cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantum machine learning with differential privacy.

Quantum machine learning (QML) can complement the growing trend of using learned models for a myriad of classification tasks, from image recognition to natural speech processing. A quantum advantage arises due to the intractability of quantum operations on a classical computer. Many datasets used in machine learning are crowd sourced or contain some private information. To the best of our knowledge, no current QML models are equipped with privacy-preserving features, which raises concerns as it is paramount that models do not expose sensitive information. Thus, privacy-preserving algorithms need to be implemented with QML. One solution is to make the machine learning algorithm differentially private, meaning the effect of a single data point on the training dataset is minimized. Differentially private machine learning models have been investigated, but differential privacy has yet to be studied in the context of QML. In this study, we develop a hybrid quantum-classical model that is trained to preserve privacy using differentially private optimization algorithm. This marks the first proof-of-principle demonstration of privacy-preserving QML. The experiments demonstrate that differentially private QML can protect user-sensitive information without diminishing model accuracy. Although the quantum model is simulated and tested on a classical computer, it demonstrates potential to be efficiently implemented on near-term quantum devices (noisy intermediate-scale quantum [NISQ]). The approach's success is illustrated via the classification of spatially classed two-dimensional datasets and a binary MNIST classification. This implementation of privacy-preserving QML will ensure confidentiality and accurate learning on NISQ technology.
Shedding Light on Disparities in Melanoma Care.

The article by Shah et al. (2021) published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology adds to the growing body of literature on disparities in melanoma care. The authors report that whereas melanoma is more common in the New York state's counties with higher socioeconomic status (SES) and increased health-system access (HSA), counties with lower SES and decreased HSA have a relatively increased proportion of late-stage melanoma diagnoses. Increased understanding of the individual- and community-level factors contributing to adverse melanoma outcomes in certain populations is necessary to strategize targeted solutions.
Corneal and Facial Sensory Neurotization in Trigeminal Anesthesia

Trigeminal anesthesia may yield blindness and facial disfigurement, secondary to neurotrophic keratopathy and trigeminal trophic syndrome. This article summarizes contemporary medical and emerging surgical approaches for the therapeutic management of this rare and devastating disease state.
The Ontology of Mixed Reality Agents Memorializing the Dead and Dying

Beginning with the 2009 publication of Michael Massimi’s Dying, Death, and Mortality: Towards Thanatosensitivity in HCI, researchers have been exploring how to design UX and UI for end-of-life systems and memorials. This work has resulted in the design of interactive posthumous personhoods memorializing those who have lived by utilizing the data the deceased produced while they were alive. HCI designers and researchers have implemented Natural Language Processing (NLP) to create interactive posthumous personhoods in the form of chatbots. Over the last five years, Mixed Reality (MR) has been integrated by practitioners to create posthumous personhoods that they claim offer a greater fidelity with the departed when they were alive than previous technologies. How MR intersects with those previous technologies, cultural, personal heritage, and memorialization to achieve this greater fidelity requires further exploration if the media is to be used to elevate the evidentiary status of these posthumous personhoods. Insights from HCI end-of-life literature, death and dying studies, and interactive non-fiction are used to explore the ontology of these interactive posthumous personhoods to discover what MR is doing. This paper elucidates connected ethical, ontological, and thanatological issues that the HCI field needs to address as this alternative practice of mourning and memorialization becomes a mainstream practice. The paper argues that MR increases the social and spatial presence of an MR posthumous personhood’s identity and subjectivity with greater fidelity than previous technologies, and that this supports an audience’s active creation of belief in the agent as being evidentiary of a posthumous personhood.
Strong Coupling between ADT Molecules and a 2D Nanohole Ag-Grating

We demonstrate strong coupling between ADT molecules and surface plasmon polaritons supported by a 2D-nanohole Ag-gratings; observed splitting in the dispersion curve at specific kvectors, corresponded to multiples of the grating’s lattice vectors.
Anti Trusts, Reforming an Excessively Flexible Legal Tool

