cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Performance Comparison of the {\rm R}^{\ast}-Tree and the Quadtree for kNN and Distance Join Queries

Multidimensional point indexing plays a critical role in a variety of data-centric applications, including image retrieval, sequence matching, and moving object database search. A common choice of indexing method for these applications is often the "ubiquitous” R*-tree. Choosing the right indexing method requires careful consideration of various factors such as query operations and index construction methods. In this work, we present an experimental study comparing the R*-tree and Quadtree using various criteria including the query operations and index construction methods. Although a variety of query operations can be performed using these index structures, previous work has largely focused only on the range search operation. We go beyond this previous work and compare the performance of these index structures using k-nearest neighbor (kNN) and distance join queries. In addition, we also consider the impact of index construction methods in evaluating these index structures. Our study sheds light on how the choice of the underlying index structure affects the performance of different query operations, and shows that the method used for constructing the index and the dynamic nature of the data set has a dramatic impact on the performance of these index structures.
Effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 and temperature on leaf optical properties in Acer saccharum.

Abstract Elevated partial pressures of atmospheric carbon dioxide, similar to numerous causes of plant stress, may alter leaf pigmentation and structure and thus would be expected to alter leaf optical properties. Hypotheses that elevated CO 2 pressure and air temperature would alter leaf optical properties were tested for sugar maple ( Acer saccharum ) in the middle of its fourth growing season under treatment. The saplings had been growing since 1994 in open-top chambers and partial shade at Oak Ridge, Tennessee under the following treatments: (1) ambient CO 2 pressure and air temperature (control); (2) CO 2 pressure approximately 30 Pa above ambient; (3) air temperatures 3°C above ambient; and (4) elevated CO 2 and air temperature. Under elevated CO 2 or temperature, spectral reflectance, transmittance and absorptance in the visible spectrum (400–720 nm) tended to change in patterns that generally are associated with chlorosis, with maximum differences from the control near 700 nm. However, these changes were not significant at P =0.05. Although reflectance, transmittance and absorptance at 700 nm correlated strongly with leaf chlorophyll concentration, variability in chlorophyll concentration was greater within than among treatments. The lack of treatment effects on pigmentation explained the non-significant change in optical properties in the visible spectrum. Optical properties in the near-infrared (721–850 nm) were similarly unresponsive to treatment with the exception of an increased absorptance throughout the 739–850 nm range in leaves that developed under elevated air temperature alone. This response might have resulted from effects of air temperature on leaf internal structure.
Couples' gender role preferences and management of family food preferences.

Abstract Objective To learn how couples stratified by gender role preference (GRP) manage food preferences. Design One-time individual semistructured qualitative interview with each partner in a couple representing 1 of 3 GRP pairings. Settings/Participants Volunteers were recruited using advertising and snowball sampling and met the criteria of both parents living at home, wife no older than 40 years, and at least one child under age 6 years and, if present, all others under age 18 years. Both partners in volunteer couples completed a 31-item GRP scale, and the scores of each partner were categorized as traditional (lowest 25% of possible scores), transitional (middle 50%), or egalitarian (top 25%). No traditional couples volunteered. A purposeful sample of 10 transitional and 10 egalitarian wives representing 20 couples was interviewed. Variables Measured Each partner was asked how food preference patterns were established and how family member food preferences affect foods served at evening meals now. Analysis Thematic content analysis, constant comparison, and consensus produced the final thematic analysis. Results Transitional wives married to transitional husbands established a pattern of deference to the husband's preferences that could make alteration of food choices difficult. Egalitarian wives married to egalitarian husbands established a fairer pattern of balancing partner's food preferences. Conclusions and Implications Nutrition education for transitional and egalitarian couples should use different approaches.
Wernicke's Encephalopathy: The Subacute Setting as Safety Net

Wernicke's encephalopathy is a disease forgotten but not gone. In the subacute setting, it is likely to appear after a (typically brief) hospital stay and requires vigilance and skill to diagnose. Treatment with parenteral thiamine, a safe intervention, is often successful in reversing the neurological manifestations. We argue that the subacute setting is an appropriate setting in which to diagnose and treat Wernicke's encephalopathy and that this disease is but one of many for which the subacute service will be increasingly responsible.
Testability for all seasons

The author discusses the many roles of the testability engineer throughout the development cycle and summarizes successful techniques which have been used on a FSD program. The preplanned use of common BIT (built-in test) software throughout all echelons of maintenance and at the factory is reported. The author identifies many compelling reasons to design for testability, including MIL-STD-2165 compliance. The growing need for BIT and testability designed concurrently with hardware is cited along with the substantial potential for savings in manufacture, life-cycle maintenance, and maintenance support system costs. The role of the testability engineer in the development of a product is shown to be pervasive throughout the project, varied in scope and context, and highly demanding in knowledge and skills. >
Treating Black Students Like White Students: A Definition of School Integration

