cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 517: Effect of Hepatocyte-specific Depletion of AT1a Receptors on Atherosclerosis and Aneurysms

Background and Objective Whole body deficiency of AT1a receptors (AT1aRs) ablates angiotensin II (AngII) induced vascular pathologies that include aortic aneurysms and atherosclerosis. We created AT1aR floxed mice to determine the role of specific cell types expressing this receptor on these vascular pathologies. Unexpectedly, these mice demonstrated a lack of effect of smooth muscle specific AT1aR deficiency on the development of atherosclerosis or aneurysms. Also, endothelial-specific AT1aR deficiency had no effect in atherosclerosis and minimal effect on aneurysms. The purpose of this study was to determined if AngII infusion was releasing substances from the liver that influence vascular pathology. Methods and Results Hepatocyte depletion of AT1aRs was accomplished using two methods of introducing Cre into AT1aR floxed mice. One approach was injection of adenovirus Cre (AdCre) and the other by breeding to mice expressing Cre under the control of the albumin promoter. To induce atherosclerosis, groups of wild type and hepatocyte-specific AT1aR depleted male (N=15-21/group) and female (N=21/group) mice were fed a saturated fat enriched diet for 12 weeks. Hepatocyte-specific depletion of AT1aRs was confirmed using detection of Cre and absence of AT1aRs by PCR and RT-PCR, respectively. Body weights, serum cholesterol concentrations, and systemic blood pressures were not different between wild type and hepatocyte-specific AT1aR depleted mice grouped by gender and genotype. Atherosclerotic burden was similar in all groups. To examine AngII-induced atherosclerosis, male wild type and hepatocyte-specific AT1aR depleted mice (N=11-16/group) were fed a fat enriched diet for 5 weeks, and AngII (1,000 mg/kg/min) was infused using osmotic mini-pumps for 28 days. AngII infusion increased systolic blood pressure, promoted atherosclerosis and induced aneurysms to a similar degree in both genotypes. Conclusion Deletion of hepatocyte-specific AT1aRs did not affect dietary or AngII-induced vascular pathologies.
Superconducting TaC nanoparticle-containing ceramic nanocomposites thermally transformed from mixed Ta and aromatic molecule precursors

We report the structure and synthesis approach for obtaining a ceramic nanocomposite pellet comprising ∼50 nm-sized TaC nanoparticles. A mixture of Ta metal powder and the carbon precursor 1,2,4,5-tetraphenylethynyl benzene, pelletized by vacuum pressing at 131 MPa, on further thermal treatment with Ar at 1400 °C yields such a ceramic composite. On air oxidation, the TaC nanoparticles are converted to Ta2O5 nanoparticles at 760 °C. Hardness measurements revealed that the composite exhibited a global hardness in the range of 1.23–1.57 GPa. However, nanoindentation studies showed that, locally, hardness of the TaC nanoparticles (∼15 GPa) approached that of the densified TaC ceramic. Superconducting studies of the pellet consistently exhibited two transitions with Tc values of 10 K and 8.5 K, respectively, that corresponded to bulk TaC and to a component of unknown origin. The results discuss the morphological and constitutional characterizations of the TaC nanoparticle-containing composite.
Exploration of Text Analytic Tooling on Classwork to Support Students' Learning in Information Technology

Information technology graduates reach industry and innovate for the future after completing demanding degrees. Upper division college courses require long hours of work on class projects and exams. Some students have hopes of completing their degrees, but are deterred due to many different issues. Instructors can monitor students' progress based on their assignments, projects, and exams. Judging students' understanding and potential for success becomes more difficult when handling large classes. In this paper we utilize IBM Text Analytics Web Tooling on large amounts of unstructured text data collected from past assignments, exams, and discussions to help professors make assessments faster for large classes. In particular, we focus on an Information Security course offered at San Jose State University and use its classroom-generated data to determine if the extracted information provides strong insights for professors to help struggling students. We examine these issues through exploratory analysis.
Good vibrations: How consequential sounds affect perception of robotic arms

How does a robot's sound shape our perception of it? We overlaid sound from high-end and low-end robot arms on videos of the high-end KUKA youBot desktop robotic arm moving a small block in functional (working in isolation) and social (interacting with a human) contexts. The low-end audio was sourced from an inexpensive OWI arm. Crowdsourced participants watched one video each and rated the robot along dimensions of competence, trust, aesthetic, and human-likeness. We found that the presence and quality of sound shapes subjective perception of the KUKA arm. The presence of any sound reduced human-likeness and aesthetic ratings, however the high-end sound rated better in the competence evaluation in the social context measures when compared to no sound. Overall, the social context increased the perceived competence, trust, aesthetic and human-likeness of the robot. Based on motor sound's significant mixed impact on visual perception of robots, we discuss implications for sound design of interactive systems.
Substrate Modeling in Heavily-Doped Bulk Processes

