cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
RECONSTRUCTION OF THE FOSSIL MUD SHRIMP CALLIANOPSIS CLALLAMENSIS

Abstract Cheliped parts of the fossil mud shrimp Callianopsis (Callianassa) clallamensis (Thalassinidea) were first recovered in the mid-nineteenth century from Oligocene marine rocks at Clallam Bay on the northern coast of the Olympic Peninsula, Washington State and described in 1924 as Callianassa clalllamensis. A second species, C. twinensis, was identified in 1926 from cheliped pieces found in rocks of similar age in the Twin Rivers area 20 kilometers southeast of Clallam Bay. Both fossil localities are in the Pysht formation of the Twin River Group. In 1997 these two species were reassigned to Callianopsis, and C. clallamensis is now recognized as the male and C. twinensis as the female of that species. An extensive collection of this fossil thalassinidean at the Burke Museum, University of Washington, particularly in calcite-cemented concretions, and commonly as disassociated parts, contains almost all anatomical hard-parts of the species. Study of this collection has made it possible to render a ne...
Niche partitioning and biogeography of high light adapted Prochlorococcus across taxonomic ranks in the North Pacific

Niche partitioning and biogeography of high light adapted Prochlorococcus across taxonomic ranks in the North Pacific
On "Is there evidence that bracing could provide adequate stability for a 47-year-old man with a deficient anterior cruciate ligament to resume downhill skiing?".

In their March 2004 Evidence in Practice article,1 Wetherbee and Pellecchia do not appear to follow a systematic approach or a comprehensive method to gather and synthesize information to answer their question. The articles they present to support their clinical decision are from completely different perspectives: muscle activation patterns,2 injury incidence,3 a review article focusing on performance tests,4 and a comparison of 2 braces.5 The authors do not present a scientific or theoretical rationale for discussing these articles other than statements that the articles were appealing or interesting. From the case description, there is no doubt that the patient can “resume” downhill skiing, but Wetherbee and Pellecchia may not have intended this to be their outcome of interest. The term “stability” during skiing might be interpreted to mean “prevention of injury” or “motion of the tibiofemoral joint.” Therefore, I would suggest that their clinical question should read: Do knee braces prevent excessive motions of the tibiofemoral joint that might cause injury for a skier with a deficient anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)? In my opinion, attempting to answer such a complex question with so little foundational knowledge as presented by Wetherbee and Pellecchia seems presumptuous. The approach that the authors used in synthesizing the information contributed to what I believe was their inability to gather important information. The effectiveness of bracing the ACL-deficient knee is controversial, but the authors' approach did nothing to help clinicians understand the controversies. For example, Wetherbee and Pellecchia might have cited a recent study that used bone pins in the lower extremities of subjects with ACL-deficient knees who were randomized to braced and unbraced conditions to investigate joint motion during activities.6 Ramsey et al6 did not find consistent reductions in anterior tibial translations as a function of the knee …
Untangling the Web between Eye and Brain

How is the picture of the visual scene that the eye encodes represented by neural circuits in the brain? In this issue of Cell, Morgan et al. address this question by forming an ultrastructural "connectome" of the mouse's visual thalamus that depicts individual retinal afferents and every contact these form with target relay cells.
Molecular pathogenesis of MDS: genomic and epigenetic instability

New high-throughput technologies have facilitated tremendous progress in the understanding of molecular pathogenesis of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and related myeloid malignancies, including MDS/myeloproliferative overlap syndromes (MDS/MPN) and secondary myeloid leukemia (sAML). In addition to better mapping chromosomal abnormalities, including microdeletions and gains, the pathogenetic and clinical role of somatic uniparental disomy has been recognised. Targeted and unbiased genomic screens have led to the identification of new somatic mutations and realisation that multiple mutational events are involved in or facilitate clonal evolution. This molecular heterogeneity explains the pathomorphological diversity of MDS and the variability of clinical courses seen in this disease. Genetic/genomic lesions tend to involve specific pathways but may converge or link individual aspects of the pathogenesis of MDS. IDH1/2, DNMT3A and TET2 mutations affect methylation and hydroxymethylation of DNA, while EZH2, EED, SUZ12, ASXL1 and UTX mutations may lead to dysregulation of histone methylation. Such mutations may constitute the previously hypothetical link between genomic and epigenetic instability. CBL and mutation in phosphothyrosine kinase receptors may affect proliferation and mutations in TP53 and RAS pathways impair apoptotic responses. The recently discovered mutations in genes of spliceosomal machinery further add to the complexity of molecular mechanisms of clonal dominance and leukaemic transformation. Spliceosomal mutations, through patterns of misplacing, unsplicing and aberrant alternative spicing, can lead to haploinsufficiency of a variety of tumour suppressor genes (TSG) and missplicing patterns generated by individual mutations likely determine clinical phenotypes. The key pathogenetic mechanism in MDS, haploinsuffcient expression of TSG, can be due not only to inactivating/hypo-morphic mutations, promoter silencing and hemizygous deletions but also to mis/unsplicing with subsequent degradation of aberrant RNA. The challenges of the next years will include identification of lesions with clinical relevance and incorporation of such defects into the diagnostic and prognostic schemes. Furthermore, clinically applicable targeted or high-throughput methods have to be designed and introduced into clinical practice.
Effects of Different Levels of Chlortetracycline in the Diet of Turkey Poults Artificially-Infected with Salmonella typhimurium

