cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Long-term stability of the elemental composition in biological materials

Lyophilized and radiation sterilized biological certified reference materials (CRMs) are believed to be stable in their chemical composition. Generally, the certifying agencies consider the certificates of these biological CRMs valid for a 5-year shelf life, i.e., apart from measurable moisture content, the chemical composition should not change during that time. The long-term behavior of fresh frozen material is not known. In this study the elemental compositions of the Bovine Liver Standard Reference Material (SRM 1577) and human liver tissue samples are evaluated over a time period of more than 7 years. The concentrations of selected elements were determined by neutron activation analysis at various times. The initial evaluation of zinc, selenium and arsenic results gives no indication of changes during 7 years storage of fresh frozen tissues, however, a trend towards lower arsenic concentrations has been observed in SRM 1577 during a 10-year period.
Blowing in the Wind: ‘70s Questions for Millennial Therapists

ABSTRACTPsychotherapy came in for a drubbing by the Women’s Liberation Movement of the 1960s. Indeed, some movement members declared that Feminist Therapy was an oxymoron. Despite the antipathy, feminists in the mental health professions borrowed practices, ethical ideals, principles, and goals from the Women’s Liberation Movement to create innovative models of therapy. This progressive impetus came to an abrupt halt with the sweeping re-medicalization of psychiatry in 1980s and the corporatization of medicine that followed thereafter. As the landscape of psychotherapy changed, so too did the founders’ vision of Feminist Therapy. Drawing on interviews with feminist therapists, I examine some of these changes. I close by asking about the conditions of possibility for feminism in therapy today.
Virtual Research Consultations Study

ABSTRACTDuring the summer of 2014, the Research and Instructional Services Unit of Meyer Library reviewed services offered on-campus, and concluded a consultation service for distance students was missing. A face-to-face research consultation service has been utilized for more than 10 years. Due to the success of this existing service, the unit wished to offer it to students unable to come to campus. The goals of virtual consultations are to give distance students the same options for research assistance as on-campus students. Namely, help students find materials, provide a degree of information literacy instruction, and establish a positive view of the library.
Adverse Reactions to Transfusion of Blood Products and Best Practices for Prevention

Transfusion, a common practice in critical care, is not without complication. Acute adverse reactions to transfusion occur within 24 hours and include acute hemolytic transfusion reaction, febrile nonhemolytic transfusion reaction, allergic and anaphylactic reactions, and transfusion-related acute lung injury, transfusion-related infection or sepsis, and transfusion-associated circulatory overload. Delayed transfusion adverse reactions develop 48 hours or more after transfusion and include erythrocyte and platelet alloimmunization, delayed hemolytic transfusion reactions, posttransfusion purpura, transfusion-related immunomodulation, transfusion-associated graft versus host disease, and, with long-term transfusion, iron overload. Clinical strategies may reduce the likelihood of reactions and improve patient outcomes.
Recommender Systems as Multistakeholder Environments

Recommender systems are typically evaluated on their ability to provide items that satisfy the needs and interests of the end user. However, in many real world applications, users are not the only stakeholders involved. There may be a variety of individuals or organizations that benefit in different ways from the delivery of recommendations. In this paper, we re-define the recommender system as a multistakeholder environment in which different stakeholders are served by delivering recommendations, and we suggest a utility-based approach to evaluating recommendations in such an environment that is capable of distinguishing among the distributions of utility delivered to different stakeholders.
Management of Patients With Left Ventricular Assist Devices Requiring Teeth Extraction: Is Halting Anticoagulation Appropriate?

Purpose An increasing number of patients with end-stage heart failure are supported with left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation and must be maintained on a consistent anticoagulation regimen. Pre-emptive extraction of carious teeth in these patients is necessary to prevent seeding of the implanted device and endocarditis. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate bleeding complications after minor oral surgery, specifically teeth extractions, in this unique patient population requiring long-term anticoagulation. Materials and Methods This study was a retrospective single-center review. Adult patients supported on an implanted continuous-flow LVAD from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2016 were included. Baseline characteristics were collected by retrospective chart review and the institutional LVAD registry. All extractions were performed in the operating room under local anesthesia with moderate sedation or general anesthesia with nasal intubation, and LVAD settings were monitored by a trained perfusionist. Preoperative and postoperative hematology laboratory values, such as hemoglobin and international normalized ratio (INR), were collected by chart review. Continuous variables were presented as mean ± standard deviation and compared using the Student t test. Categorical variables were presented as proportion and percentage and compared using the χ2 test or Fisher exact test as appropriate. Statistical significance was established at a P value less than .05. Results After screening 798 patients, 32 (4%) were found to have undergone dental extractions after LVAD implantation. The sample was composed of 32 patients with a mean age of 60.13 years and 81.25% were men. The average time from LVAD implantation to extraction was 445.19 ± 1,108.53 days. Average preoperative INR was 1.76 ± 0.47. Preoperative fresh frozen plasma was not administered to any patients. Twenty-eight patients (87.5%) were on Coumadin (warfarin) preoperatively. In 11 of these 28 patients (39.3%), Coumadin was held preoperatively. The average postoperative change in hemoglobin level was −0.79 ± 1.45. Only 1 patient (3%) required postoperative blood transfusion for a hemoglobin level of 7.6 that responded appropriately. There were no reoperations for bleeding. Conclusions Minor oral surgical procedures can be performed safely for patients being supported on LVAD therapy. With primary closure of the gingiva at the site of extraction, dental extractions can be performed without the full reversal of anticoagulation.
Quasi-Monte Carlo in Tree Pricing Models