In Chapter 4 substrate models were developed and discussed that are valid for any process technology in silicon. Additionally, for processes with an epitaxial layer on a heavily-doped bulk (doping density of 1018/cm3 or higher) as is typical of many CMOS technologies, a simpler model can be used-the single node model [6.1],[6.2] In this chapter we will discuss the single-node model, its advantages and limitations and some ways to overcome the latter.
High Unloaded Qs MM Wave WDR Filters Designing

The designing results of original high unloaded-Q waveguide-dielectric filters (WDFs), are discussed. The basic physical ideas, underlying the unique design of both narrow- and wide-band filters with a widened region of suppression up to a doubled working frequency and higher, with low losses (0.2-0.5 dB), are set forth; some of their parameters in the frequency range from 8 GHz up to 80 GHz, are brought forward. The distinctive features of a WDFs are observed and the perspective directions of their development and application are predicted.
Aerosol transmission of Hantaan and related viruses to laboratory rats.

Abstract : Hantaan (HTN), Seoul (SEO), and Puumala (PUU) viruses are members of the family Bunyaviridae, in the proposed genus Hantavirus. They are responsible for human disease ranging in severity from subclinical to hemorrhagic disorders collectively referred to as hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). Natural hosts for HTN, PUU, and SEO viruses are striped field mice, Apodemus agrarius, bank voles, Clethrionomys glareolus, and domestic rats, Rattus norvegicus, respectively. Hantaan, Seoul, and Puumala viruses were transmitted to 12-16-week-old female Wistar Rattus norvegicus by inhalation. The rodent infectious dose for each virus by intramuscular inoculation and by inhalation was determined, as was the infectious dose for Vero E-6 cells by direct plaque assay. Reprints.
The Emergence and Decline of Southern Baptist Congregations in a Southeastern County, 1784–2011: An Ecological Analysis

Studies of the growth and decline of religious organizations tend to focus on the ability of American religious institutions to adapt within an open market system, but theories of adaptation may overstate the ability of organizations to respond to changes in their environment. Theories of selection, on the other hand, emphasize the role environmental forces play in organizational growth and decline. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the usefulness of an ecological theory of selection for modeling growth and decline in a population of religious organizations. To test this model, I use historical data on a population of Southern Baptist congregations in the southeastern United States from 1784 to 2011. My analyses indicate that the processes of denominational growth and decline are consistent with the expectations of ecological theories of selection.
Integrable couplings of a generalized D-Kaup-Newell hierarchy and their Hamiltonian structures

We enlarge the spectral problem of a generalized D-Kaup-Newell (D-KN) spectral problem. Solving the enlarged zero-curvature equations, we produce integrable couplings. A reduction of the spectral matrix leads to a second integrable coupling system. Next, bilinear forms that are symmetric, ad-invariant, and non-degenerate on the given non-semisimple matrix Lie algebra are computed to employ the variational identity. The variational identity is then applied to the original enlarged spectral problem of a generalized D-KN hierarchy and the reduced problem. Hamiltonian structures are presented, as well as a bi-Hamiltonian formulation of the reduced problem. Both hierarchies have infinitely many commuting symmetries and conserved densities, i.e., are Liouville integrable.
Short Term Oral Methylergonovine Maleate Prophylaxis for Status Migrainosus. Case Series and Review of Literature.

Background Intravenous dihydroergotamine (DHE) is frequently used during inpatient hospitalizations or outpatient infusion therapies for 3-5 days in order to break the continuous cycle of status migrainosus. Long term use of ergots can cause safety concerns especially fibrosis. We tried a short term 7 days prophylaxis of oral methylergonovine after discharge in order to prevent status migrainosus relapse and extend the therapeutic benefit from IV DHE. Methods Patients were diagnosed with status migrainosus in clinic setting based on the ICHD-III criteria. They received IV DHE for 3-5 days followed by methylergonovine maleate oral tablets as prophylaxis for 7 days post discharge. They were asked to maintain their headache diaries which included data on headache frequency and intensity. A post discharge follow up at 1 week and 6-8 weeks was planned. Clinical improvement was defined as > 50% decrease in frequency and intensity of headaches. Intensity was graded on verbal numerical rating scale (VNRS) with 10 being the worst possible pain. Results A total of 3 patients who benefited from IV DHE, consented to trial of Methylergonovine Maleate 0.4 mg oral tablets three times a day prophylaxis on the day of discharge for a period of 7 days. At 1 week post discharge, all of the 3 patients had reported sustained improvement with severity dropping from an average of 8/10 intensity to 3/10 on VNRS. The headaches frequency had dropped from daily to episodic in 2 of the 3 patients. At an average of 7 weeks post discharge, 2 out of the 3 patients had reported sustained benefit. The third patient relapsed to the pre-admission status migrainosus severity. One patient reported mild diarrhea and nausea but was still able to continue the drug for a week. Conclusion Oral methylergonovine maleate prophylaxis for 7 days after IV DHE is feasible and safe for status migrainosus. This approach has the potential to prolonged the benefit of IV DHE and prevent relapse in to status migrainosus.
Molecular Pathology of Genitourinary Cancers: Translating the Cancer Genome to the Clinic

