cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A method for locating the external ramus of the accessory nerve in the posterior cervical triangle

Injury to the external ramus of the accessory nerve during surgery in the posterior triangle of the neck results in a disfiguring and incapacitating paralysis of the trapezius. In order to avoid this, a simple method for locating the ramus was devised. In 17 cadavers the anterior border of the trapezius was palpated and the skin marked at a point 5 cm above its clavicular attachment. A second point, situated over the posterior border of the sternocleidomastoid 6.5 cm below the tip of the mastoid process was similarly marked. A line joining these two points overlies the course of the ramus. As the ramus may lie superficially in this region, the skin incision along this line was followed by blunt dissection of the underlying fascia. The ramus was thus identified at the anterior border of the trapezius 5 cm above its clavicular attachment. This method was successful in all 17 cadavers (34 exposures), even though 3 of these were very obese with short necks. Using this surface marking, injury to the external ramus of the accessory nerve in the posterior triangle can be avoided.
Tracking control of time-varying discontinuous trajectories with application to probe-based imaging and nanopositioning

In this effort, a supervisory switching control strategy is proposed for effective control of piezoelectric actuators in tracking harmonic trajectories with sudden discontinuities. A piezoelectrically-driven nanopositioning stage with high resolution capacitive position sensor is utilized in a set of experiments to study the performance of controllers tuned for tracking of continuous trajectories in tracking of stepped trajectories, and vice versa. Using a mixed Lyapunov-based robust adaptive and PID controller, it is observed that the controllers tuned for continuous trajectory tracking demonstrate large oscillations with light damping rate in tracking of stepped inputs. Conversely, when they are tuned for smoother step tracking, poor performance is achieved in tracking of continuous trajectories within a desired frequency range. Hence, a switching strategy is proposed to track desired trajectories using two controllers separately tuned for continuous and stepped trajectories. Switching conditions and transformation laws are then derived and experimentally implemented. Results indicate that the proposed framework presents higher performance compared to the individual controllers in tracking of discontinuous trajectories.
Effect of fiber orientation on propagation: electrical mapping of genetically altered mouse hearts

Abstract Background Epicardial potentials reveal the strong effects of fiber anisotropy, rotation, imbrication, and coupling on propagation in the intact heart. From the patterns of the surface potentials, we can obtain information about the local fiber orientation, anisotropy, the transmural fiber rotation, and which direction the wave front is traveling through the wall. In this study, lessons learned from epicardial potential mapping of large hearts were applied to studies conducted in genetically altered mouse hearts. Methods An inducible model of the overexpression of a gain-of-function α 5 integrin (cytoplasmic domain truncation) was created in mouse. After 3 days of administration of doxycycline, the animals exhibited an altered electrical phenotype of markedly reduced amplitude of the QRS complex on the surface electrocardiogram. Epicardial potentials were recorded from Langendorff-perfused mouse hearts with α 5 integrin gain-of-function mutations and from wild-type (WT) control hearts. A cylindrical electrode array consisting of 184 sites with 1-mm uniform interelectrode spacing was placed around the heart, and unipolar electrograms were recorded during atrial and ventricular stimulation at different basic cycle lengths. Results The total ventricular activation time for the transgenic animals was greater than that of the WT hearts for atrial and ventricular pacing locations. The isopotential maps from the mutated hearts showed a loss of anisotropy, as revealed by the more rounded and less elliptically shaped wave fronts seen immediately after epicardial point stimulation when compared with WT hearts. The weaker potential maxima in the mutated hearts did not exhibit the normal expansion and rotation associated with an advancing wave front in a normal heart, suggesting abnormalities in myocyte coupling in these hearts. Isopotential maps provided additional information about fiber architecture from the electric field that was not obtained from optical recordings alone. These findings provided a phenotypic characterization and specific insights into the mechanisms of the electrical abnormalities associated with altered integrin signaling in cardiac myocytes.
Classroom and Teacher Support in Kindergarten: Associations with the Behavioral and Academic Adjustment of Low-Income Students.

For socioeconomically disadvantaged children, a positive experience in kindergarten may play a particularly important role in fostering the behavioral adjustment and learning engagement necessary for school success. Prior research has identified supportive student–teacher relationships and classroom emotional support as two features of the classroom context that can promote student adjustment; however, very few studies have examined these two aspects of the classroom context simultaneously. Given their modest intercorrelations, these dimensions of classroom context may have both unique and shared associations with child progress. This study followed the cases of 164 children as they transitioned from Head Start into elementary school, and regressions revealed significant unique associations between each type of kindergarten support and children’s aggressive behaviors, social withdrawal, learning engagement, and emergent literacy skills in first grade, controlling for their prekindergarten adjustment. In addition, learning engagement significantly mediated the association between a supportive relationship with the kindergarten teacher and first-grade literacy skills.
Radiation therapy in management of sporadic and neurofibromatosis type 1-associated malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors

Introduction: Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST) are highly aggressive soft tissue sarcomas in which complete surgical resection is the mainstay of therapy. However, the recurrence rate is high and few options remain for refractory or metastatic MPNST. This study examines the outcomes of adjuvant radiation therapy in MPNST in patients with and without neurofibromatosis-1 (NF1) and reviews the literature on use of radiation for MPNST. Methods: A retrospective review of 33 MPNST patients between 1990 and 2012 evaluated at the NIH. All diagnoses were pathologically confirmed at the NCI. Clinical presentation, treatment, and survival were analyzed. Results: Thirty-three patients were included, 18 NF1-associated, 15 sporadic tumors. Tumor location included extremity (58%), trunk (36%), and head/neck (6%). Histologic grade showed 25 high grade tumors compared to 7 low grade tumors. Twenty patients were treated with radiation therapy, (median total dose of 58.5 Gy with 1.8 Gy/fraction). A median survival of all patients was 46.5 months and 43.7% overall 5 year survival. Prognostic factors include extent of resection, tumor location, and histology grade. Radiation was not found to be a prognostic factor for overall survival. Conclusions: This study is consistent with previous studies regarding the role of radiation in the management of MPNST. Prospective evaluation of adjuvant radiation will allow to more fully define the role of radiation in MPNST.
Integrable systems and number theory in finite characteristic

The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of applications of the concepts and techniques of the theory of integrable systems to number theory in finite characteristic. The applications include explicit class field theory and Langlands conjectures for function fields, effect of the geometry of the theta divisor on factorization of analogs of Gauss sums, special values of function field Gamma, zeta and L-functions, analogs of theorems of Weil and Stickelberger, control of the intersection of the Jacobian torsion with the theta divisor. The techniques are the Krichever–Drinfeld dictionaries and the theory of solitons, Akhiezer–Baker and tau functions developed in this context of arithmetic geometry by Anderson. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
The interactive effects of light and temperature on heat‐shock protein accumulation in Solidago altissima (Asteraceae) in the field and laboratory

Heat-shock proteins (HSPs) protect cells from abiotic stresses. However, most work on HSPs in plants has been carried out in laboratory-grown crop or model species. Few studies have examined field expression of HSPs or HSP expression in response to multiple stresses that often occur simultaneously in nature. Heat stress in nature is frequently accompanied by high light, and photoinhibition is a major limitation for photosynthesis. Light induction of HSPs may help ameliorate damage from excess light. In this study, we asked if accumulation of representative HSPs differed in naturally occurring Solidago altissima (goldenrod) in contrasting light microclimates (open sun vs. shade) and on cool vs. warm days. Our results show that HSP content in field-grown plants, undergoing natural temperature stress, was greater in open sun than shaded environments. Supporting these results, both light and temperature significantly affected accumulation of HSPs in the laboratory. This is the first study to show that the interaction of light microclimate and temperature can significantly influence HSP accumulation in field-grown plants.
Tracking hidden agents through shadow information spaces

This paper addresses problems of inferring the locations of moving agents from combinatorial data extracted by robots that carry sensors. The agents move unpredictably and may be fully distinguishable, partially distinguishable, or completely indistinguishable. The key is to introduce information spaces that extract and maintain combinatorial sensing information. This leads to monitoring the changes in connected components of the shadow region, which is the set of points not visible to any sensors at a given time. When used in combination with a path generator for the robots, the approach solves problems such as counting the number of agents, determining movements of teams of agents, and solving pursuit-evasion problems. An implementation with examples is presented.
Glucocorticoid Binding in Mammary Tissue Slices of Cattle in Various Reproductive States

Abstract Unlabeled Cortisol and dexamethasone reduced tritiated Cortisol and tritiated dexamethasone binding to 700 x g supernatant and precipitate fractions of mammary tissue slices from virgin heifers and from multiparous cows that were 1-mo prepartum (nonlactating), lactating (nonpregnant), or dry (nonpregnant, nonlactating). Unlabeled progesterone, testosterone, and 17 β -estradiol had no effect on tritiated glucocorticoid binding in 700 × g supernatant and precipitate fractions from these mammary tissue slices. The 700 X g fractions in mammary tissue slices from all cattle bound Cortisol and dexamethasone with high affinity (Kd 10- 10 M). There were 1263 and 1955 molecules of Cortisol and dexamethasone bound per mammary cell, respectively, in mammary tissue slices from lactating nonpregnant cows; in comparison virgin heifers bound 413 and 651 molecules of Cortisol and dexamethasone; dry, nonpregnant cows bound 336 and 536 molecules of Cortisol and dexamethasone; and 1-mo prepartum nonlactating cows bound 532 molecules of Cortisol. Mammary tissue slices from cattle in reproductive states examined contained a major nonspecific component which bound Cortisol in both 700 X g tissue fractions. Since mammary tissue slices from lactating cattle bound more molecules of glucocorticoids than mammary slices from cattle in other reproductive states, we speculates specific glucocorticoid binding may be associated with lactation.
Identification of Genetic Networks

