cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Universal Wyner-Ziv coding of discrete memoryless sources with known side information statistics

We consider a universal variant of the Wyner-Ziv problem of lossy source coding with decoder side information, where the marginal distribution of the side information is known, while the conditional distribution of the source sequence given the side information is only assumed to lie in a given parametric family. Our approach combines minimum-distance channel estimation with a recent scheme of Jalali, Verdu and Weissman based on discrete universal denoising with auxiliary information. Our scheme is universal under mild regularity conditions. We also give a concrete example of a family of sources satisfying the regularity conditions.
A self-disclosure model for personal health information

The use of information technologies (IT) to collect personal health information is growing in popularity via computer-assisted interviewing and a wide variety of healthcare Web sites. However, a review of the literature on computer-assisted interviewing exhibits confounding and equivocal results regarding the effects of IT on individuals' willingness to disclose socially sensitive health information. Some studies revealed individuals' heightened concerns about entering their health information into a computer, while other studies exhibited greater willingness to enter sensitive information into a computer than to give it to a personal physician. The pervading lack of clarity in explaining these results may be largely due to limited attempts to model the underlying factors that motivate the self-disclosure of socially sensitive personal health information; most studies examine the relationship between the data collection environment and the willingness to self disclose without identify the underlying factors. In this paper, we propose a model of self-disclosure that contains three classes of motivating factors derived from a decomposition of the data collection environment of previous studies: perceived privacy, context sensitivity, and quality of feedback. Aspects of the data collection environment that reinforce the motivational factors are expected to increase disclosure and thus improve the quality of information. An analysis of the results of previous studies employing IT-enabled data-collection environments offers preliminary support of the proposed model. After presenting the model, we discuss research implications and suggest approaches for validating the self-disclosure model.
Histological Study of Osteoid Osteoma's Blood Supply

The osteoid osteoma is a painful lesion with a special predilection for the femur and tibia of young patients. Although the lesion has been described as richly innervated, its vascular supply has not been critically appraised to date in the pathology literature. To this end, we have undertaken a morphological study of 16 archival cases of osteoid osteoma, focusing primarily on the patterns of vascularization, utilizing traditional histological and immunohistochemical approaches. The study demonstrated that a prominent arterial and arteriolar blood supply was a constant finding within the various zones of soft tissues, skeletal muscle, and bone surrounding the nidus. It also showed that the caliber of the vessels underwent gradual attenuation throughout their centripetal course toward the nidus, where the vessels lost their muscularis as they merged into the capillary network of the nidus. Immunostaining with antibodies to neurofilament and S100 proteins revealed a pattern of innervation that was overall less exuberant than that described in some reports and that was virtually absent from the nidus. Taken together with data reported in the radiological literature, our findings lead us to wonder whether the osteoid osteoma may represent a response to the local stimulation of bony tissue by a primarily aberrant vasculature, a hypothesis that warrants further elucidation using state-of-the-art imaging approaches.
Cancer as a disease of epithelial–mesenchymal interactions and extracellular matrix regulation

Carcinogenesis - the process of cancer formation - is commonly discussed in terms of genetic alterations that lead to deregulation of cell growth. Recently, there has been a resurgence of interest in epigenetic factors and, in particular, the role of the stromal microenvironment and angiogenesis in tumor formation. In this article, cancer is presented as a disease of the developmental processes that govern how cells organize into tissues and tissues into organs. This histogenetic perspective raises the possibility that epithelial-mesenchymal interactions and the extracellular matrix (basement membrane) that is deposited through these interactions may actively contribute to the carcinogenic process. Experimental work is reviewed that confirms that extracellular matrix plays a key role in normal histodifferentiation during both epitheliogenesis and angiogenesis, and that epigenetic deregulation of cell-matrix interactions may actively promote tumor initiation and progression. The contributions of integrins, cytoskeleton, tensegrity and local variations in extracellular matrix mechanics to these processes are discussed, as are the implications of this work for future studies on cancer formation.
Quantifying Repetitive Speech in Autism Spectrum Disorders and Language Impairment

We report on an automatic technique for quantifying two types of repetitive speech: repetitions of what the child says him/herself (self-repeats) and of what is uttered by an interlocutor (echolalia). We apply this technique to a sample of 111 children between the ages of four and eight: 42 typically developing children (TD), 19 children with specific language impairment (SLI), 25 children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) plus language impairment (ALI), and 25 children with ASD with normal, non-impaired language (ALN). The results indicate robust differences in echolalia between the TD and ASD groups as a whole (ALN + ALI), and between TD and ALN children. There were no significant differences between ALI and SLI children for echolalia or self-repetitions. The results confirm previous findings that children with ASD repeat the language of others more than other populations of children. On the other hand, self-repetition does not appear to be significantly more frequent in ASD, nor does it matter whether the child's echolalia occurred within one (immediate) or two turns (near-immediate) of the adult's original utterance. Furthermore, non-significant differences between ALN and SLI, between TD and SLI, and between ALI and TD are suggestive that echolalia may not be specific to ALN or to ASD in general. One important innovation of this work is an objective fully automatic technique for assessing the amount of repetition in a transcript of a child's utterances. Autism Res 2013, ●●: ●●–●●. © 2013 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Teens, confidentiality, and HIPPA.