Genitourinary malignancies, including cancers of the prostate, urinary bladder, kidney, testis, and penis, are major causes of cancer morbidity and mortality. Molecular classification and predictive and prognostic assays are routinely applied in the workup of patients with hematologic malignancies and more recently in those with some types of solid tumors. Unfortunately, clinical translation of molecular findings in genitourinary cancers has lagged behind with only few molecular assays being used in the clinic. Nevertheless, high-throughput technologies combined with large international efforts to comprehensively interrogate cancer genomes and transcriptomes will likely lead to a complete cataloguing of the aberrations present in genitourinary cancers within just a few years. The shift towards precision medicine, selecting the right therapy for the molecular alterations driving a patient’s particular cancer, portends a rise in clinical demand for routine cancer genome/transcriptome assessment. Here, we provide an overview of the range of driving genetic alterations in common genitourinary cancers. We focus on salient single genes, multigene panels, and findings from exome/genome-wide interrogation and discuss their potential for translation into clinical assays.
Directional approach to gradual cover: a maximin objective

The objective of original cover location models is to cover demand within a given distance by facilities. Locating a given number of facilities to cover as much demand as possible is referred to as max-cover, and finding the minimum number of facilities required to cover all the demand is referred to as set covering. When the objective is to maximize the minimum cover of demand points, the maximin objective is equivalent to set covering because each demand point is either covered or not. The gradual (or partial) cover replaces abrupt drop from full cover to no cover by defining gradual decline in cover. Both maximizing total cover and maximizing the minimum cover are useful objectives using the gradual cover measure. In this paper we use a recently proposed rule for calculating the joint cover of a demand point by several facilities termed “directional gradual cover”. The objective is to maximize the minimum cover of demand points. The solution approaches were extensively tested on a case study of covering Orange County, California.
A Systems Analysis of Army Long Range and Support Fires

The modern battlefield requires continuous learning and development for effective warfighting. The United States Army’s vision for the Army of 2028 is to be ready to meet these evolving demands of warfare and to win decisively against adversaries in multi-domain, high-intensity situations. A major component of realizing this vision is enhancing the ability of long-range fires and attack aviation assets to support ground maneuver units (Infantry). At multiple Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, research is being conducted to support this effort. To support these research efforts, this paper uses Systems Engineering concepts to conduct a fault analysis of these support fires to identify where improvements need to be made within these assets. Findings indicate that there are four primary areas in which improvements can be made: computer systems, communication systems, integrative training, and the feedback system.
A new distribution‐free k‐sample test: Analysis of kernel density functionals

A novel distribution‐free k‐sample test of differences in location shifts based on the analysis of kernel density functional estimation is introduced and studied. The proposed test parallels one‐way analysis of variance and the Kruskal–Wallis (KW) test aiming at testing locations of unknown distributions. In contrast to the rank (score)‐transformed non‐parametric approach, such as the KW test, the proposed F‐test uses the measurement responses along with well‐known kernel density estimation (KDE) to estimate the locations and construct the test statistic. A practical optimal bandwidth selection procedure is also provided. Our simulation studies and real data example indicate that the proposed analysis of kernel density functional estimate (ANDFE) test is superior to existing competitors for fat‐tailed or heavy‐tailed distributions when the k groups differ mainly in location rather than shape, especially with unbalanced data. ANDFE is also highly recommended when it is unclear whether test groups differ mainly in shape or location. The Canadian Journal of Statistics 48: 167–186; 2020 © 2019 Statistical Society of Canada
Causes and Significance of Air in Bowel Wall

The following chapter will serve as a Q&A guide for medical students about causes of air in the bowel wall. The most clinically relevant topics will hopefully be illustrated for students. The distinction between urgent and benign conditions related to these imaging findings, particularly concerning questions of bowel ischemia, will be discussed. Further reading should be performed to better understand the significance, diagnosis, and management of the conditions discussed in these sections.
Improving Reliability of ReRAM-Based DNN Implementation through Novel Weight Distribution

Binary deep neural networks, that have been implemented in resistive random access memory (ReRAM) for storage efficiency, suffer from poor recognition performance in the presence of hardware errors. This paper addresses this problem by deriving a novel weight distribution and representation scheme that mitigates errors due to faulty ReRAM cells with minimal storage overhead. In the proposed scheme, the weight matrix is partitioned into grains, and each weight in a grain is represented by the sum of a multi-bit mean and a 1-bit deviation. The grain size as well as the mean to deviation ratio of the weights in a grain can be chosen such that the network is resilient to hardware errors. A hybrid processing-in-memory (PIM) architecture is proposed to support this scheme. The mean values are stored in a small SRAM and processed by a CMOS unit, and the deviations are stored and processed by the ReRAM unit. Compared to the baseline binary neural network which fails in the presence of severe hardware errors, the proposed hybrid scheme has only a mild recognition performance degradation. Simulation results show the proposed scheme achieves 97.84% test accuracy (a 0.84% accuracy drop) on a MNIST dataset, and 88.07% test accuracy (a 1.10% accuracy drop) on a CIFAR-10 dataset under 9.04% stuck-at-1 and 1.75% stuck-at-0 faults.
Could the Hadean Eon Have Been Habitable

