cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterizing locality, evolution, and life span of accesses in enterprise media server workloads

The main issue we address in this paper is the workload analysis of today's enterprise media servers. This analysis aims to establish a set of properties specific for enterprise media server workloads and to compare them with well known related observations about web server workloads. We propose two new metrics to characterize the dynamics and evolution of the accesses, and the rate of change in the site access pattern, and illustrate them with the analysis of two different enterprise media server workloads collected over a significant period of time. Another goal of our workload analysis study is to develop a media server log analysis tool, called MediaMetrics, that produces a media server traffic access profile and its system resource usage in a way useful to service providers.
"We've not gotten even close to what we want to do": a qualitative study of early patient-centered medical home implementation.

BACKGROUND The Veterans Health Administration (VA) Patient Aligned Care Teams (PACT) initiative is designed to deliver a medical home model of care associated with better patient outcomes, but success will depend in part on the model’s acceptability and sustainability among clinic employees.
The Extensional Structure of Commutative Noetherian Rings

Abstract We show that finitely generated modules over a commutative Noetherian ring can be classified, up to isomorphism of submodule series, in a manner analogous to the classification of integers as products of prime numbers. In outline, two such modules have isomorphic submodule series if and only if 1) the set of minimal associated prime ideals of these modules coincide, 2) the multiplicities of these modules at these prime ideals coincide, and 3) the modules represent the same element in a certain group corresponding to the above set of prime ideals. Regarding condition 3), we show that, in the very special case that the ring is a Dedekind domain, the group corresponding to the prime ideal (0) is the ideal class group of the ring.
Emerging Models of Glutamate Receptor Ion Channel Structure and Function

Excitatory synaptic transmission in the brain is mediated by ligand-gated ion channels (iGluRs) activated by glutamate. Distinct from other neurotransmitter receptors, the extracellular domains of iGluRs are loosely packed assemblies with two clearly distinct layers, each of which has both local and global 2-fold axes of symmetry. By contrast, the iGluR transmembrane segments have 4-fold symmetry and share a conserved pore loop architecture found in tetrameric voltage-gated ion channels. The striking layered architecture of iGluRs revealed by the 3.6 A resolution structure of an AMPA receptor homotetramer likely arose from gene fusion events that occurred early in evolution. Although this modular design has greatly facilitated biophysical and structural studies on individual iGluR domains, and suggested conserved mechanisms for iGluR gating, recent work is beginning to reveal unanticipated diversity in the structure, allosteric regulation, and assembly of iGluR subtypes.
Mars human precursor mission concepts for the decade 2010-2020

In the president's vision for space exploration presented in January 2004, a human precursor test bed mission series is identified for both the Moon and Mars. It is assumed that the test bed missions to Mars will satisfy measurement recommendations from the Mars human precursor science steering group (MHP SSG), the Mars exploration program analysis group (MEPAG), and the National Research Council's (NRC) Safe on Mars report. Technology demonstrations and technology feed-forward such as heavy landing, hazard avoidance, pinpoint landing, and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) must also be accomplished. A number of concepts to complete such tasks have been developed by the pre-projects and Advanced Studies Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Concepts for orbiters, single stationary or mobile landers, and multiple stationary or mobile landers have been developed. This paper provides an overview of the concepts developed to date to satisfy human precursor measurements and demonstrations.
Food consumption dynamics: a nonparametric approach using maximum entropy estimation

We model dynamic consumer choice in a stochastic optimal control framework and show conditions under which observable market share data possess the Markov property. Using 30 years of annual aggregate milk consumption data differentiated by fat content, maximum entropy is used to estimate nonstationary transition probabilities showing how consumer tastes and preferences have changed over time. The maximum entropy approach allows for the estimation of a 4 × 4 transition probability matrix for each year of the sample. Results suggest that skim milk was an absorbing state over most of the sample but that the trend toward skim milk has decelerated and possibly reversed itself since 1998. Our approach provides a useful complement to existing parametric approaches to demand analysis when data are limited or the problem is ill-posed.
A Changing Health Care Decision-Making Environment

The increasing pressure to contain costs is bringing a new member to the "traditional" health delivery team, the professionally(and nonmedically-) trained administrator. In this paper, we examine the root differences in attitudes of physicians and this emerging administrative group exhibited in response to simulated life-threatening scenarios. When cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is indicated, physicians in our sample focus on the future "worth" (or quality) of the patient's life; administrators, however, are more likely to focus on the existing "worthiness" of the patient. These differences lead us to conclude that equitable health care delivery programs in the United States, balancing quality, availabity, and cost efficiency, will require new broader-based management systems both at the macrosystem as well as at the single institution levels.
Leaf Nitrogen and Position in Relation to Population Parameters of Pacific Spider Mite, Tetranychus pacificus (Acari: Tetranychidae) on Grapes

