this method works for arbitrary numbers of variables and non-Poissonian processes. We also tbio and tevo as the actual time required for abiogenesis and evolution on a specific world. Our task is, given a single measurement of tbio and tevo, what is the distribution of likely values of τbio and τevo. For a given τbio, the probability of life existing on a planet identical to ea rth at some time t0 is: PL (t0) = 1
Airway Management and Lung Isolation in a Patient With a Massive Cavernous Hemangioma of the Tongue

c INTRAMUSCULAR HEMANGIOMAS are common vascular tumors, yet only approximately 14% are found in the ead and neck region.1 Invasive muscular hemangiomas are ven more uncommon, making up less than 1% of these tuors, and massive cavernous variations are only described necdotally.2 A unique risk to this lesion is uncontrolled hemrrhage, and several fatalities have been described.3 There is no detailed description of airway management in this patient population, and the present case report highlights important considerations in performing safe endotracheal intubation followed by lung isolation.
Heavy residue formation in 20 MeV/nucleon 197 Au + 90 Zr collisions

Abstract The yields and velocity distributions of heavy residues and fission fragments from the reaction of 20 MeV/nucleon 197 Au + 90 Zr have been measured using the MSU A1200 fragment separator. A bimodal distribution of residues is observed, with one group, resulting from peripheral collisions, having fragment mass numbers A =160–200 while the other group, resulting from “hard” collisions, has A =120–160. These “hard” collision residues can be distinguished from fission fragments by their velocities. A model combining deep-inelastic transfer and incomplete fusion for the primary interaction stage and a statistical evaporation code for the deexcitation stage has been used to describe the properties of the product distributions.
Electrically driven flexural resonant modes in symmetrically electroded X-cut and Z-cut quartz discs

While it is well known that flexural mechanical resonant modes can be electrically driven in specimens of quartz and other piezoelectric materials by the judicious choice of electrode patterns, specific experimental data, based on simultaneous interferometric observations of opposite surface points, are presented to show that symmetrically electroded X-cut and Z-cut quartz discs exhibit flexural resonant modes of quite large amplitudes. These resonances are not accompanied by detectable electrical disturbances in the AC-drive circuits. The existence of these modes is demonstrated for an X-cut quartz disc, and specific resonant modes of a Z-cut quartz disc are characterized in detail. >
PROTON RADIOTHERAPY FOR PROSTATE CANCER IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH POST-TREATMENT TESTOSTERONE SUPPRESSION

Purpose Three independent studies of photon (x-ray) radiotherapy (RT) for prostate cancer have demonstrated evidence of testosterone suppression after treatment. The present study was undertaken to determine whether this would also be the case with conformal protons. Methods and Materials Between August 2006 and October 2007, 171 patients with low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer were enrolled and underwent treatment according to the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute institutional review board-approved PR01 and PR02 protocols. Of the 171 patients, 18 were excluded because they had received androgen deprivation therapy either before ( n = 17) or after ( n = 1) RT. The pretreatment serum testosterone level was available for 150 of the remaining 153 patients. These 150 patients were included in the present study. The post-treatment levels were compared with the pretreatment levels. Results The median baseline pretreatment serum testosterone level was 357.9 ng/dL. The median post-treatment testosterone value was 375.5 ng/dL at treatment completion ( p = .1935) and 369.9 ng/dL ( p = .1336), 348.7 ng/dL ( p = .7317), 353.4 ng/dL ( p = .6996), and 340.9 ng/dL ( p = .1669) at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after proton therapy, respectively. Conclusions Conformal proton therapy to the prostate, as delivered using the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute PR01 and PR02 protocols, did not appear to significantly affect the serum testosterone levels within 24 months after RT.
FATIGUE MACROCRACK GROWTH IN TEMPERED HY80, HY130, AND 4140 STEELS:THRESHOLD AND MID‐ΔK RANGE

