cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A coculture model of synoviocytes and bone for the evaluation of potential arthritis therapies.

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the symbiotic relationship between musculoskeletal cells in the intact joint utilizing a coculture system and to determine if the model can be utilized to evaluate potential treatments for articular diseases. Methods: Two neonatal mouse calvariae were placed on steel supports on a monolayer of rabbit synovial fibroblasts, and net calcium flux, bone cell activity, and undecalcified histology were determined at 6, 24, and 48 h. To determine if the model was predictive of response to known therapies for articular disease, the coculture was incubated in the presence and absence of indomethacin or doxycycline, and the net calcium flux was measured. Results: The coincubation of calvariae with synoviocytes led to a fivefold increase in net calcium efflux compared to calvariae alone. The concentration in the media of the osteoblastic enzyme alkaline phosphatase increased at 6 h but decreased thereafter, whereas the concentration of osteoclastic enzyme β-glucuronidase increased with time. Undecalcified bone histology revealed progressive demineralization and an increase in the number of osteoclasts in calvariae incubated with synoviocytes compared to calvariae alone. Both indomethacin and doxycycline inhibited calcium flux from cocultures but the predominant effect of doxycycline was on the synoviocyte whereas the predominant effect of indomethacin was on bone. Conclusion: The coincubation of synoviocytes with calvariae led to an increase in bone mineral dissolution with time. This effect could be partially inhibited by known treatments for rheumatoid arthritis. Thus, the coculture model may simulate certain aspects of the in vivo processes relevant to rheumatoid arthritis. This model should prove useful for the study of potential therapies for inflammatory arthritis and distinguish between effects of these therapies on different cellular components of the joint.
Review of Martin Lindstrom, Buyology

In his most recent offering, Buyology, marketing guru Martin Lindstrom takes readers behind the curtain for a look at the use of neuroscience in furthering the goals of the advertising industry. Bu...
Organismic variables as predictors of vigilance behavior.

This research was designed to test the hypothesis that certain organismic variables are related to vigilance behavior. The vigilance task consisted of a cathode ray tube display which was monitored by 40 Ss for a period of 4 hr. Several of the organismic variables (personality and intelligence test data) were related to monitoring behavior. These were self-control and flexibility as measured by the California Psychological Inventory (CPI). Those Ss who scored high on both the intelligence test and the Achievement via Independence scale of the CPI showed no decline in their performance during the long monitoring session. These results suggest the feasibility of predicting S's performance on a vigilance task from psychological measures.
Treatment of vaginal dysplasia: Just a simple loop electrosurgical excision procedure?

We report a case of sigmoid perforation, peritonitis, and adult respiratory distress syndrome after a loop excision procedure for carcinoma in situ of the cervix and dysplasia of the vagina. Treatment of vaginal dysplasia with loop excision is potentially dangerous. Safer methods of management include carbon dioxide laser, topical 5-fluorouracil, and fulguration.
Murine Cytomegalovirus Targets Transcription Factor ATF4 To Exploit the Unfolded-Protein Response

The unfolded-protein response (UPR), activated by sensor molecules PERK, ATF6, and IRE1 to resolve endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, has emerged as a key target for host cells and viruses to control the infection outcomes. The UPR regulates ER protein folding, controls cell fate upon ER stress, and plays an important role in innate immunity. We and others have shown that human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) modulates the UPR. We show here that murine CMV (MCMV), the widely used CMV model for small animal infection, regulated the UPR in a manner similar to that of HCMV. This modulatory ability was triggered by virion entry and enhanced by viral immediate-early and early gene expression. Thus, while vulnerable at early times, MCMV became resistant to exogenous ER stress at late times of infection. MCMV activated the PERK-ATF4 pathway but only induced a subset of representative ATF4 targets at levels somewhat lower than those by the ER stress inducer tunicamycin. Moreover, MCMV induced ER chaperone Bip but actively blocked IRE1-mediated Xbp1(s) protein accumulation. ATF4 depletion severely attenuated viral growth at a low multiplicity of infection by modestly reducing viral DNA synthesis and more pronouncedly inhibiting late gene transcription. Collectively, we show that the UPR is a conserved target of CMVs and identify ATF4, a key UPR component, as a factor critical for MCMV infection. This work sets the stage for using the MCMV model to explore the role of this stress response in CMV biology, particularly during infection of the host, which is difficult to study in HCMV.
Rebleeding leads to poor outcome in ultra-early craniotomy for intracerebral hemorrhage

