cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical features, causes, treatments, and outcomes of peristomal pyoderma gangrenosum (PPG) in 44 patients: The Mayo Clinic experience, 1996 through 2013.

Background There are limited large case series of peristomal pyoderma gangrenosum (PPG), an uncommon cause of recalcitrant peristomal ulceration. Objective We sought to further characterize the clinical features, causes, treatments, and outcomes of PPG. Methods We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients with PPG seen at Mayo Clinic from January 1996 to July 2013. Results A total of 44 patients had PPG (mean age, 46 years; 32 women [73%]); 41 (93%) had inflammatory bowel disease. Mean time to PPG onset after stoma surgery was 5.2 months (excluding 1 outlier). Systemic therapies included corticosteroids (66%), immunosuppressants (41%), biologics (36%), and a combination of systemic treatments (36%). Mean time to reach a complete response was 10.7 weeks. Stoma closure had the greatest complete response (4 of 4 patients, no recurrences). Recurrence after any treatment was documented in 23 of 38 (61%) patients. Stoma relocation/revision recurred in 10 of 15 (67%) patients. Remission occurred in 29 of 31 (94%) patients. Limitations Small sample size and retrospective study design are limitations. Conclusion PPG is strongly associated with inflammatory bowel disease, is predominant in women, and has a prolonged time to onset and high recurrence rate. Systemic corticosteroid or combination therapies and surgical closure can be effective treatments. Timely recognition and management are paramount to achieving early remission.
Designing bulk-driven MOSFETs in scaled technologies

With the advent of system-on-a-chip integration, analog components are being forced to co-exist with their digital counterparts in scaled processes where the supply voltage, V DD , is expected to fall to 0.7 V by 2012 [1]. As a result of this integration, traditional analog topologies suffer from voltage headroom constraints since the threshold voltage, V T , can no longer scale proportionately with V DD due to sub-threshold leakage constraints. In 1996, Blalock described how the bulk terminal of a MOSFET could be used as a device input to enable analog design at very low supply voltages [2]. Using the MOSFET in this way, one could eliminate V T from the signal path allowing for a significant rise in the available voltage headroom. However, this device, called the bulk-driven (BD) MOSFET, suffered from intrinsic gain limitations because it depended upon the transconductance of the bulk, g mb , rather than the gate (g m ). Since Blalock's initial investigation, there has been no effort undertaken to make the BD MOSFET more adaptable to modern processes even though there have been numerous publications of low voltage analog designs incorporating the use of BD MOSFETs in these technologies. Therefore, this paper takes the first step towards creating a BD MOSFET that has been optimized for modern processes by proposing the use of delta doping [3] to improve g mb ; this claim will be verified through 2-D device simulations in ATLAS [4] and the results will be compared against halo-implanted devices which are currently being used in circuits utilizing the BD MOSFET. Furthermore, this paper will investigate the role that quantum mechanical (QM) confinement and gate oxide thickness, t ox , play in the performance of BD MOSFETs. Simulation results show that QM effects do not degrade g mb as aggressively as g m and that the t ox requirements necessary for gate-driven (GD) devices can be relaxed when using the bulk as an input.
Case alternation in duration and frequency adverbials in Korean: A semantic–pragmatic explanation☆

Nominal frequency and duration adverbials in Korean are optionally marked with an overt case marker that alternates depending on the voice of the sentence. This has led several authors such as Kim and Maling (1993), Wechsler and Lee (1996), and Maling et al. (2001) to assume that such adverbials in Korean get their case assigned syntactically by the same process that is responsible for argument case assignment. We claim that the case of frequency and duration adverbials is not syntactically assigned by the verb but instead reflects the relative semantic–pragmatic prominence of the subject NP compared to the event described by the VP, which is determined by the subject's degree of control over the event. For the sake of explicit formalization, we represent this prominence in terms of the relative quantificational scope between the subject and the eventuality.
Design and performance analysis of energy harvesting sensor networks with supercapacitor

Far field radio frequency (RF) harvesting technique have become popular method to power wireless sensor network (WSN) recently. However, due to the low efficiency of RF energy harvester, RF powered WSN is unable to perform dynamic network allocation. Accordingly, the functionality of WSN is limited. This paper presents a practical RF powered wireless sensor node design that could dynamic join the network and unicast data packet. A non-ideal supercapacitor storage estimate model is proposed. Test result indicated the proposed model can accurate estimate the storage state, the RF energy harvesting node could dynamically join network as far as 10 meter.
Visualizing and Diagnosing Coefficients from Geographically Weighted Regression Models

