cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Memory-efficient volume ray tracing on GPU for radiotherapy

Ray tracing within a uniform grid volume is a fundamental process invoked frequently by many radiation dose calculation methods in radiotherapy. Recent advances of the graphics processing units (GPU) help real-time dose calculation become a reachable goal. However, the performance of the known GPU methods for volume ray tracing is all bounded by the memory-throughput, which leads to inefficient usage of the GPU computational capacity. This paper introduces a simple yet effective ray tracing technique aiming to improve the memory bandwidth utilization of GPU for processing a massive number of rays. The idea is to exploit the coherent relationship between the rays and match the ray tracing behavior with the underlying characteristics of the GPU memory system. The proposed method has been evaluated on 4 phantom setups using randomly generated rays. The collapsed-cone convolution/superposition (CCCS) dose calculation method is also implemented with/without the proposed approach to verify the feasibility of our method. Compared with the direct GPU implementation of the popular 3DDDA algorithm, the new method provides a speedup in the range of 1.8–2.7X for the given phantom settings. Major performance factors such as ray origins, phantom sizes, and pyramid sizes are also analyzed. The proposed technique was also shown to lead to a speedup of 1.3–1.6X over the original GPU implementation of the CCCS algorithm.
Early Adolescent Perceptions of the Need for Adults to Know more about them

This study compared perceptions of early adolescents and those of adults related to the need for adults to know more about factors which may have a bearing on how adolescents learn. Two hundred and nineteen, 12 to 14 year olds in grades seven and eight were administered the 25 item questionnaire which was previously used with administrators, teachers and parents of middle school students. Differences between the two groups were observed as were adolescent age-gender variations. Adults perceived a greater need to know more about larger number of factors than did adolescents. Older children and females had higher percentages of perceived need than did younger adolescents and males.
Cholesterol sulfate in human physiology: what's it all about?

Cholesterol sulfate is quantitatively the most important known sterol sulfate in human plasma, where it is present in a concentration that overlaps that of the other abundant circulating steroid sulfate, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) sulfate. Although these sulfolipids have similar production and metabolic clearance rates, they arise from distinct sources and are metabolized by different pathways. While the function of DHEA sulfate remains an enigma, cholesterol sulfate has emerged as an important regulatory molecule. Cholesterol sulfate is a component of cell membranes where it has a stabilizing role, e.g., protecting erythrocytes from osmotic lysis and regulating sperm capacitation. It is present in platelet membranes where it supports platelet adhesion. Cholesterol sulfate can regulate the activity of serine proteases, e.g., those involved in blood clotting, fibrinolysis, and epidermal cell adhesion. As a result of its ability to regulate the activity of selective protein kinase C isoforms and modulate the specificity of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, cholesterol sulfate is involved in signal transduction. Cholesterol sulfate functions in keratinocyte differentiation, inducing genes that encode for key components involved in development of the barrier. The accumulating evidence demonstrating a regulatory function for cholesterol sulfate appears solid; the challenge now is to work out the molecular mechanisms whereby this interesting molecule carries out its various roles.
53BP1 regulates DNA resection and the choice between classical and alternative end joining during class switch recombination

Class switch recombination (CSR) diversifies antibodies by joining highly repetitive DNA elements, which are separated by 60–200 kbp. CSR is initiated by activation-induced cytidine deaminase, an enzyme that produces multiple DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in switch regions. Switch regions are joined by a mechanism that requires an intact DNA damage response and classical or alternative nonhomologous end joining (A-NHEJ). Among the DNA damage response factors, 53BP1 has the most profound effect on CSR. We explore the role of 53BP1 in intrachromosomal DNA repair using I-SceI to introduce paired DSBs in the IgH locus. We find that the absence of 53BP1 results in an ataxia telangiectasia mutated–dependent increase in DNA end resection and that resected DNA is preferentially repaired by microhomology-mediated A-NHEJ. We propose that 53BP1 favors long-range CSR in part by protecting DNA ends against resection, which prevents A-NHEJ–dependent short-range rejoining of intra–switch region DSBs.
Fetal cord blood mononuclear cells that are collected at term from HIV-1 infected women harbor transcriptionally active integrated proviral DNA.

Objective The purpose of this study was to determine levels of intrauterine infection and transcriptional activity in cord blood mononuclear cells that were collected at term from fetuses who were born to women who were infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and who received highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Study Design RNA and DNA were isolated from maternal placental tissues and fetal cord blood specimens that were obtained at term from pregnant women who were infected with HIV and who received HAART. Levels of integrated HIV provirus and messenger RNA transcripts were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results Detectable levels of transcriptionally active integrated provirus were present in approximately 27% of cord blood samples (n = 22) that were collected from fetuses who born to HIV-positive mothers who received HAART. Levels of HIV-p24 antigen in cultures that were detected in randomly selected cord blood samples confirmed the presence of inducible infectious virus. Conclusion These findings suggest that some fetuses from HIV-infected mothers who receive HAART and who may be HIV-negative infants after delivery can harbor circulating leukocytes that are infected productively by intrauterine transmission of HIV.
Negative Halogen Ion Sources

