cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Radiative transfer in linearly anisotropic-scattering, conservative and non-conservative slabs with reflective boundaries

Abstract The normal-mode-expansion technique is used to obtain a semi-analytical solution for the angular distribution of radiation at any optical distance within a linearly anisotropic-scattering, absorbing, emitting, non-isothermal, gray medium between two parallel reflecting boundaries. Both conservative and non-conservative cases are considered. The general problem is decomposed into simpler problems, and the net radiative heat flux is calculated to “bench mark” accuracy for these basic problems for several representative combinations of surface reflectivities and emissivities. By the superposition of these basic solutions, the net radiative heat flux can be determined for an absorbing, emitting, scattering slab with reflecting boundaries for the cases of uniform temperature and linearly varying fourth power of the temperature within the medium. Simple analytical expressions are presented for the intensity of radiation by utilizing first- and second-order approximations to the exact solution, and the accuracy of these approximations is evaluated for a variety of cases.
Revolución y paternalismo ecológico: Miguel Ángel de Quevedo y la política forestal en México, 1926-1940

This paper examines the impact of Miguel Angel de Quevedo's scientific ideas on the forest code, which determined how rural communities could use their forest resources during Cardenas' land reform. An analysis of Quevedo's thought reveals that he was worried that the communities receiving allotments of woodlands would devastate forests. Bearing this in mind, he laid out the main points of the 1926 Forest Code so that it would tightly restrain the use rural communities could make of their woods. When Cardenas named him director of the Forestry Department in 1934, Quevedo further developed his preservationist viewpoint. This work argues that, despite his “scientific paternalism”, some communities benefitted from Quevedo's legislation.
Optimization method for isodensity surface models obtained with electron microscope tomography data

Electron microscope tomography produces reconstructed biological tissue volumes containing structural data with few-nanometer spatial resolution. Frequently, surface models are constructed to visualize and analyze the structural data. These models are usually constructed to approximate the contrast boundaries of various structural components within the volume. An automatic method is presented for obtaining isodensity surface models that correspond most closely to the steepest contrast boundary at the edge of each component. We validate our method using simulated volumetric data, and demonstrate its application to a reconstructed volume obtained from the neuromuscular junction of the frog.
Selection of frothers from residual organic reagents for copper-molybdenite sulfide flotation

Abstract Evaluation of reagents to be the potential frothers for copper-molybdenite sulfide mineral flotation is systematically studied. A frother characterization methodology including, the parameters of frothing system, namely, initial dynamic frothability index (IDFI) and initial dynamic froth collapse rate (IDCR) are used in the analysis of dynamic frothability of reagent and in selection of potential frothers. Flotation tests using the reagents as frothers for copper-molybdenite sulfide mineral are conducted to determine the metallurgical performance of these potential frothers. The metallurgical performance of the flotation is also used to confirm the potential frothers selected by using the parameters of the frothing system. IDFI and IDCR can also be used in the formulation of frother mixtures from the reagents, to meet a certain desired frother property.
The Mentat Run-Time System: Support for Medium Grain Parallel Computation

The goal of Mentat is to provide easy-to-use parallelism to non computer-scientists. This paper presents the Mentat run-time system. The run-time system supports medium-grain, object-oriented computation using a data-driven computation model. Performance figures are
Dynamic stall process on a finite span model and its control via synthetic jet actuators

An experimental study of the process by which dynamic stall occurs on a finite span S809 airfoil was conducted at the Center for Flow Physics and Control at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Understanding the flow field around a dynamically pitching airfoil helped in controlling the dynamic stall process through active flow control via synthetic jet actuators. The three component, two dimensional flow fields were measured with a stereoscopic particle image velocimetry system. This study demonstrated that, through the introduction of periodic momentum near the leading edge of this model, the evolution of the dynamic stall vortex, which forms and convects downstream under dynamic conditions, could be delayed or suppressed in favor of the preservation of a trailing edge vortex that arises due to trailing edge separation and recirculation in the time averaged sense. This process seems to be the result of changing how the flow field transitions from trailing edge separation to a fully separated flow. In a phase-averaged sense, absent of flow control, this process is defined by the creation of a phase averaged leading edge recirculation region, which interacts with the trailing edge separation. Through the introduction of momentum near the leading edge, this process can be altered, such that the phase averaged trailing edge separation region is the dominant structure present in the flow. Additionally, a cursory investigation into the instantaneous flow fields was conducted, and a comparison between the phase averaged flow field and instantaneous fields demonstrated that while similar effects can be observed, there is a significant difference in the flow field observed in the instantaneous fields versus the phase averaged sense. This would imply that a different method of analyzing dynamic stall from PIV measurements may be necessary.
pckA-deficient Mycobacterium bovis BCG shows attenuated virulence in mice and in macrophages.

