cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
TH‐C‐J‐6B‐07: Intra‐Fractional and Inter/Intra‐Field Organ Motion and a Proposal for a New Patient Set‐Up Protocol

Purpose: Current set‐up protocols for prostate patients with gold markers receiving EBRT use orthogonal portal images acquired prior to treatment to position the patient. Times between image acquisition and treatment delivery for different gantry angles range from one to seven minutes, even longer for IMRT. During this time the prostate can shift from its corrected position. Method and Materials: An a‐Si flat panel EPID was used to acquire pre‐treatment portal images for positioning purposes. The panel was also used in fluoroscopic mode, acquisition rate of 3.5 frames/second, during treatment delivery. Movies of treatment delivery, 10–70 frames/movie, were acquired. Intra‐fractional and inter‐/intra‐field (between treatment delivery/during treatment delivery) organ motion was evaluated. Results: To date 83 of 125 days of treatment data have been processed. Initial results indicate that intra‐fractional/intra‐field organ motion is rare, only 4% of days exhibit marker center‐of‐mass moves greater than 2 mm. Intra‐fractional/inter‐field motion greater than 2 mm does however occur for a significant portion of treatment days, 31% of the processed population, appearing to occur during 45–90 second intervals. Qualitative analysis indicates that a large portion of prostate shifts occur due to gas in the colon and/or rectum. Respiration does not seem to be a significant cause of prostate motion. Voluntary global patient motion appears to contribute slightly to organ motion. Conclusion: The prostate is fairly stable for time periods comparable to treatment delivery times, yet is less stable for longer times. A new setup protocol is proposed utilizing a step‐and‐shoot method of treatment. The method of patient positioning would acquire a portal image, adjust the patient based on the image and then treat that single field. This process would be repeated for each gantry angle until treatment is completely delivered, thus reducing the time between portal image acquisition and treatment delivery for a particular gantry angle.
Unconditioned Superstition and Sports Bar Fans

This study investigates whether inducing a superstitious belief in a consumer by suggesting a relationship between the consumer’s purchase behavior and a specified outcome could influence consumer behavior. It also examines the moderating role of preconsumption mood in processing the information. Using information processing theory as a framework, hypotheses were developed using hypothetical scenarios and surveys. Our results demonstrated that participants in the positive mood condition reported higher expectations for the team’s performance, more positive attitude, and stronger intent to purchase when the ads contained the superstition cue, whereas participants in the negative mood condition did not. These results expand the literature on superstitious consumer behavior by demonstrating that companies can not only address superstitions that consumers already hold, but can also induce superstitious beliefs in customers. By doing so, managers and marketers may be able to positively influence consumers’ att...
Site of synthesis and phylogenetic distribution of a hemolymph trophic factor of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta.

Identification of fith instar larvalManduca sexta fat body and epidermis as sites of synthesis of a hemolymph protein (hemolymph trophic factor or HTF) was achieved using in vitro3H-leucine incorporation into protein and subsequent immunoprecipitation of tissue homogenates. Fat body is the primary site of HTF synthesis with a maximal rate on Day 1; epidermis is a secondary site with peak synthesis on Day 0. In vitro radiolabelling followed by TCA precipitation of general protein of fat body and epidermal homogenates suggest that fat body actively elaborates protein on Days 0–5 with peak rates on Days 1 and 4, while epidermis is active on Days 0–5 with a peak rate on Day 3. Based on Anti-HTF ELISA estimates, HTF [500 to 1000 µg/ml] was found in the hemolymph of representatives of the insect orders Blattodea, Hemiptera, Orthoptera, and Lepidoptera and in the class Crustacea, but not in the class Merostomata. These studies suggest a possible fundamental role for HTF among modern arthropods in cuticular deposition involving both epidermis and fat body. The physiological role of HTF is undetermined.
Breaking the heartland: creating the precariat in the US lower rust belt

This article uses the context of the struggle over antiunion legislation in Indiana to explore the decomposition of the New Deal working class, and the emergence of a more precarious class of workers in the lower rust belt of the United States Midwest. Through an examination of workers in three economic sectors in Southern Indiana (consumer durables, mineral extraction, and light or high-tech manufacturing), the article traces the historical processes by which wageworkers in this region have been dispossessed of workplace rights and security, and how worker power has diminished. This decline of worker’s rights and labor market security has brought about the composition of a new, more precarious class of workers. The emergence of this precariat is changing the political, social, and cultural landscape of the region of the country long known as the ‘heartland’.
Requirements for Calcium and Calmodulin in the Calmodulin Kinase Activation Cascade