In this report, we propose the use of structural equations as a tool for identifying and modeling genetic networks and genetic algorithms for searching the most likely genetic networks that best fit the data. After genetic networks are identified, it is fundamental to identify those networks influencing cell phenotypes. To accomplish this task we extend the concept of differential expression of the genes, widely used in gene expression data analysis, to genetic networks. We propose a definition for the differential expression of a genetic network and use the generalized T2 statistic to measure the ability of genetic networks to distinguish different phenotypes. However, describing the differential expression of genetic networks is not enough for understanding biological systems because differences in the expression of genetic networks do not directly reflect regulatory strength between gene activities. Therefore, in this report we also introduce the concept of differentially regulated genetic networks, which has the potential to assess changes of gene regulation in response to perturbation in the environment and may provide new insights into the mechanism of diseases and biological processes. We propose five novel statistics to measure the differences in regulation of genetic networks. To illustrate the concepts and methods for reconstruction of genetic networks and identification of association of genetic networks with function, we applied the proposed models and algorithms to three data sets.
ELASTIC TRANSDUCERS INCORPORATING FINITE-LENGTH OPTICAL PATHS

Frequently, when designing a structure to incorporate integrated sensors, one sacrifices the stiffness of the system to improve sensitivity. However, the use of interferometric displacement sensors that tessellate throughout the volume of a structure has the potential to allow the precision and range of the component measurement to scale with the geometry of the device rather than the maximum strain in the structure. The design of stiff structures that measure all six resultant-load components is described. In addition, an advanced torsion sensor and a linear acceleration transducer are also discussed. Finally, invariant paths are presented that allow the in situ integrity of a structural volume to be monitored with a single pair of displacement sensors.
Fetal porcine thymus engraftment, survival and CD4 reconstitution in alphaGal-KO mice is impaired in the presence of high levels of antibodies against alphaGal.

Rodriguez-Barbosa JI, Zhao Y, Houser S, Zhao G, Sykes M. Fetal porcine thymus engraftment, survival and CD4 reconstitution in αGal-KO mice is impaired in the presence of high levels of antibodies against αGal. Xenotransplantation 2003; 10: 24–40. © Blackwell Munksgaard, 2003 Xenospecific T-cell tolerance can be induced among murine and human T-cells by porcine thymic grafting. However, anti-α 1,3-galactosyltranserase (αGal) (Galα1–3Galβ1–4GlcNAc-R) natural antibodies (NAbs) pose a major barrier to porcine xenografts in humans. We used αGal knockout (KO) and μ chain KO mice to explore the effect of natural anti-αGal and other xenoantibodies on porcine thymic engraftment and to examine the potential of thymic tissue to tolerize anti-αGal antibody-producing cells. Thymectomized [adult thymectomy (ATX)] non-immunized and rabbit red blood cell (RRBC) pre-transplant immunized αGal-KO (knockout), wild-type (WT) and μ chain KO B6 mice were treated with 3Gy total body irradiation (TBI), and T and natural killer (NK) cell depleting monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). These conditioned mice were grafted with fetal porcine thymus and liver (FP THY/LIV) tissue under the kidney capsule. Flow cytometric analysis was performed to follow CD4 reconstitution as a measure of FP THY engraftment and function. Only mice with >10% CD4+ peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) were considered successfully engrafted. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to assess the kinetics of immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG anti-αGal antibodies. Anti-pig antibodies were monitored by flow cytometry (FCM). FP THY engrafted successfully in most of the immunoglobulin deficient mice (11 out of 12, 92%) and the outcome was similar in WT B6 controls (8 out of 12, 67%). Non-immunized αGal-KO mice grafted with FP THY had a similar success rate (7 out of 11) to that observed in non-immunized αGal-WT controls (2 out of 4). In contrast, αGal-KO mice immunized pre-transplant with RRBC, then grafted with FP THY/LIV, showed a significant reduction in the success of thymic grafting (2 out of 9, 22%) compared with pre-transplant immunized WT controls (4 out of 7; 57%) and non-immunized αGal-KO mice (7 out of 11, 64%). Anti-Gal and anti-pig antibody levels were not markedly augmented by porcine thymus grafts in mice with successful thymus grafts. FP THY engraftment is impaired in the presence of high levels of anti-αGal xenoantibodies. However, low levels of anti-αGal antibodies and other mouse anti-pig NAbs appear not to play a major role in the rejection of FP THY. Although grafting FP THY expressing the αGal epitope did not tolerize B cells producing anti-αGal antibodies in a T-cell independent manner, it prevented T-cell dependent sensitization by inducing T-cell tolerance to porcine antigens.
Linguistic differentiation and Mayan language revitalization in Guatemala

This paper presents a quantitative study of syntactic change in the context of Mayan language revitalization in Guatemala. Quantitative analyses of grammatical variation and code-switching patterns were used to examine the degree of Spanish influence in the speech of three generations of Sipakapense-Spanish bilinguals. The younger generations show lower frequencies of code-switching compared to the oldest generation. In terms of syntactic variation, younger speakers show patterns that suggest a resistance to influence from Spanish. The results suggest that younger speakers are hyperdifferentiating the two languages by avoiding traditional Sipakapense constructions that could be interpreted as resulting from Spanish influence. The analysis highlights the important role of language ideology in cases of language change due to contact and language shift.
Diagenetic processes in Holocene carbonate sediments: Florida Bay mudbanks and islands

