cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pilot Study of the Feasibility of Assessing DNA Damage and Apoptosis Induced by Chemotherapy in Children with Acute Leukemias.

The aim of the present study was to explore whether early assessment of the extent of DNA damage in leukemic blasts and incidence of apoptosis induced during chemotherapy is feasible. The long term goal is to develop a rapid assay to assess the effectiveness of chemotherapy early in the course of treatment of leukemia. Mononuclear cells were isolated from blood samples of 7 ALL patients with peripheral blasts, 4 of whom were, at diagnosis, high-risk ALL while the remaining 3 were in relapse. The median age of the patients was 17 yrs (2–25 yrs) and all were entered into an anthracycline-containing drug regimen. Samples were collected: 1. prior to drug administration; and, 2. one hour after completion of the drug infusion. The extent of DNA damage was assessed by analysis of histone H2AX phosphorylation (γH2AX) occurring at sites of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), which could be detected immunocytochemically and measured by multiparameter flow cytometry in conjunction with DNA content. The incidence of apoptosis was estimated 1 h after drug administration and also after 24 h ex vivo culturing, by identification of cells with DNA fragmentation detected by the TUNEL assay. In patients with complete clinical response (6 of 7) at the end of the induction phase, an increase of γH2AX (post treatment - pretreatment mean) was detected 1 h after the administration of drug treatment. The apoptotic index in this group after 24 h ex vivo culture was 1–16%. In the only patient not responding to treatment - one of 2 relapsed ALL patients -, there was no induction of DSBs or increase in apoptosis. | Response to induction therapy | γH2AX mean fluorescence in arbitrary units | Apoptotic index ex vivo (%) post 24 h | |:-----------------------------:| ------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------- | | Complete response | 8 | 16 | | Complete response | 8 | 5 | | Complete response | 5 | 1 | | Complete response | 29 | 7 | | No response | | | | Complete response | 4 | 2 | | Complete response | 4 | Not estimated | Although the number of patients is very small in this pilot study, the results suggest that a cytometric assay that reveals the extent of DNA damage based on detection of H2AX phosphorylation may provide an early prognostic marker.
Molecular dynamics simulations reveal ligand-controlled positioning of a peripheral protein complex in membranes

Bryostatin is in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and HIV/AIDS eradication. It binds to protein kinase C competitively with diacylglycerol, the endogenous protein kinase C regulator, and plant-derived phorbol esters, but each ligand induces different activities. Determination of the structural origin for these differing activities by X-ray analysis has not succeeded due to difficulties in co-crystallizing protein kinase C with relevant ligands. More importantly, static, crystal-lattice bound complexes do not address the influence of the membrane on the structure and dynamics of membrane-associated proteins. To address this general problem, we performed long-timescale (400–500 µs aggregate) all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of protein kinase C–ligand–membrane complexes and observed that different protein kinase C activators differentially position the complex in the membrane due in part to their differing interactions with waters at the membrane inner leaf. These new findings enable new strategies for the design of simpler, more effective protein kinase C analogs and could also prove relevant to other peripheral protein complexes. Natural supplies of bryostatin, a compound in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and HIV, are scarce. Here, the authors perform molecular dynamics simulations to understand how bryostatin interacts with membrane-bound protein kinase C, offering insights for the design of bryostatin analogs.
Satellite Image Mapping of Tree Mortality in the Sierra Nevada Region of California from 2013 to 2016

Extreme drought from 2013 to 2015 has been linked to extensive tree dieback in the Sierra-Nevada region of California. Landsat satellite imagery was analysed for the region from Lake Tahoe to the southern Sequoia National Forest with the objective of understanding the patterns of tree mortality in the years of 2013 to 2015 and into the near-normal precipitation year of 2016. The main mapping results for Landsat moisture index differences from year-to-year showed that the highest coverage of tree dieback was located in the Sierra and Sequoia National Forests, at four to five times greater area each year than within any other National Park or National Forest unit. Since 2013, over 50% of the Sierra Nevada forest dieback area was detected in the mid elevation zone of 1000-2000 m. The total area of tree mortality in the lower elevation zone of 500-1000 m did not grow notably from 2015 to 2016. Within the largest California river drainages in the Sierra region, new tree mortality in 2015 was detected mainly below 1200 m elevation, whereas new tree mortality in 2016 was detected mainly at higher elevations, up to about 2200 m. In three out of the four years studied, results showed that about 60% of all new tree mortality areas were located on north-facing hill slopes.
Longitudinal correlates of peer sexual communication quality in late adolescence.