Background: A modest benefit was previously demonstrated for hematoma evacuation within 12 hours of intracerebral hemorrhage onset. Perhaps surgery within 4 hours would further improve outcome. Methods: Adult patients with spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage were prospectively enrolled. Craniotomy and clot evacuation were commenced within 4 hours of symptom onset in all cases. Mortality and functional outcome were assessed at 6 months. This group of patients was compared with patients treated within 12 hours of symptom onset using the same surgical and medical protocols. Results: The study was stopped after a planned interim analysis of 11 patients in the 4-hour surgery arm. Median time to surgery was 180 minutes; median hematoma volume was 40 mL; median baseline NIH Stroke Scale score was 19 and Glasgow Coma Scale score was 12. Six-month mortality was 36% and median Barthel score was 75 in survivors. Postoperative rebleeding occurred in four patients, three of whom died. A relationship between postoperative rebleeding and mortality was apparent (p = 0.03). Rebleeding occurred in 40% of the patients treated within 4 hours, compared with 12% of the patients treated within 12 hours (p = 0.11). There was a clear correlation between improved outcome and smaller postsurgical hematoma volume (p = 0.04). Conclusions: Surgical hematoma evacuation within 4 hours of symptom onset is complicated by rebleeding, indicating difficulty with hemostasis. Maximum removal of blood remains a predictor of good outcome.
Tracking the careers of academic general pediatric fellowship program graduates: academic productivity and leadership roles.

Abstract Objective Little is known about the careers of graduates of academic general pediatric (AGP) fellowship programs. We evaluated the careers of 2 cohorts of AGP fellowship graduates: an early cohort trained during 1978 to 1988, and a later cohort trained during 1989 to 1999. Methods We surveyed all known AGP fellowship graduates in both cohorts by using a confidential mailed survey. We assessed graduates' current professional work and analyzed curricula vitae for principal investigator (PI) grants; first-authored, peer-reviewed publications; and leadership positions. Results From the early cohort, 95 of 131 eligible graduates (73%) responded; from the later cohort, 93 of 133 (70%) responded. Two thirds of each cohort remain in academics; of these, nearly half are on tenure tracks and over half have major educational roles within their university. The percentage in the early cohort who have been PI on a research grant by 5, 10, and 15 years postfellowship was 44%, 53%, and 54%, respectively; in the later cohort, it was 62%, 75%, and 75%, respectively ( P = .004 vs early cohort). During the 10 years postfellowship, the early and later cohorts averaged 5.5 and 7.4 first-authored, peer-reviewed papers, respectively ( P = .4). By 10 years, a high proportion of both cohorts had become division chief (19% vs 16%), had other academic leadership positions (43% vs 59%), or were leaders in professional organizations (20% vs 30%; all P = NS). Conclusions Graduates of AGP fellowship programs have achieved considerable academic success. Recently trained fellows appear even more successful. The academic outcomes of these AGP fellows bode well for the future of AGP.
Can perceptual learning compensate for optical image blur

Tests of target recognition under blur mostly fail to separate factors of resolution and contrast from the influences of pure blur, i.e., shallow luminance edge gradients. In experiments designed to single out blur, patterns of fixed size were convolved with a Gaussian spread function whose parameter was the variable. In addition, contrast invariance was ensured. The spread parameter was varied to measure form discrimination thresholds for simple geometrical shapes. Following determination of baseline values, observers trained for 7days, 1000 form discrimination responses with error feedback per day in a staircase procedure of the blur parameter. For four observers, thresholds improved an average of 5% (range -11% to +14%) equally for trained and untrained patterns and remained stable during subsequent training with the same targets in a related form discrimination task not involving blur. Because it transferred across target sets, the very slight improvement was indeed in the perceptual capacity to compensate for optical image degradation and not in form discrimination, but its defocus equivalent was quite minor, well less than ¼ diopter. Previous claims for blur adaptation must therefore rest on more complex factors that are not fully excluded in clinical settings.
Pediatric Patients Hospitalized with Myocarditis: A Multi-Institutional Analysis

The objective of this study was to identify the patient, institutional, and utilization characteristics associated with outcome in hospitalized pediatric patients with myocarditis. This was a nonconcurrent cohort study of all consecutive pediatric discharges from the 35 academic children's hospitals that are members of the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS): patients from birth through age 21 years discharged from participating hospitals between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2005. Patient-level, institution-level, and utilization variables were examined. A total of 427,615 patients were discharged, and 216 (0.05%) were diagnosed with myocarditis. Common etiologies were idiopathic (82%), related to other diseases (6%), and bacterial or viral (3%). Myocarditis patients required considerable support including intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG; 49.1%), milrinone (45%), epinephrine (35%), mechanical ventilation (25%), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (7%), and cardiac transplantation (5%). Even in patients with extreme illness scores, IVIG use did not impact survival (P = 0.67). Overall survival of myocarditis patients was 92%. Myocarditis patients who died presented with a higher severity of illness and required frequent use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and other ICU therapies. In conclusion, pediatric patients with myocarditis have considerable variability in their presentations and outcomes, use more resources, and die more often than children with other diagnoses. Attempts at using characteristics that uniformly predict illness severity or survival were not successful. Despite increased use in the sickest patients, IVIG conferred no survival advantage.
High‐order non‐linear circuit elements: Circuit‐theoretic properties

Highei- and mixed-order non-linear circuit elements have been introduced to provide a logically complete formulation for non-linear circuit theory. In this paper, we analyse the circuit-theoretic properties of these elements, including reciprocity, passivity and losslessness. We have derived necessary and sufficient conditions for a higher- or mixed-order n-port element to be reciprocal or antireciprocal. We have shown that under very mild assumptions, most non-linear higher-order 2-terminal elements are active and not lossless. Finally, we show that the number of lossless linear higher-order 2-terminal elements far exceeds that of the passive linear elements.
Evidence for altered Wnt signaling in psoriatic skin.