Sara is a 16-yr-old who was recently admitted to a hospital for treatment of severe PID. She had been experiencing abdominal pain for several weeks but was reluctant to seek treatment because she was afraid her parents would learn she had begun a sexual relationship. Unfortunately her pediatrician who had been her doctor for as long as she could remember had never clarified a policy of confidentiality with her. Often her mother came with her to medical appointments and her doctor never asked to see her alone. Sara didn’t know she had a right to confidential treatment. The failure of the health care system to provide her confidential care has resulted in increased medical costs pain for Sara and the increased risk that her future fertility may be impaired. Many times parents will bring their teen for a gynecological exam and they can be very helpful in providing both the teen’s and the family’s medical history. However honest answers from the teen are more likely if the parent is not present for the exam and sensitive questions about sexual activity violence and drug use are asked in private. (excerpt)
A ROBUST METHOD FOR CALCULATING AERODYNAMICS OF NONCIRCULAR - CROSS SECTION WEAPONS

A review of current state-of-the-art methods for computing aerodynamics of noncircular cross-section weapon concepts has been performed. In addition, an improved engineering method has been developed to compute aerodynamics of these nonaxisymmetric body configurations. The improved method is based on extending current state-of-the-art methods for computing aerodynamics of noncircular wing-body shapes based on circular wing-body methods. Specific additions to the state-of-the-art methods presently in use include extensions to a broader class of cross section bodies and to a higher angle of attack; extensions to allow improved accuracy at low crossflow Mach number and to allow body cross-section shape to impact the critical cross-flow Reynolds number; and a method to treat wing-body interference factor corrections as a function of body geometry, Mach number, and angle of attack.
Incised valley fill interpretation for Mississippian Black Hand Sandstone, Appalachian Basin, USA: Implications for glacial eustasy at Kinderhookian Osagean (Tn2 Tn3) boundary

Abstract Lower Mississippian strata of east-central Ohio are predominantly fine-grained marine deposits of the Cuyahoga and Logan formations. Within these sediments is the Black Hand Sandstone of the Cuyahoga Formation. The Black Hand Sandstone is a multistory, crossbedded, coarse-grained conglomeratic sandstone. The contact between the Black Hand Sandstone and the subjacent Cuyahoga Formation is sharp and scoured, with intraclasts of the Cuyahoga Formation incorporated into the basal Black Hand Sandstone. The Black Hand Sandstone was previously thought to represent a distributary channel deposit; however, the combination of lithofacies and architectural elements indicates deposition in a braided stream setting. The Cuyahoga Formation was deposited in a shallow marine setting. The erosional basal contact of the Black Hand Sandstone and the juxtaposition of fluvial and marine sediments suggests a sequence boundary. The geographic distribution of the Black Hand Sandstone combined with the evidence for a sequence boundary suggests deposition in an incised valley. The age of the Black Hand Sandstone is key to inferring the causes of valley incision. The Black Hand Sandstone is nearly devoid of body fossils, necessitating a biostratigraphic analysis of the surrounding Cuyahoga and Logan formations. Analysis indicates the Logan Formation is early Osagean age. Data from the Cuyahoga Formation suggest a Kinderhookian age with a possible transition to the Osagean in the uppermost Cuyahoga Formation. This constrains the age of the Black Hand Sandstone to the transition at the Kinderhookian–Osagean boundary. Recent reports indicate late Kinderhookian (Tournaisian, Tn2) Gondwanan glaciation based upon tillites and sharp excursions in stable-isotope curves. A glacio-eustatic fall in sea level is inferred to have caused incision of the Cuyahoga Formation, followed by deposition of the Black Hand Sandstone and Logan Formation during the subsequent sea level rise. The associated unconformity correlates to the sequence boundary at the Kinderhookian–Osagean boundary in the stratotype area of North America, and the correlative Tn2–Tn3 boundary worldwide, supporting the hypothesis of a global eustatic event at this time.
Failure of ethanol metabolites to alter gonadotropin secretion or luteinizing hormone synthesis in vitro.

