cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 4044: The immune phenotype in serial biopsies from metastatic TNBC undergoing chemo-immunotherapy

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer with poor prognosis when metastatic. Immunotherapy, especially in combination with taxane chemotherapy has recently been shown to improve outcomes with PD-L1 as predictive biomarker for survival. To understand the mechanisms of response/resistance to chemo-immunotherapy for TNBC, we obtained serial core biopsies of TNBC patients (n=30) undergoing nab-paclitaxel and pembrolizumab treatment in a prospective trial at three time points, including baseline (before treatment), after 1 cycle (nab-paclitaxel treatment without immunotherapy), and after 2 cycles (nab-paclitaxel plus pembrolizumab treatment). fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS). We performed 10x genomics single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of immune cells isolated from these fresh, serial tumor specimens from two patients, a patient with subsequent RECIST response and a patient with rapid disease progression. Results were further validated by FACS and immunohistochemistry analyses. ScRNA-seq showed significant baseline heterogeneity as well as perturbations of the immune cell infiltrates with chemotherapy and chemo-immunotherapy. In the responder patient there was a significant expansion of T cells, including both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Before the pembrolizumab treatment, there are 1.84% of CD4+ T cells and 6.45% of CD8+ cells among total tumor infiltrating leukocytes (TILs). After the treatment, the percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ cells increased to 33.32% and 23.42% among TILs, respectively, as determined by FACS analysis. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) showed enrichments for transcripts of tissue-resident memory T cells (Trm). In contrast, tumors from a patient with rapid disease progression showed persistence of a myeloid compartment that suppress anti-tumor immunity. Although T cells were initially present, they mainly consisted of a naive T cell phenotype and did not expand even after treatment. No Trm cells were detected within TILs by scRNAseq from this patient after pembrolizumab treatment. When comparing baseline samples from these two patients, we found there is a distinct tumor cell population in the non-responder with differentially expressed genes related to oxygen transport and proliferation. The association between this population and the response to chemo-immunotherapy remains to be explored. Our study provides proof of concept that single cell analyses of serial biopsies are a feasible tool to understand or even predict responses to chemo-immunotherapy for TNBC patients. Citation Format: Jiehui Deng, Suhagi Shah, Aatish Thennavan, Michelle Krogsgaard, Charles M. Perou, Kwok-Kin Wong, Sylvia Adams. The immune phenotype in serial biopsies from metastatic TNBC undergoing chemo-immunotherapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4044.
Towards a ML based global crop identification model using limited SAR data - that is scalable across data-sparse geographies

In this paper, we have proposed a machine learning based global crop identification method using limited microwave/radar data for the corn belt in the US. An attempt has been made to identify the features/crop signatures which are unique for a particular crop but common across geographies. Identified features were used to develop a robust, reliable and scalable crop identification model for corn and soy. The pre-trained model has been tested at multiple locations "as is" without any retraining, yielding best accuracy of 93% (within corn/soy belt) and 84% (at the periphery) at 20m pixel-level spatial resolution.
IMPACT OF MITRAL ANNULAR CALCIFICATION IN PATIENTS WITH OBSTRUCTIVE HYPERTROPHIC CARDIOMYOPATHY

Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is associated with older age and conditions with left ventricular pressure overload. However, the prevalence and clinical impact of MAC in patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) are largely unknown. We reviewed 2114 HCM patients who underwent
Speed Considerations for Large Field Two-photon Microscopy in the Brain

Imaging large fields-of-view at high framerates with two-photon microscopy can limit signal. By taking advantage of the inherent signal nonlinearities, we show that a 5 mm field-of-view can be imaged at 15 Hz.
The Utility of IgA-Based Serologic Markers in Diagnosing Celiac Disease in Children 24 Months of Age or Younger.

Current screening guidelines in North America for celiac disease recommend additional IgG based testing for younger children. Our multicenter retrospective study showed that the anti-tissue transglutaminase IgA antibody test should be the recommended initial test in all children, including those ≤24 months of age.
La escritura del fracaso en Sin remedio de Antonio Caballero

Although Antonio Caballero is widely recognized as an essential critical voice in Colombian contemporary cultural sphere, his work as a novelist has not received the critical attention it deserves. This article argues that Sin remedio (1984), his only novel, ignites crucial reflections about the function of literary fiction vis-a-vis the sociocultural conditions that defined the last decades of the twentieth century in Colombia. Through an analysis of the existential crisis of the main character, I argue that Caballero builds that character as a mirror of an individual failure whose collective resonances suggest the need to rethink the social and political function of the writer in times of violence.
Detection of Mycobacterium kansasii using a combination of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and lateral flow biosensors

