cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract B49: Genome-wide analysis of liquid biopsies reveals a novel layer of tumorheterogeneity in neuroblastoma

Purpose: For 60% of high risk neuroblastoma patients this tumor is still a deadly disease. Even though great progress has been achieved over the last decades concerning molecular classifiers and drug targets, most of the results are based on single biopsies of bulky tumors. However, recent data show that neuroblastoma tumors are frequently inhomogeneous and that driver mutations are frequently not, or only in a sub-clone, detectable in the primary tumor. To bypass intra-tumor heterogeneity and the frequently insufficient tumor tissue, alternative strategies need to be evaluated to overcome these limitations. Isolating cell-free tumor DNA from more easily accessible patient biomaterial sources could surmount these challenges. We investigated the feasibility in neuroblastoma patients of cell-free peripheral blood (PB) and bone marrow (BM) plasma for tumor genome analyses. Experimental Design: Cell-free DNA, isolated from 126 plasma samples from 24 stage M neuroblastoma patients and ultrahigh-density SNP array (UHD SNP) data from 19 samples were compared with UHD SNP array and I-FISH data from the corresponding tumor or enriched disseminated tumor cells from bone marrow (BM-DTCs) samples. Results: Genomic aberrations were retrieved from 14/19 cfDNA samples. MYCN amplification or other amplified sequences and all typical segmental chromosomal aberrations (SCA) besides atypical aberrations and micro-deletions or small gains could be unambiguously identified. Most genomic aberrations detected in cell-free tumor DNA from our patient cohort were identical to aberrations detected in other tumor cell sources from the same patient. While genomic aberrations detected in cell-free tumor DNA from BM plasma or BM-DTCs were completely identical (3/3), discordances were detected between BM and PB plasma samples obtained at the same time point and tumor tissue (1/1) sources. Conclusions: Cell-free tumor DNA may serve as an additional source for tumor genome analyses, not only in cases for which biopsy or surgical interventions carry a high risk for the patient, but especially to detect additional genetically distinct tumor clones frequently not visible in the primary tumor. Our findings contradict the widely accepted view that all bodily fluids yield an identical picture of tumor genetics. Comparing datasets from different intra-patient locations will produce a more complete representation of tumor heterogeneity, thus improving our understanding of tumor dynamics and progression in individual patients. Citation Format: Sophia C. Huetter, Diana S. Walder, Clemens Brunner, Reza M. Abbasi, Fikret Rifatbegovic, Caroline Hutter, Ruth Ladenstein, Inge M. Ambros, Peter F. Ambros. Genome-wide analysis of liquid biopsies reveals a novel layer of tumorheterogeneity in neuroblastoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Pediatric Cancer Research: From Mechanisms and Models to Treatment and Survivorship; 2015 Nov 9-12; Fort Lauderdale, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(5 Suppl):Abstract nr B49.
Bilateral Horner's syndrome and hoarseness complicating lumbar epidural anesthesia

A case of bilateral Horner's syndrome associated with hoarseness resulting from single-dose lumbar epidural analgesia for relief of low back pain in a 57-year-old man is reported. The pathophysiology of Horner's syndrome and hoarseness is discussed.
Correlation of the Cranial Base Angle and Its Components with Other Dental/Skeletal Variables and Treatment Time

Many authors have studied the correlation of cranial base flexure and the degree of mandibular prognathism and classification of malocclusion. This indicates that the cranial base flexure may or may not have an effect on the degree of mandibular prognathism and classification of malocclusion. This study evaluates the correlation of the pretreatment cranial base angle and its component parts to other dental and skeletal cephalometric variables as well as treatment time. The sample consisted of 99 Angle Class II and Class I malocclusions treated in the mixed dentition with cervical headgear and incisor bite plane. Thirty of the patients required full appliance treatment. Treatment duration averaged 4.3 years (SD, 1.5 years). Only the starting cephalograms were used to acquire linear, proportional, and angular cranial base dimensions using Ba-S-N (total cranial base), Ba-S/FH (posterior cranial base), and SN/FH (anterior cranial base). Pearson product moment correlation coefficients were computed and used to assess the association of the following skeletal and dental variables: N-Pg/FH, MP/FH, Y-axis/FH, U1/L1, L1/MP, A-NPg mm, A-Perp, B-Perp, and treatment time with the cranial base measurements. Significance was determined only when the confidence level was P < .05. Although there was no significant correlation of BaSN or SN/FH with NPg, the angular BaS/FH, linear BaS mm, and proportional length of BaS %BaN were all statistically negatively correlated to the facial angle. This indicates that the posterior cranial base leg is the controlling factor in relating the cranial base to mandibular prognathism.
Correlation of Diagnostic Echographic Features of Mitral Stenosis with Findings at Catheterization and Surgery

