cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Weights and Volumetric Measures: The Effect of Weight Class on Brain Volume in Professional Combatants (IN5-2.003)

OBJECTIVE: Determine the relationship between weight class, fight exposure (and their interaction) and brain volume in professional fighters. BACKGROUND: Increasing exposure to repeated head trauma has been associated with lower volumes in various subcortical structures as measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a cohort of professional fighters. However, little is known about other factors that may modify risk of brain injury from cumulative head trauma. Body weight, and thus frequency and force of punches, may influence the type of exposure a fighter may experience. DESIGN/METHODS: This is a cross sectional analysis of first year data on subjects participating in the Professional Fighters Brain Health Study, a longitudinal cohort study of professional boxers and mixed martial arts fighters. Subjects undergo MRI imaging on a yearly basis, with brain volumes obtained by automated methods. Weight class (divided into: 200 lbs), fight exposure, and their interaction were independent variables, with brain volumes as dependent variables. Age, education, race, and intracranial volume were included in all models and repeated measures ANOVA performed. RESULTS: 155 male fighters were included for analysis. There was a marginally significant interaction between the number of professional fights and weight class (p=0.051). Decline in caudate volume as number of pro fights increases is moderated by weight class, with lower weight classes showing larger decreases than for higher weight classes. There were no significant findings with weight class and thalamic, putamenal or hippocampal volumes. CONCLUSIONS: Weight class may have a marginal influence on the relationship between exposure to head trauma and caudate volume in professional combatants. Disclosure: Dr. Bernick has received personal compensation for activities with Novartis, UCB Pharma, and Teva Neuroscience. Dr. Banks has nothing to disclose. Dr. Obuchowski has nothing to disclose. Dr. Shin has nothing to disclose.
Elbow Arthritis in the Athlete

The physical demands of an athlete on the elbow joint can stress the native kinematics of the elbow joint leading to injury, aberrant mechanics, or osteoarthritis. Understanding the athletic demands and pathomechanics are paramount in diagnosing and treating this condition since painful motion and pathologic loss of function can be physically, as well as psychologically, devastating in this population. Accurate diagnosis can be achieved with physical exam and advanced imaging including computed tomography with three-dimensional reconstruction. After failure of conservative treatment, surgical intervention for elbow osteoarthritis in an athletic population includes open and arthroscopic debridement with total elbow arthroplasty as a salvage, activity-ending option. Arthroscopic treatment for arthritis is preferred as this limits soft tissue trauma, which may allow for quicker recovery and decreases associated morbidity. Preoperative planning and systematic arthroscopic technique facilitate understanding of elbow pathology and technical efficacy of elbow arthroscopy. Outcomes of debridement have shown improvements in range of motion, pain relief, and return to sport.
Latency Insertion Method Based Real-Time Simulation of Power Electronic Systems

In this paper, we demonstrate how latency insertion method (LIM) can be used for real-time simulation of high switching frequency power electronics systems and how this approach can be implemented for scalable Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) execution. We first present a summary of the LIM and how this method can be developed into a solver for high-performance FPGA execution. We then present how common power electronics topologies—buck and boost—can be modeled using the LIM approach, followed by how the LIM model of a three-phase dc/ac converter is created. Afterward, we demonstrate the accuracy of the developed FPGA solver through a set of power electronic system examples, with each example compared with near ideal results of same example provided by a traditional electromagnetic transient type solver. We complete the paper analyzing the scalability of the proposed approach on FPGA devices, both in terms of achievable time step as well as of resource usage.
Control strategies for multiplayer target-attacker-defender differential games with double integrator dynamics

This paper presents a method for deriving optimal controls and assigning attacker-defender pairs in a target-attacker-defender differential game between an arbitrary numbers of attackers and defenders, all of which are modeled using double integrator dynamics. It is assumed that each player has perfect information about the states and controls of the players within a certain range of themselves, but they are unaware of any players outside of this range. Isochrones are created based on the time-optimal trajectories needed for the players to reach any point in the shortest possible time. The intersections of the players' isochrones are used to determine whether a defender can intercept an attacker before the attacker reaches the target. Sufficient conditions on the detection range of the defenders and the guaranteed capture despite perturbations of the attackers off the nominal trajectories are derived. Then, in simulations with multiple players, attacker-defender pairs are assigned so that the maximum number of attackers are intercepted in the shortest possible time.
Comparison of first-line chemotherapy regimens for ovarian carcinosarcoma: a single institution case series and review of the literature

