cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Critical dynamics are a homeostatic set point of cortical networks in vivo

The brain is constantly challenged by severely destabilizing forces: proteins turn over rapidly, Hebbian modifications alter and introduce positive feedback into networks, and environments change over many timescales. Homeostatic plasticity mechanisms, which operate via negative feedback, are believed to compensate for these changes and constrain neuronal activity to a firing rate (FR) set point (Turrigiano et al, 1998; Ibata et al., 2008; Hengen et al., 2016). For decades, it has been widely assumed that activity in neural networks is robust as a direct result of the widespread expression of FR homeostasis (Turrigiano et al., 1998; Tetzlaff et al., 2011). Here we reveal that network dynamics are stabilized independent of excitatory FR homeostasis and that cortical networks actively self-organize around an ideal computational regime. We continuously tracked network spiking activity in the visual cortex (V1) of freely behaving rats for nine days. We found that, under baseline conditions, networks of excitatory neurons are robustly organized around criticality, a regime known to maximize information capacity and dynamic range. Monocular deprivation (MD) revealed a dissociation of excitatory FRs and network dynamics. MD immediately and severely disrupted network organization, which returned precisely to criticality over 48h. In contrast, both the excitatory FR drop and the subsequent FR recovery trailed the timecourse of network changes by more than 30h. Model investigations suggest a role for inhibitory neurons in maintaining critical dynamics. Collectively, these results show that complex activity in cortical circuits is actively maintained near criticality and that this organization is not explained by previously identified mechanisms of pyramidal neuron FR homeostasis.
Robotic Assisted Surgery in Pediatric Urology: Current Status and Future Directions

The evolution of robotic surgical technology and its application in Pediatric Urology have been rapid and essentially successful. Further development remains limited in three key areas: procedural inefficiencies, cost and integration of surgical and clinical information. By addressing these challenges through technology and novel surgical paradigms, the real potential of surgical robotics in pediatric, as well as adult applications, may ultimately be realized. With this evolution, a continued focus on patient-centered outcomes will be essential to provide optimal guidance to technical innovations.
Abstract 3955: Tumor macrophage-mediated antibody dependent cell phagocytosis (ADCP) is theprimary mechanism mediating HER2 mAb (Trastuzumab) anti-tumor responses which can be synergistically enhanced by CD47 innate immune checkpoint blockade

Approximately 20% of breast cancers (BC) are defined by HER2 overexpression and treated using HER2-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAb), such as Trastuzumab. Previous studies have demonstrated Trastuzumab can limit signaling, elicit antibody dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC), antibody dependent phagocytosis (ADCP), and adaptive immune responses to HER2, however its primary therapeutic mechanism of action (MOA) remains unclear. As HER2 mAb efficacy is subverted in advanced cancers, understanding and boosting their MOA is of critical clinical interest and scientific significance for HER2+ BC as well as for other targeted mAbs. Using a series of fully murine Trastuzumab mAbs of different isotypes, we found that the IgG2A (high A/I) isotype was essential for tumor growth suppression, suggesting an innate immune MOA. In contrast to previous reports, our studies revealed that NK cells, neutrophils, T-cell, or B-cell populations were unnecessary for this anti-tumor MOA. However, we found that a murine IgG2A Trastuzumab (mTras) altered the immune microenvironment in vivo through neutrophil suppression (~4 fold, p 4 fold, p Thus, our study demonstrates the primary MOA of a clinically relevant HER2 mAb requires engagement with TAMs to stimulate their expansion and elicit ADCP, which could be significantly enhanced by CD47-SIRPa blockade. This suggests that the strategic use of CD47-SIRPa innate blockade may allow for significant enhancement of anti-tumor immunity in combination with other cancer antigen targeting mAb therapies (targeting EGFR, CD20, etc) as a more effective strategy to stimulate anti-tumor immune responses in advanced immunosuppressive cancers. Citation Format: Li-Chung Tsao, Jun-Ping Wei, Gang-jun Lei, Tao Wang, Xiao-Yi Yang, Cong-Xiao Liu, H. Kim Lyerly, Zachary C. Hartman. Tumor macrophage-mediated antibody dependent cell phagocytosis (ADCP) is theprimary mechanism mediating HER2 mAb (Trastuzumab) anti-tumor responses which can be synergistically enhanced by CD47 innate immune checkpoint blockade [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3955.
E-002 Transradial Approach for Pediatric Neurointerventions: A Case Series