Abstract Two separate experiments were conducted to assess the shed rate and duration of shed of S. typhimurium organisms from turkey poults orally infected with chlortetracycline-sensitive S. typhimurium in relation to chlortetracycline (CTC) given in the feed at 0, growth promotant, subtherapeutic and therapeutic levels; the emergence of resistant S. typhimurium organisms in reference to the diet given; in vitro transfer of drug resistance from these resistant S. typhimurium donor cultures to multiply-sensitive E. coli recipients; and phage type changes, is any, of these S. typhimurium isolates. The results showed that increasing CTC in the diet from 0 to the three levels of antibiotic supplementation, appeared to (a) reduce shed and duration of shed corresponding to each level used; (b) cause a minimal development of drug resistance and its transfer (usually at sub-therapeutic levels of CTC supplementation) for the duration of the experiment; and (c) induce phage type changes in some of the S. typhimurium isolates. These phage type changes question the validity of using phage typing as a tool in epidemiological investigations.
Biochemistry of the affective disorders.

Specific brain biochemical anomalies in depression and mania remain to be fully elucidated, but some significant clinical progress has been made. The “norepinephrine hypothesis” has led to approaches that often make it possible to single out the patient most likely to respond to a particular tricyclic agent. In some patients, deranged circadian rhythms also seem to be involved in the cyclic patterns of manic-depressive disease.
Development of a Sandwich ELISA for Quantification of Gly m 4, a Soybean Allergen

Gly m 4 is a key soybean allergen that causes allergic symptoms in the skin, gastrointestinal tract, or respiratory tract of sensitive individuals. To understand naturally variable levels of Gly m 4 among conventional soybean varieties, a sandwich ELISA was developed and validated using a mouse anti-Gly m 4 monoclonal antibody and a goat anti-Gly m 4 polyclonal antibody as capture and detection antibodies, respectively. The ELISA shows high specificity to Gly m 4 without any cross-reactivity to other soybean proteins and has a quantification range of 7.8–250 ng/mL using an Escherichia coli-produced recombinant Gly m 4, with 2.1 ng/mL being the limit of detection. Within the quantification range, the coefficients of variation of the intra-assay and interassay precision are less than 5 and 12%, respectively. Moreover, extraction efficiency and dilutional parallelism experiments were completed to demonstrate the assay is accurate. The validated assay was used to quantify Gly m 4 levels in 128 soybean samples...
Substance Use Disorders, Violence, Mental Health, and HIV: Differentiating a Syndemic Factor by Gender and Sexuality

This paper measures syndemic substance use disorder, violence, and mental health and compares the syndemic among HIV-infected heterosexual men, heterosexual women, and men who have sex with men (MSM). Data were from a sample of high needs substance-using, HIV-infected people in South Florida between 2010 and 2012 (n = 481). We used confirmatory factor analysis to measure a syndemic latent variable and applied measurement invariance models to identify group differences in the data structure of syndemic co-morbidities among heterosexual men, heterosexual women, and MSM. We found that variables used to measure the syndemic fit each sub-group, supporting that substance use disorder, violence, and mental health coincide in HIV-infected individuals. Heterosexual men and MSM demonstrated similar syndemic latent variable factor loadings, but significantly different item intercepts, indicating that heterosexual men had larger mean values on substance use disorder, anxiety, and depression than MSM. Heterosexual men and heterosexual women demonstrated significantly different syndemic variable factor loadings, indicating that anxiety and depression contribute more (and substance use contributes less) to the syndemic in heterosexual men compared to heterosexual women. MSM and heterosexual women demonstrated similar syndemic latent variable factor loadings and intercepts, but had significantly different factor residual variances indicating more variance in violent victimization and depression for MSM and more variance in stress for heterosexual women than what is captured by the observed syndemic indicators. Furthermore, heterosexual women had a larger syndemic factor mean than MSM, indicating that the syndemic burden is greater among heterosexual women than MSM. Our findings support that measurement invariance can elucidate differences in the syndemic to tailor interventions to sub-group needs.
334 Serum il-18 as biomarker in predicting long-term renal outcome among pediatric-onset systemic lupus erythematosus patients