In greenhouse studies, four nitrogen (N) rates were applied to potted grape plants. Foliar N increased significantly as applied N increased, and there were significant differences in N content between leaves taken from lower, middle, and upper node locations on the vines. In leaf cages, Tetranychus pacijcus (McGregor) responded to increasing foliar N with significantly (P 0.05) increased fecundity and shorter immature developmental time only during the second year of the study. There appeared to be no relationship between foliar N and immature survivorship, ovipositional duration, or female longevity.
A Preliminary Study on the Hatchability of Chicken Eggs Subjected to Shaking Agitation

Abstract PIVOTAL displacement or “turning” is a purely physical factor, necessary during incubation for the normal development and hatchability of all domestic fowl embryos. In order to provide the required stimulus, modern commercial incubators are so constructed that the trays of eggs can be tilted back and forth through a 90 degree arc (i.e., 45 degrees each way from horizontal). It is common procedure to candle the eggs and transfer them to hatching trays on the 18th day. If shaking agitation could be substituted for conventional turning, several advantages would ensue: (1) eggs could be incubated and hatched in the same tray; (2) labor costs resulting from the 18-day handling would be eliminated; and (3) incubator space could be utilized more efficiently. There are, however, several experimental observations recorded in the literature which counsel against the workability of such a scheme. Stiles and Watterson (1937) described in rather complete detail the …
Conductance Switching in Single Molecules Through Conformational Changes

We tracked over time the conductance switching of single and bundled phenylene ethynylene oligomers isolated in matrices of alkanethiolate monolayers. The persistence times for isolated and bundled molecules in either the ON or OFF switch state range from seconds to tens of hours. When the surrounding matrix is well ordered, the rate at which the inserted molecules switch is low. Conversely, when the surrounding matrix is poorly ordered, the inserted molecules switch more often. We conclude that the switching is a result of conformational changes in the molecules or bundles, rather than electrostatic effects of charge transfer.
Switching loss analysis of closed-loop gate drive

In this work, the IGBT turn-on and turn-off waveforms are normalized in order to analyze the closed-loop gate drive switching losses. The relationships of energy losses and controlled switching speed, voltage overshoot, current overshoot are derived. Theoretical analysis results show good agreement with experimental results. The proposed analysis methodology and results can provide guidelines for the gate drive design in real applications.
Educational Inclusion of Children with Severe Disabilities

The educational inclusion of children with disabilities has long been a topic of controversy. In this article the relevant research literature is reviewed in order to present a rationale for the ed...
A current memory cell with switch feedthrough reduction by error feedback

A new switch feedthrough suppressing current memory cell, capable of accurately memorizing low current levels is presented. The scheme operates by feeding back a fraction of the error current to the storage node whose voltage is adjusted so that the error is reduced to zero. Using the feedback compensation scheme, absolute current error of less than 0.1% was achieved even at ultra-low current levels of 10 nA. The negative feedback circuit consumes negligibly low power and can be laid in a very small area. With this scheme, memory accuracy is traded for error correction speed, a feature common to all feedback-based switch feedthrough reduction schemes. The feedback compensated current memory cell can be used for low-power high-background infrared focal-plane readout electronics featuring in-pixel background suppression. >
ARKTOS: a knowledge engineering software tool for images

The goal of our ARKTOS project is to build an intelligent knowledge-based system to classify satellite sea ice images. It involves acquiring knowledge from sea ice experts, quantifying such knowledge as computational entities and ultimately building an intelligent classifier. In this paper we describe a two-stage knowledge engineering approach that facilitates explicit knowledge transfer, converting implicit visual cues and cognition of the experts to explicit attributes and rules implemented by the engineers. First, there is a prototyping stage that involves interviewing sea ice experts, transcribing the sessions, identifying descriptors and rules, designing and implementing the knowledge and delivering the prototype. The objective of this stage is to obtain a modestly accurate classification system quickly. Second, there is a refinement stage that involves evaluating the prototype, refining the knowledge base, modifying the design and re-evaluating the improved system. Since the refinement is evaluation-driven, the experts and the engineers are motivated explicitly to improve the knowledge base and are able to communicate with each other using a common, consistent platform. Moreover, since the classification result is immediately available, both sides are able to efficiently assess the correctness of the system. To facilitate the knowledge engineering of the second stage, we have designed and built three Java-based graphical user interfaces: arktosGUI, arktosViewer and arktosEditor. arktosGUI concentrates on feature-based refinement of specific attributes and rules. arktosViewer deals with regional evaluation. arktosEditor has a rule indexing and search mechanism and knowledge base editing capabilities.
Peter Gardella: American Civil Religion: What Americans Hold Sacred