Comfort discussing sex with friends may develop over time and may be associated with individual and peer characteristics. The current paper uses longitudinal data to examine the developmental trajectory and between- and within-person correlates of peer sexual communication quality. Participants were 434 college students (52.1% female, 38.7% European American/White, 32.5% African American/Black, 28.8% Latino American/Hispanic; M = 18.0 [SD = 0.4] years old fall of first year) who completed surveys at four semesters. Peer sexual communication quality improved across the college years, and tended to be higher during semesters when late adolescents held less conservative attitudes about sex and communicated about sex more frequently. Additionally, peer sexual communication quality was better among women and late adolescents who were sexually active at more semesters. We discuss implications for peer-led sexual health intervention programs and for theories of normative sexuality development.
Using NBME Subject Examinations as a Pretest to Identify Medical Students “At Risk” in a Behavioral Sciences Course

Pretesting students has been considered a sound educational practice but the reports of its utility in medical education are sparse. The purpose of the study was to demonstrate the usefulness of the NBME Subject Examination as a pretest to identify students “at risk” in a medical school behavioral sciences course. The results indicated that the pretest was helpful in documenting course effectiveness and that it and other measures could be used to provide an early prediction of students’ behavioral sciences course grades.
Localization and Properties of Cholinephosphate Cytidylyltransferase Activity in Castor Bean Endosperm

The reaction catalyzed by CTP: cholinephosphate cytidylyltransferase (E.C. 2.7.7.15) has been postulated to be a control reaction in the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) in animals and some plant tissues (1, 2). A number of studies utilizing animal tissues have indicated that the enzyme is regulated by translocation of a soluble enzyme to the cytosol, where it becomes activated (2). We report here a study of this enzyme in postgermination castor bean endosperm.
RULE REORDERING AND RULE GENERALIZATION IN LEXICAL PHONOLOGY: A RECONSIDERATION

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses rule reordering and rule generalization in lexical phonology. The theory of underspecification within lexical phonology allows understanding the mechanism of rule generalization with greater clarity than was previously possible. It further allows linkage of rule generalization to an underappreciated direction of rule reordering—movement downward in the grammar, including even re-entry into the postlexical component. One has seen cases of downward movement in Kaska, in Quebecois French, in Cypriot Greek, in the Schaffhausen dialect of Swiss German, and possibly in Samothraki Greek as well. In the Kaska case, movement takes the form of extension of a rule's morphological domain one lexical stratum further, so that more sequences meeting the phonological description of the rule actually undergo it. The rule's transparency is thereby increased. The Kaska case would not typically be termed a rule generalization because it does not involve an extension of the natural class of segments undergoing or conditioning the rule. Within a theory that adopts level ordering, the reordering mechanism might further be expected to result in sandwich-type rule interactions, where an old rule both precedes and follows a new one.
Radiofrequency Atrial Linear Ablation Using Microcatheters

Microcatheters were initially developed for the purpose of electrophysiological mapping within the right coronary arterial system to locate right-sided accessory pathways. These included 2.2-French bipolar catheter manufactured by Viggo-Spectramed from Oxnard, California, and a 3-French fixed-wire design catheter with ten bipolar electrode pairs manufactured by Cardima, Inc. from Fremont, California. Both Elecath, Inc. and Mansfield/Boston Scientific, Inc. also had microcatheters applying a different design; they used an over-the-guide-wire system similar to the angioplasty approach, using 0.014-inch high-torque floppy angioplasty guide wire.1 Unfortunately, for various reasons this application failed to gain popularity and none of these microcatheters received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Characterization of Electrolessly Plated Graphite Foams with Particle Additions

With a low density and high bulk thermal conductivity, graphite foams are ideal for thermal management systems such as computer heat sinks, radiators, and heat exchangers.Previous work has shown it is possible to improve the foams performance by opening the porosity with nanoparticle additions in the foams precursor, an oil based mesophase pitch.[1] The open porosity allows more fluid, such as air or water, to pass through the foam and carry heat away.The original study, performed by Jennifer Mueller at Oak Ridge National Labs (ORNL), considered the concentrations of nanoparticle’s used.The present study looked to determine the effects of using different types of nanoparticles at a range of sizes from the nano- to micro- level.The study began by adding, respectively, silver, ceria, alumina, tungsten, and nickel to different batches of mesophase pitch at a single weight percent concentration to create graphite foams with a significant amount of continuous porosity.The pitch was foamed, carbonized, and graphitized.The final foam products were then measured in a variety of ways including thermal conductivity, permeability, and scanning electron microscope (SEM).As a side project, an electroless copper plating solution was passed through the foams to determine if a continuous and uniform copper coating could be built up.The copper coating that was eventually obtained coated the foam walls without filling the open porosity and may help to increase the foams solderability, strength, durability, and corrosion resistance.
Baseline demographics and disparities in cancer registration trials: An analysis of U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved drugs in 2015 and 2016.

e18623Background: Clinical trials play a fundamental role in the advancement of cancer care, yet specific groups remain under-represented in oncology clinical trials. We analyzed the age, race, per...
Targeting vesicle size

An amphipathic peptide has been engineered and is capable of penetrating the blood–brain barrier as well as possessing a potent antiviral activity against Zika and other mosquito-borne viruses.
Attribution Practices for the Man-Machine Marriage: How Perceived Human Intervention, Automation Metaphors, and Byline Location Affect the Perceived Bias and Credibility of Purportedly Automated Content

Automation is increasingly serving a role in the production of news. Attribution practices that recognize the journalistic contributions of automation, however, have yet to be standardized. Percept...
Control of fuel cell-based electric power system using adaptive sliding mode control and observation techniques

