cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A machine learning approach to predicting short-term mortality risk in patients starting chemotherapy

Background: Cancer patients who die soon after starting chemotherapy incur costs of treatment without benefits. Accurately predicting mortality risk from chemotherapy is important, but few patient data-driven tools exist. We sought to create and validate a machine learning model predicting mortality for patients starting new chemotherapy. Methods: We obtained electronic health records for patients treated at a large cancer center (26,946 patients; 51,774 new chemotherapy regimen starts) over 2004-14, linked to Social Security data with date of death. Predictive model was derived using 2004-11 data, and performance measured on non-overlapping 2012-14 data. Findings: 30-day mortality from chemotherapy start was 2.1%. Common cancers were breast (21.1%), colorectal (19.3%), and lung (18.0%). Model predictions were accurate for all patients (AUC 0.94). Predictions for patients starting palliative chemotherapy (46.6% of regimens), for whom prognosis essential, remained highly accurate (AUC 0.92). Illustrating model discrimination, we ranked patients initiating palliative chemotherapy by model-predicted mortality risk, and calculated observed mortality by risk decile. 30-day mortality in highest risk decile was 22.6%; in lowest risk decile, no patient died. Predictions remained accurate across range of primary cancers, stages, and chemotherapies. Predictions also accurate for clinical trial regimens that first appeared in years after the model was trained (AUC 0.94). The model also performed well for prediction of 180-day mortality (AUC 0.87; mortality 74.8% in the highest risk decile vs. 0.2% in the lowest). Our predictions were more accurate than data from randomized trials of individual chemotherapies, or SEER estimates. Interpretation: A machine learning algorithm accurately predicts short-term mortality in patients starting chemotherapy using EHR data. Further work needed to show application of this algorithm in clinical workflows.
David Oliver: In support of acute internal medicine.

The diabetologist Partha Kar recently wrote a provocative blog post questioning the rationale for acute internal medicine (AIM) existing as a specialty.1 Kar said that he meant to raise debate and ask questions, not to cast doubt, saying that acute physicians shouldn’t take it personally. Meanwhile, a nephrologist, Dr Ross, wrote a journal letter that appeared to disparage AIM specialists and their close cousins, acute geriatricians.2 As a geriatrician, like most other UK hospital physicians working in big “ologies” including nephrology and diabetes, I trained, dually accredited, and gained extensive experience in general internal medicine, including years of unselected general take responsibilities.3 As a consultant, combining this …
The vacuous rhetoric of diversity: exploring how institutional responses to national racial incidences effect faculty of color perceptions of university commitment to diversity

AbstractRecent news cycles have illuminated the disparate, racialized experiences of Black people in the United States but university leadership responses have been reactionary, or worse non-responsive. This study examines how university responses to national racial incidences such as the police brutality affect how faculty of color in one discipline understand the university’s commitment to diversity and ultimately how it affects the faculty experience. Illuminating how university actions affect not only faculty attitudes, but also faculty work has implications on broader university diversity outcomes and rectifying the racist, colonial founding of universities as national institutions. Findings show that there was increased race-related service taxation that was paired with resiliency and resistance tactics, and self- and community-driven coalition building. There are implications for institutional leaders around increasing a diversified student body through attention to community incidences and redefin...
Abstract 17000: Activation of Igf-1 Receptor Signaling by Hyperinsulinemia Suppresses Cardiac Autophagy Through Trb3/p62 Pathway

Introduction: Insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) receptor signaling is a known suppressor of autophagy in the heart. Therefore, one would predict to see higher levels of autophagy in the insulin resistant heart but the opposite is reported in the literature. Hypothesis: Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms involved in autophagy-suppression in insulin resistant hearts. Methods: We assessed autophagic flux in the hearts of mouse models with either impaired insulin signaling and cardiac insulin resistance ( ob/ob mice) or absent insulin signaling specifically in cardiomyocytes (CIRKO mice) or in the entire heart (TIRKO mice). Results: Autophagic flux was impaired in the hearts of ( ob/ob ) and TIRKO mice but not in hearts of CIRKO mice. One common characteristic of ( ob/ob ) and TIRKO mice is that they both exhibit systemic hyperinsulinemia and they both have increased IGF-1 receptor signaling in the heart. Thus, we hypothesized that systemic hyperinsulinema activates IGF-1 receptor signaling to suppress cardiac autophagy. To directly test that, we generated ( ob/ob ) and TIRKO mice lacking one allele of the IGF-1 receptor in cardiomyocytes and showed that autophagy was restored in these hearts. Furthermore, reduction of IGF-1 receptor signaling in TIRKO hearts reduced p62 accumulation and diminished TRB3 expression. Conclusion: Taken together, these results demonstrated for the first time that systemic hyperinsulinemia suppresses cardiac autophagy through IGF-1 receptor signaling to TRB3/p62.
Highly-integrated guidewire vascular ultrasound imaging system-on-a-chip

