cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Engineering and Initial Results of a Transformable Low-cost Ultra-high Resolution PET Camera

We have developed a high-resolution transformable positron emission tomography (PET) camera that can be configured into either a whole-body mode (83-cm detector ring diameter, 13-cm axial field-of-view (AFOV)) or a brain/breast/axilla (54-cm detector ring diameter, 21-cm AFOV) mode. The camera has 12 rectangular detector modules, and the detector gap between adjacent modules is very small and remains constant for each configuration. Each module has a large detection area (13 cm times 21 cm) and 38016 bismuth germanate (BGO) detector crystals of 2.7 times 2.7 times 18 mm3 with built-in front-end electronics. To improve spatial sampling, the gantry on which the camera is mounted can be rotated 30deg with a fine step size of 1deg, and the high-speed electronics and detector modules also rotate along with the gantry. This system uses only 924 photomultiplier tubes (PMT) by applying a low-cost high-resolution PMT-quadrant-sharing detector design. To compensate for the slower scintillation timing of BGO detectors, the camera is equipped with the "HYPER", high-yield pile-up event recovery front-end electronics. A fast light-emitting diode (LED) cross-reference PMT tuning method is used to maintain the PMT gain balance. The system has been constructed and tested for preliminary imaging characteristics. The system sensitivity is 4.2% for whole-body and 9.2% for brain/breast/axilla mode measured with Na-22 at center of field of view (FOV). For brain/breast/axilla modes, the transaxial image resolutions at 0 and 10 cm were found to be 2.7 and 4.0 mm, respectively, while for whole-body mode, the image resolutions were 3.3 and 3.9 mm. The slice thickness resolution ranged from 2.6 to 3.3 mm for middle 7 detector rings in brain/breast/axilla modes. High quality Hoffman brain phantom images were obtained in both brain and whole-body modes.
Unnecessary multiple epidural steroid injections delay surgery for massive lumbar disc: Case discussion and review

BACKGROUND: Epidural steroid injections (ESI) in the lumbar spine are not effective over the long-term for resolving "surgical" lesions. Here, we present a patient with a massive L2-L3 lumbar disk herniation whose surgery was delayed for 4 months by multiple unnecessary ESI, resulting in a cauda equina syndrome. METHODS: A 54-year-old male acutely developed increased low back and radiating left leg pain in October of 2014. In December of 2014, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan showed a massive central/left sided disk herniation at the L2-L3 level resulting in marked thecal sac and left L2 foraminal and L3 lateral recess root compression. Despite the marked degree of neural compression, pain management treated him with 3 ESI over the next 3 months. RESULTS: At the end of April of 2015, he presented to spine surgeon with a cauda equina syndrome. When the new MRI scan confirmed the previously documented massive central-left sided L2-L3 disk herniation, the patient emergently underwent an L1-L3 laminectomy with central-left sided L2-L3 lateral/foraminal diskectomy. Postoperatively, the patient was neurologically intact. CONCLUSIONS: Pain specialists performed multiple unnecessary lumbar ESI critically delaying spinal surgery for 4 months in this patient with a massive lumbar disk herniation who ultimately developed a cauda equina syndrome. Unfortunately, pain specialists (e.g., radiologists, anesthesiologists, and physiatrists), not specifically trained to perform neurological examinations or spinal surgery, are increasingly mismanaging spinal disease with ESI/variants. It is time for spine surgeons to speak out against this, and "take back" the care of patients with spinal surgical disease.
Expanding the Global Seismographic Network

Seismology is an inherently global science. While the devastating effects of large earthquakes are limited to the immediate epicentral area, the seismic waves produced by even moderate earthquakes are recorded world wide and can be used to probe the Earth’s deep interior and provide information on the structure and dynamics of our evolving planet. In turn, the recording of seismic waves globally can be used to locate and quantify the nature of earthquake sources. A cornerstone of global seismological research has been a long and productive tradition of international cooperation in the collection and exchange of seismographic data.
Endothelial Cell Dysfunction and the Pathobiology of Atherosclerosis

Dysfunction of the endothelial lining of lesion-prone areas of the arterial vasculature is an important contributor to the pathobiology of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Endothelial cell dysfunction, in its broadest sense, encompasses a constellation of various nonadaptive alterations in functional phenotype, which have important implications for the regulation of hemostasis and thrombosis, local vascular tone and redox balance, and the orchestration of acute and chronic inflammatory reactions within the arterial wall. In this review, we trace the evolution of the concept of endothelial cell dysfunction, focusing on recent insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie its pivotal roles in atherosclerotic lesion initiation and progression; explore its relationship to classic, as well as more recently defined, clinical risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease; consider current approaches to the clinical assessment of endothelial cell dysfunction; and outline some promising new directions for its early detection and treatment.
A Distributed Computing Algorithm for Deployment of Mobile Robotic Agents with Limited Sensing Ranges

