cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prognostic Significance of Increases in Hemoglobin in Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients During Treatment With VEGF-directed Therapy

Abstract Background Increases in hemoglobin have been reported in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients treated with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway–targeted therapies and have been associated with increased progression-free survival (PFS). We retrospectively evaluated its significance as a predictive biomarker of clinical response in RCC. Patients and Methods Patients with advanced RCC treated with VEGF receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) or bevacizumab as a first-line therapy were identified. Hemoglobin levels were retrieved at baseline and then at monthly intervals for 6 months. Absolute and percentage increases over baseline were evaluated as predictors of objective response rate, PFS, time to treatment failure, and overall survival. Cox regression was used to estimate change status hazard ratios (HR) in univariate and multivariable models. Results Among the 71 eligible patients, elevations in hemoglobin were observed in 83%, with a median time to increase of 2.4 weeks since treatment initiation. Changes in hemoglobin at time of response were not associated with objective response rate. Landmark analysis at 3 months showed that increases in hemoglobin were associated with worse PFS (8.0 vs. 19.4 months; HR = 2.29; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-5.16; P = .05) and time to treatment failure (6.4 vs. 18.1 months; HR = 2.14; 95% confidence interval, 0.99-4.60, P = .05). Patients with greater increases (15% or more) had significantly shorter PFS (5.5 vs. 13.6 months) and overall survival (20.8 vs. 30.4 months) compared to those with lesser degree of elevations. Conclusion Contrary to prior reports, elevation in hemoglobin on VEGF-directed therapy was associated with worse clinical outcomes, and the greater the degree of elevation, the poorer the prognosis.
Plasmonic sensor for troponin I detection using whole blood (Conference Presentation)

Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) has been widely studied for various application. Due to the highly sensitive optical property to the change of the refractive index of the surrounded medium, there have been lots of reports for biological sensing. Direct Plasmon-to-Electric conversion device using metal nanostructures and semiconductor does not require additional readout optics and the device size and sensing area could be much smaller (1/100 to 1/10 of size) than current technologies. In addition, our sensing platform designed to address the issue of using the colored medium (e.g. whole blood) for detection. The detection signal comes only from plasmonic absorption and is not affected by the absorption from the medium. We developed a plasmonic sensing platform using a metal-semiconductor-metal detector by incorporating gold nanostructures on top of the semiconducting layer. The gold nanostructures are functionalized using antibodies to detect Troponin I, which is very important molecule to prevent hart attacks. In this presentation, we report a successful demonstration of a point-of-care sensing platform to detect cardiac Troponin I using antibody functionalized plasmonic nanostructures. Because the sensors are integrated into a microfluidic channel, it requires only a few µl of sample volume. The limit of detection was 20 pg/ml in our preliminary results, and we successfully demonstrated sensor operation using whole blood. This plasmonic sensor has several advantages such as extremely small size for the point-of-care system, multiplexing capability, no need of complex optical geometry and real-time binding monitoring.
Risk-Based Bioequivalence Recommendations for Antiepileptic Drugs

This review summarizes the current FDA practice in developing risk- and evidence-based product-specific bioequivalence guidances for antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). FDA’s product-specific guidance (PSG) for AEDs takes into account the therapeutic index of each AED product. Several PSGs for AEDs recommend fully replicated studies and a reference-scaled average bioequivalence (RS-ABE) approach that permit the simultaneous equivalence comparison of the mean and within-subject variability of the test and reference products. The PSGs for AEDs published by FDA reflect the agency’s current thinking on the bioequivalence studies and approval standards for generics of AEDs. Bioequivalence between brand and generic AED products demonstrated in controlled studies with epilepsy patients provides strong scientific support for the soundness of FDA bioequivalence standards.
Blast Mitigation Effects of Foam-Core, Composite Sandwich Structures

Structural polymer foams have been used as core material in lightweight sandwich panels for quite some time. Traditional sandwich theory suggests that the primary function of the polymer core is to transmit shear to the thin facesheets, thereby rendering high bending stiffness and strength from a panel with a minimum weight penalty. Recent analysis of the underwater blast response of PVC foam composite sandwich panel, however, shows that in addition to the above, PVC foams have blast mitigation effects through energy absorption via plastic core crushing. Close examination of the core stresses involved during initial yield has revealed that three-dimensional core plasticity is encountered in water blasts, and plastic work dissipation of the core plays a greater role in blast mitigation. In air blast/air back cases, core yielding is primarily transverse shear, but in water blast/air back and water blast/water back cases, core yielding is due to combined transverse shear, transverse compression and/or hydrostatic pressure. Experiments have been conducted to obtain the hysteresis effects of PVC H100 subjected to combined transverse shear and compression. These have led to the development of a transversely isotropic, viscoelastic–plastic damage material model that can be adequately used to describe the behavior of foam operating in this environment.
Music of Struggle and Protest in the 20th Century