The accuracy of echocardiography (E) in predicting the degree of mitral stenosis (DMS), pliability of valve leaflets (P) and the presence of calcification (C) was prospectively tested by comparison with catheterization data and measurements at open commissurotomy in 26 patients. Echographic categorization of MS as severe (E-F slope < 15 mm./sec), moderate (15–25 mm./sec), and mild (25–35 mm./sec.) was compared with mitral valve area calculated by Gorlin’s formula (G) and measured by calibrated probes at surgery (S) (Severe: area < 0.5 cms. sq. Moderate: 0.5–1.0 cms. sq. Mild: 1.0–1.5 cms. sq.) In 15 patients there was agreement between the echographic and surgical estimation of DMS. 11 patients were categorized by E as more stenosed than was found by S. 21 patients had valve areas calculated by G. In 6 patients there was agreement between E and G estimation of DMS. 13 were categorized by E as more stenosed than was found by G. 2 were more stenosed by G than E. In these 2 patients DMS by E and S were in agreement. The presence of low cardiac index, atrial fibrillation and mitral regurgitation did not significantly contribute to these relationships.
Exercise and Physical Activity

Psychologists working in health promotion and rehabilitation settings can often use their evaluation and intervention skills to help individuals adopt and maintain healthier lifestyles, including increased physical activity. Their expertise in theories and methods of behavior change can also make an important contribution to the design and implementation of specialized exercise and physical activity programs for high-risk groups and even entire communities. We begin this chapter with a brief discussion of physical activity behavior in the United States today and its importance in public health. We describe methods of assessing health-related physical activity and exercise that can be useful in different settings and applications. We briefly describe two behavioral models we believe will lead to improved exercise-promotion interventions. In the final two sections, we briefly present examples of interventions to increase physical activity and discuss physical activity promotion in groups that have until recently received little attention from researchers in this area: minorities, women, and the elderly.
Abstract 612: Apelinergic System within the Kidney is Altered in Diabetic Mice

Background: The Apelin receptor (APJ)-Apelin system has been implicated in cardiovascular function but little is known regarding diabetic kidney disease. Apelin’s effects appear related, in part, to an interaction with angiotensin II. Apelin, like angiotensin II, is a substrate for ACE2, which we previously showed to localize in tubular and glomerular epithelial cells (podocytes). Here we wanted to investigate the localization of this peptide within the glomerulus and the overall expression of apelin and its receptor APJ within normal and diabetic mouse kidney. METHODS: We employed RT real time PCR, western blot, immunostaining, tissue and cell confocal microscopy to study apelin and APJ in kidneys from female C57BLKS mice (8 wks of age) and in cultured immortalized podocytes. Mouse podocytes were stimulated with Pyr 1 Apelin-13 (100nM) for 0, 1, 5, 15 and 60min and tested for phospho-status of AKT, p70S6K and ERK. Kidneys from 8 weeks old db/db mice were also studied. Results: Both Apelin and APJ were abundantly present in the kidney being expressed in most glomerular tufts, proximal tubules, and arterioles. In glomeruli, apelin colocalized with nephrin, PECAM-1, and a-SMA indicating its presence in podocytes, endothelial cells, and mesangial cells. APJ, by contrast, did not colocalize with PECAM-1 but also colocalized with several podocyte markers. In the proximal tubule, the APJ receptor colocalized with ACE2. Apelin and APJ mRNA were also expressed in cultured mouse podocytes where apelin-13 induced AKT, p70S6K and ERK rapid signaling (at 15min). By RT real time PCR, kidney cortex from db/db mice (n=6) had reduced APJ (0.19±0.02 vs 0.62±0.08, p db/m controls (n=6). Conclusions: Apelin and its receptor are widely expressed in the kidney, including podocytes where apelin-13 is involved in AKT, p70S6K and ERK signaling. Reduced apelinergic activity in the diabetic kidney could be possibly compensatory to the known overactivity of the RAS.
Self-Consistent Electrothermal Modeling of Passive and Microchannel Cooling in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

AlGaN/GaN high electronic mobility transistors (HEMTs) are highly promising for power and RF electronics due to large bandgap and high breakdown voltage. However, the thermal bottlenecks associated with the elevated temperatures in the device at high power density presents significant barriers in achieving the full potential of these HEMTs. Embedded cooling solutions have been explored for these devices for the efficient thermal management of extreme heat fluxes and hotspots. This involves conductive, convective, and evaporative cooling methods located closer to the electrically active regions of the device. Developing simulation tools that can guide thermal-mechanical-electrical co-design are necessary for implementation of the embedded cooling solutions. We present self-consistent electrothermal models for AlGaN/GaN HEMTs to study the passive and embedded microchannel cooling. In the case of passive cooling, we develop a fully compact electrothermal model that is computationally very efficient and provides high-fidelity results. The model can capture the spatial variation of temperature profile in the device and can predict the temperature-dependent drain current variation among the various fingers in a multifinger HEMT. We then explore the potential of liquid cooling of a multifinger AlGaN/GaN HEMTs using microchannels embedded in the substrate. A 3-D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of the device is coupled with the compact dc current model. Our analysis shows that the self-consistency effects on power and temperature remain significant even for the high flow rates in microchannels. Predictive capability of the “standalone” CFD models of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs can be limited unless they are self-consistently coupled with the electrical models.
Top Quark Mass Measurements at CDF