The impact of ethanol on the male reproductive axis are multiple and varied, with both gonadal and control hypothalamic-pituitary pertubations being reported. There appears to be a discrepancy, however, between the in vivo and in vitro effects of ethanol on hypothalamic luteinizing hormones releasing hormone (LHRH) and the pituitary gonadotropins luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). While in vivo data suggests a decrease in LHRH release after EtOH, in vitro studies find no effect on secretion. Similarity, in vivo acute EtOH profoundly diminishes LH synthesis and secretion, while in vitro impaired release with no alteration in the transcription of βLH has been found. A potential exploration for these discrept results could be the in vivo metabolism of EtOH into acetaldehyde and acetate, or the subsequent formation of salsolinol, a product of acetate combining with dopamine. To test this possibility, a series of in vitro experiments were conducted exposing dispensed anterior pitu...
Understanding the Nature and Extent of Farm and Ranch Diversification in North America.

Pressure to adopt enhanced production technologies, changing government support policies, increasing and more diverse competition, and changing markets have posed economic challenges to North American farmers over the past two decades. As a response, farmers are adjusting their production model by incorporating agricultural related enterprises. Although there is evidence that farm diversification is occurring throughout North America, there is a dearth of scientific information regarding the types of enterprises being developed and used in this context. This study aims to fill this void by exploring the extent of farm diversification by identifying and describing eight types of enterprises that farmers and ranchers are using. It was found that levels of diversification are often dependent on operating and management attributes and owner characteristics, such as the number of family members working on the farm and the number of days that the farmer's spouse works off the farm.
A Multivariate Analysis of Risk Markers for Dating Violence Victimization

The present study examines the predictive ability of three categories of risk markers for psychological, sexual, and physical victimization by dating partners among a large sample of university women and men (n = 874). Fifteen variables operationalized the three categories, and results of regression analyses indicate that the bidirectional aggression variables were the best predictors of dating violence victimization, followed by the situational factors; victim attributes did not significantly predict victimization. The results also indicate that differential patterns of risk markers are evident across types of dating violence victimization. In addition, risk markers for victimization by dating partners were found to vary somewhat for women and men
Characterizing Variation in Sex Steroid Hormone Pathway Genes in Women of 4 Races/Ethnicities: The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN)

This report characterizes genotypes and haplotypes in 6 genes (27 single nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs]) from the Sex Steroid Hormone Genetics Protocol developed though the DNA Repository of the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) Genetics Study. The SWAN Genetics Study is a component of a longitudinal study describing health-related attributes of the menopausal transition in African American, Caucasian, Chinese, Hispanic, and Japanese women. At baseline, SWAN recruited menstruating women, aged 42 to 52 years, who were not using exogenous hormones. During the sixth and seventh years of the study, buccal cells in a mouthwash slurry and whole blood were collected for a DNA repository. Immortalized cell lines were created and genotyped in 1,538 specimens from 1,757 women who participated in the SWAN Genetics Study. DNA from those cells was genotyped for genes in the sex steroid hormone pathway. SNPs were evaluated for genotype and allele frequencies (and differences) according to race/ethnicity and haplotyped in anticipation of studying their associations with health-related measures. We demonstrated that allele frequencies differed significantly by race/ethnicity. There was substantial linkage disequilibrium among many of the SNPs and only a few SNPs showed significant Hardy-Weinberg disequilibrium within race/ethnicity. Finally, there are a number of haplotype patterns that vary according to race/ethnicity, including a "yin-yang" pattern for 17HSD among Caucasian, Chinese, and Japanese women, but not among African American women. Repository specimens developed in anticipation of genomic or metabolomics studies can extend the contribution of the parent study by developing hybrid strategies that support both SNP association studies as well as coarse and fine mapping to evaluate possible genomic locations of causal variants.
Promoting Atmospheric-River and Snowmelt-Fueled Biogeomorphic Processes by Restoring River-Floodplain Connectivity in California’s Central Valley

