cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
When the Pregnant Jehovah's Witness Patient Refuses Blood: Implications for Nurses

One aspect of the Jehovah's Witness faith that is particularly well-known to health care professionals is the refusal to accept blood or blood products. The right to refuse treatment is one of a patient's fundamental rights that can produce moral distress for nurses caring for women and newborns.
Shared challenges and common ground for Bayesian and classical analysis of hierarchical statistical models.

Lele, S. R., and K. L. Allen. 2006. On using expert opinion in ecological analyses: a frequentist approach. Environmetrics 17:683-704. Lele, S. R., and A. Das. 2000. Elicited data and incorporation of expert opinion for statistical inference in spatial studies. Mathematical Geology 32:465-487. Lele, S. R., B. Dennis, and F. Lutscher. 2007. Data cloning: easy maximum likelihood estimation for complex ecological models using Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. Ecology Letters 10:551-563. Mitchell, A. F. S. 1967. Discussion of paper by I. J. Good. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Series B 29:423-424. Press, S. J. 2003. Subjective and objective Bayesian statistics. Second edition. John Wiley, New York, New York, USA. Royall, R. 2000. On the probability of observing misleading statistical evidence. Journal of the American Statistical Association 95:760-768. Tyul, F., R. Gerlach, and K. Mengersen. 2008 A comparison of Bayes-Laplace, Jeffreys, and other priors: the case of zero events. American Statistician 62:40-44.
Development overview of the revised NASA Ultra Long Duration Balloon

Abstract The desire for longer duration stratospheric flights at constant float altitudes for heavy payloads has been the focus of the development of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Ultra Long Duration Balloon (ULDB) effort. Recent efforts have focused on ground testing and analysis to understand the previously observed issue of balloon deployment. A revised approach to the pumpkin balloon design has been tested through ground testing of model balloons and through two test flights. The design approach does not require foreshortening, and will significantly reduce the balloon handling during manufacture reducing the chances of inducing damage to the envelope. Successful ground testing of model balloons lead to the fabrication and test flight of a ∼176,000 m 3 (∼6.2 MCF – Million Cubic Foot) balloon. Pre-flight analytical predictions predicted that the proposed flight balloon design to be stable and should fully deploy. This paper provides an overview of this first test flight of the revised Ultra Long Duration Balloon design which was a short domestic test flight from Ft. Sumner, NM, USA. This balloon fully deployed, but developed a leak under pressurization. After an extensive investigation to the cause of the leak, a second test flight balloon was fabricated. This ∼176,000 m 3 (∼6.2 MCF) balloon was flown from Kiruna, Sweden in June of 2006. Flight results for both test flights, including flight performance are presented.
Scott-representability of some spaces of Tall and Miskin

In this paper we show that a variation of a technique of Miskin and Tall yields a cocompact completely regular Moore space that is Scott-domain-representable and has a closed G δ -subspace that is not Scott-domain-representable. This clarifies the general topology of Scott-domain-representable spaces and raises additional questions about Scott-domain representability in Moore spaces.
Prediction of Beta-Carotene Decolorization in Model System Under Static and Dynamic Conditions of Reduced Oxygen Environment

Predictions of beta-carotene losses were made with model systems stored under conditions simulating storage of dry foodstuff powders. The mathematical model utilized kinetic data collected under static conditions of water activity and oxygen concentration and was extended for the prediction of beta-cartone retention under dynamic conditions. Results showed an excellent agreement between actual and predicted retention of beta-carotene stored under dynamic conditions once the proper correction factor was used. The correction factor was required to compensate for different geometries which affected diffusion limiting reactions.
Plastic Packaging of Eggs 2. Cooking Qualities of Oil-Dipped and Cryovac-Packaged Eggs

Abstract STUDIES have been made concerning the quality of shell eggs as influenced by different methods of packaging. Davis and Beeckler (1962) compared eggs packaged in polyethylene, Cryovac, a variety of cellophane wraps, and eggs dipped in oil. The plastic films effectively prevented much loss of carbon dioxide and water and maintained low albumen pH and high Haugh unit values. The authors reported that an average pH of 8.6 was needed before hard-cooked eggs wrapped in polyethylene could be peeled without damage. Egg quality has a direct relation to the volume, tenderness, acceptability, and texture of angel food cakes, whole-egg sponge cakes, and whole-egg butter-type cakes, as reported by Hollinger et al. (1956) and Pyke and Johnson (1940 and Pyke and Johnson (1941). Egg quality was determined by height of firm albumen, length of storage, and yolk index. Eggs of high quality produced angel food cakes with greater volume than eggs of low quality. Hunt …
EFFECTS OF PREGNANCY ON IODINE METABOLISM IN THE PRIMATE

