cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prediction of merozoite surface protein 1 and apical membrane antigen 1 vaccine efficacies against Plasmodium chabaudi malaria based on prechallenge antibody responses.

For the development of blood-stage malaria vaccines, there is a clear need to establish in vitro measures of the antibody-mediated and the cell-mediated immune responses that correlate with protection. In this study, we focused on establishing correlates of antibody-mediated immunity induced by immunization with apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA1) and merozoite surface protein 142 (MSP142) subunit vaccines. To do so, we exploited the Plasmodium chabaudi rodent model, with which we can immunize animals with both protective and nonprotective vaccine formulations and allow the parasitemia in the challenged animals to peak. Vaccine formulations were varied with regard to the antigen dose, the antigen conformation, and the adjuvant used. Prechallenge antibody responses were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and were tested for a correlation with protection against nonlethal P. chabaudi malaria, as measured by a reduction in the peak level of parasitemia. The analysis showed that neither the isotype profile nor the avidity of vaccine-induced antibodies correlated with protective efficacy. However, high titers of antibodies directed against conformation-independent epitopes were associated with poor vaccine performance and may limit the effectiveness of protective antibodies that recognize conformation-dependent epitopes. We were able to predict the efficacies of the P. chabaudi AMA1 (PcAMA1) and P. chabaudi MSP142 (PcMSP142) vaccines only when the prechallenge antibody titers to both refolded and reduced/alkylated antigens were considered in combination. The relative importance of these two measures of vaccine-induced responses as predictors of protection differed somewhat for the PcAMA1 and the PcMSP142 vaccines, a finding confirmed in our final immunization and challenge study. A similar approach to the evaluation of vaccine-induced antibody responses may be useful during clinical trials of Plasmodium falciparum AMA1 and MSP142 vaccines.
Tales from the Crypt: Evidence for Heptahelical Receptor Signaling in the Endocytic Pathway

In certain circumstances, internalized receptors are able to continue signaling after endocytosis. Whistler et al . discuss how the interaction of heterotrimeric GTP-binding protein (G protein)-coupled receptors with arrestins and their subsequent endocytosis may contribute to activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. This Perspective delves into the role that scaffolds may play in organizing and specifying downstream signaling events that occur after internalization of G protein-coupled receptors.
Second-Trimester Termination of Pregnancy: Nursing Care

Termination of pregnancy because of fetal abnormalities is a physically and emotionally painful event. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) intravaginal suppositories are an effective method for inducing labor. Patient care and pain management require both knowledge and sensitivity on the part of the nurse.
Cloning and characterization of the genes encoding the haemolysin of Haemophilus ducreyi

We previously identified a heat- and protease-labile haemolytic activity expressed by Haemophilus ducreyi. In order to characterize the haemolysin at the molecular level, genomic DNA from H. ducreyi was probed with haemolysin genes from other Gram-negative organisms. The haemolysin genes of Proteus mirabilis hybridized to H. ducreyi DNA suggesting that the haemolysin of H. ducreyi is related to the Proteus/Serratia pore-forming family of haemolysins. Tn916 mutagenesis was employed to isolate haemolysin-deficient mutants. Approximately 5000 Tn916 transposon mutants were screened for the loss of haemolytic activity and two mutants were identified. One mutant, designated 35,000-1, was further characterized. Sequences flanking the Tn916 element in strain 35,000-1 were employed to identify clones from a lambda DASHII library of H. ducreyi strain 35,000 DNA. A 13 kb insert from one lambda clone was selected for further study. This 13 kb fragment was able to both confer haemolytic activity to Escherichia coli and complement the haemolysin deficiency in strain 35,000-1. The haemolysin gene cluster was cloned from this 13 kb insert and two genes, designated hhdA and hhdB, were identified. The derived amino acid sequence of these genes demonstrated homology to the haemolysin and activation/secretion proteins of P. mirabilis and Serratia marcescens.
Sizing Power/Ground Meshes for Clocking and Computing Circuit Components

This paper presents a new formulation and an efficient solution of the power and ground mesh sizing problem. We use the key observations that (1) the drops in power and ground node potentials are due not only to currents drawn by the computing blocks, but also to those drawn by the clock buffers, and (2) changes of circuit component delays are linearly proportional to the power/ground IR-drops. This leads to a linear quantification of the timing relations between the clocking and computing components in terms of the power/ground IR-drops. Our method removes all IR-drop related timing violations that occur in about 2% of paths when grids are sized using the existing methods that satisfy the maximum IR-drop constraints. In addition, we achieve supply mesh area improvements of the order of 30% while simultaneously reducing the power dissipated in the circuits by about 6.6% compared to traditional grid sizing methods.
Design and analysis of compact dictionaries for diagnosis in scan-BIST