An "integrated school" is in some ways more than blacks-and-whites together; in some ways it is less. Here a pattern of integration is described.
Los cuentos de tío Conejo

Se llevara a cabo un analisis folklorico de la serie de cuentos pertenecientes a Cuentos de mi tia Panchita de Carmen Lyra, cuya trama se basa en un personaje central: e l tio Conejo. Ademas, se discutiran tanto la caracterizacion del personaje como su relacion con el Brer Rabbit de Joel Chandler Harris. Ofrecen particular interes los problemas de relacion, no solo entre los dos autores, Harris y Lyra, sino dentro del panorama general de los cuentos.
Algorithms for a closed-loop artificial pancreas: the case for model predictive control.

The relative merits of model predictive control (MPC) and proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control are discussed, with the end goal of a closed-loop artificial pancreas (AP). It is stressed that neither MPC nor PID are single algorithms, but rather are approaches or strategies that may be implemented very differently by different engineers. The primary advantages to MPC are that (i) constraints on the insulin delivery rate (and/or insulin on board) can be explicitly included in the control calculation; (ii) it is a general framework that makes it relatively easy to include the effect of meals, exercise, and other events that are a function of the time of day; and (iii) it is flexible enough to include many different objectives, from set-point tracking (target) to zone (control to range). In the end, however, it is recognized that the control algorithm, while important, represents only a portion of the effort required to develop a closed-loop AP. Thus, any number of algorithms/approaches can be successful—the engineers involved in the design must have experience with the particular technique, including the important experience of implementing the algorithm in human studies and not simply through simulation studies.
Lumbar disc disease: the natural history

Symptomatic lumbar disc disease represents a major cost to societies providing modern care for these conditions. The impact of any treatment cannot be assessed without an understanding of the natural history of the disease process. The majority of individuals with degenerative disc disease are asymptomatic. Although the natural history of sciatica is associated with a good overall prognosis, that of discogenic low-back pain is less promising. For patients with symptomatic lumbar disc herniations, the results of discectomy are better than those predicted by the natural history of the disease process.
Temperature effects on germination and growth of redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus), Palmer amaranth (A. palmeri), and common waterhemp (A. rudis)

Abstract Experiments were conducted to determine the effects of temperature on seed germination and growth of redroot pigweed, Palmer amaranth, and common waterhemp. At 15/10 C day and night temperature, respectively, no seed germination was observed in any species. Seed germination increased gradually as temperature increased. Germination peaked at 25/20 C in common waterhemp and at 35/30 C in redroot pigweed and Palmer amaranth. Seed germination of all three species declined when temperatures increased above 35/30 C. All three species produced less biomass at 15/10 C than at 25/20 C and 35/25 C. Redroot pigweed and common waterhemp biomass were similar at 15/10 C and higher than that of Palmer amaranth. However, Palmer amaranth produced more biomass than redroot pigweed and common waterhemp at 25/20 and 35/30 C. At 45/40 C, redroot pigweed, common waterhemp, and Palmer amaranth plants died 8, 9, and 25 d after initiation of heat treatment, respectively. The largest root volume among the three species wa...
The presentation of knowledge and state-information for system fault diagnosis

System fault diagnosis is often performed by humans using fault diagnosis knowledge such as fault trees and system state information. An experiment was conducted to investigate how various forms of presenting fault trees and system state information affect human performance and preference during fault diagnosis. Three knowledge presentations (a semantic network, a schema-based semantic network, and production rules) and four state-information presentations (direct manipulation, menus, fill-in-forms, commands) were examined in the experiment; 30 subjects participated. The results of the experiment indicated that knowledge presentation by the semantic network yielded better subject performance of fault diagnosis. In addition, direct manipulation was the most favorite form of state information presentation to the subjects. The s-significant interaction between the knowledge presentations and the state information presentations in terms of subject preference was also found.
A Novel cis-Acting Element in a Liver Cytochrome P450 3A Gene Confers Synergistic Induction by Glucocorticoids plus Antiglucocorticoids *

