cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ovarian Tumor-Induced T Cell Suppression Is Alleviated by Vascular Leukocyte Depletion

The ovarian cancer microenvironment recruits an array of immune cells to the site of tumor growth. Within the peritoneal ascites of both humans and mice, the predominant population of tumor-infiltrating leukocytes is a CD11c+CD11b+ population variably referred to as vascular leukocytes (VLCs), tumor-associated macrophages, and immature dendritic cells. We have previously shown that these cells are critical for tumor growth because their selective elimination from the peritoneal tumor microenvironment inhibited tumor progression. However, the underlying mechanism by which this therapy was efficacious is poorly understood. Here, we use the murine ID8 ovarian tumor model to demonstrate that the tumor microenvironment induces in vivo immunosuppression of T cells and that the SR-A+ VLCs mediate this suppression. Importantly, the elimination of SR-A+ VLCs from the peritoneum of tumor-bearing mice relieves the T cell suppression. Moreover, the profound changes that VLC elimination has on the immune system are T cell-dependent because the protective antitumor effect of VLC elimination does not occur when CD8 T cells are concomitantly depleted. These results were confirmed and extended with the use of a genetic model for VLC depletion, which demonstrated that short-term therapeutic depletion of VLCs alleviates immunosuppression and allows for efficacious vaccination against model tumor antigens in tumor-bearing mice. These studies provide a mechanistic explanation for how leukocytes contribute to ovarian tumor progression and, correspondingly, how leukocyte depletion inhibits tumor growth.
Scalable wavelength-converting crossbar switches

We report scalable low-power wavelength-converting crossbar switches that monolithically integrate two-dimensional compact arrays of surface-normal photodiodes with quantum-well waveguide modulators. We demonstrate proof-of-concept, electrically reconfigurable 2/spl times/2 crossbars that perform unconstrained wavelength conversion across 35 nm in the C-band (1530-1565 nm), using only <4.3-mW absorbed input optical power, and with 10-dB extinction ratio at 1.25 Gb/s. Such wavelength-converting crossbars provide complete flexibility to selectively convert any of the input wavelengths to any of the output wavelengths at high data bit rates in telecommunication, with the input and output wavelengths being arbitrarily chosen within the C-band.
Functional Analysis and Treatment of Noncompliance by Preschool Children.

A functional analysis showed that noncompliance occurred most often for 2 preschoolers when it resulted in termination of a preferred activity, suggesting that noncompliance was maintained by positive reinforcement. A differential reinforcement procedure, which involved contingent access to coupons that could be exchanged for uninterrupted access to the activity maintaining noncompliance, was successful in increasing compliance for both children.
Exercise, Estrogen, and Ischemic Cardioprotection by Heat Shock Protein 70

Acute ischemic injury and myocardial infarction arising from coronary artery disease, despite significant strides in medical and surgical management, remain a major public problem. Sex disparity has long been recognized for coronary ischemic events: premenopausal women are at reduced risk for atherosclerotic disease than men of similar age, an advantage that vanishes after menopause.1 The beneficial effects of estrogen are known to modify vasomotor tone, vascular integrity, blood pressure, lipid profiles, and cholesterol metabolism. However, far less is known about the sex-related effects estrogen has on stress-activated pathways such as the chaperone defense mechanism, which plays fundamental roles in reducing oxidative damage ensuing from myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury.2,3⇓ In this issue of Circulation Research , Paroo and coworkers4 have addressed the hypothesis that sexual dimorphism in cardiac heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) expression induced by exercise is modulated by estrogen and that such effects confer sex-specific protection against ischemic injury. These investigators have shown that a single exercise regimen, 30 m/min for 60 minutes, leads to the induction of Hsp70 expression by 2-fold (24 hours) in male but not in female rats. Whereas exercise upregulates Hsp70 expression in ovariectomized female rats, estrogen replacement abrogates similar effects, suggesting that estrogen plays a key role to repress exercise-induced stress response (in a sex-specific manner). Furthermore, a direct causal mechanism by Hsp70 in mediating the recovery of postischemic cardiac function was convincingly shown using antisense oligonucleotides, an approach that had been previously reported to abrogate Hsp70-dependent protection against simulated ischemia in adult cardiac myocytes5 but not yet in the intact postischemic heart (the present study by Paroo et al4). What are the mechanisms by which sex-linked Hsp70 expression mediate ischemic protection? Paroo et al4 have focused their study on Hsp70, which belongs to the …
Exploring the Human Genome in Cancer with Genomic Approaches

