cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical evaluation of dorsal Lisfranc ligament deformation with change in load using ultrasound imaging

Preface: The use of ultrasound is a viable modality for medical imaging of ligamentous tissue. In a previous study we showed that the dorsal Lisfranc Ligament (dLL) can be reliably visualized with ultrasound and that we can potentially discern load-varying ligament deformationwith the images obtained. The studywas limited with respect to the artificial loads used to apply stress on the foot using a calf raise machine. Purpose:The goal of thepresent studywas to load the foot using physiologically relevant stresses in a clinical setting and assess the dLL deformation from the acquired ultrasound images. We expect that these results will contribute towards the development of a protocol for Lisfranc ligament injuries diagnosis. Methods: Bilateral dLL measurements were taken from fifty healthy volunteers (25 males and 25 females), for a total of one hundred asymptomatic feet, using sonographic imaging technology under three different stress conditions (low, medium and high load). Stress load was applied using the individuals’ body weight (low load – seated position; medium load – equal weight bearing standing position; and high load – single leg standing). Two floor imbedded force plates were used to measure the exact physiological load. Digital images of the dLL obtained using a 10.0MHz linear array ultrasound transducer were analyzed to determine ligament parameters using software written in MATLAB. Results: One-way repeated measures ANOVA revealed a statistically significant increase in the dLL length with load. The average dLL elongation, as percent change, was 7.43±0.98% (pooled bilaterally) between seated and single leg standing positions. Most of the dLL length change (6.02±1.05%) occurred between seated and bilateral standing positions. Conclusion:Ultrasound imaging canbeused tovisualize thedLL and can detect ligament elongation that reflects increase in physiological load, making ligament imaging clinically practical. These clinically practical findings may prove useful in protocol development that uses ultrasound as a clinical imaging technique to diagnose Lisfranc ligament injuries.
Scaling analysis of space-time infiltration based on the universal multifractal model

Abstract There is broad interest in the space–time scaling behavior of infiltration over a watershed, but field data is lacking to identify such scaling and the controlling factors. Here, theoretical effects of rainfall and saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) on space–time infiltration are simulated using process-based numerical experiments in the framework of a universal multifractal (UM) model. A series of rainfall and Ks fields are generated including both random, non-scaling fields and multifractal fields produced using the UM model. By varying the UM model parameters based on physical considerations, rain and Ks fields with various scaling characteristics are obtained. These rain and Ks data are then fed into a distributed rainfall-runoff model developed for this study to produce space–time infiltration, including the effects of overland flow from upslope areas. The scaling properties of the infiltration are then analyzed to find the impact from the rain and Ks fields mainly in terms of the connections among the UM model parameters between the input and the output fields. Some of the major findings from this research are: (1) rainfall spatial characteristics determine the scaling of infiltration only at very early times; (2) Ks, rather than rain, determines if the resulting infiltration field displays scaling behavior after an adjusting period; (3) generally, the heterogeneity of a rain field and the singularity and sparseness of a Ks field have strong impacts on infiltration; (4) usually, infiltration fields are statistically non-homogeneous; and (5) if an infiltration field subject to space–time rain becomes less singular (localized large infiltration rates) in time, it tends to become less sparse and more heterogeneous, and vice versa. The relationships and sensitivities identified above help us understand some key factors controlling the potential scaling behavior of infiltration.
Effect of the fv-1 gene on leukemia virus in mouse cell heterokaryons.

The effect of the Fv-1 mouse gene restriction of N- and B-tropic mouse leukemia viruses was examined by determining the fate of the viruses in heterokaryons of permissive and non-permissive cells. Virus expression in cultures of fused cells was analyzed by simultaneous autoradiography and fluorescent antibody assay, which permitted the detection of virus-induced proteins specifically in heterokaryons or cells of either parental type. Heterokaryons were found to dominantly restrict both N- and B-tropic virus, but not NB-tropic virus which infects either cell type with equal efficiency. Fusion of permissive cells with non-permissive cells at increasing intervals after infection showed that the restriction affects some virus function within at least 12 h of infection. These results indicate that the Fv-1 gene locus, or gene product, affects some post-penetration events required for virus protein synthesis.
Oral Midazolam for Pediatric Nonacute Sexual Abuse Examinations

We evaluated oral midazolam as a conscious sedative for children requiring sexual abuse examinations. Thirty-five of 338 children (mean age 49.4 months) received 0.5 mg/kg of midazolam. Midazolam produced adequate sedation in 31 children. Vital signs and oxygen saturation did not vary from baseline during or after the procedure. Oral midazolam appears to be safe and effective for pediatric sexual abuse examinations.
Alien autographs: how translators make their marks