Trusts are one of the most flexible legal tools in lawyers’ arsenals, deployed for socially desirable used ranging from supporting orphans to structuring complex investments. Trusts, however, are also used for a host of socially undesirable purposes, including restraint of trade, cheating creditors, establishing family dynasties akin to feudalism, and avoiding taxes. This negative litany shows that flexibility has a dark side, and these undesirable trust uses have accelerated in the last few decades. Creative lawyers continuously find novel uses for moldable tools like the trust. This article argues that long experience and recent developments teach us that dark eclipses light for private trusts: the costs of undesirable innovations exceed the benefits of desirable ones. Applying a novel normative theory of flexible legal tools, this article calls for fundamental reform of private trust law. With a small exception for financial investments, the current fully flexible private trust should be replaced with a much less flexible device, the Restricted Donative Trust, designed to prevent abusive uses while permitting desirable innovations.
Tattoo-Free Set-ups for Breast Cancer Patients Receiving Regional Nodal Irradiation: Evaluation of Accuracy and Time Efficiency.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S) Permanent skin-based tattoos have been considered in treatment planning an essential aspect of ensuring patient positioning accuracy for radiation delivery in breast cancer patients. Despite this benefit, tattoos may also be a reminder of cancer treatment long past the treatment itself, causing unnecessary emotional distress. With the advent of advanced imaging techniques, routine tattoo placement may no longer be necessary. We performed a retrospective study evaluating a tattoo-free method of set-up for breast cancer patients receiving RNI. MATERIALS/METHODS Following a transition in our institution's clinical practice toward a tattoo-free set-up in May 2020, we compared a cohort of breast cancer patients, in which tattoos were referenced for daily alignment ("tattoo group") and a second cohort in which tattoos were placed but not referenced for daily alignment ("no tattoo group"). The number of patients in the two groups were matched by tumor laterality (right versus left) and breath-hold utilization. Patients in both cohorts were positioned using surface-guided imaging with periodic megavoltage (MV) x-ray imaging to confirm patient positioning. The physical shifts obtained from MV imaging, after surface-imaging, and the duration of daily patient treatment were compared between the two cohorts using the Mann-Whitney U-test. RESULTS There were 14 patients in each cohort; 8 left-sided breath-hold patients and 6 right-sided non-breath-hold patients, for a total of 61 recorded duration times and shifts for the tattoo group and 59 recorded duration times and shifts for the no-tattoo group. The average physical 3-dimensional shifts for the no-tattoo group was smaller compared to the tattoo group, mean 4.4 mm versus 5.7 mm (P < 0.01) and patient time in treatment room was also decreased for the no-tattoo group: mean 19.7 min versus 21.3 min (P = 0.03). CONCLUSION Based on our preliminary results for a cohort of women receiving RNI for breast cancer treatment at our institution, omitting radiation tattoos while utilizing daily surface imaging led to improved patient setup accuracy and decreased patient time on the treatment machine. Utilizing daily surface imaging obviates the requirement for skin-based tattoos in this patient population, improves efficiency of machine utilization, and provides the means for a tattoo-free set-up to become standard practice.
SU-D-303-01: Spatial Distribution of Bone Metastases In Metastatic Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancer

Purpose: Identification of metastatic bone lesions is critical in prostate cancer, where treatments may be more effective in patients with fewer lesions. This study aims characterize the distribution and spread of bone lesions and create a probability map of metastatic spread in bone. Methods: Fifty-five metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer patients received up to 3 whole-body [F-18]NaF PET/CT scans. Lesions were identified by physician on PET/CT and contoured using a threshold of SUV>15. An atlas-based segmentation method was used to create CT regions, which determined skeletal location of lesions. Patients were divided into 3 groups with low (N<40), medium (40100) numbers of lesions. A combination of articulated and deformable registrations was used to register the skeletal segments and lesions of each patient to a single skeleton. All the lesion data was then combined to make a probability map. Results: A total of 4038 metastatic lesions (mean 74, range 2–304) were identified. Skeletal regions with highest occurrence of lesions included ribs, thoracic spine, and pelvis with 21%, 19%, and 15% of the total number lesions and 8%, 18%, and 31 % of the total lesion volume, respectively. Interestingly, patients with fewer lesions were found to have a lower proportion of lesions inmore » the ribs (9% in low vs. 27% in high number of lesions). Additionally, the probability map showed specific areas in the spine and pelvis where over 75% of patients had metastases, and other areas in the skeleton with a less than 2% of metastases. Conclusion: We identified skeletal regions with higher incidence of metastases and specific sub-regions in the skeleton that had high or low probability of occurrence of metastases. Additionally, we found that metastatic lesions in the ribs and skull occur more commonly in advanced disease. These results may have future applications in computer-aided diagnosis. Funding from the Prostate Cancer Foundation.« less
Immunochemical Studies of Human Placental-Type Variants of Alkaline Phosphatase

Hyperimmune antisera raised against the rare FD and SD phenotypes of human placental alkaline phosphatase and the related cancer-associated Nagao isoenzyme were exhaustively absorbed with the common SS and FF phenotype enzymes conjugated to Sepharose. The antibodies so obtained had one of three specificities, determined by testing all the common phenotypes of placental alkaline phosphatase, the rare FD, SD and S-17 phenotypes, and five samples of purified cancer patient enzymes: (I) antibodies reactive with the S, D and I variant enzymes, but not with the F, 17 or Nagao enzymes; (II) antibodies reactive with the F, 17 and Nagao enzymes, but not with the S, D and I variant enzymes; and (III) antibodies reactive with the D, 17 and Nagao enzymes and not with the S, F or I variant enzymes. Based on these data, and on the information obtained from biochemical characterization, it is argued that the Nagao isoenzyme and the D-variant are closely related but distinct enzymes. We propose a hypothetical scheme for the divergence of these two enzymes from a common ancestral gene product. In this scheme, an ancestral gene duplication resulted in two isoenzymes, one, of which is completely specific to the placenta, and one of which (the ‘Nagao isoenzyme’) has an unknown normal tissue localization, but is found in some cases of cancer. We use the term ‘syn-placental’ to describe this latter isoenzyme, reflecting its close structural relationship to the placental isoenzyme.
Childhood tuberculosis: clinical value of the electrophoretic pattern of the serum proteins.

