cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
BIDIRECTIONAL ELECTRICAL COUPLING BETWEEN INSPIRATORY MOTONEURONS IN THE NEWBORN MOUSE NUCLEUS AMBIGUUS

Some spinal and brain stem motoneurons are electrically coupled in the early postnatal period. To test whether respiratory motoneurons in the brain stem are electrically coupled, we performed single and dual whole cell patch recordings from presumptive motoneurons in the nucleus ambiguus in a rhythmically active brain stem slice from newborn mice. Two of eight (25%) biocytin-injected neurons showed dye-coupling and 4 of 11 (36%) of intracellularly recorded pairs of neurons showed evidence of bidirectional electrical coupling. Impulse activity in one cell elicited small spikelets in the other and hyperpolarization of one cell led to hyperpolarization of the other with a coupling ratio (DeltaV2:DeltaV1) of 0.03-0.14. We conclude that inspiratory ambiguus motoneurons in the newborn mouse brain stem are bidirectionally electrically coupled, which may serve to transmit or coordinate signals, chemical or electrical.
Desiccated Syntrichia ruralis shoots regenerate after 20 years in the herbarium

The longest record for a moss withstanding continuous desiccation is 19 years. This report demonstrates that a herbarium specimen of Syntrichia ruralis (Hedw.) F.Weber & D.Mohr from southern Nevada, USA, has retained its viability for 20 years and 3 months. Fifty-eight shoots of a herbarium specimen collected in 1995 were cleaned and placed into culture using locally collected and sterilized sand. These shoots were kept hydrated and examined daily for 28 days for signs of regeneration. Five sets of three additional shoots from the herbarium specimen were assessed for chlorophyll fluorescence at intervals from 30 min to 8 days post-rehydration. About two-thirds of the shoots were viable: producing regenerative protonemata or shoots directly from the original shoots or leaves, with shoot apices not resuming growth despite most regeneration occurring towards the apex of shoots. Chlorophyll fluorescence measurements were similar to those of dead or severely compromised plant tissues over the first 48 h post-r...
Phase Field Methods

The phase-field method to modeling microstructure evolution in materials is introduced in this chapter. It can be employed to model, understand, and predict complex material behaviors at meso-scale (on the order of nano- to micro-meter size), and it covers application-relevant time scales (on the order of seconds to years). Coarse-grained from the underlying atomic-level physics, it is an established approach to fill the length-scale gap between atomic/electronic scale calculations and the macroscopic continuum method, ignoring the underlying material’s inhomogeneity. Employing energy functionals and nonlinear partial differential equations, the general formulation of phase-field models is outlined. Several applications of the phase-field model are presented.
TPN (I): A Review and Two Interactions

This case discusses an interaction between ceftriaxone and total parenteral nutrition (TPN) minerals, resulting in line precipitation, and a pharmacodynamic interaction between TPN solution and a nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking agent. Other implications of the use of TPN in the perioperative period are reviewed.
Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer

Randomized controlled trials provide evidence-driven clinical decision making in the management of newly diagnosed nonmetastatic and oligometastatic prostate cancer. Advances in technology (eg, multiparametric MRI, MR/transrectal ultrasound fusion biopsy, image-guided radiation therapy, stereotactic body radiation therapy) have transformed diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer while improving cancer control and quality-of-life outcomes. Exciting breakthroughs are revealing possible new indications for radiotherapy, particularly with respect to oligometastatic prostate cancer. Ongoing studies using next-generation androgen receptor-targeted agents hold promise to continue to improve important clinical outcomes, including metastasis-free prostate cancer-specific and overall survival in addition to health-related quality of life.
Mitochondrial DNA Restriction Endonuclease Patterns of Sorghums at Various Ploidy Levels

Mitochondrial DNA from Sorghum versicolor (2n=10), Sorghum bicolor race bicolor (2n=20), and Sorghum halepense (2n=40) was digested with an endonuclease
Off-grid microgrid development for the village of Katumbi in Tanzania

Power Africa is an initiative launched by US President Barack Obama in July 2013 to bring power to unelectrified communities in Sub-Saharan Africa. We developed a power system model of the rural village of Katumbi, Tanzania. Utilizing RTDS, a cutting edge technology for power system simulation, we built and verified a microgrid based on real data from Katumbi. The microgrid is powered by distributed energy resources such as a solar panel farm, wind turbines, and thermal generation. The control capabilities of the microgrid are reactive power support, fault voltage ride through, load shedding, and voltage unbalance. Simulation shows the microgrid is able to withstand a variety of disturbances, and is built for a population and geographic expansion of Katumbi due to the numerous benefits that electrification provides rural communities. The microgrid allows for the addition of community resources such as a hospital, freezers to store the catch of fishermen, a school, and a tower for wireless communication within the community. These will bring economic, social, and health benefits to this rural, impoverished community.
Predicting discontinuation of docetaxel treatment for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) with random forest

