cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Monocyte development inhibitor PRM-151 decreases corneal myofibroblast generation in rabbits

This study investigated whether PRM-151 (Promedior, Inc., Malvern, PA), a recombinant form of human pentraxin-2 (PTX-2, also referred to as serum amyloid P, hSAP), that inhibits differentiation of circulating monocytes into fibrocytes and profibrotic macrophages, could modulate generation of myofibroblasts after opacity-producing corneal injury in rabbits, and, therefore, have potential to reduce or prevent haze after PRK. Nine diopter PRK for myopia was performed with the VISX S4 IR laser. Four groups of 6 animals were treated in masked fashion: Group 1: 30 μl of topical PRM-151 (20 mg/ml) 6 times a day for 5 days; Group 2: 30 μl topical vehicle 6 times a day for 5 days; Group 3: 200 μl sub-conjunctival PRM-151 (total injection of 4 mg) immediately after surgery and every other day until day 8; Group 4: 200 μl sub-conjunctival injections of vehicle according to the same schedule as group 3. At one month after PRK, the animals were euthanized and immunohistochemistry was performed for the myofibroblast marker α-smooth muscle actin (SMA). The density of SMA+ cells/400× field in the central stroma was determined in each cornea. Myofibroblast density at one month after surgery was significantly lower (p = 0.006) after sub-conjunctival PRM-151 treatment (5.8 ± 2.8 cells/400× stromal field) compared to sub-conjunctival vehicle treatment (15.3 ± 2.9 cells/400× stromal field). There was no significant (p = 0.27) decrease in stromal myofibroblasts triggered by topical PRM-151 treatment (11.8 ± 6.6 cells/400× stromal field) compared to the topical vehicle treatment (14.2.8 ± 6.2 cells/400× stromal field). PRM-151 inhibits myofibroblast generation when administered by sub-conjunctival injection, but not when administered topically, after opacity-producing corneal injury. This study provides additional confirmation that bone marrow-derived cells contribute to corneal myofibroblast generation.
Neonatal Herpes Simplex Virus Death Manifested as Rapidly Progressive Pneumonia

This report describes a case of probable herpes simplex virus (HSV) pneumonia in a neonate with no other localized signs of HSV infection. A 37-week-old infant became ill on the fourth day of life and died 6 days later of overwhelming pneumonia and ensuing complications. After the infant's death, viral cultures from the trachea, nasopharynx, and gastric aspirate grew herpes simplex virus. The mother had no history or signs of HSV infection at delivery. She developed a postpartum fever, and 8 days later herpetic lesions were noticed on the vulva and buttocks. The source of this infant's infection was most likely the maternal birth canal. Nosocomial acquisition could not be ruled out, but no history of HSV infection was found in either involved hospital personnel or in 38 infants defined to be at risk for nosocomial acquisition of the disease. Neonatal HSV can present as a rapidly progressive pneumonia without other clues to etiology.
Campylobacter jejuni Type VI Secretion System: Roles in Adaptation to Deoxycholic Acid, Host Cell Adherence, Invasion, and In Vivo Colonization

The recently identified type VI secretion system (T6SS) of proteobacteria has been shown to promote pathogenicity, competitive advantage over competing microorganisms, and adaptation to environmental perturbation. By detailed phenotypic characterization of loss-of-function mutants, in silico, in vitro and in vivo analyses, we provide evidence that the enteric pathogen, Campylobacter jejuni, possesses a functional T6SS and that the secretion system exerts pleiotropic effects on two crucial processes – survival in a bile salt, deoxycholic acid (DCA), and host cell adherence and invasion. The expression of T6SS during initial exposure to the upper range of physiological levels of DCA (0.075%–0.2%) was detrimental to C. jejuni proliferation, whereas down-regulation or inactivation of T6SS enabled C. jejuni to resist this effect. The C. jejuni multidrug efflux transporter gene, cmeA, was significantly up-regulated during the initial exposure to DCA in the wild type C. jejuni relative to the T6SS-deficient strains, suggesting that inhibition of proliferation is the consequence of T6SS-mediated DCA influx. A sequential modulation of the efflux transporter activity and the T6SS represents, in part, an adaptive mechanism for C. jejuni to overcome this inhibitory effect, thereby ensuring its survival. C. jejuni T6SS plays important roles in host cell adhesion and invasion as T6SS inactivation resulted in a reduction of adherence to and invasion of in vitro cell lines, while over-expression of a hemolysin co-regulated protein, which encodes a secreted T6SS component, greatly enhanced these processes. When inoculated into B6.129P2-IL-10tm1Cgn mice, the T6SS-deficient C. jejuni strains did not effectively establish persistent colonization, indicating that T6SS contributes to colonization in vivo. Taken together, our data demonstrate the importance of bacterial T6SS in host cell adhesion, invasion, colonization and, for the first time to our knowledge, adaptation to DCA, providing new insights into the role of T6SS in C. jejuni pathogenesis.
Crop plants as models for understanding plant adaptation and diversification.