This is a description of a sound, a poetics, and a political stance in the United States of America during a turbulent century and a half written by someone who grew up in the social milieu described. It endeavors to trace some of the historical and literary roots of 20th-century protest music and discusses the political and musical impact of certain musician-activists on the styles of protest music popular in the second half of the 20th century. These included Charles Seeger, John and Alan Lomax, and Pete Seeger, among others. The tradition of using song to express political ideas flourished in the first four decades of the century, declined due to political repression in the fifth decade, flourished again during the 1960–1980s, and moved to spoken poetry and rap toward the end of the century. For a brief period of time the 20th century forms and performances of music of struggle and protest in the United States had a major impact on music and how music was used in other struggles around the world.
Microspatial ecotone dynamics at a shifting range limit: plant–soil variation across salt marsh–mangrove interfaces

Ecotone dynamics and shifting range limits can be used to advance our understanding of the ecological implications of future range expansions in response to climate change. In the northern Gulf of Mexico, the salt marsh-mangrove ecotone is an area where range limits and ecotone dynamics can be studied in tandem as recent decreases in winter temperature extremes have allowed for mangrove expansion at the expense of salt marsh. In this study, we assessed aboveground and belowground plant-soil dynamics across the salt marsh-mangrove ecotone quantifying micro-spatial patterns in horizontal extent. Specifically, we studied vegetation and rooting dynamics of large and small trees, the impact of salt marshes (e.g. species and structure) on mangroves, and the influence of vegetation on soil properties along transects from underneath the mangrove canopy into the surrounding salt marsh. Vegetation and rooting dynamics differed in horizontal reach, and there was a positive relationship between mangrove tree height and rooting extent. We found that the horizontal expansion of mangrove roots into salt marsh extended up to eight meters beyond the aboveground boundary. Variation in vegetation structure and local hydrology appear to control mangrove seedling dynamics. Finally, soil carbon density and organic matter did not differ within locations across the salt marsh-mangrove interface. By studying aboveground and belowground variation across the ecotone, we can better predict the ecological effects of continued range expansion in response to climate change.
Who delivers the bigger bang for the buck: CMO or CIO?

Abstract There is emerging evidence that the Chief Marketing Officer is likely to surpass the Chief Information Officer in IT spending. Hence, it is relevant and timely to understand the relative impact of the CMO and CIO on business value. This study uses the foundation of executive power and influence to examine this question and analyze the relative impact of powerful technology and marketing leaders on firm output. We find that the inclusion of a powerful technology leader is more predictive of a sustained increase in firm output than the inclusion of a powerful marketing leader over a one-year, five-year and seven-year period.
Successful use of buprenorphine/naloxone to treat opioid addiction after cancer therapy.

126Background: Cancer pain prevalence is 55-70% and it is treated with opioids. Tapering opioids after completion of cancer treatment may be complicated by addiction, one of the known side effects ...
Stem Cells in the Treatment of Stroke

Stroke is an often devastating insult resulting in neurological deficit lasting greater than 24 hours. In the United States, stroke is the third leading cause of death. In those who do not succumb, any outcome from total recovery over a period of weeks to months to persistent profound neurological deficits is possible. Present treatment centers on the decision to administer tissue plasminogen activator, subsequent medical stabilization and early intervention with rehabilitation and risk factor management. The advent of stem cell therapy presents an exciting new frontier for research in stroke treatment, with the potential to cause a paradigm shift from symptomatic control and secondary prevention to reconstitution of neural networks and prevention of neuronal cell death after neurologic injury.
Performance Enhancement for TCP/IP on Wireless Links

The TCP/IP protocol suite that forms the basis of the Internet was designed to operate over an extremely large range of environments. Despite this robustness, degraded levels of performance may be experienced when the assumptions inherent in its algorithms are violated. For instance, the potentially high BER of a terrestrial wireless link or the high delay-bandwidth product of a satellite link result in a situation in which the link is not efficiently utilized and the TCP/IP performance (as perceived by an interactive user) may be poor.
The Bare-Nuclear Potential as Harbinger for the Electron Density in a Molecule

This work has the purpose of exploring the primitive hypothesis that electron densities in molecules have contours more or less parallel to contours of bare-nuclear potentials (BP). Otherwise put, the question addressed is, to what extent is the electron density in a molecule, the scalar quantity ρ(\(\vec r\) ), a function of the composite scalar potential, v(\(\vec r\) ), which is the sum of the coulomb potentials due to the nuclei, $$v(\vec r) = \sum\nolimits_\alpha {{Z_\alpha }} /{r_\alpha }$$ (1) Here \(\vec r\) is the position of an electron with respect to some origin, rα its distance from nucleus α. Only ground states are considered.
Does Exercise Alter Gut Microbial Composition? A Systematic Review