Introduction/Purpose The Transradial approach (TRA) for Neurointerventional procedures has recently garnered interest as an alternative to the traditional transfemoral approach (TFA) in adult patients. While the benefits of the TRA have been well reported in adult patients, there are a paucity of reports in the literature regarding its use in the pediatric and adolescent populations. The paucity of literature regarding the TRA for Neurointerventional procedures in the pediatric population is likely due to fear of spasm in the narrow caliber radial artery as well as the perceived difficulty in navigating the cerebrovasculature through the TRA. At our institution we have implemented the radial first approach in most adult diagnostic and interventional cases. More recently, we have transitioned to the use of the TRA in pediatric patients as well. Here we present the first reported case series utilizing the TRA in the pediatric population, demonstrating its safety and efficacy for both diagnostic and neuro interventional procedures. Materials and methods We retrospectively collected data on patient undergoing trans radial intervention from July 2018 to Feb 2019. Pertinent details collected include demographics, indication, technique, radial artery diameter, and complications. Results We have 4 patients in pediatric population where radial approach was used. Indications included Juvenile Nasopharyngeal Angiofibroma embolization (2), right ICA pseudoaneurysm which failed medical management (1), and right cerebellar AVM (1). In all cases, a 6F sheath with a 6F ENVOY guide catheter (Codman- DePuy Synthes, Raynam, MA) were used. One patient developed radial artery vasospasm, and 5 mg verapamil were administered intraarterially post procedure before removal of sheath. The patient did not have any complaints post-procedurally. All preprocedural objectives were met, and none of the interventions required changing to a transfemoral approach. The radial artery remained patent in all 4 patients post-procedurally. Conclusion TRA is safe, effective, and well tolerated in appropriately selected pediatric population. Most importantly, the risk of bleeding and arterial damage, the most common complications following these procedures, is essentially eliminated with the Transradial approach. Ultrasound guided measurement of the artery to ensure caliber over 2 mm is recommended in this population to avoid complications. Disclosures N. Majmundar: None. P. Patel: None. V. Dodson: None. I. Bach: None. J. Liu: None. P. Khandelwal: None.
Association of Serum Troponin Obtained During Stroke Codes with Cardioembolic Strokes.

Abstract Background Troponin is a marker of cardiac ischemia and is elevated in about 30% of stroke patients. We investigated if the elevation of troponin during an acute stroke code is associated with a cardioembolic source. Methods We performed a retrospective chart review of patients evaluated for acute strokes from July 2014 to March 2018. Patients included in the study were all given intravenous alteplase, had blood drawn for troponins during the acute stroke code and had confirmation of a new stroke on neuroimaging during hospitalization. Patients who were on dialysis or had a glomerular filtration rate of less than or equal to 40 ml/minutes on initial laboratory evaluation were excluded. Stroke etiology was classified into noncardioembolic (NCE) and cardioembolic (CE), according to Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment criteria. The NCE group was compared with the CE group with respect to troponin levels. Troponin was considered as a dichotomous categorical variable, with a cut-off point at greater than or equal to.05 ng/ml. Results 144 patients met the inclusion criteria. In our cohort, 40.74% of patients in the CE group had troponin levels of greater than or equal to .05 ng/mL compared to 12.22% in NCE group. A troponin level of greater than or equal to.05 ng/ml obtained during a stroke code showed a significant difference between cardioembolic and noncardioembolic strokes (OR, 4.94; 95% CI, 2.15-11.35; P Conclusions A troponin level of greater than or equal to .05 ng/ml obtained during a stroke code showed a significant difference between CE and NCE strokes. This finding may have implications for clinical workup, and patients with admission troponin levels of greater than or equal to .05 ng/mL may need further clinical investigations to look for a cardioembolic source. A troponin level of greater than or equal to .05 ng/ml may prompt a more thorough search for a cardioembolic source in cases in which such a source is not identified on initial evaluation.
Exercises of voice, choice, and collaboration in a personalized learning initiative

A diverse, urban district’s Personalized Learning Initiative (PLI), committed to transforming instructional tasks through integration of technology, created spaces for collaboration, voice, and cho...
Estimating customer churn under competing risks

Customer churn management focuses on identifying potential churners and implementing incentives that can cure churn. The success of a churn management program depends on accurately identifying pote...
Noninvasive Ventilation and Spinal Cord Injury

Individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) are at increased risk of respiratory complications during wake and sleep. Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is commonly associated with SCI and requires an individualized approach to its management. Respiratory control plays a key role in the pathogenesis of SDB in cervical SCI. Noninvasive ventilation plays an important role in the management of respiratory complications in individuals with SCI acutely and in chronic phases. Positive airway pressure treatment may be effective in eliminating SDB and improving sleepiness symptoms, but adherence to treatment is poor and effect on long-term outcomes is questionable.
STRS in Yb-doped polarisation-maintaining fiber amplifier

Modal interference can lead to intensity modulations in optical fibers, which can produce refractive index gratings under the influence of quantum defect heating in a fiber laser. These gratings are perfectly phased-matched for mode couplings, which can lead to transverse mode instabilities at high average powers in fiber lasers. A detailed understanding of this process is critical for further power scaling of fiber lasers. We have directly observed and characterized this quantum-defect-assisted mode coupling for the first time using polarization modes in a PM fiber amplifier, providing solid experimental evidence for this key mechanism for transverse mode instability in fiber lasers.
Measuring stress after childbirth: development and validation of the Maternal Postpartum Stress Scale.

