cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Signaling networks in somatic cells and oocytes activated during ovulation.

Resume Les changements moleculaires et structuraux du follicule declenches par le pic de luteinizing hormone (LH) lors de l’ovulation requierent des interactions complexes entre les cellules somatiques et les ovocytes. Il est bien etabli que des signaux ayant leur origine dans l’ovocyte jouent un role essentiel dans l’orchestration de la croissance et du developpement du follicule. A l’inverse, la contribution exacte des signaux locaux des deux parties a l’ovulation est moins claire. La LH entraine une reprise de la meiose ovocytaire, une expansion du cumulus et une rupture folliculaire a travers l’activation directe des cellules de la granulosa, mais egalement a travers une action indirecte en agissant sur les cellules du cumulus et l’ovocyte. Des etudes recentes de notre groupe et d’autres laboratoires ont identifie certains des composants du reseau de signalisation active lors de cette transition critique. L’arret de la meiose ovocytaire est maintenu a travers l’activite du GPCR et des adenylyl cyclases endogenes de l’ovocyte, ainsi que par la diffusion des signaux a travers les connections de type gap jonction avec le soma. Il est possible que l’AMPc et plus recemment le GMPc diffusent a travers ce reseau de gap jonctions en provenance des cellules somatiques vers l’ovocyte afin de maintenir l’arret meiotique. Des travaux recents suggerent que le mecanisme biochimique par lequel le GMPc maintient l’arret meotique s’effectue par l’intermediaire de la regulation de la PDE ovocytaire et indirectement par l’AMPc. La sequence exacte des evenements regulant la reentree de l’ovocyte dans le cycle cellulaire n’est pas encore completement elucidee, mais il est largement admis qu’une diminution de l’AMPc est le signal primaire. Cette diminution de l’AMPc est provoquee par une activation de la PDE ovocytaire, mais aussi par la fermeture des gap jonctions. Les mecanismes regulateurs du soma qui conduisent a l’activation de la PDE dans les ovocytes et la fermeture des gap jonctions font l’objet d’une intense recherche. Plusieurs voies de signalisation convergent vers ces deux evenements finaux. Initialement, la LH active la signalisation AMPc mais ensuite le stimulus se ramifie en un certain nombre de voies de signalisation contigues et inter agissant ensemble, l’activation du reseau de l’EGF et l’une de ces voies de signalisation et beaucoup d’elements laissent penser qu’il s’agit d’un point critique pour la maturation ovocytaire, l’expansion du cumulus et la rupture du follicule. Parce que ces mecanismes regulateurs sont conserves chez les rongeurs et chez l’homme, une meilleure comprehension des voies de signalisation activees au cours de l’ovulation ouvrira de nouvelle perspective pharmacologique en vue de maitriser la fertilite.
The Future as Past: Ernst Jünger's Postwar Narrative Prose

This essay examines Ernst Junger's postwar narrative prose and especially its concept of the future, which is quite distinct from that of Junger's earlier writings. The reading focuses on the trope of the future as past in Heliopolis, Glaserne Bienen, and Eumeswil. In these novels, which vacillate between utopia, dystopia, and science fiction in terms of their genre, the future world is presented as something that has already happened. This configuration requires a detailed analysis of the narrative structure, including the role of the narrator. The essay then explores the reasons for this unusual temporal structure by comparing it with the concept of time in Junger's essays from the 1930s and 1940s. The final question is: How does this unique approach to the future relate to Junger's conservative outlook after 1945?
Foreign market entry mode choice of service firms: A contingency perspective

Research on how service firms choose their initial mode of operation in foreign markets appears to have led to two contradictory conclusions. Findings from one group of studies suggest that factors determining entry mode choice by manufacturing firms are generalizable to service firms. Findings from another group of studies contradict that view. The authors reconcile the two views by means of a classification scheme that allows some services to be grouped with manufactured goods in terms of entry mode choice. A conceptual model of factors affecting the entry mode choice of service firms is proposed, research propositions are developed, and managerial implications and future research directions are discussed.
Improvements In Audit Report Lag And Reporting Timeliness: A Non-Event For Technology Advances

Technological advances have transformed the professional lives of all accountants. Consequential expectations would include improvements in the timing of the audit report and the reporting of financial information. There is a presumption in the empirical literature that audit report lag is a primary cause of financial reporting delay. This empirical research study finds little or no change in the audit report lag and timeliness of reporting during the period 1996 to 2001. Audit report lag appears to play a questionable role, if any, in financial reporting delays and other factors such as inertia and interest may be the major impediments to timely reporting. Finally, given the financial atmosphere after the Enron-Arthur Andersen debacle, our research finds no difference among auditing firms for the variables examined. While this could be interpreted in a positive manner, it could also indicate that all Big-5 firms potentially have similar problems.
Antibodies against huntingtin: production and screening of monoclonals and single-chain recombinant forms.

