cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trace element concentrations in fish from three Adirondack lakes with different pH values

Concentrations of 29 elements were detected in the axial muscle, and 44 elements were detected in the gut contents of white suckers (Catostomus commersoni) and yellow perch (Perca favescens) from three lakes located in the New York State Adirondack Preserve. The study lakes were acidic Darts Lake, variable pH Lake Rondaxe, and circumneutral Moss Lake. For the majority of the elements, there were no clear differences in the muscle concentrations among fish inhabiting the three types of lakes.
Applied econometrics rankings: 1989-1995

This paper ranks academic institutions by publication activity in applied econometrics over the period 1989-1995. Fourteen leading international journals that publish applied econometrics articles are used to provide the database. The rankings are based on standardized page counts of articles published in these journals over the stated period. A 'Hall of Fame' is developed listing the top 100 individual producers of applied econometrics in the fourteen journals considered. To control for quality differences among the applied journals, separate rankings are provided both for institutions and for individuals according to econometrics publications by journal.
Rationale and Indications for the Use of α-Keto Analogues

2 utilisations possibles: l'insuffisance renale et l'encephalopathie porto-cave. De plus l'addition de ketoleucine a un melange d'aminoacides conduirait a un benefice chez les malades avec hypercatabolisme. Chez les malades avec dystrophie de Duchenne l'essai de ketoacides a chaine ramifiee comme les sels d'ornithine une chute de l'excretion de 3 methyl-histidine est notee sans modification du bilan azote
Psychological stress and 30-day all-cause hospital readmission in acute coronary syndrome patients: an observational cohort study.

Background Many acute coronary syndrome (ACS; myocardial infarction and unstable angina) patients are rehospitalized within 30 days of discharge, and recent US health policy initiatives have tied hospital Medicare reimbursement to 30-day readmission rates. Patient-perceived psychological stress is thought to impact prognosis after ACS. A recently offered “posthospital syndrome” model of 30-day readmissions posits that the stress level at the time of the index hospitalization itself may increase 30-day risk for readmission in ACS patients. We tested whether self-reported stress in the days surrounding the ACS hospitalization was associated with increased risk for readmission within 30 days. Methods A mean of 8.5 days after discharge, 342 consecutively hospitalized ACS patients reported on how often they felt stress during the past two weeks. Readmission within 30 days of hospital discharge for any cause was determined by follow-up telephone calls to patients and confirmed by hospital records. Results Overall, 40 (11.7%) participants were readmitted within 30 days, and 22 (6.4%) reported high stress. Readmission within 30 days was more common in patients with high stress (5 admissions, 23%) than in patients with low stress (35 admissions, 11%). After adjustment for demographic and clinical factors, as well as depression, high stress was associated with a 3-fold increased risk of 30-day readmission (HR = 3.21, 95% CI = 1.13, 9.10). Conclusions Previous research has shown that stress in the days surrounding a hospitalization can mark long-term cardiovascular risk, but this is the first study to test a hypothesis of the posthospital syndrome model of early readmission. Further research is needed to confirm the association between stress and readmission risk, and to identify the processes of hospitalization that could be modified to both reduce the stress experienced and that would also be effective for reducing readmissions.
Regeneration of the Liver in the Young Chick

Abstract THERE is complete regeneration of the liver in the partially hepatectomized white rat (102% in 14–21 days, 110% in 21–28 days), according to the work of Higgins and Anderson (1931). Higgins et al. (1932) also reported that when the left lobe of the liver was removed in the domestic fowl, “restoration of the remaining lobe to an extent such as takes place in mammals does not occur”… “we have never encountered a liver even after two or three months with a weight equal to its original preoperative weight.” These remarks apparently referred to the adult chicken which was the experimental animal in the reference cited (Higgins el al., 1932). In the present study the extent of regeneration of the liver in the young chick was investigated. METHOD The experimental approach to the problem involved removal of the left lobe of the liver and estimation of…
Transplantation of the submandibular duct associated with resection for carcinoma

This article presents a new technique of duct transplantation that should be employed when large portions of the floor of the mouth are to be resected. The incidence of submaxillary duct stenosis was doubled when the transected ducts were disregarded. The consequences of ductal stenosis include fibrotic submaxillary glands that, following resection for carcinoma, may be mistaken for regional metastases. With metastases suspected, the patient may be exposed to any number of invasive diagnostic and treatment modalities that could have been avoided by using the technique described here.
Stimulatory effect of nickel or tin on fruiting of Lentinus edodes

Aqueous extracts of oak bark stimulated the fruiting of Lentinus edodes on a semi-defined medium. The stimulatory factor(s) was an inorganic element. Either Ni or Sn stimulate fruiting when added in the parts-per-billion (nanomolar) concentration range.
Spatial Presence and Disney's Oswald Comedies

Abstract Even prior to Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney was exploring new stylistic patterns in animation. His Oswald comedies, for example, demonstrate a new attitude towards filmic space emerging in this period—what Anthony Vidler terms spatial presence. This article examines how space assumes a “presence” that shapes the Oswald comedies' narratives.
Preparation and characterization of tetrasaccharides from beef-lung heparin

