cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Matrix computations for information retrieval and major and outlier cluster detection

Abstract In this paper we introduce COV , a novel information retrieval (IR) algorithm for massive databases based on vector space modeling and spectral analysis of the covariance matrix, for the document vectors, to reduce the scale of the problem. Since the dimension of the covariance matrix depends on the attribute space and is independent of the number of documents, COV can be applied to databases that are too massive for methods based on the singular value decomposition of the document-attribute matrix, such as latent semantic indexing (LSI). In addition to improved scalability, theoretical considerations indicate that results from our algorithm tend to be more accurate than those from LSI, particularly in detecting subtle differences in document vectors. We demonstrate the power and accuracy of COV through an important topic in data mining, known as outlier cluster detection. We propose two new algorithms for detecting major and outlier clusters in databases—the first is based on LSI, and the second on COV. Our implementation studies indicate that our cluster detection algorithms outperform the basic LSI and COV algorithm in detecting outlier clusters.
Early American Sexuality: Race, Colonialism, Power, and Culture

My class explores the relationship of sexuality to the process of colonization in early North America. While traditional colonial American history courses establish the British colonies as precursors to a Great American Nation, and history of sexuality courses in the United States often emphasize the twentieth century, I focus on sexuality as part of the creation of multiple North American societies from the sixteenth through the mid-nineteenth centuries. Throughout the course, I ask students to trace the ways in which cultural ideologies about religion, race, class, gender, and culture related to sexual beliefs and practices. My goals are to have students think both about the modern political and social implications of the history of sexuality and about the ways in which the study of sexuality reshapes our image of a given historical time and place. I have taught versions of “History of Sexuality in the United States to 1860,” cross-listed in History and Women’s Studies at the University of California, Irvine in 2000 and 2001, and cross-listed in History and Sexuality Studies at the University of Iowa in 1998. It is an upper-level lecture course with between forty and fifty students. I teach the class in two weekly sessions of eighty minutes each, where I give interactive lectures for about fifty minutes and spend the remaining thirty minutes discussing that day’s readings with the class. I use a course pack with a wide array of primary and secondary sources. In the past few years, multiple anthologies that address sexuality in early America have hit the shelves (Martha Hodes, ed., Sex,
RADARSAT ScanSAR wind retrieval under hurricane conditions

RADARSAT-1 ScanSAR SWA images of Hurricane Katrina are used to retrieve the surface wind vectors over the ocean. Due to the inadequate spatial resolution of the ScanSAR SWA images, the spectrum method cannot be implemented to estimate the wind direction. Instead, collocated H*wind wind directions are used as wind direction estimates. The wind speed is derived from the σ° by inversion of a C-band HH-polarization Geophysical Model Function (GMF), which is derived from C-band VV-polarization GMF using a polarization ratio model. Because existing polarization models don't fit the ScanSAR SWA data well, a recalibration model is proposed to "recalibrate" the ScanSAR SWA images. The coefficients of the recalibration model are "tuned" using collocated H*wind surface wind fields. To validate the SAR-retrieved wind speed, the mean and the RMS difference between SAR-retrieved and H*wind wind speed estimates are calculated. The mean of difference is small and the RMS for wind speed less than 25 m/s is below 4 m/s, suggesting that the high resolution wind retrieval algorithm can work under hurricane conditions. Except for the influence from rain, the largest errors occur at high wind speed (over 25 m/s), which is mainly due to the saturation of the C-band GMF CMOD5.
Secondary sulfate minerals associated with acid drainage in the eastern US: Recycling of metals and acidity in surficial environments

Weathering of metal-sulfide minerals produces suites of variably soluble efflorescent sulfate salts at a number of localities in the eastern United States. The salts, which are present on mine wastes, tailings piles, and outcrops, include minerals that incorporate heavy metals in solid solution, primarily the highly soluble members of the melanterite, rozenite, epsomite, halotrichite, and copiapite groups. The minerals were identified by a combination of powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electron-microprobe. Base-metal salts are rare at these localities, and Cu, Zn, and Co are commonly sequestered as solid solutions within Fe- and Fe–Al sulfate minerals. Salt dissolution affects the surfacewater chemistry at abandoned mines that exploited the massive sulfide deposits in the Vermont copper belt, the Mineral district of central Virginia, the Copper Basin (Ducktown) mining district of Tennessee, and where sulfide-bearing metamorphic rocks undisturbed by mining are exposed in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee. Dissolution experiments on composite salt samples from three minesites and two outcrops of metamorphic rock showed that, in all cases, the pH of the leachates rapidly declined from 6.9 to b3.7, and specific conductance increased gradually over 24 h. Leachates analyzed after 24-h dissolution experiments indicated that all of the salts provided ready sources of dissolved Al (N30 mg L 1 ), Fe (N47 mg L 1 ), sulfate (N1000 mg L 1 ), and base metals (N1000 mg L 1 for minesites, and 2 mg L 1 for other sites). Geochemical modeling of surface waters, mine-waste leachates, and salt leachates using PHREEQC software predicted saturation in the observed ochre minerals, but significant concentration by evaporation would be needed to reach saturation in most of the sulfate salts. Periodic surface-water monitoring at Vermont minesites indicated peak annual metal loads during spring runoff. At the Virginia site, where no winter-long snowpack develops, metal loads were highest during summer months when salts were dissolved periodically by rainstorms following sustained evaporation during dry spells. Despite the relatively humid climate of the eastern United States, where precipitation typically exceeds evaporation, salts form intermittently in open
Exploration of the Oxazolidinthione Protecting System for the Synthesis of Sialic Acid Glycosides