We present a new technique for generating compact dictionaries for cause-effect diagnosis in scan-BIST. This approach relies on the use of three compact dictionaries and target both modeled and unmodeled faults. We present analytical results that provide useful guidelines for the design of these compact dictionaries. We also present experimental results for the larger ISCAS-89 benchmark circuits for the diagnosis of various types of unmodeled faults.
The MIT Stata Center dataset

This paper presents a large scale dataset of vision (stereo and RGB-D), laser and proprioceptive data collected over an extended duration by a Willow Garage PR2 robot in the 10 story MIT Stata Center. As of September 2012 the dataset comprises over 2.3 TB, 38 h and 42 km (the length of a marathon). The dataset is of particular interest to robotics and computer vision researchers interested in long-term autonomy. It is expected to be useful in a variety of research areas-robotic mapping (long-term, visual, RGB-D or laser), change detection in indoor environments, human pattern analysis, long-term path planning. For ease of use the original ROS 'bag' log files are provided and also a derivative version combining human readable data and imagery in standard formats. Of particular importance, this dataset also includes ground-truth position estimates of the robot at every instance (to typical accuracy of 2 cm) using as-built floor-plans-which were carefully extracted using our software tools. The provision of ground-truth for such a large dataset enables more meaningful comparison between algorithms than has previously been possible.
Automated, Parallel Optimization of Stochastic Functions Using a Modified Simplex Algorithm

This paper proposes a framework and new parallel algorithm for optimization of stochastic functions based on a downhill simplex algorithm. The function to be optimized is assumed to be subject to random noise, the variance of which decreases with sampling time, this is the situation expected for many real-world and simulation applications where results are obtained from sampling, and contain experimental error or random noise. The proposed optimization method is found to be comparable to previous stochastic optimization algorithms. The new framework is based on a master-worker architecture where each worker runs a parallel program. The parallel implementation allows the sampling to proceed independently on multiple processors, and is demonstrated to scale well to over 100 vertices. It is highly suitable for clusters with an ever increasing number of cores per node. The new method has been applied successfully to the reparameterization of the TIP4P water model, achieving thermodynamic and structural results for liquid water that are as good as or better than the original model, with the advantage of a fully automated parameterization process.
Comparative Genomic and Phylogenetic Analyses Reveal the Evolution of the Core Two-Component Signal Transduction Systems in Enterobacteria

The two-component signal transduction system (TCST) consists of a histidine kinase (HK) and a response regulator (RR). TCSTs play important roles in sensing and reacting to environmental changes, and in bacterial pathogenesis. Previously, we have identified and characterized TCSTs in Erwinia amylovora, a severe plant enterobacterial pathogen, at genome-wide level. Here we conducted a comparative genomic analysis of TCSTs in 53 genomes of 16 enterobacterial species. These species include important plant, animal, human, and insect pathogenic, saprophytic or symbiotic microorganisms. Comparative genomic analysis revealed that enterobacteria contain eight pairs of core TCSTs. Phylogenetic trees reconstructed from a concatenation of the core set of TCSTs from enterobacteria and for individual TCST proteins from species in Proteobacteria showed that most TCST protein trees in the Enterobacteriaceae or in species of the γ-Proteobacteria agreed well with that of the corresponding 16S rRNA gene. It also showed that co-evolutionary relationships existed between cognate partners of the HKs and RRs. Several core TCSTs were quite ancient and universal based on phylogenomic analysis of protein structures. These results indicate that the core TCSTs are relatively conserved, and suggest that these enterobacteria may have maintained their ancient core TCSTs and might acquire specific new TCSTs for their survival in different environments or hosts, or may have evolved new functionalities of the core TCSTs for adaptation to different ecological niches.
Ultrasound Pulse Coding for Robust Obstacle Detection Using a Long Cane

An ultrasonic collision warning system suitable for embedding into a long cane for the sight impaired was designed. Using a sensor array and digital signal processing (DSP) techniques, an algorithm for collision hazard identification was formulated using a synthetic aperture to discriminate between echoes constituting real threats and those that do not. A prototype system was built using a Freescale DSP microcontroller and embedded into the handle of a long cane. Test results showed that obstacles within the synthetic aperture can be detected and reported with a maximum error of 6.3%.
On the Authentication of RFID Systems with Bitwise Operations

Due to the stringent computational capabilities of low-cost RFID tags, many lightweight authentication protocols have been proposed recently aiming to achieve secure authentication via bitwise operations. Following each proposal, a series of papers have been published to point out serious limitations on the security of such protocols. In this paper, we provide a detailed analysis of the security of bitwise authentication protocols in the presence of active adversaries. We divide bitwise operations into two main categories and address the security limitations of each category. Our work aims to provide guidelines for protocol designers in order to avoid pitfalls that can dangerously undermine the security of the designed protocols.
Multiplex PCR Method for Identifying Recombinant Vaccine-Related Polioviruses

