cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Child Maltreatment and Adult Cigarette Smoking: A Long-term Developmental Model

were collected prospectively at child, adolescent, and young adult time points. Authors enlisted multivariate probit regression for objectives a and b versus exploratory and confirmatory mediation strategies for objective c. Results Maltreatment was significantly associated with daily cigarette smoking. Although not moderated by gender, this relation was fully mediated by adolescent indicators of family support/stability, social adjustment, and cognitive/school performance along with young adult indicators of educational attainment, life satisfaction, substance abuse, and criminality. Conclusions Maltreatment places low-income, minority children at risk for daily cigarette smoking and other deleterious young adult health outcomes. Recommended treatment targets include family support/stability, emotion regulation, social skills, and cognitive/academic functioning.
Technology-Enhanced Formative Assessment in Mathematics for English Language Learners

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. December 2012. Major:Educational Psychology. Advisor: Jim Ysseldyke. ix, 121 pages, appendix p. 114-121.
Mahalanobis distance-based ARTMAP network

A new ARTMAP-based network is proposed, which is in part a generalization of Williamson's Gaussian ARTMAP. The training of the new network is based on activation and match functions that are equal and identical to Mahalanobis distance. The classification treats the clusters obtained through training as Gaussian mixture models. The training process has improved its efficiency due to the fact that the repeated searches for the resonant node have been eliminated. In addition, the inverse covariance matrices are computed recurrently. The new network is analyzed and compared with the fuzzy ARTMAP and Gaussian ARTMAP. The results from the new network have shown much better hit rates at fewer output nodes on several benchmark problems. A complexity analysis of the three networks is also provided.
Topographically modified surfaces affect orientation and growth of hippocampal neurons

Extracellular matrix molecules provide biochemical and topographical cues that influence cell growth in vivo and in vitro. Effects of topographical cues on hippocampal neuron growth were examined after 14 days in vitro. Neurons from hippocampi of rat embryos were grown on poly-L-lysine-coated silicon surfaces containing fields of pillars with varying geometries. Photolithography was used to fabricate 1 µm high pillar arrays with different widths and spacings. sIII-tubulin and MAP-2 immunocytochemistry and scanning electron microscopy were used to describe neuronal processes. Automated two-dimensional tracing software quantified process orientation and length. Process growth on smooth surfaces was random, while growth on pillared surfaces exhibited the most faithful alignment to pillar geometries with smallest gap sizes. Neurite lengths were significantly longer on pillars with the smallest inter-pillar spacings (gaps) and 2 µm pillar widths. These data indicate that physical cues affect neuron growth, suggesting that extracellular matrix topography may contribute to cell growth and differentiation. These results demonstrate new strategies for directing and promoting neuronal growth that will facilitate studies of synapse formation and function and provide methods to establish defined neural networks.
Distributed turbo codes: towards the capacity of the relay channel

A novel coding technique is proposed for the relay channel. The source broadcasts a recursive convolutional code to both relay and destination. After detecting the data broadcasted by the source, the relay interleaves and re-encodes the message prior to forwarding it to the destination. Because the destination receives both codes in parallel, a distributed turbo code is embedded in the relay channel. Simulation results show that the proposed code performs close to the information-theoretic bound on outage event probability of decode-and-forward relaying.
Expansion of adult β-cell mass in response to increased metabolic demand is dependent on HNF-4α

The failure to expand functional pancreatic beta-cell mass in response to increased metabolic demand is a hallmark of type 2 diabetes. Lineage tracing studies indicate that replication of existing beta-cells is the principle mechanism for beta-cell expansion in adult mice. Here we demonstrate that the proliferative response of beta-cells is dependent on the orphan nuclear receptor hepatocyte nuclear factor-4alpha (HNF-4alpha), the gene that is mutated in Maturity-Onset Diabetes of the Young 1 (MODY1). Computational analysis of microarray expression profiles from isolated islets of mice lacking HNF-4alpha in pancreatic beta-cells reveals that HNF-4alpha regulates selected genes in the beta-cell, many of which are involved in proliferation. Using a physiological model of beta-cell expansion, we show that HNF-4alpha is required for beta-cell replication and the activation of the Ras/ERK signaling cascade in islets. This phenotype correlates with the down-regulation of suppression of tumorigenicity 5 (ST5) in HNF-4alpha mutants, which we identify as a novel regulator of ERK phosphorylation in beta-cells and a direct transcriptional target of HNF-4alpha in vivo. Together, these results indicate that HNF-4alpha is essential for the physiological expansion of adult beta-cell mass in response to increased metabolic demand.
Phantom flashes caused by interactions across visual space.