We have previously purified and cloned rat brain Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase (CaM-KK), and the 68-kDa recombinant CaM-KK activates in vitro both CaM-kinase IV (CaM-K IV) and CaM-K I (Tokumitsu, H., Enslen, H., and Soderling, T. R. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 19320-19324). In the present study we have determined that activation of CaM-K IV through phosphorylation of Thr196 by CaM-KK is triggered by elevated intracellular Ca2+ in intact cells and requires binding of Ca2+/CaM to both enzymes. An expressed fragment of CaM-K IV (CaM-K IV178-246), which contains the activating phosphorylation site (Thr196) but not the autoinhibitory domain or the CaM-binding domain, still required Ca2+/CaM for phosphorylation by wild-type CaM-KK. A truncated mutant of CaM-KK (CaM-KK1-434) phosphorylated CaM-K IV178-246 in a Ca2+/CaM-independent manner, but this constitutively active CaM-KK1 434 required Ca2+/CaM for phosphorylation and activation of wild-type CaM-K IV. These results demonstrate that binding of Ca2+/CaM to both CaM-K IV and CaM-KK is required for the CaM-kinase cascade. Both CaM-KK and CaM-K IV appear to have similar Ca2+/CaM requirements with EC50 values of approximately 100 nM. Studies using co-expression of CaM-K IV with CaM-KK in COS-7 cells demonstrated that CaM-KK rapidly activated both total and Ca2+/CaM-independent activities of wild-type CaM-K IV, but not the Thr196 --> Ala mutant, upon ionomycin stimulation.
Simulations using patient data to evaluate systematic errors that may occur in 4D treatment planning: a proof of concept study.

Purpose: The purpose of this work is to present a framework to evaluate the accuracy of four-dimensional treatment planning in external beam radiation therapy using measured patient data and digital phantoms. Methods: To accomplish this, 4D digital phantoms of two model patients were created using measured patient lung tumor positions. These phantoms were used to simulate a four-dimensional computed tomography image set, which in turn was used to create a 4D Monte Carlo (4DMC) treatment plan. The 4DMC plan was evaluated by simulating the delivery of the treatment plan over approximately 5 min of tumor motion measured from the same patient on a different day. Unique phantoms accounting for the patient position (tumor position and thorax position) at 2 s intervals were used to represent the model patients on the day of treatment delivery and the delivered dose to the tumor was determined using Monte Carlo simulations. Results: For Patient 1, the tumor was adequately covered with 95.2% of the tumor receiving the prescribed dose. For Patient 2, the tumor was not adequately covered and only 74.3% of the tumor received the prescribed dose. Conclusions: This study presents a framework to evaluate 4D treatment planning methods and demonstrates a potential limitation of 4D treatment planning methods. When systematic errors are present, including when the imaging study used for treatment planning does not represent all potential tumor locations during therapy, the treatment planning methods may not adequately predict the dose to the tumor. This is the first example of a simulation study based on patient tumor trajectories where systematic errors that occur due to an inaccurate estimate of tumor motion are evaluated.
Mammalian adenylosuccinate synthetase. Nucleotide monophosphate substrates and inhibitors.

Abstract A spectrophotometric assay was developed to investigate the substrate and inhibitor specificity of adenylosuccinate synthetase (IMP: l -aspartate ligase (GDP-forming), EC 6.3.4.4) from rabbit muscle. Ten analogs of inosine 5′monophosphate (IMP) were studied. Only three of these analogs were substrates of this enzyme. The substrates, listed in order of their substrate efficiency ( V K m ) relative to IMP (100), are: 2′-dIMP (61); β- d -arabinosylIMP (8.8); 6methoxypurine nucleotide (approx. 0.9). While the non-substrate analogs of IMP were weak inhibitors of this enzyme, GMP and four of its analogs had Ki values ranging from 30 to 80 μM. The GMP analogs (8-azaGMP, 7-deaza-8-azaGMP, 2′-dGMP and β- d -arabinosyl GMP) and GMP were competitive inhibitors with respect to GTP.
Doxycycline-tricalcium phosphate composite graft facilitates osseous healing in advanced periodontal furcation defects

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of a tricalcium phosphate, plaster of paris, and doxycycline composite graft to surgical debridement alone in the treatment of Class II and Class III furcation defects. Fifteen patients with adult periodontitis and at least two mandibular molars with Class II or III furcation defects were selected. A total of 40 sites were treated: 26 were Class II defects and 14 were Class III. Following initial therapy one site was randomly selected to receive the composite graft while the remaining site served as the surgically debrided control. Osseous healing was evaluated by direct measurements from an acrylic stent at the time of graft surgery and at the 6-month reentry. Following surgery each patient was placed on doxycycline 100mg/day for 10 days. The absence of clinical inflammation and infection during the healing process provided additional substantiation of the biocompatibility of the grafting materials. Results after 6 months indicated that sites treated with the composite graft had improved defect fill, defect resolution, probing depths, and clinical attachment levels when compared to the surgically debrided controls. Defect fill was 3.7 times greater in grafted sites and these sites were 4.0 times more likely to have 50% or greater defect fill. The effect of grafting was more pronounced in Class III defects where horizontal defect fill and gain of clinical attachment was achieved only in grafted sites. The plaster of paris functioned well as a binder, preventing particle scatter and facilitating graft retention. Additionally the plaster served as a vehicle to carry and retain the doxycycline at the treated site. These short-term results point to the potential of a composite graft containing tricalcium phosphate, plaster of paris, and doxycycline in promoting healing of furcation lesions.
Comprehensive analysis and optimization of CMOS neural amplifiers for wireless recording implants