Abstract Partial N -desulfation of beef-lung heparin prior to degradative deamination with butyl nitrite and reduction with sodium borotritide yielded many large fragments. From these, a tetrasaccharide tetra- O -sulfate (II-4NH; 8% yield from heparin) and a mixture of tetrasaccharide tri- O -sulfates (II-3NHh; 6% yield) were isolated by sequential chromatography on Sephadex G-25 and DEAE-Sephadex. For these and the other tetrasaccharide preparations, the radioactive disaccharides produced by deamination, with and without subsequent relabelling with sodium borotritide, have been quantitatively determined by the methodology described in the preceding paper. In most cases, the results permit a unique reconstruction of the relative proportions of monosaccharide components and of their sequences in the compounds present. Tetrasaccharide II-4NH appeared homogeneous and has the structure (IdoA-SO 4 )(GN-O-SO 4 )(IdoA-SO 4 )(anhMan-SO 4 ). In tetrasaccharide preparation II-3NHh, the preponderant species (57%) lacks ester sulfate at the terminal l -iduronic residue in the structure just mentioned, and five other species are present. By treatment of the tetra- O -sulfate with mild acid, tetrasaccharide preparations with 3, 2, 1, and no ester sulfate were produced and could be isolated. The isomeric tetrasaccharide tri- O -sulfate species have been partially resolved. Composition and sequence data are given for all of the preparations. The resolution of numerous small fractions suggests minor irregularities in the fine structure of heparin. Ion-exchange electrophoresis was applied to the acidic oligosaccharides and was found to be a useful technique.
Vortex lattice stability and phase coherence in three-dimensional rapidly rotating Bose-Einstein condensates

We establish the general equations of motion for the modes of a vortex lattice in a rapidly rotating Bose-Einstein condensate in three dimensions, taking into account the elastic energy of the lattice and the vortex line bending energy. As in two dimensions, the vortex lattice supports Tkachenko and gapped sound modes. In contrast, in three dimensions the Tkachenko mode frequency at long wavelengths becomes linear in the wave vector for any propagation direction out of the transverse plane. We compute the correlation functions of the vortex displacements and the superfluid order parameter for a homogeneous Bose gas of bounded extent in the axial direction. At zero temperature the vortex displacement correlations are convergent at large separation, but at finite temperatures, they grow with separation. The growth of the vortex displacements should lead to observable melting of vortex lattices at higher temperatures and somewhat lower particle number and faster rotation than in current experiments. At zero temperature a system of large extent in the axial direction maintains long range order-parameter correlations for large separation, but at finite temperatures the correlations decay with separation.
Operational testing of sediment microbial fuel cells in San Diego Bay

In-situ testing has been conducted to evaluate the output power of sediment-based microbial fuel cell prototypes. Prototypes have been developed, by the Naval Research Lab (NRL) and Oregon State University (OSU), to power a hydrophone that is used by the Navy to track pacific green sea turtles in San Diego Bay. The NRL MFC anode consisted of a graphite anode buried in anaerobic sediment. The OSU MFC anode consisted of a carbon fiber anode inside a chamber that created a seal with the sediment. Both systems had a carbon fiber cathode floating in the water column. Each fuel cell trickle charged a rechargeable battery which provided power to the hydrophone. The MFC designed by NRL generated up to 60 mW of power and powered the hydrophone for a three month period of time. A miniature MFC was developed that evaluated the power potential of sediment and determined the optimal deployment sites for MFC systems.
Reduction in the incidence of alveolar osteitis in patients treated with the SaliCept patch, containing Acemannan hydrogel.

Purpose: In the present study, we compared the incidence of alveolar osteitis (AO) in patients treated with either clindamycin-soaked Gelfoam (Pharmacia and Upjohn Co, Kalamazoo, MI) or SaliCept Patches (Carrington Laboratories, Inc, Irving, TX). The SaliCept Patch is a freeze-dried pledget that contains Acemannan Hydrogel (Carrington Laboratories) obtained from the clear inner gel of Aloe vera L. Patients and Methods: A retrospective evaluation was performed of the records of 587 patients (1,031 sockets) whose extraction sites had been treated with clindamycin-soaked Gelfoam. A prospective trial was conducted in which 607 patients (1,064 sockets) had 2 SaliCept Patches placed immediately after extraction. The same surgeon treated all patients. Results: Analysis restricted to mandibular third molar sites showed that 78 of 975 sites (8.0%) in the Gelfoam group developed AO, whereas only 11 of 958 sites (1.1%) in the SaliCept group developed AO (P <.0001). Further analysis of all extraction sites revealed that the incidence of AO in the Gelfoam group was 7.6% compared with 1.1% in the SaliCept-treated group (P <.0001). Conclusions: The study results suggest that the SaliCept Patch significantly reduces the incidence of AO compared with clindamycin-soaked Gelfoam. © 2002 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons J Oral Maxillofac Surg 60:374-379, 2002
Method of homogenization applied to dispersion in porous media