Mycobacterium kansasii is an opportunistic pathogen that causes both intrapulmonary and extrapulmonary infections. The symptoms of the pulmonary diseases caused by M. kansasii closely resemble Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Rapid and accurate differentiation of M. kansasii from M. tuberculosis, as well as other mycobacteria, is crucial for developing effective therapeutics and disease treatment. In this study, we combined loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) with lateral flow biosensors (LFB) to detect M. kansasii, by targeting the species-specific sequence of rpoB, a gene which encodes the β subunit of bacterial RNA polymerase. The assay was validated to ensure that it was highly selective by testing M. kansasii, M. tuberculosis, other species of respiratory bacteria, and other nontuberculous mycobacteria. The detection limit of the assay was 1 fg/μL of DNA and 50 CFU of bacilli in sputum. The M. kansasii-LAMP-LFB assay is a fast, cheap, and accurate method for detecting M. kansasii by constant temperature amplification and simple interpretation.
Environmental impact tradeoff considerations for wheat bran-based biocomposite

Abstract Bio-based materials are increasingly proposed as sustainable alternatives to fossil-based products. Before commercialization, however, the environmental performance of bio-based materials must be evaluated to ensure the sustainability goals are met. Biocomposites derived from natural fibers hold promises for achieving the desired sustainability while offering competitive performance. Here, we assess the sustainability tradeoffs of using wheat bran, a by-product of milling wheat grain, for biocomposite production. We design two systems to evaluate such decision from the perspectives of flour and biocomposite producers. Each system is compared to a business-as-usual scenario: 1) flour system uses bran at the end of grain milling for either fiber production or disposes of it as waste, and 2) biocomposite system compares producing a biocomposite with 30% bran fiber/70% polypropylene with a 100% polypropylene. Our comparative life cycle assessment shows that in flour system, using wheat bran for biocomposite production rather than wasting it, lowers the overall environmental impacts including global warming and fossil fuel depletion mainly due to bran fiber replacing polypropylene, and avoiding carbon dioxide emissions from bran degradation. In system 2, mixing bran fiber in biocomposite lowers greenhouse gas emissions (1470kgCO2eq/t) and fossil fuel depletion (2130 MJ surplus/t) compared to the fully petroleum-based material. We discuss several upstream (e.g. reducing the chemicals during wheat cultivation) and downstream (e.g. sodium hydroxide consumption during fiber extraction) options that can help improve the overall environmental performance of the studied systems. Our study provides decision-making information for a variety of stakeholders including wheat producers, millers as well as composite industries.
Restriction of Manganese Intake Prevents the Onset of Brain Manganese Overload in Zip14-/- Mice

As a newly identified manganese transport protein, ZIP14 is highly expressed in the small intestine and liver, which are the two principal organs involved in regulating systemic manganese homeostasis. Loss of ZIP14 function leads to manganese overload in both humans and mice. Excess manganese in the body primarily affects the central nervous system, resulting in irreversible neurological disorders. Therefore, to prevent the onset of brain manganese accumulation becomes critical. In this study, we used Zip14-/- mice as a model for ZIP14 deficiency and discovered that these mice were born without manganese loading in the brain, but started to hyper-accumulate manganese within 3 weeks after birth. We demonstrated that decreasing manganese intake in Zip14-/- mice was effective in preventing manganese overload that typically occurs in these animals. Our results provide important insight into future studies that are targeted to reduce the onset of manganese accumulation associated with ZIP14 dysfunction in humans.
Extracting social determinants of health from electronic health records using natural language processing: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE Social determinants of health (SDoH) are nonclinical dispositions that impact patient health risks and clinical outcomes. Leveraging SDoH in clinical decision-making can potentially improve diagnosis, treatment planning, and patient outcomes. Despite increased interest in capturing SDoH in electronic health records (EHRs), such information is typically locked in unstructured clinical notes. Natural language processing (NLP) is the key technology to extract SDoH information from clinical text and expand its utility in patient care and research. This article presents a systematic review of the state-of-the-art NLP approaches and tools that focus on identifying and extracting SDoH data from unstructured clinical text in EHRs. MATERIALS AND METHODS A broad literature search was conducted in February 2021 using 3 scholarly databases (ACL Anthology, PubMed, and Scopus) following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A total of 6402 publications were initially identified, and after applying the study inclusion criteria, 82 publications were selected for the final review. RESULTS Smoking status (n = 27), substance use (n = 21), homelessness (n = 20), and alcohol use (n = 15) are the most frequently studied SDoH categories. Homelessness (n = 7) and other less-studied SDoH (eg, education, financial problems, social isolation and support, family problems) are mostly identified using rule-based approaches. In contrast, machine learning approaches are popular for identifying smoking status (n = 13), substance use (n = 9), and alcohol use (n = 9). CONCLUSION NLP offers significant potential to extract SDoH data from narrative clinical notes, which in turn can aid in the development of screening tools, risk prediction models, and clinical decision support systems.
Court Poetry in Late Medieval England and Scotland : Allegories of Authority