In contrast to the human, the rhesus macaque exhibits rapid thyroidal accumulation of I131 which is not augmented by pregnancy. The effects of pregnancy on several parameters of iodine metabolism in the macaque are similar to the effects observed during estrogen therapy in nonpregnant humans. These are: an increase in thyroxine binding by the thyroxine-binding globulin, slowing of the fractional rate of thyroxine turnover, and an increase in the concentration of circulating hormone without an appreciable change in the volume of distribution of thyroxine. Accordingly, the net daily hormonal turnover is no different during pregnancy than in the nonpregnant animal. A similar phenomenon was noted in 2 of 3 women similarly studied during and after therapeutic abortions. In the first woman there was an appreciable slowing of the fractional rate of thyroxine turnover during pregnancy, with a return to normal values after abortion. In the 2 other women, who suffered significant intcrcurrent illnesses, the rates w...
Serine/threonine kinase akt activation regulates the activity of retinal serine/threonine phosphatases, PHLPP and PHLPPL

In our previous studies, we have shown that insulin receptor (IR) activation leads to the activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and Akt activation in rod photoreceptors. This pathway is functionally important for photoreceptor survival as deletion of IR and one of the isoforms of Akt (Akt2) resulted in stress-induced photoreceptor degeneration. However, the molecular mechanism of this degeneration is not known. Akt signaling is known to be regulated by the serine/threonine phosphatases, PH domain and leucine-rich repeat protein phosphatases (PHLPP) and PHLPP-like (PHLPPL). In this study, we characterized these two phosphatases in the retina and examined the role of IR, PI3K, and Akt signaling on the activity of PHLPP and PHLPPL. Most of the studies published on PHLPP and PHLPPL are directed toward Akt dephosphorylation; however, there are no studies available to date on how the enzyme activities of these phosphatases are regulated. We made a novel finding in this study that both PHLPP and PHLPPL activities were significantly decreased in the presence of insulin ex vivo. The insulin-induced decrease of phosphatase activities were PI3K-dependent as pre-treatment of ex vivo retinal cultures with LY294002 significantly reversed the insulin-induced inhibition. It has been shown previously that PHLPP and PHLPPL regulate the dephosphorylation of Akt isoforms, and our results demonstrate for the first time that retinal PHLPP and PHLPPL activities are under the control of the IR-activated PI3K/Akt pathway.
Pulsed nanosecond characterization of graphene transistors

We investigate the effect of pulsed current-voltage (I–V) measurements on the hysteresis and mobility of top-gated graphene field-effect transistors (GFETs). The hysteresis shift (ΔV 0 ) is the difference in Dirac voltage (V 0 ) between the forward and reverse gate voltage sweeps, primarily caused by charge trapping [1–3] at the graphene-dielectric interface. Here, we find that hysteresis can be entirely eliminated by using nanosecond pulsed testing, leading to “clean” electrical characteristics and reliable mobility extraction. In addition, we uncover several time constants in the transient trap-related response of a device.
An encephalitogenic region for rabbits

Abstract A synthetic peptide containing residues 154–162 within the rabbit myelin basic protein has been found to be encephalitogenic in rabbits. Synthetic analogs of this region have also been tested for their disease-producing ability.
Liver Toxicity and Carcinogenicity in F344/N Rats and B6C3F1 Mice Exposed to Kava Kava

Kava Kava is an herbal supplement used as an alternative to antianxiety drugs. Although some reports suggest an association of Kava Kava with hepatotoxicity , it continues to be used in the United States due to lack of toxicity characterization. In these studies F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice were administered Kava Kava extract orally by gavage in corn oil for two weeks, thirteen weeks or two years. Results from prechronic studies administered Kava Kava at 0.125 to 2g/kg body weight revealed dose-related increases in liver weights and incidences of hepatocellular hypertrophy. In the chronic studies, there were dose-related increases in the incidences of hepatocellular hypertrophy in rats and mice administered Kava Kava for up to 1g/kg body weight. This was accompanied by significant increases in incidences of centrilobular fatty change. There was no treatment- related increase in carcinogenic activity in the livers of male or female rats in the chronic studies. Male mice showed a significant dose-related increase in the incidence of hepatoblastomas. In female mice, there was a significant increase in the combined incidence of hepatocellular adenoma and carcinoma in the low and mid dose groups but not in the high dose group. These findings were accompanied by several nonneoplastic hepatic lesions.
Resist and etched line profile characterization using scatterometry

