cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Systemic Therapy Utilization Patterns among US Dermatologists and Oncologists Treating Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

Background: Several systemic therapies are available for patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). However, little is known about physicians’ familiarity with and utilization of these therapies. To address this issue, we conducted a web-based survey among physicians treating CTCL with systemic therapies in the United States. Methods: We surveyed a geographically representative panel of dermatologists and oncologists in September 2007. Physicians had to have treated at least one CTCL patient systemically over the past two years and been practicing medicine for >2 years. Individual systemic therapies were grouped according to NCCN guidelines as Category A (ECP, bexarotene, denileukin diftitox, interferon, vorinostat, and methotrexate) or Category B therapies (gemcitabine, CHOP, and doxorubicin). Chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests assessed statistical differences between specialties. Results: A total of 250 physicians participated; 128 dermatologists and 122 oncologists. Mean age was 47.5 (std =9.9) years and 20.0% were female. Significantly more (p < 0.0001) dermatologists than oncologists reported being not or somewhat familiar with denileukin diftitox (49.2% vs. 14.8%), gemcitabine (71.1% vs.7.4%), doxorubicin (57.8% vs. 5.7%), CHOP (33.6% vs. 1.6%) and vorinostat (67.2% vs. 36.9%). Overall, use of Category A therapies decreased in later stage disease while use of Category B therapies increased. Dermatologists chose Category A therapies and referred patients more frequently, whereas oncologists chose Category B therapies and referred less frequently. Conclusions: Familiarity with and utilization of systemic therapies for CTCL differ by physician specialty. Educational efforts aimed at highlighting advances in CTCL treatment and newly implemented treatment guidelines may help optimize patient care.
Abstract 1446: Super-enhancer identification via Bru/BrUV-Seq and H3K27Ac ChIP-Seq

Transcriptional super-enhancers (SEs) are large clusters of active enhancers that drive expression of genes critical to cell identity and function. In cancer and other human diseases, SEs can be acquired through somatic aberrations. Importantly, SEs and their target genes are particularly sensitive to perturbation, making this mechanism a promising target for both diagnosis and therapy. Histone modification H3K27Ac is a good single predicative marker of active enhancers, though additional marks would help. Accordingly, a common approach to SE identification is using H3K27Ac ChIP-Seq. The non-TSS (transcription start site) histone binding sites (e.g., principally excluding TSS±2.5kb regions) are mapped to genome and then subject to near-neighbor stitching (e.g., within 12.5kb). From the resulted relatively broad regions, SEs are identified by exceptional binding enrichment. Another potentially powerful approach is to use Bru/BrUV-Seq in combination. By directional sequencing of bromouridine(Bru)-labeled nascent RNAs, Bru-Seq has been developed to study nascent transcription. In the derivative BrUV-Seq, UV irradiation is additionally conducted to stabilize transcripts prior to labeling, thereby allowing more sensitive detection of TSSs and unstable transcripts, including enhancer RNAs (eRNAs). It has been shown that eRNAs indicate enhancer activity better than H3K27Ac binding. In this study, both approaches were used to identify SEs for three colon cancer cell lines, HCT-116, SW48, and SW620. We have demonstrated that Bru/BrUV-Seq has advantages in differentiating between mRNAs and eRNAs, and between overlapping transcripts; the reduced complexity helps prevent false identifications, which inflated our results obtained from ChIP-Seq. Citation Format: Chunlao Tang, Vipin Yadav, Hui-Rong Qian, Jason B. Cunningham, Hong Gao, Yushi Liu, Jason C. Ting, Steven M. Bray, Philip J. Ebert, Yuhao Lin, Amit Aggarwal, John N. Calley, Bharvin K. Patel. Super-enhancer identification via Bru/BrUV-Seq and H3K27Ac ChIP-Seq [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1446. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-1446
Expanding our understanding of backbone organizations in collective impact initiatives

This article explores the question of what mechanisms a backbone organization uses in a collective impact initiative to help diverse participants make organizational and social change. Qualitative ...
Capability Reputation, Character Reputation, and Exchange Partners’ Reactions to Adverse Events

To investigate when a firm’s reputation affects its exchange partners’ responses to adverse events, we distinguish between two types of reputation identified in prior work, capability reputation an...
Suicide: Ethical Aspects

Is suicide always wrong, sometimes permissible, or a matter of basic right? After raising related conceptual issues about the negative connotations of the term ‘suicide’ and the difficulties of distinguishing suicide from self-sacrifice, martyrdom, chronic self-destructive behavior, and self-administered euthanasia, this article examines traditional and contemporary arguments concerning the ethical status of suicide. Some arguments are principle-based; some are consequentialist; and some are virtue-based; each type includes arguments for and against the ethical permissibility of suicide. Claims about the ethical status of suicide have to some extent been challenged in recent years by new findings concerning social correlates, biochemical abnormalities, and markers of suicide risk. These findings are sometimes interpreted to mean that suicidal behavior is not voluntary and thus that there is no ethical issue. In contrast, the debate over physician-assisted suicide considers whether suicide in the context of terminal illness can be an informed, voluntary, and ethically permissible choice. Arguments for the ethical permissibility and legalization of physician-assisted suicide appeal to autonomy and freedom from suffering; arguments against cite the wrongness of killing and slippery slope concerns about the potential for abuse. Issues about the future focus on whether the demand for suicide in terminal illness will disappear as pain and symptom control improves, or whether ‘designing’ one's own dying will become a normal, socially tolerated, expected thing to do.
Farbcodierte Duplexsonographie der A. vertebralis. Normale und pathologische Befunde