ABSTRACTPurposeThe objective of this systematic review of literature was to evaluate and summarize published research that has investigated the association between exercise and gut microbial composition in mammals.MethodsThis review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for System
Adhesion forces measured between particles and substrates with nano-roughness

This report briefly reviews the measurements and interpretation of adhesion forces between microscopic probes and substrates having micro- and nano-scaled roughness characteristics. The measurements were recently conducted at Michigan Technological University using atomic force microscopy. The laboratory study concentrated on both rigid and deformable materials, with the probes larger than the size of roughness features of interacting surfaces. For such systems, a detailed surface characterization, in terms of roughness parameters, asperity size and shape and spacing between asperities, as well as analysis of deformation of materials, is required. Analysis of the experimental data can be done using theoretical models suitable for rough surfaces, which would allow one to normalize the measured forces. Alternatively, loading of the probe during adhesion force measurements can be managed properly to control deformations of the nano-scaled surface irregularities. Controlling the deformation reduces and even eliminates the effects of nano-roughness on the probe-substrate contact area, promoting conditions described by the contact mechanics models for the sphere-smooth substrate system.
A Bilevel Equalizer for Lithium Ion Batteries

Electric powered aerospace vehicles such as drones (UAVs) are now in widespread use, and recent reports indicate their development is going to accelerate. Virtually all of these types of UAVs now use lithium ion batteries (LIB), but LIBs require electronic equalizer circuits (EQU) to balance the cell voltages. Several types of EQUs have been proposed, but all present versions have cost and/or performance problems. However, a new type of hybrid EQU called the Bilevel Equalizer (BEQ) has been proposed that avoids these problems.
Determining the pharmacokinetics of nicotinic drugs in the endoplasmic reticulum using biosensors.

Nicotine dependence is thought to arise in part because nicotine permeates into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where it binds to nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) and begins an “inside-out” pathway that leads to up-regulation of nAChRs on the plasma membrane. However, the dynamics of nicotine entry into the ER are unquantified. Here, we develop a family of genetically encoded fluorescent biosensors for nicotine, termed iNicSnFRs. The iNicSnFRs are fusions between two proteins: a circularly permutated GFP and a periplasmic choline-/betaine-binding protein engineered to bind nicotine. The biosensors iNicSnFR3a and iNicSnFR3b respond to nicotine by increasing fluorescence at [nicotine] 75%. Reducing nicotine intake by 10-fold decreases activation to ∼20%. iNicSnFR3a and iNicSnFR3b also sense the smoking cessation drug varenicline, revealing that varenicline also permeates into the ER within seconds. Our iNicSnFRs enable optical subcellular pharmacokinetics for nicotine and varenicline during an early event in the inside-out pathway.
Initiation of Pulmonary Fibrosis after Silica Inhalation in Rats is linked with Dysfunctional Shelterin Complex and DNA Damage Response.

Occupational exposure to silica has been observed to cause pulmonary fibrosis and lung cancer through complex mechanisms. Telomeres, the nucleoprotein structures with repetitive (TTAGGG) sequences at the end of chromosomes, are a molecular “clock of life”, and alterations are associated with chronic disease. The shelterin complex (POT1, TRF1, TRF2, Tin2, Rap1, and POT1 and TPP1) plays an important role in maintaining telomere length and integrity, and any alteration in telomeres may activate DNA damage response (DDR) machinery resulting in telomere attrition. The goal of this study was to assess the effect of silica exposure on the regulation of the shelterin complex in an animal model. Male Fisher 344 rats were exposed by inhalation to Min-U-Sil 5 silica for 3, 6, or 12 wk at a concentration of 15 mg/m3 for 6 hr/d for 5 consecutive d/wk. Expression of shelterin complex genes was assessed in the lungs at 16 hr after the end of each exposure. Also, the relationship between increased DNA damage protein (γH2AX) and expression of silica-induced fibrotic marker, αSMA, was evaluated. Our findings reveal new information about the dysregulation of shelterin complex after silica inhalation in rats, and how this pathway may lead to the initiation of silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis.
Group I metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonists impair discriminability of reinforcer magnitude, but not risky choice, in a probability-discounting task.

Abstract The glutamatergic system has been identified as an important mediator of risky choice. However, previous studies have focused primarily on ionotropic glutamate receptors (e.g., NMDA receptors). Little research has examined the contribution of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) on risky choice. The goal of the current experiment was to determine the effects of mGluR 1 and mGluR5 antagonism on risky choice as assessed in probability discounting (PD). Male Sprague Dawley rats (n = 24) were trained in PD, in which consistently choosing a large, probabilistic reward (LR) reflects risky choice. For half of the rats, the odds against (OA) receiving the LR increased across blocks of trials, whereas the OA decreased across the session for half of the rats. Following training, rats received injections of the mGluR1 antagonist JNJ 16,259,685 (JNJ; 0, 0.1, 0.3, or 1.0 mg/kg; i.p) and the mGluR5 antagonist MTEP (0, 1.0, 3.0, or 10.0 mg/kg; i.p.). Regardless of which schedule was used, JNJ and MTEP decreased preference for the LR when its delivery was guaranteed. In contrast to delay discounting, in which blocking the mGluR 1 has been shown to alter impulsive choice, these results show that the Group I mGluR family does not selectively alter risky choice. Instead, blocking these receptors appears to impair discriminability of reinforcers of varying magnitudes in PD.
Meloxicam-desmopressin drug-drug interaction producing hyponatremia.