The induction by dexamethasone of rat liver CYP3A1 differs from classical glucocorticoid gene regulation in part because both glucocorticoids and antiglucocorticoids such as pregnenolone 16 alpha-carbonitrile (PCN) induce CYP3A1 through transcriptional gene activation. In the present study, we transiently expressed in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes plasmids consisting of CYP3A1 5'-flanking sequences fused to a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter plasmid. Deletional analysis identified a 78-base pair (bp) element located approximately 135 bp upstream of the transcriptional start site that was inducible by treatment of the cultures with dexamethasone or PCN and was induced synergistically by dexamethasone plus PCN. Nuclear extract from control rat liver protected two regions within the 78-bp sequence against digestion with DNase I. The same two regions were protected when nuclear extracts from dexamethasone-treated animals were used. Analysis of both of the "footprints" (FP1 and FP2) failed to reveal a classical sequence for the glucocorticoid-responsive element. A 33-bp element that includes FP1 sequences inserted into the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter plasmid and transiently expressed in rat hepatocytes conferred a profile of dexamethasone and PCN induction similar to that of the 78-bp element. However, an Escherichia coli expressed glucocorticoid receptor protein failed to protect sequences within FP1 in DNase I footprinting experiments and failed to change its mobility in gel shift assays. Moreover, as judged by the gel shift assay, the specific protein binding to this fragment was the same whether nuclear extracts from the liver of untreated or dexamethasone-treated rats were used. We conclude that the activation of CYP3A1 gene transcription by glucocorticoids may involve proteins already bound to the controlling element in the CYP3A1 gene through a mechanism in which GR in the presence of hormone does not bind directly to CYP3A1 DNA.
Examining Utilization of a Natural Medicine Web-Based Tool Among Non-Primary Care Physicians, Academic Faculty, and Nurses at One Institution

Background:Consumer use of herbal and natural products (H/NP) is increasing, yet physicians may be unprepared to provide guidance because of lack of educational training. This knowledge deficit may place consumers at risk of adverse effects. We had previously evaluated the impact of a natural medicine Web-based resource on primary care providers at our institution.Objectives:To ascertain the value of an H/NP Web-based resource to non–primary care physicians, academic faculty, and nurses practicing within a hospital setting.Methods:Non–primary care physicians, academic faculty, and nurses at our medical center were invited to complete an electronic survey 1 year after access to an H/NP clinical decision tool had been obtained.Results:Survey responses were obtained from 226 of 2720 (8%) individuals invited to participate. Overall, respondents indicated a relatively low comfort level (mean 3.5 [2.28] [SD] on a 10-point scale) in discussing H/NP prior to introduction of the electronic H/NP resource. Following...
Women and Gender in Iraq : Between Nation Building and Fragmentation

Cette recherche s'interesse aux questions de genre et a l'activisme politique des femmes irakiennes, a travers une etude socio-historique de leurs experiences sociales, economiques et politiques depuis la formation de l'Etat irakien moderne, ainsi qu'une ethnographie detaillee du contexte, de la teneur et du sens politique de leur activisme dans l'Irak post-invasion. Tout au long de cette these, j'explore l'activisme politique contemporain des irakiennes en reposant sur une approche socio-historique et intersectionnelle etudiant l'imbrication des questions de genre, de nation, d'Etat et de religion. Je soutiens ainsi qu'explorer l'activisme politique des femmes necessite un regard sur la maniere dont les questions liees aux femmes et au genre ont ete definies historiquement, notamment en fonction des divergentes apprehensions de la nation, de l'evolution de l'Etat postcolonial, des relations Etat-societe et des differentes comprehensions et expressions de l'islam. En adoptant ce cadre d'analyse complexe socio-historique et intersectionnelle, j'explore ethnographiquement et problematise les notions de droits des femmes, de feminisme, d'activisme politique pour les droits des femmes islamiste ou seculier. Je soutiens ainsi que lier le feminisme postcolonial a l'intersectionnalite a travers une approche socio-historique et ethnographique, permet de depasser les dichotomies simplistes telles que culture/economie, feminisme/religion, activisme pour les droits des femmes seculier/islamiste et local/global. Je propose d'enraciner le genre, la classe, les relations. Etat-societe, et les appartenances geographiques, ethniques, religieuses et confessionnelles dans leur contextes complexes et multidimensionnels, tout en gardant en vue les structures objectives vectrices d'inegalite comme le colonialisme et l'imperialisme.
Services Sciences, Management, and Engineering (SSME) and Its Relation to Academic Disciplines

The service economy refers both the service sector of industrialized economies as well as services performed in the manufacturing and extractive sectors of the economy. The spectacular growth of the service economy in the past fifty years is reflected both the GDP statistics of nations as well as the annual reports of manufacturing companies that report on growing services revenue. The Fortune 1000 reflects the growth trend of the service economy. Both the increasing number of service firms (e.g. Google) that appear on the list and the increasing percentage of revenue from services for many non-service firms (e.g. John Deere) reflect this new economic reality.
Surveillance for Western Equine Encephalitis, St. Louis Encephalitis, and West Nile Viruses Using Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification

Collection of mosquitoes and testing for vector-borne viruses is a key surveillance activity that directly influences the vector control efforts of public health agencies, including determining when and where to apply insecticides. Vector control districts in California routinely monitor for three human pathogenic viruses including West Nile virus (WNV), Western equine encephalitis virus (WEEV), and St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV). Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) offers highly sensitive and specific detection of these three viruses in a single multiplex reaction, but this technique requires costly, specialized equipment that is generally only available in centralized public health laboratories. We report the use of reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) to detect WNV, WEEV, and SLEV RNA extracted from pooled mosquito samples collected in California, including novel primer sets for specific detection of WEEV and SLEV, targeting the nonstructural protein 4 (nsP4) gene of WEEV and the 3' untranslated region (3'-UTR) of SLEV. Our WEEV and SLEV RT-LAMP primers allowed detection of <0.1 PFU/reaction of their respective targets in <30 minutes, and exhibited high specificity without cross reactivity when tested against a panel of alphaviruses and flaviviruses. Furthermore, the SLEV primers do not cross-react with WNV, despite both viruses being closely related members of the Japanese encephalitis virus complex. The SLEV and WEEV primers can also be combined in a single RT-LAMP reaction, with discrimination between amplicons by melt curve analysis. Although RT-qPCR is approximately one order of magnitude more sensitive than RT-LAMP for all three targets, the RT-LAMP technique is less instrumentally intensive than RT-qPCR and provides a more cost-effective method of vector-borne virus surveillance.
Effectiveness of a Bowling Aid to University Bowling Instruction

Abstract Two investigations were conducted to determine the effectiveness of a bowling aid to bowling instruction at the university level. In the pilot study (1960-61) 58 women students were matched (3 game bowling average) and placed into experimental (with aid) and control (no aid) groups. The training period with aid ran through the first 12 games and the non-training period through the last eight games. The experimental study (1961-62) employed 60 men and women students. The use of the aid differed from the pilot study and the training period lasted for only ten games. In addition, the subjects were separated into two ability groups (beginner and intermediate). In both studies each group was taught by the same instructor. Analysis of variance techniques were used to evaluate the differences observed. In each investigation the individual differences were highly significant, while between groups, game, and group × game interaction were not significant, with the exception of the pilot study (training per...
Real-Time Measurement of Skin Friction Using Calibrated Multi-Element Hotfilm Arrays

This paper describes a general procedure for real-time calibrated measurement of skin friction using hotfilm sensors controlled by a constant voltage anemometer (CVA). Hotfilms are sensitive to air and substrate temperature and compensating for temperature dependence requires in situ estimates of heated and unheated hotfilm resistance. This can be done by rapidly alternating between overheat ratios. To verify the usefulness of this approach, a CVA was constructed to make in situ estimates of conductive dissipation into the substrate. Following previous work, the analysis approach assumes the air and substrate are in thermal equilibrium. Wind tunnel tests were conducted within a 3×4 foot wind tunnel at Texas A&M University. Hotfilms were installed along the chord of a NACA 0018 airfoil and calibrated to measure shear stress. The validity of the calibration approach using multiple overheats was tested for changing air and substrate temperature over 12C ranges. The calibration remains valid over temperature changes of this magnitude when the air and model remain in thermal equilibrium. However, when the air and substrate were not in thermal equilibrium over this temperature range the calibration failed. Future work must consider a more general formulation that accommodates unequal air and substrate temperatures and avoids electronic noise.
The Theoretical Value of Wittgenstein's Thought of the Unspeakable

Based on logical analysis of language in his early philosophy,Wittgenstein draws a boundary in the language:to say the speakable things clearly and keep silent for the unspeakable things.However,he indents actually to express his thought of the unspeakable through the speakable,and the unspeakable was what he really emphasizes.The unspeakable things mean the mysterious ones outside the world,which form a transcendent metaphysic system with metaphysics as the core.The metaphysic of the unspeakable has positive theoretical value but it also results in negative consequence to Wittgenstein's philosophy.
Anorexia nervosa: an increasing problem in children and adolescents

Information from eating disorder clinics across five continents suggests that anorexia nervosa is becoming an increasing problem in children and young adolescents. There is some indication that anxiety disorders in childhood may be a major risk factor for the development of anorexia nervosa. Early recognition and family treatment for this disorder are essential to prevent chronic impairment.
Ligand Screening Using Enzymatic Assays

An important aspect of enzymatic assays is that the effect of a ligand on enzyme activity is readily apparent and quantifiable. Enzyme-based assays are, therefore, highly amenable to high-throughput ligand screening, which profiles the effect of a panel of small molecules on a designated target. In order for enzyme assays to provide useful screening data, the kinetics, assay components, readout signal, and overall stability of the assay are optimized and adapted to the equipment prior to the screen. For the screen itself, careful consideration is given to the number of replicates, the plate layout, the compound concentration, and the details of assay assembly. Lastly, in the post-screen stages, the ligand screening data is processed and analyzed using various strategies, and the resulting preliminary hits are subjected to a series of secondary and tertiary assays to eliminate false positives and poor quality hits. The various stages of screening are described, using a viral protease, NS3/4A from Hepatitis C virus, as an example of an enzyme target.
Ancient Puebloan Southwest: The wrong Middle Places? Chaco Canyon and the Mimbres Mogollon