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) catalyses the reversible decarboxylation and phosphorylation of oxaloacetate (OAA) to form phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP). In this study, the regulation of the PEPCK-encoding gene pckA was examined through the evaluation of green fluorescent protein expression driven by the pckA promoter. The results showed that pckA was upregulated by acetate or palmitate but downregulated by glucose. Deletion of the pckA gene of Mycobacterium bovis BCG led to a reduction in the capacity of the bacteria to infect and survive in macrophages. Moreover, mice infected with ΔpckA BCG were able to reduce the bacterial load much more effectively than mice infected with the parental wild-type bacteria. This attenuated virulence was reflected in the degree of pathology, where granuloma formation was diminished both in numbers and degree. The data indicate that PEPCK activity is important during establishment of infection. Whether its role is in the gluconeogenic pathway for carbohydrate formation or in the conversion of PEP to OAA to maintain the TCA cycle remains to be determined.
Nmda alters the development of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction and nitric oxide synthetase activity in the isolated perfused rat lung.

Using an isolated salt-perfused rat lung model, the authors investigated whether N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) (1 mM) in the pulmonary circulation effects the pulmonary vascular responses to an acute stimulus of hypoxic insult under baseline, nitric oxide synthetase (NOS)-blocked conditions (N- Ω -nitro-L arginine methyl ester; L-NAME, 2 mM), and with an NMDA receptor blocker, MK-801 (0.3 μ M) added. NOS activityat baseline, and in response tohypoxia, NMDA, L-NAME, and a combination of these stimuli were also assessed. NMDA did not in itself alter hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV), but did significantly attenuate HPV during NOS blockade. This effect of NMDA was erased by MK-801. Assessment of NOS activity showed that hypoxia alone caused a doubling of NO production within the lung. This effect was erased by the addition of L-NAME. NMDA alone caused a significant, 3-fold increase in NOS activity, which was not further affected by hypoxic challenge. L-NAME did not depress NOS activity in the hypoxia + ...
Small, Dense HDL Particles Exert Potent Protection of Atherogenic LDL Against Oxidative Stress

Objectives— The relationship of the structural and functional heterogeneity of HDL particles to protection of LDL against oxidative stress is indeterminate. Methods and Results— HDL subfractions of defined physicochemical properties were isolated by density gradient ultracentrifugation from normolipidemic human serum (n=8), and their capacity to protect LDL from oxidation was evaluated. Under mild oxidative stress induced by AAPH or Cu(II), HDL subfractions (at equal cholesterol or protein concentration or equal particle number) significantly decreased LDL oxidation rate (−20% to −85%) in the propagation phase (234 nm), which was prolonged by up to 82% with decreased maximal diene formation. Antioxidative activity of HDL subfractions increased with increment in density, as follows: HDL2b Conclusions— Small, dense HDL exhibit potent antioxidant activity, which may arise from synergy in inactivation of oxidized LDL lipids by enzymatic and nonenzymatic mechanisms, in part reflecting distinct intrinsic physicochemical properties.
Information systems performance measurement and evaluation (session overview)

The importance of performance measurement and evaluation has long been recognized in the field of computer science. It is used in the analysis of existing systems, to make projections on the performance of new or modified systems, and in the design and selection of new hardware and software. The tools and methods used in performance measurement and evaluation are varied. They include such things as timings, benchmarks, simulations, analytic modeling, and both hardware and software monitors. The ones used in a given instance depend upon the goals of the investigator and the system being studied.In “Proposed Automated Information Management at NASA: Its Performance Measurement and Evaluation” Rebecca R. Bogart presents performance measurements that are being considered for use in evaluating an information system that is still in the planning stages. This system will be an automated information system for a network that includes NASA headquarters and ten NASA centers. The paper describes the goals and objectives of this system and an evaluation technique that can be used to determine how well the goals and objectives are met. The primary tools proposed are software monitors embedded in the system which will gather system performance statistics. The use of user questionnaires is planned to augment the evaluation effort.John E. Tolle used transaction log analysis and stochastic processes in the study described in his paper, “Performance Measurement and Evaluation of Online Information Systems.” Transaction logs, records of user commands and system responses, were gathered from several different online information systems and analyzed. This paper describes how desired data were obtained from these logs and how they were used in the stochastic processes. The primary objective of this study was to discover the extent to which online systems were used and to determine the patterns of user commands when conducting information searches. This information could then be used to determine how well the designs of the systems support the demands placed on them by the users.In “Workload Models for DBMS Performance Evaluation” Evans J. Adams defines a hierarchy of workload models to support performance measurement and evaluation of database management systems. Each successive layer in the hierarchy is characterized in progressively greater detail going from a user's view of the conceptual data model down to the underlying machine at the lowest level. He describes techniques for deriving the workload models at each level in the hierarchy and identifies, for each level, measurement parameters and performance metrics. This hierarchical model is proposed as a framework for constructing a DBMS performance analyst's workbench and the incorporation of the workbench into future DBMSs is suggested.
Trust and Consequences: A Survey of Berkshire Hathaway Operating Managers