Recent measurements of the mass of the top quark (t) are presented using 162 pb−1 of data of p p ¯ collisions at s = 1.96 TeV collected by the CDF detector at the Tevatron collider during Run II. The analyses focus on the semi-leptonic decay mode t t ¯ → ( b l ν ) ( b ¯ q q ¯ ) with one or two identified bottom quarks (b). The Template Method reconstructs the invariant mass of the top quark in each event. The Multivariate Template Method enhances this approach by adding information on the event topology. The Dynamical Likelihood Method discriminates between possible mass values using top quark decay observables and attempts to use the maximum amount of information on top quarks provided by the Standard Model. All three methods produce similar results. The Dynamical Likelihood Method yields a top quark mass of 177.8 −5.0 +4.5 ( stat ) ± 6.2 ( sys ) GeV / c 2 .
Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM)

Traditionally endoscopic pneumatic dilation and laparoscopic Heller myotomy have been the standard first-line treatment for achalasia. Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) combines the minimally invasive endoscopic approach of pneumatic dilation with the direct vision myotomy precision of LHM. With several thousand cases done worldwide, POEM should not be labeled as experimental procedure anymore considering the well-documented very high technical and midterm clinical success rates along with excellent safety profile. However before starting a POEM program, it is extremely important to thoroughly verse oneself with the indications, contraindications, instruments, and accessories to be used for the procedure, procedure steps along with the complications, management of complications, and follow-up in these patients. In this comprehensive chapter on POEM, we describe these factors and also include our personal experience at our center.
Current production as a rapid response expression reporter under micro-oxic and anoxic conditions

Inducible gene expression is crucial for regulating cellular processes and production of compounds within cellular pathways. Yet, inducing gene expression is only the first step to utilizing cellular processes for an applied purpose such as biosensors. Detecting when gene expression occurs is central to understanding the overall mechanism of the process as well as maximizing the process. Fluorescent proteins have been established as the primary tool for detecting gene expression in inducible systems. This study proposes electricity production as an alternate tool in reporting gene expression. Using a model organism for electricity production, Shewanella oneidensis MR-1, current was shown to be an efficient reporter for gene expression and comparable to superfolder green fluorescent protein (GFP). Through regulation of the lac operator and T7 promoter, current production was induced by isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) addition. IPTG addition induced translation of GFP and the MtrB protein, which complemented a ∆mtrB strain of S. oneidensis MR-1 and restored current production. This inducible system generated reproducible current in 18 minutes in both micro-oxic and anoxic conditions. These results show that current is a fast reporter for gene expression.
Prevalence of proteinuria in a canine oncology population.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the point prevalence of proteinuria in dogs presenting to the University of Georgia Oncology Service for the first time. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this prospective study, 60 client-owned dogs with a confirmed cancer diagnosis were included but those with lower urinary tract neoplasia were excluded. Each dog's signalment, cancer diagnosis, previous cancer treatments, current medications and travel history were recorded. Renal values, electrolytes, packed cell volume, total solids, systolic blood pressure, urinalysis, urine protein:urine creatinine and retinal examinations were recorded. Non-proteinuric, borderline proteinuria and overt proteinuria were defined as urine protein:urine creatinine <0·2, ≥0·2 but <0·5, and ≥0·5, respectively. Urine culture was performed in dogs with active urine sediments or overt proteinuria. RESULTS Twenty-nine dogs were non-proteinuric (48·3%), 22 (36·7%) borderline proteinuric and nine (15%) overtly proteinuric. None were azotaemic. Hypertension (systolic blood pressure ≥160 mmHg) was detected in 18 (30%) dogs. Of these, six were non-proteinuric, nine borderline proteinuric, and three overtly proteinuric. Proteinuria was detected in 51% of dogs presented to our oncology service, the majority of which were classified as borderline. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE The high proportion of proteinuria in dogs in this study suggests that screening for proteinuria in dogs with cancer may be prudent. Larger studies are required to correlate specific cancer types and the impact of treatment with the development, magnitude and persistence of proteinuria.
Impact of formal training on agreement of videofluoroscopic swallowing study interpretation across and within disciplines.