The theory of homogenization which is a rigorous method of averaging by multiple scale expansions, is applied here to the transport of a solute in a porous medium. The main assumption is that the matrix has a periodic pore structure on the local scale. Starting from the pores with the Navier-Stokes equations for the fluid motion and the usual convective-diffusion equation for the solute, we give an alternative derivation of the three-dimensional macroscale dispersion tensor for solute concentration. The original result was first found by Brenner by extending Brownian motion theory. The method of homogenization is an expedient approach based on conventional continuum equations and the technique of multiple-scale expansions, and can be extended to more complex media involving three or more contrasting scales with periodicity in every but the largest scale.
On the integer points on some special hyper-elliptic curves over a finite field

Abstract If l r(p) is the least positive integral value of x for which y2 ≡ x(x + 1) ⋯ (x + r − 1)(modp) has a solution, we conjecture that l r(p) ≤ r2 − r + 1 with equality for infinitely many primes p. A proof is sketched for r = 5. A further generalization to y2 ≡ (x + a1) ⋯ (x + ar) is suggested, where the a's are fixed positive integers.
Biological scaling and physics.

Kleiber’s law in biology states that the specific metabolic rate (metabolic rate per unit mass) scales as M-1/2 in terms of the massM of the organism. A long-standing puzzle is the (-1/4) power in place of the usual expectation of (-1/3) based on the surface to volume ratio in three-dimensions. While recent papers by physicists have focused exclusively on geometry in attempting to explain the puzzle, we consider here a specific law of physics that governs fluid flow to show how the (-1/4) power arises under certain conditions. More generally, such a line of approach that identifies a specific physical law as involved and then examines the implications of a power law may illuminate better the role of physics in biology.
Stimulus discrimination in the diencephalon of Eigenmannia: the emergence and sharpening of a sensory filter.

Neuronal reliability and sensitivity to behaviorally relevant stimulus patterns were investigated in a higher-order nucleus of the diencephalon believed to participate in the jamming avoidance response (JAR) of the weakly electric fish,Eigenmannia. The fish raises or lowers its frequency of electric organ discharge (EOD) to minimize interference from a neighboring fish's EOD. Proper JARs require determination of the sign of the difference frequency (Df) between the neighboring fish's EOD and the fish's own EOD. Bastian and Yuthas (1984) recently described diencephalic neurons within the nucleus electrosensorius that are able to make this determination. In the present study, response properties of such neurons were compared with those of lower-level ‘sign-selective’ cells found in the torus semicircularis and the optic tectum (Heiligenberg and Rose 1985) as well as with properties of the intact behavior. Most sign-selective cells within the nucleus electrosensorius show a high degree of selectivity for one sign of the difference frequency; cells with either sign preference were found in approximately equal numbers. The sign preference and the degree of sign selectivity is most often independent of the spatial orientation of the jamming stimulus. In contrast, the responses of toral and tectal cells are less robust and consistent and are often highly dependent on the geometry of the jamming stimulus. Determination of the sign of the difference frequency requires the analysis of amplitude modulations coupled with modulations in phase (timing) differences between pairs of areas of the body surface. The most sensitive cells recorded in the nucleus electrosensorius can determine the sign of the difference frequency with timing differences of 1 μs or less, roughly comparable to the behavioral threshold of 400 ns (Carr et al. 1986). The best toral/tectal response required at least a 16 μs modulation. Cells within the nucleus electrosensorius thus code the sign of Df with a high degree of reliability and sensitivity. Ambiguities persist, however, which suggest that single cells at this level cannot completely account for the behavioral discrimination. Additional processing may be necessary to transform a still primarily sensory code into a motor program for control of the JAR (Rose et al. 1988).
Agitation Associated with Aripiprazole Initiation

Aripiprazole is a novel antipsychotic with a mechanism of action different from those of traditional first- and second-generation antipsychotics. We describe three patients with long histories of treatment for schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder in whom conversion to aripiprazole was being attempted. After they started aripiprazole, their psychosis, agitation, anxiety, or aggression worsened. Although the cause of the increased agitation was unclear, it may have been related to long-term use of dopamine-blocking antipsychotics and resultant upregulation of postsynaptic dopamine receptors. The mechanism of partial dopamine agonism observed with aripiprazole may increase dopaminergic activity and worsen positive dopamine-associated symptoms, such as paranoia, agitation, and aggression. The treatment of schizophrenia is often a clinical challenge, particularly when patients have a long history of noncompliance and poor response. Clinicians face difficult decisions in finding an effective and well-tolerated regimen. These cases magnify some of the challenges and provide insight into the clinical implications of converting to therapies with different pharmacodynamic effects.
Instant Recall: A Key Role for Effector-Phenotype CD8+ Memory T Cells in Immune Protection