The optimal first-line chemotherapy for ovarian carcinosarcoma has not yet been determined. We therefore sought to determine the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) for patients with ovarian carcinosarcoma treated at our institution with different first-line chemotherapy regimens. This single-institution, retrospective analysis included all patients with ovarian or primary peritoneal carcinosarcoma diagnosed from September 1996 to July 2017. Kaplan Meier analysis with a log-rank Mantel-Cox test was used to compare PFS and OS between treatment groups, and a p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Thirty-one patients met inclusion criteria: two patients were stage IC, 5 were stage II, 21 were stage III, and 3 were stage IV. The median PFS and OS for all stages was 9.3 and 19.7 months respectively. Fifteen patients (48%) received carboplatin/paclitaxel as first therapy, 7 (23%) received ifosfamide/paclitaxel, 6 (19%) received a different regimen, and 3 (10%) did not receive chemotherapy. Patients treated with carboplatin/paclitaxel had a statistically significant longer PFS when compared to those receiving ifosfamide/paclitaxel (17.8 vs. 8.0 months, p = 0.025). OS was similar between all comparisons. In summary, in our cohort of ovarian carcinosarcoma patients, median PFS is longer in patients treated with carboplatin/paclitaxel compared to ifosfamide/paclitaxel. Overall survival was similar for all treatment groups, potentially due to subsequent treatment crossover. Given the rarity and aggressive nature of this tumor, further study into optimal first-line chemotherapy is warranted.
FGFR3-TACC3 fusion in bladder cancer: Enrichment in the young, never-smokers, and Asians.

465Background: Bladder cancer patients (pts) are typically elderly with median age ~70 years. We hypothesized that younger pts (≤age 50) with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) have distinct molecular features, including potential driver mutations that could serve as therapeutic targets. Methods: We used the MIBC TCGA cohort (n = 412, Cell 2017) analyzed by whole exome sequencing as a discovery cohort, and then confirmed observations using 356 pts with MIBC and high grade (HG) non-MIBC analyzed at Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) by the Oncopanel assay. Oncopanel assesses 447 somatic cancer genes and 191 regions across 60 genes for rearrangement detection by massively parallel sequencing. We examined associations between age (≤50, 51-65, and > 65) and molecular features, using the χ2 test for discrete data, and the Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test for quantitative data. Nominal p values were obtained, and the FDR correction was employed to obtain q values. Results: The following DNA alterations were significa...
High stakes, low resources: What mode(s) should youth employment training programs use to track alumni? Evidence from South Africa

Alumni tracking surveys are critical for evaluating and improving youth employment training programmes. However, there is little evidence about how to design these surveys, especially in less developed countries. We conducted short message service and Web surveys of alumni of a South African employment training programme. Short message service surveys returned higher response rates and more representative data than Web surveys, albeit at three times the cost. Combining modes increased data quality but may not be warranted, given the additional cost and complexity. This evidence suggests that training programmes can feasibly collect quality, actionable data on their alumni, even with constrained budgets and staff. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Transcriptomic analysis of neuregulin-1 regulated genes following ischemic stroke by computational identification of promoter binding sites: A role for the ETS-1 transcription factor

Ischemic stroke is a major cause of mortality in the United States. We previously showed that neuregulin-1 (NRG1) was neuroprotective in rat models of ischemic stroke. We used gene expression profiling to understand the early cellular and molecular mechanisms of NRG1's effects after the induction of ischemia. Ischemic stroke was induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Rats were allocated to 3 groups: (1) control, (2) MCAO and (3) MCAO + NRG1. Cortical brain tissues were collected three hours following MCAO and NRG1 treatment and subjected to microarray analysis. Data and statistical analyses were performed using R/Bioconductor platform alongside Genesis, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis and Enrichr software packages. There were 2693 genes differentially regulated following ischemia and NRG1 treatment. These genes were organized by expression patterns into clusters using a K-means clustering algorithm. We further analyzed genes in clusters where ischemia altered gene expression, which was reversed by NRG1 (clusters 4 and 10). NRG1, IRS1, OPA3, and POU6F1 were central linking (node) genes in cluster 4. Conserved Transcription Factor Binding Site Finder (CONFAC) identified ETS-1 as a potential transcriptional regulator of NRG1 suppressed genes following ischemia. A transcription factor activity array showed that ETS-1 activity was increased 2-fold, 3 hours following ischemia and this activity was attenuated by NRG1. These findings reveal key early transcriptional mechanisms associated with neuroprotection by NRG1 in the ischemic penumbra.
Identification of quantitative trait loci (QTL) in maize on the basis of F3 and testcross progeny performance