In this paper, the authors present a distributed computing algorithm for an application of deploying a group of mobile robotic agents in a convex region. Each agent can be treated as an embedded system with its own sensors and actuators. Under the assumption that agents have limited sensing capabilities, the distributed computing algorithm is designed to make agents cover the convex region so that each member's individual region, the space around them, is optimized. Each agent must accommodate its kinematic constraints and can only exchange information locally based on the range of the sensors equipped. The proposed algorithm utilizes Voronoi partitions to create individual subregions and directs each member toward the centroid of their subregion. The Voronoi partitions are updated with each iteration of the algorithm. Simulation results are provided to validate the proposed algorithm.
MV-kV Intrafractional Imaging During Volume Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT): Initial Clinical Results

registration. We now produce these masks through image segmentation making the registration completely automatic. We investigate how the accuracy of the segmented masks affects the registration. Materials/Methods: The program was developed using the Insight Toolkit. Prostate patient CTs were segmented via a number of algorithms. By comparing generated to manual contours, Neighborhood Connected was chosen as the preferred segmentation algorithm. Due to the difficulty in segmenting the bladder from prostate, a new mask combining the bladder and prostate volume, was also produced. Three registration methods will therefore be compared: using manual rectum and bladder masks (previous standard), segmented rectum and bladder masks, and segmented rectum and combined bladder prostate masks. Agreement of manual contours of the prostate (which is not masked individually), in the registered images was used to infer registration accuracy. Results: The DC between the segmented and manual masks was up to 96 and 93% for the bladder and rectum respectively. This allowed the segmented mask guided deformable registration algorithm to achieve the same agreement in prostate contours as when manual masks are used, (both average 90% DC). When the combined bladder prostate-segmented mask is used the DC of the prostate contour improves to 95%, (the rectum and bladder contour DC remains the same). Conclusions: A now fully automated hybrid deformable registration method was developed for the prostate region capable of recovering large initial organ variation. Good agreement of segmented masks to the organ they represent is required to achieve acceptable registration results. Using a combined bladder prostate mask is the preferred method as it simplifies the segmentation process, while allowing for improved prostate registration. This automatic registration is used to produce contours and delivered dose for adaptive therapy and cumulative dose for outcome analysis. Author Disclosure: A.R. Godley: None. M. Itomlenskis: None.
Extremely Sparse Parallel AC-Link Universal Power Converters

Parallel ac-link universal power converters are a relatively new class of power converters that can be configured as dc–dc, dc–ac, ac–dc, and ac–ac. These converters are extensions of a buck–boost converter in which the current of the inductor is alternating and the input and output can have any number of phases with any forms, voltage amplitude, or frequency. By placing a small capacitor in parallel with the link inductor, all the switches can benefit from soft switching. The main limitation of the parallel ac-link universal power converter is its large number of switches. A three-phase ac–ac configuration requires 24 unidirectional switches. This paper proposes two topologies based on the parallel ac-link universal power converters that significantly reduce the number of switches. One of the proposed topologies reduces the number of switches in a three-phase ac–ac configuration to 16. The other topology reduces the number of switches to 10. The latter can offer galvanic isolation with only a single-phase high-frequency transformer. This paper presents the principles of the operation of the proposed topologies and evaluates them through simulation and experiments.
Book Review: The Mirage of Italy in Contemporary Italian Fiction and Film by Barbara Alfano

As Barbara Alfano cogently points out in The Mirage of America in Contemporary Italian Literature and Film, America continues to hold a privileged place in the Italian cultural imagination. Italy h...
Rockfall hazard analysis of slope at sutra caves of Shijing Mountain

For the sutra cases of Shijing Mountain based on the investigation in site,the lithology,terrain and the geologic structure are analyzed.The potential slopes with rockfall are confirmed initially.Four typical profiles are selected on the slopes and surveyed by BJSD-2B laser profiler.With the results of the numerical simulation,the locations A~F on the profiles are confirmed as the potential rockfall sources with the bigger possibility to fall.The volumes of blocks situated at A~F are gained in site.On the basis above,the kinetic characters(run-out distances,bounce height,kinetic energy and the translational velocities)of the six blocks are predicted and analyzed by the help of the rocfall software.The simulation results show that the rockfall of the block D threatened the life safety of the tourists less than other blocks,but it could destroy the sutra cave No.7 greatly.Oppositely,the rockfall of the other five blocks would threaten the life safety of the tourists greatly,but they wouldn't destroy the relevant caves.The suggestion that the key locations and blocks should be reinforced as quickly as possible is given.
The Clinical Observation of Traditional Medicine Vapor Bath with Function Training Treatment in Spastic Cerebral Palsy Children

