cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A complicated case of bowel obstruction with sepsis and methamphetamine toxicity in a child with pica

In this report, a pediatric case of bowel obstruction with sepsis complicated by methamphetamine toxicity is described. The decedent, an eleven-year-old female with a clinical history of pica, was found unresponsive in her home and pronounced dead following unsuccessful resuscitative efforts. Radiologic imaging showed multiple radio-opaque foreign objects in the stomach and bowel. Autopsy revealed a green leafy substance, coins and other metallic items, folded paper, and plastic in her stomach and bowels. Postmortem iliac blood and urine tested positive for amphetamine and methamphetamine. While the decedent’s medical history and autopsy findings provided evidence consistent with bowel obstruction with sepsis due to the ingestion of foreign materials, the high methamphetamine concentration was suggestive of concurrent methamphetamine toxicity. Unique complications associated with this case include the phenomenon that methamphetamine toxicity and bowel obstruction can present similarly in children and the reported opinion that accidental drug ingestion is uncommon in children over the age of five. This case emphasizes that the age range for suspected accidental drug ingestion should be expanded for those with pica, as these patients, despite being older, may not be able to differentiate between what they should and should not ingest. Furthermore, when treating a pediatric patient with pica that appears to present with bowel obstruction, unintentional drug ingestion should also be considered, particularly if there is a suspicion that the child lives in a household where drugs are abused, given the prospect that drug toxicity can present similarly.
Introduction to Electron Transfer: Theoretical Foundations and Pedagogical Examples

A central theme in introductory and advanced chemical education courses pertains directly to the transfer of electrons between atoms, ions, or molecules. This article presents theoretical treatment...
Antifreeze proteins: effective adaptations of organisms for low temperature survival

Adaptation to low temperature presents many challenges. On a cellular level, structural integrity and metabolism are profoundly affected in cold temperatures, and at freezing temperatures, ice crystal formation must be prevented or controlled for an organism to survive. Antifreeze proteins (AFP) and glycoproteins (AFGP) are protective molecules expressed by organisms to effectively cope with these challenges. These proteins are extremely effective at protecting tissues from chilling and freezing damage, and are active at low concentrations compared to other cryoprotectants, such as glycerol. Many organisms can prevent ice crystal formation in their tissues by supercooling, where the freezing point of cellular fluid is decreased below the normal freezing point of water. Those that can tolerate freezing use ice nucleating proteins (INP) and AFPs to restrict the growth and coalescence of ice crystals. Studies on the evolution of AFPs and AFGPs in polar species reveal that the genes arose from a variety of mechanisms - including lateral gene transfer, gene duplication and convergent evolution - in response to climate change. AFPs directly bind to ice crystal faces, slowing or preventing crystal growth and coalescence. They also act to reduce membrane permeability by interacting with bilayer lipids, thereby preventing leakage during chilling. Practical applications of these molecules include tissue preservation, cold tolerance in crops and food animals, frozen food storage, and freeze-proof surface coatings.
New Records of Coccinellidae (Coleoptera) from the Central United States

New geographical records of zoological species are often discovered through processing undetermined specimens. Here, new records of five native species of lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) are reported for the central United States based on processing previously undetermined material from entomological collections: Cephaloscymnus laevis Gordon, Hyperaspidius insignis Casey, Hyperaspis punctata LeConte, Hippodamia apicalis Casey, and Anatis lecontei Casey. The new record for C. laevis represents a considerable range extension northward, whereas records for the other four species denote relatively minor geographic range extensions. These findings support the notion that systematic processing of undetermined collection material will yield new insights into the geographic ranges of various zoological species and improve understanding of biodiversity.
Design principles in continuous inkjet electrohydrodynamic printing from discretized modeling and image analysis

Abstract Electrohydrodynamic jet printing is a low cost, non-contact, direct-write and efficient process in obtaining high resolution prints for micro and nanofabrication. In electrically driven jets, the whipping motion, in particular, will lead to uncontrolled deposition of the jet in the printing process. In this work, we study the onset of the whipping motion at different applied voltage and nozzle to substrate distances for three different fluids. The model fluids for the study are chosen based on the viscoelasticity and electrical conductivity properties: i) polyisobutylene in polybutene (low conductivity and high viscoelasticity), ii) silver ink (high conductivity and low viscoelasticity), and iii) polyethylene oxide in water (high conductivity and high viscoelasticity). The radius profile of the jet and the onset of the whipping motion are obtained from the bead-spring model (simulations) and favorably compared with the high-speed images of the experiments. The onset position of whipping motion, and thus maximum stable jet length for electrohydrodynamic printing is obtained at different electric field conditions, and the trendline from the plot can be used as a guideline to design the printing length. In addition, a general correlation between electrostatic force parameter and Peclet number for electric field is obtained for all three model fluids when the electric field in the Debye length of the jet and convection length along the stable jet are applied in those dimensionless parameters. The correlation can be used as a predictive tool to obtain the stable jet length, which in turn can be used to set up the printing distance based on the printing conditions and printing solution.
EquiNox: Equivalent NoC Injection Routers for Silicon Interposer-Based Throughput Processors