An N-acetyl oxazolidinthione protected sialyl thioglycoside was synthesized and its use as a sialyl donor studied. The strongly electron-withdrawing nature of the oxazolidinthione moiety is such that activation could not be achieved at -78 °C. Couplings were therefore conducted at the lowest convenient temperature (-50 °C). Glycosides were formed in good yield but in two out three cases studied selectivities were lower than those seen with the corresponding N-acetyl oxazoldinone protected donor. The resulting N-acetyl oxazolidinthione protectd disaccharides were converted to the corresponding N-acetyl oxazolidinones by treatment with N-iodosuccinimide and triflic acid in the presence of water at 0 °C.
Making games and apps in introductory computer science (abstract only)

The new CS Principles curriculum, a pilot Advanced Placement course, offers novice students an exciting opportunity to learn computing in a hands-on, fun way. High school and college teachers of introductory computer science course are invited to this workshop to learn basic game and mobile phone development. Participants will learn GameMaker, AppInventor, and Touch Develop. These tools allow students to create and have fun with computing while teaching object-oriented and event-driven programming and game architectures. Participants should bring their own laptops (ideally with AppInventor installed). Windows 7 phones will be provided during the workshop. We will provide links to curricular modules for the CS Principles: Beauty and Joy of Computing course.
The Impacts of Differential Armed Dominance of Politics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Across the Americas, from Northern Mexico to Colombia’s mountain valleys and Brazil’s shantytowns, escalating armed violence and the growing power of criminal organizations has generated immense public concern about the breakdown of the rule of law. While some policy makers and journalists write about state failure and the emergence of ungoverned spaces, the evidence presented in this article will show that far from a lack of governance or a failure of the state, criminal organizations often collaborate with a variety of state actors to create varied systems of localized order that perpetuate criminal power and undermine most policy efforts to control crime and violence. In contrast to past scholarship’s reliance on single case studies to analyze the efforts of armed actors to build localized orders, this article offers a systematic comparative analysis of a police-connected protection racket and a drug gang operating in two Rio de Janeiro neighborhoods under similar political conditions. Analysis of the evidence shows that variation in the organizational structures of the armed actors and, in particular, their proximity to state officials, poses varied consequences for local development, including the dynamics of politics and policymaking, associational life, and violence and security.
Recent advances in eosinophil biology.

Eosinophils are pleiotropic multi-functional leukocytes involved in initiation and propagation of diverse inflammatory responses. Recent studies examining eosinophil biology have focused on delineatin
Hydrology of Imnavait Creek, an arctic watershed

An ecological study is presently being carried out at the headwaters of Imnavait Creek to develop a better understanding of the dynamics of an arctic ecosystem. While all ecosystems are driven by both energy and mass inputs, in an arctic setting this is much more evident. Therefore it is critical that we have a detailed understanding of the hydrology of the basin. In the United States, no hydrological studies of an arctic watershed have been made where measurements are continued throughout the winter season. While most biological processes are dormant throughout the winter, this is not true of physical processes such as active layer freezing and thawing and snow accumulation and redistribution by wind. This paper summarizes what we have learned hydrologically from three years of study at an arctic watershed, Imnavait Creek.
Distribution of angles between unit vectors and the multiple comparison problem for unit vectors

We suppose that L x i = Fq(μi, KiK) for i=1,...,p, where the independent Fisher distributions on the unit sphere in Rq have modal vectors μi and known concentrations KiK, where K will be large—in fact, to obtain asymptotic distributions, we will let K tend to infinity. The term x'iXj=cos 0ij estimates cos 0ij= μiμy. The asymptotic joint distribution of the terms will be studied when all the vectors μi μ are distinct, and for the special case when all the vectors μi=μ, so that all the terms are zero. These very different results have a variety of applications as well as being interesting in themselves. One of these applications is the ‘multiple comparisons problem’ for unit vectors. However, it was found necessary to give here a different way of solving this problem.
PSEUDO‐NITZSCHIA PUNGENS AND P. MULTISENES (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE): NUCLEAR RIBOSOMAL DNAS AND SPECIES DIFFERENCES1

The region of the nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) operon containing the small subunit (SSU), internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1), and a portion of the 5.8s rDNA gene was sequenced in one isolate each of Pseudo-nitzschia multiseries (Hasle) Hasle and Pseudo-nitzschia pungens (Grunow in Cleve & Moller) Hasle. The SSUs of these two species were highly similar, differing only in 14 point mutations and one insertion/deletion in 1774 bp. The ITS1 sequences were more variable, with 57 point mutations and three insertion/deletions in 257 bp. There were no differences in 44 bp of the 5.8S sequences. Restriction fragment patterns (RFPs) for the restriction endonucleases HaeIII, Hha1, and Rsa1 for 13 isolates of P. multiseries from the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts of the United States and 16 isolates of P. pungens from the three coasts of the United States, in addition to Japan and China, were compared. There were differences between the RFPs of P. multiseries and P. pungens that corresponded to sites mapped by the DNA sequences, but no infraspecific variation in RFPs was observed for either species. The differences in RFPs correlate with morphological, immunological, and other rDNA differences and support the recognition of these taxa as separate species.
Positional firing properties of postrhinal cortex neurons.