This paper reviews recent progress in developing high current density ion sources for positive and negative halogen ion beams. These sources have produced CI- current densities almost equal to their positive chlorine current densities, and also close to the current densities of Ar+ beams extracted under similar conditions. The emittance of the CI- and positive chlorine beams was at least as low as that of an Ar+ beam extracted from the same source. The coextracted electron ratios (e/Cl-) as low as six-seven were much lower than would be expected from the mass ratio dependence of mobility, and appear to be due to the existence of a novel plasma near the extraction plane composed primarily of positive ions and negative ions with few electrons. The results of research across the past eight decades into discharges with electronegative gases and vapors lend insight into the processes occurring in recent experiments, which employed innovations developed in the magnetic fusion energy program to produce high current D beams.
DNA damage processing defects and disease

Inherited defects in DNA repair or the processing of DNA damage can lead to disease. Both autosomal recessive and autosomal dominant modes of inheritance are represented. The diseases as a group are characterized by genomic instability, with eventual appearance of cancer. The inherited defects frequently have a specific DNA damage sensitivity, with cells from affected individuals showing normal resistance to other genotoxic agents. The known defects are subtle alterations in transcription, replication, or recombination, with alternate pathways of processing permitting cellular viability. Distinct diseases may arise from different mutations in one gene; thus, clinical phenotypes may reflect the loss of different partial functions of a gene. The findings indicate that partial defects in transcription or recombination lead to genomic instability, cancer, and characteristic disease phenotypes.
A proposed function for microridges on epithelial cells

Microridges (MR), also called microvillar ridges, microplicae and cytoplasmic folds, have been noted on many epithelial surfaces. Several functions have been proposed for these structures. In the present study we examine the mechanical role that microridges may play in holding mucus to the lumenal surface of the esophagus in the trout Salmo gairdneri. Our findings support the hypothesis that the microridges help hold a protective coat of mucus to the epithelium. In addition, the complex curved or whorled arrangement of microridges appears to facilitate the spread of mucus away from goblet cells.
Interconnects: which one is right for you?

Over the past few years cluster computers have become commonplace. During that time the interconnect choices have gotten more numerous. For the early clusters the obvious choice was Fast Ethernet. However, today there are several options including Gigabit Ethernet, Myrinet, SCI and others. Which one is right for your cluster will depend on many factors including cost, cluster size, latency and bandwidth needs. We have examined the currently available interconnects and will present performance results based on both raw bandwidth measurements and application scalability. Finally we will examine the pros and cons of each interconnect and make recommendations as to what type of cluster/application for which each interconnect is best suited.
Convergence of the van Cittert iterative method of deconvolution

Conditions necessary for the convergence of the van Cittert iterative method of deconvolution are studied. Conditions that can be expressed in the function domain are derived, some of which are readily apparent restrictions on the shape of the impulse response. The position of the response function along the abscissa is considered, since the shifting of the function can influence convergence. Only real, piecewise-analytic responses with pointwise Fourier transforms and pointwise Fourier inversion are considered.
Humoral autoimmune response to nucleophosmin in the immunodiagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a worldwide prevalent cancer with an exremely poor prognosis. Detection of serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) and liver imaging techniques are the conventional methods used clinically for the identification of this malignancy. However, these techniques are not reliable for early diagnosis, and particularly the sensitivity and specificity of AFP in HCC diagnosis are not optimal. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the development of more sensitive and specific methods that can improve AFP quantification in the early detection of HCC. In the present study, autoantibody responses to nucleophosmin (NPM1) in HCC patients were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), western blotting and indirect immunofluorescence. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) with tissue array slides was also performed to analyze protein expression of NPM1 in HCC and control tissues. The prevalence of autoantibodies against NPM1 was 22.4% (17/76) in HCC, which was significantly higher than that in sera from patients with liver cirrhosis (LC), chronic hepatitis (CH) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (P<0.01). The average titer of autoantibodies against NPM1 in HCC sera was higher compared to that in LC, CH, SLE and normal human sera (NHS) (P<0.01). In addition, anti-NMP1 autoantibodies were detected in sera from several HCC patients with serial bleeding samples. A stronger reactive band corresponding to NMP1 was visualized in the western blot analyses, utilizing sera from patients 3–6 months before the clinical diagnosis of HCC. Our data indicate that NPM1 and the anti-NPM1 system may have potential as an early-stage biomarker for HCC screening and diagnosis.
Effects of Intrauterine Devices on Nuclear Deoxyribonucleic Acid Metabolism in Rabbit Blastocysts: An Autoradiographic Study *