Background and Aims An urge of biomarker identification is needed to better monitor lupus nephritis (LN) disease activity, guide clinical treatment, and predict patient’s long-term outcome. With the proinflammatory effect and its association with inflammasomes, the significance of nterleukin-18 (IL-18) among pediatric-onset systemic lupus erythematous (pSLE) patient. Methods In a pSLE cohort of 96 patients with an average follow-up period of 10.39±3.31 years, clinical data and laboratory workups including serum IL-18 were collected at time of disease onset and 6 months after treatment despite their initial renal status. Through Cox regression analysis, the parameters at baseline and at 6 months posttreatment were carefully analysed. Results Average age of all cases was 12.74±3.01 years old and 65 of them underwent renal biopsy at the time of diagnosis. Nine(9.38%) progressed to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and 2 (2.08%) died during follow-up. Through multivariate analysis, serum IL-18 level 6 months posttreatment was found to be the most unfavourable factor associating poor clinical outcome despite patient’s initial renal status. The presentation of serum IL-18 in its correlation with SLE global disease activity as well as the presence and severity of LN were all significant (p Conclusions The role of serum IL-18 as biomarker representing global disease activity and status of renal flares among pSLE population was shown for the first time. Additionally, we have identified IL-18 at 6 months posttreatment a novel marker for long-term renal outcome prediction.
The Reaction of Dichlorocarbene With Olefins

Although phase transfer catalysis is a many faceted technique, it was the observation that dichlorocarbene could be generated in a two-phase aqueous-organic system in which sodium hydroxide was used as base that first captured the attention of the organic chemical community. Both Starks [1, 2] and Makosza [3] reported the dichlorocyclopropanation of cyclohexene in the late 1960’s. The reaction was conducted as shown in equation 2.1.
Programmable caches with a data management language and policy engine

Our analysis of the key-value activity generated by the ParSplice molecular dynamics simulation demonstrates the need for more complex cache management strategies. Baseline measurements show clear key access patterns and hot spots that offer significant opportunity for optimization. We use the data management language and policy engine from the Mantle system to dynamically explore a variety of techniques, ranging from basic algorithms and heuristics to statistical models, calculus, and machine learning. While Mantle was originally designed for distributed file systems, we show how the collection of abstractions effectively decomposes the problem into manageable policies for a different application and storage system. Our exploration of this space results in a dynamically sized cache policy that does not sacrifice any performance while using 32-66% less memory than the default ParSplice configuration.
Non-proteolytic ubiquitin modification of PPARγ by Smurf1 protects the liver from steatosis

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by abnormal accumulation of triglycerides (TG) in the liver and other metabolic syndrome symptoms, but its molecular genetic causes are not completely understood. Here, we show that mice deficient for ubiquitin ligase (E3) Smad ubiquitin regulatory factor 1 (Smurf1) spontaneously develop hepatic steatosis as they age and exhibit the exacerbated phenotype under a high-fat diet (HFD). Our data indicate that loss of Smurf1 up-regulates the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and its target genes involved in lipid synthesis and fatty acid uptake. We further show that PPARγ is a direct substrate of Smurf1-mediated non-proteolytic lysine 63 (K63)-linked ubiquitin modification that suppresses its transcriptional activity, and treatment of Smurf1-deficient mice with a PPARγ antagonist, GW9662, completely reversed the lipid accumulation in the liver. Finally, we demonstrate an inverse correlation of low SMURF1 expression to high body mass index (BMI) values in human patients, thus revealing a new role of SMURF1 in NAFLD pathogenesis.
Talcum Powder Toxicosis in Pregnancy

Background Pica is a relatively common phenomenon in pregnancy and typically includes consumption of nontoxic substances such as earth/clay, raw starches, and ice. Occasionally, substances may be toxic or have unintended consequences. Case A nulliparous woman presented to our facility complaining of numerous, vague symptoms that are common in pregnancy. She had multiple work-ups and an admission to our antepartum unit without clear etiology of her symptoms. Ultimately, she was diagnosed with talcum powder toxicosis secondary to talc ingestion as a coping mechanism for her anxiety, which was heightened in pregnancy. Conclusion This case highlights the importance of screening for mental health disorders, which may be exacerbated during the peripartum period. Patients' coping mechanisms for mental health disorders may have unintended consequences.
Association of index finger palpatory assessment of pubovisceral muscle body integrity with MRI-documented tear.

Aims Pubovisceral (PV) muscle tears are associated with pelvic floor disorders. The goal of this study was to determine whether index finger palpatory assessment of PV muscle body integrity through the lateral vaginal wall is a reliable indicator of PV muscle tear severity diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods We studied 85 women, 7 weeks after vaginal birth. All had at least one risk factor for obstetric-related PV muscle tear. The ordinal outcome measure of MRI-documented PV muscle tear was defined as: none, less than 50% unilateral tear, 50% or greater unilateral tear or less than 50% bilateral tear, and 50% or greater bilateral tear. PV muscle body integrity by palpatory assessment was scored on a matrix, with each side scored independently and classified as PV muscle body "present" (assuredly felt), "equivocal" (not sure if felt), or "absent" (assuredly not felt). Proportional odds models were constructed to estimate the relationship between PV muscle body integrity palpatory assessment and MRI-documented PV muscle tears. Results Thirty-five percent of study participants exhibited varying degrees of MRI-documented PV muscle tears. Using palpatory assessment, we identified "PV muscle body present bilaterally" in 20%, "equivocal unilaterally or present contralaterally" in 8%, "equivocal or absent unilaterally" or "equivocal bilaterally" in 62%, and "absent bilaterally" in 9%. The odds ratio for estimating MRI results from palpatory assessment was 3.62 (95% confidence interval = 1.70-7.73, P = 0.001). Conclusions A rapid and inexpensive palpatory assessment in the clinic was highly associated with the risk of MRI-documented PV muscle tear and is a useful component of a clinical assessment.
Historical Dialogue: Conceptualizing and Mapping a Field

