cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The genetics of PKMζ and memory maintenance

Elucidating the molecular mechanisms that maintain long-term memory is a fundamental goal of neuroscience. Accumulating evidence suggests that persistent signaling by the atypical protein kinase C (PKC) isoform protein kinase Mζ (PKMζ) might maintain synaptic long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term memory. However, the role of PKMζ has been challenged by genetic data from PKMζ-knockout mice showing intact LTP and long-term memory. Moreover, the PKMζ inhibitor peptide ζ inhibitory peptide (ZIP) reverses LTP and erases memory in both wild-type and knockout mice. Data from four papers using additional isoform-specific genetic approaches have helped to reconcile these conflicting findings. First, a PKMζ-antisense approach showed that LTP and long-term memory in PKMζ-knockout mice are mediated through a compensatory mechanism that depends on another ZIP-sensitive atypical isoform, PKCι/λ. Second, short hairpin RNAs decreasing the amounts of individual atypical isoforms without inducing compensation disrupted memory in different temporal phases. PKCι/λ knockdown disrupted short-term memory, whereas PKMζ knockdown specifically erased long-term memory. Third, conditional PKCι/λ knockout induced compensation by rapidly activating PKMζ to preserve short-term memory. Fourth, a dominant-negative approach in the model system Aplysia revealed that multiple PKCs form PKMs to sustain different types of long-term synaptic facilitation, with atypical PKM maintaining synaptic plasticity similar to LTP. Thus, under physiological conditions, PKMζ is the principal PKC isoform that maintains LTP and long-term memory. PKCι/λ can compensate for PKMζ, and because other isoforms could also maintain synaptic facilitation, there may be a hierarchy of compensatory mechanisms maintaining memory if PKMζ malfunctions.
Comparing Measures of Average Color Fidelity

The introduction of new measures of color rendition, especially IES TM-30-15, has stirred debate within the lighting industry on the relative merits of the tools, as well as the amount of differenc...
Views on workplace culture and climate: through the lens of retention and Title IV-E participation

ABSTRACTRetention of public child welfare (PCW) workers is the focus of much scholarly research. Examinations of the topic have ranged from assessments of workers’ background to job factors and att...
Numerical Nuclear Second Derivatives on a Computing Grid: Enabling and Accelerating Frequency Calculations on Complex Molecular Systems

The computation of nuclear second derivatives of energy, or the nuclear Hessian, is an essential routine in quantum chemical investigations of ground and transition states, thermodynamic calculations, and molecular vibrations. Analytic nuclear Hessian computations require the resolution of costly coupled-perturbed self-consistent field (CP-SCF) equations, while numerical differentiation of analytic first derivatives has an unfavorable 6N (N = number of atoms) prefactor. Herein, we present a new method in which grid computing is used to accelerate and/or enable the evaluation of the nuclear Hessian via numerical differentiation: NUMFREQ@Grid. Nuclear Hessians were successfully evaluated by NUMFREQ@Grid at the DFT level as well as using RIJCOSX-ZORA-MP2 or RIJCOSX-ZORA-B2PLYP for a set of linear polyacenes with systematically increasing size. For the larger members of this group, NUMFREQ@Grid was found to outperform the wall clock time of analytic Hessian evaluation; at the MP2 or B2LYP levels, these Hessia...
General Aspects of Pediatric Nuclear Medicine

Pediatric nuclear medicine is a very interesting, dynamic, and exciting field. Nuclear medicine contributes to the diagnosis of many diseases in children. Well-established procedures reveal physiological processes in vivo, permit early detection of disease, help patient management and therapeutic decisions, and provide an important tool to follow the success of therapy or to assess progression of disease. One of the reasons that nuclear medicine in pediatric patients remains successful is that nuclear medicine studies provide information about the patient’s condition that cannot be obtained easily (or sometimes at all) with other diagnostic methods. Some nuclear medicine procedures require pharmacologic interventions. Examples include the administration of furosemide, acetazolamide, phenobarbital, cholecystokinin analog, and dobutamine. Pediatric patients, with their wide range of body size, physical and psychological developmental changes, and medical disorders, present unique challenges. Patients in pediatric nuclear medicine range in weight from premature infants to young adults reaching adult weight. It has been said that children are not small adults, and even in nuclear medicine “one size does not fit all.”
Eukaryote RNase P and RNase MRP