Mit Einfuhrung leistungsstarker Duplexsonographiesysteme und der Farbkodierung von Dopplersignalen hat die Untersuchung der A.vertebralis (AV) zunehmendes Interesse gefunden. Ziel der Untersuchung war die Messung von Stromungsgeschwindigkeit in der AV in einem Normalkollektiv in Abhangigkeit von Gefasdurchmesser (GDM), Alter und systemischem Blutdruck. Im Vergleich dazu wurden Patienten mit zerebrovaskularer ischamischer Symptomatik und stenosierenden Prozessen an den extrakraniellen hirnversorgenden Arterien untersucht. Weiterhin sollte die farbcodierte Duplexsonographie (FKDS) an der AV in Bezug auf Reproduzierbarkeit, Darstellbarkeit und Sensitivitat/Spezifitat im Vergleich zur Angiographie gepruft werden.
Herbal cancer cures on the Web: noncompliance with The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES A significant portion of the US population uses the Internet to obtain health information; nearly half of Internet users admit that this information influences decisions about their health care and medical treatments. Concurrently, approximately one third of the population uses herbal supplements; a higher percentage is noted for subgroups of cancer patients. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994 contained regulatory standards for herbal supplements, including restricting any claims for disease prevention, treatment, or cure. This study determined the degree of compliance with the DSHEA, as applied to Internet sites focusing on the subject of herbal supplements and cancer. METHODS Internet searches were conducted using six popular search engines and three master search engines in October-December 2000 using the linked terms herb and cancer. The Internet sites identified through this search process were examined for categories of information including claims regarding prevention, treatment, or cure; commercial nature; DSHEA and physician consultation warnings; country of origin; and use of research and testimonials. Additionally, commercial sites were reviewed to identify tactics used to promote products or services. RESULTS Each of the six primary search engines provided between 11,730 and 58,605 matches for herb and cancer. Further cross matching with the three master search engines identified 70 non-repeating sites that appeared on all three master search engines. Of these 70 sites, nine were irrelevant matches or no longer functioning. Of the remaining 61, 34 (54%) were commercial sites (CS) and 27 (42.8%) were noncommercial sites (NCS). Of the CS surveyed, prevention, treatment, and cure were discussed 92%, 89%, and 58%, respectively. CS provided testimonials, physician consultation recommendations, and DSHEA warnings 89%, 38.8%, and 36.1% of the time, respectively. CS provided research with references 30.6% of the time versus 92.6% of the time in NCS. All international commercial sites surveyed claimed herbal cancer cures. CONCLUSIONS Although the DSHEA was enacted and amended to decrease unlawful claims of disease prevention, treatment, and cure, the results of this study indicate that such claims are prevalent on commercial Internet sites. A majority of sites claim cancer cures through herbal supplementation with little regardfor current regulations, and such claims were more common on sites operated from outside the United States.
Insect Arylalkylamine N-Acyltransferases: Mechanism and Role in Fatty Acid Amide Biosynthesis.

Arylalkylamine N-acyltransferases (AANATs) catalyze the formation of an N-acylamide from an acyl-CoA thioester and an amine. One well known example is the production of N-acetylserotonin from acetyl-CoA and serotonin, a reaction in the melatonin biosynthetic pathway from tryptophan. AANATs have been identified from a variety of vertebrates and invertebrates. Considerable efforts have been devoted to the mammalian AANAT because a cell-permeable inhibitor specifically targeted against this enzyme could prove useful to treat diseases related to dysfunction in melatonin production. Insects are an interesting model for the study of AANATs because more than one isoform is typically expressed by a specific insect and the different insect AANATs (iAANATs) serve different roles in the insect cell. In contrast, mammals express only one AANAT. The major role of iAANATs seem to be in the production of N-acetyldopamine, a reaction important in the tanning and sclerotization of the cuticle. Metabolites identified in insects including N-acetylserotonin and long-chain N-fatty acyl derivatives of dopamine, histidine, phenylalanine, serotonin, tyrosine, and tryptophan are likely produced by an iAANAT. In vitro studies of specific iAANATs are consistent with this hypothesis. In this review, we highlight the current metabolomic knowledge of the N-acylated aromatic amino acids and N-acylated derivatives of the aromatic amino acids, the current mechanistic understanding of the iAANATs, and explore the possibility that iAANATs serve as insect “rhymezymes” regulating photoperiodism and other rhythmic processes in insects.
A 3-Dimensional Mapping Analysis of Regional Nodal Recurrences in Breast Cancer.