For much of its history, Berkshire Hathaway has been regarded primarily as the investment vehicle of Warren Buffett rather than a bona fide corporation. However, as Berkshire Hathaway has expanded beyond its core insurance operations, more attention is being paid to the structure by which these entities are managed. Notable features of the company’s system are its decentralization, the autonomy afforded to its managers, its long-term investment horizon, and its emphasis on ethical behavior.We explore this system in greater detail, based on the results of a survey of the chief executive officers of the company’s operating subsidiaries. We ask:• How important is a “trust-based” system to the company’s results?• When is it appropriate for corporate overseers to take a hands-off approach to management, and when is greater involvement warranted?• Could elements of the Berkshire Hathaway system be adopted more broadly? When would it succeed, and when might it fail?• What actions can corporations take to extend the investment horizons of their managers?• How important is integrity to business results? What actions can corporate overseers take to extend ethical behavior throughout a company?The Stanford Closer Look series is a collection of short case studies through which we explore topics, issues, and controversies in corporate governance and executive leadership. In each study, we take a targeted look at a specific issue that is relevant to the current debate on governance and explain why it is so important. Larcker and Tayan are co-authors of the books Corporate Governance Matters and A Real Look at Real World Corporate Governance.
Mapping of architectonic subdivisions in the macaque monkey, with emphasis on parieto-occipital cortex.

The intraparietal sulcus (IPS) of the macaque monkey contains numerous areas associated with different aspects of cortical function, including motor control as well as visual, somatosensory, vestibular, and possibly auditory processing. This study focuses largely on the architectonic organization of areas within and near the IPS, but also examines remaining portions of the hemisphere with which the IPS is interconnected. We charted the location of up to 72 architectonically distinct areas plus numerous architectonic zones in individuals over a region covering most of the cortical hemisphere. Identified cortical subdivisions (areas plus zones) were represented on computationally generated flat maps in relation to gyral and sulcal geography, thereby facilitating the analysis of consistent as well as variable aspects of the sizes and relative positions of subdivisions across animals. Using myelin and Nissl stains, plus immunohistochemical staining with the SMI-32 antibody, 17 architectonic subdivisions were identified that are largely or entirely contained in the intraparietal and parieto-occipital sulci. This includes four newly identified zones: a heavily myelinated lateral occipitoparietal zone, termed LOP; a strongly SMI-32 immunoreactive zone termed 7t (near the tip of the IPS); plus medial and lateral subdivisions (VIPm and VIPl) of ventral intraparietal area (VIP), which was previously regarded as an anatomically homogeneous area. Within the superior temporal sulcus, we identified a densely myelinated zone termed the dorso-posterior subdivision of the medial superior temporal area (MSTdp) that bordered middle temporal area (MT). We charted the extent of numerous other architectonically defined subdivisions throughout the cortical hemisphere by using criteria largely based on previous studies, but in some instances involving revised or expanded identification criteria.
Dynamic Modeling of In-Use Cement Stocks in the United States

Summary A dynamic substance-flow model is developed to characterize the stocks and flows of cement utilized during the 20th century in the United States, using the generic cement life cycle as a systems boundary. The motivation for estimating historical inventories of cement stocks and flows is to provide accurate estimates of contemporary cement in-use stocks in U.S. infrastructure and future discards to relevant stakeholders in U.S. infrastructure, such as the federal and state highway administrators, departments of transportation, public and private utilities, and the construction and cement industries. Such information will assist in planning future rehabilitation projects and better life cycle management of infrastructure systems. In the present policy environment of climate negotiations, estimates of in-use cement infrastructure can provide insights about to what extent built environment can act as a carbon sink over its lifetime. The rate of addition of new stock, its composition, and the repair of existing stock are key determinants of infrastructure sustainability. Based upon a probability of failure approach, a dynamic stock and flow model was developed utilizing three statistical lifetime distributions— Weibull, gamma, and lognormal—for each cement end-use. The model-derived estimate of the “in-use” cement stocks in the United States is in the range of 4.2 to 4.4 billion metric tons (gigatonnes, Gt). This indicates that 82% to 87% of cement utilized during the last century is still in use. On a per capita basis, this is equivalent to 14.3 to 15.0 tonnes of in-use cement stock per person. The in-use cement stock per capita has doubled over the last 50 years, although the rate of growth has slowed.
Evaluation of early postoperative results after bicaval versus standard cardiac transplantation and review of the literature