To produce real-time images for the cardio-vascular interventions, in this study, we present a highly integrated guidewire ultrasound imaging system-on-a-chip (GUISoC) implemented in 0.18-pm high voltage (HV) CMOS process which requires three wires for the interconnection. The system generates high voltage pulses exciting a capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducer (CMUT) array in transmit mode and captures echo signals scattered from the imaging medium in receive mode. Quadrature sampler down-converts 25–38 MHz echo signals from 12-elements CMUT array to baseband, and I/Q signals are multiplexed through a 2-m long 52-AWG coaxial cable. The 3 mm2 GUISoC is powered and clocked through three wires, while consuming 25.2 mW and 46 mW at 1.8 V and 46 V supplies, respectively.
LES modeling and experimental measurement of boundary layer flow over multi-scale, fractal canopies

In many regions the atmospheric surface layer is affected substantially by vegetation canopies. Most previous work has focused on effects of vegetated terrain characterized by a single length scale, e.g. a single obstruction of a particular size, or canopies consisting of plants, often modeled using a prescribed leaf-area density distribution with a characteristic dominant scale. It is well known, however, that typical flow obstructions such as canopies are characterized by a wide range of length scales, branches, sub-branches, etc. Yet, it is not known how to parameterize the effects of such multi-scale objects on the lower atmospheric dynamics. This work aims to study boundary layer flow over fractal, tree-like shapes. Fractals provide convenient idealizations of the inherently multi-scale character of vegetation geometries, within certain ranges of scales. Preliminary results from a large-eddy simulation (LES) and experimental study of a fractal tree canopy in a turbulent boundary layer are reported. The LES use Renormalized Numerical Simulation (Chester et al., 2007, J. Comp. Phys.) to provide subgrid parameterizations of drag forces from unresolved small-scale branches. Experiments aiming at understanding drag forces acting on fractal trees are performed in a water tunnel facility. Drag force measurements are obtained on a set of “pre-fractal” trees containing 1-5 branch generations.
Analyzing and Comparing the Protection Quality of Security Enhanced Operating Systems.

Host compromise is a serious computer security problem today. To better protect hosts, several Mandatory Access Control systems, such as Security Enhanced Linux (SELinux) and AppArmor, have been introduced. In this paper we propose an approach to analyze and compare the quality of protection offered by these different MAC systems. We introduce the notion of vulnerability surfaces under attack scenarios as the measurement of protection quality, and implement a tool called VulSAN for computing such vulnerability surfaces. In VulSAN, we encode security policies, system states, and system rules using logic programs. Given an attack scenario, VulSAN computes a host attack graph and the vulnerability surface. We apply our approach to compare SELinux and AppArmor policies in several Linux distributions and discuss the results. Our tool can also be used by Linux system administrators as a system hardening tool. Because of its ability to analyze SELinux as well as AppArmor policies, it can be used for most enterprise Linux distributions and home user distributions.
Education a valued cultural capital in the us! advantages and challenges associated with arbitrarily assigned ages of the sudanese lost boys’ in acquiring an education after resettlement

Education is the most important and valued American cultural activity where as it is not in Southern Sudan cattle are In the contemporary world education is not only a cultural capital but has become a lsquo VITAL CAPITAL rsquo It has become a survival toolkit in the modern society This study explores acquisition of education among forty South Sudanese Lost Boys living in the greater Kansas City using semi structured interviews The central research question investigated in this study is this What are the advantages and challenges of acquiring an education associated with the arbitrarily assigned ages to each of the Lost Boys during their resettlement in Research in this study identified advantages and challenges associated with the arbitrarily assigned ages to each of the Lost Boys during their resettlement in Though the younger Boys started off without being allowed to work and earning an income there was a clear reverse trend in terms of acquisition of social cultural capital of the young Boys minors The Boys that were resettled as legal adults seemed to struggle with balancing work acquiring English language and getting an education whereas those who were placed under foster families and started off as dependents eventually had a better opportunity to acquire English language proficiency from foster families They were also placed in school where they socialized with American children and improved their English
Non-obstetric Imaging in Pregnant Women