Studies regarding the effects of context on the perception of a visual target's temporal properties have generally addressed the cross-modal integration of auditory context, within a functional or ecological (e.g., Bayesian) framework. A deeper understanding of contextual effects in temporal vision may be gained by drawing connections with the rich models of signal processing developed in the field of spatial vision. To bridge this gap, we investigate a purely visual version of the cross-modal “double-flash” illusion (L. Shams, Y. Kamitani, & S. Shimojo, 2000; J. T. Wilson & W. Singer, 1981). Here, a single target flash can be perceived as several flashes if it is presented in the context of multiple visual inducers. This effect is robust across conditions where the target and inducers are of opposite contrast polarity, in different hemifields, are non-collinear, are presented dichoptically, or are high-frequency Gabor patches. The effect diminishes when target–inducer distance is increased or when the target is moved toward the fovea. When the target is foveated, the effect can still be recovered if the inducers are placed at 3° distance. Finally, we find that multiple target flashes are not “merged” into a smaller number of perceived flashes when presented with singular inducers. These results suggest a cortical mechanism based on isotropic propagation of transient signals or possibly based on higher level event detection. Finally, we find that multiple target flashes are not “merged” into a smaller number of perceived flashes when presented with singular inducers. These results suggest a mechanism based on the propagation of transient signals and argue against the relevance of the cue integration model developed for the cross-modal version of the effect.
Lesion size-dependent synaptic and astrocytic responses in cortex contralateral to infarcts in middle-aged rats.

In young adult rats, unilateral lesions of the sensorimotor cortex lead to neuronal structural plasticity and synaptogenesis in the contralateral motor cortex, which is connected to the lesion site by transcallosal fibers. The contralesional neural plasticity varies with lesion size and results from the convergence of denervation-induced reactive plasticity and behavioral asymmetries. It was unknown whether similar effects occur in older animals. Furthermore, the coordination of synaptic responses with that of perisynaptic astrocytes had not been investigated. In this study, middle-aged rats (14–16 months old) were given sham-operations or unilateral ischemic lesions of the sensorimotor cortex. Fifty days later, numerical densities of neurons and synapses and morphological characteristics of astrocytic processes in layer V of the contralesional motor cortex were measured using stereological light and electron microscopy methods. Lesions resulted in behavioral asymmetries, but no significant synapse addition in the contralesional motor cortex. Synapse number per neuron was negatively correlated with lesion size and reduced opposite larger lesions compared with smaller ones. Astrocytic changes were also lesion size-dependent. Astrocytic hypertrophy was observed only after smaller lesions and was associated with greater coverage and greater numbers of synapses. These findings are consistent with those in younger rats indicating an inverse relationship between lesion size and adaptive neuronal restructuring in denervated cortex. However, they indicate that the synaptogenic reaction to this lesion is relatively limited in older animals. Finally, the results indicate that structural plasticity of perisynaptic astrocytes parallels, and could play a role in shaping, synaptic responses to post-ischemic denervation.
Percutaneous Hepatic Abscess Drainage: Do Multiple Abscesses or Multiloculated Abscesses Preclude Drainage or Affect Outcome?

Purpose To compare the effectiveness of percutaneous abscess drainage in patients with pyogenic liver abscesses of the following types: single, single multiloculated, multiple, and multiple multiloculated. Materials and Methods One hundred nine patients with 149 liver abscesses who underwent percutaneous drainage during an 11-year period were divided into a single abscess group and a multiple abscess group. Of the 109 patients, 54 had multiloculated abscesses and were divided into single and multiple multiloculated abscess groups. Technical success was defined as the ability to place the catheter within the abscess cavity and clinical success was defined as improvement in the patient's symptoms. Clinical findings, management strategy, complication rate, and success rate were analyzed. Results Technical success rates were 96% (82 of 85) for a single abscess and 96% (23 of 24) for multiple abscesses ( P = 1.0). Clinical success was achieved in 74 of 85 patients (87%) with a single abscess and 22 of 24 patients (92%) with multiple abscesses ( P = .729). Technical success rates were 94% (32 of 34) for a single multiloculated abscess and 95% (19 of 20) for multiple multiloculated abscesses ( P = 1.0). Clinical success was achieved in 30 of 34 patients (88%) with a single multiloculated abscess and 18 of 20 patients (90%) with multiple multiloculated abscesses ( P = 1). No significant difference in hospital stay was seen between single and multiple abscess groups ( P = .373) or between single multiloculated and multiple multiloculated abscess groups ( P = .180). There were no major complications or mortality related to the procedure. Conclusions Percutaneous drainage is a safe and effective procedure in the treatment of pyogenic liver abscess, regardless of abscess complexity and/or multiplicity.
Physiological assessment of active middle ear implant coupling to the round window in Chinchilla lanigera.