CANCER is the second leading cause of death in the United States, and despite the overall decreasing trend in cancer mortality during the past 10 years, it is expected to become the leading cause of death in the next decade. The decrease in cancer mortality has been largely attributed to prevention through the identification of environmental and genetic risk factors, early detection through populationbased screening programs, and advances in treatment (1,2). However, as environmental factors are identified and public exposure reduced, the identification of high-risk genes that result in susceptibility to cancer development has primarily been limited to forward genetics, wherein the functions of single genes are typically studied by creating a mutation or deletion in a rodent model. Although most of what is known about the pathophysiology of cancer was learned through this approach, forward genetics is too time consuming and cost inefficient to be applied to every gene responsible for the characteristics of a single cancer, and it is unknown whether the results would be applicable to human cancer. Recently, DNA microarrays have been used to profile and compare the global gene expression patterns of different cancers in human patients. Surprisingly, despite the diversification of gene expression that accompanies unregulated cell division, many similar changes were detected across the same types of cancer. This report focuses on the advances that have been made in our understanding of cancer biology with the use of functional genomics and how this knowledge translates into determining the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of different types of cancers. Additionally, specific areas are identified in which knowledge is deficient and further research is needed. Finally, we briefly discuss how the science of cancer genomics, also known as oncogenomics, could potentially impact the practice of interventional radiology. Although individually tailored medicine is currently economically infeasible and time inefficient, oncogenomics could allow individual patients with cancer to be categorized into molecular subgroups to optimize their treatment and improve overall patient care.
Stabilization of the prostate‐specific tumor suppressor NKX3.1 by the oncogenic protein kinase Pim‐1 in prostate cancer cells

Loss of NKX3.1 is an early and consistent event in prostate cancer and is associated with increased proliferation of prostate epithelial cells and poor prognosis. NKX3.1 stability is regulated post-translationally through phosphorylation at multiple sites by several protein kinases. Here, we report the paradoxical stabilization of the prostate-specific tumor suppressor NKX3.1 by the oncogenic protein kinase Pim-1 in prostate cancer cells. Pharmacologic Pim-1 inhibition using the small molecule inhibitor CX-6258 decreased steady state levels and half-life of NKX3.1 protein but mRNA was not affected. This effect was reversed by inhibition of the 26S-proteasome, demonstrating that Pim-1 protects NKX3.1 from proteasome-mediated degradation. Mass spectrometric analyses revealed Thr89, Ser185, Ser186, Ser195, and Ser196 as Pim-1 phospho-acceptor sites on NKX3.1. Through mutational analysis, we determined that NKX3.1 phosphorylation at Ser185, Ser186, and within the N-terminal PEST domain is essential for Pim-1-mediated stabilization. Further, we also identified Lys182 as a critical residue for NKX3.1 stabilization by Pim-1. Pim-1-mediated NKX3.1 stabilization may be important in maintaining normal cellular homeostasis in normal prostate epithelial cells, and may maintain basal NKX3.1 protein levels in prostate cancer cells.
Habitat‐mediated carry‐over effects lead to context‐dependent outcomes of species interactions

Summary When individuals disperse, their performance in newly colonized habitats can be influenced by the conditions they experienced in the past, leading to environmental carry-over effects. While carry-over effects are ubiquitous in animal and plant systems, their impact on species interactions and coexistence are largely ignored in traditional coexistence theory. Here we used a combination of modelling and experiments with two competing species to examine when and how such environmental carry-over effects influence community dynamics and competitive exclusions. We found that variation in the natal habitat quality of colonizing individuals created carry-over effects which altered competitive coefficients, fecundity and mortality rates, and extinction probabilities of both species. As a consequence, the dynamics of competitive exclusion within and across habitat types was contingent on the natal habitat of colonizing individuals, indicating that spatial carry-over effects can fundamentally alter the dynamics and outcome of interspecific competition. Interestingly, carry-over effects persistently influenced dynamics in systems with interspecific competition for the entire duration of the experiment while carry-over effects were transient and only influenced initial dynamics in single-species populations. Thus carry-over effects can be enhanced by species interactions, suggesting that their long-term effects may often not be accurately predicted by single-species studies. Given that carry-over effects are ubiquitous in heterogeneous landscapes, our results provide a novel mechanism that could help explain variation in the structure of natural communities.
Infant Positioning and SIDS Acceptance of the Nonprone Position Among Clinic Mothers

In April 1992, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that healthy infants not be placed prone to sleep because of the association between the prone sleeping position and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). We determined the awareness and acceptance of this recommendation among 190 mothers attending a community health center pediatric clinic in the first year after the recommendation. Ninety-seven women (51.1 %) had heard the recommendation. The compliance with the recommendation among women who had heard it was 63.9% (62 of 97). Fifty-three percent of all the mothers worried that their infant would choke in the supine position. More education is necessary in this population to improve acceptance of this new recommendation and to correct misinformation about the supine position.
A Simple Model of Mixing and Chemical Reaction in a Turbulent Shear Layer