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in developed countries. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the standard treatment for prostate cancer. However, approximately one third of all patients with metastatic disease treated with ADT develop resistance to ADT. This condition is called metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Patients who do not respond to hormone therapy are often treated with a chemotherapy drug called docetaxel. Sub-challenge 2 of the Prostate Cancer DREAM Challenge aims to improve the prediction of whether a patient with mCRPC would discontinue docetaxel treatment due to adverse effects. Specifically, a dataset containing three distinct clinical studies of patients with mCRPC treated with docetaxel was provided. We applied the k-nearest neighbor method for missing data imputation, the hill climbing algorithm and random forest importance for feature selection, and the random forest algorithm for classification. We also empirically studied the performance of many classification algorithms, including support vector machines and neural networks. Additionally, we found using random forest importance for feature selection provided slightly better results than the more computationally expensive method of hill climbing.
Phase space manipulations for optimization of an inverse free electron laser

Abstract The Inverse Free Electron Laser (IFEL) has developed into a mature advanced accelerator with the ability to produce mono energetic high brightness beams accelerated at gradients beyond those of conventional RF technology. By copropagating a relativistic electron beam and a high power laser in a strongly tapered undulator, resonant energy exchange can be maintained over large distances. To optimize the number of electrons accelerated in an IFEL, one must prepare the initial electron beam phase space such that a majority of particles are injected at the accelerating phase of the ponderomotive potential. We present a scheme for optimization of the Rubicon IFEL accelerator trapping by preparing the initial electron beam phase space. Utilizing two cascaded modulator-chicane pre-bunchers simulations predict 95% capture of the injected electron beam.
Cigarette Smoking and Subtypes of Uncontrolled Blood Pressure Among Diagnosed Hypertensive Patients: Paradoxical Associations and Implications.

Background Isolated uncontrolled systolic blood pressure (SBP), uncontrolled systolic-diastolic blood pressure (BP), and isolated uncontrolled diastolic blood pressure (DBP) are subtypes of uncontrolled BP. The associations of smoking with uncontrolled BP subtypes among diagnosed hypertensive patients are unknown. Methods Seven thousand eight hundred twenty-nine subjects aged 18 years or over with diagnosed hypertension were selected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey with stratified multistage clustered sampling design. Weighted logistic regressions were conducted to estimate odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of uncontrolled BP subtypes related to smoking status. Weighted multiple regression models were used to examine the association of smoking with levels of SBP, DBP, and pulse pressure. Results The average age of the study sample was 60.3 ± 0.3 years. 54.2% ± 0.7% were females. Compared to nonsmokers, current smokers were 22% less likely to have uncontrolled BP (OR: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.64-0.94, P = 0.01), and 21% less likely to have isolated uncontrolled SBP (OR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.64-0.97, P = 0.02). Average DBP was 1.5 mm Hg lower (95% CI: -2.8 to -0.2 mm Hg, P = 0.02) in current smokers than in nonsmokers. Average DBP was 0.9 mm Hg lower (95% CI: -1.7 to -0.03 mm Hg, P = 0.04) in former smokers than in nonsmokers. Current smoking and former smoking were not associated with risk of uncontrolled systolic-diastolic BP and isolated uncontrolled DBP. Conclusions Paradoxical associations between current smoking and SBP, uncontrolled BP and isolated uncontrolled SBP were shown among hypertensive patients. The explanation for these associations is currently unknown. No cause-effect relationships should be assumed.
Smart Manufacturing: Characteristics and Technologies

The purpose of this paper is to collect and structure the various features of Smart Manufacturing (SM). Researchers have previously identified various characteristics and technologies of Smart Manufacturing System (SMS); this paper collects, discusses and merges some of those characteristics and technologies available in the current body of knowledge. In the future, it is expected that this selection of characteristics and technologies will help to compare and distinguish other initiatives like Industry 4.0, smart factory, intelligent manufacturing, distributive manufacturing, etc. which are frequently used synonymous with SM. The result of this paper is a comprehensive list of characteristics and technologies that are associated with a SMS. As many of the listed items show variating overlaps, certain technologies and characteristics are merged and clustered. This results in a set of five defining characteristics and ten technologies that are considered relevant for a SMS. The authors hope to provide a basis for a broad and interdisciplinary discussion within the SM community about the defining technologies and characteristics of a SMS.
Beyond the High Efficiency Video Coding standard: an overview

This paper presents advancements on the state of the art High Efficiency Video Coding Standard (HEVC), in the context of the Joint Exploration Model (JEM). This model is still under development from the ITU and promises significant improvements in the Rate Distortion Performance of HEVC through an assortment of coding tools. These tools are presented in algorithmic detail and comparisons between HEVC and JEM are drawn.
Bitcoins, Blockchains and Cybersecurity: Teaching Emerging Technologies in the Classroom (Abstract Only)

This lightning talk describes the current effort to distill the essence of the growth of bitcoins, blockchains and their implications to cybersecurity. Crypto currencies are becoming popular with banks, consumers and various industries. There is a need for consumers to understand the basic underlying technology behind these crypto currencies and the underlying security risks and concerns. This talk provides a broad overview of the topic and the benefits/risks involved. This talk also describes how these topics are integrated into a classroom curriculum in a standard business and accounting course found in many universities.
A phase II study of chemotherapy and immune checkpoint blockade with pembrolizumab in the perioperative and maintenance treatment of locoregional gastric or GE junction adenocarcinoma.