The recent discovery of recombinant circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (recombinant cVDPV) has highlighted the need for enhanced global poliovirus surveillance to assure timely detection of any future cVDPV outbreaks. Six pairs of Sabin strain-specific recombinant primers were designed to permit rapid screening for VDPV recombinants by PCR.
Contributions of Muscle-Resident Progenitor Cells to Homeostasis and Disease

Adult skeletal muscle maintains a homeostatic state with modest levels of cellular turnover, unlike the skin or blood. However, the muscle is highly sensitive to tissue injury, which unleashes a cascade of regenerative and inflammatory processes. Muscle regeneration involves crosstalk between numerous cytokine signaling axes, and the coordinated activity of multiple muscle-resident and circulating progenitor populations. Satellite cells, closely associated with myofibers, are established as the canonical muscle stem cell, with self-renewal and myofiber-regenerating capacity. However, a heterogeneous group of mesenchymal progenitor cells residing within the muscle interstitium are also highly responsive to muscle injury and exhibit varying degrees of regenerative potential. These cells interact with satellite cells via direct and indirect mechanisms to regulate regeneration or repair. We describe the known phylogenetic and functional relationships of the multiple progenitor populations residing within skeletal muscle, their putative roles in the coordination of injury repair, and their possible contributions to health and disease.
Renormalization of capacitance in ultrasmall superconducting tunnel junctions

The effective dielectric constant of a tunnel junction of identical superconductors is calculated with use of the Kramers-Kronig dispersion relation. At T =0, a new expression for the renormalized capacitance of a weakly coupled junction is derived which is parametrized by x = e 2 /2 C Δ ; the ratio of electrostatic charging energy to the superconducting gap Δ . For x ≪1 the results agree with the recent calculation of Eckern, Schon and Ambegaokar. Significant differences are found for \(x{\geqslant}1\): The renormalization is strongly reduced and remains finite for Δ =0. The theory finds useful application in the theory of phase ordering in granular superconductors.
Improving Rules Induced from Data Describing Self-Injurious Behaviors by Changing Truncation Cutoff and Strength

Data sets describing self-injurious behavior were available as two temporal (time -dependent) data sets . The first problem was to convert these two data sets into a single time -independent data set that can be processed using the LERS data mining system. In the converted data set changes associated with time were taken into account by adding variables describing past values of attributes.
Robot motion planning with dynamics as hybrid search

This paper presents a framework for motion planning with dynamics as hybrid search over the continuous space of feasible motions and the discrete space of a low-dimensional workspace decomposition. Each step of the hybrid search consists of expanding a frontier of regions in the discrete space using cost heuristics as guide followed by sampling-based motion planning to expand a tree of feasible motions in the continuous space to reach the frontier. The approach is geared towards robots with many degrees-of-freedom (DOFs), nonlinear dynamics, and nonholonomic constraints, which make it difficult to follow discrete-search paths to the goal, and hence require a tight coupling of motion planning and discrete search. Comparisons to related work show significant computational speedups.
Automated ultrasound scanning on a dual-modality breast imaging system: coverage and motion issues and solutions.

Objective. We are developing an automated ultrasound imaging-mammography system wherein a digital mammography unit has been augmented with a motorized ultrasound transducer carriage above a special compression paddle. Challenges of this system are acquiring complete coverage of the breast and minimizing motion. We assessed these problems and investigated methods to increase coverage and stabilize the compressed breast. Methods. Visual tracings of the breast-to-paddle contact area and breast periphery were made for 10 patients to estimate coverage area. Various motion artifacts were evaluated in 6 patients. Nine materials were tested for coupling the paddle to the breast. Fourteen substances were tested for coupling the transducer to the paddle in lateral-to-medial and medial-to-lateral views and filling the gap between the peripheral breast and paddle. In-house image registration software was used to register adjacent ultrasound sweeps. Results. The average breast contact area was 56%. The average percentage of the peripheral air gap filled with ultrasound gel was 61%. Shallow patient breathing proved equivalent to breath holding, whereas speech and sudden breathing caused unacceptable artifacts. An adhesive spray that preserves image quality was found to be best for coupling the breast to the paddle and minimizing motion. A highly viscous ultrasound gel proved most effective for coupling the transducer to the paddle for lateral-to-medial and medial-to-lateral views and for edge fill-in. Conclusions. The challenges of automated ultrasound scanning in a multimodality breast imaging system have been addressed by developing methods to fill in peripheral gaps, minimize patient motion, and register and reconstruct multisweep ultrasound image volumes.
Madness in historical perspective.