Preference should always be given to evaluations that provide the desired diagnostic information without the use of ionizing radiation when imaging pregnant patients who are uninjured. The healthcare provider should discuss the risks and benefits of the examination with the patient and obtain consent in cases that do not involve life-threatening trauma when ordering an imaging study that employs ionizing radiation or a MRI for a pregnant patient. While there are no documented adverse human fetal effects from diagnostic ultrasound, judicious use is advocated to keep fetal exposure as low as possible. The estimated fetal radiation dose should be kept as low as possible (below the cumulative threshold of 50 mGy) if an imaging evaluation that employs ionizing radiation must be used. Consideration should also be given to the number and type of imaging evaluations employing ionizing radiation a pregnant patient has already undergone during her current pregnancy, as these studies will contribute to the cumulative fetal radiation dose. Intravenous iodinated contrast administration is typically very useful for CT evaluations, especially for evaluation of traumatic injuries. Administration of intravenous paramagnetic contrast agents for MRI evaluations during pregnancy should only be considered when it is absolutely vital for patient management. Consultation with a diagnostic radiologist is helpful not only with choosing the appropriate imaging evaluation but also with tailoring study parameters to decrease radiation exposure while still maintaining the diagnostic integrity of the exam.
The New Guano: Legal Enforcement in Modern Sovereign Debt Markets

This essay examines the significance of the decades-long litigation against Argentina following that country’s default and subsequent restructuring of its public debt. Although litigation spanned nearly two decades, most accounts focus on the so-called pari passu injunction: the extraordinary remedy that ultimately induced Argentina to pay. Yet the litigation is more important for what it reveals about the evolving structure of sovereign debt markets. Effective legal enforcement does not require new law—or, anyway, not much new law. It requires specialized litigants, ready access to capital, and the ability to further mitigate the risk of investing in litigation through portfolio diversification. Such actors and mechanisms are routinely present in other forms of civil litigation, but have until recently played a limited role in sovereign debt markets. The lasting significance of the NML litigation is that it marks their arrival in force.
IHI ID 24 Improving door-to-groin puncture time for acute stroke patients in the ER with large vessel occlusion

Background Given the rapid increase in endovascular-eligible acute ischemic stroke patients, it became imperative to improve and streamline our stroke alert algorithm for ER patients particularly given the two city blocks between the ER and endovascular lab. Delays in door-to-groin puncture time (DTG) for stroke patients with large vessel occlusions are associated with worse clinical outcomes. Objectives To improve DTG time, an interdisciplinary quality committee was formed. This committee identified barriers by retrospective data review, developed novel QI approaches, and implemented a redesigned stroke algorithm incorporating evidence-based practices and a team approach (figures 1 and 2). Methods A new stroke alert protocol was implemented and data was prospectively collected for six months for two groups of patients: Transfers from ER for possible LVO who underwent thrombectomy, Transfers for possible LVO but deemed not a candidate for thrombectomy. The co–primary outcomes were DTG time and door–to–door (ER–>endovascular lab) time. Retrospective comparison data was obtained from 2015 to 2017. Results Average DTD times for 2015, 2016, 2017 were 114, 162, 120 min and the average DTG times were 263, 136, and 165 min, respectively. After enactment of the new algorithm, our DTD time decreased to 96 min and most importantly, the DTG time decreased to 104 min (figure 3). Conclusions We report that an emphasis on quality improvement and resulting efficient stroke alert algorithm decreased our DTG time for acute stroke patients with large vessel occlusion undergoing mechanical thrombectomy. By decreasing time to reperfusion, we decrease core infarct size and ultimately improve patients functional outcomes.
Combustion induced choking and unstart initiation in a circular constant-area supersonic flow

Incipient choking and unstart initiation mechanisms are investigated experimentally in an ethylene-fueled constant-area direct-connect supersonic combustor with a circular cross section (diameter o...
The Moderating Effect of Generalized Anxiety and Financial Knowledge on Financial Management Behavior

When financial and mental health issues intersect, the study and practice of financial therapy is warranted. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the following two psychosocial constructs—financial knowledge and generalized anxiety—are associated with and related to risky financial management behavior. Research findings from a sample of 110 clients who sought services at an integrated service clinic suggest that anxiety and financial knowledge individually are significantly associated with financial behaviors. In addition, evidence suggests a moderating effect between anxiety and financial knowledge exists. The outcomes associated with this study can be used by not only financial therapists, but also mental health clinicians and financial professionals when developing, presenting, and implementing behaviorally focused treatments, interventions, and counseling recommendations within the professional’s scope of practice.
Thermal Modeling and Experimental Analysis of High Power LED using POL-kw Packaging Technology

Abstract In this paper, an “embedded chip” packaging platform using POL-kW packaging for use with High Power LED devices is presented. Prototype samples have been fabricated and tested. The authors...
EndoFLIP and Pyloric Dilation for Gastroparesis Symptoms Refractory to Pyloromyotomy/Pyloroplasty.