Detection of quantitative trait loci (QTL) is expected to vary depending on the type of progeny evaluated phenotypically. The objective of this paper was to compare the effectiveness of QTL detection using P3 and testcross (TC) progeny evaluation on the basis of estimated QTL positions and magnitude of effects. One hundred eighty-two Fg individuals derived from a B52 X B73 cross were genotyped at 87 segregating RFLP loci. The performance of F3 lines per se and TC progenies, generated by topcrossing F3 lines with the inbred testers, Mol7 and Oh43, was evaluated at two to six environments for grain yield and several other agronomic traits. Interval mapping was used to determine the positions of putative QTL on a linkage map and to estimate their effects. The positions of QTL, as indicated by log-likelihood peaks exceeding a 2.2 threshold, frequently mapped to similar regions (< 20 cM apart) in F3 line and both TC progeny evaluations. Regions with significant peaks detected by Mol7 TC and Oh43 TC evaluation but not F3 line evaluation were also common. One notable difference in QTL detection among the progeny types was for grain yield, where analysis using a single-QTL model detected 5 significant peaks in F3 lines, 8 in Oh43 TCs, and 19 in Mol7 TCs. Subsequent analysis using multiple-QTL models reduced the number of likely QTL sites to four in F3 lines and Oh43 TC, and five for Mol7 TC, however variance accounted for by a multiple-QTL model remained high in Mol7 TC evaluation (65.4) relative to that of Oh43 TC (41.9) and F3 line (37.2) evaluation. These results suggest that both F3 and TC progeny evaluation are effective in detecting QTL for most agronomic traits, although TC evaluation may be superior for grain yield. The effect of tester choice may also be greatest for grain yield and other traits where specific combining ability is important.
Is routine endocrine testing of impotent men necessary

Endocrine screening of impotent men is performed in an effort to identify a treatable cause of impotence. However, the prevalence of endocrinopathy in this patient population is low. We determined whether any historical or physical findings obtained during the initial office visit would identify a subgroup of patients at risk for endocrinopathy to decrease the cost of endocrine screening. The results of routine endocrine screening of 330 consecutive impotent patients formed the basis of this study. A total of 7 patients (2.1%) had endocrinopathy. Testicular atrophy was observed in 5 of these 7 patients and 6 reported decreased libido. All of the patients with endocrinopathy had either decreased libido or bilateral testicular atrophy. Our results indicate that the cost of impotence evaluation can be decreased by screening only those patients with clinical signs of hypogonadism, that is either decreased libido or bilateral testicular atrophy.
Transplant immunosuppressive drugs in urology

Immunosuppressive drugs are used in renal transplantation to prevent and treat rejection and their use has traditionally been limited to urologists trained in transplant surgery. However, there are other urologic conditions for which these drugs have proven efficacy. Since transplant surgery has become a small niche subspecialty within urology, most urologists are unfamiliar and uncomfortable with their use. This review will focus on the use of Cyclosporine (CyA), mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors in urology outside of solid organ transplant. This includes the treatment of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) with CyA as well as the role of CyA in eosinophilic cystitis (EC) and the treatment of retroperitoneal fibrosis (RF) with MMF. Also included is the utilization of mTOR inhibitors in both advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) associated angiomyolipoma (AML). Available clinical data on mTOR inhibition in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is also briefly presented. Specific attention is given to the indications for each agent, the available evidence surrounding their use, and the most common adverse events (AEs) and their subsequent management.
Spillover in der Migrationspolitik

Im Mittelpunkt des Beitrags steht die Asylpolitik der Bundesregierung zwischen 2013 und 2017. Die Entscheidung Angela Merkels, im Herbst 2015 die Grenzen fur in Ungarn wartende Fluchtlinge zu offnen, war der Auftakt einer umfangreichen Fluchtlingszuwanderung nach Deutschland. Das humanitare Vorgehen der Bundeskanzlerin spiegelt die Grundsatze des deutschen Asylrechts, das 1949 unter dem Eindruck der nationalsozialistischen Diktatur den Schutz vor politischer Verfolgung im Grundgesetz verankerte. Jedoch ist die von Merkel vorgenommene asylpolitische Offnung auch im Kontext einer andauernden Reform und Offnung der deutschen Migrationspolitik seit 2000 zu sehen. Mithilfe des Spillover-Konzepts, das Ubertragungsprozesse zwischen politischen Bereichen beleuchtet, zeigt der Beitrag, dass vorausgegangene Entwicklungen in der Integrations- und Arbeitsmigrationspolitik einen grosen Einfluss auf die Asylpolitik hatten. Mit einem neuen Fokus auf die Integration von Fluchtlingen und einen verbesserten Zugang von Asylbewerbern zum Arbeitsmarkt ist das deutsche Asylregime trotz einiger restriktiver Anderungen wahrend der dritten Merkel-Regierung deutlich liberalisiert worden.
Associations of Smoke-Free Policies in Restaurants, Bars, and Workplaces With Blood Pressure Changes in the CARDIA Study.