The blood serum protein fractions of 138 children with tuberculosis were analyzed by paper electrophoresis serially over a period of many months. Many manifestations of tuberculous infection were studied. The group was divided into 11 categories ranging from healed or arrested tuberculous disease to various stages of activity. The serum protein fractions were evaluated in terms of prognosis, type of tuberculous disease, effect of intercurrent infection and age of patient. It was found that the greatest changes occurred in the gamma-globulin and albumin fractions in reciprocal relation. With the exception of tuberculous meningitis, the increase in gamma-globulin usually corresponded to the severity of disease. Albumin was correspondingly decreased, and was low even in tuberculous meningitis. Both fractions approached normal levels as the patients improved. Relatively normal readings were found in patients with tuberculosis observation or arrested tuberculosis. The greatest deviation from normal was seen in patients with miliary tuberculosis and those with pleurisy with effusion. Here, the gamma and alpha2-globulins were very high and the serum albumin was low. The alpha2 fraction was elevated in the children with more severe disease, including tuberculous meningitis; with clinical improvement it returned to normal more rapidly than the gamma. A rise in the beta-globulin fraction suggests caseation. Confirmatory evidence was obtained in patients with endobronchial disease, tuberculous adenitis and from the only necropsy in the series. The significant changes in the various fractions are further described and discussed.
Growth of Obligate Autotrophic Bacteria on Glucose in a Continuous Flow-Through Apparatus

Nitrosomonas europaea, Nitrobacter agilis, Thiobacillus denitrificans, T. neapolitanus , and T. thioparus (all obligate autotrophic bacteria) have been grown in dialysis culture, on glucose salts media, in the absence of their specific inorganic energy source. Metabolic products for N. agilis grown on nitrite salts medium were identified as keto acids. Pyruvic acid inhibited this organism at 5 × 10 −5 m. Keto acids were not inhibitory for the thiobacilli grown on thiosulfate medium. However, when T. denitrificans was grown on glucose with dialysis, addition of 5 × 10 −4 m pyruvate inhibited growth. Thus, it appears pyruvate may be inhibitory for other autotrophs, as has been reported for T. thiooxidans .
Type 1 pili are not necessary for colonization of the streptomycin-treated mouse large intestine by type 1-piliated Escherichia coli F-18 and E. coli K-12

Escherichia coli F-18, an excellent colonizer of the streptomycin-treated mouse large intestine, produces type 1 pili. E. coli F-18 FimA-, type 1 pilus negative, and E. coli F-18 FimH-, type 1 pilus positive but adhesin negative, were constructed by bacteriophage P1 transduction of defective fimA and fimH genes from the E. coli K-12 strains ORN151 and ORN133, respectively, into E. coli F-18. Adhesion of E. coli F-18 to an immobilized mannose-bovine serum albumin glycoconjugate was about sixfold greater than that of either E. coli F-18 FimA- or E. coli F-18 FimH-, and adhesion of E. coli F-18 to immobilized cecal epithelial cell brush border membranes was between two- and threefold greater than that of E. coli F-18 FimA- or E. coli F-18 FimH-. When either E. coli F-18 FimA- or E. coli FimH- was fed to streptomycin-treated mice together with E. coli F-18, the pilus-negative and adhesin-negative strains colonized as well as their type 1-piliated parent. Essentially the same result was observed when the type 1-piliated E. coli K-12 strain ORN152 was fed to streptomycin-treated mice together with a nearly isogenic K-12 FimA- strain, ORN151. Furthermore, when streptomycin-treated mice were fed E. coli F-18 FimA- or E. coli F-18 FimH- together with E. coli F-18 Col-, which also makes type 1 pili but is a poor colonizer relative to E. coli F-18 because it grows poorly in mucus in the presence of E. coli F-18, the F-18 FimA- and F-18 FimH- strains colonized well (10(6) to 10(7) CFU/g of feces), whereas the number of E. coli F-18 Col- in feces decreased rapidly to 10(2) CFU/g of feces. These data show that in streptomycin-treated mice, the inability to produce functional type 1 pili has no effect on the ability of E. coli F-18 and E. coli K-12 to colonize the large intestine.
Mozart's Obviously Corrupt Minuet

The Romantic and Modern reception and reinterpretation of eighteenth-century music stretches over a period much longer than that of the eighteenth century itself, in the process forming its own authenticity and norms. Modern editors of eighteenth-century music must occasionally grapple with musical texts which appear to violate either the earlier or later standards. A minuet whose text seemed ‘obviously corrupt’ to the official editors of Mozart's keyboard sonatas would probably have seemed highly artful yet utterly normative to Mozart or his audiences. A focus on the norms of musical phrases was proposed by the Victorian author Violet Paget, writing under the pseudonym Vernon Lee. Her immersion in eighteenth-century music at an early age, along with her training in the Italian tradition, gave her a unique position from which to comment on the differences between the musical culture of her own time and that of Mozart and his Italian models.
Warning: Adult Legal Content