Background: Due to a wide range of stressors during the first postpartum year, this study aimed to develop and validate a self-report measure of stress intensity specific for postpartum.Method: Postpartum women (N= 603) completed the Maternal Postpartum Stress Scale in a cross-sectional online study. They also filled out questionnaires on general stress, depression, and anxiety . Factor analysis, reliability, and validity were examined.Results: Exploratory factor analyses revealed a three-factor structure: Personal needs and fatigue , Infant nurturing , and Body changes and sexuality. The reliability of the total scale and all subscales was good. Significant positive correlation with general stress indicated good convergent validity, and with depression and anxiety good divergent validity. Primiparous mothers had a higher score on the Infant nurturing subscale, and the mothers of infants with health problems had a higher score on the total scale, Personal needs and fatigue, and Infant nurturing.Conclusion: Maternal Postpartum Stress Scale is a new, valid, and reliable 22-items scale that measures stress during the first postpartum year. The total scale and tree subscales can be calculated separately to provide detailed information about stressors that mothers struggle with. The scale can be used for research and practical purposes.
Virtual Conferences

For the past 40 years, research communities have embraced a culture that relies heavily on physical meetings of people from around the world: we present our most important work in conferences, we meet our peers in conferences, and we even make life-long friends in conferences. Also at the same time, a broad scientific consensus has emerged that warns that human emissions of greenhouse gases are warming the earth. For many of us, travel to conferences may be a substantial or even dominant part of our individual contribution to climate change. A single round-trip flight from Paris to New Orleans emits the equivalent of about 2.5 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2e) per passenger, which is a significant fraction of the total yearly emissions for an average resident of the US or Europe. Moreover, these emissions have no near-term technological fix, since jet fuel is difficult to replace with renewable energy sources. In this talk, I want to first raise awareness of the conundrum we are in by relying so heavily in air travel for our work. I will present some of the possible solutions that go from adopting small, incremental changes to radical ones. The talk focuses one of the radical alternatives: virtual conferences. The technology for them is almost here and, for some time, I have been part of one community that organizes an annual conference in a virtual environment. Virtual conferences present many interesting challenges, some of them technological in nature, others that go beyond technology. Creating truly immersive conference experiences that make us feel "there" requires attention to personal and social experiences at physical conferences. Those experiences need to be recreated from the ground up in virtual spaces. But in that process, they can also be rethought to become experiences not possible in real life.
Modeling Mercury Capture within ESPs: Continuing Development and Validation

Efforts to reduce anthropogenic mercury emissions worldwide have recently focused on a variety of sources, including mercury emitted during coal combustion. Toward that end, much research has been ongoing seeking to develop new processes for reducing coal combustion mercury emissions. Among air pollution control processes that can be applied to coal-fired boilers, electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) are by far the most common, both on a global scale and among the principle countries of India, China, and the USA that burn coal for electric power generation. A previously reported theoretical model of in-flight mercury capture within ESPs is herein validated against data from a number of full-scale tests of activated carbon injection for mercury emissions control, resulting in the first validated model of mercury capture within ESPs. By using the established particle size distribution of the activated carbon and actual or estimated values of its equilibrium mercury adsorption capacity, the incremental reduction in mercury concentration across each ESP can be predicted and compared to experimental results. Because the model does not incorporate kinetics associated with gas-phase mercury transformation or surface adsorption, the model predictions represent the mass-transfer-limited performance. Comparing field data to model results reveals many facilities performing at or near the predicted mass-transfer-limited maximum, particularly at low rates of sorbent injection. Where agreement is poor between field data and model predictions, additional chemical or physical phenomena may be responsible for reducing mercury removal efficiencies.
Postirradiation malignant neoplasms of the uterine fundus

Abstract These neoplasms are a rather rare complication occurring some years following irradiation of the uterus for either benign conditions or for carcinoma of the cervix. Sixteen cases are reported, of which 11 were adenocarcinoma of the endometrium, 3 were carcinosarcoma, and 2 were mixed mesodermal tumors of the uterus. The average age of the patients was 54.7 years. Irradiation had been used for benign conditions in 5 cases and for squamous carcinoma of the cervix in 11. The average time interval between irradiation and the development of the uterine neoplasm was 11.8 years. Possibly irradiation was less a factor in the adenocarcinomas than in the carcinosarcomas and mixed mesodermal tumors, but no conclusion is warranted in such a small series of cases.
Real-Time LQG Robotic Visual Tracking

In this paper, a modified LQG technique is proposed for the solution of the robotic visual tracking problem (eye-in-hand configuration). The problem of robotic visual tracking is formulated as a problem of combining control with computer vision. A cross-correlation method provides the object’s motion measurements which are used to update the system’s measurement vector. These measurements are fed to a discrete steady state Kaiman filter that calculates the estimated values of the system’s states and of the exogenous disturbances. Then, a discrete LQG controller computes the desired motion of the robotic system. Experimental results are presented to show the effectiveness of the approach.
All-terminal reliability analysis of the SRP-ring: the effect of enhanced intelligent protection switching