TPS197Background: Gastric cancer is a prevalent worldwide disease for which surgical resection alone is insufficient to cure the majority of localized patients. Peri-operative chemotherapy is a sta...
Occupant kinematics of the Hybrid III, THOR-M, and postmortem human surrogates under various restraint conditions in full-scale frontal sled tests.

Objective: The objective of this research was to compare the occupant kinematics of the Hybrid III (HIII), THOR-M, and postmortem human surrogates (PMHS) during full-scale frontal sled tests under ...
Physical Chemistry and Biological Strategy of Antigen Recognition

In attempting to understand the molecular and cellular events involved in the recognition of antigen by the immune system, one encounters a fascinating mixture of physical chemistry, and biological strategy. Here we describe briefly how two classical techniques of physical chemistry, fluorescence spectroscopy, and NMR can be used to study certain aspects of some central processes in immunology: the recognition of antigen by antibodies on B cells, the MHC restricted recognition of processed antigen by T (helper) cells, and (T-cell)-(B-cell) collaboration.
Finding Structure in Sets with Little Smoothness

There is an interesting tension between the topology of a space and the distribution of its ‘mass’, and this tension is captured roughly by two principles.
Contrasting local and long-range-transported warm ice-nucleating particles during an atmospheric river in coastal California, USA

Abstract. Ice-nucleating particles (INPs) have been found to influence the amount, phase and efficiency of precipitation from winter storms, including atmospheric rivers. Warm INPs, those that initiate freezing at temperatures warmer than −10 ∘ C, are thought to be particularly impactful because they can create primary ice in mixed-phase clouds, enhancing precipitation efficiency. The dominant sources of warm INPs during atmospheric rivers, the role of meteorology in modulating transport and injection of warm INPs into atmospheric river clouds, and the impact of warm INPs on mixed-phase cloud properties are not well-understood. In this case study, time-resolved precipitation samples were collected during an atmospheric river in northern California, USA, during winter 2016. Precipitation samples were collected at two sites, one coastal and one inland, which are separated by about 35 km. The sites are sufficiently close that air mass sources during this storm were almost identical, but the inland site was exposed to terrestrial sources of warm INPs while the coastal site was not. Warm INPs were more numerous in precipitation at the inland site by an order of magnitude. Using FLEXPART (FLEXible PARTicle dispersion model) dispersion modeling and radar-derived cloud vertical structure, we detected influence from terrestrial INP sources at the inland site but did not find clear evidence of marine warm INPs at either site. We episodically detected warm INPs from long-range-transported sources at both sites. By extending the FLEXPART modeling using a meteorological reanalysis, we demonstrate that long-range-transported warm INPs were observed only when the upper tropospheric jet provided transport to cloud tops. Using radar-derived hydrometeor classifications, we demonstrate that hydrometeors over the terrestrially influenced inland site were more likely to be in the ice phase for cloud temperatures between 0 and −10 ∘ C. We thus conclude that terrestrial and long-range-transported aerosol were important sources of warm INPs during this atmospheric river. Meteorological details such as transport mechanism and cloud structure were important in determining (i) warm INP source and injection temperature and (ii) ultimately the impact of warm INPs on mixed-phase cloud properties.
Machine-learning for biopharmaceutical batch process monitoring with limited data

Abstract Commercial biopharmaceutical manufacturing comprises of multiple distinct processing steps that require effective and efficient monitoring of many variables simultaneously in real-time. This article addresses the problem of real-time statistical batch process monitoring (BPM) for biopharmaceutical processes with limited production history; herein, referred to as the ‘Low-N’ problem. In this article, we propose an approach to transition from a Low-N scenario to a Large-N scenario by generating an arbitrarily large number of in silico batch data sets. The proposed method is a combination of hardware exploitation and algorithm development. To this effect, we propose a Bayesian non-parametric approach to model a batch process, and then use probabilistic programming to generate an arbitrarily large number of dynamic in silico campaign data sets. The efficacy of the proposed solution is elucidated on an industrial process.
Chemotherapeutic Drug Delivery and Quantitative Analysis of Proliferation, Apoptosis, and Migration in a Tissue-Engineered Three-Dimensional Microvessel Model of the Tumor Microenvironment

Numerous approaches have been employed to improve the efficacy of drug and gene delivery systems, but their strategic development is hindered by a lack of mechanistic understanding and assessment of drug transport and action. Optimizing the efficiency of a drug delivery system requires a detailed understanding of the pharmacokinetics, transendothelial transport, distribution at the tumor site, and uptake in target cells. Elucidating transport kinetics and rate-limiting steps in animal models can be extremely challenging, while in vitro platforms often fail to recapitulate the complexities of drug transport in vivo. To recapitulate the critical aspects of delivery of anticancer agents, we have developed a 3D tissue-engineered microvessel model of the tumor microenvironment. Our model consists of single MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells embedded within a collagen matrix that surrounds a perfusable cylindrical microvessel lined with human endothelial cells. Here we compare transport and action of free doxorubicin and Doxil, a liposomal formulation of doxorubicin. We show that the mode of drug delivery influences uptake in the vessel endothelium and tumor cells. Through quantification of endothelial and tumor cell proliferation, apoptosis, and motility, we profile the kinetics of drug action with mechanisms of drug transport across the vessel lumen and into the surrounding matrix. Our model can be customized to mimic specific tumor microenvironments and disease states within a physiologically relevant microfluidic platform and provides a basis for characterizing and optimizing drug delivery systems.
Pursuing Diversity and Inclusion in Technical Services

This article is based on the opening keynote address of the 27th annual North Carolina Serials Conference. It discusses principles and practices of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the conte...
Vitamin D genes influence MS relapses in children.