— –The rate of propagation of macrofatigue cracks down to near threshold was measured in air in three tempered martensitic steels; HY80, HY130 and 4140 (650°C temper). The value of ΔKth was determined by the load-shedding technique in center notched panel specimens. Of the three steels, 4140 tempered at 650°C had the lowest ΔKth, 3–5 MN/m3/2, while HY80 had the highest, 4.2 MN/m3/2. The 4140 (650°C temper) is intermediate in strength between HY80 and HY130. The results are discussed in terms of a recent theory of one of the authors. The fatigue crack propagation rates in the mid-ΔKrange in HY80 and HY130 in argon were also studied by measuring, with foil strain gages, the cyclic plastic work to propagate a fatigue crack by a unit area, U.HY80 has a lower crack propagation rate and correspondingly higher U.This was attributed in part to the higher yield strength of HY130 but the dislocation structure and carbide composition and morphology also play roles. Microstructural changes due to cyclic plastic deformation inside the plastic zone in HY80 and HY130 were observed by TEM of thin foils. SEM studies of the fracture surfaces at ΔK= 20 MN/m3/2 indicate a more ductile fracture mode for HY80 than for HY130. The fatigue crack propagation rate of HY130 is substantially higher in laboratory air (47% relative humidity) than in dry argon. This is not the case for HY80.
Stabilizability conditions of multivariable uncertain systems via output feedback control

A stabilizability condition is established for stabilizing multivariable uncertain dynamical systems with matched uncertainties by linear static output feedback control. It is shown that under the assumptions of minimum phase and nonsingular high-frequency gain for the nominal plant, stabilization with linear static output feedback control is achievable. A necessary and sufficient condition is also obtained for the existence of constant output feedback which makes the closed-loop system strictly positive real. >
Lysophosphatidic acid enhances contractility of isolated airway smooth muscle

Toews, M. L., E. E. Ustinova, and H. D. Schultz.Lysophosphatidic acid enhances contractility of isolated airway smooth muscle. J. Appl. Physiol.83(4): 1216–1222, 1997.—The effects of the simple pho...
A matter of race and gender: An examination of an undergraduate music program through the lens of feminist pedagogy and Black feminist pedagogy:

Feminist pedagogy, originating in social constructivism and critical theory, offers an instructional approach for a more democratic and diverse curriculum and pedagogy. Extending from feminist peda...
A Boll Weevil Feeding Deterrent from the Calyx of an Alternate Host, Hibiscus syriacus

A biologically active material is present in the calyx of Hibiscus syriacus L. (Rose-of-Sharon), an alternate host of the boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis Boheman. It is responsible, in part, for reducing boll weevil feeding significantly on or ovipositing in the developing bud of this plant. This biologically active material is a feeding deterrent according to a definition previously established: it inhibits feeding or oviposition when present in a place where insects would, in its absence, feed or oviposit. It is water soluble and readily extractable. Rose-of-Sharon calyx extract brushed on cotton buds reduced feeding thereon significantly for 20 hours. When a mixture of freeze dried feeding deterrent and feeding stimulant, containing 2 1/2 times more deterrent than feeding stimulant by weight, was formulated into plugs containing 2 1/2% of agar, feeding response of the boll weevil was completely masked. In a 20-hour test, 10 weevils made only 2 feeding punctures in 2 1/2% agar plugs containing 0.00166% of feeding deterrent by weight as compared with 92 punctures in plugs without the deterrent.
A Fast Technique to Screen Carrier Generation Lifetime Using DLTS on MOS Capacitors

We have developed a technique for fast screening of carrier generation lifetime in ultraclean silicon wafers by employing deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) measurements on metal-oxide-semiconductor-capacitor (MOS-C) test structures. Results show that the screened lifetime is of sufficient accuracy to distinguish metallic impurities with densities as low as \(10^{10}\) cm\(^{-3}\) in thin p/p + silicon epitaxial layers. The widely used classic pulsed MOS-C technique is shown to be inaccurate and unable to separate bulk and surface components of the lifetime, while its modified and more accurate versions are time consuming and unaffordable for process screening purposes.
Study of correlations among serum adiponectin, plasma glucose and lipids profiles in type 2 diabetic individuals

Objective: To study the relation of serum adiponectin levels between age, body mass index, plasma glucose and insulin level in crowd of Wuhan. Methods: 55 overweight or obese subjects [ body mass index (BMI)≥25 kg/m2 ] all took oral 75 g glucose tolerance test. According to their plasma glucose level, the obese subjects were divided into simple obese group (n =55) and type 2 diabetic and obese group (n =55). Fasting insulin, TG, TC and adiponcetin were measured at the same time in all subjects. The relationship among these factors were analyzed by SPSS 10.0 software. Results: Serum adiponectin in type 2 diabetic and obese group was significantly lower than that in simple obese group. And serum adiponectin was negatively correlated to TG, BMI and FPG in all subjects showed BMI and FPG to be the equal predictors of serum adiponectin. Conclusions: Serum adiponectin is associated with BMI, plasma glucose, and lipids. High concentration of serum adiponectin maybe the obstacle of the development of type 2 diabetes and hyperlipidemia.
Small Things Considered