Spatial reuse protocol (SRP) is a media access control (MAC)-layer protocol that operates over a double counter-rotating ring network topology. SRP is designed to enhance the SONET network so that it can handle data traffic more efficiently. We study the all-terminal reliability of an SRP ring implementing intelligent protection switch (IPS) and enhanced intelligent protection switch (E-IPS). We calculate reliability for all scenarios under which all-terminal connectivity is maintained. By summing up the results arising from individual mutually exclusive events, all-terminal reliabilities for IPS and E-IPS are obtained. By further assuming constant and time-dependent component failure rates, mean time to failure (MTTF) and mean time to failure improvement factor (MTIF) measures are calculated. Results show that MTTF/MTIF vary as functions of network size, component reliability and coverage factor. The advantage of E-IPS over IPS is more obvious when network size is big and concentrator failure rate is small. Our analysis could be helpful to network designers who wish to determine whether the additional cost/complexity added by the E-IPS scheme is justified.
ViDeDup: an application-aware framework for video de-duplication

Key to the compression-capability of a data deduplication system is the definition of redundancy. Traditionally, two data items are considered redundant if their underlying bit-streams are identical. However, this notion of redundancy is too strict for many applications. For example, for a video storage platform, two videos encoded in different formats would be unique at the system level but redundant at the content level. Intuitively, introducing application-level intelligence in redundancy detection can yield improved data compression. We propose ViDeDup (Video De-Duplication), a novel framework for video de-duplication based on an application-level view of redundancy. The framework goes beyond duplicate data detection to similarity-detection, thereby providing application-level knobs for defining acceptable level of noise during replica detection. Our results show that by trading CPU for storage, a 45% reduction in storage space could be achieved, in comparison to 8% yielded by system level de-duplication for a dataset collected from video sharing sites on the Web. We also present tradeoff analysis for various tunable parameters of the system to optimally tune the system for performance, compression and quality.
FLORIDA SKID CORRELATION STUDY OF 1967: SKID TESTING WITH TRAILERS

THE FLORIDA STATE ROAD DEPARTMENT, IN COOPERATION WITH THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC ROADS, CONDUCTED A SKID RESISTANCE CORRELATION STUDY AT DUNNELLON AIRPORT IN MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA, DURING OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER, 1967. TWENTY DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS PARTICIPATED IN THE TESTING. THE PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE DEGREE OF STANDARDIZATION ACHIEVED BY SEVERAL SKID TEST TRAILERS CONSTRUCTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE NEWLY DEVELOPED ASTM TEST FOR SKID RESISTANCE OF PAVEMENTS USING A TWO-WHEEL TRAILER. THE EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN FOR THE TRAILER TESTS INCLUDED ZONING OF THE TEST PAVEMENTS AND RANDOMIZED TESTING SEQUENCE TO EQUALIZE THE DIFFERENCES WITHIN A GIVEN SURFACE AND TO REDUCE THE EFFECT OF EXTRANEOUS VARIABLES. THE TRAILERS WERE TESTED AT 20, 40 AND 60 MPH. RESULTS OF THE TRAILER TESTS INDICATE GOOD REPRODUCIBILITY WITHIN THE INDIVIDUAL TRAILERS AND FAIR CORRELATION BETWEEN SOME OF THE TRAILERS. HOWEVER, A CONSIDERABLE INTERACTION WAS EVIDENT BETWEEN THE TRAILERS AND THE SITES TESTED. GOOD REPRODUCIBILITY WAS OBTAINED WITH TRAILERS UTILIZING THEIR SELF-WATERING SYSTEMS EVEN THOUGH LARGE DIFFERENCES RESULTED BETWEEN THE TRAILERS. TEXTURE MEASUREMENTS WERE ALSO MADE ON ALL SURFACES USING THE TEXAS TEXT-UR-METER, THE NASA GREASE TEST AND BUREAU OF PUBLIC ROADS OUTFLOW METER. SATISFACTORY CORRELATION BETWEEN THE COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION, SPEED GRADIENTS AND TEXTURE MEASUREMENTS ON THE DIFFERENT SURFACES WAS NOT ACHIEVED. /AUTHOR/
Aδ and C Primary Afferents Convey Dorsal Root Reflexes After Intradermal Injection of Capsaicin in Rats

Antidromic activity was recorded in anesthetized rats from single afferent fibers in the proximal ends of cut dorsal root filaments at the L(4-6) level and tested for responses to acute cutaneous inflammation produced by intradermal injection of capsaicin. This antidromic activity included low-frequency spontaneous firing and dorsal root reflex (DRR) discharges evoked by applying von Frey hairs to the skin of the foot. DRRs could be recorded from both small myelinated (Adelta) and unmyelinated (C) afferent fibers, as well as from large myelinated (Abeta) fibers. After capsaicin was injected intradermally into the plantar skin of the foot, a significant enhancement of DRR activity was seen in Adelta and C fibers but not in Abeta fibers, and this increase lasted for approximately 1 h. This study supports the hypothesis that centrally mediated antidromic activity in Adelta and C primary afferent fibers contributes to the development of neurogenic inflammation, presumably by release of inflammatory substances in the periphery.
Batteries for stationary standby and for stationary cycling applications part 6: alternative electricity storage technologies