The idea that nationalism and national history can rise to the level of sacred significance has been around since the 1960s when Robert Bellah named it ‘‘civil religion.’’ In his new book, Peter Gardella adds needed richness and detail to Bellah’s concept by systematically describing the monuments, artifacts, texts, songs, images, and places that actually constitute civil religion in the United States. In its particularities, the book is largely oriented toward history and description, although the goal in view is always to add texture to this classic concept in the study of religion. The first chapter introduces the concept of civil religion, mentions several examples of civil religion in the US, and briefly uses the history of (what came to be known as) the Liberty Bell to outline seven phases of America’s civil religion. Those phases are the colonial (or primal) phase, the revolutionary (or classical) phase, the national (or continental) phase, the sacrificial phase (during the Civil War era), the imperial phase (from reconstruction through World War I), the global phase (from the 1930s through the war in Vietnam), and finally a multicultural phase. From there, Gardella presents the elements of American civil religion in a series of 32 short chapters. The topics covered are quite exhaustive, ranging from Jamestown and Plymouth Rock and even the very word ‘‘America’’ to Disney Parks and the 9/11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan. Five patriotic songs each receive their own chapters, as do the flag, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Washington Monument, Arlington National Cemetery, and the speeches of MLK
Preparation of 3′-phosphoadenylyl sulfate in substrate quantities using mastocytoma enzymes

Abstract A method was developed for the enzymic preparation and purification of 3′-phosphoadenylyl sulfate labeled with radioactive sulfur. The proposed procedure includes incubation of mouse mast cell tumor (Furth) high-speed supernatant as a source of sulfate-activating enzymes with ATP and sulfate-35S in the presence of an ATP-generating system and other cofactors. Experimental conditions were established for maximal production of the active sulfate. The radioactive 3′-phosphoadenylyl sulfate synthesized was isolated by ion-exchange column chromatography on ECTEOLA formate. The ammonium bicarbonate used as eluent was removed by lyophilization.
Comparison of characteristics of fibroids in African American and white women undergoing premenopausal hysterectomy

Objective To compare pathologic characteristics and epidemiologic risk factors for uterine fibroids in African American and white women undergoing hysterectomy. Design Cross-sectional analysis of women undergoing premenopausal hysterectomy. Setting Two university-associated hospitals in North Carolina. Patient(s) African American (n = 225) and white women (n = 135) with fibroid diagnosis. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) Data were obtained from an in-person interview and abstracted from operative and pathologic reports. Analysis of variance and multiple linear regression models were used to identify characteristics associated with higher uterine weight, greater number of fibroids, and size of the largest fibroid. Result(s) African American women had substantially more fibroids (9.9 vs. 4.5) with a concomitant higher mean uterine weight (477 vs. 267 g). Although African American women had a higher prevalence of established risk factors for fibroids, such as high body mass index (BMI) and hypertension, these factors were not associated with larger uteri or more numerous fibroids. In multiple linear regression models, the only factors statistically significantly associated with higher uterine weight, larger fibroids, and more numerous fibroids were race and nulligravidity. Conclusion(s) The presentation of fibroids as measured by uterine size or number of fibroids is more severe in African American women compared with white women. The differences in presentation cannot be explained by racial differences in the prevalence of known risk factors. Additional research is needed on environmental and genetic factors that may increase the risk for fibroids.
Personality disorders and the prediction of alcohol use outcomes for women: Dimensional versus categorical classification

The impending shift in DSM-5 from categorical to a hybrid categorical-dimensional diagnosis scheme has generated considerable interest in the relative merits of these respective approaches. This is particularly true for the diagnostically complex category of personality disorders (PDs). The present study assessed whether categorical or dimensional measures better predicted alcohol consumption in a sample of 102 women enrolled in a clinical trial comparing individual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to conjoint CBT for alcohol use disorders (AUD). Linear regression was used to evaluate whether each PD diagnosis (categorical), or the number of PD symptoms endorsed per PD (dimensional) better predicted percent days drinking over the course of six months of treatment. PD criteria (dimensional) better predicted drinking for Paranoid, Borderline, and Obsessive-Compulsive PDs, while diagnosis (categorical) was a better predictor only for Passive-Aggressive PD. Both schemes predicted drinking outcomes for Avoidant, Dependent, and Depressive PDs, and neither was predictive for Narcissistic PD. These findings suggest that the addition of a dimensional approach for PDs potentially enhances the prediction of alcohol use outcomes.
Rotationally Disordered Illite/Smectite in Paleozoic K-Bentonites

The three-dimensional crystal structure of rotationally disordered illite/smectite (I/S) in K-ben- tonite samples from the Appalachian basin and neighboring areas is described using the parameters of 1) Po, the proportion of zero-degree layer stacking rotations, such as in the polytype series IMd-IM; 2) Pcv, the proportion of 2:1 layers with cis-vacant (cv) octahedral sites that are randomly interstratified with trans-vacant (tv) layers; and 3) Pro, the proportion of layers with n- 60 ~ rotations (as opposed to n. 120 ~ in the rotated layers. These parameters were determined by computer modeling of experimental randomly oriented powder X-ray diffraction patterns. The proportion of cv interstratification in the I/S increases with A1 and decreases with Mg and Fe content. The proportion of n. 60 ~ rotations in the rotated layers increases with Mg and Fe content. The cv 120 ~ disordered structure correlates with tetrahedral A 1 for Si substitution and increasing tetrahedral charge. The tv n.60 ~ disordered structures correlate with octahedral Mg for A1 substitution. The data indicate that the type of unit cell and nature of rotational disorder in I/S is controlled by the octahedral Mg content. The three-dimensional structures do not show any systematic correlation with Reichweite and percent expandability as determined from diffraction patterns of oriented sample preparations.
Distinct spatiotemporal activity in principal neurons of the mouse olfactory bulb in anesthetized and awake states

