cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
99mTc-Sulfur Colloid Bone Marrow Scintigraphy in Diagnosis of Diffuse Pulmonary Extramedullary Hematopoiesis Secondary to Myelofibrosis

Our objective was to define the role of combined 99mTc-sulfur colloid bone marrow (SC BM) scintigraphy, SPECT or SPECT/CT, and chest CT in diagnosing diffuse pulmonary extramedullary hematopoiesis (PEMH) in patients with myelofibrosis. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 99mTc-SC BM scintigraphy scans performed at our institution for the diagnosis of diffuse PEMH, as well as accompanying chest CT and SPECT/CT imaging findings. Relevant clinical information, including respiratory manifestations, pulmonary hypertension, and subjective response to whole-lung radiation therapy, was also summarized. Results: Twenty-two myelofibrosis patients with 27 99mTc-SC BM scintigraphy scans were diagnosed with diffuse PEMH. In 21 patients (95%) with accompanying chest CT and SPECT/CT scans, the most common CT findings were ground-glass opacity, interstitial infiltration, and pleural effusion. Of 20 patients (91%) who underwent 2-dimensional echocardiography studies, 12 (55%) were diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension. All 12 patients exhibited the aforementioned nonspecific CT imaging findings, with 8 (66%) of them presenting with respiratory symptoms, including dyspnea, shortness of breath, and cough. In the remaining 8 patients, without pulmonary hypertension, half had similar respiratory symptoms. Fourteen patients (64%) of this cohort received whole-lung radiation therapy, of whom 7 (50%) experienced symptom relief after therapy. Conclusion: Nonspecific respiratory symptoms should raise concern about pulmonary hypertension and diffuse PEMH in patients with advanced-stage myelofibrosis. Combined 99mTc-SC BM scintigraphy and SPECT/CT is a promising noninvasive imaging tool to diagnose this rare clinical entity.Key Words: hematology; respiratory; SPECT/CT; pulmonary hematopoiesis; Tc-99m sulfur colloid scintigraphy; myelofibrosis.
SAT0703 Racial disparities in gout and hyperuricemia – a united states general population study

Background Although African-Americans (AAs) have a higher prevalence of risk factors for gout and hyperuricemia (e.g., hypertension, obesity, and chronic kidney disease [CKD]) than Whites, data on their disease burden of gout and hyperuricemia remains scarce. Objectives To examine potential racial/ethnic disparities in the prevalence of gout and hyperuricemia, using a nationally-representative sample of United States (US) adults over the past 10 years (The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey [NHANES] 2007–16). Methods Using data from 26 332 participants aged ≥20 years (13 539 females and 12 793 males) from NHANES 2007–16, we calculated the age-standardised prevalence of gout and hyperuricemia by race/ethnicity. Gout was defined by report of a diagnosis by a health professional, and hyperuricemia as a serum urate >7.0 mg/dL (0.42 mmol/L) from participants’ blood samples. Logistic regression was used to adjust for covariates, while taking into account clusters and strata of the complex survey design of NHANES. Results The age-standardised prevalence of gout was 3.7% for Whites and 4.7% for AAs, with the age-standardised prevalence of hyperuricemia being 12.7% and 14.9% for Whites and AAs, respectively. Compared to Whites, AAs had a 65% higher odds of gout among females (age-adjusted OR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.14 to 2.38) and a 31% higher odds of gout among males (age-adjusted OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.05 to 1.63). Further adjustment by body-mass index (BMI) attenuated these associations to non-significance for both sexes (table 1). AA females had a higher odds of hyperuricemia than White females (age-adjusted OR, 2.17; 95% CI, 1.72 to 2.73), but not males (age-adjusted OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.95 to 1.22; P for interaction=0.002) (table 1). Among females, this association attenuated after further adjustment for BMI, hypertension, CKD, type 2 diabetes mellitus, household income, and education, but remained significant (adjusted OR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.19 to 1.95). Conclusions These nationally-representative data indicate that AAs have a larger disease burden of gout and hyperuricemia than Whites, particularly among women. This burden appears to be at least partly due to a higher prevalence of risk factors for hyperuricemia in AAs. 1 Reference [1] Flegal KM, et al. JAMA2016Jun 7;315(21):2284–2291. Disclosure of Interest M. Chen-Xu: None declared, C. Yokose: None declared, H. Choi Grant/research support from: Ironwood and Ardea/AstraZeneca, Consultant for: Horizon and Selecta
Economic Analysis of Using Free Fat Graft or Acellular Dermis to Prevent Post-parotidectomy Frey Syndrome.