As the need for stored electrical energy has grown, the lead-acid battery has been the primary storage component until very recently. Although improvements in lead-acid technology have been made over the years, short life expectancy and poor component reliability have driven energy storage customers in search of longer life and higher reliability storage technologies. New technology batteries have been developed as well as other non-battery storage devices that are meeting the needs for higher energy densities and more reliability. This paper discusses these emerging energy storage technologies and how they are being used in modern energy storage requirements.
The contribution of DNA ploidy to radiation sensitivity in human tumour cell lines

The contribution of DNA ploidy to radiation sensitivity was investigated in a group of eight human tumour cell lines. As previous studies suggest, while more aneuploid tumours tend to be more radioresistant, there is no significant relationship between ploidy and radiation sensitivity (SF2). The failure to observe a significant effect of ploidy on radiation sensitivity is due to the complex and multifactorial basis of radiation sensitivity. When we determined the relationship between survival and radiation-induced chromosome aberration frequency, a measure independent of most other modifiers of sensitivity, we observed a direct relationship between ploidy and mean lethal aberration frequency. The mean lethal frequency of aberrations increased from about 1 for diploid cells to about 2 for tetraploid cells. The mean lethal frequency of aberrations was independent of DNA repair variations. These observations demonstrate that changes in DNA ploidy are an important contributor to radiation sensitivity variations in human tumour cell lines. Therefore, any battery of predictive assays should include DNA ploidy measurements. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaign
The Unhealthy = Tasty Intuition and Its Effects on Taste Inferences, Enjoyment, and Choice of Food Products

Abstract Across four experiments, the authors find that when information pertaining to the assessment of the healthiness of food items is provided, the less healthy the item is portrayed to be, (1) the better is its inferred taste, (2) the more it is enjoyed during actual consumption, and (3) the greater is the preference for it in choice tasks when a hedonic goal is more (versus less) salient. The authors obtain these effects both among consumers who report that they believe that healthiness and tastiness are negatively correlated and, to a lesser degree, among those who do not report such a belief. The authors also provide evidence that the association between the concepts of “unhealthy” and “tasty” operates at an implicit level. The authors discuss possibilities for controlling the effect of the unhealthy = tasty intuition (and its potential for causing negative health consequences), including controlling the volume of unhealthy but tasty food eaten, changing unhealthy foods to make them less unhealthy...
An Item Response Theory Analysis of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory

This research uses item response theory methods to evaluate the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI; Raskin & Terry, 1988). Analyses using the 2-parameter logistic model were conducted on the total score and the Corry, Merritt, Mrug, and Pamp (2008) and Ackerman et al. (2011) subscales for the NPI. In addition to offering precise information about the psychometric properties of the NPI item pool, these analyses generated insights that can be used to develop new measures of the personality constructs embedded within this frequently used inventory.
Transit times in the high-density interconnections on GaAs-based VHSIC

An algorithm for the determination of transit times in the high-density interconnections on GaAs-based very high speed integrated circuits is presented. The interconnection capacitances used in the model include fringing fields as well as the effects of shielding by the neighbouring interconnections. These were determined by the method of moments in conjunction with a Green function appropriate for the geometry of the interconnections. The model also incorporates the effects of the capacitive couplings with the first and second neighbours on both sides of the interconnection. The interconnection was treated as a distributed transmission line terminated by a capacitive load and driven by a unit step-voltage source having impedance equal to the impedance of a typical GaAs MESFET. The model has been used to study the dependences of the delay time and the risetime on the length and the width of the interconnection, and the resistivity of the interconnection material. Furthermore, the dependence of the propagation time on the method of driving an interconnection such as using minimum size inverters, optimum size inverters and cascaded drivers has been examined for the GaAsbased integrated circuits.
Producing New Bijections from Old

Abstract For any purely combinatorial construction that produces new finite sets from given ones, a bijection between two given sets naturally determines a bijection between the corresponding constructed sets. We investigate the possibility of going in reverse: defining a bijection between the original objects from a given bijection between the constructed objects, in effect "canceling" the construction. We present a precise formulation of this question and then give a concrete criterion for determining whether such cancellation is possible. If the criterion is satisfied, then the cancellation procedure exists, and indeed, for many of the constructions that we have studied a polynomial-time cancellation procedure has been found; on the other hand, when the criterion is not satisfied, no procedure, however complicated, can perform the cancellation. The celebrated involution principle of Garsia and Milne fits into our rubric once it is recognized as a thinly disguised form of canceling a disjoint union with a fixed set, itself a well-known technique that fits into our theoretical framework. We show that the construction that forms the Cartesian product of a given set with some other, fixed set cannot in general be canceled, but that it can be canceled in the case where the fixed set carries a distinguished element. We also show that the construction that takes the m th Cartesian power of a given set can be canceled, but that the construction that forms the power set of a given set cannot.
Using renormalization-group ideas in Monte Carlo sampling