Formal agreement studies on interpretation of the videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) procedure among speech-language pathologists, radiology house officers, and staff radiologists have not been pursued. Each of these professions participates in the procedure, interprets the examination, and writes separate reports on the findings. The aim of this study was to determine reliability of interpretation between and within the disciplines and to determine if structured training improved reliability. Thirteen speech-language pathologists (SLPs), ten diagnostic radiologists (RADs) and twenty-one diagnostic radiology house officers (HOs) participated in this study. Each group viewed 24 VFSS samples and rated the presence or absence of seven aberrant swallowing features as well as the presence of dysphagia and identification of oral dysphagia, pharyngeal dysphagia, or both. During part two, the groups were provided with a training session on normal and abnormal swallowing, using different VFSS samples from those in part one, followed by re-rating of the original 24 VFSS samples. A generalized estimating equations (GEE) approach with a binomial link function was used to examine each question separately. For each cluster of tests, as example, all pairwise comparisons between the three groups in the pretraining period, a Hochberg’s correction for multiple testing was used to determine significance. A GEE approach with a binomial link function was used to compare the premeasure to postmeasure for each of the three groups of raters stratified by experience. The primary result revealed that the HO group scored significantly lower than the SLP and RAD group on identification of the presence of dysphagia (p = 0.008; p = 0.001, respectively), identification of oral phase dysphagia (p = 0.003; p = 0.001, respectively), and identification of both oral and pharyngeal phase dysphagia, (p = 0.014, p = 0.001, respectively) pretraining. Post training there was no statistically significant difference between the three groups on identification of dysphagia and identification of combined oral and pharyngeal dysphagia. Formal training to identify oropharyngeal dysphagia characteristics appears to improve accuracy of interpretation of the VFSS procedure for radiology house officers. Consideration to include formal training in this area for radiology residency training programs is recommended.
Intensive interdisciplinary treatment for a patient with coexisting pain and obesity: A case study

Chronic pain and obesity are topics of increasing concern. When both diagnoses are present in the same patient, treatment can be complicated. This is a retrospective case-study looking at outcomes across the continuum of care for a patient with Grade III Obesity and chronic widespread pain. The patient completed a Pain Rehabilitation Center program. Progression was realised by following a deliberate, daily regimen, allowing for consistent activity despite the presence of significant physical symptoms and emotional distress.
Ethical implications of drugs for erectile dysfunction

The author examines ethical questions related to the sale and marketing of Viagra and the social ramifications of the drug.
FUNCTIONAL ANATOMY OF THE HYPOTHALAMUS FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF TEMPERATURE REGULATION

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the functional anatomy of the hypothalamus from the point of view of temperature regulation. The ability of the hypothalamus to trigger the total pattern of autonomic thermoregulatory responses has been repeatedly shown. The locus of greatest control appears to reside in the PO/AH. Animals with PO/AH lesions or topical anesthesia cannot maintain their body temperatures in cold or warm environments; locally cooling or heating this area causes appropriate autonomic thermoregulatory responses. Both warm- and cool-sensitive neurons have been identified; however, the cool-sensitive neurons may be interneurons receiving inhibitory inputs from nearby warm-sensitive neurons. PO/AH thermosensitive units receive afferent inputs from cutaneous thermoreceptors and from thermosensitive neurons in the spinal cord and the midbrain. The temperature controller function has been ascribed to these temperature-sensitive neurons or, alternatively, to adjacent, temperature-insensitive neurons. Putative neurotransmitters injected directly into the PO/AH induce either increases or decreases of body temperature, depending upon the species and other conditions. Temperature-sensitive units occur in the posterior hypothalamus, but they are few. Thermal stimulation or local injection of neurotransmitters may or may not evoke autonomic thermoeffector responses.
Removal of Acidity and Metals from Acid Mine Drainage-Impacted Water using Industrial Byproducts

One of the biggest environmental impacts of mining is the generation of acid mine drainage (AMD). In the absence of proper post-mining management practices, AMD pollution can cause massive environmental damage. Current AMD management practices often fail to meet the expectations of cost, efficiency, and sustainability. The objective of this study was to utilize the metal-binding and acid-neutralizing capacity of an industrial by-product that is otherwise landfilled, namely drinking-water treatment residuals (WTRs), to treat AMD-water, thus offering a green remediation alternative. AMD-water was collected from Tab-Simco coal mine in Carbondale, Illinois. It was highly acidic (pH 2.27), and contaminated with metals, metalloids and sulfate at very high concentrations. A filter media, prepared using locally-generated aluminum (Al) and calcium (Ca)-based WTRs, was used to increase pH and to remove metals and $${\mathrm{SO}}_4^{2 - }$$ from AMD-water. Laboratory-batch sorption studies at various WTRs (Al and Ca):AMD-water ratios were performed to optimize the filter media. WTRs:sand ratio of 1:6 provided optimal permeability, and 1:1 Al-WTRs:Ca-WTRs ratio was the optimal sorbent mix for removal of the metals of concern. A scaled-up study using a 55-gallon WTRs and sand-based filter was designed and tested. The results showed that the filter media removed more than 99% of the initial Fe (137 mg/L), Al (80 mg/L), Zn (11 mg/L), Pb (7 mg/L), As (4 mg/L), Mn (33 mg/L), and 44% of the initial $${\mathrm{SO}}_4^{2 - }$$ (2481 mg/L) from Tab-Simco AMD-water. pH increased from 2.27 to 7.8. Desorption experiments showed that the metals were irreversibly bound to the WTRs and were not released back to the water.
Fairness-Aware Programming