A decision tree was constructed to determine the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of grafting techniques used to prevent Frey Syndrome. The authors performed a sensitivity analysis to calculate what the probability of preventing Frey Syndrome would have to be and maximum costs associated with using grafting techniques to warrant their use as more “cost-effective” choice than using neither. Decision pathways utilized were uses of (1) free fat graft (FFG), (2) acellular dermis, and (3) no grafting. The probability of developing Frey syndrome and costs were extracted from previous studies to construct the decision tree. The primary effectiveness was the ICER of FFG or acellular dermis to prevent Frey syndrome. The initial outcomes included preventing Frey syndrome (effectiveness = 1) or developing Frey syndrome (effectiveness = 0). Compared with not using a graft, the ICER of using FFG and acellular dermis were $10,628 and $50,813, respectively. Frey syndrome was found in 2.6% of patients postoperatively in FFG group, 9.8% of patients in acellular dermis group, and 30.7% of patients who did not have a graft. The ICER shows absolute dominance of FFG with lower cost and high effectiveness over acellular dermis. This economic evaluation strongly supports the use of FFG over acellular dermis as cost-effective approach for prevention of postparotidectomy Frey syndrome.
Monte Carlo Simulations Using the Gaussian Ensemble

The Gaussian ensemble [1–3] consists of a sample of size N (whose properties we are seeking) in contact with a finite bath of size N’ and having a specific functional form for its entropy. This ensemble is intermediate to the microcanonical (N’=0) and canonical (N’=∟) ensembles and can be made to attain these limiting cases by continuously varying N’. If N’ is small enough, the ensemble allows us to sample the intermediate states (with negative heat capacity/compressibility) at first-order transitions. Such states are then manifest through van der Waals’ loops in the temperature-energy or pressure-volume curves of the sample and permit a relatively easy diagnosis of the order of a phase transition. This is an advantage vis-a-vis canonical-ensemble Monte Carlo simulations using the method of Metropolis et al. [4] where the intermediate states have very low probability and make the distinction between first- and second-order transitions difficult [5]. An appealing property of this ensemble is that it can be easily implemented as a Monte Carlo process so that models such as the Ising model, which lack equations of motion, can be readily simulated in the microcanonical ensemble (The molecular dynamics method, which also uses the microcanonical ensemble, is not feasible for such stochastic models). Further, by examining the behaviour of quantities such as the average energy of the sample as a function of N’, the method allows us to investigate systematically the effects of the heat bath on static properties of the sample.
Ultrasonic properties of fluorosilicate glass-ceramics at cryogenic temperatures

The longitudinal ultrasonic wave velocity and attenuation, and shear wave velocity for machinable fluorosilicate glass-ceramic (MACOR) samples (regular shelf stock, annealed to 900°C, and 1000°C for 10 hrs) were measured as the functions of frequency and temperature with the pulse-echo method. The frequency and temperature range used were 5 MHz to 50 MHz, and 100 K to 300 K respectively. Both velocities for three samples decrease linearly with temperature, and the ultrasonic attenuation increases linearly with the frequency square, and decreases monotonically with increasing temperature. These data were used to calculate the elastic moduli, Lame parameter, and Poisson's ratio for the materials.
Hairpin Formation in Polynucleotides: A Simple Folding Problem?

The biological processes in cell involving DNA, e.g. replication, recombination, DNA repair and transcription, are accompanied by localized unwinding of the DNA molecule. This unwinding may occur as a result of fluctuational opening of individual base-pairs (Wartell and Benight, 1985), or can be driven by DNA binding proteins, leading to the formation of single-stranded (ss) region(s) in DNA (Lohman and Bjornson, 1996; Bianco et al., 2001). Palindromic regions of unwinded DNA can form irregular structures by base-pairing between neighboring self-complementary sequences. These structures are known as cruciforms and hairpins. The formation of hairpins and their involvement in biological processes such as replication and transcription is now well documented in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems (Crews et al., 1979; Wilson and von Hippel, 1995; Glucksmann-Kuis et al., 1996; Dai et al., 1997). It has been shown that DNA hairpins can serve as intermediates in genetic recombination (Lilley, 1981; Romer et al., 1984; Roth et al., 1992), and as protein recognition sites, and can regulate transcription in vivo (Dai et al., 1997; Dai et al., 1998). The biological and biomedical significance of hairpin structures is also associated with the fact that the formation of DNA hairpins by GC-rich triplet repeat, and inordinate expansion of these triplets during DNA replication, leads to several genetic diseases including a progressive neuromuscular disorder (Caskey et al., 1992; Gacy et al., 1995). Short ssDNA and RNA hairpin structures are also useful drug targets because their overall shape and geometry differ significantly from regular double-stranded DNA, and
Walking disability measures in multiple sclerosis patients: Correlations with MRI-derived global and microstructural damage.