Renormalization-group methods are used to produce a novel Monte Carlo sampling algorithm which alleviates the problem of critical slowing down. The method is applied by means of a Kadanoff block-spin transformation to the one- and two-dimensional Ising models.
The proton magnetic resonance parameters and solvent effects for 2-methylbenzoxazole, -benzothiazole and -benzoselenazole

Abstract The proton magnetic resonance parameters have been obtained for 2-methylbenzoxazole, -benzothiazole, -benzoselenazole and various derivatives over the full range of concentration in cyclo hexane and acetone. The coupling constants were found to be nearly independent of heteroatom, with the chemical shifts being influenced by the heteroatom, yielding the order of mesomeric release of charge into the fused ring as O ⪢ S > Se. The chemical shifts were found to be very concentration- and solvent-dependent, indicating the presence of strong molecular interactions. Long-range inter-ring coupling parameters are also discussed.
Neural Machinery and Realization

The view that the relationship between minds and brains can be thought of on the model of software and hardware is pervasive. The most common versions of the view, known as functionalism in philosophy of mind, hold that minds are realized by brains. The question arises, What is the realization relation? I approach the question of realization through a case study: David Marr’s (1982) computational account of early visual processing. Marr’s work is instructive because it is the textbook case of the hierarchy of mechanisms that has seemed to bear out the arguments of functionalist philosophers and cognitive scientists. I argue that realization as employed by Marr has some but not all of the characteristics that it is usually taken to have.
Molecular evolution of PIII-SVMP and RGD disintegrin genes from the genus Crotalus.

Abstract Several types of disintegrins have been isolated from Crotalus spp rattlesnakes, including RGD disintegrins, and PIII-SVMPs. We isolated six cDNAs from snake venom glands using RT-PCR. Three RGD disintegrins ( atroxatin , mojastin , and viridistatin ) and three PIII-SVMPs ( catroriarin , scutiarin , and viristiarin ) cDNAs were isolated from the rattlesnakes Crotalus atrox , Crotalus scutulatus scutulatus , and Crotalus viridis viridis , respectively. Atroxatin and Viridistatin shared 90% amino acid identity to each other, and 87% identity to Mojastin. Scutiarin and Viristiarin were identical. All PIII-SVMPs isolated in this study shared the highest amino acid identity with Catrocollastatin. cDNA and protein sequences for RGD disintegrins, one MVD disintegrin, and PIII-SVMPs of the genus Crotalus (present in the NCBI database), were used in phylogenetic analysis. Neighbor-joining analysis of PIII-SVMP and RGD/MVD disintegrin -coding DNA sequences showed that these groups of genes separate into separate clades. A Φ ST pairwise comparison and Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA) between PIII-SVMPs and RGD/MVD disintegrins showed significant genetic differences. Mutations observed in ten of the cDNAs analyzed did not affect Cys-coding sequences. Our K A / K S data suggest that rapid evolution occurred between the genes coding for PIII-SVMPs resulting, in the production of RGD disintegrin -coding genes. However, once these genes diverged, mutations in the PIII-SVMP -coding genes were accumulated less frequently.
Tamsulosin and Spontaneous Passage of Ureteral Stones in Children: A Multi-Institutional Cohort Study

Purpose: Tamsulosin is associated with increased passage of ureteral stones in adults but its effectiveness in children is uncertain. We determined the association between tamsulosin and the spontaneous passage of ureteral stones in children.Materials and Methods: We performed a multi-institutional retrospective cohort study of patients 18 years or younger who presented between 2007 and 2012 with ureteral stones up to 10 mm and who were treated with tamsulosin or oral analgesics alone. The outcome was spontaneous stone passage, defined as radiographic clearance and/or patient report of passage. Subjects prescribed tamsulosin were matched with subjects prescribed analgesics alone, using nearest neighbor propensity score matching to adjust for treatment selection. Conditional logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between tamsulosin and spontaneous passage of ureteral stones, adjusting for stone size and location.Results: Of 449 children with ureteral stones 334 were eligible for i...
Locational Returns to Human Capital: Minority Access to Suburban Community Resources*

The suburbanization of racial and ethnic minorities is analyzed in terms of the locational resources provided by their communities of residence. In suburbs in the New York CMSA, non-Hispanic whites and Asians, on average, live in communities with higher average socioeconomic status, while Hispanics and blacks live in the less desirable suburbs. Models predicting suburban socioeconomic status for each racial/ethnic group show that whites and Hispanics receive consistent returns on income, acculturation, and family status. Asians’ locational patterns differ because they are unrelated to measures of acculturation; for blacks, locational outcomes correspond least to any of these human capital characteristics.
Soybean Root Systems and Sudden Death Syndrome Severity: Taproot and Lateral Root Infection