Abstract Objective. To study the effects of various active middle ear implant loading parameters on round window stimulation in an animal model. Study Design. Physiological measurements of the cochlear microphonic and stapes velocity were made from active mid-dle ear implant–generated sinusoidal stimuli with controlled changes in loading parameters. Setting. Prospective study at an academic research institution. Subjects and Methods. Cochlear microphonic and stapes velocities (H EV ) were measured in 6 study subjects ( Chinchilla lanigera ) in response to active middle ear implant (Otologics MET, Boulder, Colorado) round window stimulation with as-sessment of effects of varying parameters of loading pressure, interposed connective tissue, and angle of stimulation with respect to the round window membrane. Results. The measured performance variabilities in repeated applications of the active middle ear implant to the round win-dow were 2.5 dB and 5.0 dB for H EV and cochlear microphonic thresholds, respectively. Loading pressure applied to the round window (51-574 dynes) and angle of approach (±30° with respect to coronal plane) did not have a significant effect on cochlear microphonic thresholds or H
“Both masters and victims of their times”: Engaging aporetic time in Midnight’s Children:

Time in Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children is characterized by a cacophony of representational forms that the narrator Saleem uses with and against each other, such as cyclical time, timelessness...
Comparison of Finite-Repertoire and Data-Driven Facial Expressions for Sign Language Avatars

To support our research on ASL animation synthesis, we have adopted and enhanced a new virtual human animation platform that provides us with greater fine-grained control of facial movements than our previous platform. To determine whether this new platform is sufficiently expressive to generate understandable ASL animations, we analyzed responses collected from deaf participants who evaluated four types of animations: generated by our old or new animation platform, and with or without facial expressions performed by the character. For animations without facial expressions, our old and new plat-forms had equivalent comprehension scores; for those with facial expressions, our new platform had higher scores. In addition, this paper demonstrates a methodology by which sign language animation researchers can document transitions in their animation platforms or avatar appearance. Performing such an evaluation enables future readers to compare published results over time, both before and after such a transition in animation technology.
Initiating a multisubspecialty orthopaedic outcomes program and utilizing the data to guide practice.

Evidence-based medicine integrates research findings, clinical expertise, and patient values to provide the highest quality patient care. An orthopaedic outcomes database can assist surgeons in assessing associations between surgical procedures, function, survivorship, complication rates, patient satisfaction, and quality of life as guidance for practice. Outcomes are used to validate techniques or procedures, to benchmark best practices, and to identify areas requiring more clinical research. Tracking the success and failure rates of implants and surgical procedures is important. An outcomes database allows for short-term, midterm, and long-term prospective follow-up studies of specific cohorts and also facilitates studies that are retrospective in design. Several countries have initiated orthopaedic outcomes registries or databases. The oldest registry is the Swedish Knee Arthroplasty Register that was started in 19751. Other countries have followed with the development of their own joint registries in England, New Zealand, Germany, Finland, Denmark, and Norway2-7. In 1994, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) attempted to create an outcomes evaluation system. The Musculoskeletal Outcomes Data Evaluation and Management System did not come to fruition and was terminated in 2000. The attempt was made to collect information on patients undergoing total hip and knee arthroplasty or spine surgery. Difficulties were multifactorial, but were mainly due to inadequate data, record-keeping, or follow-up, which made cleaning the data to extract useful information impossible8. Although the United States lacks a national orthopaedic registry, several institutions have developed their own databases. For example, Mayo Clinic initiated a database in 1969 that included over 56,000 joint arthroplasties by 19979. The Anderson Orthopaedic Research Institute has over two decades' worth of hip and knee arthroplasty outcomes in its database10, while the Center for Hip and Knee Surgery in Indiana11, the Hospital for Special …
Perception of Acoustic Repetition: Pitch and Infrapitch

This chapter reviews a classical problem, perception of tones, and suggests that our understanding of this topic may be enhanced by considering it as part of a larger topic: that of perception of acoustic repetition. As we shall see, periodic sounds repeated at tonal and infratonal frequencies appear to form a single perceptual continuum, with study in one range enhancing understanding in the other. Terminology Some terms used in psychoacoustics are ambiguous. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI, 1976/1999) booklet Acoustical Terminology defines some basic technical words as having two meanings, one applying to the stimulus and the other to the sensation produced by the stimulus. The confusion of terms describing stimuli and their sensory correlates is an old (and continuing) potential cause of serious conceptual confusions – a danger that in 1730 led Newton (1952, p. 124) to warn that it is incorrect to use such terms as red light or yellow light, since “ … the Rays to speak properly are not coloured.” However, the ANSI definitions for the word “tone” reflect current usage, and state that the word can refer to: “(a) Sound wave capable of exciting an auditory sensation having pitch. (b) Sound sensation having pitch.” A similar ambiguity involving use of the same term to denote both stimulus and sensation is stated formally in the ANSI definitions for the word “sound.” The use of both of these terms will be restricted here to describe only the stimuli.
Multilayer Physisorbed Films on Graphite