Bacteria capable of sporulation go out of their way to grow rather than sporulate. They will therefore try to obtain needed nutrients, even at the cost of killing their neighbors. When starved for nutrients, cells of Bacillus subtilis engage in cannibalism, that is, they lyse their siblings and use the nutrients thus obtained to postpone their own sporulation. A similar phenomenon, termed fratricide, has been reported in Streptococcus pneumoniae where the killing of siblings is linked to the induction of competence and the release of DNA from lysed cells. The antimicrobial agents secreted within the same colony by either cannibalism or fratricide belong to the family of bacteriocins. Be'er and his colleagues now report a third unique situation where bacterial stress leads to sibling death.
Nitrogen-Doped Holey Graphene for High-Performance Rechargeable Li–O2 Batteries

Li–air batteries represent cutting edge electrochemical energy storage devices, but their practical applications have been precluded by the high cathode cost, the low discharge/charge efficiency, and/or the short battery lifetime. Here, we developed a low-cost, but very efficient, air electrode from porous nitrogen-doped holey graphene for rechargeable nonaqueous Li–O2 cells. The resultant Li–O2 cell can deliver a high round-trip efficiency (85%) and a long cycling life (>100 cycles) under controlled discharge/charge depths or a high capacity of 17 000 mAh/g under the full discharge/charge condition, superior to most other carbonaceous air cathodes. The observed superb performance for the air electrode based on the nitrogen-doped holey graphene can be attributed to its efficient metal-free catalytic activity and three-dimensional mass transport pathway. Therefore, this work represents a new approach to low-cost, efficient, metal-free, binder-free, and hierarchically porous air electrodes useful for energy...
The central connections of the posterior lateral line nerve of Gnathonemus petersii.

The central distribution of the posterior lateral line nerve (NLLp) was studied in the weakly electric African fish, Gnathonemus petersii. Lesions were made in the ganglion of NLLp and the degeneration traced by means of the Fink-Heimer technique. NLLp distributes to the ipsilateral posterior lateral line lobe, anterior lateral line lobe, and lobus caudalis cerebelli. The posterior lateral line lobe is laminated and NLLp terminates in an organized manner within three of its six laminae. In addition the projection of NLLp to the posterior lateral line lobe is topographic. The projection of NLLp to the anterior lateral line lobe is more diffusely organized.
Estimating the Impact of Air Pollution Controls on Ambient Concentrations

This work describes the development and application of a statistical model that links electricity generating unit (EGU) and mobile source emissions with a city center monitoring cite. The model uses estimated emissions and measured concentrations over the period 2000–2012 in Atlanta, GA, USA to develop counterfactual time series of daily ozone concentrations. Further, the model estimates the sensitivity of observed ozone to each emissions sector. Results show that emissions control policies have had little effect on annual median ozone, have decreased 90th percentile ozone, and have increased 10th percentile ozone. Sensitivities to EGU and mobile emissions are compared and agree well with similar sensitivities calculated using a first-principles chemical transport model.
An Empirical Examination of Credit Card System Attributes and Evaluations

As a service innovation the credit card has been issued in three forms--the retail store card, the travel and entertainment card, and the bank card. The credit card in all three forms may be conceptualized as a service system for facilitating value exchanges. Each type of card, however, represents a system possessing a different degree of identification with attributes salient to the use of these cards for making purchases. This paper empirically investigates these attributes and the perceptions consumers have regarding the performance of each type of card on a given attribute.
Impedance-based structural health monitoring and statistical method for threshold-level determination applied to 2024-T3 aluminum panels under varying temperature:

The impedance-based structural health monitoring method has become a promising and attractive tool for damage identification and is considered a nondestructive evaluation technique. However, conventional impedance-based structural health monitoring studies have mainly focused on structural damage identification but not so much on statistical modeling approaches in order to determine a threshold for the decision making of the damage detection system. In this study, the impedance-based structural health monitoring technique is used in a damage detection problem considering temperature variation effects. For this aim, three aluminum 2024-T3 plates were instrumented with small lead zirconate titanate patches close to their borders, and damage was introduced in the central position of the plates, with temperature ranging from −10°C to 60°C. This article proposes a method to statistically determine a threshold for damage detection purposes using concepts of statistical process control, as well as confidence int...
Effect of Product Design and Materials on Large Leadless Package Reliability