The acquisition of olfactory information and its early processing in mammals are modulated by brain states through sniffing behavior and neural feedback. We imaged the spatiotemporal pattern of odor-evoked activity in a population of output neurons (mitral/tufted cells, MTCs) in the olfactory bulb (OB) of head-restrained mice expressing a genetically-encoded calcium indicator. The temporal dynamics of MTC population activity were relatively simple in anesthetized animals, but were highly variable in awake animals. However, the apparently irregular activity in awake animals could be predicted well using sniff timing measured externally, or inferred through fluctuations in the global responses of MTC population even without explicit knowledge of sniff times. The overall spatial pattern of activity was conserved across states, but odor responses had a diffuse spatial component in anesthetized mice that was less prominent during wakefulness. Multi-photon microscopy indicated that MTC lateral dendrites were the likely source of spatially disperse responses in the anesthetized animal. Our data demonstrate that the temporal and spatial dynamics of MTCs can be significantly modulated by behavioral state, and that the ensemble activity of MTCs can provide information about sniff timing to downstream circuits to help decode odor responses.
Secondary metabolism pathway polymorphisms and plasma efavirenz concentrations in HIV-infected adults with CYP2B6 slow metabolizer genotypes

Objectives Efavirenz is widely prescribed for HIV-1 infection, and CYP2B6 polymorphisms 516G→T and 983T→C define efavirenz slow metabolizer genotypes. To identify genetic predictors of higher plasma efavirenz concentrations beyond these two common functional alleles, we characterized associations with mid-dosing interval efavirenz concentrations in 84 HIV-infected adults, all carrying two copies of these major loss-of-function CYP2B6 alleles.
The Everlasting Empire: The Political Culture of Ancient China and Its Imperial Legacy. By Yuri Pines. (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2012. Pp. 247. $39.50.)

The exceptional longevity of the Chinese Empire [221 BC‐1912 AD] is a fascinating subject for historical research in China and outside it. In China, what has happened in those 2,133 years holds an ...
CTA4 Transcription Factor Mediates Induction of Nitrosative Stress Response in Candida albicans

This work has identified regulatory elements in the major fungal pathogen Candida albicans that enable response to nitrosative stress. Nitric oxide (NO) is generated by macrophages of the host immune system and commensal bacteria, and the ability to resist its toxicity is one adaptation that promotes survival of C. albicans inside the human body. Exposing C. albicans to NO induces upregulation of the flavohemoglobin Yhb1p. This protein confers protection by enzymatically converting NO to harmless nitrate, but it is unknown how C. albicans is able to detect NO in its environment and thus initiate this defense only as needed. We analyzed this problem by incrementally mutating the YHB1 regulatory region to identify a nitric oxide-responsive element (NORE) that is required for NO sensitivity. Five transcription factor candidates of the Zn(II)2-Cys6 family were then isolated from crude whole-cell extracts by using magnetic beads coated with this DNA element. Of the five, only deletion of the CTA4 gene prevented induction of YHB1 transcription during nitrosative stress and caused growth sensitivity to the NO donor dipropylenetriamine NONOate; Cta4p associates in vivo with NORE DNA from the YHB1 regulatory region. Deletion of CTA4 caused a small but significant decrease in virulence. A CTA4-dependent putative sulfite transporter encoded by SSU1 is also implicated in NO response, but C. albicans ssu1 mutants were not sensitive to NO, in contrast to findings in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Cta4p is the first protein found to be necessary for initiating NO response in C. albicans.
Mitotic phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 4G1 (eIF4G1) at Ser1232 by Cdk1:cyclin B inhibits eIF4A helicase complex binding with RNA.