Experiments were conducted in the greenhouse to evaluate the role that infection location (taproot versus lateral root) plays in disease development of sudden death syndrome (SDS) on soybean (Glycine max) caused by the fungus Fusarium solani f. sp. glycines. Root characteristics of 12 soybean cultivars, representing a range of SDS reactions, were evaluated and compared for disease responses. A method was developed to facilitate taproot or lateral root infection. Results show that this procedure may be useful for observing a continuum of foliar and root disease responses. Significant differences in root length, surface area, and average diameter were observed among cultivars when infection occurred at the taproot or on the lateral roots. A significant correlation existed between foliar symptoms (i.e., area under the disease progress curve [AUDPC]) and root length, surface area, and volume for inoculated plants. Root volume and percent root discoloration were significantly different among individual soybean cultivars, and percent root discoloration was associated with AUDPC values only when the initial site of infection was on the lateral roots of soybean plants. Useful information about root system responses to SDS may be obtained from infection of the entire root system as opposed to only taproot infection.
Fong characters and chains of normal subgroups

In this note, we show that if \(\varphi\) is a π-partial character of the π-separable group \(G, {\mathcal{N}}\) is a chain of normal subgroups of G, and H is a Hall π-subgroup of G, then \(\varphi\) has a Fong character α \(\in\) Irr(H) such that for every subgroup \(N \in {\mathcal{N}}\), every irreducible constituent of αH∩N is Fong for N. We also show that if \(\beta \in {\rm Irr}(H)\) is quasi-primitive, then for every normal subgroup M of G the irreducible constituents of \(\beta_{H\cap M}\) are Fong for M.
Prevalence and correlates of HCV infection among methadone maintenance attendees: implications for HCV treatment

Abstract The HCV epidemic is thriving among often disadvantaged drug users. Current drug or alcohol use and underlying mental illness are contraindications for HCV treatment according to HCV treatment guidelines put forth by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The authors determined the prevalence and the correlates of HCV infection among methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) participants in Baltimore, MD, USA and assessed the feasibility and public health importance of providing HCV treatment to drug users in this setting. Self-reported HCV infection and barriers to medical care were identified by an interviewer-administered survey. Individuals unaware of their HCV serostatus received an anti-HCV antibody EIA test. Correlates of HCV infection and barriers to HCV treatment were explored using logistic regression. To date, among 558 MMT participants, HCV prevalence was 64.7% and exceeded 90% among individuals reporting ever injecting drugs or sharing equipment. Factors independently associated with prevalent HCV infection included: increasing age (30–39 years: AOR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.28, 2.42; 40–49 years: AOR: 3.42, 95% CI: 1.17, 9.99; 50+ years: AOR: 5.83, 95% CI: 1.70, 20.0); annual income of less than or equal to $5000 (AOR: 2.04, 95% CI: 1.23, 3.39); HIV infection (AOR: 2.11, 95% CI: 1.03, 4.36); prior HBV-infection, (AOR: 13.3, 95% CI: 6.53, 27.2); HBV immunisation (AOR: 3.60, 95% CI: 2.07, 6.27); years in MMT (AOR: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.24); using drugs but not injecting in past month (AOR: 0.49 95% CI: 0.28, 0.87) and injecting drugs in past month (AOR: 6.5, 95% CI: 2.74, 15.4); and reporting a mental health problem (AOR: 2.86, 95% CI: 1.14, 7.20). Four barriers—lack of medical insurance, current alcohol or drug use and mental illness—would prevent 77% of the MMT participants from accessing HCV medical care and treatment according to criteria specified by NIH HCV treatment guidelines. MMT programmes represent an opportunity to counsel, screen, evaluate and provide ongoing HCV medical care and treatment.
High-efficiency broad-area single-quantum-well lasers with narrow single-lobed far-field patterns prepared by molecular beam epitaxy

Broad-area single-quantum-well graded-index waveguide separate-confinement heterostructure lasers were fabricated by molecular beam epitaxy. A high external quantum efficiency of 79 percent and stable, single-lobed far-field patterns with a beam divergence as narrow as 0.8 deg (1.9 times diffraction limit) for a 100 micron-wide laser were obtained under pulsed conditions.
Statistical characterization of uplink interference in two-tier co-channel femtocell networks

Femtocell (FC) is a new networking paradigm that differs from the traditional, macrocell (MC) network in many ways: size/coverage, random deployment, autonomous operation, signal propagation environment, etc. Inter-cell interference is a major issue in FCs operating over the same channel as the underlying MC. In this paper, we present an analytic study of the uplink (UL) physical interference and other related metrics, namely the signal to interference ratio (SIR) and the outage probability in FCs. We consider a stochastic model in which the spatial distribution of the femto users (FUs) and the macro users (MUs) is described by two independent, homogeneous Poisson Point Processes (PPPs). We first characterize the UL interference at the FC by deriving its first and second order statistics, its probability density function (PDF) and its tail distribution. Second, we derive the PDF of the per-FU SIR, its temporal autocorrelation and the outage probability. Finally, we validate the derived outage probability via Monte-Carlo simulations and show how this probability constrains the system capacity in terms of number (or density) of FUs that could be accepted in the MC.
Evaluation of hardware in a small-animal SPECT system using reconstructed images