Ribonuclease P (RNase P) is an essential endonuclease that catalyzes the cleavage of the 5′ leader sequence from precursor tRNAs (pre-tRNAs). Most forms of RNase P are ribonucleoproteins and the bacterial enzyme possesses a single catalytic RNA and one small protein. In eukaryotes, the enzyme retains a structurally related, catalytic RNA subunit but has a vastly increased protein composition with at least nine protein subunits in yeast and at least ten in humans. The reasons for this additional protein complexity over the bacterial and archaeal RNase P enzymes are not currently understood and potential roles including the acquisition of additional substrates are discussed. Furthermore, in the eukaryote RNase P has evolved into a distinct but closely related enzyme, RNase MRP. This paralogous enzyme has a structurally related RNA subunit and ten protein subunits in yeast, eight of which are also found in the RNase P enzyme. RNase MRP has distinct substrate specificities, primarily involved in ribosomal RNA biogenesis, but also cleaving mitochondrial RNA and mRNAs involved in cell cycle control. We review current information regarding the nuclear RNase P and RNase MRP enzymes in the eukaryotes, focusing on the relationship between these enzymes by examining their composition, structure and substrates.
Image Entropy for Discrete Dynamical Systems

In the 1950s, Menzel, Stein, and Ulam performed one of the earliest digital simulations of discrete dynamics in two-dimensions. In their work they created a robot mathematician to scan the results of simulations for chaotic attractors. Here their idea is extended, using the image entropy concept to scan a family of endomorphisms for explosive and catastrophic bifurcations.
Abstract 3293: Solid tumors have frequent mutation, copy number variation and differential mRNA expression of GPCRs: Are such GPCRs functional oncogenes

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the largest family of membrane receptors, regulate numerous cellular functions and are drug targets for many disorders but not generally in cancer. We analyzed The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) for GPCR mutations, copy number variation (CNV) and mRNA expression in 20 categories of solid tumors. We found that numerous GPCRs are frequently mutated, in particular, certain adhesion GPCRs (e.g.,GPR98 and GPR112), which appear to have a higher density of mutation events than other genes of similar length. Tumors with high mutational burden show a high frequency of such GPCR mutations that may result from DNA damage. CNV (especially amplifications and single-copy deletions) of GPCRs is widespread. In certain tumor types, particular GPCRs (e. g., GPR160) show high-level amplification in >30% of tumors. However, CNV does not appear to be a major factor in determining differential expression (DE) of GPCRs in tumors. Compared to RNA expression in normal tissues (GTEX database), most solid tumor types (including those accounting for the most annual deaths) differentially express >50 GPCRs, including 77 GPCRs with increased expression in at least one tumor type that are targets for approved drugs, providing opportunities for drug repurposing. DE of GPCRs is largely independent of tumor stage/grade, largely insensitive to specific driver mutations, and similar in primary and metastatic tumors, which both have high expression of numerous GPCRs in nearly all members within tumor populations. Cancer cells highly express most GPCRs overexpressed in tumors, making such GPCRs (especially those that are druggable) attractive candidates for further validation and functional studies. Multiple published studies provide functional data for certain such GPCRs. These findings imply a previously unappreciated role for GPCRs in solid tumors. Overexpressed GPCRs in tumors may regulate tumor biology as “functional oncogenes” and are potentially novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets, including for approved drugs. Citation Format: Krishna Sriram, Kevin Moyung, Ross Corriden, Paul Insel. Solid tumors have frequent mutation, copy number variation and differential mRNA expression of GPCRs: Are such GPCRs functional oncogenes [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3293.
Diversity Considerations in the Application of Evidence-Based Interventions with Forensic Clients

Ethnic and other minorities are overrepresented in forensic and correctional settings. Hence, it is imperative that mental health professionals in these settings consistently develop cultural sensitivity and skills with which to assess and treat these populations appropriately and effectively. The inclusion of clients’ culture has been identified by the American Psychological Association as an integral part of evidence-based treatment (EBT). Moreover, the APA has recently developed guidelines for multicultural competent treatment, which included the need to take into consideration the various cultural identities of clients in addition to their ecological context. In this chapter, we present a framework through which mental health professionals can develop increasingly more cultural sensitivity through an ecological approach and the multicultural counseling competencies (awareness, knowledge, and skills). We also review the literature with respect to the importance of the therapeutic relationship and group cohesion with a particular focus on working with diverse clients in forensic and correctional settings. We then describe examples of EBTs that have been adapted to various cultural groups, such as African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, as well as the evidence for using EBTs with LGBTQ individuals and people from low socioeconomic status. Finally, we provide recommendations on how to apply ETBs for use with diverse clients in forensic or correctional settings.
Utilizing a 3S (strategies, source and setting) approach to understand the patient's preferences when addressing medication non-adherence in patients with diabetes: a focus group study in a primary outpatient clinic.