Arguments are presented to show that the concept of gradient diffusion is inapplicable to mixing in turbulent shear layers. A new model is proposed for treating molecular mixing and chemical reaction in such flows at high Reynolds number. It is based upon the experimental observations that revealed the presence of coherent structures and that showed that fluid elements from the two streams are distributed unmixed throughout the layer by large-scale inviscid motions. The model incorporates features of the strained flame model and makes use of the Kolmogorov cascade in scales. Several model predictions differ markedly from those of diffusion models and suggest experiments for testing the two approaches.
Recommendations for enterprise service SLA guidance in the DoD

A fundamental concept of the Department of Defense's (DoD's) vision for a net-centric environment includes the establishment of shared services to support the development and operation of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) - based capabilities [1]. In this environment, data producers and capability providers supply data and capabilities to the enterprise through a service paradigm. This vision embraces a common infrastructure, interoperability of capabilities, services that represent reusable building blocks, and coordinated management providing Situational Awareness (SA) of the environment. As a result of this vision, the DoD is developing and acquiring Enterprise Services (ES), resulting in a situation where services are supplied to end-users by two types of providers: Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and Government Application Service Providers (GASPs). Service-Level Agreements (SLAs) are an essential element of the service paradigm in this context. Consequently, it is necessary that recommendations for guidance on sufficient and effective SLAs be developed to help ensure the success of programs developing or acquiring ESs as well as the success of the net-centric vision itself. The content of this paper is drawn from a MITRE study, sponsored by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks & Information Integration (ASD/NII). The study provides recommendations for guidance on ES SLAs. The study contains an ES SLA Management Framework and a Notional SLA Needs Framework. It provides recommendations on the necessary components or elements of an ES SLA, such as the boundary of control, provider and customer responsibilities, metrics, consumer characterizations, and End–to-End (E2E) solutions. This paper discusses the most significant recommendations resulting from the initial MITRE study on ES SLAs.
Flourishing and Synthesis: A Review

Edward W. Younkins's book, Flourishing and Happiness in a Free Society, is a welcome contribution to individualist thought. Focusing on Aristotle, Ayn Rand, Carl Menger, Ludwig von Mises, and Murray Rothbard, Younkins demonstrates the compatibility of Aristotelian liberalism, Objectivism, and Austrian Economics. Younkins suggests that synthesizing these philosophies will lead to human flourishing and happiness. These philosophies share certain general principles that can serve as moral bases for political action.
Technical Note: FreeCT_wFBP: A robust, efficient, open-source implementation of weighted filtered backprojection for helical, fan-beam CT.

Purpose: With growing interest in quantitative imaging, radiomics, and CAD using CTimaging, the need to explore the impacts of acquisition and reconstruction parameters has grown. This usually requires extensive access to the scanner on which the data were acquired and its workflow is not designed for large-scale reconstruction projects. Therefore, the authors have developed a freely available, open-source software package implementing a common reconstruction method, weighted filtered backprojection (wFBP), for helical fan-beam CT applications. Methods: FreeCT_wFBP is a low-dependency, GPU-based reconstruction program utilizing c for the host code and Nvidia CUDA C for GPU code. The software is capable of reconstructing helical scans acquired with arbitrary pitch-values, and sampling techniques such as flying focal spots and a quarter-detector offset. In this work, the software has been described and evaluated for reconstruction speed, image quality, and accuracy. Speed was evaluated based on acquisitions of the ACR CT accreditation phantom under four different flying focal spot configurations. Image quality was assessed using the same phantom by evaluating CT number accuracy, uniformity, and contrast to noise ratio (CNR). Finally, reconstructed mass-attenuation coefficient accuracy was evaluated using a simulated scan of a FORBILD thorax phantom and comparing reconstructed values to the known phantom values. Results: The average reconstruction time evaluated under all flying focal spot configurations was found to be 17.4 ± 1.0 s for a 512 row × 512 column × 32 slice volume. Reconstructions of the ACR phantom were found to meet all CT Accreditation Program criteria including CT number, CNR, and uniformity tests. Finally, reconstructed mass-attenuation coefficient values of water within the FORBILD thorax phantom agreed with original phantom values to within 0.0001 mm2/g (0.01%). Conclusions: FreeCT_wFBP is a fast, highly configurable reconstruction package for third-generation CT available under the GNU GPL. It shows good performance with both clinical and simulated data.
Synthesis of Constant Torque Compliant Mechanisms

Constant torque compliant mechanisms produce an output torque that does not change in a large range of input rotation. They have wide applications in aerospace, automobile, timing, gardening, medical and healthcare devices. Unlike constant force compliant mechanisms, the synthesis of constant torque compliant mechanisms has not been extensively investigated yet. In this paper, a method is presented for synthesizing constant torque compliant mechanisms that have coaxial input rotation and output torque. The same shaft is employed for both input rotation and output torque. A synthesized constant torque compliant mechanism is modeled as a set of variable width spline curves within an annular design domain formed between a rotation shaft and a fixed ring. Interpolation circles are used to define variable width spline curves. The synthesis of constant torque compliant mechanisms is systematized as optimizing the control parameters of the interpolation circles of the variable width spline curves. The presented method is demonstrated by the synthesis of constant torque compliant mechanisms that have different number of variable width spline curves in the paper.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Tracing Children's Approaches to Learning through Head Start, Kindergarten, and First Grade: Different Pathways to Different Outcomes.

