cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chromosomal analysis in ewing sarcoma

Two cases of Ewing sarcoma were karyotyped by using a fluorodeoxyuridine synchronisation procedure on short term cultures of fresh tumour material. This procedure enables rapid cytogenetic analysis of such material. Both showed relatively simple karyotypes, 48,XX, +2, +7,t(11;22)(q24;q12), ?dup(12)(q21----q24) and 47,XX,i(1q),t(11;22)(q24;q12). These results further support this translocation between chromosomes 11 and 22 as a specific marker for Ewing sarcoma. Cytogenetic studies in such cases are an important adjunct to histological studies and in some cases may contribute to the resolution of the diagnosis.
How the brain recognizes meaningful objects

Two neuropsychological approaches provide converging evidence for the neuronal basis of perceptual constancy of object recognition. Experimental studies of human patients with brain damage have found selective impairment of the ability to recognize particular categories of objects—faces, inanimate objects, bodily parts, and so forth, revealing mutually dissociable deficits. Visual cells in the monkey’s temporal cortex have been found to be selectively sensitive to faces, head orientation, and direction of eye gaze. Results suggest that recognition of one type of object proceeds by independent high-level analysis of several restricted views of a given object processed at an earlier postsensory stage of perceptual categorization.
Pediatric Graves’ disease: management in the post-propylthiouracil Era

The most prevalent cause of thyrotoxicosis in children is Graves’ disease (GD), and remission occurs only in a modest proportion of patients. Thus most pediatric patients with GD will need treatment with radioactive iodine (RAI; 131I) or surgical thyroidectomy. When antithyroid drugs (ATDs) are prescribed, only methimazole (MMI) should be administered, as PTU is associated with an unacceptable risk of severe liver injury. If remission does not occur following ATD therapy, 131I or surgery should be contemplated. When 131I is administered, dosages should be greater than 150 uCi/gm of thyroid tissue, with higher dosages needed for large glands. Considering that there will be low-level whole body radiation exposure associated with 131I, this treatment should be avoided in young children. When surgery is performed near total or total-thyroidectomy is the recommended procedure. Complications for thyroidectomy in children are considerably higher than in adults, thus an experienced thyroid surgeon is needed when children are operated on. Most importantly, the care of children with GD can be complicated and requires physicians with expertise in the area.
Fate of the benzoylphenyl urea CGA-184699 in the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis

HPLC was used to determine levels of the benzoylphenyl urea, CGA-184699, in cat blood, flea faeces and eggs. Rate constants were determined for the decline of CGA-184699 concentration in flea faeces of fleas that fed on both high (696 ng ml -1 ) and low (305 ng ml -1 ) host blood concentrations. There were strong correlations between the concentration of the drug in the host's blood and in flea eggs, between egg concentration and egg hatch and between the concentration of CGA-184699 in faeces and mortality to larvae feeding upon faeces
A geometry- and count-based method for gated SPECT quantification of myocardial thickness, left ventricular volume, and ejection fraction

We present a novel geometry and count-based method for gated single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) quantification to assess myocardial thickness, left ventricular (LV) volume and ejection fraction (EF). A median search associated with an integrated counts strategy was used to determine the endocardial and epicardial boundaries of the LV. The method was validated using six cardiac phantoms with a wide range of simulated myocardial thickness from 6 mm to 16 mm and LV volume from 33 mL to 128 mL. Tc-99 m radioactive isotope with a concentration of 2.5 /spl mu/Ci/mL was injected into the phantoms to simulate normal myocardial perfusion. Solid plastic inserts were placed in the simulated myocardium to mimic dense myocardial perfusion defects. Each cardiac phantom was subsequently submerged into a cylindrical container filled with water simulating uniform photon attenuation. A total of 72 image acquisitions were acquired using two different SPECT cameras. Images were reconstructed, filtered, re-orientated, aligned, and computer animated to generate gated SPECT image sequences. Phantom wall thickness, volume, and ejection fraction were quantified from the gated SPECT images using the new method. Correlations between SPECT quantified and actual values of phantom thickness, volume and ejection fraction were excellent. The quantitative results were not significantly affected by the myocardial perfusion defects simulated, and the results from the two SPECT cameras were highly reproducible. In conclusion, the new method developed is feasible to precisely detect the LV boundaries and may allow for accurate assessments of myocardial thickness, LV volume and ejection fraction.
A control scheme for trajectory tracking of robot manipulators

The authors put forward a simple scheme for multivariable control of robot manipulators. The scheme is composed of an inner-loop stabilizing controller and an outerloop tracking controller. The inner loop utilizes a multivariable PD (proportional differential) controller to stabilize the robot by placing the poles at some desired location. The outer loop uses a multivariable PID (proportional integral differential) controller to achieve input-output decoupling and trajectory tracking. The gains of the PD and PID controllers are related directly to the linearized robot model by simple closed-form expressions. The controller gains are updated online to cope with variations in the robot model for gross motions and payload change. Alternatively, the use of high-gain controllers for gross motion and payload change are discussed. >
Self-focus and stereotyping of the self:

