cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Construction and expression of a eukaryotic expression vector of HSV-2NP6 and IL-18

Objective To construct and express the pcDNA3.1/IL-18-HSV NP6 recombinant DNA vaccine and to study the immune response to this vaccine.Methods NP6 and IL-18 genes were cloned into the eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3.1(-).The recombinant plasmid pcDNA3.1-IL-18-HSV NP6 was used to inoculate BALB/c mice by intramuscular injection three times every other week.One week after final vaccination,the level of specific IgG antibody,IFN-γ,and IL-18 were detected by ELISA.Results Recombinant pcDNA3.1-IL-18-HSVNP6 plasmids were confirmed by enzyme digestion and DNA sequencing.Indirect immunofluorescence and Western blotting both indicated that the recombinant plasmids were expressed in CHO cells.After inoculation with the pcDNA3.1-IL-18-HSVNP6 vaccine,mice had specific antibodies and higher levels of IFN-γ and IL-18.Conclusion The DNA vaccine pcDNA3.1-IL-18-HSVNP6 was successfully constructed and expressed in eukaryotes.
Prenatal diagnosis and telemedicine consultation of fetal urologic disorders

In Arkansas, telemedicine is used commonly in obstetrics through Antenatal and Neonatal Guidelines, Education and Learning System (ANGELS), the existing statewide telemedicine network. This network is used primarily for tele-ultrasound and maternal-fetal medicine consultation. This study is a retrospective case series, describing all the patients who had a prenatally diagnosed urologic anomaly that required prenatal urologic consultation. From 2009-2013, approximately 1300 anomalies were recorded in the Arkansas Fetal Diagnosis and Management (AFDM) database, 14% of which were urologic anomalies. Twenty-six cases required prenatal urologic consultation, 25 of which were conducted via telemedicine. Teleconsultation allowed patients to combine maternal-fetal medicine and urologic consultations in one visit, saving time and effort and ultimately, for most patients, providing reassurance that delivery could be accomplished locally with postnatal follow-up already arranged. While there are several studies reporting the use of telemedicine for various subspecialty consultations, to our knowledge, this is the first to describe the use of telemedicine for prenatal urology consultation. Future research could randomize patients prospectively to allow comparison of both the outcomes as well as the patient experience.
An Algorithm for Creating Prognostic Systems for Cancer

The TNM staging system is universally used for classification of cancer. This system is limited since it uses only three factors (tumor size, extent of spread to lymph nodes, and status of distant metastasis) to generate stage groups. To provide a more accurate description of cancer and thus better patient care, additional factors or variables should be used to classify cancer. In this paper we propose a hierarchical clustering algorithm to develop prognostic systems that classify cancer according to multiple prognostic factors. This algorithm has many potential applications in augmenting the data currently obtained in a staging system by allowing more prognostic factors to be incorporated. The algorithm clusters combinations of prognostic factors that are formed using categories of factors. The dissimilarity between two combinations is determined by the area between two corresponding survival curves. Groups from cutting the dendrogram and survival curves of the individual groups define our prognostic systems that classify patients using survival outcomes. A demonstration of the proposed algorithm is given for patients with breast cancer from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute.
Adenovirus-based transient expression systems for peritoneal membrane research

BackgroundPeritoneal membrane research has provided important insights into the physiology and pathophysiology of this tissue that is of vital importance for peritoneal dialysis patients. Among the...
Conclusion: The New Hero in Action, 1940–2006

The Great War killed the Victorian ideal of heroism along with the Victorian Army. Four years of total war created a heroic concept that was lean and merciless. The nature of warfare had changed, and continued to change during the interwar period as weapons and ideas cobbled together in the dark days of the stalemate were refined into systems and doctrines by the survivors. More important, the war had brutalized society, or at the very least numbed it to the magnitude of losses generated by industrial-scale warfare. Nineteenth-century colonial concepts of warfare simply did not apply any more: the death of 35 sepoys from the Kapurthala Imperial Service Infantry killed in 1897 was officially a ‘disaster’. In 1919, the loss of 113 dead and 200 wounded in a single day’s work on the Northwest Frontier was recorded with as much passion as a laundry report might arouse.1 As a result of these changes and the decisions of the VC committee at the end of the First World War the cost of heroism increased for the remainder of the century and the nature of the hero became something very different from that of his nineteenth-century ancestor. The heroism of the frontier had also paled in comparison to the sacrifices of the Great War. With the exception of a half-dozen Crosses won in 1919–20 in connection with tying up the loose ends of the war, only three VCs came out of the entire interwar period. The full effect of the new paradigm of heroism established by the interservice meeting had to wait for the next great war to take effect.
Hybrid Virtual Modeling for Multisensory Interaction Design