Since the time of Darwin, biologists have understood the promise of crop plants and their wild relatives for providing insight into the mechanisms of phenotypic evolution. The intense selection imposed by our ancestors during plant domestication and subsequent crop improvement has generated remarkable transformations of plant phenotypes. Unlike evolution in natural settings, descendent and antecedent conditions for crop plants are often both extant, providing opportunities for direct comparisons through crossing and other experimental approaches. Moreover, since domestication has repeatedly generated a suite of “domestication syndrome” traits that are shared among crops, opportunities exist for gaining insight into the genetic and developmental mechanisms that underlie parallel adaptive evolution. Advances in our understanding of the genetic architecture of domestication-related traits have emerged from combining powerful molecular technologies with advanced experimental designs, including nested association mapping, genome-wide association studies, population genetic screens for signatures of selection, and candidate gene approaches. These studies may be combined with high-throughput evaluations of the various “omics” involved in trait transformation, revealing a diversity of underlying causative mutations affecting phenotypes and their downstream propagation through biological networks. We summarize the state of our knowledge of the mutational spectrum that generates phenotypic novelty in domesticated plant species, and our current understanding of how domestication can reshape gene expression networks and emergent phenotypes. An exploration of traits that have been subject to similar selective pressures across crops (e.g., flowering time) suggests that a diversity of targeted genes and causative mutational changes can underlie parallel adaptation in the context of crop evolution.
NetVenn: an integrated network analysis web platform for gene lists

Many lists containing biological identifiers, such as gene lists, have been generated in various genomics projects. Identifying the overlap among gene lists can enable us to understand the similarities and differences between the data sets. Here, we present an interactome network-based web application platform named NetVenn for comparing and mining the relationships among gene lists. NetVenn contains interactome network data publically available for several species and supports a user upload of customized interactome network data. It has an efficient and interactive graphic tool that provides a Venn diagram view for comparing two to four lists in the context of an interactome network. NetVenn also provides a comprehensive annotation of genes in the gene listsbyusingenrichedtermsfrommultiplefunctional databases. In addition, it allows for mapping the gene expression data, providing information of transcription status of genes in the network. The power graph analysis tool is integrated in NetVenn for simplified visualization of gene relationships in the network. NetVenn is freely available at http://probes.pw.usda. gov/NetVenn or http://wheat.pw.usda.gov/NetVenn.
Assessing subjective workload assessment - A comparison of SWAT and the NASA-bipolar methods

The Subjective Workload Assessment Technique (SWAT) and the NASA weighted-bipolar method used for evaluating subjective workload assessment are compared. The application of these methods to the rating of single- and dual-task trials of tracking and spatial transformation is described. The methods used to collect the ratings for the SWAT and bipolar technique are examined. Analysis of the transformation-tracking data reveal that the two assessment techniques produce similar results and both measure the differences in task difficulty. The positive and negative characteristics of each technique are analyzed.
Fourier Analysis of High Speed Shadowgraph Images around a Mach 1.5 Cavity Flow Field

An examination of a rectangular cavity with an L/D of 5.67 was tested at Mach 0.7 and 1.5 with corresponding Reynolds numbers of 2x10 6 /ft and 2.3x10 6 /ft, respectively. High speed shadowgraph movies were simultaneously sampled with the dynamic pressure sensors at 75 kHz. Fourier analysis was performed on the high speed movies as well as the dynamic pressure data which resulted in determining the locations of dominant cavity frequencies in the flow field. From the high speed shadowgraph movies, observations of the in the cavity flow physics are discussed. Several cavity related issues are examined e.g. How do vortices form in the shear layer? What is the actual starting mechanism for these cavity acoustic tones? How do the cavity acoustic tones affect the shear layer?
Cochlear implantation in infants less than 12 months of age

Summary Objective Infants are diagnosed with severe to profound hearing loss at an earlier age due to the advent of universal newborn hearing screening. This offers the opportunity to provide intervention in the form of cochlear implantation at an earlier age than was previously possible. The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the risk of cochlear implant surgery in children less than 12 months of age. Design Retrospective review of children who underwent cochlear implantation before 12 months of age. Setting Patients were identified from a database of pediatric cochlear implant patients at a tertiary care center. All patients were diagnosed with severe to profound hearing loss by otoacoustic emission and auditory brainstem response. Follow-up ranged from 2 months to 5 years. Results Fourteen of 15 patients had full insertions of the electrode hardware. Less than full insertion and post-operative CSF otorrhea occurred in one patient with severe cochlear abnormalities. There were no other perioperative surgical complications. The average speech detection threshold was 27.6 dB (20–45 dB) at approximately 1–3 months post-stimulation and 25 dB (15–30 dB) at approximately 5–7 months. Conclusion In our experience, we feel cochlear implantation is safe for infants as young as 6 months of age. The current standard at our institution is to implant by 7 months of age for prelingual deafness as opposed to waiting additional time until 12 months of age before the brain is presented with speech.
Effect of hypoxia on protein tyrosine kinase activity in cortical membranes of newborn piglets--the role of nitric oxide.