A study tested the effects of mirror-induced self-focus on participants’ tendency to self-stereotype. Americans high and low in identification with their nationality rated themselves and the group “Americans” on traits that varied in stereotypicality and valence. Participants made these ratings under one of three conditions: (1) while facing a mirror, (2) while facing a mirror with an American flag visible, and (3) while not facing a mirror. High identifiers were more likely to endorse stereotypic traits and to rate themselves as similar to their national group when self-focused. In contrast, low identifiers were less likely to endorse stereotypic traits and to rate themselves as similar to their national group when self-focused. These patterns were limited to traits negative in valence. Correlational analyses indicated that self/group ratings were most similar when high identifiers were self-focused. Implications for the distinction between personal and social identity are discussed.
Nonparametric signal detectability evaluation using an exponential transformation of the FROC curve.

Purpose: To develop an efficient nonparametric method for evaluation the detectability of signals at unknown locations in images, as a mean for image quality assessment.Methods: We use the free-response methodology that allows the image observer to mark and score all locations found as suspicious in an image, summarizing these results in a free-response operating characteristic (FROC) curve. However, unlike the relative (or receiver) operating characteristic (ROC), or the localization ROC (LROC), the FROC curve has an undefined, theoretically infinite, right side limit. Therefore area under the FROC curves cannot be directly used as an overall performance index, as the area under the curve is for ROC or LROC. We circumvent this drawback by using a transformation of the abscissa that leads to a finite integration range. By applying an exponential transformation we derive a nonparametric estimator for such a metric, and we study its properties by deriving analytical expressions for the mean and standard deviation in conditions of scores independence.Results: A comparative study with other related nonparametric estimators for ROC, LROC, and alternative FROC (AFROC) method is presented.Conclusions: The new nonparametric estimator has sensitivity and scalability properties that make it particularly advantageous for signal detectability evaluation in phantom experiments using model observers.
Irradiation study on Srn+1TinO3n+1Ruddlesden-Popper phases synthesized by hot-forging

The hot-forging technique was used to obtain both the n = 2 (Sr3Ti2O7) and n = ∞ (SrTiO3) members of Ruddlesden-Popper phase Srn+1TinO3n+1. Pure phase and high density (>95% theoretical) materials were achieved using this technique. These polycrystalline samples were irradiated with 200 keV He ions to a fluence of 2×1021 ion/m2 (corresponding to a peak dose at 5 dpa) at room temperature to study radiation damage effects. Microstructural investigation on pristine and irradiated samples was performed using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Three phenomena are revealed upon comparing prisXtine versus irradiated samples. First, both compounds interplanar lattice spacings increased after irradiation. Second, peak broadening possibly suggests incredibly small grain due to irradiation. Third, experiment results revealed an amorphization in the irradiated Sr3Ti2O7, while no amorphization was observed in irradiated SrTiO3. (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Explaining the Gibbs Sampler

Abstract Computer-intensive algorithms, such as the Gibbs sampler, have become increasingly popular statistical tools, both in applied and theoretical work. The properties of such algorithms, however, may sometimes not be obvious. Here we give a simple explanation of how and why the Gibbs sampler works. We analytically establish its properties in a simple case and provide insight for more complicated cases. There are also a number of examples.
Lack of the programmed death-1 receptor renders host susceptible to enteric microbial infection through impairing the production of the mucosal natural killer cell effector molecules

The programmed death-1 receptor is expressed on a wide range of immune effector cells, including T cells, natural killer T cells, dendritic cells, macrophages, and natural killer cells. In malignancies and chronic viral infections, increased expression of programmed death-1 by T cells is generally associated with a poor prognosis. However, its role in early host microbial defense at the intestinal mucosa is not well understood. We report that programmed death-1 expression is increased on conventional natural killer cells but not on CD4(+), CD8(+) or natural killer T cells, or CD11b(+) or CD11c(+) macrophages or dendritic cells after infection with the mouse pathogen Citrobacter rodentium. Mice genetically deficient in programmed death-1 or treated with anti-programmed death-1 antibody were more susceptible to acute enteric and systemic infection with Citrobacter rodentium. Wild-type but not programmed death-1-deficient mice infected with Citrobacter rodentium showed significantly increased expression of the conventional mucosal NK cell effector molecules granzyme B and perforin. In contrast, natural killer cells from programmed death-1-deficient mice had impaired expression of those mediators. Consistent with programmed death-1 being important for intracellular expression of natural killer cell effector molecules, mice depleted of natural killer cells and perforin-deficient mice manifested increased susceptibility to acute enteric infection with Citrobacter rodentium. Our findings suggest that increased programmed death-1 signaling pathway expression by conventional natural killer cells promotes host protection at the intestinal mucosa during acute infection with a bacterial gut pathogen by enhancing the expression and production of important effectors of natural killer cell function.
Concentration Measurement of Length-Fractionated Colloidal Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes

The determination of the carbon concentration of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in a given dispersion is a basic requirement for many studies. The commonly used optical absorption-based concentration measurement is complicated by the spectral change due to variations in nanotube chirality and length. In particular, the origin of the observed length-dependent spectral change and its effect on concentration determination has been the subject of considerable debate. Here, we use length-fractionated DNA-wrapped SWCNTs to establish the relationship between SWCNT carbon concentration and optical absorption spectra by directly quantifying the amount of wrapping DNA and, independently, the DNA/carbon nanotube mass ratio. We find that SWCNT carbon concentrations derived from either the E11 peak or spectral baseline deviate significantly from the SWCNT carbon concentrations derived from the DNA measurement method. Instead, SWCNT carbon concentrations derived from the spectral integration of the E11 optical t...
Photonic technologies for undersampling and compressive sensing of high-speed RF signals

We review photonic subsystems for undersampling and compressive sensing of GHz-band RF signals. We focus on methods for performing the compressive measurement and on the properties of RF signals amenable to such sampling.
Adolescent treatment outcomes for comorbid depression and substance misuse: A systematic review and synthesis of the literature

The quantitative literature on the treatment of comorbid depression and substance misuse among adolescents was reviewed, including: (1) a synthesis of the empirical evidence of the multiple models of integrated treatment for depression and substance use, (2) an examination of proposed mechanisms underlying symptom change in these integrated treatment models targeting depression and substance use, and (3) a methodological critique and suggestions for future research. We reviewed 15 studies reporting on treatment outcomes among adolescents with comorbid depression and non-tobacco related substance use disorders (SUD) and general misuse. Although there is empirical evidence linking Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET), and Family-Focused Therapy (FFT) to depression and SUD symptom reduction in adolescents, few studies have provided data on mechanisms that may account for this effect. Potential mechanisms include improvements in dysfunctional reward processing and self-efficacy. Although this review highlights promising findings for the treatment of comorbid depression and substance misuse in adolescents, further work is warranted; as such results could have important implications for intervention development.
Bandlimited Trajectory Planning for Continuous Path Industrial Robots

This paper provides a trajectory planning algorithm for high speed, high precision continuous path robots. The basic idea is to tune the speed along the path according to the curvature, so the generated velocity and acceleration commands are bounded and continuous. Frequency range of the velocity and acceleration commands is also controllable.
Leveraging cloud in the rapidly evolving workplace of the future

Rapid advances in cloud computing have made it possible to replace individual working environments with centralized and consolidated workplaces. These workplaces bring many advantages over traditional self-managed environments, such as improved security and compliance, and rapid on-boarding. In this paper we describe the implementation of a desktop cloud at IBM Research.
Hunger Pangs: Irony, Tragedy, Constraint

If French Caribbean writers remain invested in literature’s ability to address contemporary problems, this chapter shifts focus to the notions of limit, constraint, and impasse that also preoccupy them. Patrick Chamoiseau’s Un dimanche au cachot and Maryse Conde’s La Belle Creole dramatize forms of unbearable confinement and raise questions about literature’s reception. Likening islands to prisons, the individual body to the body politic, these novels foreground material constraints and the tragic as a mode of reading history, contingency, and the limits of human agency. Irony addresses these constraints not by circumventing or overcoming them, but by working in and through them, dwelling in the unpleasant or unbearable and redirecting attempts to cover over or turn away from it.
Stereocontrolled Synthesis of Kalihinol C

We report a concise chemical synthesis of kalihinol C via a possible biosynthetic intermediate, “protokalihinol”, which was targeted as a scaffold en route to antiplasmodial analogs. High stereocontrol of the kalihinol framework relies on a heterodendralene cascade to establish the target stereotetrad. Common problems of regio- and chemoselectivity encountered in the kalihinol class are explained and solved.
Does a Primary Health Clinic for Formerly Incarcerated Women Increase Linkage to Care

Abstract Objective This study examined a primary care-based program to address the health needs of women recently released from incarceration by facilitating access to primary medical, mental health, and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. Study Design Peer community health workers recruited women released from incarceration within the past 9 months into the Women's Initiative Supporting Health Transitions Clinic (WISH-TC). Located within an urban academic medical center, WISH-TC uses cultural, gender, and trauma-specific strategies grounded in the self-determination theory of motivation. Data abstracted from intake forms and medical charts were examined using bivariate and multivariable regression analyses. Results Of the 200 women recruited, 100 attended the program at least once. Most (83.0%) did not have a primary care provider before enrollment. Conditions more prevalent than in the general population included psychiatric disorders (94.0%), substance use (90.0%), intimate partner violence (66.0%), chronic pain (66.0%), and hepatitis C infection (12.0%). Patients received screening and vaccinations (65.9%–87.0%), mental health treatment (91.5%), and SUD treatment (64.0%). Logistic regression revealed that receipt of mental health treatment was associated with number of psychiatric (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], = 4.09; p p = .04), and higher median income (AOR, 1.07; p = .05); African American race predicted lower receipt of SUD treatment (AOR, 0.08; p Conclusions An innovative primary care transitions program successfully helped women recently released from incarceration to receive medical, mental health, and SUD treatment. Primary care settings with specialty programs, including community health workers, may provide a venue to screen, assess, and help recently incarcerated women access needed care.
Representaciones sociales estudiantiles: expectativas, evaluaciones y emociones