This article reports on the study of differential change trajectories for early childhood approaches to learning. A large sample (N = 2,152) of Head Start children was followed through prekindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade. Classroom learning behaviors were assessed by teachers through the Preschool Learning Behaviors Scale twice in Head Start and through the Learning Behaviors Scale twice in both kindergarten and first grade. Item response theory was applied to form continuous scales of Competence Motivation and Attentional Persistence, using multiple-group calibration with linking items and Bayesian score estimates. Cross-classified multilevel growth models demonstrated that the new vertical scales are able to detect distinct linear and higher order change patterns for Competence Motivation and Attentional Persistence across the transition years and to differentiate change trajectories emblematic of eventual second-grade academic proficiency versus nonproficiency in reading, vocabulary, language, mathematics, and science.
Nutrition of Willow Ptarmigan in Northern Alaska

THE arctic and subarctic regions of Alaska and northern Canada are extensive areas occupied by large populations of relatively few species of animals. Many of these are browsers, such as moose (Alces alces), porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum), snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus), tundra hare (L. othus), and two species of Ptarmigan, Rock (Lagopus mutus), and Willow (L. lagopus). These species obtain most of their nutrition from the stems, bark, twigs, buds, and leaves of brushy plants and trees. Beyond the limit of trees, however, only a few genera of bushy plants are available, the most abundant being Salix (willow), Alnus (alder), and Betula (birch). Salix appears to be the most important genus and sustains Willow Ptarmigan and moose throughout the winter in the arctic slope area of northern Alaska. Willow Ptarmigan have perhaps a more specialized and uniform diet than any other northern animal since during many winter months up to 94 per cent of their diet consists of buds and twigs of willow, and 80 per cent of this may be of a single species. The adaptation of the ptarmigan's own digestive enzymes and the ability of its intestinal and cecal microflora to provide nutritive and energy requirements to the bird from a single generic plant source is unusual and interesting. This paper reports on the results of one of a series of studies which has been undertaken to understand these adaptations and to document seasonal and latitudinal variations in the diet of these birds. The population we studied breeds in the valley of the Colville River, north of the Brooks Range in northern Alaska and migrates south through passes in the mountains to winter throughout the river valleys of the range as far south as the Koyukuk River, a northern tributary of the Yukon. This population has been under observation since 1948 by Laurence Irving and Simon Paneak who have recorded changes in seasonal abundance and movements in several papers (Irving and Paneak, 1954; Irving, 1960; Irving et al., 1965). The population segregates into age and sex groups in its migration south in the fall and these groups become distributed along a north-south gradient through the Brooks Range (Irving et. al., 1965). Samples from ptarmigan flocks were collected as often as possible from Umiat (690 24! N lat., 152? 07' W long.), Anaktuvuk Pass (680 09' N, 151? 46' W), Crevice Creek (670 22' N, 152? 04' W), and Bettles Field (660 55' N, 1510 28' W) (Figure 1). Details on sex composition of the
Insulin infusion acutely augments ovarian androgen production in normal women

Euglycemic insulin clamp studies were performed at a sustained physiological insulin concentration of 420 +/- 35 pmol/L (60 +/- 5 muU/mL) in five women who had undergone bilateral oophorectomy and in five intact normal women during the follicular phase of their menstrual cycles to determine the relative contributions of the ovary and adrenal glands in insulin-related augmentation of androgen secretion. Normal women increased their plasma dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) concentration by 7.3 +/- 0.4 nmol/L (to 239% +/- 15% of basal), but in oophorectomized women DHEA increased by 1.4 +/- 0.4 nmol/L (to 135% +/- 15% of basal). Thus, the acute response in DHEA to insulin infusion in women without ovaries was only 20% of that seen in intact women. The androstenedione response in oophorectomized subjects was 27% of that seen in controls. We conclude that the insulin stimulation of androgen production occurs predominately at an ovarian site.
On Circuit Design of Strapdown Inertial Guidance System

Through analyzing the difference between a strapdown inertial guidance and an inertial guidance with a gyroscopic stabilizer in this paper, the authors discuss some problems in designing a circuit of a strapdown inertial guidance, and thereby design a circuit of strapdown inertial guidance with 032 DSP and programmable ASIC.
Instrumentation and Techniques in Transendoscopic Upper Respiratory Tract Laser Surgery

Transendoscopic laser surgery provides equine surgeons with a safe, reliable, and minimally invasive method of performing many surgical procedures in the upper respiratory tract. Although the Nd:YAG laser has proven efficacy, other newer lasers such as the diode and holmium:YAG lasers may prove to be useful tools for equine upper respiratory tract surgery. Long grasping forceps and a high quality fiberoptic or video endoscope are critical components necessary for performing transendoscopic laser surgery. For many of the most common upper respiratory tract abnormalities, a laryngotomy can be eliminated, morbidity is minimal, the horse can often return to normal exercise in approximately 7 to 14 days, and trainer and owner acceptance is excellent. Transendoscopic laser surgery is most likely to be cost effective in large referral practices or in a university setting.
Remembering old lessons in prostate cancer: avoiding errors 'in PARPituity'.