Like other forms of treachery, translation can be either concealed or exposed. Though most literary translators work in the dark and some embrace invisibility as an ideal, all translations can be situated along the continuum of illusionist-anti-illusionist or domesticating-foreignizing. A variety of paratexts lay bare the devices of translation. The zero degree of translational invisibility occurs in utilitarian prose that is designed simply to convey information. But the minimal way for a book to make translation visible is to identify the name of the translator, on the title page if not on the cover and spine. A long tradition of translator’s prefaces further undercuts the illusion of unmediated contact with a pure, primal text. So, too, do the memoirs of translators. Second-degree translations can both display and conceal the derivative nature of the final text. If there are reasons—such as vanity or commerce—to disguise a text’s origins in translation, there are also reasons for pseudo-translations, texts that falsely claim to be translations. More than just an appendix to an Englishing of the Iliad and the Odyssey, Keats’s “On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer” is a poet’s tribute to the power of translation.
Diagnostic and treatment issues with childhood bipolar disorders

With biologically based mood disorders, early identification and treatment may prevent or ameliorate serious dysfunction in later life. Although there is less diagnostic certainty about early manifestations of bipolar disorder in children than about unipolar depression, certain potential indicators do appear in the literature. This article describes these indicators, and also presents the cases of two youngsters with bipolar disorders, discussing symptomatology and treatment issues with the children and their families.
Self-reflexive performance: dancing with the computed audience of culture

AbstractTypically performance is a display for others, and is time-limited. But if we also regard everyday life as a performance, we see that it is a continuous improvisation — a multi-faceted dance with an audience that is our social and cultural milieu. In moments of self-reflection, we ourselves motivate this performance, seizing these occasions to explore and debate our relationship to culture and our reflexive situation within it. This article introduces a digitally mediated framework for real-time self-reflexive performance, called the Identity Mirror. Here, the audience is a computational model of culture himself — his moods complex and shifting constantly according to daily happenstance. The mirror shows the performer her dynamic and panoptic reflection against culture, which she can negotiate through dance. The article goes on to unravel the politics of self-reflexive performance — exploring the ideas of cultural persona, facets, and shadows, and gestating a future where these performances can be...
Hyperspaces of finite subsets as boundary sets

Abstract Let X denote a connected, locally path-connected, σ-compact metric space. F ( X ) is the hyperspace of all nonempty finite subsets of X , topologized by the Hausdorff metric. Let E denote a σ-compact subspace of F ( X ) with the property that, for Eϵ E and Fϵ F (X) with E⋐F, Fϵ E . If X admits a Peano compactification X , then E is a σ Z -set in its closure E in the hyperspace 2 x , and E is a topological Hilbert cube. We show that E contains an fd-cap set (and is therefore a boundary set) for E if and only if the remainder X \ X is locally non-separating in X . In particular, if X= X is a Peano continuum, then F ( X ) is a boundary set for 2 x .
Prorocentrum lima (Dinophyceae) in northeastern USA coastal waters: II: Toxin load in the epibiota and in shellfish

Abstract The seasonal variation in diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP)-type toxins was followed in the epibiotic community and in shellfish between 41° and 44°N in coastal waters of the northwest Atlantic during a 2-year period. Low levels of okadaic-acid equivalents were detected at all stations in the −1 . No seasonal pattern could be detected due to differences in intensity, duration and timing of toxin content in the epibiota between the 2 years and between stations. Nevertheless, the concentration of DSP-type toxins in the epibiota correlated weakly but significantly with the abundance of Prorocentrum lima , when data from all stations were considered. A very limited toxin uptake by shellfish was measured at only one station in October and November 2001 and in June and July 2002 at times of maximum cell concentration of P. lima in the epibiota. Toxin levels in shellfish remained well below regulatory limits that would have required quarantine or bans on harvesting. Results from our 2-year survey suggest that, at this time, the threat of DSP events appears minimal. However, the presence of a known toxin producer and its demonstrated ingestion by shellfish would argue for further studies to better understand conditions leading to DSP outbreaks generated by an epiphytic dinoflagellate.
Early Post-operative Periprosthetic Femur Fracture in the Presence of a Non-cemented Tapered Wedge Femoral Stem:

Non-cemented femoral fixation in hip arthroplasty has become the standard of practice in the USA. However, recent literature has brought attention to an increasing incidence of periprosthetic femur fractures with certain stem designs. This study examines reasons for early periprosthetic femur fractures in patients with a hip arthroplasty performed using a non-cemented tapered wedge stem design. A multivariate analysis using a matched-cohort design was performed to assess any potential risk factors that may predispose to such fractures. Six of 2,220 hips (0.3%) suffered a periprosthetic femur fracture within the first year after surgery; five of six were Vancouver Type B2. The average time to fracture was 9 weeks. This group of patients had a significantly higher canal–flare index and lower canal–calcar ratio. This complication may be preventable by having a better appreciation of the fit between the implant and the bone during pre-operative planning, with the goal of avoiding a proximal–distal mismatch.
Response-locked changes in auto- and cross-covariations in parietal cortex