This text is a study about emotions, expectations and evaluations in the educational process through social representations of a group of college students. Perceptions about life, the university and specifically the development of teaching and learning in a subject are reviewed. This will provide an overview about what they expect when starting a course and what they value when it concludes. The views are commonly satisfactory and positive, and this exercise allows the views on a topic that is little discussed by social sciences research.
Comments on “An Assessment of Steam-Explosion-Induced Containment Failure. Parts I-IV”

(1988). Comments on “An Assessment of Steam-Explosion-Induced Containment Failure. Parts I-IV”. Nuclear Science and Engineering: Vol. 100, No. 2, pp. 171-174.
Pulsed Radiofrequency Ablation for Treating Sural Neuralgia.

Background: Sural neuralgia is persistent pain in the distribution of the sural nerve that provides sensation to the lateral posterior corner of the leg, lateral foot, and fifth toe. Sural neuralgia is a rare condition but can be challenging to treat and can cause significant limitation. We present 2 cases of sural neuralgia resistant to conservative management that were effectively treated by pulsed radiofrequency ablation. Case Reports: A 65-year-old female developed sural neuralgia after a foot surgery and failed conservative management. She had successful sural nerve blocks, and pulsed radiofrequency ablation led to an 80% improvement in her pain. A 33-year-old female presented with sural neuralgia secondary to two falls. The patient had tried several conservative modalities with no success. We performed diagnostic blocks and pulsed radiofrequency ablation, and the patient reported 80% improvement in her pain. Conclusion: Pulsed radiofrequency ablation may be a safe and effective treatment for patients with sural neuralgia that does not respond to conservative therapy. However, studies are needed to elucidate its effectiveness and safety profile.
Syntax of Words

Theoretical approaches to morphology within the generative tradition can often be characterized by the tendency to either reject syntax as a model or embrace it and evolve in tandem with it. This article traces this symbiotic development from the inception of generative grammar to the present.
The WTO EC-Seal Products Decision: Animal Welfare, Indigenous Communities and Trade (Shorter Version)

The EC-Seal Products decision of the WTO Appellate Body (AB) is of immense systemic importance since it is the first time that the AB has found that a trade ban on animal welfare grounds falls within the Article XX(a) exception for measures necessary to protect public morals. The AB’s finding implicates the legality of future trade restrictions on animal welfare grounds, as well as restrictions imposed on human rights grounds, such as labor rights. This case review and commentary for the American Journal of International Law first goes through the decision, step by step, and then critiques it for its lack of public reasoning. The AB report is cramped with judicial bureaucratise, and appears almost purposefully written to avoid engagement with an audience outside of trade insiders in Geneva and a few national capitals, a few academics, and some specialized WTO lawyers. Given the AB’s authority, this practice is unacceptable. This inward turn may not bode well for the WTO’s future.
Preoperative Irradiation for Advanced Pelvic Cancer

Preoperative irradiation of unresectable rectal carcinomas allows about 50% of patients to have a complete resection, and many are able to undergo a sphincter-sparing procedure. In muscle-invasive carcinoma of the bladder, preoperative radiotherapy appears to decrease both node positivity and the risk of pelvic recurrence by about 50% and to increase survival by 10% to 15%, as compared with results achieved with cystectomy alone. Radiotherapy alone is effective against advanced carcinoma of the uterine cervix; the routine use of adjuvant hysterectomy does not appear justified.
Catalyzing organizational change: Strategies and tools to implement your scholarly communication agenda

As ACRL President, I spend much of my time thinking about the priorities we have identified as part of our Plan for Excellence: our new signature initiative focused on equity, diversity, and inclusion; the value of academic libraries, student learning; research and the scholarly environment; and new roles and changing landscapes. 1 Though this plan has designated areas of focus, I’m sure we all have had experiences that demonstrate that these themes intersect with each other. Thinking systemically across these themes, we can enable the evolution of academic libraries in ways that support our core mission across multiple domains of service.
Attachment state of mind and childhood experiences of maltreatment as predictors of sensitive care from infancy through middle childhood: Results from a longitudinal study of parents involved with Child Protective Services