This Introduction provides an overview of the term historical dialogue, and its relationship to the fields of transitional justice, memory studies, peacebuilding and conflict transformation. In considering the challenges facing post-conflict societies, the author suggests ways in which these different fields respond to a wide range of challenges that the legacy of violence incurs. With a particular focus on historical dialogue, and the ways in which historical dialogue is framed within the issue, Lang proposes considering history itself as a form of advocacy and an integral component of peacebuilding.
Water deprivation does not augment sympathetic or pressor responses to sciatic afferent nerve stimulation in rats or to static exercise in humans

Excess dietary salt intake excites central sympathetic networks, which may be related to plasma hypernatremia. Plasma hypernatremia also occurs following water deprivation (WD). We sought to determ...
Drug Violence, Immigration Enforcement, and Selectivity: Evidence from Mexican Immigrants

We study how drug violence in Mexico and internal immigration enforcement in the United States affect the selectivity of Mexican immigrants. We find that violence is associated with an increase in English proficiency among immigrants. Furthermore, the deterrence effect of interior enforcement varies: it is associated with increases in the probability of observing undocumented immigrants with prior migration experience, who are English proficient and have higher unobservable abilities. Those factors are associated with a higher probability of finding a job, and higher productivity and earnings in the US labor market.
The Natural History of Meniscus Tears.

Author(s): Chambers, Henry G; Chambers, Reid C | Abstract: BackgroundIn order to determine whether treatments are effective in the treatment of meniscus tears, it is first necessary to understand the natural history of meniscus tears. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature to ascertain the natural history of meniscus tears in children and adolescents.MethodsA search of the Pubmed and Embase databases was performed using the search terms "meniscus tears," "natural history of meniscus tears," "knee meniscus," "discoid meniscus," and "natural history of discoid meniscus tears."ResultsA total of 2567 articles on meniscus tears, 28 articles on natural history of meniscus tears, 8065 articles on "menisci," 396 articles on "discoid meniscus," and only 2 on the "natural history of discoid meniscus" were found. After reviewing the titles of these articles and reviewing the abstracts of 237 articles, it was clear that there was little true long-term natural history data of untreated meniscus tears nor whether treating meniscus tears altered the natural history. Twenty-five articles were chosen as there was some mention of natural history in their studies.ConclusionsThere are few long-term data on untreated meniscal tears or discoid meniscus, or tears in children and adolescents. The literature suggests that there is a higher incidence of chondral injury and subsequent osteoarthritis, but there are many confounding variables which are not controlled for in these relatively short-term papers.
Nonrenal Systemic Arterial Calcification Predicts the Formation of Kidney Stones

Background: Recent data indicate that kidney stone formers (KSFs) may have increased biomineralization at anatomic sites throughout the body compared with nonstone formers (NSFs). The objective of this study is to compare the volume of nonrenal systemic calcifications between KSF and NSF by using a standardized system to analyze calcifications in the abdominal aorta (AA) and splenic artery (SA). Methods: The NSF cohort was obtained from a kidney donor's prospectively maintained database. One hundred ninety-seven NSF were matched to 197 KSF based on age, gender, and body mass index. Noncontrast CT scans were evaluated and semiautomated CT software was utilized to provide an AA and SA calcification Agatston score. Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used on continuous variables and chi-squared test or Fisher's exact test on categorical variables. Odds ratios (ORs) were given for a variable's influence on the formation of stones or calcifications. Results: AA and SA calcifications were more prevalent in the KSF group (p = 0.011 and p = 0.027, respectively). KSFs were 1.9 times more likely to have intermediate or severe AA calcification than NSFs (OR = 1.9, p = 0.004). Severe AA calcifications had even a greater association (OR = 3.1, p = 0.019). KSFs were also more likely to have SA, but this did not reach statistical significance (OR = 3.7, p = 0.103). Conclusion: Patients with increased systemic calcifications, specifically aortic or splenic calcifications, may be at an increased risk for future kidney stone formation. Patients with these imaging findings and additional risk factors for stone disease may be counseled on the future risk of stones.
The impact of variances and delays on nonroutine decisions and knowledge utilization in a product development organization