Abstract The paper deals with controlling an autonomous electric power system that comprises of a primary source of power supply, Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), DC–DC boost power converter as a power conditioner, and the ultracapacitor for an auxiliary power supply. Relative degree approach is applied for direct control of the output load voltage as well as the fuel cell and ultracapacitor current in the presence of the model uncertainties. The zero dynamics of the studied electric power system is analyzed and appeared to be stable. The non-minimum phase property of the DC–DC boost converter is eliminated by controlling the fuel cell current based on the power balance. The adaptive super-twisting sliding mode observer is employed for identification of the load resistance, which estimated value is used for generating the fuel cell current command profile. The adaptive gain second order (2-SM) super-twisting sliding mode controller is proposed for controlling the current in PEMFC. The conventional Sliding Mode Controllers (SMC) is designed for controlling the output voltage of the converter and the load current of the ultracapacitor. The efficacy and robustness of the proposed decentralized three-fold electric power system controller that consists of two SMCs and one 2-SM adaptive-gain controller are confirmed via computer simulations.
Observations on feeding in a South African suctorial hoplonemertean, Nipponnemertes sp. (Family Cratenemertidae)

Marine hoplonemerteans were collected intertidally inAlgoa Bay, Port Elizabeth, South Africa in 1983.Algoa Living worms appear to belong to the genus Nipponnemertes, perhaps N. africanus (Wheeler, 1940). The external morphology and thestylet apparatus are described and illustrated. Laboratory observations showed that this speciesattacked and consumed two species of sympatricamphipods, Elasmopus pectenicrus and Hyalegrandicornis (the only two species tested). Thefeeding behavior was similar to that documented forother suctorial nemerteans that feed on amphipods. Onecomplete feeding sequence, from the initial strike tocompletion of feeding on H. grandicornis,took approximately 12 min: the proboscis struck theventral side of the amphipod, which was immobilized in<1 min; the head eventually wedged between thesternal plates, and the internal organs were evacuatedby suctorial action. The addition of E. pectenicrus andH. grandicornis as potentialprey for suctorial hoplonemerteans brings the totalknown number of amphipod species to 25, involving atleast ten families. A summary of all species ofAmphipoda known to be potential prey for suctorialhoplonemerteans is presented.
Understanding the Global Business Environment Through the High-Impact Practice Activities

The chapter describes the experience in teaching international business-related courses, incorporating high-impact practices designed to increase cultural exposure. Various practices, including analytical and consulting projects, were tested in different groups of international and domestic students, first-generation immigrants, and mixed teams that include the above categories.
Medievalism and emotions in video game music

Unlike film, the study of medievalist music within video games remains a nascent field, with recent contributions being made by scholars such as James Cook. To paraphrase Helen Deeming, this article examines what the employment of medieval(ist) music within video games reveals about contemporary notions of the medieval, and what emotional connotations are embedded within such musical choices. I analyze the use of three ubiquitous medievalist musical tropes – the Gothic organ, the church bell, and the wordless voice – to create a set of ‘opposite’ emotional states: a sense of peace, tranquility, or sanctuary on the one hand, and danger, violence, the supernatural, and death on the other, connecting these emotional and musical stereotypes to those of the medieval era itself.
A matched-pair analysis of clinical outcomes after intracavitary cesium-131 brachytherapy versus stereotactic radiosurgery for resected brain metastases

OBJECTIVE Adjuvant radiation therapy (RT), such as cesium-131 (Cs-131) brachytherapy or stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), reduces local recurrence (LR) of brain metastases (BM). However, SRS is less efficacious for large cavities, and the delay between surgery and SRS may permit tumor repopulation. Cs-131 has demonstrated improved local control, with reduced radiation necrosis (RN) compared to SRS. This study represents the first comparison of outcomes between Cs-131 brachytherapy and SRS for resected BM. METHODS Patients with BM treated with Cs-131 and SRS following gross-total resection were retrospectively identified. Thirty patients who underwent Cs-131 brachytherapy were compared to 60 controls who received SRS. Controls were selected from a larger cohort to match the patients treated with Cs-131 in a 2:1 ratio according to tumor size, histology, performance status, and recursive partitioning analysis class. Overall survival (OS), LR, regional recurrence, distant recurrence (DR), and RN were compared. RESULTS With a median follow-up of 17.5 months for Cs-131-treated and 13.0 months for SRS-treated patients, the LR rate was significantly lower with brachytherapy; 10% for the Cs-131 cohort compared to 28.3% for SRS patients (OR 0.281, 95% CI 0.082-0.949; p = 0.049). Rates of regional recurrence, DR, and OS did not differ significantly between the two cohorts. Kaplan-Meier analysis with log-rank testing showed a significantly higher likelihood of freedom from LR (p = 0.027) as well as DR (p = 0.018) after Cs-131 compared to SRS treatment (p = 0.027), but no difference in likelihood of OS (p = 0.093). Six (10.0%) patients who underwent SRS experienced RN compared to 1 (3.3%) patient who received Cs-131 (p = 0.417). CONCLUSIONS Postresection patients with BM treated with Cs-131 brachytherapy were more likely to achieve local control compared to SRS-treated patients. This study provides preliminary evidence of the potential of Cs-131 to reduce LR following gross-total resection of single BM, with minimal toxicity, and suggests the need for a prospective study to address this question.
Adults and children implicitly associate brilliance with men more than women