Visualizing and interpreting regression coefficients from spatially varying coefficient models, such as geographically weighted regression (GWR), can be challenging, given the amount of information the models provide the spatial analyst. Adding to the visualization dilemma are various diagnostic tools for checking the coherence of the model. One such diagnostic tool is based on decomposing the regression coefficient variance matrix to test for collinearity, which is relevant because previous research has shown that collinearity in GWR can lead to estimated regression coefficients for multiple regression terms that are strongly correlated with each other. In this paper, visualization tools, such as linked scatter plots, parallel coordinate plots, and maps, are presented for diagnosing correlation in estimated regression coefficients that can be problematic for statistical inference of relationships between variables. These tools help explain patterns of dependence between regression terms apparent in scatter plots of estimated coefficients and link the structure in the scatter plots to locational information in a map. Visualization of this information should aid in the typical spatially varying coefficient model estimation process. A case study of census undercount in Franklin County, Ohio is presented as an illustrative example of applying the visual diagnostic approach in a GWR analysis.
Effects of PH before and after Deep-Freeze Storage at -80°C on the Zeta Potentials of Bones

During the investigation of electroosmosis with bone in vitro (Elwood and Smith, 1983, 1984c), we became concerned about the effects of storage and storage media on the electrokinetic properties of bone. When changes in the electrokinetic characteristics of bone in vitro were monitored by measuring streaming potentials and calculating zeta(ζ)-poten-tials it was found that storage media could affect the ζ-potentials of bone stored overnight at 4°C or for several weeks at -80°C (Elwood and Smith 1984a, 1984b). Changes in the electrokinetic properties of the bone were considered to be reflective of its chemical and physical state, and hence of its possible suitability as a bone bank specimen. The changes were also considered to be a likely result of ion adsorption to or exchange between the bone surface and the “fixed” layer of electrolyte solution adjacent to its surface, which includes the double layer discussed in other contributions to this symposium.
Dynamic Stress-Strain Prediction from Limited Measurements in the Presence of Structural Defects

Complex composite structures, that are subjected to appreciable externally induced loading, will fatigue and fail over time. For many structures, imminent failure and loss of structural integrity is not externally apparent. Typical failure occurs at the interfaces between the structure’s surface and internal ribs or stiffening members. Conventional approaches for proper validation of full-scale exterior dynamic behavior of numerical models require a significant number of measurement points; unfortunately, interior dynamic response due to time-varying loads is not currently predictable from measured data.
Human Rabies Vaccines

Human rabies vaccines have changed dramatically since Pasteur and his colleagues produced and administered a crude mixture of infected rabbit spinal cord to two severely bitten young boys in 1881. The evolution in the development of rabies vaccines has improved the efficacy and safety of treatment but human rabies vaccines are still costly and unavailable to many patients living at risk in poor regions of the world. Human rabies vaccines are produced from a number of different cell culture substrates and seed viruses and all are required to have a potency of 2.5 IU per intramuscular dose. The Biological Standardisation Program is currently overseeing an expert working group evaluating a feasible in vitro replacement for the National Institute of Health (NIH) in vivo potency assay. The current human cell culture rabies vaccines are highly efficacious, generally well-tolerated and safe. In spite of the presence of accelerated, economical intradermal regimen for pre- and postexposure prophylaxis completed in 7 days, the vaccine needs to be refrigerated [1, 2]. A handful of new rabies biologicals are currently in the pipeline; however, very few human rabies vaccines have reached clinical trial phase. Rabies is not a disease that can be eradicated and therefore there will continue to be a need for less costly, more accessible and thermostable vaccines for human use.
An integral equation approach for rigid line inhomogeneity problems

complex potentials° The results showed that the stresses at the tips of the inhomogeneity are square root singular (as in the case of the corresponding crack problem), and that the stress intensity factors depend on Poisson's ratio° In the present paper a more direct method for arriving at the solution to the problem of a rigid line inhomogeneity is presented° The problem is formulated in terms of singular integral equations, and can therefore be extended to cases where the line defining the inhomogeneity is curved. Moreover, this approach clearly illustrates the similarities between crack proble~is and rigid line inhomogeneity problems° This method has been applied by the author to the study of the failure mechanisms of rigid anchors embedded in brittle materials [3,4]. The elasticity problem shown in Fig. 1 is formulated in terms of the complex potentials of Muskhelishvili [5]. The stresses and displacements can be expressed in terms of the analytic functions } and T as
Phantom Evaluation of a Multi-Pinhole Cardiac SPECT Camera for 3D Molecular Breast Imaging