Abstract Previous studies have shown that cerebral hypoxia results in increased tyrosine phosphorylation of cerebral cortical cell membrane proteins as well as nuclear membrane anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-2. The present study tests the hypothesis that hypoxia results in increased protein tyrosine kinase activity in cortical cell membranes of newborn piglets and that the inhibition of neuronal NOS by administration of 7-nitroindazole sodium salt (7-NINA), a selective inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), will prevent the hypoxia-induced increase in protein tyrosine kinase activity. To test this hypothesis, protein tyrosine kinase activity was determined in cerebral cortical membranes of 2- to 4-day-old newborn piglets divided into normoxic ( n = 6), hypoxic ( n = 5) and 7-NINA-treated hypoxic ( n = 5) (7-NINA, 1 mg/kg, i.p., prior to hypoxia) groups. Tissue hypoxia was achieved by exposing the animals to an FiO 2 of 0.07 for 60 min and was documented biochemically by determining tissue ATP and phosphocreatine (PCr) levels. Cortical P 2 membranes were isolated and protein tyrosine kinase activity determined by 33 P incorporation into a specific peptide substrate for 15 min at 37 °C in a medium containing 100 mM HEPES, pH 7.0, 1 mM EDTA, 125 mM MgCl 2 , 25 mM MnCl 2 , 2 mM DTT, 0.2 mM sodium orthovanadate, 2 mM EGTA, 150 μM tyrosine kinase peptide substrate [Lys 19] cdc2(6–20)-NH 2 , 33 P-ATP, and 10 μg of membrane protein. Protein tyrosine kinase activity was determined by the difference between 33 P incorporation in the presence and absence of specific peptide substrate and expressed as pmol/mg protein/h. The ATP values in the normoxic, hypoxic and 7-NINA-treated hypoxic animals were ATP: 4.57 ± 0.45 μmol/g, 1.29 ± 0.23 μmol/g ( p p p p p p
Inca Religion and Customs

Inca Religion and Customs. Father Bernabe Cobo. translated and edited by Roland Hamilton. Austin: University of Texas Press,1990. xxv+279 pp.,foreward(John Howland Rowe), notes, glossary, indexes. $22.50 (cloth), $12.95 (paper). ISBN 0-292-73854-4, ISBN 0-292-73861-7. Lindsay Jones Ohio State University
Implementation of a two-group likelihood time-to-event continual reassessment method using SAS

Abstract Background and objectives Dose finding trials using model-based methods have the ability to handle the increasingly complex landscape being seen in clinical trials. Issues such as patient heterogeneity in trial populations are important to address in the designing of a trial in addition to the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Designs accommodating patient heterogeneity have been described using the continual reassessment method (CRM) and time-to-event CRM (TITE-CRM), yet, the implementation of these trials in practice have been limited. These methods and other model-based methods generally need statisticians to help design and conduct these trials. However, the statistical programs which facilitate the use of these methods, currently available focus on estimation in the one-sample case. Methods A SAS program to accommodate two groups using the TITE-CRM and likelihood estimation has been developed. The program consists of macros that assist with the planning and implementation of a trial accounting for patient heterogeneity. Results Description of the program is given as well as examples using the programs. For planning purposes, an example will be provided showing how the program can be used to guide sample size estimates for the trial. Conclusions This program provides researchers with a valuable tool for designing dose-finding studies to account for the presence of patient heterogeneity and conduct a trial using a hypothetical example.
Early neuropsychological discriminants for Lewy body disease: an autopsy series

Objective To determine which neuropsychological test measures and which symptoms at presentation might best differentiate dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) from Alzheimer9s disease (AD). Methods Cases were from the Columbia University Alzheimer9s Disease Research Center, and included cases with pathological diagnosis of pure DLB (n=12), mixed DLB and AD (DLB+AD n=23) and pure AD (n=89) who had Clinical Dementia Rating 0, 0.5 or 1 at their first visit. Clinical symptoms and neuropsychological test measures were compared for pure DLB, DLB+AD and pure AD using univariate analysis of covariance and separate logistic regression analyses. Results Visual hallucinations, illusions and extrapyramidal tract signs were more frequent as clinical features of the early stage of pure DLB compared with AD. The pure DLB patients showed more impaired visuospatial function than pure AD or DLB+AD patients whereas memory function was more severely impaired in pure AD or DLB+AD than in pure DLB. Analysis of memory subscores suggested that failure of retrieval was the major contributor to the memory deficit of DLB. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that visuospatial function and delayed memory recognition were independent predictors of pure DLB from pure AD and from DLB+AD. But test measures did not discriminate between DLB+AD and pure AD. Conclusions Visuospatial function was more affected in pure DLB than in AD while memory retrieval deficit was more affected in AD than in pure DLB, in the early stages of dementia. However, DLB+AD did not show significant neuropsychological difference from pure AD.
Adaptive negotiating agents in dynamic games: outperforming human behavior in diverse societies