Given the absence of a macroscopic Hadean rock record, evaluating terrestrial habitability is largely a thought experiment, but data from Hadean zircons can provide some constraints. We are certain that life as we know it would not be possible without four requirements; soluble bioactive elements (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur and phosphorous), free energy, liquid water, and time. Beyond these essential ingredients, there is broad agreement that there are ten secondary factors that separate us from the other, uninhabited terrestrial planets and maintain our planet’s homeostasis. They are: (1) a galactic and planetary sanctuary for life; (2) liquid water at the planetary surface to mediate biochemistry and efficiently cool the planet; (3) dissolved water in the deep planetary interior to enhance mantle circulation and catalyze the eclogite transition; (4) a broadly solar chemical composition to provide sufficient metallicity for a stable surface platform; (5) sufficient planetary mass to retain an atmosphere and heat; (6) planetary satellite(s) to stabilize climate zones; (7) extra-planetary impactors to introduce organic building blocks and water and to create satellites; (8) long-term interior heat generation to maintain mantle circulation and the geodynamo; (9) a self-sustaining dynamo to protect the atmosphere is erosion; and (10) a mechanism to recycle surface carbon into the interior and back. Evaluating how these various factors interact is complicated but our speculations can be guided by inferences from Hadean zircon geochemistry which potentially bear on six of the ten ingredients for life—the presence of surface and interior water, the role of impacts on early Earth, internal heat generation, surface recycling, and the existence of a Hadean geodynamo. Knowledge of the geochemistry and inclusion population of Hadean zircons also permits constraints to be placed on whether mineral phases and trace elements key to biopoiesis were present during the Hadean eon.
Self-Healing Predictive Control of Battery System in Naval Power System With Pulsed Power Loads

This article presents a model predictive self-healing control (MPSC) scheme for battery system interfaced dual active bridge (DAB) converter in navy ship power system (NSPS) with pulsed power loads (PPLs). The voltage and frequency of NSPS are vulnerable to PPLs energization. A properly controlled battery system with fast dynamic response can mitigate this vulnerability. Model predictive control (MPC) is a potential solution for the battery system interfaced DAB converter to achieve fast dynamic response and mitigate disturbances imposed to the NSPS by PPLs. However, conventional MPC framework suffers from current prediction error due to the pulsating AC-link inductor's voltage profile in DAB converter. This article proposes a self-healing control loop that utilizes the feasible range of power transfer in conjunction with the AC-link inductor's voltage profile. The proposed method can validate and autonomously correct the predicted current and phase shift in DAB converter interfaced a battery system. The proposed control scheme on DAB converter prevents voltage and frequency collapse in a hybrid AC/DC NSPS particularly during the PPL energization. The system stability is studied based on Lyapunov stability analysis. The theoretical concepts are validated by several case studies implemented on a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testbed of a NSPS. The case studies demonstrate voltage and frequency regulation of the NSPS with fast dynamic response during PPLs energization. The proposed MPSC performance is compared with proportional-integral (PI) based control for DAB in NSPS with PPLs.
Clinical Nuclear Medicine Neuroimaging - An Instructional Casebook

Dafang Wu Springer, 2020, 379 pages, $79.99 This interesting and informative booklet documents the resurgence of nuclear neuroimaging. The book has 8 chapters, the first 4 of which focus mainly on PET and SPECT for dementia and epilepsy. The topics start with the normal distribution of tracers
Greenhouse gases drove the increasing trends in spring precipitation across the central USA.

The central USA experienced major flooding during spring 2019, with both the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers at major flood stage at several locations, causing levees to breach and widespread flood...
Predisposing Factors for 30-Day Complications Following Leg Amputation:

BackgroundAlthough amputation rates, morbidity, and mortality have been established for select populations, the impact of general demographic factors on postoperative surgical complications remains...
Fiber endface photoacoustic generator for quantitative photoacoustic tomography.