A tomographic clinical cardiac SPECT system consisting of many static CZT-based pinhole gamma cameras is evaluated for dedicated, pendant 3D molecular breast imaging. The reconstructed spatial resolution and linearity of the spherically symmetric FOV were evaluated with a multi-point source array. A series of anthropomorphic phantom imaging measurements using 0.4 and 0.9 mm diameter lesions was performed; lesion-to-background ratios ranged from[13:1] to[3:1] to simulate various biological uptake; three breasts used were 470–1730 mL in volume. Basic contrast, CNR and coefficient of variation were measured with the anthropomorphic torso+organ background. Decreasing acquisition times from 30030 sec were a surrogate for lower injected doses. All data was reconstructed using MLEM with various iterations on the commercial workstation. Results indicate that the system largely behaves in the expected way: better overall resolution, linearity, sensitivity, and uniformity closer to the detectors but within the FOV. Other key observations include: (1) higher lesion: background ratios yielded higher image contrast and CNR; (2) lesion contrast and CNR appeared independent of acquisition time; (3) breast size had less of an effect on lesion metrics, but yielded decreased out-of-field (e.g., cardiac and hepatic) contributions with larger breasts. These results indicate that lower injected doses could be utilized for 3D MBI. While additional optimization would be beneficial for breast imaging, this high sensitivity SPECT system could be used for dynamic 3D MBI for lesion diagnostics or therapeutic monitoring.
Differential responses to ocean acidification between populations of Balanophyllia elegans corals from high and low upwelling environments.

Ocean acidification (OA), the global decrease in surface water pH from absorption of anthropogenic CO2 , may put many marine taxa at risk. However, populations that experience extreme localized conditions, and are adapted to these conditions predicted in the global ocean in 2,100, may be more tolerant to future OA. By identifying locally adapted populations, researchers can examine the mechanisms used to cope with decreasing pH. One oceanographic process that influences pH is wind-driven upwelling. Here we compare two Californian populations of the coral Balanophyllia elegans from distinct upwelling regimes, and test their physiological and transcriptomic responses to experimental seawater acidification. We measured respiration rates, protein and lipid content, and gene expression in corals from both populations exposed to pH levels of 7.8 and 7.4 for 29 days. Corals from the population that experiences lower pH due to high upwelling maintained the same respiration rate throughout the exposure. In contrast, corals from the low upwelling site had reduced respiration rates, protein content and lipid-class content at low pH exposure, suggesting they have depleted their energy reserves. Using RNA-Seq, we found that corals from the high upwelling site upregulated genes involved in calcium ion binding and ion transport, most likely related to pH homeostasis and calcification. In contrast, corals from the low upwelling site downregulated stress response genes at low pH exposure. Divergent population responses to low pH observed in B. elegans highlight the importance of multi-population studies for predicting a species' response to future OA.
The Potential Role of Protein Leverage in the US Obesity Epidemic

The protein leverage model of obesity posits that decreasing the protein fraction of the diet leads to compensatory increases in total energy intake in an attempt to maintain a target amount of absolute protein consumed. The resulting increased energy intake thereby causes weight gain. According to food balance sheets published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, while the absolute protein content of the US food supply has increased since the early 1970s, the fraction of available calories from protein has decreased by ~1% because of greater increases in available carbohydrate and fat. Counterintuitively, even such a small decrease in the protein fraction of the food supply has the potential to result in relatively large increases in energy intake according to the protein leverage model. Therefore, while the protein leverage effect is unlikely to fully explain the obesity epidemic, its potential contribution should not be ignored.
In-vitro studies of jet injections

In this study, needle-free jet injection dynamics were studied using homogeneous gelatin as model substrates. Whilst keeping nozzle properties such as orifice diameter (do) and ampoule volume (V) constant, we demonstrate the effect of standoff (s), confinement around the gel, storage modulus (G') of model gel and liquid viscosity (μ) on the penetration depth of the jet injection. High-speed imaging was used to observe the liquid jet propagation and dispersion dynamics, whilst a load cell was implemented to measure the impact force for different standoff distance and viscosity of the liquid. The different parameters considered showed significant effects on penetration depth, with non-linear dependence on standoff being the key result, which may have implications for future injector designs. Moreover, the effect of confinement serves as a caution of using gelatin substrates as a proxy for human tissue.
I can't believe it's not lexical: Deriving distributed veridicality

Given the assumption that selection is a strictly local relationship between a head and its complement, we expect the ability of a head to take a particular argument to be insensitive to linguistic material above that head. The verb believe poses a puzzle under this view: while believe ordinarily only permits declarative clausal complements, interrogative complements are allowed when believe occurs under clausal negation and can or will , and a veridical reading becomes available. I argue that this provides evidence that believe is not simply a standard Hintikkan representational belief verb, but rather is fundamentally question-embedding,and that the verb's lexical semantics, including an excluded middle presupposition, interact with the modal and negation to derive the veridicality of can't believe . I conclude that veridicality need not be lexical: the right mix of semantic ingredients can conspire to yield a veridical interpretation, even if those ingredients are distributed across multiple lexical items.
The Top 50 Most Influential Articles in Hip Arthroscopy