Background Smoke‐free legislation has been associated with reductions in secondhand smoke exposure and cardiovascular disease. However, it remains unknown whether smoke‐free policies are associated...
Concurrent Engineering, Knowledge Management, and Product Innovation:

AbstractEvidence has shown that organizations seldom achieve the advantages offered by concurrent engineering (CE) practices. This may be attributed to the fact that the concept of CE is vague in t...
Vital Signs: Surveillance for Acute Flaccid Myelitis — United States, 2018

BACKGROUND Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), a serious paralytic illness, was first recognized as a distinct condition in 2014, when cases were reported concurrent with a large U.S. outbreak of severe respiratory illness caused by enterovirus D-68 (EV-D68). Since 2014, nationwide outbreaks of AFM have occurred every 2 years in the United States; the cause for the recent change in the epidemiology of AFM in the United States, including the occurrence of outbreaks and a biennial periodicity since 2014, is under investigation. This report updates clinical, laboratory, and outcome data for cases reported to CDC during 2018. METHODS Clinical data and specimens from persons in the United States who met the clinical criterion for AFM (acute onset of flaccid limb weakness) with onset in 2018 were submitted to CDC for classification of the illnesses as confirmed, probable, or non-AFM cases. Enterovirus/rhinovirus (EV/RV) testing was performed on available specimens from persons meeting the clinical criterion. Descriptive analyses, laboratory results, and indicators of early recognition and reporting are summarized. RESULTS From January through December 2018, among 374 reported cases of AFM, 233 (62%) (from 41 states) were classified as confirmed, 26 (7%) as probable, and 115 (31%) as non-AFM cases. Median ages of patients with confirmed, probable, and non-AFM cases were 5.3, 2.9, and 8.8 years, respectively. Laboratory testing identified multiple EV/RV types, primarily in respiratory and stool specimens, in 44% of confirmed cases. Among confirmed cases, the interval from onset of limb weakness until specimen collection ranged from 2 to 7 days, depending on specimen type. Interval from onset of limb weakness until reporting to CDC during 2018 ranged from 18 to 36 days, with confirmed and probable cases reported earlier than non-AFM cases. CONCLUSION Identification of risk factors leading to outbreaks of AFM remains a public health priority. Prompt recognition of signs and symptoms, early specimen collection, and complete and rapid reporting will expedite public health investigations and research studies to elucidate the recent epidemiology of AFM and subsequently inform treatment and prevention recommendations.
Fatal and Non-fatal Self-Injury in the USA: Critical Review of Current Trends and Innovations in Prevention.

To examine current trends in suicide and self-injury in the USA, as well as potential contributors to their change over time, and to reflect on innovations in prevention and intervention that can guide policies and programs to reduce the burden of suicide and self-injury in the USA. Suicide and non-fatal self-injury are on the rise in the USA. Reasons for such trends over time remain speculative, although they seem linked to coincident increases in mood disorders and drug use and overdose. Promising innovative prevention and intervention programs that engage new technologies, such as machine learning–derived prediction tools and computerized ecologic momentary assessments, are currently in development and require additional evidence. Recent increases in fatal and non-fatal self-harm in the USA raise questions about the causes, interventions, and preventive measures that should be taken. Most innovative prevention efforts target individuals seeking to improve risk prediction and access to evidence-based care. However, as Durkheim pointed out over 100 years ago, suicide rates vary enormously between societal groups, suggesting that certain causal factors of suicide act and, hence, should be targeted at an ecological level. In the next generation of suicide research, it is critical to examine factors beyond the proximal and clinical to allow for a reimagining of prevention that is life course and socially focused.
Bowen’s Views on Family Revisted

Many consider Murray Bowen to be the father of family therapy. This book, written by his long-time collaborator, attempts to establish the continuing relevance of his unique—some would say idiosync...
Walking while Talking in Older Adults with Chronic Kidney Disease

Background and objectives Walking while talking is a dual cognitive-motor task that predicts frailty, falls, and cognitive decline in the general elderly population. Adults with CKD have gait abnormalities during usual walking. It is unknown whether they have greater gait abnormalities and cognitive-motor interference during walking while talking. Design, setting, participants, & measurements Community-dwelling, nondisabled adults (n=330) ≥65 years of age underwent quantitative gait analysis, including walking while talking. Differences in walking while talking performance by CKD status were evaluated, and relative changes between walking while talking and walking alone performance were computed to quantify cognitive-motor interference (dual-task cost). Associations were tested using multivariable linear spline regression models, and independent gait domains were derived using factor analysis. CKD was defined as an eGFR Results CKD was present in 134 (41%) participants. Participants with CKD had slower gait speed along with various gait cycle abnormalities during walking while talking: among those with CKD, every 10-ml/min per 1.73 m2 lower eGFR was associated with 3.3-cm/s (95% confidence interval, 0.4 to 6.1) slower gait speed, 1.8-cm (95% confidence interval, 0.6 to 3.0) shorter step length, 1.1% (95% confidence interval, 0.6 to 1.7) less time in the swing phase, and 1.4% (95% confidence interval, 0.5 to 2.3) greater time in double support after multivariable adjustment. When comparing walking while talking with walking alone, every 10-ml/min per 1.73 m2 lower eGFR was associated with 1.8% (95% confidence interval, 0.5 to 3.2) greater decrease in time in the swing phase and 0.9% (95% confidence interval, 0.2 to 1.5) greater increase in time in the stance phase. Factor analysis identified three walking while talking domains and three dual-task cost domains: eGFR was associated specifically with the rhythm domain for both walking while talking and dual-task cost. Every 10-ml/min per 1.73 m2 lower eGFR was associated with a poorer performance of 0.2 SD (95% confidence interval, 0.1 to 0.3) for walking while talking and 0.2 SD (95% confidence interval, 0.03 to 0.3) for dual-task cost. Conclusions During walking while talking, CKD is associated with gait abnormalities, possibly due to increased cognitive-motor interference.
Failed experiments: negotiating freedom in early Puerto Rico and Cuba