Abstract Objective Previous studies have been inconsistent in defining a clinical benefit to the bicaval cardiac transplantation technique relative to the standard technique, and many major centers have not adopted this newer approach. The purpose of this study was to determine whether clinically significant benefits support utilization of the bicaval technique. Methods Sixty-eight consecutive adult patients undergoing a standard cardiac transplant were compared with 75 consecutive patients who underwent the bicaval technique during the period from 1991 to 1999. Etiology, recipient sex, recipient age, donor age, and pulmonary vascular resistance were similar between the two groups. Results Cardiac index at 24 hours after operation was increased for the bicaval group relative to the standard group (3.15 ± 0.7 vs 2.7 ± 0.5 L/min/m 2 , P P =.025) and had fewer postoperative arrhythmias (29.3% vs 47.7% [standard group], P P Conclusion This review demonstrates a clinical benefit during the early postoperative period with bicaval cardiac transplantation (relative to standard) and encourages further utilization of this technique. (Am Heart J 2000;140:717-21.)
Neoadjuvant therapy in operable breast cancer: application to triple negative breast cancer.

Systemic treatment for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC: negative for the expression of estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor and HER2 amplification) has been limited to chemotherapy options. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy induces tumor shrinkage and improves the surgical outcomes of patients with locally advanced disease and also identifies those at high risk of disease relapse despite today's standard of care. By using pathologic complete response as a surrogate endpoint, novel treatment strategies can be efficiently assessed. Tissue analysis in the neoadjuvant setting is also an important research tool for the identification of chemotherapy resistance mechanisms and new therapeutic targets. In this paper, we review data on completed and ongoing neoadjuvant clinical trials in patients with TNBC and discuss treatment controversies that face clinicians and researchers when neoadjuvant chemotherapy is employed.
Detection of trace Al in model biological tissue with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), which is an excellent tool for trace elemental analysis, was studied as a method of detecting sub-part-per-106 (ppm) concentrations of aluminum in surrogates of human tissue. Tissue was modeled using a 2% agarose gelatin doped with an Al2O3 nanoparticle suspension. A calibration curve created with standard reference samples of known Al concentrations was used to determine the limit of detection, which was less than 1 ppm. Rates of false negative and false positive detection results for a much more realistic sampling methodology were also studied, suggesting that LIBS could be a candidate for the real-time in vivo detection of metal contamination in human soft tissue.
Yield Surface Modeling

Yield Surface Modeling™ (YSM) has been used to perform multiple-response optimization for over 60 new products with high yields and first-pass successes. The approach expands on response surface modeling (RSM), using the Generation of System Moments method to forecast the mean and variance, and then the process capability index (Cpk), and yield for each response—effectively replacing the expected value of the response with the expected value of the Cpk and yield for each combination of settings of factor levels. Composite Cpk and composite yield surfaces are generated for those combinations of settings of factor levels. The method is illustrated with a case study for an integrated alternator regulator (IAR) (integrated circuit). The strengths and limitations of the approach are discussed, including the value of the sensitivity analyses that come from the use of the Generation of System Moments method. Keywords: multiple response optimization; stochastic optimization; C pk ; composite Cpk; composite yield; design optimization; critical parameters; CPM ; process capability; design capability; robust design; simulation; system moments; propagation of errors; design for six sigma; predictive engineering
Long-term wheel-running and acute 6-h advances alter glucose tolerance and insulin levels in TALLYHO/JngJ mice

Studies have shown a relationship between circadian rhythm disruptions and type-2 diabetes. This investigation examined the effects of circadian disruption (6-h phase advances) on the progression of diabetes in a type-2 diabetic mouse model -TALLYHO/JngJ - and whether wheel-running can alleviate the effects of the phase advances. 6-h advances alter fasting glucose, glucose tolerance and insulin production. Wheel-running reduced body mass, improved glucose tolerance and reduced insulin in TALLYHO/JngJ and alleviated some of the changes in diabetic symptoms due to 6-h advances. These results indicate that individuals with type-2 diabetes can benefit from physical activity and exercise can be a countermeasure to offset the effects of an acute phase advance.
On the Use and Abuse of Standard for Law: Global Governance and Offshore Financial Centers