Four decades have past since I began to work on the history of psychiatry, examining the rise of the asylum in Victorian England and the transformation of “mad-doctors” into a profession that eventually called itself psychiatry.[1][1] In 1970, most academic and elite psychiatrists in North
A Simple Synthesis of EXO-Tricyclo[3.3.1.02,4]non-6-ene

Abstract Samples of exo-tricyclo[3.3.1.02,4]non-6-ene (3) have been frequently required for physical-organic studies and for product comparison purposes in rearrangemtnt studies.1–3 The compound has been prepared in four steps from norbornadience in less than 5% yield.1 It has also been prepared from vinylcyclohexene in three steps, along with a variety of by-products, in less than 10% yield.2 We report here a simple, clean synthesis of 3 from nor-bornadiene with an overall yield of 45–55%. Additionally, we are reporting the first13C NMR spectrum of this compound which will allow for its easy identification in the future.
Maya Diets of the Rich and Poor: Paleoethnobotanical Evidence from Copan

Analysis of plant remains recovered from excavations at Copan in western Honduras has provided substantive data regarding agroeconomic systems of the prehistoric inhabitants. The time span of the deposits ranges from the Gordon/Uir phase (900-400 B. C.), which may have been non-Maya, to the Coner phase (A. D. 700-900+), which encompasses the collapse of the Classic Maya cultural manifestation in the valley. Several traditionally recognized mesoamerican cultigens were identified including corn, beans, and several species of Cucurbitaceae. In addition, remains of a number of economic tree species were discovered, suggesting a reliance on arboriculture as part of the subsistence strategy. Pine charcoal predominated in all deposits and may have been the preferred wood for fuel and construction. Analysis of edible-plant-species distributions from low- and high-status Late Classic dwellings using the Shannon-Weaver index revealed that elite individuals had a higher diversity of available foods, a situation that may have led to nutritional stress among lower-status individuals and, ultimately, social unrest.
ELASTIC PROPERTIES OF SINGLE-WALLED CARBON NANOTUBES

In this paper, several elastic moduli of single -walled carbon nanotubes are simulated numerically. The dynamic response and their mutual interaction forces among atoms of the nanostructures subject to small strain deformation are based on the Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations. Both force and energy approaches are used to predict the elastic moduli under different deformation modes. Comparison of the elastic constants with available experimental and simulation results is made.
The Convoluted Nature of the African Ivory Trade Possible Solutions for Curbing the Destructive Nature of Poaching and Promoting Elephant Conservation

The current nature of ivory and elephant conservation within Africa is extremely ambiguous and filled with much uncertainty. The purpose of this work is to investigate objectively the sources for this convoluted complexion, which stem from a wide variety of issues including (but not limited to) geopolitics, imperialism, governmental legitimacy, foreign policies, and present-day western influences. In addition, this work also considers certain ecological ramifications of the current illicit African ivory trade and sheds light on not only the problems relating to direct poaching, but also extraneous pressures, both internal and external, which are causing a high demand for ivory. Through such analyses, this paper investigates possible solutions to lower poaching and stimulates conservation on the African elephant, promotes community-based conservation, and relieves African nations of post-imperialistic stress, granting them increased autonomy on the matter. � �
The Effect of Dexamethasone Induction Test on the Prognosis of Children Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Objective: To predict the effect of Glucostricosteroid(GC) on the prognosis of children acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL) by using Dexamethasone induction test. Methods: The dynamic changes of the blast cells in the peripheral blood were monitored before and 7days after Dexamethesone treatment.Then,all children received the same intensive combination chemotherapy protocols. Results: Of 52 children,40(77%)belonged to Dexamethasone good responder(DGR) groop including 6 in high risk and 34 in low risk.Of 40 DGRS 29(72.5%)remained in continuous complete remission(CCR) and three of them((7.5%))relapsed.While 12/52 children(23%) were Dexamethasone poor responders(DPR) with 5 children relapse(42%) and 3 still in CCR(25%).Bone marrow were examined on the 15 and 28 days after treatment,M_1,M_2,M_3 states were reached on 15 days after treatment in DPR with 58.3%,25% and 16.7% respectively.While in DGR group,95% and 5% children achieved M_1 and M_2 status respectively on 15 days with no one in M_3 status.DPR group was slower in reaching CR than DGR group. Conclusion: Glucostricosteroid treatment for children with acute lymphobaltic leukemia was effective.
Effects of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist on pituitary and ovarian responses to pulsatile GnRH therapy in polycystic ovarian disease * †