Abstract Background People with schizophrenia and medical comorbidities are often on multiple medications to manage their symptoms. Herein we present a case of drug-drug interaction (meloxicam and desmopressin), in a patient also on clozapine, that ultimately resulted in hyponatremia and seizure. Methods The patient provided consent to have his case published. We searched PubMed and after reviewing 321 articles, 11 were chosen for relevance. Results Meloxicam enhanced the adverse effect (hyponatremia) of desmopressin and was the likely culprit. Conclusions In a patient with higher ADH levels, as in our patient taking desmopressin, the addition of an NSAID could further increase water retention and worsen hyponatremia; indeed, meloxicam was the only new medication added to the patient's regimen, and a drug interaction calculator supports the desmopressin-meloxicam drug-drug interaction as the culprit. We urge clinicians to avoid the use of desmopressin in patients with schizophrenia as this can lead to water intoxication. As meloxicam may worsen desmopressin-induced hyponatremia and could result in seizure, one should avoid using NSAIDs in patients with schizophrenia whom are also prescribed vasopressin/desmopressin. Serum sodium levels should be closely monitored in patients with schizophrenia whose regimen includes desmopressin.
Come Fly with Me: An overview of dopamine receptors in Drosophila melanogaster

Dopamine (DA) receptors play critical roles in a wide range of behaviours, including sensory processing, motor function, reward and arousal. As such, aberrant DA signalling is associated with numerous neurological and psychiatric disorders. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms by which DA neurotransmission drives intracellular signalling pathways that modulate behaviour can provide critical insights to guide the development of targeted therapeutics. Drosophila melanogaster has emerged as a powerful model with unique advantages to study the mechanisms underlying DA neurotransmission and associated behaviours in a controlled and systematic manner. Many regions in the fly brain innervated by dopaminergic neurons have been mapped and linked to specific behaviours, including associative learning and arousal. Here, we provide an overview of the homology between human and Drosophila dopaminergic systems and review the current literature on the pharmacology, molecular signalling mechanisms and behavioural outcome of DA receptor activation in the Drosophila brain.
Dyskeratosis Congenita and Corneal Refractive Surgery

Dyskeratosis congenita is a syndrome of bone marrow failure secondary to unstable telomeres. It is characterized by a range of mucocutaneous diseases. Due to premature telomere shortening, these patients have limbal stem cell deficiency leading to poor regeneration and maintenance of the cornea. Many of these patients will require hematopoietic stem cell transplant in their lifetime, which poses a significant risk for acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease with and without ocular manifestations. We advise against elective corneal refractive surgery in patients with dyskeratosis congenita due to the compounded and long-term risks of delayed healing secondary to limbal stem cell deficiency and ocular complications of graft-versus-host disease post-allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant.
Modeling Method for Tree in the Rainfall Area

It is difficult to find an efficient tree modeling method because of its own complexity and wind,rain acting on tree.A tree modeling method was constructed which could indicate the intrinsic structural characteristic,complex forms and the effects by the wind,rain,snow and other natural phenomena.Firstly,static model was constructed,based on which the dynamic model was established in which the effects on the tree by the wind,rain,snow and other natural phenomena were considered.The force was calculated by the momentum theorem based on the dynamic model in the wind.And then the value of rupture limit was compared to the Young's modulus in order to determine the situation of fracture or sway.Thus,the tree dynamic model could be improved in the nature environment.During the modeling process,it was found that dynamic model with this method can reduce time decay and keep the modeling fidelity.
Martyr or Mystery? Female Suicide Bombers and Information Availability

An extensive body of literature examines how the media depicts female suicide bombers. However, there has been little systematic testing of these theories. I test common arguments about how female ...
Technology-supported collaborative service learning in undergraduate computer science courses

This paper describes a project to investigate the impact of tablet laptops, wireless communication, and collaboration software to enhance student collaborative work on service learning projects in two undergraduate computer science courses (Database Analysis & Design, and Software Engineering) at a small private college. Even though very little instruction was provided to the students on how to use the collaborative technology, the students and faculty reported that the technology had a positive impact on student project participation, a positive impact on students' on-task communication and engagement with the course content, and a positive impact on quality of student work products.
Response to Open Peer Commentaries on “Ethics and Collateral Findings in Pragmatic Clinical Trials”