We demonstrate a novel fiber endface photoacoustic (PA) generator using infrared (IR) 144 laser dye dispersed within an ultraviolet adhesive. The generator provides a wide acoustic bandwidth in the transducer frequency range of 2–7 MHz, high thermal conversion efficiency (${\gt}90\%$), good PA signal controllability (well-controlled IR 144 concentration), and high feasibility (simple procedures). Through a series of experimental validations, we show that this fiber-based endface PA generator can be a useful tool for a broad range of biomedical applications such as calibrating the local absorption coefficient of biological tissue for quantitative PA tomography.
Localized health monitoring for seismic resilience quantification and safety evaluation of smart structures

Abstract Natural hazards such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods cause billions of dollars of economic loss and claim thousands of lives every year. Researchers have proposed various tools and techniques to evaluate, manage, and mitigate seismic risk and improve resilience. Nonetheless, given the uncertainties involved, accurate system assessment requires real-time data on structural health and performance which can be attained through structural health monitoring (SHM) systems. This paper integrates component-based resilience quantification methods and SHM techniques to present a new probabilistic framework for seismic structural system evaluation and decision analysis. A trilateral framework is introduced which (1) uses the data obtained from a localized wireless sensor network to detect and locate damage, (2) develops component-based functionality curves to quantify the seismic resilience of the structure, and (3) makes post-quake rapid decisions based on a multi-criteria safety evaluation method. A nonlinear autoregressive exogenous (ARX) model is used to identify structural response and a statistical damage-sensitive coefficient is used to detect, locate, and measure damage in the system. Minor damages due to corrosion and major damages due to past extreme events are studied in the functionality analysis. Two groups of archetype building structures located in a high seismic region are studied, namely steel diagrid and special reinforced concrete structures. The results show that maximum absolute floor acceleration is the most accurate demand parameter for locating damage whereas maximum floor displacement and interstory drift ratio can effectively detect and measure damages.
Outrage Epistemology: Affective Excess as a Way of Knowing in Feminist Scholarship

Dominant paradigms of epistemology conventionally separate the rational from the emotional. In contradistinction to those views, we build on a rich tradition of scholarship about feminist anger to ...
Challenges in replicating secondary analysis of electronic health records data with multiple computable phenotypes: A case study on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia infections.

Abstract Background Replication of prediction modeling using electronic health records (EHR) is challenging because of the necessity to compute phenotypes including study cohort, outcomes, and covariates. However, some phenotypes may not be easily replicated across EHR data sources due to a variety of reasons such as the lack of gold standard definitions and documentation variations across systems, which may lead to measurement error and potential bias. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections are responsible for high mortality worldwide. With limited treatment options for the infection, the ability to predict MRSA outcome is of interest. However, replicating these MRSA outcome prediction models using EHR data is problematic due to the lack of well-defined computable phenotypes for many of the predictors as well as study inclusion and outcome criteria. Objective In this study, we aimed to evaluate a prediction model for 30-day mortality after MRSA bacteremia infection diagnosis with reduced vancomycin susceptibility (MRSA-RVS) considering multiple computable phenotypes using EHR data. Methods We used EHR data from a large academic health center in the United States to replicate the original study conducted in Taiwan. We derived multiple computable phenotypes of risk factors and predictors used in the original study, reported stratified descriptive statistics, and assessed the performance of the prediction model. Results In our replication study, it was possible to (re)compute most of the original variables. Nevertheless, for certain variables, their computable phenotypes can only be approximated by proxy with structured EHR data items, especially the composite clinical indices such as the Pitt bacteremia score. Even computable phenotype for the outcome variable was subject to variation on the basis of the admission/discharge windows. The replicated prediction model exhibited only a mild discriminatory ability. Conclusion Despite the rich information in EHR data, replication of prediction models involving complex predictors is still challenging, often due to the limited availability of validated computable phenotypes. On the other hand, it is often possible to derive proxy computable phenotypes that can be further validated and calibrated.
The Craft of Bureaucratic Neutrality: Interests and Influence in Governmental Regulation of Occupational Safety

Are political understandings of bureaucracy incompatible with Weberian features of administrative neutrality? In examining the question of whether interest groups and elected officials are able to influence how government agencies implement the law, this book identifies the political origins of bureaucratic neutrality. In bridging the traditional gap between questions of internal management (public administration) and external politics (political science), Huber argues that 'strategic neutrality' allows bureaucratic leaders to both manage their subordinates and sustain political support. By analyzing the OSH Act of 1970, Huber demonstrates the political origins and benefits of administrative neutrality, and contrasts it with apolitical and unconstrained administrative implementation. Historical analysis, interviews with field-level bureaucrats and their supervisors, and quantitative analysis provide a rich understanding of the twin difficulties agency leaders face as political actors and personnel managers.
Filling Gaps Left by Congress or Violating Federal Rights: An Analysis of Local Ordinances Restricting Undocumented Immigrants' Access to Housing

This paper examines immigrants' rights under federal law. In doing so, this paper will not use the traditional terms "illegal immigrants" or "illegal aliens," but instead will use the term "undocumented immigrants." The difference between the two groups being that documented immigrants have followed the procedures set out by the federal government to obtain documentation evidencing their legal status in the United States, while undocumented immigrants have not obtained such documentation. This author deems it inaccurate to refer to a group of people
The Classical Estrogen Receptor Transcriptional Pathway Implications in Human Osteoblasts