Quasi-Monte Carlo sampling methods for the pricing of path dependent derivatives have been shown to outperform random sampling when used in a variety of different interest rate models. In certain applications it is desirable to perform Monte Carlo simulations on a tree based interest rate model, however there is a lack of literature describing how to perform QMC on a tree. This paper describes a path compensation algorithm that allows QMC sampling based on the Sobol sequence in tree pricing applications. Solutions are provided for single factor Hull-White trinomial trees as well as the Black- Karasinski model. This algorithm can be adapted to binomial tree models. Path construction by the Brownian bridge is compared to a fast discrete cosine transform (DCT) approximation of principal component analysis (PCA). Both QMC methods are shown to outperform MC.
Do democracies trade more freely

Do democracies trade more freely? If so, what are the characteristics of the democratic polity that are relevant to trade policy? This chapter surveys the empirical evidence to address the first question, and presents a simple model of trade and politics to address the second.
Two electron utilization of methyl viologen anolyte in nonaqueous organic redox flow battery

Abstract Methyl viologen (MV) as a bench-mark anolyte material has been frequently applied in aqueous organic redox flow batteries (AORFBs) towards large-scale renewable energy storage. However, only the first reduction of MV was utilized in aqueous electrolytes because of the insoluble MV0 generated from the second reduction of MV. Herein, we report that methyl viologen with bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonamide counter anion, MVTFSI, can achieve two reversible reductions in a nonaqueous supporting electrolyte. Paired with (Ferrocenylmethyl)trimethylammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, FcNTFSI, as catholyte, the MVTFS/FcNTFSI nonaqueous organic redox flow battery (NOARFB) can take advantage of either one electron or two electron storage of the methyl viologen moiety and provide theoretical energy density of 24.9 Wh/L and a cell voltage of up to 1.5 V. Using a highly conductive LiTFSI/CH3CN supporting electrolyte and a porous Daramic separator, the NOARFB displayed excellent cycling performance, including up to a 68.3% energy efficiency at 40 mA/cm2, and more than 88% total capacity retention after 100 cycles.
ALK inhibitors and checkpoint blockade: a cautionary tale of mixing oil with water?

Over the last decade, remarkable advances in therapeutic options led to improved outcomes in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Much of this is owed to a shift in categorizing NSCLC by a few histological subtypes to a more heterogeneous entity defined by distinct molecular subtypes.
Relational theory and cultural enhancement interventions for African American adolescent girls.

OBJECTIVE: This study tested the effectiveness of two culturally appropriate substance abuse prevention intervention programs for African American girls. METHODS: Project Naja recruited 210 girls ages 10-12 from schools in a low-income ward in Washington, D.C., to participate in a 2.5- year, three-phase intervention to develop strong ethnic and gender identity. The Cultural Enhancement Project recruited sixth grade girls in Richmond, Virginia, for a 15-week curriculum. The author collected pre- and post-test data on cultural, drug, and sex measures. RESULTS: Project Naja participants in the intervention group scored significantly higher on Africentric values and racial identity than comparison group participants. They also had more positive concepts of their physical appearance. In the Cultural Enhancement Project, girls in the intervention group scored higher on the global African American identity scale. There was a trend toward significance in increased percentage of androgyny for girls in the intervention group. CONCLUSIONS: Prevention programs should include a component directed at strengthening ethnic identity and other protective factors (self-esteem, positive peer support, and skill-enhancement). Language: en
Reducing Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema (BCRL) Through Prospective Surveillance Monitoring Using Bioimpedance Spectroscopy (BIS) and Patient Directed Self-Interventions

Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) is a chronic progressive disease that results from breast cancer treatment and nodal surgery. NCCN guidelines support baseline measurements with prospective assessment for early diagnosis and treatment. We sought to determine if baseline measurement with bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) and serial postoperative evaluations provide early detection amenable to conservative interventions that reduce BCRL. Breast cancer patients with unilateral disease high-risk for BCRL from a single institution were evaluated from November 2014 to December 2017. High risk was defined as axillary lymph node dissection with radiation and/or taxane chemotherapy. Patients received preoperative baseline BIS measurements followed by postoperative measurements with at least two follow-ups. Patients with BIS results that were 2 standard deviations above baseline (10 + points) started home conservative interventions for 4–6 weeks. Postintervention measurements were taken to assess improvement. A total of 146 patients high-risk for BCRL were included. Forty-nine patients (34%) developed early BCRL and started self-directed treatment. Forty patients (82%) had elevated BIS measurements return to normal baseline range. Nine (6%) patients had persistent BCRL requiring referral for advanced therapy. Patients with persistent BCRL had significant nodal burden on surgical pathology; eight (89%) had N2/N3 disease. Six (76%) with BCRL refractory to conservative measures died of their breast cancer. Our results demonstrated that early conservative intervention for breast cancer patients high risk for BCRL who were prospectively monitored by utilizing BIS significantly lowers rates of BCRL. These findings support early prospective screening and intervention for BCRL. Early detection with patient-directed interventions improves patient outcomes and decreases the risk of persistent BCRL.
Endothelila based cardiac regeneration

Background - The regenerative ability of the heart is very low, making patients with myocardial damage potential candidates for cell-based regenerative therapy. Pluripotent human embryonic stem cells (hESC) are a promising source of repopulating cardiomyocytes (CMs). While the quantity of CMs obtained is no longer a limitation in current differentiation protocols, their inotropy needs to be improved.We have creaated in Doha since the last 10 years a unique plafrm based on endothelial feeder as an instructive niche for organ regeneration. We have been ablse so for to demonstrate efficient regeneration in liver lung and HSCs regeneration. Here we hypothesized that we could improve maturation of CMs and facilitate electrical interconnections by creating a mixture of cell types that more closely resembles heart tissue - i.e. containing both endothelial cells (ECs) and cardiomycocytes. Using our unique endothelial platfrom we demonstrated an increased in differentiated functional CM. CMs formed under these conditions displayed a higher rate of contraction. The co-culture with endothelial cells led to synchronized beating relying on the endothelial network as illustrated by the loss of synchronization upon the disruption of endothelial bridges. Hence we created a unique platfrom allowing to expand functional cardiomycocytes that could be potentially used in cell therapy protocol. Our research promotes the concept of organoid based cell therapy.
Abstract B64: Characterizing the tumor immune microenvironment of metastatic and nonmetastatic renal clear cell carcinomas and colorectal carcinomas using computational methods

Cancer is a leading cause of mortality worldwide with most cancer-related deaths attributed to metastatic disease progression. Engaging the immune system to fight cancer has several advantageous features, particularly given the unique role the immune system plays in initiating, maintaining, and fighting tumor metastasis. Here, we examine the tumor immune microenvironment in metastatic (primary stage IV -M1) and non-metastatic (primary stage I/II- M0) tumors in renal clear cell carcinoma (RCCC) and colorectal carcinoma (CRC) through the application of deconvolution algorithms and pathway analyses. Preliminary data suggests the tumor microenvironment varies based on cancer type as well as metastatic disease status, and these differences in immune infiltration significantly affect survival outcomes. The prevailing belief of the association of CD8+ T cells with a positive survival outcome did not hold true for renal clear cell carcinoma in our analysis. We further characterized the heterogeneity of the microenvironments in CRC and RCCC. Specific immune cell types consistently and differentially infiltrate tumors (NK and CD4+ T cells in particular), albeit their cellular status and influences on survival vastly differ based on the tumor type, suggesting each tumor type uniquely evades the immune system to promote metastasis. Citation Format: Yasmin Kamal, Frederick S. Varn, Jr., Chao Chen, Hildreth Robert Frost, Christopher I. Amos. Characterizing the tumor immune microenvironment of metastatic and nonmetastatic renal clear cell carcinomas and colorectal carcinomas using computational methods [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy; 2017 Oct 1-4; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2018;6(9 Suppl):Abstract nr B64.
A toolkit for animal touchscreen slider design

Animal-computer interaction is a quickly growing field in computer science however unlike HCI, there are no tools to ease interface development for its users, increasing overhead. Here, we present the beginning of a toolkit created specifically for animal interactions. We implement a gesture-based interface, a slider, as it is highly configurable in shape, colour, and feedback allowing it to be as simple or complex as desired. The resultant interface can be in any shape, provides 20 run-time configuration options, and collects usage data for qualitative analysis. The toolkit reduces the effort needed to build gestural animal interfaces for research or everyday use.
Approaches to integrate sustainable materials management into waste management planning and policy

Abstract Many solid waste policy makers are adopting sustainability practices following one of the three most commonly followed approaches: zero-waste, circular economy, and sustainable materials management (SMM). Although some communities have embraced these models, challenges remain to integrate these concepts into solid waste policy and planning. Several approaches for integrating SMM were demonstrated. The approaches centered on using SMM concepts to prioritize and strategically plan for more sustainable waste management and to create performance metrics to track solid waste management system progress. Waste information from five regions were compiled to assess current data adequacy; necessary data were in many cases limited. Findings showed that many of the regions will need to better track and report their individual materials generated and disposed of to more accurately apply SMM. Among the common outcomes of the SMM approaches illustrated was the need to better target specific materials in the waste stream for recovery, such as metal and paper products. Other findings included the need to more effectively promote and track waste reduction efforts given the dramatic beneficial outcomes when using an SMM-based performance metric, such as an energy use reduction goal.
Effectiveness of Intermittent Fasting and Time-Restricted Feeding Compared to Continuous Energy Restriction for Weight Loss