Throughput-oriented many-core processors demand highly efficient network-on-chip (NoC) architecture for data transferring. Recent advent of silicon interposer, stacked memory and 2.5D integration have further increased data transfer rate. This greatly intensifies traffic bottleneck in the NoC but, at the same time, also brings a significant new opportunity in utilizing wiring resources in the interposer. In this paper, we propose a novel concept called Equivalent Injection Routers (EIRs) which, together with interposer links, transform the few-to-many traffic pattern to many-to-many pattern, thus fundamentally solving the bottleneck problem. We have developed EquiNox as a design example. We utilize N-Queen and Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) methods to help select EIRs by considering comprehensively from topological, architectural and physical aspects. Evaluation results show that, compared with prior work, the proposed EquiNox is able to reduce execution time by 23.5%, energy consumption by 18.9%, and EDP by 32.8%, under similar hardware cost.
Meta-Analysis Reveals Artificial Reefs Can Be Effective Tools for Fish Community Enhancement but Are Not One-Size-Fits-All

Approaches towards habitat conservation and restoration often include supplementing or enhancing existing, degraded, or lost natural habitats. In aquatic environments, a popular approach towards habitat enhancement is the introduction of underwater human-made structures or artificial reefs. Despite the nearly global prevalence of artificial reefs deployed to enhance habitat, it remains debated whether these structures function similarly to comparable natural reefs. To help resolve this question, we conducted a literature review and accompanying meta-analysis of fish community metrics on artificial reefs within the coastal ocean and made comparisons with naturally-occurring reference reefs (rocky reefs and coral reefs). Our findings from a synthesis of 39 relevant studies revealed that, across reef ecosystems, artificial reefs support comparable levels of fish density, biomass, species richness, and diversity to natural reefs. Additional analyses demonstrated that nuances in these patterns were associated with the geographic setting (ocean basin, latitude zone) and artificial reef material. These findings suggest that, while artificial reefs can mimic natural reefs in terms of the fish assemblages they support, artificial reefs are not one-size-fits-all tools for habitat enhancement. Instead, artificial reefs should be considered strategically based on location-specific scientific assessments and resource needs to maximize benefits of habitat enhancement.
Kinetics of Failure in an Elastic Peridynamic Material

The dynamic behavior of an elastic peridynamic material with a nonconvex bond potential is studied. In spite of the material’s inherently unstable nature, initial value problems can be solved using essentially the same techniques as with conventional materials, both analytically and numerically. In a suitably constructed material model, small perturbations grow exponentially over time until the material fails. The time for this growth is computed explicitly for a stretching bar that passes from the stable to the unstable phase of the material model. This time to failure represents an incubation time for the nucleation of a crack. The finiteness of the failure time in effect creates a rate dependence in the failure properties of the material. Thus, the unstable nature of the elastic material leads to a rate effect even though it does not contain any terms that explicitly include a strain rate dependence.
CD300lf conditional knockout mouse reveals strain-specific cellular tropism for murine norovirus

ABSTRACT Noroviruses are a leading cause of gastrointestinal infection in humans and mice. Understanding human norovirus (HuNoV) cell tropism has important implications for our understanding of viral pathogenesis. Murine norovirus (MNoV) is extensively used as a surrogate model for HuNoV. We previously identified CD300lf as the receptor for MNoV. Here, we generated a Cd300lf conditional knockout (CD300lfF/F) mouse to elucidate the cell tropism of persistent and non-persistent strains of murine norovirus. Using this mouse model, we demonstrate that CD300lf expression on intestinal epithelial cells (IECs), and on tuft cells in particular, is essential for transmission of the persistent MNoV strain CR6 (MNoVCR6) in vivo. In contrast, the nonpersistent MNoV strain CW3 (MNoVCW3) does not require CD300lf expression on IECs for infection. However, deletion of CD300lf in myelomonocytic cells (LysM Cre+) partially reduces CW3 viral load in lymphoid and intestinal tissues. Disruption of CD300lf expression on B cells (CD19 Cre), neutrophils (Mrp8 Cre), and dendritic cells (CD11c Cre) did not affect CW3 viral RNA levels. Finally, we show that the transcription factor STAT1, which is critical for the innate immune response, partially restricts the cell tropism of MNoVCW3 to LysM+ cells. Taken together, these data demonstrate that CD300lf expression on tuft cells is essential for MNoVCR6, that myelomonocytic cells are a major, but not exclusive, target cell of MNoVCW3, and that STAT1 signaling restricts the cellular tropism of MNoVCW3. This provides the first genetic system to study the cell type-specific role of CD300lf in norovirus pathogenesis. IMPORTANCE Human noroviruses (HuNoVs) are a leading cause of gastroenteritis resulting in up to 200,000 deaths each year. The receptor and cell tropism of HuNoV in immunocompetent humans are unclear. We use murine norovirus (MNoV) as a model for HuNoV. We recently identified CD300lf as the sole physiologic receptor for MNoV. Here, we leverage this finding to generate a Cd300lf conditional knockout mouse to decipher the contributions of specific cell types to MNoV infection. We demonstrate that persistent MNoVCR6 requires CD300lf expression on tuft cells. In contrast, multiple CD300lf+ cell types, dominated by myelomonocytic cells, are sufficient for non-persistent MNoVCW3 infection. CD300lf expression on epithelial cells, B cells, neutrophils, and dendritic cells is not critical for MNoVCW3 infection. Mortality associated with MNoVCW3 strain in Stat1-/- mice does not require CD300lf expression on LysM+ cells, highlighting that both CD300lf receptor expression and innate immunity regulate MNoV cell tropism in vivo.
Self-Referential Social Systems