The current longitudinal study examined whether attachment states of mind and childhood maltreatment predict sensitive caregiving during infancy, early childhood, and middle childhood among a sample of 178 parents who were involved with Child Protective Services. Nearly all the parents had themselves experienced childhood maltreatment based on their reports on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire—Short Form (Bernstein et al., 2003) when their children were infants. Adult Attachment Interviews (George, Kaplan, & Main, 1985) were administered to parents when their children were infants (M = 10.92 months, SD = 8.66). Parental sensitivity was rated based on observations of parent–child interactions at three time points: infancy, early childhood, and middle childhood. During infancy, dismissing states of mind of parents predicted marginally lower sensitivity scores than autonomous states of mind. In early and middle childhood, dismissing states of mind of parents predicted significantly lower sensitivity ratings than autonomous states of mind. Unresolved states of mind of parents predicted significantly lower sensitivity scores than autonomous states of mind only during early childhood. Childhood maltreatment was not significantly associated with parents’ sensitivity ratings at all three time points. Findings suggest that among parents with Child Protective Services involvement, most of whom had themselves experienced maltreatment, parents’ unresolved states of mind predict insensitive caregiving in early childhood, and parents’ dismissing states of mind predict insensitive caregiving from infancy through middle childhood.
No Thermoregulatory Impairment in Skin Graft Donor Sites during Exercise-Heat Stress.

The US Army's Standards of Medical Fitness, AR 40-501, state that "Prior burn injury (to include donor sites) involving a total body surface area of 40% or more does not meet the standard." Inclusion of donor sites (sites harvested for skin grafts) in this standard implies that thermoregulatory function is impaired within donor sites during exercise-heat stress; however, supporting evidence is currently lacking. PURPOSE To test the hypothesis that well-healed donor and noninjured sites demonstrate similar elevations in skin blood flow and sweating during exercise-induced hyperthermia. METHODS Twenty burn survivors (>1 yr postinjury; four females) cycled for 60 min in a 39.7°C ± 0.3°C and 21.1% ± 3.3% relative humidity environment at approximately 50% of maximal aerobic capacity. Core and mean skin temperatures were recorded throughout exercise. Skin blood flow (laser-Doppler imaging) was measured at baseline and after exercise within donor (LDFDON) and adjacent noninjured control (LDFCON) sites. At 45 min of exercise, local sweat rates (Technical Absorbents) were measured within the same donor (LSRDON) and noninjured (LSRCON) areas. RESULTS After 60 min of exercise, core and skin temperatures reached 38.2°C ± 0.4°C and 35.5°C ± 1.2°C, respectively. The increase in skin blood flow from baseline to end-exercise (LDFDON, 91.6 ± 44.5 AU; LDFCON, 106.0 ± 61.6 AU; P = 0.17) and local sweat rates (LSRDON, 0.46 ± 0.26 mg·cm·min; LSRCON, 0.53 ± 0.25 mg·cm·min; P = 0.14) were not different between donor and noninjured control sites. CONCLUSIONS Well-healed donor sites retain the ability to increase skin blood flow and sweating during exercise heat stress, providing evidence against the inclusion of donor sites when determining whether a burn injury meets the Army's Standards of Medical Fitness.
Disuse-induced insulin resistance susceptibility coincides with a dysregulated skeletal muscle metabolic transcriptome

Short-term muscle disuse results in skeletal muscle insulin resistance through mechanisms that are not fully understood. Following a 5-day bed rest intervention, subjects were divided into High and...
Extremal clustering under moderate long range dependence and moderately heavy tails

We study clustering of the extremes in a stationary sequence with subexponential tails in the maximum domain of attraction of the Gumbel We obtain functional limit theorems in the space of random sup-measures and in the space $D(0,\infty)$. The limits have the Gumbel distribution if the memory is only moderately long. However, as our results demonstrate rather strikingly, the "heuristic of a single big jump" could fail even in a moderately long range dependence setting. As the tails become lighter, the extremal behavior of a stationary process may depend on multiple large values of the driving noise.
Integrating Ethics Across Computing: An Experience Report of Three Computing Courses Engaging Ethics and Societal Impact through Roleplaying, Case Studies, and Service Learning

We share our work-in-progress experiences of integrating knowledge of computing with ethics and societal impact of computing through innovative practices in the context of three different courses - an Agile software engineering project based course, a senior level, compulsory computing ethics course, and a computing service projects course. In response to the growing, urgent need for computing technology to be more responsibly and ethically developed, we believe that in addition to the current industry, the necessary change has to also be addressed at the level of computing education to more deliberately and consciously promote computing ethics. Our approach is to have students grapple with, examine and take ownership of the ethical and societal impact of the technologies they learn and build in the courses where they learn those technologies, just as they feel ownership of the technology. We also want the students to examine their perceptions of computing and ethics deeply and through multiple perspectives. We employ practices like role playing, the use of ethical frameworks, case studies, decision making game development, ethics scenario development, workshop on ethics and service learning. Our eventual goal is to have more ethics driven discussion and exercises across different parts of the computing curriculum.
The Pulmonary Complications of Paraneoplastic Autoimmune Vasculitis in a Patient With Myelodysplastic Syndrome.