The sedimentology, mineralogy and pore fluid chemistry of seven cores from the Holocene sediments of Florida Bay were studied to determine the physical processes and diagenetic reactions affecting the sediments. The cores were taken in a transect from a shallow mudbank onto a small adjacent island, Jimmy Key. Steady state models of pore fluid chemistry are used to estimate the rates of various reactions. In the mudbank sediments, little carbonate mineral diagenesis is taking place. No change in sediment mineralogy is detectable and pore water profiles of Ca2+, Mg2+ and Sr2+ show only minor variation. Chloride concentrations indicate substantial biological mixing of seawater from the bay into the sediments in one of the cores. Pore water analyses of sulphate and alkalinity show only a low degree of sulphate depletion and a decreasing extent of sulphate reduction downcore. Models of sulphate reduction in the mudbank show that there is substantial chemical exchange between the sediment pore fluids and water from the bay probably as a result of bio-irrigation. The sulphate and alkalinity data also suggest that the underlying Pleistocene rocks contain water of near normal seawater composition. Stratigraphic analysis and δ13C analyses of the organic carbon in the sediments of the island cores show that the sediments were primarily deposited in a subtidal mudbank setting; only the upper 20–30 cm is supratidal in origin. Nevertheless, island formation had a significant effect on pore fluid chemistry and the types of diagenetic reactions throughout the sediment column. Chloride in the sediment pore fluids is more than twice the normal seawater concentrations over most of the depth of the cores. The constant, elevated chloride concentrations indicate that hypersaline fluids which formed in ponds on the island are advected downward through the sediments. Models of the chloride profiles yield an estimate of 2·5 cm yr−1 as a minimum advective velocity. Changes in pore water chemistry with depth are interpreted as indicating the following sequence of reactions: (1) minor high-Mg calcite dissolution and low-Mg calcite precipitation, from 0 to 35 cm; (2) Ca- or Mg-sulphate dissolution and low-Mg calcite precipitation, from 5 to 35 cm; (3) dolomite or magnesite precipitation together with sulphate reduction, from 35 to 55 cm; and (4) little reaction below 55 cm. In addition, one or more as yet unidentified reactions must be taking place from 5 to 55 cm depth as an imbalance in possible sources and sinks of alkalinity is observed. The imbalance could be explained if chloride is not completely conservative. Despite the pore fluid chemical evidence for diagenetic reactions involving carbonate minerals, no changes in sediment mineralogy were detected in X-ray diffraction analyses, probably because of the comparatively young age of the island.
Effect of Solvent Flow Rate in Mini-Column Testing of 99mTc-Mertiatide

Objective: The recommended method for radiochemical purity testing of 99m Tc-mertiatide involves the use of a C-18 solid-phase mini-column cartridge. The mertiatide package insert states that the solvents should be “pushed through the cartridge slowly,” but a flow rate is not specified. The mini-column cartridge instruction sheet recommends flow rates of 5–10 and 2–10 mL/min for conditioning and for elution, respectively, of the cartridge. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of different flow rates on determining the radiochemical purity of 99m Tc-mertiatide. Methods: Radiochemical purity was tested on 10 consecutive vials of 99m Tc-mertiatide prepared for routine clinical use and on 4 vials of 99m Tc-mertiatide spiked with 6%–15% free pertechnetate using 3 different flow rates: slow drip (5 mL/min for conditioning and 2 mL/min for elution), fast drip (10 mL/min for conditioning and 10 mL/min for elution), and very fast drip (about 15–20 mL/min for conditioning and about 15–20 mL/min for elution). An infusion pump was used to provide constant flow rates for the first 2 conditions, whereas manual handling, reflecting real-life practice, was used for the third condition. Results: All 3 flow rates yielded essentially identical radiochemical purities for each vial tested (agreement was always within 0.3% for a given vial). The elapsed times for minicolumn conditioning, loading, and elution were approximately 15, 5, and 3 min for the slow drip, fast drip, and very fast drip, respectively. Conclusion: Faster flow rates for mini-column testing of 99m Tc-mertiatide save time (and correspondingly reduce ra
Beyond Hegemony: Classical Propaganda Theory and Presidential Communication Strategy After the Invasion of Iraq

The “hegemonic” tradition argues that the president enjoys unparalleled power to manage news and opinion during war. This approach has dominated political communication literature on war and the media for over a generation. The war with Iraq, however, provides a major challenge to conventional wisdom. We believe that classical propaganda theory provides a useful corrective to the hegemonic perspective and offers a better way to understand the Bush administration's propaganda strategy and its impact on public opinion. Using a combination of content analysis, opinion data, and analysis of the administration's Iraq-related public addresses, we argue that the president neither dominated war news nor managed public opinion in the manner predicted by hegemonic theories.
Attributes Related to Teachers' Attitudes:

