cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Programmed Death Pathway in Ocular Adnexal Sebaceous Carcinoma.

Purpose Sebaceous carcinoma can be highly malignant and difficult to treat. Surgical excision followed by periocular reconstruction is the primary method of treatment. In aggressive cases, radiation, topical chemotherapy, and systemic chemotherapy have been explored as adjuvant therapy. Immunotherapy, through immune checkpoint inhibitors, has proven to have significant antitumor effect in many cancer types, including melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma, and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Little is known about endogenous immune response directed against sebaceous carcinoma. In this study, we aim to characterize the expression pattern of PD-1 and its ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2 in both sebaceous carcinoma and in infiltrating immune cells to explore the potential use of checkpoint blockade as therapy. Methods We performed a retrospective chart and histology review of patients with sebaceous carcinoma between 1990 and 2017 at the University of Wisconsin. Tissue microarrays were made from paraffin blocks. Immunohistochemistry was performed for evaluation of tumor and immune cell infiltration for expression of PD-1, PD-L1, and PD-L2. Tumor or infiltrating immune cells were considered positive if ≥5% of cells had membranous (cell surface) expression. Results Twenty-eight patients were included. PD-L1 and PD-1 were not significantly expressed on tumor cells; however, PD-L1 and PD-1 were expressed on infiltrating immune cells in 46% and 25% of patients, respectively. In contrast, PD-L2 demonstrated positive expression on tumor cells in 46% of the cases along with positive expression on infiltrating immune cells in 38% of the cases. Conclusions Sebaceous carcinoma currently has few effective adjuvant treatment options. The expression of PD-1, PD-L1, and PD-L2 on infiltrating immune cells and PD-L2 on tumor cells restrains T-cells from full activation and proliferation, therefore limiting the antitumor effect of T-cells, tipping the balance toward unopposed tumor progression. Consequently, PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitors may have a role in sebaceous carcinoma treatment. Given the prevalence of PD-L2 expression in sebaceous carcinoma and the lack of PD-L2 blockade therapy available, PD-1 blockade may provide benefit over PD-L1 inhibitors. PD-1 blockade in combination with current methods may be a viable therapeutic option for patients with sebaceous carcinoma and deserves further study.Sebaceous carcinoma of the ocular and periocular regions showed expression of immune checkpoint ligands PD-1, PD-L1, and PD-L2, which suggests PD blockade may provide benefit as an adjuvant therapy for patients with sebaceous carcinoma.
Vitronectin mitigates stroke-increased neurogenesis only in female mice and through FAK-regulated IL-6.

Abstract Vitronectin (VTN) is a blood protein produced mainly by the liver. We show that VTN leaks from the bloodstream into the injury site and neighboring subventricular zone (SVZ) following ischemic stroke (middle cerebral artery occlusion, MCAO) in adult mice. MCAO is known to increase neurogenesis after stroke. VTN inhibits this response in females, but not in males, as shown by ~70% more stroke-induced SVZ neurogenesis in female VTN−/− mice at 14 d. In female VTN−/− mice, stroke-induced expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) at 24 h was reduced in the SVZ. The closely related leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) or pro-neurogenic ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) were not affected. The female-specific effect of VTN on IL-6 expression was not due to sex hormones, as shown by ovariectomy and castration. IL-6 injection next to the SVZ reversed the MCAO-induced increase in neurogenesis seen in VTN−/− mice. Our in vitro and vivo data suggest that plasma VTN activates focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in the SVZ following MCAO, which reduces IL-6 expression in astrocytes but increases it in other cells such as microglia/macrophages. Inducible conditional astrocytic FAK deletion increased MCAO-induced IL-6 expression in females at 24 h and blocked MCAO-induced neurogenesis at 14 d, confirming a key detrimental role of IL-6. Collectively, these data suggest that leakage of VTN into the SVZ reduces the neurogenic response to stroke in female mice by promoting IL-6 expression. Reducing VTN or VTN signaling may be an approach to promote neurogenesis for neuroprotection and cell replacement after stroke in females.
2019 Business reference guide: The essential guide to pricing businesses and franchises, 29th edition, Wilmington, NC: Business Brokerage Press, 2019. 744 pages. $170 (ISBN 9781732897113)

The Business Reference Guide (BRG) provides small business valuation and operational insight on different kinds of small businesses. Despite its subtitle, the BRG goes beyond business pricing to in...
Analyzing Liquid Pouring Sequences via Audio-Visual Neural Networks

Existing work to estimate the weight of a liquid poured into a target container often require predefined source weights or visual data. We present novel audio-based and audio-augmented techniques, in the form of multimodal convolutional neural networks (CNNs), to estimate poured weight, perform overflow detection, and classify liquid and target container. Our audio-based neural network uses the sound from a pouring sequence–a liquid being poured into a target container. Audio inputs consist of converting raw audio into mel-scaled spectrograms. Our audio-augmented network fuses this audio with its corresponding visual data based on video images. Only a microphone and camera are required, which can be found in any modern smartphone or Microsoft Kinect. Our approach improves classification accuracy for different environments, containers, and contents of the robot pouring task. Our Pouring Sequence Neural Networks (PSNN) are trained and tested using the Rethink Robotics Baxter Research Robot. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first use of audio-visual neural networks to analyze liquid pouring sequences by classifying their weight, liquid, and receiving container.
Teaching Collaborative Care in Primary Care Settings for Psychiatry Residents.