Purpose To identify the 50 most frequently cited publications related to hip arthroscopy. Methods The Clarivate Analytics Web of Knowledge database was used to search for publications relating to hip arthroscopy. The top 50 most cited articles that met the inclusion criteria were recorded and reviewed for various metrics. Results The top 50 publications were cited a total of 8,306 times, with an average of 437.2 total citations per year. Of the 50 articles identified, 44 had been published since 2000. Case series, expert opinion articles, and review articles were the most common study types. Conclusions The majority of the most influential articles on hip arthroscopy are case series and expert opinions; however, as hip arthroscopy continues to become more widely performed, higher-level articles should supplant some of the articles included in this analysis. As indications for hip arthroscopy have expanded, so has its body of literature, with the vast majority of articles identified in our study having been published since 2000. Elucidating the 50 most cited articles in hip arthroscopy will allow practicing physicians a quick reference to the highest-yield articles and will allow residency programs to guide their education on the topic. Clinical Relevance The top 50 list provides residents, fellows, and researchers with a comprehensive list of the major academic contributions to hip arthroscopy.
Synergy between the anthocyanin and RDR6/SGS3/DCL4 siRNA pathways expose hidden features of Arabidopsis carbon metabolism

Anthocyanin pigments furnish a powerful visual output of the stress and metabolic status of Arabidopsis thaliana plants. Essential for pigment accumulation is TRANSPARENT TESTA19 (TT19), a glutathione S-transferase proposed to bind and stabilize anthocyanins, participating in their vacuolar sequestration, a function conserved across the flowering plants. Here, we report the identification of genetic suppressors that result in anthocyanin accumulation in the absence of TT19. We show that mutations in RDR6, SGS3, or DCL4 suppress the anthocyanin defect of tt19 by pushing carbon towards flavonoid biosynthesis. This effect is not unique to tt19 and extends to at least one other anthocyanin pathway gene mutant. This synergy between mutations in components of the RDR6-SGS3-DCL4 siRNA system and the flavonoid pathway reveals genetic/epigenetic mechanisms regulating metabolic fluxes. TRANSPARENT TESTA19 (TT19) encodes a glutathione S-transferase which functions in anthocyanin stabilization and vacuolar transport. Here, by tt19 suppressor screening, the authors show that RDR6/SGS3/DCL4 siRNA pathway constituents synergistically interact with components of the flavonoid pathway to control carbon metabolism.
The appeal of a controversial text: Who uses a People’s history of the United States in the U.S. history classroom and why

Abstract Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States is a polarizing historical survey that has become a common subject of social studies curricular battles. This mixed methods study uses survey data and interviews with teachers who frequently assign the book to understand who uses this text and why. Findings reveal that the text has functional, pedagogical, and political appeal for teachers who are committed to including multiple perspectives and critiquing historical narratives. That these teachers are not primarily animated by Zinn’s intention for the text to inspire students’ participation in social movements should undermine critics’ fears of indoctrination and sloppy history teaching, but may disappoint supporters of the text hoping for more critical pedagogical motivations.
Band calculations using broadband Green's functions and the KKR method with applications to magneto-optics and photonic crystals

In this paper, we develop a method of simulations of using the broadband Green’s function (BBGF) in the Korringa Kohn Rostoker (KKR) method. The merit of the method is broadband such that once the initial setup is completed, the calculation at every frequency is calculated rapidly. The broadband Green’s function consists of a frequency-independent spatial summation and a spectral summation that has most of the factors frequency independent. Both summations have fast convergence. Analytical expressions of broadband coefficients of cylindrical waves are derived from the BBGF. The broadband cylindrical waves coefficients are then combined with the KKR method to calculate the determinant equation for a wide range of frequencies. Numerical results of the band diagrams and band surface currents are illustrated for magneto-optics and photonic crystals. The CPU time requirements, including setup, using MATLAB on a standard laptop, for computing the determinant at 1000 frequencies at a Bloch vector are 0.411 s and 1.206 s, respectively, for the cases of topological crystal of small scatterer relative to cell size and the photonic crystal of large scatterer comparable to cell size.
What Can Mechanisms Underlying Derived Traits Tell Us About the Evolution of Social Behavior

Social behavior, although rare, is a highly successful form of living that has reached its most extreme forms in eusocial insects. A tractable framework to understand social evolution is the study of major transitions in social behavior. This includes the transitions between solitary to social living, from species exhibiting intermediate degrees of sociality to species exhibiting true sociality, and from primitive to advanced eusocial species. The latter transition is characterized by the emergence of traits not previously found in primitive eusocial species, such as fixed morphological differences between castes and task specialization within the sterile caste. Such derived traits appear to exist in a binary fashion, present in advanced eusocial species, and absent or rare in primitive ones, and thus do not exist in a gradient that is easily tracked and compared between species. Thus, they may not be viewed as valuable to explore ultimate questions related to social evolution. Here, we argue that derived traits can provide useful insights on social evolution even if they are absent or rare in species with a lower social organization. This applies only if the mechanism underlying the trait, rather than the function it regulates for, can be traced back to the solitary ancestors. We discuss two examples of derived traits, morphological differences in female castes and primer pheromones regulating female reproduction, demonstrating how their underlying mechanisms can be used to understand major transitions in the evolution of social behavior and emphasize the importance of studying mechanistic, rather than functional continuity of traits.
Evaluating tissue bioenergetics by phosphorous-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Abstract Phosphorous-31 (31P) magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) provides the opportunity for noninvasively interrogating energy metabolism in living organisms. 31P-MRS applications in preclinical research have greatly enhanced our understanding of metabolic regulation under normal and various diseased conditions. With the increasing recognition of the importance of metabolism in a wide range of prevalent diseases, 31P-MRS has also stimulated considerable interest in clinical applications in recent years. Thanks to the remarkable progress in MRS technology in the past two decades and the increasing availability of high-field scanners in hospital settings, 31P-MRS is becoming available as a routine clinical research tool. It has the potential to enable sensitive detection of metabolic dysfunction at an early stage of disease development. This chapter provides an overview of the physical principles of MRS and the applications of 31P-MRS in assessing various aspects of tissue energetics.
Predicting complete heart block after alcohol septal ablation for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy using a risk stratification model and clinical tool.