Neural amplifiers play a critical role in the bandwidth, power consumption, noise performance and area of wireless neural recording systems. This paper presents comprehensive analysis of neural amplifier design to optimize these performance characteristics. Amplifier architectures and feedback structures are analyzed to identify the best choice for implantable neural recording applications. Bandwidth and phase margin requirements are analyzed to identify an optimization path through relaxing phase margin requirements. To optimize the noise performance and circuit area, noise capacitive matching is applied to optimize the size of neural amplifier capacitors. Following the optimization guidelines identified in this paper, noise efficiency and a figure of merit for neural amplifiers were effectively improved.
Effect of modular head seating on the cement-stem interface strength of femoral prostheses

This study tested the hypothesis that modular head seating in situ reduces the cement-stem interfacial strength. Femoral prostheses were implanted in eight pairs of cadaveric femurs; one femur of each pair received a stem for which the modular head was seated by dropping a weight from a given height (treated); the contralateral femur received a nonseated stem (control). Transverse sections were cut from four standardized locations on each implanted femur, and the yield shear stress and ultimate shear stress of the interface were determined from push-out tests. There was no significant difference in cement-stem interfacial strength between seated and nonseated prostheses. These results suggest that seating modular heads in situ has no deleterious effect on the acute interfacial strength of cemented femoral implants.
Measuring intermediate outcomes of violence prevention programs targeting African-American male youth: an exploratory assessment of the psychometric properties of six psychosocial measures

This study examined the psychometric properties of six psychosocial measures that may be useful indicators of intermediate outcomes of violence prevention programs targeting African-American male youth. Baseline and 6 month follow-up survey data are used from 223 African-American male 12-16 year olds participating in a violence prevention program evaluation study. The constructs of interest are beliefs supporting aggression, aggressive conflict-resolution style, hostility, ethnic identity, self-esteem and hopelessness. Each construct is measured as a multi-item scale. Exploratory factor analysis results provided limited support for the unidimensionality of these scales, thus suggesting that further scale development is warranted. Reliability coefficients for the scales ranged from 0.55 to 0.80. Bivariate analyses with baseline data indicate that all six measures have construct and criterion-related validity, as they are associated with each other and with four behavioral criteria in the expected directions. Predictive validity was also demonstrated for beliefs supporting aggression, aggressive conflict-resolution style, hostility and hopelessness which were associated with weapon-carrying behaviors measured in the 6 month follow-up survey both before and after controlling for corresponding behaviors measured in the baseline survey. Language: en
Isolation and perfusion of rat inner medullary vasa recta

Outer medullary isolated descending vasa recta have proven to be experimentally tractable, and consequently much has been learned about outer medullary vasa recta endothelial transport, pericyte co...
Hydrogen Peroxide Sensitivity of Catechol-2,3-Dioxygenase: a Cautionary Note on Use of xylE Reporter Fusions under Aerobic Conditions

Catechol-2,3-dioxygenase (C23O) of Pseudomonas putida, encoded by the xylE gene, was found to be sensitive to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) when used as a reporter in gene fusion constructs. Exposure of Pseudomonas aeruginosa katA or katA katB mutants harboring katA -o rkatB-lacZ (encoding b-galactosidase) or -xylE fusion plasmids to H2O2 stimulated b-galactosidase activity, while there was little or no detectable C23O activity in these strains. More than 95% of C23O activity was lost after a 5-min exposure to equimolar H2O2, while a 10,000-fold excess was required for similar inhibition of b-galactosidase. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectra of the nitrosyl complexes of C23O showed that H2O2 nearly stoichiometrically oxidized the essential active-site ferrous ion, thus accounting for the loss of activity. Our results suggest using caution in interpreting data derived from xylE reporter fusions under aerobic conditions, especially where oxidative stress is present or when catalase-deficient strains are used.
Development of a Transient CFD Model of an SI Fuel Injector