Increasingly, programming tasks involve automating and deploying sensitive decision-making processes that may have adverse impacts on individuals or groups of people. The issue of fairness in automated decision-making has thus become a major problem, attracting interdisciplinary attention. In this work, we aim to make fairness a first-class concern in programming. Specifically, we propose fairness-aware programming, where programmers can state fairness expectations natively in their code, and have a runtime system monitor decision-making and report violations of fairness. We present a rich and general specification language that allows a programmer to specify a range of fairness definitions from the literature, as well as others. As the decision-making program executes, the runtime maintains statistics on the decisions made and incrementally checks whether the fairness definitions have been violated, reporting such violations to the developer. The advantages of this approach are two fold: (i) Enabling declarative mathematical specifications of fairness in the programming language simplifies the process of checking fairness, as the programmer does not have to write ad hoc code for maintaining statistics. (ii) Compared to existing techniques for checking and ensuring fairness, our approach monitors a decision-making program in the wild, which may be running on a distribution that is unlike the dataset on which a classifier was trained and tested. We describe an implementation of our proposed methodology as a library in the Python programming language and illustrate its use on case studies from the algorithmic fairness literature.
Facebook-Induced Friend Shift and Identity Shift: A Longitudinal Study of Facebook Posting and Collegiate Drinking

Abstract While research has indicated that perceiving alcohol-related posts on Facebook can be predictive of future alcohol consumption for college students, little research has considered the cons...
Should the Environment Be a Human Factor

For many decades, we recognized four human factors: physical, cognitive, social, and cultural. Approximately at the turn of the millennium, we increasingly began to recognize, based on a variety of evidence from psychology, physiology, neurophilosophy, and other fields, that affect should be added as a new category. To understand the human, the argument went, we were missing an important component if we left out emotion. That perspective has been sufficiently well accepted that the dedicated society and conference for the topic, Design and Emotion, was able to declare success, and held its last event in Amsterdam, then closed its doors in 2016.
Comparison of Cardiovascular Outcomes by Dialysis Modality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis:

Debates exist regarding the merit of starting one dialysis modality over the other for improved cardiovascular outcomes. Five previously published prospective and retrospective cohort studies have reported inconsistent conclusions on this topic. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to evaluate the influence initiation of hemodialysis (HD) vs peritoneal dialysis (PD) may have on the relative risk (RR) of subsequent development of adverse cardiovascular events (ACVE) in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Of the 518 records identified, 5 cohort studies, assessing a total of 47,062 patients were included in the meta-analysis. With regard to the subsequent development of ACVE following initiation on the different dialysis modalities, the pooled RR was found to be non-significant. Peritoneal dialysis is a suitable and cost-effective alternative to HD for ESRD patients at risk of cardiovascular disease.
Refugee Migration as a “Wicked Problem”: American Controlling, Palliative, and Governance Policies in Global Context:

Refugee migration is a very visible and growing wicked problem. In this conceptual article, we outline a framework that identifies types of policies, levels of government (in refugee receiving coun...
Where Are All the Reading Teachers? Redesigning a Reading Master’s Degree:

This article examines how a small, regional comprehensive university located in a geographically isolated context reinvigorated its master’s degree in reading. The process began with articulating a...
Constructivist approaches to teaching CS and IT: tutorial presentation

This tutorial presents an overview of pedagogical best-practice for teaching Computer Science and Information Technology with a focus on moving from a traditional lecture-based approach to various student-centered, discovery-based learning approaches.
Teaching Elementary Computer Science through Universal Design for Learning

Given the academic diversity of today's classrooms, elementary teachers engaged in computer science (CS) and computational thinking (CT) instruction must create CS/CT experiences that are accessible and engaging to a broad range of learners, including those with disabilities. One method of developing inclusive instructional experiences is through the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, wherein teachers proactively design instruction for the broadest range of learners. Doing so may be challenging as elementary teachers may not be familiar with the UDL framework or may not have experience with applying UDL within CS/CT instruction. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate how four elementary teachers provided UDL-based instruction to academically diverse learners during CS/CT instruction. Teachers received professional development and instructional coaching related to UDL within CS/CT education. Data included teachers' lesson plans, coaching logs, and teacher interviews which were qualitatively analyzed and triangulated. Data revealed that teachers generally addressed all three UDL principles, with an emphasis on two of the principles (multiple means of engagement and multiple means of representing content) above the third principle (multiple means of action and expression). They focused on breaking tasks into steps, emphasizing student choice, and presenting information in multiple ways. Findings revealed nuanced implementation differences among the teachers as well.
Performance Characterization of the TRW 35K Pulse Tube Cooler

The TRW 35K pulse tube cooler is configured as an integral cooler, with the pulse tube attached perpendicular to a pair of compressors operating into a common compression chamber. The cooler was optimized for 35K operation and has a nominal cooling capacity of 850 mW at 35 K with a cooler input power of 200 W. It also provides 2 W of cooling at 60 K for 90 W of input power. The cooler was extensively characterized by JPL, measuring the thermal performance and the cooler-generated vibration and EMI as a function of piston stroke and offset position. The thermal performance was found to be quite sensitive to the piston offset position. The pulse tube parasitic conduction levels were also measured and shown to have a strong angular dependence relative to gravity. Magnetic shielding studies were performed to examine radiated magnetic emission levels from compressors with and without shielding.
Oncogenic SETBP1 Mutations Combine with Activating Mutations in CSF3R to Produce a Highly Proliferative, Lethal Leukemia through Aberrant Myc Signaling