This article is based on a presentation given at the Advances in Skeletal Anabolic Agents for the Treatment of Osteoporosis meeting. This meeting included an overview of advances in the genomic actions of estrogen (E2) in osteoblast (OB) cells, followed by recent studies in this laboratory. It has been well documented that E2 and selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) serve as regulators of skeletal homoostasis and are the primary clinical therapies for the prevention of bone loss. E2 directly regulates selective gene expression and activity of OBs and osteoclasts (OCs) and indirectly regulates OB-OC coupling via specific paracrine factors. an overview with recent updates of the classical estrogen receptor (ER) genomic pathway is briefly described. This pathway involves E2 or SERM binding to the ER isoforms (ERα and ERβ), binding of the complex to target gene promoters, and the association of specific nuclear coregulators, which can either participate in the activation or inhibition of gene transcription. Other important recent advancements such as ligand-induced ER structural changes and the rapid interactions of receptors and coregulators with chromatin are also described. Studies in this laboratory have recently demonstrated ER isoform-specific actions of ERs on human OB gene expression and cell proliferation. In a U2OS osteoblastic cell model expressing ERα, ERβ, or both isoforms, specific patterns of E2-induced gen expression using gene microarrays are observed. The results of these studies raise interesting possibilities to the understanding of tissue- and disease-specific responses (including steroid resistance) and the use of selective ER isoform inhibitors/activators in steroid therapy. An ER isoform-specific interaction with coregulators could explain the isoform-specific gene regulation.
Pathological evidence of necrosis in recurrent renal mass following treatment with sunitinib

Abstract: Sunitinib is a highly potent, selective vascular endothelial growth factor-receptor types 1 to 3, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-R-α, and PDGF-R-s. Preclinical data suggest that sunitinib (SU11248) has antitumor activity that may result from both inhibition of angiogenesis and direct antiproliferative effects on certain tumor cell types. Sunitinib resulted in tumor shrinkage in 80% of patients who had failed treatment with Bevacizumab and 13% of patients demonstrated an objective Response Evaluation Criteria in solid Tumors (RECIST) in a study presented at the 2006 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting. We report the first published pathological evidence of sunitinib's effect on recurrent renal cell carcinoma. This was seen in a patient with renal cell carcinoma who developed a renal fossa recurrence 2 years following radical nephrectomy. Tumor shrinkage was evident in the nephrectomy bed after treatment with sunitinib. The pathology of the resected retroperitoneal mass and its implications are discussed.
Limited Incremental Linking and Unlinked Trade Agreements

The broadened scope of the GATT/WTO through successive rounds of trade liberalization is explained as a result of trade-partner specificity, linked agreements, and cross retaliation. In more recent years, however, countries have pursued trade liberalization through sector specific zero-for-zero agreements and preferential trade agreements, both of which have a reduced chance of suffering cross retaliation. This increase in unlinked agreements is explained by imperfect observability of trade policies generating gratuitous trade disputes and unjustified cross retaliation. If the dispute generating noise is perfectly correlated across sectors, however, then it provides no reason not to link agreements in a static sense and in many cases incremental linking still produces more liberalization than static linking. It is only when the noise is imperfectly correlated that linking and cross retaliation are problematic so that some sectors can enforce more liberalization in an unlinked agreement. If the correlation drops, the noise increases, or the number of sectors already covered is large, then incremental linking of more sectors is inefficient and countries pursue unlinked agreements.
Comparison of salivary calmodulin binding proteins in Sjogren's syndrome and healthy individuals

BACKGROUND: Reduction in salivary secretion is the hallmark of Sjogren's syndrome (SS). Calmodulin (CaM) and calmodulin binding proteins (CaMBPs) play a key role in the secretory process of saliva. Recent studies have suggested that SS-B, an autoantibody associated with SS, is a CaMBP. This finding suggests that CaMBP may con- tribute to the loss of saliva in SS. To better understand the role(s) of these proteins in SS, the purpose of this study was to compare salivary CaMBPs in Sjogren's pa- tients and controls. METHODS: Saliva samples were collected from 20 pa- tients and 20 age-, race-, and gender-matched controls. CaM overlay was used to identify CaMBPs in saliva of patients and controls. RESULTS: Higher number of salivary CaMBPs was ob- served among patients than controls. CONCLUSIONS: The increased number of salivary CaMBPs in SS may suggest a potential role for these proteins in the pathogenesis of the disease. J Oral Pathol Med (2007) 36: 132-5 A definitive diagnosis of SS often depends on com- bined clinical and laboratory findings that include positive salivary gland biopsy and serum autoantibod- ies. The autoantibodies often associated with SS are antinuclear antibody (ANA), rheumatoid factor (RF), anti-Ro (SS-A), and anti-La (SS-B) antibodies (2). These auto-antibodies are used for the diagnosis of SS, but their involvement in the etiology of the disease remains
Friend or Foe: Muslim Immigrants and Left Political Parties in Western Europe

Using original municipal-level data from cities in Western Europe, this paper demonstrates that the relationship between Muslim immigrants and left political parties in Western Europe is more complex than current research suggests. While left parties endorse economic and social policies that appeal generally to immigrants, they frequently take positions that conflict with the religious interests of Muslims. It is difficult to predict when and where the left will oppose policies that concern the religious practice of Islam because politicians from the same party may oppose a policy in one location and not in another, or reject policies that other party members endorsed.
Mixed carcinoma of the endometrium.