This short article discusses the Texas statute that banned the sale and advertisement of sex toys, and how it resulted in a challenge brought in a United States Circuit Court of Appeals. The work goes on to describe the arguments brought by both sides of the case, and how the case was resolved.
Visualization techniques for system performance characterization

As computer environments increase in size and complexity, it is becoming more challenging to analyze and identify factors that limit performance and scalability. Application developers and system administrators need easy-to-use tools that enable them to quickly identify system bottlenecks and configure system for best performance. In this paper, we present techniques that allow users to view the load on all major system component simultaneously, with negligible overhead, and no changes in the application. We include several case studies where such techniques have been used to characterize and improve performance of applications, system software, and future CPU/platform designs.
The impact of aging on access to technology

The number of people over the age of 65 is increasing worldwide with the fastest growing subgroup those aged 80+ years. Computer and information technologies hold promise in terms of increasing the quality of life for older people. However, successful use of technology by older adults is predicated on systems that are designed to accommodate the needs and preferences of this user group. This paper discusses the implications of age-related changes in cognition for system design. Generally, the existing literature shows that, although older adults are willing to use technology, many report usability problems with existing systems and these problems may in part be due to the cognitive and perceptual demands placed on the user. These findings are discussed in terms of guidelines for system design.
A stream tracer technique employing ionic tracers and specific conductance data applied to the Maimai catchment, New Zealand

The stream tracer technique and transient storage models (TSMs) have become common tools in stream solute and hyporheic exchange studies. The expense and logistics associated with water sample collection and analysis often results in limited temporal resolution of stream tracer breakthrough curves (BTCs). Samples are often collected without a priori or real-time knowledge of BTC information, which can result in poor sample coverage of the critical shoulder (initial rise) and tail (post-steady state fall) of the BTC. We illustrate the use of specific conductance (SC) measurements as a surrogate for conservative dissolved tracer (Br−) samples. The advantages of collecting SC data for use in the TSM are (1) cost, (2) ease of data collection, and (3) well-defined breakthrough curves, which strengthen TSM parameter optimization. This method is based on developing an ion concentration (IC)–SC relationship from limited discrete tracer solute samples. SC data can be collected on a more frequent basis at no additional analysis cost. TSM simulations can then be run for the conservative tracer data derived from SC breakthrough curves and the IC–SC relationship. This technique was tested in a 120 m reach of stream (2–60 m subreaches) in the Maimai M15 catchment, New Zealand during baseflow recession. Dissolved LiBr was injected for 12·92 h, with Br− as the conservative ion of interest. Four TSM simulations using the OTIS model are optimized using UCODE to fit (1) Br− data derived from the Br−–SC relationship (n = 1307 observations at each of two stream sampling sites), (2) all stream Br− data collected (n = 58 in upper reach, n = 60 in lower reach), (3) half of the stream Br− data collected, and (4) 20 stream Br− samples from each site. No two simulations resulted in the same optimal parameter values. Results suggest that the greater the frequency of observations, the greater the confidence in estimated parameter values. Br−–SC simulations resulted in the best overall model fits to the data, with the lowest calculated error variance of 6·37, narrowest 95% parameter estimate confidence intervals, and the highest correlation coefficient of 0·99 942, among the four simulations. This is largely due to the improved representation of the shoulder and tail of the BTC with this method. The IC–SC correlation method is robust in situations in which (1) changes in background SC data can be accounted for, and (2) the data used to define the IC–SC relationship are representative of the range of data collected. This method provides more efficient sample analysis, improved data resolution, and improved model results compared to the alternative stream tracer data gathering methods presented. Additionally, we describe a new parameterization of the cross-sectional area of the stream during flow recession, as a function of discharge, based on a stream hydraulic geometry relationship. This variant of the OTIS model provides a more realistic representation of stream dynamics during unsteady discharge. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Teaching the Psychology of Humor

The study of the psychology of humor integrates such diverse areas as child development, ego defenses, stereatyping, and creativity. In this undergraduate elective, students learned to apply psychological theories of humor to understand both popular humor and experiences in everyday life. The course combined readings, discussions, audiovisual materials, student presentations, and written projects.
Plasmid-Determined Resistance to Boron and Chromium Compounds in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Plasmids determining resistance to arsenic, mercury, silver, and tellurium compounds in Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were tested for resistance to 40 other metal compounds. Resistance to trivalent boron and hexavalent chromium compounds was a property of certain P. aeruginosa plasmids.
Are chemical barriers necessary for evolution of butterfly-plant associations?