Objective Non-adherence with diabetes medicines is a challenge. Approximately 54% of patients are non-adherent with their diabetes medicines. The objective of this study was to understand patients’ preferences when addressing non-adherence based on the 3S approach—strategies (what approaches can be used in addressing non-adherence), settings (when and where should the intervention happen) and sources (who should provide the intervention). Design A focus group research design was used. Setting A primary outpatient clinic from an integrated healthcare system in the USA. Participants Patients who were non-adherent with diabetes medicines. Data collection The focus group guide was based on the Medication Adherence Reasons Scale, which has 19 reasons identified for non-adherence. For each item in the scale, patients were asked for strategies that can be used in addressing that issue, the setting in which the interventions should be provided and the source to provide the interventions. Data analysis Open coding and content analysis. Results Two focus groups, each group having seven patients, were conducted. The major strategies identified were patient education, self-responsibility of patients, family support, reminders and societal support. The key educational needs were dealing with side effects and learning to use insulin properly, and a need for different learning styles when offering education. For the source, the major ones were physicians and pharmacists, having a continuous dialogue about the disease and medicines, and individuality in managing the disease. Respondents also recommended using a peer support group. For the setting, the patients preferred continuity of patient education throughout the disease. Conclusion The 3S approach was able to elicit several recommendations from patients to improve their adherence with diabetes medicines. Educational strategies were identified as the foremost approach coming from physicians and pharmacists throughout their disease journey, in addition to peer support.
Silicon photonics for quantum optical communication and processing

For dynamically-reconfigurable wireless optical communication, quantum optical communication and interfacing, as well as quantum processing, we research integrated microelectronic and photonic solutions. We investigate fundamental paradigms and scalable technologies. Optical waveguides support interfacing, ultra-dense quadrature amplitude modulation, multiplexing and demultiplexing, quantum state mixing and conversion, switching, etc. The silicon nitride is nonlinear media which exhibit nonlinear electro-optical, magneto-optical, optical and quantum effects. To accomplish measurable and processable transductions on physical variables which realize processing schemes, we investigate integration and role of passive and active components, such as controlled lasers, quantum dots, photon detectors, etc. Our objective is to find engineering silicon photonics for quantum-enabled processing and communication. Information science, quantum mechanics and nonlinear optics paradigms are applied. Analytic and low-fidelity experimental studies are reported.
Association of Feeding Evaluation With Frenotomy Rates in Infants With Breastfeeding Difficulties

Importance Inpatient surgical release of lingual frenulums rose 10-fold between 1997 and 2012 despite insufficient evidence that frenotomy for ankyloglossia is associated with improvements in breastfeeding. Clear indications for surgical release remain murky, and best practice guidelines have yet to be developed. Objective To determine whether infants referred for frenotomy to treat breastfeeding difficulties should undergo procedures after comprehensive feeding examination, during which the primary cause of feeding issues was identified, and targeted intervention was provided. Design, Setting, and Participants This observational quality improvement study followed mother-infant dyads between March and December of 2018 who were referred to our tertiary care center for difficulty with breastfeeding. All infants underwent a comprehensive feeding evaluation by speech and language pathologists who examined the infants' ability to breastfeed prior to a surgical consultation for initial frenotomy. Data analysis was performed between January 2019 and May 2019. Interventions A multidisciplinary feeding evaluation that examined infants’ oral structure and function and their ability to breastfeed and that offered techniques for mothers to address any feeding difficulties prior to surgical intervention was developed. Infants either found success in feeding and weight gain through this program or underwent procedures. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was the percentage of frenotomy procedures following implementation of a multidisciplinary feeding team evaluation. The secondary outcome was the percentage of infants referred for lingual frenotomy who later had either combined lingual and labial frenotomy or labial frenotomy alone. Results Included in the study were 115 patients (median age, 34 days [interquartile range, 19-56 days], 68 (59%) were male) referred for surgical division of the lingual frenum. Following the development of a program with feeding examination with a pediatric speech and language pathologist, 72 (62.6%) patients subsequently did not undergo surgical procedures. Although all of the referrals were for lingual frenotomy, 10 (8.7%) underwent labial frenotomy alone and 32 (27.8%) underwent both labial and lingual frenotomy. Conclusions and Relevance The majority of patients referred for ankyloglossia may benefit from alternative intervention strategies following comprehensive feeding evaluation. Close collaboration and formation of multidisciplinary teams are imperative for treating these children.
Tracheoplasty for Congenital Tracheal Stenosis with Bilateral Tracheal Bronchus.

INTRODUCTION Congenital tracheal stenosis (CTS) with a bilateral tracheal bronchus (TB) has not been reported as a subtype of CTS. A novel technique to manage CTS in patients with a bilateral TB is described. CASE REPORT An infant with tetralogy of Fallot underwent repair of cardiac anomaly at age 1 month. He experienced numerous cyanosis and episodes of transient respiratory arrest. Chest computed tomography (CT) demonstrated an aberrant bilateral upper lobe bronchus arising directly from the trachea and a stenotic trachea connecting the pseudo- carina to the true carina between the common right lower and left lower bronchus. On bronchoscopy, the diameter of the lumen of the narrowed segment was estimated to be less than 2 mm. Tracheal reconstruction was undertaken when he was 2 years of age. The surgical technique using a modified slide tracheoplasty for the correction of this anomaly are described. After surgery, the patient was extubated and has had no respiratory symptoms. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION The patient had unique anatomic considerations that made reconstruction challenging. Our technique of covering a stenotic section by normal trachea is a modification of the slide tracheoplasty technique and is useful for CTS with a unilateral and a bilateral TB.
The role of a deductible/credit system for post-disaster public assistance in meeting alternative policy goals