Paraneoplastic autoimmune phenomena may occur in up to 30% of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). We present the case of a patient with MDS who developed diffuse alveolar hemorrhage due to paraneoplastic autoimmune vasculitis. The patient was a 55-year-old male who had been referred for outpatient hematology/oncology evaluation by his primary care physician for incidentally discovered thrombocytopenia. When he presented to the clinic, he reported new-onset chills, weakness, and night sweats. He endorsed a 20-pound weight loss over two months as well as two weeks of fatigue, exertional dyspnea, and epistaxis. He was noted to be ill-appearing and had bilateral pitting edema to the knees. Vital signs revealed a temperature of 102.3 °F, oxygen saturation of 84% on room air, and tachycardia to the 90s. Labs showed hemoglobin of 5.7 g/dL, hematocrit of 17.2 g/dL, and platelet count of 27 kµL. He was admitted to the hospital for blood and platelet transfusions, empiric antibiotics, and further diagnostic studies. The peripheral blood smear showed 4% blasts and frequent dyspoietic granulocytes. Bone marrow biopsy (BMB) was performed to differentiate between acute leukemia and myelodysplasia. BMB revealed myelodysplasia with excess blasts and erythroid predominance.During hospitalization, the patient developed acute hypoxemic respiratory failure due to bronchoscopy-confirmed diffuse alveolar hemorrhage from thrombocytopenia. His platelet count was 12 kµL. High-dose corticosteroids (2 mg/kg prednisone) were initiated for suspected paraneoplastic autoimmune vasculitis, pending BMB results. The patient steadily improved, was extubated, and had reduced oxygen and transfusion requirements.High-dose steroids were stopped, and the patient was started on decitabine chemotherapy with the ultimate goal of bone marrow transplantation. On day five of decitabine, the patient developed acute hypoxic respiratory failure requiring intubation as well as hypotension requiring vasopressors. Given that recurrent diffuse alveolar hemorrhage was again suspected, high-dose steroids were resumed upon transfer to the ICU. He continued to decompensate and ultimately experienced ventricular tachycardia requiring three separate episodes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Per the family's wishes, he was palliatively extubated, and he expired an hour later. Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage is a rare but potentially deadly pulmonary complication of MDS, stemming from a paraneoplastic autoimmune vasculitis. Patients who initially present with atypical autoimmune phenomena should raise suspicion for an underlying MDS, the presence of which can guide the promptness, extent, and duration of immunosuppressive therapy. Failure to expeditiously treat these patients with corticosteroids can lead to serious complications and death.
Inhibition of central activation of the diaphragm: a mechanism of weaning failure.

Research into pathophysiology of failure to wean from mechanical ventilation has excluded several factors, including contractile fatigue, but the precise mechanism remains unknown. We recorded tran...
The anesthesiology clerkship: A requisite experience in medical education

Modern medical education has a serious deficit—a curriculum gap that exists between essential anesthesiology education and the associated clinical exposure. Meanwhile, the shortage of anesthesiologists in the US healthcare workforce continues to grow.[1][1]-[4][2] While important (yet focused)
Axon Injury-Induced Autophagy Activation Is Impaired in a C. elegans Model of Tauopathy

Autophagy is a conserved pathway that plays a key role in cell homeostasis in normal settings, as well as abnormal and stress conditions. Autophagy dysfunction is found in various neurodegenerative diseases, although it remains unclear whether autophagy impairment is a contributor or consequence of neurodegeneration. Axonal injury is an acute neuronal stress that triggers autophagic responses in an age-dependent manner. In this study, we investigate the injury-triggered autophagy response in a C. elegans model of tauopathy. We found that transgenic expression of pro-aggregant Tau, but not the anti-aggregant Tau, abolished axon injury-induced autophagy activation, resulting in a reduced axon regeneration capacity. Furthermore, axonal trafficking of autophagic vesicles were significantly reduced in the animals expressing pro-aggregant F3ΔK280 Tau, indicating that Tau aggregation impairs autophagy regulation. Importantly, the reduced number of total or trafficking autophagic vesicles in the tauopathy model was not restored by the autophagy activator rapamycin. Loss of PTL-1, the sole Tau homologue in C. elegans, also led to impaired injury-induced autophagy activation, but with an increased basal level of autophagic vesicles. Therefore, we have demonstrated that Tau aggregation as well as Tau depletion both lead to disruption of injury-induced autophagy responses, suggesting that aberrant protein aggregation or microtubule dysfunction can modulate autophagy regulation in neurons after injury.
Degree of Risk of Bias in Randomized Controlled Trials: Does It Have an Impact on Root Coverage Outcomes?