The Wnt gene family encodes a set of highly conserved secreted signaling proteins that have major roles in embryogenesis and tissue homeostasis. Yet the expression of this family of important mediators in psoriasis, a disease characterized by marked changes in keratinocyte growth and differentiation, is incompletely understood. We subjected 58 paired biopsies from lesional and uninvolved psoriatic skin and 64 biopsies from normal skin to global gene expression profiling. WNT5A transcripts were upregulated fivefold in lesional skin, accompanied by increased Wnt-5a protein levels. Notably, WNT5A mRNA was markedly induced by IL-1α, tumor necrosis factor-α, IFN-γ, and transforming growth factor-α in cultured keratinocytes. Frizzled 2 (FZD2) and FZD5, which encode receptors for Wnt5A, were also increased in lesional psoriatic skin. In contrast, expression of WIF1 mRNA, encoding a secreted antagonist of the Wnt proteins, was downregulated >10-fold in lesional skin, along with decreased WNT inhibitory factor (WIF)-1 immunostaining. Interestingly, pathway analysis along with reduced AXIN2 expression and lack of nuclear translocation of β-catenin indicated a suppression of canonical Wnt signaling in lesional skin. The results of our study suggest a shift away from canonical Wnt signaling toward noncanonical pathways driven by interactions between Wnt-5a and its cognate receptors in psoriasis, accompanied by impaired homeostatic inhibition of Wnt signaling by WIF-1 and dickkopf.
A problem of Dyer, Porcelli, and Rosenfeld

In this paper, we will demonstrate that a conjecture of Dyer, Porcelli, and Rosenfeld is correct. In fact, we will show that ifM is any finite von Neumann factor andA is any non-zero element ofM, then there exists aT inM such that the spectrum ofT+A is disjoint from the spectrum ofT, i.e. such thatσ(T+A) ∩ σ(T)=φ.
SU‐FF‐T‐127: Clinical Feasibility of Jaw‐Only IMRT Plan for Prostate Cancer

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of inverse IMRT plans generated with jaw only, compared to IMRT plans with multi‐leaf collimator(MLC) for patients with the prostate cancer.Method and Materials: For five patients, two different planning techniques were used to generate inverse IMRT plans. One was the aperture‐based IMRT planning using MLC(MLC plans) and the other used jaw only (JO plans), available in a commercial planning system. The conventional 7 beams were employed. The planning goal was to deliver 72 Gy to > 95% of the PTV while keeping 10% of the rectum and 15% of the bladder receiving < 60 Gy and mean dose of the bulb < 30 Gy. For the JO plans, four different numbers of apertures/beam (3, 4, 5, and 6) were tested, compared to the MLC plans set to 3 apertures/beam. All plans (one MLC and four JO plans) for each patient were analyzed using conformal index (COIN), defined endpoint doses to the sensitive structures, total number of segments, and total delivered monitor unit. For each patient, planning dose constraints were kept the same for MLC and JO plans. Results: The COIN values for JO plans were generally increased as the number of apertures/beam increased, up to the same value as the MLC plans. The number of total segments for the JO plans was gradually increased (21, 27, 34, 40) as the number of apertures/beam increased (3, 4, 5, 6), compared to 21 segments for the MLC plans. However, the delivered MU values and doses to sensitive structures were patient‐specific and independent of the number of apertures/beam in JO plans. Conclusion: For centers without MLCcollimator, it is possible to deliver inverse planned IMRT plans using jaws only for patients with prostate cancer.Conflict of Interest: Research sponsored by Prowess Inc.
Recess, Extracurricular Activities, and Active Classrooms: Means for Increasing Elementary School Students' Physical Activity.

(2008). Recess, Extracurricular Activities, and Active Classrooms. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance: Vol. 79, No. 2, pp. 26-39.
Propagation of cracks in elastic media

Throughout this paper the normal n denotes the interior normal direction; i.e., n = ( f (x1); 1)= p 1 + jf (x1)j when x approaches from above (denoted by ) and n = (f (x1); 1)= p 1 + jf (x1)j from below (denoted by ). In a recent paper [2] the present authors studied the asymptotic behavior of any solution of (1.2){(1.4) in a neighborhood of the tip X(t). Taking for simplicity t = 0 and assuming that
SU‐E‐J‐60: GPU Accelerated DRR Computation with Scatter