In our target article, we explore the ethical management of “pragmatic clinical trial collateral findings” (PCT-CFs). PCT-CFs are findings that arise from PCTs that may have implications for health...
Diversity and Inclusion in Psychiatry: The Pursuit of Health Equity

The increasing diversity of America requires a workforce that is able to serve the mental health needs of individuals from multiple backgrounds, with a culturally proficient, inclusive, and affirming approach. To accomplish this, clinicians must be mindful of the multiple challenges presented by social determinants of mental health and access to care; the role of culture in wellness protection, mental illness expression, symptom attribution, and help seeking; the impact of provider factors, such as availability and cultural and linguistic congruence and proficiency; and the interaction of clinician and patient, who are with increasing frequency members of differing identity groups. The authors highlight the central role of clinical providers, academic institutions, and service organizations to advance health equity through training and commitment to increase high-quality services that are available, accessible, affordable, and acceptable, improving the care of all individuals.
College Developmental Math Students' Knowledge of the Equal Sign.

Decades of research have documented young students’ misinterpretations of the equal sign and the impediments these present for children’s mathematical development. Much less is known about individual differences in adults’ knowledge of the equal sign. We assessed 182 college students from developmental math courses and present analyses from a subset of items on a previously validated assessment of mathematical equality. College students exhibited variability in their interpretations of the equal sign, and these individual differences were related both to their solutions for open equations with variables and to their interpretations of an algebraic expression. Students who provided a relational interpretation of the equal sign were most successful on target algebra problems and students who only provided an operational interpretation of the equal sign were least successful. These results show that misinterpretations of the equal sign can persist well beyond elementary school and can provide a critical indicator of broader mathematical reasoning among college students.
Zeros in scRNA-seq data: good or bad? How to embrace or tackle zeros in scRNA-seq data analysis?

Abstract Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies have revolutionized biomedical sciences by enabling genome-wide profiling of gene expression levels at an unprecedented single-cell resolution. A distinct characteristic of scRNA-seq data is the vast proportion of zeros unseen in bulk RNA-seq data. Researchers view these zeros differently: some regard zeros as biological signals representing no or low gene expression, while others regard zeros as false signals or missing data to be corrected. As a result, the scRNA-seq field faces much controversy regarding how to handle zeros in data analysis. In this paper, we first discuss the origins of biological and non-biological zeros in scRNA-seq data. Second, we clarify the definitions of several commonly-used but ambiguous terms, including “dropouts,” “excess zeros,” and “zero inflation.” Third, we evaluate the impacts of non-biological zeros on cell clustering and differential gene expression analysis. Fourth, we summarize the advantages, disadvantages, and suitable users of three input data types: original counts, imputed counts, and binarized counts. Finally, we discuss the open questions regarding non-biological zeros, the need for benchmarking, and the importance of transparent analysis.
Funding a Peoples’ Food Justice Geography? Community–Academic Collaborations as Geographic Praxis

Community–academic collaborations that value experience-based knowledge alongside institutional ways of knowing have long been of interest in geography. In 1984, Harvey proposed a “peoples’ geograp...
Effect of side-group methylation on the performance of methacrylamides and methacrylates for dentin hybridization.

Abstract The stability of the bond between polymeric adhesives to mineralized substrates is crucial in many biomedical applications. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of methyl substitution at the α- and β-carbons on the kinetics of polymerization, monomer hydrolytic stability, and long-term bond strength to dentin for methacrylamide- and methacrylate-based crosslinked networks for dental adhesive applications. Methods Secondary methacrylamides (α-CH3 substituted = 1-methyl HEMAM, β-CH3 substituted = 2-methyl HEMAM, and unsubstituted = HEMAM) and OH-terminated methacrylates (α- and β-CH3 mixture = 1-methyl HEMA and 2-methyl HEMA, and unsubstituted = HEMA) were copolymerized with urethane dimethacrylate. The kinetics of photopolymerization were followed in real-time using near-IR spectroscopy. Monomer hydrolysis kinetics were followed by NMR spectroscopy in water at pH 1 over 30 days. Solvated adhesives (40 vol% ethanol) were used to bond composite to dentin and microtensile bond strength (μTBS) measured after 24 h and 6 months storage in water at 37 °C. Results The rate of polymerization increased in the following order: OH-terminated methacrylates ≥ methacrylamides > NH2-terminated methacrylates, with minimal effect of the substitution. Final conversion ranged between 79% for 1-methyl AEMA and 94% for HEMA. 1-methyl-HEMAM showed the highest and most stable μTBS, while HEMA showed a 37% reduction after six months All groups showed measurable degradation after up to 4 days in pH 1, with the methacrylamides showing less degradation than the methacrylates. Additionally, transesterification products were observed in the methacrylamide groups. Significance Amide monomers were significantly more stable to hydrolysis than the analogous methacrylates. The addition of a α- or β-CH3 groups increased the rate of hydrolysis, with the magnitude of the effect tracking with the expected base-catalyzed hydrolysis of esters or amides, but opposite in influence. The α-CH3 substituted secondary methacrylamide, 1-methyl HEMAM, showed the most stable adhesive interface. A side reaction was observed with transesterification of the monomers studied under ambient conditions, which was not expected under the relatively mild conditions used here, which warrants further investigation.
Accurate and efficient modeling of the transverse mode instability in high-energy laser amplifiers using the phase-matched model

