cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impact of a large breast separation on radiation dose delivery to the ipsilateral lung as result of respiratory motion quantified using free breathing and 4D CT-based planning in patients with locally advanced breast cancers: A potential for adverse clinical implications

Purpose: We examined the effects of large breast separation (BS) on dosimetric and positional differences of radiation treatment plans of locally advanced breast cancers during a free-breathing respiratory cycle. Materials and Methods: Computed tomography (CT) datasets of 18 patients were acquired using 3D, 4D-0% (end-inspiration), and 4D-50% (end-exhalation). BS was examined in relation to the positional and dosimetric changes to organs-at-risk (OAR). Based on dosimetric analysis of all three plans, we compared 4D-0% and 4D-50% for V 5 , V 10 , and V 20 to 3D for heart and ipsilateral lung. Using 4D-0% and 4D-50% CTs, we recorded positional variations of the organs' centroid (centers of mass) and their effects on dosimetry. Results: Median BS was 23.95 cm (range: 16.86-29.48 cm). There was a strong positive correlation between BS and dose to the ipsilateral lung for V 5 , V 10 , and V 20 , with the greatest linearity observed at V 20 (R 2 = 0.23). At BS ≥27 cm, the dose increased during inspiration at V 5 , V 10 , and V 20 (P Conclusions: This study offers the first evidence of the impact of a large BS on radiation dose to the ipsilateral lung.
Subspace integration with local deformations

Subspace techniques greatly reduce the cost of nonlinear simulation by approximating deformations with a small custom basis. In order to represent the deformations well (in terms of a global metric), the basis functions usually have global support, and cannot capture localized deformations. While reduced-space basis functions can be localized to some extent, capturing truly local deformations would still require a very large number of precomputed basis functions, significantly degrading both precomputation and online performance. We present an efficient approach to handling local deformations that cannot be predicted, most commonly arising from contact and collisions, by augmenting the subspace basis with custom functions derived from analytic solutions to static loading problems. We also present a new cubature scheme designed to facilitate fast computation of the necessary runtime quantities while undergoing a changing basis. Our examples yield a two order of magnitude speedup over full-coordinate simulations, striking a desirable balance between runtime speeds and expressive ability.
Thermodynamics of R-charged black holes in AdS5 from effective strings

It is well known that the thermodynamics of certain near-extremal black holes in asymptotically flat space can be lifted to an effective string description created from the intersection of D-branes. In this paper we present evidence that the semiclassical thermodynamics of near-extremal R-charged black holes in AdS5 × S5 is described in a similar manner by effective strings created from the intersection of giant gravitons on the S5. We also present a free fermion description of the supersymmetric limit of the one-charge black hole, and we give a crude catalog of the microstates of the two and three-charge black holes in terms of operators in the dual conformal field theory.
On injective modules for infinitesimal algebraic groups, II

Let G be a semisimple algebraic group scheme. defined and split over the prime subfield of an algebraically closed field k of characteristic P > 0. if F: G + G is the Frobenius morphism, and T is a maximal split torus in G, then TG,. is the inverse image of T under F’. Thus TG’, is a non-reduced subgroup scheme of G. Let B be a Bore1 subgroup of Gz containing 7. whose opposite B” determines the positive system of roots in the root system of G relative to T. Let TB, = B xc; TG, = B n TG,, the scheme theoretic intersection of B with 7-G‘,. It is well known [J2, Sect. 3.1 that injective ‘TG,-mods( as a factor of Q,(p), coincides with the multiplicity of L,(p) as a composition factor in lnd$;(i,). At the same time, if i is generic relative to an alcove in the sense defined in [CPS 1, Appendix A] the multiplicities of L,(p) in Tndyi;(/I) coincide with the multiplicities [IndE(/i): L(p)]. where L.(/f) denotes the rational irreducible G-module of high weight /i relative to B”. Thus, in the generic case, one can translate the problem of computing multiplicities of irreducibles in Indg(/l) to 2 question about the structure of rational injectivc TG,-modules. We begin, here, a study of the structure of rational injectivc 7%,-modules from the point of view of the parabolic subgroup schemes of 7’G,. In this, we proceed by analogy with the early work [H] of Harish-Chandra, [ Sp] of Springer, and with the more recent work [RS] of Ronan and Smith. If P is a parabolic subgroup scheme of G, containing T. let TP, = P xc; TG, = P n TG,. Then TP, has a Levi factorization: TP, = TL, x lip,, where C:,,, denotes the unipotcnt radical of TP,, and TL, its Levi factor
Automatic segmentation of the optic nerves and chiasm in CT and MR using the atlas-navigated optimal medial axis and deformable-model algorithm