Introduction Part I. Beginnings: 1. Dunbar's aureate allegories and Andre's Vita Henrici Septimi 2. The Bowge of Courte and the birth of the paranoid subject 3. 'My panefull purs so priclis me': the rhetoric of the self in Dunbar's petitionary poems Part II. Translative Senses: 4. Alexander Barclay's eclogues and Gavin Douglas's Palice of Honour 5. Memoires d'outre-tombe: love, rhetoric and Stephen Hawes 6. Mapping Skelton: 'Esebon, Marybon, Wheston next Barnet' 7. Conclusion.
Abstract 4173: Discovery at the interface: novel anticancer agents targeting human estrogen receptor/S100 interactions

Estrogen-triggered nuclear transcription factor, estrogen receptor (ER) is expressed in about 70% of breast cancer. ER mediates various cellular signaling events including the genomic regulation of target genes that affect reproduction, development, and general metabolism. The antiestrogen tamoxifen is currently administered to patients in order to induce regression of the tumor growth. However, upon continued administration, breast cancer patients develop resistance to tamoxifen. In addition, calcium binding proteins such as, calmodulin (CaM) which are significantly overexpressed in cancer cells, can activate transcription of target genes by directly binding to ER in lieu of estrogen. Calmodulin antagonists (w7 and melatonin) have been shown to significantly inhibit human estrogen receptor alpha (hERalpha) transcriptional activity. In search of a novel anti-cancer agent, we generated a library of interaction profiles of human ER-EF hand protein complexes and identified S100B and S100P (high sequence and structure homology with CaM) as potential targets. Furthermore, S100P is shown to mediate tamoxifen-acquired resistance and cell migration capacity in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Our objective is to develop peptidomimetics and small molecules to block ER-S100 interactions using an integrated proteomics-assisted drug discovery approach. Briefly, using the fold information and contact regions obtained from the FT-ICR mass spectrometry, 3D structures of ER-S100 protein complexes were reconstructed. These structures of ER best represent the conformational state sensed by the specific interacting partner. ER-S100 complex is distinct from CaM. The lack of the connective peptidic region between the EF hand pairs in S100 attributed to less interaction coverage than CaM. The identified ER conformation-sensing regions of the interacting EF hand proteins were used to develop a library of top peptidomimetics and potential small molecule sensors targeting the interfaces of ER-S100 interactions. We have evaluated their ability to block specific ER-S100 interactions in a high throughput fluorescent polarization based screen, to inhibit cancer cell proliferation and ER-mediated transcription of target genes. We believe that the ensemble of ER-EF hand protein complexes generated by our integrated proteomics-assisted protein interaction profiling will shed light on the lingering issue of hormone independent activation of ER at the molecular level and novel therapeutics targeting ER-S100 interactions. Citation Format: David H. Lee, Bethany K. Asare, Matthew L. Hudson, Rajendram V. Rajnarayanan. Discovery at the interface: novel anticancer agents targeting human estrogen receptor/S100 interactions. [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 4173. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-4173
LINE OF SEEPAGE IN EARTH DAMS ON INCLINED LEDGE

The purpose of this paper is to present simple charts for determining the line of seepage in earth dams on inclined ledge. After the line of seepage is determined, its coordinates can be fed into a computer and the factor of safety of the dam obtained.
The Interdigital Brace and Other Grips for Termite Nest Perforation by Chimpanzees of the Goualougo Triangle, Republic of Congo

Studies of chimpanzee termite foraging enlighten our understanding of early hominin tool use not only by modeling the cognitive ability of our ancestors but also by emphasizing the possible role of social insects in the hominin diet. The chimpanzees of the Goualougo Triangle are known to have one of the largest and most complex tool repertoires reported for wild chimpanzees. One tool set habitually used by this population includes a perforating tool to penetrate the hard outer crust of elevated termite nests before fishing for termite prey with an herbaceous stem. Here, we report the variation present in the grips used on the perforating tool. Our analysis of video recordings of chimpanzee visitation to termite nests over a 3-year period shows that these chimpanzees use a variety of grips to navigate the challenges encountered in opening a termite nest. For situations in which the soil is most hardened, perforating requires force and a power grip is often used. When the soil in the passageway is loose, precision grips are suitable for the task. One of the preferred grips reported here is an interdigital brace, which has previously been described in studies of how some people hold a pencil. In this study, for the first time, the interdigital brace has been thoroughly described for chimpanzees. The various strategies and grips used during perforation emphasize the importance of termites as a nutritional resource that should be considered more strongly as a food used by early hominins. Am J Phys Anthropol 157:252–259, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Smoke No Longer Gets in Your Eyes

Devastation and Renewal An Environmental History of Pittsburgh and Its Region. by Joel A. Tarr, Ed. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, 2003. 291 pp. $32. ISBN 0-8229-4156-2. The contributors consider the effects of industrialization on Pittsburgh's air, water, and landscape along with the actions that have been taken to recover from that environmental degradation.
Case Histories for Understanding Depression in Primary Care