Purpose The primary goal was to map the anatomic pattern of isolated nodal recurrences (NR) in the supraclavicular (SCV), axillary, and internal mammary nodes (IMNs) in patients with breast cancer treated with curative-intent surgery with or without radiation therapy (RT). Secondary objectives were to assess clinical and pathologic factors associated with patterns of NR and survival rates. Methods and Materials Patients with NR after treatment at a single cancer center during 1998 to 2013 were identified. Patients with prior distant metastases or NR without correlative imaging were excluded. All NRs were overlaid onto representative axial computed tomographic images. Multivariable analysis was performed to identify clinical and pathologic characteristics associated with NR. Kaplan-Meier curves were generated to assess the rate of relapse by nodal region according to pathologic feature or radiation treatment status. Results The locations of 243 NRs among 153 eligible patients were mapped. The majority of NR occurred in the axilla (42%; 102/243), followed by the IMN (32.5%; 79/243) and the SCV (25.5%; 62/243). Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) or European Society for Radiation therapy and Oncology (ESTRO) clinical target volume encompassed 82% (198/243) of NRs. The majority of out-of-field NRs were located in the lateral and posterior SCV region for both RTOG (67%; 30/45) and ESTRO (89%; 49/55) guidelines. The high-risk patients who received regional RT to the SCV relapsed at a similar rate in the medial, but a higher rate in lateral SCV (P = .009), compared with low-risk patients who received no nodal RT. Lymphovascular invasion most strongly associated with IMN NR (P = .001); grade 3 disease highly associated with both IMN (P = .001) and SCV NR (P = .02). The presence of an IMN NR portended for significantly inferior overall survival (OS), compared with an axillary NR, with a 5-year OS of 59% versus 72%, respectively (P = .03). Conclusions In this 3-dimensional image-based analysis of NR patterns in breast cancer patients treated with contemporary therapies, the lateral and posterior SCV represented a distinct site of NR that is not routinely included within current breast cancer contouring atlases. Grade 3 breast cancer and LVI were most commonly associated with the development of NR in the SCV. Modifying the CTV to encompass the lateral and posterior SCV in patients with breast cancer with these features might be justified.
Proposed changes to the ACR phantom filling procedure for more accurate and consistent activity concentrations.

Objectives The phantom filling procedures currently specified by the American College of Radiology (ACR) for its PET accreditation program unnecessarily limit how tight the tolerances can be made on the accuracy requirements for the concentrations measured in the resultant images. Methods New procedures are proposed to improve the accuracy and consistency of the concentrations within the phantom at the time of imaging. These improvements are gained by exchanging the difficult process of accurately measuring a dose with the more easily achieved accurate measurements of time and liquid volume to control final radioactivity concentrations. A comparison of the results when following the two filling procedures is made. Results The variability in metrics specified by the ACR was approximately halved by following the new procedures. Conclusion These improvements allow tighter thresholds to be applied when evaluating image quality and quantitative accuracy of the PET images. These changes also render this phantom data more suitable for inter-PET-scanner harmonization and improve its utility for comparing image reconstruction methods.
The Stimulant Selective Severity Assessment: A replication and exploratory extension of the Cocaine Selective Severity Assessment.

Background: Cocaine and methamphetamine have similar withdrawal symptoms and many individuals concurrently use both substances; however, no measures concurrently assess withdrawal from multiple sti...
Challenges Using the Linux Network Stack for Real-Time Communication

Starting in the early 2000s, human-in-the-loop (HITL) simulation groups at NASA and the Air Force Research Lab began using the Linux network stack for some real-time communication. More recently, SpaceX has adopted Ethernet as the primary bus technology for its Falcon launch vehicles and Dragon capsules. As the Linux network stack makes its way from ground facilities to flight critical systems, it is necessary to recognize that the network stack is optimized for communication over the open Internet, which cannot provide latency guarantees. The Internet protocols and their implementation in the Linux network stack contain numerous design decisions that favor throughput over determinism and latency. These decisions often require workarounds in the application or customization of the stack to maintain a high probability of low latency on closed networks, especially if the network must be fault tolerant to single event upsets.
Positive airway pressure ventilation and complications in pediatric tracheocutaneous fistula repair.

Objectives Surgical repair of persistent tracheocutaneous fistula in children may be complicated by tracheal air leak with resultant subcutaneous emphysema, pneumomediastinum, and/or pneumothorax. We first sought to identify clinical risk factors for postoperative complications after primary repair of persistent tracheocutaneous fistula in children. Second, the type and frequency of complications in patients administered positive airway pressure ventilation (e.g., bag-valve mask ventilation, continuous positive airway pressure [CPAP], or bilevel positive airway pressure [BiPAP]) postoperatively was determined and compared to a control population. Methods This was a retrospective investigation of all pediatric patients (n = 108) undergoing surgical repair of persistent tracheocutaneous fistula from January 2000 and April 2016 at a tertiary, academic referral center. Type and frequency of postoperative complications were compared among patients who were administered positive airway pressure ventilation postoperatively versus those who were not. Results Of 108 pediatric patients, complications after tracheocutaneous fistula repair occurred in 22 (20.4%) patients. These included symptoms of respiratory distress requiring intervention (e.g., supplemental O2 , racemic epinephrine, intubation), subcutaneous emphysema, pneumomediastinum and/or pneumothorax, bleeding, wound infection, and readmission. Frequency of all postoperative complications was significantly higher in patients administered positive airway pressure ventilation versus those who were not (50.0% vs. 16.7%, P = 0.015), as were rates of subcutaneous emphysema, pneumomediastinum, and/or pneumothorax (33.3% vs. 4.2%, P = 0.005). Conclusion Positive airway pressure ventilation after primary repair of persistent tracheocutaneous fistula in children may increase risk of serious respiratory complications. In practice, we advocate for avoidance of bag-valve mask ventilation and caution when utilizing CPAP or BiPAP postoperatively in these patients. Level of evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 130:E30-E34, 2020.
Automated signal drift and global fluctuation removal from 4D fMRI data based on principal component analysis as a major preprocessing step for fMRI data analysis