Abstract Hippocampal cell firing in awake, behaving rats is often spatially selective, and such cells have been called place cells. Similar spatial correlates have also been described for neurons in the medial entorhinal and perirhinal cortices. All three regions receive sensory associational input from postrhinal cortex, which, in turn, is heavily interconnected with visuospatial neocortical regions. The spatial selectivity of postrhinal cells, however, has never been examined. Here, we report the activity of neurons in postrhinal cortex of freely moving rats performing a spatial task on a four-arm radial maze. Data are also reported for visual association cortex neurons. The four-arm radial maze was defined by multisensory cues on the surfaces of the maze arms (proximal) and complex visual cues at the surround (distal). On each recording day, rats were run in three conditions: baseline, double cue rotation (proximal +90°; distal −90°), and baseline. In this task, hippocampal place field activity is robust and can be controlled by proximal or distal cues. The majority of postrhinal neurons (64%) exhibited positional correlates during performance on the task; however, characteristics of these postrhinal cells were substantially different from those previously described for hippocampal place cells. Most postrhinal cells with firing fields exhibited split or multiple subfields (93%). Unlike hippocampal place fields, the large majority of postrhinal firing fields (84%) adopted new spatial correlates when experimental cues were rotated, but did so neither predictably nor concordantly. This is the first report of positional firing correlates in the postrhinal cortex. The data are consistent with the idea that postrhinal cortex participates in visuospatial functions by monitoring changes in environmental stimuli rather than encoding stable spatial cues. Thus, postrhinal neurons appear to participate in higher-level perceptual functions rather than mnemonic functions. We propose that the response properties of postrhinal neurons represent an early step in a spatial pathway that culminates in the specific and stable place fields of the hippocampus.
Early versus Late Preemptive Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Relapsed or Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Abstract Many patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) do not receive allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) because they are unable to achieve a complete remission (CR) after reinduction chemotherapy. Starting in January 2003, we prospectively assigned patients with AML with high-risk clinical features to preemptive alloHCT (p-alloHCT) as soon as possible after reinduction chemotherapy. High-risk clinical features were associated with poor response to chemotherapy: primary induction failure, second or greater relapse, and first CR interval .1; PFS 18% versus 22%, respectively, P > .1). Day 100 and 1-year transplant-related mortality were similar (33.3% versus 22.2%, P > .1; 44.4% versus 42.9%, P > .1, respectively). Preemptive alloHCT allowed 30 patients to be transplanted who would normally not receive alloHCT. Clinical outcomes for early p-alloHCT are similar to those for late p-alloHCT without excess toxicity. Early p-alloHCT is a feasible alternative to late p-alloHCT for maximizing therapy of AML that is poorly responsive to induction chemotherapy.
Spin Canting in the 3D Anionic Dicyanamide Structure (SPh3)Mn(dca)3 (Ph = Phenyl, dca = Dicyanamide)

Through use of the SPh3+ (Ph = phenyl, C6H5) cation as a molecular template, a new three-dimensional Mn(dca)3- [dca = dicyanamide, N(CN)2-] anionic structure has been crystallized. At room temperature, (SPh3)Mn(dca)3 (1) crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c, with a = 11.7079(5) A, b = 12.8554(5) A, c = 16.8605(6) A, β = 100.666(2)°, and V = 2493.8(3) A3. Magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate that this salt exhibits a spin canted long range antiferromagnetically ordered ground state below 2.5 K.
Defining and Evaluating a Measure of Open Source Project Survivability

In this paper, we define and validate a new multidimensional measure of Open Source Software (OSS) project survivability, called Project Viability. Project viability has three dimensions: vigor, resilience, and organization. We define each of these dimensions and formulate an index called the Viability Index (VI) to combine all three dimensions. Archival data of projects hosted at SourceForge.net are used for the empirical validation of the measure. An Analysis Sample (n=136) is used to assign weights to each dimension of project viability and to determine a suitable cut-off point for VI. Cross-validation of the measure is performed on a hold-out Validation Sample (n=96). We demonstrate that project viability is a robust and valid measure of OSS project survivability that can be used to predict the failure or survival of an OSS project accurately. It is a tangible measure that can be used by organizations to compare various OSS projects and to make informed decisions regarding investment in the OSS domain.
Error control in distributed node self-localization

Location information of nodes in an ad hoc sensor network is essential to many tasks such as routing, cooperative sensing, and service delivery. Distributed node self-localization is lightweight and requires little communication overhead, but often suffers from the adverse effects of error propagation. Unlike other localization papers which focus on designing elaborate localization algorithms, this paper takes a different perspective, focusing on the error propagation problem, addressing questions such as where localization error comes from and how it propagates from node to node. To prevent error from propagating and accumulating, we develop an error-control mechanism based on characterization of node uncertainties and discrimination between neighboring nodes. The error-control mechanism uses only local knowledge and is fully decentralized. Simulation results have shown that the active selection strategy significantly mitigates the effect of error propagation for both range and directional sensors. It greatly improves localization accuracy and robustness.
A method of obtaining sterile pilot samples when drawing blood into plastic containers.