We analyze a major potential reform of the current FEMA Public Assistance Program that would establish a deductible against the coverage of losses and would offer credits for expenditure on risk re...
Determination of spatial scale of response unit for the WASSI-C eco-hydrological model—a case study on the upper Zagunao River watershed of China

Aims Optimal spatial scale of hydrological response unit (HRU) is a precondition for eco-hydrological modeling as it is essential to improve accuracy. Our objective was to evaluate the spatial scale of HRU for application of the WASSI-C model. Methods We determined the best HRU scale for the eco-hydrological model (WASSI-C) through examining the modeling accuracies at different HRU thresholds. This study focused on a large watershed, the upper Zagunao River watershed, situated in the upper reach of the Minjiang River, Yangtze River Basin, China. Important findings Variation of spatial scales in HRU significantly affected the modeling accuracy. With the increase of the spatial scale of HRU, the accuracy of simulated results first increased then remained relatively un-changed and then decreased, suggesting existence of a threshold around 85 km2 in HRU for this model for this watershed. We validated the model using this optimum spatial scale and discussed the potential to improve model output by addressing input parameters such as temperature.
The Educational Consequences of Parental Immigration Detention

Every year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement imprisons hundreds of thousands of noncitizens as they await adjudication on their deportation proceedings. Importantly, many detained individuals ha...
THE USE OF SCORECARDS FOR PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT

The balanced scorecard is a strategic planning and management system that is used extensively in business and industry, government and nonprofit organizations worldwide to align business activities to the vision and strategy of the organization, improve internal and external communications, and monitor organization performance against strategic goals. A major consideration in performance improvement involves the creation and use of performance measures or indicators. Through the analysis of data from the tracking processes, these measures or indicators themselves may be evaluated and changed to better support such goals. The success of the balanced scorecard or a similar device will depend on the clear identification of non-financial and financial variables and their accurate and objective measurement and linking the performance to rewards and penalties. The proponents of the balanced scorecard claim that it aligns with strategy leading to better communication and motivation which causes better performance.
Open-Ended Multi-Modal Relational Reason for Video Question Answering.

People with visual impairments urgently need helps, not only on the basic tasks such as guiding and retrieving objects , but on the advanced tasks like picturing the new environments. More than a guiding dog, they might want some devices which are able to provide linguistic interaction. Building on various research literature, we aim to conduct a research on the interaction between the robot agent and visual impaired people. The robot agent, applied VQA techniques, is able to analyze the environment, process and understand the pronouncing questions, and provide feedback to the human user. In this paper, we are going to discuss the related questions about this kind of interaction, the techniques we used in this work, and how we conduct our research.
Review of PET/CT Images in Melanoma and Sarcoma: False Positives, False Negatives, and Pitfalls

The most common cause of false-positive PET is inflammation, whether infectious or otherwise. Recent local therapy, such as surgery or radiation, will produce inflammation that can persist for months. Surgery can produce reactive uptake in local soft tissues and nodes, and the interpreter should be aware of changes in highly active tissues (such as a neobladder). Radiation can produce intense uptake, but is often in a linear pattern. Granulomatous inflammation (autoimmune or infectious) can produce false positives due to its intensity and nodularity. Access to the patient history is thus useful. False negatives may be seen in high-background organs such as the brain (necessitating a brain MR for full staging) or kidneys and bladder. Muscle metastases may be difficult to detect on CT, whereas bone metastases may be only detectable on CT. Brown fat in the neck is intense but has a characteristic pattern that should be recognized. Lesions below a centimeter cannot be reliably detected, though they are sometimes visible. A variety of motion artifacts, most commonly due to musculoskeletal motion or breathing, can cause errors in attenuation correction and/or anatomic correlation. Non-attenuation-corrected images may be useful here. Sites at the border of the imaging field may be poorly visualized. Intense physiologic uptake may obscure uptake in nearby metastases. Incidental findings are relatively common, particularly in the thyroid and colon, and should be noted as they may represent another primary malignancy. Finally, incidental findings on CT such as pneumothorax may be important as well.
Trust But Verify: a framework for the trustworthiness of distributed systems

Many real-time process-control and industrial control systems, such as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), use a distributed software architecture and rely on trusted message exchanges among software components. This paper presents the Trust but Verify (TBV) middleware that promotes the idea that software components should not blindly trust each other. The TBV intercepts messages between a sender and a receiver to verify the consistency of the messages against rules associated with message types; this verification considers the system state. Based on the verification, a message is either delivered to the recipient or blocked. Even when components are mutually authenticated, it is possible that their counterparts are faulty or acting maliciously, persuading the receiver to take harmful actions. The contributions of this paper are: (1) The design of the TBV middleware. (2) A proof-of-concept implementation of the TBV on a cyberphysical system—a water treatment facility. (3) An experimental validation of the TBV through several attack scenarios that allow compromised or faulty components to randomly send erroneous messages. These experiments measure the TBV's detection rate as well as its overhead. (4) An evaluation of the TBV overhead and performance degradation.
Environmental Durability of the Electrodynamic Screen (EDS) Film: A Water-Free Cleaning Process for Solar Collector Surfaces