In recent years, radiation therapy has become the preferred treatment for many types of head and neck tumors. To minimize side effects, radiation beams are planned pre-operatively to avoid over-radiation of vital structures, such as the optic nerves and chiasm, which are essential to the visual process. To plan the procedure, these structures must be identified using CT/MR imagery. Currently, a radiation oncologist must manually segment the structures, which is both inefficient and ineffective. Clearly an automated approach could be beneficial to the planning process. The problem is difficult due to the shape variability and low image contrast of the structures, and several attempts at automatic localization have been reported with marginal results. In this work we present a novel method for localizing the optic nerves and chiasm in CT/MR volumes using the atlas-navigated optimal medial axis and deformable-model algorithm (NOMAD). NOMAD uses a statistical model and image registration to provide a priori local intensity and shape information to both a medial axis extraction procedure and a deformable-model, which deforms the medial axis and completes the segmentation process. This approach achieves mean dice coefficients greater than 0.8 for both the optic nerves and the chiasm when compared to manual segmentations over ten test cases. By comparing quantitative results with existing techniques it can be seen that this method produces more accurate results.
FACTORS AFFECTING HEPATIC MICROSOMAL ENZYME SYSTEMS INVOLVED IN DRUG METABOLISM.

Abstract The activity of certain hepatic microsomal enzymes which metabolize drugs is not constant. These enzyme activities can be affected by drugs, disease states and certain alterations in cellular environment which need not lead to recognizable hepatic pathology. Microsomal drug metabolizing enzyme activity can be increased above normal levels by treatment of animals with a variety of drugs (e.g. phenobarbital, chlordan) which appear to stimulate the synthesis of new enzyme protein. Absence or abnormally low levels of microsomal drug metabolizing enzyme activity are seen in fetal and newborn animals, in mice starved 48–72 hr, in rabbits suffering obstructive jaundice, in rats treated 48–72 hr previously with alloxan, in hepatic tissue remaining after partial hepatectomy, and in a variety of drug-induced and/or transplantable hepatomas (e.g. Novikoff, Morris 5123). Changes which often accompany these alterations in the rate of microsomal drug metabolism include, (1) loss of hepatic glycogen when drug metabolism slows down and increased glycogen levels when drug metabolism speeds up, and (2) loss or decrease in amount of smooth-surfaced ergastoplasm (SSE) when drug metabolism is depressed and proliferation of SSE when metabolism is increased. Other studies have shown that several microsomal drug-metabolizing enzymes are localized predominantly in smooth-surfaced microsomes which are derived presumably from SSE. Predictions of the level of microsomal drug-metabolizing enzyme activity are best made from the amount of SSE in the hepatic parenchymal cell since hepatic glycogen levels can be changed (e.g. by epinephrine injections) without changing microsomal enzyme activity.
Evaluation of GaN by photoluminescence measurement

Comparison of the room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra from a high-quality freestanding GaN template and an average-quality GaN layer on sapphire substrate shows that the width of the exciton band in the former may be twice larger than that in the latter. The surprising fact can be explained by a wide depletion region and large diffusion length of photogenerated carriers in high-quality GaN templates. Photogenerated electrons and holes in this material recombine at larger distance from the surface, and the exciton emission from this depth experiences stronger absorption that causes distortion of the near-bandedge PL and its broadening. We also explain why the intensity of the exciton emission may be low and the defect-related PL may dominate in the room-temperature PL spectrum of high-quality samples. (© 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
COLLEGE WOMEN'S REACTIONS TO SEXUAL ASSAULT RESEARCH PARTICIPATION: IS IT DISTRESSING?

This study assessed college women's reactions to participating in sexual assault research. Women with sexual victimization histories reported more negative emotional reactions than nonvictimized women, but also greater benefits. Benefits to research participation outweighed costs for both women with and without sexual victimization histories. Women with and without sexual victimization histories evidenced significant improvements in several domains of mood over the course of the study, although victimized women improved less in several areas of mood. Participants' presurvey mood, assault severity, perpetrator aggression, self-blame, and perceived benefits to research participation all uniquely predicted participants' immediate negative emotional reactions to the research protocol. Descriptive analyses showed that only a small number of women reported negative emotional reactions to the research protocol.
Using Bilinear Transformations to Induce Probability Distributions

Abstract We use bilinear transformations to map points z = cos(α) + isin(α) on the unit circle in the complex plane into points x on the real line. Given any density function g(α) on the interval (−π, π), we show how a corresponding density function f(x) on (−∞, ∞) is induced. When α is uniformly distributed on (−π, π), we show that x has a Cauchy distribution in (−∞, ∞). When g(α) = Kn (1 + cos(α)) n , we show that x has a t-distribution in (−∞, ∞).
Intraosseous benign notochord cell tumors (BNCT): further evidence supporting a relationship to chordoma.

BackgroundPrevious studies have documented the existence of intraosseous benign notochordal cell tumors (BNCTs) within the axial skeleton. Evidence suggests that they may be associated with the development of chordomas. To further investigate the relationship between BNCT and classic chordoma, we re
A phase I clinical study of high dose ketoconazole plus weekly docetaxel for metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer.