Abstract Women are underrepresented in careers where success is perceived to depend on high levels of intellectual ability (e.g., brilliance, genius), including those in science and technology. This phenomenon may be due in part to a gender-brilliance stereotype that portrays men as more brilliant than women. Here, we offer the first investigation of whether people implicitly associate brilliance with men more than women. Implicit measures are absent from prior research on the gender-brilliance stereotype, despite having the potential to contribute unique information about the prevalence of this stereotype. Across 5 studies (N = 3618) with 17 Implicit Association Tests using 6 distinct comparison traits (e.g., creative, funny), we found consistent evidence for an implicit gender-brilliance stereotype favoring men. Indeed, for 5 out of 6 comparison traits (even the male-typed trait funny), male was associated with brilliant and female with the comparison trait. Only a physical trait (strong) showed a stronger association with male than brilliant did; none of the psychological traits used as comparisons rivaled brilliant in their association to male. Evidence for the implicit gender-brilliance stereotype was consistently observed whether the male and female targets were represented with verbal labels or pictures, and whether the pictures depicted White or Black targets. Moreover, the results were robust in both men and women, children and adults, across different regions of the U.S. as well as internationally. This pervasive implicit association of brilliance with men is likely to hold women back in careers perceived to require brilliance.
Playing Basketball with a Cardiac Condition: Recommendations and Guidelines

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the leading cause of fatalities in competitive athletes during sports and exercise. SCD is caused by a variety of congenital and genetic cardiac conditions, including cardiomyopathies, channelopathies, anomalous coronary arteries, and aortic dissection. Epidemiologic evidence suggests that basketball athletes are at higher risk of SCD, supporting more intensive cardiovascular screening strategies. Athletes detected with a condition associated with SCD should be referred to sports cardiologists or disease experts for further evaluation and risk stratification. Sports eligibility decisions for athletes with cardiovascular conditions are complex and should be based on an individual risk assessment, the possibility of accelerating or worsening the disease course with continued intensive exercise, existing outcome data for sports safety, and the potential of medical interventions to mitigate risk. The present chapter reviews the epidemiology of SCD in athletes, athlete screening guidelines, and the current principles and knowledge pertaining to participation recommendations and management of athletes with known or suspected cardiovascular conditions.
Female Characters in the Novels of Kyallo Wadi Wamitila

Feminism, namely its post-colonial version, is one of the most used theoretical and ideological platforms in modern African literature. Indian scholar Raj-Kumar Mishra in one of his works gives the post-colonial feminism the following characterization: “The matter of fact is that postcolonial women refuse to remain passive and continue to bear male-oppressive environments. These women seek to emancipate themselves through education, struggle, and hard work. The postcolonial men re-colonized the bodies and minds of their women in the name of preserving their cultural values. Postcolonial feminism is primarily concerned with deplorable plight of women in postcolonial environment […] Postcolonial feminists argue for women emancipation that is subalternized by social, cultural, or economic structures across the world.” (132-3). And thus: “Postcolonial feminism […] comprises non-western feminisms which negotiate the political demands of nationalism, socialist feminism, liberalism, and ecofeminism, alongside the social challenge of everyday patriarchy, typically supported by its institutional and legal discrimination: of domestic violence, sexual abuse, rape, honour killings, dowry deaths, female foeticide, child abuse”.
Over My Dead Body: A New Approach to Testamentary Restraints on Marraiage

Money is a tool that can be wielded from the grave. It is not uncommon to find deeds or wills that shape the behavior of the living by conditioning a grant, devise, or bequest, on a potential beneficiary’s conduct. Sometimes these conditions involve a limitation on marriage— prohibiting, penalizing, or requiring marriage to one of a particular religious faith or ethnicity. Courts have held that complete restraints on marriage are unreasonable, contrary to public policy, and void. However, partial restraints of marriage are valid as long as it is “reasonable.” A restraint is “unreasonable” if a marriage permitted by the restraint is not likely to occur, as a factual determination. This essay suggests that the fundamental approach to this problem is incorrect. The reasonableness test produces extremely problematic results, due to four major flaws: (1) it ostensibly questions the testator’s intent while ingenuously claiming that it does not, (2) it is empirically unsound, (3) it fails to take into account whether the restraint is actually consequential to the beneficiary, and (4) it produces unjustifiably inconsistent results based on geography and time. This essay then discusses several alternative approaches to the reasonableness test, including the prohibition of all marital restraint provisions, the allowance of all marital restraint provisions, and case-by-case balancing. A new test is then promulgated: a test for coercion. If we are worried that the provision will force the beneficiary to surrender to an unreasonable marriage or a life of loneliness, we should examine the extent to which the donee is actually influenced by the grant. I argue that the coercion test would be a better approach because it avoids all four major problems with the reasonableness test, it provides more respect for testator’s intent than a blanket prohibition, it is more protective of public policy than a blanket allowance, and it provides more consistency than a case-by-case balancing approach. Most importantly, the coercion test addresses the crux of the public policy problem: whether an individual’s freedom of choice of marriage is being restricted.  Law Clerk to the Hon. Richard Suhrheinrich (6th Cir) 2012-2013; Harvard Law School, JD 2012. Many thanks to Professor Jacob Gersen and Professor Robert Sitkoff at Harvard Law School. I am also indebted to Judge Ricardo Martinez of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington State, Chris Nicoll of the law firm Nicoll Black & Feig PLLC, and also Nicola Menaldo, Tim Fitzgerald, Lura Smith, Carol Miller, Melody Byrd, and Jensen Mauseth. All errors remain my own.
“She Does Not Want Me to Be Like Her”: Exploring the Role of Maternal Communication in Eating Disorder Symptomatology Among Collegiate Black Women