SETBP1 (SET Binding Protein 1) mutations are associated with exceptionally poor prognosis in myeloid neoplasms. Despite this, SETBP1's role in oncogenesis remains incompletely understood. In this study, we find that SETBP1 leads to a marked upregulation of the Myc oncogene and associated pro-stem and progenitor programs through epigenetic dysregulation. We further identify an epigenetic modulatory drug that normalizes SETBP1-driven Myc overexpression and synergizes with disease-relevant therapy. SETBP1 has documented roles in both the regulation of tumor suppressor pathways and modulation of transcription. To understand how SETBP1 modulates leukemia biology and leverage this mechanistic insight to develop novel therapeutic strategies, we turned to a genetically well-defined model system, chronic neutrophilic leukemia (CNL). SETBP1 is mutated in approximately half of all cases of CNL, a myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by the presence of signaling-activating mutations in Colony Stimulating Factor 3 Receptor (CSF3R). By expressing SETBP1 and CSF3R mutations in mouse hematopoietic progenitors, we have generated models of CNL that can be leveraged for mechanistic studies and drug development. In a hematopoietic colony forming unit (CFU) assay, murine hematopoietic progenitors co-expressing mutant SETBP1 and mutant CSF3R have a high proliferation phenotype compared to those with mutant CSF3R alone. When cells co-expressing mutant SETBP1 and CSF3R are transplanted into lethally irradiated mice, they develop a rapidly lethal disease relative to the control mice. This is associated with an expansion of the granulocyte lineage, quantified by complete blood count, flow cytometry and histology. We find that SETBP1 is essential for the induction of a pro-proliferative transcriptional program. One of the most prominent SETBP1-associated signatures is that of Myc target genes. Myc itself is one of the top differentially expressed genes driven by SETBP1. Congruent with its increased expression, we also find higher Myc transcriptional activity in cells overexpressing SETBP1. To better understand the epigenetic regulation of Myc and progenitor pathways by SETBP1, we employed a low input profiling methods called CUTT Ionis Pharmaceuticals: Other: Joint oversight committee for a collaboration between OHSU and Ionis Pharmaceuticals.
Experimental investigation of point-by-point off-axis Bragg gratings inscribed by a femtosecond laser in few-mode fibers

Off-axis Bragg gratings with varied horizontal and vertical distances off the center in a step-index two-mode fiber were fabricated by 800 nm infrared-femtosecond laser pulses through a point-by-point technique. In this article, we experimentally investigate these gratings via measuring the transmitted power and the reflected intensity profiles under different input polarization, with multiple characteristics reported for the first time to the best of our knowledge. To highlight, we find that the birefringence induced to the LP01 reaches its maximum magnitude at an intermediate offset, followed by the fast and slow axes switching at a further slightly increased offset. We also show that the peak reflectivity of the LP11 exhibits strong polarization dependence, with the much stronger peak reflectivity constantly corresponding to the polarization perpendicular to the damage-point-to-center line, whereas the peak reflectivity of the LP01 has almost no polarization dependence. Moreover, we report that the reflected mode patterns of the cross-coupling of the LP01 and LP11 are linked to the direction of linear polarization, through which one can selectively excite an arbitrarily oriented LP11 by merely altering the polarization.
Combined ARFI Variance of Acceleration (VoA), Vector Flow, and Wall Shear Stress for Assessing Atherosclerotic Risk: Ex-Vivo Human Cadaveric Results

Vascular hemodynamics and plaque composition are better indicators of stroke risk than degrees of stenosis alone. In silico work previously indicated that the acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) derived parameter, variance of acceleration (VoA), may be implemented with plane wave (PW) acquisitions to offer a high frame rate method of differentiating plaque components. Vector flow imaging methods such as multi-angle plane wave vector Doppler further allow 2D blood flow tracking and assessments of wall shear stress (WSS) to better predict rupture potential. We hypothesize ARFI VoA and plane wave vector Doppler may be efficiently combined to interrogate plaque structure and composition and estimate WSS in human carotid arteries. While focused ARFI - VoA best predicts feature size compared to PW acquisitions, PW ARFI-VoA offers comparable resolution, but contrast of lower SNR features is reduced. The PW ARFI-VoA sequence may be supplemented with a steered PW sequence to additionally visualize blood flow and estimate wall shear stress at potential real time frame rates. This work demonstrates the feasibility of the technique to an ex-vivo left carotid from a recently deceased 63-year-old female.
Computational Simulations of Fluidic Actuation on Rotor Blades and Their Experimental Validation

Active flow control (AFC) is conventionally used to reduce flow separation at high angles of attack. A novel alternative form of AFC for controlling rotor blade loads in attached flow is examined. ...
High Corruption Income in Ming and Qing China