In previous applications scatterometry has shown promise as a metrology for several process measurements. The linewidths of both resist and etched features, and the thicknesses of several underlying film layers, have been accurately characterized using the technique1 . Up until recently these results have been obtained by assuming the features being measured possessed a nominally square profile. However, as metrology tolerances shrink in proportion to device dimensions, errors in the measurement technique due to non-square line profiles could become significant. To test the ability of the scatterometry technique to measure non-square profiles, two models have been developed. The first profile model assumes the top and bottom corners of a resist line can be approximated as a segment of some circle with a given radius. With the center of the circle fixed in space by the overall height of the resist and a nominal linewidth, the sidewall of the line is then modeled as the tangent line that connects the two circles. This particular model can accommodate both overhanging (<900) and trapezoidal sidewalls (<900) with just four parameters: the radius of the top and bottom corners, and the nominal top and bottom linewidths. Comparisons between cross-section SEM images and scatterometry profiles using this model will be presented. The second model, which we call the "stovepipe' model, is a modified version of a simple trapezoid model and has applications to etched features. In this model an etched line is parameterized by assuming the trapezoidal portion of the sidewall starts at some distance below the top of the line, with the top portion of the line remaining square. In this manner an etched profile can be modeled with four parameters: the overall height of the etched line, the nominal etched linewidth, and the overall height and sidewall angle of the trapezoid layer. Once again, scatterometry profile results in comparison to cross-section SEM images will be presented. The use of both of these models has reduced the difference between scatterometry and SEM CD measurements. For example, the average difference of twelve resist CD measurements, when compared to crosssection SEM measurements, improves from 19.3 to 10.1 urn when the full profile model is incorporated. Keywords: metrology, diffraction, optical metrology, scatterometry, process control
HARD SPIN MEAN FIELD THEORY FOR AN ISING MODEL WITH PAIR AND THREE SITE INTERACTIONS

Abstract The “hard spin mean field theory” is used to study the phase diagrams of Ising models on triangle lattices with anti-ferromagnetic pair interactions and three site interactions. We show that the hard spin approach, so useful in studying the fully frustrated, triangle lattice, Ising antiferromagnet, again gives results far superior to standard mean field theory.
FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY OF THE FIFTH COMPONENT OF COMPLEMENT |[lpar]|C5|[rpar]| IN HUMAN, ANIMAL, PROPRIETARY AND SOY MILKS|[period]| THERAPEUTIC AND BIOLOGIC IMPLICATIONS

We have previously demonstrated familial dysfunction of C5 in humans, and successful therapy of same with fresh plasma. Leiner, in 1908, suggested changing the wet nurse or substituting bottle feeding. We have therefore, measured functional C5 activity in human, cow, goat, lamb, proprietary and soy milks. A previously described assay of yeast opsonization, which requires normal function of the first five complement components was utilized. Ability of the various milks to restore opsonic activity to two separate C5 deficient serums-human and B10D2 old line mouse-was measured. Confirmation that only C5 activity was being measured was obtained by a)comparing results with those obtained by addition of purified human complement components (As little as 1.5ug/ml.human C5 will fully restore opsonic activity to C5 deficient serums);b)inhibition of opsonic restoration of the milks with highly purified anti-C5 but not with anti-C3. The data showed that all preparations tested, including soy milk had significant functional C5 activity. We conclude:1)Sources other than plasma may serve in recovery of C5 and/or therapy of abnormal C5 states;2)Functional activity of C5 lasts far longer in milks than in human plasma; 3)The finding of apparent complement activity in milk without animal protein-i.e., soy milk has obvious major biologic implications.
Public and private institutions, political action, and the practice of local government

Local government politics and political institutions are undergoing rapid changes as they adapt to changing social, political, and economic conditions. Perhaps the greatest challenge facing local governments in the coming years lies in forging new understandings of how to govern in a world increasingly beset by new institutional forms, like private government and quasi-governmental institutions, and by constantly changing populations. We selected the articles included in this symposium with these challenges in mind. These papers were initially presented at a conference supported by Florida State University’s DeVoe Moore Center in February 2006. The call for papers for the symposium was issued broadly, and the eight articles published here were among ten presented at the meeting. We selected papers that addressed issues of political behavior, the development of public and private institutions, and the intersection of behavior and institutions in the practice of local government. The initial two articles focus on the structure and functions of new forms of governments in cities. Robert Nelson describes the rise of private governments as providers of public services in urban areas. He reports on the explosive growth of neighborhood associations in the United States, discusses the evolution of a variety of types of private associations, and argues that state governments should alter their constitutions to better accommodate the reality of private governance institutions. In their article, Barbara Coyle McCabe and Jill Tao examine the scope of activities undertaken by homeowner associations. They report data from a national survey of homeowner associations undertaken with the cooperation of the peak professional group that represents them. They portray an industry in which organizations appear to be more interested in providing limited services to supplement those provided by local governments than in supplanting local governments. However, to the extent that private associations are able to provide services without duplicating what their members are paying for through taxation, they are willing to do so. McCabe and Tao point to a large new agenda for public services research and for students of public management, as privatized governments are in many ways hybrid organizations with powers, responsibilities, and career ladders that differ from either fully public or private organizations. 1119
Computer simulations of ion scattering spectra for 2.4 keV Ne+ incident on Ni(001)

Abstract Monte-Carlo computer simulations of Buck's Time-of-Flight Ion Scattering Spectroscopy data collected for 2.4 keV Ne + incident on a Ni (001) surface were used to examine the importance of various input parameters in the computational model. The binary collision approximation was found to yield satisfactory results for this particular projectile, energy, and target. The calculated energy spectra were quite sensitive to the screening length of the Moliere potential used for calculating the binary collision interactions and to the magnitude of the mean square vibrational amplitudes chosen for the Ni atoms in the lattice. The agreement between the calculated and experimental spectra was good, but the calculations probably could have been improved a little further by fine tuning the parameters in the simulation. The simulations showed that the ISS spectra for 2.4 keV Ne + ion beam incidence directions along the [110] azimuth of Ni(001) were dominated by multiple scattering events and that the second layer of the surface contributed most to the backscattering because of the focusing effect of the first layer atoms.
Reliability of Performance‐based Clinical Skill Assessment of Emergency Medicine Residents