The association between heliconiine butterflies and Passion flower vines is composed of three or more subassociations, in which each Heliconius species group feeds on a different Passiflora subgenus. The relationships are consistent with the adaptive zone hypothesis of Ehrlich and Raven, which would suggest that (1) species of the subgenus Plectostemma proliferated as a result of chemical barriers to herbivory, which created a herbivore-free adaptive zone in which speciation and diversification took place, and (2) species of the H. erato-charitonia group overcame these barriers and entered a competitor-free adaptive zone, in which they proliferated and speciated with those plants as hosts. The hypothesis that plant secondary chemicals were responsible for creating such barriers to herbivory was tested using heliconiine species as bioassays, in which reduced growth rates indicated presence of chemical barriers to feeding. Contrary to expectation, plants of the subgenus Plectostemma showed little or no chemical defense against any species of heliconiine caterpillar. In contrast many plants of the “primitive” subgenus Granadilla possessed significant chemical barriers against herbivory by heliconiine larvae, excepting those species in the H. numata-melpomene species group. I concluded that chemical barriers to feeding were not responsible for proliferation and diversification in the subgenus Plectostemma, nor did chemicals create a competitor-free “adaptive zone” in which the H. erato-charitonia species-group could proliferate and speciate. Chemical barriers may have been important in the evolution of the subgenus Granadilla-heliconiine association. I suggest that plant allelochemics are only one of many possible barriers to herbivory which can help create “adaptive zones” for plants and their herbivores, and that the patterns of butterfly foodplant specialization discussed by Ehrlich and Raven (1964) are not necessarily the result of biochemical adaptation and counteradaptation.
The synthesis of 9‐acridanylmethyl and 9‐acridinylmethyl ketones

A series of new 9-acridanylmethyl ketones has been prepared by the 9, 10-addition of the sodium derivatives of a number of ketones to acridine. The 9-acridanylmethyl ketones were dehydrogenated to the corresponding 9-acridinylmethyl ketones by either acidic ferric chloride or lead tetraacetate. A route of more limited utility for the synthesis of 9-acridinylmethyl ketones involves the acylation of 9-acridinylmethyllithium with certain esters. The attempted ketonic cleavage of α-(9-acridinyl)-β-ketoesters such as ethyl α-(9-acridinyl)isonicotinoylacetate and ethyl α-(9-acridinyl)benzoylacetate is an unsatisfactory method for obtaining the corresponding 9-acridinylmethyl ketones since these ketones are cleaved to 9-methylacridine under mildly acidic or basic conditions.
Cofactor characterization and mechanistic studies of CDP-6-deoxy-Δ3,4- glucoseen reductase: Exploration into a novel enzymatic C-O bond cleavage event

The CDP-6-deoxy-delta 3,4-glucoseen reductase (E3) is a NADH-dependent enzyme which catalyzes the key reduction of the C-3 deoxygenation step during the formation of CDP-ascarylose, a 3,6-dideoxyhexose found in the lipopolysaccharide of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. This highly purified enzyme is also a NADH oxidase capable of mediating the direct electron transfer from NADH to O2, forming H2O2. While previous work showed that E3 contains no common cofactor, one FAD and one plant ferredoxin type [2Fe-2S] center were found in this study to be associated with each molecule of E3. The iron-sulfur center is essential for E3 activity since bleaching of the [2Fe-2S] center leads to inactive enzyme. These results suggest that E3 employs a short electron-transport chain composed of both FAD and the iron-sulfur center to shuttle electrons from NADH to its acceptor. The order of electron flow, as indicated by EPR measurement with partially reduced E3, starts with hydride reduction of FAD by NADH. The iron-sulfur cluster, receiving electrons one at a time from the reduced flavin, relays the reducing equivalents via another iron-sulfur center in the active site of E1 to its final acceptor, the E1-bound PMP-glucoseen adduct. The participation of a one-electron-carrying iron-sulfur center in this reduction is advantageous since both electrons are dispatched from the same redox state of the prosthetic group, allowing electrons of equal energy to be delivered to the final acceptor.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Spanish-English bilingual voice onset time in spontaneous code-switching:

In this study, we test the hypothesis that code-switching leads to phonological convergence by examining voice onset time (VOT) realization in the spontaneous code-switched speech of New Mexican Sp...
Heart rates of adult red-spotted newts, Notophthalmus viridescens in air and submerged in normoxic and hypoxic water at different temperatures☆

Abstract 1. 1. Heart rates of adult aquatic red-spotted newts can be conveniently recorded using an impedance pneumograph. 2. 2. Heart rates decrease linearly with decreasing temperature. 3. 3. Submergence in normoxic and hypoxic water at 10°, 15°, and 20°C results in bradycardia which is more pronounced in hypoxic water. 4. 4. At 5°C one newt exhibited the above pattern, but bradycardia was not exhibited by the other newt during normoxic submergence. 5. 5. Diminishing heart rates are probably due to oxygen deficiency, not immersion alone. 6. 6. Recovery from bradycardia in air is rapid and not linked with resumption of aerial breathing.
Proteomic analysis of murine bone marrow niche microenvironment identifies thioredoxin as a novel agent for radioprotection and for enhancing donor cell reconstitution