Abstract Action potentials from small groups of physically adjacent neurons were recorded from the parietal cortex of two rhesus macaques performing a memory saccade task. Recordings were made using tetrodes and sorted into spike trains from individual cells. Auto- and crosscovariograms of spike times for individual cells and simultaneously recorded pairs of cells, respectively, show modulations synchronized with behavioral events consistent with visual, memory, and perisaccadic activity.
Cut locus and topology from surface point data

A cut locus of a point p in a compact Riemannian manifold M is defined as the set of points where minimizing geodesics issued from p stop being minimizing. It is known that a cut locus contains most of the topological information of M. Our goal is to utilize this property of cut loci to decipher the topology of M from a point sample. Recently it has been shown that Rips complexes can be built from a point sample P of M systematically to compute the Betti numbers, the rank of the homology groups of M. Rips complexes can be computed easily and therefore are favored over others such as restricted Delaunay, alpha, Cech, and witness complex. However, the sizes of the Rips complexes tend to be large. Since the dimension of a cut locus is lower than that of the manifold M, a subsample of P approximating the cut locus is usually much smaller in size and hence admits a relatively smaller Rips complex. In this paper we explore the above approach for point data sampled from surfaces embedded in any high dimensional Euclidean space. We present an algorithm that computes a subsample P' of a sample P of a 2-manifold where P' approximates a cut locus. Empirical results show that the first Betti number of M can be computed from the Rips complexes built on these subsamples. The sizes of these Rips complexes are much smaller than the one built on the original sample of M.
Truncus arteriosus communis persistens

Abstract A case of truncus arteriosus communis persistens (Type IV) in a patient who survived to the thirty-fifth year of life is presented, along with a tabular review of previcusly reported cases. The varying roentgenological findings in persons with different types of this malformation and in the adult as distinct from the infant are mentioned. The sufficiency of the pulmonary circulation is suggested as an important factor in survival.
Solar Monitoring has a Past and Present: Does it have a Future?

Intrinsic variations of total solar irradiance have, after nearly a century of sustained effort, been demonstrated by flight experiments during solar cycles 21 and 22. This accomplishment has been the result of a collaborative effort on behalf of several groups of researchers in both the United States and Europe. The overriding concern at this point of time is whether the integrity of the precision long-term solar total irradiance database, which began at the maximum of solar cycle 21 and continues in the present, will be lost in the late 1990’s, prior to the inception of experiments planned for the NASA Earth Observing System beginning in 2002. Experiments are not currently in place to prevent an unbridgeable discontinuity in the precision total solar irradiance database.
Use of the Superficial Femoral-Popliteal Vein to Salvage Dialysis Access: A Case Report

Long-term angioaccess for patients with chronic renal failure remains a serious challenge for the vascular surgeon. This report is of a 69-year-old man who had a well-functioning left Brescia fistula at the time of his pacemaker placement for life-threatening cardiac dysrhythmias. Following pacemaker placement, the patient developed left arm swelling, which involved the entire upper limb and failure of the hemodialysis access secondary to a left subclavian vein stenosis. After failed attempts at angioplasty and other endovascular procedures, the patient underwent successful placement of a left axillary vein to left internal jugular vein interposition graft using the left superficial femoral popliteal vein to salvage the dialysis access.
Multiple Kernel Learning and the SMO Algorithm

Our objective is to train p-norm Multiple Kernel Learning (MKL) and, more generally, linear MKL regularised by the Bregman divergence, using the Sequential Minimal Optimization (SMO) algorithm. The SMO algorithm is simple, easy to implement and adapt, and efficiently scales to large problems. As a result, it has gained widespread acceptance and SVMs are routinely trained using SMO in diverse real world applications. Training using SMO has been a long standing goal in MKL for the very same reasons. Unfortunately, the standard MKL dual is not differentiable, and therefore can not be optimised using SMO style co-ordinate ascent. In this paper, we demonstrate that linear MKL regularised with the p-norm squared, or with certain Bregman divergences, can indeed be trained using SMO. The resulting algorithm retains both simplicity and efficiency and is significantly faster than state-of-the-art specialised p-norm MKL solvers. We show that we can train on a hundred thousand kernels in approximately seven minutes and on fifty thousand points in less than half an hour on a single core.
Crowdsourcing and all-pay auctions

In this paper we present and analyze a model in which users select among, and subsequently compete in, a collection of contests offering various rewards. The objective is to capture the essential features of a crowdsourcing system, an environment in which diverse tasks are presented to a large community. We aim to demonstrate the precise relationship between incentives and participation in such systems.We model contests as all-pay auctions with incomplete information; as a consequence of revenue equivalence, our model may also be interpreted more broadly as one in which users select among auctions of heterogeneous goods. We present two regimes in which we find an explicit correspondence in equilibrium between the offered rewards and the users' participation levels. The regimes respectively model situations in which different contests require similar or unrelated skills. Principally, we find that rewards yield logarithmically diminishing returns with respect to participation levels. We compare these results to empirical data from the crowdsourcing site Taskcn.com; we find that as we condition the data on more experienced users, the model more closely conforms to the empirical data.
Application of statistical machine translation to public health information: a feasibility study