Abstract Background The relationship between walking disability in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and their macro- and microstructural MRI-derived measures still remains unclear. Objective To assess the correlations between walking disability and MRI-derived lesion, atrophy, and microstructural/axonal integrity outcomes. Methods Seventy-one (71) MS patients were clinically examined, the expanded timed get-up and go (ETGUG), and timed 25-foot walk (T25FW) tests were assessed. Additionally, the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) was obtained. Normalized brain (NBV), gray matter (GMV), white matter (WMV), cortex (CV), and deep GM (DGM) volumes, as well as lesion volumes (LV) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) scalar maps of fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, radial diffusivity, and axial diffusivity were calculated. Spearman correlation, partial correlation and stepwise regression analyses were performed. Results T25FW and ETGUG were associated with T2-LV (p Conclusion Despite the low disability levels, walking as measured by T25FW and ETGUG, is largely explained by the loss of cortical and nuclei specific GM volumes.
Estimating the Molecular Information Through Cell Signal Transduction Pathways

The development of reliable abstractions, models, and characterizations of biochemical communication channels that propagate information from/to biological cells is one of the first challenges for the engineering of systems able to pervasively interface, control, and communicate through these channels, i.e., the Internet of Bio-N ano Things. Signal transduction pathways in eukaryotic cells are important examples of these channels, especially since their performance is directly linked to organisms' health, such as in cancer. In this paper, a novel computational approach is proposed to characterize the communication performance of signal transduction pathways based on chemical stochastic simulation tools, and the estimation of information-theoretic parameters from sample distributions. Differently from previous literature, this approach does not have constraints on the size of the data, accounts for the information contained in the dynamic pathway evolution, and estimates not only the end-to-end information propagation, but also the information through each component of the pathway. Numerical examples are provided as a case study focused on the popular JAK-STAT pathway, linked to immunodeficiency and cancer.
Spectroscopic characterization of a highly selective NiCu3/C hydrodeoxygenation catalyst

The design of selective and active heterogeneous catalysts for the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of biomass-derived platform molecules requires understanding of the catalyst structure under reaction conditions. In this work, we design, build and qualify an operando X-ray absorption (XAS) cell to characterize a highly selective NiCu3 catalyst under HDO conditions. We complement XAS measurements with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies and theoretical calculations to show that in bimetallic NiCu catalysts, Ni and Cu are segregated. The as-made catalysts are mixed oxides, with a NiO shell over a NiCuOx core. The core becomes a partially reduced metal alloy after treatment with hydrogen at temperatures below 473 K, while the shell becomes fully reduced at higher treatment temperatures. The liquid-phase reaction results in gradual reoxidation of the catalyst to a core–shell mixed oxide, in which the Cu in the core is predominately Cu(I) and the Ni shell is predominately Ni(II).
Using Digital Organism Evolutionary Software in the Classroom

We review software for exploring biological evolution from a fun and educational perspective. Our goal is to provide a background explanation of the methods used, terminology, and user experience, and learning outcomes of desktop and mobile evolutionary simulators. Freeware and commercial programs are detailed, with a discussion of how certain software packages can be used in introducing evolutionary theory.
A UO2-based salt target for rapid isolation of fission products

We report here an initial isolation study based upon the use of small uranium oxide particles dispersed in a soluble salt matrix to evaluate the relative recovery of fission products into acidic media. We further show that the macrostructures of the uranium microparticles are largely preserved, such that the bulk target material could be retained for additional irradiations or characterizations. Through this approach, fission products can be separated from the actinide-based target using low molarities of acid without the need to dissolve the actinide itself, reducing the amount of acidic waste. Extraction yields using two molarities of HCl and HNO3 are compared.
Neurophysiology of the brain stem in Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is predominantly idiopathic in origin, and a large body of evidence indicates that gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunctions are a significant comorbid clinical feature; these dys...
Fusarium verticillioides SNARE protein FvSyn1 harbors two key functional motifs that play selective roles in fungal development and virulence

Fusarium verticillioides is one of the key fungal pathogens responsible for maize stalk rots. While stalk rot pathogens are prevalent worldwide, our understanding of stalk rot virulence mechanism in pathogenic fungi is still very limited. We previously identified F. verticillioides FvSYN1 gene, which was demonstrated to plays an important role in maize stalk rot virulence. FvSyn1 belongs to a family of soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins that play critical roles in a variety of developmental processes. In this study, we further characterized the cellular features of FvSyn1 protein motifs in F. verticillioides development and virulence. We generated FvSyn1 motif-specific deletion mutants to further investigate how different motifs contribute to development and virulence. Microscopic observation showed that {Delta}fvsyn1 mutant exhibits rough and hyper-branched hyphae when compared to the wild type progenitor. Moreover, {Delta}fvsyn1 mutant was sensitive to cell wall stress agents resulting in vegetative growth reduction. We showed that FvSyn1::GFP protein is associated with endomembrane but this outcome did not clarify why the deletion of this protein led to stress sensitivity and aberrant hyphal development. Characterization of FvSyn1 domains indicated that both Syntaxin N-terminus (SynN) domain and SNARE C-terminus domain play distinct roles in fungal development but collectively function in virulence. We also determined that two domains in FvSyn1 is not required for fumonisin production. Interestingly, these two domains were involved in carbon nutrient utilization including pectin, starch and sorbitol. This study further characterized the role of FvSyn1 in hyphal growth, localization, cell wall stress response and virulence in F. verticillioides.nnHighlights{blacktriangleright} F. verticillioides SNARE protein FvSYN1 is important for vegetative growth and virulence.nn {blacktriangleright}FvSYN1 deletion mutant performed better under cell wall stressors.nn {blacktriangleright}Dissecting of two domains and investigate the roles.
PAEDIATRIC RESEARCH IN THE UNITED STATES: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE SOCIETY FOR PEDIATRIC RESEARCH AND THE EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR PAEDIATRIC RESEARCH