Background Job descriptions for psychiatrists will change significantly over the next decade, as psychiatrists will be called on to work as caseload consultants to the primary care team. Objective The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the effects of an American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training–approved collaborative care curriculum on caseload consulting skills among psychiatry residents. Methods In 2014, 46 psychiatry residents (5 postgraduate year 1s, 10 postgraduate year 2s, 22 postgraduate year 3s, and 9 postgraduate year 4s) from 5 academic psychiatry residency programs in the New England area were given the 2-hour pilot collaborative care curriculum. Participants were asked to complete an anonymous survey at both the beginning and the end of the workshop to rate their comfort level in aspects of collaborative care psychiatry (7 items from SBP4 psychiatry milestones) based on a Likert scale (1—not at all, 2—slightly, 3—moderately, and 4—extremely). Paired t -test was used to examine the difference between pretest and posttest results of residents participating in the workshop. Results The pretest mean score for the group was 2.9 (standard deviation = 0.44), whereas the posttest mean was 3.51 (standard deviation = 0.42), p n = 7) of residents reported having some form of primary care or ambulatory specialty care consultation experience while in training. Conclusion This brief collaborative care curriculum significantly improved resident confidence in milestone criteria related to population health and case-based consultations.
Studies of non-reciprocal effects in planar near-millimeter waveguiding structure: Analysis of a 5-region canonical structure with 2 semiconducting slabs

We present here the first results of an analytical and numerical study of a five-region planar canonical structure which models non-reciprocal devices for the near-millimeter wave range using surface magnetoplasmon modes. The model includes two slabs of high quality semiconducting material, such as n-GaAs, independently magnetized parallel to the interfaces and perpendicular to the direction of propagation. This analysis in an extension of the one performed in reference 1. Emphasis is placed on a discussion of the results and we suggest directions for further research.
Individual differences in attentional control explain the differential expression of threat-related attentional bias among those with posttraumatic stress symptomatology and predict symptom maintenance up to one year later.

Abstract Individual differences in attentional control may explain null findings and inconsistent patterns of threat-related attentional bias (ABT) that are common in the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) literature. At Time 1 (T1), trauma-exposed community participants (N = 89) completed a clinical interview, self-report measures, and an eye-tracking task developed to assess ABT. Participants completed follow-up assessments online 6 (T2) and 12 (T3) months later. Those with higher PTSD symptoms and deficits in attentional control exhibited a pattern of undercontrol, characterized by attention maintenance on threat and increased arousal. In contrast, those with higher PTSD symptoms and relatively better attentional control exhibited a pattern of overcontrol, characterized by threat avoidance and reduced arousal. These effects were specific to threat stimuli. Among PTSD symptom clusters, symptoms of hyperarousal were of central importance to the observed effects. Results from the longitudinal analysis indicate that both of these patterns of ABT are maladaptive, resulting in symptom maintenance at T2 and T3. These results have implications for (a) reconciling tensions between disparate models of ABT (i.e., vigilance-avoidance vs. attention maintenance), (b) precision medicine based approaches to targeting PTSD-related ABT, and (c) understanding the transdiagnostic role that attentional control may play in influencing ABT expression.
Call to Action: Other Desires: Other Architectures

Figure 1. “Cooking Unit,” from “House at New Canaan, Connecticut,” Architectural Review 108, no. 645 (September 1950).Following the publication of his paper on the Mirror Stage in 1949, Jacques Lac...
Publishing entrepreneurship research: Strategies for success distilled from a review of over 3,500 submissions

This editorial provides an overview of the inner workings of the Journal of Small Business Management and its editorial and peer review processes. In doing so it offers practical insights relevant ...
Highly vulnerable communities and the Affordable Care Act: Health insurance coverage effects, 2010-2018.