Temporal signal drift is one of the significant artifacts in functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data that is not given as much attention as motion or physiological artifacts. However, signal drift if not accounted for, can introduce spurious correlation between different regions in resting state fMRI data. Hence detection and removal of signal drift is an important preprocessing step in fMRI data analysis. Here we propose an automated data driven approach that makes use of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to eliminate not only low frequency signal drift but also spontaneous high frequency global signal fluctuations. This approach is also able to identify the most dominant component for each voxel separately. For task fMRI, this can help us identify regions that respond in a time locked manner to the experiment paradigm. Such regions can be thought of as activation regions. The dominant principal components corresponding to such regions can also be used to investigate intra-region Hemodynamic Response (HR) variability within subjects and across subjects.
Mudanças estruturais das relações de fronteira em face da globalização

O presente trabalho parte da desconstrucao do tradicional conceito de fronteira para reatualiza-lo em face das modernas concepcoes de territorio, que enfatizam menos o carater de soberania nacional, e mais como um local de praticas diversas, hibridas, conflitantes e conflituosas. Neste contexto, as fronteiras nao configuram mais uma simples demarcacao dominial de patrimonio de uma nacao, sao locais abertos para a formacao de riquezas sociais e culturais, que se formam no vao do “espaco” da fissura existente entre o rigorismo do discurso politico-juridico e as contingencias da vida. No entanto, essa diversidade coexiste com o processo de expansao do capitalismo, que tem um vies homogeneizante ao estabelecer padroes globais de producao e de consumo, ocasionando grandes desigualdades. Assim, torna-se imperioso demonstrar como os padroes globalizados do capitalismo, por meio de sua matriz de racionalidade homogeneizante, tentam reprimir a heterogenia cultural tipica dos espacos fronteiricos.
Image encryption by using a specific adaptation of Lehmer’s algorithm

A congruential generator is an algorithm that yields a sequence of integers, it is defined by an arbitrary first term (seed) x 0, and by a simple mathematical recursion relation which containing th...
Association of Preoperative Opioid Use and Prolonged Postoperative Opioid Use Following Total Ankle Arthroplasty

Background:Perioperative opioid consumption has received a great deal of recent attention. However, perioperative opioid utilization in the total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) population has not been we...
Carbonate mineral identification and quantification in sediment matrices using diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy

Carbonate minerals are a major reservoir in the global carbon cycle and a key player in the sequestration and emission of atmospheric CO2. In addition to the minerals’ frequent use in agriculture and construction, carbonate formation has been targeted for anthropogenic CO2 sequestration. Due to carbonate’s importance in geological and anthropogenic realms, research on carbonate characterization and quantification is of interest. Here, we demonstrate a method to identify and quantify calcite (CaCO3) and dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) in sediment matrices using diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS). Needing only a few minutes per sample, DRIFTS is a rapid technique that does not require hazardous chemicals and does not destroy samples during analysis. We selected the 2515 ± 9 cm−1 absorbance bands for quantification as they exhibited little interference from sediment matrix minerals and large peak areas relative to other bands. The DRIFTS technique was compared to the traditional acidification headspace analysis method on artificial mixtures of sediment and carbonate as well as natural lake bed and river bank samples from the Upper Sangamon River Basin in Illinois, USA. DRIFTS offers an additional advantage over acidification in that it permits carbonate mineral identification simultaneously with its quantification. Though DRIFTS estimates were higher, a good correlation was found between DRIFTS and acidification estimates for both lake sediments (R2 = 0.99) and bank samples (R2 = 0.92), indicating DRIFTS is a reliable method for carbonate quantification in sediment matrices.
Defining a textbook surgical outcome for patients undergoing surgical resection of intermediate and high-grade soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities.