Paediatric research represents a broad spectrum of basic science, clinical, translational, epidemiological and policy research. In an era of funding constraints, however, paediatric health problems and paediatric research may be a lower priority than adult health problems. Nonetheless, a greater understanding of paediatric problems and greater investment in paediatric research may be a cost-effective way to contribute new knowledge that benefits adults and children. Furthermore, international collaborative research may be an effective means of leveraging resources for the benefit of children throughout the world. I will review the status of paediatric research in the USA, highlighting the priority research areas and funding levels for federally funded research. I will also review the implications of paediatric research for organisational cooperation between the Society for Pediatric Research in the United States (SPR) and the European Society for Paediatric Research (ESPR).
Middle East Boundaries

Turkey shoots down a Russian plane that crosses into its airspace. Algeria closes its border with Morocco. People know what state they belong to, even when they are refugees away from home. Israeli border police subject incoming travellers to demeaning interrogation, and Palestinian workers undergo daily delays at border checkpoints. The daily evidence is that borders matter in the Middle East. Sovereignty is exercised routinely, at the edges of states and in their interior, at tax time and in the courts. The state takes its model, if not always its daily practice, from Weber and Westphalia.
Networked practices in higher education: A netnography of the #AcAdv chat community

Abstract This study of the #acadv chat community details a longitudinal study about a digital learning network comprised of academic advising professionals who work in higher education. We discuss how networked communities of practice (CoP) scaffold professional learning and development of post-secondary educators, while also contributing to their daily practice. Utilizing Twitter chat transcripts, digital documents, social media platforms, and interviews with 17 participants of this community, we report 22 topics discussed with the top five themes focused on student needs, orientation support, advising approaches and structures, workload, and individual career development. Using a netnographic approach, we explore and offer insights about the origins, management, and sustainability of this networked practice over a seven-year period. Important findings center the organic, participatory nature of the community, the shared leadership structure, and the bidirectional nature of online and offline relationships as impacted in an online, occupational CoP. We suggest further research into networked practice to understand more about self-directed learning, participant motivation, digital archiving, and digital knowledge sharing in these types of networked occupational CoPs.
Use of Mental Health Apps by Patients With Breast Cancer in the United States: Pilot Pre-Post Study.

Background: Nearly half of the patients with breast cancer experience clinically significant mental distress within the first year of receiving their cancer diagnosis. There is an urgent need to identify scalable and cost-efficient ways of delivering empirically supported mental health interventions to patients with breast cancer. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of in-clinic recruitment for a mobile phone app study and to evaluate the usability and preliminary impact of a suite of mental health apps (IntelliCare) with phone coaching on psychosocial distress symptoms in patients recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Methods: This pilot study adopted a within-subject, 7-week pre-post study design. A total of 40 patients with breast cancer were recruited at a US National Cancer Institute–designated clinical cancer center. Self-reported distress (Patient Health Questionnaire-4) and mood symptoms (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System depression and anxiety scales) were assessed at baseline and postintervention. App usability was assessed at postintervention. Results: The minimum recruitment threshold was met. There was a significant decrease in general distress symptoms, as well as symptoms of depression and anxiety, from baseline to postintervention. Overall, participants reported high levels of ease of app use and learning. Scores for app usefulness and satisfaction were reinforced by some qualitative feedback suggesting that tailoring the apps more for patients with breast cancer could enhance engagement. Conclusions: There is a dire need for scalable, supportive interventions in cancer. The results from this study inform how scalable mobile phone–delivered programs with additional phone support can be used to support patients with breast cancer.
Opioid exposure in haemophilia patients is common and underreported

