cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ultrastructural Changes in Articular Cartilages of Immature Beagle Dogs Dosed with Difloxacin, a Fluoroquinolone:

The ultrastructural features of quinolone-induced arthropathy were studied in the humeral and femoral heads of nine skeletally immature Beagle dogs (3 months old) that were dosed orally with difloxacin at 300 mg/kg body weight and euthanatized 24, 36, or 48 hours later in groups of three. Three age-matched dogs were given a placebo and euthanatized after 48 hours. Mitochondria in chondrocytes had significantly greater cross-sectional areas (P less than 0.05) in electron micrographs from dogs euthanatized after 48 hours of treatment than did those in other groups. There was also a significantly greater percentage of chondrocytes with swollen mitochondria in treated dogs than in the controls (P less than 0.05). These changes preceded the necrosis observed in some chondrocytes in the dogs of the 48-hour group. Disruption of extracellular matrix was first observed in the pericellular matrix of necrotic chondrocytes, indicating that this change was secondary to the changes in chondrocytes. Fissures within cartilages apparently resulted from the loss of the normal association of proteoglycans with collagen fibrils.
Authority Structures and Service Reform in Multilevel Urban Governance The Case of Wastewater Recycling in California and Australia

Research on urban service delivery strategies lacks a multilevel approach able to account for the influence of authority structures on effective reform. A comparative analysis of efforts to increas...
Developmental expression patterns of Tbx1, Tbx2, Tbx5, and Tbx20 in Xenopus tropicalis†

T-box genes have diverse functions during embryogenesis and are implicated in several human congenital disorders. Here, we report the identification, sequence analysis, and developmental expression patterns of four members of the T-box gene family in the diploid frog Xenopus tropicalis. These four genes—Tbx1, Tbx2, Tbx5, and Tbx20— have been shown to influence cardiac development in a variety of organisms, in addition to their individual roles in regulating other aspects of embryonic development. Our results highlight the high degree of evolutionary conservation between orthologs of these genes in X. tropicalis and other vertebrates, both at the molecular level and in their developmental expression patterns, and also identify novel features of their expression. Thus, X. tropicalis represents a potentially valuable vertebrate model in which to further investigate the functions of these genes through genetic approaches. Developmental Dynamics 235:1623–1630, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
InP-based all-epitaxial 1.3-μm VCSELs with selectively etched AlInAs apertures and Sb-based DBRs

We report, for the first time, InP-based all-epitaxially grown 1.3-/spl mu/m vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers with lattice-matched Sb-based distributed Bragg reflectors and AlInAs etched apertures. The minimum threshold current and voltage under pulsed operation were 3 mA and 2.0 V, respectively. The thermal impedance was as low as 1.2 K/mW without heat sinking. Implementation of the AlInAs etched aperture was quite effective in improving the injection efficiency and reducing the internal loss, resulting in improved differential efficiency.
Toward a Robust Model of Packing and Scale-Up for Chromatographic Beds. 2. Flow Packing

We developed and evaluated a model for predicting the flow packing of nonrigid chromatographic resins. The model is based on elasticity theory and accounts for resin rigidity and column diameter. When a modulus determined from a standard mechanical compression (consolidation) test is used, the model captures the primary phenomena of the scale-up process. However, moduli determined from flow-packing experiments improve the accuracy of the predictions and show that the apparent rigidity of chromatographic resins is lower for flow packing than for mechanical compression. Using a modulus from flow-packing experiments provided quantitative scale-up predictions of flow packing carried out in columns with diameters between 200 and 450 mm at different locations and by different operators.
Genome-wide view of TGFβ/Foxh1 regulation of the early mesendoderm program

Nodal/TGFβ signaling regulates diverse biological responses. By combining RNA-seq on Foxh1 and Nodal signaling loss-of-function embryos with ChIP-seq of Foxh1 and Smad2/3, we report a comprehensive genome-wide interaction between Foxh1 and Smad2/3 in mediating Nodal signaling during vertebrate mesendoderm development. This study significantly increases the total number of Nodal target genes regulated by Foxh1 and Smad2/3, and reinforces the notion that Foxh1-Smad2/3-mediated Nodal signaling directly coordinates the expression of a cohort of genes involved in the control of gene transcription, signaling pathway modulation and tissue morphogenesis during gastrulation. We also show that Foxh1 may function independently of Nodal signaling, in addition to its role as a transcription factor mediating Nodal signaling via Smad2/3. Finally, we propose an evolutionarily conserved interaction between Foxh1 and PouV, a mechanism observed in Pou5f1-mediated regulation of pluripotency in human embryonic stem and epiblast cells.
Quantifying predictability through information theory: small sample estimation in a non-Gaussian framework