Abstract We develop an economic model that explains historical data on government corruption in Ming and Qing China. In our model, officials' extensive powers result in corrupt income matching land's share in output. We estimate corrupt income to be between 14 and 22 times official income resulting in about 22% of agricultural output accruing to 0.4% of the population. The results suggest that eliminating corruption through salary reform was possible in early Ming but impossible by mid-Qing rule. Land reform may also be ineffective because officials could extract the same rents regardless of ownership. High officials' incomes and the resulting inequality may have also created distortions and barriers to change that could have contributed to China's stagnation over the five centuries 1400–1900s.
Investigations on The Prophylactic Effect of Treatment with Imidocarb Diproprionate on Babesia Divergens Infections in Splenectomized Calves

SUMMARY The drug imidocarb diproprionate (IMDP) was injected intramuscularly into groups of splenectomized calves at 2·4, 3·6, 4·8 or 6·0 mg of IMDP/kg body weight 14 days before inoculation of Babesia divergens-infected blood or in divided doses of 2·4 or 3·6 mg/kg 14 and seven days before infection. If the drug was given at doses of 2·4 to 4·8 mg/kg parasites were partially suppressed but a strong immunity to homologous challenge developed. When 6·0 mg/kg or 3·6 + 3·6 mg/kg were given there was a tendency for the development of the parasites to be completely suppressed and if this was the case only a limited immunity developed. These results suggest that the drug may be used prophylactically at 3·6 mg/kg if challenge by infected ticks is likely to occur, but a repeat dose of drug is not recommended since it may totally prevent establishment of the parasite and thus the development of immunity.
Improving speech synthesis of machine translation output

Speech synthesizers are optimized for fluent natural text. However, in a speech to speech translation system, they have to process machine translation output, which is often not fluent. Rendering machine translations as speech makes them even harder to understand than the synthesis of natural text. A speech synthesizer must deal with the disfluencies in translations in order to be comprehensible and communicate the content. In this paper, we explore three synthesis strategies that address different problems found in translation output. By carrying out listening tasks and measuring transcription accuracies, we find that these methods can make the synthesis of translations more intelligible.
Random Number Generation

In this chapter, we give a quick overview and discussion of some of the principal methods for generating good random numbers with a specified distribution on a computer.
A clock for the ages.

It is well known that as we age, we need fewer hours of sleep and wake up much earlier in the morning. This change has been attributed to a shortening of the period of the human circadian pacemaker. However, Robert Moore explains in a Perspective that new findings ( Czeisler et al .) demonstrate that it is not the pacemaker itself that is altered but rather the way it is entrained to the day-night cycle. The period of the circadian pacemaker is very similar (24.2 hours) in both young and old people, suggesting that this is one physiological function that does not alter with aging.
Campanha da via campesina sobre os agrotóxicos

O Brasil e o primeiro colocado no ranking mundial do consumo de agrotoxicos. Mais de um milhao de toneladas de venenos foram jogados nas lavouras em 2010, de acordo com dados do Sindicato Nacional da Industria de Produtos para a Defesa Agricola.
Pain and the Alpha‐Sleep Anomaly: A Mechanism of Sleep Disruption in Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy

Objective To measure the presence of the alpha-sleep anomaly in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) and to evaluate the association between the sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) pattern and the presence of musculoskeletal pain. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Sleep laboratory. Subjects Fifty-five consecutive adult FSHD patients, 26 women and 29 men, age 49.6 ± 15.1 years (range 18–76). Interventions Questionnaires and polysomnography. Outcome Measures Patients were asked to indicate if in the 3 months before the sleep study they presented persisting or recurring musculoskeletal pain. Patients who reported pain were asked to fill in the Italian version of the Brief Pain Inventory and the McGill Pain questionnaire, and a 101-point visual analog scale (VAS) for pain intensity. Polysomnographic recordings were performed. EEG was analyzed by means of Fast Fourier Transform. Four power spectra bands (δ 0–4 Hz, θ 4–8 Hz, α 8–14 Hz, β 14–32 Hz) were computed. Sleep macrostructure parameters and alpha/delta EEG power ratio during non rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep were compared between patients with and without pain. Results Forty-two patients in our sample reported chronic pain. VAS mean score was 55.2 ± 23.8 (range 10–100), pain rating index score was 13.8 ± 10.2, and present pain intensity was 2.5 ± 0.8. The statistical analysis documented an increased occurrence of the alpha and beta rhythms during NREM sleep in FSHD patients with pain. Significant correlations were observed between the alpha/delta power ratio during NREM sleep and pain measures. Conclusions Chronic musculoskeletal pain is frequent in FSHD patients, and it represents a major mechanism of sleep disruption.
Analysis of termination impedance effects on the linearity of 5 GHz CMOS radio frequency amplifiers

The high-frequency nonlinear distortion of a small-signal CMOS common-source amplifier stage is analyzed as a function of bias and termination impedance at 5 GHz. The results developed can be applied to wireless RF circuit design applications.
Advanced Concepts For Pulsed, Rotating Generators Incorporating Magnetic Flux Compression Features

