cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract B016: Predictors of nonadherence to adjuvant hormonal therapy among breast cancer patients

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the predictive factors associated with nonadherence to adjuvant hormonal therapy (AHT) by year among patients with receptor-positive breast cancer. Background: AHT is used to treat and manage hormone receptor-positive breast cancers, which comprise 70% of all breast cancers. Low adherence to these medications has been shown to increase the risk of death by approximately 20%. Despite the known benefits for reducing mortality and reoccurrence, adherence to AHT medications has proven to be a major challenge for patients. Previous studies have linked several demographic and clinical characteristics as predictors of adherence. Methods: Women diagnosed with receptor-positive breast cancer between the years 2002 to 2010 were identified through the South Carolina Central Cancer Registry, which was linked to administrative databases, the South Carolina Medicaid Program, and a private payor plan. We identified 1,095 patients with breast cancer who met our eligibility criteria and filled at least two AHT medications. The medication possession ratio (MPR), the ratio of number of pills for each AHT and the number of days between each AHT refill, was derived using automated pharmacy records to identify AHT prescriptions and the dates of each refill. The average MPR was calculated for each year over a 3-year period. Regression models and t-tests were used to assess factors associated with nonadherence of AHT for each of the 3 years. Results: The average adherence rate for AHT was 0.93, 0.90, and 0.90 following year 1, year 2, and year 3, respectively. For each of the 3 years, African Americans had a significantly lower adherence to AHT compared to European Americans. In addition, women under the age of 50 years had a significantly lower MPR for each year compared to women 50 and older (p = Conclusion: Demographic characteristics such as age, race, and insurance type appeared to impact AHT adherence across the initial three years of AHT. However, there are other factors that should be considered at different timepoints during treatment, such as geographic location and treatment regimen. This study provides important insight into probable factors and characteristics that can be used to provide targeted interventions for improving AHT adherence. Citation Format: Samantha C. Truman, Oluwole Babatunde, Christian Alvarado, Sue P. Heiney, Joshua E. Sellner, Kelly E. Reiss, Swann Arp Adams. Predictors of nonadherence to adjuvant hormonal therapy among breast cancer patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2018 Nov 2-5; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl):Abstract nr B016.
Impact of Provider Prior Use of HIE on System Complexity, Performance, Patient Care, Quality and System Concerns

To date, most HIE studies have investigated user perceptions of value prior to use. Few studies have assessed factors associated with the value of HIE through its actual use. This study investigates provider perceptions on HIE comparing those who had prior experience vs those who had no experience with it. In so doing, we identify six constructs: prior use, system complexity, system concerns, public/population health, care delivery, and provider performance. This study uses a mixed methods approach to data collection. From 15 interviews of medical community leaders, a survey was constructed and administered to 263 clinicians. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance was used, along with Tukey HSD tests for multiple comparisons. Results indicated providers whom previously used HIE had more positive perceptions about its benefits in terms of system complexity (p = .001), care delivery (p = .000), population health (p = .003), and provider performance (p = .005); women providers were more positive in terms of system concerns (p = .000); patient care (p = .031), and population health (p = .009); providers age 44–55 were more positive than older and younger groups in terms of patient care (p = .032), population health (p = .021), and provider performance (p = .014); while differences also existed across professional license groups (physician, nurse, other license, admin (no license)) for all five constructs (p < .05); and type of organization setting (hospital, ambulatory clinic, medical office, other) for three constructs including system concerns (p = .017), population health (p = .018), and provider performance (p = .018). There were no statistically significant differences found between groups based on a provider’s role in an organization (patient care, administration, teaching/research, other). Different provider perspectives about the value derived from HIE use exist depending on prior experience with HIE, age, gender, license (physician, nurse, other license, admin (no license)), and type of organization setting (hospital, ambulatory clinic, medical office, other). This study draws from the theory of planned behavior to understand factors related to physicians’ perceptions about HIE value, serving as a departure point for more detailed investigations of provider perceptions and behavior in regard to future HIE use and promoting interoperability.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Targeted and Systematic Biopsy for Detection of Grade Progression in Patients on Active Surveillance for Prostate Cancer.

Purpose:Active surveillance for patients with low and intermediate risk prostate cancers is becoming a more utilized option in recent years. However, the use of magnetic resonance imaging and imagi...
Behind therapists' emotional responses to suicidal patients: A study of the narrative crisis model of suicide and clinicians' emotions.