The Synth-A-Modeler compiler enables portable, rapid and modular prototyping of audio-haptic models for single degree-of-freedom (d.o.f.) haptic interaction. This paper introduces hybrid modeling in Synth-A-Modeler, which mixes traditionally disparate virtual modeling paradigms from the computer music literature: digital waveguide models, mass-interaction models, and modal synthesis models. Hybrid modeling enables more salient adjustment of model parameters. Using the open-source Synth-A-Modeler toolchain, the resulting models can be compiled for a wide variety of programming languages and haptic devices, and the models are made openly available to the research and music communities.
Fines inclusion in a crushed limestone unbound aggregate base course material with 25.4-mm maximum particle size

Abstract Proper characterization of a dense-graded aggregate base/subbase material should include both quality and strength aspects. Gradation, passing the No. 200 sieve (smaller than 0.075 mm) fines content, and Atterberg limits for plasticity index (PI) are the most important properties that affect the quality and longevity of aggregates used as unbound layers in flexible pavement applications. The criterion used for allowing fines in high quality aggregates for highway applications vary among the state agencies. Most specifications call for controlling fines content, PI and the dust ratio, which is defined as percent passing the No. 200 sieve divided by percent passing the No. 40 sieve. In this study the effect of these fines on moisture-density relationship and strength of a crushed limestone aggregate with 25.4-mm (1-in.) maximum particle size was investigated. A typical range of 5–12% fines content inclusion with plasticity indices of 5–13% and dust ratios of 0.4–1.0 were studied. In order to evaluate the influence of each of these properties of the fines, a comprehensive number of samples were tested for the soaked California Bearing Ratio (CBR). The moisture sensitivity of aggregate strength was evaluated within ±1.5% of the optimum moisture content. The findings were summarized to propose a new approach for proper material selection based on the fines content and dust ratio.
Evaluation of the Mechanical Properties of TRISO Particles Using Nanoindentation and Ring Compression Testing

Tristructural-isotropic (TRISO) fuel particles are being investigated as a potential fuel for both current and advanced reactors. Due to the size of the particles (<1 mm in diameter with a silicon carbide layer thickness of 30–50 μm), traditional mechanical testing is a challenge, and investigations are limited to micro-scale mechanical testing techniques. In the work presented here, ring crush tests of TRISO particles were performed, and the results are compared with nanoindentation measurements of particles from the same manufactured batch. The elastic modulus results from the nanoindentation and the ring crush tests are found to be in good agreement. In addition, an innovative technique for studying helium implantation effects on the material was investigated utilizing an ORION NanoFab Helium Ion Microscope.
The Diet of the Cumberland Plateau Salamander (Plethodon kentucki) in an Old Growth Forest of Southeastern Kentucky

Abstract Examining the diet of salamanders is important for understanding their effects on invertebrate communities and the interactions among sympatric salamander species. We examined the diet of the Cumberland Plateau Salamander, Plethodon kentucki (Mittleman), in an old growth forest in southeastern Kentucky. A total of 763 prey items were recovered from 73 salamanders with an average of 10.75 prey items per stomach. The four most important prey groups were Formicidae (ants), Araneae (spiders), Coleoptera (beetles), and Collembola (springtails). Overall, we found a total of 58 different prey types in the stomach contents from 20 invertebrate orders. This study represents one of the few successful uses of nonlethal gastric lavage methods on a large plethodontid salamander and the first description of P. kentucki diet identified to family and genus. Future work should examine diet throughout the year, compare prey species composition to sympatric salamander species, and look at local prey abundances and ...
Understanding Older Adult's Perceptions of Factors that Support Trust in Human and Robot Care Providers

As the population of older adults increase so will the need for care providers, both human and robot. Trust is a key aspect to establish and maintain a successful older adult-care provider relationship. However, due to trust volatility it is essential to understand it within specific contexts. This proposed mixed methods study will explore what dimensions of trust emerge as important within the human-human and human-robot dyads in older adults and care providers. First, this study will help identify key qualities that support trust in a care provider relationship. By understanding what older adults perceive as needing to trust humans and robots for various care tasks, we can begin to provide recommendations based on user expectations for design to support trust.
Evidence-based thresholds for the volume-value relationship in shoulder arthroplasty: outcomes and economies of scale.