ObjectiveTo assess the clinic therapy effect of traditional medicine vapor bath with function training treatment in spastic cerebral palsy(CP) children.Methods82 cases were divided into two groups.The treatment group of 39 cases applied traditional medicine vapor bath with function training treatment,and the control group of 43 cases applied function training treatment mainly.The estimate of muscle tension adopted the modified Ashworth scale.The estimate of gross motor adopted the gross motor developmental quotient of Gesell development schedules.ResultsThere was significant difference of the muscle tension and the gross motor developmental quotient between the two groups after treatment(P0.05).ConclusionTraditional medicine vapor bath with function training treatment can depress the muscle tension of spastic CP children,obviously improve the motor ability,and raise the life quality of them.
Osteoclast Activation in Multiple Myeloma

Osteolytic bone disease affects more than 80% of multiple myeloma (MM) patients with a negative impact on both quality of life and overall survival. The pathogenesis of osteolytic disease resides in increased osteoclast (OC) activation along with osteoblast (OB) inhibition resulting in altered bone remodeling. OC number and activity in MM are enhanced mainly via cytokine deregulation within the bone marrow (BM) milieu and an imbalance of the OC/OB axis. Several novel agents are currently under investigation for their positive effect on bone remodeling via OC inhibition or OB activation. In addition to restoring bone remodeling, these drugs may inhibit tumor growth in vivo. Therefore, targeting bone disease is a promising therapeutic strategy not only with the goal of alleviating morbidity from bone disease but also resultant anti-tumor activity.
Rome: An Urban History from Antiquity to the Present

Spanning the entire history of the city of Rome from Iron Age village to modern metropolis, this is the first book to take the long view of the Eternal City as an urban organism. Three thousand years old and counting, Rome has thrived almost from the start on self-reference, supplementing the everyday concerns of urban management and planning by projecting its own past onto the city of the moment. This is a study of the urban processes by which Rome's people and leaders, both as custodians of its illustrious past and as agents of its expansive power, have shaped and conditioned its urban fabric by manipulating geography and organizing space; planning infrastructure; designing and presiding over mythmaking, ritual, and stagecraft; controlling resident and transient populations; and exploiting Rome's standing as a seat of global power and a religious capital.
Impact of duct flow resistance on residential heating and cooling energy use in systems with PSC and ECM blowers

Abstract The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of duct flow resistance on residential heating and cooling energy use in systems with PSC and ECM blowers. Experimentally determined cooling performance of a unitary air conditioner was integrated with building energy simulations to predict the annual space heating and cooling energy use in two extreme climate conditions as a result of ductworks with four different levels of flow resistance of 75, 125, 175, and 225 Pa. An analysis of building energy simulation results reveals that the use of ECM blowers can generally yield electricity savings in residential central heating and cooling systems compared with the result of using PSC blowers, but the electricity savings is strongly dependent on the reduction of duct flow resistance.
Understanding Auditor’s Judgment Under High-Risk Auditing Conditions

Scholars and practitioners have worked to improve audit quality in the last 4 decades yet there is evidence that a high percentage of audit conclusions could be wrong. Drawing on institutional theory and the theory of negotiated order, the research examines how weaknesses in institutional environment impact auditors judgment using responses from aid funded project auditors. The research finds that institutional environment impact managements, which in turn impact auditors judgment. Auditors tends to interact collaboratively with their clients where the impact of the environment on management financial data is heavy.
An Interactive, Graphical Tool for Retrospectively Assessing Symptom Frequency and Severity: An Illustration With Eating Disorder Behaviors, Body Weight, and Stress.

There are few assessments that gather valid, highly detailed data on short-term (i.e., weekly) symptom frequency/severity retrospectively. In particular, methodologies that provide valid data for research investigating symptom changes are typically prospective, expensive, and burdensome. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a new interactive and graphical assessment tool for gathering detailed information about eating-related symptom frequency/severity retrospectively over a 3-month period. A mixed eating disorder sample (N = 113) recruited from the community provided symptom data once weekly for 12 weeks and completed the Interactive, Graphical Assessment Tool (IGAT) assessing eating disorder symptoms on three occasions to determine the test–retest and concurrent validity of the IGAT. The IGAT performed marginally better than other measures for retrospective symptom frequency assessment in the eating disorders and did so at a greater level of detail than other available tools. Future research should...
Does Task-Specific Training Improve Upper Limb Performance in Daily Life Poststroke?