Creating software agents that can negotiate effectively is an important problem that has been studied by agent researchers in contexts such as the trading agent competition and the virtual agents community. In the former, the goal is typically to find optimal policies in settings with uncertain and incomplete information, and where policies are typically evaluated in societies of entirely artificial agents [6]. In the latter, a goal is to create agents that can interact with humans --- in many cases, to train them in negotiation with individuals from particular cultures or different value settings [5].
Application of Wertheim's thermodynamic perturbation theory to dipolar hard sphere chains

We present results from molecular simulation and statistical mechanics based theory for dipolar hard sphere chains. We consider tangent hard sphere chains with dipoles on alternate segments. The equation of state is obtained by applying Wertheim's associating fluid theory in the total bonding limit to a mixture of non-polar and dipolar hard spheres. The equation of state of the chain requires the compressibility factor and pair correlation functions of this mixture which is the reference fluid. Computer simulation shows that the distribution function between the non-polar and polar hard spheres perpendicular to the dipole can be closely approximated by the hard sphere distribution function. This result is consistent with results from the mean spherical approximation and from reference linear hypernetted chain theory. With this approximation we propose an equation of state for dipolar hard sphere chains.
Turning Land into Capital, Turning People into Labor: Primitive Accumulation and the Arrival of Large-Scale Economic Land Concessions in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic

In recent years the Lao government has provided many foreign investors with large-scale economic land concessions to develop plantations. These concessions have resulted in significant alterations of landscapes and ecological processes, greatly reduced local access to resources through enclosing common areas, and ultimately leading to massive changes in the livelihoods of large numbers of mainly indigenous peoples living near these concessions. Many have lost their agricultural and forest lands, or means of production, making it difficult for them to maintain their former semi-subsistence livelihoods, and thus compelling many to take up employment on the same plantations that displaced them, despite having to work for low wages and under poor conditions. Using two case studies involving large economic land concessions in southern Laos, I argue that applying the theoretical concept of primitive accumulation is useful for better understanding the political processes and motivations of government officials, and their justifications for the rural dispossession that is occurring in a nominally ‘socialist’ country.
Serum Lipids and Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy and Macular Edema in Persons With Long-term Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: The Wisconsin Epidemiologic Study of Diabetic Retinopathy.

Importance Total serum and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol have been considered risk factors for severe vascular outcomes in persons with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Objective To examine the long-term relationships between these 2 serum lipids and the incidence and prevalence of proliferative diabetic retinopathy and macular edema. Design, Setting, and Participants Nine-hundred three persons with younger-onset type 1 diabetes mellitus who participated in the Wisconsin Epidemiologic Study of Diabetic Retinopathy. Exposures Serum total and high-density cholesterol and history of statin use during the course of 5 visits spanning approximately 30 years (April 10, 1984, to February 13, 2014). Main Outcomes and Measures Prevalence and incidence of proliferative diabetic retinopathy and macular edema. Results A modest association was found for higher levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and decreased prevalence of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (odds ratio per 10 mg/dL, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.82-0.93), adjusting for duration of diabetes mellitus, glycosylated hemoglobin A 1c , statin use, and end-stage renal disease. While adjusting for covariates, no associations of serum total or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and incident proliferative diabetic retinopathy or macular edema, nor of statin use with decreased incidence of proliferative diabetic retinopathy or macular edema, were identified. Conclusions and Relevance In the course of long-duration diabetes mellitus during a time of changing medical care, there appeared to be little effect of serum lipids or statins on the incidence of proliferative diabetic retinopathy and macular edema.
Analytic, Simulation, and Empirical Evaluation of Delay/Fault-Tolerant Mobile Sensor Networks

The delay/fault-tolerant mobile sensor network (DFT-MSN) has been proposed for pervasive information gathering. DFT-MSN distinguishes itself from conventional sensor networks by several unique characteristics such as sensor mobility, loose connectivity, and delay/fault tolerability. This paper focuses on the performance evaluation of DFT-MSN. We first introduce a queuing model by using Jackson network theory. While the queuing model is based on a few simplification assumptions for analytic tractability, it provides insights into the queuing behavior of the mobile sensors in DFT-MSN. Extensive simulations are performed under realistic environment and assumptions. Our simulation results show that the dynamic DFT-MSN data delivery scheme achieves the highest message delivery ratio with acceptable delay and transmission overhead, compared with simple schemes such as flooding and direct transmission or other approaches in the literature such as Zebranet. We have also implemented a DFT-MSN testbed by deploying crossbow motes for noise level monitoring in our university library. Though in a small scale, the testbed demonstrates the feasibility of DFT-MSN and provides guidance for future large scale deployment.
Genetic Analysis of Zinc-finger Nuclease-induced Gene Targeting in Drosophila