This paper reviews experimental work in the multilayer range on physisorption of classical rare gases and simple molecular gases on graphite. The first part outlines ideas about various phenomena which occur or may occur in these systems, such as wetting and limitations to complete wetting, surface roughening and surface melting as they are manifest in films of finite thickness, and substrate-induced effects such as interface-induced freezing and layering in liquid films. Next a number of specific systems are examined from an experimental point of view for evidence of these phenomena. For example, layer critical points in solid rare gas and methane films on graphite have been associated with surface roughening of (111) facet of the corresponding bulk crystal. Surface melting of certain facets has been identified with behavior seen in argon and other films on graphite as well as on MgO slightly below the bulk melting temperature of the adsorbate. On the other hand, freezing of several layers of thick neon and argon films above the bulk melting point is attributed to interaction with the graphite substrate. Certain liquid films, such as those of ethane, ethylene, and oxygen on graphite, exhibit a strong tendency for layering in the proximity of the substrate. Complex phase diagrams may occur in layered films due to interaction of layering with melting and possibly also orientational ordering; examples include oxygen and tetrafluoromethane on graphite. Finally, certain experimental difficulties of a general nature are discussed.
Thermal Denaturation and Domain Stability of NAMPT Protein

Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) is also known as Pre-B cell colony enhancing factor (PBEF) or visceral fat protein (Visfatin). It is a highly conserved 52-kDa protein, found in living species from bacteria to humans [1], and acts as a rate-limiting step in the salvage pathway of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) biosynthesis. NAMPT is involved in several inflammatory deceases notably, sepsis, acute lung injury, and rheumatoid arthritis [2]. It is also known to activate insulin receptor causing type II diabetes [3]. Because of such medicinal relevance, NAMPT has been extensively investigated by X-ray crystallography, aiming at developing inhibitors [1]. However, physiologically relevant biochemical characterization including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for NAMPT is scarce. NMR methods are complementary to X-ray crystallography, and provide valuable information on the structure and functional dynamics simultaneously. They offer an important tool for understanding biological functioning [4]. Bacterial expression, biochemical characterization, and thermal stability studies on NAMPT have been undertaken with the objective of optimizing conditions for NMR experiments. Secondary structure estimates using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy are consistent with crystallographic data. Thermal unfolding studies indicated an unusually high degree of thermal stability of NAMPT showing a melting temperature of about 90 °C. Results for dynamic light scattering (DLS) experiments showed a salt-dependent multimeric state. Presently, we are optimizing solvent conditions for obtaining the stable oligomeric state relevant to NMR experiments. Calorimetric studies are also under progress. We successfully expressed NAMPT in E.coli and are developing strategies for better yields and isotope labelling. [1] T. Wang et al. (2006) Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. 13, 661. [2] S. M. Camp et al. (2015) Sci. Rep. 5, 13135. [3] A. Fukuhara et al. (2005) Science 307, 426. [4] T. R. Molugu et al. (2015) Concepts Magn. Reson. (in press).
Hypercoagulability and Venous Thromboembolism: A Review

This review addresses the numerous factors that predispose individuals for venous thromboembolic events (VTE). Both acquired and genetically inherited factors are reviewed with their approximate relative risk of developing VTE. Oral contraceptive use and hormone replacement therapy, as well as the prevalence of VTE associated with pregnancy, are also addressed. Particular attention is directed to the frequency of more than 1 predisposing factor being present, further increasing the risk of VTE or its recurrence.
Fine Structure of Annellophores. V. Stegonosporium Pyriforme

(1972). Fine Structure of Annellophores. V. Stegonosporium Pyriforme. Mycologia: Vol. 64, No. 3, pp. 654-657.
Oxidizer-Rich Staged Combustion Cycle Preburner and Main Chamber Injector Testing at Purdue University

Achieving the highest possible specific impulse has long been a key driver for space launch systems. Recently, more importance has been placed on the need for increased reliability and streamlined launch operations. These general factors along with more specific mission requirements have provided a new focus that is centered on the oxidizer rich staged combustion (ORSC) cycle. Despite a history of use in Russia that extends back to the 1960’s, a proven design methodology for ORSC cycle engines does not exist in the West. This lack of design expertise extends to the main chamber injector, a critical subcomponent that largely determines the engine performance and main chamber life. The goals of the effort described here are to establish an empirical knowledge base to provide a fundamental understanding of main chamber injectors and for verification of an injector design methodology for the ORSC cycle. This paper provides a summary of the status of the effort at Purdue University. The baseline liquid oxygen/hydrogen (LOX/H2) preburner and GOX/RP-1 injector operating conditions and geometries are described. The gaseous oxygen/RP-1 (GOX/RP-1) main chamber injector design adapted from published swirl injector models is discussed. An alternative injector design chosen to explore the stability margins of this type of injector and to give a quantitative comparison of the dynamic response to the baseline injector geometry is presented. Finally, a hydrogen/oxygen torch igniter with established heritage used in the preburner is briefly discussed.
Efficient GPU hardware transactional memory through early conflict resolution