Objective:The aim of this study was to determine whether a vitamin D genetic risk score (vitDGRS) is associated with 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) level and multiple sclerosis (MS) relapses in chil...
Reply to Loisel et al.: Soil in climate mitigation and adaptation.

We thank Loisel et al. (1) for their response to our article (2), which questions the ability of soil C sequestration to be the negative emissions strategy that has been widely advocated (ref. 3 and https://www.4p1000.org/). Loisel et al. acknowledge this but suggest we did not adequately articulate additional benefits. While this was not our focus, we did indeed acknowledge soil management as a climate adaptation strategy. Loisel et al.’s letter (1) illuminates the chasm that exists between scientific conceptions of problems and the paths to their solutions (if they have one). Soil scientists have rolled both climate mitigation and adaption into a call for soil C sequestration. These … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: earthy{at}berkeley.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Richter Transformation: Experience of 204 Patients From a Single Center

The natural history, prognostication and optimal treatment of Richter transformation developed from chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are not well defined. We report the clinical characteristics and outcomes of a large series of biopsy-confirmed Richter transformation (diffuse large B-cell lymphoma or high grade B-cell lymphoma, n=204) cases diagnosed from 1993 to 2018. After a median follow up of 67.0 months, the median overall survival (OS) was 12.0 months. Patients who received no prior treatment for CLL had significantly better OS (median 46.3 vs. 7.8 months; P<0.001). Patients with elevated lactate dehydrogenase (median 6.2 vs. 39.9 months; P<0.0001) or TP53 disruption (median 8.3 vs. 12.8 months; P=0.046) had worse OS than those without. Immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region gene mutation, cell of origin, Myc/Bcl-2 double expression and MYC/BCL2/BCL6 double-/triple-hit status were not associated with OS. In multivariable Cox regression, elevated lactate dehydrogenase [Hazard ratio (HR) 2.3, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.3-4.1; P=0.01], prior CLL treatment (HR 2.0, 95%CI: 1.2-3.5; P=0.01), and older age (HR 1.03, 95%CI: 1.01-1.05; P=0.01) were associated with worse OS. Twenty-four (12%) patients underwent stem cell transplant (20 autologous and 4 allogeneic), and had a median post-transplant survival of 55.4 months. In conclusion, the overall outcome of Richter transformation is poor. Richter transformation developed in patients with untreated CLL has significantly better survival. Stem cell transplant may benefit select patients.
I Can't Believe I'm Still Protesting: Choppy Waters for Women in Educational Leadership.

In January 2017, at various Women’s Marches spanning the world, women with decades of activism under their belts held signs that called attention to their incredulity at having to resist government...
Beyond Dyadic Coordination: Multimodal Behavioral Irregularity in Triads Predicts Facets of Collaborative Problem Solving

We hypothesize that effective collaboration is facilitated when individuals and environmental components form a synergy where they work together and regulate one another to produce stable patterns of behavior, or regularity, as well as adaptively reorganize to form new behaviors, or irregularity. We tested this hypothesis in a study with 32 triads who collaboratively solved a challenging visual computer programming task for 20 min following an introductory warm-up phase. Multidimensional recurrence quantification analysis was used to examine fine-grained (i.e., every 10 s) collective patterns of regularity across team members' speech rate, body movement, and team interaction with the shared user interface. We found that teams exhibited significant patterns of regularity as compared to shuffled baselines, but there were no systematic trends in regularity across time. We also found that periods of regularity were associated with a reduction in overall behavior. Notably, the production of irregular behavior predicted expert-coded metrics of collaborative activity, such as teams' ability to construct shared knowledge and effectively negotiate and coordinate execution of solutions, net of overall behavioral production and behavioral self-similarity. Our findings support the theory that groups can interact to form interpersonal synergies and indicate that information about system-level dynamics is a viable way to understand and predict effective collaborative processes.
Influence of the urethral pressure transducer in measuring Valsalva leak point pressure in women undergoing multichannel urodynamic testing.