A metabolic parameter, DNA synthesis, was measured in rabbit blastocysts exposed to Silastic intrauterine devices (IUDs) and compared with those without IUD exposure. Autoradiographic detection of 3 H-thymidine uptake showed that the IUD-exposed blastocysts contained fewer labeled cells than their IUD-free equivalents. The depressed DNA synthesis may be caused by either a block in the cell cycle or a block in DNA synthesis itself Either way, the result could be consistent with the observation that embryo deaths occur at all growth stages: preimplantation, during implantation, and postimplantation.
Influence of tube wettability on water contact angle of powders determined by capillary rise

Abstract During a recent literature review, we have noticed that researchers used tubes made of materials having a wide range of wettability, including plastics and metals, to pack powders for wettability determination using the Washburn capillary rise (WCR) method. Most studies applying WCR have focused on the effects of powder properties and their packing methods on the contact angle, while neglecting the role of packing tube. Although the ratio of packed powder surface area to tube surface area is large, we believe that tube wettability could have a significant effect on powder wettability determined using the WCR method. In this paper, we report that when water was penetrating the packed powder inside hydrophobic tubes, the water front along the tube wall was severely pinned, and in some cases, it was completely pinned at the support/packing/tube wall interface until the water had penetrated all the way up the packed powder. Using hydrophobic tubes limited the water rise to the powder region, which resulted in contact angles that were larger (up to ∼37°) than ones obtained using hydrophilic tubes, especially when the tube size was small.
Autoantibodies to a novel cell cycle-regulated protein that accumulates in the nuclear matrix during S phase and is localized in the kinetochores and spindle midzone during mitosis

We have employed human autoantibodies to characterize a novel cell cycle-regulated nuclear protein, provisionally designated p330d (doublet polypeptide of 330 kDa). The expression and intracellular distribution of this protein was followed throughout the cell cycle using immunofluorescence microscopy, laser confocal microscopy, immunoelectron microscopy and flow cytometry. p330d was expressed only in proliferating cells and began accumulating in the nucleus during early S phase. The protein reached maximum expression levels during G2/M. In situ extractions with detergent, salt and nucleases failed to abolish the nuclear staining of interphase cells, suggesting a tight binding of p330d to the nuclear matrix during interphase. p330d was concentrated in the kinetochores during prophase but was relocated to the spindle midzone at the onset of anaphase. By late telophase, it was localized predominantly in the intercellular bridge regions flanking the midbody and disappeared gradually as the daughter cells separated. Immunoblotting analysis showed that the autoimmune sera recognized a doublet of 330 kDa, and affinity-purified antibodies from this doublet reproduced the fluorescence staining pattern of the whole serum. We propose that p330d is a novel member of the class of 'chromosomal passenger' proteins, which are associated transiently with centromeres during early mitosis and are then redistributed to other sites of the mitotic apparatus after the metaphase/anaphase transition. Possible in vivo functions for p330d and related proteins might include roles in centromere/kinetochore maturation and assembly, chromosome segregation, central spindle stabilization and cytokinesis.
Elevated CK Levels in Newborn and Maternal Polymyositis

Two infants born to mothers with pregnancy-related polymyositis (PM) had unusually elevated serum creatine kinase (CK) levels, in a report from the University of Milan, Italy.
Calcification. VI. Adenosinetriphosphate content of preosseous cartilage.

SummaryATP has been identified in TCA filtrates of epiphyseal cartilage of rat tibiae. The levels present are approximately those found in kidney, liver, and brain. The disappearance of ATP from cartilage slices incubated in basal solution is retarded initially by small amount of calcium ion. This may account in part for the prevention by calcium of the deterioration of the calcifying mechanism as reported earlier (14). A similar correlation does not occur in the case of glycogen.
Allogenous acellular dermal matrix biomaterial patches in the repair of tissue defects

Objective To investigate the application of allogenous acellular dermal matrix biomaterial patches in the repair of tissue defects of different types and positions in neonates and infants.Methods Allogenous acellular dermal matrix biomaterial patches were used in the repair of tissue defects of different types and positions in neonates and infants.There were 3 patients with abdominal wall defect after bulge excision for giant hilum,1 patient with abdominal wall defect after abdominal fibroma excision,1 patient with rectovaginal fistula and 1 patient with coxal skin necrosis caused by necrotizing fasciitis.Results One patient with giant hilum resigned from treatment,and the other 5 patients gained favorable recovery,with no complications.Conclusion Allogenous acellular dermal matrix biomaterial patches may yield good outcomes in the repair of tissue defects of different types and positions in neonates and infants.
Development and Application of Model ZJ50/3150JD Drilling Rig

The drilling rig ZJ50/3150JD is a new type rig combining electrical and mechanical driving system after the model of LS ZJ45J.It is still featured in low cost and easy maintenance,on the other hand,it solves the major deficiency of a mechanical rig,such as the restrict between rotary table speed and mud pump stroke,long transmission distance,and the way transmitting the mechanical power up to rotary table,etc.It is an exceptionally economic and durable rig,simple structure,efficiency,safety and portability.
Olfactory Receptors in Human Airway Epithelia