We review recent work in which we developed a phase-matched model to study the transverse mode instability (TMI) in high-energy laser amplifiers. The standard models for TMI have contributions that vary rapidly compared to the beat period between the fundamental mode and the higher-order modes in the problem. In the phase-matched model, we neglect these rapidly varying contributions. We consider a realistic example with a Yb-doped fiber amplifier that is similar to the amplifier that was considered by Naderi et al. [Opt. Exp., 21(13), 16111 (2013)], but with a more realistic 10-m length. In this example, only one higher-order mode is present. We show that the computational speedup of the phase-matched model is on the order of 100 with no loss of accuracy even in the highly-saturated nonlinear regime.
Index Theory for CP -Semigroups

In this chapter we generalize the numerical index of E0-semigroups to semigroups P = {P t : t ≥ 0} of normal completely positive maps acting on B(H). The index of a CP-semigroup is defined in terms of basic structures associated with P that generalize the concrete product systems associated with E-semigroups. However, these stuctures are quite subtle when the individual maps are not multiplicative, and are of independent interest in that they provide new information about the behavior of completely positive maps under compostion that is not available from Stinespring’s representation theorem.
Sensitivity to portion size of unhealthy foods

Abstract Background Sensitivity to portion size, a less-investigated aspect of portion size perception, refers to individuals’ abilities to distinguish portion sizes of differing amounts. Objective The aim of this cross-sectional study is to investigate normative and person-specific aspects of sensitivity to portion size via an evaluation of the perceived healthiness of photographed foods that vary as a function of portion size and food type. Participants/setting 272 undergraduate women judged the healthiness of 124 unhealthy food stimuli that varied in portion size (small to extra-large) and food type (Sweets, Fried Foods, and Candies). Statistical analyses Multilevel modeling estimated normative sensitivity to portion size, food-specific predictors of participants’ sensitivity, and participant-specific predictors of sensitivity. Results Participants displayed strong sensitivity to the portion size of unhealthy food, overall, but sensitivity declined as portion size increased. Sensitivity varied as a function of unhealthy food type; participants showed reliably greater sensitivity to portion size for Sweets and Fried Foods than for Candies, although sensitivity to all three food types was substantial. Healthy Food Consumption predicted greater portion-size sensitivity for unhealthy foods at a small-to-moderate level (i.e., those who reported consuming more fruits and vegetables showed greater portion-size sensitivity). A parallel analysis of sensitivity to caloric content, rather than portion size, produced highly similar findings. Conclusions When judging food healthiness, college-aged women distinguished well between unhealthy foods with small-to-moderate portion sizes, but their discriminative abilities faltered as portion sizes increased. Healthy Food Consumption was associated with greater sensitivity to portion size for unhealthy food. Future public-health campaigns should highlight the significance of inaccurate portion-size estimation and continue to develop strategies that enhance sensitivity to portion size.
Prehospital Care of the Neurologically Injured Patient

The neurologically injured patient presents several unique challenges to the clinician. Of importance is a full understanding of the role of early intervention and the impact of every stage of clinical care – from the prehospital environment to the intensive care unit. As Emergency Medical Systems grow in sophistication, so does the ability to intervene with time sensitive measures that will improve outcomes. This chapter provides an overview of prehospital care systems development and early interventions (both in the prehospital and emergency department environments) that impact the outcomes of neurologically injured patient.
CHAPTER 22 – Sinogram Recovery of Dynamic PET Using Principal Component Analysis and Projections onto Convex Sets

Positron emission tomography (PET) is typically limited by poor spatial resolution due to the finite size of the detector elements and Poisson noise due to nuclear count statistics. Noise becomes particularly limiting in dynamic studies with low count rates per individual frame. Unfortunately, most resolution enhancement schemes amplify high-frequency noise. Furthermore, tomographic reconstruction using simple filtered back projection requires filtering out high-frequency information to prevent further amplification of noise. Thus, a trade-off between spatial resolution and noise is usually made in the reconstruction. Principal component analysis (PCA) has been previously used to extract the relevant temporal kinetics while removing the noise from dynamic PET images. By applying this technique to raw projection data, the noise is removed prior to reconstruction, thus permitting preservation and enhancement of high-frequency spatial information. The method of projection onto convex sets (POCS) has been used to form a deblurred sinogram by utilizing additional detector wobble motion measurements and prior knowledge of the PET system's spatial response function. However, in low-count dynamic studies, this results in noise amplification. The combined methods of PCA and POCS have been applied to dynamic monkey neuroreceptor PET studies to reduce the noise and improve the spatial resolution. Consequently, this improves both the accuracy and precision of the estimation of the related kinetic parameters as compared to the known values obtained from postmortem radioassay. The specific binding and ratio of striatum/cerebellum were improved by factors of approximately 1.6 and 2, respectively.
Customizable Policy Management in the Sting Operating System