The Hopi speak of Palatkwapi , while the Zuni relate the tale of Han'hlipink'ya and the Acoma talk of “White House.” Each describes a place in their ancestors' journeys where people strayed from the proper way of living. At Palatkwapi , things were good – the rains fell, the river was always full, and there was plenty of game to hunt. The older people knew that the Hopi had to continue their journey to the “Middle Place,” where they would meet up with other wandering clans. But Palatkwapi grew, people rejected the proper way of living, and evil and corruption emerged. Instead of gathering in the kivas, people gambled, harassed the elders, and neglected their ritual obligations. Only complete destruction of the village – a massive flood or choking fumes, depending on the story – reminded people of the journey they were obligated to continue (Courlander 1971; Cushing 1896; Parsons 1939). Do the Pueblo histories refer to real places, sites that we can visit today? On one hand, the stories are parables that teach people the consequences of unethical behavior, and whether they are real places is not important. But archaeologists have identified a time in Puebloan history when selfish behavior may have troubled society – a time of plenty, but also a time of inequities, with a few people exerting more control over others and the fruits of their labor.
Endoscopic detection of cancer with lensless radioluminescence imaging and machine vision

Complete removal of residual tumor tissue during surgical resection improves patient outcomes. However, it is often difficult for surgeons to delineate the tumor beyond its visible boundary. This has led to the development of intraoperative detectors that can image radiotracers accumulated within tumors, thus facilitating the removal of residual tumor tissue during surgical procedures. We introduce a beta imaging system that converts the beta radiation from the radiotracer into photons close to the decay origin through a CdWO4 scintillator and does not use any optical elements. The signal is relayed onto an EMCCD chip through a wound imaging fiber. The sensitivity of the device allows imaging of activity down to 100 nCi and the system has a resolution of at least 500 μm with a field of view of 4.80 × 6.51 mm. Advances in handheld beta cameras have focused on hardware improvements, but we apply machine vision to the recorded images to extract more information. We automatically classify sample regions in human renal cancer tissue ex-vivo into tumor or benign tissue based on image features. Machine vision boosts the ability of our system to distinguish tumor from healthy tissue by a factor of 9 ± 3 and can be applied to other beta imaging probes.
Influence of Aqueous Media on the Gas Saturation of Weld Metal in the Course of Underwater Welding of 12KH18N10T Steel

We estimate the potentials of hydrogenation and oxidation of aqueous media, the degree of gas saturation of the weld metal, and the mechanical properties of a welded joint obtained as a result of wet underwater welding with an experimental self-shielding wire. We study the influence of aqueous media on the physicochemical and metallurgical processes in the course of underwater arc welding. We also develop a complex of metallurgical and technological measures aimed at guaranteeing the high quality of joints formed by this kind of welding of 12Kh18N10T corrosion-resistant austenitic steel.
Fiber weave impact on crosstalk of high speed communication channels in glass epoxy packages

Some packaging technologies utilize glass epoxy substrates that are composed of glass fiber bundles and epoxy resin. Because of the different electrical properties of glass and resin, the signal traces can have some variability, depending on their position with respect to the weaves. One of the parameters that are affected by the inhomogeneity of the substrate is the far end crosstalk. Crosstalk may significantly increase, hindering the link budget of high speed communication channels, especially in the dense routing areas. This paper addresses the crosstalk variations, in the frequency and time domains, due to the fiber weave effect (FWE). Analytical and numerical results are presented to provide a physical insight into the phenomenon, followed by a mitigation technique to minimize the impact.
Basal Ganglia Output Controls Active Avoidance Behavior

Engrained avoidance behavior is highly adaptive when it keeps away harmful events and can be highly maladaptive when individuals elude harmless situations in anxiety disorders, but the neural circuits that mediate avoidance are poorly understood. Using DREADDs and optogenetics in mice, we show that the output of the basal ganglia through the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) controls active avoidance. SNr excitation blocks avoidance to a conditioned sensory stimulus while preserving the ability to escape the harmful event. Conversely, SNr inhibition facilitates avoidance to the conditioned stimulus and suffices to drive avoidance without any conditioned sensory stimulus. The results highlight a midbrain circuit that gates avoidance responses, which can be targeted to ameliorate maladaptive avoidance in psychiatric disorders. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In many circumstances, subjects respond to fearful situations with avoidance. This is a useful coping strategy in situations in which there is impending danger. However, avoidance responses can also be maladaptive, as in anxiety disorders such as phobias (e.g., avoiding air transportation) and social anxiety (e.g., avoiding social situations). Despite the obvious clinical relevance, little is known about the neural circuits that mediate active avoidance. Using chemogenetics and optogenetics, we show that the output of the basal ganglia fully controls active avoidance behavior.
Influence of High Intensity Power Training on Central Arterial Stiffness in Young Healthy Subjects