Olfactory receptors (OR) represent one of the largest gene families in the human genome. In spite of a significant progress in deciphering the physiological functions of olfactory receptors, how the majority of these G-protein-coupled receptors are activated is still mostly a mystery. Consequently, for the majority of OR genes there are currently no assigned physiological or behavioral functions. Deciphering ligand specificities and physiological significance of human ORs is important for understanding how the human olfactory genome encodes odors, and how such odors drive human behavior in health and disease. Although OR genes were originally thought to be restricted to the olfactory epithelium, several recent studies indicated that some members of the OR family might be acting outside the canonical chemosensory system. In a recent study, we have shown that the human airway epithelial cells can also act as chemosensory cells by directly sensing the inhalation of noxious bitter compounds, which can lead to increased mucociliary clearance, and hence may serve as a protective mechanism against inhaled toxins and microorganisms. Whether the airway epithelium can detect chemicals via other sensory pathways has not been reported to date. As a step in this direction, we describe methods for studying the cellular and subcellular localization of olfactory receptor proteins and mRNAs in human airways in both primary in vitro cultures and tissue sections.
COORDINATING CARE FOR CHILDREN'S HEALTH : A PUBLIC HEALTH INTEGRATED INFORMATION SYSTEMS APPROACH

Introduction Many programs in Rhode Island address the health and development needs of children and their families; however, a significant portion of this population remains unserved. To better meet the health needs of the state’s childhood population, nine different infant/toddler programs were about to develop their own automated individual registries and tracking systems. Recognizing the need to establish cost-effective public health infrastructures that would assure better case management and reduce patient and provider frustration about redundant questions and competing outreach needs, the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDH) is establishing KIDS NET. KIDS NET is a comprehensive program that will coordinate screening, tracking, risk response, follow-up, and home-visiting services by integrating data management for preventive pediatric programs. Methods Integrating services and data management across programs to enhance delivery of care is challenging and time-consuming and requires broad participation by affected individuals. To accomplish this task, a work group representing all RIDH programs potentially affected by KIDS NET was convened. Under the leadership of this intradepartmental team, all nine infant/toddler programs agreed to pool some financial and staff resources to develop, implement, and maintain KIDS NET. Importantly, pediatric providers and parents are also involved in developing KIDS NET. Results KIDS NET is designed to consist of two components. The first component will be a centralized data management information tracking and communication system. This system will link all existing and newly developed (i.e., immunization registry) RIDH pediatric data bases to each other and to pediatric providers and other authorized users. The second component of KIDS NET is the coordination between programs to establish regional community networks that will provide comprehensive (as opposed to categorical) follow-up and risk response (including home visiting if warranted) services for children identified through the data system to be in need of pediatric services. Conclusions RIDH is creating a statewide immunization registry as part of a larger pediatric public health tracking and information system. Although developing a comprehensive pediatric public health information system is a very lengthy process (moreso than for an immunization registry), the benefit of this approach is the assurance of complete children’s preventive services and efficient coordination of community risk response and follow-up services.
Autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura ("ITP" type) with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Five cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia complicated by thrombocytopenic purpura are presented. They differed from the usual cases with this complication in that megakaryocytes were plentiful in spite of leukemic involvement of the bone marrow. Hypersplenism did not appear to be a factor. The evidence suggests that the thrombocytopenia was of an autoimmune nature, due to antiplatelet antibodies. Brief platelet survival times, the presence of a platelet agglutinin, staining of megakaryocytes by fluorescein-labeled anti-human globulin, and responses to corticosteroids were demonstrated.
The timeliness of the US military response to the 2014 Ebola disaster: a critical review

In the face of an unprecedented epidemic of Ebola Virus Disease, in September 2014, the US military began sending thousands of personnel to Liberia and supporting areas in Senegal in its largest deployment to the African continent in over two decades. In this review, media reports, published photographs and official statements are evaluated and summarized to identify and describe key time points in the US military response. Specific events include the initial establishment of the Monrovia Medical Unit and the buildup of forces for the expanded mission, which involved enhancement of laboratory testing capacity, construction of Ebola Treatment Units, and training of health care workers. The review concludes with a discussion and critical evaluation of the timeliness of this US military response in the context of the original expectations of the humanitarian community and government officials.
STRUCTURAL ASPECTS OF HUMAN BLOOD-GROUP M AND N SPECIFICITY