Background. A common assumption is that changes in upper limb (UL) capacity, or what an individual is capable of doing, translates to improved UL performance in daily life, or what an individual ac...
Prospective Isolation Of Human Erythroid Lineage-Committed Progenitors

Anemia is one of the findings most frequently seen in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS); however, in our hands, significant loss of megakaryocyte/erythrocyte progenitors (MEP) is not observed among these patients (PNAS, 2013, 110(8):3011-6) . Unipotent erythroid-committed progenitors (EPs), estimated to exist downstream of bipotent MEPs, may be involved in the pathogenesis of refractory anemia among MDS patients. Previously, we identified mouse (m) EPs (mEPs) in bone marrow. The expression of endoglin (CD105) was a key marker to isolate mEPs: mEPs were the Lineage(lin)-Sca-1-c-kit+CD16/32-CD150+CD105+CD41- population in murine bone marrow (Cell Stem Cell, 2007, 1(4):428-42) . Here we show that the human (h) counterpart (hEPs) is prospectively isolatable in human bone marrow. We analyzed the expression of hCD105 in addition to hCD71 (known to be an early erythroid marker) in human stem and progenitor populations, and found a fraction (32.9±13.6%, n = 5) of common myeloid progenitors (CMPs; lin-CD34+CD38+CD45RA-IL-3Ra+) and a major part (85.1±5.5%) of MEPs (lin-CD34+CD38+CD45RA-IL-3Ra-) expressed hCD71. A portion of CD71+ MEPs co-expressed CD105 (CD105+MEPs; 32.3±6.5% of MEPs). Neither hCD105 nor hCD71 was detectable in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs; lin-CD34+CD38-CD45RA-), common lymphoid progenitors (CLPs; lin-CD34+CD38+CD10+), or granulocyte/monocyte progenitors (GMPs; lin-CD34+CD38+CD45RA+IL-3Ra+) by FACS. In vitro , CD71+ cells within the CMP fraction showed differentiation potential skewed toward MegE lineage, representing the transitional stage to MEPs. CD71+MEPs mostly generated BFU-E, although they still retained some MegK potential, while output of CD105+MEPs was completely restricted to erythroid lineage, and colonies from this fraction contained a small number of mature (enucleated) erythrocytes (CFU-E type). Thus we termed CD71+MEPs and CD105+MEPs as human erythroid-biased MEPs (E-MEPs) and hEPs, respectively. In short-term liquid culture, hE-MEPs gave rise to hEPs in the presence of SCF, TPO and EPO, whereas hEPs could not generate hE-MEPs, suggesting a hierarchical progression from E-MEPs to EPs. These newly classified populations might be a very useful tool for understanding the molecular mechanisms of human erythroid development, and should be analyzed in patients with erythroid-related disorders (e.g., MDS, polycythemia vera, or aplastic anemia). Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
The Impact of an Online Transition Curriculum on Secondary Student Reading: A Multilevel Examination

This study investigates the impact of an online transition curriculum embedded with literacy strategies on reading outcomes for secondary students in grades 9–12 across two states. The quasi-experi...
Power spectrum weighted edge analysis for straight edge detection in images

Most man-made objects provide characteristic straight line edges and, therefore, edge extraction is a commonly used target detection tool. However, noisy images often yield broken edges that lead to missed detections, and extraneous edges that may contribute to false target detections. We present a sliding-block approach for target detection using weighted power spectral analysis. In general, straight line edges appearing at a given frequency are represented as a peak in the Fourier domain at a radius corresponding to that frequency, and a direction corresponding to the orientation of the edges in the spatial domain. Knowing the edge width and spacing between the edges, a band-pass filter is designed to extract the Fourier peaks corresponding to the target edges and suppress image noise. These peaks are then detected by amplitude thresholding. The frequency band width and the subsequent spatial filter mask size are variable parameters to facilitate detection of target objects of different sizes under known imaging geometries. Many military objects, such as trucks, tanks and missile launchers, produce definite signatures with parallel lines and the algorithm proves to be ideal for detecting such objects. Moreover, shadow-casting objects generally provide sharp edges and are readily detected. The block operation procedure offers advantages of significant reduction in noise influence, improved edge detection, faster processing speed and versatility to detect diverse objects of different sizes in the image. With Scud missile launcher replicas as target objects, the method has been successfully tested on terrain board test images under different backgrounds, illumination and imaging geometries with cameras of differing spatial resolution and bit-depth.
Evolving concepts in myelodysplastic syndromes.

Increasingly in the United States, older individuals between 60 to 75 years of age are discovered as having a variable cytopenia, most commonly detected during a routine visit to the doctor. The clinician's instinctive sense that such low-grade abnormalities would passively loiter coupled with limited therapeutic options led to the non-interventional practice of following these patients with no more than periodic blood counts. In the last two decades, this habit has been replaced by bolder attempts at more precise definitions with the result that the vast majority of such individuals are winding up with a diagnosis of Myelodysplastic Syndrome or MDS. The best proof of this statement is provided by the fact that only 143 patients were recorded as having MDS until 1973 ([Saami & Linman, 1973]), while as many as 10,000 cases are being documented annually at the present time in the United States alone. This dramatic increase in incidence is the result of a combination of factors including an increase in the number of older individuals, aggressive attempts towards a specific diagnosis and probably an increase in the actual incidence of MDS due to toxic and chemical exposure. The exigent imperative for an accurate diagnosis comes first and foremost from an appreciation that MDS is not always a harmless pastiche of benign, poorly defined malaise in hematopoietic cells, but rather can be a deadly, exceedingly pernicious disease capable of killing swiftly.
Robust station-keeping of underwater vehicles under velocity measurement offsets