Conflict, violence, turmoil, untrammeled exploitation, and demographic devastation characterized the early Spanish Caribbean. Although these forces did not allow much space or support for accommoda...
Can Active Fund Managers Be Replaced with Exchange Traded Funds

There is a long-standing debate about whether active investment management can outperform a passive benchmark, usually expressed as an index. The debate is usually considered on the manager-level, comparing the active management return of a particular manager against an appropriate index. This paper looks at the topic on a portfolio level. Using the average asset allocation of a large, private foundation, this paper replaces managers with exchange traded funds that invest in a similar strategy. For 2017 the average portfolio return of the average, large private foundation (the actively managed portfolio) produced an average return of 14.3% compared to the portfolio comprised of exchange traded funds (the passively managed portfolio) produced a return of 11.9%. The active portfolio outperformed the exchange traded fund portfolio across every broad asset class.
IMAGING APPEARANCES OF FACIAL COSMETIC AUGMENTATIONS AND POTENTIAL COMPLICATIONS

Background Cosmetic augmentation procedures are used for facial rejuvenation procedures. One category of materials used for augmentation is prefabricated silastic implants. Injectable materials used for augmentation include calcium hydroxyapatite microspheres, which stimulate dermal fibroblast proliferation. In general, these cosmetic procedures are safe, and the rate of complications is low. With increasing use of computed tomography (CT) for a variety of dental applications, the oral and maxillofacial radiologist is likely to encounter patients who have had prior cosmetic augmentations. The radiologist should be familiar with the radiographic appearances and locations of commonly used facial cosmetic augmentation materials, and differentiate these from pathologic entities. Discussion We present representative cases to demonstrate the radiographic appearances of facial cosmetic enhancements. These include dermal fillers and silastic implants. The presented cases also illustrate potential complications of these augmentations and their importance to diagnosis of problems in the oral and maxillofacial region. Complications include infection and movement or dislodgement of these grafts. The radiologist should be familiar with the principles of the surgical techniques so that deviations from the natural history of the graft can be promptly recognized and managed as necessary. Depending on severity, surgical intervention may be needed to prevent augmentation instability. Therefore, referral to a physician is necessary for complete evaluation and appropriate treatment. Nevertheless, the purposive contributions of the oral and maxillofacial radiologist provide key insight and support to health care providers in evaluating interval cosmetic augmentation stability.
EPIC-RoofNet: A Sensor Network Testbed for Solar Irradiance Measurement and Analysis

This paper describes the development of an experimental wireless sensor network (WSN) testbed for studying the nature of irradiance measurements at the sensor nodes that are deployed at different points in the WSN, and oriented differently depending on the deployment geometry. The network was developed on the roof of an academic building at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte), where the sensor nodes are equipped with pyranometer sensors to periodically collect the irradiance measurements at different points and send then to a centralized base station using multi-hop communication. The collected data is analyzed to demonstrate the spatial and temporal variation of energy availability at each individual node, resulting from the localized variations in the light levels.
On the Optimality of Backward Regression: Sparse Recovery and Subset Selection

Sparse recovery and subset selection are fundamental problems in varied communities, including signal processing, statistics and machine learning. Herein, we focus on an important greedy algorithm for these problems: Backward Stepwise Regression. We present novel guarantees for the algorithm, propose an efficient, numerically stable implementation, and put forth Stepwise Regression with Replacement (SRR), a new family of two-stage algorithms that employs both forward and backward steps for compressed sensing problems. Prior work on the backward algorithm has proven its optimality for the subset selection problem, provided the residual associated with the optimal solution is small enough. However, the existing bounds on the residual magnitude are NP-hard to compute. In contrast, our main theoretical result includes a bound that can be computed in polynomial time, depends chiefly on the smallest singular value of the matrix, and also extends to the method of magnitude pruning. In addition, we report numerical experiments highlighting crucial differences between forward and backward greedy algorithms and compare SRR against popular two-stage algorithms for compressed sensing. Remarkably, SRR algorithms generally maintain good sparse recovery performance on coherent dictionaries. Further, a particular SRR algorithm has an edge over Subspace Pursuit.
Parameter Tuning Analysis for Phase Identification Algorithms in Distribution System Model Calibration