Hematopoiesis is regulated by the bone marrow (BM) niche microenvironment. We recently found that posttransplant administration of AMD3100 (a specific and reversible CXCR4 antagonist) enhanced donor cell engraftment and promoted recovery of all donor cell lineages in a congeneic mouse transplant model. We hypothesized that AMD3100 enhances donor cell reconstitution in part by modulating the levels and constitution of soluble factors in the niche microenvironment. In the current study, the effects of the BM extracellular fluid (supernatant) from AMD3100-treated transplant recipient mice on colony-forming units (CFUs) were examined. A semiquantitative, mass spectrometry–based proteomics approach was used to screen for differentially expressed proteins between the BM supernatants of PBS-treated transplant mice and AMD3100-treated transplant mice. A total of 178 proteins were identified in the BM supernatants. Thioredoxin was among the 32 proteins that displayed greater than a twofold increase in spectral counts in the BM supernatant of AMD3100-treated transplant mice. We found that thioredoxin increased CFUs in a dose-dependent manner. Thioredoxin improved hematopoiesis in irradiated mice and protected mice from radiation-related death. Furthermore, ex vivo exposure to thioredoxin for 24 hours enhanced the long-term repopulation of hematopoietic stem cells. Additionally, combined posttransplant administration of thioredoxin and AMD3100 improved hematologic recovery in primary and secondary transplant recipient mice. Our studies demonstrated that factors in the BM niche microenvironment play a critical role in hematopoiesis. Identifying these factors provides clues on potential novel targets that can be used to enhance hematologic recovery in hematopoietic stem cell transplan`tation.
Judgmental extrapolation and market overreaction: On the use and disuse of news

The tendency of future stock prices to revert toward the mean of past prices was originally explained by the market overreaction hypothesis, which assumed that recent media reports cause investors to underuse base rate information. However, assuming that investors underweigh older stores of financial information cannot readily explain why mean reversion occurs primarily in January among former losers. An alternative psychological model based on intuitive time-series extrapolation is presented. Investors' forecasts are held to vary as a function of the relative salience of, first, the recent versus the older levels of the price series, and second, the trend component of the price series. News reports, as normally provided by the media, are assumed to affect investors' forecasts by increasing the salience of any trend. Results of two market simulation experiments provided support for this assumption. Ways in which salience effects might account for the anomalies of the mean reversion phenomena are discussed.
Dominance of Δ5-sterols in eight species of the cactaceae

Abstract The sterols from eight species in seven genera of the Cactaceae are 24-alkyl-Δ 5 -sterols. In all eight species, Echinopsis tubiflora, Pereskia aculeata, Hylocereus undatus, Notocactus scopa, Epiphyllum sp., Schlumbergera bridgesii, Opuntia comonduensis and O. humifusa , the dominant sterol is sitosterol (24α-ethylcholest-5-en-3β-ol) at 66–87% of the total sterol composition with the 24ξ-methylcholest-5-en-3β-ol present at 8–33%. Stigmasterol (24α-ethylcholesta-5,22 E -dien-3β-ol) is present at 2–8% of the total sterol in P. aculeata, H. undatus, N. scopa and Epiphyllum sp. whereas cholesterol (cholest-5-en-3β-ol) is present in six species at levels of Z -dien-3/gb-ol) and sitostanol (24α-ethyl-5α-cholestan-3β-ol) are each present in two species.
Metastable Zincblende MnTe and MnSe: MBE Growth and Characterization

Epilayers of metastable zincblende MnSe and MnTe have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The MnSe structures have been used to study magnetic ordering in thin layers by means of optical and magnetic measurements. Preliminary optical reflectance measurements performed on samples of zincblende MnTe indicate a bandgap of approximately 3.15eV, while double barrier quantum structures demonstrate optical transitions corresponding to 2D electron and hole confinement. Optical measurements further provide insight into the band offsets existing between MnTe and CdTe, as well as between MnTe and ZnTe epilayers.
ACR-AAPM-SIIM practice guidelines.

The ACR–AAPM–SIIM Practice Guidelines for “Determinants of Image Quality in Digital Mammography,” “Digital Radiography,” and “Electronic Practice of Medical Imaging” represent the collaborative efforts of three organizations to develop educational tools to assist practitioners in providing appropriate radiologic care for patients. The original versions of the guidelines were developed a number of years ago when digital radiography techniques were just beginning to be widely used. They therefore contained a significant amount of basic explanations about technical details and terms in addition to the practical guidelines themselves. Given the changes in technology in recent years as well as the general sophistication of radiology regarding digital imaging technology and techniques, a decision was made in 2011 to revise these three sets of guidelines, updating them to reflect these advances and streamline them for easier use and interpretation.
The use of computers in offices: Impact on task characteristics and worker stress

The effects of computer use on task characteristics and worker stress were examined in a sample of 262 office workers from three organizations. Following Turner and Karasek (1984), it was hypothesized that computer system performance (defined as the frequency of computer problems and computer use intensity) had direct and indirect effects on worker stress. The indirect effect was hypothesized to occur through the influence of computer system performance on the task characteristics. Results showed that increased frequency of computer problems was related to increase in computer use intensity. As the frequency of computer problems and computer use intensity increased, perceived workload and perceived work pressure increased, and perceived job control decreased. Perceived workload, work pressure, and job control were related to several indicators of worker stress. Results showed that computer system performance mainly had indirect effects on several indicators of worker stress.
Modulation of microtubule dynamics by a TIR domain protein from the intracellular pathogen Brucella melitensis