Many situations in complex systems require quantitative estimates of the lack of information in one probability distribution relative to another. In short term climate and weather prediction, examples of these issues might involve the lack of information in the historical climate record compared with an ensemble prediction, or the lack of information in a particular Gaussian ensemble prediction strategy involving the first and second moments compared with the non-Gaussian ensemble itself. The relative entropy is a natural way to quantify the predictive utility in this information, and recently a systematic computationally feasible hierarchical framework has been developed. In practical systems with many degrees of freedom, computational overhead limits ensemble predictions to relatively small sample sizes. Here the notion of predictive utility, in a relative entropy framework, is extended to small random samples by the definition of a sample utility, a measure of the unlikeliness that a random sample was produced by a given prediction strategy. The sample utility is the minimum predictability, with a statistical level of confidence, which is implied by the data. Two practical algorithms for measuring such a sample utility are developed here. The first technique is based on the statistical method of null-hypothesis testing, while the second is based upon a central limit theorem for the relative entropy of moment-based probability densities. These techniques are tested on known probability densities with parameterized bimodality and skewness, and then applied to the Lorenz '96 model, a recently developed ''toy'' climate model with chaotic dynamics mimicking the atmosphere. The results show a detection of non-Gaussian tendencies of prediction densities at small ensemble sizes with between 50 and 100 members, with a 95% confidence level.
Highest Column Entry Hierarchical Clustering a Redevelopment and Elaboration of Elementary Linkage Analysis

A relatively reliable and valid hierarchy of clusters of objects is plotted from the highest column entries, exclusively, of a matrix of interassociations between the objects. Having developed out of a loose definition of types, the method isolates both loose and highly definitive types, and all those in between. Results from one kind of test items produces a matrix of interassociations between interpersonal concepts over emotions for every individual. The above results indicate that the pairs of concepts between which the highest entries mediate report a wealth of information about the emotional organization of interpersonal concepts. Highest column entry pairs of concepts can serve as items in building a test to assess individual differences in an area of behavioral organizations.
Attacking the Kad network

The Kad network, an implementation of the Kademlia DHT protocol, supports the popular eDonkey peer-to-peer file sharing network and has over 1 million concurrent nodes. We describe several attacks that exploit critical design weaknesses in Kad to allow an attacker with modest resources to cause a significant fraction of all searches to fail. We measure the cost and effectiveness of these attacks against a set of 16,000 nodes connected to the operational Kad network. We also measure the cost of previously proposed, generic DHT attacks against the Kad network and find that our attacks are much more cost effective. Finally, we introduce and evaluate simple mechanisms to significantly increase the cost of these attacks.
WHY ARE HEALTHY EMPLOYERS FREEZING THEIR PENSIONS

The shift in pension coverage from defined benefit plans to 401(k)s has been underway since 1981. This shift is the result of three developments: 1) the addition of 401(k) provisions to existing thrift and profit sharing plans; 2) a surge of new 401(k) plan formation in the 1980s; and 3) the virtual halt in the formation of new defined benefit plans. A conversion from a defined benefit plan to a 401(k) plan was an extremely rare event, particularly among large plans. Historically, the only companies closing their defined benefit pension plans were facing bankruptcy or struggling to stay alive. Now the pension landscape has changed. Today, large healthy companies are either closing their defined benefit plan to new entrants or ending pension accruals for current as well as future employees. Why are healthy employers taking this action? And why now? This brief reviews the major pension freezes during the last two years and explores the impact on employees at different stages in their careers. It then offers four possible explanations why employers are shutting down their plans. The first is that some U.S. companies are cutting pensions to reduce workers' total compensation in the face of intense global competition. The second explanation is that employers have been forced to cut back on pensions in the face of growing health benefits to maintain existing compensation levels. The third explanation, by contrast, points to the finances of the plans themselves - specifically, their market risk, longevity risk, and regulatory risk that make defined benefit pensions unattractive to employers. The final explanation is that with the enormous growth in CEO compensation, traditional qualified pensions have become irrelevant to upper management who now receive virtually all their retirement benefits through non-qualified plans. Each of these explanations contains a kernel of truth, and they all help explain the current trends.
Robust multiuser detection in non-Gaussian channels

In many wireless systems where multiuser detection techniques may be applied, the ambient channel noise is known through experimental measurements to be decidedly non-Gaussian, due largely to impulsive phenomena. The performance of many multiuser detectors can degrade substantially in the presence of such impulsive ambient noise. We develop robust multiuser detection techniques for combating multiple-access interference and impulsive noise in CDMA communication systems. These techniques are based on the M-estimation method for robust regression. Analytical and simulation results show that the proposed robust techniques offer significant performance gain over linear multiuser detectors in impulsive noise, with little attendant increase in computational complexity. We also develop a subspace-based technique for blind adaptive implementation of the robust multiuser detectors, which requires only the signature waveform and the timing of the desired user in order to demodulate that user's signal. The robust multiuser detection technique and its blind adaptive version can be applied to both synchronous and asynchronous CDMA channels.
Maximum likelihood based sensor array signal processing in the beamspace domain for low angle radar tracking