Objective To test the overall reliability of a performance-based clinical skill assessment for entering emergency medicine (EM) residents. Also, to investigate the reliability of separate reporting of diagnostic and management scores for a standardized patient case, subjective scoring of patient notes, and interstation exercise scores. Methods Thirty-four first-year EM residents were tested using a 10-station standardized patient (SP) examination. Following each 10-minute encounter, the residents completed a patient note that included differential diagnosis and management. The residents also were asked to read an ECG or chest x-ray (CXR) associated with each case. History, physical examination, and interpersonal skills were scored by the SPs. The patient note, CXR, and ECG readings were scored by faculty emergency physicians. Intercase reliability was determined for the residents. Results Global score reliability, Cronbach's alpha = 0.85. Reliabilities for the other components were: history, 0.77; physical examination, 0.83; and interpersonal skills, 0.80. Differential diagnosis and management reliabilities were 0.61 and 0.66, respectively. Subjective scoring of the patient note resulted in acceptable reliability for legibility (0.80), history completeness (0.80), and history organization (0.81). Physical examination completeness and organization reliabilities were 0.74 and 0.73. For ECG and CXR readings, alpha = 0.74 and 0.34, respectively. Conclusions SPs can be used to reliably assess bedside clinical skills of EM residents. While component reliability levels are slightly lower than the global clinical skill reliability coefficient, they are still high enough to use for identification of individual strengths and weaknesses.
VisBiz: A Simplified Visualization of Business Operation

In this poster, we present a new technique, VisBiz, for interactively visualizing business operations. The basic idea of this technique is to visually mining relationships between important operation parameters (attributes) and to map the parameters into visualizations. VisBiz simplifies the complexity by partitioning the operation into multiple attribute circular graphs. VisBiz allows the analysis of business data as follows:
Indivisibility, irreversibility, and the demand for consumer durables

Abstract A deeper understanding of the volatility of expenditures on consumer durables is sought in the properties of those goods and the transactions by which they are acquired: durability, indivisibility, and irreversibility. When these properties constrain optimization we find: 1) variation in the lengths of endogenously determined replacement cycles rather than stock-level adjustments may account for much of the volatility, 2) the qualitative nature of an individual consumer's response to a shock depends on the age of his existing unit relative to its optimal replacement age when the shock occurs, 3) the aggregate distribution of unit ages relative to their optimal replacement ages conditions the aggregate response to shocks, and 4) shocks actually change that distribution. A simple aggregation methodology is demonstrated which depicts exaggerated aggregate reactions to shocks.
Martin S. Jaffee. Torah in the Mouth: Writing and Oral Tradition in Palestinian Judaism, 200 BCE–400 CE . New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. xi, 239 pp.

In recent decades, an array of scholars has investigated the oral and written (re)creation and transmission of early Jewish and Rabbinic tradition. Martin S. Jaffee stands at the forefront of this field of research, devoting much of his recent scholarly effort to the topic. In a series of journal articles and chapters in edited volumes over the past ten years, Jaffee has offered diverse insights from a variety of research forays into the literary traits of early Judaism. Torah in the Mouth is Jaffee's initial monograph on the subject, in which he builds extensively and impressively on his prior work, augmenting it in breadth, depth, and theoretical sophistication.
Radiative lifetimes of OH(A2Σ) and Einstein coefficients for the A-X system of OH and OD

Radiative lifetimes of individual rotational states of OH(A2Σ) were observed using a delayed coincidence technique. The values obtained were scaled to a theoretical functional form to give τrad(A2Σ, v = 0, N = 1, J = 32 = 686 ± 14 ns. Einstein A and B coefficients for the A-X system of OH and OD were computed, using numerical integrals of a transition moment of the form Re(r) = 3.75 × 10-30 (1-0.75 r) C … m and vibrational wavefunctions obtained from numerical solutions of the radial Schrodinger equations (including centrifugal terms) for RKR potentials for the two electronic states. Matrix elements in Hund's case b were transformed to intermediate coupling for the X state to yield proper oscillator strengths for computation of the Einstein coefficients. Tables of the A and B coefficients for the 0-0 vibrational transitions are included. Extended tables are available on microfiche or microfilm from the authors.
Review of quantum computation