It has been proposed that Transactional Memory be added to Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) in recent years. One proposed hardware design, Warp TM, can scale to 1000s of concurrent transactions. As a programming method that can atomicize an arbitrary number of memory access locations and greatly reduce the efforts to program parallel applications, transactional memory handles the complexity of inter-thread synchronization. However, when thousands of transactions run concurrently on a GPU, conflicts and resource contentions arise, causing performance loss. In this paper, we identify and analyze the cause of conflicts and contentions and propose two enhancements that try to resolve conflicts early: (1) Early-Abort global conflict resolution that allows conflicts to be detected before they reach the Commit Units so that contention in the Commit Units is reduced and (2) Pause-and-Go execution scheme that reduces the chance of conflict and the performance penalty of re-executing long transactions. These two enhancements are enabled by a single hardware modification. Our evaluation shows the combination of the two enhancements greatly improves overall execution speed while reducing energy consumption.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind? Accuracy and Bias in Emotion Regulation Trait Judgments

Objective The current study examined accuracy and bias in judging trait-level emotion regulation strategy use in romantic relationships and tested emotion-related and global predictors of these judgments. Method Both members of 120 heterosexual couples (Mage = 20.39 years; 56.3% Caucasian) completed measures of emotion regulation (self-reported and perceived partner use of suppression and reappraisal), emotionality, emotional expressivity, and relationship quality. Results Romantic partners were relatively accurate in judging suppression and reappraisal, although they had a tendency to underestimate use of both strategies. Reappraisal use was overestimated more among targets higher in positive expressivity, whereas suppression use was underestimated among targets higher in emotionality. In addition, women overestimated their partner's reappraisal use more than did men, and higher relationship quality predicted more positive biases in judging emotion regulation patterns. Conclusions These findings suggest that romantic partners can judge each other's emotion regulation patterns with some degree of accuracy, but certain biases exist for specific strategies. The amount of accuracy and bias in emotion regulation judgments within romantic relationships may be influenced by both specific emotion-related characteristics of targets and global characteristics that broadly affect personality judgments.
Higher plasma orexin A levels in children with Prader-Willi syndrome compared with healthy unrelated sibling controls.

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a rare genetic neurodevelopmental disorder associated with maladaptive social behavior, hyperphagia and morbid obesity. Orexin A is a hypothalamic neuropeptide important as a homeostatic regulator of feeding behavior and in energy metabolism through actions in the lateral hypothalamus. Dysregulation of orexin signaling may contribute to behavioral problems and hyperphagia seen in PWS and we sought to assess orexin A levels in PWS relative to controls children. Morning fasting plasma orexin A levels were analyzed in 23 children (aged 5-11 years) with genetically confirmed PWS and 18 age and gender matched healthy unrelated siblings without PWS. Multiplex immune assays utilized the Milliplex Human Neuropeptide Magnetic panel and the Luminex platform. Natural log-transformed orexin A data were analyzed using general linear model adjusting for diagnosis, gender, age, total body fat, and body mass index (BMI). Plasma orexin A levels were significantly higher (P < 0.006) in children with PWS (average ±SD = 1,028 pg/ml ± 358) compared with unrelated siblings (average ±SD = 609 pg/ml ± 351; P < 0.001). Orexin A levels correlated with age in females and were significantly elevated in PWS even after these effects were controlled. These findings support the hypothesis that dysregulation of orexin signaling may contribute to behavioral problems and hyperphagia in PWS. Further studies are warranted to better understand the complex relationship between orexin A levels and the problematic behaviors consistently found in individuals with PWS. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Problems in Management of Primary Bilateral Germ Cell Testicular Tumors: Report of 3 Cases and Review of Literature

AbstractBilateral primary germ cell tumors are uncommon but not rare in men with primary testicular tumors. In our series of 78 cases of germ cell tumors 3 (3.8 per cent) were bilateral. In the management of a second neoplasm the same general principles apply as those for the first tumor but one must be aware of the potential complications of radiation therapy when the total dose for cure of the first and second neoplasms exceeds the tolerance dose of normal tissue and therapy must be modified accordingly. Prognosis is not necessarily poor when a second primary tumor develops and complications can be reduced to a low level with appropriate therapy. Our outline for therapy is presented.
Science and popular participation in the investigation of heartwater in South Africa, c. 1870-1950