Abstract In this paper, we investigate the problem of setpoint stabilization and station keeping for Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicles. The development of automatic control schemes to achieve precise station keeping is rendered complicated by the lack of precise sensor information, and the effect of environmental disturbances. The main feature of our approach is the incorporation in the controller structure of a suitable model of the disturbances, which reduces the uncertainty in the vehicle attitude and position determination. The proposed approach is applied to the problem of robust station keeping of a specific model of a small commercial ROV, employed for pipeline inspection and maintenance of submerged offshore structure. Simulations performed on a 6 degrees-of-freedom model of a specific ROV show that the method is well suited to cope with imprecise sensor information and with disturbances due to the underwater current.
Nuclei segmentation of fluorescence microscopy images using convolutional neural networks

Fluorescence microscopy has emerged as a powerful tool for studying cell biology because it enables the acquisition of 3D image volumes deeper into tissue and the imaging of complex subcellular structures. Quantitative analysis of these structures, which is needed to characterize the structure and constitution of tissue volumes, is facilitated by nuclei segmentation. However, manual segmentation is a laborious and intractable process due to the size and complexity of the data. In this paper, we describe a nuclei segmentation method using a deep convolutional neural network, data augmentation to generate training images of different shapes and contrasts, a refinement process combining segmentation results of horizontal, frontal, and sagittal planes in a volume, and a watershed technique to count the number of nuclei. Our results indicate that compared to 3D ground truth data, our method is able to successfully segment and count 3D nuclei.
A Web-Based Lifestyle Medicine Curriculum: Facilitating Education About Lifestyle Medicine, Behavioral Change, and Health Care Outcomes.

Background: Lifestyle medicine is the science and application of healthy lifestyles as interventions for the prevention and treatment of disease, and has gained significant momentum as a specialty in recent years. College is a critical time for maintenance and acquisition of healthy habits. Longer-term, more intensive web-based and in-person lifestyle medicine interventions can have a positive effect. Students who are exposed to components of lifestyle medicine in their education have improvements in their health behaviors. A semester-long undergraduate course focused on lifestyle medicine can be a useful intervention to help adopt and sustain healthy habits. Objective: To describe a novel, evidence based curriculum for a course teaching the concepts of Lifestyle Medicine based on a web-based course offered at the Harvard Extension School. Methods: The course was delivered in a web-based format. The Lifestyle Medicine course used evidence based principles to guide students toward a “coach approach” to behavior change, increasing their self-efficacy regarding various lifestyle-related preventive behaviors. Students are made to understand the cultural trends and national guidelines that have shaped lifestyle medicine recommendations relating to behaviors. They are encouraged to engage in behavior change. Course topics include physical activity, nutrition, addiction, sleep, stress, and lifestyle coaching and counseling. The course addressed all of the American College of Preventive Medicine/American College of Lifestyle Medicine competencies save for the competency of office systems and technologies to support lifestyle medicine counseling. Results: The course was well-received, earning a ranking of 4.9/5 at the school. Conclusions: A novel, semester-long course on Lifestyle Medicine at the Harvard Extension School is described. Student evaluations suggest the course was well-received. Further research is needed to evaluate whether such a course empowers students to adopt behavior changes. [JMIR Med Educ 2017;3(2):e14]
Noncanonical Roles of Lipids in Different Cellular Fates

Lipids are a diverse class of biomolecules. The biosynthesis and transport of these molecules are controlled by a considerable number of proteins, which facilitate spatiotemporal regulation of lipids during different fundamental cellular processes. Although lipids are traditionally considered as molecules for energy storage and as structural components of membranes, they are being increasingly recognized for their signaling roles. There is a growing appreciation of lipids’ chemical diversity, which approaches that of proteins. In this Perspective, we discuss recent studies that suggest novel functions for distinct lipid species during different cellular processes. In particular, we discuss findings from our laboratory that illuminate the involvement of ceramides, polyunsaturated triacylglycerols, and very long chain fatty acids in different cellular fates. We also highlight recent innovative methods that have enabled the recognition of previously unknown lipid classes and/or roles of these molecules in di...
Politics case study: Bad news in good times of General Musharraf Presidency: Economics versus politics

Abstract. General Musharraf ruled the country as a self proclaimed enlightened dictator. His politics is as repressive as has been the case of any dictatorial regime. However the paper suggests that he did make a genuine effort to uphold Pakistani economy that witnessed recessionary trends in 1990s. This paper is a critical analysis of Musharraf’s politics in contrast to his economic policies. Keywords. Politics, Macro economy, Institutions. JEL. A13, E02.
“We Are the Visible Proof”: Legitimizing Abortion Regret Misinformation through Activists’ Experiential Knowledge