Introduction In an era of increased opioid awareness, data on opioid exposure in haemophilia patients are lacking. Aim The objectives of this study were to (a) provide a detailed description of opioid exposure in haemophilia patients based on written prescription data, (b) compare our findings to national haemophilia-specific and general population datasets and (c) identify predictors of opioid exposure in haemophilia patients. Methods Medical records of 183 adult and 135 paediatric patients from two haemophilia treatment centres (HTC) were reviewed over a 42-month period. Chronic exposure and acute opioid exposure were recorded, and results were compared to national haemophilia (ATHNdataset) and general population (CDC) data. Results We found that 56% of adult and 21% of paediatric patients were exposed to opioids, rates substantially higher than reported in the ATHNdataset (6%) and national population data from the CDC. In adults, but not children, severity of haemophilia was a significant predictor of opioid exposure. Most acute opioid prescriptions were not written by the HTC. Conclusions This is the first study in the haemophilia population to examine opioid exposure based on prescription data. Opioid exposure was more common than predicted in both adult and paediatric study populations and was most often prescribed for acute pain or procedures by non-HTC providers. Haemophilia treatment centres need to take the lead in assessing pain in haemophilia patients, guiding treatment promoting non-opioid options, strengthen efforts to monitor opioid exposure and collect data on pain treatment in the haemophilia population.
Chapter 9 – Leafy Vegetables

Foodborne illness outbreaks linked to the consumption of contaminated leafy greens continue to occur globally. Research has not lead to the identification of a single factor that results in contamination, but rather a host of factors including contaminated water, soil amendments, flooding of fields, and wildlife contribute to contamination of leafy greens. Enteric bacteria can contaminate the surface and internal structures of edible leafy tissue both pre- and postharvest. This chapter describes outbreaks associated with leafy vegetables and the potential sources of contamination associated with those outbreaks. Consideration is given to geographical regions and agricultural practices of those regions that may influence preharvest contamination. Harvesting and processing practices can significantly influence the microbial load of a product. Currently used decontamination technologies are evaluated, and future novel methods for the reduction of microbial load on leafy vegetables are identified. Information regarding the interaction of enteric microbes with plant tissues, how that affects survival, and the molecular events underlying that interaction are highlighted. Understanding the complexity of the bacteria-plant tissue interaction provides a solid foundation for development of strategies to control enteric pathogens that may contaminate leafy vegetables. Increased consumption and importation of fresh leafy vegetables and large foodborne outbreaks linked to consumption of contaminated leafy greens make microbial safety a high priority for processors and consumers globally. Embracing development of new technologies and understanding production practices used throughout the world will markedly improve the microbiological safety of leafy vegetables.
Part-time shoulder use operational impact on the safety performance of interstate 476.

With every change in a roadway to improve the network operational performance, the roadway safety behavior is impacted. Part-time shoulder use (PTSU) is one strategy that significantly impacts the ...
Ground Layer Microhabitats Influence Recruitment of Longleaf Pine in an Old-growth Pine Savanna

Globally, savanna trees experience bottlenecks to recruitment. Likelihoods are low that juveniles, especially of nonclonal, reseeder species, will survive and reach sizes that survive recurrent fires. We hypothesized if ground layer vegetation within savannas contained patches with reduced fire effects, likelihoods of juvenile trees surviving fires would be increased. We refined our general hypothesis based on a field study in an old-growth southeastern pine savanna of North America, in which longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) is the most abundant tree. We hypothesized that recruitment of pines into the fire-resistant ‘grass stage’ may be more likely in three ground layer microhabitats (inside crowns of fallen pines, around pine tree stumps, and inside patches of oak/hardwood stems) than in surrounding groundcover located away from overstory pines. We measured the composition and abundance of ground layer vegetation and censused juvenile grass stages ( 5 times more likely inside the three microhabitats than in the surrounding ground layer matrix. Recruitment was also more likely in pine than oak/hardwood microhabitats. We propose that altered microhabitats, especially those generated by death of large longleaf pines, likely facilitate recruitment into populations of this reseeding savanna tree.
Revenue-Increasing and Welfare-Enhancing Reform of Taxes of Exports

The loss of revenue from a reduction in export taxes has been a concern for trade policy reform in many developing countries. We discuss a strategy for selective reform of taxes on exports that enhances welfare and increases revenue. The strategy involves a reduction in the export tax on a given commodity with an offsetting increase in production tax to keep the producer price unchanged. This strategy is especially promising for exportables with a net subsidy on domestic consumption due to high export taxes and low consumption taxes.
I Want to eat out, but something holding me back: Mom’s cooking stress and family dining out constraints

Abstract Restaurant visits have been declined in the past decades while preparing the meals at home has been increased. This study focuses on mother customers who are known as the leading providers of homemade meals and primary decision-makers in family dining out in the context of family dining. The purpose of the study is to examine (1) what issue related to home cooking causes mothers to dine out with family, (2) what keeps them from dining out, and (3) the relationship of their psychological influences (i.e., cooking stress, need for reward, desire to dine out, and dining out constraints) that occur within the family dining decision-making process. With a total of 644 mothers in the U.S, the findings reveal that the mother participants who are stressed out from cooking for their family seek a self-gifted reward for their daily effort and desire to dine out to escape from the burden of cooking duty, which leads them to participate in family dining. However, despite the dining desire, mothers also face the reasons to constrain dining out (i.e., interpersonal and intrapersonal constraints), and both constraints keep them from family dining out. The results of this study are expected to help family restaurants develop a healthful family dining environment and new strategies to entice mothers and family customers to visit family dining restaurants.
Search for backstreaming ion defocusing during a single pulse of a 2 kA relativistic electron beam