The chief complaint of depressed patients in a primary care setting is often not their dysphoric mood. Physical complaints are frequently the presenting symptom. Primary care physicians should include a depressive disorder in the differential diagnosis of patients complaining of multiple somatic symptoms, increase in alcohol or drug use, sleep and sexual dysfunction, or reports of anxiety. In the case of acute onset of depression, the physician should first rule out underlying medical illness or medication side effects as the etiology of the symptoms.
The Ghosts of Montes de Oca: Buried Subtext of Argentina's Dirty War

No rhetorical flourishes: this work-in-progress is intended to provoke a long-overdue public dialogue on an ugly topic that refuses to stay disappeared. It treats a hidden battleground of Argentina's Dirty War (1976–1983), a ‘petite war,’ a war within the war, directed by a military-appointed doctor against the mentally deficient inmates concentrated at the national psychiatric hospital, the Colonia Nacional Dr. Manuel A. Montes de Oca in Torres, and its sister institution, the Colonia Psiquiatrica Domingo Cabred, in Lujan, both in Buenos Aires province. Buried in the historical, statistical, legal, and archival records, along with the key informant interviews, ethnographic observations, and photos is shattering evidence of medical human rights abuses committed under the necropolitics of the Dirty War against an abandoned population of mental “defectives” who were condemned to gratuitous suffering and early deaths at the psychiatric colony (see Figure 1). In the worst instances, the abuses were crimes against humanity.
'Give the Lady What She Wants' - As Long as it's Macy's

In 2005, Federated Department Stores, which does business as Macy's and Bloomingdales, acquired May Company Department Stores for $17 billion. Federal antitrust regulators took no action against this merger and in fact released an unprecedented statement explaining the decision to permit the merger. State antitrust regulators demanded that Federated sell approximately 20% of the former May stores, including branches of L.S. Ayres, Marshall Field, Lord & Taylor, Filenes, Hecht and Strawbridge & Clothier. In the fall of 2006, Federated sold the remaining Lord & Taylor stores to a private investment group. Substantially all of the stores remaining with Federated were converted to the Macy's nameplate; a few were converted to Bloomingdales. The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) decision that this merger did not substantially lessen competition under the Clayton Act raises important questions. First, the FTC suggested there was no antitrust product market comprised of conventional department stores, or middle-market department stores. Numerous retail studies, the department stores' own market studies and the common sense experience of most consumers suggest otherwise. Second, FTC's unusual public statement listed reasons that the merger would not substantially lessen competition. Many of these reasons do not stand up to closer scrutiny. Third, through an empirical study created for this article that compares prices before and after the merger, Federated appears to have significantly raised prices throughout the United States. For these reasons, it is likely that the Federated/May merger did in fact substantially lessen competition in the conventional department store market.
Judging the implications of a concession: Conversational distance and belief bias effects

An arguer's position at a given point in an argument can be characterized as a set of commitments. The present study considers the perceptions of ordinary language users about the implications of m...
The wages of healing: Ethical issues in the compensation of physicians

Though not often addressed as a moral issue, the incomes of physicians and other health professionals are fraught with ethical significance. While there is no perfect means of determining appropriate income level, possible approaches include market worth, comparable worth, societal worth, and fairness. In fact, however, income is not the only reward that makes a medical career worthwhile, and a preoccupation with wealth can impede the pursuit of other equally worthy objectives. In an era when financial incentives and disincentives tend to receive the lionshare of attention, it is vital that physicians continue to bear these other objectives in mind.
Evaluating the performance of time-gated live-cell microscopy with lanthanide probes.

Probes and biosensors that incorporate luminescent Tb(III) or Eu(III) complexes are promising for cellular imaging because time-gated microscopes can detect their long-lifetime (approximately milliseconds) emission without interference from short-lifetime (approximately nanoseconds) fluorescence background. Moreover, the discrete, narrow emission bands of Tb(III) complexes make them uniquely suited for multiplexed imaging applications because they can serve as Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) donors to two or more differently colored acceptors. However, lanthanide complexes have low photon emission rates that can limit the image signal/noise ratio, which has a square-root dependence on photon counts. This work describes the performance of a wide-field, time-gated microscope with respect to its ability to image Tb(III) luminescence and Tb(III)-mediated FRET in cultured mammalian cells. The system employed a UV-emitting LED for low-power, pulsed excitation and an intensified CCD camera for gated detection. Exposure times of ∼1 s were needed to collect 5–25 photons per pixel from cells that contained micromolar concentrations of a Tb(III) complex. The observed photon counts matched those predicted by a theoretical model that incorporated the photophysical properties of the Tb(III) probe and the instrument’s light-collection characteristics. Despite low photon counts, images of Tb(III)/green fluorescent protein FRET with a signal/noise ratio ≥ 7 were acquired, and a 90% change in the ratiometric FRET signal was measured. This study shows that the sensitivity and precision of lanthanide-based cellular microscopy can approach that of conventional FRET microscopy with fluorescent proteins. The results should encourage further development of lanthanide biosensors that can measure analyte concentration, enzyme activation, and protein-protein interactions in live cells.
Global Implications of the US Trade Deficit Adjustment