Antibodies can be extremely useful tools for the field of triplet repeat diseases. These reagents are important for localizing proteins in tissues, and within cells, they can be used in the isolation and characterization of the components of protein complexes, they can distinguish proteins with normal or an expanded polyglutamine repeat, they may be able to distinguish distinct conformations of a protein, and they can be used to perturb the function of proteins in living cells. Our group has produced monoclonal and recombinant single-chain antibodies that can be used for each of these purposes with huntingtin. This is the protein that, when mutated to contain an expanded polyQ motif, causes Huntington’s disease.
Analytic theory of Hund's metals: A renormalization group perspective

We study the emergence of quasiparticles in Hund's metals with an $\mathrm{SU}(M)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathrm{SU}(N)$-symmetric Kondo impurity model carrying both spin and orbital degrees of freedom. We show that the coupling of the impurity spin to the conduction electrons can be ferromagnetic, notably for hole-doped iron pnictides. We derive the weak-coupling renormalization group (RG) equations for arbitrary representations of $\mathrm{SU}(M)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathrm{SU}(N)$. A ferromagnetic spin coupling results in a protracted RG flow, accounting for the surprising particle-hole asymmetry that is observed in the iron-pnictide systems. We establish the low coherence scale ${T}_{\mathrm{K}}$, which depends on the filling through the impurity representation. We also discuss the temperature dependence of the spin and orbital susceptibilities. Finally, we argue that this mechanism explains the strong valence dependence of the coherence scale observed in dilute transition-metal magnetic alloys.
ECOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR OF YELLOW WARBLERS BREEDING IN RHODE ISLAND'S GREAT SWAMP

I examined breeding phenology, territoriality, social interactions, reproductive success, and survivorship in a population of yellow warblers (Dendroica petechia) breeding in the Great Swamp, Washington County, Rhode Island. In four seasons of study (1992-1995), males preceded females in arriving on the breeding grounds. Females began building nests in early May. Of 94 nests whose host plants were identified, 28 were in Rosa, 28 in Salix, 12 in Clethra alnifolia, and 26 in plants of 12 other species. Clutches were initiated between May 14 and June 14. Males defended territories and formed monogamous social pair bonds with the females nesting on these territories. The breeding density was approximately five pairs/ha of occupied habitat. Only females were observed building nests or incubating clutches. Both members of social pairs participated in provisioning nestlings, with no significant difference in provisioning rates between the sexes. The mean size of first clutches was 4.5 (SE = 0.09), and clutch size declined as the season progressed. The probability that a newly laid egg would yield a surviving fledgling was 0.46. One instance of brood parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) was observed. The percentage of birds breeding in one year that returned to the study area the next year was 56% for males and 42% for females. These results provide an opportunity for comparison with populations in other regions and a baseline against which future environmental impacts in southern Rhode Island might be evaluated.
Some Histological Aspects of the Boll Weevil

Histological studies of microtome sections of fixed specimens of the boll weevil ( Anthonomus grandis Boh.) revealed the general structure of the alimentary canal, stomodaeum, mesenteron, proctodaeum, Malpighian tubules, male reproductive organs, fat bodies, oenocytes, labial glands, muscle and attachment to body wall. Detailed drawings showing these structures are given.
Clinical physiology of metabolic acidosis.

Metabolic acidosis may occur in various clinical settings; however, the common basic pathogenic mechanism is a net gain of strong acids to body fluids.In discussing the nature of mechanisms which counter the effects of the accession of a strong acid, the authors designate two basically distinct groups: (1) physicochemical and (2) physiologic.The physicochemical events constitute the first line of defense against drastic decreases in the pH of body fluids.By reducing the concentration of carbonic acid, respiratory responses ameliorate the fall in blood pH and thus create a second line of defense.The ultimate correction of metabolic acidosis must be accomplished by the kidney.
Design of grade analyzing and test paper quality evaluating system and its realization

The statistical regularity of students' grade is studied. A model of evaluating test paper quality based on students' grade is developed by using χ 2 testing method to test grade normal distribution. When evaluating the quality of test paper, the model of test paper distinguishing degree, difficulty degree, effectiveness degree and believable degree are set up. F testing method and t testing method are used in comparing teaching effectiveness and examination paper quality. These models make up system of statistical analyzing of score and evaluating the quality of test paper. OLE technique is applied in the realization of the models and automatically creating evaluation reports. The system has the reference value for teaching and testing.
The urban–rural divide: Building the news media agenda in post-genocide Rwanda

ABSTRACTFollowing the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, in which the media played a significant role, the government enacted strict media laws that have led to a climate of self-censorship. This study examines the processes of agenda building and frame building from the perspective of Rwandan journalists. Journalists working at mainstream news outlets both in urban and rural areas participated in in-depth interviews for this study. Research questions included the following: How do journalists find content for news stories? What types of sources do journalists use in news stories? According to the respondents, government strongly influences the media agenda, although differences emerged between rural and urban media outlets. Urban media outlets often reported stories that came from the government, while using government sources to do so. Rural media outlets were more likely to crowdsource stories from the community. This indicates that urban media outlets rely more on the mobilisation model of agenda building, whil...
Competing mechanisms between dislocation and phase transformation in plastic deformation of single crystalline yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia nanopillars