The novelty of the 3D beamspace domain, maximum likelihood (3D BDML) bearing estimation scheme is its judicious exploitation of the fact that the respective beams associated with any three classical beam-forming vectors which are mutually orthogonal have M-3 nulls in common, where M is the number of elements comprising a uniformly spaced, linear array. Exploitation of this property yields an estimation scheme that is nearly as computationally simplistic as the 2D beamspace bearing estimation technique based on sum and difference beams employed in conventional monopulse radar. To provide robustness to the severe signal cancellation occurring across the array when the direct and specular path signals arrive 180 degrees out of phase at the aperture center with roughly equal amplitude, frequency diversity is incorporated into 3D BDML. The coherent signal subspace concept of H. Wang and M. Kaveh (1985) is invoked as a means of retaining the computational simplicity of single-frequency 3D BDML. >
Unimolecular photochemistry of n-alkenes studied by photodissociation-photoionization mass spectrometry

The 193-nm unimolecular photochemistry of n-alkenes from C5 to C14 is studied by photodissociation-photoionization mass spectrometry (PDPI/MS). In PDPI/MS, a UV laser induces neutral unimolecular photodissociation. The resulting neutral fragments and any remaining parent molecules are then softly ionized with coherent vacuum UV radiation and mass analyzed. Photodissociation of n-alkenes is dominated by cleavage of the β C-C bond. Products of α- and γ-cleavage are typically less than 20% as abundant as the β-cleavage fragments. Secondary fragmentation of the primary products occurs both by neutral fragmentation during photodissociation and by ionic fragmentation during photoionization. The energetics of the neutral secondary reactions indicate that between 400 and 500 kJ/mol is consumed during photodissociation. The abundances of many secondary fragmentation products decrease with increasing molecular size. Because neutral fragmentation occurs without significant isomerization, PDPI/MS provides structural information that is not available from ionic fragmentation in conventional mass spectrometric experiments.
Slow Process, Due Process, and the High Court of Parliament: A Reinterpretation af the Revival of Judicature in the House of Lords in 1621

For a half-century, historians, accepting an interpretation put forward by Francis Relf in the introduction to the Camden Society's publication of several of the scribbled books of Henry Elsing, clerk of the parliament in the 1620s, have viewed the revival of judicature in parliament in 1621 from the distorted framework of the struggle for supremacy between the two great systems of law in England. An explanation more consistent with all of the evidence surrounding this event - which brought with it the most significant constitutional develop ment in the house of lords since the middle ages - lies in the connection between slow process and due process in English justice. Professor William Jones singled out slow justice in the courts as the central judicial problem of the age and observed that it defeated both the great equity jurist, Lord Chancellor Ellesmere, and his equally famous counterpart, Chief Justice Sir Edward Coke, since ‘neither man could think of a remedy which would restrain litigants and yet leave their legally justified rights untarnished’. The revival of judicature in the house of lords in 1621, most especially in its appellate civil aspects, was part of the most ambitious attempt to solve this dilemma in the early seventeenth century. While it failed in its immediate goal and slow justice remained the nemesis of due process in the English legal system, the experiment begun in 1621 permanently altered the constitutional framework of England by establishing the house of lords once again as the high court of parliament.
Urogenital system of the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta Erxleben): a functional histological study.

The unique urogenital anatomy and histol- ogy of female spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta Erxleben) was reexamined to identify adaptations of "structure" that enable/facilitate urination, mating, and parturition through the clitoris. Unusual features of penile anatomy required for meeting ceremonies and successful mating through a clitoral point of insertion were also examined. As reported previously, the upper urogenital tract of the female spotted hyena is typical of other carnivores and consists of the oviducts, uterine horns, uterine body, and vagina. An anatomically defined cervix is absent, even though a histologically defined transition zone between the uterine body and vagina was demonstrated. Adaptive features of the upper genital tract were a helical-shaped uterine cavity, extensive smooth muscle in the uterus and vagina, and a newly discovered submucosal mucous uro- genital gland (SMUG) located immediately caudal to the vagina. The extensive smooth muscle facilitates the expul- sion of the large pups at parturition through the recurved birth canal. Secretions of the SMUG provide lubrication and protection for the urogenital mucosa during mating and parturition. Two types of "erections" are suggested by behavioral observations: the common hemodynamic erec- tion required for insertion and thrusting by the male, and phallic "flipping" that commonly occurs earlier in the mat- ing sequence and is sometimes seen during meeting cere- monies. Phallic "flipping" appears to be accomplished by the coordinated contractions of the large ischiocavernosus and retractor muscles acting on the semirigid organ. The extremely thick tunica albuginea and interstitial collagen of the common corporal body of the penis and clitoris gives the flaccid phallus some degree of rigidity even in the resting state in males and nulliparous females. Phallic "flipping" implies a hinge region in which flexibility is the key feature. Such a proximal hinge region of the male and female phallus was defined and was notable for its dimin- ished collagen content. The urogenital sinus traversing the clitoris was specialized for distensibility, thus facili- tating receipt of the penis during mating and for passage of the infant to the tip of the glans clitoris, where it emerges at parturition. The morphology of the glans penis is notable for the tapered common corporal body that extends to the distal tip of the glans. This adaptation is suggested to be required for a clitoral (as opposed to a vaginal) point of insertion during mating. Finally, addi- tional segments of erectile tissue devoid of a thick collag- enous capsule were demonstrated in the glans penis and glans clitoris, which appear to account for the "partially- locking" of the male into the female during the late stages of a mating sequence. Taken together, it is evident that the unusual sexual behaviors of the male and female spotted hyenas are facilitated by unique structural modi- fications of the relevant organs. J. Morphol. 256:205-218, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Permeate Flux During Ultrafiltration of Whey: Influence of Milk Coagulant Used for Cheese Manufacture