BACKGROUND Quality measures for the surgical management soft tissue sarcoma of the extremity are limited. The purpose of this study was to define a textbook surgical outcome (TO) for soft tissue sarcoma of the extremities (STS-E) and to examine its associations with hospital volume and overall survival. METHODS All patients in the National Cancer Database undergoing resection of primary STS-E between 2004 and 2015 were identified. The primary outcome was a TO, defined as: hospital length of stay (LOS) 90 days from the date of surgery, no readmission within 30 days of discharge, and negative surgical margins (R0 resection). RESULTS Overall, 7658 patients met criteria for inclusion; a TO was achieved in 4291 (56%) patients. Of patients who did not achieve TOs, 51.9% (n = 1748) had an extended LOS, and 47.3% (n = 1591) did not have negative margins. Older age, more medical comorbidities, and non-white or black race were independently associated with not receiving a TO (P = .034). With respect to tumor and treatment characteristics, larger tumor size, lower extremity location and higher grade were independently associated with not receiving a TO (P < .001). Hospital volume was not associated with a TO. TOs conferred a significant survival benefit (hazrds ratio = 0.71 [0.65-0.78], P < .001). A TO was associated with a 27.5% longer survival time (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS This study defined a TO in intermediate and high-grade STS-E and demonstrated that this outcome measure is associated with overall survival. Facility volume was not associated with a TO.
Radiosensitizers in the Era of Immuno-Oncology

Radiation treatment is known to have immunomodulatory effects that contribute to its therapeutic efficacy. With the introduction and approval of immune checkpoint inhibitors in recent years, interest in combinatorial approaches has grown, as there is a strong scientific rationale that may account for synergy between radiation and immunotherapies. This includes enhancement of local effects of radiation via immune activation as well as the potential for abscopal effects that have been observed in unirradiated lesions. The optimal radiation dose and fractionation, timing and sequencing with immunotherapy and treatment volumes are important practical questions that are currently being explored. Combination of radiation with immunotherapies as well as additional molecular targeted agents with immunomodulatory activity are just beginning to be explored. This chapter summarizes the use of immunotherapies as radiosensitizers or agents to enhance systemic responses in combination with optimized local therapy.
Association of VPREB1 Gene Copy Number Variation and Rheumatoid Arthritis Susceptibility.

Objective. Copy number variation (CNV) is a structural variation in the human genome that has been associated with multiple clinical phenotypes. B cells are important components of rheumatoid arthritis- (RA-) mediated immune response; hence, CNV in the regulators of B cells (such as VPREB1) can influence RA susceptibility. In this study, we aimed to explore the association of CNV in the VPREB1 gene with RA susceptibility in the Pakistani population. Methods. A total of 1,106 subjects (616 RA cases, 490 healthy controls) were selected from three rheumatology centers in Pakistan. VPREB1 CNV was determined using the TaqMan® CN assay (Hs02879734_cn, Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA), and CNV was estimated by using CopyCaller® (version 2.1; Applied Biosystems, USA) software. Odds ratio (OR) was calculated by logistic regression with sex and age as covariates in . Results. A significant association between >2 VPREB1 CNV and RA risk was observed with an OR of 3.92 (95% CI: 1.27 - 12.12; ) in the total sample. Whereas ). Conclusion. of VPREB1 is a risk factor for RA in the total Pakistani population, while is protective in women.
Inverse Relationship of Maximal Exercise Capacity to Hospitalization Secondary to Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Abstract Objective To investigate the relationship between maximal exercise capacity measured before severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and hospitalization due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods We identified patients (≥18 years) who completed a clinically indicated exercise stress test between January 1, 2016, and February 29, 2020, and had a test for SARS-CoV-2 (ie, real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction test) between February 29, 2020, and May 30, 2020. Maximal exercise capacity was quantified in metabolic equivalents of task (METs). Logistic regression was used to evaluate the likelihood that hospitalization secondary to COVID-19 is related to peak METs, with adjustment for 13 covariates previously identified as associated with higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. Results We identified 246 patients (age, 59±12 years; 42% male; 75% black race) who had an exercise test and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Among these, 89 (36%) were hospitalized. Peak METs were significantly lower (P Conclusion Maximal exercise capacity is independently and inversely associated with the likelihood of hospitalization due to COVID-19. These data further support the important relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and health outcomes. Future studies are needed to determine whether improving maximal exercise capacity is associated with lower risk of complications due to viral infections, such as COVID-19.
Multiresolution Multimodal Sensor Fusion for Remote Sensing Data With Label Uncertainty

In remote sensing, each sensor can provide complementary or reinforcing information. It is valuable to fuse outputs from multiple sensors to boost overall performance. Previous supervised fusion methods often require accurate labels for each pixel in the training data. However, in many remote-sensing applications, pixel-level labels are difficult or infeasible to obtain. In addition, outputs from multiple sensors often have different resolutions or modalities. For example, rasterized hyperspectral imagery (HSI) presents data in a pixel grid while airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) generates dense 3-D point clouds. It is often difficult to directly fuse such multimodal, multiresolution data. To address these challenges, we present a novel multiple instance multiresolution fusion (MIMRF) framework that can fuse multiresolution and multimodal sensor outputs while learning from automatically generated, imprecisely labeled data. Experiments were conducted on the MUUFL Gulfport HSI and LiDAR data set and a remotely sensed soybean and weed data set. Results show improved, consistent performance on scene understanding and agricultural applications when compared to traditional fusion methods.
LincRNA-immunity landscape analysis identifies EPIC1 as a regulator of tumor immune evasion and immunotherapy resistance.