As an agent of socialization, mothers directly impact the way their daughters think about their own weight. This qualitative study aimed to investigate and capture the recalled maternal communicati...
Cytotoxic chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma in the era of targeted therapy

Abstract Background Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a heterogeneous disease with regards to histology, progression, and response to treatment. Cytotoxic chemotherapy has been extensively studied in metastatic RCC (mRCC). Responses in most studies are modest and the mechanisms of resistance remain poorly understood. Targeted therapies have significantly improved outcomes in mRCC; however, most patients eventually relapse and die of their disease. Early clinical data suggest that combinations of chemotherapy and targeted agents are clinically active and are well tolerated. Methods We reviewed the available literature for published clinical trials incorporating traditional chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of mRCC. These papers were identified through a Medline search and were included if they employed at least one chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of mRCC. The literature was also reviewed for information regarding mechanisms of chemotherapy resistance. Results The data regarding the use of cytotoxic chemotherapy in mRCC consist of small, non-randomized phase I and II studies. The major response proportions with single agent chemotherapies are low but combination regimens either with other cytotoxic agents, cytokines, or targeted agents have demonstrated moderate activity. Disparate trial designs and lack of head to head clinical trials make it difficult to compare the efficacy of chemotherapy with that of immunotherapy or targeted agents. Chemotherapy is particularly useful in patients with collecting duct histology and predominantly sarcomatoid differentiation. Chemotherapy resistance may be mediated by overexpression of p-glycoprotein efflux pumps and the dysregulation of the microtubule-hypoxia inducible factor signaling axis. Conclusions The role of cytotoxic chemotherapy in the treatment for clear cell RCC remains poorly defined. Cytotoxic chemotherapy is considered a standard of care in patients with mRCC with predominantly sarcomatoid differentiation and collecting duct RCC variants ( Motzer et al., 2014 ). Early trials combining chemotherapy with targeted therapies are generally well tolerated and show clinical activity. A better understanding of the biology of aggressive subsets of RCC and mechanisms of resistance will help elucidate the role of cytotoxic agents in the current treatment paradigm of RCC.
Mapping The Limits Of Skepticism In Law And Morals

This article identifies the theoretical and practical limits of postmodern skepticism about objective, transcultural standards in law and morals. Stanley Fish tells us that moral issues are intelligible only within the "paradigms or communities that give them their local and changeable shape." This is one formulation of antifoundationalism, which rejects the idea of a transcultural moral reality that binds all people. Antifoundationalists see value judgments as contingent cultural products that cannot be objectively true. But can we do anything with this thesis in practice? Postmodern pragmatists like Richard Rorty and Joan Williams believe that we can; they say we would benefit by understanding our moral principles as no more than cultural preferences. This Article takes issue with that approach and provides a series of pragmatic counter-arguments in favor of objectivist moral and legal discourse. By investigating the relationship between the anti-foundationalist claim and the universal human rights claim, this Article demonstrates that (a) the thesis that our moral commitments are produced through a contingent historical process can never tell us what commitments we should have; (b) to formulate such commitments, we require an objectivist language of evaluation, one which is not confined to diagnosing the play of cultural and psychological forces but which stands apart from them; and (c) in law and morals this objectivist discourse expresses the distinctions we experience as morally sensitive beings, including the difference between the fair and illegitimate uses of power. A truly pragmatic view would recognize that objective moral claims are not a way we stake out a metaphysical position, but the way we inhabit and describe a nuanced normative world. These are pragmatic arguments which show that anti-foundationalist theory is so divorced from the human experience of agency and choice that we cannot utilize it in practice. In the final section, the Article offers some affirmative reasons to believe that the universal human rights claim states a transcultural moral truth.
Treatment planning optimization based on response-surface modeling of cost function versus multiple constraints