Gastroparesis patients may undergo pyloromyotomy/pyloroplasty for chronic refractory symptoms. However, some patients have persistent symptoms. It is unknown if balloon dilation may improve their symptoms. We aimed to (1) assess if pyloric through-the-scope (TTS) balloon dilation results in symptom improvement in gastroparesis patients with suboptimal response to pyloromyotomy/pyloroplasty and (2) determine endoscopic functional luminal imaging probe (EndoFLIP) characteristics of these patients before dilation. Patients with severe gastroparesis refractory to pyloromyotomy/pyloroplasty seen from 2/2019 to 3/2020 underwent pyloric TTS dilation after assessing the pyloric characteristics using EndoFLIP. Patients completed Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index (GCSI) pre-procedurally, and GCSI and Clinical Patient Grading Assessment Scale (CPGAS) on follow-ups. Thirteen (ten females) patients (mean age 45.2 ± 5.1 years) with severe gastroparesis symptoms (mean GCSI total score 3.4 ± 0.3) after pyloromyotomy/pyloroplasty underwent pyloric TTS dilation. Overall, there was improvement in symptoms at 1-month follow-up (mean GCSI total score 3.0 ± 0.4, mean CPGAS score 1.6 ± 0.5, p < 0.05 for both), with five (38%) patients reporting symptoms somewhat/moderately better. The patients with symptom improvement had lower pre-dilation pyloric EndoFLIP distensibility at 30 ml, 40 ml, and 50 ml than patients with little/no improvement (all p < 0.05). In gastroparesis patients with refractory symptoms after pyloromyotomy/pyloroplasty, pyloric TTS dilation improved symptoms in about a third of the patients. Patients with symptom improvement had lower pre-dilation pyloric distensibility on EndoFLIP suggesting incomplete myotomy, pyloric muscle regeneration, or pyloric stricture. Pyloric EndoFLIP followed by TTS dilation seems to be a promising treatment for some patients with gastroparesis symptoms refractory to pyloromyotomy/pyloroplasty.
High Flow Oxygen Therapy and the Pressure to Feed Infants With Acute Respiratory Illness

Purpose Infants hospitalized for an acute respiratory illness often require the use of noninvasive respiratory support during the initial stage to improve their breathing. High flow oxygen therapy ...
Abstract IA17: Measuring and modeling cancer evolution with single cell approaches

In this talk, I will provide an overview or advances in single cell whole genome sequencing to study the properties of cancer evolution. Using recently published direct library preparation (DLP+) we used scaled timeseries analysis of model systems to derive predictive models of clone-specific fitness. We defined both genetic and pharmacologic perturbations and measured clonal population abundances at single cell resolution over granular time intervals. We then combined the statistical power of phylogenetics and population genetics to quantitate fitness coefficients of distinct clones. We show how our models are predictive through reproducibility experiments and provide a quantitative formalism to interpret the impact perturbations on fitness landscapes. We show that systemic chemotherapy can dramatically alter the fitness properties of cancer cells leading to clone-specific expansion of resistant populations and eradication of high fitness clones in the untreated context. Our results have implication for how to effectively model the impact of drug selection in pre-clinical model systems. Citation Format: Sohrab Shah. Measuring and modeling cancer evolution with single cell approaches [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Special Conference on Tumor Heterogeneity: From Single Cells to Clinical Impact; 2020 Sep 17-18. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(21 Suppl):Abstract nr IA17.
Leading from the Shadows: School Librarian Leadership

The leadership of librarians (notably, school librarians) is sometimes invisible, or at least rarely acknowledged. This chapter explores one academic’s experiences as a school librarian and the inherent leadership roles embedded in her work. Despite years of impact studies, the visibility of the school librarian as a competent school or university leader has remained elusive. Recent shifts in the paradigm of the principal as the sole positional leader to a distributed leadership model has enabled other educators, particularly school librarians, to become engaged leaders in literacy, reading promotion, information fluency, personalized learning, and positive student learning outcomes. This chapter will examine the leadership of school librarians in the context of positioning the librarian in the central role of a recognized leader rather than as an informal leader in the shadow of others.
An analysis of the performance enhancement with adaptive mesh refinement for spray problems

Abstract Adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) provides an attractive means of significantly reducing computational costs while simultaneously maintaining a high degree of fidelity in regions of the domain requiring it. In the present work, an analysis of the performance of AMR supported by simulations is undertaken for liquid injection and spray formation problems. These problems are particularly challenging from a computational cost perspective since the associated interfacial area typically grows by orders of magnitude, leading to similar growth in the number of highly refined cells. While this increase in cell numbers directly contributes to a declining performance for AMR, a second less obvious factor is the decaying trend for the cell-based speedup, Θ . A theoretical analysis is presented, leading to a closed-form estimate for this cell-based speedup, namely Θ E = κ F , S M / κ F , A M R , where κ F is the Frobenius condition number, and SM corresponds to a static mesh case. It is shown that for spray formation problems, the typical growth in κ F , A M R is more pronounced than κ F , S M causing a decline in Θ and consequently diminishing the AMR performance. Additional contributing sources are also examined, which include the role of load balancing and the choice of linear solvers for the Poisson system.
The Elgar Companion to John Maynard Keynes: edited by Robert W. Dimand and Harald Hagemann, Cheltenham, UK, Edward Elgar, 2019, 672 pp., $308.02 (hardcover), ISBN 978-1-84720-008-2