Background Whereas several studies suggest that high-volume surgeons and hospitals deliver superior patient outcomes with greater cost efficiency, no evidence-based thresholds separating high-volume surgeons and hospitals from those that are low or medium volume exist in shoulder arthroplasty. The objective of this study was to establish meaningful thresholds that take outcomes and cost into consideration for surgeons and hospitals performing shoulder arthroplasty. Methods Using 9546 patients undergoing primary shoulder arthroplasty for osteoarthritis from an administrative database, we created and applied 4 models using stratum-specific likelihood ratio (SSLR) analysis of a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. We generated 4 sets of thresholds predictive of adverse outcomes, namely, increased length of stay (LOS) and increased cost for both surgeon and hospital volume. Results SSLR analysis of the 4 ROC curves by surgeon volume produced 3 volume categories. LOS and cost by annual shoulder arthroplasty surgeon volume produced the same strata: 0-4 (low), 5-14 (medium), and 15 or more (high). LOS and cost by annual shoulder arthroplasty hospital volume produced the same strata: 0-3 (low), 4-14 (medium), and 15 or more (high). LOS and cost decreased significantly ( P Conclusions Our study validates economies of scale in shoulder arthroplasty by demonstrating a direct relationship between volume and value through SSLR analysis of ROC curves for risk-based volume stratification using meaningful volume definitions for low-, medium-, and high-volume surgeons and hospitals. The described volume-value relationship offers patients, surgeons, hospitals, and other stakeholders meaningful thresholds for the optimal delivery of shoulder arthroplasty.
Effect of Exceptional Parental Longevity and Lifestyle Factors on Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease in Offspring

Offspring of parents with exceptional longevity (OPEL) manifest lower prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the role of lifestyle factors in this unique cohort is not known. Our study tested whether OPEL have lesser prevalence of CVD independent of lifestyle factors. Prevalence of CVD and CVD risk factors was assessed in a population of community-dwelling Ashkenazi Jewish adults aged 65 to 94 years. Participants included OPEL (n = 395), defined as having at least 1 parent living past the age of 95 years, and offspring of parents with usual survival (OPUS, n = 450), defined as having neither parent survive to 95 years. Medical and lifestyle information was obtained using standardized questionnaires. Socioeconomic status was defined based on validated classification scores. Dietary intake was evaluated with the Block Brief Food Frequency Questionnaire (2000) in a subgroup of the study population (n = 234). Our study found no significant differences in the prevalence of obesity, smoking, alcohol use, physical activity, social strata scores, and dietary intake between the 2 groups. After adjustment for age and gender, the OPEL demonstrated 29% lower odds of having hypertension (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.53 to 0.95), 65% lower odds of having had a stroke (95% CI 0.14 to 0.88), and 35% lower odds of having CVD (95% CI 0.43 to 0.98), compared with OPUS. In conclusion, exceptional parental longevity is associated with lower prevalence of CVD independent of lifestyle, socioeconomic status, and nutrition, thus highlighting the potential role of genetics in disease-free survival among individuals with exceptional parental longevity.
DataRaceBench: a benchmark suite for systematic evaluation of data race detection tools

Data races in multi-threaded parallel applications are notoriously damaging while extremely difficult to detect. Many tools have been developed to help programmers find data races. However, there is no dedicated OpenMP benchmark suite to systematically evaluate data race detection tools for their strengths and limitations.In this paper, we present DataRaceBench, an open-source benchmark suite designed to systematically and quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of data race detection tools. We focus on data race detection in programs written in OpenMP, the popular parallel programming model for multi-threaded applications. In particular, DataRaceBench includes a set of microbenchmark programs with or without data races. These microbenchmarks are either manually written, extracted from real scientific applications, or automatically generated optimization variants.We also define several metrics to represent effectiveness and efficiency of data race detection tools. Using DataRaceBench and its metrics, we evaluate four different data race detection tools: Helgrind, ThreadSanitizer, Archer, and Intel Inspector. The evaluation results show that DataRaceBench is effective to provide comparable, quantitative results and discover strengths and weaknesses of the tools being evaluated.
Particulate Matter in Parenteral Solutions I.: A Review of the Literature:

Methods for detection of particulate matter in parenteral solutions are inadequate at the present time. The potential hazard of injecting particulate matter into the circulation of seriously ill pa...
Laparoscopic repair of inguinal hernia in infants: Comparison with open hernia repair

Abstract Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of laparoscopic repair of inguinal hernia (LR) in infants in comparison with open hernia repair (OR). Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 465 infants treated for inguinal hernia from January 2006 to December 2015. Among them, 124 underwent LR and 341 underwent OR. Results In the OR group, 16.1% (55/341) primarily underwent bilateral inguinal hernia repair and 13.6% (42/308) subsequently developed metachronous contralateral inguinal hernia during follow-up. In the LR group, 75.8% (94/124) underwent primary bilateral inguinal hernia repair and only 1.6% (2/123) developed metachronous contralateral inguinal hernia. The mean operation times of unilateral inguinal hernia repair showed no statistical differences between LR and OR. However, the mean operation times of bilateral inguinal hernia repair were shorter in LR (39.8±10.4 vs. 51.1±14.4min, p Conclusion LR in infants showed a lower incidence of metachronous hernia, shorter operation times, and better postoperative course than OR. LR could be considered the primary operation method in infants with inguinal hernia. Levels of Evidence Prognosis Study, Retrospective Study, Level III.
Dressmakers, Bakers, and the Equality of Rights

Using recent examples involving dressmakers refusing to create designs for the First Lady at the Trump inauguration, this paper explains why Masterpiece Cakeshop should be decided in favor the baker who refuses to create a wedding cake for a same-sex wedding ceremony, and why this should be understanding as an equality of rights, rather than prioritizing free speech over nondiscrimination.
A novel experimental system using the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha and its fungal endophytes reveals diverse and context-dependent effects.