Background Alcohol septal ablation (ASA) is a proven method of septal reduction for patients with drug refractory, symptomatic hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). This procedure is associated with a 6.5-11% risk of complete heart block (CHB). Objective The aim of this study is to determine factors that predict CHB and to develop a clinical tool for risk stratification of patients. Methods Patients were enrolled into an ongoing ASA study. A total of 636 patient procedures were included, 527 of whom were used in the development of the prediction tool, and 109 of whom were used for independent validation. Multivariate analysis was performed with odds ratios used to develop the clinical prediction tool. This was then internally and externally validated. Results Of the 527 in the prediction cohort, 46 developed CHB. The predictors of CHB were age ≥50 years, pre-ASA left bundle branch block (LBBB), transient procedural high-grade block, post-ASA PR prolongation ≥68 ms, and new bifascicular block. An 11-point clinical prediction tool was developed to classify these factors. Internal validation using a receiver operating characteristic curve revealed an area under the curve of 0.88 for the clinical prediction tool. External validation using 109 contemporary patients revealed a 98% negative predictive value, 24% positive predictive value, 75% sensitivity, and 81% specificity in high-risk patients. Conclusion Among patients undergoing ASA, the risk of CHB can be predicted with easily obtained clinical and electrocardiographic factors. This clinical prediction tool allows identification of high-risk patients who may benefit from additional monitoring and therapy.
Adherence to dietary patterns among cancer survivors in the United States

This study investigates the association between a previous history of cancer and adherence to dietary patterns in the United States. This cross-sectional study included 13,751 adults ages 18 and older from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). We used principal component analysis (PCA) to identify major dietary patterns. We used linear regression models to assess the association between previous cancer history and adherence to dietary patterns. A previous history of cancer was not associated with adherence to the prudent dietary pattern. The western dietary pattern was positively related to a previous history of cancer (b = 0.13, CI 0.05 to 0.20, p = 0.001; badj = 0.23, CI 0.15 to 0.31, p = <0.001); and the traditional dietary pattern was negatively related to a previous history of cancer (b = − 0.58, CI −0.65 to –0.51, p = <0.001; badj = −0.22, CI −0.29 to –0.15, p = <0.001). The alcohol dietary pattern was positively associated with a previous history of cancer only before adjusting for possible confounders (b = 0.13, CI 0.06 to 0.20, p = <0.001; badj = 0.03, CI 0.03 to 0.10, p = <0.365). Our findings suggest that cancer survivors do not follow a healthy dietary pattern and need guidance to adopt and maintain a healthy diet. The promotion of healthy dietary behaviors may improve the length and the quality of life of this population.
Brain-wide connectivity architecture: developmental aspects

Abstract A full understanding of brain development requires not only the knowledge of development-related cellular-level changes and neural processing of individual brain regions but also changes in connectivity between regions. Early postmortem studies have laid the foundation of cell and brain structures as well as their developmental profiles. More recently, neuroimaging tools such as magnetic resonance imaging have significantly expanded to study brain development in vivo. With noninvasive functional neuroimaging methods, dynamics of brain function and interregional interactions have also been mapped at whole brain level. This chapter reviews the literature on brain development-related changes in connectivity architecture in both human and animals.
The Windfall/Shortfall Model: A Seasonal Theory of Crop Inclusion Based on Analysis of Woodlands Frontier Plant Remains

The Windfall/Shortfall model of agricultural crop inclusion is developed based on analysis and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping of data from 40 sites and 1,372 flotation samples from 28 sites representing materials from the Woodland through Late Caddo (∼200 B. C.–A.D. 1600) periods, modern mast tree counts, plus a detailed analysis of seasonally available plant foods. The resulting theory suggests that groups harvesting a seasonal windfall of wild crop foods and experiencing a relative shortfall elsewhere in their seasonal food procurement cycle will strongly tend to adopt a domestic crop that is harvestable during that seasonal shortfall when such a crop becomes locally available. The theory may apply to (1) other staple crops besides the one modeled (maize), (2) vaster expanses of the Eastern Woodlands, and (3) other regions where the conditions of the model are met.
Nickel toxicity to estuarine/marine fungi and its amelioration by magnesium in sea water