Purpose: We propose a fast software library implemented on graphics processing unit (GPU) to compute digitally reconstructed radiographs(DRRs). It takes into account first order Compton scattering. Methods: The simulation is based on the evaluation of the Beer‐Lambert law and of the Klein‐Nishina equation. The algorithm is fully determinist and has been fully implemented on GPU to achieve clinically acceptable efficiency. A full resolution simulation is performed for primary radiation. A much lower image resolution is used for Compton scattering as it adds a low frequency pattern over the projection image. Each voxel of the CT dataset is considered as a secondary source. The number of photons that reach each voxel is evaluated. Then, for each secondary source, a projection image is computed and integrated in the final image. The photon energy between each secondary source and each pixel is also computed. An interlaced sampling mode is also proposed to further reduce the computation time without sacrificing numerical accuracy. Finally, the speed and accuracy are assessed.Results: We show that the computations can be fully implemented on the GPU with an original under‐sampling method to produce clinically acceptable results. For example, a simulation can be achieved in less than 7 seconds whilst the maximum relative error remains below 5% and the average relative error below 1.4%. At full resolution, a speed‐up by factor ∼12X is achieved for the GPU implementation with our interlaced‐mode by comparison with our multi‐threaded CPU implementation using 8 threads in parallel Conclusions: DRR calculation with scatter is computationally intensive. The use of GPU can achieve clinically acceptable efficiency. A Compton fluence map can be computed in a few seconds using under‐sampling, whilst keeping numerical inaccuracies relatively low. This work can be used for CBCT reconstruction to reduce scatter artifacts.
Luminal flow patterns dictate arterial drug deposition in stent-based delivery

Endovascular stents reside in a dynamic flow environment and yet the impact of flow on arterial drug deposition after stent-based delivery is only now emerging. We employed computational fluid dynamic modeling tools to investigate the influence of luminal flow patterns on arterial drug deposition and distribution. Flow imposes recirculation zones distal and proximal to the stent strut that extend the coverage of tissue absorption of eluted drug and induce asymmetry in tissue drug distribution. Our analysis now explains how the disparity in sizes of the two recirculation zones and the asymmetry in drug distribution are determined by a complex interplay of local flow and strut geometry. When temporal periodicity was introduced as a model of pulsatile flow, the net luminal flow served as an index of flow-mediated spatio-temporal tissue drug uptake. Dynamically changing luminal flow patterns are intrinsic to the coronary arterial tree. Coronary drug-eluting stents should be appropriately considered where luminal flow, strut design and pulsatility have direct effects on tissue drug uptake after local delivery.
RELIGION, REPRESSION, AND REBELLION

Abstract Societies that abuse the religious rights of their subjects are likely to suffer damaging consequences; the experience of minorities under persecution is a major contributor to the failure of some processes of nation-building. The persecution of minorities can contribute to political unrest and instability because groups under siege often go underground and learn to operate clandestinely, possibly developing ideologies that justify violence, and even creating effective military wings. Persecution also influences the power dynamics within a particular movement, concentrating power in the hands of a few clerics, and fostering sympathies with co-religionists abroad, while deconstructing national identity.
Inappropriate Pauses During Bradycardia Pacing in a Third-Generation Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator

Many ICD devices have the capability for back up bradycardia pacing. Because of the use of a single sensing algorithm for both bradycardia and tachycardia functions, they may be prone to certain "sensing errors." Following implantation of an ICD in a patient with long QT syndrome, "inappropriate" pauses were noted during bradycardia pacing, which were exactly twice the programmed pacing cycle length. This was due to an automatic increase in the device's sensitivity during pacing, a characteristic of the automatic gain control of this particular ICD. Proper recognition of this ICD's special features, known as "lower threshold crossing," allowed noninvasive rectification of the problem and prevented these pauses.
Leiomyoma primary cultures have elevated transcriptional response to estrogen compared with autologous myometrial cultures

We tested the hypothesis that uterine leiomyomas are hypersensitive to estrogen as compared with autologous human myometrium. The estrogen-induced transcriptional responses of uterine leiomyoma and myometrial primary cultures were determined by transient expression assays. The relative levels of estrogen receptor (ER) in myometrial and leiomyoma tissues were determined by immunoblot. Myometrial and leiomyoma primary cultures were transcriptionally responsive to the estrogen ethinyl estradiol (eE2). The partial agonist tamoxifen did not elicit a positive transcriptional response and antagonized estrogen-induced transcription in the cultured cells. The responses of hormone-treated leiomyoma cells averaged 4.5-fold higher than those in controls with no hormone (9 =.0001). The myometrial cells from women in the follicular phase exhibited little if any transcriptional response to eE2, whereas myometrial cells from women in the luteal phase had a transcriptional response to eE2 averaging threefold higher than that in no-hormone controls (P =.0083). Differences in response between autologous myometrial and leiomyoma cultures were statistically significant by the two-tailed Wilcoxon paired nonparametric signed-rank test (n = 11; P =.0137). These differences were more pronounced in cultures from women in the follicular or early luteal phase. In addition, the levels of ER increased in follicular and early luteal phase myometrial tissues, which correlated well with the number of days from the last menstrual period (n = 8; r = 0.9046; P =.002). Estrogen-receptor levels in myometrial tissues decreased during the late luteal phase. Levels in leiomyoma tissues did not follow the same pattern as in the myometrium and were elevated in tissues taken from women in the follicular phase. Autologous leiomyoma cultures have a significantly higher response to estrogen than do matched myometrial cultures, especially if the cultures are derived from the follicular phase. The levels of ER in leiomyoma tissue from women in the follicular phase are significantly elevated. (J Soc Gynecol Invest 1995;2:542-5)
Biofilm image reconstruction for assessing structural parameters