Evaluation of imaging hardware represents a vital component of system design. In small-animal SPECT imaging, this evaluation has become increasingly difficult with the emergence of multi-pinhole apertures and adaptive, or patient-specific, imaging. This paper will describe two methods for hardware evaluation using reconstructed images. The first method is a rapid technique incorporating a system-specific non-linear, three-dimensional point response. This point response is easily computed and offers qualitative insight into an aperture's resolution and artifact characteristics. The second method is an objective assessment of signal detection in lumpy backgrounds using the channelized Hotelling observer (CHO) with 3D Laguerre-Gauss and difference-of-Gaussian channels to calculate area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC). Previous work presented at this meeting described a unique, small-animal SPECT system (M(3)R) capable of operating under a myriad of hardware configurations and ideally suited for image quality studies. Measured system matrices were collected for several hardware configurations of M(3)R. The data used to implement these two methods was then generated by taking simulated objects through the measured system matrices. The results of these two methods comprise a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis that is well-suited for hardware assessment.
Effects of ridge geometry on mantle dynamics in an oceanic triple junction region: Implications for the Azores Plateau

Abstract Plate boundary geometry can affect the nature of magmatism along a mid-ocean ridge. The Azores Plateau is located in a complex geological setting that includes a triple junction (TJ), an oblique and recently-formed ultra-slow-spreading ridge, a zone of diffuse seafloor deformation, a major fracture zone, and a postulated hotspot. The precise character of the hotspot is somewhat debated, as some lines of evidence indicate it may not be a classic deep-seated plume. However, seismic and gravity data suggest plateau crustal thicknesses of ∼ 8 km or more, implying some mechanism for excess melting. To assess the role of ridge geometry in creating the Azores Plateau, this study uses a finite element numerical model to isolate the effects of selected aspects of plate boundary configuration on mantle flow and melt production in a TJ kinematically similar to the Azores TJ. The model focuses on the slowest-spreading ridge in the TJ, analogous to the Terceira Rift. The effect of the varying ridge obliquity observed along the Terceira Rift is also assessed using an independent 1-D melting model. In general, relatively little melt production is predicted along the Terceira Rift analogue, except for regions closest to the TJ where the proximity of a faster-spreading ridge increases temperatures within the melting zone. In the 1-D melting model with mantle temperatures of 1350 °C, melt thicknesses of ∼ 2 km are calculated for the least oblique segments, while more oblique segments produce little to no melt. The presence of a long discontinuity (simulating the Gloria FZ) has little effect on mantle dynamics for axial distances
Abstract 296: Characterization of prostate cancer circulating tumor cells using E-selectin coated-microtubes

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL Background: Metastasis and invasion is facilitated by adhesion of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) to endothelial cells in the blood vessel. Initial recruitment of CTCs to the blood vessel endothelium is mediated through selectin proteins. We used microtube coated with selectin proteins to simulate CTC adhesion under flow, to elucidate the complex physicochemical dynamics that control CTC adhesion in the bloodstream. Methods: Sterilized microrenathane microtubes were functionalized by E-selectin +/- anti-PSMA (mAb J591) and anti-EpCAM antibodies. Functionalized microtubes were used to observe the rolling behavior of prostate cancer cell lines MDAPCa2b, LNCaP C4-2, and PC-3. MDAPCa2b cells alone or mixed with normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were incubated with fluorescently conjugated mAbJ591, and the mixture flowed through the microtube for identification and capture efficiency. PBMCs isolated from prostate cancer patient's blood were similarly processed. Results: MDAPCa2b cells showed robust rolling at 1 dyne/cm2 shear stress while LNCaP, C4-2, and PC-3 cells did not exhibit rolling behavior on E-selectin coated microtubes. 7.5 cells were observed rolling at 1 dyne/cm2 compared to 1.5 cells at 8 dyne/cm2 per 100 mm2 area. To determine if prostate cancer cells could be identified in a mixture of PBMCs, MDAPCa2b cells were spiked in PBMCs and labeled with fluorescently conjugated mAb J591. MDAPCa2b cells demonstrated selective fluorescence which did not alter their rolling behavior. A 50% capture efficiency of MDAPCa2b cells spiked in PBMCs was achieved when flowed through E-selectin and anti-PSMA coated microtube. After establishing rolling and selective fluorescence in prostate cancer cell line, we used prostate cancer patient's blood. CTCs in prostate cancer patient's blood showed rolling behavior on E-selectin coated microtube. Further, these CTCs were PSMA-positive after incubation with fluorescently conjugated mAbJ591 and easily identified during the flow through the microtube. Conclusion: Our data shows that CTCs in prostate cancer patients exhibit rolling behavior, which may facilitate invasion and metastasis. Further, selective ex vivo labeling of CTCs enables rapid identification for subsequent characterization of their adhesion and invasive phenotype. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 296. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-296