This study examined the source and impact of variances and delays in different stages of the product development cycle in one high technology Ramp;D organization. This was accomplished through the development and application of an empirical method for analyzing key deliberations in nonroutine sociotechnical systems. The results indicate key variances and delays are most severe during the implementation and scale-up stage of the product development cycle. Subsequent analyses of two concurrent projects revealed that knowledge-related variances impact the quality of deliberations leading up to decisions to implement technology. Results from this study also indicated that the structural and process quality of deliberations is correlated with the availability, utilization, and dissemination of technical knowledge. These results generally support the importance of designing deliberations to maximize decision quality and knowledge utilization in Ramp;D organizations.
Marine fossils from Permian redbeds (Satanka Shale) at Laramie, Wyoming

Foraminifera and marine mollusks were found in the upper 1.5 m of the Satanka Shale, a Permian unit, at Laramie, Wyoming. This fossiliferous interval was divided into three distinct units based on lithology and fauna. The lower unit is a porous sandstone bed characterized by pelecypods, gastropods, and scaphopods. The middle limestone unit contains abundant foraminifera and small pelecypods. The upper unit is mudstone containing foraminifera and scattered small pelecypods. The fossiliferous interval probably represents the early stage of the Wordian transgression that resulted in the overlying stromatolitic Forelle Limestone. The fossils decrease in diversity upward in the fossiliferous interval, suggesting that salinity changed as deposition proceeded. The irregularly coiled foraminifera belong to a single species whose tests accumulated at times in sufficient abundance to form individual laminae.
Clergy attitudes toward vaccines and vaccine advocacy: a qualitative study

Background: Recent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases have affected members of religious communities. While major religions support vaccines, the views of individual clergy who practice and ...
To be committed or not: a systematic review of the empirical literature on organizational commitment among correctional staff

Staff are the most vital resource for any correctional facility. As corrections is a very expensive budget item in the U.S., finding and keeping dedicated employees is essential. Organizational com...
Heavy Fermion Behaviors in LiV_{2}O_{4}

Experiments of various types on the metallic transition metal oxide compound LiV_{2}O_{4} with the fcc normal-spinel structure are reviewed. The low-temperature T < 10 K data consistently indicate heavy fermion (HF) behaviors characteristic of those of the heaviest-mass f-electron HF compounds. A crossover is observed above about 50 K in the magnetic susceptibility, ^{7}Li spin-lattice relaxation rate and neutron magnetic scattering function to a magnetic state variously described as an antiferromagnetically-coupled local-moment metal or, at the opposite extreme, as an itinerant nearly-ferromagnetic metal. Recent theoretical investigations to understand these properties of LiV_{2}O_{4} are discussed.
Purification of Autoantibodies Bound to an Autoantigen Immobilized on a Membrane Strip

This chapter describes a technique for purifying autoantibodies off a membrane strip using small human sera volumes. This method used a membrane strip cut out from a western blot having a target antigen transferred electrophoretically from a sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel (SDS-PAGE). This process is a valuable substitute for affinity column chromatography, especially when the protein of interest is of low abundance in a HeLa cell extract. The protein sample is separated on a preparative SDS polyacrylamide gel and transferred to a nitrocellulose membrane. A couple of strips are cut out from either side of the blotted membrane and immunoblotted with particular antisera to detect the protein of interest. Then, the targeted protein band is cut horizontally and used for affinity purification. We affinity-purified antibodies binding to a 70,000-molecular-weight protein obtained from HeLa cell extract using this procedure. A mock band, cut from an area away from the target antigen, served as a control band for mock purification of autoantibodies. The autoantibodies obtained in this way duplicated the multiple nuclear dot (MND) antinuclear antibody (ANA) pattern got with crude sera from 21 patients without primary biliary cirrhosis or anti-mitochondrial antibody.
The Effects of Sex Hormones on Food Intake, Body Weight, and Fat Composition: A Cross-Species Analysis

Reproductive hormones affect the physiology of eating, body weight, and fat composition differently among the sexes and across multiple species. While the reproductive influences on feeding are known, these studies have been previously limited to just one species in both studies and literature reviews. In addition, discrepancies have also been found across different species. For instance, female mice tend to experience no changes in food consumption whether estradiol is present or not, while female rats experience a decrease in food consumption with the presence of estradiol. The lack of cross-species comparison in these findings leads to a limited understanding of the overall effects of feeding and body composition. Not only are studies limited to one species, but studies are also limited to one sex. Not comparing results to the opposite sex prevents the consideration and realization of the discrepancies in the effects of hormones among the sexes. For example, men with higher levels of testosterone were correlated with healthy Body Mass Index (BMI) levels while women with higher levels of testosterone tend to weigh more than women with normal levels of testosterone. This literature review focuses on inter-species and sex differences of the effects of reproductive hormones on feeding, body weight, and fat composition.
Wagner and the Romantic Hero