Solar energy has seen an increased demand and is projected to grow exponentially in the next few decades. An unavoidable obstacle faced by solar power plants is dust deposition on the collector surfaces, blocking the incident sunlight from reaching the photovoltaic cell or mirror. The electrodynamic screen (EDS) film can clean the collectors without water, manual labor or robots. The environmental durability, viability and advantages of the technology are elaborated in this paper. Results of the newly developed hybrid ink are presented with comparison to a commercially available control ink.
Prescriber's Guide - Stahl's Essential Psychopharmacology ]

With the range of psychotropic drugs expanding and the usages of existing medications diversifying, we are pleased to present the Seventh Edition of the world's best-selling formulary in psychopharmacology. The new edition features nine new compounds as well as information about several new formulations of existing drugs. Many important new indications are covered for existing drugs, as are updates to the profiles of the entire content and collection, including new injectable and transdermal formulations, as well as updated warnings and indications. The Pearls have all been refreshed and the antipsychotics section has been completely revised. With its easy-to-use, full-colour template-driven navigation system, Prescriber's Guide combines evidence-based data with clinically informed advice to support everyone who is prescribing in the field of mental health.
Clothing Consumption During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence From Mining Tweets

Understanding how consumers have shifted in clothing consumption in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic is critical for fashion clothing brands and businesses to identify what value means to ...
Outpatient Off-Label Gabapentin Use for Psychiatric Indications Among U.S. Adults, 2011-2016.

Objective: Gabapentin is widely prescribed off label in medical practice, including psychiatry. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned of risks associated with gabapentin combined with ...
Simulation of 3D centimeter-scale continuum tumor growth at sub-millimeter resolution via distributed computing.

Abstract Simulation of cm-scale tumor growth has generally been constrained by the computational cost to numerically solve the associated equations, with models limited to representing mm-scale or smaller tumors. While the work has proven useful to the study of small tumors and micro-metastases, a biologically-relevant simulation of cm-scale masses as would be typically detected and treated in patients has remained an elusive goal. This study presents a distributed computing (parallelized) implementation of a mixture model of tumor growth to simulate 3D cm-scale vascularized tissue at sub-mm resolution. The numerical solving scheme utilizes a two-stage parallelization framework. The solution is written for GPU computation using the CUDA framework, which handles all Multigrid-related computations. Message Passing Interface (MPI) handles distribution of information across multiple processes, freeing the program from RAM and the processing limitations found on single systems. On each system, Nvidia's CUDA library allows for fast processing of model data using GPU-bound computing on fewer systems. The results show that a combined MPI-CUDA implementation enables the continuum modeling of cm-scale tumors at reasonable computational cost. Further work to calibrate model parameters to particular tumor conditions could enable simulation of patient-specific tumors for clinical application.
Dynamics of dissolution trapping in geological carbon storage

Abstract We report a quantitative study on the dynamics of dissolution trapping occurring during the injection of supercritical CO 2 (scCO 2 ) into a brine-filled heterogeneous porous medium, implying an application for the geological storage of CO 2 in saline aquifers. We present volume-of-fluid (VOF)-based simulations of integrated two-phase flow and species mass transport at the pore-scale to capture transient dissolution of scCO 2 in brine. It becomes evident that CO 2 dissolution is not an instantaneous process, as the structural heterogeneity of the porous medium induces incomplete mixing leading to non-equilibrium dissolution. According to our observations, dissolution of scCO 2 into brine occurs at an increasing rate at the early stage of the injection period, reaches a peak value, and follows by a declining trend at late stages. The observed trend in the dissolution rate is attributed to the evolution of interfacial area between percolated fingers of CO 2 plume and brine. When the system reaches the steady-state, a stabilized interface between scCO 2 and brine forms, undermining the scCO 2 dissolution and dissolved CO 2 mass transfer in brine. The pore-level analysis implies that injection rate and surface wettability are key factors influencing the evolution of the scCO 2 -brine interfacial area and consequently the mass transfer occurring at the interface during the dissolution trapping of scCO 2 . According to the results, scCO 2 dissolution becomes more pronounced when the injection rate becomes higher and the medium is more wetting to the brine.
Generation and Quantitative Analysis of Pulsed Low Frequency Ultrasound to Determine the Sonic Sensitivity of Untreated and Treated Neoplastic Cells