The current obesity epidemic is staggering in terms of its magnitude and public health impact. Current guidelines recommend continuous energy restriction (CER) along with a comprehensive lifestyle intervention as the cornerstone of obesity treatment, yet this approach produces modest weight loss on average. Recently, there has been increased interest in identifying alternative dietary weight loss strategies that involve restricting energy intake to certain periods of the day or prolonging the fasting interval between meals (i.e., intermittent energy restriction, IER). These strategies include intermittent fasting (IMF; >60% energy restriction on 2–3 days per week, or on alternate days) and time-restricted feeding (TRF; limiting the daily period of food intake to 8–10 h or less on most days of the week). Here, we summarize the current evidence for IER regimens as treatments for overweight and obesity. Specifically, we review randomized trials of ≥8 weeks in duration performed in adults with overweight or obesity (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2) in which an IER paradigm (IMF or TRF) was compared to CER, with the primary outcome being weight loss. Overall, the available evidence suggests that IER paradigms produce equivalent weight loss when compared to CER, with 9 out of 11 studies reviewed showing no differences between groups in weight or body fat loss.
Breaking Down Hitler’s Magic: An Analysis of Adolf Hitler’s “Unifying” Rhetoric in 1934 and 1939

Adolf Hitler dealt with several rhetorically difficult situations in the years leading up to Word War II. One was his announcement of the invasion of Poland in September 1939. This should not have been a well-received message—public sentiment and general domestic conditions did not create a favorable environment for another war—yet it was. The same phenomenon had occurred five years earlier, after the Night of Long Knives, in July 1934. This analysis looks at the rhetorical strategies Hitler employed in both speeches which contributed to his success, specifically in the context of what Kenneth Burke refers to as Hitler’s “unifying device.” I conclude by determining that Hitler’s use of several rhetorical strategies detailed by figures such as Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca, Althusser, Koutsantoni, and Roberts-Miller were key to his rhetorical success.
Regulatory Abdication in Practice

“Meta-regulation” refers to deliberate efforts to induce private firms to create their own internal regulations—a regulatory strategy sometimes referred to as “management-based regulation” or even “regulation of self-regulation.” Meta-regulation is often presented as a flexible alternative to traditional “command-and-control” regulation. But does meta-regulation actually work? In her recent book, Meta-Regulation in Practice: Beyond Normative Views of Morality and Rationality, Fiona Simon purports to offer a critique of meta-regulation based on an extended case study of the often-feckless process of electricity regulatory reform undertaken in Australia in the early part of this century. Yet neither Simon’s case study nor her book overall succeeds in undermining the rationale for using meta-regulation. In this review essay, I highlight the many limitations of Simon’s argument. I show how, in making existing scholarship her foil, Simon mischaracterizes what regulatory scholars have had to say about meta-regulation. Not only does Simon misleadingly make scholars out to be naive and overly optimistic about what can be expected from meta-regulation, but she also ignores entirely the peer-reviewed empirical research that shows that meta-regulation can work. She also misstates what existing work has to say about the mechanisms that can make meta-regulation effective. The most significant problem with Simon’s book, though, is that the case study she presents in her effort to criticize meta-regulation theory does not actually describe a strategy based on meta-regulation. Rather, it shows Australian electricity regulators as passive, defensive, and weak. What Simon’s book actually offers is a detailed case study of regulatory abdication in practice.
Space-time clustering of climate extremes amplify global climate impacts, leading to fat-tailed risk

Abstract. We present evidence that the global juxtaposition of major assets relevant to the economy with the space and time expression of extreme floods or droughts leads to a much higher aggregate risk than would be expected by chance. Using a century long, globally gridded time series that indexes net water availability, we compute local occurrences of an extreme dry or wet condition for a specified duration and return period, every year. A global exposure index is then derived for major mining commodities, by weighting extreme event occurrence by local production exposed. We note significant spatial and temporal clustering of exposure leading to the potential for fat tail risk associated with investment portfolios and supply chains. The traditional approach of climate risk analysis only considers local or point extreme value analysis and hence does not account for this spatially and temporally clustered exposure. Consequently, the global economic implications of the past or future financial and social exposure are understated in current climate risk analyses.
Feasibility and efficacy of remotely supervised cranial electrical stimulation for pain in older adults with knee osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled pilot study