Abstract Objective Improvement over time in mean (MRC) and complete root coverage (CRC) reported in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) has been documented. Our objective was to assess the effect that the ROB has on relevant outcomes reported in RCTs evaluating the efficacy of a commonly performed root coverage procedure. Methods RCTs that involved the use of a bilaminar technique of coronally advanced flap with connective tissue graft were selected. The following data were extracted: MRC, CRC, whether conflict of interest was addressed (yes/no), adequacy of random sequence generation, allocation concealment, and blinding of outcome assessment. Trials were categorized into four groups as per different time periods: before Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) (before 1996), CONSORT (1997 to 2001), CONSORT 2001 (2002 to 2010), and CONSORT 2010 (2011 to 2019). Differences between group means were assessed using statistical analyses. Results The search yielded a total of 47 RCTs published between 1993 and 2019 that met the inclusion criteria. A trend toward lower ROB over time in the selected RCTs was observed. However, differences in MRC and CRC with respect to the degree ROB of included trials were not significant. Conclusions Degree of ROB did not influence MRC and CRC reported in the RCTs included in this investigation. This finding suggests that the observed improvement of clinical outcomes over time should be attributed to other factors, such as refinement of surgical techniques.
Does crop rotation affect soil organic matter stratification in tillage systems

Abstract Tillage practices are known to influence soil stratification, but crop rotation can strongly affect fluxes of energy and matter, and thus play a role in determining soil organic matter (SOM) fate. Using a high-resolution stratified soil sampling at 2.5 cm intervals from 0 to 30 cm depth, we evaluated the half century impacts of tillage and crop rotation on SOM stratification, and how specific soil organic functional groups drive SOM accrual in typical USA Midwest agroecosystems. Three levels of tillage intensity—no-tillage, chisel, and moldboard, and three crop rotations—continuous-corn, 2-year corn-soybean, and 3-year corn-forage-forage—were evaluated at two sites with contrasting soil characteristics (silt-loam versus clay-loam). Soil organic matter concentration was determined by loss on ignition and soil organic functional group abundances were estimated by diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (mid-DRIFTS). No-tillage systems had a more stratified distribution of SOM than in more intensive tillage systems, with greater SOM concentrations in the uppermost layers of silt-loam (0−10 cm, 9.4–20% change to chisel/moldboard) and clay-loam soils (0−30 cm, 12–15% change). Under no-tillage, crop rotation with forage maintained or increased SOM accrual (0–17.5/20 cm, -0.9–22% change to other rotations), but including soybean in the rotation diminished SOM accrual when compared to continuous-corn (-8 to -12 % change) or corn-forage rotation (-11 to -18 % change). Abating tillage increased abundance of aliphatic and phenol in the uppermost soil layers, and these organic functional groups were primarily driving SOM accrual, while SOM was inversely related to more recalcitrant functional groups (aromatic, carbonyl, and carboxylate). Soil organic functional groups (65.4 % of R2) and soil type, sampling depth, and management (34.6 % of R2) accurately predicted SOM concentrations (R2 = 93.4) underscoring their importance as a pathway to SOM accrual. Minimizing tillage intensity and rotating perennial forages in corn-based agricultural systems may lead to greater organic resource abundance that drive SOM accrual. This may present additional benefits to soil health, plant roots, and soil organisms in conservative agricultural systems.
Assessing the disproportionality of depressive reactions to life stress.

BACKGROUND Prior to DSM-5, depression had long been conceptualized as symptoms without cause or disproportionate to one's circumstances. A central challenge to considering whether a depressive reaction is disproportionate is the lack of measures assessing disproportionality. Drawing on a study of patients participating in cognitive behavioural therapy for depression, we evaluate two new measures of the disproportionality of one's depressive symptoms to their recent life circumstances. METHODS To assess the disproportionality of depressive symptoms, we developed an interview-based assessment and a brief self-report measure. We employed both assessments in a sample of 126 patients who participated in cognitive behavioural therapy for depression. RESULTS Initial evidence for the reliability and validity of both self-report and interview-based approaches appeared promising. Interview judges demonstrated strong inter-rater reliability on life stress ratings, and both forms of disproportionality showed a pattern of correlations with variables reflecting greater clinical complexity, including self-reported personality dysfunction and symptom severity. Comorbid generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) was the only previously proposed marker of complicated depression to significantly predict both disproportionality scores. LIMITATIONS The sample had limited ethnic diversity and tended to be highly educated. Participants all met criteria for major depressive disorder and sought treatment. CONCLUSIONS Two assessments of the disproportionality of depressive reactions demonstrated evidence of reliability and validity. Despite limited efforts at assessment to date, these results suggest these measures may be able to reliably distinguish the disproportionality of depressive reactions and allow clinicians to better assess contextual life stress depressive disorders.
Polyamines regulate sensitivity to HDAC inhibitor-induced apoptosis