A survey was conducted to determine the relationship between attitudes of 194 physical educators toward teaching handicapped pupils in regular classes and six attributes: (a) sex of teachers, (b) h...
Gastroenterology's Editors-in-Chief: Historical and Personal Perspectives of Their Editorships

Fourteen editors-in-chiefs have steered G astroenterology to success since its inception in 1943. Five (Alvarez, Ivy, Aaron, Grossman, and Donaldson) are no longer with us. Their personalities and editorships, along with those of Marvin Sleisenger, are presented by their admirers. Fordtran, Ockner, Goyal, LaRusso, Podolsky, Brenner, Rustgi, and Omary describe their own backgrounds, experiences, and personal reflections on serving as editor-in-chief of G astroenterology.
Modeling nonlinear incentive-based and price-based demand response programs and implementing on real power markets

Abstract The most important factor in the demand side management (DSM) is realistically modeling reaction of the responsive load respect to the different plans of the demand response (DR) programs introduced by the DR provider. Due to the economic and social aspects, the responsive load behavioural models (RLBMs) might be different in every power market. In this study, linear and nonlinear modellings for the incentive-based DR (IBDR) programs and the price-based DR (PBDR) programs are presented and implemented on several real power markets. Herein, results of the implementation of DR programs on the power markets for different participation levels of the responsive load in the DR programs are studied. In addition, value of the possible errors in the defined indices due to unpractical modeling of the responsive load behaviour are probed, and also optimal schemes of the IBDR and PBDR programs are investigated in every power market from different viewpoints.
Comparison of three respirator user training methods.

Objective: This study addresses methods for training respirator users, particularly when occupational health professionals are not immediately available. Methods: A randomized trial compared three training methods—printed brochure, video, and computer-based training—for two respirator types (filtering facepiece and a dual-cartridge half facemask). Quantitative fit testing (PortaCount) measured the effectiveness of training. The study included 226 subjects. Results: For both respirator types, video was significantly superior to either print or computer-based training methods. Conclusions were consistent, whether determined by average fit factor (analysis of variance), log-transformed fit factors, or the number of users in the lowest quartile of achieved fit. Conclusions: Video training for proper respirator use can be effective when direct training from an occupational health professional is unavailable. These methods are particularly relevant to “rapid rollout” situations, such as natural disasters, epidemics, or bioterrorism concerns.
Genetic Variants in the Bone Morphogenic Protein Gene Family Modify the Association between Residential Exposure to Traffic and Peripheral Arterial Disease

There is a growing literature indicating that genetic variants modify many of the associations between environmental exposures and clinical outcomes, potentially by increasing susceptibility to these exposures. However, genome-scale investigations of these interactions have been rarely performed particularly in the case of air pollution exposures. We performed race-stratified genome-wide gene-environment interaction association studies on European-American (EA, N = 1623) and African-American (AA, N = 554) cohorts to investigate the joint influence of common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and residential exposure to traffic ("traffic exposure")-a recognized vascular disease risk factor-on peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Traffic exposure was estimated via the distance from the primary residence to the nearest major roadway, defined as the nearest limited access highways or major arterial. The rs755249-traffic exposure interaction was associated with PAD at a genome-wide significant level (P = 2.29x10-8) in European-Americans. Rs755249 is located in the 3' untranslated region of BMP8A, a member of the bone morphogenic protein (BMP) gene family. Further investigation revealed several variants in BMP genes associated with PAD via an interaction with traffic exposure in both the EA and AA cohorts; this included interactions with non-synonymous variants in BMP2, which is regulated by air pollution exposure. The BMP family of genes is linked to vascular growth and calcification and is a novel gene family for the study of PAD pathophysiology. Further investigation of BMP8A using the Genotype Tissue Expression Database revealed multiple variants with nominally significant (P < 0.05) interaction P-values in our EA cohort were significant BMP8A eQTLs in tissue types highlight relevant for PAD such as rs755249 (tibial nerve, eQTL P = 3.6x10-6) and rs1180341 (tibial artery, eQTL P = 5.3x10-6). Together these results reveal a novel gene, and possibly gene family, associated with PAD via an interaction with traffic air pollution exposure. These results also highlight the potential for interactions studies, particularly at the genome scale, to reveal novel biology linking environmental exposures to clinical outcomes.
Inter Arma Silent Leges? Democracy, Domestic Terrorism, and Diversion:

This article develops expectations about the use of military force by democracies facing domestic terrorism. Due to the necessity of balancing effective counterterrorism with liberal acceptability, domestic terrorism typically represents a significant but nonexistential threat to democracies that is ineradicable via repression; as such, it is likely to generate appreciable diversionary incentives. Moreover, the use of force abroad, coupled with counterterrorist strategies that seek to safeguard democratic legitimacy, allows leaders to provide benefits both to citizens who seek retribution against terrorists and to those who value the preservation of liberty. Tests of the correlates of dispute initiation across all democracies, 1970–2000, provide support for this hypothesis. Further analyses reveal that diversion from domestic terrorism is most likely by democratic governments with relatively greater diversionary capacity and with lesser repressive capacity and incentive.
Detection and characterization of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) associated T-cell neoplasms in an HTLV-I nonendemic region by polymerase chain reaction