Estuarine/marine fungi tolerated Ni better when grown on a nutrient medium supplemented with seawater than when exposed on a non-marine medium. The ameliorating effect of seawater or salinity on the toxicity of Ni to mycelial proliferation was related to the Mg, rather than to the Na or Cl, ions in the marine systems. This interaction between Mg and Ni was not unique to marine fungi, as Mg also decreased the toxicity of Ni to non-marine fungi. The mechanism whereby seawater reduced Ni toxicity is apparently different from the mechanism whereby seawater reduced the toxicity of Cd and Hg, which has been postulated to be the result of chlorinity and the formation of negatively-charged Cd-Cl and Hg-Cl complexes, rather than a competitive interaction with Mg.
TU-CD-BRA-01: A Novel 3D Registration Method for Multiparametric Radiological Images

Purpose: Multiparametric and multimodality radiological imaging methods, such as, magnetic resonance imaging(MRI), computed tomography(CT), and positron emission tomography(PET), provide multiple types of tissue contrast and anatomical information for clinical diagnosis. However, these radiological modalities are acquired using very different technical parameters, e.g.,field of view(FOV), matrix size, and scan planes, which, can lead to challenges in registering the different data sets. Therefore, we developed a hybrid registration method based on 3D wavelet transformation and 3D interpolations that performs 3D resampling and rotation of the target radiological images without loss of information Methods: T1-weighted, T2-weighted, diffusion-weighted-imaging(DWI), dynamic-contrast-enhanced(DCE) MRI and PET/CT were used in the registration algorithm from breast and prostate data at 3T MRI and multimodality(PET/CT) cases. The hybrid registration scheme consists of several steps to reslice and match each modality using a combination of 3D wavelets, interpolations, and affine registration steps. First, orthogonal reslicing is performed to equalize FOV, matrix sizes and the number of slices using wavelet transformation. Second, angular resampling of the target data is performed to match the reference data. Finally, using optimized angles from resampling, 3D registration is performed using similarity transformation(scaling and translation) between the reference and resliced target volume is performed. After registration, the mean-square-error(MSE) and Dice Similarity(DS) between the reference and registered target volumes were calculated. Results: The 3D registration method registered synthetic and clinical data with significant improvement(p<0.05) of overlap between anatomical structures. After transforming and deforming the synthetic data, the MSE and Dice similarity were 0.12 and 0.99. The average improvement of the MSE in breast was 62%(0.27 to 0.10) and prostate was 63%(0.13 to 0.04;p<0.05). The Dice similarity was in breast 8%(0.91 to 0.99) and for prostate was 89%(0.01 to 0.90;p<0.05) Conclusion: Our 3D wavelet hybrid registration approach registered diverse breast and prostate data of different radiological images(MR/PET/CT) with a high accuracy.
- CDPK: Ca2+-dependent protein kinase (soybean) (Calmodulin-like domain protein kinase)

Ca2+-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) are activated by the direct binding of Ca2+ to regulatory domains, which contain four EF-hand Ca2+-binding domains and are similar to calmodulin. This property distinguishes CDPKs from the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases and protein kinase C. CDPKs are activated by micromolar concentrations of free Ca2+ and are thought to play a role in Ca2+-mediated signal transduction pathways. CDPK is a monomer. Biochemical, immunological, and molecular genetic data indicate that there are at least four genes encoding CDPKs in soybean, with the enzymes ranging from 55 to 80 kDa. The complete sequence of one isoform (CDPKa encoded by cDNA SK5) has been determined. The predicted sequence of a second isoform encoded by a partial cDNA (SK2) is 70% identical to CDPKa. CDPKs have both catalytic and regulatory domains joined by an autoinhibitory domain. The regulatory domain is similar in sequence to calmodulin, especially within the four EF-hand Ca2+-binding domains. The molecular organization of the three functional domains is similar in the four CDPKs for which sequence data are available. Soybean CDPKa has short N- and C-terminal sequences of unknown function. Arabidopsis AK1 is 70% identical to CDPKa in the 492-residue overlap but is 116 residues longer at the N-terminus and 16 residues shorter at the C-terminus.
Atherosclerosis: Pathogenesis, Genetics and Experimental Models