Desorption and subsequent ionization of the monolayers from the vacuum wall of an accelerator system can have a detrimental effect on the performance of the beam transport system. Ions extracted from the resultant plasma neutralize the spacecharge and dynamically perturb the net focusing forces within the beam. To study the effect, a transparent first foil, presumably with contaminants on the surface, intercepts the beam. Placing an imaging foil tens of centimeters downstream from the first foil allows observation of minor fluxuations in the envelope. Using conducting foil targets, we see no effect unless the beam radius is small enough to damage the foil. Non-conducting foils produce a strong effect.
The Algol-Type Binaries

The nature of the circumstellar material in interacting binaries of the Algol-type, including the accretion disk, gas stream, high temperature plasma, and domains of outflow is reviewed. Mass transfer is compared in six similar systems with early B primaries and short-moderate periods that approximately represent a series of snapshots of such binaries during their slow evolutionary phase. Evidence for moderate systemic mass loss during the current and earlier stages is presented.
Dynamics of Punch-Through and Non Punch-Through IGBT Turn-On Mechanism in Resonant Converters

Dynamic saturation effect on the forward voltage drop in IGBT under varying di/dt turn-on is reported. Two different punch-through and non punch-through IGBT structures were studied using mixed device and circuit simulations to investigate the mechanism which leads to excessive forward voltage drop and to make a performance comparison between the two structures.
Electromagnetic Tornadoes in Earth’s Ionosphere and Magnetosphere

Monte Carlo and similarity solutions are discussed for the anomalously accelerated ion populations observed above the diffuse auroral zone in the central plasma sheet of the magnetosphere. This energization of ions transverse to the earth’s magnetic field follows from a resonant interaction with the observed intense electromagnetic waves in the cyclotron range of frequencies. Detailed ion distribution functions are calculated and compare favorably with the actual in-situ particle measurements obtained by polar orbiting satellites. A parallel is drawn between wave-particle interaction processes of this type and the energization of the whirling debris driven by the whirlwinds of ordinary tornadoes.
Aerial image analysis using fractal-based models

The fractal dimension and variants of the fractal dimension have been used to analyze visual textures in images, and the vast majority of research assumes that the fractal model closely approximates the observed image. However, the difference between the image and the assumed fractal model can be significant, and it can provide useful information about image texture. In fact, this fractal error can itself serve as a texture descriptor. A localized version of fractal error is developed and used for image segmentation. The fractal error is examined as a potential texture feature within the context of segmentation of aerial reconnaissance images. Accuracy on the order of 85 percent was demonstrated in three typical examples. >
Differential expression of alpha- and beta-globin genes in erythroleukemic cell lines.

Abstract The IW32, NN10, and IW201 cell lines are erythroleukemic cell lines isolated from the spleens of mice infected with the Friend virus. IW32 and NN10 cells can be induced toward erythroid differentiation and hemoglobin synthesis by hemin or butyrate. Both cell lines contain some mature alpha- and beta-globin mRNA before induction, and addition of the inducers greatly increases the amount of globin message. Unlike IW32 and NN10 cells, IW201 cells are only partially inducible. Uninduced 201 cells contain a small amount of alpha-globin mRNA but no detectable beta-globin message. After induction, the cells contain markedly increased amounts of alpha-globin mRNA but still do not express the beta-globin gene. Southern blot analysis with 10 restriction enzymes shows that the restriction map of the beta-globin gene in IW201 cells is indistinguishable from that in IW32 and NN10 cells.
Full-Field Dynamic Strain on Wind Turbine Blade Using Digital Image Correlation Techniques and Limited Sets of Measured Data From Photogrammetric Targets

Wind turbine blades are subjected to dynamic loadings during operation and the certification process that result in dynamic stresses and strains that are important to understand. Generally, only a small number of strain gages are used in the certification process and even fewer, if any at all, are installed for operational measurements. Recent advances in digital image correlation (DIC) and digital photogrammetry (DP) have allowed for new opportunities for blade inspection and structural health monitoring. This paper presents two different methods for determining the dynamic stresses and strains using (1) DIC techniques and, (2) a newly developed expansion process in conjunction with the finite element model to predict stresses and strains from limited measurement locations. The limited set of measurement data was provided by placing few optical targets on the test structure and using three dimensional point tracking approach to measure their displacements. The two approaches are discussed and used in the evaluation of a Southwest Wind Power turbine blade subjected to static loading and dynamic loading that are typical of the certification process. The advantages of each of the techniques are described and discussed in the paper.
Hypoxia Induces Production of L-2-Hydroxyglutarate