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the structural aspects of human blood-group M and N specificity. Mild desialization increases the cross-reactivity with horse antipneumococcus Type XIV serum, which reacts with terminal β-galactopyranosyl structures. Pure galactose oxidase inactivates the human M and N specificities without affecting their virus inhibitory activity. Blood-group NN antigens cross-react with pneumococcus antisera, usually strongly and within 24 hr, while MM antigen preparations react much more weakly and only after prolonged incubation at 1°C. The NN antigen possesses terminal β-galactopyranosyl groups. β -hexosaminidase reduces the MM specificity as determined with human anti-M sera up to 82% and has no influence on blood-group N activity. The β-galactosidase, while ineffective toward the MM antigen, decreases human N specificity up to 82% as determined with human antisera. Elucidation of the physical and chemical basis of the immunological properties M and N is separated into two aspects: one deals with activity and the other with specificity.
Remote Control of Alcator C-Mod from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Operation of a tokamak from a remote site has been demonstrated for the first time. The Alcator C-Mod tokamak, located at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was operated over the Internet f...
Learning Image Representations Tied to Egomotion from Unlabeled Video

Understanding how images of objects and scenes behave in response to specific egomotions is a crucial aspect of proper visual development, yet existing visual learning methods are conspicuously disconnected from the physical source of their images. We propose a new "embodied" visual learning paradigm, exploiting proprioceptive motor signals to train visual representations from egocentric video with no manual supervision. Specifically, we enforce that our learned features exhibit equivariance i.e., they respond predictably to transformations associated with distinct egomotions. With three datasets, we show that our unsupervised feature learning approach significantly outperforms previous approaches on visual recognition and next-best-view prediction tasks. In the most challenging test, we show that features learned from video captured on an autonomous driving platform improve large-scale scene recognition in static images from a disjoint domain.
Role of L-arginine-nitric oxide pathway in myocardial reoxygenation injury

In view of the recent findings that NO reacts with superoxide anion to generate hydroxyl radical, the present study was conducted to ascertain the role of endogenous NO in mediating myocardial reoxygenation injury in the hypoxic piglet on cardiopulmonary bypass. Anesthetized piglets were made hypoxic (PaO2 = 20-30 mmHg) for up to 120 min, followed by reoxygenation on cardiopulmonary bypass for 30 min. Reoxygenation caused rapidly developing myocardial injury characterized by decreased contractility (expressed as end-systolic elastance) and increased lipid peroxidation (measured as conjugated dienes). Systemic venous and coronary sinus blood content of NO decreased significantly during hypoxia and increased substantially above prehypoxic levels during reoxygenation on cardiopulmonary bypass. Administration of either the antioxidants mercaptopropionyl glycine and catalase or the NO synthase inhibitor, NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, to the extracorporeal circuit afforded similar and nearly complete protection against myocardial reoxygenation injury. The protective effects of NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester were nullified by adding an excess of L-arginine to the pump circuit, suggesting that the L-arginine-NO pathway is involved in myocardial reoxygenation injury.
Galaxy Micro Systems

Galaxy Micro Systems is negotiating with a vendor about the cost of service support for the warranty on Galaxy's new workstation. The vendor has offered Galaxy a choice between a fixed-price, lump-sum contract and a deferred-payment scheme based on the number of units installed. Uncertainty in the sales forecast complicates the choice. All uncertainties are expressed in terms of discrete probabilities. Excerpt UVA-QA-0394 GALAXY MICRO SYSTEMS For the past three months, Taylor Jansen of Galaxy Micro Systems had been discussing with a national computer sales-and-service franchiser the subcontracting of the warranty contract for the new Galaxy workstation, the GMS-II. In addition to featuring an advanced technology chip and a state-of-the-art processor, the GMS-II would be sold with a three-year warranty that included parts and labor. Galaxy had decided to subcontract the service support for the warranty rather than to expand its regional offices to include a technical support staff. As the GMS-II project manager, Jansen had moved contract discussions to the point where the specification of the terms and conditions of the warranty contract were acceptable to both parties, but the pricing of the contract was undecided. At a recent meeting, the franchiser's negotiating team had proposed to Galaxy the choice of two pricing schemes for the warranty of those units installed during the introductory year. The first approach was a fixed price contract with a lump sum payment of $ 770,000 due on May 1, 1993, the planned date for the introduction of the GMS-II. Alternatively, the price could be a function of the number of units installed during the introductory year, and payments would be spread over three years. The specific terms would be $ 70,000 payable on May 1, 1993, plus three annual installments of $ 80 per unit for those units installed during the introductory year, May 1, 1993, to April 30, 1994. The annual installments were subject to a minimum of $ 250,000 and were payable on the first of May of 1994, 1995, and 1996. For either alternative, a new contract would be negotiated for sales occurring after the introductory year. For the services rendered by the franchiser, both proposals seemed reasonable to Jansen and compatible with the negotiating limits specified by Galaxy's senior management. The choice between the alternatives, however, was difficult. The deferred-payment schedule of the installment contract was a real advantage in light of Galaxy's hurdle rate of 18%. Offsetting that advantage, however, was the sense that the installment contract was riskier than the fixed price contract because first-year sales of the GMS-II were uncertain. During the introductory year, GMS-II sales would come from two sources: (1) the successful closure by senior management of an extraordinarily large purchase by a single customer, and (2) the efforts of the Galaxy regional offices. Unfortunately, Jansen was uncertain about the results of both sources. . . .
Modulating the Hysteresis of an Electronic Transition: Launching Alternative Transformation Pathways in the Metal–Insulator Transition of Vanadium(IV) Oxide