As the use of fuel injection in spark ignition engines has increased, continuous refinements in the design of fuel injectors are needed in order to obtain lower engine emissions and increased performance. In this endeavor, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been used as a means of gaining an understanding of the flow through the injector, and also as a valuable tool in the design process. Most CFD models constructed to study injector flow utilize the standard k-e turbulence model and perform steady state calculations with the fuel injector needle held in a fixed position. The objectives of this research were to determine the appropriate turbulence model for this flow situation and the accuracy of using a steady state analysis to simulate the transient flow in an operational fuel injector. An evaluation of three turbulence models was performed. The standard k-e, along with the Renormalisation Group (RNG) and the Chen modifications of the k-e scheme were used to obtain steady state flow results for a fuel injector in the fully open position. Star-CD was used to perform the simulations of two fuel injectors containing Ford compound nozzles, which are specifically designed to generate turbulent flow just upstream of the injector exit. This comparison resulted in the determination of an appropriate turbulence model, which was then used in a transient CFD simulation of the injector. In addition to the transient simulation, which modeled the opening and closing processes, four steady state simulations were performed at different needle lift positions. The results obtained from these steady state simulations were compared to those from the transient simulation at the same needle lift positions. In all cases, the flow properties used for the comparisons were the fluid velocity, the turbulent kinetic energy, and the turbulent dissipation in the nozzle exit plane. This location was chosen because of its influence on the spray dispersion and droplet size distribution produced by the injector. From the turbulence model study it was determined that the Renormalisation group and Chen’s modifications schemes were preferred over the standard k-e scheme for predicting the turbulent flow properties. Comparisons between the transient and steady state simulation results clearly illustrated that the rapid movement of the pintle needle during the opening and closing processes greatly influences the flow at the injector exit. From these observations, it was determined that a fuel injector can operate entirely within the transient mode. Therefore, it was concluded that a transient simulation is the preferred method to use for injector analysis.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Multichannel texture image segmentation using local feature fitting based variational active contours

We study an efficient texture image segmentation model for multichannel images using a local feature fitting based active contours scheme. Using a chromaticity-brightness decomposition, we propose a flexible segmentation approach using multi-channel texture and intensity in a globally convex continuous optimization framework. We make use of local feature histogram based weights with the smoothed gradients from the brightness channel and localized fitting for the chromaticity channels. A fast numerical implementation is described using an efficient dual minimization formulation and experimental results on synthetic and real color images indicate the superior performance of the proposed method compared to related approaches. The novel contributions include the use of local feature density functions in the context of a luminance-chromaticity decomposition combined with a globally convex active contour variational method to capture texture variations for image segmentation.
UV‐B‐INDUCED INCREASE IN SPECIFIC LEAF WEIGHT OF CUCUMBER AS A CONSEQUENCE OF INCREASED STARCH CONTENT

Specific leaf weight (SLW), the ratio of leaf dry matter to area, often increases in plants exposed to elevated UV-B radiation (280-3 15 nm). Increased SLW can result from greater leaf thickness or increased leaf density (e.g. accumulation of high density substances in cells). The basis for large increases in SLW was examined in the first and third leaves of cucumber differing in developmental stage at the start of UV treatment. Leaf 1 was approximately 50% fully expanded, while leaf 3 had just unfolded. It is shown here that up to 80% of the UV-generated change in SLW in leaf 1 was caused by accumulation of nonstructural carbohydrates, especially starch (increasing from 13 to 23% of total dry weight). Leaf 3 contained a much smaller proportion of nonstructural carbohydrates (less than 8%) and the effect on SLW was correspondingly less. As shown in the previous paper, UV-B inhibition of growth in leaf 3 was reversed by supplemental blue light (BL) in a fluence-dependent manner between 0.23 to 2.68 rnol m-* per day. Ruence-response curves revealed that supplemental BL reversed both the UV-induced accumulation of starch and increase in SLW in leaf 1 over the same range. The data are consistent with a back-up of photosynthate into leaf 1 as a result of UV-B inhibition of growth in leaf 3. The data also demonstrate that increases in SLW cannot be assumed to represent increases in leaf thickness.
Effects of Rare Earths on the Austenite Recrystallization Behavior in X80 Pipeline Steel

In order to improve the effects of rare earths (RE) as microalloy on the recrystallization behavior in the high strength micro-alloyed steel, the X80 pipeline steels with different RE content were produced with a vacuum induction furnace, a series of hot torsion tests were performed under a range of deformation conditions, and the stress-strain curves were analyzed. The results showed that trace RE would improve the austenite recrystallization behavior. The activation energy of deformation and static recrystallization of the austenite in the X80 pipeline steel without RE additions were respectively 393 and 366 kJ/mol. When the RE addition was 0.0025 wt.%, the activation energy of deformation and static recrystallization were reduced by 33 and 29 kJ/mol respectively. But when the RE addition was increased to 0.0220 wt.%, RE would significantly inhibit the dynamic recrystallization of the austenite, the activation energy of deformation would be increased by 35 kJ/mol, but the activation energy of static recrystallization would reduce by 15 kJ/mol.
KSHV: forgotten but not gone.

Thirty years ago, Kaposi sarcoma (KS) arose as a prominent manifestation of the AIDS epidemic. Seventeen years ago we discovered the virus that causes KS, 1 Kaposi sarcoma–associated herpesvirus (KSHV), and within a year KSHV had been also shown to be the likely cause of AIDS-associated primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) 2 and most cases of multicentric Castleman disease (MCD). 3
Merkel cell carcinoma of the Bartholin's gland.