Abstract A pilot-scale plate and frame UF system was used to fractionate Cheddar cheese whey and study the effects of different commercial milk coagulants on permeate flux. Coagulants used in this study were calf rennet, Mucor pusillus protease, and Mucor miebei protease. Whey UF performance studies were conducted at a commercial Cheddar cheese plant and at Cornell under controlled conditions. Ultrafiltration was done in a continuous mode and initial concentration factor was set at 2× to simulate the first stage of a multistage whey UF system. Permeate flux decline was rapid in the first 30min of UF for all wheys studied. More important, the type of milk coagulant used in cheese making had a profound effect on permeate flux during whey UF. No differences in the gross composition of the various wheys were correlated with differences in permeate flux. The highest permeate flux was measured for UF of whey produced during manufacture of Cheddar cheese using coagulant derived from Mucor pusillus . Lowest permeate flux was measured for UF of whey produced during manufacture of Cheddar cheese using calf rennet. Whey from cheese manufactured using Mucor miebei coagulant had flux performance intermediate to Mucor pusillus and calf rennet. The impact of milk coagulants on whey UF process efficiency should be considered by cheese makers.
Host associations and beta diversity of fungal endophyte communities in New Guinea rainforest trees

Processes shaping the distribution of foliar fungal endophyte species remain poorly understood. Despite increasing evidence that these cryptic fungal symbionts of plants mediate interactions with pathogens and herbivores, there remain basic questions regarding the extent to which dispersal limitation and host specificity might shape fungal endophyte community composition in rainforests. To assess the relative importance of spatial pattern and host specificity, we isolated fungi from a sample of mapped trees in lowland Papua New Guinea. Sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region were obtained for 2079 fungal endophytes from three sites and clustered into molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) at 95% similarity. Multivariate analyses suggest that host affinity plays a significant role in structuring endophyte community composition whereas there was no evidence of endophyte spatial pattern at the scale of tens to hundreds of metres. Differences in endophyte communities between sampled trees were weakly correlated with variation in foliar traits but not with tree species relatedness. The dominance of relatively few generalist endophytes and the presence of a large number of rare MOTUs was a consistent observation at three sites separated by hundreds of kilometres and regional turnover was low. Host specificity appears to play a relatively weak but more important role than dispersal limitation in shaping the distribution of fungal endophyte communities in New Guinea forests. Our results suggest that in the absence of strong ecological gradients and host turnover, beta diversity of endophyte communities could be low in large areas of contiguous forest.
A Dubious Distinction? The BA Versus the BS in Psychology

Previous studies have documented small differences between the bachelor of arts (BA) and the bachelor of science (BS) psychology degrees in their general education core requirements, particularly mathematics and science courses. But are there differences between the BA and BS degrees within the psychology curriculum? Using data from the Undergraduate Study in Psychology, we examined the psychology curriculum of 329 accredited, nonprofit institutions awarding bachelors’ degrees in psychology. We investigated potential differences between BA and BS programs as well as programs awarding both the BA and the BS. Overall, we discovered relatively few differences. The largest contributor to differences in baccalaureate degrees was not the type of degree but the level of the degrees awarded at an educational institution. Implications center on correcting student perceptions, faculty advising, and curricula planning regarding the differences between the BA and the BS in psychology.
Writing on the board as students' preferred teaching modality in a physiology course

The introduction of PowerPoint presentation software has generated a paradigm shift in the delivery of lectures. PowerPoint has now almost entirely replaced chalkboard or whiteboard teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels. This study investigated whether undergraduate biology students preferred to have lectures delivered by PowerPoint or written on the board as well as the reasons behind their preference. Two upper-division physiology courses were surveyed over a period of 7 yr. A total of 1,905 students (86.7%) indicated they preferred lectures delivered by "writing on the board" compared to 291 students (13.3%) who preferred PowerPoint. Common themes drawn from explanations reported by students in favor of writing on the board included: 1) more appropriate pace, 2) facilitation of note taking, and 3) greater alertness and attention. Common themes in favor of PowerPoint included 1) increased convenience, 2) focus on listening, and 3) more accurate and readable notes. Based on the students' very strong preference for writing on the board and the themes supporting that preference, we recommend that instructors incorporate elements of the writing on the board delivery style into whatever teaching modality is used. If instructors plan to use PowerPoint, the presentation should be paced, constructed, and delivered to provide the benefits of lectures written on the board. The advantages of writing on the board can be also incorporated into instruction intended to occur outside the classroom, such as animated narrated videos as part of the flipped classroom approach.
The Influence of Personal Beliefs, Friends, and Family in Building Climate Change Concern among Adolescents.