Somatic mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 or 2 (IDH1/2) contribute to the pathogenesis of cancer via production of the "oncometabolite" D-2-hydroxyglutarate (D-2HG). Elevated D-2HG can block differentiation of malignant cells by functioning as a competitive inhibitor of α-ketoglutarate (α-KG)-dependent enzymes, including Jumonji family histone lysine demethylases. 2HG is a chiral molecule that can exist in either the D-enantiomer or the L-enantiomer. Although cancer-associated IDH1/2 mutants produce D-2HG, biochemical studies have demonstrated that L-2HG also functions as a potent inhibitor of α-KG-dependent enzymes. Here we report that under conditions of oxygen limitation, mammalian cells selectively produce L-2HG via enzymatic reduction of α-KG. Hypoxia-induced L-2HG is not mediated by IDH1 or IDH2, but instead results from promiscuous substrate usage primarily by lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA). During hypoxia, the resulting increase in L-2HG is necessary and sufficient for the induction of increased methylation of histone repressive marks, including histone 3 lysine 9 (H3K9me3).
Robust tonic GABA currents can inhibit cell firing in mouse newborn neocortical pyramidal cells

Within the hippocampus and neocortex, GABA is considered excitatory in early development due to a relatively depolarized Cl- reversal potential. Although the depolarizing nature of synaptic GABAergic events has been well established, it is unknown whether cortical tonic currents mediated by extrasynaptically located GABAA receptors (GABAARs) are also excitatory. Here we examined the development of tonic currents in the neocortex and their effect on neuronal excitability. We found that mean tonic current, recorded from Layer 5 pyramidal cells of the mouse somatosensory cortex, is robust in newborns (P2-4) then decreases dramatically by the second postnatal week (P7-10 and P30-40). Pharmacological studies, in combination with Western blot analysis, show that neonatal tonic currents are partially mediated by the GABAAR α5, and likely the δ, subunit. In newborns, the charge due to tonic current accounts for nearly 100% of total GABA charge, a contribution that decreases to less than 50% in mature tissue. Current clamp recordings reveal that tonic current contributes to large fluctuations in the membrane potential that may disrupt its stability. Bath application of 5 μM GABA, to induce tonic currents, markedly decreased cell firing frequency in most recorded cells while increasing it in others. Gramicidin perforated patch recordings reveal heterogeneity in ECl recorded from P2-5 Layer 5 pyramidal cells. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that tonic currents activated by low GABA concentrations can dominate GABAergic transmission in newborn neocortical pyramidal cells and that tonic currents can exert heterogeneous effects on neuronal excitability.
World Class Base and Precious Metal Deposits A Quantitative Analysis

Over 62 percent of the 193,000 metric tons of gold discovered to date is located in four countries and more than 68 percent occurs in four types of mineral deposits. About 55 percent of the 1,740,000 metric tons of silver found is in four countries and 45 percent is in four types of deposits. Fifty-six percent of the 1.52 billion metric tons of discovered copper is from four countries and four types of deposits contain 88 percent of the total. Over 50 percent of both the 713,000,000 metric tons of zinc and 349,000,000 metric tons of lead discovered to date come from four countries and 70 percent of both metals occur in four types of deposits. All discovered gold would fit in a cube with a height of 22 m, silver in a 55-m cube, copper in a 550-m cube, zinc in a 460-m cube, and lead in a 310-m cube. At least 74 percent of gold, silver, zinc, and lead is in deposits having average grades above the respective median grades and 44 percent of copper is in deposits with average grades above the median grade of all deposits. Lower grade deposits contain less total metal than higher grade deposits. Tonnage of mineralized rock is an even better predictor of contained metal with over 96 percent of each metal's total residing in deposits having greater than median size and between 47 and 79 percent of metal contained in the largest 10 percent of deposits. World class deposits, defined as the upper 10 percent of deposits in terms of contained metal, account for over 86 percent of all gold, 79 percent of silver, 84 percent of copper, 71 percent of zinc, and 73 percent of lead. These giant deposits contain at least 100 metric tons (3.2 Moz) gold, 2,400 metric tons (77 Moz) silver, 2 million metric tons copper, 1.7 million metric tons zinc, or 1 million metric tons lead. Mineral deposits occur rarely in the earth's crust and large ones are especially uncommon. This analysis shows that only the unusually large deposits can significantly affect supply.
On the Mismeasurement of Impulsivity: Trait, Behavioral, and Neural Models in Alcohol Research among Adolescents and Young Adults

We review the extent to which the psychosocial trait, behavioral, and neural models of impulsivity in adolescence and young adulthood commonly used in alcohol research may be reconciled. Recent advances in the development of trait models of impulsivity have converged towards a three-trait framework of impulsigenic traits, with motivational drive (extraversion), effortful control (conscientiousness and/or constraint), and emotion dysregulation (neuroticism) at its core, which has similar developmental models in childhood. Behavioral models of impulsivity have focused on a two-factor model centered around impulsive choice versus impulse response, which seems to have little theoretical or empirical connection with trait models of impulsivity. Throughout, we review recent neuroimaging research related to trait and behavioral impulsivity. We also discuss research on how trait and behavioral impulsivity are associated with alcohol use risk and AUDs and how behavioral impulsivity is affected by alcohol use. We note significant problems in integrating trait and behavioral research, driven by the absence of a shared theoretical framework for behavioral and trait models, a general underrepresentation of developmental research, and inconsistencies in definitions of impulsivity in the literature.
Veterinary Drugs No Longer Need Testing for Carcinogenicity in Rodent Bioassays