Nine clomiphene citrate-resistant polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD) patients received intravenous gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) pulses before and immediately after 1 month of GnRH agonist (GnRH-a) therapy. Circulating gonadotropin and ovarian steroid levels, as well as follicular development, were measured throughout therapy. Results were compared with those obtained from five hypogonadotropic patients treated with GnRH pulses only who ovulated during six of seven treatment cycles. Only two PCOD patients ovulated normally with GnRH pulses before GnRH-a therapy. Aberrant gonadotropin and ovarian steroid secretory patterns were noted in the others. After GnRH-a, gonadotropin and ovarian steroid hormone levels were similar to those of the hypogonadotropic patients. Subsequent secretory responses to GnRH pulses were partially normalized. However, only two additional PCOD patients ovulated.
Poly(vinyl alcohol) tissue phantoms as a robust in vitro model for heat transfer

ABSTRACTGlutaraldehyde-crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was used to create pourable, volume-stable hydrogel tissue phantoms that demonstrate several advantages over traditional poly(acrylamide) phantoms. The crosslinker concentration, curing time, and curing temperature were tuned to produce a tissue phantom whose volume varied by <0.2% over a 25-day span. The thermal conductivity of the PVA phantoms was tuned across the physiological range from 0.475 to 0.795 W m−1°C−1 by incorporating inert particle fillers. Experimental thermal diffusivity trials demonstrated the method’s utility for creating reliable, versatile tissue phantoms for the in vitro study of heat transfer in biologically relevant scenarios.
Minority student success : Librarians as partners

Activite des bibliothecaires dans le cadre de l'aide a des etudiants appartenant a une minorite ethnique: programme APT (Africans Americans Partnering Talent). Formation de ces etudiants dans le domaine des sciences de l'information et des bibliotheques
Abstract 4152: Efferocytosis of prostate cancer cells induces a tumor-promoting inflammatory response in myeloid macrophages

Tumor progression is characterized by persistent death of cancer cells, which are cleared by the innate immune system phagocytes. This process termed efferocytosis is enhanced with targeted therapies that induce apoptosis in tumor cells. Recent findings suggest that efferocytosis polarizes macrophages into M2-type and may induce tumor acceleration; however, this mechanism and its consequences in prostate cancer tumor fate remains largely unknown. Here the changes in cytokine expression (mRNA and protein) in primary bone marrow derived mouse macrophages (Mϕ) interacting with two apoptotic prostate cancer cells (human PC3 and mouse RM1) were analyzed. In response to efferocytosis, Mϕ produced known tumor-promoting inflammatory cytokines including IL-6, CXCL1 and CXCL5 that are chemoattractants of monocytes/macrophages and neutrophils. In vitro efferocytosis induced the activation of NF-κb signaling in Mϕ as analyzed by Western blot and functional luciferase reporter assays (TRACER). Inhibition of NF-κb with the chemical compound emetine (0.3 μM) blocked the efferocytosis of fluorescence-labeled apoptotic cancer cells and the expression of the inflammatory marker Ly-6B by Mϕ, suggesting a crucial role of NF-κb in the efferocytic function of Mϕ. An in vivo syngeneic tumor model was used in which apoptosis-inducible prostate cancer cells (RM1-iCasp9) were injected in vertebral bodies and implanted subcutaneously in immune competent mice. Seven days post-surgery mice were treated with vehicle (VEH) or the dimerizer drug AP20187 (AP) to induce apoptosis in RM1-iCasp9 cancer cells. Continuous analysis of tumor volume and the endpoint tumor weight (13d) revealed accelerated tumor growth in mice where apoptosis was induced (AP) as compared with controls (VEH) (p Citation Format: Hernan Roca, Marta Purica, Savannah Weidner, Amy J. Koh, Robert Kuo, Jacques E. Nor, Lonnie D. Shea, Laurie K. McCauley. Efferocytosis of prostate cancer cells induces a tumor-promoting inflammatory response in myeloid macrophages. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4152.
Constrained solid-state foaming of microcellular panels

This paperpresentsa novel constrained foaming process to produce microcellular panels. A systematic study of various process variables is conducted using a two.stage sliding-level design of experiment approach. The resulting microcellular sheets have thicknesses in the 5 - 15 mm range and densities reductions as low as 92%. It is shown that an unfoamed integral skin of desired thickness can be produced with a microcellular core at various densities. These microcellular panels are envisioned for use in advanced panel systems and sandwich structures, such as in housing construction and other load-bearing applications.
A New Matrix Addition Rule for Combining Linear Belief Functions

Linear models, obtained from independent sources, may be combined via Dempster’s rule as linear belief functions. When they are represented as matrices, the combination is reduced to the addition of the matrices in fully swept forms. This paper improves this combination rule by further reducing unnecessary sweeping operations.
Self-adjusting threshold mechanism for pixel detectors