Abstract Cranial electrical stimulation (CES) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique that has been shown to improve pain. However, few studies have investigated the potential benefits associated with remotely supervised CES in older adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA). The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of remotely supervised CES via secure videoconferencing software on clinical pain severity, experimental pain sensitivity, and pain-related cortical response in older adults with knee OA. Thirty participants with symptomatic knee OA pain were randomly assigned to receive 10 daily sessions (60 min each) of remotely supervised CES (n = 15) or sham CES (n = 15) over two weeks. We measured clinical pain severity via a Numeric Rating Scale, experimental pain sensitivity (e.g., heat pain sensitivity, pressure pain sensitivity, and conditioned pain modulation) using quantitative sensory testing, and pain-related cortical response via functional near-infrared spectroscopy imaging. We also measured participant satisfaction with treatment using the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire. Active CES significantly reduced scores on the Numeric Rating Scale and increased heat pain threshold, pressure pain thresholds, and conditioned pain modulation. We also found significant changes in pain-related cortical hemodynamic activity after CES. Participants tolerated CES well without serious adverse effects and were satisfied with the treatment. Our findings demonstrate promising clinical efficacy of remotely supervised CES for older adults with knee OA.
Towards decrypting the art of analog layout: placement quality prediction via transfer learning

Despite tremendous efforts in analog layout automation, little adoption has been demonstrated in practical design flows. Traditional analog layout synthesis tools use various heuristic constraints to prune the design space to ensure post layout performance. However, these approaches provide limited guarantee and poor generalizability due to a lack of model mapping layout properties to circuit performance. In this paper, we attempt to shorten the gap in post layout performance modeling for analog circuits with a quantitative statistical approach. We leverage a state-of-the-art automatic analog layout tool and industry-level simulator to generate labeled training data in an automated manner. We propose a 3D convolutional neural network (CNN) model to predict the relative placement quality using well-crafted placement features. To achieve data-efficiency for practical usage, we further propose a transfer learning scheme that greatly reduces the amount of data needed. Our model would enable early pruning and efficient design explorations for practical layout design flows. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and generalizability of our method across different operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) designs.
Tosco e imperfecto, con mucho de fabulado: El mapa de Francisco de seyxas y lovera de la Región Austral Magallánica

This article analyzes the map of the Strait of Magellan and the surrounding area (the “Region Austral Magallanica”) that Francisco de Seyxas y Lovera (c.1646-c.1705) added to the “Taboas geraes da toda a navegacao” (1630), a manuscript atlas by Portuguese cartographer Joao Teixeira Albernaz I. I review briefly the biography of Seyxas up to 1692, the year in which he remitted the atlas to Charles II in his Council of Indies, and the cartographic tradition related to the area in the years preceding the drawing of Seyxas’s map. I then examine in particular three unique aspects of the map: the eponymous Islands of Seyxas, the Strait of La Roche, and two alleged English settlements. Lastly, I propose a reading that permits us to understand the map not onlyas an aberrant episode in the cartographic representation of the region, but also as a reflection of the political, autobiographical and imaginative discourses that characterize Seyxas’s larger body of written work.
Strongly Anisotropic Thermomechanical Response to Shock Wave Loading in Oriented Samples of the Triclinic Molecular Crystal 1,3,5-Triamino-2,4,6-Trinitrobenzene (TATB)

All-atom molecular dynamics simulations were used to study shock wave loading in oriented single crystals of the highly anisotropic triclinic molecular crystal 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TATB). The crystal structure consists of planar hydrogen-bonded sheets of individually planar TATB molecules that stack into graphitic-like layers. Shocks were studied for seven systematically prepared crystal orientations with limiting cases that correspond to shock propagation exactly perpendicular and exactly parallel to the graphitic-like layers. The simulations were performed for initially defect-free crystals using a reverse-ballistic configuration that generates explicit, supported shocks. Final longitudinal stress components are between »8.5 GPa and »10.5 GPa for the 1.0 km s-1 impact speed studied. Orientation-dependent properties are reported including shock speeds, stresses, temperatures, compression ratios, and local material strain rates. Spatio-temporal maps of the temperature, stress tensor, material flow, and molecular orientations reveal complicated processes that arise for specific shock directions. The results indicate that TATB shock response is highly sensitive to crystal orientation, with significant qualitative differences for the time evolution of the stress tensor and temperature, elastic/inelastic compression response, defect formation and growth, critical von Mises stress, and strain rates during shock rise that span nearly an order of magnitude. A variety of inelastic deformation mechanisms are identified, ranging from crumpling of graphitic-like layers to dislocation-mediated plasticity to intense shear strain localization. To our knowledge, these are the first systematic MD simulations and analysis of explicit shock wave propagation along non-trivial crystal directions in a triclinic molecular crystal.
Cancer and the Future

CANCER, THE SECOND LARGEST CAUSE OF DEATH in the United States, is a disease in which cells have lost differentiation. The nature of this process becomes clearer if one compares cells of the mammalian body with those of an independent microorganism like the bacterium E. coli. The latter is a single cell with all of the structures and properties necessary for life. Its only function is to reproduce without limit, producing more individuals like itself. The mammalian organism also begins as a single cell which undergoes many cycles of reproduction. However, these cycles of reproduction are modulated by changes in cellular structures and functions, so that each cell ultimately becomes part of a specialized tissue carrying out a particular function needed by the body as a whole. Cell proliferation is not unlimited but is regulated by the needs of the body. In cancer, the affected cells lose at least part of their specialized functions and engage in unlimited reproduction with no consideration for the body’s needs. In other words, the cancer cell tends to revert to the E. coli pattern with ever-increasing reproduction and with invasion of other tissues until the economy of the body is seriously threatened.
Metamaterial-enabled transformation optics lenses for antenna applications