Digital computers are machines that can be programmed to perform logical and arithmetical operations. Contemporary digital computers are ``universal,`` in the sense that a program that runs on one computer can, if properly compiled, run on any other computer that has access to enough memory space and time. Any one universal computer can simulate the operation of any other; and the set of tasks that any such machine can perform is common to all universal machines. Since Bennett`s discovery that computation can be carried out in a non-dissipative fashion, a number of Hamiltonian quantum-mechanical systems have been proposed whose time-evolutions over discrete intervals are equivalent to those of specific universal computers. The first quantum-mechanical treatment of computers was given by Benioff, who exhibited a Hamiltonian system with a basis whose members corresponded to the logical states of a Turing machine. In order to make the Hamiltonian local, in the sense that its structure depended only on the part of the computation being performed at that time, Benioff found it necessary to make the Hamiltonian time-dependent. Feynman discovered a way to make the computational Hamiltonian both local and time-independent by incorporating the direction of computation in the initial condition. In Feynman`smore » quantum computer, the program is a carefully prepared wave packet that propagates through different computational states. Deutsch presented a quantum computer that exploits the possibility of existing in a superposition of computational states to perform tasks that a classical computer cannot, such as generating purely random numbers, and carrying out superpositions of computations as a method of parallel processing. In this paper, we show that such computers, by virtue of their common function, possess a common form for their quantum dynamics.« less
Studies of the multiple forms of ferredoxin-NADP oxidoreductase from spinach.

Abstract Six different forms of ferredoxin-NADP Oxidoreductase from spinach were separated by isoelectric focusing and were found to differ in their specific activities in various assay systems and in their affinity for NADPH. The forms of the enzyme were found to be interconvertible when the enzyme was stored in the cold.
Long-range transport of pollution aerosol from Asia and the arctic to Okushiri Island, Japan

Abstract An unbroken 6-month series of daily aerosol samples from Okushiri Island, Japan, was analyzed for trace elements and sulfate. Together with isobaric back-trajectories, the chemical data showed that distinct pulses of aerosol were observed from northeastern China, the Central U.S.S.R. and the Arctic. During winter, air frequently came vigorously from the W-NW. Long-range transport was prevalent, and the average aerosol resembled that of the Central U.S.S.R. During spring, circulation was weaker and more from the W-SW. Aerosol from Japan and China was more abundant. During winter, SO2−4 was apportioned roughly equally between the Central U.S.S.R. and China/Japan. In spring, contributions from the more-local China/Japan increased to about 2 3 of the total.
Net biological oxygen production in the ocean—II: Remote in situ measurements of O2 and N2 in subarctic pacific surface waters

Abstract Net community biological production in the euphotic zone of the ocean fuels organic matter and oxygen export from the upper ocean, which has a large influence on the atmospheric pressure of carbon dioxide and is the driving force for metabolite distributions in the sea. We determine the net annual biological oxygen production in the mixed layer of the northeast subarctic Pacific Ocean from in situ O 2 and N 2 measurements. Temperature, salinity, total gas pressure and O 2 were measured every 3 h for 9 months in 2007 at about 3 m depth on a surface mooring at Station P (50°N, 145°W). The concentration of nitrogen gas, N 2 , determined from separate total gas pressure and p O 2 measurements, was used as an inert tracer of the physical processes that induce gas departure from thermodynamic equilibrium with the atmosphere. We use a simple model of the ocean’s mixed layer along with the nitrogen concentration to constrain the importance of bubbles, gas exchange and horizontal advection, which are then used in the oxygen mass balance to derive net biological oxygen production. The mixed-layer oxygen mass balance is dominated by exchange with the atmosphere, and we determine a mean summertime oxygen production of 24 mmol O 2 m −2 d −1 . The annual pattern in the difference between the supersaturation of oxygen and nitrogen in the surface waters reveals very little net oxygen production during the winter at this location. The calculated annual net community production (NCP) of carbon from this new method, 2.5 mol m −2 yr −1 , agrees to within its error of about×40% with previous determinations at this location from oxygen mass balance, NO 3 − draw down and 234 Th measurements. This value is either indistinguishable from or lower than annual NCP measurements in the subtropical North Pacific, indicating that there is no experimental evidence for differences in annual NCP between the subarctic and subtropical North Pacific Ocean.
Mechanistic Investigation of β-Galactosidase-Activated MR Contrast Agents

We report a mechanistic investigation of an isomeric series of β-galactosidase-activated magnetic resonance contrast agents. Our strategy focuses on the synthesis of macrocyclic caged-complexes that coordinatively saturate a chelated lanthanide. Enzyme cleavage of the complex results in an open coordination site available for water that creates a detectable MR contrast agent. The complexes consist of a DO3A Gd(III) chelator modified with a galactopyranose at the N-10 position of the macrocycle. We observed significant differences in relaxometric properties and coordination geometry that can be correlated to subtle variations of the linker between the macrocycle and the galactopyranose. After synthesis and purification of the R, S, and racemic mixtures of complexes 1 and 3 and measurement of the hydration number, water residence lifetime, and longitudinal relaxation rates, we propose mechanisms for water exclusion from the lanthanide in the precleavage state. While the stereochemistry of the linker does not influence the agents' properties, the mechanism of water exclusion for each isomer is significantly influenced by the position of modification. Data for one series with a methyl group substituted on the sugar-macrocycle linker at the α-position suggests a steric mechanism where the galactopyranose sugar blocks water from the Gd(III) center. In contrast, our observations for a second series with methyl substitution at the β position of the sugar-macrocycle linker are consistent with a mechanism in which a bidentate anion occupies two available coordination sites of Gd(III) in the precleavage state.
TU-E-BRB-03: A Planning Quality Evaluation Tool for Adaptive IMRT Treatment Based on Machine Learning