The authors present a simple method of obtaining sterile clotted pilot blood samples when drawing blood into plastic bags with integral donor tubing.
Mechanical properties of a particle-strengthened polyurethane foam

Quasi-static compression tests have been performed on polyurethane foam specimens. The modulus of the foam exhibited a power-law dependence with respect to density of the form: E* ∝ (ρ*)n, where n = 1.7. The modulus data are described well by a simple geometric model (based on the work of Gibson and Ashby) for a closed-cell foam in which the stiffness of the foam is governed by the flexure of the cell struts and cell walls. The compressive strength of the foam is also found to follow a power-law behavior with respect to foam density. In this instance, Euler buckling is used to explain the density dependence. The modulus of the foam was modified by addition of gas-atomized, spherical, aluminum powder. Additions of 30 and 50 wt % Al measurably increased the foam modulus, but without a change in the density dependence. However, there was no observable increase in modulus with 5 and 10 wt % additions of the metal powder. Strength was also increased at high loading fractions of powder. The increase in modulus and strength could be predicted by combining the Gibson–Ashby model, referred to above, with a well-known model describing the effect on modulus of a rigid dispersoid in a compliant matrix. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 2724–2736, 1999
Effect of an anabolic steroid education program on knowledge and attitudes of high school football players

Six varsity high school football teams were assessed by confidential questionnaire regarding anabolic steroids, before and 2 weeks after an education intervention. The education program used the American College of Sports Medicine's position on the "use of anabolic androgenic steroids in sports." Two teams received a lecture and a four-page handout, two teams were given the handout only, and two teams were controls. Self-report of current use was 1.1% but 38.8% claimed availability of these agents. Although increased awareness of the adverse effects of anabolic steroid was found after the education program, no differences in attitudes toward the use of anabolic steroids occurred as compared to controls. Strategies designed to dissuade adolescent athletes from considering these drugs need to be developed.
Hemifacial microsomia in cat‐eye syndrome: 22q11.1–q11.21 as candidate loci for facial symmetry

Cat-Eye syndrome (CES), (OMIM 115470) also known as chromosome 22 partial tetrasomy or inverted duplicated 22q11, was first reported by Haab [1879] based on the primary features of eye coloboma and anal atresia. However, >60% of the patients lack these primary features. Here, we present a 9-month-old female who at birth was noted to have multiple defects, including facial asymmetry with asymmetric retrognathia, bilateral mandibular hypoplasia, branchial cleft sinus, right-sided muscular torticollis, esotropia, and an atretic right ear canal with low-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss, bilateral preauricular ear tag/pits, and two skin tags on her left cheek. There were no signs of any colobomas or anal atresia. Hemifacial microsomia (HFM) was suspected clinically. Chromosome studies and FISH identified an extra marker originated from 22q11 consistent with CES, and this was confirmed by aCGH. This report expands the phenotypic variability of CES and includes partial tetrasomy of 22q11.1-q11.21 in the differential diagnosis of HFM. In addition, our case as well as the previous association of 22q11.2 deletions and duplications with facial asymmetry and features of HFM, supports the hypothesis that this chromosome region harbors genes important in the regulation of body plan symmetry, and in particular facial harmony.
Writing simulations from scratch: Pascal implementations

Techniques for implementing simulation models in Pascal are discussed. Special emphasis is placed on the development of efficient data structures and random number generators. Source codes for efficient but not commonly available algorithms are provided. A floppy disk containing all procedures discussed in the paper is available from the author.
A Season in Intercultural Limbo: Ninagawa Yukio's Doctor Faustus, Theatre Cocoon, Tokyo

O the handful of non-Western Shakespearean directors whose shadows stretch beyond their home countries, few cast a more formidable shadow than Ninagawa Yukio. His patented style, a flamboyant synthesis of Eastern aesthetics and Western texts, has entranced audiences from Tokyo to Stratford—although perhaps not always, as we shall see, for the same reasons. In his landmark Macbeth (premiered in Tokyo in 1980, performed in Edinburgh in 1985), Ninagawa framed the stage as a giant butsudan—a Buddhist altar for commemorating dead relatives—and metamorphosed Birnam wood into a roving grove of blossom-spangled cherry trees. He relocated The Tempest (1987) from an anonymous Mediterranean isle to the Japanese island of Sado-ga-shima and associated Prospero with Zeami, the thirteenth-century founder of noh drama who was exiled there. In 1994, he uprooted A Midsummer Night’s Dream from the Athenian woods, transplanting it to a Zen rock garden in Kyoto. Critics, especially Western critics, were awed by the visual poetry of his productions and the elegant allusions to traditional Japanese culture. Ninagawa’s work has even been given the radiant imprimatur of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), which invited him to England on two separate occasions to direct productions of King Lear and Titus Andronicus.1
The contribution of polyploidy to variation in Brassica species