Rebalancing the large U.S. trade deficits could take different paths. Based on model simulations, the paper shows that if rebalancing is based solely on a sharp cut in the U.S. domestic demand, a recession will be inevitable for the U.S. economy, and the adverse impact for the global economy will be substantial. On the other hand, if the adjustment relies mainly on an increase in demand from the rest of the world, the impact on the U.S. economy would be minimal. But it seems unfeasible for the rest of the world to boost demand, enough to eliminate the large deficits of the United States in the short- to medium-term. A feasible and benign adjustment therefore has to be a gradual process through both reducing the U.S. domestic demand and increasing demand from the rest of the world. The challenge for policymakers worldwide is to maneuver such a smooth adjustment.
Heated Proteins are Still Active in a Functionalized Nanoporous Support

We report that even under the heated condition, the conformation and activity of a protein can be hoarded in a functionalized nanoporous support via non-covalent interaction, although the hoarded protein was not exhibiting the full protein activity, the protein released subsequently still maintained its native conformation and activity. Glucose oxidase (GOX) was spontaneously and largely entrapped in aminopropyl-functionalized mesoporous silica (NH2-FMS) at 20 oC via a dominant electrostatic interaction. Although FMS-GOX displayed 45% activity of the free enzyme in solution, the GOX released from FMS exhibited its 100% activity prior to the entrapment. Surprisingly, the released GOX from FMS still maintained 89% of its initial activity prior to the entrapment after FMS-GOX was incubated at 60 oC for 1 h prior to release, while the free GOX in solution lost nearly all activity under the same incubation. Intrinsic fluorescence emission of GOX and native electrophoresis demonstrated that the heating resulted in significant conformational changes and oligomeric structures of the free GOX, but FMS efficiently maintained the thermal stability of GOX therein and resisted the thermal denaturation and oligomeric aggregation.
A partial characterization of suppressor cells in rat fetal liver cells

Abstract Rat fetal liver cells (FLC) obtained at 18–20 days gestation suppressed mixed lymphocyte reactions(MLR) of adult lymph node cells. The suppression was not strain specific: both syngeneic and allogeneic FLC were capable of suppressing the MLR. The same suppressor activity was observed with fetal spleen cells but not with fetal thymus cells. Removal of phagocytic cells from FLC failed to inhibit the suppressor activity. The suppressor cells were separated into two different types by BSA density gradient: one is radiosensitive, the other radioresistant. A stronger suppressor activity was observed in radiosensitive cells. The suppressor cells belonged to the fraction agglutinated with peanut agglutinin. The data suggest that the suppressor cells in rat FLC may be a proliferating blastoid-type cell rather than mature lymphocytes or mature macrophages.
IL-13 as a novel growth factor in CTCL.

In this issue of Blood , [Geskin et al][1] report that interleukin-13 (IL-13) acts as an autocrine growth factor in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and that simultaneous antibody-based neutralization of IL-13 and IL-4 inhibits in vitro proliferation of CTCL cells.[1][2] CTCL is composed of 2
Group Transfer Polymerization of Acrylates Catalyzed by N-Heterocyclic Carbenes

Group transfer polymerization (GTP) is an effective method for the synthesis of poly(methyl methacrylate) (pMMA) with controlled molecular weights and narrow polydispersities. Silyl ketene acetals initiate the polymerization of methyl methacrylate in the presence of either nucleophilic or Lewis acid catalysts. We report the use of N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) as neutral nucleophilic catalysts for GTP of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and tert-butyl acrylate (TBA). For MMA, polymer molecular weights increase linearly with conversion and are predictable over a range of [M]0/[I]0 ratios. Polydispersities trend downward with conversion and approach 1.2 at >95% conversion. Significantly, NHCs were also shown to be effective for the controlled GTP of TBA, generating living polymers with predictable molecular weights, narrow molecular weight distributions (Mw/Mn ≤ 1.2), and living chain ends, as illustrated by chain-extension experiments.
Silica aerogels with enhanced durability, 30-nm mean pore-size, and improved immersibility in liquids

Abstract The pore structures and mechanical properties of silica aerogels obtained by traditional base-catalyzed sol–gel synthesis can be modified by curing in neat methanol. The curing process produces gels with a larger mean pore-size and more cumulative pore volume than their uncured (standard) counterparts both before and after heat-treatment steps. Cured silica aerogels that are densified by heat-treating in air to 900 °C for 30 min retain a mean pore-size of ∼30 nm, comparable to a standard/as-dried silica aerogel. Heating the standard silica aerogel to 900 °C for 30 min markedly decreases the mean pore-size to 16 nm. Nanoindentation studies show that the modulus ( E ) and hardness ( H ) values for the standard and cured aerogels vary depending on the heat-treatment. The as-dried standard and cured silica aerogels respond comparably to nanoindentation. After heating in air to 900 °C, the modulus and hardness values for both the standard and cured gels increase dramatically, with the standard/900 °C (30 min) aerogels having significantly higher modulus (3.8 GPa) and hardness (0.42 GPa) values than the cured/900 °C (30 min) aerogels ( E = 1.2 GPa, H = 0.17 GPa). The increased modulus and hardness of the standard/900 °C gels does not, however, translate into an increased ability to endure the wetting stresses imposed by immersion into liquid. The less dense, cured/900 °C gels are better able to withstand immersion stresses producing a more rugged material and one more amenable to post-processing chemical and physical modification to create multifunctional platforms.
Accounting for corrosion of HLW glasses by humid air in TSPA.