In this issue of Immunity, Olson et al. (2013) demonstrate that circulating CD8+ memory T cells with an effector-like phenotype, previously thought to be mostly senescent, provide robust protection from a secondary pathogen challenge despite their poor secondary proliferative response.
Noise-induced front propagation in a bistable system

Abstract A bistable system satisfying a generalized Maxwell condition exhibits an interface solution deterministically at rest. It is shown that state-dependent (multiplicative) noise induces an average motion of this interface into the region of higher noise intensity.
The American Heart Association Stroke Outcome Classification: Executive Summary

Stroke remains one of the major public health problems in the United States today, with approximately 500 000 new or recurrent cases occurring each year.1 About 4 000 000 persons alive today have survived a stroke and have some neurological deficits. Although the magnitude of healthcare resources used to treat and rehabilitate stroke survivors is considerable, to date a standardized, comprehensive classification system to document the resultant impairments and disability has not been developed. Successful management of any disabling disease, including stroke, should benefit from the use of a classification system to judge the impact of treatment, particularly emerging therapies. Participants in the Methodologic Issues in Stroke Outcome Symposium2 determined that the complex nature of stroke recovery demands clarification of its natural history and classification of the variable patterns of functional recovery. For stroke survivors to receive the best care, a comprehensive stroke outcome classification system is needed to direct appropriate therapeutic interventions.3 Building on the work and recommendations of the Stroke Outcome Symposium, the American Heart Association Classification of Stroke Outcome Task Force has worked to develop a valid and reliable global classification system that accurately summarizes the neurological impairments, disabilities, and handicaps that occur after stroke. The development of a stroke outcome classification system is predicated on the belief that neurological deficits often lead to permanent impairments, disabilities, and compromised quality of life.4 5 6 Although a person’s ability to complete daily functional tasks is thought to be largely dependent on and often limited by the type and degree of impairment, additional factors are often relevant in the ultimate determination of functional outcome.7 8 9 Thus, a classification of stroke outcome should include the broad range of disabilities and impairments as well as the relationship of disability and impairment to independent function. It …
Hughlings Jackson’s neurological ideas

Hughlings Jackson's neurological ideas are scientifically valid and practically useful. He began by emphasizing the focal lesion as the key to analysing patients' symptoms. He proclaimed that 'Epilepsy is the name for occasional, sudden, excessive, rapid, and local discharge of grey matter.' He eliminated any need for a direct appeal to metaphysical agents by asserting that the nervous system is an exclusively sensorimotor machine constrained by the newly discovered conservation laws. In constructing his neurophysiology he accepted the phrenological assumption that the nervous system is composed of a number of physiologically discrete organs, each with a single function accessible to the diagnostician. By observing the march of epileptic seizures he developed the idea of somatotopic representation. He claimed that the nervous system is an evolutionary hierarchy of three levels connected by the process of weighted ordinal representation. His assertion of the Doctrine of Concomitance further separated the concerns, and the institutions, of the neurophysiologist from that of the psychiatrist. He came to reject the idea of the unconscious because he could not observe unequivocally unconscious behaviour at the bedside. Each of these ideas emerged from contemporaneous scientific streams, but Hughlings Jackson was the one to incorporate them into practical medicine. These neurological ideas gave physicians the methods, tools, principles and structures with which to establish a new science of clinical neurology.
Harvesting and Transferring Vertical Pillar Arrays of Single-Crystal Semiconductor Devices to Arbitrary Substrates

Development of devices that can be fabricated on amorphous substrates using multiple single-crystal semiconductors with different physical, electrical, and optical characteristics is important for highly efficient portable and flexible electronics, optoelectronics, and energy conversion devices. Reducing the use of single-crystal substrates can contribute to low-cost and environmentally benign devices covering a large area. We demonstrate a technique to harvest and transfer vertically aligned single-crystal semiconductor micro- and nanopillars from a single-crystal substrate to a low-cost carrier substrate while simultaneously preserving the integrity, order, shape, and fidelity of the transferred pillar arrays. The transfer technique facilitates multilayer process integration by exploiting a vertical embossing and lateral fracturing method using a spin-coated polymer layer on a carrier substrate. Electrical contacts are formed using a bilayer of metal and conducting polymer such as gold (Au) and polyaniline (PAni). In this method, the original single-crystal substrate can be repeatedly used for generating more devices and is minimally consumed, whereas in conventional fabrication methods, the substrate is employed solely as a mechanical support. This heterogeneous integration technique potentially offers devices with low physical fill factor contributing to lower leakage current and noise, reduced parasitic capacitance, and enhanced photon-semiconductor interactions, and enables heterogeneous multimaterial integration such as silicon with compound semiconductors for rapidly expanding large-scale applications, including low-cost and flexible electronics, displays, tactile sensors, and energy conversion systems.
VirtualTour: an online travel assistant based on high quality images