The “experts” should maintain a stringent standard regarding what merits further development and reconsider carefully and critically the available data before committing to PARP inhibition, attacks on the PI3K pathway, and vasoactive agents in prostate cancer.
Sleep disorders in the elderly.

Older patients frequently complain of difficulty initiating sleep, sleep maintenance or excessive daytime sleepiness, while bed partners or caretakers are distraught by episodes of nocturnal confusion or belligerence. Sleep disorders may represent a primary disorder of mechanisms regulating sleep or failure of a specific organ system manifesting in a unique way during sleep. Sleep complaints should not be ignored or treated empirically with pharmacologic agents without analysis of the etiology.
Endogenous Defenses that Protect Dopamine Neurons: Studies with 6-ohda Models of Parkinson's Disease

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a study to examine endogenous defenses that protect dopamine neurons. The study involves using 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) models of Parkinson's disease (PD). 6-OHDA has been useful in evaluating the therapeutic potential of compounds such as GDNF in high throughput and inexpensive manner and has been useful in answering some fundamental questions about cell biology. As with sublethal ischemic episodes, oxidative stress produced by 6-OHDA has the capacity to elicit self-protective responses. This study suggests that many individuals do not develop PD because they have a strong defensive stress response, which can be defined as a protective reaction to what would otherwise be toxic cellular stress. It is hypothesized that in people who do develop the illness, this defensive stress response—while not adequate to prevent the disease—serves to keep the neurodegenerative process at bay for many years. It is also suggested that although a response to minor stress may be defensive and thereby serve to “precondition” an individual against further insults, a more intense stress might actually sensitize an individual to a potential toxin. The chapter reviews endogenous defenses and then focus upon stress responses initiated in common models of PD, those involving cells and animals exposed to the catecholaminergic neurotoxin 6-OHDA, while also highlighting some of the advantages and limitations of 6-OHDA.
Dynamic tree-based large-deformation image registration for multi-atlas segmentation

Multi-atlas segmentation is a powerful approach to automated anatomy delineation via fusing label information from a set of spatially normalized atlases. For simplicity, many existing methods perform pairwise image registration, leading to inaccurate segmentation especially when shape variation is large. In this paper, we propose a dynamic tree-based strategy for effective large-deformation registration and multi-atlas segmentation. To deal with local minima caused by large shape variation, coarse estimates of deformations are first obtained via alignment of automatically localized landmark points. A dynamic tree capturing the structural relationships between images is then used to further reduce misalignment errors. Validation on two real human brain datasets, ADNI and LPBA40, shows that our method significantly improves registration and segmentation accuracy.
Imipenem heteroresistance in nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae is linked to a combination of altered PBP3, slow drug influx and direct efflux regulation.

Abstract Objective To investigate the potential roles of PBPs, efflux pumps and slow drug influx for imipenem heteroresistance in nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi). Methods Fifty-nine NTHi clinical isolates examined in this study were collected at Geneva University Hospitals between 2009 and 2014. Alterations in PBPs were investigated by gene sequencing. To evaluate the affinities of the PBPs to imipenem, steady-state concentration–response experiments were carried out using imipenem in a competition assay with Bocillin-FL. The effect of the carbonyl cyanide m -chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) on imipenem susceptibility was assessed using broth dilution and viable cell counting. Using whole-genome sequencing, we explored the potential roles of outer membrane protein P2 (OmpP2), LytM proteins and the dcw gene cluster in imipenem heteroresistance. Results All 46 imipenem-heteroresistant isolates (IMI hR ) harboured amino acid substitutions in the ftsI gene, which encodes PBP3, corresponding to 25 different mutation patterns that varied from the ftsI gene mutation patterns found in imipenem-susceptible isolates. Among all PBPs, the highest affinity to imipenem was documented for PBP3 (IC 50 , 0.004 μg/mL). Different amino acid substitutions and insertions were noted in OmpP2, suggesting a relationship with imipenem heteroresistance. The IMI hR isolates were affected by CCCP differently and displayed a higher percentage of killing by imipenem in CCCP-treated cells at concentrations ranging between 0.5 and 8 μg/mL. Conclusions The present study provides robust evidence indicating that in combination with the altered PBP3, the slowed drug influx and its enhanced efflux due to the loss of regulation led to the development of imipenem heteroresistance in NTHi.
The Salience of Salience in International Relations