Aims To determine if the air-charged urethral sensor balloon currently used in urodynamic testing (UDS) significantly impacts Valsalva leak point pressure (VLPP) measurements. Methods This is a prospective cohort study of women undergoing UDS at an academic institution. VLPPs were obtained at 150 mL and urodynamic capacity with and without the urethral pressure sensor in the urethra. VLPP measurements were analyzed using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Median and interquartile range are presented. Results Sixty-three patients were enrolled in the study, 53 were included in the primary analysis. The mean age of the subjects was 56.2 ± 12.1 years. Nine patients (16%) solely leaked when the balloon was not present in the urethra either with cough or during VLPP measurement. At both 150 mL and urodynamic capacity, when VLPP testing was performed, there was a significant difference (cmH2 O) between the control and intervention values, (76.2 [55.0, 97.0] vs 68.8 [46.3, 93.3], P = .0012; 79.3 [53, 96.5] vs 72.5 [50.8, 92.3], P = .04). There was also a statistically significant difference between the control and intervention values for the lowest leak value at 150 mL and capacity (70.5 [51, 94.5] vs 60.0 [40, 88] P = .002; 73.5 [49.5, 91.5] vs 61 [45, 88], P = .017). Conclusions The higher VLPPs obtained with the urethral balloon in place indicate that the balloon may be the cause of falsely elevated VLPPs during urodynamic testing. Additionally, the balloon may mask a diagnosis of stress urinary incontinence in some patients.
Magnetic Coupling in a Tris-hydroxo-Bridged Chromium Dimer Occurs through Ligand Mediated Superexchange in Conjunction with Through-Space Coupling.

Quantum chemistry can explain and predict many properties of molecules and materials. However, there are some systems, among which are magnetic systems, that remain a challenge for all electronic s...
VERY HIGH ENERGY GAMMA-RAY-INDUCED PAIR CASCADES IN BLAZARS AND RADIO GALAXIES: APPLICATION TO NGC 1275

Recent blazar detections by HESS, MAGIC, and VERITAS suggest that very high energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) γ-rays may be produced in most, if not all, types of blazars, including those that possess intense circumnuclear radiation fields. In this paper, we investigate the interaction of nuclear VHE γ-rays with the circumnuclear radiation fields through γγ absorption and pair production, and the subsequent Compton-supported pair cascades. We have developed a Monte Carlo code to follow the spatial development of the cascade in full three-dimensional geometry and calculate the radiative output due to the cascade as a function of viewing angle with respect to the primary VHE γ-ray beam (presumably the jet axis of the blazar). We show that even for relatively weak magnetic fields, the cascades can be efficiently isotropized, leading to substantial off-axis cascade emission peaking in the Fermi energy range at detectable levels for nearby radio galaxies. We demonstrate that this scenario can explain the Fermi flux and spectrum of the radio galaxy NGC 1275.
Is Capability to Manage Finances Stable Over Time

Procedures to determine when people receiving disability payments are incapable of managing their money recently have been re-examined by the Social Security Administration. Understanding the time-course of financial capability is necessary because people who are judged capable of managing their funds at one point may go on to need supports in the future, and those judged incapable and assigned a fiduciary will need re-evaluation so they have the most possible autonomy over their funds management. The financial capability of 132 individuals was examined during acute treatment and twenty-four weeks later. The extent to which baseline variables predicted future capability were examined. More participants were assessed as financially incapable at baseline (n=72) than at the twenty-four-week follow-up (n=43). Most participants had stable capability across assessment periods (n=35 remained incapable; n=52 remained capable), however a substantial minority (n=37) moved from incapable to capable. People who transitioned from incapable to capable had greater net reductions in psychiatric distress ratings and days of alcohol use from baseline to follow-up, compared to people who remained incapable. In multivariate analyses, incapability at follow-up was predicted by having been rated incapable at baseline, drug use at baseline, and having a psychotic disorder. The high baseline rate of incapability determinations suggests that admission into intensive psychiatric programs may be a good time to assess an individual's financial capability. However, these findings also suggest the importance of periodically reassessing beneficiaries' capability because high proportions rated incapable were rated to be capable twenty-four weeks later.
Co-Expression of Specific G-Protein α Subunits Alters the Affinity of Thromboxane A2 Receptors

Activation of thromboxane A2 (TXA2) receptors results in shape change and aggregation of platelets1, and in vascular smooth muscle cells, constriction and either a mitogenic2, 3 and/or a hypertrophic4 response. As a result of these effects, TXA2 has been implicated as a potential pathological factor in a variety of diseases5. This series of effects may be exerted through potentially different TXA2 receptor subtypes, although their existence is still a matter of debate6, 7.
The Impact Of Pre-Stroke Smoking On Post-Stroke Mortality (P1.069)