OBJECTIVE Clinicians' negative emotional responses to suicidal patients are predictive of near-term suicidality. This study aimed to explore the underlying pathway of this association by investigating the potential relationship between clinicians' emotional responses and the Narrative Crisis Model of suicide, which comprises long-term risk factors (LTRF) of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, Suicidal Narrative, and the Suicide Crisis Syndrome (SCS), a presuicidal affective state. METHOD One thousand and One patient participants and 169 clinician participants were recruited. Patients' Suicidal Narrative, SCS, and LTRF were assessed at intake using the Suicidal Narrative Inventory (SNI), the Suicide Crisis Inventory, and a composite score of three separate scales, respectively. Clinicians' emotional responses were measured immediately after patient intake using the Therapist Response Questionnaire-Suicide Form (TRQ-SF). RESULTS Multilevel regression analyses, which controlled for clinician differences, found that only patients' SNI total score and perceived burdensomeness subscale score were significantly associated with clinicians' TRQ-SF total score. Furthermore, a higher SNI total score was significantly related to higher distress and lower affiliation scores among clinicians. CONCLUSIONS Clinicians appear to respond emotionally to patients' Suicidal Narrative, and thus, future investigation of Suicidal Narrative and its potential to improve imminent suicide risk assessment is warranted.
DC-Derived Exosomes for Cancer Immunotherapy

As the initiators of adaptive immune responses, DCs play a central role in regulating the balance between CD8 T cell immunity versus tolerance to tumor antigens. Exploiting their function to potentiate host anti-tumor immunity, DC-based vaccines have been one of most promising and widely used cancer immunotherapies. However, DC-based cancer vaccines have not achieved the promised success in clinical trials, with one of the major obstacles being tumor-mediated immunosuppression. A recent discovery on the critical role of type 1 conventional DCs (cDC1s) play in cross-priming tumor-specific CD8 T cells and determining the anti-tumor efficacy of cancer immunotherapies, however, has highlighted the need to further develop and refine DC-based vaccines either as monotherapies or in combination with other therapies. DC-derived exosomes (DCexos) have been heralded as a promising alternative to DC-based vaccines, as DCexos are more resistance to tumor-mediated suppression and DCexo vaccines have exhibited better anti-tumor efficacy in pre-clinical animal models. However, DCexo vaccines have only achieved limited clinical efficacy and failed to induce tumor-specific T cell responses in clinical trials. The lack of clinical efficacy might be partly due to the fact that all current clinical trials used peptide-loaded DCexos from monocyte-derived DCs. In this review, we will focus on the perspective of expanding current DCexo research to move DCexo cancer vaccines forward clinically to realize their potential in cancer immunotherapy.
Presentation and surgical management of a patient with a true cleft mandible.

Abstract Clefts involving the mandible and lower lip are very rare, with less than 80 cases having been reported worldwide. The objective of this case report is to highlight this unusual type of facial cleft, and to present the principle features and management typically associated with it. We carefully describe our surgical planning and management of the patient alongside a compilation and comparison of different surgical techniques described in the literature thus far. In this report, we discuss a patient with a cleft of the lower lip, true cleft mandible with independent movements of his mandibular segments, ankyloglossia, and a fistula extending from the mandible to the suprasternal notch complicated with congenital heart abnormalities. We explore the different approaches of when to close the hard and soft tissues, however, there is still no clear surgical protocol for treating cleft mandibles but with more cases and their management and outcomes being reported, this is something which will be useful to develop.
Schooling and the politics of disaster

Introduction: Schooling and the Politics of Disaster Kenneth J. Saltman Section 1: Theorizing the Politics of Disaster 1. Reading the Signs: A Philosophical Look at Disaster Jane Anna Gordon and Lewis R. Gordon 2. Hurricane Katrina and the Politics of Disposability: Floating Bodies and Expendable Populations Henry A. Giroux 3. Katrina and the Banshee's Wail: The Racialization of Class Exploitation Peter McLaren and Nathalia E. Jaramillo 4. Feasting on Disaster: Urban Schooling, Globalization, and the Politics of Disaster Pauline Lipman Section 2: Disaster and Educational Policy 5. Benign Neglect? Drowning Yellow Buses, Racism, and Disinvestment in the City That Bush Forgot Kristen L. Buras 6. The Quiet Disaster of No Child Left Behind: Standardization and Deracialization Breed Inequality Enora R. Brown 7. No Corporation Left Behind Pepi Leistyna 8. The Schools Are Failing: Think Tanks, Institutes, Foundations and Educational Disaster Philip Kovacs 9. Disaster Politics and the Right Wing Assault on Public Schooling and Public Space, A Dialogue Between Bill Ayers and Mike Klonsky 10. The Patriotic Prejudice: 9-11 on Campus David Gabbard Section 3: Disaster and Global Implications 11. Beyond Cheap French Fries:Remembering The Social In Social Disaster Michael W. Apple 12. The Independent Women's Forum: Teaching Women's Rights in "The New Iraq" Robin Truth Goodman 13. U.S. Education In A Post-9/11 World: The Deeper Implications of the Current Systemic Collapse of the Neoliberal Regime Greg Tanaka 14. The Politicisation of Development Aid to Education After September 11 Mario Novelli and Susan Robertson 15. The Potential Disaster of Education for Sustainable Development Richard Kahn
Calibration Laboratory Capabilities Listing as of April 2009

This document reviews the Calibration Laboratory capabilities for various NASA centers (i.e., Glenn Research Center and Plum Brook Test Facility Kennedy Space Center Marshall Space Flight Center Stennis Space Center and White Sands Test Facility.) Some of the parameters reported are: Alternating current, direct current, dimensional, mass, force, torque, pressure and vacuum, safety, and thermodynamics parameters. Some centers reported other parameters.
3 – Performance-Based Fire Protection Design