Atherosclerosis is a disease of the arteries that results in heart disease and stroke – the most common causes of death in developed countries, and a growing burden in developing countries. Atherosclerosis results from injury to the artery endothelium caused by mechanical and environmental factors, and the resulting inflammatory response in the vessel wall. The location and morphology of the atherosclerotic lesions predict the nature of the resulting vascular disease. Some risk factors for the disease are well known and current therapies are largely directed at modifying them, but the tendency to develop atherosclerosis is determined largely by polygenetic factors that are poorly understood. Recent developments in genetic studies have been applied to atherosclerosis, and are beginning to rapidly reveal the genetic factors that modulate the pathogenesis of this disease. Key Concepts: Atherosclerosis is a common, costly and deadly vascular disease that affects peoples of developed countries, and increasingly burdens developing countries. Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease of the arterial vascular wall. The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis is complex, but is generally explained by the ‘response to injury’ hypothesis. Atherosclerotic lesions have varied morphology, and clinical manifestations correlate with lesion type and location. Both environmental and heritable risk factors modulate atherosclerosis development. Candidate gene and linkage analysis studies have failed to identify previously unknown pathways in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Recent publication of the HapMap has made possible genome-wide association studies aimed at probing the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Recent genome-wide association studies have reproducibly identified several loci involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, and most of the identified genes are newly implicated in the disease process. APOE- or LDLR-deficient mice are widely used models to study the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Keywords: atheroma; atherosclerosis; coronary artery disease; endothelial dysfunction; foam cell; hyperlipidaemia; hypertension; myocardial infarct; stroke; vascular inflammation
Unilateral ischemic preconditioning and heterologous preconditioning in living donor liver transplantation

Ischemic preconditioning (IP) exerts a protective effect on tissues undergoing prolonged ischemia. No studies have been performed to assess the clinical impact of IP on normal human liver used for living donor transplantation (LDLT). Heterologous preconditioning (HP) protects liver tissue as demonstrated in a rat model. Our study investigates the impact that IP and HP have on the donor and recipient liver in LDLT. Twenty candidates for living donor right hepatectomy were divided in two groups. The study group underwent 10' unilateral ischemia by clamping the right portal vein and hepatic artery at the end of the parenchymal transection. Demographics, laboratory values, biopsy studies, IL-1Ra, Ki-67, and CytoDEATH stains were compared. The results show that 10' ischemia does not exert significant clinical and laboratory changes in living donor hepatectomy candidates.
Somatosensory effects on neurons in dorsal cochlear nucleus

1. Single units and evoked potentials were recorded in dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) in response to electrical stimulation of the somatosensory dorsal column and spinal trigeminal nuclei (together called MSN for medullary somatosensory nuclei) and for tactile somatosensory stimuli. Recordings were from paralyzed decerebrate cats. 2. DCN principal cells (type IV units) were strongly inhibited by electrical stimulation (single 50-microA bipolar pulse) in MSN or by somatosensory stimulation. Units recorded in the fusiform cell and deep layers of DCN were inhibited, suggesting that the inhibition affects both types of principal cells (i.e., both fusiform and giant cells). 3. Interneurons (type II units) that inhibit principal cells were only weakly inhibited by electrical stimulation and were never excited, demonstrating that the inhibitory effect on principal cells does not pass through the type II circuit. In the vicinity of the DCN/PVCN (posteroventral cochlear nucleus) boundary, units were encountered that were excited by electrical stimulation in MSN; some of these neurons responded to sound, and some did not. Their response properties are consistent with the hypothesis that they are deep-layer inhibitory interneurons conveying somatosensory information to the DCN. 4. Analysis of the evoked potentials produced by electrical stimulation in MSN suggests that the somatosensory inputs activate the granule cell system of the DCN molecular layer. A model based on previous work by Klee and Rall was used to show that the distribution of evoked potentials in DCN can be explained as resulting from radial currents produced in the DCN molecular and fusiform-cell layers by synchronous activation of granule cells inputs to fusiform and cartwheel cells. Current-source density analysis of the evoked potentials is consistent with this model. Thus molecular layer interneurons (cartwheel and stellate cells) are a second possible source of inhibition to principal cells. 5. With lower stimulus levels (20 microA) and pulse-pair stimuli (50- to 100-ms interstimulus interval), three components of the inhibitory response can be recognized in both fusiform cell layer and deep layer type IV units: a short-latency inhibition that begins before the start of the evoked potential; a longer-latency inhibition whose timing corresponds to the evoked potential; and an excitatory component that occurs on the rising phase of the evoked potential. The excitatory component is usually overwhelmed by the inhibitory components and could be derived from granule cell inputs; the long-latency inhibitory component could be derived from cartwheel cells or the hypothesized deep-layer inhibitory interneurons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Modal Analysis of Random Structural Systems

This paper presents a method for computing the statistical variance of a structural system's eigenvalues and eigenvectors by component mode synthesis. The method relies on a modal summation to obtain engenvector derivatives where the contributions of individual modes are shown to diminish in importance as their natural frequencies become further separated from that of the eigenvector being differentiated. The convergence of mean eigenvalues and eigenvectors and their standard deviations is evaluated as the number of component modes used in the syntheses is increased. It is found that convergence proceeds in that order, with the standard deviations of eigenvectors requiring the largest number of modes for convergence. Numerical investigations show that the standard deviations of eigenvectors tend to converge for the first several modes when only a small fraction of the total number of component modes are taken into account. The dependence of convergence on the distribution of randomness and its spatial correlation is considered.
Framing effects on physicians’ judgment and decision making