The structure of biofilms can be numerically quantified from microscopy images using structural parameters. These parameters are used in biofilm image analysis to compare biofilms, to monitor temporal variation in biofilm structure, to quantify the effects of antibiotics on biofilm structure and to determine the effects of environmental conditions on biofilm structure. It is often hypothesized that biofilms with similar structural parameter values will have similar structures; however, this hypothesis has never been tested. The main goal was to test the hypothesis that the commonly used structural parameters can characterize the differences or similarities between biofilm structures. To achieve this goal (1) biofilm image reconstruction was developed as a new tool for assessing structural parameters, (2) independent reconstructions using the same starting structural parameters were tested to see how they differed from each other, (3) the effect of the original image parameter values on reconstruction success was evaluated, and (4) the effect of the number and type of the parameters on reconstruction success was evaluated. It was found that two biofilms characterized by identical commonly used structural parameter values may look different, that the number and size of clusters in the original biofilm image affect image reconstruction success and that, in general, a small set of arbitrarily selected parameters may not reveal relevant differences between biofilm structures.
An Evaluation of Six Internal Anchor Tags for Tagging Juvenile Striped Bass

Abstract Six types of internal anchor tags were compared for retention, legibility, and durability in tagging juvenile (age-0) striped bass Morone saxatilis. Tank-reared striped bass (120–200 mm total length) were tagged with coded wire tags and one of six types of internal anchor tags (500 fish each tag type and two groups of controls). The types of internal anchor tags used were as follows: Floy streamer FM-84 (currently in use by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service); Floy streamer with protective sheath (modified FM-84), Floy streamer with a monofilament leader and sheath (FM-89SL), modified Hallprint T687, Hallprint monofilament IEX WAD, and Hallprint T-bar IEX NOR. The Hallprint T-bar IEX NOR and the Floy FM-84 tags caused significantly higher 2-week and 6-month mortality. Final fish total length was different among tag types and tagger groups; however, final fish size was not correlated with either variable after adjusting for initial fish size. Tags were also mounted on polyvinyl chloride pipes and...
Transmission Measurement Of Optical Components At Cryogenic Temperatures

Rockwell International Corporation Metrology, in Anaheim, California, has implemented a unique capability for measuring the transmission of plane optical components at cryogenic temperatures. This capability supports Rockwell's Electro-Optical Center in the manufacturing and testing of short- and long-wave IR detectors designed to operate at low thermal background levels.
Anesthesia and Management of Anesthetic Complications of Laparoscopic Urological Surgery

Patients undergoing laparoscopic urological surgery are subjected by definition to non-physiological trespass that threatens to destabilize their homeostasis. Consequently, the anesthesiologist needs to take an active role in the process from the outset and must work closely with the surgical team in order to bring the patient through the operation without adverse outcome. This coordinated effort involves preoperative patient evaluation, optimization of the patient’s composite organ function or dysfunction, provision of an appropriate anesthetic with appropriate physiological monitoring, careful patient positioning, preservation of cardiovascular stability, maintenance of oxygenation and ventilation, protection of renal function, and smooth emergence from the anesthetized state to the recovering state. This chapter will consider this process in three parts: preoperative evaluation and preparation; maintenance of cardiovascular, including renal, function during the procedure; and management of oxygenation and ventilation in the context of laparoscopy and non-supine positioning.
Recombinant human proteinase 3, the Wegener's autoantigen, expressed in HMC-1 cells is enzymatically active and recognized by c-ANCA

We developed a stable expression system for conformationally intact recombinant human PR3 (rPR3) using the human mast cell line HMC-1. Like in U937 cells, the rPR3 is processed from a 34 kDa precursor to the 29 kDa mature form, primarily as the result of oligosaccharide trimming. The rPR3 binds [3H]DFP and hydrolyzes the substrate N-methoxysuccinyl-Ala-Ala-Ala-Pro-Val-pNA. The enzymatic activity is inhibited by greater than 95% by α1-PI. The rPR3 and the enzymatically inactive mutant rPR3-S176A are both packaged in granules. Thus, proteolytic autoprocessing is not required for PR3's targeting to granules. This rPR3 is the first to be recognized by most c-ANCA from WG patients and all anti-PR3 ANCA that were detected by standard anti-PR3 specific ELISA. This expression system for rPR3 represents a versatile tool for the analysis of its intracellular processing, structure-function relationships and interaction with autoantibodies.
3-D articulated pose tracking for untethered diectic reference

Arm and body pose are useful cues for diectic reference - users naturally extend their arms to objects of interest in a dialog. We present recent progress on untethered sensing of articulated arm and body configuration using robust stereo vision techniques. These techniques allow robust, accurate, real-time tracking of 3D position and orientation. We demonstrate users' performance with our system on object selection tasks and describe our initial efforts to integrate this system into a multimodal conversational dialog framework.
Resorption in guinea pigs as estimated by counting corpora lutea: the problem of twinning.