Purpose: This phase I study of high dose ketoconazole and docetaxel was designed against castration resistant prostate cancer to determine the maximum tolerated doses, side effects, and pharmacokinetic interaction of co-administered docetaxel and ketoconazole.Materials and Methods: Patients with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer received weekly docetaxel for 3 of every 4 weeks plus daily ketoconazole. Pharmacokinetic studies were performed on day 1 (docetaxel alone) and day 16 (after ketoconazole).Results: The study enrolled 42 patients at 9 different dose levels. The combination regimens investigated included docetaxel weekly, increasing from 5 to 43 mg/m2, with starting doses of 600, 800 or 1,200 mg ketoconazole daily. Decreases in prostate specific antigen of 50% or greater were seen in 62% of patients. Of 25 patients with soft tissue disease 7 (28%) had a partial response. Median overall survival was 22.8 months and was significantly greater in docetaxel naive patients than in patients p...
Ohmic heating in a double-taper sabot-armature

A two-dimensional model, developed previously to investigate the transport of electromagnetic fields and energy in solid-armature railguns, is simplified to study exclusively heating within the interior of the armature. The simplifying assumptions, made in order to reduce the time required for calculations, include neglecting the effects of velocity as well as the details of the physics occurring at the rail-armature interface. These assumptions are not believed to be particularly restrictive when the intent of the calculations is to investigate regions of the armature that are far removed from the rails. The governing equations, appropriate under this set of assumptions, are presented. The model is then applied to analyze current and heat transport in a double-taper sabot armature, a type of armature that is currently under active study and is known to be valuable in launching high-density tactical payloads. In particular, calculations are undertaken to investigate the manner in which a variation of certain geometrical parameters that define the shape of the armature affect the time evolution and spatial distribution of temperature, fields, and forces within the armature. Results of the calculations are studied carefully and explained by basic physical principles.
Spatially Adaptive Wavelet Thresholding for Image Watermarking

In this paper, we introduce a new robust image watermarking technique based on the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT). The proposed method extends the concept of image denoising to watermarking. A spatially adaptive wavelet thresholding method is used to select the coefficients to be water-marked. A multi-bit watermark is embedded into the discrete wavelet coefficients of the host image. A semi-blind water-mark extraction algorithm is presented and the threshold for a given probability of false alarm is derived. The simulation results show that the proposed method outperforms a well-known DWT based watermarking method under most attacks including JPEG compression.
Extraction of Power Dissipation Profile in an IC Chip from Temperature Map

This paper presents a new technique to calculate the power dissipation profile from the IC temperature map using an analogy with image processing and restoration. In this technique, finite element analysis (FEA) is used to find the heat point spread function of the IC chip. Then, the temperature map is used as input for an efficient image restoration algorithm which locates the sources of strong power dissipation non-uniformities. Therefore, for the first time the inverse heat transfer problem was optimally solved, and estimate the IC power map without involving extensive laboratory experiments. This computationally efficient and robust method, unlike some previous techniques in the literature, is applicable to virtually any experimental scenario. Simulation results on a typical commercial IC device confirm the effectiveness of our proposed method.
Strategies for statistical spoken language understanding with small amount of data - an empirical study.

The semantic frame based spoken language understanding involves two decisions – frame classification and slot filling. The two decisions can be made either separately or jointly. This paper compares the different strategies and presents some empirical results in the conditional model framework when only a small amount of training data is available. It is found that while the two pass classification/slot filling solution has resulted in the much better frame classification accuracy, the joint model has yielded better results for slot filling. Application developers need to carefully choose the strategy appropriate to the application scenarios. Index Terms: spoken language understanding, classification, maximum entropy model, conditional random fields
Comparing application- and physical-layer approaches to diversity on wireless channels

Diversity techniques often arise as appealing means for improving the performance of multimedia communication over certain types of channels with independent parallel components (e.g., multiple antennas, frequency bands or time slots). Diversity can be obtained by channel coding across parallel components at the physical layer. Alternatively, the physical layer ca present an interface to the parallel components as separate, independent links thus allowing the application layer to implement diversity in the form of multiple description source coding. We compare these two approaches in terms of average end-to-end distortion as a function of channel signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). When specialized to the case of an independent, identically distributed Gaussian source over Rayleigh fading channels, our results suggest that parallel channel coding at the physical layer is more efficient than independent channel coding combined with multiple description source coding. More generally, we provide intuitive guidelines for allowing system designers to identify which types of systems are preferable under different scenarios of practical interest.
Unsteady counterflowing strained diffusion flames: diffusion-limited frequency response