Abstract Initially implemented in 2014 in some U.S. states, the Medicaid expansions under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) aimed to make health insurance coverage more accessible to the low-income population. This paper aims to quantify the impact of the ACA Medicaid expansions on insurance coverage among racial/ethnic minorities, immigrants, single mothers, veterans, and low-education whites—i.e., the sectors of the population identified with some of the highest healthcare needs. We focus on individuals 18–64 years of age earning 138% or less of the federal poverty level from the American Community Survey, 2010–2018 (n = 2,927,402). We use difference-in-differences (DD) and difference-in-difference-in-differences (DDD) approaches with propensity scores matched comparison groups to estimate pre-post ACA insurance coverage differences between individuals living in states that participated in the ACA Medicaid expansions and those living in non-participating states, and to estimate if such differences vary across subgroups. We find that insurance coverage rates increased for all subgroups; yet, the ACA benefits have not been evenly distributed across them. Low-education whites, non-Hispanic whites, females, and non-Hispanic Native Americans exhibited the highest improvements in insurance coverage. Our results contribute to the understanding of recent trends in racial and socioeconomic disparities in healthcare and the appropriate policy prescriptions to ameliorate them.
U.S. lithium resources from geothermal and extraction feasibility

Abstract As the demand for electric vehicles (EVs) increases, demand for lithium (Li) is expected to grow over the coming decade. To satisfy the demand for rechargeable batteries, it is imperative to devise solutions for sufficient Li production. Even though commercial Li currently comes from conventional saline salar brine and spodumene ore extractions, efforts to retrieve Li from geothermal brines are increasing in popularity. In this paper, we evaluate the United States’ potential to supply Li from geothermal brines using Systems Dynamics modeling. The main goals are to assess (1) the viability of US Li supply from geothermal brines and (2) the potential supply chain impact of extracting Li from this source. Results show that Li supply from geothermal brines could (1) reach around 4% to 8% of total US Li supply and (2) be economically viable.
Changes in Provider Prescribing Behavior for Infants with Single Ventricle Physiology After Evidence-Based Publications.

The impact of published evidence on clinical practice has been understudied in pediatric cardiology. We sought to assess changes in prescribing behavior for angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) and digoxin at discharge after initial palliation of infants with single ventricle (SV) physiology following the publication of two large studies: The Pediatric Heart Network Infant Single Ventricle (PHN-ISV) trial showing no benefit with routine ACEI use and the National Pediatric Cardiology Quality Improvement Collaborative (NPC-QIC) analysis showing an association between digoxin and survival. ICD-9-10 codes identified SV infants from the Pediatric Health Information System (1/2004 to 1/2018) and charge codes identified medications at discharge. Generalized estimating equations implementing segmented logistic regressions modeled medication use, before and after (with a 3-month washout period) the relevant publication (ACEI 7/1/2010; digoxin 4/1/2016). A subgroup analysis was performed for hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). ACEI use (37 centers, n = 4700) at discharge did not change over time during the pre-publication period. After publication of the PHN-ISV trial, ACEI use decreased (OR: 0.61, CI 0.44–0.84, p = 0.003). Digoxin use (43 centers, n = 4778) decreased by 1% monthly before publication. After the NPC-QIC publication, digoxin use increased (OR: 2.07, CI 1.05–4.08, p = 0.04) with an ongoing increase of 9% per month. Results were similar for the HLHS subgroup. Prescribing behavior changed congruently after the publication of evidence-based studies, with decreased ACEI use and increased digoxin use at discharge following initial palliation of SV infants. Our findings suggest scientific findings were rapidly implemented into clinical practice.
Data and the Social Obligation Norm of Property: An Essay in Honor of Professor Gregory S. Alexander

In the age of the Cambridge Analytica/Facebook scandal and sundry other data breaches at Under Armour, Target, and Best Buy, the issue of security and privacy in consumer data has become increasingly important. For much of the modern era, the development of technology has gone relatively unchecked, with the United States having ceded much of the policymaking terrain to Silicon Valley. This has resulted in the unbridled creation of vast amounts of consumer data. Users who engage with tech platforms generate bits and bytes about themselves based on their activities, preferences, and habits. This information — “data” — is then harnessed by tech companies for a variety of purposes ranging from advertising to market analytics, and more, leaving privacy as an afterthought. In terms of defining the legal rights around personal data, scholars have argued that the United States abandoned a property law view long ago in preference to a tort-based approach. This has resulted in data protection regimes being focused on liability rules, yielding compensation remedies when electronic information has been used in an unauthorized or impermissible way. Although various efforts have been made to introduce property rules to data in the United States, they have produced varying results or have failed outright. But during the 2018 term, the U.S. Supreme Court decided two important cases that, albeit indirectly, edged toward a more robust conception of data as property — South Dakota v. Wayfair and Carpenter v. United States. In both cases, however, the Court struggled with how to articulate this concept. Sometimes the Court appeared to cling tightly to bedrock pillars of property law, such as physicality and alienability. At other times, however, the justices seemed to be treading new ground (or rediscovering old roads), such as with the disaggregation of digital rights and the idea of involuntary electronic bailments. Building upon the leanings of these recent cases, this Article — in celebration of Professor Gregory Alexander—offers up progressive property theory as a lens through which courts and legislatures can build rules and standards for data as property. To do this, I draw upon Professor Alexander’s work in the property theory literature and its ideals of social obligations, dignity, and owner responsibility in property rights.
Chapter 10 Climate Change Responses and Adaptations in Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) Plants