Objective Accurate, understandable public health information is important for ensuring the health of the nation. The large portion of the US population with Limited English Proficiency is best served by translations of public-health information into other languages. However, a large number of health departments and primary care clinics face significant barriers to fulfilling federal mandates to provide multilingual materials to Limited English Proficiency individuals. This article presents a pilot study on the feasibility of using freely available statistical machine translation technology to translate health promotion materials. Design The authors gathered health-promotion materials in English from local and national public-health websites. Spanish versions were created by translating the documents using a freely available machine-translation website. Translations were rated for adequacy and fluency, analyzed for errors, manually corrected by a human posteditor, and compared with exclusively manual translations. Results Machine translation plus postediting took 15e53 min per document, compared to the reported days or even weeks for the standard translation process. A blind comparison of machine-assisted and human translations of six documents revealed overall equivalency between machine-translated and manually translated materials. The analysis of translation errors indicated that the most important errors were word-sense errors. Conclusion The results indicate that machine translation plus postediting may be an effective method of producing multilingual health materials with equivalent quality but lower cost compared to manual translations.
Alterations of sex-typical microanatomy: prenatal stress modifies the structure of medial preoptic area neurons in rats.

Prenatal stress disrupts normal sexual differentiation and behavior with concomitant alterations in brain development; however, its effects on the cytoarchitecture of neurons in the sexually dimorphic medial preoptic area (mPOA) of the hypothalamus is not known. Morphometric analysis of the mPOA of adult rats showed sex differences as neurons from control females had significantly greater numbers of basal dendritic branches and cumulative basal dendritic length as compared to control male neurons. Prenatal stress significantly altered these sexual dimorphisms, as prenatally stressed (P-S) males had increased measures of cell body area, perimeter, cumulative basal dendritic length, and branch point numbers as compared to control males. Prenatal stress also altered the cytoarchitecture in the female mPOA neurons as P-S female neurons had significantly greater measures for primary dendritic branch number and a trend towards significance for several additional measures as compared to control females. Therefore, there are significant effects of both sex and prenatal stress on neuronal architecture in the mPOA that may help to explain the well-documented alterations in reproductive behaviors observed in P-S animals. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 54:16–27, 2012.
Mate choice by non-virgin females contributes to reproductive isolation between populations of the Harlequin beetle-riding pseudoscorpion

Determining whether reproductive isolation evolves through mate choice and/or gametic factors that prevent fertilization or through the post-zygotic mechanisms of hybrid sterility or inviability is fundamental to understanding speciation. Investigation of the pre- and post-zygotic components of reproductive isolation is facilitated in the pseudoscorpion, Cordylochernes scorpioides, by its indirect method of sperm transfer and viviparous embryonic development. Previous research on this species, in which mate discrimination was assessed in virgin females, suggested that female choice played only a minor role in reproductive isolation between populations from French Guiana and Panama. Here, in a study of three allopatric populations of C. scorpioides from Panama, we assessed mating-stage isolation in both virgin and once-mated females, and found that female discrimination depends critically on mating status. Virgin females were almost invariably receptive, showing no tendency to discriminate against males from allopatric populations. By contrast, non-virgin females were significantly more likely to reject foreign males than males from their own population. Male sexual motivation could not account for differences in either female sexual receptivity or male success in sperm transfer. Allopatric and sympatric males did not differ in number of spermatophores deposited as either a female’s first or second mate. Nonetheless, allopatric males achieved significantly lower sperm transfer success not only with choosy, non-virgin females but also with virgin females. Given the lack of behavioral discrimination by virgin females, female receptivity was not the only factor influencing differences in sperm transfer success. Multivariate analysis of spermatophore morphology suggests that the higher failure rate of matings between allopatric males and virgin females resulted from population differences in sperm packet architecture. Overall, our findings indicate that assessment of discrimination against allopatric males that is limited to virgin females may seriously underestimate the contribution of female mate choice to reproductive isolation between populations.
PET abnormalities in patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy.