A detailed numerical study has been conducted on the effect of unsteadiness on the dynamics of counterflowing strained diffusion methane/oxygen/nitrogen flames. The modelling included the solution of the unsteady conservation equations of mass, momentum, energy, and species along the stagnation streamline in an opposed jet using detailed descriptions of chemistry and transport. The unsteadiness was introduced by independently imposing sinusoidal variations of the reactant velocity, concentration and temperature at the exits of the nozzles. The results demonstrate that the flame's response is quasi-steady at low frequencies, while at higher frequencies the amplitudes of the induced oscillations are reduced and phase shifted with respect to the imposed signal. At still higher frequencies, the flame no longer responds to the oscillations in the external field. A rigorous physical explanation of the frequency response was provided from first principles by identifying that oscillations imposed at the nozzle exits result in reactant concentration and temperature oscillations at the outer edge of the preflame diffusive zones. The diffusion attenuates the oscillations in this zone in a manner analogous to the velocity attenuation in Stokes' second problem. The validity of the analogy was confirmed by examining flames over a wide range of frequencies and initial conditions. The current analysis also provided a criterion for the cutoff frequency separating the quasi-steady and transient regimes - information which can be useful in the establishment of laminar flamelet libraries.
Conformational Changes in the G Protein-Coupled Receptor Rhodopsin Revealed by Histidine Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are activated by ligand binding, allowing extracellular signals to be efficiently transmitted through the membrane to the G protein recognition site, 40 A away. Utilizing His residues found spaced throughout the GPCR, rhodopsin, we used His hydrogen-deuterium exchange (His-HDX) to monitor long-time scale structural rearrangements previously inaccessible by other means. The half-lives of His-HDX indicate clear differences in the solvent accessibility of three His residues in rhodopsin/opsin and Zn2+-dependent changes in the pKa for His195. These results indicate the utility of His-HDX in examining structural rearrangements in native source and membrane proteins without requiring structural modification.
Cohomology of Crystalline Smooth Sheaves

We define and study a candidate for 'arithmetic' cohomology theory with values in crystalline p-adic smooth sheaves. We show that it injects into arithmetic etale cohomology and prove a duality result.
Hypernatremic dehydration, diabetes insipidus, and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis in a neonate: a case report

In breast-fed neonates, hypernatremia may occur from inadequate breast milk production, central or nephrogenic diabetes insipidus, gastroenteritis, or salt poisoning. Hypernatremic dehydration is a known risk factor for cerebral sinus thrombosis and death. We report a breastfed neonate with hypernatremic dehydration, diabetes insipidus, cerebral sinus thrombosis, and disseminated intravascular coagulation. We discuss the difficulties in determining cause and effect, as well as emphasize the importance of early evaluation of excessive weight loss in the neonate.
In Situ Training of CMOL CrossNets

Hybrid semiconductor/nanodevice ("CMOL") technology may allow the implementation of digital and mixed-signal integrated circuits, including artificial neural networks ("CrossNets"), with unparalleled density and speed. However, previously suggested methods of CrossNet training may be impracticable for large-scale applications of these networks. In this work, we are describing two new methods of "in situ" training of CrossNets, based on either genuinely stochastic or pseudo-stochastic multiplication of analog signals, which may be readily implemented in CMOL circuits. The methods have been tested by numerical simulation of CrossNet-based perceptrons by error backpropagation on three problems of the Proben1 benchmark dataset. The testing gave very encouraging results: CMOL CrossNets with their binary elementary synapses may provide, after the in situ training, classification performance at least on a par with the best results reported for software-based networks with continuous synaptic weights.
Looking Beyond the Numbers The Struggles of Black Businesses to Survive: A Qualitative Approach

This study obtained Black business owners' experiences in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, via qualitative methods. The same issues (racism, loan denial, etc.) that quantitative analyses of Black businesses f...
Interview Methods in Political Science

The following essays are based on presentations given by the authors during a short course on elite interviewing, held at the 2001 APSA meeting in San Francisco. The short course, sponsored by the Political Organizations and Parties organized section of the APSA, drew nearly 100 participants.
A Contemporary History of Digital Journalism

This article documents the history of online journalism, charting its rise with the internet boom of the mid-1990s and its subsequent decline and stabilization within the present news media market. This history is situated within the larger trajectories of contemporary journalism, paying particular attention to changes in the existing political economic structure of the industry as it assumes digital form, the resultant variations in content and presentation, and the implications for the health of the free press. In the final analysis, this article argues that the move to an online format has exacerbated negative trends that have dogged print journalism for decades. It also extends an existing critique of hyper-commercial journalism by developing the arguments to treat the new institutions and conventions of the digital marketplace.
Polymorphisms in HLA-DPB1 Are Associated With Differences in Rubella Virus–Specific Humoral Immunity After Vaccination

Vaccination with live attenuated rubella virus induces a strong immune response in most individuals. However, small numbers of subjects never reach or maintain protective antibody levels, and there is a high degree of variability in immune response. We have previously described genetic polymorphisms in HLA and other candidate genes that are associated with interindividual differences in humoral immunity to rubella virus. To expand our previous work, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to discover single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with rubella virus–specific neutralizing antibodies. We identified rs2064479 in the HLA-DPB1 genetic region as being significantly associated with humoral immune response variations after rubella vaccination (P = 8.62 × 10−8). All other significant SNPs in this GWAS were located near the HLA-DPB1 gene (P ≤ 1 × 10−7). These findings demonstrate that polymorphisms in HLA-DPB1 are strongly associated with interindividual differences in neutralizing antibody levels to rubella vaccination and represent a validation of our previous HLA work.
Misperceptions of Medical Understanding in Low-Literacy Patients: Implications for Cancer Prevention