Potential biogeomorphic benefits from intentional levee breaks and weir overflow on the managed floodplain-river system of California’s Sacramento and San Joaquin River watershed (Central Valley) are discussed here. Prior to the nineteenth century, the system was characterized by natural levees alongside complex multichanneled rivers and tributaries, and geomorphic processes such as channel migration and avulsion, typical in lowland floodplain-river systems globally, dominated. Today, the floodplain-river system has been heavily modified with infrastructure such as levee embankments that disconnect floodplains from channels and diminish key processes of floodplain-river ecology. Unintentional levee breaks in river systems where floodplains have been developed for agriculture or urban uses still occur regularly (in a quarter of twentieth century years) and are sometimes catastrophic. Floodplain inundation, erosion, and sedimentation, the dominant geomorphic processes that occur during unintentional levee breaks, are flood risks in such embanked river systems. Climate and flood variability still dictate the frequency of unintentional levee breaks despite many decades of engineering. Of particular consequence are the so-called atmospheric-river (AR) storms. Since 1951, 81 % of breaks have occurred as a result of AR storms and flooding, while most of the rest occurred during snowmelt floods. Intentional levee breaks or planned weir overflows that are designed for floodplain restoration can facilitate a return towards more natural and dynamic biogeomorphic processes. In areas where room for flood-driven geomorphic processes is available on floodplains, local sediment scour and deposition near a levee break promote topographic diversity that enhances vegetation establishment and floodplain habitat. This chapter summarizes our current understanding of climate processes and flood variability that govern unintentional levee breaks or weir overflow. We also review examples of alternative flood management approaches in the Central Valley that promote processes necessary to restore or sustain lowland floodplain biogeomorphology. Future climate-driven changes in flood regime, such as enhanced flooding during winter months or more frequent atmospheric rivers, could be accommodated by additional intentional levee breaks or planned weir overflow for restoration. Implementation of these alternatives could be used to improve restoration policy and management of floods in embanked river floodplains.
To HIPAA, a Son: Assessing the Technical, Conceptual, and Legal Frameworks for Patient Safety Information

This article critically examines the technical and legal models for process-supporting health technologies; technologies that support the ongoing "process" or "system" reform movement by collecting, coding, and distributing patient safety information. This article first describes the intersecting patient safety information technologies. Second, and with particular emphasis on Electronic Health Records technology, it examines some of the possible models for patient information distribution and describes the data model issues faced by the architects of an Electronic Health Record (EHR). Third, there is a critical survey of the legal issues surrounding patient safety IT systems, particularly their error and privacy costs. Fourth, there is an examination of barriers to successful implementation of patient safety systems and proposed solutions. Finally, the article questions whether U.S. policymakers, regulators, and patient safety system architects should shift their focus from purely technical and financial issues to take a more patient-centric approach to the system that they propose.
The Recovery of Self-Interest Well Understood as a Regime Value What Is at Stake/Why This Is Important?

Understood in economic terms, interest elevates baser human impulses and degrades higher human potential as it motivates individuals to value material gains over moral ones. Because of this influence, it is difficult to consider interest as a regime value. But just because it is beleaguered does not mean it ought to be abandoned, especially because interest is placed front and center in the constitutional order. Providing a perspective of the merits of interest, Alexis de Tocqueville offers a conceptualization that allows this regime value to be relevant even for contemporary administrators operating in spaces of diffused public responsibility.
Correlates of student bachelor of business administration satisfaction and school reputation influencing perceived market value

ABSTRACTThis study compares correlates of two outcomes: satisfaction with a bachelor of business administration degree, and business school reputation influencing students' perceived market value to potential employers. A sample of 261 graduating business school seniors completed a fall 2014 survey measuring these outcomes and a number of correlates. Results showed two consistent positive correlates of both outcomes: perceived course work challenge and career professional development center ease of access and quality of service. In addition, academic motivation to attend business school was positively related to reputation influence, while average hours worked per week was negatively related to reputation influence.
The times we’re in: Queer feminist criticism and the reparative ‘turn’

This article examines the reparative turn in current queer feminist scholarship by tracking its twin interest in the study of affect and time. By foregrounding Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick’s influential c...
Hrem Structural Studies of TbFeCo Thin Films

The microstructure of TbFeCo thin films prepared under different deposition conditions has been observed in crosssection and top-view using high-resolution electron microscopy, as well as conventional bright-field and dark-field techniques. A comparison has been made with FeCo thin films prepared under identical experimental conditions. Very fine microcrystals (sizes 2–5nm) were observed in the basically amorphous TbFeCo thin films whereas much larger crystals (sizes 20–50nm) were visible in the primarily crystalline FeCo thin films. It was also found that the size of the nanocrystals in the TbFeCo films depended upon the argon partial pressure during deposition.
Inert Set or Inferred Set? A Comment:

Kakkar questions the actual categorization procedures used to identify evoked and inert set products.
A thousand CEOs Relational thought, processual space, and Deleuzian ontology in human geography and strategic management

The last 20 years have witnessed a deepening of the imbrication between capital and the university. This paper seeks to map one point at which this binding occurs: in critical theory. Recently scho...
2015 Yutaka Seino Distinguished Leadership Award Lecture: The Japanese American Community Diabetes Study and the ‘canary in the coal mine’