AbstractUnderstanding adolescent climate change concern (CCC) may be a key strategy for building a citizenry that supports climate change action, as adolescents are likely less influenced by ideological polarization than adults. Prior research shows that climate education may build concern among adolescents, but other factors such as peer pressure may also be important. We investigated the relationships between CCC, acceptance of anthropogenic global warming (AGW), perceived level of acceptance among friends and family, and frequency of discussion of the issue among 426 middle school students in North Carolina, USA, and developed a novel instrument to measure each of these constructs. Acceptance of AGW had the strongest association with CCC. Frequency of discussion with friends and family was the second strongest predictor. Perceived level of acceptance among family and friends was the third strongest predictor. Model selection results suggest family had more influence than friends in this study. Girls pe...
Research and Development of Testing System Based on Authorware

This essay introduces a way of developing a testing system by the combination of Authorware multimedia software and Access database.This method is very simple.The users just input the topic quantity in order to produce a question bank document of certain form.This method can be used in auto-generating test paper,practicing and self-testing as well.The cores of the essay are the alternating operations between Authorware database programming and Word documents,especially the flexible using of functions and plug-in-units of Authorware.
Quadruple Renal Neoplasia: Bilateral Renal Tumors of Dissimilar Histogenesis

AbstractFour separate renal neoplasms were removed from a 64-year-old man during a period of 8 months. A lesion was first identified in the left kidney and the nephrectomy specimen had 2 separate adenocarcinomas. A third adenocarcinoma and a papillary urothelial pelvic carcinoma were found subsequently and segmentally resected from the right kidney. The patient died 9 years later with local recurrence of the urothelial neoplasm but no evidence of metastatic carcinoma.
Aberrant connexin 43 and 26 expression in cervical dysplasia.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether connexin (Cx) expression is altered in cervical dysplasia. STUDY DESIGN Cx proteins form gap junctions and are expressed in squamous epithelia including ectocervix. We used multispectral imaging to perform a quantitative immunohistochemical survey of Cx43 Cx26 in 37 archival human cervical specimens. RESULTS Cx43 expression was very low in normal cervix (100%), but was increased in low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSILs) (64%), primarily in a parabasal distribution. High-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs) showed weak full-thickness Cx43 staining (53%) or lacked Cx43 (47%). An aberrant increase in Cx43 expression was often (62%) present in histologically normal areas of specimens that elsewhere harbored dysplasia. Cx26 was highly expressed in the basal layer of normal ectocervix (100%). In LSIL, 57% showed a decrease in Cx26 and the rest showed no change relative to the normal pattern. In HSIL, Cx26 was expressed in the full thickness of the epithelium, at a high level in 80% of cases and a low level in the rest. CONCLUSION Cx alteration is moderately consistent in cervical dysplasia, and for Cx43 can precede histologic changes. The resulting changes in Cx signaling may be important in the pathogenesis of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.
Cybercrime and Cybersecurity in India: Causes, Consequences and Implications for the Future

Cybercrime is rising rapidly in India. Developing economies such as India face unique cybercrime risks. This paper examines cybercrime and cybersecurity in India. The literature on which this paper draws is diverse, encompassing the work of economists, criminologists, institutionalists and international relations theorists. We develop a framework that delineates the relationships of formal and informal institutions, various causes of prosperity and poverty and international relations related aspects with cybercrime and cybersecurity and apply it to analyze the cybercrime and cybersecurity situations in India. The findings suggest that developmental, institutional and international relations issues are significant to cybercrime and cybersecurity in developing countries.
Configurable human-robot interaction for multi-robot manipulation tasks

Multi-robot manipulation tasks can be complicated, due to the need for tight temporal coupling between the robots. However, this is an ideal scenario for human-agent-robot teams, since performing all of the manipulation aspects of the task autonomously is not feasible without additional sensors. To ameliorate this problem, we present a paradigm for allowing subjects to configure a user interface for multi-robot manipulation tasks; using a macro acquisition system for learning combined manipulation/driving tasks. Learning takes place within this social setting; the human demonstrates the task to the single robot, but the robot uses an internal teamwork model to modify the macro to account for the actions of the second robot during execution. This allows the same macro to be useful in a variety of cooperative situations. In this paper, we show that our system is highly effective at empowering human-agent-robot teams within a household multi-robot manipulation setting and is rated favorably over a non-configurable user interface by a significant portion of the users.
Field measurements of boundary-layer flows in ventilated rooms