Metamaterial lenses derived through transformation optics offer control over wave behavior and potential for new antenna structures. A collimating lens is presented with an embedded source that produces up to four orthogonal far-field beams based on the position of the source. As a feasibility confirmation, an example metamaterial design for the lens is presented. Another far-field collimating flat lens allows for fine beam scanning and potential for multiple beamforming based on the position of the sources behind the lens.
Coil design for adjustable magnetic stimulation

The effect of magnetic stimulation to a great extent depends on the design of the coil system. We present the characteristics of a novel coil design for electromagnetic stimulation. Based on a mathematical model, we predict improved adjustability and focality than available from coils in clinical use. >
An optimal transformation of milk activity

Abstract A family of power transformations was examined to improve effectiveness of matitis diagnosis and sensitivity of hypothesis tests. The family of transformations considered included square root, logarithmic, reciprocal and reciprocal of square root. N- acetyl -β- d - glucosaminidase activity was assayed on foremilk samples collected as composites of all quarters from each of 488 cows in ten commercial herds. Herds were sampled three times at monthly intervals. The frequency distribution of the observed assay results was extremely right skewed. Although the optimal transformation was reciprocal of the square root, the logarithmic transformation was only slightly inferior and is recommended for practical application. After transformation by logarithm, skewness was greatly reduced (1.35 vs. 0.13), coefficient of determination increased (0.81 vs. 0.86), F value for the full model increased (3.36 vs. 4.80), and the contrast in standard deviation units between samples with major pathogen and no infection was increased by 65%. Choice of base for logarithmic transformation is immaterial because the frequency distributions of standard unit deviations from means are invariant to the base.
A Function for IL-7R for CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T Regulatory Cells

The IL-2/IL-2R interaction is important for development and peripheral homeostasis of T regulatory (Treg) cells. IL-2- and IL-2R-deficient mice are not completely devoid of Foxp3+ cells, but rather lack population of mature CD4+CD25+Foxp3high Treg cells and contain few immature CD4+CD25-Foxp3low T cells. Interestingly, common gamma chain (gammac) knockout mice have been shown to have a near complete absence of Foxp3+ Treg cells, including the immature CD25-Foxp3low subset. Therefore, other gammac-cytokine(s) must be critically important during thymic development of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Treg cells apart from the IL-2. The present study was undertaken to determine whether the gammac-cytokines IL-7 or IL-15 normally contribute to expression of Foxp3 and Treg cell production. These studies revealed that mice double deficient in IL-2Rbeta and IL-7Ralpha contained a striking lack in the CD4+Foxp3+ population and the Treg cell defect recapitulated the gammac knockout mice. In the absence of IL-7R signaling, IL-15/IL-15R interaction is dispensable for the production of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Treg cells, indicating that normal thymic Treg cell production likely depends on signaling through both IL-2 and IL-7 receptors. Selective thymic reconstitution of IL-2Rbeta in mice double deficient in IL-2Rbeta and IL-7Ralpha established that IL-2Rbeta is dominant and sufficient to restore production of Treg cells. Furthermore, the survival of peripheral CD4+Foxp3low cells in IL-2Rbeta-/- mice appears to depend upon IL-7R signaling. Collectively, these data indicate that IL-7R signaling contributes to Treg cell development and peripheral homeostasis.
The functional anatomy of limbic status epilepticus in the rat. I. Patterns of 14C-2-deoxyglucose uptake and Fos immunocytochemistry

Limbic status epilepticus was induced in awake, unrestrained rats by electrically stimulating the olfactory cortex or the basal amygdaloid nucleus for about 40 min. One of four stable forms of status was induced, which were distinguished on the basis of their behavioral and EEG manifestations, and their distinct patterns of 14C-2-deoxyglucose uptake and Fos-like immunoreactivity. Type I status was characterized by sporadic EEG discharges and the activation of the amygdalohippocampal area, but had no overt behavioral manifestation. Type II status involved incessant exploratory behaviors, single EEG discharges, and the additional activation of the basal amygdaloid nucleus, some of its efferent projections, and parts of the olfactory cortex. Type III status included all of these same patterns, plus the episodic development of ictal EEG activity associated with facial and forelimb clonus, and the concurrent recruitment of the entire amygdala, ventral hippocampal formation, prefrontal, insular, and olfactory cortices, and related subcortical structures. Type IV status was characterized by generalized clonus, unremitting ictal EEG discharges, and the additional activation of most of the dorsolateral neocortex, neostriatum, and thalamus. In each case of status type I, II, or III, the same anatomical structures that displayed high levels of 14C-2-deoxyglucose uptake also contained many cells that were immunoreactive for Fos, with the exception of the parataenial and mediodorsal thalamic nuclei and the substantia nigra pars reticularis. Thus, the overall patterns of 14C-2-deoxyglucose uptake and Fos-like immunoreactivity from the same animals displayed a remarkable degree of correspondence. The major results indicate that different levels of status are related to the activation of discrete epileptogenic foci, and the capacity of such foci to interact with a distinct set of interconnected anatomical structures. It is suggested that the behavioral manifestations of limbic status epilepticus may be explained by influences of limbic structures in the ventral forebrain upon lower motor elements in the brainstem and spinal cord, without the participation of the "pyramidal" motor system.
Multiple molecular forms of xanthine dehydrogenase and related enzymes. II. Conversion of one form of xanthine dehydrogenase to another by extracts of Drosophila melanogaster.