Abstract Background. There are a few cases of "small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma" of the Bartholin's gland as well as Merkel cell carcinoma of the vulva reported in the gynecologic oncology literature, most with aggressive clinical behavior. Merkel cells were originally described in the epidermis with neuroendocrine properties. Merkel cell carcinoma is different from the neuroendocrine small cell (oat cell) tumor arising in the lung and other internal organs based on morphology and immunohistochemistry. Case. A 49-year-old female was diagnosed with a FIGO stage I Merkel cell carcinoma of the Bartholin's gland. The tumor originated from the duct and stained with endocrine markers and cytokeratin 7 and 20. She was treated with radical wide local excision and bilateral inguinal lymph node dissection followed by radiation therapy to the pelvis, perineum, vulva, and inguinal regions. Two years after the diagnosis, she is alive with no evidence of recurrent disease. Conclusion. This is a case of Merkel cell carcinoma of the Bartholin's gland discovered in the early stage with a survival of 2 years following diagnosis and treatment with no evidence of disease recurrence.
Coding of Sound-Source Location by Ensembles of Cortical Neurons

We examined the coding of sound-source location by ensembles of neurons in the auditory cortex. Broadband noise bursts were presented from loudspeakers throughout 360° in the horizontal plane. Sound levels varied from 20 to 40 dB above neural thresholds. We recorded temporal spike patterns simultaneously at 16 recording sites in area A2 of α-chloralose-anesthetized cats. Spike patterns of individual units varied in spike counts and in spike timing as a function of sound-source location. Ensembles of up to 19 units recorded simultaneously demonstrated additional location sensitivity in the form of relative spike counts and relative spike timing among neurons. We used an artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm to recognize ensemble spike patterns and, thereby, to infer the locations of sound sources. The ANN could estimate stimulus locations based on ensemble responses to single-stimulus presentations. Median errors (MEs) averaged 49.2 ± 11.9° (mean ± SD; n = 34; chance level, 90°). The ANN maintained better-than-chance performance even when input spike patterns were expressed as relative spike counts across units (i.e., no information available from absolute spike counts of individual units; ME, 63.0 ± 11.8°) or when spike latencies were represented as time relative to the first spike for each trial (i.e., no external time reference available; ME, 54.3 ± 12.4°). The ANN performance improved monotonically as the sizes of ensemble patterns were increased by combining patterns across the entire unit sample. The performance by ensembles of 128 units approached the level of localization performance of behaving cats.
Ultrastructure of altered hepatocytes induced by diethylnitrosamine (DENA).

Administration of diethylnitrosamine I.P. at dose level of 2 mg/kg five days a week to young Sprague-Dawley rats induced foci of altered hepatocytes entirely devoid of glucose-6-phosphatase and adenosine triphosphatase activity. Several weeks later, these foci developed hepatocellular carcinoma mostly of the trabecular type. Although these "preneoplastic" altered cells appeared as normal hepatocytes when examined in HE-sections, they were found to exhibit sites of dedifferentiation with ultrastructural features of hepatoma cells. Early morphological changes indicative of neoplastic transformation took place first as excessive storage of glycogen then as marked alterations at the surface membranes of such cells. Striking increase in coated pinocytotic vesicles appeared along the apposing cell membranes associated with loss of sinusoidal microvilli, protrusion of cytoplasmic blebs in the intercellular spaces, reduction or loss of desmosomes and obliteration of bile canaliculi. Subsequent changes were seen as dilation and disruption of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER), dispersal of ribosomes, proliferation and clustering of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER), predominance of annulate lamellae, depletion of glycogen, enlargement of the Golgi cisterns and segregation of nucleolar elements. After 20 weeks, rats given DENA at a dose level of 25 mg/kg twice a week developed pronounced cirrhotic nodules in addition to multiple hepatocellular carcinoma. In contrast to the neoplastic nodules, the cirrhotic ones retained normal activity of glucose-6-phosphatase and adenosine triphosphatase and exhibited ultrastructural features typical of normal hepatocytes.
Is Economic Integration the Solution to African Development

In the African continent, several regional initiatives have been launched or executed. These gave rise to several groupings including COMESA consisting of 19 countries, ECOWAS (15 countries), ECCAS (10 countries), and SADC with 15 countries. These groupings are not exclusive in that several countries belong to more than one regional group. The road to full integration clearly begins with a regional arrangement. The many groupings in Africa had the long term goal of creating an all inclusive African Economic Union. The objective is to promote the African continent’s economic growth, political stability, and good governance. The paper examines the effectiveness of some of these regional grouping in the context of an all-inclusive African club with the aid of the club model. Using data for the period 1986–2005, costs and benefits of membership are evaluated using the gravity Model. The Helpman’s size dispersion index is used to identify a potential anchor for a regional grouping.
A Method of Inferring Single-Path Band Transmission Factors from Double-Path Measurements