Fungal symbioses are ubiquitous in plants, but their effects have mostly been studied in seed plants. This study aimed to assess the diversity of fungal endophyte effects in a bryophyte and identify factors contributing to the variability of outcomes in these interactions. Fungal endophyte cultures and axenic liverwort clones were isolated from wild populations of the liverwort, Marchantia polymorpha. These collections were combined in a gnotobiotic system to test the effects of fungal isolates on the growth rates of hosts under laboratory conditions. Under the experimental conditions, fungi isolated from M. polymorpha ranged from aggressively pathogenic to strongly growth-promoting, but the majority of isolates caused no detectable change in host growth. Growth promotion by selected fungi depended on nutrient concentrations and was inhibited by coinoculation with multiple fungi. The M. polymorpha endophyte system expands the resources for this model liverwort. The experiments presented here demonstrate a wealth of diversity in fungal interactions even in a host reported to lack standard mycorrhizal symbiosis. In addition, they show that some known pathogens of vascular plants live in M. polymorpha and can confer benefits to this nonvascular host. This highlights the importance of studying endophyte effects across the plant tree of life.
Lipoprotein Apheresis Acutely Reverses Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction in Patients With Severe Hypercholesterolemia.

AbstractObjectives: This study evaluated whether lipoprotein apheresis produces immediate changes in resting perfusion in subjects with severe hypercholesterolemia, and whether there is a differenc...
Critical Issues in the Assessment of Headache

In an earlier paper, Thompson (1982) made the point that "an adequate assessment and understanding of the relevant independent and dependent variables related to subjects' headache complaints will yield information pointing to the most logical choice for a treatment intervention" (p. 230). It is essential that researchers and clinicians adopt an idiographic approach if we are to fully realize the potential of biofeedback, behavior therapy, and other nonpharmacological approaches as primary or ancillary interventions in the management of head pain. Large group comparisons, composed of heterogeneous subject populations treated with standardized techniques, have failed to elucidate the optimal intervention for individualized headache complaints. Yates (1980) noted with reference to biofeedback. "The reason for the failure of biofeedback training to show any consistent superiority over other relaxation training techniques stems from its use as a blunderbuss rather than as a rapier or precision instrument" (p. 499). We would maintain that a similar situation has pervaded the headache literature with a "blunderbuss" approach characterizing assessment and client-treatment-matching strategies. The remediation of the current controversy regarding treatment efficacy in the area of head pain is dependent upon the careful and critical use of assessment strategies in future research and clinical activity.
Characterizing design science theories by level of constraint on design decisions

A current issue in Design Science Research in Information Systems (DSRIS) is the manner in which to capture and present the knowledge gained in the course of a DSRIS project. Different conceptions of design science theory have been suggested. The most firmly established of these is Information Systems Design Theory (ISDT). Recently a number of authors have suggested that additional theory formulations are needed to capture higher-level knowledge: higher level design science theories (HLDST). As more types of theory to capture different types of information are proposed the question arises: how do these different theory types relate, to each other and also to the artifact that is constructed in the course of most DSRIS projects? In this paper we develop a design-decision-constraint framework for characterizing design science theories. Additionally we relate design decisions to the dependent and independent variables of the theories; these traditional elements of theory have been lacking in most discussions of design science theories. By (re)introducing dependent and independent variables to the design science theory conversation we hope to bridge the gap between traditional explanatory theory and ISDT, and thereby help to clarify the discussions of theory in DSRIS.
Interval Scheduling, Reservations, and Timetabling

This chapter considers two types of timetabling problems. The first type of timetabling problem assumes that all operators are identical, i.e., the operators constitute a single homogeneous workforce. The total number of operators available is W and in order to do activity j on one of the resources W j operators have to be present. If the sum of the people required by activities j and k is larger than W (i.e., W j + W k > W), then activities j and k may not overlap in time. This type of timetabling is in what follows referred to as timetabling with workforce or personnel constraints.
A brief exercise in currere and bathroom bills

North Carolina voted into law legislation known as the Privacy Facilities and Security Act, commonly known as HB2 or the anti-transgender “bathroom bill.” We use Pinar’s (1975a, 1975b, 2012) currer...
Cost savings associated with an outpatient otolaryngology telemedicine clinic