Abstract Background The abnormalities in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) are generally considered diffuse and to affect the left ventricle in a global manner. However, regional wall motion abnormalities and metabolic defects may also occur to varying, but unclear degrees. QRS width and metabolic defects on positron emission tomography (PET) correlate with survival. We sought to ascertain the prevalence of regional defects in DCM by multiple imaging modalities and to establish the relationship between QRS width and these defects. Methods In consecutive patients with advanced nonischemic DCM, undergoing cardiac transplant evaluation, we reviewed multiple imaging modalities (PET, 2-dimensional echocardiography, and radionuclide ventriculography) to quantify the incidence of regional metabolic and wall motion abnormalities and correlate them with clinical and electrocardiographic parameters. Results Of 44 patients studied, PET imaging revealed scar in 91% of patients, with a mean of 25 ± 18% of the left ventricle involved, predominantly in the distribution of the left anterior descending artery. Regional wall motion abnormalities occurred in 51% of patients who underwent echocardiography and 59% of patients who underwent nuclear scintigraphy (with only 70% concordance). QRS duration on the surface electrocardiogram correlated positively with the degree of scarring ( r = .52, P = .0007). Conclusions The presence of scar (matched perfusion and metabolic defects) on PET scanning in patients with advanced DCM is not always indicative of coronary disease. Thus coronary angiography is usually required to define the etiology of systolic dysfunction. The extent of scar correlates with QRS duration. This may have implications for the application of cardiac resynchronization therapy.
Unusually large telomeric repeats in the yeast Candida albicans

We have identified sequences at the telomeres of the yeast Candida albicans and have found that they are composed of tandem copies of a 23-bp sequence. Through the cloning of native telomeric ends and the characterization and cloning of a "healed" end, we demonstrate that these repeated sequences are sufficient to function as a telomere. All copies of the 23-bp repeat that have been sequenced from a number of C. albicans strains are identical. In contrast, adjacent subtelomeric sequences are variable both between strains and within the WO-1 strain. In the WO-1 strain, the lengths of the telomeres are dependent upon growth temperature and are substantially longer at higher temperatures. Telomere growth is accompanied by increases in the number of the 23-bp repeats present on the telomeric fragments. These results suggest that either telomerase-maintained telomeres can be more complex in structure than was previously imagined or that Candida telomeres are maintained via a telomerase-independent mechanism.
Multiple ion species fluid modeling of sprite halos and the role of electron detachment of O− in their dynamics

[1] A two-dimensional fluid model with multiple charged species is developed for simulating the ionospheric responses to the lightning quasi-static electric (QE) field. In addition to electrons, the model takes into account four symbolic ion species and O− ions that are considered separately to investigate the role of the fast electron detachment process from O− in the ionospheric response. The modeling results of a sprite halo driven by positive cloud-to-ground lightning indicate that the halo can descend to lower altitude with much higher electron density behind its front when the O− detachment process is included. Electron density ahead of the halo front is not significantly reduced from the ambient value, so there is no attachment “hole” forming in that region that is commonly observed in previous modeling studies. The fast O− detachment process affects the dynamics of the halo by allowing the growth of electron density in the upper atmosphere under sub-breakdown condition, i.e., the electric field is smaller than the conventional breakdown threshold field. The implications of the results reported here to sprite streamer initiation include (1) low ambient electron density at sprite initiation altitude may be the only means to avoid avalanche overlapping before the avalanche-to-streamer transition; and (2) the large downward extent of the halo may offer an explanation for the initiation of sprites at the altitude as low as 65–70 km, which was observed in previous studies.
Dielectric Constant of Barium Titanate Powders Near Curie Temperature

Impedance spectroscopy is an effective method to investigate the dielectric properties of powders by dispersing particles in proper liquids. It allows reliable calculation of the dielectric constant by analysis of impedance spectra for a variety of particulate materials. The temperature dependence of the dielectric constant near the Curie temperature was investigated for hydrothermal barium titanate powders suspended in ethylene glycol or butoxyethanol. Room-temperature measurements revealed that the dielectric constant of hydrothermal BaTiO3 powders was ɛ∼500. After annealing of powders at 1250°C for 1 h, the dielectric constant increased to ɛ∼3000. The temperature dependence of the impedance spectra was determined by conducting measurements within the temperature range from 20° to 150°C. It was shown that hydrothermal BaTiO3 powders with a primarily cubic crystal structure had a suppressed temperature dependence of the dielectric constant near the Curie temperature. The dielectric constant of annealed powders with a tetragonal crystal structure was significantly higher at the Curie temperature similar to the values obtained for sintered bulk barium titanate.
Regulation of placental low-density lipoprotein uptake in baboons by estrogen: dose-dependent effects of the anti-estrogen ethamoxytriphetol (MER-25).