PURPOSEIt is currently understood that aerobic exercise training can decrease central arterial stiffness, whereas resistance training may increase central arterial stiffness. Recently, high intensi...
L1 Regulation in Mouse and Human Germ Cells

One of the most illuminating discoveries emerging from genome sequencing is the abundance of transposable elements in mammalian genomes. The single largest group by mass in the human and mouse genomes is the long interspersed element type 1 (LINE-1, or L1). Among different groups of transposable elements, L1s are unique in that not only do they possess all of the machinery necessary to mobilize themselves, but they are also still actively replicating in the human genome. In order to survive, L1s must pass new insertions to future generations through the germline. Meanwhile, germ cells have evolved elaborate mechanisms to suppress excessive L1 activities. In the past decade, following the initial discovery of mammalian Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) in 2006, remarkable progress has been made in our understanding of L1 regulation during germ cell development. This review will focus on retrotransposons, especially L1s, and how they are regulated in the mouse and human germlines. We will summarize recent insights into transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulatory mechanisms, including fetal and pachytene piRNAs, DNA methylation, and histone modifications, and provide a synopsis of the interplay between L1s and the host during germ cell development.
Vibration training after chronic spinal cord injury: Evidence for persistent segmental plasticity

H-reflex paired-pulse depression is gradually lost within the first year post-SCI, a process believed to reflect reorganization of segmental interneurons after the loss of normal descending (cortical) inhibition. This reorganization co-varies in time with the development of involuntary spasms and spasticity. The purpose of this study is to determine whether long-term vibration training may initiate the return of H-reflex paired-pulse depression in individuals with chronic, complete SCI. Five men with SCI received twice-weekly vibration training (30Hz, 0.6g) to one lower limb while seated in a wheelchair. The contra-lateral limb served as a within-subject control. Paired-pulse H-reflexes were obtained before, during, and after a session of vibration. Untrained limb H-reflex depression values were comparable to chronic SCI values from previous reports. In contrast, the trained limbs of all 5 participants showed depression values that were within the range of previously-reported Acute SCI and Non-SCI H-reflex depression. The average difference between limbs was 34.98% (p=0.016). This evidence for the return of H-reflex depression suggests that even for people with long-standing SCI, plasticity persists in segmental reflex pathways. The spinal networks involved with the clinical manifestation of spasticity may thus retain adaptive plasticity after long-term SCI. The results of this study indicate that vibration training may hold promise as an anti-spasticity rehabilitation intervention.
Do women with dense breasts have higher radiation dose during screening mammography

Radiation dose during screening mammography is a concern among women. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative contribution of breast density to the radiation dose from screening mammography. This IRB approved retrospective study involved collecting patient age, weight, height, compressed breast thickness, and average glandular dose for each exposure for 434 sequential patients undergoing screening mammography at our institution. Automated volumetric density software was used to quantify breast density. The relationship of predictors was evaluated by univariate and multivariate analysis. Median patient age was 58 years and median body mass index (BMI) was 26.8. Median volumetric breast density was 5.8% (range 1.7-30.5%). Median compressed breast thickness was 63.4 mm (range 24.5-111.5 mm). Univariate analysis showed positive associations between radiation dose and both breast thickness and BMI, an inverse association with age, and no association with density. Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated a significant association between dose and age (P=.021), laterality (P<.001), BMI (P=.038), density (P<.001), and breast thickness (P<.001). Decomposition of the multivariate regression model coefficient of determination showed that breast thickness was the primary determinant of dose, accounting for 76% of the 58% of the dose variability, followed by density (8%), laterality (4%), age (<1%), and BMI (<1%). Compressed breast thickness had the greatest effect on average glandular dose. Breast density has a minor impact, while BMI and age have minimal impact on dose.
Pearls & Oy-sters: CNS lymphoma in a patient with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis treated with interferon.

Early clinical suspicion for CNS lymphoma is important for appropriate diagnosis and treatment in patients with preexisting multiple sclerosis (MS).
Handling adversarial concept drift in streaming data