The term “salience” refers to the “relative importance or significance ascribed to a given issue.” It has gained considerable attention in the study of public opinion about international affairs but much less so in the study — and above all, formation — of relations among states. Case studies illustrate the benefit of greater use of the concept.
COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF SUBINTIMAL VERSUS INTRALUMINAL CROSSING OF INFRAINGUINAL CHRONIC TOTAL OCCLUSION LESIONS

Background: Subintimal (SI) and intraluminal (IL) crossing of infrainguinal chronic total occlusion (CTO) lesions is frequently used, however, comparative outcomes are lacking. This study compares postprocedural complications and outcomes between these two techniques. Methods: We selected 1,335 CTO
Use of regional nodal irradiation and its association with survival for women with high-risk, early stage breast cancer: A National Cancer Database analysis.

Abstract Purpose The role of regional nodal irradiation (RNI) for patients with breast cancer remains controversial, particularly on the basis of nodal involvement. Using the National Cancer Database, we aimed to validate published data on whether expanding treatment fields from whole-breast irradiation (WBI) to encompass the regional nodes (WBI+RNI) affected overall survival (OS) for patients with node-positive (pN1-3) or high-risk node-negative (pN0) breast cancer treated with breast-conserving surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. Methods and materials Women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between 2004 and 2012 who met the selection criteria for the National Cancer Institute of Canada MA.20 trial were identified and stratified by receipt of RNI. Propensity score matching was used to compare 1:1 matched pairs of patients. Five-year OS was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. We used multivariate logistic regression to predict receipt of WBI+RNI and a multivariable Cox model to examine associations between patients' demographic, tumor, and treatment characteristics and OS using double robust estimation. Results Of 23,567 patients, 6,920 (29%) received WBI+RNI and 16,647 (71%) WBI. Median follow-up was 56 months. Use of WBI+RNI increased from 25.2% in 2004 to 32.2% in 2012 ( P 1 involved node, and were not privately insured. For all patients, the 5-year OS rates were 90.8% with WBI+RNI versus 92.6% with WBI ( P P = .45), respectively. On multivariate analysis, WBI+RNI did not affect OS in the matched cohort (hazard ratio, 1.02; 95% confidence interval, 0.89-1.17, P = .76), regardless of pathologic nodal status. Conclusions In this large retrospective analysis, use of WBI+RNI did not affect 5-year OS rates for women with high-risk, early stage breast cancer undergoing breast-conserving surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy, regardless of nodal status, which confirms the findings of the MA.20 trial.
Does College Focus Matter? Explaining Differences in Labor Market Outcomes among Community Colleges

The evolution of community colleges from their origins as junior colleges to institutions with dual missions to provide both academic and workforce preparation raises questions about the impact of a college’s mission focus on their students’ labor market success. We examine this question using the 58 colleges in the North Carolina Community College system as case study for community colleges nationally. We find that students from community colleges that specialize or focus on career objectives had higher labor market earnings; about one-fifth of the variation in students’ earnings across community colleges is due to the college’s mission focus. Other community college variables also enhance students’ earnings, such as institution size as well as having single-county service areas and low proportions of remedial students.
On time-frequency domain feature extraction of wave signals for structural health monitoring

Abstract Wave propagation signals are commonly used as information carrier in structural health monitoring. To facilitate decision making, wave signals are often decomposed into multiple components to reveal its frequency or time-frequency content. In this research we investigate the use of time-frequency decomposition techniques for feature extraction. The method based on the adaptive harmonic wavelet transform (AHWT) possesses high computational efficiency and at the same time inherently avoids certain issues in some other time-frequency feature extraction methods, e.g., the empirical mode decomposition (EMD). EMD entertains the adaptivity with respect to signal features, but that adaptive nature affects the comparability of the resulting intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). In contrast, the AHWT based method has similar feature extraction capabilities in the time-frequency domain while using a deterministic basis. Therefore, wavelet features can become cross-comparable when common wavelet basis is used. Our case study shows that the AHWT based approach can identify the critical features in Lamb wave signals to realize effective and robust decision making in structural damage detection.
Naphthalocyanines as contrast agents for photoacoustic and multimodal imaging

Naphthalocyanines (Ncs) are a family of aromatic small molecule with large near infrared extinction coefficients, making them appealing contrast agent candidates for photoacoustic imaging (PAI). Depending on the substitutions on the Nc periphery or metal center, different spectrally-resolved absorption peak wavelengths are possible, which can enable photoacoustic contrast multiplexing. Owing to their generally poor aqueous solubility, approaches have been developed to modify Ncs or formulate them as biocompatible contrast agents for PAI. Due to their inherent capacity for metal ion chelation, Ncs hold potential for complementary multimodal contrast imaging techniques such as 64Cu positron emission tomography. In this research perspective, we highlight some recent reports involving the use of Ncs in PAI.
MC-PDFT can calculate singlet–triplet splittings of organic diradicals