Abstract Molecular dynamics (MD) is employed to investigate the plastic deformation mechanisms of single crystalline yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia (YSTZ) nanopillars under uniaxial compression. Simulation results show that the nanoscale plastic deformation of YSTZ is strongly dependent on the crystallographic orientation of zirconia nanopillars. For the first time, the experimental explored tetragonal to monoclinic phase transformation is reproduced by MD simulations in some particular loading directions. Three distinct mechanisms of dislocation, phase transformation, and a combination of dislocation and phase transformation are identified when applying compressive loading along different directions. The strength of zirconia nanopillars exhibits a sensitive behavior depending on the failure mechanisms, such that the dislocation-mediated deformation leads to the lowest strength, while the phase transformation-dominated deformation results in the highest strength.
Cookery method and endpoint temperature can affect the Warner-Bratzler shear force, cooking loss, and internal cooked color of beef semimembranosus and infraspinatus steaks.

Steaks from USDA Select inside rounds (Exp. 1) and shoulder clods (Exp. 2) were used to test the interactive effect of cookery method and endpoint temperature on Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) and internal cooked color. Pairs of 2.5-cm-thick semimembranosus (SM) or infraspinatus (INF) steaks ( = 360/muscle) were cut from each subprimal, labeled, vacuum packaged, and frozen at -30°C in the dark for approximately 60 d before being cooked to 65.5, 71.1, or 76.6°C using 1) a forced-air convection oven (FAC); 2) a forced-air impingement oven (IMP); 3) a gas-fired, open-hearth charbroiler (CHAR); 4) an electric countertop griddle (GRID); or 5) a clam-shell grill (CLAM). Thawed steaks were cooked to their assigned endpoint temperature × cookery method combination, and, after a 5-min cooling period, steaks were weighed to calculate cooking loss percentage and subsequently sliced perpendicular to the cut surface to measure instrumental cooked color. Then, 6 cores were removed for measurement of WBSF. Cooking losses of SM steaks increased ( 0.05) among cookery methods when cooked to 76.6°C. Redness did not ( > 0.05) differ among INF steaks cooked to 65.5 and 71.1°C with the FAC and the CHAR, whereas internal color of INF steaks cooked in the IMP and the FAC was redder ( < 0.05) than that of INF steaks cooked with the CLAM and the GRID to 76.6°C. Results suggest that endpoint temperature has a greater impact on cooking properties of SM and INF steaks than cookery method, yet it is apparent that internal cooked color of INF and SM steaks react differently to some cookery method-endpoint temperature combinations.
Patterns of chemotherapy and survival in elderly patients with advanced bladder cancer: A large Medicare database study.

4551 Background: The frequency of employment of cisplatin-based chemotherapy in elderly patients (≥66 years) presenting with advanced (unresectable or metastatic) bladder cancer is unclear. We examined the use of and overall survival (OS) with chemotherapy regimens employed in elderly patients with newly diagnosed advanced bladder cancer (ABC). Methods: SEER-Medicare linked data were used to identify incident ABC patients presenting with the following stages of bladder cancer: T4bN0M0; Any TN1–N3M0; Any T, Any N, M1 between 2004 and 2007, with claims data until 2009. Outpatient and inpatient Medicare claims data were queried for receipt and type of chemotherapy used. The descriptive analyses were performed to examine associations between chemotherapy regimen, clinical characteristics and OS. Results: A total of 1,031 patients with ABC met inclusion criteria. The median age was 74 years, 69.8% were men. 4.6% (n=47) were T4bN0M0, 55.3% (n=570) were anyT,N1-3M0 and 40.1% (n=414) were any T, any N, M1. Overal...
High Pressure Reinjection CO 2 Oscillator

The design and performance of a uv preionized CO2 oscillator with integral four-pass amplifier is described. This laser is operated at any pressure from 1 atm to 10 atm without the necessity of complex Marx bank electronics. A Q switch is required in the oscillator cavity to delay the oscillator pulse until the peak gain of 4.5/m can be reached. Even without the use of a Q switch to optimize performance, the laser has produced 700 mJ, 1 ns FWHM CO2 laser pulses.© (1980) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
An enriched finite element for simulation of groundwater flow to a well or drain

Abstract A new quadrilateral finite element has been developed to simulate a well or drain in two-dimensional fluid flow through porous media. It is an enriched four-node element which models the logarithmic head distribution about a well located at its center. The enriched element is compatible at its boundaries with unenriched elements and is capable of representing a head boundary condition at the well. It permits accurate modelling of sparse well or drain arrays with a coarse mesh. While accuracy is reduced for dense arrays of large-diameter wells, it still compares favorably with the accuracy attainable with fine meshes of unenriched elements.
The Use of Fetal Bovine Dermal Scaffold (PriMatrix) in the Management of Full-Thickness Hand Burns