John Maynard Keynes was one of those multifaceted economists who are so rare today. He may have been describing himself when he listed the variety of qualities required in the ideal economist: [T]h...
Methods and Standards for Research on Explainable Artificial Intelligence: Lessons from Intelligent Tutoring Systems

We reflect on the progress in the area of Explainable AI (XAI) Program relative to previous work in the area of intelligent tutoring systems (ITS). A great deal was learned about explanation—and many challenges uncovered—in research that is directly relevant to XAI. We suggest opportunities for future XAI research deriving from ITS methods, as well as the challenges shared by both ITS and XAI in using AI to assist people in solving difficult problems effectively and efficiently.
Children and Adolescents with Disabilities and Exposure to Disasters, Terrorism, and the COVID-19 Pandemic: a Scoping Review.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This paper reviews the empirical literature on exposures to disaster or terrorism and their impacts on the health and well-being of children with disabilities and their families since the last published update in 2017. We also review the literature on studies examining the mental health and functioning of children with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. RECENT FINDINGS: Few studies have examined the effects of disaster or terrorism on children with disabilities. Research shows that children with disabilities and their families have higher levels of disaster exposure, lower levels of disaster preparedness, and less recovery support due to longstanding discriminatory practices. Similarly, many reports of the COVID-19 pandemic have documented its negative and disproportionate impacts on children with disabilities and their families. In the setting of climate change, environmental disasters are expected to increase in frequency and severity. Future studies identifying mitigating factors to disasters, including COVID-19; increasing preparedness on an individual, community, and global level; and evaluating post-disaster trauma-informed treatment practices are imperative to support the health and well-being of children with disabilities and their families.
Abstract PO-082: Delineating the molecular basis of early dissemination of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is often diagnosed at advanced stages rendering the already limited therapeutic options ineffective for many patients. Earlier diagnosis permits for “curative” surgery; however, 95% of these patients experience recurrence locally or distally and die within ten years of treatment. One hypothesis that can explain high recurrence is the early dissemination of PDAC progression. At the time of surgery, systemic subclinical dissemination of predominantly dormant cells found ubiquitously within patient livers has already occurred prior to the development of overt metastatic disease or bona fide recurrent PDAC. However, remarkably little is known about early PDAC cell dissemination despite these dismal outcomes, mainly due to the lack of human models to study disease progression. We previously demonstrated the cellular reprogramming “proof-of-principle” to model human PDAC progression (designated “10-22 cells”) and its use as a discovery tool for early biomarkers by unveiling a marker for stage 1 PDAC in human patients. We further analyzed transcriptomes of genetically tagged 10-22 cells progressing from pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) to PDAC in mice and validated the results using the TCGA PDAC dataset, human clinical PanIN, PDAC tissues, and a well-established murine PDAC model. We found that extracellular vesicle transport and neuronal cell differentiation pathways were derepressed in the progression of PanINs to PDAC. HMG-Box Transcription Factor 1 (HBP1) emerged as a potential master factor regulating dynamically expressed genes in neuronal cell differentiation and dissemination during PDAC progression. HBP1 expression are aberrantly regulated in human and murine PanINs and PDAC tissue samples, and their mRNA expressions are inversely correlated with PDAC patients9 prognosis. Ectopic overexpression of HBP1 increased proliferation and migration of normal and cancerous pancreatic cells. Conversely, knocking out HBP1 in PDAC cells decreased proliferation and migration. Altogether, our data indicate that HBP1 may confer the cell dissemination capacity in early PDAC progression. We are on the way to further dissect the mechanisms by which HBP1 regulates pancreatic cell migration and confers neuronal migratory phenotypes and how these signaling influence PDAC progression and prognosis. Citation Format: Taelor J. Ekstrom, Dmytro Grygoryev, Terry Morgan, Kenneth S. Zaret, Jungsun Kim. Delineating the molecular basis of early dissemination of pancreatic cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer; 2021 Sep 29-30. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(22 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-082.
Movement of Nutrients to Plant Roots