The genus Brassica includes species with two levels of polyploidy: diploids that have replicated genomes and appear to be ancient polyploids, and allopolyploids that were recently derived from hybridization of the diploid species. Research on these species has provided evidence that polyploidy contributes to phenotypic variation through several mechanisms. Polyploidy increases the potential variation of dosage-regulated gene expression, and this mechanism appears to affect flowering time variation through the effects of replicated copies of the flowering time gene FLC. Homoeologous chromosome transpositions occur in allopolyploids that alter allele composition, and this has created novel flowering time variation in newly formed Brassica allopolyploids. New allopolyploids also may have epigenetic changes or altered regulatory interactions that affect gene expression and phenotypic variation. Continued research on Brassica and other species should provide insight into the relative importance of these mechanisms for generating novel variation in polyploids.
Role of Presynaptic Muscarinic and GABAB Receptors in Spinal Glutamate Release and Cholinergic Analgesia in Rats

Spinally administered muscarinic receptor agonists or acetylcholinesterase inhibitors can produce effective pain relief. However, the analgesic mechanisms and the site of actions of cholinergic agents in the spinal cord are not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms underlying cholinergic presynaptic regulation of glutamate release onto spinal dorsal horn neurons. The role of spinal GABA(B) receptors in the antinociceptive action of muscarine was also determined. Whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings were performed on visualized dorsal horn neurons in the lamina II in the spinal cord slice preparation of rats. The miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) and miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs) were recorded in the presence of tetrodotoxin. The evoked EPSCs (eEPSCs) were obtained by electrical stimulation of the dorsal root entry zone or the attached dorsal root. Nociception in rats was measured using a radiant heat stimulus and the effect of intrathecal administration of drugs tested. Acetylcholine (10-100 microM) reduced the amplitude of monosynaptic eEPSCs in a concentration-dependent manner. Acetylcholine also significantly decreased the frequency of non-NMDA receptor-mediated mEPSCs, which was antagonized by atropine but not mecamylamine. The frequency of GABA(A) receptor-mediated mIPSCs was significantly increased by acetylcholine and this excitatory effect was abolished by atropine. Existence of presynaptic M(2) muscarinic receptors in the spinal dorsal horn was further demonstrated by immunocytochemistry staining and dorsal rhizotomy. CGP55845, a GABA(B) receptor antagonist, significantly attenuated the inhibitory effect of acetylcholine on the frequency of mEPSCs and the amplitude of monosynaptic eEPSCs in lamina II neurons. Furthermore, the antinociceptive action produced by intrathecal muscarine was significantly reduced by CGP55845 pretreatment in rats. Therefore, data from this integrated study provide new information that acetylcholine inhibits the glutamatergic synaptic input to lamina II neurons through presynaptic muscarinic receptors. Inhibition of glutamate release onto lamina II neurons by presynaptic muscarinic and GABA(B) heteroreceptors in the spinal cord probably contributes to the antinociceptive action of cholinergic agents.
Studies in the epidemiology and preventability of rheumatic fever. I. Demographic factors and the incidence of acute attacks.

Abstract Incidence rates of hospitalized rheumatic fever from 1960 to 1964 have been calculated for socio-economic fifths of the Baltimore white and non-white populations. The incidence rates for non-whites are consistently higher than those for whites in each socio-economic fifth. With improving socio-economic status the incidence rate of rheumatic fever declines in the white population but in the non-white population there is no clear pattern of declining incidence. A comparison of white and non-white socio-economic fifths, in terms of housing characteristics, indicates that extent of crowding is the variable which relates most closely to incidence of rheumatic fever. When degree of crowding is held constant, incidence rates among non-whites are no higher than those calculated for whites. The data suggest that the higher incidence of rheumatic fever among non-whites is not a result of any particular susceptibility of non-whites to rheumatic fever, but relates to the crowded conditions in which most of this ethnic group live in Baltimore. The findings in this study suggest that socio-economic factors should be an important consideration in programs designed to prevent and control rheumatic fever.
SU‐FF‐T‐70: A Treatment Planning Study of Liver Cancer Treatments with a Flattening Filter Free Linear Accelerator