In the present study, increasing amounts of the anti.estrogen !-(p-2-diethylaininoethoxyphenyl)-!-phenyl.2-p-methoxyphenolethanol (MER-25) were administered to pregnant baboons (Papio anubis) to block the action of endogenous estrogen and to determine effect on placental low-density lipoprotein (LDL) uptake. Pregnant baboons were untreated (n = 8) or received MER25 orally at a dosage of 25 (n = 10), 50 (n = 8), or 75 (n = 4) mg/kg BW daily on Days 140-170 of gestation (term = 184 days). Placentas were removed on Day 170 of gestation and villous tissue was dispersed with 01% collagenase. Placental cells (106) were incubated in Medium 199 for 12 h at 37#{176}C with increasing amounts of 1251-LDL, with or without a 100.fold excess of unlabeled baboon LDL Mean (±SEM) placenta! uptake (ng/�g cell protein) of ‘251-LDL was 55% (6.4 ± 1.0), 75% (3.6 ± 0.7), and 81% (2.7 ± 0.2) lower (p < 0.001) in baboons that received MER-25 in doses of 25, 50, and 75 mg/kg BW, respectively, than in untreated baboons (14.2 ± 1.3 ng/�Lg cell protein). Maximal effect occurred with 50 mg MER-25, because LDL uptake was not further decreased with greater levels of MER-25. Dissociation constants for placental LDL uptake, as determined by Scatchard analysis, were unaltered by anti-estrogen treatment. The amount of ‘25l-LDL degradation by placental cells of untreated and MER-25.treated baboons was proportional to LDL uptake. Peripheral serum progesterone (P4) concentrations on Days 140-170 were 45% (6.! ± 0.2 ng/ml), 55% (5.0 ± 0.3 ng/ml), and 58% (4.6 ± 0.3 ng/ml) lower (p < 0.001) in baboons receiving MER-25 at 25, 50, and 75 mg/kg BW, respectively, than in untreated (11.0 ± 0.6 ng/ml) baboons. These results indicate that anti.estrogen treatment decreased the amount of placental LDL uptake/degradation and placental P4 production in a dose-responsive manner, but did not alter receptor affinity for the lipoprotein. Because LDL uptake was decreased to 19% of normal with the estrogen receptor antagonist MER-25, we suggest that the placental LDL receptor is regulated primarily by estrogen during baboon pregnancy.
Melting Point of Cryolite

The melting point of ultimate-purity cryolite was determined by evaluating the liquid fraction r of selected natural mineral samples over the melting range. A plot of the reciprocal of the liquid fraction l/r, as a function of the temperature T from which samples were quenched, gave a straight line that indicates a melting point for the sample of 1009.2°C at l/r= 1 and extrapolates to a value of 1012° f 2°C at l/r= 0 for pure cryolite.
Efficient and robust methods of accurate camera calibration

An algorithm for camera calibration is presented. It is a significant improvement in mathematical simplicity, accuracy and computational efficiency in the solution of all extrinsic (external camera geometric) and intrinsic (internal camera geometric and camera optics) parameters. The method involves a direct transformation from the three-dimensional (3-D) object world to the two-dimensional (2-D) image or sensor plane in terms of homogeneous vector forms for both coplanar and noncoplanar distributions of object points. A strong robust property of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated by proving that if the camera is calibrated with image data not compensated for image center displacement and scale factor, the proposed algorithm yields parameters that cause no error in the computation of both image and world coordinates. >
SA-4-1BBL: A Novel Form of the 4-1BB Costimulatory Ligand as an Adjuvant Platform for the Development of Subunit Cancer Vaccines

Protein-based therapeutic subunit vaccines against cancer have proven efficacy in various preclinical models. The translation of their efficacy into the clinic, however, has been challenging. Although there are many factors impacting the efficacy of vaccines in humans, the most important ones are the prolonged tumor development and progression, altered immune responses due to extensive exposure to environmental pathogens, stage of cancer, standard treatments to control cancer, and effect of such treatments on the patient’s immune system prior to vaccine administration. It is a common consensus that the presence of cancer is an indication of effective immune evasion responses initiated and perpetuated by tumor. Immune evasion involves well-orchestrated cellular and molecular mechanisms that control tumor-specific effector immune responses in favor of tumor progression. Therefore, protein-based subunit vaccine formulations will require immune adjuvants that not only generate the desired effector immune responses, particularly those driven by CD8+ T cells, but also reverse the regulatory immune evasion network in place to combat tumor. Costimulation through tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily is critical for T-cell activation, expansion, acquisition of effector function, and establishment of long-term memory required for tumor eradication and control of recurrences. As such, agonists of TNFRs have great potential as immune adjuvants. We recently generated a novel form of the 4-1BB ligand, SA-4-1BBL, a member of TNF family, and demonstrated its robust pleiotropic effects on the cells of innate, adaptive, and regulatory immunity. Importantly, as the adjuvant component of tumor-associated antigen (TAA)-based vaccine formulations, SA-4-1BBL demonstrated therapeutic efficacy in various preclinical tumor models in the absence of detectable toxicity. This chapter will discuss SA-4-1BBL as a novel adjuvant with demonstrated desired mechanisms of action for tumor eradication and its prospect for human use as monotherapy or in combination with other immune modulators with synergistic mechanisms of action.
The Multiple Nature of Crystalline Egg-White Lysozyme