Self-referential sociocultural systems that are dependent on learning for supplying the rules that pattern behavior consist entirely of symbolically encoded information. They are therefore intangible and ideational in character. They are systems in the sense that they are bounded, internally structured entities, comprised of elements that are cross-referenced, interconnected, and internally integrated in such a way that one element gives meaning to the others. When the cultural system is activated, the various elements comprising the structure of the system interact in the sense that they are expressed in the cobehavior of the actors practicing the rules. They are systems in the same sense that a language such as English may be regarded as a system. A language contains a vocabulary in which words take on meaning only in relation to each other and in terms of their use according to a set of phonetic, syntactical, and grammatical rules. This vocabulary and its associated rules of grammar and syntax, in interaction with their environment, generates the enormous variety of meaningful utterances observed as actual overt speech. Because linguistic rules form an integrated set of bounded, interrelated rules, a language, itself, may be regarded as a self-referential system.
Statistics Using R : An Integrative Approach

Using numerous examples with real data, this textbook closely integrates the learning of statistics with the learning of R. It is suitable for introductory-level learners, allows for curriculum flexibility, and includes, as an online resource, R-code script files for all examples and figures included in each chapter, for students to learn from and adapt and use in their future data analytic work. Other unique features created specifically for this textbook include an online R tutorial that introduces readers to data frames and other basic elements of the R architecture, and a CRAN library of datasets and functions that is used throughout the book. Essential topics often overlooked in other introductory texts, such as data management, are covered. The textbook includes online solutions to all end-of-chapter exercises and PowerPoint slides for all chapters as additional resources, and is suitable for those who do not have a strong background in mathematics.
A Heuristic Approach to Explore: Value of Perfect Information

How do people choose in a dynamic stochastic environment when they face uncertainty about the return of their choices? There is a growing literature that investigates the validity of boundedly rational models in this type of environment. In this research, we contribute to this literature by proposing a new heuristic decision process called Myopic-VPI, which extends the Value of Perfect Information (VPI) idea first proposed by Howard (1966) and Dearden et al. (1998, 1999) in engineering and computer science. This approach provides an intuitive and computationally tractable way to capture the value of exploring uncertain alternatives. In our approach, a decision-maker investigates the benefits of a subset of information, which can improve her myopic decision outcome. More specifically, the Myopic-VPI approach only involves ranking the alternatives and computing a one-dimensional integration to obtain the expected future value of exploration. In terms of computational costs, we show that Myopic-VPI is very attractive compared with dynamic programming, Index Strategy, and other heuristics, although its performance in accumulated rewards is not the strongest. Using individual-level scanner data, we find evidence that Myopic-VPI is able to capture actual consumers’ choices very well compared with other models under consideration (it provides the best in-sample fit, and very competitive out-of-sample fit). Our simulation and estimation results suggest that although consumers sacrifice some accumulated rewards by adopting Myopic-VPI, it allows them to save in cognitive costs. We argue that practitioners should consider Myopic-VPI as a serious alternative “as if” consumer model because of its relatively superior empirical performance in capturing actual consumer choice, and low implementation cost.
Viscoelastic monitoring in trauma resuscitation

Background Traumatic injury results in both physical and physiologic insult. Successful care of the trauma patient depends upon timely correction of both physical and biochemical injury. Trauma-induced coagulopathy is a derangement of hemostasis and thrombosis that develops rapidly and can be fatal if not corrected. Viscoelastic monitoring (VEM) assays have been developed to provide rapid, accurate, and relatively comprehensive depictions of an individual's coagulation profile. VEM are increasingly being integrated into trauma resuscitation guidelines to provide dynamic and individualized guidance to correct coagulopathy. Study design and methods We performed a narrative review of the search terms viscoelastic, thromboelastography, thromboelastometry, TEG, ROTEM, trauma, injury, resuscitation, and coagulopathy using PubMed. Particular focus was directed to articles describing algorithms for management of traumatic coagulopathy based on VEM assay parameters. Results Our search identified 16 papers with VEM-guided resuscitation strategies in adult patients based on TEG, 12 such protocols in adults based on ROTEM, 1 protocol for children based on TEG, and 2 protocols for children based on ROTEM. Conclusions This review presents evidence to support VEM use to detect traumatic coagulopathy, discusses the role of VEM in trauma resuscitation, provides a summary of proposed treatment algorithms, and discusses pending questions in the field.
Determinants of Confidence in U.S. Institutions: Comparing Congress and Corporations