Low frequency ultrasound in the 20 to 60 kHz range is a novel physical modality by which to induce selective cell lysis and death in neoplastic cells. In addition, this method can be used in combination with specialized agents known as sonosensitizers to increase the extent of preferential damage exerted by ultrasound against neoplastic cells, an approach referred to as sonodynamic therapy (SDT). The methodology for generating and applying low frequency ultrasound in a preclinical in vitro setting is presented to demonstrate that reproducible cell destruction can be attained in order to examine and compare the effects of sonication on neoplastic and normal cells. This offers a means by which to reliably sonicate neoplastic cells at a level of consistency required for preclinical therapeutic assessment. In addition, the effects of cholesterol-depleting and cytoskeletal-directed agents on potentiating ultrasonic sensitivity in neoplastic cells are discussed in order to elaborate on mechanisms of action conducive to sonochemotherapeutic approaches.
Angiotensin II type 2 receptor regulates skeletal myoblast differentiation: implications for treatment of cachexia and skeletal muscle wasting (1102.34)

Patients with advanced congestive heart failure (CHF) or chronic kidney disease (CKD) often have increased angiotensin II (Ang II) levels and cachexia. Ang II infusion in rodents causes sustained s...
A Simple Model of News Aggregators, Information Cascades, and Online Traffic

This paper puts forth a simple model explaining the manner in which news aggregators such as Google News or Yahoo! News build herd behavior through information cascades. The model suggests that (1) an increase in the number of Internet users will make herding more significant over the Internet, resulting in a greater concentration of online traffic; (2) the first mover advantage will increase holding constant the quality of competing products or service; and (3) the use of an aggregator involves a tradeoff between imperfect information and search cost reduction, and this may not always be welfare enhancing. The model also provides a policy implication suggesting that the social costs incurred by aggregators will be minimized when the scope of a “design”– within which popularity information is ranked – is set as narrow as possible.
A multiband exponential rate operator for musical transient analysis

The exponential rate operator (ERO) is presented for determining the "instantaneous exponential rate" of the amplitude modulation during musical transients. Its extension to multiband signal representations such as STFT and wavelet transforms is also described. Sensitivity of the ERO to white noise is examined and computational efficiency of the STFT-based ERO is discussed. Examples involving synthetic and real musical transients illustrate the usefulness of ERO analysis.
Kinetic deuterium isotope effects in cytochrome P450 oxidation reactions

Cytochrome P450 (P450) enzymes account for ~75% of the metabolism of drugs. Most of the reactions catalyzed by P450s are mixed-function oxidations, and a C-H bond is (usually) broken. The rate-limiting nature of this step can be analyzed using the kinetic isotope effect (KIE) approach. The most relevant type of KIE is one termed intermolecular non-competitive, indicative of rate-limiting C-H bond breaking. A plot of KIE versus kcat for several P450s showed a correlation coefficient (r(2) ) of 0.62. Deuterium substitution has been considered as a potential means of slowing drug metabolism or redirecting sites of metabolism in some cases, and several general points can be made regarding the potential for application of deuterium in drug design/development based on what is known about P450 KIEs.
Results of intensive chemotherapy in 998 patients age 65 years or older with acute myeloid leukemia or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome: predictive prognostic models for outcome.

BACKGROUND Elderly patients (age ≥ 65 years) with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) generally have a poor prognosis. AML-type therapy results are often derived from studies in younger patients and may not apply to elderly AML. Many investigators and oncologists advocate, at times, only supportive care or frontline single agents, Phase I–II studies, low-intensity regimens, or ‘targeted’ therapies. However, baseline expectations for outcomes of elderly AML with ‘standard’ AML-type therapy are not well defined. The aim was to develop prognostic models for complete response (CR), induction (8-week) mortality, and survival rates in elderly AML, which would be used to advise oncologists and patients of expectations with standard AML type therapy, and to establish baseline therapy results against which novel strategies would be evaluated. METHODS A total of 998 patients age ≥ 65 years with AML or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (> 10% blasts) treated with intensive chemotherapy between 1980 and 2004 were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses of prognostic factors associated with CR, induction (8-week) mortality, and survival used standard methods. RESULTS The overall CR rate was 45% and induction mortality 29%. Multivariate analysis of prognostic factors identified consistent independent poor prognostic factors for CR, 8-week mortality, and survival. These included age ≥ 75 years, unfavorable karyotypes (often complex), poor performance (3–4 ECOG [Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group]), longer duration of antecedent hematologic disorder, treatment outside the laminar airflow room, and abnormal organ functions. Patients could be divided into: 1) a favorable group (about 20% of patients) with expected CR rates above 60%, induction mortality rates of 10%, and 1-year survival rates above 50%; 2) an intermediate group (about 50–55% of patients) with expected CR rates of 50%, induction mortality rates of 30%, and 1-year survival rates of 30%; and 3) an unfavorable risk group (about 25–30% of patients) with expected CR rates of less than 20%, induction mortality rates above 50%, and 1-year survival rates of less than 10%. CONCLUSIONS Prognostic models, based on standard readily available baseline characteristics, were developed for elderly patients with AML, which may assist in therapeutic and investigational decisions. These predictive models, based on a retrospective analysis, will require validation in independent study groups. Cancer 2006. © 2006 American Cancer Society.
Regional variations in the presentation and surgical management of Pierre Robin sequence.