Since 2010, many of the policies emerging in the states are designed around the idea of “abortion regret;” a scientifically discredited assertion that abortion causes long-term health problems for women. Studies have examined the legal significance of regret claims in case law, and the role scientific misinformation and uncertainty have in the policy process. However, scholars have given less attention to the intersection between abortion regret experiences and misinformation. We address this gap in the literature by examining how antiabortion activists' experiential knowledge continues to reinforce and legitimize misinformation contained in state policies. We explore the process of substantiating abortion regret misinformation by its attachment to activists' experiential expertise. Based on twenty-three interviews with antiabortion activists, we argue that misinformation receives validation through the certainty of experiential knowledge, which activists mobilize around and use as a source of evidence in the policy process. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
OP046: Targeting cancer stem cells (CSC) in oral cavity head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) with dendritic cell (DC) vaccines

Purpose Targeting CSCs with a DC vaccine is an innovative and rationale approach that could specifically address the most replicative and therapy-resistant subpopulation of cancer cells within a solid tumor malignancy. Methods Patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma had tumors harvested and the cells sorted for ALDH high and ALDH low cells. ALDH high cells have been shown to possess the properties of cancer stem cells. DCs were generated from the peripheral blood of patients with HNSCC and pulsed in vitro with CSC lysate. Results DCs generated from the peripheral blood of patients with HNSCC and pulsed with CSC lysate confer greater specific antitumor efficacy by inducing anti-CSC immunity in vitro than DCs pulsed with whole tumor or non-CSC lysate. There was greater specific lysis of ALDH high target cells (vs. ALDH low targets) by CTL co-stimulated with DCs pulsed with ALDH high tumor cells suggesting a specific anti-CSC effect with this stimulation approach. Conclusion Targeting CSCs in oral cavity HNSCC tumors with a DC vaccine is feasible and demonstrates an antitumor immune response.
Prevention of exertional lower body musculoskeletal injury in tactical populations: protocol for a systematic review and planned meta-analysis of prospective studies from 1955 to 2018.

Exertional lower body musculoskeletal injuries (ELBI) cost billions of dollars and compromise the readiness and job performance of military service and public safety workers (i.e., tactical populations). The prevalence and burden of such injuries underscores the importance of prevention efforts during activities necessary to sustain core occupational competencies. Attempts to synthesize prevention techniques specific to tactical populations have provided limited insight on the comparative efficacy of interventions that do not modify physical training practices. There is also a need to assess the influence of sex, exposure, injury classification scheme, and study design. Thus, the primary purpose of the systematic review and planned meta-analysis detailed in this protocol is to evaluate the comparative efficacy of ELBI prevention strategies in tactical populations. A systematic search strategy will be implemented in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, and CINAHL. A multi-tiered process will be used to capture randomized controlled trials and prospective cohort studies that directly assess the prevention of ELBI in tactical population(s). Extracted data will be used to compare prevention strategies and assess the influence of heterogeneity related to occupation, sex, exposure, injury characteristics, and study quality. In addition, individual risk of bias, meta-bias, and the quality of the body of evidence will be rigorously tested. This systematic review and planned meta-analysis will comprehensively evaluate ELBI mitigation strategies in tactical populations, elucidate factors that influence responses to treatment, and assess the overall quality of the body of research. Results of this work will guide the prioritization of ELBI prevention strategies and direct future research efforts, with direct relevance to tactical, health and rehabilitation science, and human performance optimization stakeholders. The systematic review protocol was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) on 3 Jan 2018 (registration number CRD42018081799 ).
On the Complexities of Periodic Sequences

The shortest linear recursion which generates a periodic q -ary sequence is defined to be the complexity of the sequence. A nonlinear feedback shift register sequence with maximum period q n is called a q -ary de Bruijn sequence of span n . It is shown that, for q=w 1 where w is a prime, the complexity of a q -ary de Bruijn sequence of span n is bounded by q n -l from above and w r-1 q n-1 + n from below. For q -ary sequences of arbitrary period p , it is shown that their complexities are bounded by the period p from above, and their lower bounds are determined by the prime factors of p .
Unique selectivity trends of highly permeable PAP[5] water channel membranes

Artificial water channels are a practical alternative to biological water channels for achieving exceptional water permeability and selectivity in a stable and scalable architecture. However, channel-based membrane fabrication faces critical barriers such as: (1) increasing pore density to achieve measurable gains in permeability while maintaining selectivity, and (2) scale-up to practical membrane sizes for applications. Recently, we proposed a technique to prepare channel-based membranes using peptide-appended pillar[5]arene (PAP[5]) artificial water channels, addressing the above challenges. These multi-layered PAP[5] membranes (ML-PAP[5]) showed significantly improved water permeability compared to commercial membranes with similar molecular weight cut-offs. However, due to the distinctive pore structure of water channels and the layer-by-layer architecture of the membrane, the separation behavior is unique and was still not fully understood. In this paper, two unique selectivity trends of ML-PAP[5] membranes are discussed from the perspectives of channel geometry, ion exclusion, and linear molecule transport.
C++11! New features