During mitosis, global translation is suppressed, while synthesis of proteins with vital mitotic roles must go on. Prior evidence suggests that the mitotic translation shift involves control of initiation. Yet, no signals specifically targeting translation initiation factors during mitosis have been identified. We used phosphoproteomics to investigate the central translation initiation scaffold and “ribosome adaptor,” eukaryotic initiation factor 4G1 (eIF4G1) in interphase or nocodazole-arrested mitotic cells. This approach and kinase inhibition assays, in vitro phosphorylation with recombinant kinase, and kinase depletion-reconstitution experiments revealed that Ser1232 in eIF4G1 is phosphorylated by cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1):cyclin B during mitosis. Ser1232 is located in an unstructured region of the C-terminal portion of eIF4G1 that coordinates assembly of the eIF4G/-4A/-4B helicase complex and binding of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signal-integrating kinase, Mnk. Intense phosphorylation of Ser1232 in mitosis strongly enhanced the interactions of eIF4A with HEAT domain 2 of eIF4G and decreased association of eIF4G/-4A with RNA. Our findings implicate phosphorylation of eIF4G1(Ser1232) by Cdk1:cyclin B and its inhibitory effects on eIF4A helicase activity in the mitotic translation initiation shift.
Augmentation of Megakaryocyte Expression of FcγRIIa by Interferon γ

Objective— The purpose of this study was to identify factors that alter expression of FcγRIIa by megakaryocytes. Methods and Results— Effects of selected cytokines and growth factors on megakaryocyte expression of FcγRIIa were assessed with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-differentiated human erythroleukemia (HEL) cells and with thrombopoietin-differentiated CD34 stem cells and compared with those obtained with myelocytic cell lines and a monocytic cell lines. Expression of FcγRIIa was quantified with the use of Western blots and real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Megakaryocyte differentiation was identified by expression of CD41, CD42, and von Willebrand factor with the use of flow cytometry. Interferon (IFN) γ increased protein expression of FcγRIIa by HEL cells and CD34 stem cells after megakaryocyte differentiation (maximal ≈4-fold, P P Conclusions— IFNγ appears to selectively increase expression of FcγRIIa by cells exhibiting characteristics of megakaryocytes. This effect of IFNγ may contribute to greater platelet expression of FcγRIIa in patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease.
Gas chromatographic analysis of fatty acids from dialyzed lipoproteins

Dialysis of three major lipoprotein fractions from human serum, Sf20-105, Sf0-20, and -S1.200-16, against low concentrations of cupric ion is associated with accelerated chemical alteration of polyunsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol. Less extensive changes in these acids were observed during dialysis against ion-free water. Reaction products of these chemical alterations were irreversibly retained on succinic acid-diethylene glycol polyester gas chromatographic columns. Present evidence suggests that these reaction products are relatively polar compounds, probably in the chemical class of lipoperoxides.
Lessons learned from the mouse model of short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency.

The SCAD deficient mouse model has been useful to investigate mechanisms of deficient fatty acid oxidation disease in human patients. This mouse model has been thor-oughly characterized and is readily available from the Jackson Laboratory. Using the new technologies of gene-knockout mouse modeling, we envisage developing additional members of the acyl-CoA dehydrogenase family of enzyme deficiencies in mice and fur-thering our understanding of fatty acid metabolism in health and disease.26
Validation of the Instant Blood Pressure Smartphone App.

Mobile health (mHealth) technologies include unregulated consumer smartphone apps.1 The Instant Blood Pressure app (IBP; AuraLife) estimates blood pressure (BP) using a technique in which the top edge of the smartphone is placed on the left side of the chest while the individual places his or her right index finger over the smartphone’s camera. Between its release on June5, 2014, and removal on July 30, 2015 (421 days), the IBP app spent 156 days as one of the top 50 best-selling iPhone apps; at least 950 copies of this $4.99 app were sold on each of those days.2 Validation of this popular app or any of the similar iPhone apps still available (eg, Blood Pressure Pocket, Quick Blood Pressure Measure and Monitor), have not been performed. Using a protocol based on national guidelines,3 we investigated the accuracy and precision of IBP.
Abstract 1500: Bone morphogenetic proteins stimulate mammary fibroblasts to promote mammary tumorigenesis

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) are secreted cytokines/growth factors belonging to the Transforming Growth Factor ≤ (TGFβ) superfamily. BMPs have recently been shown to be overexpressed in human breast cancers, however loss of BMP signaling in mammary carcinomas has also been shown to accelerate metastases. Stimulation of dermal fibroblasts with BMP4 can enhance pro-tumorigenic factors uniquely from the epidermal response. Additionally, treatment of carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) derived from a mouse prostate carcinoma with BMP have been reported to stimulate tumor-associated angiogenesis. We sought to determine the effect of BMP treatment on mammary fibroblasts and determine their response during mammary tumor progression. We first identified secreted pro-inflammatory cytokines and matrix-metalloproteinases (MMPs) upregulated in response to BMP4 treatment. We found that fibroblasts stimulated with BMP4 could enhance tumor invasion, which was inhibited by a BMP receptor kinase antagonist. We next demonstrated that BMP signaling was specifically absent in the stroma of human ductal and lobular carcinoma in situ (DCIS & LCIS). Yet after progression to invasion, breast tumors of many distinct subtypes contained a stroma active for BMP signaling. We further extended these observations with human normal mammary fibroblasts and compared them to human fibroblasts from breast cancer and found that BMP was capable of inducing MMP3 and IL-6 secretion in normal fibroblasts. However carcinoma associated fibroblasts had constitutively elevated levels of MMP3 and IL-6 that corresponded to enhanced BMP signaling in addition to loss of secreted BMP antagonists. These experiments demonstrate that BMP may play important tumor promoting functions within the tumor microenvironment. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1500. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-1500
Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Parainfluenza Virus