BackgroundPatients with limited literacy skills often have difficulty understanding medical information, are less likely to undergo cancer screening, and present with cancer at later stages than pa...
Using Assessment Center Methods for Measuring Undergraduate Business Student Outcomes

This article reports on the use of assessment center (AC) methods for student outcome assessment for undergraduate business school students at a large state university. Using the model of a traditi...
Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis in the Treatment of Phlegmasia Cerulea Dolens

Phlegmasia cerulea dolens is a potentially devastating complication of extensive deep venous thrombosis for which there is currently no consensus for treatment. Heparin anticoagulation, surgical thrombectomy, thrombolytic therapy, fasciotomy, and amputation have each been advocated. We present two cases of phlegmasia cerulea dolens successfully treated with catheterdirected venous thrombolytic therapy. (Ann Vasc Surg 1998;12:471–475.)
Distal esophageal foreign bodies: is it a common occurrence post-fundoplication requiring immediate intervention?

Summary Objective Dysphagia secondary to “tight” distal esophageal wraps are a well-known complication of Nissen fundoplication (NF). However, the literature makes no mention of distal esophageal foreign bodies (DEFB) appearing after NF. This study was undertaken to determine the occurrence of asymptomatic DEFB in children post-fundoplication. Methods A retrospective review and case series of radiographic images of children who underwent NF between 2001 and 2004. Images reviewed include chest and abdominal radiographs, esophagrams, and oropharyngeal motility studies. Main outcome DEFB on radiology report and image. Results Two hundred and thirty-three children (135 males and 98 females) underwent NF at the ages of 15 days to 19.5 years. Two thousand and seven radiographs were reviewed. Five FBs (2.15%) were noted. Four of the five FBs (80%, overall incidence 1.72%) were present in the distal esophagus. Three required rigid esophagoscopy (one marble and one with multiple foreign bodies (FBs) for removal. One who had a distal FB seen on barium swallow ‘spontaneously passed’ during esophagoscopy. Conclusion DEFB in children status post-NF is unusual with an incidence 1.72% of our patients. Our review might be underestimating the incidence as translucent foreign bodies may have been missed. DEFB are surprising due to the fact that most of these children are neurologically impaired and gastrostomy-tube fed. The children's NPO status may also result in these DEFB remaining asymptomatic until being ‘incidentally’ found on radiographic imaging. Thus, NF may predispose to obstruction when a foreign body (FB) is ingested; but because of the population involved, this remains a fairly unusual entity. However, the presence of a DEFB in this population may necessitate prompt endoscopic retrieval as the likelihood of spontaneous passage is less.
Does Monetary Policy Help Least Those Who Need It Most

We estimate the impact of U.S. monetary policy on the cross-sectional distribution of state economic activity for a 35-year panel. Our results indicate that the effects of policy have a significant history dependence, in that relatively slow growth regions contract more following contractionary monetary shocks. Moreover, policy is asymmetric, in that expansionary shocks have less of a beneficial impact upon relatively slow growth areas. As a result, we conclude that monetary policy on average widens the dispersion of growth rates among U.S. states, and those locations initially at the low end of the cross-sectional distribution benefit least from any given change in monetary policy.
Dimensions of peri-implant mucosa: an evaluation of maxillary anterior single implants in humans.

Background: Attempts have been made to evaluate the biologic dimension of osseointegrated implants; however, most are histologic studies in animals, and the effect of soft tissue support from adjacent teeth on the interproximal dimension of the peri-implant mucosa for anterior single implants has not been addressed. This study clinically evaluated the dimensions of the periimplant mucosa around 2-stage maxillary anterior single implants in humans after 1 year of function. The influence of the peri-implant biotype was also examined Methods: Forty-five patients (20 males and 25 females) with a mean age of 47.3 years were included in this study. A total of 45 maxillary anterior single implant crowns with a mean functional time of 32.5 months (range, 12 to 78) were evaluated. The dimensions of peri-implant mucosa were measured by bone sounding using a periodontal probe at the mesial (MI), mid-facial (F), and distal (DI) aspects of the implant restoration and the proximal aspects (MT, DT) of adjacent natural t...
Iterative music: Coherent signal estimation, performance analysis

A new iterative MUSIC algorithm is proposed based on the successive cancellation idea. It can be cast as an alternative of the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm, in which the maximization step is carried out by one-dimensional MUSIC estimation. This algorithm is computationally attractive because of the use of high-efficiency MUSIC at each iteration. Moreover, it is able to resolve coherent signals through the signal decomposition. A theoretical performance evaluation procedure is described to analyze the estimation variance of the iterative MUSIC algorithm. Both analytic and experimental results indicate that the iterative MUSIC method is effective for coherent signals.
A Revision of Erato (Compositae: Liabeae)