Purpose: Our preliminary studies have shown that the removal of the flattening filter from the beam‐line of a medicallinear accelerator increases the dose rate, reduces head scatter and reduces dose outside the treatment volume. Although, in principle, the filter is unnecessary when a multileaf collimator is present, it remains to be seen whether treatments with unflattened beams are clinically feasible. In this study we investigate the application of flattening filter free photon beams for the treatment of small livercancertumors to determine if these beams offer an advantage for respiratory‐gated radiotherapy. Methods and Materials: This is a treatment planning study. We created plans using Eclipse 8.0 (Varian Medical Systems), which we commissioned with measured (6 MV, 18 MV) and Monte Carlo (10 MV) data for a Clinac 21EX linear accelerator, operated with and without a flattening filter. We selected several conventional 3D conformal treatment plans for flattened beams with field sizes not exceeding 10 cm × 10 cm. These were then compared with treatment plans, including 3D conformal plans and IMRT plans, developed with unflattened beams. Results:Dose distributions for treatment volumes and nearby critical structures were typically equivalent for the intensity‐modulated plans with flattened and unflattened beams. The number of monitor units required to deliver the same dose was much lower in the plans with unflattened beams. For example, at 18 MV the total number of monitor units in the intensity‐modulated plans with unflattened beams was about 1/2 of those in the conformal 3D plans with flattened beams. Conclusion: In this study we show that clinically acceptable treatment plans for livercancer can be obtained with unflattened beams. With respiratory‐gated radiotherapy, the high dose rates achieved with unflattened beams may shorten the overall treatment time dramatically. Conflict of Interest: Research sponsored by Varian Medical Systems.
Diagnosis and management of human parvovirus B19 infection.

Parvovirus B19 is a common infection in children occurring in winter and spring months that can affect pregnant women and their unborn fetuses. Adverse fetal sequelae may include red blood cell aplasia due to bone marrow suppression, anemia, myocarditis, nonimmune hydrops, and fetal death. Fortunately, several non-invasive testing schemes are available to assess the fetus, and invasive testing is reserved for fetuses who have marked anemia.
INTERDIFFUSION AND MOVING BOUNDARIES IN NiO-CaO AND NiO-MgO SINGLE CRYSTAL COUPLES

For single-crystal NiO-CaO diffusion anneals in air at 1346° to 1527°C, the chemical interdiffusion coefficient increased exponentially with increasing Ni concentration; for NiO-MgO at 1342° to 1346°C, a similar relation was found for [Ni] <0.41. The higher diffusivity and correspondingly greater flux in the NiO-rich phase resulted in reaction at the interface and movement of the crystallographic boundary with the growth of the NiO at the expense of the other crystal. The crystallographic orientation of the volume swept out transformed to that of the growing crystal.
Charged group surface accessibility determines micelleplexes formation and cellular interaction

Micelleplexes are a class of nucleic acid carriers that have gained acceptance due to their size, stability, and ability to synergistically carry small molecules. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA gene regulator that is consists of 19–22 nucleotides. Altered expression of miRNAs plays an important role in many human diseases. Using a model 22-nucleotide miRNA sequence, we investigated the interaction between charged groups on the micelle surface and miRNA. The model micelle system was formed from methoxy-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(lactide) (mPEG-PLA) mixed with methoxy-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(lactide)-b-oligoarginine (mPEG-PLA-Rx, x = 8 or 15). Surface properties of the micelles were varied by controlling the oligoarginine block length and conjugation density. Micelles were observed to have a core–shell conformation in the aqueous environment where the PLA block constituted the hydrophobic core, mPEG and oligoarginine formed a hydrophilic corona. Significantly different thermodynamic behaviors were observed during the interaction of single stranded miRNA with micelles of different surface properties, and the resulting micelleplexes mediated substantial cellular association. Depending upon the oligoarginine length and density, micelles exhibited miRNA loading capacity directly related to the presentation of charged groups on the surface. The effect of charged group accessibility of cationic micelle on micelleplex properties provides guidance on future miRNA delivery system design.
Oestrogen prevents cardiomyocyte apoptosis by suppressing p38α-mediated activation of p53 and by down-regulating p53 inhibition on p38β

Aims We have previously shown that 17-β-estradiol (E2) protects cardiomyocytes exposed to simulated ischaemia–reperfusion (I/R) by differentially regulating pro-apoptotic p38α mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38α MAPK) and pro-survival p38β. However, little is known about how E2 modulation of these kinases alters apoptotic signalling. An attractive downstream target is p53, a well-known mediator of apoptosis and a substrate of p38α MAPK. The aim of this study was to determine whether the cytoprotective actions of oestrogen involve regulation of p53 via cardiac p38 MAPKs. Methods and results Cultured rat cardiomyocytes underwent hypoxia followed by reoxygenation (H/R) to simulate I/R. We found that inhibiting p53 significantly reduced apoptosis. Phosphorylation of p53 at serine 15 [p-p53(S15)] increased after H/R in a p38α MAPK- and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent manner. E2 at 10 nM effectively inhibited p-p53(S15) and mitochondrial translocation of p53. Blocking p53 led to augmented p38β activity and attenuated ROS, suggesting suppression of this antioxidant kinase by p53. The use of a specific agonist for each oestrogen receptor (ER) isoform, ERα and ERβ, demonstrated that both isoforms participate in preventing cell death by inhibiting p53 in the mitochondria-centred apoptotic processes. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that during H/R stress, cardiomyocytes undergo p53-dependent apoptosis following phosphorylation of p53 by p38α MAPK, leading to p38β suppression. E2 protects cardiomyocytes by inhibiting p38α-p53 signalling in apoptosis.
Rapid analysis for plutonium-239 in urine by magnetic sector inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry using Aridus desolvation introduction system

Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is a useful method for assessing environmental or occupational exposure to thorium, uranium, plutonium, and other actinides. In this study, we investigated method parameters for practical balance between sample preparation time, volume, and sufficient sensitivity (limit of detection 47 fg per 10 mL urine) for reasonable exposure assessment of the maximum number of samples in the minimum possible turnaround time for unintentional exposures or emergency response situations using magnetic sector desolvation-ICP-MS. The method accuracy for urinary 239Pu determination was within 2% of target at 100 pg L−1 (p > 0.9995) and 7.7 pg L−1 (p > 0.9995), whereas our data was 16% disparate to target at approximately 45 pg L−1 (p < 0.0005) and 41% at approximately 37 pg L−1 (p > 0.0005) concentrations for data obtained from the determination of 239Pu in internally prepared urine pools and in pools characterized by an external agency. Precisions based on relative standard deviations ranged from 8% at 100 pg L−1 to 39% at 7.6 pg L−1239Pu.
Potential for genomic instability associated with retrotranspositionally-incompetent L1 loci

Expression of the L1 retrotransposon can damage the genome through insertional mutagenesis and the generation of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). The majority of L1 loci in the human genome are 5'-truncated and therefore incapable of retrotransposition. While thousands of full-length L1 loci remain, most are retrotranspositionally-incompetent due to inactivating mutations. However, mutations leading to premature stop codons within the L1 ORF2 sequence may yield truncated proteins that retain a functional endonuclease domain. We demonstrate that some truncated ORF2 proteins cause varying levels of toxicity and DNA damage when chronically overexpressed in mammalian cells. Furthermore, transfection of some ORF2 constructs containing premature stop codons supported low levels of Alu retrotransposition, demonstrating the potential for select retrotranspositionally-incompetent L1 loci to generate genomic instability. This result suggests yet another plausible explanation for the relative success of Alu elements in populating the human genome. Our data suggest that a subset of retrotranspositionally-incompetent L1s, previously considered to be harmless to genomic integrity, may have the potential to cause chronic DNA damage by introducing DSBs and mobilizing Alu. These results imply that the number of known L1 loci in the human genome that potentially threaten its stability may not be limited to the retrotranspositionally active loci.
The Forkhead Transcription Factor FoxY Regulates Nanos

SUMMARY FoxY is a member of the forkhead transcription factor family that appeared enriched in the presumptive germ line of sea urchins (Ransick et al. Dev Biol 2002;246:132). Here, we test the hypothesis that FoxY is involved in germ line determination in this animal. We found two splice forms of FoxY that share the same DNA-binding domain, but vary in the carboxy-terminal trans-activation/repression domain. Both forms of the FoxY protein are present in the egg and in the early embryo, and their mRNAs accumulate to their highest levels in the small micromeres and adjacent nonskeletogenic mesoderm. Knockdown of FoxY resulted in a dramatic decrease in Nanos mRNA and protein levels as well as a loss of coelomic pouches in 2-week-old larvae. Our results indicate that FoxY positively regulates Nanos at the transcriptional level and is essential for reproductive potential in this organism.
Online diabetes self-management program: a randomized study.

Abstract Objective. We hypothesized that people with type 2 diabetes in an on-line diabetes self-management program, compared to usual-care controls, would demonstrate 1) reduced A1c at 6 and 18 months, 2) have fewer symptoms, 3) increased exercise and 4) improved self-efficacy and patient activation. In addition, participants randomized to listserve reinforcement would have better 18-month outcomes than participants receiving no reinforcement. Research Design and Methods. 761 participants were randomized to 1) the program, 2) program with email reinforcement, or 3) usual-care controls (no treatment). This sample included 110 American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/AN). Analyses of covariance models were used at 6 and 18-month follow-up to compare groups. Results. At six months A1c, patient activation and self efficacy were improved for program participants compared to usual care controls (p Conclusions. An on-line diabetes self-management program is acceptable for people with type 2 diabetes. Although the results were mixed they suggest 1) that the program may have beneficial effects in reducing A1c, 2) AI/AN populations can be engaged in and benefit from on-line interventions, and 3) our follow-up reinforcement appeared to have no value.
Uneven gas diffusion layer intrusion in gas channel arrays of proton exchange membrane fuel cell and its effects on flow distribution

Intrusion of the gas diffusion layer (GDL) into gas channels due to fuel cell compression has a major impact on the gas flow distribution, fuel cell performance and durability. In this work, the effect of compression resulting in GDL intrusion in individual parallel PEMFC channels is investigated. The intrusion is determined using two methods: an optical measurement in both the in-plane and through-plane directions of GDL, as well as an analytical fluid flow model based on individual channel flow rate measurements. The intrusion measurements and estimates obtained from these methods agree well with each other. An uneven distribution of GDL intrusion into individual parallel channels is observed. A non-uniform compression force distribution derived from the clamping bolts causes a higher intrusion in the end channels. The heterogeneous GDL structure and physical properties may also contribute to the uneven GDL intrusion. As a result of uneven intrusion distribution, severe flow maldistribution and increased pressure drop have been observed. The intrusion data can be further used to determine the mechanical properties of GDL materials. Using the finite element analysis software program ANSYS, the Young's modulus of the GDL from these measurements is estimated to be 30.9 MPa.
Impact of large Doppler on error performance of FH/MFSK with RS or BCH coding in Rayleigh and Rician fading