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), originally recovered from a colony of chimpanzees with coryza and designated chimpanzee coryza agent,1,2 and human parainfluenza virus types 1, 2, 3, and 4 have been known primarily as respiratory pathogens in young children. They are now recognized as important pathogens in adults as well. Adults infected with these viruses tend to have more variable and less distinctive clinical findings than children, and the viral cause of the infection is often unsuspected. The consistency of the annual outbreaks of these agents and the frequency of reinfection suggest that they impose a considerable, but ill-defined, disease . . .
Left Suprarenal Mass Following Splenectomy: Case Report

The presence of a left suprarenal mass after splenectomy should strongly suggest the diagnosis of splenosis or a hypertrophied accessory spleen. Radionuclide imaging provides a specific diagnosis.
An Organ Culture Model for the Study of Metanephric Development

A murine whole organ metanephric culture system was designed to study the developmental aspects of mammalian nephrogenesis. Metanephros and ureteric bud were removed from CFI albino mouse embryos at 13.5 +/- 0.4 days gestation, and grown in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's Minimal Essential Medium supplemented with 20 per cent donor bovine serum at 37C in a mixed air--5 per cent CO2 environment. Under the experimental conditions employed, the metanephric explants showed organotypic tubular and glomerular epithelial development. A well-developed proximal tubule with microvilli, and characteristic intracellular organelles and intercellular junctions developed by 72 hours of culture. By 120 hours of culture, unique devascularized glomeruli consisting of parietal and visceral epithelial layers formed. The glomerular visceral epithelial cells formed foot processes and slit pore diaphragms, and produced islands of basement membrane. No endothelial or mesangial elements were present at any stage in organ culture development, indicating that advanced nephrogenesis can occur following initial epithelial-mesenchymal induction despite the absence of vascularization. The whole organ culture model system isolates renal structural development from the influences of perfusion and urine formation. The system thus affords the opportunity to study normal, as well as abnormal mammalian renal development under highly controlled experimental conditions.
Factors of Purchase of Bread - Prospect to Regain the Market Share?

The aim of the article is to assess the consumers' buying behaviour and decision-making process when purchasing bread and to propose the ways of how to improve the position of bread in the market. 1601 properly filled questionnaires were used for the analysis. Results are presented under the form of frequencies of answers and statistical tests. The analysis included evaluation of statistical hypotheses about the independence (significance level α = 0.01) using the chi-square goodness of fit test and Pearson coefficient of contingency. The significance level was then compared with the value p-value, for p-value > α, the null hypothesis was not rejected. The most important factors of choosing bread are freshness, appearance habit and price. The importance of the price grows with the increasing age of respondents and decreases with the increasing income of questioned consumers. The importance of the brand, as well as the reference or recommendation from the family and friends slightly strengthens with the increasing income of the consumers. Most of the respondents make no difference between both (yeast and rye leaven) technologies of baking bread when making their buying decision. We cannot say, however, the preference to the rye leaven bread grows with the increasing age of respondents to the detriment of the yeast bread or vice versa.
Integration and Holism

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the major implications of new paradigm of treatment of mental illness. It highlights the critical impact of personal relationship in any healing modality. The dynamic nature of human existence is best characterized by the nature and quality of the interpersonal connections. The chapter also focuses on the Gaia hypothesis that outlines that the earth exists as a single living organism that actively balances and provides stability in climate and atmosphere, explaining the principles of holism. The universe consists of energetic interactions of particles whose existence can be ultimately described as a probability of interaction. All things are dynamic and interconnected by a web of interconnections. Holistic medicine places much greater importance on these interconnections, whereas mainstream health care tends to downplay them. A holistic physician honors the value of this web of life—the quality of the food, air, and water that is taken in; the emotional tone within the home; the strength of social support networks; and the nature of our spiritual connections.
Scalable modeling of resistive losses 1n on-chip interconnects at mm-wave frequencies

This paper presents a systematic modeling methodology to capture the frequency-dependent resistive losses in on-chip interconnects due to the conductor skin and proximity effects. We have developed scalable closed-form expressions for the frequency-dependent resistance that are accurate over a wide range of dimensions applicable across different integrated circuit process nodes and over the broad frequency range from DC to 110 GHz. We demonstrate the modeling methodology for an example on-chip coplanar waveguide (CPW) interconnect structure and validate the models through measurements of a fabricated chip.
Physical Activity, Endurance Exercise, and Excess—Can One Overdose?