Global climatic change is predicted to result in certain areas of the earth’s surface becoming hotter and drier. These spatially durable changes in climate will likely have negative impacts on the productivity of many plant species that are poorly adapted to increasing air:leaf vapor pressure deficits. However, more that 6% of vascular plants have evolved crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) as a photosynthetic adaptation to hotter and drier climates. This specialized mode of photosynthesis exploits a temporal CO2 pump with nocturnal CO2 uptake and concentration to reduce photorespiration, improve water-use efficiency (WUE), and optimize the adaptability of plants to hotter and drier climates. CAM species have a suite of physiological and anatomical adaptations that make them resilient to extreme heat and high insolation including tissue succulence, water-storage and water-capture strategies to attenuate drought, and thick cuticles, epicuticular wax, low stomatal density, high stomatal responsiveness, UV-light protection, and shallow rectifier-like roots to limit water loss under conditions of water deficit. Various modeling approaches have been developed to estimate the growth potential of CAM species under current and future climatic conditions.
Response of the Environmental Protection Agency to Public Submissions: Notice and Comment Process in Methane Emission Deregulation

The federal Administrative Procedure Act mandates published notice of proposed rulemaking, along with the provision that stakeholders and the public at large be given the opportunity to comment on significant proposed rules. In theory, federal rulemaking is improved by the solicitation and consideration of these comments. The airing of diverse opinions may be expected to promote healthy debate within the agency and between the agency and affected stakeholders, ranging from concerned citizens to multinational corporations. But how effective is the notice-and-comment process? This work seeks to answer that question qualitatively but systematically, by examining significant comments received by the Environmental Protection Agency in connection with the 2020 Policy Amendments to the New Source Performance Standards for the oil and natural gas sector. There is no doubt EPA invests substantial effort in responding to significant comments. Moreover, many of EPA’s judgments and decisions appear to have plausible legal foundations. However, for the issues we have investigated, arising in 2019-2020, the EPA generally seems unpersuaded by reasonable arguments and resistant to reasonable suggestions, even when these are advanced by diverse commenters. Sometimes, instead of dealing with these issues forthrightly, EPA ignores or evades them. A response that appears too often is that the issues can be taken up at an unspecified time in the future. Among other concerns, these observations raise the question of whether producing the 638-page Response to Public Comments constituted the best use of limited agency resources.
Probability of Structural Failure Under Random Loading

Upper and lower bounds are derived for the probability that a nonstationary process, not necessarily of white noise type, will cross given barriers in a specified time interval. As an example, the probability of failure of a structure with mechanical response represented by a damped oscillator of one degree of freedom, as a result of a nonstationary Gaussian input, is evaluated under the condition that the structure will fail if the absolute value of the displacement exceeds a critical value. Numerical results suggest that the present method estimates the probability in a narrow interval over a sufficiently wide range of probability values so that the method might be useful in reliability analysis. Applications to structures subject to earthquake accelerations are suggested.
Cannabis, cigarettes, and their co-occurring use: Disentangling differences in default mode network functional connectivity.

Background Resting-state functional connectivity is a noninvasive, neuroimaging method for assessing neural network function. Altered functional connectivity among regions of the default-mode network have been associated with both nicotine and cannabis use; however, less is known about co-occurring cannabis and tobacco use.
Using a Problem-Based Learning Exercise to Motivate Intermediate Macroeconomics Students to Learn the IS-LM Model

The author describes a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) group assignment in which students predict macroeconomic outcomes of various real-world events before they have learned about the IS-LM model that is covered in Intermediate Macroeconomics textbooks. The author also gives a brief history of the use of PBL, describes how it benefits students and teachers of economics, outlines how it can be successfully implemented, and summarizes challenges that arise in its implementation.In a Problem-Based Learning environment, students confront contemporary dilemmas that through investigation, research and cooperative input allows for more than one possible solution. Students work in small groups to tackle problems, and in the process they discover their need to understand certain concepts and thus become more motivated to learn.
Claisen-rearrangement-mediated ring contraction of macrocyclic lactones : A new approach to carbocycles and heterocycles

Abstract Macrocyclic ketene acetals 3 undergo Claisen rearrangements smoothly and constitute a viable and general approach to hetero- or carbocyclic ring systems 4. This novel ring contraction process is subject to high internal asymmetric induction (cf. lactones 7 → carbocycles 8) as well as relative asymmetric induction in the rearrangements of ketene acetals derived from lactones 18, 23 and 27. Finally, N-benzoylmeroquinene methyl ester (37) was prepared to demonstrate the potential of this methodology in heterocycle synthesis.
Solar radiometry studies of Tucson's Aspen fire smoke