Sting is an operating system designed to serve as a highly efficient substrate for modern programming languages. It is designed to run on both parallel and distributed systems. This paper describes one of the important contributions of Sting — customizable policy management at both the kernel and user level of the operating system. Two well defined interfaces separate control issues from policy issues. These interfaces allow different, customized policy management modules to be implemented without changing the rest of the system. Customizable policy management makes Sting suitable for many different operating environments including real time, interactive, and computationally intensive. It also allows the user to choose or implement a policy management strategy that is best suited to a particular program.
Relationships Between Number of Sperm Inseminated, Number of Eggs Laid and Fertility in Turkeys

Abstract Three trials were conducted in which a series of different quantities of semen was used for inseminations. Relationships between total number of sperm inseminated (TNS) and fertility and number of viable sperm inseminated (NOV) and fertility were examined. Interrelationships between numbers of sperm inseminated, number of eggs laid, and fertility were also examined. It was found that TNS and NOV were significantly correlated (P Multiple correlation using number of sperm inseminated and number of eggs laid as the independent variables showed that TNS and the number of eggs laid were significantly correlated (P It was concluded that the number of sperm required for optimum fertility was dependent on the number of eggs laid.
Variations in Carotid Artery Intima–Media Thickness during the Cardiac Cycle in Children

Background There is paucity of research looking at variations in carotid artery intima–media thickness (CIMT) during the cardiac cycle in children. The aim of this study was to ascertain variations, if any, in CIMT during the cardiac cycle in a population of high-risk children. Methods Forty-nine children aged 6 to 19 years with dyslipidemia and other atherosclerosis-promoting risk factors underwent a carotid ultrasound. CIMT was measured using commercially available, semiautomated edge-detection software. The region of interest was the far wall of the common carotid artery. CIMT was measured at various points during the cardiac cycle using the electrocardiogram (EKG) as a reference. CIMT measurements two frames before, during, and after the QRS complex (end diastole) were analyzed separately (designated as "QRS CIMT") from the other CIMT measurements (designated as "non-QRS CIMT"). Demographics, heart rate, blood pressure, anthropometric measures, lumen diameter, family history, and presence of other atherosclerosis-promoting risk factors were documented. Results "QRS CIMT" was significantly thicker than "non-QRS CIMT" ( P = .01), with the age group 10 to 14 years showing the most significant variation between "QRS CIMT" and "non-QRS CIMT" ( P = .005). CIMT values between right and left carotid arteries differed by 2.5%. Age, systolic blood pressure, and blood glucose were significant predictors of mean CIMT by simple linear regression; systolic blood pressure was the only significant predictor of mean CIMT by stepwise multiple linear regression analysis. Conclusion CIMT measurements vary during the cardiac cycle in children. It is thicker during the QRS complex on EKG. Carotid ultrasound should be performed with an EKG, and CIMT should be measured at the same point on the EKG to overcome this variation. Furthermore, we recommend that CIMT be measured at the R-wave on EKG because this is an easily discernible point in the cardiac cycle.
On the absorption law for samples of nonuniform concentration with special reference to the spectroscopy of irradiated glasses

The dependence of optical density upon extinction coefficient is examined for light absorption measurements in which the number of absorbing molecules encountered by each ray of the measuring light is not constant. Some general results applicable to all such situations are derived. Particular attention is given to measurements of the absorption spectra of molecules produced by transverse irradiation of rigid solutions (triplet-triplet spectra). The conditions are determined under which such absorption is most intense, and the deviation from proportionality between optical density and extinction coefficient is least.
Computed-tomography imaging spectropolarimeter (CTISP): instrument design, operation, and results