This paper describes how the results of vapor hydration tests (VHTs) are used to model the corrosion of waste glasses exposed to humid air in the glass degradation model for total system performance assessment (TSPA) calculations for the proposed Yucca Mountain disposal system. Corrosion rates measured in VHTs conducted at 125, 150, 175, and 200°C are compared with the rate equation for aqueous dissolution to determine parameter values that are applicable to glass degradation in humid air. These will be used to determine the minimum for the range and distribution of parameter values in calculations for the Yucca Mountain disposal system license application (TSPA-LA). The rate equation for glass dissolution is rate = kE • 10 η • pH • exp(–Ea/RT). Uncertainties in the calculated rate due to the range of waste glass compositions and water exposure conditions are taken into account by using a range of values for the rate coefficient kE. The parameter values for the pH dependence (η) and temperature dependence (Ea) and the upper limit for kE are being determined with other tests. Using the values of η and Ea from the site recommendation model, the VHT results described in this paper provide a value of log kE = 5.1 as the minimum value for the rate expression. This value will change slightly if different pH-and temperature-dependencies are used for the TSPA-LA model.
Analysis of complex methylation data.

The development of multiple DNA methylation analysis techniques, including higher-throughput assays, has resulted in data structures of increasing complexity and diversity. Here, we discuss the general principles of DNA methylation analysis and propose a nomenclature for the various types of methylation analysis. We briefly outline several DNA methylation analysis techniques and discuss how these different technologies affect the structure of the resulting methylation data. We then describe the basic statistics and bioinformatic principles relevant to the analysis of simple and complex methylation data.
Radiation-sterilization and subsequent oxidation of medical grade polyethylene: an ESR study

Abstract Oxidation processes of irradiated ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (medical grade, GUR 415) was examined by making free radical measurements before and after introduction of oxygen into the sample chamber. The free radicals (predominantly, alkyl and allyl), produced by X-irradiation at 45 K, remained frozen in the temperature regime 45–150 K. They, however, decayed rapidly (6 × 10 −3 /K) in the temperature regime 150–190 K (γ-dispersion region) and slowly (2 × 10 −3 /K) in the β-dispersion region, 190–300 K. The oxidation of the remaining radicals (about 50% of the initial) occurred in presence of oxygen at 300 K. While the presence of oxygen-centered radicals (PO 2 or PO ) could not be confirmed, evidences of vinyl type and polyenyl radicals of various conjugations were found.
Real-time color-coding of depth using a white-light Talbot interferometer

Abstract A method for real-time color-coding of depth using a white-light Talbot interferometer is presented. Based on the fact that the Talbot planes of a grating are formed at different distances for different colors, the topographical structure of a surface can be color-coded in real-time. Experimental results are provided to verify the proposed method.
New design for a bending muscle with an embedded SMA wire actuator

A novel structure for designing a large deflection bending muscle is first presented. The structure is composed of a flexible beam, a thin-wall elastic tube, and an embedded nickel- titanium shape memory alloy (SMA) wire as an large motion bending actuator. The advantage of this kind of structure is that a small actuating strain of the SMA wire can generate a large bending of the muscle. Mathematical modeling of the bending muscle system is then performed, which uses Brinson's model of SMAs for the embedded shape memory alloy wire. Hysteretic nonlinearity of the SMA wire's behavior, geometric nonlinearity of large deflection of the flexible beam, and follower loads on the flexible beam complicate the analysis of the muscle's behavior. This bending muscle system turns out to be a highly nonlinear system. A numerical approach is thus followed by the use of finite element method to predict the behavior of the bending muscle.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Primary care physician visit continuity.