Publisher Summary Performance-based fire protection design states that the underlying science must be well understood and developed, and the design loads must be known. Determining realistic fire loads also involves many challenges. The guide presents a process for performance-based design centered around the following major steps: defining the project scope, identifying the fire safety goals, defining stakeholder and design objectives, developing performance criteria, developing design fire scenarios, developing trial designs, evaluating trial designs, and selecting final design. Each step in this process requires: an understanding of fire hazards and risk; characteristics of fire; how the fire starts, develops, spreads, and affects people, buildings, and processes; the fire models used; and principles of fire prevention, detection, and control. Fire science applies the principles of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics to calculate various characteristics of diffusion flames.
Primary care of a child with Rett syndrome

Purpose To discuss the history, incidence, pathophysiology, diagnostic criteria, disease staging, clinical presentation and physical exam findings, and role of the primary care provider (PCP) as they pertain to care for a child with Rett syndrome (RS). Data sources Review of published literature on and diagnostic criteria of RS. Conclusions RS is a devastating X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder that affects females and a small percentage of males. RS is characterized by stereotypic wringing hand movements, social withdrawal, communication dysfunction, cognitive impairment, respiratory dysfunction, and failing locomotion. Diagnosis is generally made clinically despite available genetic testing. Advances in research have been beneficial; however, the pathophysiology of RS has proven to be elusive. RS is a complex disease that involves multiple organ systems. Implications for practice PCPs need to be aware of how to manage RS patients if they present to the primary care office, and need to be prepared to diagnose RS early, provide appropriate interventions and referrals, understand the challenges, and understand the goal of treatment. They also should be able to provide continuity of care, provide anticipatory guidance, and engage in shared decision with families and patients.
Regulation of the DI Dopamine Receptor through cAMP-Mediated Pathways

Publisher Summary The most researched D1 dopamine receptors regulation is that of agonist-induced regulation that involve both alterations in the expression of as well as the functionality of the receptor protein. Although the mechanisms underlying agonist-induced regulation have not been completely elucidated, research implicates two major pathways, both of which involve protein phosphorylation. One of these is the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase (PKA) pathway. This pathway represents a typical negative feedback loop and has been studied extensively. The results from such studies indicate that the mutant PKA isozymes have no effect on the expression of the D1 receptor or on its ability to couple to cAMP generation. Studies with the mutant Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines have suggested that cAMP-dependent PKA appears to play a role in agonist-induced desensitization and downregulation of the D1 receptor in CHO cells; then as the attenuation of receptor desensitization-downregulation is greater in the 10248 cells than in the 10260 line, PKA II may play a greater role than PKA I in regulating D1 receptor function. Other studies with the PKA mutant receptor have suggested that PKA-mediated phosphorylation of the D1 receptor protein does not appear to be important for agonist-induced receptor downregulation and phosphorylation of the D1 receptor by PKA on one or more sites appears to accelerate agonist-induced desensitization of the cAMP response.
The Wright Brothers and Their Flying Machines

Wilbur (1867-1912) and Orville (1871-1948) Wright were fascinated by the mystery of flight and they built on the ideas of prominent earlier figures such as Octave Chanute (1832-1910) the French-born American who was influential in fostering the free exchange of ideas surrounding aeronautics. Information exchange between practical tinkerers from across the globe led to a process of cumulative innovation unhindered by rivalry operating through the intellectual property rights system. Yet in 1903, the year the Wright Brothers achieved controlled sustained flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, they applied for and were subsequently granted a US patent for a "flying-machine" which changed the industry irrevocably. While American manufacturers diverted resources from science and technology to patent wars and legal disputes, European aeronautics advanced more rapidly.Learning Objective:To explore entrepreneurship in a nascent industry and the role of patents.
Metabolic Interconversion of Enzymes: Introductory Remarks

As an introduction to this symposium I would like to make a few remarks about metabolic regulations. In general, the regulatory control of metabolism in higher organisms falls into two large categories: (1) Regulation of enzyme turnover (2) Regulation of enzyme activity.
Glioma big potassium channel expression in human cancers and possible T cell epitopes for their immunotherapy.

Big potassium (BK) ion channels have several spliced variants. One spliced variant initially described within human glioma cells is the glioma BK (gBK) channel. This isoform consists of 34 aa inserted into the intracellular region of the basic BK ion channel. PCR primers specific for this inserted region confirmed that human glioma cell lines and freshly resected surgical tissues from glioblastoma multiforme patients strongly expressed gBK mRNA. Normal human brain tissue very weakly expressed this transcript. An Ab specific for this gBK isoform confirmed that human glioma cells displayed this protein in the cell membrane, mitochondria, Golgi, and endoplasmic reticulum. Within the gBK region, two putative epitopes (gBK1 and gBK2) are predicted to bind to the HLA-A*0201 molecule. HLA-A*0201–restricted human CTLs were generated in vitro using gBK peptide-pulsed dendritic cells. Both gBK1 and gBK2 peptide-specific CTLs killed HLA-A2+/gBK+ gliomas, but they failed to kill non-HLA-A2–expressing but gBK+ target cells in cytolytic assays. T2 cells loaded with exogenous gBK peptides, but not with the influenza M1 control peptide, were only killed by their respective CTLs. The gBK-specific CTLs also killed a variety of other HLA-A*0201+ cancer cells that possess gBK, as well as HLA-A2+ HEK cells transfected with the gBK gene. Of clinical relevance, we found that T cells derived from glioblastoma multiforme patients that were sensitized to the gBK peptide could also kill target cells expressing gBK. This study shows that peptides derived from cancer-associated ion channels maybe useful targets for T cell-mediated immunotherapy.
Multiheterodyne spectroscopy with electro-optic frequency combs