Publisher Summary Adequacy of a plant nutrient is usually determined by the concentration of the nutrient at the plant root surface. Because a surface is, by definition, infinitely thin, the quantity of a nutrient contained in a surface is practically negligible. Consequently, plant roots remove significant amount of nutrient from this surface only if the nutrient can move readily from the interior of the soil to this surface. The rate at which the nutrient can move to the surface occur either by diffusion (net movement of the nutrient by thermal motion resulting from the existence of a concentration gradient), or by convection (conveyance of the nutrient to the surface as a result of the motion of the solution in which the nutrient resides). This chapter outlines the current knowledge of the diffusion of nutrients, the different flow mechanisms for bringing nutrients to the root surface, and the role of the plant in the movement of nutrients. An important area of recent study has been the use of available knowledge of soil chemistry (exchange reactions, adsorption isotherms, and chelation), along with the physical processes of diffusion and convection involved in the development of equations to describe the movement of nutrients to roots.
Charcot-Leyden crystals: A study of the conditions necessary for their formation☆

Abstract 1.1. Charcot-Leyden crystals found in the blood of patients with high absolute eosinophilia, originate in individual eosinophiles. Only a minority of the eosinophiles present develops Charcot-Leyden crystals. 2.2. Supravital staining of eosinophilic granules does not interfere with the development of Charcot-Leyden crystals which are of the same shape and color as in unstained preparations. Dilution prevents the formation of Charcot-Leyden crystals. 3.3. Concentrations of eosinophiles of various sources: blister fluid, nasal secretion, failed to produce Charcot-Leyden crystals. After separation of the cellular from the liquid fraction of blister fluid, a considerable number of Charcot-Leyden crystals were seen to develop in cellular material. 4.4. Addition of intact red blood cells obtained from C-L positive patients with high absolute eosinophilia increased both number and size of Charcot-Leyden crystals in C-L positive, centrifuged cellular material; it stimulated the formation of Charcot-Leyden crystals in several though few instances of previously C-L negative concentrations. Addition of intact red blood cells from C-L negative patients or of the stroma of red blood cells from either source did not substantially interfere with the development in Charcot-Leyden crystals in C-L positive material, but no stimulation of development of Charcot-Leyden crystals in previously C-L negative preparations was seen. 5.5. Addition of substances other than red blood cells, including serum, plasma, and solutions of breakdown products of red blood cells prevented the formation of Charcot-Leyden crystals in C-L positive material and had no influence on C-L negative preparations. 6.6. Significance and limitations of these findings are discussed.
Geometric approach to segmentation and protein localization in cell cultured assays

Cell-based fluorescence imaging assays are heterogeneous requiring collection of a large number of images for detailed quantitative analysis. Complexities arise as a result of variation in spatial nonuniformity, shape, overlapping compartments, and scale. A new technique and methodology has been developed and tested for delineating subcellular morphology and partitioning overlapping compartments at multiple scales. This system is packaged as an integrated software platform for quantifying images that are obtained through fluorescence microscopy. Proposed methods are model-based, leveraging geometric shape properties of subcellular compartments and corresponding protein localization. From the morphological perspective, convexity constraint is imposed to delineate, partition, and group nuclear compartments. From the protein localization perspective, radial symmetry is imposed to localize punctate protein events at sub-micron resolution. The technique has been tested against 196 images that were generated to study centrosome abnormalities. Computed representations are evaluated against the ground truth annotation for comparative analysis.
A quantitative study of authentication and QoS in wireless IP networks

With the increasing demand for secure and high-quality communications in public access wireless IP networks, it is very important to have an in-depth understanding of the relationship between the security and quality of service (QoS). In wireless networks, authentication can provide secure communications by preventing unauthorized usage and negotiating the credentials for data transmission. Nevertheless, it induces heavy overhead to data transmission, further deteriorating overall system performance. Thus, we analyze the impact of authentication on the security and QoS quantitatively in this paper. First, we introduce a system model based on a challenge/response authentication, which is widely used in many mobile environments. Then, a concept of security level is proposed to describe the protection of communications according to the nature of security, i.e., information secrecy, data integrity, and resource availability. By taking traffic and mobility patterns into account, our approach establishes a direct and quantitative connection between the security and QoS through the authentication. Finally, numerical results are provided to demonstrate the impact of security levels, mobility and traffic patterns on overall system performance in terms of authentication delay and call dropping probability.
Integrated Coupling and Clock Frequency Assignment of Accelerators During Hardware/Software Partitioning

Hardware/software partitioning moves software kernels from a microprocessor to custom hardware accelerators. We consider advanced implementation options for accelerators, greatly increasing the partitioning solution space. One option tightly or loosely couples each accelerator with the microprocessor. Another option assigns a clock frequency to each accelerator, with a limit on the number of distinct frequencies. We previously presented efficient optimal solutions to each of those sub-problems independently. In this paper, we introduce heuristics to solve the two sub-problems in an integrated manner. The heuristics run in just seconds for large examples, yielding 2x additional speedup versus the independent solutions, for a total average speedup 5x greater than partitioning with a single coupling and single frequency.
Performance of MMSE Receiver Based CDMA System with Higher OrderModulation Formats in a Fading Channel