OBJECTIVE: Assess the impact of pre-stroke smoking on post-stroke mortality BACKGROUND & PURPOSE Smoking is a potent risk factor for hemorrhagic and ischemic cerebrovascular events. However, data regarding the impact of pre-stroke smoking on post-stroke mortality has been conflicting. We performed a pooled analysis of studies looking at the effect of smoking on all-cause mortality after stroke. METHODS We conducted a Medline search using a combination of key words “smoking + stroke + mortality,” “smoking + stroke + survival,” and “smoking + stroke + outcome.” Collected data included number of active smoker and non-smoker stroke patients, and the number of subjects who died in each group. We used univariate regression model to calculate odds ratio (OR) of death in 30 days, 90 days, and 12 months. RESULTS We found 27,303 people with 30-day mortality information available, 19,180 with 90-day, and 17,791 with 12 months. Among 27,303 people, 30-day mortality rates for smokers and non-smokers were 7.2[percnt] and 13.5[percnt], respectively (OR = 0.4941, 95[percnt] CI 0.4454 to 0.5481; p < 0.0001). For 90-day mortality, the rate for smokers was 10.8[percnt] versus 18.8[percnt] for non-smokers (OR = 0.5250, 95[percnt] CI 0.4726 to 0.5831; p < 0.0001). Of the 17,791 patients, 15.6[percnt] who died within 12 months were smokers and 24.3[percnt] non-smokers (OR = 0.5762, 95[percnt] CI 0.5245 to 0.6331; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION Our analysis suggests that pre-stroke smokers demonstrate a trend towards a significant reduction in the odds of post-stroke mortality at 1, 3, and 12 months. Large longitudinal studies are needed to corroborate and explain the reason for this finding. Disclosure: Dr. Zha has nothing to disclose. Dr. Mutgi has nothing to disclose. Dr. Hafeez has nothing to disclose. Dr. Behrouz has nothing to disclose.
Providing Preventive Services in Schools

A substantial number of school-aged children and adolescents in schools are impacted by problems affecting their mental health (Weissberg, Kumpfer, & Seligman, 2003). Too many adolescents get involved with risky behaviors. Too many children and adolescents have not developed sufficient social–emotional competencies to function at their best. Frequently cited estimates indicate that as many as 20 % of school-aged children have mental health problems affecting their behavior and learning (Duchnowski, Kutash, & Friendman, 2002). In many large urban school districts, as many as half of the total student population have learning, behavior, and/or emotional problems (Center for Mental Health in Schools, 2003).
Talking with the Turners: Conversations with Southern Folk Potters

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Charles R. Mack Year: 2006 Pages: 272 Publisher: University of South Carolina Press ISBN: 1-57003-600-4 (hard cover). Prices: $45.00(hard cover).
An inductive approach to learning and reusing design strategies

We describe a computer system called LearnIT II, which can observe an iterative solution to a parametric design problem and learn the design strategy employed. The program uses identification tree learning to determine which attributes of the design best indicate which design modifications the designer will make. The program re-represents the identification trees as design rules which it can then use to create new designs automatically. Because the rules are learned from the designer, the new designs reflect the designer's engineering judgment, knowledge of implicit constraints, and overall familiarity with the problem. The program has a number of intended uses. As a design automation tool, it provides a convenient means for exploring a design space. As a design documentation tool, it implicitly captures the original designer's insights about a problem and brings them to bear when it is necessary to modify the design. As a tool for preserving institutional memory, it captures design strategies and preserves them for future use.
Serum adipocytokines and adipose weight gain: a pilot study in adolescent females initiating depot medroxyprogesterone acetate

Abstract Objective To evaluate whether serum adipocytokine concentrations, controlling for baseline adiposity, are predictive of adipose weight gain in adolescents initiating depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA). Methods Percent body fat was measured at baseline and 6 months. Baseline serum adipocytokine concentrations were quantified. Results Mean percent body fat was 31.6% (± 7.6) at baseline and 33.5% (± 7.6) at 6 months. In multivariable linear regression modeling (adjusted for baseline percent body fat), Hispanic ethnicity and baseline serum adiponectin concentration were inversely associated (p≤.05) with absolute change in percent body fat at 6 months. Conclusions Serum adiponectin concentration may be useful for assessing risk of DMPA-associated adipose gains.
Learning to extract cross-session search tasks

Search tasks, comprising a series of search queries serving the same information need, have recently been recognized as an accurate atomic unit for modeling user search intent. Most prior research in this area has focused on short-term search tasks within a single search session, and heavily depend on human annotations for supervised classification model learning. In this work, we target the identification of long-term, or cross-session, search tasks (transcending session boundaries) by investigating inter-query dependencies learned from users' searching behaviors. A semi-supervised clustering model is proposed based on the latent structural SVM framework, and a set of effective automatic annotation rules are proposed as weak supervision to release the burden of manual annotation. Experimental results based on a large-scale search log collected from Bing.com confirms the effectiveness of the proposed model in identifying cross-session search tasks and the utility of the introduced weak supervision signals. Our learned model enables a more comprehensive understanding of users' search behaviors via search logs and facilitates the development of dedicated search-engine support for long-term tasks.
Wasted and Bombed: Clinical Enactments of a Changing Relationship to the Earth

Are changes in the relationship to the natural environment expressed in our psyches? I explore that question in this paper. Carefully considering clinical material of some young adults suggests that aspects of obliterative drinking and dissociative materialism may be enactments of a changing relationship between people and their ecosystems. Psychoanalysis, anthropology, and human geography support the idea that the psychological object field expands far beyond the parental relationship and that this expanded field can also importantly affect psychological behavior. Three cases are examined through a lens that recognizes similarities between the commoditization of natural resources and wasteful behavioral enactments.
Testing the utility of the newest vital sign (NVS) health literacy assessment tool in older African-American patients