Materials exhibiting pronounced metal–insulator transitions such as VO2 have acquired great importance as potential computing vectors and electromagnetic cloaking elements given the large accompanying reversible modulation of properties such as electrical conductance and optical transmittance. As a first-order phase transition, considerable phase coexistence and hysteresis is typically observed between the heating insulator → metal and cooling metal → insulator transformations of VO2. Here, we illustrate that substitutional incorporation of tungsten greatly modifies the hysteresis of VO2, both increasing the hysteresis as well as introducing a distinctive kinetic asymmetry wherein the heating symmetry-raising transition is observed to happen much faster as compared to the cooling symmetry-lowering transition, which shows a pronounced rate dependence of the transition temperature. This observed kinetic asymmetry upon tungsten doping is attributed to the introduction of phase boundaries resulting from stabi...
Lessons Learned from Long-Term and Imperfect Sensing in 2.4 GHz Unlicensed Band

Accuracy of spectrum sensing affects the decision making operation of cognitive radio. In order to achieve meaningful results, in related experimental and simulation work, realistic wireless environment representation is a necessity. Existing spectrum occupancy models range from simple additive white Gaussian noise to elaborate, based on large scale wireless spectrum measurements, but universal models are not available. Creating such a model for unlicensed bands would be particularly difficult, if not impossible, because of its unpredictability and inherent dynamics. On the other hand, our experience shows that using real-life, relatively low-resolution, data collected using inexpensive spectrum analyzer provides insight consistent with observations made with more sophisticated setups, preserves more nuances than simple models, and could be a viable alternative to spectrum occupancy modeling.
Can Dynamic MRI Be Used to Accurately Identify Velopharyngeal Closure Patterns

BACKGROUND Dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been proposed as a non-invasive, child-friendly, reproducible, and repeatable imaging method providing a 3-dimensional view of the velopharyngeal structures and function during speech. However, the value of dynamic MRI as compared to imaging methods such as nasopharyngoscopy is not well understood. The aim of this study was to compare the ability of nasopharyngoscopy and dynamic MRI to accurately identify velopharyngeal closure patterns among adults without cleft palate. METHODS Participants included 34 healthy adults with normal anatomy between 19 and 33 years of age (mean = 23 years; SD = 4.1 years). Participants underwent dynamic MRI and nasopharyngoscopy studies and comparisons were performed to determine the intra- and inter-rater reliability for accurately determining closure pattern. The MRI acquisition was a dynamic acquisition of a 2D plane. RESULTS Strong inter- (κ = .824; P < .001) and intra-rater (Rater 1: κ = 0.879, P < .001, 94% agreement between ratings; Rater 2 with 100% agreement) agreement was observed for the identification of closure pattern using nasopharyngoscopy. Inter-rater agreement for ratings using MRI demonstrated moderate agreement (κ = .489; P < .004). Examining point agreement revealed only 27 of the 33 ratings of MRI showed agreement (80%). CONCLUSION This demonstrates that inter-rater reliability for determining closure patterns from nasopharyngoscopy is good; however, ratings using MRI was less reliable at determining closure patterns. It is likely that future improvements in dynamic imaging with MRI to enable 3D visualizations are needed for improved diagnostic accuracy for assessing velopharyngeal closure patterns.
Understanding Behavior of Polycaprolactone–Gelatin Blends under High Pressure CO 2

Polycaprolactone (PCL) is widely used in biomedical applications as electrospun fibers or porous foams. As PCL is synthetic polymer, many researchers have explored blends of PCL–gelatin to combine mechanical and bioactive properties of individual components. High pressure carbon dioxide (CO2) has been studied to foam and impregnate many biocompatible polymers. In case of PCL–gelatin blends, certain compositions can be swelled reversibly under high pressure CO2 without permanent deformation. This allows successful impregnation of PCL–gelatin blends under CO2. This study summarizes effect of different treatments adopted during impregnation process including high pressure CO2 on several blend compositions of PCL–gelatin blends. Stress relaxation, polymer melting and dissolution were observed during several treatments which affects porosity and scaffold structure significantly. Results summarized in this study will aid in optimum selection of PCL–gelatin blend composition for biomedical applications. Furthermore, CO2 solubility in polymers is restricted due to thermodynamic limitations but can be altered in the presence of a co-solvent to produce better foams. PCL can be foamed using supercritical CO2. However, CO2 foaming of PCL–gelatin blend becomes challenging to simultaneous swelling of PCL and compression of gelatin providing blend structural stability. This study has demonstrated ability of supercritical CO2 to foam PCL–gelatin blends in presence of water to create porous structure. These foams were subjected post-fabrication crosslinking and supercritical CO2 without losing porosity of foams. Thus, creating a strategy to use environmentally benign processes to fabricate, crosslink and impregnate porous scaffolds for biomedical applications.
Evaluation and Management of Autoimmune Neutropenia