Through an integrative analysis of the lincRNA expression and tumor immune response in 9,626 tumor samples across 32 cancer types, we developed a lincRNA-based immune response (LIMER) score that can predict the immune cells infiltration and patient prognosis in multiple cancer types. Our analysis also identified tumor-specific lincRNAs, including EPIC1, that potentially regulate tumor immune response in multiple cancer types. Immunocompetent mouse models and in vitro co-culture assays demonstrated that EPIC1 induces tumor immune evasion and resistance to immunotherapy by suppressing tumor cell antigen presentation. Mechanistically, lincRNA EPIC1 interacts with the histone methyltransferase EZH2, leading to the epigenetic silencing of IFNGR1, TAP1/2, ERAP1/2, and MHC-I genes. Genetic and pharmacological inhibition of EZH2 abolish EPIC1’s immune-related oncogenic effect and its suppression of interferon-γ signaling. The EPIC1-EZH2 axis emerges as a potential mechanism for tumor immune evasion that can serve as therapeutic targets for immunotherapy.
Avoiding Monochromatic Solutions to 3-term Equations

Given any equation and the integers $[n] = \{1,\dots,n\}$, one can ask: does every 2-coloring of $[n]$ contain at least as many monochromatic solutions (asymptotically) as a uniformly random 2-coloring? We show that the answer is "no" for every 3-term linear equation with integer coefficients, i.e. there always exist 2-colorings with asymptotically fewer monochromatic solutions than uniformly random ones.
Dual-Cell Patch-Clamp Recording Revealed a Mechanism for a Ribbon Synapse to Process Both Digital and Analog Inputs and Outputs.

A chemical synapse is either an action potential (AP) synapse or a graded potential (GP) synapse but not both. This study investigated how signals passed the glutamatergic synapse between the rod photoreceptor and its postsynaptic hyperpolarizing bipolar cells (HBCs) and light responses of retinal neurons with dual-cell and single-cell patch-clamp recording techniques. The results showed that scotopic lights evoked GPs in rods, whose depolarizing Phase 3 associated with the light offset also evoked APs of a duration of 241.8 ms and a slope of 4.5 mV/ms. The depolarization speed of Phase 3 (Speed) was 0.0001-0.0111 mV/ms and 0.103-0.469 mV/ms for rods and cones, respectively. On pairs of recorded rods and HBCs, only the depolarizing limbs of square waves applied to rods evoked clear currents in HBCs which reversed at -6.1 mV, indicating cation currents. We further used stimuli that simulated the rod light response to stimulate rods and recorded the rod-evoked excitatory current (rdEPSC) in HBCs. The normalized amplitude (R/Rmax), delay, and rising slope of rdEPSCs were differentially exponentially correlated with the Speed (all p 0.4 mV/ms, R/Rmax reached the plateau, while the delay and duration approached the minimum, resembling digital signals. The rdEPSC peak was left-shifted and much faster than currents in rods. The scotopic-light-offset-associated major and minor cation currents in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), the gigantic excitatory transient currents (GTECs) in HBCs, and APs and Phase 3 in rods showed comparable light-intensity-related locations. The data demonstrate that the rod-HBC synapse is a perfect synapse that can differentially decode and code analog and digital signals to process enormously varied rod and coupled-cone inputs.
The administration of intranasal live attenuated influenza vaccine induces changes in the nasal microbiota and nasal epithelium gene expression profiles.

Viral infections such as influenza have been shown to predispose hosts to increased colonization of the respiratory tract by pathogenic bacteria and secondary bacterial pneumonia. To examine how viral infections and host antiviral immune responses alter the upper respiratory microbiota, we analyzed nasal bacterial composition by 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing in healthy adults at baseline and at 1 to 2 weeks and 4 to 6 weeks following instillation of live attenuated influenza vaccine or intranasal sterile saline. A subset of these samples was submitted for microarray host gene expression profiling. We found that live attenuated influenza vaccination led to significant changes in microbial community structure, diversity, and core taxonomic membership as well as increases in the relative abundances of Staphylococcus and Bacteroides genera (both p < 0.05). Hypergeometric testing for the enrichment of gene ontology terms in the vaccinated group reflected a robust up-regulation of type I and type II interferon-stimulated genes in the vaccinated group relative to controls. Translational murine studies showed that poly I:C administration did in fact permit greater nasal Staphylococcus aureus persistence, a response absent in interferon alpha/beta receptor deficient mice. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that although the human nasal bacterial community is heterogeneous and typically individually robust, activation of a type I interferon (IFN)-mediated antiviral response may foster the disproportionate emergence of potentially pathogenic species such as S. aureus. This study was registered with Clinicaltrials.gov on 11/3/15, NCT02597647 .
Effect of conditioned media on differentiation in mass cultures of chick limb bud cells. II. Metabolic and biochemical effects.

Abstract Chondrifying high density cultures of stage 24 chick limb bud cells were fed Conditioned Media known to interfere with chondrogenesis. Various aspects of cell metabolism were followed in normal and inhibited cultures. Among the parameters measured under various conditions were thymidine, leucine and sulfate pool size, total DNA and protein, and the incorporation of labeled thymidine, leucine and sulfate. Results are discussed in terms of control of cell phenotype expression.
Diabetes-induced dysfunction of the glutamate transporter in retinal Müller cells.