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) associated adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) occurs endemically in southwestern Japan, the Caribbean, and West Africa, but occurs sporadically in most of the rest of the world. However, because ATLL and non-HTLV-I associated T-cell neoplasms share overlapping clinicopathologic features, the prevalence of ATLL in nonendemic regions is unknown. In this study, 75 T-cell neoplasms randomly procured from the metropolitan New York City area were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of integrated HTLV-I proviral sequences. HTLV-I genomic sequences were detected by PCR in 6 of the 75 cases (8%); this result was confirmed by Southern blot hybridization. The clinicopathologic features of the HTLV- I positive and HTLV-I negative T-cell neoplasms were then compared. Although the clinicopathologic features of patients from these two groups overlapped, some findings were more commonly associated with HTLV-I positive neoplasms. Five of the six patients with HTLV-I positive neoplasms were from HTLV-I endemic areas, five were black, five were women, and five were less than 45 years of age, while the majority of the patients with HTLV-I negative T-cell malignancies were elderly white men. The incidence of hypercalcemia and lytic bone lesions was significantly more common among patients with HTLV-I positive T-cell neoplasms (P less than .001 and P = .004, respectively). The immunophenotypes of the HTLV-I positive and negative tumors were similar; however, all HTLV-I positive neoplasms were CD7 negative (P less than .001). In summary, our findings: (1) demonstrate the special clinicopathologic and immunophenotypic features of HTLV-I positive T-cell neoplasms, (2) suggest that most of the rare cases of HTLV-I-associated T-cell neoplasms occurring in HTLV-I nonendemic areas are actually endemic cases; and (3) that PCR is a sensitive, clinically useful technique for identifying HTLV-I associated T-cell neoplasms.
Modeling user behavior data in systems of engagement

Abstract The proliferation of mobile devices has changed the way digital information is consumed and its efficacy measured. These personal devices know a lot about user behavior from embedded sensors along with monitoring the daily activities users perform through various applications on these devices. This data can be used to get a deep understanding of the context of the users and provide personalized services to them. However, there are a lot of challenges in capturing, modeling, storing, and processing such data from these systems of engagement, both in terms of achieving the right balance of redundancy in the captured and stored data, along with ensuring the usefulness of the data for analysis. There are additional challenges in balancing how much of the captured data should be processed through client or server applications. In this article, we present the modeling of user behavior in the context of personalized education which has generated a lot of recent interest. More specifically, we present an architecture and the issues of modeling student behavior data, captured from different activities the student performs during the process of learning. The user behavior data is modeled and sent to the cloud-enabled backend where detailed analytics are performed to understand different aspects of a student, such as engagement, difficulties, and preferences and to also analyze the quality of the data.
Genome-wide linkage and association analysis of cardiometabolic phenotypes in Hispanic Americans

Linkage studies of complex genetic diseases have been largely replaced by genome-wide association studies, due in part to limited success in complex trait discovery. However, recent interest in rare and low-frequency variants motivates re-examination of family-based methods. In this study, we investigated the performance of two-point linkage analysis for over 1.6 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) combined with single variant association analysis to identify high impact variants, which are both strongly linked and associated with cardiometabolic traits in up to 1414 Hispanics from the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Family Study (IRASFS). Evaluation of all 50 phenotypes yielded 83 557 000 LOD (logarithm of the odds) scores, with 9214 LOD scores ⩾3.0, 845 ⩾4.0 and 89 ⩾5.0, with a maximal LOD score of 6.49 (rs12956744 in the LAMA1 gene for tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) receptor 2). Twenty-seven variants were associated with P 4, including variants in the NFIB gene under a linkage peak with TNFα receptor 2 levels on chromosome 9. Linkage regions of interest included a broad peak (31 Mb) on chromosome 1q with acute insulin response (max LOD=5.37). This region was previously documented with type 2 diabetes in family-based studies, providing support for the validity of these results. Overall, we have demonstrated the utility of two-point linkage and association in comprehensive genome-wide array-based SNP genotypes.
High Incidence of Venous Thromboembolism in Patients with Lymphoma Receiving Chemotherapy: Assessment of Risk Factors.