An evaluation into the underlying cause of neutropenia is important, as this may predict clinical severity and guide anticipatory guidance for families. A thorough medical history and physical examination can often narrow the differential in a child with neutropenia, and laboratory testing is typically reserved for those with a more severe or atypical presentation. Neutrophil autoantibodies remain difficult to detect with current methods and require a combination of agglutination and immunofluorescence testing.
Patient Preferences for Authentication and Security: A Comparison Study of Younger and Older Patients

We examine authentication and security preferences of younger versus older patients in the healthcare domain. Previous research has investigated users' perception of the acceptability of various forms of authentication in non-healthcare domains, but not patients' preferences. First, we developed an interactive prototype to test three authentication methods: passwords, pattern, and voice. Our results indicate that younger patients prefer passwords by a significant margin. Older patients indicated more mixed preferences. In addition, we evaluated the level of security patients desired for protection of health information compared to financial information. We found no difference based on age: both groups felt financial security is more important than health data security. The findings of this research can be used to improve and enhance usability of future PHRs and overall PHR usage by patients. While this study is specific to cardiology patients we believe the results are generalizable to all patients with chronic conditions.
South American characids share very similar ionoregulatory characteristics.

Abstract We examined ionoregulatory characteristics of four Characids from diverse locations in South America, emperor tetras (Nematobrycon palmeri), penguin tetras (Thayeria boehlkei), serpae tetras (Hyphessobrycon eques), and rosy tetras (Hyphessobrycon rosaceous). When held in 100 μmol L−1 Na+ water, tetras had Jmax values over 1100 nmol g−1 h−1, and Km values below 60 μmol L−1. When held in 1 mmol L−1 Na+ water kinetic parameters were unchanged. Low pH had no effect on Na+ uptake (JinNa). At pH 3.25, Na+ loss (JoutNa) was stimulated 35–85% in two of the four species. To test the linkage of JinNa to NH3 and H+ extrusion we measured JinNa during exposure to 1 mmol L−1 NH4Cl (HEA) and 100 μmol L−1 Acetazolemide (AZ). HEA stimulated JinNa of emperor tetras by 40%, but inhibited JinNa of penguin tetras by 50%; the two remaining species were unaffected. AZ (an inhibitor of carbonic anhydrase) inhibited JinNa of serpae tetras by 40%, but had no effect on the others. All tetras displayed ionoregulatory characteristics that are very similar to each other, which supports the argument that these physiological traits may be ancestral for this group and pre-date colonization of the Rio Negro. The novel finding that, Jmax and Km did not change after acclimation to 1 mM Na+ water indicates that, unlike in other species examined uptake is not plastic. The HEA and AZ results, along with pH insensitivity suggest Na+ uptake is not coupled to H+ extrusion or NH3 excretion and leaves the exact mechanism involved unclear.
Summoning Up the Spirits from the Vast Deep: LD and Giftedness in Historic Persons

In this chapter, we present evidence gleaned from a variety of sources to show that some talented individuals from the historic past had learning disabilities (LD). The coexistence of talent and LD ceases to be a paradox if the ability to decode printed words and spell them is considered to be a skill that is independent of higher-level cognitive functions such as linguistic comprehension. We call this proposition the Component model of the reading process. After presenting the rationale of the Component model, we examine relevant information available on six famous historic persons—two inventors, two artists, and two literary figures—for evidence of LD. The practical implications of this investigation are that teachers should be careful not to generalize and evaluate intellectual abilities of individuals on the basis of their performances on skill-based tasks such as word recognition, spelling, and grammar.
Lipid metabolism in tissue culture cells.

Publisher Summary The development of methods for routine cultivation of cells in vitro has provided the biochemist with a useful system for the study of cellular lipid metabolism, making it possible to obtain large quantities of a homogeneous population of cells. The degree of biological variation encountered in a tissue culture system is less than that obtained from studies employing whole animals. In addition, experimental conditions can be easily varied at will in cell culture systems. The differences between tissue culture systems and other experimental systems must be kept in mind when evaluating metabolic data obtained from in vitro cell studies. Most of the cells maintained in tissue culture are dedifferentiated in the sense that they do not carry out many of the specialized functions found in differentiated cells. These cells are not organized into specialized tissues as are cells in vivo, limiting some aspects of cellular interactions. Cells in culture are rapidly proliferating, and most lipid studies have been conducted with mixoploid cells derived from malignant tissue. The cellular growth environment of cells cultivated in vitro differs from that of cells in vivo.
The importance of residential swimming pools as an urban water source for bats