Objective To test the null hypothesis that there is no difference in patient cost savings between the telemedicine and traditional face-to-face approach. The second objective was to assess the financial impact on the peripheral healthcare system, as compared with staffing a conventional clinic with "on-site" otolaryngologist. Methods Twenty-one patients were enrolled. To assess "patient-benefit" cost savings, a model was formulated that would utilize a certified nurse practitioner (CNP) to conduct a general otolaryngology clinic at the peripheral site, as compared with having to travel to the tertiary referral center. A "peripheral site-benefit" cost analysis was performed to assess costs of initiating and operating a telemedicine clinic at the peripheral site, compared with having an on-site otolaryngologist. Results The total patient-benefit cost savings would be $182.09 per patient per encounter and $333.22 per patient annually. The fixed cost to the peripheral site to initiate the telemedicine system was $9,895. Two hundred sixty telemedicine encounters would be needed to offset the initial cost, and 537 encounters would be needed to surpass revenue of the conventional clinic. Conclusion A real-time telemedicine otolaryngology clinic provides significant cost savings for both patients and the peripheral healthcare system. This pilot study supports telemedicine as a cost-effective approach to providing general otolaryngology care to rural patients. Level of Evidence 4.
Explorations of Voice User Interfaces for 3 to 4 Year Old Children

The design of Voice User Interfaces (VUIs) has mostly focused on applications for adults, but VUIs provide potential advantages to young children in enabling concurrent interactions with the physical and social world. Current applications for young children focus on media playing, answering questions, and highly-structured activities. There is an opportunity to go beyond these applications by using VUIs to support high-quality, creative social play. In this paper, we describe our first step in pursuing this opportunity with 24 design sessions guided by a partnership with eight 3 to 4 year old children. In a social play setting, we learned that children wanted to physically interact with the voice agents and VUIs could redirect behaviors and promote social interactions.
Direct insight to SRAM array devices in advanced FinFET nodes by large scale ultra-fast in-situ characterization

This work reports the application of an ultra-fast insitu characterization capability in SRAM array in advanced nodes. The methodology was tested in fully functional SRAM arrays in 14 nm and 7 nm FinFET nodes, allowing assessment of individual devices in the array and obtaining high sigma statistics. The technique benefits SRAM optimization, identification of yield detractors and reliability learning.
Topical preparations to reduce SARS-CoV-2 aerosolization in head and neck mucosal surgery.

Aim The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has put health care workers at risk when exposed to aerosolized viral particles during upper airway mucosal surgery. The objective of this review was to discuss topical preparations that could be utilized preoperatively to help to decrease viral load and potentially reduce the risks of viral transmission. Methods A PubMed/MEDLINE database review of articles was performed querying topical preparations with virucidal activity against coronaviruses. Results Povidone-iodine (PVP-I) solutions ranging from 0.23% to 7% have been found to demonstrate highly effective virucidal activity against a broad range of viruses including several coronaviruses responsible for recent epidemics including SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV. Conclusions While specific evidence regarding SARS-CoV-2 is lacking, PVP-I-based preparations have been successfully demonstrated to reduce viral loads of coronaviruses. They are relatively safe to use in the upper airway and may reduce risk of SARS-CoV-2 aerosolization during upper airway mucosal surgery.
Hierarchical Multivariate Directed Acyclic Graph Auto-Regressive (MDAGAR) models for spatial diseases mapping

Disease mapping is an important statistical tool used by epidemiologists to assess geographic variation in disease rates and identify lurking environmental risk factors from spatial patterns. Such maps rely upon spatial models for regionally aggregated data, where neighboring regions tend to exhibit similar outcomes than those farther apart. We contribute to the literature on multivariate disease mapping, which deals with measurements on multiple (two or more) diseases in each region. We aim to disentangle associations among the multiple diseases from spatial autocorrelation in each disease. We develop Multivariate Directed Acyclic Graphical Autoregression (MDAGAR) models to accommodate spatial and inter-disease dependence. The hierarchical construction imparts flexibility and richness, interpretability of spatial autocorrelation and inter-disease relationships, and computational ease, but depends upon the order in which the cancers are modeled. To obviate this, we demonstrate how Bayesian model selection and averaging across orders are easily achieved using bridge sampling. We compare our method with a competitor using simulation studies and present an application to multiple cancer mapping using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program.
Themed Issue Introduction: Promises and Perils of Artificial Intelligence and Advertising

Of all the technological advances in advertising, none are perhaps more exciting than artificial intelligence (AI). However, couched within this excitement is a multitude of questions: What is AI a...
Why is primary endosymbiosis so rare

Endosymbiosis is a relationship between two organisms wherein one cell resides inside the other. This affiliation, when stable and beneficial for the 'host' cell, can result in massive genetic innovation with the foremost examples being the evolution of eukaryotic organelles, the mitochondria and plastids. Despite its critical evolutionary role, there is limited knowledge about how endosymbiosis is initially established and how host-endosymbiont biology is integrated. Here, we explore this issue, using as our model the rhizarian amoeba Paulinella, which represents an independent case of primary plastid origin that occurred c. 120 million yr ago. We propose the 'chassis and engine' model that provides a theoretical framework for understanding primary plastid endosymbiosis, potentially explaining why it is so rare.
Cancer Incidence in First- and Second-Degree Relatives of BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutation Carriers