Current trends in international legal scholarship have shifted from a paradigm of state actors working within recognized sources of international law to one that includes networks of domestic regulators that develop and implement best practices or standards on a global basis. The new paradigm can be seen in operation in the efforts by onshore jurisdictions (most of which are financial centers themselves) to restrict the activities of offshore financial centers. Onshore jurisdictions enlisted these regulatory networks, as well as key international organizations, such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the International Monetary Fund, to advance new standards for income taxation, prudential regulation, and money laundering in offshore centers. By 2005, offshore centers’ compliance with financial, regulatory, and money laundering standards was largely complete, while there was less success with income tax standards. The current financial crisis, however, has spurred renewed efforts, particularly with respect to the latter. An analysis of this experience suggests that the new paradigm should view regulatory networks in the context of a complex system of states and international organizations that possess the qualities of such regulatory networks. A system of global governance that includes both regulatory networks and these international organizations advances fairness and objectivity and, in particular, may protect weak states from the coercive power of the stronger.
Fusion Power Plant Economics

The rationale, methodology, and updated comparative results of cost projections for magnetic-fusion-energy central-station electric power plants are considered. Changing market and regulatory conditions, particularly in the U.S., prompt fundamental reconsideration of what constitutes a competitive future energy-source technology and has implications for the direction and emphasis of appropriate near-term research and development programs, for fusion and other advanced generation systems. 36 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs.
NUMERICAL STUDY OF THE RELATIVISTIC INFLUENCE ON THE ANGULAR DISTRIBUTION OF A PARTICLE FROM A STATISTICAL-MODEL THREE-BODY DECAY.

With the conservation of energy, momentum and angular momentum in a statistical model or a three-body decay, we show that the shape of the angular distribution of one particle is connected to the energy of the reaction.
The New American Gang? Gangs in Indian Country

Gangs remain a problem across the country. American Indian communities started to see increased gang activity in the 1990s. Despite this, there is little information on American Indian gangs in the...
Interaction of detergents with cytochrome c oxidase

The binding of ionic and nonionic, nondenaturing detergents to cytochrome c oxidase has been examined. All bind and displace part but not all of the phospholipid that is associated with the enzyme after isolation. From 6 to 10 phospholipid molecules, depending on the detergent used, do not exchange and these are mostly diphosphatidylglycerol molecules as first shown by Awasthi et al. ((1971) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 226, 42). The binding of Triton X-100 and deoxycholate to the cytochrome c oxidase complex has been studied in detail. Both bind to the enzyme above their critical micelle concentrations: Triton X-100 in the amount of 180 +/- 10 molecules per complex and deoxycholate in the amount of 80 +/- 4 molecules per complex. In nonionic detergents, cytochrome c oxidase exists as a dimer (4 heme complex). The enzyme is dissociated into the monomer or heme aa3 complex by delipidation in bile salts. Activity measurements in different detergents suggest that cytochrome c oxidase requires a flexible, hydrophobic environment for maximal activity and that the dimer or 4 heme complex may be the active species.
Optical coherency matrix tomography.

The coherence of an optical beam having multiple degrees of freedom (DoFs) is described by a coherency matrix G spanning these DoFs. This optical coherency matrix has not been measured in its entirety to date—even in the simplest case of two binary DoFs where G is a 4 × 4 matrix. We establish a methodical yet versatile approach—optical coherency matrix tomography—for reconstructing G that exploits the analogy between this problem in classical optics and that of tomographically reconstructing the density matrix associated with multipartite quantum states in quantum information science. Here G is reconstructed from a minimal set of linearly independent measurements, each a cascade of projective measurements for each DoF. We report the first experimental measurements of the 4 × 4 coherency matrix G associated with an electromagnetic beam in which polarization and a spatial DoF are relevant, ranging from the traditional two-point Young’s double slit to spatial parity and orbital angular momentum modes.
Denying the Obvious: Four Extreme Cases of Neglected Tumors

Background:Little is known about the relatively common phenomenon of patients neglecting tumors as part of a denial mechanism to presumably cope with the obvious, outward and clearly visible signs of cancer. As a result of this tumor neglect, disease progression continues unchecked, resulting in exc
Assessing and Treating American Indian and Alaska Native People

This chapter begins with a discussion of general factors with a potential impact on the assessment and treatment of American Indian and Alaska Native people (AI/ANs). The history of AI/ANs is briefly summarized and followed by a description of the unique demographic, socioeconomic, and health characteristics of the population. Some common cultural values among AI/ANs are then outlined. The chapter concludes with a shift to specific recommendations and guidelines to aid clinicians in accurately assessing and successfully working with AI/ANs.
The Control of Casein Kinase II Activity and Protein Phosphorylation in the Brain of ManducaSexta by Polyamines