Habitat loss has caused bat populations to decline globally and urbanization represents a major contributor to this loss. Yet, recent studies have indicated that urban parks can support a diverse and abundant bat community. These anthropogenically dominated areas must be providing readily available, potentially unconventional, resources. Identifying such resources could therefore give insight into how we can effectively improve urban habitat for bats. Thus, we investigated the use of residential swimming pools by bats as a water resource in behavioral surveys. We also used acoustic activity to determine species presence and identify trends in activity. We recorded 274 bats drinking at swimming pools from April to September 2016. We also acoustically identified all species present in the area. Furthermore, among pools closest to the park (< 200 m), bats only drank as the summer progressed, which corresponded to more ???natural??? sources in the park becoming less accessible. The quality of swimming pools may dictate their use and if we can identify features that influence quality, these insights may be used to improve resource availability for urban bats.
Comparing Route Choice Models for Managed Lane Networks with Multiple Entrances and Exits

Developing an appropriate route choice model for managed lanes with multiple entrances and exits is critical for the success of managed lane planning and operations. This research focuses on route ...
Inequality under Authoritarian Rule

Since the turn of the century, much comparative politics scholarship has examined whether and how income inequality affects the prospects of democratization and, to a lesser extent, whether democracy reduces inequality. What is lacking, however, is a close examination of the extent of income inequality in authoritarian regimes. This article examines the variation in inequality across authoritarian regimes and argues that electoral competition – in conjunction with party ideology and the extent of party institutionalization – helps explain the pattern of inequality under authoritarian rule. I find that electoral authoritarian (EA) regimes – regimes in which multiple parties legally compete in elections – have lower levels of inequality compared to non-EA regimes. I further find that inequality is lower in EA regimes with left-leaning ruling parties and more institutionalized party systems. This analysis highlights the value of exploring the dynamics and contingent effects of electoral competition in authoritarian regimes.
Optimization of Tissue Microarrays from Banked Human Formalin-Fixed Paraffin Embedded Tissues in the Cancer Research Setting.

The tissue microarray (TMA) is a powerful tool for cancer biomarker discovery and validation. Tens to hundreds of samples can be evaluated simultaneously for molecular marker status at the protein ...
Effect of CT Streaking Artifacts in Monte Carlo Dose Distributions for Head and Neck Cancer

Unlike any other anatomical site in the human body, CT streaking artifacts are routinely observed in the head of patient. This is due to dental work that consists of a localized high Z material. All model based dose calculation algorithms that use CT scan data should be influenced by regions of artifically increased CT numbers within a patient's scan to be used for treatment planning and dose calculation. The purpose of this work is to study the effects of streaking artifacts in CT scans on Monte Carlo calculated dose distributions for a treatment site in the head and neck.
Regulation of the oxidoreductase ERp57/Grp58 by the stress transcription co-activator LEDGF/p75 in prostate cancer cells

2914 Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of male cancer death in the United States, and is considered a health disparity disease because of its disproportionate incidence and mortality in African American males. A major challenge in PCa treatment is the resistance of advance tumors to therapy due in part to inhibition of apoptotic pathways by survival proteins. The stress response protein Lens Epithelium Derived Growth Factor/p75 (LEDGF/p75) is upregulated by oxidative stress and promotes cell survival by transcriptionally activating stress and anti-oxidant genes. Our group has previously shown that LEDGF/p75 is overexpressed in PCa cell lines and tumors and may act as a pro-survival protein in PCa. Furthermore, we have shown that RWPE-2 PCa cells stably overexpressing LEDGF/p75 significantly increased resistance to cell death induced by docetaxel. To better understand the mechanism by which LEDGF/p75 confers resistance to docetaxel-induced cell death we performed a protein expression profile in PCa cells overexpressing this protein using the Kinetworks Stress/Heat Shock Protein Screen. We observed a marked increase in the expression of ERp57 (endoplasmic reticulum protein 57) in cells stably overexpressing LEDGF/p75. ERp57, also known as glucose regulated protein 58 (Grp58), belongs to the family of thiol oxidoreductase proteins, which have been implicated in protection against cell death through their reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging properties. We hypothesized that ERp57 is a target gene of LEDGF/p75 whose upregulation might enhance prostate tumor resistance to docetaxel-induced cell death in PCa. Using luciferase reporter assays we observed transcriptional activation of the ERp57 promoter by LEDGF/p75, which provided evidence that ERp57 might be a target gene of LEDGF/p75. Both proteins were found to be highly expressed in prostate tumor tissues. However, we found little correlation in the protein expression levels of LEDGF/p75 and ERp57 in a panel of PCa cell lines and prostate tumor tissues. This was confirmed by the observation that siRNA-mediated LEDGF/p75 knock-down in PC3 cells did not decrease ERP57 expression. We conclude that while LEDGF/p75 contributes to the upregulation of ERp57, other transcription factors may also regulate ERp57 expression in PCa cells.
General Principle of Musculoskeletal Scanning and Intervention

This chapter summarized the basic principle of application of ultrasound in musculoskeletal (MSK) intervention. Comparison of different imaging modalities and the diversified approaches of intervention in MSK interventional are also described.