Background Mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are associated with increased risk of breast, ovarian, and several other cancers. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the incidence of cancer in first- and second-degree relatives of BRCA mutation carriers compared with the general population. Materials and methods A total of 1,086 pedigrees of BRCA mutation carriers was obtained from a prospectively maintained, internal review board-approved study of persons referred for clinical genetic counseling at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. We identified 9,032 first- and second-degree relatives from 784 pedigrees that had demonstrated a clear indication of parental origin of mutation. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were used to compare the observed incidence of 20 primary cancer sites to the expected incidence of each cancer based on the calculated risk estimates according to each subject's age, sex, and ethnicity. Results BRCA1 families had increased SIRs for breast and ovarian cancer (p Conclusion We have confirmed previous reports of an association between breast, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers with BRCA mutations. Additional research to quantify the relative risks of these cancers for BRCA mutation carriers can help tailor recommendations for risk reduction and enhance genetic counseling. Implications for practice BRCA gene mutations have been well described to carry an increased risk of both breast and ovarian cancer. However, the implications and risks of other cancers continues to be investigated. Evaluating the risks for other cancers further is key in identifying and managing risk reduction strategies.
Analysis of Shuffle-Exchange Networks under Permutation Trafic

Multistage interconnection networks (MINs) such as shuffle-exchange, baseline, and banyan networks have been widely investigated for use in parallel processing systems and high speed communication switches. Among the main advantages of a shuffle-exchange type network are self-routing, low hardware complexity compared to crossbar switch, distributed control, suitable for VLSI implementation, modular and scalable. The main disadvantage of an n-stage shuffle-exchange type network with N inputs and N outputs is to have a limited number of connection patterns bacause of internal conflicts in switching elements, where N = 2 n .
An Examination of the Role of Rotational Barriers in the Toxicology of Pcb’s

The internal rotational barriers of PCB isomers were computed using the quantum mechanical INDO method and corrected for the known deficiencies of this semi—empirical model. Based on the hypothesis that the active molecule must be planar, a correlation coefficient (r2) equal to 0.98 was found between the arylhydrocarbon hydroxylase activation data and the fraction of planar conformers predicted from a Boltzmann like distribution.
Endometriosis of the round ligament simulating hernia

Abstract Endometriosis in its protean manifestations gives rise to a confusing clinical picture at times, and it is the purpose of this paper to record an instance of rather unusual site of endometrial tissue. Endometrial tumors of “implants” as Sampson calls them have rather wide-spread distribution within the peritoneal cavity, commonly involving the ovary, the peritoneum, the rectovaginal septum, etc. Less frequently they occur in the umbilicus, in the round ligaments and in laparotomy scars. The method of extension of the process to the round ligament and inguinal region is as much in dispute as the etiology of endometriosis in general. The lesion of the round ligament may consist of a more or less solid tumor, an adenomyoma, or may be in the nature of a hemorrhagic cyst. The frequent association of hernia and inguinal endometriosis has been a matter of comment with several writers. Errors in the differential diagnosis between hernia and inguinal endometriosis are not infrequent. Cullen who described the first case of inguinal endometriosis in 1896 thought his patient had a hernia; likewise Sampson, Schmitz, Christopher, Neel and others made similar errors. Involvement of the intraperitoneal portion of the round ligaments gives rise to no important symptoms; involvement of the extraperitoneal portion does. With endometriosis of the round ligament usually a tumor of the inguinal region occurs; this may be either cystic or solid; it may or may not be painful; it will disappear when the patient lies down, if it is the cystic type, and there may be an impulse on coughing; the solid type of lesion as a rule is not reducible. From this brief description it becomes apparent how inguinal endometriosis may readily be mistaken for a hernia.
The Possibility of Local Detonations During Degraded-Core Accidents in the Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant

It is possible to objectively determine whether a detonation can propagate in a given geometry (volume shape and size, obstacle configuration, degree of confinement) for a given mixture composition...
Literary Milk: Breastfeeding Across Race, Class, and Species in Contemporary U.S. Fiction

Although all infant mammals require mothers' milk, very little breastfeeding appears in U.S. literature. Why is this ecological and foundational part of early life so frequently backgrounded or made invisible? and why would this topic be significant for feminist ecocritics? To explore these questions, this essay discusses the few texts in 20th century U.S. literature that depict breastfeeding, pairing them by era--John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath (1939) and Meridel LeSueur's The Girl (1939), followed by Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon (1977) and Beloved (1987)--and concludes with a contemporary novel, Emma Donoghue's Room (2010). All of these texts depict breastfeeding in conditions of captivity and restricted freedoms. Under such conditions, breastfeeding and breastmilk take on added urgency as food, as emotional and psychological nurturance, and often as self-worth for the nursing mother, whose milk seems to be the only material she can control. Narrative texts providing examples of free mothers, from diverse races, classes, and species, able to choose whether, where, and how long to breastfeed their own offspring, do not yet appear in U.S. literature, possibly because the conditions for such cultural and economic freedoms have yet to exist.
A Conversation about Machine Project