Abstract Readout chips of hybrid pixel detectors use a low power amplifier and threshold discrimination to process charge deposited in semiconductor sensors. Due to transistor mismatch each pixel circuit needs to be calibrated individually to achieve response uniformity. Traditionally this is addressed by programmable threshold trimming in each pixel, but requires robustness against radiation effects, temperature, and time. In this paper a self-adjusting threshold mechanism is presented, which corrects the threshold for both spatial inequality and time variation and maintains a constant response. It exploits the electrical noise as relative measure for the threshold and automatically adjust the threshold of each pixel to always achieve a uniform frequency of noise hits. A digital implementation of the method in the form of an up/down counter and combinatorial logic filter is presented. The behavior of this circuit has been simulated to evaluate its performance and compare it to traditional calibration results. The simulation results show that this mechanism can perform equally well, but eliminates instability over time and is immune to single event upsets.
Examining the Effects of Parental Absence on the Academic Achievement of Adolescents: The Challenge of Controlling for Family Income

Increasingly, researchers are concerned about how to best control for family income when examining the effects of parental divorce and the death of a parent on the children's academic achievement. Some researchers have argued that a predissolution control is preferable over a postdissolution control for family income, because parental divorce or the death of a parent nearly always causes family income reduction. Using the National Educational Longitudinal Study 1988–92 data set, this study has examined whether using a predissolution control for family income yields a different pattern of effects from when a postdissolution control is used. The results indicate that using a predissolution control rather than a postdissolution control for family income does yield a different pattern of effects.
Secondary outcomes from the pediatric obsessive compulsive disorder treatment study II.

Abstract The Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Treatment Study II (POTS II) investigated the benefit of serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) augmentation with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Primary outcomes focused on OCD symptom change and indicated benefit associated with a full course of CBT. Given that the majority of youth with OCD suffer from significant comorbid symptoms and impaired quality of life, the current study examined POTS II data for effects on secondary outcomes. Participants were 124 youth ages 7–17 years with a primary diagnosis of OCD who were partial responders to an adequate SRI trial. Participants were randomized to medication management, medication management plus instructions in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), or medication management plus full CBT. Acute effects on non-OCD anxiety, depression, inattention, hyperactivity, and quality of life were examined across treatment conditions. Improvement across treatment was observed for non-OCD anxiety, inattention, hyperactivity, and quality of life. Changes were generally significantly greater in the group receiving full CBT. Child-rated depression was not found to change. OCD-focused treatment lead to improvement in other areas of psychopathology and functioning. For youth who are partial responders to SRI monotherapy, augmentation with full CBT may yield the greatest benefit on these secondary outcomes. Clinical trials registration Treatment of Pediatric OCD for SRI Partial Responders, Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00074815, http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00074815 .
Distal Metatarsal Osteotomy and Capsular Balancing

Distal metatarsal osteotomy has traditionally been indicated to address moderate hallux valgus deformity. Advantages of this procedure include the ability to control length and sagittal plane position, inherent stability to the osteotomy, technical simplicity, and early weight bearing. Shortcomings include many of the issues that have been discussed inherent to transverse plane procedures such as under-correction, loss of correction, and need for multiple procedures in many cases. One component of the procedure that is consistently needed during correction is detailed attention to soft tissue balancing. Discussion of the most common types of distal metatarsal correction for hallux valgus is presented.
The use of 5-aminolevulinic acid to assist gross total resection of pediatric astroblastoma

Astroblastoma is an uncommon pediatric neuroepithelial tumor. The prognosis and appropriate treatment of astroblastoma were not well understood. Previous reports suggested the best treatment for astroblastoma is surgical total resection. The authors report a case of pediatric astroblastoma that underwent gross total resection with the use of fluorescent guidance by 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA). A 13-year-old girl presented with the tumor that was well-circumscribed cystic and solid mass with marked gadolinium enhancement in the right occipital lobe. At surgery, fluorescence of the tumor was clearly distinctive from the normal cerebral tissue. All fluorescent tissue including residual cyst wall was removed. Postoperative MRI showed gross total resection of the tumor. No serious side effect or complications occurred. The histopathologic diagnosis was suggestive of astroblastoma. The patients had no evidence of recurrence of tumor without adjuvant radiotherapy during the last 1 year of follow-up time. 5-ALA is useful to achieve gross total resection including cystic lesion of pediatric astroblastoma. A larger prospective study is warranted to establish the use of 5-ALA in pediatric brain tumor.
Recreation in Families with Children with Developmental Disabilities: Caregivers’ Use of Online and Offline Support Groups