OBJECTIVE Management of full-thickness burn wounds represents a challenge when reconstructive options are not applicable. Fetal bovine dermal matrix is a bioactive collagen scaffold that assimilates into wounds and stimulates vascularization and dermal regeneration. METHODS We present the use of fetal bovine dermal scaffold PriMatrix in the treatment of a patient who sustained scald-immersion full-thickness burns of her bilateral hands that failed conventional wound therapy. RESULTS A 71-year-old woman with advanced Parkinson's disease sustained self-induced 5% mixed second- and third-degree scald-immersion burns of her bilateral hands and fingers. The patient underwent extensive debridement that resulted in partially avascular wounds measuring 66 cm(2) and 72 cm(2) with exposed extensor tendons and no evidence of bleeding. Meshed homograft was applied, but her hands remained partly avascular. PriMatrix fetal bovine dermal scaffold was applied to provide tissue remodeling over the bones, which allowed successful skin grafting and complete wound healing. CONCLUSIONS Our experience shows fetal bovine dermal scaffold to be an effective method in management of complicated burn wounds in selected cases. Further studies need to be implemented to confer this conclusion.
Teaching Tip : Recommendations for Developing an Online Course.

The trend in higher education is to develop electronic delivery of courses and even entire academic degree programs through the Internet by using a web-based form of distance education. To be successful in the delivery of online, or web-based, education, faculty must break away from the old paradigm of teaching and learning, and adopt new techniques suitable to the new environment. This paper provides some recommendations for an educator who is interested in developing an online course or enhancing a traditional course with an online component. These recommendations are based on several years of practical experience in developing and delivering online courses.
Controlling Adenoviral Gene Transfer in Heart by Catheter-Based Coronary Perfusion

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses a catheter-based method for gene delivery that results in 58% efficient gene transfer to rat heart with minimal infection of peripheral organs. This infection approach is characterized by several features—the heart is entirely isolated in vivo by clamping all vessels to/from the heart simultaneously with a single clamp, a catheter positioned in the aortic root delivers the viral solution, while a second catheter positioned in the right ventricle provides a path for coronary efflux, the retrograde perfusion of the heart enables the blood to be flushed from the heart and replaced with well-oxygenated buffer containing the adenovirus and permeability agents; and at the end of the infection protocol, unsequestered virus is flushed from the heart prior to removing the clamp. Continuously perfusing the myocardium can control the viral concentration, permeability agent, cardioplegic solution, and temperature of the heart versus the body. Abstract Myocardial gene therapy represents a promising approach for the treatment of inherited heart diseases, cardiomyopathies, and congestive heart failure. Extensive work has demonstrated that recombinant adenoviral vectors can efficiently transduce cardiomyocytes in vivo. However, targeting gene expression to the heart and controlling the level of transfer has been a challenge. In this study, we describe a catheter-based method for gene delivery that results in 58% efficient gene transfer to rat heart with minimal infection of peripheral organs. The heart is completely isolated in vivo during delivery, and unsequestered virus is flushed from the heart prior to releasing the cross-clamp. We compare the results to existing methods and highlight promising new strategies.
Selected Algorithms of Machine Learning from Examples

This paper presents and compares two algorithms of machine learning from examples, ID3 and AQ, and one recent algorithm from the same class, called LEM2. All three algorithms are illustrated using the same example. Production rules induced by these algorithms from the well-known Small Soybean Database are presented. Finally, some advantages and disadvantages of these algorithms are shown.
Abstract IA09: Inflammation and immunity in pulmonary premalignancy

Unleashing the immune response against pulmonary premalignancy could transform therapy and outcomes. We are evaluating the mutational landscape of pulmonary premalignancy and the associated premalignant microenvironment by whole-exome DNA sequencing and immunohistochemistry. Remarkably, we find putative neoepitopes and frequent immune-effector cell infiltration as well as evidence of immune suppression in pulmonary premalignancy. These findings suggest that premalignant-associated antigens are recognized and elicit immune responses at the earliest points of lung adenocarcinoma development. Identification of neoepitopes that can be targeted before the development of invasive lung cancer could eventually shift the approach to disease interception through immunoprevention and treatment of the very earliest phase of the disease. Citation Format: Kostyantyn Krysan, Linh M. Tran, Brandon S. Grimes, Steven M. Dubinett. Inflammation and immunity in pulmonary premalignancy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fifth AACR-IASLC International Joint Conference: Lung Cancer Translational Science from the Bench to the Clinic; Jan 8-11, 2018; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2018;24(17_Suppl):Abstract nr IA09.
Collaborative Automated Driving: A Machine Learning-based Method to Enhance the Accuracy of Shared Information

The perception range of the automated vehicles is limited to the line-of-sight field of view of their on-board sensors (e.g., Cameras, Radars). The aim of Collaborative automated driving is extending automated vehicles' sensors field of view to go beyond their immediate proximity, thus mitigating perception limitations. Using this technology, vehicles extract the information of objects in their surroundings, and share it with others via DSRC V2V communication. Shared information will assist the receiving vehicles in creating extended view of their surroundings. Shared information should contain the min set of attributes that best describe the shared object. It should also be descriptive enough to provide the necessary information to fulfill safety/non-safety applications requirements. The set should contain positional, motion and dimensional information. Accurate positional and dimensional information are not easily extractable in all driving scenarios. This paper proposes a machine learning-based approach integrated to the object tracking system, and capable of classifying and extracting 3D information of the objects considered for sharing. This method provides the dimension and the location of the center point of the tracked object as required by V2V communication. The results show the system is able to provide accurate positional and dimensional information.
Percutaneous CT guided bone biopsy for suspected osteomyelitis: Diagnostic yield and impact on patient's treatment change and recovery.