The Aspen Fire started on June 17, 2003 in the mountains north of Tucson, Arizona, and smoke from this fire was carried into the Tucson valley allowing its measurement by a 10-channel solar radiometer operated by the Optical Sciences Center at the University of Arizona. This ten-band, "Reagan" solar radiometer has been used as part of regular monitoring of aerosols since the late 1990s. This work is an extension of work first started in the 1970s in Tucson and continued through portions of the 1980s and early 1990s. The historical work is crucial as a reference point to compare measurements made prior to the smoke being blown into the Tucson valley to those in July when a marked shift in wind direction carried the smoke into the line of sight of the solar radiometer. Optical depths during the smoke event exceeded average clear-sky values for the months of June and July by more than a factor of two. The retrieved Angstrom coefficient also exceeded the average values by more than one-standard deviation of the average of the previous year's data. This larger than average coefficient indicates small-sized particles typical of smoke near the point of origin. Results from known cirrus-cloud cases show that the retrieved Angstrom coefficient cannot be attributed to ice clouds, giving further confidence in the conclusion of smoke. The results from the Aspen fire are also used for comparison with data in the October 2003 time frame that coincided with the passage of a high optical depth case attributed to forest fires in Southern California. Measurements from multiple solar radiometers indicate that while there may have been small-sized smoke particles, the results show that large-sized particles dominated the spectral transmittance. These large particles are typical of dust and cloud conditions often seen during October in the desert southwest, but could also be indicative of larger-sized smoke particles seen at large distances from the smoke origin.
Scheduling Fault-Tolerant Programs on Multiple Processors to Maximize Schedule Reliability

The paper proposes to manage complexity and costs issues of the fault-tolerant programs not at a single program level but rather from the point of view of the whole set of such programs, which are to be run under hard time constraints. A concept of the multiple processor programs is used to model a fault-tolerant program structure. This model, in turn, is used to formulate the fault-tolerant programs scheduling problem under hard time constraints. Since the discussed problem is computationally difficult, three scheduling algorithms, based on three different metaheuristics, have been proposed. To evaluate the proposed algorithms computational experiment has been carried. The proposed global approach has been also compared with scheduling without search for the global optimum. Experiment results prove that the approach could be advantageous by producing more reliable schedules within hard time constraints.
Climatic Effects of Atmospheric Pollution

The trend of world temperature in this century appears to be directly related to the trends of atmospheric carbon dioxide content and atmospheric turbidity (dustiness). Both are believed by various scholars to be related to human activities. Since 1940, the effect of the rapid rise of atmospheric turbidity appears to have exceeded the effect of rising carbon dioxide, resulting in a rapid downward trend of temperature. There is no indication that these trends will be reversed, and there is some reason to believe that man-made pollution will have an increased effect in the future.
Efficient motion-oriented filter banks for video coding

A new filter bank structure for subband coding of video is proposed. This filter bank is motion selective in a way that resembles the human visual system (HVS). The motion selectivity makes it well suited for motion compensation and for perception-based coding. The filter bank has a very efficient polyphase implementation. The effectiveness of these filter banks for motion separation is demonstrated. >
Kinetochore: Structure, Function and Evolution

Duplicated eukaryotic chromosomes are segregated into daughter cells through cell division. Faithful chromosome segregation depends on kinetochores, which are specialized macromolecular structures built upon centromeric chromatin. The dynamic kinetochore structures connect chromosomes with spindle microtubules, power chromosome movement, and signal the activation and silencing of the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC). Molecular analyses of the components and architecture of kinetochores have advanced rapidly in recent years. A human kinetochore contains approximately 200 proteins, many of which are evolutionarily conserved in other organisms. A histone H3 variant, CENP-A and associated constitutive centromere proteins lay the foundation for kinetochore build-up. Multiple kinetochore-localised microtubule-binding proteins including the Ndc80 complex help regulate chromosome movement. The SAC signalling originates from kinetochores and contributes to the fidelity of chromosome segregation. Many fascinating properties remain to be elucidated about the kinetochore as a fundamental machinery to maintain genomic stability. Key Concepts: Chromosome segregation in eukaryotic cells depends upon connecting spindle microtubules with special macromolecular structures on chromosomes called kinetochores. The centromere is the chromosomal locus where a kinetochore is built. Laying the foundation for kinetochore assembly at centromeres are CENP-A (a histone H3 variant) containing nucleosomes and a group of CENP-A associated proteins (termed constitutive centromere proteins). There are multiple microtubule motors and nonmotor microtubule-binding proteins localised at kinetochores to coordinate chromosome movement. A 10 protein complex called KMN network is currently thought to provide the primary end-on microtubule-binding activity. The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) monitors the kinetochore–microtubule attachment and signals the delay of the metaphase-to-anaphase transition when defects are detected. Conformational change of MAD2 and assembly of the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC) are the key events to activate the SAC. Comparative studies of similar and distinct kinetochore composition, structure and function in different species and during mitosis or meiosis have provided evolutionary perspectives on mechanisms regulating chromosome segregation. Keywords: kinetochore; centromere; mitosis; chromosome segregation; spindle assembly checkpoint; microtubule-binding proteins
Thermoelectric transport properties of CaMg 2 Bi 2 , EuMg 2 Bi 2 , and YbMg 2 Bi 2