Erato DC. contains five species, distributed from Costa Rica to Bolivia, with its main center of diversity in Ecuador. The revision includes a new species endemic to Costa Rica and Panama, Erato costaricensis E. Moran & V. A. Funk. Morphological and molecular data support Erato as a monophyletic group, sister to Philoglossa. The phylogenetic analysis based on morphology used Munnozia Ruiz & Pavon, Chrysactinium (H.B.K.) Wedd., and Philoglossa DC. as outgroups. The phylogeny supports the monophyly of Erato, but the relationships among the species within Erato have only weak support. The genus is believed to be a recent radiation because of the morphological similarity among the taxa and their location in some of the youngest areas of the Andes.
Disruption of Methionine Metabolism in Drosophila melanogaster Impacts Histone Methylation and Results in Loss of Viability

Histone methylation levels, which are determined by the action of both histone demethylases and methyltransferases, impact multiple biological processes by affecting gene expression activity. Methionine metabolism generates the major methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) for histone methylation. The functions of methionine metabolic enzymes in regulating biological processes as well as the interaction between the methionine pathway and histone methylation, however, are still not fully understood. Here, we report that reduced levels of some enzymes involved in methionine metabolism and histone demethylases lead to lethality as well as wing development and cell proliferation defects in Drosophila melanogaster. Additionally, disruption of methionine metabolism can directly affect histone methylation levels. Reduction of little imaginal discs (LID) histone demethylase, but not lysine-specific demethylase 2 (KDM2) demethylase, is able to counter the effects on histone methylation due to reduction of SAM synthetase (SAM-S). Taken together, these results reveal an essential role of key enzymes that control methionine metabolism and histone methylation. Additionally, these findings are an indication of a strong connection between metabolism and epigenetics.
Effects of ammonia load on methionine utilization by growing steers.

Seven ruminally cannulated Holstein steers (194 ± 16 kg) housed in metabolism crates were used in a 6 x 6 Latin square, with one additional steer, to study effects of ruminal ammonia load on methionine (Met) use. All steers received a diet based on soybean hulls (2.6 kg DM/d), ruminal infusions of 200 g/d of acetate, 200 g/d of propionate, and 50 g/d of butyrate, as well as abomasal infusion of 300 g/d of glucose to provide energy without increasing microbial protein supply, and abomasal infusions of a mixture (248 g/d) of all essential AA except Met. Treatments were arranged as a 3 x 2 factorial and included urea (0, 40, or 80 g/d) infused ruminally to supply metabolic ammonia loads and Met (2 or 5 g/d) infused abomasally. Supplementation with the greater amount of Met decreased (P < 0.05) urinary N excretion from 68.8 to 64.8 g/d and increased (P < 0.05) retained N from 22.0 to 27.5 g/d. Urea infusions linearly increased (P < 0.05) urinary N excretions, plasma urea concentrations, and urinary urea excretions, but retained N was not affected. The efficiency of deposition of supplemental Met, calculated by assuming that Met deposition is 2.0% of protein deposition (6.25 x retained N), ranged between 18 and 27% when steers received 0 or 80 g/d of urea, respectively. There were no (P ≥ 0.40) effects of treatments on serum insulin or IGF-I concentrations. In our model, increasing ammonia load did not affect whole-body protein deposition in growing steers when Met was limiting.
Competing to Win: When Local Elections Become the Talk of the Town

Common wisdom in the literature on campaigns and elections is that elections to local offices are often characterized as the backwaters of American politics. Most incumbent office holders rarely face strong challenges; campaigns feature little more than yard signs and some door-to-door canvassing; and voters pay little, if any, attention. Yet sometimes these races blossom into heated brawls, with activated coalitions lining up for one candidate or another. This paper asks what the conditions are under which local offices become vigorously contested. Focusing on the flow of campaign resources into local races, the time and energies pored into campaign efforts, the level of negativity between candidates, voter turnout, and the closeness of the outcome, this paper tests a variety of propositions about when and why local campaigns take on characteristics of campaigns for more visible, higher levels of elective office. Data for this study are from surveys of approximately 1000 candidates for local office conducted in the 2009 and 2010 election cycles in nine states.
Critical Perspectives on Wellness

Workplace wellness programs are written into law as exceptions to otherwise protective antidiscrimination provisions, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act expands employers' ability to treat workers differently based on their health. Rather than assume that wellness programs promote health and save money, here I approach them as legally sanctioned discrimination. What exactly wellness discrimination might look like in practice across many contexts is an open question, but there is good reason to be wary of the power of wellness to create and reproduce hierarchy, to promote homogeneity, narrow-mindedness, and moralism about how to live one's life, and to cover for discrimination based on health, weight, income, age, pregnancy, and disability.
Neurotoxic Action of Aluminum Salts