Using zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) to cleave the chromosomal target, we have achieved high frequencies of gene targeting in the Drosophila germline. Both local mutagenesis through nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) and gene replacement via homologous recombination (HR) are stimulated by target cleavage. In this study we investigated the mechanisms that underlie these processes, using materials for the rosy (ry) locus. The frequency of HR dropped significantly in flies homozygous for mutations in spnA (Rad51) or okr (Rad54), two components of the invasion-mediated synthesis-dependent strand annealing (SDSA) pathway. When single-strand annealing (SSA) was also blocked by the use of a circular donor DNA, HR was completely abolished. This indicates that the majority of HR proceeds via SDSA, with a minority mediated by SSA. In flies deficient in lig4 (DNA ligase IV), a component of the major NHEJ pathway, the proportion of HR products rose significantly. This indicates that most NHEJ products are produced in a lig4-dependent process. When both spnA and lig4 were mutated and a circular donor was provided, the frequency of ry mutations was still high and no HR products were recovered. The local mutations produced in these circumstances must have arisen through an alternative, lig4-independent end-joining mechanism. These results show what repair pathways operate on double-strand breaks in this gene targeting system. They also demonstrate that the outcome can be biased toward gene replacement by disabling the major NHEJ pathway and toward simple mutagenesis by interfering with the major HR process.
Chest Pain Units: Management of Special Populations

Chest pain units provide an important alternative to traditional hospital admission for patients who present to the emergency department with symptoms compatible with acute coronary syndrome and a normal or inconclusive initial evaluation. Although patient subgroups such as women, diabetics, those with established coronary artery disease,and those with symptoms related to stimulant use present unique challenges,management in a chest pain unit appears to be appropriate in these populations. Judicious application of accelerated diagnostic protocols and current testing methods can promote safe, accurate, and cost-effective risk stratification of special populations to identify patients who can be safely discharged and patients who require hospital admission for further evaluation.
Millimeter wave backscatter from deciduous trees

Measurements of the millimeter-wave backscatter from deciduous (leafed) trees are explained using a simple scattering model. The backscatter from individual leaves was measured in the laboratory and used to justify the use of an average leaf radar cross section when computing the normalized radar cross section (NRCS) of tree canopies. NRCS measurements of canopies show that the direction in which incident radiation impinges on the canopy is an important factor in characterizing radar backscatter. Comparisons of measured NRCS values demonstrate that planophil and erectophil trees can be distinguished based on their backscatter at 215 GHz. >
The impact of post acute myocardial infarction (AMI) depression on patient compliance and risk factor modification

Abstract Numerous studies have examined depression as both a predictor and an indicator of recovery from acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The precise mechanism which links depression and morbidity/mortality remains unclear, but it has been suggested that compliance with physician instructions and related risk factor modification may play a key role. The intent of this prospective study was to assess the relationship between post-AMI depression and patient observation of physician discharge instructions and healthy lifestyle choices. Data was collected for 245 AMI hospital inpatients and three-months following discharge. There were no significant differences in the initiation and/or completion of cardiac rehabilitation programmes, diet modifications or exercise maintenance according to depressed status; however, the current use of tobacco was strongly related to level of depression. Secondary analyses revealed differences regarding quality of life (presence of angina, dyspnea and fatigue), morbidity (num...
A GENETICALLY DISTINCT FORM OF CYCLIC AMP PHOSPHODIESTERASE ASSOCIATED WITH CHROMOMERE 3D4 IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

Two cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase enzymes (E.C.3.1.4.17) are present in homogenates of adult Drosophila melanogaster. The two enzymes differ from one another in heat stability, affinity for Mg++, Ca++ activation and molecular weight. They do not differ markedly in their affinities for cyclic AMP, and both exhibit anomalous Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The more heatlabile enzyme is controlled in a dosage-dependent manner by chromomere 3D4 of the X chromosome and is absent in flies that are deficient for chromomere 3D4. Chromomere 3D4 is also necessary for the maintenance of normal cAMP levels, for male fertility, and for normal female fertility and oogenesis. The structural gene(s) for the more heat-stable enzyme is located outside of chromomeres 3C12–3D4. Whether 3D4 contains a structural gene, or a regulatory gene necessary for the presence of the labile enzyme, remains to be determined.
Clinical significance of prospectively assigned Gleason tertiary pattern 4 in contemporary Gleason score 3+3=6 prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVE To determine the oncologic impact of prospectively assigned tertiary pattern 4 in contemporary Gleason score (GS) 3 + 3 = 6 radical prostatectomy (RP) specimens. PATIENTS AND METHODS Oncologic outcomes were retrospectively reviewed for 720 consecutive patients from a single National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) center with at least 6 months follow-up after RP for GS3 + 3 = 6 (GS6, N = 222), GS6 with tertiary pattern 4 (GS6t4, N = 62), or GS3 + 4 = 7 (N = 436) prostate cancer, as prospectively graded since 2006 using the 2005 International Society of Urologic Pathologists criteria. Preoperative NCCN risk category, RP pathology, progression-free survival (PFS) and metastasis-free survival (MFS) were compared among the GS6, GS6t4, and GS3 + 4 = 7 groups using χ2, Kaplan–Meier, and log-rank analyses. RESULTS The incidence of low NCCN preoperative risk classification for GS6t4 patients (63%) was less than that for GS6 patients (77%) while greater than that for GS3 + 4 = 7 patients (30%, P < 0.001). GS6t4 patients had RP pathologic features which were intermediate in risk between that of GS6 and GS3 + 4 = 7 based on extraprostatic extension (27% vs. 6% vs. 31%, respectively, P < 0.001) and mean percentage of prostate gland involvement (13% vs. 10% vs. 16%, respectively, P < 0.001). With a mean overall follow-up of 42 months, PFS for GS6t4 patients (5-year 85%) was intermediate between that of GS6 (5-year 93%) and GS3 + 4 = 7 (5-year 76%) patients (P < 0.001). The 5-year MFS rate was 100% for GS6 and GS6t4 patients compared to 97% for GS3 + 4 = 7 patients (P = 0.07). CONCLUSIONS This study provides the longest follow-up to date for RP patients with prospectively assigned GS6t4 and supports a risk for adverse RP pathology and postoperative disease progression that is intermediate between GS6 and GS3 + 4 = 7. Whether a tertiary pattern 4 in GS6 disease increases the risk of metastasis is uncertain and requires longer term study. Given favorable oncologic outcomes, less stringent postoperative surveillance for both GS6 and GS6t4 patients may be warranted. Prostate 76:715–721, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Combined Computational and Experimental Investigation of SOx Adsorption on MgO