Objectives The political discourse surrounding the 2016 U.S. presidential election highlighted discontent with both Congress and corporations, a reality corroborated in recent scholarship highlighting declines in institutional confidence among U.S. citizens. Here we test theories of institutional confidence to understand the social and cultural determinants of confidence in Congress and corporations prior to the start of the 2016 presidential campaigns. Methods We draw on data from the Religious Understandings of Science Survey, a nationally representative survey conducted in 2013–2014 (N = 9,416). Results We find that political ideology largely explained confidence in corporations while social location (particularly racial‐ethnic identity and gender) strongly related to confidence in Congress. Seemingly opposing factors converged to predict trust in both institutions. Conclusions Institutional confidence is shaped not only by social and cultural factors but also by the symbolic functions of institutions themselves.
Prevalence of psychotropic polypharmacy in nursing home residents with dementia: a meta-analysis

Objectives: Nursing home (NH) residents with dementia is exposed to high rates of psychotropic prescriptions. Our objectives were to: (1) pool the prevalence estimates of psychotropic polypharmacy from the existing literature and (2) examine potentially influential factors that are related to a higher or lower prevalence. Design: Meta-analysis of data collected from randomized trials, quasi-experimental, prospective or retrospective cohort, and cross-sectional studies. English-language searches of PubMed and PsycINFO were completed by November 2020. Included studies reported prevalence estimates of psychotropic polypharmacy (i.e. defined as either two-or-more or three-or-more medications concurrently) in NH residents with dementia. Setting and Participants: NH residents with dementia. Measurements: Random-effects models were used to pool the prevalence of psychotropic polypharmacy in NH residents with dementia across studies. Estimates were provided for both two-or-more and three-or-more concurrent medications. Heterogeneity and publication bias were measured. Meta-regression examined the influence of the percentage of the sample who were male, mean age of the sample, geographic region (continent), sample size, and study year on the prevalence of psychotropic polypharmacy. Results: Twenty-five unique articles were included comprising medications data from 92,370 NH residents with dementia in 12 countries. One-in-three (33%, [95% CI: 28%, 39%]) NH residents with dementia received two-or-more psychotropic medications concurrently. One-in-eight (13%, [95% CI: 10%, 17%]) received three-or-more psychotropic medications concurrently. Estimates were highly variable across both definitions of psychotropic polypharmacy (p < 0.001). Among study-level demographics, geographic region, sample size, or study year, only male sex was associated with greater use of two-or-more psychotropic medications (Unadjusted OR = 1.02, p = 0.006; Adjusted OR = 1.04, p = 0.07). Conclusions: Psychotropic polypharmacy is common among NH residents with dementia. Identifying the causes of utilization and the effects on resident health and well-being should be prioritized by federal entities seeking to improve NH quality.
Beyond Scale and Scope: Exploring Economic Drivers of U.S. Specialty Crop Production With an Application to Edamame

Specialty crops are considered high-risk, high-reward, yet growers face differing and relatively larger risk exposure when compared to traditional row crops. With traditional row crops, economies of scale and scope are key factors to increasing economic profitability. However, increasing economic profit for specialty crop operations present challenges which limit grower ability to easily take advantage of scale and scope economies. The authors discuss production, finance, regulatory, price, and human resource risks unique to U.S.-grown specialty crops. We apply our economic risk assessment framework to analyze U.S. edamame and present strategies to manage and mitigate risks faced by growers. We conclude that edamame may represent a profitable alternative crop in the U.S., and suggest future research topics are needed to optimize yields and meet market demand.
The influence of fine particulate matter on the association between residential greenness and ovarian reserve.