The rising tide of diabetes in Asia has been preceded by high prevalence rates of diabetes among migrant Asian populations in the USA and elsewhere. A 1963 report from Hawaii showed that diabetes was much more prevalent in Japanese Americans than in Caucasians. The Japanese American Community Diabetes Study was begun in Seattle, Washington, to examine why this was the case, and explore the etiology and pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes among Japanese Americans who were Nisei (second generation) and Sansei (third generation) descendants of the original immigrants to the USA from Japan. This research was planned to be a metabolically-based longitudinal epidemiological study that assessed lifestyle factors, insulin sensitivity, insulin secretion and adiposity, including measurements of body fat distribution by anthropometry and computed tomography (CT). An important conclusion from this research was that visceral adiposity was a powerful risk factor for metabolic disease. Our observations suggested that among susceptible Japanese Americans lifestyle led to weight gain, especially in visceral fat depots, that in turn led to decreased insulin sensitivity that unmasked a reduced β-cell reserve, resulting in hyperglycemia and type 2 diabetes. This process can be prevented by dietary and exercise intervention. Thus, the Japanese American population has served as an early warning system for type 2 diabetes in Asians, just as caged canaries were used by coal miners as an early warning system for harmful gases in coal mines.
Robust Support Vector Machines for Anomaly Detection in Computer Security.

Using the 1998 DARPA BSM data set collected at MIT’s Lincoln Labs to study intrusion detection systems, the performance of robust support vector machines (RVSMs) was compared with that of conventional support vector machines and nearest neighbor classifiers in separating normal usage profiles from intrusive profiles of computer programs. The results indicate the superiority of RSVMs not only in terms of high intrusion detection accuracy and low false positives but also in terms of their generalization ability in the presence of noise and running time. Keywords—Intrusion detection, computer security, robust support vector machines, noisy data.
Benzodiazepine Allergy With Anesthesia Administration: A Review of Current Literature

The incidence of anaphylactic/anaphylactoid reactions has been reported to vary between 1 : 3500 and 1 : 20,000 cases with a mortality rate ranging from 3 to 9%. Clinical signs present as skin rash, urticaria, angioedema, bronchospasm, tachycardia, bradycardia, and hypotension. Rapid identification and treatment are crucial to overall patient prognosis, as delayed intervention is associated with increased mortality. Diagnosis may be confirmed with clinical presentation, serum tryptase levels, and skin test results. While the main causative agents in anesthetic practice are typically neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBs), latex, and antibiotics, this review aims to discuss recognition, management, and preventive measures in perioperative anaphylactic/anaphylactoid reactions from benzodiazepine administration.
Testing the fatigue strength of fibers used in fiber-reinforced composites using fiber bundle tests

Abstract: High-strength fibers, such as glass and carbon fibers, used in fiber-reinforced composites are known to exhibit wide strength variation under static tensile tests. The fiber strength variation not only affects the strength of the composite, but also its failure mode. Under high-fatigue loading where the fatigue failure is controlled by fiber failure, the fiber strength variation may even have a larger role than under static loading. This chapter considers the fatigue strength determination of fibers under fatigue cycling. It first reviews the static strength variation and the test methods to determine the static strength of high-strength fibers. It then describes the recent efforts to determine their fatigue strength and its variation using fiber bundle tests.
Intra-articular Injection of Urinary Bladder Matrix Reduces Osteoarthritis Development

Micronized porcine urinary bladder matrix (UBM) is an extracellular matrix biomaterial that has immunomodulatory and pro-regenerative properties. The objective of this study was to assess the ability of UBM to alter disease progression in a mouse model of post-traumatic osteoarthritis (OA). Ten-week-old wild-type C57BL/6 male mice underwent anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) to induce OA. Two weeks after ACLT, UBM (50 mg/mL) or saline was injected into the mouse joint. At 4 and 8 weeks post-ACLT, cartilage integrity was assessed using OARSI scoring of histology, pain was evaluated, and joints were harvested for quantitative RT-PCR analysis of cartilage-specific and inflammatory gene expression. UBM-treated animals showed improved cartilage integrity at 4 and 8 weeks and reduced pain at 4 weeks compared to saline-injected mice. Animals injected with UBM expressed higher levels of genes encoding structural cartilage proteins, such as collagen2α1 and aggrecan, as well as anti-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukins 10 and 4. UBM decreased cartilage degeneration in the murine ACLT model of OA, which may be due to reduced inflammation in the joint and maintenance of high expression levels of proteoglycans.
Abstract IA14: Rare codons capacitate Kras-driven de novo tumorigenesis