In the course of experiments involving the fractionation of herpes virus preparations by aluminum salts it was observed that rabbits which had received an intracerebral injection of certain fractions developed a syndrome indicative of a lesion of the central nervous system. The possibility of herpes encephalitis was excluded by the dissimilarity in symptoms and in cellular pathology. Nevertheless, several features of this syndrome, which had a uniformly fatal termination, were suggestive of a neurotropic virus disease, and a further investigation was made of its etiology.It was found that the characteristic syndrome may be induced in rabbits, mice and monkeys by a single intracerebral injection of a small amount of an aluminum salt. Siem1 and Dollken2 reported observing neurologic symptoms in rabbits, cats and dogs which had received subcutaneous injections of aluminum in the form of sodium aluminum tartrate or lactate. They found lesions in the central nervous system of these animals, particularly nerve ...
Stresses at nozzle connections of pressure vessels: The techniques and methods used in analyzing three insert-type nozzles when loaded by internal pressure are reported and discussed

The presence of a nozzle in a pressure vessel creates a region of increased localized stress in the vicinity of the opening. The purpose of this study is to provide experimental data which show the general state of stress at nozzle openings. This paper is a report of the techniques and methods used in analyzing three insert-type nozzles when loaded by internal pressure.
Effect of Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction on Response to Warfarin

Candidates for chronic warfarin therapy often have co-morbid conditions, such as heart failure, with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction. Previous reports have demonstrated an increased risk of over-anticoagulation due to reduced warfarin dose requirement in patients with decompensated heart failure. However, the influence of left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD), defined as left ventricular ejection fraction 4) and major hemorrhage. Of the 1,354 patients included in this prospective cohort study, 214 patients (16%) had LVSD. Patients with LVSD required 11% lower warfarin dose compared with those without LVSD (p 4; hazard ratio 1.01, 95% confidence interval 0.82 to 1.25; p = 0.91), and risk of major hemorrhage (hazard ratio 1.11; 95% confidence interval 0.70 to 1.74; p = 0.66). Addition of LVSD variable in the model increased the variability explained from 35% to 36% for warfarin dose prediction. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that patients with LVSD require lower doses of warfarin. Whether warfarin dosing algorithms incorporating LVSD in determining initial doses improves outcomes needs to be evaluated.
Users’ dynamics on digital platforms

Abstract We discuss novel methods for predicting and influencing dynamics of the volume of users on two-sided platforms. We study the strategies that make platforms more efficient. The new approach is based on dynamical systems techniques, and allows to model platforms with multiple types of users, i.e., allows natural generalization to multi-sided platforms. Study of the qualitative properties and asymptotics of dynamical system’s trajectories helps to make conclusions about tendency of the platform. This is essential for our definition of payoff function, which reflects long term future benefits. Utilizing this definition of payoff, we introduce Nash basin of attraction. Inside of Nash basins of attraction the number of all types of users is growing and tends to the (‘locally’) highest payoff. These regions are beneficial for platform owners. They are also attractive for platform users, because their number is increasing. We demonstrate the theory with examples and provide simulations showing how these ideas can be used for practical tasks.
Introduction: The Abstract Forest Model

Problems related to the automatic or semi-automatic analysis of complex data such as photographs, videos, medical scans, text or genomic data can all be categorized into a relatively small set of prototypical machine learning tasks. The popularity of decision forests is mostly due to their recent success in classification tasks. However, forests are a more general tool which can be applied to many additional problems. This chapter presents a unified model of decision forests which can be used to tackle all the common learning tasks: classification, regression, density estimation, manifold learning, semi-supervised learning, and active learning.
Antenatal corticosteroid administration between 24 hours and 7 days before extremely preterm delivery is associated with the lowest rate of mortality.

Commentary on: Norberg H, Kowalski J, Marsal K, et al. Timing of antenatal corticosteroid administration and survival in extremely preterm infants: a national population-based cohort study. BJOG 2017. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.14545. [Epub ahead of print 15 March 2017]. Antenatal corticosteroids (ACS) reduce mortality in preterm infants.1 The association between timing of ACS and outcomes among extremely preterm infants has been sparsely investigated. In a recent large retrospective cohort study, higher odds for severe neonatal morbidity or mortality were seen in infants born at 24–33 weeks gestation with an administration-to-birth interval of ACS 7 days compared with 1–7 days.2 The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of ACS administration-to-birth interval on survival among extremely preterm infants. This population-based cohort study used data collected prospectively …
Performance of four diagnostic approaches to depression in adults with cancer.