One of the main obstacles to the use of alkaline-earth-oxide-based NOx adsorbents for emissions control is the ready poisoning of these materials by SOx. To shed light on the mechanisms of poisonin...
Quality control of microbiological laboratory′s pressure steam sterilization

Objective:To improve laboratory sterilization,ensure the effects of pressure steam sterilization and provide quality assurance to the tests taken in microbiological laboratory.Methods:In accordance with the quality control instruction for pressure steam sterilization,set the initial authentication for the process and carry out routine monitor for the sterilizing efficacy.Results:It has been proved by the initial authentication that when the filling rate is 70%,and the sterilizing parameter is 121℃ 23 min for the culture medium in a 500 ml conical flask.A 252 times of sterilizing temperature tests have been taken:the qualified rate for stationary point thermometer tests is 100% and that for chemical indicator tests is 98.0%.15 times of sterilizing effect tests have been taken and the qualified rate is 100%.Conclusion:Strict and standard quality control is important for the quality of high-pressure steam sterilization.
Analysis on factors influencing transient stability limits of long-distance transmission profile

The factors influencing transient stability limits of long-distance transmission interface were analyzed in this paper.These factors include the variation of initial base cases under certain load level,the differences of load levels in receiving system,and the interconnection of receiving system with the other system.Two-generator equivalence system model and equal area criterion for transient stability analysis was employed in the process of analysis.Theoretical analysis and cases validation shows that the transmission limit will increase with the augment of load level at receiving system,and will decrease greatly if the receiving system interconnects with other large grid.
Meet the Terrible Resistance: Childhood Suffering and the Christian Body

This article consists of two thought experiments on pastoral theological implications of resurrection accounts in the Gospel of Luke. Emphasis in both biblical narratives on the pathos of Jesus’ life and the material presence of his resurrection body is interpreted to promote the therapeutic relevance for individuals of revisiting their embodied childhood shame as a path to greater hope and vitality. The risen Jesus models for his followers an intentional eisegesis, whereby readers may be encouraged to overcome psychological impediments to exploring their own archaic sorrows and to read their childhood suffering into the story of God.
Semilocal Convegence of Newton-Like Methods and Fractional Calculus

We present a semilocal convergence study of Newton-like methods on a generalized Banach space setting to approximate a locally unique zero.
Image Guidance for Placement of Ommaya Reservoirs: Comparison of Fluoroscopy and Frameless Stereotactic Navigation in 145 Patients.

Objective Ommaya reservoirs are used for administration of intrathecal chemotherapy and cerebrospinal fluid sampling. Ventricular catheter placement for these purposes requires a high degree of accuracy. Various options exist to optimize catheter placement. We analyze a cohort of patients receiving catheters using 2 different technologies. Methods Retrospective chart review was performed on patients undergoing Ommaya reservoir placement between 2011 and 2014. Most procedures were assisted by either frameless stereotactic neuronavigation or fluoroscopic guidance with pneumoencephalogram. Catheter accuracy, revision rates, perioperative complications, and operative time were measured. Preoperative similarities and differences in diagnosis, demographics, and ventricular size were also recorded to avoid a biased assessment of our results. Results One-hundred and forty-five patients were included, 57 using fluoroscopic guidance and 88 using frameless stereotaxy. Common diagnoses in both groups were lymphoma and leptomeningeal disease. Qualitative measures of catheter placement accuracy showed no significant difference between the 2 groups. Proximity to the foramen of Monro favored fluoroscopy by a small margin (8.6 mm vs. 10.2 mm, P = 0.03). Overall revision rates were not significantly different between the groups (3.5% vs. 4.5%, P = 1.00). Early surgical complications occurred in 6.8% of the frameless stereotaxy group and 1.8% of the fluoroscopy group ( P = 0.25). Conclusions Ommaya reservoirs can be placed accurately using different methods. Although there are slight differences between fluoroscopy and frameless stereotaxy in quantitative accuracy and procedure time, there is no significant advantage of 1 method over the other when evaluating revision or complication rates. Technique familiarity and surgeon preference may dictate the preferred procedure.
Thoracoscopic Revision of Staple Dislodgment in an Adolescent with Scoliosis: A Case Report.