Waveguide-based, electro-optic modulators were used to generate pitch-agile, optical frequency combs from a single continuous-wave laser. These combs are then detected via a multiheterodyne approach where the absorption information is down-converted into the radiofrequency domain.
SOCS1 Attenuates the Ability of Dendritic Cells to Break Self-Tolerance and Induce Antitumor Immunity by Controlling Cytokine Production and Signaling

4880 Tumor vaccines represent a promising therapeutic approach to treat cancer, but thus far have achieved only limited success in the clinic. The major challenge is to find a means of overcoming inhibitory immune regulatory mechanisms and elicit effective T cell responses to antigens preferentially expressed by tumor cells. Dendritic cells (DCs) activate cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs) against target antigens by providing antigenic peptides in the context of MHC molecules, costimulation, and cytokines. Although the initiation of CTL responses has been well studied, little is known about how DCs regulate the magnitude and fate of CTL responses after their initial maturation and engagement with T cells. Here, we find that the stimulatory capacity of DCs and the magnitude of adaptive immunity are critically regulated by the suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) 1 in DCs. Silencing SOCS1 in antigen-presenting DCs via small interfering (si)RNA technology drastically enhances DC sensitivity to stimulation and antigen-specific antitumor immunity. We further find that SOCS1-restricted cytokine signaling of mature DCs, not the peptide immunogenicity and costimulatory molecule level, plays a dominant role in controlling the magnitude and effectiveness of CTL responses. This study also indicates the necessity of silencing SOCS1 in DCs to break tolerance and induce effective CTL responses against naturally expressed self antigens. Our findings indicate that SOCS1 represents a novel inhibitory mechanism in DCs for qualitatively and quantitatively controlling the process of antigen presentation and the magnitude of adaptive immunity. This study has broad implications for understanding the regulation of antigen presentation, and for developing more effective tumor vaccines by silencing the critical brake in antigen presentation to break self-tolerance to natural, self-tumor associated antigens.
Possible asynchronous rotation in the long-period RS CVn binary omicron Draconis

So far, among the chromospherically active stars, BM Cam holds the record as the system with the longest orbital period (80 days) in which synchronous rotation has been established (Hall and Osborn 1985). The search for synchronous rotation in a binary with an even longer orbital period makes o Dra important, with its period of 138~420 ± 0~016 (Young 1920). The e = 0.114 ± 0.014 eccentricity (Young 1920), which Lucy and Sweeney (1971) judged was real, is additionally important in connection with the question of orbital circularization. The Ca II H and K emission observed in o Dra makes it chromospherically active, although the emission is not very strong, only 2 on the Wilson O-to-5 scale (Glebocki et al. 1980). We hoped that photometry would reveal variability produced by starspot activity and that the period of that variability could be identified with the rotational period of the only star seen in the spectrum, which has been classified variously as KO II-III, KO lab, and G9 lllb. Between JD 2443747.5 and 2446213.5 we obtained differential photometry on a total of 225 nights during the 8 years between 1978 and 1985, with the help of nine observers collaborating with us, using HD 175511 as a comparison star. A tally of the photometry is given in Table I. Boyd observed in 1984 and 1985 in the UBV system; the others observed in 1978 through 1983 but only in the V bandpass. All observations were corrected for differential atmospheric extinction and transformed differentially to the UBV system with known transformation coefficients. Unfortunately o Dra has a nearby visual companion, ADS 11779 B, only 34.6 arcseconds away and only 3~4 fainter. Although no observer used a diaphragm larger than 30 areseconds in radius, chance inclusion of the visual companion would have introduced occasional measures discrepant by 0~O23. HD 175511 was a poor choice for a comparison star in two respects. First, its B-V color index is bluer by i~3, meaning that uncertainties of ±0.01 in the transformation coefficients would translate into errors of ± 0~013 in the resulting AV magnitudes. Second, it is fainter than o Dra by 2~3 in V. For the Boyd photometry prior to JD 2446103, a problem with the pulse-counting electronics caused very bright stars to register too faint. Because we noted that the mean brightness before that date was 0~055 fainter than after that date, we tentatively attributed the difference to that problem and made the appropriate adjustment. Because o Dra appeared to be variable in 1984 and 1985 but not in the earlier years, we analyzed the two data groups separately. We constructed periodograms by making sinusoidal fits to the data with periods between 1 and 250 days and considering the resulting peak-to-peak amplitudes as an index of variability. For the 197883 data, the largest amplitude was 0~019 at P = 188 days, but that is likely spurious, since 188 days is so near half the 365-day observing window. The next largest ampli-
Histologic correlates of virulence in ovarian adenocarcinoma