Abstract Background Natural vegetation, or greenness, is thought to improve health through its ability to buffer and reduce harmful environmental exposures as well as relieve stress, promote physical activity, restore attention, and increase social cohesion. In concert, these effects could help mitigate the detrimental effects of air pollution on reproductive aging in women. Methods Our analysis included 565 women attending the Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center (2004–2014) who had a measured antral follicle count (AFC), a marker of ovarian reserve. We calculated peak residential greenness in the year prior to AFC using 250 m2 normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from the Terra and Aqua satellites operated by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Validated spatiotemporal models estimated daily residential exposure to particulate matter Results Women in our study had a mean age of 35.2 years with a standard deviation (SD) of 4.3 years (min: 20 years, max: 45 years). The peak residential NDVI ranged from 0.07 to 0.92 with a SD of 0.18. There was no statistically significant association between peak residential greenness and AFC; however, higher exposure to PM2.5 was associated with lower AFC (−6.2% per 2 μg/m3 [1 SD increase] 95% CI -11.8, −0.3). There was a significant interaction between exposure to PM2.5 and peak greenness on AFC (P-interaction: 0.03). Among women with an average PM2.5 exposure of 7 μg/m3, a SD increase in residential peak greenness was associated with a 5.6% (95% CI -0.4, 12.0) higher AFC. Conversely, among women with a PM2.5 exposure of 12 μg/m3, a SD increase in residential peak greenness was associated with a 5.8% (95% CI -13.1, 2.1) lower AFC. Conclusions Residing in an area with high levels of greenness may slow reproductive aging in women only when exposure to PM2.5 is low.
A Game Changer: Adult-Geriatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Fellowship for the Veterans Health Administration.

BACKGROUND Nurse practitioner (NP) fellowship programs assist the novice NP in transitioning to advanced practice while emphasizing building confidence and competence. The Veteran's Health Administration (VHA) offers an NP primary care fellowship program. The purpose of this project was to develop an acute care transition to practice fellowship program at a Midwestern VHA hospital. METHODS A prospective, descriptive design utilizing a convenience sample of senior adult-geriatric nurse practitioner (AGNP) students during a pilot study of an acute care fellowship program. Outcome measures included evaluation of skills interpreting electrocardiograms (ECG), chest x-rays (CXR), and self-reported confidence in performing these skills over the initial 6-week period of the 12-month program. RESULTS There were three participants (N = 3, 100%). There was a 33% increase in self-reported confidence of readiness to practice at completion of the pilot. However, ECG scores decreased 66% and CXR interpretation scores decreased 33%. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING Despite training and targeted clinical experiences in ECG and CXR interpretations during an acute care fellowship, competence in these skills decreased while self-reported confidence increased at the end of 6 weeks. Continued education and training throughout the 12-month program is recommended to increase the novice NP's competence in these skills while transitioning to their new role. OBJECTIVE To provide an acute care fellowship to facilitate with transition into advanced practice while increasing confidence and competence in the novice NP. CONCLUSION The novice NP may benefit from an NP fellowship program.
Toward the Development of a Unified Process and Methodology Guide for Environmental Justice Analysis in Planning and Programming

Federal Environmental Justice directives require transportation agencies responsible for planning and programming federal funds, including state departments of transportation and metropolitan plann...
Calibrated non-linear vector network measurement without using a multi-harmonic generator

The current generation of non-linear vector network analysers (NVNA) relies on a multi-harmonic generator to establish an absolute phase reference. Such a reference may not be readily available or, more importantly, may impose limitations on tone spacing in multi-tone testing for one type of NVNA based on a four-port VNA. The latter is a severe limitation when characterising memory behaviour in RF non-linear circuits. Here a hybrid NVNA is proposed that combines a sampling oscilloscope, a four-port VNA and phase-locked signal generators. A signal generator, phase locked to generators that are combined as the multi-tone excitation, provides the relative phase reference during swept power measurements using the VNA. The high dynamic range VNA-based measurements are corrected in absolute phase using the oscilloscope-based NVNA measurement at a specific power level. The hybrid NVNA has high dynamic range and the lower bound on tone spacing is determined by the memory depth of the oscilloscope, the windowing effect of the VNA receivers and the phase noise of the multi-tone sources. At 2 GHz, the hybrid NVNA has a dynamic range of 40 dB at 200 Hz tone spacing for a two-tone signal, increasing to more than 80 dB for tone spacings of 200 kHz and greater.
The effects of terminal-link stimulus arrangements on preference in concurrent chains

Pigeons served as subjects in two concurrent-chains experiments in which responding on one or the other of two side keys occasionally produced either a short- (Fl 10-s) or a long- (Fl 20-s) duration terminal-link schedule of food reinforcement according to equal variable-interval 30-s initial-link schedules. In Experiment 1, the terminal link was in effect randomly on either key, or always on the opposite key, in relation to the initial link from which it was entered. In addition, terminal-link stimuli were differential keylights, nondifferential keylights, or differential houselights. Preference tended toward indifference with a random location of a terminal link and nondifferential keylights. However, the birds preferred the shorter terminal link when the terminal link was always in effect on the same key, or always on the opposite key, with either differential or nondifferential keylights. The birds also preferred the shorter terminal link with a random location, nondifferential keylights, and differential houselights. In Experiment 2, the terminal link was always in effect on the center key. As before, terminal-link stimuli were differential keylights, nondifferential keylights, or differential houselights. Preference tended toward indifference with nondifferential keylights. However, the birds preferred the shorter terminal link with either differential keylights or differential houselights. Taken together, the data indicate that terminal-link stimuli in concurrent chains function as conditioned reinforcers, rather than simple discriminative stimuli, although other features of the terminal links such as stimulus location act in concert with the visual stimuli to influence preference.
An algorithm on minimizing generalized eigenvalues with linear matrix inequality constraints