The desire to modulate spinal growth in patients with adolescent scoliosis stems from the lack of treatment options to prevent curve progression that may later necessitate spinal instrumentation and fusion. Currently, bracing is the only option widely employed to manage the growing child and adolescent with scoliosis to preserve the mobility of the spine and prevent curve progression, but bracing can be problematic for some patients. Patient compliance may be poor, and systematic literature reviews have shown that the evidence for bracing efficacy is inconclusive1-3. Also, there is likely a subset of children with curves of >30° and open triradiate physes for whom bracing is ineffective4-6. Bracing generally does not lead to correction of the deformity; it is focused more on the prevention of curve progression. A motion-preserving, minimally invasive procedure such as spinal stapling is a surgical intervention that may potentially spare skeletally immature patients a substantial amount of brace wear time, and perhaps help these patients avoid spinal fusion in the future. To the best of our knowledge, the earliest use of staples for the correction of scoliosis was reported in 1954 with disappointing results7. Later attempts were promising, but implant breakage and pullout occurred because the staples were designed for the correction of limb malalignment and did not tolerate intervertebral motion8. Medtronic Sofamor Danek (Memphis, Tennessee) created a staple from Nitinol (nickel titanium), which received 510(k) approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for fixation in the anterior aspect of the spine or for hand and foot osteotomies. Its use across a disc space is classified as “off-label.” Nitinol staples are made of temperature-sensitive memory alloy. The prongs are pliable when cooled, but when warmed to body temperature they clamp into adjacent vertebral bodies to …
Regioselective cross metathesis for block and heterotelechelic polymer synthesis

Ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of 3-substituted cyclooctene (3RCOE) monomers with Grubbs 2nd and 3rd generation catalysts (G2 and G3) has been shown to occur with high head-to-tail regioregularity and E-stereoregularity. Cross metathesis (CM) between the resultant polymer chains, a secondary metathesis reaction during ROMP, also results in head-to-tail regioregularity and E-stereoregularity. The selectivity of the CM is demonstrated in the reaction between polymers of various molar masses or with different R substituents. In the latter case, monitoring by DSC reveals the change from a multiblock polymer to a statistical copolymer by displaying first two, then one Tg. The regioregularity of both the ROMP and CM reactions is exploited for the synthesis of heterotelechelic polyolefins through the use of an asymmetric, allylically-substituted chain transfer agent alongside the 3RCOE monomer.
Proteomic Techniques as Biomarkers for Multiple Sclerosis

Researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute and other centers in Canada performed proteomics screening of CSF samples collected from 19 children at presentation of acquired inflammatory CNS demyelinating syndromes.
Multiple scattering effects in vegetated surfaces and rough surface boundary condition at C-band for remote sensing of soil moisture

In vegetated surface scattering, the physical values of optical thickness and scattering albedo both increase with frequency. At C-band, because of the attenuation due to large optical thickness, the distorted Born approximation gives negligible values for the surface scattering term and double bounce term. Because of the smallness of these two terms, the distorted Born approximation gives results independent of soil moisture. Physically, because the albedo is significant such as between 0.5 and 0.9, the radiative energy does not dissipate with the optical thickness, but go through multiple scattering within the vegetation layer. In this paper, we use vector radiative transfer theory to study the multiple scattering effects. We also study the transmission of the incident wave For rough surface scattering at C-band, due to increasing incoherent bistatic scattering from rough surface and the attenuation of coherent reflection, rough surface boundary condition will be applied to consider all scattered energy in rough surface scattering and the radiative energy interaction with the vegetation layer.
Clinical Insights Derived From B-Cell Immunodeficiency Disorders

Abstract SCI-19 Over the last four decades, the genetic defects leading to more than 140 distinct inherited immune disorders have been discovered. A subset of these diseases primarily impact B cell development, homeostasis, and/or activation. This talk will provide an overview of these B cell disorders. It will highlight new information regarding human immune function that has been gained from studying these disorders including: the role of key receptors or signaling effectors in immune development or activation, how such changes may impact pathogen specific versus autoimmune responses, and how targeting these pathways may provide a means to modulate other more common human immune diseases. Finally, we will provide a brief overview of efforts to correct one of these disorders in patients using genetic therapies. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
A Psychosocial Assessment of Patients before and after Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation.