The thermoelectric transport properties of CaMg${}_{2}$Bi${}_{2}$, EuMg${}_{2}$Bi${}_{2}$, and YbMg${}_{2}$Bi${}_{2}$ were characterized between 2 and 650 K. As synthesized, the polycrystalline samples are found to have lower $p$-type carrier concentrations than single-crystalline samples of the same empirical formula. These low carrier concentration samples possess the highest mobilities yet reported for materials with the CaAl${}_{2}$Si${}_{2}$ structure type, with a mobility of $\ensuremath{\sim}$740 cm${}^{2}$/V/s observed in EuMg${}_{2}$Bi${}_{2}$ at 50 K. Despite decreases in the Seebeck coefficient ($\ensuremath{\alpha}$) and electrical resistivity ($\ensuremath{\rho}$) with increasing temperature, the power factor (${\ensuremath{\alpha}}^{2}\ensuremath{\rho}$) increases for all temperatures examined. This behavior suggests a strong asymmetry in the conduction of electrons and holes. The highest figure of merit ($zT$) is observed in YbMg${}_{2}$Bi${}_{2}$, with $zT$ approaching 0.4 at 600 K for two samples with carrier densities of approximately $2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{18}$ cm${}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$ and $8\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{18}$ cm${}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$ at room temperature. Refinements of neutron powder diffraction data yield similar behavior for the structures of CaMg${}_{2}$Bi${}_{2}$ and YbMg${}_{2}$Bi${}_{2}$, with smooth lattice expansion and relative expansion in $c$ being $\ensuremath{\sim}$35$%$ larger than relative expansion in $a$ at 973 K. First-principles calculations reveal an increasing band gap as Bi is replaced by Sb and then As, and subsequent Boltzmann transport calculations predict an increase in $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ for a given $n$ associated with an increased effective mass as the gap opens. The magnitude and temperature dependence of $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ suggests higher $zT$ is likely to be achieved at larger carrier concentrations, roughly an order of magnitude higher than those in the current polycrystalline samples, which is also expected from the detailed calculations.
Fiducial point localization in multisensor 3-D surface scanning

The estimation of fiducial point locations on surfaces is important in many close range photogrammetric applications, including biostereometrics, non-contact stress analysis, industrial metrology, and others. We have developed various methods for estimation of surface fiducial points based on optically sensed range maps obtained with a multisensor 3-D scanner originally designed for portrait sculpture. We previously described an algorithm based on a Kalman filter, a recursive spatially variant optimal estimator. The results demonstrated that accurate localization of surface landmarks can be readily achieved. Two new methods for estimation of fiducial point locations on surfaces were devised for the 3-D scanner. This high- speed non-contact 3-D scanner uses 6 CID cameras and 6 pattern projectors. Each projector incorporates coded bar patterns which are projected onto the object to be scanned. These patterns are captured in the camera image, mensurated, and tagged to identify corresponding projector profiles for each profile observed in the camera. The set of points belonging to a profile on the image plane are entered into a 2-D to 3-D solution, an analytical procedure where each image point (2-D point) is mapped to a point in space (3-D point). Three- dimensional surface points from all views are resampled onto a global cylindrical grid. Both range and texture maps are computed and stored. The range and texture information from all views is averaged and displayed on a 3-D graphics workstation (Silicon Graphics 4-D/340). Fiducial point localization achieved via the two new methods employing variations of Kalman filtering.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
SU‐E‐J‐64: Towards a Patient Specific Deformation Model in the Male Pelvis for IGRT via Limited Angle Imaging