TIR (Toll/interleukin-1 receptor) domain-containing proteins play a crucial role in innate immunity in eukaryotes. Brucella is a highly infectious intracellular bacterium that encodes a TIR domain protein (TcpB) to subvert host innate immune responses to establish a beneficial niche for pathogenesis. TcpB inhibits NF-κB (nuclear factor κB) activation and pro-inflammatory cytokine secretions mediated by TLR (Toll-like receptor) 2 and TLR4. In the present study, we have demonstrated that TcpB modulates microtubule dynamics by acting as a stabilization factor. TcpB increased the rate of nucleation as well as the polymerization phases of microtubule formation in a similar manner to paclitaxel. TcpB could efficiently inhibit nocodazole- or cold-induced microtubule disassembly. Microtubule stabilization by TcpB is attributed to the BB-loop region of the TIR domain, and a point mutation affected the microtubule stabilization as well as the TLR-suppression properties of TcpB.
Numerical simulation studies of two-Dimensional turbulence: II. Stability and predictability studies

Abstract The theoretical predictability of statistically steady two-dimensional turbulence is examined by means of numerical simulations of the time evolution of pairs of almost identical initial flow realizations. It is found that the amplitude of the difference flow field, obtained by subtraction of one realization from the other, typically grows exponentially and maintains a shape-preserving scalar energy spectrum. This difference energy spectrum has its peak at a higher wave number than the spectra of the individual realizations, and the difference vorticity field appears to be highly intermittent. Comparison of the results with Lorenz's recent ideas on flow predictability and Leith's related calculations show partial but inconclusive agreement. Comparisons of the results for models using different forcing mechanisms indicate that the growth of difference, or loss of predictability, does not depend much on the method of forcing. A special perturbation simulation experiment is conducted, in which the m...
Smoking is a predictor of depression onset among National Guard soldiers

This report examines the relationship between smoking and depression in a sample of American soldiers. Persistent, active smoking is associated with increased risk of incident depression at follow up. History of smoking in the absence of current smoking at baseline was not associated with depression at follow-up.
From Pythagoras to Einstein

The main thread running through this somewhat unorthodox approach to the special theory of relativity is the Pythagorean theorem. It appears in its most elementary geometric form in the very beginning of this monograph. Then it reappears in algebraic garb, it is further modified and finally reinterpreted to play the role of one of the main characters in the special theory of relativity. The first four chapters are easily accessible to high school sophomores or juniors. The remaining part of the book may be a little difficult for students who never studied physics, although the author actually employs only the notion of impact and presupposes no background in physics. With the aid of the vector geometry introduced earlier, he leads the reader from the impact conservation laws to the famous formula e=mc^2.
An exophytic soft tissue mass of the buccal mucosa.

. A case is presented in which electron microscopy proved invaluable in determining the nature of a clinically innocuous lesion of the buccal mucosa. The clinical, histologic and ultrastructural features of the neoplasm identified are reviewed in the light of previous literature.
Registration of ‘Tifguard’ Peanut

'Tifguard' (Reg. No. CV-101, PI 651853) is a runner-type peanut (Arachis hypogaea L. subsp. hypogaea var. hypogaea) cultivar released by the USDA-ARS and the Georgia Agricultural Experiment Stations in 2007. Tifguard was developed at the University of Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station, Tifton, GA. Peanut cultivars are available that have high resistance to the peanut root-knot nematode [Meloidogyne arenaria (Neal) Chitwood race 1] or spotted wilt caused by tomato spotted wilt tospovirus (TSWV). However, no cultivars exist that have resistance to both pathogens. Our research objective was to combine resistance to both pathogens in a single cultivar. Breeding populations were developed by hybridizing the TSWV-resistant 'C-99R' with the nematode-resistant 'COAN'. Selection for nematode resistance was conducted using standard greenhouse screening techniques. Selection for TSWV resistance was conducted in the field with natural virus infection. A breeding line (C724-19-15) was selected that had high resistance to both pathogens. Tifguard exhibited higher resistance to TSWV and higher yield than standard check cultivars when grown in fields with little or no nematode pressure. Because of its high level of resistance to both TSWV and M. arenaria, Tifguard had significantly higher yield than all others entries when grown in two locations with high pressure from both pathogens. This cultivar should be valuable for peanut growers who have to deal with both pathogens.
Limits to the validity of the quantum-mechanical Nyquist theorem