Normal pregnant guinea pigs were killed on gestation days 12–20 and examined for implantation sites and resorbing embryos. Their ovaries were removed and serially sectioned, and the functioning corpora lutea counted for comparison with the number of conceptuses. It was found that a single corpus luteum was associated with two implantation sites with a frequency of 9.55%. Embryonic loss prior to implantation was 12.6% and the value for resorption following implantation varied from 5.8 to 7.2% depending on the time of killing and the method employed for determining resportion. A count of functioning corpora lutea facilitated the determination of embryonic loss prior to implantation, but offered little advantage over simpler techniques for determining resorption after implantation.
Interventions that may reduce depressive symptoms among prostate cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective Prostate cancer patients are at increased risk of depression yet there is no standard intervention to address this. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to examine the efficacy of interventions in reducing depressive symptoms in men with prostate cancer. Methods Searches for studies were conducted in four databases and by hand. Randomized controlled trials of any intervention relative to control for depression in prostate cancer patients at any stage of their cancer treatment were included. Results We identified 11 studies that randomized men with prostate cancer to either an intervention meant to improve some aspect of quality of life or control and reported depressive symptoms scores before and after the intervention or control condition. Two of these were not used in our meta-analysis either for concerns about quality or for lack of depression scores. The interventions identified in the remaining nine articles were exercise (four), information (three), psychotherapy or peer support (three), massage therapy (one), and medication (one). Several publications included more than one type of intervention. A meta-analysis of all studies showed that an intervention of some types significantly improved depressive symptom scores relative to the control condition (improvement in depression score by −0.86 unit (95% CI: −1.42, −0.31)). Isolating the peer support/psychotherapy studies also showed significant improvement (improvement in depression score by −1.09 unit (95% CI: −2.05, −0.13)). Conclusion Treatments to improve depressive symptoms in men with prostate cancer may be effective, with the best evidence supporting the use of peer support/psychotherapy. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of the Major Histocompatibility Complex on the Inhibition of Induced Cellulitis Development in a Broiler Chicken Model

The chicken major histocompatibility complex (MHC) has been implicated in conferring resistance or susceptibility to several bacterial, parasitic, and viral diseases, the most notable of which is Marek's disease. In Marek's disease certain MHC haplotypes have been shown to confer relative resistance (B21), whereas other haplotypes are susceptible (B13). Relatively little work has been performed looking at the association of the MHC with bacterial diseases. One such disease is cellulitis, which is caused by several different bacteria but most notably by Escherichia coli. In this report, a commercial broiler chicken line known to contain standard B13 and B21, as well as the unique MHC types BA9 and BA12, was examined in a challenge model for cellulitis. The MHC-defined birds were challenged with a cellulitis-causing E. coli isolate and the frequency of lesion development and severity was quantified. In conclusion, B21 had the highest incidence of cellulitis development, B13 had the lowest incidence, and BA9 and BA12 had intermediate results. Results concerning the lesion severity showed that it was independent of the birds' MHC type.
Fuzzy confidence estimation of the parameter involving in the distribution of the total time on test for censored data

Data mining has captured the interest of researchers from many different as well as diverse fields of study such as data base systems, machine learning, statistics, cluster analysis, knowledge based systems. One of the major issues in data mining is the analysis of attribute relevance. The basic idea is to come up with a measure that can be effectively used to quantify the relevance of an attribute in identifying a class or a concept. One possible application is the total failure time of censored data. That is, the total time on test for censored data of a system with several components often plays an important role in the reliability theory. In some cases, all components of a system with several identical components may be put on test until an r-th smallest failure time occurs and the total time on test is subsequently calculated. The total time on test for censored data from exponentially distributed censored data has been proved to be an adequate statistic by Nair and Cheng in light of the works by Skibinsky, Cheng and Mordeson, and others. The test may be repeated for many times. As a result, since the total time on test until the r-th ordered failure time is observed will be recorded for each test, several total time on test (for censored data) for the same system are available for use in analyzing the reliability of the system. Fuzzy set theory was formalized by Zadeh. Some fuzzy statistical techniques can be found in (J. J. Buckley 2004, H. J. Zimmerma 1990). In this proposal, we are investigating the fuzzy estimation of the parameter of underlying probability distribution for total failure time of censored data.
Winter snowfall prediction in the United States using multiple discriminant analysis

This study seeks to determine the skill of multiple discriminant analysis for predicting seasonal snowfall. Winter total snowfall amount and frequency of snowfall events are examined for 440 stations in the United States from 1930 to 2006. The independent variables used to create the forecast include ocean–atmosphere teleconnection patterns [such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO)], large-scale atmospheric patterns [such as the Arctic Oscillation (AO), North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Pacific/North American (PNA)], land cover (such as Arctic sea ice extent and Eurasian snow cover extent), and temperature. Based on a jackknife analysis, forecasts are correct 20–80% of the time for categories of ‘below normal’, ‘near normal’, and ‘above normal’. When broader categories are used of ‘normal or below’, ‘near normal’, and ‘normal or above’ the forecasts are correct as much as 90% of the time at some stations. The Central United States, Ohio River Valley, Great Lakes, and Upper Midwest regions show the highest level of skill. Results not only confirm relationships previously documented between atmospheric phenomena and US snowfall (such as with the PNA, NAO, and ENSO), but also expand our understanding of factors that influence decadal-scale snowfall variation (such as Arctic sea ice extent and Eurasian snow cover extent).
Combination of 4-1BB Agonist and PD-1 Antagonist Promotes Antitumor Effector/Memory CD8 T Cells in a Poorly Immunogenic Tumor Model