Abstract Objective To evaluate utility of the newest vital sign (NVS) which can be completed in 3 min compared to the short version test of functional literacy in adults (S-TOFHLA) that takes 7 min for health literacy in the older African American patients. Methods We enrolled 62 older (age > 65 years) African American patients and administered the NVS and the S-TOFHLA. A score of less than 4 for the NVS and less than 16 for the S-TOFHLA was indicative of limited health literacy. Results Mean age of our patients was 73.2 + 7.9 years with an average education level of twelfth grade. Using S-TOFHLA 51% of the subjects were deemed to be sufficiently literate, with a score of 23.0 + 8.6 compared to 56% on the NVS with a score of 3.0 + 1.9. The average time for completing the NVS was 11 min in our patient population. Conclusion Based on our data, while health literacy level can be assessed with the NVS its practicality as a quick screening tool in the elderly population appears limited. Practice implications Knowing the level of patient's health literacy may help physicians deliver health information in the format that patients can understand.
Arginine side-chain dynamics in the HIV-1 rev-RRE complex.

Abstract The binding of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Rev protein to its viral RNA target, stem-loop IIB (SLIIB) within the Rev Response element (RRE), mediates the export of singly-spliced and unspliced viral mRNA from the nucleus to the cytoplasm of infected cells; this Rev-mediated transport of viral RNA is absolutely required for the replication of infectious virus. To identify important features that influence the binding affinity and specificity of this Rev-RRE interaction, we have characterized the arginine side-chain dynamics of the Rev arginine-rich motif (ARM) while bound to a 34 nt RNA oligomer that corresponds to SLIIB. As the specificity of the Rev-RRE interaction varies with salt concentration, arginine side-chain dynamics were characterized at two different salt conditions. Following NMR measurements of 15N spin relaxation parameters for the arginine 15Nϵ nuclei, the dynamics of the corresponding Nϵ-Hϵ bond vectors were interpreted in terms of Lipari-Szabo model-free parameters using anisotropic expressions for the spectral density functions. Results from these analyses indicate that a number of arginine side-chains display a surprising degree of conformational freedom when bound to RNA, and that arginine residues having known importance for specific RRE recognition show striking differences in side-chain mobility. The 15N relaxation measurements at different salt conditions suggest that the previously reported increase in Rev-RRE specificity at elevated salt concentrations is likely due to reduced affinity of non-specific Rev-RNA interactions. The observed dynamical behavior of the arginine side-chains at this protein-RNA interface likely plays an important role in the specificity and affinity of Rev-SLIIB complex formation.
Video-Based Highway Asset Recognition and 3D Localization

A key element towards development of asset management program is an efficient data collection on high-quantity low-cost highway assets. Despite the importance, current practices of asset data collection are still manual and timeconsuming. There is a need for a well-managed asset data collection that can provide useable asset inventories to departments of transportations (DOTs) for further analysis and condition assessment purposes. In this paper we present a novel video-based recognition and 3D reconstruction algorithm. Our method takes an input of video streams and combines 2D recognition with 3D reconstruction algorithms. Using a new Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier and based on the color channels at pixel level, a set of bounding boxes are initially extracted. Using a Haar-based shape recognition algorithm, the 2D candidates are further categorized based on their shape. These candidates are placed into a texture+color recognition algorithm. The benefits and limitations of the method in detection, classification, and localization of multiple types of assets are discussed in detail.
320 BASELINE AND SUPEROVULATION HYPERANDROGENISM AND FOLLICULAR DYNAMICS IN THE OSSABAW PIG SUGGEST AN ANIMAL MODEL FOR POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME

The objective of this study was to validate the obese Ossabaw pig as a model of the obese polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) phenotype. Four sows were fed a high fat–high fructose diet to induce metabolic syndrome (MetS), and 5 sows were fed a control diet (Lean). Sows had twice-weekly blood collection and ovarian ultrasound; serum was assessed weekly for androstenedione (A) and twice weekly for progesterone (P). The follicular phase of the oestrous cycle was determined by absence of a corpus luteum on ultrasound and a nadir in P below 2.5 ng mL–1. After baseline measurement collection, sows were down-regulated with a GnRH agonist and superovulated with subcutaneous FSH/LH injections administered every 8 h until large follicles (5–12.5 mm) were visible on the ultrasound (3–7 days), at which point hCG was administered. Oestrous cycle data were divided into follicular (F), early luteal (EL), mid-luteal (ML), late luteal (LL), and transition (T) phases. Superovulation data were subdivided by percentage of stimulation completion and number of days post-hCG. Non-normal data were transformed before analysis with PROC MIXED for repeated-measures in SAS. The MetS sows had a longer average oestrous cycle length than did Lean sows (MetS, 32.2 ± 1.3 days; Lean, 25.2 ± 1.0 days; P 12.5 mm). The MetS sows had significantly more CS than did Lean sows during the EL and ML phases (2.0 ± 0.5 avg pig–1; P < 0.05). In response to superovulation, MetS sows had higher A than did Lean sows at completion of stimulation (MetS, 8.45 ± 1.75 ng mL–1; Lean, 2.79 ± 1.36 ng mL–1; P < 0.05) and tended to have higher A than did Lean sows one day post-hCG administration (MetS, 6.00 ± 1.75 ng mL–1; Lean, 2.53 ± 1.36 ng mL–1; P = 0.09). Although not significantly different, MetS sows produced higher numbers of large follicles (range: 9.0–58.6 avg pig–1) than did Lean sows (range: 6.3–33.3 avg pig–1). In conclusion, MetS sows have long oestrous cycles, are hyperandrogenemic, have increased numbers of large follicles in the luteal phase, form cystic structures, and may recruit abnormally high numbers of large follicles in response to superovulation. The obese Ossabaw sow is an excellent animal model in which to study PCOS because women with this disease similarly have oligomenorrhea, hyperandrogenism and ovarian cysts, and recruit high numbers of large follicles at superovulation.
Treatment with low-dose methamphetamine improves behavioral and cognitive function after severe traumatic brain injury