Purpose: To monitor the quality of adaptive IMRT plans, especially dose sparing for the organs‐at‐risk (OARs), a plan evaluation tool is developed to predict the dose volume histogram (DVH) based on patient's anatomical information and a database of high quality prior treatment plans. The predicted DVH provides a guideline for judging the “goodness” of a new treatment plan. Materials and Method: First, using machine learning to establish a relationship between patient's anatomical information and the DVH curves in a database of high quality treatment plans. Anatomical information and DVHs of the PTV (encapsulates prostate and seminal vesicles) and OARs (rectum and bladder) were extracted from the CT/CBCT images and dose distributions. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is used to characterize the DVH and the anatomical information. And a statistical analysis tool is used to seek the correlation between the DVH characteristics and anatomical features. The second is validation, in which treatment plans outside the database are used to test the performance of the tool. Result: A total of 198 treatment plans were included in the database for machine learning. DVHs of the OARs were characterized by two PCA components that cover 90% variances. Patient anatomical information is reduced to a set of variables, including the two PCA components of the distance volume histogram and organ volumes. Validation test used 14 treatment plans outside the database. The prediction is successful if the actual DVH falls in the 95% confidence band of the predicted DVH curve. Overall, 13 of 14 bladder DVH predications and 12 of 14 rectum DVH predications were successful. Conclusion: An IMRT plan quality evaluation tool based on machine learning is developed to assure the quality of treatment plans. The input is patient's anatomical information, and the output is the predicted DVHs for the OARs. (Research sponsored by Varian Corporation)
Systems Analysis of Protein Modification and Cellular Responses Induced by Electrophile Stress

Biological electrophiles result from oxidative metabolism of exogenous compounds or endogenous cellular constituents, and they contribute to pathophysiologies such as toxicity and carcinogenicity. The chemical toxicology of electrophiles is dominated by covalent addition to intracellular nucleophiles. Reaction with DNA leads to the production of adducts that block replication or induce mutations. The chemistry and biology of electrophile−DNA reactions have been extensively studied, providing in many cases a detailed understanding of the relation between adduct structure and mutational consequences. By contrast, the linkage between protein modification and cellular response is poorly understood. In this Account, we describe our efforts to define the chemistry of protein modification and its biological consequences using lipid-derived α,β-unsaturated aldehydes as model electrophiles. In our global approach, two large data sets are analyzed: one represents the identity of proteins modified over a wide range ...
Reassessing the links between regime type and economic performance: Why some authoritarian regimes show stable growth and others do not

This analysis challenges claims that regime type determines national economic performance, and hypothesizes that the level of public deliberation, rather than broad categories of regime type, is the driver of national economic performance across political systems; specifically, that negotiations, disagreements, and compromises between decentralized decision-making partisans (e.g., citizens, business representatives, professional associations, labor, and public administrators) are the underlying causal mechanism explaining the non-monotonic relationship between different types of political system and economic performance. Countries with high levels of public deliberation more often experience stable growth outcomes, while other countries can make radical changes in economic policy with uncertain outcome. The variation in public deliberation within regime type is significant, especially amongst authoritarian regimes. One startling implication is that, in certain situations, impressive gains in economic growth can be achieved only at the expense of active negotiation and participation in the policy-making process.
Obernberg: A Quantitative Analysis of a Tirolean Peasant Economy

Obernberg:. Quantitative Analysis of. Tirolean Peasant Economy. Leopold Pospisil. New Haven, CT: Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1995. 427 pp.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Health-Related Quality of Life in the 2009 Texas Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

Introduction. Individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experience irreversible airflow obstruction, dyspnea, coughing, and fatigue. One of the goals of treating individuals with COPD is to improve their quality of life. The aim of this research was to evaluate the 2009 Texas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) as a method for surveillance of COPD by identifying factors associated with impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among respondents with COPD as well as comment on differences between the COPD and non-COPD population in a state representative sample. Method. Data from 348 COPD respondents were obtained from the 2009 Texas BRFSS. The Andersen behavior model was used to categorize variables as predisposing characteristics, health behaviors, and health service utilization. Self-rated health (SRH) was the HRQoL indicator used in this analysis. Chi-square tests were used to examine differences between COPD and non-COPD respondents. The relation between SRH an...
Optimization in HIV screening problems