The KRAS gene is commonly mutated in human cancers, rendering the encoded small GTPase constitutively active and oncogenic. We discovered that this gene has the unusual feature of having a bias towards rare codons, which are associated with poor translation. Indeed, by changing rare codons to common the amount of KRAS mRNA detected in the heavy fraction by polysome profiling was reduced in lockstep with an increase in protein expression. This poor translation of KRAS has a direct impact on oncogenesis, but curiously, not in the direction one might expect. Specifically, we treated mice in which rare codons in the Kras gene were changed to common with a carcinogen known to induce lung tumors characterized by oncogenic Q61L/R mutations in Kras . Interestingly, these mice exhibited a reduction in tumor burden. Moreover, not only was the altered Kras allele mutated less often, but when it was mutated, completely different mutations were detected, namely G12V/D. We attribute this to a selection against the stronger Q61L/R mutations in favor of weaker G12V mutations in the higher expressed modified Kras allele, as strong oncogenic signaling leads to growth arrest instead of proliferation. As such, the poor translation of KRAS may reduce the chance that an oncogenic mutation induces growth arrest, which perhaps is related to the high frequency this gene is mutated in human cancers or even why specific KRAS mutations map to certain cancers. Citation Format: Nicole L.K. Pershing, Benjamin L. Lampson, Christopher M. Counter. Rare codons capacitate Kras-driven de novo tumorigenesis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Translational Control of Cancer: A New Frontier in Cancer Biology and Therapy; 2016 Oct 27-30; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(6 Suppl):Abstract nr IA14.
Methylation in aml: Clinical applications

Epigenetic therapy is a recognized central therapeutic strategy widely used in treatment of myelodysplatic syndrome (MDS). The approved agents, decitabine and azacytidine, are DNA hypomethylating agents that have been shown in randomized phase III trials to have clinical benefit in MDS patients. New research is investigating the use of these drugs in the setting of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treatment, especially in older patients. Early studies are demonstrating promising results for the use of decitabine and azacytidine in treatment of AML. Other novel epigenetic/hypomethylating agents as well as chemotherapy combinations including hypomethylating agents represent an active area of research in treatment of AML patients.
Cbl-b-deficient mice demonstrate alterations in T cell trafficking but retain sensitivity to the Multiple Sclerosis therapeutic agent FTY720 (THER7P.957)

The variable response to treatment options in multiple sclerosis (MS) suggests the need for genetic-based personalized therapeutic approaches. CBLB gene polymorphisms have been identified in MS, and altered T cell function and aberrant responses to interferon-β in MS patients with a CBLB mutation have been recently reported. Cbl-b is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that regulates T cell activation and Cbl-b-deficient (Cbl-b -/- ) mice show many T cell abnormalities also described in MS patients. This suggests that Cbl-b -/- mice may provide a novel approach for analyzing treatment options in patients with MS-associated CBLB mutations. We now report that Cbl-b -/- CD4 + T cells show significant trafficking-related abnormalities: decreased lymph node accumulation after adoptive transfer into RAG-1 -/- mice; increased sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1P 1 ) expression; and decreased CD69 expression compared to wild-type cells. These data imply that CBLB mutations may compromise the therapeutic efficacy of FTY720, an MS-approved drug that modulates S1P 1 expression. Despite altered Cbl-b -/- T cell trafficking, we observed robust inhibition of EAE by FTY720 in Cbl-b -/- mice. These results not only document a novel role for Cbl-b in T cell trafficking but also indicate that FTY270 may be effective in EAE/MS through mechanisms other than T cell lymph node trapping. Moreover, our findings suggest that FTY720 treatment is still an appropriate choice in patients with MS-associated CBLB mutations.
Wastewater Treatment Alternatives for a Food Plant

I was asked to speak to you for a few minutes about a project I have been working on at one of our Minute Maid production facilities in Hightstown, New Jersey. We produce both Minute Maid and Hi-C single strength fruit juices at this plant.Paper published with permission.Compilation Copyright © 2018 ASME
Oncoplastic breast conserving surgery is associated with a lower rate of surgical site complications compared to standard breast conserving surgery.

Abstract Background Oncoplastic breast conserving surgery (OBCS) integrates plastic surgery techniques in the resection of breast cancer and lowers the rate of re-excision while improving breast cosmesis. The goal of this study is to compare the surgical site complication rate of OBCS with that of standard BCS. Methods A single institution chart review evaluated all patients undergoing BCS for treatment of breast cancer. Patients treated from January 2009 to December 2010, prior to adoption of oncoplastic techniques, were identified as the standard surgery (SS) group. Patients treated with OBCS from January 2013 to July 2015 were identified as the oncoplastic surgery (OS) group. All surgical site complications were recorded. Results Overall, 561 patients were evaluated. The SS group comprised 273 patients compared with 288 patients in the OS group. Surgical site complications occurred in 49 patients (17.9%) in the SS group compared with 23 patients (8.0%) in the OS group (p Discussion Overall, BCS has a low rate of significant surgical site complications. OBCS has a lower rate of surgical site complications compared to standard BCS.
MARK I Robot