During the late nineteenth century, settler farmers in southern Africa identified heartwater as a damaging disease of small stock and cattle. They advanced various explanations of the disease, including the theory that it was caused by the bite of ticks. Around 1900, the American entomologist C.P. Lousbury demonstrated that heartwater was transmitted by the bont tick. He also worked out the life cycle and life habits of the tick. Subsequently, farmers developed methods of controlling ticks by dipping animals in solutions of arsenic. By 1910, the practice of dipping cattle had become very widespread over much of southern Africa. The expansion of the practice was greatly stimulated by the coming of the deadly tick-borne disease, East Coast fever. At this time, veterinary scientists attempted to develop a vaccine against heartwater, but with little success. Little further progress was made until the 1920s, when the American scientist E.V. Cowdry identified a causal agent, Rickettsia ruminantium, while on a research secondment to South Africa. By the 1940s, South African veterinary scientists had devised methods of immunising stock against heartwater, but there remained considerable technical difficulties and their use remained limited. Dipping in arsenic solutions to attack the tick on the animal thus remained the most important means of controlling disease in the first half of the twentieth century.
Eckbert’s Secret

This essay interprets the figure of the secret in Der blonde Eckbert in light of the concept of Erinnerung, and argues that an archetypal family secret is encoded anagrammatically in the forgotten name of the dog Strohmian. In uncovering this originary secret recursively, Tieck’s narrative enacts a radical poetics of madness.
Pancytopenia and Severe Gastrointestinal Toxicities Associated with 5-Fluorouracil in a Patient with Thymidylate Synthase (TYMS) Polymorphism.

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is one of the most commonly used chemotherapeutic agents in solid tumors, including colon, gastric and breast cancers. The pharmacogenetic syndrome of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency leading to severe toxicity after administration of 5-flourouracil (5-FU) and capecitabine has been well-recognized. However, the data about the association of the target enzyme, thymidylate synthase (TYMS) with the toxicity of these agents is limited. A 50-year-old Caucasian woman with T2N2M0 Stage IIIB squamous cell rectal cancer after local surgical excision initiated 5-FU therapy with mitomycin-C and radiation therapy in the adjuvant setting. Following the first treatment with 5-FU, she developed grade III mucositis and grade IV neutropenia which delayed her second dose of therapy. Following her second dose of 5-FU, she again developed grade III mucositis, grade II diarrhea, pancytopenia, fever, and rectal bleeding requiring hospitalization. She was treated with blood and platelet transfusion, pegfilgrastim, IV antibiotics, and supportive therapy. Due to her severe clinical toxicity following chemotherapy involving 5-FU, we tested her for both DPD deficiency andTYMS polymorphisms. The patient was found to be homozygous for the TYMS polymorphism 5’TSER genotype 2R/2R*f, which has been associated with increased 5-FU drug sensitivity and susceptibility to 5-FU toxicity. Our case report further underlines the fact that TYMS polymorphism not only predicts response to 5-FU by relating to intratumoral-TYMS mRNA expression but also the toxicity in these patients receiving fluoropyrimidines. In brief, TYMS genotype variations present a dilemma in 5-FU-driven cancer therapy- overexpression leads to decreased drug sensitivity and poor prognosis, while underexpression leads to the manifestation of toxic drug effects that may halt therapy altogether. Future prospective translational studies in a larger population are warranted to validate its role as a predictive and prognostic factor.
The power-loss analysis and efficiency maximization of a silicon-carbide MOSFET based three-phase 10kW bi-directional EV charger using variable-DC-bus control

It is expected that wide-bandgap devices like silicon carbide MOSFETs and gallium nitride HEMTs could replace Si devices in power electronics converters to reach higher system efficiency, e.g., a 3-phase 380VAC bidirectional battery charger for electric vehicles. This paper uses the conventional half-bridge LLC topology to build a 10kW all-SiC bidirectional charger. As a well-known topology for the unidirectional charger, it has not been comprehensively explored for the usage of the bidirectional energy flow, which falls into the scope of this paper. A double-pulse-test platform is utilized to provide the accurate power losses, which, combined with the state-space model deriving the accurate switching current waveforms eventually accurately, estimates the system efficiency. Based on this model, to further enhance the system efficiency the DC-bus voltage is varied while keeping the LLC DC/DC converter running at the resonant frequency through the whole power range. Experimental results validated our proposed approach that such topology could realize the bidirectional power flow with zero-voltage-switching turn on. With varying the DC-bus voltage, the V2G and G2V modes reach ∼96% wall-to-battery efficiency.
Rationale and design of the MarrowStim PAD Kit for the Treatment of Critical Limb Ischemia in Subjects with Severe Peripheral Arterial Disease (MOBILE) trial investigating autologous bone marrow cell therapy for critical limb ischemia