With the market acceptance of small sized leaded packages migration to quad flat no lead version (QFN), an increasing number of large size semiconductor devices are being transferred into leadless platform to have foot print space advantage. Large QFN package behaves differently when subjected to stress tests compared to their predecessors. Package delamination and die crack are major challenges in achieving Pb Free reflow compatibility. Numerous combination of bill of materials, silicon wafer thickness, encapsulation thickness and leadframe design features contribution was studied. The initial screening experiment indicated that lead frame features, encapsulation thickness and die thickness are vital. Leadframe design with groove at the center of the die attach pad induces stress during temperature cycle that leads to silicon-leadframe interfacial separation. Groove at the package corners helps in reducing moisture ingression by enhancing mechanical locking. Encapsulation to die thickness ratio is recommended to be 4:1 to avoid package crack. Mold compound with lowest shrinkage factor and lowest moisture absorption helps in minimizing the delamination. Combination of above mentioned factors significantly improves the reliability of large leadless packages.
Immune-related response assessment during PD-1 inhibitor therapy in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients

Tumor response characteristics using immune-related RECIST1.1 (irRECIST1.1) in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with nivolumab monotherapy in the clinical setting have not been previously described with a direct comparison with the assessments according to the conventional RECIST1.1. Fifty-six advanced NSCLC patients treated with nivolumab monotherapy after its Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval were retrospectively studied. Tumor burden was quantified on serial CT scans during therapy using irRECIST1.1, which uses unidimensional measurements and includes new lesion measurements in total tumor burden. Response assessments by irRECIST1.1 were compared with assessments by RECIST1.1. Responses of individual lesions in different organs were also compared. Tumor burden change at best overall response ranged from −66.8 to +278.1% (median: +3.9%). Response rate was 14% (8/56; 8 partial responses, 0 complete responses) by irRECIST1.1 and by RECIST1.1. Time-to-progression (TTP) by irRECIST1.1 was longer than TTP by RECIST1.1 (median TTP: not reached vs. 1.9 months, respectively). No patients experienced pseudoprogression during the study. Among 128 target lesions, the lesion-based size change at best response differed significantly across different organs, with adrenal lesions and lymph nodes having greater size decrease, followed by lung, while liver and other miscellaneous lesions had lesser degree of size decrease (p = 0.002). Immune-related response evaluations using irRECIST1.1 in advanced NSCLC patients treated with nivolumab resulted in the identical response rate and longer TTP compared to RECIST1.1. No pseudoprogression cases were observed during the study. Adrenal lesions and lymph nodes were more responsive and liver lesions were less responsive to nivolumab.
Epidemiology of Cardio-Oncology

The main purpose of this chapter is to explore the converging epidemiology of cancer and heart disease. Multiple factors appear to be driving the convergence. On the one hand, there are modifiable risk factors, which, along with aging, influence risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and specific malignancies. Emerging evidence suggests that inflammation might be one of the common mechanisms linking diet, obesity, tobacco use, and time to these two seemingly disparate diseases. The second, and equally important, drive for the growing clinical interaction between cardiology and oncology is the adverse effect that cancer therapy has on the heart and vasculature. Cardiovascular toxicity is both a short- and long-term complication of chemo-, biologic, and radiation therapies. Less well understood is the potential that cancers and cardiovascular diseases share common genetic susceptibilities. An appreciation of the converging epidemiology for cancer and heart disease will lay the foundation for developing prevention and treatment strategies.
Self-regulated transport in photonic crystals with phase-changing defects

Phase-changing materials (PCMs) are widely used for optical data recording, sensing, all-optical switching, and optical limiting. Our focus here is on the case when the change in transmission characteristics of the optical material is caused by the input light itself. Specifically, the light-induced heating triggers the phase transition in the PCM. In this paper, using a numerical example, we demonstrate that the incorporation of the PCM in a photonic structure can lead to a dramatic modification of the effects of light-induced phase transition, as compared to a stand-alone sample of the same PCM. Our focus is on short pulses. We discuss some possible applications of such phase-changing photonic structures for optical sensing and limiting.