The cationic, aliphatic polyamines are essential for normal cell function. Intracellular levels of the polyamines putrescine, spermidine and spermine become elevated during rapid cell growth and division and have been shown to influence macromolecular syntheses. In non-neural tissues, they appear to govern the phosphorylation of proteins catalyzed by casein kinase II, a cAMP and Ca2+ independent-protein kinase which prefers acidic protein substrates (Hathaway and Traugh, 1982). Within the vertebrate nervous system, polyamine metabolism, distribution, and roles in neurotransmitter release have been examined. However, no information exists regarding the polyamines in insect neural tissue. Further, the putative polyamine regulation of protein phosphorylation in the nervous system of any animal species has been virtually unexplored. The study of the control of neural protein phosphorylation is regarded as critical to an understanding of the mechanisms of neuronal function (Nestler and Greengard, 1984). Therefore, we have studied the effects which the polyamines exert upon protein phosphorylation in cytosolic fractions from the day 1 pupal brain of Manduca. We have characterized both the endogenous protein substrates, as well as a protein kinase which support polyamine directed protein phosphorylation in the brain of Manduca.
A Novel Assay for Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia Based on Aberrant Signaling Networks Measured Via Phospho-Specific Flow Cytometry Reduces Diagnosis Time from Weeks to Days.

Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) is an aggressive clonal malignancy characterized by over-production of myeloid lineage cells that infiltrate hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic tissues. The diagnosis and treatment of JMML can present great challenges for clinicians. Infants or young children are suspected of having this disease when presenting with hepatosplenomegaly and a peripheral blood monocytosis - criteria that are often present in more prevalent but potentially less lethal conditions such as viral infections. The diagnostic workup includes several clinical tests as well as the confirmation of abnormal numbers of granulocyte-macrophage colony forming units (CFU-GM) grown in low concentrations of granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). The colony assays are laborious and can take up to 4–6 weeks for results. Using phospho-specific flow cytometry, a technique that allows simultaneous single cell measurements of cell type and signal, we have developed an assay that shows a specific cell signature in JMML patients that can reduce diagnosis time from weeks to days. The assay combines traditional surface marker phenotyping with signaling responses in low doses of GM-CSF to identify a population of CD38 intermediate cells that hyper-phosphorylate Stat 5 (pStat5). We applied this assay to primary cells obtained from 10 JMML patients and demonstrate that the cell signature is specific to JMML with respect to a wide panel of other diagnoses. For comparison purposes, we developed a statistical measure to summarize the signature and monitor its expression across varying doses of GM-CSF. The measure also ensures consistency by eliminating the need for additional manual data processing steps (e.g. gating) prior to comparison—an important step towards developing a diagnostic tool. In addition, this characteristic phospho-specific flow signature disappeared in patient samples in remission and reappeared at relapse—indicating that the signature may indeed be representative of the malignant population in JMML. Further characterization of these cells is ongoing. We conclude that phospho-specific flow cytometry is a robust methodology that can be used in primary human cells as a method to rapidly diagnosis JMML as well as to follow patients on therapy. Importantly, it is a powerful technical tool that will allow improved understanding of the complex signaling pathways that are perturbed in cancer cells.
Detecting malicious logins in enterprise networks using visualization

Enterprise networks have been a frequent target of data breaches and sabotage. In a widely used method, attackers establish a foothold in the target network by compromising a single computer or account. They then move laterally between computers to access valuable resources and information located deeper inside the network. To move laterally, attackers often steal valid user credentials. This paper is based on the observation that an attackers' pattern of access characteristics of the stolen credentials in the form of deviates from benign patterns and can be used to detect malicious logins. In this paper, we present APT-Hunter1, a visualization tool that helps security analysts to explore login data for discovering patterns and detecting malicious logins. To evaluate the proposed system, a pilot study was conducted over an open dataset of more than one billion logins of an enterprise network, provided by Los Alamos National Lab (LANL). Using APT-Hunter, security analysts (unfamiliar with the dataset) were able to detect 349 of 749 malicious logins related to lateral movements performed by a Red Team during a penetration test conducted at LANL. APT-Hunter is currently deployed in a global financial company and helps security analysts detect account compromises.
Minimal access necrosectomy: the newest advance of many in the treatment of necrotising pancreatitis

This study by van Brunschott and international colleagues1 has shown that when possible in high-risk patients with severe acute necrotising pancreatitis, a minimal access approach for drainage combined with a necrosectomy, either via an operative (ie, laparoscopic like) or an endoscopic transgastric or transduodenal approach, decreases mortality of this horrible disease when compared with the classic open operation (laparotomy). These data are convincing and support the use of such minimal access approaches whenever feasible. This study reviews the data on another huge advance in our treatment and understanding of this horrific disease. In this commentary, I want to use this study as an example of the marked changes in our thinking of pancreatitis over the last 40 years. Our current approach to the treatment of necrotising pancreatitis really had its origin in the 1970s with the introduction of the new concept of an operative ‘necrosectomy’ rather than just peripancreatic drainage which at that time was designed to remove the bad humours believed to be the cause of the systemic aspects of the disease. Through the pioneering work of Beger and colleagues2 in Ulm, Germany and that of Bradley (and Stone) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA,3 a new era emerged with our thinking of this systemic inflammatory disease originating from endogenous pancreatic parenchymal necrosis and later, its superinfection. Indeed, the introduction of the importance of removing the infected necrotic tissues (necrosectomy) combined with drainage of the peripancreatic region immediately decreased the mortality of this disease …
Abstract TP383: Creating Educational Modules for Family Caregivers to Reduce Potentially Preventable Hospitalizations in Stroke Survivors