SummarySeven components have been demonstrated chromatographically in crystalline preparations of egg-white lysozyme. This was effected with a chromatographic procedure employing BioRex 70 columns eluted with 0.2 M potassium phosphate buffer, pH 7.09. Six components possess enzymic activity and 3 have molecular weights very close to that of the major chromatographic component. The potential danger of assuming homogeneity in crystalline lysozyme preparations is indicated, particularly in regard to the study of radiation products.
The research tradition in person-centered/experiential psychotherapy and counseling: bibliographical survey 1940–2015

ABSTRACTThe bibliography presents an overview of empirical research publications 1940–2015 within the person-centered-experiential-humanistic (PCE) paradigm. The survey consists of three parts:Part A. PCE outcome and process studies: A survey of overviews and meta-analysesPart B. Research instruments based on/akin to PCE conceptsPart C. PCE perspectives on ideological, professional and methodological research issues: Reflections and proposals.
A Year in the Life of a Third Space Urban Teacher Residency

In March 2014, T. Bone Burnett organized a collective of musicians who had never before worked together to develop an album based on the newly uncovered 1967 handwritten lyrics of Bob Dylan. Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, Taylor Goldsmith, Jim James, and Rhiannon Giddens were invited to work on the album, Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes, because, as Burnett (2014) explained, “Not only do they have the talent and the same open and collaborative spirit needed for this to be good, they are all music archaeologists. They all know how to dig without breaking the thing they are digging” (para. 4).
Intercropping buckwheat with squash to reduce insect pests and disease incidence and increase yield

ABSTRACTAphids and whiteflies are significant direct pests of squash and transmit plant viruses. The use of buckwheat, Fagopyrum esculentum Moench, as a living mulch intercropped with squash has been shown to reduce insect pests and diseases while increasing the abundance of beneficial insects; however, how to best implement buckwheat in squash fields has not been determined. Several arrangements of intercropping buckwheat and squash were evaluated, with and without the introduction of a natural enemy, Delphastus catalinae (Horn), to find a tactic that reduces insect pests and disease incidence while increasing marketable yield. Intercropping treatments included planting strips of buckwheat alternating on either side of the squash with and without D. catalinae (arrangement A), planting buckwheat in the middle of squash planted on both sides of the bed with and without D. catalinae (arrangement B), buckwheat planted on both sides of squash (arrangement C), and a bare ground treatment. Aphid densities and i...
ENRICHED-URANIUM HYDRIDE CRITICAL ASSEMBLIES

Assemblies considered consist of approximate spheres of enriched-uranium hydride composition (approximating UH/sub 3/) in 8-in. thick normal uranium and nickel reflectors and in a uranium reflector with nickel liner. Data are of the following types- (1) critical sizes, (2) values of Rossi alpha in the neighborhood of delayed critical, (3) activation rates of various internal neutron detectors, and (4) reactivity coefficients of a variety of elements. From the reactivity coefficients at variations radial positions, changes in critical mass corresponding to small changes in composition and density are computed. (auth)
State and Federal Oil and Gas Regulations

Abstract Fracking is recognized as a safe practice that is very beneficial to the US economy. Affordable, abundant, and readily available fossil fuels impact almost every aspect of the lives of Americans. How can US national energy policy be most effective? The United States should generate balanced oil and gas (O&G) conservation laws with a global perspective. Foreign state-owned producers (profitable at much lower crude oil prices) compete for the same market share. Counterproductive regulations and overregulation do not achieve the appropriate goals of regulation. The chapter examines the purpose and scope of state O&G conservation laws, the numerous federal agencies that regulate aspects of O&G production, and whether state or federal agencies should regulate fracking. Lists of states that allow and ban fracking and the findings of numerous studies pertaining to any potential risk of fracking are provided.
Probing the Spatial Organization of Molecular Complexes Using Triple-Pair-Correlation

Super-resolution microscopy coupled with multiplexing techniques can resolve specific spatial arrangements of different components within molecular complexes. However, reliable quantification and analysis of such specific organization is extremely problematic because it is frequently obstructed by random co-localization incidents between crowded molecular species and the intrinsic heterogeneity of molecular complexes. To address this, we present a Triple-Pair-Correlation (TPC) analysis approach for unbiased interpretation of the spatial organization of molecular assemblies in crowded three-color super-resolution (SR) images. We validate this approach using simulated data, as well as SR images of DNA replication foci in human cells. This demonstrates the applicability of TPC in deciphering the specific spatial organization of molecular complexes hidden in dense multi-color super-resolution images.
Introduction: Emerging Identities and the Practice of Possibility