Abstract Classifiers operating in a dynamic, real world environment, are vulnerable to adversarial activity, which causes the data distribution to change over time. These changes are traditionally referred to as concept drift, and several approaches have been developed in literature to deal with the problem of drift detection and handling. However, most concept drift handling techniques approach it as a domain independent task, to make them applicable to a wide gamut of reactive systems. These techniques are developed from an adversarial agnostic perspective, where they naively assume that adversarial activity is like any other change to the data, which can be fixed by retraining the models. However, this is not the case when a malicious agent is trying to evade the deployed classification system. In such an environment, the properties of concept drift are unique, as the drift is intended to degrade the system and at the same time designed to avoid detection by traditional concept drift detection techniques. This special category of drift is termed as adversarial drift, and this paper analyzes its characteristics and impact in a streaming environment. A novel framework for dealing with adversarial concept drift is proposed, called the Predict-Detect streaming framework. This framework uses adversarial forethought and incorporates the context of classification into the drift detection task, to provide leverage in dynamic-adversarial domains. Experimental evaluation of the framework, on generated adversarial drifting data streams, demonstrates that this framework is able to provide early and reliable unsupervised indication of drift, and is able to recover from drifts swiftly. While traditional drift detectors can be evaded by intelligent adversaries, the proposed framework is especially designed to capture adversaries by misdirecting them into revealing themselves. In addition, the framework is designed to work on imbalanced and sparsely labeled data streams, as a limited-memory, incremental algorithm. The generic design and domain independent nature of the framework makes it applicable as a blueprint for developers wanting to implement reactive security to their classification based systems.
Adjunction and Relocation

In this chapter, I continue the discussion of dislocation as a second level of visionary critique by introducing the notion of adjunction as global dislocation, providing as an example the inverse relation between analytic and synthetic methods as described in the B Preface to Kant’s First Critique. Once the strategy of dislocation has been globalized, the first level of visionary critique can be “lifted up” through the second level to a third level, which I call variously relocation, distribution or redistribution, depending on context. I introduce this third level by showing how Kant’s transcendental deduction can be understood as just such a lifting. I conclude the chapter with a relocation of my own, in which I subject Blumenberg’s own account of philosophical modernity to a redistribution as a further exemplification of the three-tiered strategy of visionary critique (or paraphysics, as I also call it).
Thromboxane synthesis in megakaryocytes isolated by centrifugal elutriation.

A systematic approach to the optimization of centrifugal elutriation is described for the purification of rat femoral marrow megakaryocytes, which has permitted the first direct demonstration of thromboxane synthesis in these cells. The rapidity, simplicity, and capacity of this technique has made it possible to process 2 x 10(9) marrow cells in the absence of platelet aggregation inhibitors in 20 min to obtain 10(6) megakaryocytes at a recovery of about 80% with a concentration of up to 282-fold. Incubation of these isolated megakaryocytes with 14C- arachidonic acid and subsequent thin-layer radiochromatography has revealed thromboxane B2 as the major cyclooxygenase pathway metabolite of arachidonic acid in megakaryocytes.
Redeeming Leisure in Later Life

Successful aging has been defined in various ways. In this chapter, we will consider the more compelling of those perspectives and especially those that are more consistent with the visions of positive psychology. As with positive psychology, the protection and creation of happiness and well-being are critical aspects of most views on successful aging. Leisure—also a subject with many different interpretations—can be regarded as a context of relative freedom where opportunities for relaxation, enjoyment, and/or self-expression are typically sought. Role changes experienced in later life and the concomitants of failing health and diminished capacity create special circumstances for the appreciation and realization of leisure and for what Tornstam (Gerotranscendence: A developmental theory of positive aging. Springer Publishing, New York City, 2005) has referred to as “gerotranscendence,” wisdom associated with abandoning striving and busyness. But engagement may also be reconstructed in later life around more intrinsically than extrinsically motivated purposes. Dialectics of change and continuity and engagement and disengagement are examined here in relation to principles of successful aging and positive psychology. Implications are drawn for services and opportunities for later life adults.
Institutional and Transaction Costs Analysis of Evolution, Efficiency and Sustainability of Farm Structures in Bulgaria

This paper incorporates achievements of a new inter-disciplinary methodology of the New Institutional and Transaction Costs Economics (integrating Economics, Organization, Law, Sociology, Behavioral and Political Sciences) into analysis of Bulgarian agriculture, and assess impact of institutional modernization and EU integration on farm structures and sustainability. Firstly, the new institutional and transacting costs economics framework is briefly presented concentrating on: evolution of formal and informal institutions; structure of transacting costs and their institutional, behavioral, dimensional and technological factors; comparative efficiency of alternative market, contract, internal, and hybrid modes of governance; farm as a governance structure with a production and transaction optimization function. Secondly, an analysis is made on development of institutional environment for agrarian sector in Bulgaria, and its impact on newly evolving farming structure and on public readiness to implement EU CAP. Third, pace of evolution, and "high" efficiency and sustainability of dominating agro-firms, production cooperatives, subsistence farming, and small commercial farms are explained, and prospects of their development in conditions of EU integration and CAP implementation determined. Forth, specific modes for governing of land supply, and labor supply, and service supply, and inputs supply, and finance supply, and insurance supply, and marketing in different type and kind commercial farms are identified, and their comparative efficiency assessed. Fifth, feasible pace of CAP implementation and further EU integration is projected, and likely impact on economic, environmental, social and organizational sustainability of farms estimated. The study is based on various official report, census, and statistical etc. data. Besides, original data for modes of organization of different type transactions have been collected from the managers of 2.8% of the cooperatives, 1.2% of the agro-firms, and 0.3% of the unregistered commercial farms. Furthermore, interviews with the leading Bulgarian experts on farm structures have been organized to get assessment on likely impact of CAP implementation on sustainability of different farms.
Local Tissues in Hemostasis and Platelet Review