The purpose of this study was to explore what role online and offline support groups play in the lives of families with children who have developmental disabilities. Eight semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with married mothers who had one to five children. The study revealed that caregivers saw online and offline support groups as playing important but different roles in their lives and the lives of their families. Online support groups were particularly appreciated during the initial steps of learning about a child’s disability when caregivers felt isolated and eager to learn more. During that stage, online support groups offered them volumes of valuable information and access to people across the world who go through similar experiences. Offline support groups offered participants of this study a sense of strong connection and belonging, and allowed them to spend time with other adults and learn about resources available in their community. The mothers also appreciated the opportunity provided to the children with disabilities and their siblings to make friends and spend time together. Subscribe to TRJ
Looking at Myth in Modern Mexican Literature

In attempting to understand the place of rewriting myth in twentieth-century Mexican literature and its precise relationship to modernity, this chapter suggests five categories (aggrandisement, inhabitation, reversal, manipulation, and appropriation) as a tentative means of delineating the range of retellings involved. Figures such as Alfonso Reyes are invoked to attempt to understand (but also problematize) how such a set of soft categories might help us to understand the relationship between modernity, modernism and the re-writing of myth in the literary history of Mexico. The essay ends, however, with a reminder of the limitations of such categories against a background of overwhelmingly specific and idiosyncratic literary developments.
Neuroimaging in infants who present with inborn errors of metabolism

In the clinical management of inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs) a central focus is on protecting the central nervous system (CNS) from the toxic effects of the metabolic dysfunction. Despite our ability to screen for and detect many of these conditions in the newborn period, making early treatment possible, cognitive abnormalities may still result because of our inability to identify and alter the early steps in brain pathology. A key in preventing neurological imaging is the understanding the steps in the brain injury and the time course of injury in order that physicians may intervene. Since the infant who is comatose does not give us clues as to whether it is due to infection, inborn errors of metabolism and which one, seizures or other causes based on examination alone. Therefore, neuroimaging may provide biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis. This review will discuss use of neuroimaging in inborn errors of metabolism of acutely ill infants.
To cluster or not to cluster?: Understanding geographic clustering by restaurant segment

Abstract This study tested whether geographic clustering differs by restaurant segment due to the differences in consumers’ hedonic and utilitarian values by using Ripley’s K function and a Tobit model. This study found that higher priced restaurant segments have stronger clusters than lower priced restaurants, which implies that restaurants that focus on hedonic values tend to cluster more than utilitarian focused restaurants. However, the results differ depending on whether or not restaurants are located within a central business district (CBD). For example, quick service restaurants have stronger clusters than casual restaurants outside CBDs. Practical applications may apply to new restaurants that are attempting to open. Up-scale restaurants have the advantage of reducing research costs by locating near similar restaurants. Moreover, casual restaurants do benefit by clustering near existing ones under the condition that demand is not severely hurt by competition, while quick service restaurants benefit by diffusing from each other.
Assessment of medication management capacity in a predominantly African American and Caribbean American sample of adults with intractable epilepsy.

Abstract Introduction Suboptimal or partial adherence to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) is an avoidable cause of seizures and deleterious outcomes in epilepsy. As self-rated adherence may be unreliable, suboptimal adherence may go undetected. This study assessed generalizability of a performance-based measure of medication management to patients with intractable epilepsy. Materials and methods Participants were 50 adults (age = 42 ± 14 years, 60% female, 82% Black, 20% Hispanic/Latino) with ≥ 2 seizures in the preceding 6 months. Antiepileptic drug adherence was electronically monitored for one month via Medication Event Monitoring Systems (MEMS) and self-rated (1 = very poor to 6 = excellent). The Medication Management Ability Assessment (MMAA) was administered at follow-up and scored by raters blind to adherence results. Spearman correlations and Poisson regressions assessed their associations. Results On average, participants self-reported good-to-very good adherence. According to MEMS, participants took AEDs as prescribed 73% of the time; most participants (58%) missed ≥ 3 doses. The MMAA demonstrated strong internal consistency (Kuder-Richardson 20 = 0.81) and was associated with MEMS: percentage of days doses were taken correctly (rs = 0.29, p = 0.04) and frequency of missed doses (rs = − 0.31, p = 0.03). The MMAA was not associated with self-rated adherence. Poisson regressions showed that self-ratings and MMAA performance accounted for unique variance in frequency of missed AED doses. Conclusions These findings provide evidence of the MMAA's criterion validity as a measure of capacity to manage AEDs. It may prove useful in cases where suboptimal adherence is suspected but unreported by patients. Its lack of significant association with self-rated adherence is consistent with prior reports; however, future studies should replicate these findings with larger samples.
Lactitol: Production, properties, and applications