Although moderate levels of exercise reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the general population, recent data have questioned whether higher doses of physical activity are associated with diminished health benefits and adverse outcomes. This review focuses on several issues at the center of this controversy including epidemiologic data describing mortality trends in those who engage in high levels of physical activity and recent observational data suggesting adverse cardiovascular outcomes among long-term endurance athletes. Specifically for the endurance athlete, the evidence and limitations of the available data associating veteran endurance athletes with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation, pathologic, and arrhythmogenic cardiac remodeling and accelerated coronary atherosclerosis will be discussed. This review will also provide practitioners involved in the care of athletes and highly active patients a conceptual framework for these contemporary controversies and will highlight key areas of uncertainty that will require future research.
Using the Fed Challenge to provide experiential learning of monetary policy

This paper describes how an experiential learning opportunity known as the Fed Challenge, coaching teaching methods, and active learning activities can promote a practical application of monetary policy in the discipline of economics. Readers are encouraged to consider if these teaching methods and activities could be incorporated into their own courses or if such experiential learning opportunities could be sought at their respective colleges or universities.
The Prevalence of Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP).

Introduction: Knowing the prevalence of ITP is important to determine the burden of this rare disease. Multiple new thrombopoietin agonists are being developed for the treatment of ITP, despite the paucity of reliable and generalizable estimates of ITP prevalence. Only two studies have previously reported the prevalence of ITP in the United States (US) (the only other prevalence estimate focused on children with chronic ITP in the United Kingdom). Segal et al (J Thromb Haemost2006; 4:2377–2383) report a one-year age adjusted prevalence of 9.5 per 100,000 persons aged 1–64 years; Feudjo-Tepie et al (J Thromb Haemost2008; 6:711–712) report a one-year prevalence of adult chronic ITP of 23.6 per 100,000 adults 318 years of age. Both studies based their estimates on private insurance claims data. The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of ITP in all patients in the State of Oklahoma, regardless of insurance status and age. Methods: Similar to the previous 2 studies, the ICD-9-CM code of 287.3 was used to identify ITP. Unlike the previous 2 studies, we obtained data directly and entirely from hematologists. In November 2007, there were 93 hematologists in Oklahoma who cared for ITP patients. Our preliminary data documented that hematologists saw 3 92% of all patients with ITP and that primary care physicians in Oklahoma reported they were ‘likely’ to refer 85% of patients with platelet counts 16 years), and the overall population. The denominator was the Oklahoma population (US Census 2000). Results: The 2003 prevalence estimates were: 8.8 per 100,000 children, 11.6 per 100,000 adults, and 11.0 overall per 100,000 persons. The 2004 prevalence estimates were: 7.4 per 100,000 children, 12.6 per 100,000 adults, and 11.4 overall per 100,000 persons. The average annual prevalence estimates were: 8.1 per 100,000 children (95% CI 6.7, 9.5), 12.1 per 100,000 adults (95%CI 11.1, 13.0), and overall 11.2 per 100,000 persons (95% CI 10.4, 12.0). The children were 51% female, 49% male, and the average age was six years. Adults were 57% female, 43% male, and the average age was 55 years. Conclusion: This is the first population based study to determine the prevalence of ITP for an entire defined geographic region, regardless of insurance status and age. These results represent the most generalizable estimates of prevalence currently available on which to determine the burden of ITP. Results from this study should be generalizable because the demographics of Oklahoma closely resemble the demographics of the US. Additionally, these results confirm and extend the previously published prevalence estimate of Segal et al, 2006. This information is important not only for pharmaceutical companies, regulatory agencies, and heath care authorities, but also for patients with ITP.
Techniques to Optimize Multimodal Analgesia in Ambulatory Surgery

Ambulatory surgery has grown in popularity in recent decades due to the advancement in both surgical and anesthetic techniques resulting in quicker recovery times, fewer complications, higher patient satisfaction, and reduced costs of care. We review common approaches to multimodal analgesia. A multimodal approach can help reduce perioperative opioid requirements and improve patient recovery. Analgesic options may include NSAIDs, acetaminophen, gabapentinoids, corticosteroids, alpha-2 agonists, local anesthetics, and the use of regional anesthesia. We highlight important aspects related to pain management in the ambulatory surgery setting. A coordinated approach is required by the entire healthcare team to help expedite patient recovery and facilitate a resumption of normal activity following surgery. Implementation and development of standardized analgesic protocols will further improve patient care and outcomes.
Motif refinement using hybrid expectation maximization based neighborhood profile search