Immunotherapies targeting the programmed death 1 (PD-1) coinhibitory receptor have shown great promise for a subset of patients with cancer. However, robust and safe combination therapies are still needed to bring the benefit of cancer immunotherapy to broader patient populations. To search for an optimal strategy of combinatorial immunotherapy, we have compared the antitumor activity of the anti–4-1BB/anti–PD-1 combination with that of the anti–PD-1/anti–LAG-3 combination in the poorly immunogenic B16F10 melanoma model. Pronounced tumor inhibition occurred only in animals receiving anti–PD-1 and anti–4-1BB concomitantly, while combining anti–PD-1 with anti–LAG-3 led to a modest degree of tumor suppression. The activity of the anti–4-1BB/anti–PD-1 combination was dependent on IFNγ and CD8 + T cells. Both 4-1BB and PD-1 proteins were elevated on the surface of CD8 + T cells by anti–4-1BB/anti–PD-1 cotreatment. In the tumor microenvironment, an effective antitumor immune response was induced as indicated by the increased CD8 + /Treg ratio and the enrichment of genes such as Cd3e , Cd8a , Ifng , and Eomes . In the spleen, the combination treatment shaped the immune system to an effector/memory phenotype and increased the overall activity of tumor-specific CD8 + CTLs, reflecting a long-lasting systemic antitumor response. Furthermore, combination treatment in C57BL/6 mice showed no additional safety signals, and only minimally increased severity of the known toxicity relative to 4-1BB agonist alone. Therefore, in the absence of any cancer vaccine, anti–4-1BB/anti–PD-1 combination therapy is sufficient to elicit a robust antitumor effector/memory T-cell response in an aggressive tumor model and is therefore a candidate for combination trials in patients. Cancer Immunol Res; 3(2); 149–60. ©2014 AACR .
Interpreting antidepressant clinical trials.

Background. Psychiatrists and other clinicians make decisions about antidepressant medications with little understanding on how to interpret the research literature.Methods. Pertinent clinical literature is reviewed.Results. The author reviews levels of evidence, study design, statistical significance, p values, defining outcomes, drop outs, and basic analytic strategies such as last observation carried forward and mixed-effects model repeated measures. Several recent clinical trials are dissected to illustrate these concepts.Conclusions. Clinicians need to develop greater sophistication at interpreting research findings. No single study is definitive, and comparative antidepressant trials suffer from low statistical power.
Surgical treatment of infected aortic aneurysm

background We report results of infected aortic aneurysms treated by a single group over 20 years. methods Retrospective review. results Seventeen patients were treated, 10 with infrarenal and 7 suprarenal infections. All had abdominal/back pain, 88% wore febrile, 71% had leukocytosis, and 24% were hemodynamically unstable. The most common responsible organism was Staphylococcus aureus (29%) followed by Salmonella organisms (24%). All suprarenal infections were gram-positive organisms. Infrarenal infections were treated with preliminary axillofemoral bypass followed by aortic resection. Suprarenal infections were treated with either in situ prosthetic graft or patch repairs. Operative survival was 90% for infrarenal and 57% for suprarenal infections. Operative deaths occurred in the setting of overwhelming sepsis and/or severe preoperative hemodynamic instability. There was no limb loss, renal failure, or intestinal ischemia. Late deaths occurred in 4 patients at 1.3 to 6.3 years postoperatively and were unrelated to their aortic repairs. Nine patients remain alive with a median follow-up of 2 years. There have been no late aortic or graft infections. conclusions In the absence of hemodynamic instability and uncontrolled sepsis, infected aortic aneurysms can be successfully repaired with durable results.
Analysis of the response of long period fiber gratings to external index of refraction

This paper demonstrates that the change in wavelength of a long period fiber grating attenuation band with changes in external index of refraction can be enhanced by proper selection of the grating period. We calculate and experimentally verify that the wavelength shift caused by changing the external index from n=1 to n=1.44 of the attenuation band which appears in the 1400-1600 nm region in a 200-/spl mu/m period grating is four times that in a 350-/spl mu/m period grating. Changes in the spectrum over a wavelength range from 1100 to 1600 nm and 1<n<1.72 index range are also presented, and implications for grating design when enhanced or reduced index sensitivity is desired are discussed. Finally, we demonstrate the use of a highly index-sensitive long period fiber grating as a chemical concentration sensor.
A REYNOLDS NUMBER INDEPENDENT MODEL FOR TURBULENCE IN COUETTE FLOW