Few major artists have aroused the ire and adulation of successive generations as persistently as Richard Wagner. He was the centre of controversy during his lifetime and yet, when he died, he was the most idolized man in Germany. The situation has not changed much since then. Simon Williams explores the reasons for this adulation and antipathy by examining an aspect that may be a fundamental cause for this radical division in the reception of Wagner's work, the phenomenon of heroism. Williams analyses this heroism as a function of Wagner's theatre and music, beginning with a definition and examination of the concept of the heroic. The book also discusses all thirteen stage works by Wagner and the phenomenon of heroism and Wagner's adaptation of the figure of the Romantic hero. Williams offers a theatrical, musical, and cultural re-evaluation of one of the most enduring figures in the arts.
SU-E-J-17: Intra-Fractional Prostate Movement Correction During Treatment Delivery Period for Prostate Cancer Using the Intra-Fractional Orthogonal KV-MV Image Pairs

Purpose: To evaluate the intra-fractional prostate movement range during the beam delivery and implement new IGRT method to correct the prostate movement during the hypofractionated prostate treatment delivery. Methods: To evaluate the prostate internal motion range during the beam delivery, 11 conventional treatments were utilized. Two-arc RapidArc plans were used for the treatment delivery. Orthogonal KV imaging is performed in the middle of the treatment to correct intra-fractional prostate movement. However, it takes gantry-mounted on-board imaging system relative long time to finish the orthogonal KV imaging because of gantry rotation. To avoid gantry movement and accelerate the IGRT processing time, orthogonal KV-MV image pair is tested using the OBI daily QA Cube phantom. Results: The average prostate movement between two orthogonal KV image pairs was 0.38cm (0.20cm ∼ 0.85cm). And the interval time between them was 6.71 min (4.64min ∼ 9.22 min). 2-arc beam delivery time is within 3 minutes for conventional RapidArc treatment delivery. Hypofractionated treatment or SBRT need 4 partial arc and possible non-coplanar technology, which need much longer beam delivery time. Therefore prostate movement might be larger. New orthogonal KV-MV image pair is a new method to correct the prostate movement in the middle of the beam delivery if real time tracking method is not available. Orthogonal KV-MV image pair doesn’t need gantry rotation. Images were acquired quickly which minimized possible new prostate movement. Therefore orthogonal KV-MV image pair is feasible for IGRT. Conclusion: Hypofractionated prostate treatment with less PTV margin always needs longer beam delivery time. Therefore prostate movement correction during the treatment delivery is critical. Orthogonal KV-MV imaging pair is efficient and accurate to correct the prostate movement during treatment beam delivery. Due to limited fraction number and high dose per fraction, the MV imaging dose is negligible.
Anatomy of a color histogram

It is shown that the color histogram has an even closer relationship to scene properties than has been previously described. Color histograms have identifiable features that relate in a precise mathematical way to scene properties. Object color and illumination color are the most obvious properties that are related to color distribution, and their extraction has already been described. It is shown here that the histogram of color variation may be further exploited to relate its shape to surface roughness and imaging geometry. An understanding of these features allows an improved estimate of illumination color and object color to be made. >
The Bonds That Remind Us: Maternal Reminiscing for Bonding Purposes in Relation to Children's Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance.

The present study investigated the relation between characteristics of mother–child reminiscing and children's perceived competence and social acceptance. We focused specifically on conversations for bonding purposes (i.e., conversations that serve the function of maintaining or strengthening the relationship between the child and the mother) as bonding may be a particularly salient context for the development of self-views. Fifty-two mothers and their 4-year-old children engaged in a past-talk conversation where mothers were instructed to try to bond with their children. Children's perceived cognitive and physical competence and maternal and peer acceptance, along with language, were measured. Our results indicated that characteristics of maternal talk, particularly maternal support of child's autonomy and child-centred content, were strongly related to children's perceived social acceptance. Although weaker, there were also associations between maternal talk and children's perceived competence. Results are discussed in light of theories arguing in favour of parent–child discourse as a mechanism for self-development. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On the rational homotopy type of function spaces

The main result of this paper is the construction of a minimal model for the function space F(X,Y) of continuous functions from a finite type, finite dimensional space X to a finite type, nilpotent space Y in terms of minimal models for X and Y. For the component containing the constant map, 7r* (.F(X, Y)) 0 Q = 7r* (Y) 0 H-* (X; Q) in positive dimensions. When X is formal, there is a simple formula for the differential of the minimal model in terms of the differential of the minimal model for Y and the coproduct of H* (X; Q). We also give a version of the main result for the space of cross sections of a fibration.
Chapter 16 Simulation Algorithms for Regenerative Processes