Abstract Objective Critical limb ischemia (CLI) continues to place a significant encumbrance on patients and the health care system as it progresses to limb loss and long-term disability. Traditional methods of revascularization offer a significant benefit; however, for one-third of CLI patients, these surgical options are not technically possible or patency is severely limited by disease burden (deemed "poor-option" for revascularization). In a previous phase I trial, we demonstrated intramuscular injection of concentrated bone marrow aspirate (cBMA) via MarrowStim (Zimmer Biomet, Warsaw, Ind) harvest is safe and may decrease major amputation in patients with CLI unfit for surgical revascularization. Therefore, we describe and rationalize the MarrowStim PAD Kit for the Treatment of Critical Limb Ischemia in Subjects with Severe Peripheral Arterial Disease (MOBILE) trial, a study geared to provide the pivotal proof of efficacy of cBMA in CLI. Methods MOBILE is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial designed to assess the efficacy of intramuscular injections of cBMA in promoting amputation-free survival in patients with poor-option CLI. Patients (aged >21 years) with rest pain or tissue loss resulting from advanced peripheral arterial disease, as characterized by ankle-brachial index ( Results Treatment and 1-year follow-up of 152 patients enrolled in MOBILE are completed. Long-term follow-up is ongoing. Currently, we are in the process of unblinding the initial results for preliminary data analysis. Conclusions If successful, MOBILE could add definitive, high-quality evidence in support of cBMA for the treatment of poor-option CLI patients and provide an additional modality for patients who face amputation secondary to advanced limb ischemia.
Observation of Patients Transitioned to an Oral Loop Diuretic Before Discharge and Risk of Readmission for Acute Decompensated Heart Failure.

Abstract Background Heart failure (HF) is associated with high 30-day readmission rates and places significant financial burden on the health care system. The aim of this study was to determine if the duration of observation on an oral loop diuretic before discharge is associated with a reduction in 30-day HF readmission in patients with acute decompensated HF (ADHF). Methods and Results This was a retrospective study of adult patients admitted for ADHF at a large academic medical center. A total of 123 patients were included. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. The primary outcome of 30-day HF readmission occurred in 11 of 61 patients (18%) observed on an oral loop diuretic for Conclusions Observation of patients on an oral loop diuretic for
Characterization of a murine model of meningeal metastases from breast cancer

1359 Objectives Meningeal metastasis is a fatal complication of breast cancer affecting nearly 5% of breast cancer patients. Seeding of cancer cells in the meninges and their subsequent growth results in severe neurological complications reducing life span to 1 to 4 months. Treatment at present is largely palliative. A better understanding of the biology of the disease process will enable us to implement novel targeted therapy for these refractory metastases. Models that mimic this disease process are rare. We present a model of meningeal metastases in the mouse where the development of meningeal tumors is studied with molecular imaging over time. Methods Meningeal metastases were created using the human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 that expresses Rluc. Tumor cells (2x10^4 cells/10µl) were injected into the 4th ventricle of the brain in Balb/C mice using stereotactic coordinates. The development of metastases in the meninges of the brain and spinal cord were studied over time with bioluminescence imaging for Rluc to be confirmed with MRI. The brains were removed and processed for immunohistochemical confirmation of metastases and their markers. Results Bioluminescence uptake indicative of Rluc expression by the tumor cells was detected in the mice brains as early as 10 days following metastases induction. On histology, the uptake corresponded to tumor cells that were in the 4th ventricle and those that had migrated to the meninges. By day 14 the signal in the brain increased while another was detected in the spine. These signals increased by day 18. The metastases expressed Wnt7, vimentin and TGFβ following immunohistochemical staining. By day 21 the mice had succumbed to the disease. Conclusions We present a murine model of meningeal metastases studying the disease process with molecular imaging correlated to in vitro data. These features will serve as a bench mark for studying novel treatments for meningeal metastases. Research Support DOD
Deformable and Functional Models

This article summarizes most of the material on deformable and functional models that the author covered in an invited plenary lecture presented at the 2009 VIPIMAGE Conference. Following the organization of the presentation, the first part of the article reviews deformable models, particularly, active contours and surfaces, topologically-adaptive active contours and surfaces, and deformable organisms, focusing on their applications in medical image analysis, while the second part of the article reviews functional models, particularly realistic biomechanical models of the human face and body.
DINC 2.0: A New Protein–Peptide Docking Webserver Using an Incremental Approach

Molecular docking is a standard computational approach to predict binding modes of protein–ligand complexes by exploring alternative orientations and conformations of the ligand (i.e., by exploring ligand flexibility). Docking tools are largely used for virtual screening of small drug-like molecules, but their accuracy and efficiency greatly decays for ligands with more than 10 flexible bonds. This prevents a broader use of these tools to dock larger ligands, such as peptides, which are molecules of growing interest in cancer research. To overcome this limitation, our group has previously proposed a meta-docking strategy, called DINC, to predict binding modes of large ligands. By incrementally docking overlapping fragments of a ligand, DINC allowed predicting binding modes of peptide-based inhibitors of transcription factors involved in cancer. Here, we describe DINC 2.0, a revamped version of the DINC webserver with enhanced capabilities and a more user-friendly interface. DINC 2.0 allows docking ligands that were previously too challenging for DINC, such as peptides with more than 25 flexible bonds. The webserver is freely accessible at http://dinc.kavrakilab.org, together with additional documentation and video tutorials. Our team will provide continuous support for this tool and is working on extending its applicability to other challenging fields, such as personalized immunotherapy against cancer. Cancer Res; 77(21); e55–57. ©2017 AACR .
Task-related changes in degree centrality and local coherence of the posterior cingulate cortex after major cardiac surgery in older adults.