In this paper we study theoretically and computationally the dynamics of linearized stream-wise constant Navier-Stokes equations, under external time varying deterministic disturbances.
Negotiating Conflict Transformations

Negotiations to reach an agreement between adversaries are an episode in the course of the dynamic relationship between them. Some developments within and between adversaries bring them into negotiations; the negotiation process helps shape an agreement, or fails to; and those results influence the future trajectory of their conflict. This chapter focuses on how negotiation sequences mark and contribute to constructive conflict transformations, or fail to do so. Several cases of sequences of negotiation episodes are briefly noted. I then discuss four structural matters that affect the conflict trajectories. These matters are conflict context, methods of past struggle, symmetry of the relationship, and non-contentious aspects of the relationship. Finally, six conflict resolution negotiation strategies that affect reaching agreements and constructive conflict transformations are examined. The strategies are mediation, negotiation framing, mutual recognition of concerns, implementation of agreements, multilevel engagement, and managing spoiling actions.
Capturing Craft Knowledge in Teaching

This exploration raises some problems and poses some solutions in identifying the craft knowledge of teaching. Craft knowledge, or wisdom of practice, is one important component in the design and validation of new national teacher assessments. The prototype assessment exercises for national board certification are one site in which such craft knowledge has been used. From that experience and others, some guides for inspecting exercises are suggested.
A meshless local boundary integral equation (LBIE) method for solving nonlinear problems

A new meshless method for solving nonlinear boundary value problems, based on the local boundary integral equation (LBIE) method and the moving least squares approximation, is proposed in the present paper. The total formulation and a rate formulation are developed for the implementation of the present method. The present method does not need domain and boundary elements to deal with the volume and boundary integrals, which will cause some difficulties for the conventional boundary element method (BEM) or the field/boundary element method (FBEM), as the volume integrals are inevitable in dealing with nonlinear boundary value problems. This is the same for the element free Galerkin (EFG) method which also needs element-like cells in the entire domain to evaluate volume integrals. The “companion fundamental solution” introduced in Zhu, Zhang and Atluri (1998) is used so that no derivatives of the shape functions are needed to construct the stiffness matrix for the interior nodes, as well as for those nodes with no parts of their local boundaries coinciding with the global boundary of the domain of the problem, where essential boundary conditions are specified. It is shown that the satisfaction of the essential as well as natural boundary conditions is quite simple, and algorithmically very efficient, in the present nonlinear LBIE approach. Numerical examples are presented for several problems, for which exact solutions are available. The present method converges fast to the final solution with reasonably accurate results for both the unknown variable and its derivatives. No post processing procedure is required to compute the derivatives of the unknown variable (as in the conventional FBEM), since the solution from the present method, using the moving least squares approximation, is already smooth enough. The numerical results in these examples show that high rates of convergence for the Sobolev norms ∥·∥0 and ∥·∥1 are achievable, and that the values of the unknown variable and its derivatives are quite accurate.
DUODENAL OBSTRUCTION BY A NONDEFLATING FOLEY CATHETER GASTROSTOMY TUBE

We report the case of a 36-year-old mentally retarded man who presented to our emergency department after one day of vomiting and one episode of coffee-ground emesis. The Foley catheter used as his gastrostomy tube was found to be obstructing the duodenum, and the balloon could not be deflated. Removal was accomplished by rupturing the balloon by endoscopy. Our case illustrates one of many possible complications of feeding gastrostomy tubes.
COMMUNITY INVASIBILITY, RECRUITMENT LIMITATION, AND GRASSLAND BIODIVERSITY

Plant species composition, species abundances, and species richness were strongly recruitment limited in a 4-yr experiment in which seeds of up to 54 species were added to patches of native grassland. Four field seasons after a one-time addition of seed, many added species were still present and reproducing, with plots seeded at the highest rate having species richness that was 83% greater and total plant cover that was 31% greater than controls. Total plant community cover increased significantly with the number of species added as seed, but total cover of pre-existing species was independent of the number of species added as seed, suggesting that the new species mainly filled previously ''empty'' sites. The proportion of added species that became established was negatively correlated with initial species richness of plots, suggesting that species-rich sites were more resistant to invasion. Plot invasibility also depended on the abundances and species richness of plant functional groups in the plots, but was independent of seed size and of total plant cover. The major functional groups of plants differed in their abilities to invade as seed, with perennial grasses being the poorest invaders and herbaceous legumes being the best. Thus, local biotic interactions and recruitment dynamics jointly determined diversity, species composition, and species abundances in these native grassland communities. This supports a metapopulation-like perspective over a purely interspecific-interaction perspective or a purely regional perspective, suggesting that recruitment limitation may be more important, even on a local scale, than often recognized.
Neisseria gonorrhoeae With High-Level Resistance to Azithromycin: Case Report of the First Isolate Identified in the United States

We report on the first Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolate in the United States identified with high-level resistance to azithromycin. This report discusses the epidemiologic case investigation, the molecular studies of resistance-associated mutations and N. gonorrhoeae multiantigen sequence typing, and challenges posed by emerging gonococcal antimicrobial resistance.