Objectives/Hypothesis To estimate the current birth prevalence of isolated and syndromic Pierre Robin sequence (iPRS and sPRS), including demographic variations. To assess for regional variations in surgical airway interventions for PRS, and to determine the mean length of stay (LOS), cost of admission, complication rate, and rate of associated procedures related to tongue-lip adhesion (TLA), neonatal mandibular distraction osteogenesis (MDO), and tracheotomy. Study Design Retrospective cross-sectional study. Methods The 2006 and 2009 Kids Inpatient Databases were used to identify newborns and infants with PRS; analysis using cross tabulations and linear regression modeling was performed. Results In 2006 and 2009, the estimated birth prevalence of iPRS was 1.8:10,000 live births and sPRS 1.4:10,000 live births. The highest rate was in whites and the lowest in non-Hispanic blacks. There were 145 TLAs (36%), 176 MDOs (43%), and 85 tracheotomies (21%). The Northeast favored a TLA strategy; the Midwest favored MDO. The mean LOS for TLA was 24.5 days, MDO 36.7 days, tracheotomy (iPRS) 44.9 days, and tracheotomy (sPRS) 53.0 days. Conclusions The birth prevalence of PRS may be higher than previously described, especially in whites. Surgical management strategies vary between regions. The overall cost of a TLA admission is lower than an MDO or tracheotomy admission, owing primarily to shorter LOS. This study was limited by not taking into account outpatient expenses (nursing care, monitoring) or need for further airway/feeding intervention over subsequent admissions. Level of Evidence 2c Laryngoscope, 124:2818–2825, 2014
Effect of 13-cis-retinoic acid and α-interferon on transforming growth factor in patients with rising prostate-specific antigen

The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that 13-cis-retinoic acid (CRA) and alpha-interferon (IFN-alpha) have antitumor activity in patients with early recurrence of prostate cancer measured by rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) after local therapy, and that this activity is associated with the increase of plasma transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1). Thirty patients with a PSA > 7 ng/ml that increased >0.4 ng/ml/month after initial radiation therapy or a PSA > 2.0 ng/ml after prostatectomy were treated with 1 mg/kg/day of CRA and 3 million units of IFN-alpha administered three times per week. Patients were followed clinically with serum measurements of PSA and assessment of toxicity. Biological activity of CRA and IFN-alpha was assessed by the measurement of plasma TGF-beta1. Twenty-six percent of patients had a partial (50% decrease maintained for 1 month) or minimal (<50% decrease maintained for 1 month) biochemical response of PSA, with a median decrease of 23% (11-55%) at 3 months. Plasma TGF-beta1 levels increased with CRA and IFN-alpha therapy and correlated with a decrease in PSA; patients with a decrease in PSA had a 151% increase in TGF-beta1 compared to 27% in patients without a decrease in PSA (P = 0.04). CRA and IFN-alpha can produce transient reduction or stabilization of PSA. The measurement of plasma TGF-beta1 at 1 month of therapy correlates with changes in PSA and may represent a useful marker for the biological effect of these agents; further analysis in larger numbers of patients and methods to optimize these effects should be explored.
Crystal growth habits of DNA fractions. 2. Low-voltage SEM and TEM examination of lamellar structure and growth fronts

In a previous publication we reported the first documentation of the crystal growth habits in a polydisperse, heterogeneous DNA fraction of reasonable molecular weights under quiescent and isothermal conditions. In the relative humidity (RH) range where the A-DNA helix conformation is adopted, these morphologies could best be described as sheaves and spherulites. Here, we extend those light microscopic observations to the nanoscale, with the following conclusions: (1) the growth habit of A-DNA is lamellar with chain (helix) folding, exhibiting the formation of sheaves consisting of individual lamellae similar to those formed by synthetic semicrystalline polymers; (2) the lamellar crystals are thinner than the mean molecular length of the DNA fraction; (3) the lamellae exhibit topological differences in their lateral and basal aspects; (4) the lamellar tips are round and thinner than in the lamellar region behind the tips, which appear more faceted and of a different organizational structure; (5) these tw...
Topology optimization by penalty (TOP) method

In traditional structural topology optimization (TO), the material properties of continuum finite elements of fixed form and coupling are varied to find the optimal topology that satisfies the design problem. We develop an alternative, fundamental formulation where the design space search is dependent on the coupling, and the goal of the topology optimization by penalty (TOP)method is to determine the optimal finite element coupling constraints. By this approach, seemingly disparate topology design problems, e.g. the design of structural supports, topology optimization for fluid mechanics problems, and topology optimization by the element connectivity parameterization (ECP) method, can be understood as related formulations under a common topology optimization umbrella, and more importantly, this general framework can be applied to new design problems. For example, in modern multibody dynamics synthesis, the geometric form of finite elements of fixed material properties and interconnectivity are varied to find the optimal topology that satisfies the mechanism design problem. The a priori selection of coupling, e.g. by revolute or translational joints, severely limits the design space search. The TOP method addresses this limitation in a novel way. We develop the methodology and apply the TOP method to the diverse design problems discussed above.
Endovascular versus medical therapy for uncomplicated type B aortic dissection: a qualitative review.