To the Editor:—For more than 40 years there has been interest in answering these questions: Is provider continuity beneficial and how do we measure it? From many correlative studies based on patient report, provider continuity seems beneficial.1 If we seek stronger evidence than correlative studies we have the results of one controlled, double-blind trial.2 When 776 patients were randomly placed into two groups (but each group had the same clinicians) provider continuity resulted in the following: a) higher patient assessments both of continuity and of clinician knowledge, thoroughness, and ability to provide excellent education; and b) fewer emergent admissions and shorter average length of stay. It is noteworthy that continuity per se influenced several patient perceptions of care, (such as clinician knowledge and ability to provide excellent education), even when the clinicians in the continuity and discontinuity groups were the same. Regarding measurement, Rodriguez et al.1 in their correlative study recapitulate the fact that patient-reported measures of provider continuity and “administrative measures” give different results. The one double-blind, controlled trial documented decades ago that “patient responses were not sensitive to low continuity of care indices: when the measured continuity of care index was less than 0.25, 51% of patients claimed continuity as compared with 83% of the patients who claimed continuity when the index was greater than 0.60.”2 From a statistical perspective both the correlative and controlled trial results confirm evidence of bias in patient report about continuity of care. This is old news and consistent with the fact that humans generalize from their good and bad experiences. Yet, based on their confirmation of old news, Rodriguez et al. now assert that “studies and quality initiatives seeking to evaluate visit continuity should rely on administrative measures whenever possible.” I hope that the elimination of patient report is not the end result the authors intend. Imagine a future in which we are presented with only statistically different administrative indices (using Rodriguez et al.’s method) of 0.53 from one setting and 0.48 from another. We might grasp the statistical implications of the observed difference between the settings. But how would we understand let alone “rely on” these particular indices when such indices: a) are subject to considerable bias,3,4 and b) tell us nothing about how the patients interpret the continuity of care they are receiving?
A PC Based Model for Prediction of Visibility and Legibility for a Human Factors Engineer's Tool Box

Target detection and legibility prediction problems are generally considered complex as they require a good understanding of knowledge in photometry, geometry, human visual functions and visual performance measurement. Therefore, only simple geometric or photometric models are generally provided in human factors text books in the forms such as equations, graphs, or nomograms. This paper presents an easy to use but a more comprehensive model developed for a human factors engineering class to understand the variables, photometric measurements and use of human visual threshold data. The model can be easily down-loaded and exercised by a PC user to quickly estimate visibility and legibility in a number of situations. The model serves as a great tool to analyze a number of “what if” scenarios and learn the basics of human visual performance. The model will be an excellent candidate for including in a practicing human factors engineer's tool box.
Important factors in adequate denture occlusion

Abstract The opportune time to validate or remake the centric relation record occurs during the try-in stage. At this time, the tactile senses are at their best, and neuromuscular imbalance is minimal. A light, controlled, tactile sense aids in recording jaw relation accurately. The remounting procedure may be used on completed dentures presenting occlusal discrepancies and is indicated in all cases of tissue trauma where denture base overextension can be ruled out. To destroy the denture base “fit” by so-called relief adjustments only accelerates destruction and loss of the supporting tissues. Only through properly balanced and equalized tooth contacts can the tissues of the denture basal seat area be preserved. Ignoring this tissue preservation results in no more than a mechanical replacement, not the dental health service entrusted to the prosthodontist.
Regulation of gut and heart left-right asymmetry by context-dependent interactions between xenopus lefty and BMP4 signaling

The Lefty subfamily of TGFbeta signaling molecules has been implicated in early development in mouse, zebrafish, and chick. Here, we show that Xenopus lefty (Xlefty) is expressed both bilaterally in symmetric midline domains and unilaterally in left lateral plate mesoderm and anterior dorsal endoderm. To examine the roles of Xlefty in left-right development, we created a system for scoring gut asymmetry and examined the effects of unilateral Xlefty misexpression on gut development, heart development, and Xnr-1 and XPitx2 expression. In contrast to the unilateral effects of Vg1, Activin, Nodal, or BMPs, targeted expression of Xlefty in either the left or the right side of Xenopus embryos randomized the direction of heart looping, gut coiling, and left-right positioning of the gut and downregulated the asymmetric expression of Xnr-1 and XPitx2. It is currently thought that Lefty proteins act as feedback inhibitors of Nodal signaling. However, this would not explain the effects of right-sided Xlefty misexpression. Here, we show that Xlefty interacts with the signaling pathways of other members of the TGFbeta family during left-right development. Results from coexpression of Xlefty and Vg1 indicate that Xlefty can nullify the effects of Vg1 ectopic expression and that Xlefty is downstream of left-sided Vg1 signaling. Results from coexpression of Xlefty and XBMP4 indicate that XLefty and XBMP4 interact both synergistically and antagonistically in a context-dependent manner. We propose a model in which interactions of Xlefty with multiple members of the TGFbeta family enhance the differences between the right-sided BMP/ALK2/Smad pathway and the left-sided Vg1/anti-BMP/Nodal pathway, leading to left-right morphogenesis of the gut and heart.
Theoretical and experimental analysis of transmission and enhanced absorption of frequency-selective surfaces in the infrared

A comparative study between theory and experiment is presented for transmission through lossy frequency selective surfaces (FSSs) on silicon in the 2 - 15 micrometer range. Important parameters controlling the resonance shape and location are identified: dipole length, spacing, impedance, and dielectric surroundings. Their separate influence is exhibited. The primary resonance mechanism of FSSs is the resonance of the individual metallic patches. There is no discernable resonance arising from a feed-coupled configuration. The real part of the element's impedance controls the minimum value of transmission, while scarcely affecting its location. Varying the imaginary part shifts the location of resonance, while only slightly changing the minimum value of transmission. With such fine-tuning, it is possible to make a good fit between theory and experiment near the dipole resonance on any sample. A fixed choice of impedance can provide a reasonable fit to all samples fabricated under the same conditions. The dielectric surroundings change the resonance wavelength of the FSS compared to its value in air. The presence of FSS on the substrate increases the absorptivity/emissivity of the surface in a resonant way. Such enhancement is shown for dipole and cross arrays at several wavelengths.
Psychobiology, psychiatry, and psychoanalysis: the intersecting careers of Adolf Meyer, Phyllis Greenacre, and Curt Richter.