Assuming rectilinear propagation in a linearly stratified medium, a method of estimating single-path band transmission factors from double-path measurements is described. Precise analytical bounds for the uncertainty in the estimates are derived.
Confused Thought and Modes of Presentation

Ruth Millikan has long argued that the phenomenon of confused thought requires us to abandon certain traditional programmes for mental semantics. On the one hand she argues that confused thought involves confused concepts, and on the other that Fregean senses, or modes of presentation, cannot be useful in theorizing about minds capable of confused thinking. I argue that while we might accept that concepts can be confused, we have no reason to abandon modes of presentation. Making sense of confused thought requires recognizing modes of presentation.
CoEnzyme Q10 and riboflavin: the mitochondrial connection.

Objective.— We conducted a short review of relevant literature which contends that migraine is associated with a wide-spread metabolic abnormality of mitochondrial oxidative metabolism, leading to the use of riboflavin and coenzyme Q10 as prophylactic therapy for migraine. Background.— Riboflavin and coenzyme Q10 supplementation has been recommended widely as safe and effective prophylactic therapy for migraine. The background neurophysiological studies that led to the development of this therapy, which are extremely complex, deserve wider distribution. Methods.— A brief review of the relevant literature was conducted and summarized. Results.— Brain energy metabolism in migraine has been found to be abnormal in all types of migraine, making the migrainous brain hyper-responsive to many stimuli. The metabolic abnormalities are more severe in the more-severe types of migraine, such as hemiplegic migraine and migrainous stroke, but they are present both during and between attacks. The metabolic abnormality in migraine extends beyond the brain to platelets and muscles, as proven by techniques of biochemistry, muscle morphology, and nuclear magnetic spectroscopy. There are strong similarities between migraine and certain inborn errors of metabolism, the metabolic encephalomyopathies, in which patients suffer genetic abnormalities in mitochondrial energy production to produce lactic acidosis, stroke, and migraine headaches. The theory of migraine as a mitochondrial disorder seems to have abundant evidence. However, aside from the genetic abnormalities discovered for the familial hemiplegic migraines, molecular genetic studies in migraine have been negative until recently, when whole genome sequencing has now reported positive results. Conclusion.— Arising from these extensive neurophysiological studies, the treatment of metabolic encephalomyopathies with pharmacological doses of riboflavin and coenzyme Q10 has shown positive benefits. The same treatment has now been applied to migraine, adding clinical support to the theory that migraine is a mitochondrial disorder.
High-resolution satellite-based cloud-coupled estimates of total downwelling surface radiation for hydrologic modelling applications.

Abstract. A relatively simple satellite-based radiation model yielding high-resolution (in space and time) downwelling longwave and shortwave radiative fluxes at the Earth's surface is presented. The primary aim of the approach is to provide a basis for deriving physically consistent forcing fields for distributed hydrologic models using satellite-based remote sensing data. The physically-based downwelling radiation model utilises satellite inputs from both geostationary and polar-orbiting platforms and requires only satellite-based inputs except that of a climatological lookup table derived from a regional climate model. Comparison against ground-based measurements over a 14-month simulation period in the Southern Great Plains of the United States demonstrates the ability to reproduce radiative fluxes at a spatial resolution of 4 km and a temporal resolution of 1 h with good accuracy during all-sky conditions. For hourly fluxes, a mean difference of −2 W m−2 with a root mean square difference of 21 W m−2 was found for the longwave fluxes whereas a mean difference of −7 W m−2 with a root mean square difference of 29 W m−2 was found for the shortwave fluxes. Additionally, comparison against advanced downwelling longwave and solar insolation products during all-sky conditions showed comparable uncertainty in the longwave estimates and reduced uncertainty in the shortwave estimates. The relatively simple form of the model enables future usage in ensemble-based applications including data assimilation frameworks in order to explicitly account for input uncertainties while providing the potential for conditioning estimates from other readily available products derived from more sophisticated retrieval algorithms.
The influence of risk perception on biosafety level-2 laboratory workers' hand-to-face contact behaviors.