Purpose A decrease in the ability of Muller cells to remove glutamate from the extracellular space may play a critical role in the disruption of glutamate homeostasis that occurs in the diabetic retina. Because this amino acid is toxic to retinal neurons and is likely to exacerbate oxidative stress, elucidation of the mechanisms by which glutamate levels are elevated in diabetes may help in the understanding of the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy. This study tested the hypothesis that the function of the glutamate transporter in Muller cells of the diabetic retina is compromised by a mechanism involving oxidation. Methods Muller cells were freshly isolated from normal rats and those made diabetic by streptozotocin injection. The activity of the Muller cell glutamate transporter, which is electrogenic, was monitored by the perforated-patch configuration of the patch-clamp technique. Results Four weeks after the onset of hyperglycemia, a significant dysfunction of the Muller cell glutamate transporter was detected. After 13 weeks of streptozotocin-induced diabetes, the activity of this transporter was decreased by 67%. Consistent with oxidation's causing this dysfunction, exposure to a disulfide-reducing agent rapidly restored the activity of the glutamate transporter in Muller cells of diabetic retinas. Conclusions Early in the course of diabetic retinopathy, the function of the glutamate transporter in Muller cells is decreased by a mechanism that is likely to involve oxidation.
The Antigenicity of the Rho (Du) Blood Factor

The antigenicity of the Rh variant Rh o (D u ) was investigated by the transfusion of 45 Rh negative (cde/cde) patients with 68 units of "low grade" Rh o (D u ) blood of the phenotypes Rh o (ccD u ee) or Rh 2 (ccD u E). The donor red cells had normal viability; none of the patients made antibodies to Rh o (D) or Rh o (D u ). The results indicate that the inherited, "low grade" Rh o (D u ) factor is far less antigenic than Rh o (D). It was also less antigenic than Kell or rh99 (E) in this study. It remains possible that this variant will prove to be antigenic in some recipients, but the hazard from this is undoubtedly much less than has been expected.
19 Isolation, Cultivation and Characterization of Alkalithermophiles

Publisher Summary This chapter describes methods that are considered as reference procedures for isolation, cultivation, and characterization of aerobic and anaerobic alkalithermophiles. These methods are routinely employed in laboratory and are proven to give consistent and reproducible results. A large variety of incubators are available to grow micro-organisms at elevated temperatures. Aerobic alkalithermophiles are most easily isolated by the repetitive plating dilution technique. Characterization of alkalithermophiles is carried out by conventional methods and according to the requirements of the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. Alkalithermophiles for their temperature and pH ranges, and optimal temperature and pH values for growth are of particular interest in this chapter. The focus is on determination of marginal data (that is minimal, optima, and maxima of the pH, temperature, and salt ranges) as a function of growth rate in addition to the phylogenetic position. Extraction of deoxyribo nucleic acid (DNA) from isolates is necessary in order to amplify the 16S rRNA (ribosomal ribo nucleic acid) gene, determine mol% G+C content and for DNA hybridization experiments. To successfully extract DNA from an alkalithermophilic culture, the cells are harvested by centrifugation.
An interferometric study of the shock- reflection process in ionizing argon.

without degrading the performance of the single elements. In this manner, the parameters of temperature, pressure, and flow direction can be measured simultaneously and in close proximity in the flowfield. The probe head can pass through a 0.6-cm hole, and the probe may be used in a fixed position or in a linear- and rotational-actuator system to survey an area. Probe flow characteristics have been determined over a range of subsonic Mach numbers (0.2 < M < 1) as well as for Mach number 1.4. Reynolds number ranged from 3 X 106 to 3 X 10 7/m. General design considerations for this type of probe as well as detailed performance curves are presented in Ref. 1. Although the probe was developed primarily for use in rotating-machinery research, it is applicable wherever restrictions on size and requirements of multiple measurements exist.
Absorption Spectroscopy of Neutral and Ionized PAHs. Implications for the Diffuse Interstellar Bands

A detailed study of the ultraviolet-to-near infrared absorption spectra of neutral and ionized PAHs is presented. The experimental results obtained using Matrix Isolation Spectroscopy are interpreted in view of the general spectral properties of PAHs derived from theoretical modeling and compared with astronomical observations. From this comparative study, it is shown that: (i) Small neutral PAHs (less than 25 carbon atoms) absorb only in the ultraviolet and cannot contribute to the known diffuse interstellar bands although they may contribute to the extinction curve. (ii) Small ionized PAHs (less than 25 carbon atoms) absorb in the visible and near infrared close to the position of well-known diffuse interstellar bands, (iii) The absorption spectra of compact PAH ions axe always clearly dominated by one single band. Moreover, (iv) the classification of the DIBs between strong and weak features can be explained, in the context of the PAH proposal, in terms of a distribution of the band carriers between compact and non-compact PAH ions. Based on all these promising results it is argued that PAH ions constitute strong candidates to explain some (if not all) of the diffuse interstellar bands. Predictions for new diffuse interstellar bands to be searched for are also presented.
THE EFFECT OF ATTENTIONAL INTERFERENCE ON A ROCK CLIMBING TASK: A PILOT STUDY