Profiles of air velocity and turbulent kinetic energy near the surfaces of walls, ceilings, floors, and furnishings were measured under field conditions for four space layouts of an office building: a partitioned office room, a single office room, a small conference room, and a computer room. Three types of flows near the surfaces were identified based on the measured data: (1) near-stagnant flow that had mean velocities and turbulent kinetic energies of less than 0.05 {+-} 0.025 m/s (10 {+-} 5 fpm) and 0.001 {+-} 0.001 (m/s){sup 2} (38.75 {+-} 38.75 (fpm){sup 2}), respectively; (2) weak turbulence flow that had mean velocities and turbulent kinetic energies from 0.05 {+-} 0.025 to 0.25 {+-} 0.05 m/s (10 {+-} 5 to 50 {+-} 10 fpm) and from 0.001 {+-} 0.001 to 0.01 {+-} 0.002 (m/s){sup 2} (38.75 {+-} 38.75 to 387.5 {+-} 77.5 [fpm]{sup 2}), respectively. The results are useful for establishing realistic airflow conditions in testing and modeling contaminant emission from building materials and indoor furnishings.
Positioning and Safety

The lateral decubitus position has classically been used in spine surgery to gain lateral access to the vertebral column via thoracotomy and retroperitoneal approaches [1, 2]. In some cases – particularly those requiring corpectomy – a lateral approach is preferred to gain sufficient access with decreased risk to the neural elements compared to posterior approach. Currently, with the rising popularity of the minimally invasive lateral lumbar interbody fusion which was developed in the 2000s, it is more important than ever for spine surgeons to understand proper lateral decubitus positioning in order to optimize exposure and minimize the risk of iatrogenic injury to the patient [3–5].
What Is Actually Affected by the Scrambling of Objects When Localizing the Lateral Occipital Complex

The lateral occipital complex (LOC), the cortical region critical for shape perception, is localized with fMRI by its greater BOLD activity when viewing intact objects compared with their scrambled versions (resembling texture). Despite hundreds of studies investigating LOC, what the LOC localizer accomplishes-beyond distinguishing shape from texture-has never been resolved. By independently scattering the intact parts of objects, the axis structure defining the relations between parts was no longer defined. This led to a diminished BOLD response, despite the increase in the number of independent entities (the parts) produced by the scattering, thus indicating that LOC specifies interpart relations, in addition to specifying the shape of the parts themselves. LOC's sensitivity to relations is not confined to those between parts but is also readily apparent between objects, rendering it-and not subsequent "place" areas-as the critical region for the representation of scenes. Moreover, that these effects are witnessed with novel as well as familiar intact objects and scenes suggests that the relations are computed on the fly, rather than being retrieved from memory.
Kinematics and dynamics of the Pamir, Central Asia: Quantifying surface deformation and force balance in an intracontinental subduction zone

Kinematic and dynamic models quantify deformation and force balance in the Pamir, a region undergoing the rare and poorly understood process of intracontinental subduction. We constrain a detailed kinematic model with 506 recent GPS velocities and Quaternary fault slip rates and show that the Pamir is organized like the Himalaya and Tibet, with regions of 1) localized strain rate ≥100e-9/yr along the Pamir Frontal Thrust System (the subduction interface), similar to the Himalaya, and 2) distributed north-south compression and east-west extension, similar to Tibet. Through standard thin viscous sheet methods we demonstrate that the lithospheric force balance in the Pamir is a combination of stresses caused by gravitational potential energy and India-Eurasia convergence accommodated at a subduction interface, in this case the Pamir Frontal Thrust System. We find that strain rate and deviatoric stress patterns near the Pamir Frontal Thrust System are characteristic of a mature subduction zone, despite its initiation in continental lithosphere. Although the Pamir and Tibet are kinematically and dynamically similar, the Pamir is stiffer overall than Tibet, perhaps due to the presence of the highly arcuate, geometrically stiffened continental slab at depth.
Human schistosomiasis in Cameroon. I. Distribution of schistosomiasis

The status of schistosomiasis in Cameroon was examined in a nationwide survey of 5th grade schoolchildren. Five hundred twelve schools were surveyed; 19,524 urine and 22,166 stool samples were examined. The 3 northern provinces, which comprised 29% of the population, had 87% of all urinary and 82% of all intestinal cases. These provinces have a low seasonal rainfall. The presence of temporary bodies of water and of molluscan intermediate hosts adapted to this environment permits intense transmission of schistosomiasis haematobium and mansoni. In the rest of the country, the distribution of Schistosoma haematobium and S. mansoni was highly focal. S. intercalatum endemic areas were restricted to the equatorial forest and were small with low prevalences and intensities.
Abstract LB-B01: The anti-platelet-derived growth factor receptor α antibody olaratumab (Lartruvo) increases overall survival in metastatic mouse models of human osteosarcoma

Platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRα) is implicated in several types of adult and pediatric malignancies, where its aberrant expression and/or activation in tumor cells and/or tumor-associated stromal cells promote primary tumor growth and metastasis. Therefore, PDGFRα signaling may regulate disease progression via autocrine and paracrine modes of activation and facilitating crosstalk between the tumor and stroma. Olaratumab is a fully humanized monoclonal antibody that selectively binds human PDGFRα and blocks signaling initiated by ligand binding. We evaluated the efficacy of olaratumab and 1E10, a high affinity anti-mouse PDGFRα antibody in preclinical metastatic models of human osteosarcoma. A metastatic derivative of the PDGFRα-positive human osteosarcoma cell line HuO9 (HuO9-H3) was implanted in the gastrocnemius of mice. Olaratumab/1E10 was administered twice weekly once tumors grew to ~ 150 mm3. When tumors reached an average of volume of 1600 mm3, tumor-bearing limbs were amputated and four separate treatment cohorts were evaluated. These cohorts were as follows: (1) continuous IgG control antibody treatment, (2) continuous olaratumab/1E10 treatment prior to and after amputation, (3) olaratumab/1E10 treatment pre-amputation followed by IgG administration post-amputation, and (4) IgG treatment pre-amputation followed by olaratumab treatment post-amputation. A statistically significant and prolonged overall survival (OS) benefit (p Citation Format: Amy K. LeBlanc, Gerard J. Oakley, Caitlin D. Lowery, Arnulfo Mendoza, Ling Ren, Timothy Holzer, Kelly Credille, Cynthia Winings, Amanda Estelle, Mia Chen, Patrick Finnegan, Wayne Blosser, Andrew Schade, Symantha Melemed, Louis F. Stancato. The anti-platelet-derived growth factor receptor α antibody olaratumab (Lartruvo) increases overall survival in metastatic mouse models of human osteosarcoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2017 Oct 26-30; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2018;17(1 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-B01.
Treatment Patterns and Health Outcomes in Platinum-Refractory or Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer: A Retrospective Medical Record Review.

Objective The objective of this article is to describe real-world treatment patterns and outcomes in patients with platinum-refractory/resistant epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer (PRROC) in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. Methods/Materials Physicians retrospectively reviewed medical records of women aged 18 years or older who were diagnosed with PRROC between January 2010 and June 2014. Patient characteristics, initial PRROC therapy, and health care utilization were assessed; progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival were estimated using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards methods. Results Data were obtained on 392 US, 296 UK, and 82 Canadian patients. At initial ovarian cancer diagnosis, 65.8% (United States), 93.3% (United Kingdom), and 82.9% (Canada) of patients had stage III/IV disease; 43.6%, 73.7%, and 56.1%, respectively, had high-grade tumors. At PRROC diagnosis, mean age was 57.2 years (United States), 59.2 years (United Kingdom), and 57.4 years (Canada). Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status was 0/1 at PRROC diagnosis for 57.7% (United States), 80.1% (United Kingdom), and 36.6% (Canada) of patients. Most patients initiated systemic treatment after PRROC diagnosis (United States, 71.4%; United Kingdom, 83.1%; Canada, 81.7%). The most common initial PRROC therapy was pegylated liposomal doxorubicin monotherapy (United States, 18.6%; United Kingdom, 50.0%; Canada, 34.3%). During initial PRROC treatment, 80.7%, 59.8%, and 44.8% of patients had 1 office visit or more and 17.5%, 10.2%, and 14.9% of patients had 1 hospitalization or more in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, respectively. Treatment toxicity was the most common reason for hospitalization (United States, 75.5%; United Kingdom, 64.0%; Canada, 80.0%). Median (95% confidence interval) PFS was 5.6 (4.9–6.2), 8.0 (6.8–9.2), and 6.4 (5.4–9.3) months in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. The Cox proportional hazards model showed that stage III/IV, high-grade tumors, and poorer performance status were associated with shorter survival. Conclusions Current treatments for PRROC yield limited PFS and frequent hospitalizations reported to be related to toxicities or procedural complications, suggesting a continued unmet need for more effective and tolerable therapeutic strategies for PRROC.
Staphylococcus aureus targets the purine salvage pathway to kill phagocytes.