The degradation of performance caused by Doppler shift to frequency hopped (FH)/M-ary frequency shift keying (MFSK) Reed-Solomon (RS) coded signal over a Rayleigh and Rician channel is analyzed. The receiver employs a digital processing scheme, consisting of an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter followed by quadrature decomposition and complex-valued envelope discrete Fourier transformation (DFT). Predecoder symbol error probability and post-decoder word error probability are presented as a function of Doppler shift, channel randomness parameter, and the symbol energy-to-noise ratio. The noise is assumed to be white and Gaussian distributed. Results show that for a typical symbol error rate of 10/sup -3/, the margin for 8-ary uncoded transmission must be increased by 8 dB to account for Doppler in a Rician fading channel. >
Measurement of Political Effects in the United States Economy: A Study of the 1992 Presidential Election

This paper analyzes the link between the 1992 United States presidential election outcome and a collection of American economic sectors. Based on data from the 1992 Iowa Political Stock Market and campaign-period stock portfolio behavior, we identify 15 economic sectors, of 74 examined, whose profits varied in a statistically significant manner with movements in Iowa Market-based measures of presidential candidate standing. And, in light of 1992 campaign rhetoric pertaining to defense policy and environmental issues, we build on this finding with an analysis of selected defense firms and firms known to be toxic waste emitters.
“Growing Apart”: The Rise of Inequality

Economic inequality, particularly in the areas of income and wealth, has been steadily expanding in the United States. This reality is an issue for other nations as well. This article examines reasons why economic inequality deserves more attention from moral theologians. It also reviews recent literature on the topic and the need to restore equality of opportunity as a genuine aspect of American life.
Expectations of Surgeons from an Imager

In the last decade, we have witnessed an extraordinary development of new cardiac imaging techniques. Some are already in routine use while other promising techniques, such as 3D and intracardiac echocardiography, are still taking their first steps in clinical applications and have not yet revealed all their potential. Heart failure surgery is also evolving rapidly toward less-invasive procedures with the introduction of video-assisted robotic valve repair/replacement surgery, percutaneous delivery of epicardial restraint devices, mitral edge-to-edge clips, coronary sinus mitral annuloplasty rings, and stem cell therapy. These rapid developments are challenging for the imager and the surgeon and mandate a close collaboration between the two disciplines to minimize surgical risk and improve the outcome of patients who have heart failure.
The C57BL/6J Mouse Strain Background Modifies the Effect of a Mutation in Bcl2l2

Bcl2l2 encodes BCL-W, an antiapoptotic member of the BCL-2 family of proteins. Intercross of Bcl2l2 +/- mice on a mixed C57BL/6J, 129S5 background produces Bcl2l2 -/- animals with the expected frequency. In contrast, intercross of Bcl2l2 +/- mice on a congenic C57BL/6J background produces relatively few live-born Bcl2l2 -/- animals. Genetic modifiers alter the effect of a mutation. C57BL/6J mice (Mus musculus) have a mutant allele of nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase (Nnt) that can act as a modifier. Loss of NNT decreases the concentration of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate within the mitochondrial matrix. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate is a cofactor for glutathione reductase, which regenerates reduced glutathione, an important antioxidant. Thus, loss of NNT activity is associated with increased mitochondrial oxidative damage and cellular stress. To determine whether loss of Bcl2l2 -/- mice on the C57BL/6J background was mediated by the Nnt mutation, we outcrossed Bcl2l2 congenic C57BL/6J (Nnt -/-) mice with the closely related C57BL/6JEiJ (Nnt +/+) strain to produce Bcl2l2 +/- ; Nnt +/+ and Bcl2l2 +/- ; Nnt -/- animals. Intercross of Bcl2l2 +/- ; Nnt +/+ mice produced Bcl2l2 -/- with the expected frequency, whereas intercross of Bcl2l2 +/- ; Nnt -/- animals did not. This finding indicates the C57BL/6J strain background, and possibly the Nnt mutation, modifies the Bcl2l2 mutant phenotype. This and previous reports highlight the importance of knowing the genetic composition of mouse strains used in research studies as well as the accurate reporting of mouse strains in the scientific literature.
MMSE-Based amplifying relay matrix for noncooperative AF wireless relay network under power constraints

This paper derives analytically an optimum amplifying relay matrix using the minimum mean square error (MMSE) criteria for a noncooperative amplify-and-forward (AF) distributed relay network. Global and local power constraints are included in the analysis. And a one-source-one-destination node pair and N-relay network is considered. Because the relays are noncooperative, this paper exploits the diagonal property in an amplifying relay matrix for the optimum matrix derivation. Then, this paper claims that the bit error rate of the AF network using the proposed amplifying relay matrix is significantly better than that of the AF network with the other existing amplifying matrices.