: How can you carve out a museum space that’s less authoritative? And how you can make work that is smaller, more intimate in that same space? Kio Stark and Mark Allen discuss Machine Project, the Echo Park, Los Angeles exhibiting space that doubles as an interactive setting, an alternative performance venue, and an active agent in creating events around the local area, including in museums such as the Hammer.
Resistance to Co-Occurring Phages Enables Marine Synechococcus Communities To Coexist with Cyanophages Abundant in Seawater

Abstract Recent reports documenting very high viral abundances in seawater have led to increased interest in the role of viruses in aquatic environments and a resurgence of the hypothesis that viruses are significant agents of bacterial mortality. Synechococcus spp., small unicellular cyanobacteria that are important primary producers at the base of the marine food web, were used to assess this hypothesis. We isolated a diverse group of Synechococcus phages that at times reach titers of between 103 and 104 cyanophages per ml in both inshore and offshore waters. However, despite their diversity and abundance, we present evidence in support of the hypothesis that lytic phages have a negligible effect in regulating the densities of marine Synechococcus populations. Our results indicate that these bacterial communities are dominated by cells resistant to their co-occurring phages and that these viruses are maintained by scavenging on the relatively rare sensitive cells in these communities.
Preferential immunohistochemical localization of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) in the sacral spinal cord of the cat: Light and electron microscopic observations

In the present study we have employed immunoperoxidase techniques to investigate the distribution of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)- like immunoreactivity in the spinal cord and sensory ganglia of the cat. The spinal distribution of VIP-containing neuronal processes was also compared with that of substance P (SP), somatostatin (SOM), and cholecystokinin-8 (CCK) at lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal levels. At sacral levels, VIP was found to be contained in small and medium-sized primary sensory neurons and in dorsal rootlets. Deafferentation, by either ganglionectomy or dorsal rhizotomy, resulted in a nearly complete loss of VIP immunoreactivity in the spinal cord. The spinal distribution of VIP fibers and terminals was most dense and extensive in sacral segments. Forming a thin shell around the dorsal horn, collaterals, apparently originating from Lissauer9s tract, projected either medially or laterally through lamina I. Laterally, many VIP axons terminated in lateral laminae V to VII. Others projected further through the neck of the dorsal horn to medial lamina V and the gray matter near the central canal. Medially, VIP axons descended through lamina I to expand into terminal fields in the posterior commissure and medial lamina V. At the ultrastructural level, VIP-like immunoreactivity was found in dense core vesicles within axonal enlargements containing both large dense core and smaller clear round vesicles. Synaptic connections were infrequently observed but, when encountered, were of the simple axodendritic type. The spinal distribution of VIP-containing fibers was remarkably similar to that reported for pelvic nerve visceral afferents, both in termination patterns within the spinal gray matter and in localization to the sacral cord. The density of SP-, SOM-, and CCK-containing fibers and terminals was constant at all levels examined (L4 to Co4). In marked contrast, the distribution of VIP fibers, much like that of pelvic nerve afferents, was mostly confined to sacral segments. Thus, although SP, SOM, and CCK may be contained within a population of sacral visceral afferents, they must be common to afferent systems in other segments as well. VIP, however, appears to be preferentially contained within pelvic visceral afferent fibers confined mostly to sacral segments.
Fishing the North Atlantic Border Seas: American Capital in a New Environment, 1818-1854