In this article, the authors use both deterministic and stochastic approaches to the analysis of some optimization problems that arise in the group (pool) HIV screening practice. Two kinds of testing policies are considered. For the first kind, group-individual testing, the optimal size of the group that should be selected for testing is found. For more general group-subgroup testing procedure the authors develop a numerical algorithm for finding the sequence of successively selected subgroups that minimizes the total cost of testing. Assuming that both arriving and testing processes have a random nature, the authors suggest a stochastic model in which the optimal size of the group in the group-individual testing procedure is found by using methods of queueing theory.
Feedback control design for an elastance-based mock circulatory system

A state-feedback controller was designed to mimic the Starling response of the heart in a mock circulatory system (MCS). Reference volume trajectory of the mock ventricle was determined by the maximum ventricular elastance (E/sub max/), end-systolic ventricular pressure, and left atrial pressure. The controller drives a voice coil actuator (VCA) to follow the reference volume, and thus generates the desired chamber pressure, by using position and speed feedbacks. The nonlinear load applied to the VCA was compensated for by using the chamber pressure measurement to improve the controller response. The controller was tested in computer simulation by changing the load conditions and E/sub max/ of the MCS. The MCS along with the controller was able to reproduce the human heart function from healthy to sick conditions. This control algorithm is to be implemented in a digital signal processor to control the MCS for left ventricular assist device testing.
Epidemic algorithms for replicated databases

We present a family of epidemic algorithms for maintaining replicated database systems. The algorithms are based on the causal delivery of log records where each record corresponds to one transaction instead of one operation. The first algorithm in this family is a pessimistic protocol that ensures serializability and guarantees strict executions. Since we expect the epidemic algorithms to be used in environments with low probability of conflicts among transactions, we develop a variant of the pessimistic algorithm which is optimistic in that transactions commit as soon as they terminate locally and inconsistencies are detected asynchronously as the effects of committed transactions propagate through the system. The last member of the family of epidemic algorithms is pessimistic and uses voting with quorums to resolve conflicts and improve transaction response time. A simulation study evaluates the performance of the protocols.
Analysis of morpheaform basal cell carcinoma

Biopsies of morpheaform basal cell carcinomas (MBCCs) were separated into 2 groups based on histological features: 1) a pure morpheaform group with narrow elongated strands of basaloid cells in a dense fibrous stroma; and 2) a complex morpheaform group with pure morpheaform regions as well as regions with other histological patterns (nodular, etc.). Analysis by sex and body location revealed a female predominance in the pure morpheaform group. Lesions were found primarily on the mid-face in women with pure MBCCs. Using a monoclonal antibody which identifies eccrine duct in routinely fixed tissues, we could not identify eccrine ductal differentiation in MBCCs.
DNA Evidence: Examining Police Officers' Knowledge of Handling Procedures in a Mid-Size Department

Studies of policing dominate the criminal justice literature but very few studies report empirical data regarding police handling of evidence, specifically including DNA evidence. Given that evidence handling is crucial in the investigation and prosecution of criminal offenders, this gap in the literature is surprising. The present paper addresses the quality of evidence handling in a mid-size police department in the northwest United States. Three surveys - two of officers within the department and one of state crime lab managers who test and examine evidence samples provided to them by local police departments - suggest that police offers in this mid-size city are only modestly familiar with proper evidence handling procedures, including those procedures regarding the collection, packaging, transportation and submission of possible DNA evidence.
Endothelial Microparticle Levels Are Similar in Acute Ischemic Stroke and Stroke Mimics Due to Activation and Not Apoptosis/Necrosis

BackgroundEndothelial microparticles (EMPs) are <2-μm membranous blebs from endothelial cell membranes that have been demonstrated to be elevated in vasculopathic conditions. One study has demonstrated elevated EMPs in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) versus age- and comorbidity-matched controls. ObjectivesTo determine the level of EMPs in stroke mimics and AIS and determine if EMPs are released as a result of activation or apoptosis/necrosis in AIS. MethodsEMP levels in plasma of patients with AIS and stroke mimic patients were quantified by flow cytometry. Stroke status was verified in all patients by magnetic resonance imaging. Patients were matched for age and comorbidities. Markers for apoptosis/necrosis (platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 [PECAM-1]/CD31 antigen) and activation (E-selectin/CD62e antigen) were compared. A PECAM-1/E-selectin ratio of >4.0 was used to determine whether EMPs were generated via activation or apoptosis/necrosis. Data were compared between groups using the Mann-Whitney U test. ResultsEMP levels were similar in stroke mimic patients when compared with AIS; there was no difference between groups (PECAM-1, p = 0.393; E-selectin, p = 0.579). The PECAM-1/E-selectin ratio was also similar for AIS and stroke mimics, and all were >4.0. ConclusionsEMP levels were similar in patients with AIS and stroke mimic patients. The PECAM-1/E-selectin ratio demonstrated that EMPs were generated via activation and not apoptosis/necrosis. This suggests that EMPs may not be a good marker for AIS, given the inability to discriminate between stroke mimics and AIS.
Effects of coupling agents on the rheological behavior and physical/mechanical properties of filled nylon 6