Abstract Of 280 endometrial carcinomas, 25 or 6.9 per cent were considered to be mixed carcinomas of the endometrium. Clinical features, criteria, classification, histopathologic features, extent, and biologic behavior of mixed carcinoma of the endometrium were presented and discussed. Analysis indicated an increasing frequency of endometrial adenoacanthoma and mixed carcinoma. The mixed carcinomas occurred in older women at a mean age of 68.2 years and have a longer time interval between menopause and onset of neoplasm when compared to adenocarcinoma and adenoacanthoma. Essential for the diagnosis of mixed carcinoma is a malignant squamous and glandular component. The glandular component was dedifferentiated. The squamous component was predominantly of large-cell type while keratinizing and small-cell types were less frequently observed. Endometrial mixed carcinomas are aggressive and metastasize early. The 5 year survival was 33.3 per cent.
A multi-stack framework in magnetic resonance imaging

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the preferred imaging modality for visualization of intracranial soft tissues. Surgical planning, and increasingly surgical navigation, use high resolution 3-D patient-specific structural maps of the brain. However, the process of MRI is a multi-parameter tomographic technique where high resolution imagery competes against high contrast and reasonable acquisition times. Resolution enhancement techniques based on super-resolution are particularly well-suited in solving the problems of resolution when high contrast with reasonable times for MRI acquisitions are needed. Super-resolution is the concept of reconstructing a high resolution image from a set of low-resolution images taken at different viewpoints or foci. The MRI encoding techniques that produce high resolution imagery are often sub-optimal for the desired contrast needed for visualization of some structures in the brain. A novel super-resolution reconstruction framework for MRI is proposed in this thesis. Its purpose is to produce images of both high resolution and high contrast desirable for image-guided minimally invasive brain surgery. The input data are multiple 2-D multi-slice Inversion Recovery MRI scans acquired at orientations with regular angular spacing rotated around a common axis. Inspired by the computed tomography domain, the reconstruction is a 3-D volume of isotropic high resolution, where the inversion process resembles a projection reconstruction problem. Iterative algorithms for reconstruction are based on the projection onto convex sets formalism. Results demonstrate resolution enhancement in simulated phantom studies, and in ex- and in-vivo human brain scans, carried out on clinical scanners. In addition, a novel motion correction method is applied to volume registration using an iterative technique in which super-resolution reconstruction is estimated in a given iteration following motion correction in the preceding iteration. A comparison study of our method with previously published methods in super-resolution shows favorable characteristics of the proposed approach.
Autonomous Capabilities for Small Unmanned Aerial Systems Conducting Radiological Response: Findings from a High-fidelity Discovery Experiment

This article presents a preliminary work domain theory and identifies autonomous vehicle, navigational, and mission capabilities and challenges for small unmanned aerial systems SUASs responding to a radiological disaster. Radiological events are representative of applications that involve flying at low altitudes and close proximities to structures. To more formally understand the guidance and control demands, the environment in which the SUAS has to function, and the expected missions, tasks, and strategies to respond to an incident, a discovery experiment was performed in 2013. The experiment placed a radiological source emitting at 10 times background radiation in the simulated collapse of a multistory hospital. Two SUASs, an AirRobot 100B and a Leptron Avenger, were inserted with subject matter experts into the response, providing high operational fidelity. The SUASs were expected by the responders to fly at altitudes between 0.3 and 30 m, and hover at 1.5i¾?m from urban structures. The proximity to a building introduced a decrease in GPS satellite coverage, challenging existing vehicle autonomy. Five new navigational capabilities were identified: scan, obstacle avoidance, contour following, environment-aware return to home, and return to highest reading. Furthermore, the data-to-decision process could be improved with autonomous data digestion and visualization capabilities. This article is expected to contribute to a better understanding of autonomy in a SUAS, serve as a requirement document for advanced autonomy, and illustrate how discovery experimentation serves as a design tool for autonomous vehicles.
A PC-controlled non-incremental distance meter based on a comb-spectrum combined with a frequency modulated continuous wave interferometer

In this paper a PC-controlled non-incremental interferometer that integrates frequency modulated continuous wave and dispersive comb spectrum techniques is presented. This system takes advantage from the wide measuring range of the frequency modulated continuous wave technique and from the high resolution of the dispersive comb spectrum technique.
Micromechanical approach to damage mechanics of composite materials with fabric tensors

Abstract The purpose of this study is to apply continuum damage mechanics – introduced through the concept of fabric tensors – to composite materials within the framework of the theory of elasticity. A directional data model of damage mechanics for composite materials will be developed using fabric tensors. The introduction of fabric tensors into the analysis of damage of composite materials will allow for an enhanced and better understood physical meaning of damage. The micromechanical approach will be used here to relate the damage effect through fabric tensors to the behavior of composite materials. In this approach, damage mechanics is introduced separately to the constituents of the composite material through different constituents’ damage effect tensors. The damaged properties of the composite system as a whole can then be obtained by proper homogenization of the damaged properties of the constituents. The derivation of a generalized formulation of damage evolution will be shown here in a mathematically consistent manner that is based on sound thermodynamic principles. Numerical examples will be presented to show applicability. In addition, damage evolution for the one-dimensional tension case is also illustrated.
Perinatal outcome of fetus with isolated congenital second degree atrioventricular block without maternal anti-SSA/Ro-SSB/La antibodies.