This paper studies the effect of using higher order modulation formats on the performance of minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) receiver based direct-sequence (DS) code-division multiple access (CDMA) systems at different loading levels in additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and slow fading channels. The performance of BPSK, QPSK, and 16QAM modulation formats are compared and analytical and simulation results are presented in terms of the bit error rates (BER) for these different modulation formats. A comparison of the rejection of the near-far effects for each modulation scheme is also presented. The main contribution of this paper is in showing that user capacity may be increased by using higher order modulation schemes to cause the MMSE receiver to operate away from the interference limiting region. In particular it is shown that under high loading levels, 16QAM outperforms QPSK and BPSK for identical bandwidth and information rate, while at moderate loading levels, QPSK represents the best option. A combination of pilot symbol assisted modulation (PSAM) and linear prediction are used to estimate the fading process. A general structure of the MMSE receiver capable of demodulating a wide range of digital modulation formats in this type of environment is presented.
What Can Interaction Webs Tell Us About Species Roles

The group model is a useful tool to understand broad-scale patterns of interaction in a network, but it has previously been limited in use to food webs, which contain only predator-prey interactions. Natural populations interact with each other in a variety of ways and, although most published ecological networks only include information about a single interaction type (e.g., feeding, pollination), ecologists are beginning to consider networks which combine multiple interaction types. Here we extend the group model to signed directed networks such as ecological interaction webs. As a specific application of this method, we examine the effects of including or excluding specific interaction types on our understanding of species roles in ecological networks. We consider all three currently available interaction webs, two of which are extended plant-mutualist networks with herbivores and parasitoids added, and one of which is an extended intertidal food web with interactions of all possible sign structures (+/+, -/0, etc.). Species in the extended food web grouped similarly with all interactions, only trophic links, and only nontrophic links. However, removing mutualism or herbivory had a much larger effect in the extended plant-pollinator webs. Species removal even affected groups that were not directly connected to those that were removed, as we found by excluding a small number of parasitoids. These results suggest that including additional species in the network provides far more information than additional interactions for this aspect of network structure. Our methods provide a useful framework for simplifying networks to their essential structure, allowing us to identify generalities in network structure and better understand the roles species play in their communities.
Eicosapentaenoic Acid Modulates Trichomonas vaginalis Activity

Trichomonas vaginalis is a sexually transmitted parasite and, while it is often asymptomatic in males, the parasite is associated with disease in both sexes. Metronidazole is an effective treatment for trichomoniasis, but resistant strains have evolved and, thus, it has become necessary to investigate other possible therapies. In this study, we examined the effects of native and oxidized forms of the sodium salts of eicosapentaenoic, docosahexaenoic, and arachidonic acids on T. vaginalis activity. Eicosapentaenoic acid was the most toxic with 190 and 380 μM causing approximately 90% cell death in Casu2 and ATCC 50142 strains, respectively. In contrast, oxidized eicosapentaenoic acid was the least toxic, requiring > 3 mM to inhibit activity, while low levels (10 μM) were associated with increased parasite density. Mass spectrometric analysis of oxidized eicosapentaenoic acid revealed C20 products containing one to six additional oxygen atoms and various degrees of bond saturation. These results indicate that eicosapentaenoic acid has different effects on T. vaginalis survival, depending on whether it is present in the native or oxidized form. A better understanding of lipid metabolism in T. vaginalis may facilitate the design of synthetic fatty acids that are effective for the treatment of metronidazole-resistant T. vaginalis.
Assessment of glucose transporter gene expression using the polymerase chain reaction

We used a novel adaptation of the polymerase chain reaction to examine relative levels of mRNA encoding two members of the facilitative glucose transporter gene family, the GLUT1 or erythrocyte/HepG2/brain isoform and the GLUT4 or insulin-regulatable isoform. The method was fast (vs. hybridization methods), required no specific probe, and used total RNA samples of less than 1 microgram. Taking advantage of regions of structural similarity and differences between the two isoforms, we designed a single set of oligonucleotide primers capable of amplifying both GLUT1 and GLUT4 cDNAs such that their respective products could be resolved on the basis of a 12 base pair size differential. Hence, reverse transcription and complementary DNA amplification could be carried out for both transcripts using identical primers in the same reaction tube. Using this methodology, we examined the relative amounts of GLUT4 and GLUT1 mRNAs in several rat tissues. As expected based on prior reports using Northern analysis, rat brain contained only GLUT1 mRNA and skeletal muscle contained a large predominance of GLUT4 mRNA. Both isoform mRNAs were found in adipose tissue whereas adipose cells, heart and diaphragm contained predominantly GLUT4 mRNA. Induction of diabetes with streptozocin decreased the GLUT4 to GLUT1 ratio in adipose tissue 4-fold and 24 h of insulin treatment of the diabetic rats increased this ratio 9- to 10-fold. Insulin treatment of normal rats increased this ratio by 70%. Hindlimb skeletal muscle GLUT4 mRNA was quantified in diabetic and insulin-treated diabetic rats as a function of brain GLUT1 mRNA added as an internal standard. Using this methodology, no significant difference in muscle GLUT4 mRNA was noted as a result of 24 h of insulin therapy. In summary, quantitative PCR may be used to compare mRNA levels encoding specific members of a gene family either within given cells or tissues or as affected by physiological perturbations. Subject to certain limitations discussed within, this methodology may be useful in future measurements of glucose transporter mRNA, especially when only small tissue or cell samples are available.
PC-based entropy measures for analyzing leakage from microvessels