Original histologic slides were reviewed from 87 patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma, all of whom had been treated with cisplatin, alone or in combination. The degree of lymphocyte infiltration in the tumor was not related to histologic or cytologic tumor differentiation. However, the degree of lymphocyte infiltration was related to improved survival.
Virtual Learning Environment in the Service of the Holy Quran and Its Sciences

Through this research the researcher aims to explain the concept of virtual learning,its advantages and disadvantages, difficulties faced in implementing it, and addressing how to take advantage of applying Virtual Learning Environment in the service of the Holy Quran by addressingthe objectives and virtual learning perspectives applied. In addition, to presenting the virtual learning processes and methods of evaluatingoutputs. This is done using the descriptive and analytical approach. The results of the study show that the virtual learning in the field of the Holy Quran evolves from the educational, social and multiple technical and ethical objectives. In addition, the virtual learning of the Holy Quran depends on many perspectives,such as the right of learning is guaranteed to all taking into account individual differences and gradual learning progress. Thus, the characteristics of virtual learning processes proposed for the Holy Qur'an are: easy to use, and graudaully start with preparation and planning and ends with evaluation and optimization. The assessment of outputs depends on who will implement the evaluation and how it will be applied.
Glucocorticoids down-regulate beta 1-adrenergic-receptor expression by suppressing transcription of the receptor gene.

The expression of beta 2-adrenergic receptors is up-regulated by glucocorticoids. In contrast, beta 1-adrenergic receptors display glucocorticoid-induced down-regulation. In rat C6 glioma cells, which express both of these subtypes of beta-adrenergic receptors, the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone stimulates no change in the total beta-adrenergic receptor content, but rather shifts the beta 1:beta 2 ratio from 80:20 to 50:50. Radioligand binding and immunoblotting demonstrate a sharp decline in beta 1-adrenergic receptor expression. Metabolic labelling of cells with [35S]-methionine in tandem with immunoprecipitation by beta 1-adrenergic-receptor-specific antibodies reveals a sharp decline in the synthesis of the receptor within 48 h for cells challenged with glucocorticoid. Steady-state levels of beta 1-adrenergic-receptor mRNA declined from 0.47 to 0.26 amol/microgram of total cellular RNA within 2 h of dexamethasone challenge, as measured by DNA-excess solution hybridization. The stability of receptor mRNA was not influenced by glucocorticoid; the half-lives of the beta 1- and beta 2-subtype mRNAs were 1.7 and 1.5 h respectively. Nuclear run-on assays revealed the basis for the down-regulation of receptor expression, i.e. a sharp decline in the relative rate of transcription for the beta 1-adrenergic-receptor gene in nuclei from dexamethasone-treated as compared with vehicle-treated cells. These data demonstrate transcriptional suppression as a molecular explanation for glucocorticoid-induced down-regulation of beta 1-adrenergic receptors.
Ramanujan’s Contributions to Eisenstein Series, Especially in His Lost Notebook

The primary Eisenstein series considered in this paper are, in Ramanujan’s notation, P(q), Q(q), and R(q). In more standard notation, Q(q) = E 4(τ) and R(q) = E 6(τ), where q = exp(2πiτ). This paper provides a survey of many of Ramanujan’s discoveries about Eisenstein series; most of the theorems are found in his lost notebook and are due originally to Ramanujan. Some of the topics examined are formulas for the power series coefficients of certain quotients of Eisenstein series, the role of Eisenstein series in proving congruences for the partition function p(n), representations of Eisenstein series as sums of quotients of Dedekind eta-functions, a family of infinite series represented by polynomials in P, Q, and R, and approximations and exact formulas for π.
Point‐of‐care end‐tidal carbon monoxide reflects severity of hemolysis in sickle cell anemia

Carbon monoxide (CO) production from heme catabolism is increased with hemolysis. A portable end-tidal CO (ETCO) monitor was used to analyze breath samples in 16 children with sickle cell anemia (SCA, 5-14 years). Median (range) ETCO for SCA was 4.35 ppm (1.8-9.7) versus 0.80 ppm (0.2-2.3) for controls (P 2.1 ppm provided sensitivity and specificity of 93.8% (69.8-99.8%) for detecting SCA. ETCO correlated with reticulocytosis (P = 0.015) and bilirubin (P = 0.009), and was 32% lower in children receiving hydroxyurea (P = 0.09). Point-of-care ETCO analysis may prove useful for non-invasive monitoring of hemolysis and as a screening test for SCA.
ALTERATIONS IN THE GLUCOSE TRANSPORT MECHANISM IN PATIENTS WITH COMPLICATIONS OF BACTERIAL MENINGITIS.