C++ is a programming language commonly taught in the undergraduate Computer Science curriculum. Recently the long awaited new standard for C++ known as C++11 was adopted replacing the C++98/C++03 standard. C++11 source code is backward compatible with the first standard source code. Many of the changes were strongly influenced by the TR1 and the Boost library.
Computer-Aided Molecular Design Using Neural Networks and Genetic Algorithms

Publisher Summary Genetic algorithms (GAs) are general purpose, stochastic, evolutionary search, and optimization strategies based on the Darwinian model of natural selection and evolution. Studies show that the genetic design (GD) approach is able to locate globally optimal designs for many target molecules with multiple specifications. In this chapter, this approach is extended further by describing a computer-aided molecular design (CAMD) framework that uses both neural networks (NNs) and GAs to address the difficulties in both the forward and inverse problems. The NN based property prediction methodology addresses the forward problem while the GA component tackles the inverse problem. This chapter also discusses some recent results on the characterization and analysis of complex search spaces for molecular design to gain further insight into the operation of GAs and describes an interactive CAMD system that is under development.
Soma-germ line interactions and a role for muscle in the regulation of C. elegans sperm motility

ABSTRACT The development of highly differentiated sperm cells that are specialized for navigating to and fusing with an oocyte is essential for sexual reproduction. As a major part of differentiation, sperm undergo extensive post-meiotic maturation en route to the oocyte. This is regulated largely by soma-derived cues. In Caenorhabditis elegans , this process is called sperm activation, and it transforms immotile spermatids into migratory fertilization-competent cells. Here, we show that the negative regulator of sperm activation, SWM-1, is produced in an unexpected cell type: body wall muscle. SWM-1 is secreted into the body cavity and enters the gonad; there, it is present with its likely target, TRY-5, a spermiogenesis activator. We show that, in addition to SWM-1, the somatic gonad and body fluid can exchange other factors, suggesting that soma-germ line transfer could affect other reproductive processes. In addition, we show that SWM-1 may have a separate role in the sperm migratory environment, to which it is contributed by both males and hermaphrodites. These findings reveal that late stages in gamete differentiation can be regulated at the whole-organism level by broadly secreted factors. This article has an associated ‘The people behind the papers’ interview.
Using automated electronic medical record data extraction to model ALS survival and progression

To assess the feasibility of using automated capture of Electronic Medical Record (EMR) data to build predictive models for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) outcomes. We used an Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside search discovery tool to identify and extract data from 354 ALS patients from the University of Kansas Medical Center EMR. The completeness and integrity of the data extraction were verified by manual chart review. A linear mixed model was used to model disease progression. Cox proportional hazards models were used to investigate the effects of BMI, gender, and age on survival. Data extracted from the EMR was sufficient to create simple models of disease progression and survival. Several key variables of interest were unavailable without including a manual chart review. The average ALS Functional Rating Scale – Revised (ALSFRS-R) baseline score at first clinical visit was 34.08, and average decline was − 0.64 per month. Median survival was 27 months after first visit. Higher baseline ALSFRS-R score and BMI were associated with improved survival, higher baseline age was associated with decreased survival. This study serves to show that EMR-captured data can be extracted and used to track outcomes in an ALS clinic setting, potentially important for post-marketing research of new drugs, or as historical controls for future studies. However, as automated EMR-based data extraction becomes more widely used there will be a need to standardize ALS data elements and clinical forms for data capture so data can be pooled across academic centers.
Surface Functionalization of a Conventional Polypropylene Separator with an Aluminum Nitride Layer toward Ultrastable and High-Rate Lithium Metal Anodes

Lithium (Li) metal as a next-generation anode has received great interest from industry and academic institutes due to its attractive benefits of a high theoretical capacity (3860 mAh g-1) and the lowest negative potential (-3.04 V vs SHE) among the anode candidates. However, major issues associated with dendritic Li growth, infinite volume expansion of Li, and low Coulombic efficiency cause severely degraded cycle stabilities and fatal safety issues (such as short-circuit). Herein, we first designed a functional membrane, comprising an aluminum nitride (AlN) layer and a polypropylene (PP) separator, in order to curb the sharp Li dendrite growth, restrain the propagation of dendritic Li toward the PP separator, and consequently improve the electrochemical stabilities of Li metal batteries. When the designed membrane was introduced in either the Li/Cu half-cell or the Li/LCO full-cell, Li dendrite growth was significantly suppressed and side reactions associated with electrode degradation was effectively prevented by the material benefits of the AlN layer, thus leading to the significantly enhanced cycle performances. Low temperature stability tests further demonstrated the optimiztic potentiality of the designed membrane for enabling the stable operation of Li metal batteries under harsh conditions. Our approach of adopting a metal nitride layer to the PP separator can be a compelling strategy to improve the long-term electrochemical stability of the Li metal electrode.
A Cross-Sectional Investigation of Cognition and Ultrasound-Based Vascular Strain Indices.