Background and Issues: Preventable hospitalization utilization among stroke survivors is common. Although about 1/3 of potentially preventable hospitalizations are attributed to recurrent ischemic stroke, other comorbidities that lead to hospitalization are prevalent and need to be monitored. Timely and appropriate care for community-dwelling stroke survivors is critical. Since family caregivers provide the majority of care in the home, support and education of caregivers is essential to monitoring comorbid conditions. Purpose: This project’s aim was to develop brief educational modules on common comorbid conditions (e.g. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, gastroenteritis); have family caregivers and nurse practitioners (NPs) review the content for validity; and then construct 8-10 minute voice-over PowerPoint presentations for each module. Methods: Based on evidence from randomized controlled trials, these modules were developed to provide caregivers with needed information to competently care for stroke survivors. Each module was concisely written at an 8th grade reading level and consists of: 1) a short introduction to the topic and key points; 2) what caregivers can do to alleviate the condition, should watch for, and should report to healthcare providers; 3) linked websites for more information and references; and 4) a four-question assessment about what they learned. Results: Once developed, these modules were evaluated by family caregiver (n=10) and NP (n=5) reviewers. The caregivers thought that the modules were appropriate in length to facilitate easy reading and understanding. The NPs noted that some content needed to be added, such as additional websites and drug information, but overall believed the modules contained supportive resources for caregivers. To provide an alternate learning modality, audio-presentations that highlight pertinent information for each module were then constructed. Conclusions: Registered nurses are well-suited to assess, teach, and support family caregivers. These modules are appropriate for inclusion in web-based or in-person education/support for these caregivers.
Considering the Lives of Microbes in Microbial Communities.

ABSTRACT Over the last decades, sequencing technologies have transformed our ability to investigate the composition and functional capacity of microbial communities. Even so, critical questions remain about these complex systems that cannot be addressed by the bulk, community-averaged data typically provided by sequencing methods. In this Perspective, I propose that future advances in microbiome research will emerge from considering “the lives of microbes”: we need to create methods to explicitly interrogate how microbes exist and interact in native-setting-like microenvironments. This approach includes developing approaches that expose the phenotypic heterogeneity of microbes; exploring the effects of coculture cues on cellular differentiation and metabolite production; and designing visualization systems that capture features of native microbial environments while permitting the nondestructive observation of microbial interactions over space and time with single-cell resolution.
Vertical Light Sheet Enhanced Side-View Imaging for AFM Cell Mechanics Studies

The ability to measure dynamic structural changes within a cell under applied load is essential for developing more accurate models of cell mechanics and mechanotransduction. Atomic force microscopy is a powerful tool for evaluating cell mechanics, but the dominant applied forces and sample strains are in the vertical direction, perpendicular to the imaging plane of standard fluorescence imaging. Here we report on a combined sideways imaging and vertical light sheet illumination system integrated with AFM. Our system enables high frame rate, low background imaging of subcellular structural dynamics in the vertical plane synchronized with AFM force data. Using our system for cell compression measurements, we correlated stiffening features in the force indentation data with onset of nuclear deformation revealed in the imaging data. In adhesion studies we were able to correlate detailed features in the force data during adhesive release events with strain at the membrane and within the nucleus.
Adapting the Advocate Health Care Taxonomy of Chaplaincy for a Pediatric Hospital Context: A Pilot Study

There is increasing pressure to provide an evidence base for chaplaincy with children and young people. This is an underresearched area, and current evidence is often anecdotal. Advocate Health Care in Chicago (funded by the Templeton Foundation working in partnership with the Health Care Chaplaincy Network) developed a 100-item taxonomy that was the starting point for a wider international initiative in developing a taxonomy for use in health care chaplaincy. The team at Birmingham Children's Hospital is part of this wider project and have sought to adapt and develop the original taxonomy for use in a specialist pediatric hospital. The Advocate structure of intended effect (why chaplains do what they do), method (what they do), and intervention (how they do it) was adapted by adding items generated from the chaplaincy team's research, writing, and experience. A total of 80 taxonomy charts were collected from 12 chaplaincy team members representing three world faiths. Quantitative data from the chart were analyzed and summarized. The findings were subsequently reviewed by the research team and a revised version of the taxonomy was produced based on the frequency of use of the additional items.
Abstract TP220: Volume of White Matter Disease Prior to Ischemic Stroke may Predict Outcome