Glucose diffusion tests were made on 8 children with bacterial meningitis, in 7 [SEE TABLE IV AND FIG 8. IN SOURCE PDF] of whom the organism had been identified. The results of the tests were correlated with the outcome of the illness. Of 3 patients who recovered without sequelae the glucose diffusion patterns were normal in 2 cases, while the third case had somewhat low curves. In 4 cases of proven bacterial meningitis with complication all the tests were abnormal. Three of these were cases of proven hydrocephalus and there was a reversal of the normal pattern of diffusion for the entry of glucose into the cisternal and lumbar regions. An actual lowering of the cisternal glucose following the intravenous injection of glucose was observed in two cases with initial very low spinal fluid sugars. The hypothesis is proposed that alterations in the blood cerebrospinal fluid barrier perhaps due to increased metabolism of arachnoid lining cells or edema in [SEE FIG 9 IN SOURCE PDF] addition to the action of bacteria and leukocytes contribute to the persistent hypoglycorrhachia seen in complicated cases of bacterial meningitis.
The erosion of heat-treated steels

Abstract The erosion behavior of a plain carbon steel (AISI-SAE 1020), an austenitic stainless steel (type 304) and a low alloy steel (AISI-SAE 4340) in various heat-treated conditions was determined. The testing was conducted at room temperature using aluminum oxide particles with an average size of 140 μm in an air stream. An attempt was made to characterize the erosion behavior as it relates to the mechanical properties obtainable in these alloys by conventional heat treatments. It was found that the ductility of the steels had a significant effect on their erosion resistance which increased with increasing ductility and that hardness, strength, fracture toughness and impact strength had little effect on erosion behavior. The platelet mechanism of erosion occurred in all the steels tested at all conditions.
PPPS-2013: Abstract submission national security research in plasma physics and pulsed power: Past, present, and future

Summary form only given. The NRL Plasma Physics Division was established in 1966 to create x-ray simulators for testing nuclear weapons effects (NWE) on materials and components of military hardware, to study the physics and effects of High Altitude Nuclear Explosions (HANE), and to perform nuclear fusion research. These missions are pursued today, utilizing decades of advances in pulsed power, intense beams, and high-power lasers; in the late 1960's, pulsed power physics was an emerging tool. A similar story existed at AWE where pulsed power was used for radiography. Sandia, Los Alamos, and Livermore all expanded their R&D into, and use of, pulsed power for a diverse set of missions including radiography, dynamic materials, nuclear weapons effects testing, and fusion. These early days had rudimentary computational models, were largely single module machines, and had a limited ability to synchronize and pulse shape. The Cold War, catalyzed by the 1983 Strategic Defense Initiative (“Star Wars”), saw a rapid growth of pulsed power technology in pursuit of directed energy weapons and x-ray lasers driven by intense charged particle beams or lasers. ICF programs also grew in impact and importance. The cessation of nuclear testing in 1992 created an increased need for “above ground testing” (AGT). This included e.panded needs for radiography, nuclear weapons effects simulators, and ICF facilities for studying HED physics and achieving thermonuclear burn in the laboratory. The premier systems of today's stockpile stewardship program (NIF, Z, Omega, and DAHRT) are powerful and energetic with sophisticated synchronization and pulse shaping capabilities. However, they are large, costly, and single-shot. The 2011 Naval Directed Energy Steering Group Charter and the 2012 Naval S&T Strategic Plan can give us glimpses of the future, at least for the DoD, with greater emphasis on hypervelocity railguns, directed energy, detection and neutralization of WMD, autonomous systems, and the ability to retain access in contested environments, especially space. They also call for technologies that decrease the dependence on fossil fuels and shorten logistic chains. The future increasingly calls for creating compact, efficient, repetitive sources of prime pulsed power, compact accelerators, railguns, directed energy systems, and related capabilities. These themes also run through the 2011 DOE Report “Accelerators for America's Future”. Together, we'll look into our crystal balls at the challenges and opportunities for future plasma physics and pulsed power research.
SLIT/ROBO1 Signaling Suppresses Mammary Branching Morphogenesis by Limiting Basal Cell Number

In the field of breast biology, there is a growing appreciation for the "gatekeeping function" of basal cells during development and disease processes yet mechanisms regulating the generation of these cells are poorly understood. Here, we report that the proliferation of basal cells is controlled by SLIT/ROBO1 signaling and that production of these cells regulates outgrowth of mammary branches. We identify the negative regulator TGF-β1 upstream of Robo1 and show that it induces Robo1 expression specifically in the basal layer, functioning together with SLIT2 to restrict branch formation. Loss of SLIT/ROBO1 signaling in this layer alone results in precocious branching due to a surplus of basal cells. SLIT2 limits basal cell proliferation by inhibiting canonical WNT signaling, increasing the cytoplasmic and membrane pools of β-catenin at the expense of its nuclear pool. Together, our studies provide mechanistic insight into how specification of basal cell number influences branching morphogenesis.
Tribology of Shearing Polymer Surfaces. 2. Polymer (PnBMA) Sliding On Mica

Quantitative friction force measurements were made using a Surface Forces apparatus (SFA) modified for friction studies of a smooth poly(n-butyl methacrylate) (PnBMA) surface sliding on a stationary mica surface, and the results are compared with those of the complementary system (ref 1) of mica sliding on a stationary polymer surface. The results indicate that qualitatively and quantitatively different tribological behavior may be expectedas manifested by smooth or stick-slip sliding, high or low steady-state friction stresses, transient effects such as stiction, and surface deformations and wearfor such “asymmetric” surfaces depending on whether the sliding or stationary surface carries the lubricant or polymer layer, on whether the motion is continuous in one direction or cyclic (back and forth), and on the area of the contacting junctions. None of these effects would arise if the friction forces were determined solely by the instantaneous load (pressure) and velocity (shear rate) of the shearing junct...
Specifying the PLAN Network Programming Langauge