Objectives Older adults often display postoperative cognitive decline (POCD) after surgery, yet it is unclear to what extent functional connectivity (FC) alterations may underlie these deficits. We examined for postoperative voxel-wise FC changes in response to increased working memory load demands in cardiac surgery patients and nonsurgical controls. Experimental design Older cardiac surgery patients (n = 25) completed a verbal N-back working memory task during MRI scanning and cognitive testing before and 6 weeks after surgery; nonsurgical controls with cardiac disease (n = 26) underwent these assessments at identical time intervals. We measured postoperative changes in degree centrality, the number of edges attached to a brain node, and local coherence, the temporal homogeneity of regional functional correlations, using voxel-wise graph theory-based FC metrics. Group × time differences were evaluated in these FC metrics associated with increased N-back working memory load (2-back > 1-back), using a two-stage partitioned variance, mixed ANCOVA. Principal observations Cardiac surgery patients demonstrated postoperative working memory load-related degree centrality increases in the left dorsal posterior cingulate cortex (dPCC; p < .001, cluster p-FWE < .05). The dPCC also showed a postoperative increase in working memory load-associated local coherence (p < .001, cluster p-FWE < .05). dPCC degree centrality and local coherence increases were inversely associated with global cognitive change in surgery patients (p < .01), but not in controls. Conclusions Cardiac surgery patients showed postoperative increases in working memory load-associated degree centrality and local coherence of the dPCC that were inversely associated with postoperative global cognitive outcomes and independent of perioperative cerebrovascular damage.
Theorizing corporate-community relationships and the role of contextual factors in peacebuilding and beyond

The concept of relationships is one that is central to numerous subfields within communication, including interpersonal, organizational, and public relations. This conceptual paper investigates the notion of relationships and proposes a framework to understand and explicate corporate-community relationships (CCRs), a specific type of organization-public relationships (OPRs). In developing this framework, we draw upon existing literature and our experiences in Liberia related to natural resource management (NRM) as part of a multi-year collaborative peacebuilding initiative. We advance a framework of CCRs that (a) helps develop further empirical research and knowledge about these relationships and (b) contributes to the practice of more transformative relationships between Western and Asian multinational corporations (MNCs) and local communities in West Africa and beyond. This framework puts forth our conceptualization of CCRs as (a) constituted by the communicative, (b) dynamic, constantly influenced by macro and micro factors, and (c) complex. Drawing on our framework, we also advance some guiding questions for a research agenda in this area.
Benefits of Exposure Programs to K12 Student Interest in Computer Science: (Abstract Only)

This lightning talk describes the benefits of exposing K12 students to Computer Science through short camp programs. The CS@SC Summer Camps (http://summercamps.usc.edu), founded jointly with the Institute for Education, provide girls, minorities, and low-income K12 students with an opportunity to learn about Computer Science through one week camps held during summer. Now in our third year, the camps have given nearly 1500 students the experience of being in college for a week on campus at the University of Southern California, changing classrooms, eating at the dormitory cafeteria, seeing college students in their natural environment, and learning from current Computer Science majors. Students learn about Computer Science through programming platforms, including Scratch Jr. (K-2nd), Scratch (3rd-8th), Java (7th-12th), and Python (7th-12th). The camps are provided for free or reduced cost based on donations from individuals and organizations. Through camp surveys, student interest in STEM fields raises from around 50% of students highly interested to over 80% by the end of the camp. Although the camp is only 32 hours long, early exposure to Computer Science can provide students of all ethnicities (nearly 75% of the attendees are Hispanic or African American) and genders (47% of the attendees are girls) with the foundation needed to prepare them for making an educated decision about STEM careers.
Philosophical Considerations on Teacher Presence

IntroductIon Contemporary discourses about schooling and teachers are marked by a severe reductionism. Teaching has been operationalized and reduced to, in the best cases, a collection of indicators on checklists for principals, or even to merely a set of digits that should measure students’ learning and thus teachers’ effectiveness. Lorraine Code individuates an “instituted imaginary”1 according to which, in Clarence Joldersma’s words, teachers are viewed as “universal, interchangeable rational atoms, measurable against an impersonal standard, including guaranteed results.”2 A major consequence of this way of considering teachers is that individual differences are considered “deviations from the standard” and “blameworthy deficits.”3 The flattening brought about by this instituted imaginary is the necessary outcome of a reductionist mistake in conceiving what it is to teach and to be a teacher.