Abstract Objective The potentially confounding influence of somatic symptoms in identifying depression in medically ill patients has long been of concern, resulting in several proposed alternative diagnostic approaches. These approaches have been compared in the cancer setting, but the strengths and weaknesses of the alternative approaches have rarely been examined. The purpose of the current study was to examine the performance of four approaches to depression assessment among ambulatory cancer patients. Method Outpatients were recruited from a large cancer center (N = 611). Participants had to be 40 years or older, English-speaking, and have a cancer diagnosis. All participants completed a sociodemographic questionnaire and a modified Patient Health Questionnaire–9 with additional items targeting the Endicott and Cavanaugh substitutive criteria. Results Depression prevalence varied significantly by diagnostic approach, with the inclusive approach identifying the largest proportion as depressed (9.3%, n = 57), followed by the Endicott-substitutive (6.2%, n = 38), exclusive (4.6%, n = 28), and Cavanaugh-substitutive approach (1.8%, n = 11). Somatic items were significantly elevated across all four approaches. Conclusions The inclusive approach that retains use of somatic symptoms is appropriate when screening cancer patients for depression. The fact that somatic symptoms were more prevalent across approaches suggests that they may not inflate the prevalence of depression as much as some have feared. Rather, somatic items may explain variance in depressive symptoms beyond that explained by the presence of cancer and its treatment. Additionally, the Endicott items appeared useful for capturing depressive symptoms that are not included in the existing DSM criteria, and may have a place in clinical and research settings.
Regularity and the Doob-Meyer Decomposition of Abstract Quasimartingales

In this paper we shall examine the structure of abstract quasi-martingales taking their values in a Banach space E. We are especially interested in the existence of cadlag modifications and in the Doob-Meyer decomposition of such quasimartingales. The motivation of this inquiry was twofold. First, the problems concerning regularity and the Doob-Meyer decomposition of quasimartingales arose naturally in the attempt to develop a stochastic integration theory for Banach space valued processes. The development of this abstract stochastic integral was, in turn, motivated by Kunita’s theory for Hilbert space valued processes [9] and subsequent extensions, using the vector measure approach, by Pellaumail [16], Metivier and Pellaumail [14], Metivier [12] and Kussmaul [10] and [11]. Secondly, we wished to improve on the existing results on the regularity and structure of quasimartingales, as presented by the above mentioned authors.
Doing Being the Moderator: Use of “Respondent Selection” During Webinar Q&As

During an online webinar, a question and answer (QA on the other hand, the moderator is also responsible for ensuring that the interaction runs smoothly and efficiently, and that all questions are addressed in a timely manner.
Oncologist volume and outcomes in older adults diagnosed with diffuse large B cell lymphoma

BACKGROUND Although provider-level volume is frequently associated with outcomes in cancers requiring complex surgeries, whether similar relations exist for cancers treated primarily with systemic therapy is unknown. METHODS Using a population-based cohort analysis of older adults diagnosed with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) during the years 2004-2011, we evaluated the association between oncologist volume and 4 clinical outcomes (receipt of any chemotherapy, receipt of an anthracycline-containing or equivalent regimen, early hospitalization, and overall survival). Our primary explanatory variable was lymphoma treatment volume, defined as the number of patients with newly diagnosed lymphoma for which an oncologist initiated therapy during a 12-month look-back period from each incident DLBCL case. RESULTS We identified 8247 Medicare beneficiaries who were newly diagnosed with DLBCL. Chemotherapy was administered to 6202 (75.2%) beneficiaries, and 71.4% of cytotoxic regimens contained an anthracycline. Beneficiaries who were treated by higher-volume oncologists had increased odds of receiving chemotherapy (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.45; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.24-1.70; P <.001) and of receiving an anthracycline-containing regimen (aOR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.06-1.50; P = .009). Receiving care from a higher-volume provider was also associated with decreased hospitalization (aOR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.69-0.95; P = .007) and improved survival (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.79-0.92; P < .001). CONCLUSION In older adults diagnosed with DLBCL, receiving care from a provider with more experience treating lymphoma patients was associated with receipt of guideline-adherent therapy, reduced hospitalizations, and improved survival. Clinical volume may be an important factor in providing high-quality cancer care in the modern era.
Using a Telepresence Robot to Improve Self-Efficacy of People with Developmental Disabilities

People with Developmental Disabilities (DD) often rely on other people to perform basic activities such as leaving the house and accessing public spaces. This problem, exaggerated by a decrease in community engagement, has been documented to decrease their sense of self-efficacy. Telepresence robots provide a unique opportunity for people with DD to access public spaces, particularly for those who are homebound or dependent on others for using transportation or buying exhibit tickets. This research evaluates the use of telepresence robots operated by people with DD in exploring a public exhibit. This study was in partnership with Hope Services, an organization that provides skill-improving activities for people with DD. Our analysis consisted of quantitative and qualitative methods using data from semi-structured pre- and post-interviews focusing on participants' sense of physical and social self- efficacy, and well-being. Our study revealed positive trends toward showing that using telepresence can contribute to wellbeing and physical and social self-efficacy. Therefore, we believe that there is some promise for using telepresence robots to tour an exploratory space for people with DD and that it can be a viable option for those who face accessibility limitations.