This film shows an autonomus robot in action. the goal of the NRL research effert is to establish a technical base for an autonomous under-water robot. It is expected that such a robot would be able to do only simple taske, but would be able to do only simple tasks, but would be able to do them one or two orders of magnitude cheaper than other methods. (The economy is mainly because it is not necessary for ship to standby on the surface). The robot vehicle would be progrenuned at a base and proceed to its assigned dentination on the floor of the ocean. It would then carry out its work autonomously, without even a communications link. This project is concerned with software nather than hardware. The Mark I Robot is a system designed to operute in the laborutory as a research. It is a simplified robot a first out at providing the minimal intelligence necessary for an autonomous underwater robot. The robot performed as exjected, sucessfully carrying out the task it was assigned.
Hepatic Bioactivation of 4-Vinylcyclohexene to Ovotoxic Epoxides

4-Vinylcyclohexene (VCH) is produced by a dimerization reaction of 1,3-butadiene (Rappaport and Fraser, 1976). The curing process of synthetic rubber production results in butadiene dimerization, discharge of VCH, and subsequent exposure of workers to VCH by inhalation (Rappaport and Fraser, 1977). Chronic exposure of humans to VCH may be of concern since a 2 yr bioassay indicated that VCH was carcinogenic to mice (Collins et al., 1987). Chronic gavage of female B6C3F1 mice caused the induction of rare ovarian tumors. These tumors were not observed in VCH-treated Fischer 344 rats (NTP, 1986). Studies in our laboratory have centered on determining the basis for the species difference in VCH-induced ovarian toxicity. Such studies have provided information which may aid in determining which species best predicts the response of humans exposed to VCH. In addition, clues have been obtained pertaining to the mechanism by which VCH produces ovarian injury.
Left Ventricular Hemorrhagic Necrosis: Experimental Production and Pathogenesis

Abstract Left ventricular subendocardial hemorrhagic necrosis, a lesion different from myocardial infarction, has been considered a major cause of death in patients undergoing operation for valvular heart disease. To determine its pathogenesis, calves were placed on bypass and the myocardium was challenged by the unphysiological circumstances usually existing in clinical open-heart surgery. These consisted of total ischemia, total oxygenation (with equal or unequal pressures in the coronary vessels), and perfusion of one or different combinations of two coronary branches. Total and even myocardial oxygenation and total ischemia up to one hour were associated with minimal myocardial injury and no mortality, while uneven coronary perfusion, especially of an area of complete ischemia in the domain of the left coronary artery, was associated with significant myocardial damage resulting in a high mortality. The pitfalls and shortcomings of extracorporeal coronary perfusion are discussed along with certain hypotheses pertaining to the pathogenesis of the lesion in man.
Sensory Neurophysiology and Reaction Time Performance in Nonhuman Primates

It was clear from the conference that information is rapidly accumulating on sensory behavior in animals. Psychophysical relationships between stimulus and response parameters recently derived from animal subjects have been shown to be as reliable and precise as those obtained from man. Moreover, through analysis of these stimulus-response functions we are acquiring a better understanding of the influence of various stimulus parameters on behavior. One of the basic themes of the conference concerned the extension of our understanding of sensory functions to include the role of afferent neural structures in behavior. Contemporary behavioral procedures yielding psychophysical functions in animals provide a vehicle for such an extension. Simply stated, this approach suggests that we begin to study afferent neural activity in behaviorally trained animals from which precise measures of psychophysical relationships may be concurrently obtained.
LIFE-CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF ACTIVATED CARBON FROM WOODY BIOMASS

Activated carbon (AC) developed and marketed for water and gas purification is traditionally made from hard coals (fossil-based materials). However, increasing awareness of environmental impacts caused by fossil fuel consumption and fossil-based products has provided a market opportunity for renewable and low-impact biobased products as alternatives including AC. The huge volumes of woody biomass generated from forest management activities could be used as feedstocks for these new bioproducts. These new bioproducts require evaluation to determine if they are low impact. To aid in quantifying environmental impacts of a new bioproduct (such as AC), this study developed the cradle-to-gate life cycle inventory (LCI) data for the carbon activation of biochar in a rotary calciner by collecting operational and direct emission data while conforming to the internationally accepted life cycle assessmentmethod. The LCI datawere then modeled to develop the life cycle impact assessment profile of biochar-based carbon activation and compared with commercial coal-based carbon activation. The results showed about 35% less cradle-to-product gate cumulative energy demand for the biochar AC system compared with the coal AC system. Consequentially, the greenhouse gas emissions for biochar AC production were less than half that of coal AC production (8.60 kg CO2 eq vs 18.28 kg CO2 eq per kg of AC produced). This was because of both lower energy consumption and the biogenic carbon benefit from using woody biomass for both feedstock and processing. To ensure substitution of the two ACs, the physical properties for the AC from biochar and coal were compared for their Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area and iodine number, which showed that both indicators were superior for biochar AC compared with coal AC. Therefore, biochar AC results from this study suggest a potential high-value market for woody biomass derived from forest restoration and wildfire suppression activities.
Scanning electron microscopy of the human cerebral ventricular system. II. The fourth ventricle.