In treatment planning optimization and inverse planning, a solution is governed by operator-specified objectives and constraints, which are usually in conflict with each other. Currently, the planning process involves manual iterations of testing different combinations of constraints and/or objectives, and evaluating the resulting solutions. In this work, the authors are developing a more efficient paradigm to automate this process. The key component of their approach is to model the cost to be optimized as a function of all the competing constraints. Initially the authors evaluated this technique for optimizing angles and weights of coplanar beams in conformal therapy of pancreas and prostrate cancer. The minimum tumor dose was maximized with multiple dose-volume constraints for other critical structures. An initial set of constraints was established such that the tumor dose fell within desired limits. Subsequently, each active constraint was changed by a small step and the optimization was rerun to obtain a new solution. Effectively, the authors sampled the solution space and obtained a database of the optimized solutions for a variety of different constraint values. They then modeled the tumor dose as a multi-variable function of doses to critical structures using a response-surface method. This allowed the authors to visualize how the constraints competed and affected the tumor dose. Using this information, one can interactively navigate through the solution space and quickly balance among the tumor dose and doses to other structures. This new paradigm focuses on clinical considerations during optimization and improves the efficiency of the treatment planning process.
Response: Granger and Cavell Against Positivism: Considering the Quest for Certainty and Epistemology

In an interview with Harry Kreisler at Berkeley, Stanley Cavell recounted the famous story of Ludwig Wittgenstein asking this question of Bertrand Russell, “Am I a philosopher or am I a complete fool?” Russell told Wittgenstein he was not a complete fool. But Cavell pointed out that there is still a prior question, which is why Wittgenstein asked his question to Russell in the first place, and why Russell was credible to him as an answerer. Cavell’s moral was that you’“pick your shots.” David Granger picked his shot by enlisting Cavell to help him battle the likes of Taylor, Carnap, Thorndike, Conant, and their current allies fighting on the side of positivism. In the process, Granger very nicely weaves testing, accountability, technology, humanism, and epistemology, into claims and arguments that should help those of us wishing to challenge positivism and the conservative, corporate ideologues who so tirelessly rely on it to establish and maintain power. My response briefly reminds us of some central claims Granger makes. I add a thought or two, then expand on at least one epistemological point in order to underscore Granger’s concern regarding certainty and epistemology.
Navier-Stokes calculations with a coupled strongly implicit method. II Spline deferred-corrector solutions

The coupled strongly implicit (CSIP) method described in Part I of this study is combined with a deferred-corrector spline solver for the vorticity-stream function form of the Navier-Stokes equations. Solutions for cavity, channel and cylinder flows are obtained with the fourth-order spline 4 procedure. The strongly coupled spline corrector method converges as rapidly as the finite difference calculations of Part I and also allows for arbitrary large time increments for the Reynolds numbers considered, (Re ≤ 1000). In some cases fourth-order smoothing or filtering is required in order to suppress high frequency oscillations.
Associations of maternal material hardships during childhood and adulthood with prepregnancy weight, gestational weight gain, and postpartum weight retention

Background: We examined associations of material hardship with prepregnancy body mass index (BMI), gestational weight gain (GWG), and substantial postpartum weight retention (SPPWR; ≥5 kg at 1 year). Methods: We studied 2128 women in Project Viva, a Boston-area cohort with recruitment during1999–2002. At recruitment, women reported whether they experienced material hardship, defined as having ever received public assistance, welfare, or lacked basic necessities (food, rent, or medical care) during childhood, in adulthood before pregnancy, and/or in pregnancy. We used multivariable logistic models adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, and parity (and prepregnancy BMI for GWG and SPPWR) to examine associations of material hardship with the three weight-related outcomes (BMI, GWG, and SPPWR). Results: Mean age was 31.8 (standard deviation, 5.2) years; 66% of women were white, 16% were obese (prepregnancy BMI ≥30.0 kg/m2), 50% experienced excessive GWG, and 17% experienced SPPWR. Material hardship was most common...
OR18 C3D-Binding de novo donor-specific HLA antibodies and antibody-mediated rejection of kidney transplants

Aim Antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) is a major cause of kidney graft loss, yet assessment of individual risk at diagnosis is impeded by the lack of a reliable prognosis assay. Here, we tested whether the capacity of HLA antibodies to bind complement component C3d allows accurate risk stratification at the time of AMR diagnosis. Methods Sera from kidney transplant recipients, who underwent a protocol or for-cause kidney biopsy and had detectable de novo DSA (by One Lambda) at the time of biopsy (median 3.8 yrs post-tx), were included in this study. These serum samples were re-tested using the Immucor single antigen beads with and without C3d detection system. Results This study included samples from 123 kidney recipients (70 males; 14 re-Tx; 46 LD) transplanted in our center between 1989 and 2011. Fifty-seven patients (46%) had C3d-binding DSA. Most C3d-binding DSAs were high MFI DSAs (11700 + 5188), and only 4/57 (7%) C3d-binding DSAs had 5000 MFI. Seventy percent of the patients with C3d-binding DSA (40/57) had AMR (18 aAMR and 22 cAMR) and C4d-positive biopsies; twenty-six percent (15/57) had ACR, and four percent (2/57) had negative biopsies. Fifty-two present of the patients (34/66) in the C3d-negative DSA group had DSA with MFI 5000. Some of the weak and moderate DSA detected by One Lambda single antigen bead reagents were not detected with the Immucor SAB. Among the patients with C3d-negative DSA, thirty-five percent (23/66) had AMR (7 aAMR and 16 cAMR); twelve percent (8/66) had ACR and thirty-three percent (22/66) had C4d-positive biopsies. In most cases 15/22 (68%), the C4d-positive biopsies were observed in patients with strong DSA (MFI > 5000). Conclusions Our data indicate a strong correlation between the presence of C3d-binding DSAs and AMR. C3d-binding antibodies seem to be prevalent to stronger antibodies. Further studies are needed to evaluate whether the presence of C3d-binding donor-specific antibodies can predict AMR and identify patients who are at increased risk of allograft failure. Download : Download full-size image
How to Integrate A Polynomial Over A Sphere