The recent growth of sensing devices on the distribution system, such as smart meter deployment, has enabled a wide variety of data-driven distribution system model calibration algorithms. A challenge associated with developing algorithms for model calibration tasks is the determination of parameters for a particular algorithm. This work proposes a method for parameter selection utilizing silhouette score analysis that allows these parameters to be tuned on a per-feeder basis. This method leverages cluster analysis and the distance matrices often produced by phase identification methods. The proposed method was tested on 5 feeders from 2 different utilities to select the number of clusters used in a spectral clustering phase identification algorithm. A synthetic dataset was then used to validate the method with the phase identification algorithm performing with 100% accuracy.
Genetic Deletion of KLHL1 Leads to Hyperexcitability in Hypothalamic POMC Neurons and Lack of Electrical Responses to Leptin

Kelch-like 1 (KLHL1) is a neuronal actin-binding protein that modulates voltage-gated calcium channels. The KLHL1 knockout (KO) model displays altered calcium channel expression in various brain regions. We analyzed the electrical behavior of hypothalamic POMC (proopiomelanocortin) neurons and their response to leptin. Leptin’s effects on POMC neurons include enhanced gene expression, activation of the ERK1/2 pathway and increased electrical excitability. The latter is initiated by activation of the Jak2-PI3K-PLC pathway, which activates TRPC1/5 (Transient Receptor Potential Cation) channels that in turn recruit T-type channel activity resulting in increased excitability. Here we report over-expression of CaV3.1 T-type channels in the hypothalamus of KLHL1 KO mice increased T-type current density and enhanced POMC neuron basal excitability, rendering them electrically unresponsive to leptin. Electrical sensitivity to leptin was restored by partial blockade of T-type channels. The overexpression of hypothalamic T-type channels in POMC neurons may partially contribute to the obese and abnormal feeding phenotypes observed in KLHL1 KO mice.
Immune dysregulation and immunopathology induced by SARS-CoV-2 and related coronaviruses — are we our own worst enemy?

Human coronaviruses cause a wide spectrum of disease, ranging from mild common colds to acute respiratory distress syndrome and death. Three highly pathogenic human coronaviruses - severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus and SARS-CoV-2 - have illustrated the epidemic and pandemic potential of human coronaviruses, and a better understanding of their disease-causing mechanisms is urgently needed for the rational design of therapeutics. Analyses of patients have revealed marked dysregulation of the immune system in severe cases of human coronavirus infection, and there is ample evidence that aberrant immune responses to human coronaviruses are typified by impaired induction of interferons, exuberant inflammatory responses and delayed adaptive immune responses. In addition, various viral proteins have been shown to impair interferon induction and signalling and to induce inflammasome activation. This suggests that severe disease associated with human coronaviruses is mediated by both dysregulated host immune responses and active viral interference. Here we discuss our current understanding of the mechanisms involved in each of these scenarios.
Comparison of molecular abnormalities in bronchial brushings and tumor touch preparations

BACKGROUND Preneoplastic lung lesions and early-stage lung carcinomas are associated with molecular abnormalities. The authors performed a pilot study to evaluate the use of DNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) probes to ascertain whether these biomarkers can predict nonsmall cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). METHODS Fourteen bronchial brushings ipsilateral to the tumor (BB/Ts), tumor touch imprints, and touch imprints of the bronchus adjacent to the tumor obtained from 15 patients with early-stage NSCLC were analyzed. The LAVysion multicolor probe set consisting of probes to 5p15, 6, 7p12, and 8q2 and the in-house probes 3p22.1 and 10q22 was used. Using the LAVysion multicolor probe set, 25 epithelial cells were counted and considered positive if > 5 cells were abnormal. Using 3p22.1 and 10q22, ≥ 100 nuclei per slide were scored. The results were tabulated as the percentage of cells with deletions compared with the centromeric probes 3 and 10. Greater than 2% of the deletions were positive for 3p22.1 and 10q22. Bronchial washings from patients without lung tumors were used as controls. RESULTS The BB/Ts were negative for malignant cells by cytologic evaluation and the LAVysion probe set; however, the combined in-house probes for 3p22.1 and 10q22 tested on BB/Ts predicted cancer in 100% of cancer patients. FISH positivity in the lung cancers was 100% for 3p22.1 deletions, 79% for 10q22 deletions, and 57% for LAVysion probes. When compared with the bronchial epithelium, tumor cells showed a 3.7-fold excess of 3p22.1 deletions, a 2-fold excess of 10q22 deletions, and a 12.6-fold excess of abnormal cells. CONCLUSIONS The current study indicated that detection of molecular abnormalities in bronchial epithelial cells via FISH was very useful in identifying patients at high risk for developing lung carcinoma. The molecular abnormalities identified in the BB/Ts were detected at elevated levels in the tumor specimens. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2005. © 2004 American Cancer Society.
Successive approximation source coding and image enabled data mining

This paper deals with successive approximation source coding and image enabled data mining. Successive approximation source codes provide query returns consisting of sequences of aggregate data-tuples with image sets. A data mining statistical analysis or pattern search over a sequence of aggregates provides a sequence of data mining answers that is desirably fuzzy. Residual vector quantization (RVQ) provides a successive approximation source code with utility in image-enabled queries in image data mining tasks.
Japanese discourse and the process of centering