Abstract Aim: To evaluate the utility of percutaneous CT guided bone biopsy (PCBB) for suspected osteomyelitis (OM) and its eventual impact on patient management and recovery. Material and methods: Patients who received a PCBB for suspected osteomyelitis from years 2012-2018. Patient demographics, lesion location, ulcer grade, signs of toxemia, serology, wound and blood cultures, bone biopsy and cross-sectional imaging results were recorded. Diagnostic yield of the bone biopsy and its role in influencing the final treatment plan and patient recovery were evaluated. Chi-square test was used. P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: 115 patients with mean age 50.86 ± 14.49 years were included. The common locations were sacrum/ischium (49/115, 43%) and spine (35/115, 30%). Clinically, 40/115 (35%) had toxemia and 67/115 (58%) had ulcers. Per serology, 17/111 (15%), 95/106 (90%), and 86/98 (88%) had an elevated WBC, CRP, and sedimentation rate, respectively. 22/91 (24%) had a positive blood culture and all 23/23 had a positive wound culture. On imaging, definitive and possible OM were reported in 84.1% and 14.2%, respectively, with 1.8% as no OM. Only 24/115 (21%) had a positive bone biopsy culture and only 10/24 (42%) total positive bone cultures impacted the treatment plan. There was no significant effect of antibiotics on the diagnostic yield of culture (p = 0.08). No statistical significance was found when comparing treatment change based on bone culture results versus all other factors combined (p = 0.33), or when comparing clinical improvement with and without positive bone cultures (p = 0.12). Conclusion: Despite positive cross-sectional imaging findings of OM, bone biopsy yield of positive culture is low, and it leads to a small impact in changing the treatment plan or altering the course of patient recovery.
Resident muscle stem cells are not required for testosterone-induced skeletal muscle hypertrophy

It is postulated that testosterone-induced skeletal muscle hypertrophy is driven by myonuclear accretion as the result of satellite cell fusion. To directly test this hypothesis, we utilized the Pa...
Non-Archimedean Hénon maps, attractors, and horseshoes

We study the dynamics of the Henon map defined over complete, locally compact non-Archimedean fields of odd residue characteristic. We establish basic properties of its one-sided and two-sided filled Julia sets, and we determine, for each Henon map, whether these sets are empty or nonempty, whether they are bounded or unbounded, and whether they are equal to the unit ball or not. On a certain region of the parameter space we show that the filled Julia set is an attractor. We prove that, for infinitely many distinct Henon maps over $${\mathbb {Q}}_3$$ , this attractor is infinite and supports an SRB-type measure describing the distribution of all nearby forward orbits. We include some numerical calculations which suggest the existence of such infinite attractors over $${\mathbb {Q}}_5$$ and $${\mathbb {Q}}_7$$ as well. On a different region of the parameter space, we show that the Henon map is topologically conjugate on its filled Julia set to the two-sided shift map on the space of bisequences in two symbols.
Reply: Evidence that APP gene copy number changes reflect recombinant vector contamination

In the accompanying comment1, Kim et al. concluded that somatic gene recombination (SGR) and amyloid precursor protein (APP) genomic complementary DNAs (gencDNAs) in brain are contamination artifacts and do not naturally exist. We disagree. Here we address the three types of analyses used by Kim et al. to reach their conclusions: informatic contaminant identification, plasmid PCR, and single-cell sequencing. Additionally, Kim et al. requested "reads supporting novel APP insertion breakpoints", and we now provide 10 different examples that support APP gencDNA insertion within eight chromosomes beyond wildtype APP on chromosome 21 from Alzheimer9s disease (AD) samples. If SGR exists as experimentally supported here and previously2,3, contamination scenarios become moot. Our informatic analyses of data generated by an independent laboratory (Park et al.)4, complement and are entirely consistent with what Lee et al.2 presented via nine distinct lines of evidence, in addition to three from a prior publication3. Plasmid contamination was identified in a single pull-down dataset after publication of Lee et al.2; however subsequent analyses did not alter any of our conclusions including those of our prior publications3,5 and plasmid contamination-free replication of this approach by ourselves and others supported the original conclusions. Novel retro-insertion sites, alterations of APP gencDNA number and form with cell type from the same brain and pathogenic SNVs occurring only in AD, all support the existence of APP gencDNAs produced by SGR.
Self-calibrated interpolation of non-Cartesian data with GRAPPA in parallel imaging