There are a large number of problems in engineering, especially in systems and control, that can be formulated as convex or quasiconvex optimization problems which involve linear matrix inequalities. Except in a few cases, closed-form or analytic solutions do not seem to exist, and therefore the problems can only be solved by iterative methods. In this paper, we propose an interior point method on minimizing the largest eigenvalue of a symmetric definite pencil subject to linear matrix inequality constraints. We also provide a convergence analysis for the proposed method.
A geometric and multiresolution analysis approach to robust detection

Summary form only given, as follows. Detection algorithms, whose design takes into account prior knowledge about the signals and the channel, face a quandary: they provide marked improvement in performance when the field operating conditions match well this available knowledge; but they experience strong degradation when the actual conditions depart from the assumed ones. In other words, high resolution and robustness are commonly at odds. A third important variable affecting this tradeoff is the computational complexity of the solution. A geometric based approach to designing detectors leads to a satisfying compromise: simple to implement detectors that are robust to mismatches and that exhibit good performance. The approach designs a representation subspace that is a good approximation (in the gap metric sense) to the signal set (a priori information), and uses multiresolution and wavelet analysis to design the representation subspace and implement the detector. The approach can be applied to multipath channels, and detection results illustrate the robustness of the geometric gap detector.
A Pilot Study of Dose-Dense Paclitaxel With Trastuzumab and Lapatinib for Node-negative HER2-Overexpressed Breast Cancer

Abstract Background Dual anti-HER2 therapy is effective for HER2-amplified breast cancer. Weekly paclitaxel, trastuzumab, and full-dose lapatinib (PTL) is not feasible because of grade 3 diarrhea. We conducted a phase II feasibility study of dose-dense (DD; every other week) PTL ( ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT01827163 ). Patients and Methods Eligible patients had HER2-positive breast cancer, tumor size ≤ 3 cm, and negative nodes. Treatment included paclitaxel (175 mg/m2 × 4, every 2 weeks with pegfilgrastim), trastuzumab (4 mg/kg load and then 2 mg/kg weekly), and lapatinib (1000 mg daily). After paclitaxel × 4, trastuzumab (6 mg/kg every 3 weeks) plus lapatinib were continued for 1 year. The primary endpoint was feasibility, defined as (1) > 80% of patients completing PTL without a dose delay or reduction, (2) grade 3 diarrhea rate Results From May 2013 to November 2013, we enrolled 20 of 55 planned patients. The median age was 49 years (range, 34-74 years). One patient had immediate paclitaxel hypersensitivity and was deemed inevaluable. Only 13 of 19 evaluable patients (68%) completed PTL without a dose delay or reduction or unacceptable toxicities. Only 3 of 19 (16%) had grade 3 diarrhea. Rash was frequent, with all grades in 18 of 19 (95%) and grade 3 in 2 of 19 (11%). The study was stopped early because of excess toxicity. Conclusion The discontinuation rate during DD PTL was high, owing, in part, to an unexpectedly high incidence of rash. The trial was halted, because the initial discontinuation rate from overall toxicity made it unlikely that full accrual would demonstrate feasibility.
Effect of Formalin, β-Propiolactone, Merthiolate, and Ultraviolet Light Upon Influenza Virus Infectivity, Chicken Cell Agglutination, Hemagglutination, and Antigenicity

Four strains of influenza virus were treated with Formalin, Merthiolate, Merthiolate and Formalin, ultraviolet light, and beta-propiolactone (BPL) for 18, 48, and 72 hr. Infectivity, chicken cell agglutination (CCA), hemagglutination (HA), and antigenicity determinations were made. Except for Merthiolate, each method of inactivation was equally effective in reducing infectivity. Loss of infectivity was related to length of treatment. CCA determinations were higher for all treated groups except for BPL-treated samples; these had lower determinations. BPL treatment also lowered the HA titer. Antigenicity was lessened by BPL treatment and by Merthiolate and Formalin treatment. Generally, the length of inactivation up to 72 hr did not affect CCA, HA, or antigenicity determinations. For the most part, there was no significant differences in the reactivity of the four strains.
The resource constrained time/cost tradeoff project scheduling problem with discounted cash flows