A complete Stokes imaging spectropolarimeter has been designed, constructed and tested by researchers at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (USAERDC) in collaboration with researchers at the University of Arizona's Optical Sciences Center. CTISP is a polarimetric extension to CTIS, developed by the authors associated with the Optical Sciences Center. Currently, CTISP characterizes an object's spectropolarimetric radiance over the 440 to 740 nm range using 20 nm spectral bins and subdividing the FOV with a 32 X 32 resolution. CTISP's output is a four-fold increase in object cube information when compared to spectral radiance alone as CTISP effectively extracts the polarization information from the radiance of each of the 'N' voxels to form 'N' 4 element Stokes vectors, where N equals (# horizontal resolution elements in FOV)*(# vertical resolution elements in FOV)*(# of wavelength bands). Voxel polarization calibration is performed using a fully computer automated spectropolarimetric calibration facility. The facility generates an object whose spatial and spectral dimensions define a voxel and whose radiance is purely polarized. CTISP's response to each generated polarized voxel is recorded and used to calculate a polarization characteristic matrix (PCM) for each voxel. CTISP utilizes four polarization analyzers in an automated rotating filter wheel configuration to acquire four images of the object. The results from the image reconstructions behind four analyzers are utilized with the PCMs to estimate the Stokes vector for each voxel in the object cube. CTISP utilizes a host of software tools to control the calibration facility, perform image acquisition and perform reconstruction and Stokes vector calculation. The order of use and inter-relation of these tools is described. Results will be presented and indicate that CTISP is capable of reconstructing objects containing complex spectral, spatial and polarization content. A spectral comparison is made to a reference spectrometer using a reflectance standard for normalization.
Rapid detection of influenza virus in cell culture by indirect immunoperoxidase staining with type-specific monoclonal antibodies

Abstract Seventy respiratory specimens culture-positive for influenza virus were stored at −70°C and retested in duplicate by virus isolation and by indirect immunoperoxidase (IPA) staining of cell monolayers 24 hr postinoculation using influenza type-specific monoclonal antibodies. The IPA stain was positive for 24 of 28 specimens from which influenza virus was reisolated and for eight specimens from which influenza virus was not reisolated.
Brief Paper: An Analytical Study on Structure, Stability and Design of General Nonlinear Takagi-Sugeno Fuzzy Control Systems

In this paper, we first study analytical structure of general nonlinear Takagi-Sugeno (TS, for short) fuzzy controllers, then establish a condition for analytically determining asymptotic stability of the fuzzy control systems at the equilibrium point, and finally use the stability condition in design of the control systems that are at least locally stable. The general TS fuzzy controllers use arbitrary input fuzzy sets, any types of fuzzy logic AND, TS fuzzy rules with linear consequent and the generalized defuzzifier which contains the popular centroid defuzzifier as a special case. We have mathematically proved that the general TS fuzzy controllers are nonlinear controllers with variable gains continuously changing with controllers' input variables. Using Lyapunov's linearization method, we have established a necessary and sufficient condition for analytically determining local asymptotic stability of TS fuzzy control systems, each of which is made up of a fuzzy controller of the general class and a nonlinear plant. We show that the condition can be used in practice even when the plant model is not explicitly known. We have utilized the stability condition to design, with or without plant model, general TS fuzzy control systems that are at least locally stable. Three numerical examples are given to illustrate in detail how to use our new results. Our results offer four important practical advantages: (1) our stability condition, being a necessary and sufficient one, is the tightest possible stability condition, (2) the condition is simple and easy to use partially because it only needs the fuzzy controller structure around the equilibrium point, (3) the condition can be used for determining system local stability and designing fuzzy control systems that are stable at least around the equilibrium point even when the explicit plant models are unavailable, and (4) the condition covers a very broad range of nonlinear TS fuzzy control systems, for which a meaningful global stability condition seems impossible to establish.
Comprehensive annotation of secondary metabolite biosynthetic genes and gene clusters of Aspergillus nidulans, A. fumigatus, A. niger and A. oryzae

Secondary metabolite production, a hallmark of filamentous fungi, is an expanding area of research for the Aspergilli. These compounds are potent chemicals, ranging from deadly toxins to therapeutic antibiotics to potential anti-cancer drugs. The genome sequences for multiple Aspergilli have been determined, and provide a wealth of predictive information about secondary metabolite production. Sequence analysis and gene overexpression strategies have enabled the discovery of novel secondary metabolites and the genes involved in their biosynthesis. The Aspergillus Genome Database (AspGD) provides a central repository for gene annotation and protein information for Aspergillus species. These annotations include Gene Ontology (GO) terms, phenotype data, gene names and descriptions and they are crucial for interpreting both small- and large-scale data and for aiding in the design of new experiments that further Aspergillus research. We have manually curated Biological Process GO annotations for all genes in AspGD with recorded functions in secondary metabolite production, adding new GO terms that specifically describe each secondary metabolite. We then leveraged these new annotations to predict roles in secondary metabolism for genes lacking experimental characterization. As a starting point for manually annotating Aspergillus secondary metabolite gene clusters, we used antiSMASH (antibiotics and Secondary Metabolite Analysis SHell) and SMURF (Secondary Metabolite Unknown Regions Finder) algorithms to identify potential clusters in A. nidulans, A. fumigatus, A. niger and A. oryzae, which we subsequently refined through manual curation. This set of 266 manually curated secondary metabolite gene clusters will facilitate the investigation of novel Aspergillus secondary metabolites.