Abstract 1. 1. Xanthine dehydrogenase of Drosophila melanogaster exists predominantly as one form, XDH-I, in fresh homogenates. However, a second form, XDH-II, is found in partially purified extracts. The two forms of xanthine dehydrogenase are separable on DEAE-cellulose columns and by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicating that each has a different charge. XDH-I sediments slightly faster than XDH-II during sucrose gradient centrifugation indicating a small difference in molecular weight or in conformation. Other properties of the molecules are not too different. 2. 2. XDH-I can be converted to a form like XDH-II by incubation with appropriate Drosophila extracts. Preliminary analysis indicates that the converter molecule has the properties of a large protein. 3. 3. The properties of XDH-II mimic the properties of xanthine dehydrogenase from flies grown on a high protein diet. These flies also have 3- to 5-fold levels of xanthine dehydrogenase activity but no increase in xanthine dehydrogenase antigenicity (cross-reacting material against xanthine dehydrogenase antibody). It is tempting to speculate that the conversion of XDH-I to XDH-II studied in this paper represents an process in vitro related to the regulation in vivo of xanthine dehydrogenase in Drosophila.
Contradictory results in interferon research

Several reports on immunologically related interferon research, both in the areas of basic science and clinical research, are briefly reviewed, and it is noted that in many cases the results obtained are contradictory. It is argued, however, that the contradictory results are not surprising since interferon is a biological response modifier and has been known to produce opposite results even when the same interferon prepartion is used. It is emphasized that dosage, timing, route, and other experimental conditions are essential factors in planning immunological studies with interferon. Careful planning of future experiments with interferon should be required to prevent the possible generation of effects that are opposite to those expected.
Statistical learning in network architecture

The Internet has become a ubiquitous substrate for communication in all parts of society. However, many original assumptions underlying its design are changing. Amid problems of scale, complexity, trust and security, the modern Internet accommodates increasingly critical services. Operators face a security arms race while balancing policy constraints, network demands and commercial relationships. This thesis espouses learning to embrace the Internet's inherent complexity, address diverse problems and provide a component of the network's continued evolution. Malicious nodes, cooperative competition and lack of instrumentation on the Internet imply an environment with partial information. Learning is thus an attractive and principled means to ensure generality and reconcile noisy, missing or conflicting data. We use learning to capitalize on under-utilized information and infer behavior more reliably, and on faster time-scales, than humans with only local perspective. Yet the intrinsic dynamic and distributed nature of networks presents interesting challenges to learning. In pursuit of viable solutions to several real-world Internet performance and security problems, we apply statistical learning methods as well as develop new, network-specific algorithms as a step toward overcoming these challenges. Throughout, we reconcile including intelligence at different points in the network with the end-to-end arguments. We first consider learning as an end-node optimization for efficient peer-to-peer overlay neighbor selection and agent-centric latency prediction. We then turn to security and use learning to exploit fundamental weaknesses in malicious traffic streams. Our method is both adaptable and not easily subvertible. Next, we show that certain security and optimization problems require collaboration, global scope and broad views. We employ ensembles of weak classifiers within the network core to mitigate IP source address forgery attacks, thereby removing incentive and coordination issues surrounding existing practice. Finally, we argue for learning within the routing plane as a means to directly optimize and balance provider and user objectives. This thesis thus serves first to validate the potential for using learning methods to address several distinct problems on the Internet and second to illuminate design principles in building such intelligent systems in network architecture. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
Intra‐ and Inter‐Patient Symptom Variability in Fibromyalgia: Results of a 90‐Day Assessment