Abstract Objective: We determined the perinatal outcomes of fetuses with isolated congenital second degree atrioventricular block detected in utero and born to mothers seronegative for anti-SSA/Ro-SSB/La antibodies. Methods: Isolated second degree atrioventricular block was defined as second degree atrioventricular block detected in utero without the accompanying structural cardiac anomaly, tachyarrhythmia, non-conducted premature atrial beats or long QT syndrome. We review our own cases and search from Medline using keywords such as atrioventricular block, arrhythmia, bradycardia and congenital to collect cases of congenital isolated second degree atrioventricular block. Results: Two cases were from our institution and five cases from a Medline search; in total seven cases of isolated second degree atrioventricular block without maternal anti-SSA/Ro-SSB/La antibodies were analyzed. Six of the seven fetal arrhythmias reverted to sinus rhythm by delivery and did not recur during the follow-up period. The prognosis of the fetus with isolated second degree atrioventricular block without maternal anti-SSA/Ro-SSB/La antibodies is better than that of the fetus with maternal anti-SSA/Ro-SSB/La antibodies or the fetus of congenital long QT syndrome with second degree atrioventricular block detected in utero. Conclusion: The fetus with isolated congenital second degree atrioventricular block carries a good prognosis in the absence of maternal anti-SSA/Ro-SSB/La antibodies.
Factors influencing career success in nursing

The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine educational preparation, personal characteristics, and significant others in the career success of women in nursing. The sample was a random selection of 194 doctorally prepared female nurses who reported some degree of career success. The factor, personal characteristics, was ranked as the most important in facilitating career success, educational preparations was ranked second, and significant others was ranked third. Among significant others ranked as influential were teachers, peer/colleagues, and supervisors.
Update on staging and surgical treatment options for esophageal cancer.

Introduction Esophageal cancer remains a challenging clinical problem, with overall long-term survivorship consistently at a level of approximately 30%. The incidence of esophageal cancer is increasing worldwide, with the most dramatic increase being seen with respect to esophageal adenocarcinoma.
Balancing urban growth and ecological conservation: A challenge for planning and governance in China.

China has high biodiversity and is rapidly urbanizing. However, there is limited understanding of how urban expansion in the country is likely to affect its habitats and biodiversity. In this study, we examine urban expansion patterns and their likely impacts on biodiversity in China by 2030. Our analysis shows that most provinces are expected to experience urban expansion either near their protected areas or in biodiversity hotspots. In a few provinces such as Guangdong in the south, urban expansion is likely to impinge on both protected areas and biodiversity hotspots. We show that policies that could facilitate the integration of natural resource protection into urban planning exist on paper, but the prevailing incentives and institutional arrangements between the central and local governments prevent this kind of integration. Removing these obstacles will be necessary in order to safeguard the country’s rich biodiversity in light of the scale of urbanization underway.
An eductive interpreter for the language Lucid

We describe an interpreter for pLucid, a member of the Lucid family of functional dataflow languages. In appearance, pLucid is similar to Landin's Iswim, exept that individual variables and expressions denote streams (infinite sequences of data items), and function variables denote filters (stream-to-stream transformations). The actual data objects in pLucid (the components of streams) are those of POP2: numbers, strings, words, and lists. The 'inner syntax' (infix operations, conventions for denoting constants) are those of POP2 as well.The interpreter (which was written in C) is eductive: it uses a tagged demand-driven scheme. Demands for values in the output stream generate demands for values of other variables internal to the program. These demands, and the values returned in response, are tagged according to "time" (sequence index) and place (node in the tree of function calls). Once computed, values are stored in an associative memory (the "warehouse") in case they are demanded again later in the computation. The warehouse is periodically cleaned out using a heuristic called the "retirement plan". The heuristic is not perfect, but does not have to be: in an eductive computation, the program is not altered as in reduction. If discarded values are needed again, they can be recomputed.The pLucid interpreter performs extensive runtime checks and error messages quote the source line containing the offended operator. A special end-of-data object permits a very simple treatment of finite (terminating) input and output. Of special interest is its interface to UNIX, which allows any system command to be used as a filter inside a pLucid program.The interpreter performs well enough for nontrivial programs to be developed and tested. These include (simple versions of) a text formatter, a distributed airline reservation system, and a full screen editor.