Hemostasis is a complex physiologic state able to change rapidly depending on the needs of the organism. The hemostatic system broadly consists of three essential elements: local (vascular) tissues, platelets, and biochemical factors. In health, these three elements maintain a state of neutrality (or mild antithrombosis) to prevent pathologic intravascular clotting. When needed to stop hemorrhage at a site of injury, the hemostatic system rapidly allows for a powerful prothrombotic response at the site of injury while maintaining neutrality throughout the remainder of the organism.
Unusual case of a young man with multifocal encephalitis in the context of remote treatment with azathioprine and infliximab for ulcerative colitis – clinical, MRI, neuropathology findings, and exquisite steroid-responsive course (P1.338)

Objective: The overall aim of this case report is to present, discuss, and contextualize the clinical course, neuroimaging, and neuropathologic findings of an extraordinarily steroid-responsive multifocal encephalitis in a young man with ulcerative colitis who had previously been on azathioprine and infliximab. Background: Inflammatory bowel disease can have associated peripheral and central nervous system manifestations, including peripheral neuropathy, cerebrovascular disease, demyelinating disease, vasculitis, and lymphoproliferative disease. Anti-TNF-alpha therapy can also have significant effects on the nervous system, mostly reported as central demyelination. Design/Methods: Case report and comprehensive review of the literature. Results: A 35-year old man, previously on infliximab and azathioprine for ulcerative colitis, off all immunosuppressive medications after undergoing a colectomy a year prior, presented with multiple discrete and transient episodes of aphasia lasting up to twelve hours with complete interval return to baseline. MRI brain showed multifocal, confluent, predominantly subcortical foci of T2 hyperintensity, marked middle cerebral artery territory perivascular enhancement, and left frontal and temporal lobe leptomeningeal enhancement. Lumbar puncture showed lymphocytic pleocytosis with 70 white blood cells. Extensive systemic infectious and autoimmune workup was negative. He underwent a left frontal brain biopsy that showed a multifocal perivascular granulomatous inflammatory process. He was placed on a diagnostic and therapeutic trial of prednisone. On prednisone for one month, he had no further clinical episodes. Repeat MRI showed marked improvement in the T2 hyperintensities and resolution of the perivascular and leptomeningeal enhancement. Repeat lumbar puncture showed improvement in lymphocytic pleocytosis (14 white blood cells). He is currently being cross-tapered from prednisone to azathioprine and continues to do clinically well, with no further evidence of encephalitis. Conclusions: This case broadens the spectrum of neurologic disease associated with inflammatory bowel disease and TNF-alpha inhibitors. Encephalitis responsive to steroids should be considered in patients with inflammatory bowel disease exposed, even remotely, to anti-TNF-alpha biologics. Disclosure: Dr. Lin has nothing to disclose. Dr. Venna has nothing to disclose.
Transarterial Glue Embolization and Covered Stenting of Large Carotid Body Tumor in Same Setting: Neuroendovascular Surgical Video

Surgical resection is considered to be the treatment of choice for carotid body tumors. However, surgery can be complicated by intraoperative bleeding, injury to the internal carotid artery, and cerebral ischemia. Consequently, preoperative endovascular strategies may be used, including transarterial or percutaneous embolization or covered carotid stenting. These neuroendovascular techniques have been described infrequently in the literature. Here, we showcase transarterial glue embolization followed by covered carotid stenting of a large carotid body tumor in the same setting. A 53-year-old male presented with a 6 cm pulsatile and enlarging neck mass as well as swallowing difficulty. Craniofacial computed tomography scan and digital subtraction angiography were consistent with a carotid body tumor. It was decided to perform preoperative embolization. Using roadmap guidance, a Prowler microcatheter (Codman Neurovascular, Inc., Raynham, MA) was navigated into a tumor feeder vessel and a dilute 12% concentration (mix of 1 mL glue and 7 mL ethiodized oil) of the liquid embolic agent N-BCA (N-butyl cyanoacrylate; Codman Neurovascular, Inc., Raynham, MA) was injected and seen to cast the tumor. During embolization, D5 water was injected through the guide catheter to enhance glue penetration into the tumor bed. Then, 2 covered stents (iCAST, Atrium Medical Corporation, Hudson, NH) were deployed within the cervical internal carotid artery extending from levels C1-C6, spanning the carotid bifurcation, and excluding the external carotid artery. The patient underwent surgical resection 8 weeks later. The patient recovered from the procedures without any complications. Informed consent for the procedure and publication was obtained.