Many of the recent studies on Project Scheduling focus on maximizing the Net Present Value (NPV) of cash flows that occur during the implementation of a project in the presence of precedence and resource constraints. The literature contains several integer programming formulations, heuristic procedures and their implementations. In most of these formulations, activity durations are assumed to be fixed. In this paper, we study a practical extension of the problem where the activity durations can be reduced from their normal durations by allocating more resources. Costs associated with such reductions are referred to as crashing costs. The problem under consideration involves determining the timing and duration of activities such that the NPV of all cash flows is maximized in the presence of precedence and resource constraints. We suggest a heuristic procedure for obtaining “good” feasible solutions. We compare the performance of three priority rules embedded in the proposed procedure. Two of these priority rules have been shown to be the most effective in the literature, the third is a new rule developed in this paper. Extensive computational experiments with the heuristic procedure on a total of 380 test problems are reported. The heuristic solutions are compared to benchmark solutions obtained from the best of 50-randomly generated solutions for each test problem. In addition, upper bounds on the optimal values are obtained by performing Subgradient optimization on a Lagrangian Relaxation of the problem. These upper bounds are used to assess the quality of the heuristic solutions. In general, none of the priority rules produced consistently better results for all the test problems. However, all three priority rules provide “good” quality solutions with modest computational effort. The Lagrangian approach is found to provide tight bounds on the optimal values.
Human corpus luteum: immunocytochemical evidence for presence of prolactin.

Six human corpora lutea (day 17–25) of the menstrual cycle and 4 ovarian stromal tissues from 7 cycling women were examined for the presence of the hormone, prolactin, by immunohistochemistry using the indirect peroxidase-antiperoxidase method. After mounting tissue sections of 4 μm, endogenous peroxidases were removed with hydrogen peroxide and the sections were incubated for l h at room temperature followed by 16 h at 4° C with a highly specific antisera for human prolactin, nonimmunized normal rabbit serum for a control reaction, or antiserum preadsorbed with excess human prolactin for specificity determination. Following the reaction with the second antibody (goat antirabbit IgG) for l h at room temperature, prolactin was localized using peroxidase anti-peroxidase and 3.3′-diaminobenzidine as the chromogen. Prolactin was present and could be localized in the luteal cells of all 6 corpora lutea, but not in any of the ovarian stroma studied. Human adenohypophysis served as a positive tissue control for prolactin immunopositive staining. The localization of immunoreactive prolactin in the corpus luteum demonstrates directly the presence of this hormone in the human ovary, adding further evidence for its role in luteal function.
Comment on ‘‘Reduction of coupled equations for heavy ion reactions’’

A recently obtained reduced set of coupled equations represents the scattering in the rotating frame. The corresponding scattering amplitude simplifies such that it is equivalent to having spinless states. Good agreement with exact calculations is obtained, including those for backward scattering angles.
Creative Writing and an Overlooked Population

As a regional institution, our university's historic mission is to train area teachers who must operate under the auspices of the Kentucky Educational Reform Act, which mandates extensive writing portfolios in Grades 4, 7 and 12. While these portfolios may include as much as 50% creative writing or work employing creative writing techniques, a recent survey of teachers responsible for guiding students revealed that not a single teacher had ever taken a course in creative writing pedagogy and only a handful had even had any formal training in creative writing. We suggested that this lack of teacher training was one reason the majority of K-12 student portfolios had plateaued at the lowest ‘Novice’ level, unable to move to ‘Apprentice,’ ‘Proficient’ or ‘Distinguished.’ To address the problem, we created and team-taught a graduate course in creative writing pedagogy. This highly popular course consisted of an exploration of the various theoretical approaches to the discipline, demonstrations of these approac...
Surface Relaxation of 3 He on Small Fluorocarbon Particles

The nuclear magnetic polarization of $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ on the surface of a fluorocarbon substrate is controlled by the polarization of the $^{19}\mathrm{F}$ in the substrate. The apparent relaxation rates of the $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ measure the coupling between the spin baths of the $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ and the $^{19}\mathrm{F}$ nuclei within the substrate.
Substrates Elicit Different Patterns of Intracellular Signaling Which in Turn Cause Differences in Cell Adhesion

Although intracellular signal transduction is relatively well understood, how the cells can distinguish among thousands of micro-environments is not. This study proposes that a systems level view of intracellular signaling is necessary to interpret differences in cell interactions with different substrates. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells were exposed to 10 substrates (9 adsorbed extracellular matrix proteins and uncoated polystyrene), and the activities of 4 intracellular signaling kinases were quantified for cells on each substrate as a function of time. Principal component analysis demonstrates that each substrate elicits a different pattern of signaling. Mean activity of the 4 kinases can distinguish 44 of 45 possible pair-wise comparisons among the substrates. Partial Least Squares Regression Analysis is used to hypothesize causal relationships between signaling activity and cell adhesion or β1-integrin expression. Inhibition studies generally confirm that ERK (extracellular signal-related kinase) and JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase) cause increased adhesion and β1-integrin expression. Inhibition of IKK (IκB kinase), on the other hand, showed no statistically significant effect on β1-integrin expression and led to significant decreases in cell adhesion—confirming a causal link but opposite of the hypothesized relationship (that inhibition of IKK would increase adhesion).
Preparation and properties of hypothalamic factors capable of altering pancreatic hormone release in vitro.