Pathogen transmission in the laboratory is thought to occur primarily through inhalation of infectious aerosols or by direct contact with mucous membranes on the face. While significant research has focused on controlling inhalation exposures, little has been written about hand contamination and subsequent hand-to-face contact (HFC) transmission. HFC may present a significant risk to workers in biosafety level-2 (BSL-2) laboratories where there is typically no barrier between the workers’ hands and face. The purpose of this study was to measure the frequency and location of HFC among BSL-2 workers, and to identify psychosocial factors that influence the behavior. Research workers (N = 93) from 21 BSL-2 laboratories consented to participate in the study. Two study personnel measured workers’ HFC behaviors by direct observation during activities related to cell culture maintenance, cell infection, virus harvesting, reagent and media preparation, and tissue processing. Following observations, a survey measur...
A Study on multiple arbitrary-power interferers with unequal path gains in cooperative communication

This paper extends the study of cochannel interference and its effect on cooperative communication networks. We consider an arbitrary number of equal and unequal power interferers along with thermal noise corrupting an M-ary phase-shift keying signal generated by a source and an arbitrary number of cooperating relays. In addition to previous works, each interferer may have unequal path powers appearing at the destination, representing varying amounts of interference cancellation performed at the relays. Such analysis aids in the design and focus of interference cancellation in a cooperative network.
Bias field controlled phasing of ferrimagnetic coaxial nonlinear transmission lines

Coaxial Ferrimagnetic Nonlinear Transmission Lines (NLTL) are utilized as all solid state High Power Microwave (HPM) sources with virtually fixed phase relationship between input voltage pulse and output rf wave. Since the output power of a single NLTL at a given frequency, and of a given size, is limited by the effect of line dimensions as well as charge voltage on operating frequency, we employ an NLTL array to achieve higher power levels. To operate in microwave generation mode the ferrite domains are aligned along the axial direction of the NLTL using a biasing magnetic field generated by a dc current driven solenoid. This biasing method also provides a means of controlling the line delay by adjusting the magnetization of the ferrites using an auxiliary delay coil. By utilizing the delay coil and the primary biasing coil together on an NLTL, the operating frequency can be locked at a given frequency while the delay of the line can be independently adjusted. The relationship between the delay coil field and the corresponding temporal delay is investigated, and two NLTLs fed by identical voltage pulse shapes are combined using the phase control method described.
Critical Behaviour in Scalar Field Collapse

I present an account of the discovery of critical behaviour in spherically-symmetric general-relativistic collapse of a scalar field, φ. Using an adaptive mesh-refinement algorithm in conjunction with finite-difference techniques, I have studied the non-linear evolution of parameterized initial configurations φ(r, 0; p), where a critical parameter value, p = p*, generically demarcates the transition from spacetimes which do not contain a final black hole to spacetimes which do. The near critical regime, p ≈ p*, is characterized by a variety of non-linear phenomena including exponential sensitivity to initial conditions, scale-periodicity, and universal power-law dependence of black hole mass on parameter-space displacement |p − p*|.
An Electronic Medical Record Report Improves Identification of Hospitalized Patients With Heart Failure

Abstract Background Early identification of inpatients with heart failure (HF) may help to reduce readmissions. We found that many patients identified by our coding team as having a primary diagnosis of HF were not identified by our clinical team. We hypothesized that an electronic medical record (EMR)–based report would improve identification of hospitalized patients eventually diagnosed with HF. Methods and Results We constructed an automated EMR-based tool to allow our team to identify patients with HF more quickly and accurately. We selected criteria that could potentially identify the cohort as patients with an exacerbation of HF. We performed monthly reconciliations, comparing the list of patients identified by our coding team as having a primary diagnosis of HF versus the patients identified by our team as having HF. We reduced a baseline 17% discrepancy of patients coded as HF but not identified by our team to 9.5% in the year after implementation of our screening tool ( P = .006), and to 5.4% in the next year ( P = .03); 56% of patients that were identified as having HF by our CNS team were coded as having HF, versus 49% in the 2 years after implementation ( P = .15). Thirty-day readmission rates to our hospital decreased from 16% to 11% ( P = .029). Conclusions An EMR-based approach significantly improved identification of patients discharged with a primary diagnosis of HF. Future investigations should determine whether early identification of inpatients with HF can independently lower readmissions, and whether this strategy can successfully identify outpatients with HF.
Impact of pituitary suppression on antral follicle count and oocyte recovery after ovarian stimulation

Objective To investigate the potential influence of short-term pituitary suppression on antral follicle count (AFC) and correlate the AFC with the number of oocytes retrieved after ovarian stimulation. Design Retrospective study. Setting University fertility center. Patient(s) A total of 1,479 infertile patients. Intervention(s) Patients had baseline AFC, when they were not on any medications known to cause pituitary suppression, and follow-up AFC (suppressed AFC) while on E 2 , GnRH agonist (GnRH-a), oral contraceptive (OC) pills, or OC pills/GnRH-a in preparation for ovarian stimulation, performed within 6 months of initial baseline AFC. Main Outcome Measure(s) The AFC at baseline, AFC during pituitary suppression, and the number of oocytes retrieved. Result(s) Although there was an average unadjusted decline of 0.4, 0.9, 2.2, and 3.0 in AFC while patients were on E 2 , GnRH-a, OC pills, and OC pills/GnRH-a, respectively, this decline was driven by age, baseline AFC, and the hormones used. Although baseline and suppressed AFC were found to be good predictors of the number of oocytes retrieved after ovarian stimulation, statistically, suppressed AFC was found to be a marginally better predictor. Conclusion(s) Short-term pituitary suppression has a negative impact on AFC. This decline in AFC may influence the number of oocytes retrieved, suggesting the suppressive impact of exogenous hormones on the biological capacity of the ovary during stimulation.
Time in biological systems