This paper has three aims: (1) to generalize a compulational account of the discourse process called CENTERING, (2) to apply this account to discourse processing in Japanese so that it can be used in computational systems for machine translation or language understanding, and (3) to provide some insights on the effect of syntactic factors in Japanese on discourse interpretation. We argue that while discourse interpretation is an inferential process, syntactic cues constrain this process; we demonstrate this argument with respect to the interpretation of ZEROS, unexpressed arguments of the verb, in Japanese. The syntactic cues in Japanese discourse that we investigate are the morphological markers for grammatical TOPIC, the postposition wa, as well as those for grammatical functions such as SUBJECT, ga, OBJECT, o and OBJECT2, ni. In addition, we investigate the role of speaker's EMPATHY, which is the viewpoint from which an event is described. This is syntactically indicated through the use of verbal compounding, i.e. the auxiliary use of verbs such as kureta, kita. Our results are based on a survey of native speakers of their interpretation of short discourses, consisting of minimal pairs, varied by one of the above factors. We demonstrate that these syntactic cues do indeed affect the interpretation of ZEROS, but that having previously been the TOPIC and being realized as a ZERO also contributes to the salience of a discourse entity. We propose a discourse rule of ZERO TOPIC ASSIGNMENT, and show that CENTERING provides constraints on when a ZERO can be interpreted as the ZERO TOPIC.
Indexical Tenses in Intensional Complements: Implications from Albanian

Recent literature on temporal semantics has shown that tenses embedded in complements of propositional attitude (PA) verbs such as believe, think, etc. are interpreted with respect to the time of the attitude, i.e. the attitude holder’s now (e.g. Abusch 1997, Ogihara 1996, von Stechow 1995). Such analyses suggest that tenses in intensional complements are relative; they are interpreted differently from absolute or indexical tenses, i.e. tenses in matrix clauses, for which the evaluation time is the Speech Time (ST). To illustrate, in the Japanese example in (1), the state of Anna’s being sick is non-past with respect to Ken’s thinking time (not with respect to the ST):
Rice Ovate Family Protein 2 (OFP2) alters hormonal homeostasis and vasculature development

OFP (Ovate Family Protein) is a transcription factor family found only in plants. In dicots, OFPs control fruit shape and secondary cell wall biosynthesis. OFPs are also thought to function through interactions with KNOX and BELL transcription factors. Here, we have functionally characterized OsOFP2, a member of the OFP subgroup associated with regulating fruit shape. OsOFP2 was found to localize to the nucleus and to the cytosol. A putative nuclear export signal was identified within the OVATE domain and was required for the localization of OsOFP2 to distinct cytosolic spots. Rice plants overexpressing OsOFP2 were reduced in height and exhibited altered leaf morphology, seed shape, and positioning of vascular bundles in stems. Transcriptome analysis indicated disruptions of genes associated with vasculature development, lignin biosynthesis, and hormone homeostasis. Reduced expression of the gibberellin biosynthesis gene GA 20-oxidase 7 coincided with lower gibberellin content in OsOFP2 overexpression lines. Also, we found that OsOFP2 was expressed in plant vasculature and determined that putative vascular development KNOX and BELL proteins interact with OsOFP2. KNOX and BELL genes are known to suppress gibberellin biosynthesis through GA20ox gene regulation and can restrict lignin biosynthesis. We propose that OsOFP2 could modulate KNOX-BELL function to control diverse aspects of development including vasculature development.
Determination of serum amino acids.

The reaction of 1-fluoro-2,4 dinitrobenzene with amino acids was investigated as an assay procedure for serum amino acids. An aliquot of a tungistic acid filtrate of serum is buffered at H 10, mixed with the buffered reagent, and heated at 56° for 15 min. The resultant color is read at 420 mµ.
Specialty differences and the ordering of screening mammography by primary care physicians.

BACKGROUND Careful attention to factors that affect women and their physicians is necessary to achieve the national goal that, by the year 2000, 60 percent of women should have had a screening mammogram in the previous 2 years. This report evaluates factors that differentiate primary care physicians who regularly order mammograms from those who do not. The study was conducted as part of a large demonstration project in Washington State and includes a survey of women served by the physicians. METHODS We conducted a survey of primary care physicians and women in four counties to assess factors that influenced self-reported ordering of screening mammography. RESULTS Among the 73 percent of family physicians, general practitioners, internists, and obstetrician-gynecologists who returned the questionnaire, there were more obstetrician-gynecologists (76 percent) who reported ordering screening mammograms in 90 percent or more of women aged 50 to 75 years, but they cared for only 15 percent of women in the sample. Women's survey results confirmed the physicians' reported differences and also revealed demographic characteristics that distinguished populations associated with particular primary care specialists. These specialists differed in their perceptions of their colleague's mammography practices, the adequacy of insurance coverage, and how often they had spent an unreasonable time explaining mammography results. In a multivariate model of factors expected to influence behavior, performance of clinical breast examination rather than specialty was the salient factor associated with ordering screening mammography. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the context of practice, rather than specialty type or beliefs about mammography, has the major influence upon behavior. To achieve national screening mammography goals in the Northwest, we must influence the context of family physicians' preventive care practices because they care for 47 percent of women aged 50 years or older.
Auxin-Modulated Protein Disulfide-Thiol-Interchange Activity from Soybean Plasma Membranes