It is suggested that the conventional form of the quantum mechanical Nyquist theorem, derived from the fluctuation-dissipation theorem, may only be approximately correct when the effects of energy states with finite lifetimes are taken into account. These effects arise in the formulation of dissipation processes for a general thermodynamic system and similar breakdowns are possible for other applications of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem. The breakdown of the quantum-mechanical Nyquist theorem is analogous to a similar result obtained by Theimer and Dirk in 1982 for the conventional, classical Nyquist theorem. Our new expression for the theorem was developed by using procedures similar to those employed in the seminal derivation by Callen and Welton in 1951; in contrast to this work, however, we utilize the Wigner-Weisskopf theory of natural line width to provide a more realistic description of energy dissipation processes. Our new expression for the quantum-mechanical Nyquist theorem contains terms not found in the conventional form involving the observation time and energy state lifetimes. A possible application of our new result for describing laser light scattering by vibrational and polariton, modes in dielectric crystals is also discussed.
Nonlinear dynamics of flexible structures: A finite element approach

Abstract A finite element formulation is presented for analyzing the nonlinear dynamic response of structural systems composed of both rigid bodies and deformable beam elements. The finite strain beam theory proposed by Reissner (1973) is used to model the three-dimensional, fully nonlinear beam element. Finite rotations are described in terms of the modified Rodrigues vector and Euler parameters. Equations of motion governing the system are obtained through the principle of virtual work and the use of relations between angular velocity and rotation parameters. These equations are then written as a system of first-order ordinary differential equations and integrated numerically using a fifth- and sixth-order Runge-Kutta-Verner method. Without the inertia terms, quasi-static motions are analyzed with the aid of a Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the validity of the proposed method.
Touching the ground: women's footwear in the early modern Hispanic world. An introduction.

For my father and my brother, zapateros con altura.1Women's shoes are special. They are best defined by the love-hate affairs they inspire, and not only with women. For centuries, women's footwear ...
Diabetes complications and adverse health outcomes after coronary revascularization

Abstract Aims To examine effects of diabetes complications on health outcomes following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), comparing outcomes for patients with diabetes complications to those without diabetes complications. Methods Retrospective analysis of discharge data for 61,566 patients with diabetes age 45 or older who had CABG or PCI in 2007 in United States community hospitals, using data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Analysis included propensity score-adjusted logistic regression. Results Of all patients, 21.2% of the weighted sample had diabetes complications. Older patients, Blacks and Hispanics, and those with greater illness severity were more likely to have diabetes complications. Unadjusted rates of in-hospital mortality, postoperative stroke, and renal failure were higher for patients with diabetes complications (rate ratios 2.2, 1.8, and 9.8, respectively; all p Conclusion Among patients with diabetes having revascularization, those with diabetes complications have higher risks of in-hospital death and renal failure irrespective of having CABG or PCI.
Recent advances in reduction methods for instability analysis of structures

Abstract Status and some recent advances in the application of reduction methods to instability analysis of structures are summarized. The aspects of reduction methods discussed herein include: (a) multiple-parameter reduction methods for instability analysis of structures subjected to combined loads; (b) use of mixed models in conjunction with reduction methods for instability analysis; and (c) application of reduction methods to instability problems with displacement-dependent and nonconservative loadings. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of reduction methods in instability analysis. Also, research areas which have high potential for application of reduction methods are identified.
Contrasting effects of propranolol on sympathetic nerve activity and vascular resistance during orthostatic stress.

BACKGROUND Previous studies in humans advanced the concept that cardiac filling pressure and contractility, the primary determinants of ventricular mechanoreceptor discharge, are important determinants of sympathetic outflow during orthostatic stress. Thus, intravenous propranolol greatly attenuated forearm vasoconstrictor response to venous pooling with lower body negative pressure (LBNP). The aim of this study was to reevaluate the experimental support for this concept by using direct measurements of sympathetic nerve activity. METHODS AND RESULTS In 11 healthy humans, we recorded muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) with microelectrodes (peroneal nerve), as well as blood flow in the forearm and calf (venous occlusion plethysmography) at baseline and during graded LBNP. The same experiments were repeated after administration of propranolol (0.15 mg/kg i.v.), which is thought to decrease ventricular mechanoreceptor discharge. The major new findings are that propranolol neither increased baseline MSNA nor attenuated the increases in MSNA during graded orthostatic stress even though in the same subjects, propranolol simultaneously increased the baseline level of vascular resistance in both the forearm and calf and substantially attenuated the increases in regional vascular resistance during orthostatic stress. CONCLUSIONS Systemic beta-blockade causes a marked dissociation between sympathetic outflow and vascular resistance that invalidates the use of intravenous propranolol as an experimental model to examine the reflex effects of ventricular mechanoreceptors on peripheral vascular resistance in humans.
Signal ambiguity resulting in unexpected outcome with external fetal heart rate monitoring

We report cases of unexpected adverse fetal outcome from monitored labors in which the fetal heart rate tracing was interpreted as reassuring. In these cases, portions from another signal source, usually maternal, were imperceptibly substituted into the fetal tracing in a way that masked the evidence of fetal compromise.
Perioperative Anesthesia Management of the Burn Patient

Burn patients provide numerous challenges to the anesthesiologist. It is important to understand the multiple physiologic disruptions that follow a burn injury as well as the alterations in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of commonly used anesthetics. Thought must be given to surgery during initial fluid resuscitation and the airway challenges many of these patients present. Finally, the central role of pain management through all phases of care is a constant concern.