Staphylococcus aureus colonizes large segments of the human population and causes invasive infections due to its ability to escape phagocytic clearance. During infection, staphylococcal nuclease and adenosine synthase A convert neutrophil extracellular traps to deoxyadenosine (dAdo), which kills phagocytes. The mechanism whereby staphylococcal dAdo intoxicates phagocytes is not known. Here we used CRISPR-Cas9 mutagenesis to show that phagocyte intoxication involves uptake of dAdo via the human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1, dAdo conversion to dAMP by deoxycytidine kinase and adenosine kinase, and signaling via subsequent dATP formation to activate caspase-3–induced cell death. Disruption of this signaling cascade confers resistance to dAdo-induced intoxication of phagocytes and may provide therapeutic opportunities for the treatment of infections caused by antibiotic-resistant S. aureus strains.
Immunofluorescence Analysis of Surface Acetylcholine Receptors on Muscle: Modulation by Auto-Antibodies

Although the etiology of myasthenia gravis (MG) remains unknown, recent advances have established that it is an organ-specific auto-immune disease in which antibodies and lymphocytes are specifically reactive with nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChR) of skeletal muscle (reviewed in Ref. 9). Autoimmunity to AChR can be induced experimentally by inoculating animals with AChR and adjuvants (20, 23). The syndrome experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG) has been induced in rats using as immunogen AChR from either eel electric organ (10)or syngeneic muscle (14). An acute phase of profound weakness often occurs early in the course of EAMG and is transient. Many muscle fibers during this phase show evidence of denervation: a) miniature endplate potentials (mepps) are not detected (8); b) nerve stimulation fails to elicit an end-plate potential, although muscle fibers respond normally to direct stimulation (8); and c) the ultrastructure of the nerve terminal is normal but the terminal is separated from the muscle fiber by mononuclear inflammatory cells which phagocytose the postsynaptic membrane (5). A human equivalent of the acute phase of EAMG has not yet been described. The chronic phase of EAMG in rats resembles spontaneously occurring MG in man by every criterion examined so far.
Illegitimacy as Norm: On the Temporality of Science and Theory

Starting with Max Weber’s overlooked invocation of philology as the model of scholarly specialization in “Science as Vocation,” Wetters seeks to differentiate the variant modalities of philosophy, science, and theory. Weber’s fundamental question of the relation of science, progress and vocation are traced historically as a debate with Strauss, Blumenberg, and Gumbrecht. In conclusion, Lowith’s dispute with Blumenberg on theory’s unavoidable reliance on genealogy reveals its susceptibility to historical contingencies and political exigencies. Wetters argues that the legitimacy of “theory” in the humanities and social sciences paradoxically depends on the recognition of its relative illegitimacy. To avoid pitfalls of dogmatism, pseudo-philosophy and pseudoscience, valid theory must retain the philologist’s critical, genealogical and temporal self-awareness.
Effect of Evergreened Reformulations on Medicaid Expenditures and Patient Access from 2008 to 2016.

BACKGROUND: Annual spending on retail and nonretail prescription drugs exceeds $450 billion and is projected to outpace growth in all other national health expenditure categories over the next deca...
#RhetoricSoEnglishOnly: Decolonizing rhetorical studies through multilingualism

ABSTRACTRhetorical scholarship must move in new linguistic and decolonial directions, to illustrate those languages/cultures/nationalities that have been marginalized in academia. English language ...
Rectal Hydrogel Spacer Improves Late Gastrointestinal Toxicity Compared to Rectal Balloon Immobilization After Proton Beam Radiation Therapy for Localized Prostate Cancer: A Retrospective Observational Study

Purpose Our purpose was to compare dosimetric parameters and late gastrointestinal outcomes between patients treated with proton beam therapy (PBT) for localized prostate cancer with rectal balloon immobilization versus a hydrogel rectal spacer. Methods and Materials Patients with localized, clinical stage T1-4 prostate adenocarcinoma were treated at a single institution using conventionally fractionated, dose-escalated PBT from 2013 to 2018. Patient-reported gastrointestinal toxicity was prospectively collected, and the incidence of rectal bleeding was retrospectively reviewed from patient records. Results One hundred ninety-two patients were treated with rectal balloon immobilization, and 75 were treated with a rectal spacer. Rectal hydrogel spacer significantly improved rectal dosimetry while maintaining excellent target coverage. The 2-year actuarial rate of grade 2+ late rectal bleeding was 19% and 3% in the rectal balloon and hydrogel spacer groups, respectively (P = .003). In univariable analysis, the probability of grade 2+ rectal bleeding was significantly correlated with increasing rectal dose. In multivariable analysis, only receipt of spacer hydrogel (hazard ratio, 0.145; P = .010) and anticoagulation use (hazard ratio, 5.019; P Conclusions Use of rectal hydrogel spacer for prostate PBT is associated with a significantly lower incidence of clinically relevant, late rectal bleeding and lower decrement in long-term, patient-reported bowel quality of life compared with rectal balloon immobilization. Our results suggest that hydrogel spacer may improve rectal sparing compared with rectal balloon immobilization during PBT for prostate cancer.
That’s Not News: Audience Perceptions of “News-ness” and Why It Matters

When is a tweet considered news? This study uses an experimental design to isolate two features of a headline shared on Twitter to determine the impact on audience ratings of ‘news-ness.’ We examin...