(2001). How to Integrate A Polynomial Over A Sphere. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 108, No. 5, pp. 446-448.
Developing a pyramid structure for managing web-centric documents

Because of technological advances, scholars suffer from information overload when dealing with the vast quantity of online documents found on the Web. No more clearly is this the case then when educators search the Web for scholarly lectures, namely, PowerPoint presentations which are growing in numbers on the Web at an exponential rate. This paper describes the implementation of an information management model taking the shape of a layered pyramid that streamlines dissemination of this invaluable source of electronic lecture materials. Using the Pyramid Model, the authors implement the Journal of Electronic Lectures (JEL).
Molecular characterization of HLA-B71 from an African American individual.

Abstract We have sequenced a cDNA clone encoding an HLA-B71 (B70) allele from an African American individual. Serologic definition of B70 allelic products is very difficult due to extensive cross-reactivity of the alloantisera with B35, B15, and B5 antigens. The new sequence most closely resembles the sequence of B∗1503, differing only by three amino acids at positions 63, 67, and 116. The B71 sequence differs from alleles of the B15 antigenic group (serologically defined as B62) by 7–8 amino acids and from members of the B35 family by 10 to 12 amino acids. B71 may represent an evolutionary intermediate, sharing elements common to both B35 and B15 allelic groups.
The bosonic mass formula for Freund-Rubin solutions of d=11 supergravity on general coset manifolds

The formalism of spherical harmonics for coset spaces is used to obtain the complete mass spectrum of the bosonic excitations around a class of vacuum solutions of d=11 supergravity in which the internal space is a coset manifold and the three-index photon is given by the Freund-Rubin ansatz (1978). The mass formula is given in terms of the eigenvalues of the invariant operators on the internal space.
Associations of pericardial and intrathoracic fat with coronary calcium presence and progression in a multiethnic study.

Objective Body mass index (BMI) may not accurately or adequately reflect body composition or its role in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Ectopic adipose depots may provide a more refined representation of the role of adiposity in CVD. Thus, the association of pericardial and intra-thoracic fat with coronary artery calcium (CAC) was examined. Design and Methods Nearly 600 white men and women, as well as Filipina women and African-American women, all without known CVD, had abdominal and chest computed tomography (CT) scans at two time points about 4 years apart from which CAC presence, severity and progression, as well as pericardial and intrathoracic fat volumes were obtained. Logistic and linear regression models with staged adjustment were used to assess associations of pericardial and intra-thoracic fat with CAC presence, severity, and progression. Results After adjustment for age, BMI, sex/ethnic group, ever smoking, and lipids, each standard deviation higher increment of intra-thoracic fat, but not pericardial fat, was significantly associated with 3.84-fold higher odds of prevalent CAC (95% CI (1.54, 9.58), P = 0.004) and a 38.4% higher CAC score (95% CI (3.5%, 90.0%), P = 0.03). Neither pericardial nor intrathoracic fat were associated with CAC progression. Conclusions Contrary to previous reports, pericardial fat was not associated with the presence, severity or progression of CAC. However, a significant association between intrathoracic fat and both the presence and severity of CAC was demonstrated. Studies measuring fat in the thoracic cavity may consider defining intrathoracic fat as a separate entity from pericardial fat.
87Sr/86Sr ratios for basalt from Loihi Seamount, Hawaii

Abstract 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios of 15 samples of basalt dredged from Loihi Seamount range from 0.70334 to 0.70368. The basalt types range from tholeiite to basanite in composition and can be divided into six groups on the basis of abundances of K 2 O, Na 2 O, Rb and Sr and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio. The isotopic data require that the various basalt types be derived from source regions differing in Sr isotopic composition. The Loihi basalts may be produced by mixing of isotopically distinct sources, but the tholeiites and alkalic basalts from Loihi do not show a well-developed inverse trend between Rb/Sr and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr that is characteristic of the later stages of Hawaiian volcanoes such as Haleakala and Koolau.
Modulus of convexity in Banach spaces

Abstract Let X be a Banach space, X2 ⊆ X be a two-dimensional subspace of X, and S(X) = {x ϵ X, ‖x‖ = 1} be the unit sphere of X. Let δ(ϵ) = inf {1 − ‖x + y‖ 2 : ‖x − y‖ ≤ ϵ} , where x, y ϵ S(X2) and 0 ≤ ϵ ≤ 2 is the modulus of convexity of X. The best results so far about the relationship between normal structure and the modulus of convexity of X are that for any Banach space X either δ(1) > 0 or δ( 3 2 ) > 1 4 implies X has normal structure. We generalize the above results in this paper to prove that for any Banach space X, δ(1 + ϵ) > ϵ 2 for any ϵ, 0 ≤ ϵ ≤ 1, implies X has uniform normal structure.
Three-dimensional manganese(II) coordination polymers based on m-pyridinecarboxylates: synthesis, X-ray structures, and magnetic properties.