BACKGROUND Uncomplicated type B dissections have been traditionally managed with antihypertensive therapy. In the endovascular era, this dictum has been revisited. This review pooled the available studies to compare the outcomes of best medical therapy (BMT) to thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for uncomplicated type B dissections. METHODS A literature search was performed to identify studies on uncomplicated type B dissections managed with BMT with and without TEVAR. The primary outcome measures were mortality rates at 30 days and at 2 years following intervention. RESULTS A total of 6 studies included 123 patients who underwent TEVAR/BMT, and 566 patients who had BMT alone. The mortality rates at 30 days (6.5% TEVAR/BMT vs 4.8% BMT, P = .21) and at 2 years (9.7% vs 11.9%, P = .32) were similar. Renal failure was greater in TEVAR/BMT (15.4% vs 2.1%, P < .01). Rates of surgical reintervention/intervention were similar (17.6% vs 20.1%, P = .31). CONCLUSION The TEVAR with BMT does not provide survival benefit compared to BMT alone, 2 years following uncomplicated type B aortic dissection.
Visualizing oceanographic data

The use of visualization to study both field-collected and simulated oceanographic data is discussed. An overview is presented of three programs in which visualization has provided important insight or technology. The diverse technology used-animation, computer vision, and synthesis of signal processing, image processing, and display-illustrate the variety of methodologies that are increasing knowledge about the ocean environment. >
Rotational degeneracy breaking of atomic substates: a composite quantum system in a noninertial reference frame

The degenerate magnetic substates of a field-free atomic system are split in a rotating reference frame. The splitting and ordering of the states should be experimentally demonstrable by means of laser-induced quantum interference spectroscopy of hydrogenic Rydberg states. This would manifest dynamical consequences of a noninertial reference frame on theinternal structure of a composite quantum system-in contrast to the observed neutron Sagnac effect, which involves the relative phase of essentially point particles. The predicted level splitting is independent of constituent particle masses; a composite quantum system in a rotating reference frame exhibits effects inequivalent to those that would be engendered in an inertial frame by a gravitational field.
COMMENTS ON INTERMEDIATE-COUPLING AND ADDITIONAL EXCITATION MODES.

An extension of the intermediate-coupling model of Thankappan and True that would include incoherent 2p-1h modes of excitation is suggested.
Palladium mesowire arrays for fast hydrogen sensors and hydrogen-actuated switches.

Arrays of mesoscopic palladium wires prepared by electrodeposition form the basis for hydrogen sensors and hydrogen-actuated switches that exhibit a response time ranging from 20 ms to 5 s, depending on the hydrogen concentration. These devices were constructed by electrodepositing palladium mesowires on a highly oriented pyrolytic graphite surface and then transferring these mesowires to a cyanoacrylate film supported on a glass slide. The application of silver contacts to the ends of 10−100 mesowires, arrayed electrically in parallel, produced sensors and switches that exhibited a high conductivity state in the presence of hydrogen and a low conductivity state in the absence of hydrogen. After an initial exposure to hydrogen, 15−50 nanoscopic gaps are formed in each mesowire. These nanoscopic gaps or “break junctions” close in the presence of hydrogen gas and reopen in its absence as hydrogen is reversibly occluded by the palladium grains in each wire, and the palladium lattice expands and contracts by ...
Power control and scheduling for guaranteeing quality of service in cellular networks

Providing quality of service (QoS) guarantees is important in the third generation (3G) and the fourth generation (4G) cellular networks. However, large-scale fading and non-stationary small-scale fading can cause severe QoS violations. To address this issue, we design QoS provisioning schemes, which are robust against time-varying large scale path loss, shadowing, non-stationary small scale fading, and very low mobility. In our design, we utilize our recently developed effective capacity technique and the time-diversity dependent power control proposed in this paper. The key elements of our QoS provisioning schemes are channel estimation, power control, dynamic channel allocation, and adaptive transmission. The advantages of our QoS provisioning schemes are (1) power efficiency, (2) simplicity in QoS provisioning, (3) robustness against large-scale fading and non-stationary small-scale fading. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithms are effective in providing QoS guarantees under various channel conditions. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
β-(α-Phenyl-α-3-thenylacetoxy) Ethyldimethylsulfonium Bromide as a Potential Antispasmodic

A comparative structure-activity evaluation was made to determine the potentiality of 3-methylthiophene as a possible active isoster of an agent which has demonstrated marked antispasmodic activity.