Based on the assertion that entropy and leakage are related this paper describes the software implementation of a texture analysis technique which is based on entropy for analyzing macromolecular leakage from microvessels. Images of vessel leakage were compared to a pre-leakage image by computing their percent changes in entropy to give a relative measure of leakage. Entropy calculations were tested on different region sizes of the images to determine the regional sources as well as topographical spread of the leakage. Since entropy can be based on the statistics of both gray level components and frequency components the FWT (Fast-Walsh Transform) FF1'' (Fast-Fourier Transform) DCT (Discrete-Cosine Transform) and histogram routines were implemented in C to investigate the effects of transform type on the entropy measure. The percent changes in entropy from the frequency analyses were found to be more significant ''than changes in entropy from the histogram approach. Moreover the FWT was found to be comparable to the FFT and DCT with regard to the entropy measure and was thus chosen as the better transformation because it decreased computation time and memory requirements. This software package successfully produced a texture analysis technique based on entropy. However the exact quantitative relationship between vessel leakage and entropy measures has not fully been established. . 1.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Electron microprobe analysis of glaze/glass-ceramic interface reactions

Abstract The electron microprobe has proven to be a powerful analytical tool for studying the complex reactions which occur when a glaze is fired onto a glass-ceramic body. Both the complexity of the reactions and the capabilities of microprobe analysis are demonstrated by a study of the interface between a single glaze applied to different glass-ceramic bodies. An automated electron microprobe forms the backbone of our analytical system. This instrument is interfaced to a computer for data accumulation, conversion and presentation. Several operating procedures have been developed and employed which are particularly suited to glass analysis. Application of a lead-borosilicate glaze to glass-ceramic bodies of different composition results in distinctly different interface reactions. In one case simple diffusion of cations occurs to form a gradual transition between the two compositions. Firing this same glaze onto a different glass-ceramic results in formation of an intermediate crystalline phase. Formation of this new phase creates abrupt composition changes which are not moderated by cation diffusion. These abrupt composition changes can create abrupt changes in properties such as strength and coefficient of thermal expansion, resulting in poor bonding between the glaze and glass-ceramic.
Opioid tolerance and hyperalgesia: basic mechanisms and management in review

Opioid requirements among individuals vary 1000-fold. There are no standard doses or therapeutic levels consistent across populations. Opioid responsiveness is related to the balance of analgesia a...
Augmented Lagrangian nonlinear programming algorithm that uses SQP and trust region techniques

An augmented Lagrangian nonlinear programming algorithm has been developed. Its goals are to achieve robust global convergence and fast local convergence. Several unique strategies help the algorithm achieve these dual goals. The algorithm consists of three nested loops. The outer loop estimates the Kuhn-Tucker multipliers at a rapid linear rate of convergence. The middle loop minimizes the augmented Lagrangian functions for fixed multipliers. This loop uses the sequential quadratic programming technique with a box trust region stepsize restriction. The inner loop solves a single quadratic program. Slack variables and a constrained form of the fixed-multiplier middleloop problem work together with curved line searches in the inner-loop problem to allow large penalty wieghts for rapid outer-loop convergence. The inner-loop quadratic programs include quadratic onstraint terms, which complicate the inner loop, but speed the middle-loop progress when the constraint curvature is large.
The quark propagator in axial gauge

Abstract We study the Dyson equation for the quark propagator S ( p ) in QCD, making use of both the Ward identity and an infrared singular gluon propagator naively corresponding to a linear confining potential. We find that, assuming massless free quarks, the singularity at p 2 = 0 in S ( p ) is greatly softened by the gluon infrared singularity, perhaps hinting at confinement. We also find that chiral symmetry may be, but does not have to be, broken.
Colonial Expansion and Urban Diffusion in the Americas

By virtue of European penetration and domination, the entire world became after 1500 an increasingly interrelated system. The process of expansion took time, but by 1800 there was hardly an inhabited corner of the earth that had not felt, directly or indirectly, the impact of the European. Urbanisation, like all other basic modifications in human life, could not fail to be affected by this world development.