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of patient specific deformation models (PSDM) in the male pelvis for IGRT by limited angular imaging.Methods: In IGRT via limited angular imaging, insufficient angular projections are acquired to uniquely determine a 3D attenuation distribution. For highly limited geometries, image quality may be too poor for successful non‐rigid registration. This can be overcome by restricting the transformation space to one containing only feasible transformations learned from prior 3D images. This has been successfully applied in the lung region where a majority of deformation is due to respiratory motion which can be adequately observed at planning time with RCCT. Typically, the phases of the RCCT are registered together to form an group‐wise mean image and transformations to each training image. PCA is then performed on the transformation displacement vector fields. The transformation is found at treatment time by registration of digitally reconstructedradiographs of the transformed image to the measured projections, optimizing over the parameters of the PCA subspace. In the male pelvis, deformation is much more complicated than respiratory deformation and is largely inter‐fractional due to changes in bladder and rectal contents, articulation, and motion of the bowels. A similar model is developed for the male pelvis which takes into account pelvic anatomical information and handles the more complicated deformation space. Results: Using the leave‐one‐out method, dice similarity coefficients in the prostate compared with manual segmentations are increased over the those obtained by rigid registration and are comparable with those obtained by 3D non‐rigid registration methods. Conclusions: This method produces better results than rigid registration and is comparable with results obtained by 3D/3D registration even though it uses limited angle projections. However, its relies on daily training CTs, so it is not yet a viable clinical method. Funding provided in part by Siemens Medical
PREPARATION AND SOME PROPERTIES OF ARC-CAST PLUTONIUM MONOCARBIDE

Abstract Plutonium-carbon alloys in the compositional range of 42 to 60 at % carbon were prepared by arc melting and drop casting. Metallography, X-ray diffraction and chemical analysis were used to evaluate the alloys. Density, hardness and thermal expansion were measured. Unexpected abrupt changes in the rate of expansion which could not be attributed to a phase change were observed in alloys with more than 46 at % carbon. This effect which accounted for increases of two to four times the normal thermal expansion coefficient was removed on thermal cycling.
Duplications and de novo deletions of the SMNt gene demonstrated by fluorescence-based carrier testing for spinal muscular atrophy.

Approximately 95% of individuals with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) lack both copies of the SMNt gene at 5q13. The presence of a nearly identical centromeric homolog of the SMNt gene, SMNc, necessitates a quantitative polymerase chain reaction approach to direct carrier testing. Adapting a radioactivity-based method described previously, multiplex polymerase chain reaction was performed using fluorescently labeled primers followed by analysis on an ABI 373a DNA sequencer. The SMNt copy number was calculated from ratios of peak areas using both internal and genomic standards. Samples from 60 presumed carriers (50 parents of affected individuals and 10 relatives implicated by linkage analysis) and 40 normal control individuals were tested. Normalized results (to the mean of five or more control samples harboring two copies of the SMNt gene) were consistently within the ranges of 0.4 to 0.6 for carriers (one copy) and 0.8 to 1.2 for normal controls (two copies), without overlap. Combining linkage analyses with direct carrier test results demonstrated de novo deletions associated with crossovers, unaffected individuals carrying two SMNt gene copies on one chromosome and zero SMNt gene copies on the other chromosome, and unaffected individuals with three copies of the SMNt gene. This report demonstrates that fluorescence-based carrier testing for SMA is accurate, reproducible, and useful for genetic risk assessment, and that carrier testing may need to be combined with linkage analysis in certain circumstances.
Miniature actuator using thin-film shape-memory alloy

In this paper, a thin film nickel-titanium (NiTi) shape memory alloy (SMA) was used to develop a prototype compact hybrid actuator. SMA was selected as an actuating mechanism because it had the highest work density among active materials. Combining this attribute with high frequency response of thin films resulted in large power output. High drive frequency was also possible in part from manipulating the liquid flow to directly cool the SMA membranes. The actuator reached a drive frequency of 100Hz while producing 2.6Watts. The results indicated that power output is linearly related to the drive frequency since the volume flow rate increased proportional to frequency.
Predictors of attrition from a national sample of methadone maintenance patients.

Background: Methadone substitution therapy is an effective harm reduction treatment method for opioid dependent persons. Ability to retain patients in methadone treatment is an accepted predictor of treatment outcomes. Objectives: The current study evaluates the roles of psychiatric comorbidity, medical comorbidity, and sociodemographic characteristics as predictors of retention in methadone treatment utilizing retrospective analysis of data from a nationwide sample of patients in methadone treatment in the VA. Methods: Data were gathered using the VA's national health services use database. A cohort of veterans with a new episode of “opiate substitution” in fiscal year 1999 was identified, and their continuous service use was tracked through fiscal year 2002. The sample included a total of 2,363 patients in 23 VA medical centers. Survival analysis was used to explore factors associated with retention in methadone treatment. Results: Younger age, having a serious mental illness, being African American, or...
A multicenter outcomes analysis of patients with neonatal reflux presenting with prenatal hydronephrosis