This study aimed to assess physicians' susceptibility to framing effects in clinical judgment and decision making. A survey was administered online to 159 general internists in the United States. Participants were randomized into two groups, in which clinical scenarios varied in their framings: frequency vs percentage, with cost information vs without, female patient vs male patient, and mortality vs survival. Results showed that physicians' recommendations for patients in hypothetical scenarios were significantly different when the predicted probability of the outcomes was presented in frequency versus percentage form and when it was presented in mortality rate vs survival rate of the same magnitude. Physicians' recommendations were not different for other framing effects.
Metals in Cool DA White Dwarfs

We used the HIRES echelle spectrograph on the Keck telescope to search for metals in the 3700-5200 A spectra of white dwarfs with hydrogen-rich photospheres. The most popular models that account for the presence of metals are interstellar accretion and comet impact. The data are not easily reconciled with either model, but binarity might play a role. We comment on the implications for Oort-like comet clouds and certain types of planets around main-sequence stars.
Intramolecular electron transfer in cytochrome b5 labeled with ruthenium(II) polypyridine complexes : rate measurements in the Marcus inverted region

Three derivatives of recombinant T65C-cytochrome b 5 were produced by labeling the single sulfhydryl group at Cys-65 with (4-(bromomethyl)-4'-methylbipyridine)bis(bipridine)ruthenium(2+), (4-bromomethyl-4'-methylbipyridine)bis(4,4'-dimethylbipyridine)ruthenium(2+), and (4-(bromomethyl)-4'-methylbipyridine)(bipyrimidine)-(bipyridine)ruthenium(2+). The ruthenium labels are linked to the heme iron through a well-defined 12-covalent-bond path and provide a range of free energies of reaction which bracket the expected reorganizational energy of 0.94 eV
Evidence for conditioned place preference to a moderate dose of ethanol in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats.

Abstract The present series of experiments examined affective properties of a moderate dose of ethanol using the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm in ethanol-naive, adult male Sprague–Dawley rats. The apparatus and the procedure used were both unbiased. In Experiment 1, rats were given four 30 min conditioning sessions with 1.5 g/kg ethanol (i.p.) or an equivalent volume of saline on the paired side. Animals were found to demonstrate CPP to the ethanol-paired side, an unexpected finding at this relatively high dose in rats. To replicate this finding, and to examine the possibility of non-associative conditioning, an unpaired control group was included in Experiment 2. Once again, rats showed a CPP to the side paired with ethanol relative to either control group. Given that testing in an unfamiliar environment typically results in elevated levels of anxiety and that animals in Experiments 1 and 2 were not exposed to the apparatus prior to conditioning, Experiment 3 was conducted to examine the potential role of context unfamiliarity for induction of ethanol CPP in this test situation by varying whether animals were exposed to the apparatus prior to conditioning. In this study, pre-exposure to the CPP apparatus was found to eliminate the CPP to ethanol observed in rats who were not familiarized with the apparatus. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that ethanol-naive rats can find ethanol reinforcing as indexed by the CPP test, and provide some evidence for the conditions under which this uncommon finding is observed.
Stepwise Length Changes in Single Invertebrate Thick Filaments

Previous experiments on thick filaments of the anterior byssus retractor muscle of Mytilus and the telson-levator muscle of Limulus polyphemus have shown large, reversible length changes up to 23% and 66% of initial length, respectively, within the physiological tension range. Using nanofabricated cantilevers and newly developed high-resolution detection methods, we investigated the dynamics of isolated Mytilus anterior byssus retractor muscle thick filaments. Single thick filaments were suspended between the tips of two microbeams oriented perpendicular to the filament axis: a deflectable cantilever and a stationary beam. Axial stress was applied by translating the base of the deflectable nanolever away from the stationary beam, which bent the nanolever. Tips of flexible nanolevers and stationary beam were imaged onto a photodiode array to track their positions. Filament shortening and lengthening traces, obtained immediately after the motor had imposed stress on the filament, showed steps and pauses. Step sizes were 2.7 nm and integer multiples thereof. Steps of this same size paradigm have been seen both during contraction of single sarcomeres and during active interaction between single isolated actin and myosin filaments, raising the question whether all of these phenomena might be related.
Triplet State Studies of Organic Chelating Agents II. Effects of Metal Ions on Triplet State Lifetimes

Abstract The triplet state lifetimes of several organic chelating agents are enhanced several-fold upon interaction with certain metal ions. This effect is discussed in terms of the possible changed electronic polarizability of the molecules, and also in terms of altered singlet-triplet energy separations between the chelated and metal free states.