By common consent, Adolf Meyer (1866–1950) was the most prominent and influential American psychiatrist of the first half of the twentieth century. Particularly after his appointment to Johns Hopkins, as its first professor of psychiatry, he dominated psychiatry in the United States until his retirement in 1941.1 But his influence was almost equally strong in Britain, where his pragmatism and therapeutic eclecticism had a wide appeal.2 In this paper, we examine some central aspects of Meyer's life and work, and focus particularly on his role as a mentor and patron of the research and careers of two other major figures in twentieth-century psychiatry and psychobiology, broadly conceived. The first of these, Phyllis Greenacre (1894–1989), worked closely with Meyer from 1916, when she graduated from Chicago Rush medical school and joined his staff at Hopkins, till her abrupt departure from Baltimore in late 1927. For the next decade, Meyer continued to play an important role in her life and career, though to his dismay she was now progressively abandoning his distinctive type of psychiatry for psychoanalysis. Completing that process of intellectual transition just as Freud's followers were moving to a position of institutional and theoretical dominance in American psychiatry, Greenacre rose to remarkable prominence in those circles, one of the few non-refugee analysts to become part of the psychoanalytic elite. Curt Richter (1894–1988) was still another promising young scientist attracted to Meyer's circle, initially through a decision to move from Harvard to Johns Hopkins to work with the founder of behaviourist psychology, John B Watson. With Watson's resignation from the Hopkins faculty in the aftermath of a sex scandal, Meyer orchestrated Richter's succession to head the psychological laboratory, now renamed the psychobiology laboratory. For seven decades, Richter would remain at Hopkins, a highly successful experimentalist whose early work did much to lend empirical substance to Meyer's programmatic calls to develop “psychobiology”. Like Greenacre, to whom he was married for ten years until an acrimonious divorce was finalized in 1930, Richter's career continued to flourish for decades after Meyer's forced retirement from his professorship in 1941, and like her, he emerged from Meyer's tutelage to become very much his own person. Still, in a variety of ways, the years the two younger figures spent as subordinates of Meyer exercised a decisive influence over their otherwise very disparate professional trajectories. And, amongst other things, we shall see that the complex relationships between the three of them have a great deal to teach us about a topic to which much scholarly attention has been devoted in recent years, the role of gender in scientific careers.
Bionic autonomic nervous system and self-healing for NASA ANTS-like missions

The PAM (Prospecting Asteroid Mission) submission of the NASA concept mission ANTS (Autonomous Nano-Technology Swarm) involves the launch of a swarm of 1,000 autonomous pico-class spacecraft that will explore the asteroid belt. I this paper, we describe the development of a novel BANS (Bionic Autonomic Nervous System) technology with the potential to be deployed as part of the ANTS mission. The BANS is analogous to the biological nervous system, which consists of basic modules such as cyber axons, cyber neurons, the cyber peripheral nervous system and the cyber central nervous system. Equipped with the BANS, the ANTS system would be able to self-diagnose and self-heal faults/failures and avoid possible damage or collisions. An implementation and experimental results of the BANS exhibits the effectiveness and efficiency of the self-healing functions.
On the Effect of Mercury in Zinc Cyanide Plating Solutions

The hydrogen overvoltages on various kinds of iron and on electrodeposited zinc and on zinc‐mercury are determined at 35° C. in alkaline cyanide solutions; also the current density‐electrode potentials of zinc in alkaline zinc cyanide and of zinc‐mercury in alkaline zinc cyanide and mercury cyanide. The beneficial effect of mercury in zinc solutions for plating zinc on iron is explained from these results and the known fact that mercury is the most electro‐positive of all the cations in the plating solution.
Complications of pediatric cataract surgery.

AbstractPurpose: Cataract surgery in young children poses different challenges and potential complications compared to those encountered in adult populations. We performed a literature review of the complications of pediatric cataract surgery. Methods: Literature review of complications of pediatric cataract surgery. Results: Complications in children vary based on the age of the patient at surgery and the cause of the cataract. Common events discussed include increased inflammatory response, opacification of the posterior capsule, lens reproliferation, pupillary membrane, and amblyopia; less common events include infections, significant bleeding, and retinal detachment. Conclusion: Complications after cataract surgery in children are often associated with a robust inflammatory reaction or secondary opacity and, in infants, glaucoma. Late complications can occur decades later, so that long-term follow-up is required. Though surgery carries significant risks, the consequences of no surgery and irreversible...