Preparatory behavior has been identified as being beneficial (i.e., achieving optimal emotional states, focused attention, etc.) to performance within various sport domains. Participants of risk sport (i.e., rock climbing, surfing, skydiving, among others) have been reported to engage in this behavior (i.e., preparatory routines, plans, strategies, etc.) in an attempt to reduce the degree of uncertainty within their domains. The ability to employ this type of behavior however requires cognitive resources and attentional focus. The present pilot study examined the effect of decreased cognitive resources (i.e., through interference tasks) on performance in a risk sport activity (i.e., rock climbing). Rock climbers ( N = 18), whose attentional focus was manipulated through a series of resource-depleting tasks, climbed significantly slower, t (16) = -2.34, p Keywords: Risk sport, cognitive interference, planning, performance
High-resolution, high-speed microscanner in single-crystalline silicon actuated by self-aligned dual-mode vertical electrostatic combdrive with capability for phased array operation

We present micromirrors actuated by self-aligned, high aspect ratio, vertical electrostatic combdrives with multi-level electrical isolation that allows bi-directional and dual-mode (independent rotation and piston motion) operation. The fabrication process is based on self-aligned DRIE of SOI wafers with two device layers. The two oxide layers provide electrode isolation and etch stops for thickness control. Only front-side processing is required. We demonstrate micromirrors of this type with /spl plusmn/9 degrees of optical scanning and 7.5 /spl mu/m of piston motion under static actuation. Micromirrors designed for resonant scanning have optical scan angles up to /spl plusmn/25 degrees at 13.5 kHz.
Molecular density retrieval and temperature climatology for 40-60 km from SAGE II

[1] The Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II is a spaceborne solar occultation instrument that makes long-term stable measurements of atmospheric transmission at seven wavelengths between the ultraviolet and the near infrared. It provides near-global coverage (from about 75°S to 75°N latitude) and a data record spanning over 18 years starting in late 1984. Recently, a self-consistent molecular density retrieval was developed which uses SAGE II version 6.10 transmission data above 40 km altitude. Since at this altitude attenuation of solar radiation due to aerosols can be neglected, there is enough independent information in five SAGE II channels (386–600 nm) to separate the absorption due to ozone and nitrogen dioxide from Rayleigh scattering. Vertical inversion to obtain profiles of these quantities from 40 to 60 km proceeds as in the standard SAGE II algorithm, using a matrix of refracted path lengths. The density gradient information for averaged profiles is converted to temperature. The data are sorted into 20° latitude bands from 70°S to 70°N latitude, and the time series are fitted to provide a mean climatology and long-term trend estimates. The climatology agrees well with published climatologies for the northern midlatitudes and includes results for the other latitude bands as well. Analysis of long-term variation finds no statistically significant effect from the solar cycle or quasi-biennial oscillation and no statistically significant trend. An upper bound on a possible cooling trend of 3 or 4 K/decade is derived for high and middle latitudes between 40 and 45 km altitude.
Spatial and frequency-based super-resolution of ultrasound images.

Modern ultrasound systems can output video images containing more spatial and temporal information than still images. Super-resolution techniques can exploit additional information but face two challenges: image registration and complex motion. In addition, information from multiple available frequencies is unexploited. Herein, we utilised these information sources to create better ultrasound images and videos, extending existing technologies for image capture. Spatial and frequency-based super-resolution processing using multiple motion estimation and frequency combination was applied to ultrasound videos of deforming models. Processed images are larger, have greater clarity and detail, and less variability in intensity between frames. Significantly, strain measurements are more accurate and precise than those from raw videos, and have a higher contrast ratio between ‘tumour’ and ‘surrounding tissue’ in a phantom model. We attribute improvements to reduced noise and increased resolution in processed imag...
De oudere aan het stuur in samenhangende zorg

In deze klinische les illustreren we de meerwaarde en werkwijze van de POH-ouderenzorg, een verpleegkundige die de huisarts ondersteunt bij de uitvoering van chronische en preventieve zorg voor ouderen, een belangrijke taak. Zij neemt geen taken van de huisarts over, maar is complementair aan diens werk en expertise en versterkt en ondersteunt deze: er is sprake van supplementatie van zorg. Het gaat om een proactieve en gestructureerde aanpak via de inzet van een verpleegkundige (POH-ouderenzorg), die niet alleen reageert op klachten, maar die ook actief problemen signaleert en deze tijdig aanpakt via een geintegreerd zorgaanbod-op-maat. Daarbij stimuleert zij de actieve inbreng van de oudere zelf, zodat de zorg aansluit bij de doelen en de levenswijze van de oudere.
Cytochrome P450 gene-based drug prescribing and factors impacting translation into routine clinical practice

Pharmacogenetics represents a rapidly advancing, competitive field of investigation. Due to the potential for clinically recognizable interactions between a set of old polymorphic genes and a relatively new environmental insult (drugs), many human geneticists believe that variability in the drug-metabolizing enzyme systems will soon translate into clinical practice across entire populations. Despite this, the field has not yet received widespread clinical acceptance. This article will review the common cytochrome P450 gene polymorphisms and discuss the factors that may facilitate (or attenuate) their translation into clinical practice.