PURPOSE To develop a non-Cartesian k-space reconstruction method using self-calibrated region-specific interpolation kernels for highly accelerated acquisitions. METHODS In conventional non-Cartesian GRAPPA with through-time GRAPPA (TT-GRAPPA), the use of region-specific interpolation kernels has demonstrated improved reconstruction quality in dynamic imaging for highly accelerated acquisitions. However, TT-GRAPPA requires the acquisition of a large number of separate calibration scans. To reduce the overall imaging time, we propose Self-calibrated Interpolation of Non-Cartesian data with GRAPPA (SING) to self-calibrate region-specific interpolation kernels from dynamic undersampled measurements. The SING method synthesizes calibration data to adapt to the distinct shape of each region-specific interpolation kernel geometry, and uses a novel local k-space regularization through an extension of TT-GRAPPA. This calibration approach is used to reconstruct non-Cartesian images at high acceleration rates while mitigating noise amplification. The reconstruction quality of SING is compared with conjugate-gradient SENSE and TT-GRAPPA in numerical phantoms and in vivo cine data sets. RESULTS In both numerical phantom and in vivo cine data sets, SING offers visually and quantitatively similar reconstruction quality to TT-GRAPPA, and provides improved reconstruction quality over conjugate-gradient SENSE. Furthermore, temporal fidelity in SING and TT-GRAPPA is similar for the same acceleration rates. G-factor evaluation over the heart shows that SING and TT-GRAPPA provide similar noise amplification at moderate and high rates. CONCLUSION The proposed SING reconstruction enables significant improvement of acquisition efficiency for calibration data, while matching the reconstruction performance of TT-GRAPPA.
Electronic classification of barcoded particles for multiplexed detection using supervised machine learning analysis

Wearable biosensors are of great interest in recent years due to their potential in health related applications. Multiplex biomarker analysis is needed in wearable devices to improve the sensitivity and reliability. Electronic barcoding of micro-particles has the possibility to enable multiplexed biomarker analysis. Compared with traditional optical and plasmonic methods for barcoding, electronically barcoded particles can be classified using ultra-compact electronic readout platforms. Nano-electronic barcoding works by depositing a thin layer of oxide on the top half of a micro-particle. The thickness and dielectric property of the oxide layer can be tuned to modulate the frequency dependent impedance signature of the particles. A one to one correspondence between a target biomarker and each barcoded particle can potentially be established using this technique. The barcoded particles could be tested with wearable devices to enable multiplex analysis for portable point-of-care diagnostics and real-time monitoring. In this work, we fabricated nine barcoded particles by forming oxide layers of different thicknesses and different dielectric materials using atomic layer deposition and assessed the ability to accurately classify particle barcodes using multi-frequency impedance cytometry in conjunction with supervised machine learning.
Quarkonium Production in Heavy Ion Collisions: From Open Quantum System to Transport Equation

Abstract Using the open quantum system formalism and effective field theory of QCD, we derive the Boltzmann transport equation of quarkonium inside the quark-gluon plasma. Our derivation illuminates that the success of transport equations in quarkonium phenomenology is closely related to the separation of scales in the problem.
Building Capacity for Creativity: Rediscovering the Inner “Superhero” as a Mechanism for Developing a Creative Mindset for Entrepreneurial Problem-Solving:

This article delivers a series of activities which help participants to examine and stimulate their capacity for creativity to support entrepreneurial problem-solving. It provides a series of tools...
Categories We Live By: The Construction of Sex, Gender, Race, and Other Social Categories

As philosophers, we may be accustomed to asking ourselves—or at least having to explain to others—why we do philosophy. In Categories We Live By: The Construction of Sex, Gender, Race, and Other So...
Alternatives for Reducing the Risk of Transmission of Tuberculosis in a Typical Hospital Clinic in Developing African Countries

In this research, methods are explored to minimize the probability of the spread of airborne aerosols from an infected patient after a cough or sneeze. This work is focused on the spread of Tuberculosis. A hospital clinic is modeled using Computer Aided Design (CAD). The design is based on a typical clinic in a rural African country where resources are limited. The methods to help reduce the spread of Tuberculosis could include the use of masks by the infected patient, use of screens to separate the infected patient, and the use of window mounted exhaust fans for forced air circulation. In this study, the effectiveness of the use of masks of various efficiencies and the window locations are explored. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is used to model the flow of air and aerosols. Discrete Phase Modeling (DPM) is used to determine the steady state concentration of aerosols at various locations around the room. It is observed that the use of highly efficient masks can greatly reduce the probability of the spread of TB. It is also observed that the window location can have a significant impact on the spread of TB.
AdaP-360: User-Adaptive Area-of-Focus Projections for Bandwidth-Efficient 360-Degree Video Streaming