The singlet–triplet splittings of a set of diradical organic molecules are calculated using multiconfiguration pair-density functional theory (MC-PDFT), and the results are compared with those obtained by Kohn-Sham density functional theory (KS-DFT) and complete active space second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) calculations. We found that MC-PDFT, even with small and systematically defined active spaces, is competitive in accuracy with CASPT2, and it yields results with greater accuracy and precision than Kohn-Sham DFT with the parent functional. MC-PDFT also avoids the challenges associated with spin contamination in KS-DFT. It is also shown that MC-PDFT is much less computationally expensive than CASPT2 when applied to larger active spaces, and this illustrates the promise of this method for larger diradical organic systems.
1761 Total worker health

As defined by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Total Worker Health ® is defined as policies, programs, and practices that integrate protection from work-related safety and health hazards with promotion of injury and illness prevention efforts to advance worker well-being. Traditional occupational safety and health protection programs have and continue to focus efforts on ensuring that work is safe and that workers are protected from work-related hazards and working conditions that arise from work itself. The Total Worker Health (TWH) approach seeks to improve worker well-being for the benefit of workers and employers by protecting safety and enhancing health and productivity. As evidenced in research, work-related hazards and unhealthy work environments can contribute to or aggravate health problems experienced by workers such as, sleep disorders, stress, depression, and cardiovascular conditions. The TWH approach integrates workplace interventions that protect worker safety and health with activities that advance the overall well-being of workers through the establishment and implementation of policies, programs, and practice. This includes, for example, addressing hazard prevention and control, work organisation and environmental supports, effective leadership, changing work and worker communities, fair and supportive policies, and worker advocacy.
Automating Electric Substations Using IEC 61850

The Smart Grid will enhance the generation, distribution, transmission, and use of electricity by incorporating elements that will greatly help improve energy efficiency. In addition to traditional components, it will also incorporate small-scale generators, such as home wind turbines and solar panels, into the larger grid. In order to enable energy efficiency as well as other features, two-way communication between utilities and customers (users) will be required. This communication will most likely travel in large part over public networks. The Smart Grid, through the addition of bi-directional communication links throughout the infrastructure, will enable utilities to enhance their service, monitoring, and maintenance activities. Electric power substations will play a major role in the Smart Grid. IEC 61850 is a family of standards that defines network protocols, and data and device naming conventions for electric substation automation. IEC 61850 provides utilities with the ability to better monitor operation and even remotely control the substation when necessary. Part of the utility-substation communication link will be facilitated by public networks (e.g. the Internet). This chapter provides an overview of the IEC 61850 standards and discusses recent experiences with IEC 61850. Challenges facing IEC 61850 deployments, namely security, are presented. Potential solution paths to these challenges are provided.
Using the Child Behavior Checklist and Related Instruments in School-Based Assessment of Children

This article describes a set of four standardized rating scales developed by Achenbach and Edelbrock (1983): the Child Behavior Checklist, the Teacher Report Form, the Direct Observation Form, and ...
Gigahertz Frequency-Domain Fluorometry: Resolution of Complex Intensity Decays, Picosecond Processes and Future Developments

In this article we describe the principles, instrumentation and applications of frequency-domain fluorescence spectroscopy. This method can be used to evaluate complex time-dependent processes, even when the characteristic times are below 1 ns. This method is hence complementary to time-correlated single photon counting, in that one measures the frequency-response of the emission to modulated excitation, instead of the time response of the emission to pulsed excitation. To date, there have been relatively few attempts to measure photon migration in tissues by the frequency-domain method. We will demonstrate its potential for such measurements by demonstrating the resolution of multi-exponential decays on the psec timescale. The present instrumentation allows measurements to 2 GHz, which is easily adequate for measuring decay times as short as 50 ps. In the future it should be possible to extend the frequency range to 4 GHz, which should allow still faster processes to be quantified. Also, we have performed preliminary experiments in strongly scattering solutions which indicate that the phase shifts of the scattered light depend upon the amount of light absorption by the sample. It should be noted that this resolution of fast processes is not obtained at the expense of loosing information on the slower processes. Additionally, the GHz frequency-domain measurements are performed using low excitation intensities which do not damage the samples.
HIRAEA COSTARICENSIS AND H. POLYANTHA, TWO NEW SPECIES OF MALPIGHIACEAE, AND CIRCUMSCRIPTION OF H. QUAPARA AND H. SMILACINA