Insulin release-inhibiting and glucagon-releasing activities previously detected in media in which rat ventromedial hypothalamic tissue had been incubated have now been detected in acid/acetone extracts of rat hypothalamic tissue. The activities from the two sources have identical responses to treatment with various proteolytic enzymes. They were treated with trypsin, chymotrypsin, carboxypeptidase, or pepsin and then tested in a pancreatic islet system for their ability to inhibit insulin and stimulate glucagon release. The insulin release-inhibiting activity was abolished by chymotrypsin, trypsin, carboxypeptidase, and pepsin treatment, whereas the glucagon-releasing activity was eliminated by carboxypeptidase and pepsin, was unaffected by trypsin, and was enhanced by chymotrypsin. These results indicate not only the peptidic nature of the two activities but also show that both extract and incubate preparations appear to contain the same two peptide agents. Gel filtration on Sephadex G-25 demonstrated t...
Uptake and transfer of carbon and phosphorus by eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) and its epiphytes

Abstract The uptake of carbon and phosphorus by eelgrass ( Zostera marina L.) and its epiphytes under laboratory conditions was examined by the use of 14 C and 32 P in partitioned chamber experiments. Both carbon and phosphorus were taken up by eelgrass roots and subsequently transferred through the plants to epiphytes on the grass blades. The data suggested that only a small portion of the carbon fixed in photosynthesis is supplied through the roots and rhizomes. There was very little net transfer of phosphorus through the plants during the 12-h experiments; the most active movement of phosphorus was from the water into the roots where most of the material remained. Phosphorus uptake was dependent on the concentration of dissolved inorganic phosphorus in the medium. An increase in phosphorus concentration of the medium resulted in increased uptake rates; however, the proportion of accumulation of 32 P in the roots, leaves, and epiphytes remained similar. Experimental design should be carefully considered when comparing the results of various phosphorus uptake studies. The data indicated that a close relationship exists between eelgrass and its epiphytic community; from 15 to 100% of the phosphorus released by the leaves was taken up by the epiphytes.
A RESPIRATORY DISEASE SYNDROME IN CHICKENS FED ESSENTIAL FATTY ACID DEFICIENT DIETS.

SummaryA respiratory disease syndrome characterized by formation of bronchial exudate and lung consolidation was observed in chicks fed diets very low in essential fatty acids. These lesions were not observed in chicks receiving similar diets containing 10% of soybean oil.
Embryonic and maternal heat shock responses to a teratogenic hyperthermic insult.

Abstract Exposing embryos to elevated temperatures both in vivo and in vitro has been to result in the production of offspring with severe congenital abnormalities. While a direct effect of heat cannot be excluded, recent interest has been focused on the possible role that the induction of the heat shock response may have in the etiology of the observed congenital defects. In the present study, mouse embryos from inbred strains known to differ in terms of their sensitivity to heat-induced exencephaly were treated in vivo and their heat shock response determined using SDS-PAGE electrophoretic techniques. Further, the embryonic response were compared with a maternal cell type. We observed excellent agreement between the two test systems following exposure to a teratogenic hyperthermic insult. Both the embryonic and maternal cells underwent a reduction in total protein synthesis and an enhanced synthesis of four heat shock proteins migrating with the molecular weights of 68, 70, 97, and 110 kDa. The results failed to indicate any strong correlation between the heat shock response and enhanced genetic sensitivity to hyperthermia-induced neural tube defects.
Synthesis and Characterization of Silica-Coated Iron Oxide Nanoparticles in Microemulsion: The Effect of Nonionic Surfactants

A water-in-oil microemulsion method has been applied for the preparation of silica-coated iron oxide nanoparticles. Three different nonionic surfactants (Triton X-100, Igepal CO-520, and Brij-97) have been used for the preparation of microemulsions, and their effects on the particle size, crystallinity, and the magnetic properties have been studied. The iron oxide nanoparticles are formed by the coprecipitation reaction of ferrous and ferric salts with inorganic bases. A strong base, NaOH, and a comparatively mild base, NH4OH, have been used in each surfactant to observe whether the basicity has some influence on the crystallization process during particle formation. Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray electron diffraction, and superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry have been employed to study both uncoated and silica-coated iron oxide nanoparticles. All these particles show magnetic behavior close to that of superparamagnetic materials. By use of this method, magnetic nanoparticles ...
The Stellar Wind From the Central Star of NGC 7009

Observations of NGC 7009, including its central star HD 200516, have been obtained with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite, providing spectra covering 905-1187 A with spectral resolution of 15 km/sec. One observation was made with the 30x30 arcsec aperture and includes the star plus the entire nebula. A second observation used the 1.25x20arcsec slit significantly reducing the nebular 'contamination' of the stellar spectrum. This poster discusses the spectrum of the central star. A strong FUV continuum, as expected for Teff=82,000K, dominates the spectrum. The most prominent spectral feature is a very strong P-Cygni profile of O VI 1032-1038. This paper presents models of the stellar spectrum and the wind features to further refine the stellar parameters and mass loss rate.