The renaturation of scrambled (oxidized and inactive) RNase A is catalyzed by soybean (Glycine max cv Williams 82) plasma membranes. The catalysis is stimulated by the auxin herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid or by the natural auxin indole-3-acetic acid. The inactive auxin analog, 2,3-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, is without effect. The activity occurs in the absence of external electron acceptors or donors and therefore appears to be a true disulfide-thiol-interchange activity between protein disulfides and thiols of RNase A and those of plasma membrane proteins. The activity is not affected by a mixture of reduced and oxidized glutathione. However, no auxin-stimulated activity was observed in the presence of either oxidized glutathione or reduced glutathione alone, a response characteristic of the previously described auxin-stimulated NADH oxidase activity of soybean plasma membranes. Taken together, the results suggest the operation in the plant plasma membrane of a protein disulfide-thiol-interchange activity that is stimulated by auxins. The auxin stimulations of the interchange activity are prevented by glutathione, reduced glutathione, and brefeldin A at concentrations that also prevent auxin stimulation of NADH oxidation by isolated plasma membranes and inhibit, as well, the auxin-stimulated elongation of excised segments of soybean hypocotyls.
Minority carrier lifetime measurement in GaAs

A technique for the determination of relatively short carrier lifetimes (< 1 ns) is presented. By measuring the frequency dependence of the diffusion capacitance of a one-sided abrupt-junction GaAs diode, the minority carrier lifetime can be obtained. The method has the advantages that it is repeatable after exposing the diode to further processing, the diode can be mounted in a convenient package so that no special handling precautions are necessary, and the method can be automated.
Tutorial CIDM-T Temporal pattern mining in symbolic time point and time interval data

We present a unifying view of temporal concepts and data models in order to categorize existing approaches for unsupervised pattern mining from symbolic temporal data. We distinguish time point-based methods and interval-based methods as well as univariate and multivariate methods. For each of the main categories we present an algorithm and experimental results in detail. For time points, sequential pattern mining algorithms can be used to express equality and order of time points with gaps in multivariate data. Recently, efficient algorithms have been proposed to mine the more general concept of partial order from time points. For time interval data with precise start and end points the relations of Allen can be used to formulate patterns. The recently proposed Time Series Knowledge Representation is more robust on noisy data and offers an alternative semantic that avoids ambiguity and is more expressive. The overall goal of the tutorial is to show the audience which temporal data models can be used to represent observations of dynamic processes and how patterns can be mined from them.
Hydrothermal vent community zonation along environmental gradients at the Lau back-arc spreading center

Abstract The Lau back-arc spreading center exhibits gradients in hydrothermal vent habitat characteristics from north to south. Biological zonation within a few meters of vents has been described as temperature driven. We constructed georeferenced photomosaics of the seafloor out to tens of meters beyond vents to describe peripheral zonation and explore correlations between environmental conditions and the biological community. Cluster analysis separated northern sites from southern sites, corresponding to a break in substrate from basalt in the north to andesite in the south. Northern sites were dominated by anemones, and southern by sponges. A previous suggestion that dominants may be dependent on friability of the substrate was not supported; when visually distinguishable, individual species within taxa showed different patterns. Northern sites hosted proportionally more suspension feeding species. Sulfide that can support microbial food sources is at higher concentrations at these sites, though bathymetry that may enhance bottom currents is less rugged. Northern sites had higher diversity that may result from the overall northwards flow, which would generally permit easier dispersal downcurrent, though we observed no difference in dispersal strategies at different sites.
A 12-element 60GHz CMOS phased array transmitter on LTCC package with integrated antennas

A 12-element 60GHz phased array transmitter sys-tem-in-package intended for multi-Gbps wireless communications is presented. The system-in-package (SIP) comprises of a CMOS IC and aperture coupled microstrip patch antennas integrated on a low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) package. The IC includes distribution network for 60GHz signals, phase shifters, pre-drivers and PAs. The SIP has been tested using wafer-probing, package-probing and on-the-air measurements including the antennas. The experimental results have been compared extensively against simulations to check the validity of the modeling and experimental methodologies used. The phased-array achieves 21-dB of beam forming gain in line with theoretical expectation. Non-idealities, for example at the RFIC-package interface, have been discussed and modeled due to their importance for mm-wave systems-in-package.