Two new species of Malpighiaceae are proposed: Hiraea costaricensis C.E.Anderson and H. polyantha C.E.Anderson. Hiraea costaricensis is characterised by the presence of basifixed hairs on the stems and leaves; H. polyantha, of Colombia, is distinctive in its large inflorescences, composed of c.100 flowers. Collections of the novelties had been associated with Hiraea smilacina Standl., a species that traditionally had been thought conspecific with H. quapara (Aubl.) Sprague; they are immediately separated by their fruits. In Hiraea smilacina the schizocarps break into three butterfly-shaped samaras, as is typical for the genus. The fruit of Hiraea quapara is spherical, composed of three mericarps covered by a network of reduced winglets. Hiraea smilacina is found from southern Mexico through Central America, except El Salvador and Nicaragua, and has been collected also in Colombia and Ecuador. Hiraea quapara is known mainly from French Guiana, with one collection from adjacent Suriname and two from Amapa, Brazil. All taxa are fully described and illustrated.
Declining Foraging Efficiency in the Middle Tennessee River Valley Prior to Initial Domestication – ERRATUM

Recently, researchers investigating the origins of domestication have debated the significance of resource intensification in the shift from foraging to food production. In eastern North America, one of several independent centers of domestication, this question remains open. To determine whether initial domestication may have been preceded by intensification in eastern North America at approximately 5000 cal BP, I evaluated the archaeofaunal assemblages from six sites in the middle Tennessee River valley. Analyses of these data suggest that overall foraging efficiency gradually declined prior to initial domestication, but patch-specific declines in foraging efficiency occurred in wetland habitats and not terrestrial ones. Climatic warming and drying during the Middle Holocene, growing human populations, and oak-hickory forest expansion were the likely drivers of these changes in foraging efficiency. These results support the hypothesis that initial domestication in eastern North America was an outcome of intensification driven by environmental change and human population increases. Finally, while the debate concerning the relationship of intensification to domestication has been framed in terms of a conflict between niche construction theory and optimal foraging theory, these perspectives are compatible and should be integrated to understand domestication more fully.
Defining Flipped Learning and Academic English at the University

Interest in flipped learning in English language teaching is likely due to the many benefits that flipped learning offers English as a Second Language (ESL) students and instructors, as discussed in research and pedagogically-oriented scholarship. The ability to develop independent active learners while having more time to provide individual feedback is particularly appealing to academic English instructors, who usually have a short amount of time to help students improve their English proficiency. As we argue in this chapter and throughout the book, applying a flipped learning methodology to university academic English classes can help support instructors’ efforts. This chapter begins with a description of the unique characteristics of academic English learners. We then define key concepts in flipped learning and academic language learning in higher education to provide a foundation for the rest of the book.
Comparison of Two Commercial Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) Systems for Identification of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria

Objectives This multicenter study's aim was to assess the performance of two commercially available matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry systems in identifying a challenge collection of clinically relevant nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). Methods NTM clinical isolates (n = 244) belonging to 23 species/subspecies were identified by gene sequencing and analyzed using Bruker Biotyper with Mycobacterial Library v5.0.0 and bioMerieux VITEK MS with v3.0 database. Results Using the Bruker or bioMerieux systems, 92% and 95% of NTM strains, respectively, were identified at least to the complex/group level; 62% and 57%, respectively, were identified to the highest taxonomic level. Differentiation between members of Mycobacterium abscessus, M fortuitum, M mucogenicum, M avium, and M terrae complexes/groups was problematic for both systems, as was identification of M chelonae for the Bruker system. Conclusions Both systems identified most NTM isolates to the group/complex level, and many to the highest taxonomic level. Performance was comparable.
Surface Capping Agents and Their Roles in Shape-Controlled Synthesis of Colloidal Metal Nanocrystals

Surface capping agents have been extensively used to control the evolution of seeds into nanocrystals with diverse but well-controlled shapes. Here we offer a comprehensive review of these agents, with a focus on the mechanistic understanding of their roles in guiding the shape evolution of metal nanocrystals. We begin with a brief introduction to the early history of capping agents in electroplating and bulk crystal growth, followed by discussion of how they affect the thermodynamics and kinetics involved in a synthesis of metal nanocrystals. We then present representative examples to highlight the various capping agents, including their binding selectivity, molecular-level interaction with a metal surface, and impacts on the growth of metal nanocrystals. We also showcase progress in leveraging capping agents to generate nanocrystals with complex structures and/or enhance their catalytic properties. Finally, we discuss various strategies for the exchange or removal of capping agents, together with perspectives on future directions.
Equivalent Circuit Model for Reconfigurable Far-Infrared Filter Employing Vanadium Dioxide

We propose equivalent circuit models for a reconfigurable multi-band bandstop filter in the far-infrared region of 8 -17 μm (36-18 THz) utilizing Vanadium Dioxide (VO 2 ). Implementation of VO 2 allows the resonant frequencies of the filter to be reconfigured. Two circuit models are proposed to characterize the metal and insulator phases of VO 2 .
Sorting and Searching

Typical computer science students study the basic sorting algorithms at least three times before they graduate:first in introductory programming,then in data structures, and finally in their algorithms course.