AbstractPurpose: Approximately 10 to 30% of prenatal cases of hydronephrosis result in the postnatal diagnosis of vesicoureteral reflux. Using a new generic prenatal-postnatal data sheet developed by the Society for Fetal Urology the characteristics, natural history and outcome of prenatal hydronephrosis confirmed postnatally to be vesicoureteral reflux were documented at 3 centers.Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective multicenter review of Society for Fetal Urology data sheets completed for each patient in whom prenatal hydronephrosis was proved to be postnatal vesicoureteral reflux from 1993 to 1998.Results: In 56 male and 15 female patients with prenatal hydronephrosis a total of 116 refluxing renal units were confirmed postnatally. Of the 116 renal units 112 were hydronephrotic prenatally. During gestation increased hydronephrosis was noted with voiding in 4 cases. Of the 112 hydronephrotic renal units only 26 ureters in 15 patients were seen prenatally. The obstetrician considered the d...
Comparison of Nebulization-Spray Chamber Arrangements for Atomic Fluorescence and Atomic Emission Flame Spectrometry

Ten different commercial atomic absorption nebulizer-chamber systems with a capillary burner and three laboratory-constructed ultrasonic nebulizer chamber systems with a mini-flame burner are compared with respect to solution uptake rates, concentrational and absolute detection limits, efficiencies of nebulization, and common flame spectrometric interferences. Measurements of both flame atomic emission (Sr, Ca, K, Na) and flame atomic fluorescence (Mg, Cu, Pb) were performed for all cases. The ultrasonic and pneumatic nebulizer systems resulted in about the same concentrational detection limits, but the former resulted in ∼102X lower absolute detection limits. The batch type ultrasonic nebulizer gave much higher nebulization efficiencies than the continuous flow ultrasonic nebulizer or any of the pneumatic nebulizer systems. Chemical interferences were approximately the same in all nebulizer-burner systems. Nebulizer chambers with a J-bead resulted in lower detection limits than the same systems without J-beads.
Granulocytes (the red, white, and blue) in hypersensitivity reactions: A review

This review is an attempt to summarize studies which demonstrate the participation of all three kinds of granulocytes in reactions of both immediate and delayed hypersensitivity. The focus is on the biologic control of these cell types by various mediator substances, in particular the lymphokines and the complement-derived factors. These factors collectively mobilize, attract, activate, immobilize, and otherwise affect granulocyte function in vitro and in vivo. These mechanisms which lead to control of the distribution and properties of the granulocytes are of prime importance in the production of an inflammatory reaction following an underlying immunologic event. This interface between inflammation and immunity underlies all of clinical and experimental hypersensitivity.
Developmental differences in hyperoxia-induced oxidative stress and cellular responses in the murine lung

Abstract Exposure of newborn mice to high inspired oxygen elicits a distinct phenotype of compromised alveolar and vascular development, although lethality during long-term exposure is lower in newborns compared to adults. As the effects of hyperoxia are mediated by excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, we hypothesized that newborn mice may exhibit enhanced expression of antioxidant defenses or attenuated ROS generation compared with adults. We measured subcellular oxidant responses to acute hyperoxia in lung slices and alveolar epithelial cells at varying time points during postnatal murine lung development. Oxidant stress was assessed using RoGFP, a ratiometric protein thiol redox sensor, targeted to the cytosol or the mitochondrial matrix. In contrast to newborn resistance to oxygen-induced mortality, cells of lung slices from younger mice demonstrated exaggerated mitochondrial matrix oxidant stress compared to adults, whereas oxidant stress responses in the cytosol were absent. Cell death in lung slices from newborn mice exposed to 48 h of hyperoxia was also greater than for adults. Consistent with these findings, expression of antioxidant enzymes in newborn lungs was lower than in adults, and induction of antioxidant levels and activity during 24 h of in vivo exposure was absent. However, expression of the reactive oxygen species-generating enzyme NADPH oxidase 1 was increased with hyperoxic exposure in the young but not the adult lung. Collectively, these results suggest that the greater lethality in adult animals may be more likely attributed to processes such as inflammation than to differences in antioxidant defenses. Therapies for neonatal and adult oxidative lung injury should therefore consider and address developmental differences in oxidative stress responses.
Non-local separation constitutive laws for interfaces and their relation to nanoscale simulations

A framework is proposed to characterize fracture through continuum interface separation constitutive laws that are motivated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using embedded-atom method potentials. These laws are distinguished from previous continuum models in that discrete atomistics are used to determine a set of nanoscale effects, accounting for the influence of atomic structure and imperfections on interface separation or fracture. This conceptual framework utilizes internal state variable (ISV) theory to embed a set of interface attributes into cohesive interface separation constitutive relations. Structural rearrangement of the interface region during separation can be explicitly tracked through a set of differential equations for the ISVs. To guide forms for the interface constitutive laws, MD simulations are presented for a planar, tilt nanograin boundary interface subjected to tension and shear deformations. The proposed list of ISVs accounts for geometry, composition, defect density, and damage within the interface region. Continuum calculations motivated by discrete nanoscale computations facilitate a more complete description of real material separation processes.