BACKGROUND: Methamphetamine increases the release and blocks the reuptake of dopamine. The moderate activation of dopamine receptors may elicit neuroprotective effects. We have recently demonstrated that low doses of methamphetamine reduce neuronal loss after ischemic injury. On the basis of this finding, we hypothesized that methamphetamine could also prevent neuronal loss and improve functional behavior after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). METHODS: The rat lateral fluid percussion injury model was used to generate severe TBI. Three hours after injury, animals were treated with saline or methamphetamine. Neurological severity scores and foot fault assessments were used to determine whether treatment enhanced recovery after injury. The potential for methamphetamine treatment to improve cognitive function was assessed using the Morris water maze. Forty-eight hours after injury, paraffin-embedded brain sections were TUNEL stained to measure apoptotic cell death. Sections were also stained with antibody to doublecortin to quantify immature neurons within the dentate gyrus. RESULTS: Treatment with low-dose methamphetamine significantly reduced both behavioral and cognitive dysfunction after severe TBI. Methamphetamine-treated animals scored significantly lower on neurological severity scores and had significantly less foot faults after TBI compared with saline-treated control rats. Furthermore, methamphetamine treatment restored learning and memory function to near normal ability after TBI. At 48 hours after injury, apoptotic cell death within the hippocampus was significantly reduced, and the presence of immature neurons was significantly increased in methamphetamine-treated rats compared with saline-treated controls. CONCLUSION: Treatment with low-dose methamphetamine after severe TBI elicits a robust neuroprotective response resulting in significant improvements in behavioral and cognitive functions. Language: en
How low is the α/β ratio for prostate cancer?

Abstract Purpose: It has been suggested recently that the α/β ratio for human prostate cancer is low (around 1.5 Gy), and much debate on the evidence for such a low value is ongoing. Analyses reported so far ignored the contribution of tumor repopulation. Extremely low α values and unrealistic cell numbers of tumor clonogens are found in these studies. In this paper, we present a comprehensive analysis of the updated clinical data to derive a self-consistent set of parameters for the linear-quadratic (LQ) model. Methods and Materials: The generalized LQ model, considering the effects of dose rate, sublethal damage repair, and clonogenic proliferation, was used to analyze the recently reported clinical data for prostate cancer using either external-beam radiotherapy or brachytherapy. Three LQ parameters, α, α/β, and the repair time, were determined based on the clinical finding that the external-beam radiotherapy and the 125 I and 103 Pd permanent implants are biologically equivalent. The tumor control probability model was used also to analyze the clinical data to obtain an independent relationship of α/β vs. α and to estimate clonogenic cell numbers for patients in different risk groups. Results: Based on the analysis of clinical data and a consideration of repopulation effect, we have derived a self-consistent set of LQ parameters for prostate cancer: α = 0.15 ± 0.04 Gy −1 , α/β = 3.1 ± 0.5 Gy. Our analysis indicates the half-time of sublethal damage repair to be in the range from 0 to 90 min with a best estimate of 16 min. The best estimate of clonogenic cell numbers in prostate tumors is found to range from 10 6 to 10 7 according to the patient risk level. These values are more realistic than those derived previously (only 10–100). Conclusions: The effect of tumor repopulation is not negligible in determining the LQ parameters for prostate cancer, especially for the low-dose-rate permanent implants. Analysis of clinical data for prostate cancer with corrections for damage repair and repopulation effects results in a low α/β ratio of 3.1 Gy. Unrealistic clonogenic cell numbers and extremely small values of α reported in the literature can be resolved by correcting for repopulation effect. The LQ parameters derived presently from the clinical data are consistent with reports of intrinsic radiosensitivity in vitro .
Statement and Process: Designing ‘Good’ Arguments about the Rural Energy Problem in Developing Countries

In rural areas of developing countries, growing scarcities of traditional energy supplies (for example, wood and other biomass fuels) threaten already precarious living standards. Effective development strategies are hampered by the multiple and sometimes conflicting ways in which rural energy issues have been perceived in the Third World. In this paper, a planning perspective is offered which focuses on the process of argumentation by which planners understand, advance, and act upon rural energy concerns. The basis and implications of two argumentation models—statement and process—are defined and examined within the context of past rural energy-development arguments. A four-point model is offered which allows a judgment of a ‘good’ rural energy planning argument.