THROUGHOUT THE FISHING SEASON OF 1836, Liverpool fish merchant Philip Carten traveled through the small fishing villages of western Nova Scotia. Like other Nova Scotian fish merchants, Carten sought out inshore fishermen from whom he could purchase fish-bait, principally herring, in order to outfit his deep-sea fishing vessels for a voyage to the Grand Banks off Newfoundland. The deep-sea fisheries depended upon inshore fishermen to supply the bait needed for their voyages, thereby allowing them to concentrate strictly on the catching of ground fish such as cod and halibut. By 1836 this system had been the standard practice for several generations. Like the vast majority of Nova Scotian fish merchants, Carten purchased fish via company credit; instead of paying cash for his supplies he sought to extend store credit to the inshore fishermen. During this season, however, Cartin was unable to secure any fish from the numerous fishermen scattered across the coast of western Nova Scotia because they instead preferred to wait for the arrival of New England fishing schooners rather than to sell their fish to domestic merchants. In a letter to the Assembly of Nova Scotia, Carten complained bitterly that this trade practice threatened the complete collapse of Nova Scotia’s fishing industry. American trade challenged the historical relationship between merchants and fishermen in Nova Scotia, he argued, and the system of credit and debt in Nova Scotia was the basis upon which the entire fishing industry operated. Carten charged that the American vessels arrived in the harbors of Nova Scotia, “having onboard Gin, Boots, and Shoes, Apples, Soap, and other articles and open a regular Trade with the Fishermen and sold the above Goods, taking in return Mackerel”.1 While merchants such as Philip Carten deemed this illicit trade as disloyal, the extent to which it operated clearly shows that the fishermen themselves found it quite lucrative. Carten confronted the disloyalty of Nova Scotian fishermen and the legality of the presence of the Americans, and “feeling indignant at the preference given to Foreigners told them they had no business there . . . stated to the people that they were injuring themselves and robbing the Country of its living”.2 Yet the introduction of American goods and capital offered an alternative to the monopoly held by Nova Scotian merchants and provided another source of income for the small-scale fishermen of the province. The incursion of American capital into the local waters and markets of the British North American fisheries forced many operators of that industry to re-evaluate their
The Report of the Military Leadership Diversity Commission: An Inadequate Basis for Lifting the Exclusion of Women from Direct Ground Combat

The recommendation of the Military Leadership Diversity Commission to lift the exclusion of women from ground combat is deeply irresponsible and cannot be taken seriously. The Commission’s lodestar was diversity, not military effectiveness, and it failed to take into consideration a wealth of information bearing on its recommendation. The Commission’s recommendation was based primarily on sources that cannot be considered authoritative, and the Commission’s analysis of the sources that it did consult was superficial and in conflict with some of the facts, as opposed to the “spin,” contained in these very sources. The Commission substantially downplayed the sex difference in strength and other physical capacities, striking down the straw man that “all women lack the physical ability to perform in combat roles,” but never addressing how many women there are who actually possess that ability, a piece of data that is highly relevant to its recommendation. Moreover, the MLDC report does not mention the word “pregnancy,” despite the fact that there is much data to suggest that pregnancy has substantial adverse effects on deployability and readiness even with the ground-combat exclusion in place. Finally, the Commission’s conclusion that there was “little evidence” that integration of women has had a negative impact on cohesion and performance ignores not only a wealth of information to the contrary in sources it did not consult, it also ignores a great deal of evidence to the contrary in the sources that the Commission actually did consult.
A generalized time domain multipath channel and its application in ultra-wide-band (UWB) wireless optimal receiver design: system performance analysis

This paper extends our previous work mainly in three aspects. Our main efforts are made analytically although a few numerical results are used for special cases to illustrate the concepts. Our interest lies in understanding basic mechanisms and their impact on system design. First we derive some new exact and approximate formulations suitable for pulse shape and system performance analysis. Second, first time we have obtained the numerical results of the system parameters that are impacted by the mechanisms of interest. Some new physical mechanisms are unearthed based on our analytical relationships. Third, we derive the optimal receiver template for the generalized multipath model.
Assessment and User Adoption of NFC in Comparison to Other Mobile Payments Systems

Mobile payment systems are still in their early stages of development. They exploit the additional functionalities that modern mobile phones are equipped with. Many mobile payment systems suffered from failed trials, and many others will fail. It is therefore important to investigate the factors that may lead to the success of such systems. This paper describes four mobile payment solutions, namely cellular networks, infrared, Bluetooth, and Near Field Communication, and presents NFC-based solutions in more detail and discusses certain authentication and security concerns that are related to this technology. The study also compares the user’s acceptance of these technologies based on certain factors that are adopted from the technology acceptance literature: perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived trust, mobility, and cost.
Psychosocial Issues Associated with Genetic Testing for Breast and Ovarian Cancer Risk: An Integrative Review

The identification of the BRCA1/2 genes, and their possible etiologic relationship with various forms of inherited cancer, has been recognized universally as a cornerstone in the search for cancer's genetic link and has made it possible to identify specific individuals and families who harbor a mutation in one of these predisposition genes. Genetic testing for breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility may pose unanticipated psychological and social problems. Because of the recent availability of predisposition genetic testing, research efforts have begun to investigate factors that may influence an individual's intention to undergo testing and the psychosocial sequelae associated with testing. The purpose of this article is to provide an integrative review of the literature that will delineate what is currently known about the psychosocial issues associated with genetic testing for breast and ovarian cancer risk. Important generalizations from the literature include: (a) a positive test for breast cancer susceptibility may ignite a psychological response similar to the diagnosis of breast cancer itself; (b) there is likely a subset of individuals at increased risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer who are also at risk for sustained psychosocial problems; (c) available literature challenges a common notion that only individuals with a positive test result will need psychosocial services; and (d) at-risk individuals are basing health care decisions on genetic testing information, thus they are making important decisions under conditions of uncertainty. Clinical issues and directions for future research were highlighted.