Biology is the keystone discipline in the bridge between the reversible time of microscopic physics and the diverse temporal phenomena of psychological experience. Biological systems are characterized by a range of time parameters that differ qualitatively and quantitatively from the underlying physical time. This paper will focus on two important examples of biological times: a macroscopic, statistical time that emerges from a simple model of species competing for limited resources, and a logarithmic time scale governing the aging process in humans. Each of these main examples is presented at two levels: in summary verbal form for readers who prefer to avoid mathematical details, and then more precisely using mathematical language. Some concluding speculations examine the potential significance of logarithmic time scales for the process of ontogeny.
The reduction of genetic diversity in threatened vertebrates and new recommendations regarding IUCN conservation rankings

Genetic diversity is necessary for evolutionary response to changing environmental conditions such as those facing many threatened and endangered species. To investigate the relationship between genetic diversity and conservation status, we conducted a systematic, quantitative review of vertebrate microsatellite data published since 1990: we screened 5165 previously published articles and identified 1941 microsatellite datasets spanning 17,988 loci that characterized wild populations distributed among five vertebrate classes. We analyzed these data in the context of conservation by comparing empirical estimates of heterozygosity and allelic richness between threatened and non-threatened species. We found that both heterozygosity and allelic richness are reduced in threatened species, suggesting that inbreeding and drift are both effective at removing genetic diversity in endangered populations. We then considered the criteria typically used to rank species of conservation concern (including declining population size, species range extent, and the number of mature individuals) to determine which of these criteria are most effective at identifying genetically depauperate species. However, we found that the existing criteria failed to systematically identify populations with low genetic diversity. To rectify this, we suggest a novel approach for identifying species of conservation need by estimating the expected loss of genetic diversity. We then evaluated the efficacy of our new approach and found that it performs significantly better than the existing methods for identifying species that merit conservation concern in part because of reduced genetic diversity.
Augmenting Interactive Evolution with Multi-objective Optimization

Deceptive fitness landscapes are a growing concern for the field of evolutionary computation. Recent work has demonstrated that incorporating human insights with short-term automated evolution has a synergistic effect that eases deception and accelerates the discovery of solutions. While human evaluators provide rich insight into a domain, they fatigue easily. Previous work reduced the number of human evaluations by evolving a diverse set of candidates via intermittent searches for novelty. While successful at evolving solutions for a deceptive maze domain, it lacked the ability to measure solution qualities that the human evaluator implicitly identified as important. The key insights of this paper are that multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) foster diversity and that the non-dominated set can serve as a surrogate for novelty while measuring user preferences data. This new approach, called Pareto Optimality-Assisted Interactive Evolutionary Computation (POA-IEC), leverages human intuitions by allowing users to identify candidates in the non-dominated set that they feel are promising. Interestingly, the experimental results demonstrate that POA-IEC finds solutions in significantly fewer evaluations than previous approaches, and that the non-dominated set contains significantly more novel behaviors than the dominated set. In this way, POA-IEC simultaneously leverages human insights while quantifying their preferences.
Does Training in Table Creation Enhance Table Interpretation? A Quasi-Experimental Study With Follow-Up

This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Teaching of Psychology. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Teaching of Psychology, 2016. 43(2): 126-130. DOI: 10.1177/0098628316636286.
Culex tarsalis: Sequential Sampling as a Means of Estimating Populations in California Rice Fields

Data from 5 sampling cycles on 16 rice fields in Fresno County, California, were fit to a series of negative binomial distributions with common k = 0.096. Although k increased significantly with higher counts, the increase was not sufficient to cause any important difference in sequential sampling plans from those based on the overall value. Lower elevations produced markedly higher capture rates both between and within paddies but this was not consistent for all fields. Thus, it is important to sample at various elevations within a field before accepting or rejecting mosquito control treatment. We present 3 alternative strategies for which treatment decisions are based on accumulating the larvae and pupae found in a given field, one sample at a time, until the total falls above or below prescribed limits.
Carcinoid tumors. A study of 204 cases.

This study is based on a review of 204 cases of carcinoid tumors diagnosed at Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases during a period of 20 years (1950–1969). The carcinoids were divided into two major groups, deeply invasive and superficially invasive, based on their primary presentation; metastatic and nonmetastatic, according to follow-up information. When the primary tumor was invasive 85 per cent of the tumors metastasized and 65 per cent of the patients died of disease. On the other hand, less than one per cent of the superficially invasive carcinoids metastasized or caused death of the patient. Patients who had welldocumented hepatic and osseous metastases, significandy elevated urinary 5-HIAA, and carcinoid syndrome did not survive longer than one year, on the average.