With the popularity of both travel and Web, more and more people use online travel services to facilitate their travel activities or share their travel experiences. Considering that existing services emphasize more on the textual content with the pictorial content only as supplement, we propose the VirtualTour system. It is an online travel service dedicated on high quality images, which helps travelers plan their trip. The images of VirtualTour are from photo forum sites. They have rich and accurate metadata which could be used to extract geographic location information of them and assess the quality of them. A representative sights identification algorithm is also proposed to automatically identify the possible related sights of a region. Based on the map services that seamlessly integrated into the system, a wieldy UI is designed to support several useful features, e.g. query by map, location or path.
On Musical Dissonance

psychoacoustic theories of dissonance often follow Helmholtz and attribute it to partials (fundamental frequencies or overtones) near enough in frequency to affect the same region of the basilar membrane and therefore to cause roughness, i.e., rapid beating. In contrast, tonal theories attribute dissonance to violations of harmonic principles embodied in Western music. We propose a dual-process theory that embeds roughness within tonal principles. The theory predicts the robust increasing trend in the dissonance of triads: major < minor < diminished < augmented. Previous experiments used too few chords for a comprehensive test of the theory, and so Experiment 1 examined the rated dissonance of all 55 possible three-note chords, and Experiment 2 examined a representative sample of 48 of the possible four-note chords. The participants' ratings concurred reliably and corroborated the dual-process theory. Experiment 3 showed that, as the theory predicts, consonant chords are rated as less dissonant when they occur in a tonal sequence (the cycle of fifths) than in a random sequence, whereas this manipulation has no reliable effect on dissonant chords outside common musical practice.
Direct Measurement of the Piston-Assembly Friction Force in a Single Cylinder Engine Under Motoring Conditions

Characterization of the lubrication regimes and quantification of the frictional losses are very important factors for the design of durable IC engines with improved fuel economy. Therefore, the current work has focused on the development of a tribology test rig that allows for the direct measurement of the instantaneous piston-assembly friction force under motoring conditions. The test rig was used to examine the effects of oil viscosity and engine speed on both the lubrication regimes and the friction force of the piston-assembly. Furthermore, the experimental data served to generate Stribeck curves for the coefficient of friction at different points in the cycle. Tear-down experiments were conducted to assess the friction contribution of each component in the piston-assembly. The results demonstrated that the magnitude of the friction force decreases with increasing oil grade under both boundary and mixed lubrication regimes. However, it tends to increase with increasing oil viscosity under a hydrodynamic lubrication regime. Moreover, the engine speed above which the hydrodynamic lubrication regime becomes prevalent at the midpoint of the stroke tends to decrease with increasing oil viscosity.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
2564 resected periampullary adenocarcinomas at a single institution: trends over three decades

Objective This study was carried out to determine relative survival rates and trends in outcomes in patients who underwent resection of periampullary adenocarcinomas (PACs) with curative intent at a single institution over the last three decades.
A genetic algorithm approach to detecting temporal patterns indicative of financial statement fraud

This study presents a genetic algorithm approach to detecting financial statement fraud. The study uses a sample comprising a target class of 51 companies accused by the Securities and Exchange Commission of improperly recognizing revenue and a peer class of 339 companies matched on industry and size (revenue). Variables include 76 comparative metrics, based on specific financial metrics and ratios that capture company performance in the context of historical and industry performance, and nine company characteristics. Time-based patterns detected by the genetic algorithm accurately classify 63% of the target class companies and 95% of the peer class companies. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Predicting gene regulatory networks of soybean nodulation from RNA-Seq transcriptome data

High-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) is a revolutionary technique to study the transcriptome of a cell under various conditions at a systems level. Despite the wide application of RNA-Seq techniques to generate experimental data in the last few years, few computational methods are available to analyze this huge amount of transcription data. The computational methods for constructing gene regulatory networks from RNA-Seq expression data of hundreds or even thousands of genes are particularly lacking and urgently needed. We developed an automated bioinformatics method to predict gene regulatory networks from the quantitative expression values of differentially expressed genes based on RNA-Seq transcriptome data of a cell in different stages and conditions, integrating transcriptional, genomic and gene function data. We applied the method to the RNA-Seq transcriptome data generated for soybean root hair cells in three different development stages of nodulation after rhizobium infection. The method predicted a soybean nodulation-related gene regulatory network consisting of 10 regulatory modules common for all three stages, and 24, 49 and 70 modules separately for the first, second and third stage, each containing both a group of co-expressed genes and several transcription factors collaboratively controlling their expression under different conditions. 8 of 10 common regulatory modules were validated by at least two kinds of validations, such as independent DNA binding motif analysis, gene function enrichment test, and previous experimental data in the literature. We developed a computational method to reliably reconstruct gene regulatory networks from RNA-Seq transcriptome data. The method can generate valuable hypotheses for interpreting biological data and designing biological experiments such as ChIP-Seq, RNA interference, and yeast two hybrid experiments.
Evaluation of volumetric differences through 3-dimensional display of distance of closest approach.