Symptoms of fibromyalgia (FM)--chronic widespread pain, fatigue, unrefreshing sleep, dyscognition etcetera--present with varying degrees of severity in different individuals; however, studies reporting daily estimates of variability of symptoms are sparse. Given the limited literature on the stability and variability of FM symptoms, the purpose of the present study was to determine the feasibility of daily visual analogue, self-report measures to assess daily variability and time trends in core FM symptoms. Ten female patients completed daily assessments of common FM symptoms (pain, fatigue, anxiety, depression, stress, cognitive dysfunction, unrefreshing sleep and lightheadedness) for approximately 90 days. The completion rate was excellent (89.6%). The results demonstrated that average symptom intensity differs markedly across the different symptoms that were measured. Unrefreshing sleep, fatigue and pain are clearly higher in intensity than other symptoms and are followed by memory problems, stress, anxiety and depression. There is also notable average intra-individual change across time (10-15 points on a 100-point scale). Average symptom intensity does not appear to be related to the amount of symptom change within individuals. The results of the present study confirm that intensive longitudinal study, using comprehensive symptom assessment in patients with FM, is both possible and informative, in the sense that a rich description of the daily experience of living with FM can be obtained. Future work, utilizing larger samples, will offer the opportunity to investigate better the causes, consequences and correlates of the daily ups and downs of key symptoms that compromise quality of life in patients with FM.
Special antigens on sperm from autoimmune infertile men.

: Sera from three fertile men and four infertile men without sperm antibodies, 17 infertile men with sperm antibodies in serum and seminal plasma (S.P.), and 25 infertile men with sperm antibodies in S.P. were tested by Western Blot analysis against sperm membrane extracts and S.P. from fertile nonautoimmune men and infertile autoimmune men. Sera from fertile men reacted against common antigens with molecular weights (MW) of 28, 38, 48, 60, and 68 kD present on sperm from autoimmune and nonautoimmune men and special antigen of MW 76 kD on the sperm of fertile men. Sera from 15 of 17 (88%) autoimmune infertile men with sperm antibodies in serum and S.P. detected special antigens with MW of 58 kD (sera reactivity in 47% of these men), 43kD (in 29%), 30 kD (in 24%), 35 kD (in 18%), 52 kD (in 12%), 41 kD (in 6%), and 71 kD (in 6%) on the sperm of autoimmune men in addition to the common antigens. Sera from 15 of 25 (60%) men with sperm antibodies in their S.P. showed reactivity to special antigens with MW 52 kD (in 20%), 35 kD (in 16%), 41 kD (in 16%), 58 kD (in 8%), 70/71 kD (in 8%), 30 kD (in 8%), and 56 kD (in 4%). Sera from 18 of 42 (43%) infertile men with sperm antibodies also detected special antigens of MW 26, 46, and 76 kD present only in fertile men's sperm. Sera from only 15 of 42 (36%) autoimmune infertile men reacted against special antigens with MW 17, 20, 23, 30, 43, and 58 kD in the seminal plasma of autoimmune infertile men. Cross-absorption studies using sera from autoimmune infertile men further supported the presence of unique antigens on their sperm. It is proposed that the special antigens present on the sperm from infertile autoimmune men may be responsible for the enhanced humoral and cell-mediated immune responses observed in these men.
The Surgical Management of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ

: Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a heterogeneous and complex disorder that has changed greatly as an entity over the past few decades. Despite an overall favorable prognosis and evidence-based recommendations from randomized trials, the clinical management of DCIS varies considerably among surgeons. While the goal is to achieve maximal local control with minimal morbidity, surgeons at times both over- and undertreat these patients. Currently, the rates of mastectomy and contralateral prophylactic mastectomy have been dramatically rising without clear evidence of better control. Radiotherapy is omitted in about one- half of patients undergoing lumpectomy. Tools to help stratify patients at highest risk for DCIS or invasive recurrence may assist in determining appropriate therapy. This article reviews some of the areas of controversy in the surgical approach to DCIS, including breast conservation versus mastectomy, the use of radiotherapy, the appropriate extent of margins, and the criteria for including sentinel nodal biopsy.
Nucleation and Growth of β′‐SiAlON

Elongated [beta][prime]-SiAlON grains grown from several fine-grained Y[sub m/3]Si[sub 12[minus](m+n)]Al[sub m+n]O[sub n]N[sub 16[minus]n] compositions with [alpha]-Si[sub 3]N[sub 4], AlN, Al[sub 2]O[sub 3], and Y[sub 2]O[sub 3] starting materials have been examined. These grains have large aspect ratios and are oriented along the [0001] axis. TEM structural and chemical analysis suggests that they are nucleated from various seed crystals, which can be [alpha]-Si[sub 3]N[sub 4], [beta]-Si[sub 3]N[sub 4], or other [beta][prime]-SiAlON. The [beta][prime]-SiAlON seed and initial precipitation on [beta]-Si[sub 3]N[sub 4] show a higher content of Al and O, indicating that a large transient supersaturation of Al and O in the liquid is instrumental for [beta][prime]-SiAlON formation, whereas subsequent growth proceeds under a much lower driving force. The misfit between phases is accommodated by interfacial dislocations (c-type and a-type). Fully grown [beta][prime]-SiAlON grains usually contain several variants independently nucleated from the same seed. In particular, the two alternative [alpha]/[beta] phase-matching possibilities result in two [0001] growth habits separated by a twin boundary.