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a significant cause of cancer morbidity and mortality. Lymphoma patients (pts) are at increased risk of VTE, however, the exact incidence and risk factors are unknown. Methods: Of the 1050 newly referred Lymphoma pts to MDACC in 2003 identified, medical records (MR) of 538 consecutive pts were reviewed for demographics, tumor histology, staging, laboratory values, type of chemotherapy (CT) regimens, risk factors for VTE, incidence of VTE and management over a follow up of 2 years. Results: 207 out of 538 pts received at least one cycle of CT at MDACC (total CT cycles 1125). The median age was 56 years (range 17–82); there were 81 females and 126 males. Majority of pts (61.8%) were newly diagnosed and the most common histologies were Large Cell Lymphoma (31.88%), followed by Hodgkin’s Disease (16.9%) and Follicular Lymphoma (14.98%). Thirteen out of 207 (6.28%) pts had history of VTE prior to CT and 37 (17.9 %) pts out of 207 had 41 new episodes of VTE; 29 Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) (12 upper and 12 lower extremity) and 12 Pulmonary Embolism (PE); 2 pts had both DVT and PE. All VTE episodes were confirmed by imaging except in 3 pts. The mean baseline hemoglobin (Hb) in VTE pts was 12.8 g/dL. The median cycle number for VTE occurrence was cycle 3 with 24/37 (64.86%) pts experiencing VTE by cycle 3 and 6/37 (16.2%) pts had VTE in cycle 1. Two out of the 37 (5.4%) pts had recurrent VTE. Among those with new VTE, 31/37 (83.78%) pts were of age greater than 40, 25/37 (67.56%) pts had BMI > 25, 32/37 (86.4%) pts had aggressive or highly aggressive histology and 29/37 (78.37%) pts had stage 3 or 4 disease. Twenty-three out of 31 (74.2%) pts had received erythropoietin before or during the cycle of VTE. Fourteen of 207 (6.79%) pts were on thromboprophylaxis before the chemotherapy. Only 1 of these 14 pts experienced VTE, approximately 2 months after the discontinuation of prophylaxis. Central venous catheter (CVC) thrombosis occurred in 6/174 (3.44%) patients with CVC. The most common systemic treatment for VTE was Enoxaparin (12/33). By multivariate logistic regression analysis of many of the previously described risk factors and other variables, Doxorubicin and/or Methotrexate based CT regimen was found to be a significant independent risk factor for VTE (OR 5.58, 95%CI 1.62 to 19.13. p = 0.0062). Conclusion: VTE is a frequent and underestimated complication in Lymphoma pts. These findings underscore the importance of prospective clinical trials of anticoagulation prophylaxis in the high risk patients receiving CT.
Long-Term Cognitive Functioning in Single-Dose Total-Body Gamma-Irradiated Rhesus Monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

In this study, the effects of a potentially lethal radiation exposure on the brain for long-term cognitive sequelae were investigated using Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) adopted from other facilities after analysis of acute radiation response via the Centers for Medical Countermeasures against Radiation (CMCR) network. Fifty-nine animals were given the opportunity to participate in cognitive cage-side testing. The animals that received single-dose gamma irradiation were significantly less likely to engage in cognitive testing than the controls, suggesting that irradiated animals may have differences in cognitive ability. Five irradiated (6.75–8.05 Gy) and three naive control animals self-selected, were extensively trained and administered a simple visual discrimination with reversal (SVD+R) task 2–3 times per week for 11–18 months. Each session consisted of 30 trials in which the animals were required to choose the correct visual stimulus for a food reward. After the initial presentation, the stimulus ...
Use of the APACHE II score to assess impact of therapeutic plasma exchange for critically ill patients with hypertriglyceride-induced pancreatitis.

Abstract Objectives Hypertriglyceridemic (HTG) pancreatitis carries significant morbidity and mortality and often requires intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) rapidly lowers serum triglyceride (TG) levels. However, evidence supporting TPE for HTG pancreatitis is lacking. Methods Ten patients admitted to the ICU for HTG pancreatitis underwent TPE at our institution from 2005–2015. We retrospectively calculated the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Examination II (APACHE II) score at the time of initial TPE and again after the final TPE session to assess the impact of triglyceride apheresis on morbidity and mortality associated with HTG pancreatitis. Results All 10 patients had rapid reduction in TG level after TPE, but only 5 had improvement in their APACHE II score. The median APACHE II score decreased from 19% to 17% after TPE, correlating with an 8% and 9% decrease in median predicted non-operative and post-operative mortality, respectively. The APACHE II score did not differ statistically before and after TPE implementation in our patient group (p = 0.39). Conclusion TPE is a clinically useful tool to rapidly lower TG levels, but its impact on mortality of HTG pancreatitis as assessed by the APACHE II score remains uncertain.
A framework for implementing intelligence in embedded controls

This paper presents a framework for the realization of intelligent embedded systems for control applications. Requirements on system intelligence are translated into requirements on the system hardware and software. The hardware and software components of the design and their impact on system performance are discussed. Software and hardware architectures are presented that enable the realization of these requirements. Recent trends in the hardware-software co-design and hardware reconfiguration are utilized to design systems that are fault-tolerant and have higher reliability under all operating conditions. The design approach is validated by means of a case study
3D printed metamaterial design to focus wave energy in thin plates

Acoustic metamaterials are periodic and composite structures that can block, direct and strengthen propagating elastic waves. They are periodic elastic composites made of two or more materials with different elastic properties. The periodic structure can exhibit certain band gaps that are used to manipulate wave field. In this research, the periodic and composite structure is made of aluminum plate and rubber cylinders manufactured using 3D printing. The ability to block and redirect elastic waves is numerically and experimentally demonstrated. Wave field focusing reduces the wave attenuation, which allows increasing the distance of acoustic sensors for damage detection in large-scale structures.
Comments on Coherence Theory in the Philosophy of Law