Objective We examine the relationship between variability in the plaque strain distribution estimated using ultrasound with multiple cognitive domains including executive, language, visuospatial reasoning, and memory function. Method Asymptomatic (n = 42) and symptomatic (n = 34) patients with significant (>60%) carotid artery stenosis were studied for plaque instability using ultrasound strain imaging and multiple cognitive domains including executive, language, visuospatial reasoning, and memory function. Correlation and ROC analyses were performed between ultrasound strain indices and cognitive function. Strain indices and cognition scores were also compared between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients to determine whether there are significant group differences. Results Association of high-strain distributions with dysexecutive function was observed in both asymptomatic and symptomatic patients. For memory, visuospatial, and language functions, the correlations between strain and cognition were weaker for the asymptomatic compared to symptomatic group. Conclusions Both asymptomatic and symptomatic patients demonstrate a relationship between vessel strain indices and executive function indicating that silent strokes and micro-emboli could initially contribute to a decline in executive function, whereas strokes and transient ischemic attacks may cause the further decline in other cognitive functions.
Generation of Charge-Reduced Ions of Membrane Protein Complexes for Native Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry Studies

Recent advances in native mass spectrometry (MS) have enabled the elucidation of how small molecule binding to membrane proteins modulates their structure and function. The protein-stabilizing osmolyte, trimethylamine oxide (TMAO), exhibits attractive properties for native MS studies. Here, we report significant charge reduction, nearly threefold, for three membrane protein complexes in the presence of this osmolyte without compromising mass spectral resolution. TMAO improves the ability to resolve individual lipid-binding events to the ammonia channel (AmtB) by over 200% compared to typical native conditions. The generation of ions with compact structure and access to a larger number of lipid-binding events through the incorporation of TMAO increases the utility of IM-MS for structural biology studies.
Multifactorial Discrimination, Discrimination Salience, and Prevalent Experiences of Internalized Homophobia in Middle-Aged and Older MSM

AbstractObjectives: We sought to test whether discrimination salience and multifactorial discrimination were associated with prevalent experiences of internalized homophobia among middle-aged and o...
Congressional Responses to the Supreme Court’s Constitutional and Statutory Decisions

We evaluate the frequency and form of legislative responses to Supreme Court decisions to evaluate the assumption that the legal basis of the Court’s decision will determine the form of congression...
EEG-based Neural Decoding of Gait in Developing Children

Neural decoding of human locomotion, including automated gait intention detection and continuous decoding of lower limb joint angles, has been of great interest in the field of Brain Machine Interface (BMI). However, neural decoding of gait in developing children has yet to be demonstrated. In this study, we collected physiological data (electroencephalography (EEG), electromyography (EMG)), and kinematic data from children performing different locomotion tasks. We also developed a state space estimation model to decode lower limb joint angles from scalp EEG. Fluctuations in the amplitude of slow cortical potentials of EEG in the delta band (0.1 – 3 Hz) were used for prediction. The decoding accuracies (Pearson’s r values) were promising (Hip: 0.71; Knee: 0.59; Ankle: 0.51). Our results demonstrate the feasibility of neural decoding of children walking and have implications for the development of a real-time closed-loop BMI system for the control of a pediatric exoskeleton.
Chapter 26 – Laboratory assessment of hepatobiliary disease

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses laboratory assessment for clinical diagnosis of hepatobiliary disease. Standard, routinely available, automated laboratory investigations for liver disease usually verify or exclude the presence of significant hepatobiliary disease. These investigations should include at least serum total bilirubin, an aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, alkaline phosphatase, total protein, and albumin. The results are of value in monitoring the progress of disease and in the assessment of possible hepatotoxic effects of new drugs. They are particularly important in identifying hepatic disease in the patient with no jaundice or other clinical features of liver disease. Abnormal results might lead to consideration of Reye's syndrome in acute unexplained coma. In such circumstances blood ammonia can be invaluable in directing attention to disorders such as urea cycle defects. The results of these investigations are frequently influenced by many non-hepatic factors. Serum albumin is formed by the liver. Hypoalbuminemia is found in advanced chronic liver diseases. This may be because of decreased synthesis or increased degradation but may also be because of an increased plasma volume. It is a useful but imprecise index of severity of liver damage. It is of little value in predicting the patient's prognosis or response to surgery such as portosystemic shunting. Temporary low levels are found in extrahepatic portal hypertension following alimentary bleeding.
Identification of Active Sites of Pure and Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Materials for Oxygen Reduction Reaction Using Constant-Potential Calculations

Nitrogen-doped carbon materials are promising metal-free catalysts for the electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). A better theoretical understanding on the nature of the active site(s) wo...