An investigation was made on the rheological behavior and physical/mechanical properties of highly filled nylon 6 composites with and without a coupling agent. As fillers, calcium carbonate and calcium silicate were used, and, as coupling agent, two silanes (Union Carbide, A1100 and Y9187) and two titanates (Kenrich Petrochemicals, KR-44 and KR-138) were used. It was found that all the coupling agents used increased the viscosities of the nylon/CaCO3 system. However, the effect of the coupling agents on the viscosity of the nylon/CaSiO3 system seems quite complex; namely, the titanate KR-44 decreased the melt viscosity of the nylon/CaSiO3 composite, whereas the titanate KR-138S and the silane Y9187 increased it. In general, the effectiveness of the coupling agents in improving the physical/mechanical properties of the nylon/CaCO3 and nylon/CaSiO3 composites was marginal. A considerable decrease in glass transition was observed upon exposure of all samples to water, regardless of the type of filler and coupling agent.
Primary sellar melanoma simulating hemorrhagic pituitary adenoma: MR and pathologic findings.

·Primary intracranial melanoma is uncommon, and primary malignant melanoma of the sella turcica is exceedingly rare. We describe a 35-year-old woman who presented with en­ docrine dysfunction and CT findings suggestive of a prolactin­ secreting macroadenoma. Subsequent MR findings revealed homogeneously short T1 and T2 relaxation times, yielding uniformly bright signal on T1 -weighted images and dark signal on T2-weighted images. At high field strength (1 .5 T) , these characteristics seemed to implicate either paramagnetic ef­ fects suggestive of subacute hemorrhage or the intrinsically short relaxation times of lipidlike or mucinous material that may accumulate in a dermoid or Rathke cleft cyst. Following surgery, a final pathologic review revealed deeply pigmented, nonhemorrhagic malignant melanoma. The paramagnetic ef­ fect of stable free radicles of melanin is thought to account for the confusing MR characteristics of this uncommon lesion encountered at an unusual location [1-3). Case Report A 35-year-old woman presented with a 3-year history of oligomen­ orrhea, intermittent galactorrhea, and headache. Her prolactin level was 102.5 ngjml (normal range, 0-20 ngjml). Contrast-enhanced CT revealed a homogeneously hyperden se lesion in the sella turcica with suprasellar extension. High-field-strength MR (G E 1.5 T) confirmed the presence of a pituitary mass, demonstrating very high signal intensity on T1-weighted images, and low sig nal intensity on T2weighted images (Fig. 1 ). The CT and MR appearance of the mass suggested a histologically complex lesion harboring a paramagnetic substance. The combination of clini cal findings, laboratory-docu­ mented hormonal derangements, and imaging results prompted con­ sideration of hemorrhagic pituitary adenoma (the favored preoperative diagnosis) or a developmental inclusion tumor of dermal origin . At transphenoidal hypophysectomy, a firm , dark black/purple mass was exposed and a biopsy was done. Frozen section specimens were interpreted as showing no evidence of tumor. Initially , the lesion was thought to represent an area of old hemorrhage with hemosiderin deposition. However, permanent histologic sections demonstrated a markedly pleomorphic tumor. Large amounts of melanin pigment were identified on both Fontana and melanin bleach stains . Prussian blue stain s were negati ve for iron (Fig. 2) . These distinctive histologic findings confirmed the final pathologic diagnosis as malignant mela­ noma. Postoperatively, ophthalmoscopic, gynecologic, and dermatologic examinations were negative. Endoscopy of the gastrointestinal tract also failed to reveal an extracranial primary tumor. Complete hypo­ physectomy, followed by moderate-dose radiotherapy was recom­ mended, but the patient refused further treatment. MR of the sella 3 months later showed regrowth of the tumor, filling the entire sella turcica and adjacent suprasellar cistern . Hyperintensity was again noted on T1-weighted images and hypointensity was seen on T2weighted images.
Pain beliefs: assessment and utility

When pain becomes persistent, patients may abandon previously held cultural or personal beliefs about pain to form new pain beliefs that are more consistent with their persistent pain experience. The Pain Beliefs and Perceptions Inventory (PBPI) is an instrument to assess these new beliefs. This paper presents 4 studies examining the utility of the PBPI. Two studies are factor analytic and support recent literature identifying 4 belief factors associated with this instrument. The third and fourth studies used a new scoring method for the PBPI creating 4 scales: Mystery, Self-blame, Pain Permanence, and Pain Constancy. These scales were then correlated with important pain indices such as measures of pain quality, psychological states (i.e., depression and anxiety), personality traits, physical functioning, and coping strategies. Each belief appears to have a unique association with the pain indices thus supporting the rescoring of this instrument with 4 scales. Belief in pain constancy is associated with greater pain self-report, permanence is associated with anxiety, mystery is associated with greatest overall distress, and self-blame is associated with depressive symptoms. An appendix is included that provides clinical norms for the use of the PBPI and a revised scoring key.
Payment for oncolytics in the United States: a history of buy and bill and proposals for reform.

The authors review and discuss the opportunities and challenges raised by policy options for Average Sales Price reform or replacement.