Background: White matter disease (WMD) and microhemorrhages (MH) present at the time of stroke have been linked to outcome, yet few have investigated changes in the time leading up to stroke. Magne...
An experimental study of food melt rheology

The shear viscosity of commercial maize grits, potato powder and a low density polyethylene has been measured under a range of extrusion processing conditions using an extruder-fed slit die viscometer and a capillary rheometer. The results show the strong dependence of the viscosity of food melts on the processing history undergone during extrusion. To this end, the shear viscosity data for the food materials have been fitted to relationships including the effects of temperature, shear rate and moisture. The effect of the shear processing history on the viscosity has been represented by a power-law relationship with extruder screw speed.
Abstract 4257: Integrated network analysis reveals potentially novel molecular pathways mechanism and therapeutic targets of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal human cancers and shows insensitivity towards many chemotherapeutic drugs and target-based drugs. There is an urgently need to identify PDAC disease mechanism and detect novelty drug targets. With the large availability of protein interaction networks and microarray data supported, to identify the disease essential genes that have biological significance for potential drug targets is a challenge issue still. Methods: In this study, protein interaction network PathPPI, DrugBank targets and 374 transcriptome profiles from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) by Affymetrix HU 133 Plus 2.0 array test are collected. These microarray data includes 140 PDAC, 92 pancreatic cancer cell-line, 58 human normal pancreas tissues, and 72 patient original xenograft mouse. Based on these datasets, a novelty-integrated algorithm was developed for drug target prioritization by perturbed gene expression and network information. The integration network included data driven reconstruction network of gene regulatory (GRN) by Bayesian Network and protein interaction PathPPI network. The perturbed gene expression was refer to the differential expression genes of tumor verse adjacent normal. A novel hybrid method based on genetic algorithm (GA) is proposed to search the attractor with the maximum network perturbation for candidate drug targets in PDAC.These targets’ molecular mechanism was revealed further by network structure comparison of PDAC that is consistent with xerograph mouse model and cancer cells. Results: Highly accordance 56 genes with high perturbation score both in mRNAs and protein-protein network were identified and recommended as candidate drug targets for PDAC, including 16 novel targets, such as PSMD2, EPOR and PSMB9. Fifty-four essential genes shown strong concordance among tumor-model, patient drive xenograft mouse and pancreatic cancer cell-line by systematically comparison. We identified 1375 dysregulated genes that enriched in 25 pathways in PDAC by Gene Set Enrichment Analysis, among which 244 genes played as hubs in reconstructed PDAC regulatory network. Conclusion: In the study, we developed a global optimization-based inference of network perturbation to detect attractor for drug-target identification in PDAC tumors. The assembling Bayesian Network-based approach with protein-protein interaction provides a comprehensive information to observe energy transfer of gene perturbation in network to detect global optimum attractor for drug target selection. Citation Format: Lijun Cheng, Enze Liu, Li Lang, Xiaolin Cheng, Xiaotian Kong, Korc Murray. Integrated network analysis reveals potentially novel molecular pathways mechanism and therapeutic targets of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4257.
Open Compass: Accelerating the Adoption of AI in Open Research

Artificial intelligence (AI) has immense potential spanning research and industry. AI applications abound and are expanding rapidly, yet the methods, performance, and understanding of AI are in their infancy. Researchers face vexing issues such as how to improve performance, transferability, reliability, comprehensibility, and how better to train AI models with only limited data. Future progress depends on advances in hardware accelerators, software frameworks, system and architectures, and creating cross-cutting expertise between scientific and AI domains. Open Compass is an exploratory research project to conduct academic pilot studies on an advanced engineering testbed for artificial intelligence, the Compass Lab, culminating in the development and publication of best practices for the benefit of the broad scientific community. Open Compass includes the development of an ontology to describe the complex range of existing and emerging AI hardware technologies and the identification of benchmark problems that represent different challenges in training deep learning models. These benchmarks are then used to execute experiments in alternative advanced hardware solution architectures. Here we present the methodology of Open Compass and some preliminary results on analyzing the effects of different GPU types, memory, and topologies for popular deep learning models applicable to image processing.
Short-Answer Questions from Past FANZCA and FRCA Examinations

Listed below are the pediatric anesthesia short-answer questions that have been recently asked in the Australasian and UK Fellowship exams at the time of printing. The questions are listed in the chronological order in which they were set.