The main goal of the motif finding problem is to detect novel, over-represented unknown signals in a set of sequences (for eg. transcription factor binding sites in a genome). Most widely used algorithms for finding motifs obtain a generative probabilistic representation of these over-represented signals and try to discover profiles that maximize the information content score. Although these profiles form a very powerful representation of the signals, the major difficulty arises from the fact that the best motif corresponds to the global maximum of a non-convex continuous function. Popular algorithms like Expectation Maximization (EM) and Gibbs sampling tend to be very sensitive to the initial guesses and are known to converge to the nearest local maximum very quickly. In order to improve the quality of the results, EM is used with multiple random starts or any other powerful stochastic global methods that might yield promising initial guesses (like projection algorithms). Global methods do not necessarily give initial guesses in the convergence region of the best local maximum but rather suggest that a promising solution is in the neighborhood region. In this paper, we introduce a novel optimization framework that searches the neighborhood regions of the initial alignments in a systematic manner to explore the multiple local optimal solutions. This effective search is achieved by transforming the original optimization problem into its corresponding dynamical system and estimating the practical stability boundary of the local maximum. Our results show that the popularly used EM algorithm often converges to sub-optimal solutions which can be significantly improved by the proposed neighborhood profile search. Based on experiments using both synthetic and real datasets, our method demonstrates significant improvements in the information content scores of the probabilistic models. The proposed method also gives the flexibility in using different local solvers and global methods that work well for some specific datasets. Corresponding Author Chandan K. Reddy Email : ckr6@cornell.edu
Mutualism, Antiherbivore Defense, and Trophic Cascades: Piper Ant-Plants as a Mesocosm for Experimentation

The investigation of Piper ant-plants extends back through half of my lifetime, beginning in Corcovado National Park on the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica in the summer of 1978 (as a graduate student in the Organization for Tropical Studies, Fundamentals of Tropical Biology course). At a loss to help me find an independent study topic on agricultural systems (my dogged interest) at this site of rich lowland forest, mangroves, and sandy beaches, ecologists Doyle McKee and David Janos urged me to consider examining these intriguing, forest understory plants, and their associated arthropods. Three Piper species occurring in the park at La Llorona Point had been described (Burger 1971), but were as yet unstudied as ant-plant associations. The previous year, Risch et al. (1977) had published the first study of Piper ant-plants, on the closely related Piper cenocladum C.DC. (Piperaceae), with its resident Pheidole bicornis ants in the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica. These studies set the stage for expanding the investigation of these ant-inhabited understory plants, and suggested ways in which ant occupants may benefit their host plant. Over the years this spectacular and complex system of plants, herbivores, inquilines, predators, and parasites has become a very useful mesocosm of interacting species for testing an array of ecological questions.
Nickel Homeostasis in Brucella spp.

Nickel is an important cofactor for microbial proteins, such as urease, that are involved in the adaptation of bacteria to stressful conditions, as well as other proteins related to general metabolism. Therefore, successful acquisition of nickel from the environment is essential for microbes to survive. Like most metals though, acquisition of nickel is a double edge sword, as high intracellular concentrations of nickel can be toxic to microbes. Thus, bacteria have developed ways to tightly control intracellular nickel concentrations. Much of what is known about the mechanisms of nickel uptake, export, and regulation have been determined in Escherichia coli and Helicobacter pylori, but parallels between these systems and Brucella spp. can be drawn. This chapter will outline what is currently known about nickel acquisition by the NikABCDE and NikKMLQO systems, as well as propose the role of a putative nickel exporter and transcriptional regulators of genes encoding Ni import and export systems in Brucella biology and virulence.
New Frontiers in Treating Uremic Metabolic Acidosis.

Metabolic acidosis is a frequent complication of CKD. Metabolic acidosis is caused by the damaged kidney’s inability to excrete acid due to the reduction in kidney mass. Metabolic acidosis has been associated with bone disease, muscle dysfunction, and kidney damage ([1][1]–[3][2]). Current
Data-Driven Models for Individual and Group Decision Making

Quantifying the dynamics of collective human decision making is essential to optimizing communication systems, transportation networks, and action protocols for ensuring public safety in uncertain and risky situations. Representing human factors has been elusive since decision making is driven by a host of interacting factors such as time pressure, perceived risks, and social influence. We develop two complementary data-driven models to describe decision making in natural disaster scenarios based upon the observed behavior of subjects in a controlled behavioral experiment where participants must decide whether and when to evacuate from a virtual natural disaster. We first develop a rate-based model that quantifies an individual's decision-making strategy as a function of the reported disaster threat level, which we observe to be a primary influence of collective behavior, and use this model to simulate and predict evacuation at the population level. We investigate the effect of social influence on strategy adjustments that emerge in group contexts, comparing evacuation decisions made individually with those that are arrived at via group consensus or vote. We find that the accurate characterization of group behavior mandates the consideration of individual heterogeneity, leading to a second approach using an artificial neural network which incorporates more experimental parameters, including a measure of individual variation, to predict precise evacuation times. An alternative method of quantifying individual differences in the neural network uses participants' social media data as input to the model and achieves comparable prediction accuracy.
The Skeleton in the Physical Anthropology Closet1

The “new” and “newer” concepts of physical anthropology are oriented to biochemical, genetic and evolutionary studies. While theseareneededand welcome concepts, they often slight the basic tools of...