Abstract We discuss how the specification of the PLAN programming language supports the design objectives of the language. The specification aims to provide a mathematically precise operational semantics that can serve as a standard for implementing interpreters and portable programs. The semantics should also support proofs of key properties of PLAN that would hold of all conformant implementations. This paper discusses two such properties. (1) Type checking is required, but interpreters are given significant flexibility about when types are checked; the specification must support a clear description of the possible behaviors of a network of conformant implementations. (2) It is essential to have guarantees about how PLAN programs use global resources, but the specification must be flexible about extensions in the network service layer. We illustrate on of kind of issue that will arise in using to specification to prove properties of the network based on the choice of services.
ANALYSIS OF THE PROSTATIC CENTRAL ZONE IN PATIENTS WITH UNILATERAL ABSENCE OF WOLFFIAN DUCT STRUCTURES: FURTHER EVIDENCE OF THE MESODERMAL ORIGIN OF THE PROSTATIC CENTRAL ZONE

AbstractPurpose: We evaluate the status of the prostatic central zone in patients with unilateral absence of the seminal vesicles and vas deferens.Materials and Methods: The entire bases of the prostate specimens from 3 patients with unilateral absence of the seminal vesicles and vas deferens who underwent radical prostatectomy for prostatic adenocarcinoma were evaluated on hemotoxylin and eosin stained sections for the distribution of the central zone. Immunohistochemical stains for pepsinogen II were performed on areas thought to be central zone and on corresponding contralateral sections.Results: In 1 patient who appeared to have complete unilateral absence of wolffian duct structures the central zone was absent on that side. In the 2 other patients who did not have complete wolffian duct absence the central zone was present on the side lacking the seminal vesicle and vas deferens. The ejaculatory duct was absent on the side ipsilateral to the absent seminal vesicle and vas deferens in the 2 patients f...
High-Deductible Health Plans and Better Benefit Design

High-deductible health plans provide insurance coverage only after the patient has paid all expenses below a predefined cumulative outlay. They are designed to encourage prudent use of health care,...
Isolation and characterization of an endogenous Na+,K+ -ATPase-specific inhibitor from pig urine

A Na+,K+-ATPase inhibitor was purified from 88.6 I pig urine with a yield of approximately 10 μg. It inhibits the ouabain-sensitive uptake of 86Rb into human erythrocytes and the specific binding of ouabain to Na+,K+-ATPase. It also exhibits cross-reactivity to anti-ouabain serum. The purification procedure consisted of adsorption chromatography on an Amberlite XAD-2 column, preparative scale C18 low-pressure liquid chromatography (LPLC), and five steps of HPLC with five different types of reverse-phase columns. The dose dependence of the purified substance for the inhibition of ouabain-sensitive Na+,K+-ATPase activity and 86Rb uptake into human erythrocytes, and for the ouabain-displacing activity, paralleled those of ouabain, spanning two orders of magnitude in concentration range. However, the curve obtained from the cross-immunoreactivity with antiouabain serum did not parallel that of ouabain. The inhibitory potencies of the purified substance against the Na+ -pump and ouabain-binding were diminished with increasing K+ concentration, exhibiting characteristics typical of cardiac glycosides. This substance had no effect on Ca2+ -ATPase activity in human erythrocyte plasma membrane and skeletal-muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum, nor on Mg2+ -ATPase activity. Acid treatment with 6 M HCl at 115°C for less than 1 min destroyed approximately 82% of the inhibitory activity of the purified substance against Na+ -pump activity. Alkaline treatment with 0.2 M NaOH at 23°C for 2 h and heat treatment at 150°C for 30 min partially destroyed the inhibitory activity. Boiling for 10 min and digestion by various enzymes did not affect the activity. Molecular mass was estimated to be 620 Da by gel-filtration column chromatography. Preliminary MS analysis suggested that the purified substance has a molecular mass of 625 Da. An 1H-NMR study revealed that this substance does not contain a tertiary methyl group. The results suggest that the purified Na+,K+ -ATPase inhibitor is not a peptide and is distinct from any of the known cardiotonic steroids or various substances previously reported to exhibit Na+,K+ -ATPase inhibitory activity. Thus, the purified substance may be a novel endogenous regulator of Na+,K+ -ATPase.
The density distribution near the base of the mantle and near the earth's center