360-degree video is an emerging medium that presents an immersive view of the environment to the user. Despite its potential to provide an immersive watching experience, 360-degree video has not achieved widespread popularity. A significant cause of this slow adoption is the high-bandwidth requirements of the format. The primary source of bandwidth inefficiency in 360-degree video streaming, un-addressed in popular transmission methods, is the discrepancy between the pixels sent over the network (typically the full omnidirectional view) and the pixels displayed in the head-mounted display's field of view. At worst, roughly 88% of transmitted pixels remain unviewed. In this work, we motivate a user-adaptive approach to address inefficiencies in 360-degree streaming through an analysis of user-viewing traces. We design a greedy algorithm to generate projections of the spherical surface that allow the user-view trajectories to be efficiently transmitted. We further demonstrate that our approach can be applied to many popular 360-degree projection layouts. In BD-rate experiments, we show that the adaptive versions of the rotated spherical projection (RSP) and equi-angular cubemap (EAC) can save 26.2% and 24.0% bitrates on average, respectively, while achieving the same visual quality of rendered views compared to their non-adaptive counterparts in a realistic scenario. These adaptive projections can also achieve 53.1% bandwidth savings over the equirectangular projection.
Identifying robust strategies for assisted migration given risks and uncertainties in a stochastic metacommunity

Abstract Assisted migration is the translocation of species beyond their historical range to more suitable locations given future climate change. This conservation approach poses risks of establishment failure because of uncertainty in decision making, climate, and interactions with the recipient ecological community. To quantify the risks and benefits of assisted migration under different management decisions, we built a stochastic metacommunity model to simulate several species reproducing, dispersing, and competing on a temperature gradient as temperature increases over time. Without assisted migration, species were vulnerable to climate change if they had a low population sizes, short dispersal, and strong poleword competition. When relocating species that exemplified these traits assisted migration increases the long-term persistence of the species most when relocating a fraction of the donor population, even if the remaining population was very small or rapidly declining. Especially when it is difficult to identify a species’ optimal climate, leaving behind a fraction of the population could be a robust approach, allowing managers to repeat assisted migration in case they move the species at the wrong place and wrong time. Assisted migration was most beneficial to species with low dispersal ability and least beneficial to species with narrow thermal tolerances, for which assisted migration increased extinction risk in almost all situations. Relocation did not affect the survival of non-target species, suggesting that competitive interactions alone were unlikely cause invasions from assisted migration.
Predictors of Above Average 6-Year Citation Rates in Leading Spine-Specific Medical Journals.

STUDY DESIGN Cross-sectional. OBJECTIVE To identify predictors of manuscripts achieving 6-year citation rates higher than the mean in spine-specific literature. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA An article's citation rate demonstrates its contribution to academia and its quality. Predictors of citation rates have not yet been studied in spine-specific medical literature. METHODS Three leading spine-specific journals were identified by a weighted scoring system comparing various journal metrics. Research articles published in 2014 were evaluated from the following journals: Spine, European Spine Journal, and Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine. Article features analyzed included journal of origin, number of words in article title, author count, degree of first author, conflicts of interest, quantity of contributing academic institutions, country of origin, study topic, study design, level of evidence, sample size, reference count, and citation rate. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine predictors of above average citation rate at 6 years following publication. RESULTS The final analysis included 1091 articles. Spine had a significantly higher citation rate than European Spine Journal (P = 0.0008); however, no significant differences were observed between Spine and Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine. Regression analysis demonstrated that studies originating in North America (OR:1.44, 95% CI:1.01-2.01, P = 0.04), those with 6 ≥ authors (OR:1.72, 95% CI:1.29-2.30, P 100 (P 100, and those that are retrospective or prospective case series are independent predictors of greater citation rates at 6 years in orthopedic spine-specific medical literature.Level of Evidence: 4.
15215 Female sex worker experiences with intimate partner violence screening by health care providers

ABSTRACT IMPACT: This work will inform the need for more trauma-informed approaches to violence screenings among marginalized populations by health care providers. OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Female sex workers (FSW) experience high rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) which may have negative reproductive health consequences. Routine IPV screening by healthcare providers (HCP) is recommended. This study examines how FSW experience IPV assessments by HCP. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: This qualitative descriptive study is nested within EMERALD, a longitudinal cohort study of street-based FSW. EMERALD assesses a structural community-level intervention on HIV and STI risks among FSW. Participants were recruited for EMERALD using time-location sampling to identify a sampling frame of venues and times where sex work is likely to occur. Inclusion criteria for this qualitative study include: participating in EMERALD, age 18-49, and willingness to participate in one phone interview. Twenty-two semi-structured individual qualitative interviews were conducted. Two coders, using thematic analysis, applied deductive codes and inductive coding to identify themes. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Three themes emerged from participant interviews regarding IPV screening. Inconsistent screening practices: Despite frequent reproductive health visits among participants, many women did not recall IPV screening by a HCP. Stigma as a barrier to disclosure: Women described feeling judged by HCP regarding their frequency of visits for reproductive concerns, sex work, and substance use and did not trust disclosing violence to HCP. Transactional health encounters: During visits, HCP were focused on addressing women’s immediate concerns; if the HCP did ask about IPV women felt the questions were asked part of a required protocol and not driven by a concern to deeply understand their lives. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF FINDINGS: FSW described inconsistent IPV screening practices by HPC. Participants expressed feeling stigmatized by HCP and that encounters with HCP did not foster trust for women to disclose IPV experiences. There is a need for HPC training in universal IPV screening focused on relationship and trust building to facilitate disclosure.
Impact of Modified Anesthesia Management for Pediatric Patients With Williams Syndrome.