Coherentism, in philosophy generally, is of either an epistemological or a metaphysical type. The epistemological type responds to worries about foundationalism that have no serious counterpart within the philosophy of law. The metaphysical type is implausible generally, but has been put to use within the philosophy of law - by Ronald Dworkin in particular - to close up "gaps" in the law that provide an opening for purportedly worrisome exercises of judicial discretion. These remarks conclude with the suggestion that the conception of political legitimacy that underlies such worries is crude and unwarranted.
Reviving instruction set randomization

Instruction set randomization (ISR) was proposed early in the last decade as a countermeasure against code injection attacks. However, it is considered to have lost its relevance; with the pervasiveness of code-reuse techniques in modern attacks, code injection no longer remains a foundational component in contemporary exploits. This paper revisits the relevance of ISR in the current security landscape. We show that prior ISR schemes are ineffective against code injection, but can be made effective against code-reuse attacks, and even counter state-of-the-art variants, such as “just-in-time” ROP (JIT-ROP). Yet, certain key architectural features are necessary for enabling these capabilities. We implement a new ISR system, namely Polyglot, on a SPARC32-based Leon3 FPGA that runs Linux. We show that our system incurs a low performance overhead (4.6% on a subset of SPEC CINT2006) and defends against real-world (JIT-)ROP exploits, while still supporting critical features like page sharing. Polyglot is also the first ISR implementation to be applicable to the entire software stack: from the bootloader to user applications.
Perceptual Enhancement in the Early Blind

An experiment designed to measure Ss’ ability to detect small targets using self-generated sonar signals revealed that a group of six Ss blind from birth were significantly (.05 level) superior to eight adventitiously blind and eight sighted Ss. Subsequent tests of auditory localization ability and evidence from a tactile immediate memory test similarly favored the early-blind. A rationale is offered interpreting these results in terms of possible differential opportunities to develop auditory and tactile perceptual skills during infancy. The tradition that a kindly Providence is sure to compensate the blind by a quickening of their other senses goes back, like the popular belief in palmistry and astrology, to a hoary antiquity and shows a vitality which keeps it alive for the modern Sunday newspaper and for the fireside anecdote [Hayes, 1933, p. 22].
Doppler aliasing reduction in SAR imagery using stepped-frequency waveforms

A new technique for reducing Doppler aliasing artifacts in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery is proposed. The technique uses Continuous Wave (CW) transmission of randomised Stepped-Frequency (SF) waveforms to generate a simple, but effective approximation of a 2-D sinc-squared ambiguity function. This approach places Doppler aliasing artifacts at Doppler filter nulls, effectively removing them from the matched filtered target echoes. The paper presents representative 1-D range profiles illustrating the desired Doppler filtering behaviour.
CAN BIOMARKERS SUPPLEMENT FUNCTIONAL ISCHEMIA ASSESSMENT IN INTERMEDIATE RISK CHEST PAIN IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

Stress testing to identify obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) in chest pain (CP) is time-consuming and expensive. We propose a biomarker based approach including N-terminal pro-B-natriuretic peptide (NT-pro BNP) to complement stress testing. ROBUST (Role of Biomarkers in Unstable Angina) was
3D Anatomically accurate phantoms for PET and SPECT imaging

261 Objectives: PET and SPECT are well established as quantitative imaging modalities. Spatial resolution and detection sensitivity are key limitations for quantitative studies of small structures. Our objective is to develop phantoms with detailed 3D anatomical structures and realistic radionuclide distributions to provide a platform for characterizing quantitative limitations in human and animal PET. Methods: A Spectrum Z510 3D printer is used to generate anatomically accurate 3D objects derived from human or animal anatomical data (CT, MR, or anatomical atlases). Phantoms are printed with sub-millimeter anatomical details using cellulose powder based prototyping technology. Printer resolution is Results: We have created phantoms with 18F concentration as high as 53 kBq/mL with reproducibility in concentration of 2%. Activity in cold regions is Conclusions: We have demonstrated that this technique can be used to create highly detailed anatomically accurate phantoms for evaluating the quantitative performance of emission tomography systems. Research Support: This work is supported by the Indiana Genomics Initiative (INGEN). INGEN is supported in part by Lilly Endowment.
Multiple Sources of Information, Valuation, and Accounting Earnings

Accounting researchers have long debated how to model the relation between eamings and security price. In this paper, we add a scaling dimension to this debate. The scale of an information system is the ordering scheme it uses to represent relations. The language of valuation (e.g., assets, equities, and income) provides accounting's scale. This scaling is restricted, however, by recognition rules that keep some infonnation (e.g., order books) outside the accounting system. Restrictive accounting recognition rules imply that the inferences made using eamings must be conditioned on available other, nonaccounting information. As obvious and innocuous as this seems, the coupling of valuation scaling and restrictive accounting recognition mles implies eamings and price are monotonically (or linearly, a fortiori) related only under very strong conditions. In this paper, we describe these conditions. We also discuss more generally the problems of inference using financial statement numbers based on a valuation scale and restrictive accounting recognition mles. Several other papers have modeled the impact of nonaccounting information on the relation between eamings and price.' These models typically