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006 4655 Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) are being developed as novel anticancer agents. To predict which tumors will respond therapeutically to HDACi in the clinic, a better understanding of how these agents induce tumor cell selective apoptosis is urgently needed. Many tumors overexpress ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), the rate limiting enzyme in polyamine biosynthesis, or show elevated ODC activity levels, leading to higher levels of intracellular polyamines. Polyamines are small cations that bind DNA and regulate gene expression and cell proliferation, possibly through regulation of chromatin. To determine whether polyamines levels contribute to sensitivity to HDACi, we used a selective inhibitor of ODC (α-difluoromethylornithine, DFMO) to deplete polyamines from a variety of human tumor cell lines. We found that cells treated with DFMO showed increased resistance to HDACi-induced apoptosis when compared to untreated cells. This effect was due to the depletion of polyamines since re-addition of putrescine to DFMO-treated cells restored their baseline sensitivity to HDACi-induced apoptosis. Polyamine depletion by DFMO treatment induced resistance to difference classes of HDACi, including Trichostatin A, Trapoxin and sodium butyrate, and appeared selective for HDACi, since sensitivity to other chemotherapeutic agents, such as camptothecin, doxorubicin and staurosporine, was not significantly changed by DFMO treatment. Furthermore, we found that intracellular ODC activity correlated with sensitivity to HDACi. We also observed that DFMO-treated cell lines responded to HDACi treatment by an exaggerated response in terms of histone hyperacetylation but not tubulin acetylation. The mechanism underlying this observation is currently being explored. We conclude that intracellular polyamine levels contribute to HDACi-induced apoptosis. The molecular mechanism underlying this finding is currently unknown but is being explored with a particular emphasis on the role of polyamines in the regulation of chromatin acetylation and deacetylation. These results indicate that high ODC activity and/or high polyamines levels might represent a predictive marker for sensitivity of tumors to HDACi.
A market-pressure-based performance evaluator for TAC-SCM

We propose a novel method to characterize the performance of autonomous agents in the Trading Agent Competition for Supply Chain Management (TAC-SCM). We create a suite of testing tools that reduce the variability of TAC-SCM games, make them replayable, and generate specific market conditions under which autonomous trading agents can be tested. Using these tools, we show how developers can inspect their agents to reveal and correct undesirable behaviors that might otherwise have gone undiscovered. We also discuss how these tools can be used to improve overall trading agent performance in future competitions
A Probabilistic Model of Hierarchical Music Analysis

Hierarchical music analysis, as exemplified by Schenkerian analysis, describes the structure of a musical composition by a hierarchy among its notes. Each analysis defines a set of prolongations, where musical objects persist in time even though others are present. We present a formal model for representing hierarchical music analysis, probabilistic interpretations of that model, and an efficient algorithm for computing the most probable analysis under these interpretations. We represent Schenkerian analyses as maximal outerplanar graphs (MOPs). We use this representation to encode the largest known data set of computer-processable Schenkerian analyses, and we use these data to identify statistical regularities in the human-generated analyses. We show that a dynamic programming algorithm can be applied to these regularities to identify the maximum likelihood analysis for a given piece of music.
Effect of Amplification on Speech and Language in Children With Aural Atresia

Purpose There currently is no guideline regarding amplification or verification for children with aural atresia. This population, with the absence of the ear canal, has obvious congenital hearing l...
Benefit-Cost Analysis of Brief Intervention to Reduce College Alcohol Abuse

Rationale: Excessive alcohol consumption among college students leads to serious consequences (e.g. fatal and non-fatal injuries, alcohol poisoning, blackouts, academic failures, violence, rape, assault, unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, property damage, and diminished job prospects). Brief alcohol interventions delivered by health care providers have a proven efficacy record, but the economic benefits among college students have not been compared to costs. Objective: Benefit-cost analysis of an ongoing NIH-funded randomized controlled trial of brief alcohol intervention (The CHIPS Project) for at-risk college drinkers at four US and one Canadian university. Methodology: Staff time, facilities, and material costs of screening and brief intervention are compared to reductions in costs of hospital care, emergency response, urgent care treatment and transportation to detoxification centers in the 6 months after randomization. Bootstrap analysis is conducted to form a benefit-cost ratio and confidence interval. Results: 12,900 students entering health services centers at the five participating sites were screened for at-risk alcohol consumption. 4,512 (35%) students screened positive for at-risk drinking, 2,090 completed a face-to-face baseline assessment interview and 986 were randomly assigned to the control or experimental arm of the study. The cost of screening and brief intervention was $106,900, or $217 per study patient. Screening costs accounted for 41% ($44,242) of the total cost with an average of 13.1 screenings per intervention subject enrolled. 24-month follow-up is ongoing, but 6-month results are reported here. At 6-months post-randomization, the hospital, emergency department, and urgent care costs of the intervention subjects was $614 per subject, compared to $491 per subject for controls. The benefit-cost ratio is negative. Conclusions: The CHIPS brief alcohol college intervention did not result in medical care utilization savings. Societal costs and benefits are left for further investigation. This is the first benefit-cost analysis of brief alcohol intervention in a college health care setting.