Objective This study compared the percent change in systolic blood pressure and the incidence of adverse cardiac events (ACEs; defined as cardiac arrest, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, arrhythmias, or ST-segment changes) during anesthesia induction in patients with Williams syndrome (WS) before and after implementation of a perioperative management strategy. Design Retrospective observational cohort study. Setting Single quaternary academic referral center. Participants The authors reviewed the records of all children with WS at the authors’ institution who underwent general anesthesia for cardiac catheterization, diagnostic imaging, or any type of surgery between November 2008 and August 2019. The authors identified 142 patients with WS, 48 of whom underwent 118 general anesthesia administrations. A historic group (HG) was compared with the intervention group (IG). Interventions Change in perioperative management (three-stage risk stratification: preoperative intravenous hydration, intravenous anesthesia induction, and early use of vasoactives). Measurements and Main Results The authors determined event rates within 60 minutes of anesthesia induction. Standardized mean difference (SMD) was calculated (SMD >0.2 suggests clinically meaningful difference). Sixty-seven general anesthesia encounters were recorded in the HG (mean age, 4.8 years; mean weight, 16.3 kg) and 51 in the IG (mean age, 6.0 years; mean weight, 18.2 kg). The change in systolic blood pressure was –17.5% (–30.0, –5.0) in the HG versus –9% (–18.0, 5.0) in the IG (p = 0.015; SMD = 0.419), and the incidence of ACEs was 6% in the HG and 2% in the IG (p = 0.542; SMD = 0.207). Conclusions Preoperative risk stratification, preoperative intravenous hydration, intravenous induction, and early use of continuous vasoactives resulted in greater hemodynamic stability, with a 2% incidence of ACEs.
Transient bone marrow hypoplasia preceding T-Cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a case report.

Background: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common childhood malignancy and is characterised by hy- perproliferation of malignant lymphocytes in the bone marrow. Rarely, ALL may be preceded by a period of pancytopenia and bone marrow hypoplasia which spontaneously recovers. This phenomenon, which has not before been described in T-cell ALL, is referred to as transient bone marrow hypoplasia. Case presentation: A 5-year-old boy who presented with high-grade fever and generalised lymphadenopathy, was found to have pancytopenia on peripheral blood count and bone marrow hypoplasia. He was observed over a one-month period during which his bone marrow and peripheral blood counts recovered spontaneously. Symptoms recurred after 4 months and he was found to have blast infiltration of the bone marrow and diagnosed with T-cell ALL. Conclusion: Cases of transient bone marrow hypoplasia or overt aplastic anemia with spontaneous recovery and then followed by B-cell ALL or Acute Myeloid Leukemia have been described previously in the medical literature. This is the first case of transient bone marrow hypoplasia resulting into ALL of T-cell immunophenotype. While marrow hypoplasia preceding ALL remains poorly understood, it suggests an antecedent environmental insult to lymphoid progenitors or a germline abnormality that predisposes to lymphoid dysplasia. This may provide clues to the hitherto unknown pathophysi- ological process and etiological factors that precede the majority of childhood ALL cases. This case enlightens pediatricians about the existence of such rare cases so as to periodically follow up children with pancytopenia and/or bone marrow hy- poplasia for prolonged periods even after apparent recovery. Keywords: Pancytopenia, hypoplasia; aplastic anemia; T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia; case report.
Scientist Civic Engagement and the US Ozone Standards in 2020

BACKGROUND AND AIM: In 2020, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to retain, without revision, its national primary and secondary ozone National Ambient Air Quality Stan...
Language of transducer manipulation 2.0: continuing to codify terms for effective teaching.

OBJECTIVES: Accurate communication is an integral component of ultrasound education. In light of the recent global pandemic, this has become even more crucial as many have moved to virtual education out of necessity. Several studies and publications have sought to establish common terminology for cardinal ultrasound probe motions. To date, no studies have been performed to determine which of these terms have been adopted by the ultrasound community at large. METHODS: A survey was developed which asked respondents to describe videos of six common probe motions in addition to providing basic demographic and training data. The survey was disseminated electronically across various academic listservs and open access resources. RESULTS: Data were collected over a 6-week period and yielded 418 unique responses. Responses demonstrated significant variation in terminology related to all 6 cardinal probe motions. While some degree of difference in response can be accounted for by discipline of training, inter-group variation still exists in terminology to describe common probe motions. Of the survey respondents, 57.5% felt that inconsistent probe motion terminology made teaching ultrasound more difficult. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate that despite efforts to codify probe motions, variation still exists between ultrasound practitioners and educators in the description of cardinal probe motions. This lack of consensus can contribute to challenges in both virtual and in-person ultrasound education.