The putative carcinogenic risk to humans from ingestion of edible tissues containing traces of nongenotoxic veterinary drugs is so slight that the routine application of rodent cancer bioassays cannot be justified. This argument is based, first, on the pharmacological similarity of veterinary and human drugs: many of the latter that are carcinogenic to rodents have been deemed on mechanistic and/or potency grounds not to pose a cancer risk to humans. Second, the distribution of a veterinary drug through the target animal body before ingestion of a portion of edible tissue by humans days or weeks later means that the human dose from a residue is several orders of magnitude lower than the normal dose of human drugs. The dose of residue is also much lower than the exposure of humans to the most potent carcinogens.
Heat units to predict tomato harvest in the southeast USA

Abstract Planting and first harvest dates of tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) from 2 seasons in 3 years at eight locations in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina formed 38 environments which were used to determine the most reliable method to predict fast harvest date of tomato based on daily maximum and minimum air temperature. Eleven methods of calculating heat units were chosen for comparison based on their performance as described in the literature. The most reliable method was defined as the one with the smallest coefficient of variation (CV). CVs were calculated for each method over both seasons and locations, for each season over all locations, each location over all seasons, and for each season at each location. All heat unit summation methods had smaller coefficients of variation (CV) than the standard method of counting days from planting to first harvest. Heat unit summation methods improved harvest date prediction accuracy compared with the counting day method for tomatoes in the South Atlantic Coast (SAC) region. Prediction using location/season specific models were less variable than the models over all seasons and locations. Incorporating daylength improved model prediction accuracy when applied over all locations and seasons, all locations by season, and all seasons by location. Based on the results of this study, the heat unit summation technique recommended for this region (where the location and season specific models are not available) is the reduced ceiling method multiplied by daylength.
The Most Distant Known Galaxies

Ever since the proposal of the idea of an expanding universe more than 50 years ago, each generation of investigators has found that some current theory could be (marginally) tested by the properties of the most distant known galaxies. There has consequently been a continuing effort to identify very remote objects, especially to confront theories of the evolution of galaxies (since galaxies are seen as they were at prior epochs) and to confront cosmological theories (which make predictions about the overall dynamics of the expansion of the universe). These theories have yet to be definitively tested, but a new generation of optical telescopes and detectors provides hope for significant progress during this decade.
Symptoms as well as tumor size provide prognostic information on patients with localized renal tumors.

ABSTRACTPurpose: T stage stratification of organ confined renal tumors is based only on tumor size. Currently T1a and T1b are defined as tumors less or greater than 4 cm. However, to our knowledge the validity of this stratification has not been determined. We determined whether symptoms could add additional prognostic information when integrated with tumor size into the TNM classification.Materials and Methods: Patients with T1-T2N0M0 renal tumors at 6 academic centers in Europe and the United States were included in this study. T stage was defined according to the 2002 TNM classification. Age, gender, T stage, tumor size, symptoms at presentation, Fuhrman grade and cancer specific survival were determined in all cases. Survival estimates were compared using the Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate analysis of the data were performed with the Cox model.Results: A total of 1,771 patients with pT1-T2N0M0 renal tumors were included in this study. There were 1,148 males and 623 females. Mean age was 59.6 yea...
The role of top particles in recombination of some characters of tobacco streak virus.

Abstract Inoculations were made with mixtures of middle and bottom, and with top, middle, and bottom particles of a tobacco streak virus strain causing large chlorotic lesions and another strain causing small red lesions on Vigna cylindrica . Some of the resulting lesions were large red, and a smaller number were small chlorotic, types representing recombinations of lesion size and lesion color. Recombinants occurred most frequently when mixtures contained top particles, which more often contributed the determinant for lesion size to progeny than the determinant for lesion color. The stability of the characteristics of recombinant hybrids was demonstrated by subculturing and by backcrossing. The determinants for dwarfing of tobacco were usually carried, in hybrid virus clones, in the particle type in which they were introduced into a cross. The determinants for serological type reassorted apparently randomly among hybrid clones. Top particles contributed genetic determinants which were carried in middle or bottom particles of hybrid offspring. Conversely, from crosses of middle and bottom particles, top particles of hybrids carried genetic determinants derived from middle or bottom particles. Top particles contributed less than middle or bottom particles to the infectivity of mixtures of three particle types. It seemed doubtful that top particles contained much, if any, genetic information not also carried in middle and bottom particles.