Scanning electron microscopy was used to assess the ultrastructural differences exhibited by the varigated ependymal lining of the near-term human fetal 4th ventricle. The central portion of the fourth ventricular floor, including the median sulcus is punctuated by numerous clumps of cilia. The density of cilia here is not as great as that described for other regions of the human cerebral ventricular system; accordingly, underlying substructure can be noted. There are distinct differences between ependymas that line the floor of the fourth ventricle with those of the adjacent area postrema. The latter region possesses not cilia, but instead exhibits a dense knap of microvilli. The ultra-architecture of the choroid plexus is relatively similar to that of other circumventricular organs with the exception that it possesses small isolated groups of cilia as well as microvilli. These findings are discussed with respect to the dynamics of local CSF movement and flow, ependymoabsorption and ependymosecretion
The Groundwork for Dialectic in Statesman 277a-287b

In Plato’s Statesman , the Eleatic Stranger leads Socrates the Younger and their audience through an analysis of the statesman in the service of the interlocutors’ becoming “more capable in dialectic regarding all things” (285d7). In this way, the dialectical exercise in the text is both intrinsically and instrumentally valuable, as it yields a philosophically rigorous account of statesmanship and exhibits a method of dialectical inquiry. After the series of bifurcatory divisions in the Sophist and early Statesman , the Stranger changes to a non-bifurcatory method of dividing to account for the statesman, but does not explain the reason for this change. I argue that the change is prepared by the elements discussed in the digression from 277a2 to 287b2. Here the Stranger makes use of four concepts that are crucial for understanding this change: the notion of paradigm , the paradigms of care and the weaver , and the notion of due measure . I claim that the notion of paradigm clarifies the nature of dialectical inquiry, care and weaving act as paradigms appropriate to dialectical practice, and an account of due measure offers insight into the constitutive ratios that govern the structuring of kinds pursued through dialectical inquiry. I suggest that the non-bifurcatory method is intended to articulate knowledge in the strictest sense, or knowledge of the forms, presenting a method of inquiry into being and its structure that will foster the turning of the soul from things to forms that Socrates describes in the Republic .
Implementation of a Perioperative Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis Program for Patients Undergoing Radical Cystectomy on an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Protocol.

Abstract Background Novel venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis programs, including postdischarge pharmacologic prophylaxis, have been associated with decreased VTE rates. Such practices have not been widely adopted in managing radical cystectomy (RC) patients. Objective To evaluate the effect of a perioperative VTE prophylaxis program on VTE rates after RC. Design, setting, and participants Single-institution, nonrandomized, pre- and post-intervention analysis of 319 patients undergoing RC at Brigham and Women’s Hospital between July 2011 and April 2017. Patient and outcome data were prospectively collected as part of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. Intervention Before June 2015, patients only received postoperative pharmacologic and mechanical VTE prophylaxis in the inpatient setting. Starting June 2015, a perioperative VTE prophylaxis program was implemented as part of an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol, including a 28-d course of postdischarge enoxaparin. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis Primary outcome was 30-d postoperative VTE rate. Secondary outcomes were perioperative bleeding rates, 30-d complication, readmission, and mortality rates, and length of stay. Univariate analysis was performed comparing outcomes between pre- and post-intervention cohorts. Results and limitations Of the 319 patients who underwent RC, 210 (66%) were in the pre- and 109 (34%) in the post-intervention cohort. VTE rate was significantly lower in the post-intervention cohort (n = 1, 0.9% vs n = 13, 6.2%; p = 0.04). Rates of perioperative bleeding (35% vs 33%; p = 0.80) and 30-d readmissions related to bleeding (1% vs 3.7%; p = 0.19) did not differ significantly. Single-institution data limits generalizability, and patient compliance with postdischarge enoxaparin was unknown. Conclusions Implementation of a perioperative VTE prophylaxis program as part of an ERAS protocol that includes extended postdischarge pharmacologic prophylaxis was associated with decreased rate of VTE events after RC. Perioperative bleeding and readmissions related to bleeding did not increase with this intervention. Patient summary This study evaluated whether clotting complication rates after radical cystectomy (RC) for bladder cancer can be reduced by implementing a new postoperative care pathway. This pathway reduced rates of clotting complications without increasing bleeding rates and should be considered for all patients undergoing RC.