Abstract This chapter is concerned with reviewing the basic ideas and concepts underlying the use of regenerative structure in the development of efficient simulation algorithms. While it has long been known that discrete state space Markov chains exhibit regenerative structure, we argue that well-behaved discrete-event simulations typically also contain an embedded sequence of regeneration times. However, algorithmic identification of the corresponding regeneration times turns out to be a nontrivial problem. We discuss the theoretical and implementation issues involved in identifying the corresponding regeneration times, and describe how regenerative methodology supplies effective solutions to several difficult simulation problems. In particular, we discuss the use of regeneration in the context of steady-state simulation as a means of efficiently computing confidence intervals and correcting for initial bias. We also point out that regeneration has the potential to offer significant algorithmic efficiency improvements to the simulationist, and illustrate this idea via discussion of steady-state gradient estimation and computation of infinite horizon expected discounted reward.
Analysis of human leukemias using extensive immunophenotypes from an antibody microarray

A12 A novel microarray containing 82 cluster of differentiation (CD) antibodies has been used to obtain extensive immunophenotypes of leukemia cells. Leukocytes are captured on antibody dots corresponding to particular cell surface molecules to give a dot pattern that is the immunophenotype. Samples from the peripheral blood and bone marrow of 733 leukemia patients were analyzed. Discriminant Function Analysis of the expression profiles from these 733 patients and 63 normal subjects were clustered and showed high levels of consistency with diagnoses obtained using conventional criteria. The overall levels of consensus for classification using the microarray compared with established criteria were 93.9% (495/527 patients) for peripheral blood and 97.6% (201/206 patients) for bone marrow aspirates, showing that the extensive phenotype alone was frequently able to classify the disease when the leukaemic clone was the dominant cell population. Immunophenotypes for neoplastic cells were distinguishable from normal cells when the leukaemic count was at least 5 X 10(9) cells/L in peripheral blood, or 20% of cells obtained from bone marrow aspirates. This technique will be a useful adjunct to flow cytometry and other methods when an extensive immunophenotype of leukemia cells is required. An extensive immunophenotype alone may be sufficient for diagnosis of most leukemias.
An 18-kDa glycoprotein from bovine nasal cartilage. Isolation and primary structure of small, cartilage-derived glycoprotein

A glycosylated protein (small, cartilage-derived glycoprotein, SCGP) of approximately 18 kDa with unknown function has been isolated from dissociative extracts of bovine nasal cartilage and its primary structure determined. The protein has 121 amino acids, giving a calculated protein molecular weight of 13,878, four disulfide bonds, two N-linked oligosaccharides and one O-linked oligosaccharide. In nasal cartilage, this glycoprotein is in molar concentrations equivalent to 1/5-1/2 that of the link protein of cartilage proteoglycan aggregates, and it has also been isolated from bovine articular cartilage and from bovine fetal epiphysis. The N-terminal, glycosylated region of the molecule is relatively rich in arginine, proline, glycine, and threonine. The C-terminal 82 amino acids (which contains all four of the disulfide bonds and none of the carbohydrate) can be found as a discrete entity in cartilage extracts, indicating that the N-terminal domain is readily removed by extracellular proteolytic attack.
Non-equilibrium tricritical behavior in lasers

Tricritical behavior in lasers is reviewed briefly. Threshold behavior in the laser with a saturable absorber is interpreted in terms of first- and second-order phase transitions within the framework of Landau theory (mean field). The intersection of the lines of first- and second order phase transitions in this system provides an example of a non-equilibrium tricritical point. By varying the operating parameters of a He:Ne laser with an intracavity Ne absorber it was possible to operate the laser near the tricritical point. Experimental results are compared with the predictions of mean field theory.
Enhancing Academic Achievement through Related Routines

Academic test scores and academic achievement have been, and continue to be, a focal point in our educational system (National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983; National Education Goals Report, 1994). Given the continued emphasis on academic achievement as an item on the educational agenda, educators, researchers, school psychologists, parents, and administrators continually seek out methodologies to identify, delineate, isolate, and maximize variables associated with student achievement on academic indicators. By identifying variables, or combinations of variables, associated with academic achievement, educational programs can be developed that benefit each student.
Contextual Influences on Imitative Interactions between Mothers and Infants

It is a challenge for developmental psychology to understand how an individual’s experience is interlaced in the construction of competence, for experience is at once constrained by existing competence and a means for enhancing competence. As competence is utilized in different contexts, some features of experience are retained and influence future deployment of competence. Moreover, it is through experience that the lines of cultural and personal distinctiveness are introduced into the universal patterns of human development. Our purpose here is not to discuss the different ways that the role of experience may be understood nor the biological and social contexts within which experience takes shape, but to examine the structure of one kind of experience common during the first year of life—imitative interaction.
Multiple model (MM) dosage design: achieving target goals with maximal precision

Dosage regimens based on parametric population models use single values to describe each parameter distribution. When a target goal is selected, the regimen to achieve it assumes that it does so exactly. In contrast, multiple-model (MM) dosage design is based on nonparametric (NP) population models which have up to one set of parameter values for each subject studied in the population. With this more likely model, multiple predictions are possible. Using these NP models, one can compute the MM dosage regimen which specifically minimizes the predicted weighted squared error with which a target goal can be achieved. With feedback from blood serum concentrations, each set of parameter values in the NP prior has its probability recomputed. Using that revised model, the new regimen to achieve the target with maximum precision is again computed. A new interacting MM sequential Bayesian method then estimates posterior densities when parameter values have been changing during the analysis. A new clinical software package is under development.
Normative performance on the executive clock drawing task in a multi‐ethnic bilingual cohort: a project FRONTIER study