3-D manganese(II) coordination polymers bis(nicotinato)manganese, 1, and bis[4-(3-pyridyl)ethynylbenzoato]manganese, 2, were synthesized under hydro(solvo)thermal conditions. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibit remarkably similar network topologies probably as a result of the same bent configurations and rigid structures of the m-pyridinecarboxylate ligands. Magnetic measurements of 1 and 2 indicate dominant antiferromagnetic interactions along the carboxylate-bridged Mn(II)−Mn(II) chains, and they represent new examples of one-dimensional Heisenberg antiferromagnetic chains.
Discrimination of Mesoscale Convective System Environments Using Sounding Observations

Abstract The prediction of the strength of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) is a major concern to operational meteorologists and the public. To address this forecast problem, this study examines meteorological variables derived from sounding observations taken in the environment of quasi-linear MCSs. A set of 186 soundings that sampled the beginning and mature stages of the MCSs are categorized by their production of severe surface winds into weak, severe, and derecho-producing MCSs. Differences in the variables among these three MCS categories are identified and discussed. Mean low- to upper-level wind speeds and deep-layer vertical wind shear, especially the component perpendicular to the convective line, are excellent discriminators among all three categories. Low-level inflow relative to the system is found to be an excellent discriminator, largely because of the strong relationship of system severity to system speed. Examination of the mean wind and shear vectors relative to MCS motion suggests th...
Some comments on the theory of deviation from close packing in metal crystals (electron anisotropy effect)

Abstract The Jones—Goodenough theory of close packing deviations is reexpressed so as to allow for band structure modifications.
Understanding the menopausal transition, and managing its clinical challenges

The onset of menopause is associated with a range of conditions, including reduced fertility, menstrual cycle irregularity, hot flashes, and osteoporosis. Fortunately, much is known and continues to be discovered about the process of reproductive aging, enabling physicians to make informed management recommendations.
MEASUREMENTS OF BINARY STARS, INCLUDING TWO NEW DISCOVERIES, WITH THE LICK OBSERVATORY ADAPTIVE OPTICS SYSTEM

We present astronomical results from observations for a number of multiple star systems observed with the Lick Observatory natural guide star adaptive optics system. We have discovered and classified a fifth component in the ? Cas system and a third component for the wide binary WDS 00310+2839. Using two different data reduction techniques, we demonstrate relative astrometric precision to 2-3 mas and photometric precision to within 0.05 mag. The binary stars enable anisoplanatism to be measured, from which a mean turbulence height over Lick Observatory of 1.5-3 km is determined.
Time-drug modulations of photically evoked after-discharge patterns

Abstract Photically evoked after-discharge (AD) patterns of rats were investigated using a short-term habituation procedure. Behavioral and/or EEG activation was induced pharmacologically in order to examine the effects of arousal on AD parameters over time. It was found that pharmacological arousal generally suppressed the elicitation of AD. To determine whether or not AD suppression could be overridden, pentylenetetrazol (Metrazol) was used as an AD potentiator. It was observed that Metrazol enhanced the elicitation of AD with both control and drug-treated animals. However, AD bursts following activating drug-Metrazol treatments were irregular in form both in terms of spindle amplitude and in number of spindles/burst. On the other hand, the effect of Metrazol injections following control substance injections was to regularize the number of spindles in an AD burst and to enhance spindle amplitude. These observations suggest that an enhancement of intrinsic thalamocortical synchronization by Metrazol did not fully override the effects of pharmological neural activation.
Responses to Speed Changes in Coincidence-Anticipation Judgments after Extended Practice

Abstract Coincidence-anticipation performance has been found to vary with changes in the speed of the task's stimulus. This may be due to bias effects. The present study was designed to investigate the existence of directional error, its persistence after extended practice, and its occurrence upon transfer to new contextual stimuli. Two groups of 20 women athletes each were tested for 270 trials over 3 days on a Bassin anticipation task. One group judged stimulus speeds of 2, 3, and 4 mph and the other group speeds of 2, 4, and 6 mph. Both groups improved during training, but tended to respond late, less accurately, and more variably to the slowest speed. Following a 30-trial warmup on Day 4, the second group transferred to the same speeds given the first group. Following transfer, the Transfer Group demonstrated increased directional bias to the slowest stimulus speed despite having seen this speed throughout training. By the second block of trials following transfer, however, they were performing at an ...