Jenkins contextualizes the value of imaginative literature for adolescents with an overview of Kristeva’s theories. Focusing on the dynamic aspect of the signifying process, Jenkins clarifies the importance of the abject with its generative capacity for the subject in process to develop healthier constructs of self and creative means to respond to anti-social energies. Building upon what Kristeva identifies as an adolescent’s open psychic structure, Jenkins asserts literature enables a psychic reorganization for readers with as-if roles, allowing sanctuary from rebuke and exposing them to multivalent subjectivity, deconstructed absolutes, and creative potential. Literature enables this through imaginative transference, empathy that acknowledges desire. Experiencing abjection and empathy through literature, a reader engages in what Kristeva names as Herethics or an ethics of love.
Prolonged EEG Depression as a Predictor of West Syndrome in Term Infants with HIE

Seventeen term and near-term infants with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) were studied at Okazaki City Hospital and other centers in Japan to clarify the relationship between prolonged depression of the EEG and later development of West syndrome (WS).
A 90–100 Ghz 4×4 sige BiCMOS polarimetric transmit-receive phased array with simultaneous receive-beams capabilities

This paper presents a 4×4 transmit/receive SiGe BiCMOS phased array at 90-100 GHz with vertical and horizontal polarization capabilities, and 3-bit amplitude and 4-bit phase control. The 4×4 phased array fits into a 1.6×1.5 mm2 grid, which is required at 94 GHz for wide scan-angle designs. This is accomplished using dual-nested 16:1 Wilkinson combiners/divider with > 40 dB isolation between the dual-receive beams. Measurements show ±0.6 dB and ±0.75 dB variation between the array elements in the transmit (Psat) and receive mode, and <; -40 dB coupling between the elements for transmit, receive and dual-receive modes. The application areas are in W-band radar systems.
Biomarkers and Cancer Therapy-Related Cardiac Dysfunction

Cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, but improvements in therapy have translated to better outcomes. Despite this, patients exposed to certain cancer therapies may develop cardiac toxicity. Among cancer survivors, cardiovascular disease is currently the second leading cause of morbidity and mortality. The spectrum of cardiac disease is broad, including asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction through cardiac failure, among other cardiovascular events. Novel imaging techniques such as speckle tracking/strain and three-dimensional echocardiogram are useful for evaluating cancer therapy-induced cardiotoxicity, but they are limited in clinical practice by local expertise and lack of widespread availability. There is no universally accepted imaging method or protocol for the identification of subclinical cardiotoxicity. The last several years have seen a growing exploration of serum cardiac biomarkers such as troponins, natruretic peptides, C-reactive protein, and others for the screening and monitoring of cancer therapy-associated cardiac dysfunction. This review examines recent literature surrounding the use of cardiac biomarkers for surveillance, diagnosis, and management of cardiac dysfunction related to cancer therapy, highlighting the limited data to support recommendations.
Preparatory co-activation of the ankle muscles may prevent ankle inversion injuries

Ankle inversion sprains are the most frequent acute musculoskeletal injuries occurring in physical activity. Interventions that retrain muscle coordination have helped rehabilitate injured ankles, but it is unclear which muscle coordination strategies, if any, can prevent ankle sprains. The purpose of this study was to determine whether coordinated activity of the ankle muscles could prevent excessive ankle inversion during a simulated landing on a 30° incline. We used a set of musculoskeletal simulations to evaluate the efficacy of two strategies for coordinating the ankle evertor and invertor muscles during simulated landing scenarios: planned co-activation and stretch reflex activation with physiologic latency (60-ms delay). A full-body musculoskeletal model of landing was used to generate simulations of a subject dropping onto an inclined surface with each coordination condition. Within each condition, the intensity of evertor and invertor co-activity or stretch reflexes were varied systematically. The simulations revealed that strong preparatory co-activation of the ankle evertors and invertors prior to ground contact prevented ankle inversion from exceeding injury thresholds by rapidly generating eversion moments after initial contact. Conversely, stretch reflexes were too slow to generate eversion moments before the simulations reached the threshold for inversion injury. These results suggest that training interventions to protect the ankle should focus on stiffening the ankle with muscle co-activation prior to landing. The musculoskeletal models, controllers, software, and simulation results are freely available online at http://simtk.org/home/ankle-sprains, enabling others to reproduce the results and explore new injury scenarios and interventions.
Parallel Nonstationary Direct Policy Search for Risk-Averse Stochastic Optimization

This paper presents an algorithmic strategy to nonstationary policy search for finite-horizon, discrete-time Markovian decision problems with large state spaces, constrained action sets, and a risk-sensitive optimality criterion. The methodology relies on modeling time-variant policy parameters by a nonparametric response surface model for an indirect parametrized policy motivated by Bellman’s equation. The policy structure is heuristic when the optimization of the risk-sensitive criterion does not admit a dynamic programming reformulation. Through the interpolating approximation, the level of nonstationarity of the policy, and consequently, the size of the resulting search problem can be adjusted. The computational tractability and the generality of the approach follow from a nested parallel implementation of derivative-free optimization in conjunction with Monte Carlo simulation. We demonstrate the efficiency of the approach on an optimal energy storage charging problem, and illustrate the effect of the...