Abstract Treatment planning programs offer the ability to view quantitative information on serial CT sections. Many of these programs also offer the ability to view structures of anatomical interest from a beam's-eye view. Such displays may be of wire-frame objects or of shaded surface reconstructions derived from contours drawn in serial CT or MRI sections. Such surface reconstructions are not only shaded to give a 3-dimensional perspective, but can be colored in order to display information about some underlying property of a structure. Color has, for example, been used to demonstrate the distribution of dose on the surface of volumes of interest. We introduce a technique in which color is used to show the spatial differences between volumes of interest by displaying the surface of one volume and encoding in color the distance of closest approach of another volume. Regions in which the two surfaces are within a specified distance are shown in gray, regions in which the first structure lies outside the second are shown in reddish/yellow hues; and regions where the second is outside the first are shown in bluish/green hues with the hue being proportional to the distance apart. Such displays offer insight into anatomical relationships not otherwise easily obtained.
Increased KIT inhibition enhances therapeutic efficacy in gastrointestinal stromal tumor

Purpose: Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is the most common human sarcoma and a model of targeted molecular therapy. GIST depends on oncogenic KIT signaling and responds to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib. However, imatinib is rarely curative. We hypothesized that PLX3397, which inhibits KIT and colony-stimulating-factor-1 receptor (CSF1R), would be more efficacious than imatinib in GIST by also depleting tumor-associated macrophages, which are generally thought to support tumor growth. Experimental Design: We treated Kit V558del/+ mice that develop GIST or mice with subcutaneous human GIST xenografts with imatinib or PLX3397 and analyzed tumor weight, cellular composition, histology, molecular signaling, and fibrosis. In vitro assays on human GIST cell lines were also performed. Results: PLX3397 was more effective than imatinib in reducing tumor weight and cellularity in both Kit V558del /+ murine GIST and human GIST xenografts. The superiority of PLX3397 did not depend on depletion of tumor-associated macrophages, because adding CSF1R inhibition did not improve the effects of imatinib. Instead, PLX3397 was a more potent KIT inhibitor than imatinib in vitro . PLX3397 therapy also induced substantial intratumoral fibrosis, which impaired the subsequent delivery of small molecules. Conclusions: PLX3397 therapy has greater efficacy than imatinib in preclinical GIST models and warrants study in patients with GIST. The resultant intratumoral fibrosis may represent one of the barriers to achieving complete tumor eradication. Clin Cancer Res; 20(9); 2350–62. ©2014 AACR .
A massively parallel AI-based planning approach to process-control

Process-control systems form a critical component of embedded computer systems. Planning for such systems has always been looked at from the point of view of the optimization of decentralized control systems. The authors present a different approach for achieving high-performance planning for such control systems. They reduce a class of process-control systems into a general path planning problem commonly encountered in the field of AI and robotics. The path-planning problem is then solved by using an unconventional decentralized approach. This approach is based on a cellular automaton nearest neighbor wavefront propagation computing model. The massively parallel, decentralized algorithm for trajectory determination is discussed. The issue of mapping a process-control problem in its real-world space to a state space suitable for algorithmic and parallel computation is discussed. Details on the interface between the massively parallel system and the process-control system that is operating in the real world are presented. An example shows the versatility and applicability of this approach in solving control problems. >
Using Bayesian networks to discover relations between genes, environment, and disease

We review the applicability of Bayesian networks (BNs) for discovering relations between genes, environment, and disease. By translating probabilistic dependencies among variables into graphical models and vice versa, BNs provide a comprehensible and modular framework for representing complex systems. We first describe the Bayesian network approach and its applicability to understanding the genetic and environmental basis of disease. We then describe a variety of algorithms for learning the structure of a network from observational data. Because of their relevance to real-world applications, the topics of missing data and causal interpretation are emphasized. The BN approach is then exemplified through application to data from a population-based study of bladder cancer in New Hampshire, USA. For didactical purposes, we intentionally keep this example simple. When applied to complete data records, we find only minor differences in the performance and results of different algorithms. Subsequent incorporation of partial records through application of the EM algorithm gives us greater power to detect relations. Allowing for network structures that depart from a strict causal interpretation also enhances our ability to discover complex associations including gene-gene (epistasis) and gene-environment interactions. While BNs are already powerful tools for the genetic dissection of disease and generation of prognostic models, there remain some conceptual and computational challenges. These include the proper handling of continuous variables and unmeasured factors, the explicit incorporation of prior knowledge, and the evaluation and communication of the robustness of substantive conclusions to alternative assumptions and data manifestations.
Tissue Sites of Persistent Infection and Active Replication of Equine Infectious Anemia Virus during Acute Disease and Asymptomatic Infection in Experimentally Infected Equids

Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) infection of horses is characterized by recurring cycles of disease and viremia that typically progress to an inapparent infection in which clinical symptoms are absent as host immune responses maintain control of virus replication indefinitely. The dynamics of EIAV viremia and its association with disease cycles have been well characterized, but there has been to date no comprehensive quantitative analyses of the specific tissue sites of EIAV infection and replication in experimentally infected equids during acute disease episodes and during asymptomatic infections in long-term inapparent carriers. To characterize the in vivo site(s) of viral infection and replication, we developed a quantitative competitive PCR assay capable of detecting 10 copies of viral DNA and a quantitative competitive reverse transcription-PCR assay with a sensitivity of about 30 copies of viral singly spliced mRNA. Animals were experimentally infected with one of two reference viruses: the animal-passaged field isolate designated EIAVWyo and the virulent cell-adapted strain designated EIAVPV. Tissues and blood cells were isolated during the initial acute disease or from asymptomatic animals and analyzed for viral DNA and RNA levels by the respective quantitative assays. The results of these experiments demonstrated that the appearance of clinical symptoms in experimentally infected equids coincided with rapid widespread seeding of viral infection and replication in a variety of tissues. During acute disease, the predominant cellular site of viral infection and replication was the spleen, which typically accounted for over 90% of the cellular viral burden. In asymptomatic animals, viral DNA and RNA persisted in virtually all tissues tested, but at extremely low levels, a finding indicative of tight but incomplete immune control of EIAV replication. During all disease states, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were found to harbor less than 1% of the cellular viral burden. These quantitative studies demonstrate that tissues, rather than PBMC, constitute the predominant sites of virus replication during acute disease in infected equids and serve as resilient reservoirs of virus infection, even in the presence of highly effective immune responses that maintain a stringent control of virus replication in long-term inapparent carriers. Thus, these observations with EIAV, a predominantly macrophage-tropic lentivirus, highlight the role of tissues in sequestering lentiviral infections from host immune surveillance.
Heuristics for balancing operating room and post-anesthesia resources under uncertainty

The post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) is a shared resource in the hospital where patients recover from surgery. It is fed by a set of operating rooms (OR?s) often spanning several surgical services. It is insufficient to determine the best surgery schedule for any single OR without considering available PACU capacity. We model this as a two-stage process where the first stage is surgery and the second, post-anesthesia recovery. An interesting aspect of the second-stage process is that it begins as soon as the first stage has concluded even if a PACU bed is not available. In this case, the OR continues to house the recovering patient until a PACU bed is available. We analyze the structure of the problem, evaluate several heuristics based on competing performance measures for surgical suite efficiency, and present results of numerical experiments and insights that can be derived from them.
Reconciling views on T cell receptor germline bias for MHC

Whether MHC restriction by the T cell receptor (TCR) is a product of evolutionary pressures leading to germline-encoded ‘rules of engagement' remains avidly debated. Structural results derived from analysis of TCR−peptide–MHC complexes appear to support a model of physical specificity between TCR germline V regions and MHC. Yet, some recent evidence suggests that thymic selection, and co-receptors may have misled us into thinking the TCR is exclusively MHC-specific, when in fact, TCRs can robustly engage non-MHC ligands when given the chance. Here, I propose that seemingly contradictory data and hypotheses for, and against, germline bias are, in fact, compatible and can be reconciled into a unifying model.
Developmental trauma disorder: towards a rational diagnosis for chronically traumatized children

Less than eight years after the establishment of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network in 2001 it has become evident that the current diagnostic classification system is inadequate for tens of thousands of traumatized children. While the inclusion of PTSD in the psychiatric classification system in 1980 led to extensive scientific studies of that diagnosis, over the past 25 years there has been a parallel emergence of the field of Developmental Psychopathology, which has documented the effects of interpersonal trauma and disruption of caregiving systems on the development of affect regulation, attention, cognition, perception, and interpersonal relationships. Another significant development has been the increasing documentation of the effects of adverse early life experiences on brain development. The goal of introducing the diagnosis of Developmental Trauma Disorder is to capture the reality of the clinical presentations of children and adolescents exposed to chronic interpersonal trauma. Whether or not they exhibit some symptoms of PTSD, children who have developed in the context of ongoing danger, maltreatment, and inadequate caregiving systems are ill-served by the current diagnostic system, as it frequently leads to multiple unrelated diagnoses, an emphasis on behavioral control without recognition of interpersonal trauma and lack of safety in the etiology of symptoms, and a lack of attention to ameliorating the developmental disruptions that underlie the symptoms.
A CAD suite for high-performance FPGA design

This paper describes the current status of a suite of CAD tools designed specifically for use by designers who are developing high-performance configurable-computing applications. The basis of this tool suite is JHDL, a design tool originally conceived as a way to experiment with Run-Time Reconfigured (RTR) designs. However, what began as a limited experiment to model RTR designs with Java has evolved into a comprehensive suite of design tools and verification aids, with these tools being used successfully to implement high-performance applications in Automated Target Recognition (ATR), sonar beamforming, and general image processing on configurable-computing systems.
Design and characterization of a membrane permeable N‐methyl amino acid‐containing peptide that inhibits Aβ1–40 fibrillogenesis

Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease and prion diseases are part of a growing list of diseases associated with formation of beta-sheet containing fibrils. In a previous publication, we demonstrated that the self-association of the Alzheimer's beta-amyloid (Abeta) peptide is inhibited by peptides homologous to the central core domain of Abeta, but containing N-methyl amino acids at alternate positions. When these inhibitor peptides are arrayed in an extended, beta-strand conformation, the alternating position of N-methyl amino acids gives the peptide two distinct faces, one exhibiting a normal pattern of peptide backbone hydrogen bonds, but the other face having limited hydrogen-bonding capabilities due to the replacement of the amide protons by N-methyl groups. Here, we demonstrate, through two-dimensional NMR and circular dichroic spectroscopy, that a pentapeptide with two N-methyl amino acids, Abeta16-20m or Ac-K(Me)LV(Me)FF-NH2, does indeed have the intended structure of an extended beta-strand. This structure is remarkably stable to changes in solvent conditions and resists denaturation by heating, changes in pH (from 2.5 to 10.5), and addition of denaturants such as urea and guanindine-HCl. We also show that this peptide, despite its hydrophobic composition, is highly water soluble, to concentrations > 30 mm, in contrast to the nonmethylated congener, Abeta16-20 (Ac-KLVFF-NH2). The striking water solubility, in combination with the hydrophobic composition of the peptide, suggested that the peptide might be able to pass spontaneously through cell membranes and model phospholipid bilayers such as unilamellar vesicles. Thus, we also demonstrate that this peptide is indeed able to pass spontaneously through both synthetic phospholipid bilayer vesicles and cell membranes. Characterization of the biophysical properties of the Abeta16-20m peptide may facilitate the application of this strategy to other systems as diverse as the HIV protease and chemokines, in which there is dimerization through beta-strand domains.
Surgical controversies in the management of spinal cord injury

The Edwin Smith papyrus, a surgical treatise drafted nearly 4000 years ago, recounted the devastation attendant to cervical spine injuries with quadriplegia and categorized them as “ailments not to be treated.” The nihilism implied by this proscription has remained the prevailing sentiment over the succeeding millennia. Recent advances in the emergency, diagnostic, medical, and surgical management of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI), however, have infused a sense of optimism to an area that, even to this day, remains a debacle relative to the triumphs achieved in other areas of modern medicine. The acute management of the SCI patient begins at the scene of an accident the moment that such an insult is suspected, and progresses until the time of discharge to a rehabilitation facility. At each stage along this continuum, the goals of treatment remain identical:
Trivalent (C5Me5)(2)(THF)Ln (2)(mu-eta(2):eta(2)-N-2) complexes as reducing agents including the reductive homologation of CO to a ketene carboxylate, (mu-eta(4)-O2C-C=C=O)(2-)

The [Z(2)Ln(THF)](2)(mu-eta(2):eta(2)-N-2) complexes (Z = monoanionic ligand) generated by reduction of dinitrogen with trivalent lanthanide salts and alkali metals are strong reductants in their own right and provide another option in reductive lanthanide chemistry. Hence, lanthanide-based reduction chemistry can be effected in a diamagnetic trivalent system using the dinitrogen reduction product, [(C5Me5)(2)(THF) La](2)(mu-eta(2):eta(2)-N-2), 1, readily obtained from [(C5Me5)(2)La][BPh4], KC8, and N-2. Complex 1 reduces phenazine, cyclooctatetraene, anthracene, and azobenzene to form [(C5Me5)(2)La](2)[mu-eta(3):eta(3)-(C12H8N2)], 2, (C5Me5)La(C8H8), 3, [(C5Me5)(2)La](2)[mu-eta(3):eta(3)-(C14H10)], 4, and [(C5Me5) La(mu-eta(2)-(PhNNPh)(THF)] 2, 5, respectively. Neither stilbene nor naphthalene are reduced by 1, but 1 reduces CO to make the ketene carboxylate complex {[(C5Me5)(2)La](2)[mu-eta(4)-O2C-C=C=O](THF)}(2), 6, that contains CO-derived carbon atoms completely free of oxygen.
Diffusion of Sediment in Developing Flow

The suspension of sediment particles by turbulent eddy diffusion in a nonuniform flow region was studied, using the convective-diffusion equation as a mathematical model. A simplified form of the equation, for which mixing characteristics and flow velocities was assumed uniform, was found to accurately describe the sediment concentration profiles which had been measured in a 24-ft-long flume. Although diffusivities in the nonuniform region tended towards uniformity with downstream distance, the vertical diffusive transport rate was related to depth as a power law function. Measured diffusion coefficients were found to depend on the relative roughness of the mobile bed.
Antedating and Anchoring Vietnamese America: Toward a Vietnamese American Historiography

This essay examines the experiences of Vietnamese American students, and to some extent professionals, during the Vietnam War years, starting from the Vietnamese revolution of 1945, which also marks the beginning of the Cold War, to the fall of the South Vietnamese government in 1975. Additionally, this essay frames questions and issues that challenge scholars to think about possibilities and potentials toward forging a Vietnamese American historiography.