The CLOX test is a neuropsychological measure intended to aid in the assessment and detection of dementia in elderly populations. Few studies have provided normative data for this measure, with even less research available regarding the impact of socio-demographic factors on test scores. This study presents normative data for the CLOX in a sample of English- and Spanish-speaking Hispanic and non-Hispanic Whites. The total sample included 445 cognitively healthy older adults seen as part of an ongoing study of rural cognitive aging, Project FRONTIER. Unlike previous studies, criteria for “normality” (i.e., unimpaired) for CLOX1 and CLOX2 were based not merely on global impairment, but also on domain-specific impairment of executive functioning on the EXIT25 and/or Trail Making Test B (Trails B), or visuospatial/constructional impairment on the Line Orientation and Figure Copy subtests of the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), respectively. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that CLOX1 scores require adjustment by Age across ethnicities, while Education and Gender are necessary stratification markers for CLOX1 performance only in non-Hispanic Whites. None of the demographic variables were valid predictors of CLOX2 performance, negating the need for such adjustments. In addition to being the first study to provide separate normative data for CLOX performance in Hispanic and non-Hispanic White samples, the current study offers a novel approach to defining “normal” by cognitive domain. We also highlight the need to directly examine the impact of socio-demographic factors before applying normative corrections based on factors that have negligible impact on test scores.
A practical method for the reduction of plasma cholesterol in man.

Abstract A practical method has been devised to lower plasma cholesterol in ambulatory patients, based on a diet fairly low in saturated fatty acids but providing an adequate intake of linolenic acid, a metal chelator, and pyridoxine. Plasma levels fell variably but considerably in most of 20 patients. The rationale of such a regimen in metabolic terms has been discussed.
FRA3B Extends Over a Broad Region and Contains a Spontaneous HPV16 Integration Site: Direct Evidence for the Coincidence of Viral Integration Sites and Fragile Sites

The common fragile site at 3p14.2 (FRA3B) is the most sensitive site on normal human chromosomes for the formation of gaps and breaks when DNA replication is perturbed by aphidicolin or folate stress. Although rare fragile sites are known to arise through the expansion of CCG repeats, the mechanism responsible for common fragile sites is unknown. Beyond being a basic component of chromosome structure, no biological effects of common fragile sites have been convincingly shown, although suggestions have been made that breakage and recombination at these sites may sometimes be mechanistically involved in deletions observed in many tumors and in constitutional deletions. In an observation related to the high rate of recombination at fragile sites, a number of studies have shown a statistical association between the integration of transforming DNA viruses and chromosomal fragile sites. Using FISH analysis we recently identified a 1.3 Mb YAC spanning both FRA3B and the t(3;8) translocation associated with hereditary RCC. Here we report the further localization of FRA3B within this YAC. Using lambda subclones of the YAC as FISH probes, gaps and breaks were found to occur over a broad region of at least 50 kb. Neither CCG nor CAG repeats were found in this region suggesting a different mechanism for fragility than seen with rare fragile sites. We further show that an area of frequent gaps and breaks within FRA3B, defined by a lambda contig, coincides with a previously characterized site of HPV16 integration in a primary cervical carcinoma. The HPV16 integration event gave rise to a short chromosomal deletion limited to the local FRA3B region within 3p14.2. Interestingly, 3p14.2 lies within the smallest commonly deleted region of 3p in cervical cancers, which are often HPV16 associated. To our knowledge this is the first molecular characterization of an in vivo viral integration event within a confirmed fragile site region, supporting previous cytogenetic observations linking viral integration sites and fragile sites.
Enzyme induction and repression in anabolic and catabolic pathways.

Microorganisms have evolved enzymes which catalyze a large number of reactions in the sequences to form essential cellular constituents and liberate energy and carbon for cellular processes. Regulation of the use of energy and of the monomeric cellular precursors to the synthesis of those enzymes required under changing environmental conditions depends on the one hand on the level of end products of a reaction sequence and on the other upon the presence of the first, or early members of a reaction sequence. These cases in turn represent product repression and substrate, or substrate like, induction of enzyme formation. Though the repression system has generally been considered to operate in anabolic and the induction system in catabolic processes, the experiments presented demonstrate a role for both types of control in formation of biosynthetic and peripheral pathway enzymes. The induction of biosynthetic enzymes is shown in Pseudomonas putida, and organism with three clusters of genes for the tryptophan pathway. The repression of degradative enzymes is shown in an extended pathway of peripheral oxidation of terpenoid compounds. The enzymes for steps following conversion of neutral to non-essential acidic products are repressed as well as enzymes beyond convergence with isobutyrate formation and conversion to the succinyl and propionyl intermediates.