Abstract There are relatively few reports in the medical literature describing psychosocial assessment of bone marrow transplant patients; what data exists primarily focuses on allogeneic transplant recipients. We have begun to prospectively assess psychosocial parameters of patients undergoing autologous transplantation using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-BMT (FACT-BMT) tool. The general questions consist of four subscales developed and normed in cancer patients that measure; physical well-being; social/family well-being; emotional well-being; functional well-being; and a specific module to address BMT-specific concerns. Each subscale is positively scored, with higher scores indicating better functioning. A baseline survey is collected by the social worker pre-transplant and a follow-up survey is administered and collected approximately 6 weeks post-transplant by the Transplant Coordinator. 56 consecutive patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplant have FACT-BMT data both pre-transplant and approximately one month post-discharge. Median age was 50. 52% are male; underlying diagnoses include NHL (45%), Hodgkin's disease (32%), myeloma (16%), AML (5%), testicular cancer (2%). 93% had chemosensitive disease at the time of transplant. All patients received peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPCs), and all received a chemotherapy-only preparative regimen. All patients were hospitalized for approximately three weeks for the transplant. For most of the variables measured by the FACT-BMT tool, there was no significant difference in pre-transplant and post-transplant scores. The one variable that did change was emotional well-being: patients scored statistically significantly higher post-transplant as compared to the pre-transplant score (p
Voltage-Based Concatenatable Full Adder Using Spin Hall Effect Switching

Magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ)-based devices have been studied extensively as a promising candidate to implement hybrid energy-efficient computing circuits due to their nonvolatility, high integration density, and CMOS compatibility. In this paper, MTJs are leveraged to develop a novel full adder (FA) based on 3- and 5-input majority gates. Spin Hall effect (SHE) is utilized for changing the MTJ states resulting in low-energy switching behavior. SHE-MTJ devices are modeled in Verilog-A using precise physical equations. SPICE circuit simulator is used to validate the functionality of 1-bit SHE-based FA. The simulation results show 76% and 32% improvement over previous voltage-mode MTJ-based FA in terms of energy consumption and device count, respectively. The concatanatability of our proposed 1-bit SHE-FA is investigated through developing a 4-bit SHE-FA. Finally, delay and power consumption of an ${ {n}}$ -bit SHE-based adder has been formulated to provide a basis for developing an energy efficient SHE-based ${n}$ -bit arithmetic logic unit.
Autonomous central pattern generator equation generation for coordinated modular robot locomotion

Modular robots hold the promise of being a flexible solution to many issues within science. Their adaptability within hardware and software can provide the right robot for each and every situation. Presented here is a toolkit for automatically generating the central pattern generator equations which provide coordinated whole-body locomotion for modular robots. Robot shapes created in XML are read and parsed to determine specific sub-structures which adhere to common and known locomotion patterns for the specific modular robot currently utilized. Locomotion is based upon coordinated whole-body motion which is necessary for low-powered modular robots, such as the Linkbot used here, to create locomotion. By parsing the structure, the number of free control parameters is drastically reduced to aid in efficient simulation. A simulation-based genetic algorithm process is used to generate motions and optimize the parameters of motion. The reduction in control parameters for large structures is an order of magnitude from the theoretical maximum. From simulated results of various shapes constructed out of the modules, parsing increases the robot's linear speed when compared to optimizing all variables of the CPG network.
Analyzing Dendritic Morphology in Columns and Layers

In many regions of the central nervous systems, such as the fly optic lobes and the vertebrate cortex, synaptic circuits are organized in layers and columns to facilitate brain wiring during development and information processing in developed animals. Postsynaptic neurons elaborate dendrites in type-specific patterns in specific layers to synapse with appropriate presynaptic terminals. The fly medulla neuropil is composed of 10 layers and about 750 columns; each column is innervated by dendrites of over 38 types of medulla neurons, which match with the axonal terminals of some 7 types of afferents in a type-specific fashion. This report details the procedures to image and analyze dendrites of medulla neurons. The workflow includes three sections: (i) the dual-view imaging section combines two confocal image stacks collected at orthogonal orientations into a high-resolution 3D image of dendrites; (ii) the dendrite tracing and registration section traces dendritic arbors in 3D and registers dendritic traces to the reference column array; (iii) the dendritic analysis section analyzes dendritic patterns with respect to columns and layers, including layer-specific termination and planar projection direction of dendritic arbors, and derives estimates of dendritic branching and termination frequencies. The protocols utilize custom plugins built on the open-source MIPAV (Medical Imaging Processing, Analysis, and Visualization) platform and custom toolboxes in the matrix laboratory language. Together, these protocols provide a complete workflow to analyze the dendritic routing of Drosophila medulla neurons in layers and columns, to identify cell types, and to determine defects in mutants.
Lazy meta-learning: creating customized model ensembles on demand

In the not so distant future, we expect analytic models to become a commodity. We envision having access to a large number of data-driven models, obtained by a combination of crowdsourcing, crowdservicing, cloud-based evolutionary algorithms, outsourcing, in-house development, and legacy models. In this new context, the critical question will be model ensemble selection and fusion, rather than model generation. We address this issue by proposing customized model ensembles on demand, inspired by Lazy Learning. In our approach, referred to as Lazy Meta-Learning, for a given query we find the most relevant models from a DB of models, using their meta-information. After retrieving the relevant models, we select a subset of models with highly uncorrelated errors. With these models we create an ensemble and use their meta-information for dynamic bias compensation and relevance weighting. The output is a weighted interpolation or extrapolation of the outputs of the models ensemble. Furthermore, the confidence interval around the output is reduced as we increase the number of uncorrelated models in the ensemble. We have successfully tested this approach in a power plant management application.