This paper presents several concepts of high energy power supplies for coil launchers. Pulsed induction generators of advanced design, as well as integrating novel magnetic flux compression features into multistage rotating machines, provide the flexible means for generating tailored, high energy, high power electromagnetic pulses required to efficiently drive advanced coil launchers. These concepts are designed to produce high inductive compression ratios and large current and magnetic field multiplication ratios in the range of megamperes of current and gigawatts of active power. As a consequence of the flexibility of multiwinding rotating generators, such designs provide an extensive range of output pulse shaping in single or multiple pulses.
The Limb Bud Shh-Fgf Feedback Loop Is Terminated by Expansion of Former ZPA Cells

Vertebrate limb outgrowth is driven by a positive feedback loop involving Sonic Hedgehog (Shh), Gremlin, and Fgf4. By overexpressing individual components of the loop at a time after these genes are normally down-regulated in chicken embryos, we found that Shh no longer maintains Gremlin in the posterior limb. Shh-expressing cells and their descendants cannot express Gremlin. The proliferation of these descendants forms a barrier separating the Shh signal from Gremlin-expressing cells, which breaks down the Shh-Fgf4 loop and thereby affects limb size and provides a mechanism explaining regulative properties of the limb bud.
A comparison of methods for estimating global methane emissions from landfills

Abstract Landfills are a significant source of methane, ranking third in anthropogenic sources after rice paddies and ruminants. Estimating the contribution of landfills to global methane flux is hampered by a lack of accurate refuse and landfill data, and therefore depends heavily on the assumptions used in the calculations. This paper describes research efforts to improve methodologies for estimating landfill emissions. Two key variables are discussed (1) the amount of refuse landfilled, and (2) the methanegenerating potential of that refuse. Estimates of annual U.S. municipal solid waste production are compared, and the limitations of each method are reviewed. The implications for global data development are discussed. The estimated amount of methane emitted due to anaerobic decomposition of refuse in landfills can be based on theoretical models, laboratory studies, or measurements. Data from methane recovery systems at selected U.S. landfills were used to evaluate the effect of climate, age of refuse, and physical characteristics of the site on methane recovery. Methodologies for using methane recovery data to estimate methane produced by refuse are described, and resulting methane potentials are compared to other values in the literature. This paper discusses the factors that influence these two key variables and the sensitivity of global methane emissions estimates to assumptions about these factors.
Estimating the cost of updates in a relational database

In this paper, cost formulas are derived for the updates of data and indexes in a relational database. The costs depend on the data scan type and the predicates involved in the update statements. We show that update costs have a considerable influence, both in the context of the physical database design problem and in access path selection in query optimization for relational DBMSs.
Two tests of the mechanism of inoculation theory

Two studies were conducted on two controversial topics to test the hypothesized mechanism of resistance. No support was found for the assumption that resistance occurs by increasing the audiences’ production of counterarguments to persuasive attacks. Furthermore, unlike McGuire's findings on cultural truism topics, refutation‐same defenses were not substantially better at creating resistance to immediate persuasive attack than supportive defenses. Finally, neither level of audience involvement in the topic nor the audience's prior attitude toward the topic were found to influence the effectiveness of type of defense.
Challenges and strategies of transportation modelling and simulation under extreme conditions

Recent natural and man-made hazards such as 9/11, the Asian tsunami, and Hurricane Katrina have raised worldwide concerns. To facilitate the efforts of emergency management, this paper discusses the role of transportation modelling and simulation in these efforts, identifies the challenges faced by transportation modelling and simulation under extreme conditions, and proposes strategies to address some of the challenges. More specifically, the challenges are (a) simultaneous requirements on scale and detail, (b) lack of tools to model traffic operation under extreme conditions, and (c) lack of knowledge and data about extreme conditions. In response to the first challenge, a dynamic multi-scale resolution framework is proposed to achieve the two competing goals, i.e., modelling large-scale networks yet achieving fine details of traffic operations. In response to the second challenge, a nanoscopic approach is conceptually proposed to provide the finest details of traffic operations. A conceptual case study is presented to illustrate a possible application of the above simulation framework.
Mechanochemically synthesized NbC cermets: Part II. Mechanical properties

The mechanical behavior of mechanochemically synthesized NbC cermets was investigated. Material hardnesses range from a high of 19.6 GPa for as-synthesized cermets containing about 4 vol% of Fe to a low of about 4 GPa for heat-treated cermets containing about 34 vol% Cu. Higher hardness generally correlates with lower fracture toughness (about 2 MPa m1/2 for cermets containing the highest percentage of NbC) and vice versa. Highest fracture toughness (about 7.5 MPa m1/2) is found in NbC–18 vol% Fe cermets heat treated extensively following consolidation. Abnormally low fracture toughnesses are found in high-Cu-content cermets in which Cu segregation takes place during heat treatment. Current models of ceramic toughening can be applied to describe the fracture behavior of NbC–Fe cermets.