A detailed study of times and amplitudes of P waves in the range 95° < Δ < 120° from two intermediate focus earthquakes has provided new information on the physical state of the transition shell D″ just above the core. P waves of period near 2 s are clearly observed out to 118° (Uinta Basin Observatory). For 105° < Δ < 115° the mean wave slowness is 4.55 ± 0.05 s/°. This value and empirical PcP times then yield, relative to the 1968 P travel-times, a least squares estimate for a core radius of 3475 ± 2 km; from 13.63 km/s at the top of D″, the P velocity drops to an average of 13.33 ± 0.15 km/s towards the mantle-core boundary. Short-period P waves in the core shadow do not attenuate like pure diffracted waves; the notation Pc rather than dif PcP is suggested. The P and S velocity decrease in D″ entails an upper limit in density of about 5.9 g/cm3 at the mantle-core boundary. Reflections of steeply incident PKiKP short-period waves from the inner core boundary provide an estimate of the density contrast there. They also entail that there must be a jump in incompressibility and/or density (and not just in rigidity). Three measurements of the amplitude ratio PKiKP/PcP give a weighted mean value for the minimum density ratio across the inner core boundary of 0.87 ± 0.04. The maximum central density is then about 14.10 g/cm3. A recent, well-constrained, P velocity model KOR5 for the central core is now available as a basis for inferences on physical properties. Computation of many central core models compatible with KOR5 then demonstrates that the central density probably lies between 13.0 and 14.0 g/cm3. A value near the lower limit is more compatible with shock wave experiments on iron. A model CAL 1G for the central core with g90 = 13.0 g/cm3 and which satisfies all available constraints has k0 = 15.05 × 1012 dyne/cm2, μ0 = 1.25 × 1012 dyne/cm2. The corresponding seismic velocities at the center are α0 = 11.35 and β0 = 3.10 km/s, respectively. A formula is derived which gives the central density directly from the gradient of the empirical P and S velocity distributions in the inner core.
Improvements to the Percolator Algorithm for Peptide Identification from Shotgun Proteomics Data Sets

Shotgun proteomics coupled with database search software allows the identification of a large number of peptides in a single experiment. However, some existing search algorithms, such as SEQUEST, use score functions that are designed primarily to identify the best peptide for a given spectrum. Consequently, when comparing identifications across spectra, the SEQUEST score function Xcorr fails to discriminate accurately between correct and incorrect peptide identifications. Several machine learning methods have been proposed to address the resulting classification task of distinguishing between correct and incorrect peptide-spectrum matches (PSMs). A recent example is Percolator, which uses semisupervised learning and a decoy database search strategy to learn to distinguish between correct and incorrect PSMs identified by a database search algorithm. The current work describes three improvements to Percolator. (1) Percolator's heuristic optimization is replaced with a clear objective function, with intuitive reasons behind its choice. (2) Tractable nonlinear models are used instead of linear models, leading to improved accuracy over the original Percolator. (3) A method, Q-ranker, for directly optimizing the number of identified spectra at a specified q value is proposed, which achieves further gains.
Comparative study of non-linear state-observation techniques

ABSTRACT This paper contains a comparative study of four techniques for observing the slates of non-linear systems. The first technique examined is inspired by Bestle and Zeitz, and ICrener and Respondek, In this method a non-linear transformation is found that brings the system into a canonical form, from where observer design is facilitated. The second technique is attributable to Thau. In this method, the error between the system's true state and the output of the observer is shown to be asymptotically convergent to zero provided that an additional assumption is valid. The third technique is due to Baumann and Rugh. In this method, extended or pseudolinearization of the error differential equation about a family of equilibrium points results in an observer design such that the eigenvalues of the linearized error equation are locally invariant. Finally, techniques from variable-structure systems are utilized to design an observer that yields an exponentially decaying error like Thau's observer, but, unl...
Internet 2: scaling up the backbone for R&D

In 1996 universities in the United States announced a plan to create a faster, more powerful network for academic purposes, calling their project Internet 2. The announcement capped work from several meetings held over the previous year to articulate the network requirements of the research community, requirements that participants felt would likely not be addressed by the private sector. At about the same time, President Clinton committed the government to spend $100 million in developing Internet technology, calling his project the Next Generation Internet Initiative (NGII). Thus, the groundwork has been laid for another collaboration between the university research community and government agencies. Its backers hope it will pay off in advanced applications development and ultimately in transfer to the commercial sector, based on the overwhelming impact of the privatization of the NSFnet. The paper discusses the first phase of the project which will implement Internet 2 connections to the National Science Foundation's very high speed backbone network service.
Changing P Wave Polarity: Intermittent Posterior Internodal Conduction

Spontaneous changes of P-wave polarity without change in heart rate were noted on the resting electrocardiogram of a patient admitted because of chest pain. Intracardiac and His bundle electrograms were compatible with a sequence of activation from high to low right atrium with both positive and negative P waves in lead aVR. The decrease in the P-His interval with positive P waves in lead aVR is consistent with selective conduction via the posterior internodal pathway.
The effects of anharmonicity on electron-transfer reactions

Abstract The effects of anharmonicity in Marcus potentials on electron-transfer reactions are investigated using the spin-boson model. An analytical expression for the nonadiabatic rate constant is derived with full consideration of the quantum tunneling effects of high frequency modes. In the high temperature regime if a single solvent mode at low frequency dominates, the quantal formula can be reduced to a quasi-Gaussian rate expression showing interesting asymmetry between the normal and the inverted regions. For multiple soft solvent modes, the rate constant is expressed as a convoluted integral of a rate function for each individual single mode.