Abstract Lactitol is a sugar alcohol or polyol obtained from the catalytic hydrogenation of lactose. Although lactitol is commonly used to deliver sweetness at low caloric value, lactitol is a multipurpose compound having various applications in the field of food, dairy, and pharmaceutical. This review is aimed at discussing key functional properties of lactitol and their applications thereof. A number of applications have been reported for lactitol including surfactant and emulsifier agent, as well as a platform chemical for the formation of hydrogels. Lactitol is also used extensively in formulating bakery, chocolate, confectionary, dessert, chewing gum, and as delivery agent with pharmaceutical purposes (lactitol hydrogel). Research efforts are required to understand the interaction of lactitol with the other food components during processing as well as a comprehensive evaluation of the final product properties.
SHP2 Drives Adaptive Resistance to ERK Signaling Inhibition in Molecularly Defined Subsets of ERK-Dependent Tumors.

Summary Pharmacologic targeting of components of ERK signaling in ERK-dependent tumors is often limited by adaptive resistance, frequently mediated by feedback-activation of RTK signaling and rebound of ERK activity. Here, we show that combinatorial pharmacologic targeting of ERK signaling and the SHP2 phosphatase prevents adaptive resistance in defined subsets of ERK-dependent tumors. In each tumor that was sensitive to combined treatment, p(Y542)SHP2 induction was observed in response to ERK signaling inhibition. The strategy was broadly effective in TNBC models and tumors with RAS mutations at G12, whereas tumors with RAS(G13D) or RAS(Q61X) mutations were resistant. In addition, we identified a subset of BRAF(V600E) tumors that were resistant to the combined treatment, in which FGFR was found to drive feedback-induced RAS activation, independently of SHP2. Thus, we identify molecular determinants of response to combined ERK signaling and SHP2 inhibition in ERK-dependent tumors.
Cabozantinib (Cabo) in patients (pts) with castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) metastatic to bone (NCT01428219): Evaluation of bone metastasis microenvironment.

e16015 Background: Cabo is active in metastatic CRPC. This phase II trial evaluates the effects of Cabo on bone metabolism and tumor activity in prostate cancer bone lesions. Methods: Chemotherapy-...
Does emotion influence visual perception? Depends on how you look at it

One of the biggest challenges in the study of emotion-cognition interaction is addressing the question of whether and how emotions influence processes of perception as distinct from other higher-level cognitive processes. Most theories of emotion agree that an emotion episode begins with a sensory experience - such as a visual percept - that elicits a cascade of affective, cognitive, physiological, and/or behavioural responses (the ordering and inclusion of those latter components being forever debated). However, for decades, a subset of philosophers and scientists have suggested that the presumed perception → emotion relationship is in fact bidirectional, with emotion also altering the perceptual process. In the present review we reflect on the history and empirical support (or, some might argue, lack thereof) for the notion that emotion influences visual perception. We examine ways in which researchers have attempted to test the question, and the ways in which this pursuit is so difficult. As is the case with the ongoing debate about the cognitive penetrability of perception, we conclude that nothing is conclusive in the debate about the emotional penetrability of perception. We nonetheless don rose-coloured glasses as we look forward to the future of this research topic.
Abstract 353: Nucleolar Enlargement and Perturbed Ribosome Biogenesis Are Cellular Hallmarks of Cardiac Aging

Introduction: Cardiac Aging manifests as structural and functional impairment of the heart and is associated with several changes in the cellular architecture. Of the many alterations in organelle ...
Automatic localization of the internal auditory canal for patient-specific cochlear implant modeling

Cochlear implants (CIs) use a surgically implanted electrode array to treat severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss. Audiologists program CIs by selecting a number of stimulation parameters for the CI processor to optimize hearing performance. It has been shown in previous research that audiologists arrive at CI settings that lead to a better hearing outcome when they are provided an estimate of which regions of the auditory nerve are being activated by each electrode for a patient. If the neural fibers could be localized, neural fiber models could be used to estimate activa tion in response to electrode activation for individual patients. However, the neural fibers are so small they are not visible in clinical images. In this project, our aim is to develop an active-shape model based solution to automatically localize the Internal Auditory Canal (IAC), which houses the auditory nerves and has borders that are visible in CT scans, to serve as a landmark for localizing the nerve fibers . Seven manually segmented IAC volumes were used to create and validate our method using a leave-one-out approach. We found that the mean surface errors of the dataset ranged from ~0.4 to ~1.2 CT voxels (0.13 mm to 0.37 mm). These results suggest that our IAC segmentation is highly accurate and could provide an excellent landmark for estimating fiber position.
FEASIBILITY OF OBTAINING COMPARATIVE GENE SEQUENCE DATA FROM PRESERVED AND FOSSIL MATERIALS

Summary - Until recently most analyses of nucleic acid for restriction and sequence analyses have required the use of fresh plant material. In the past few years, it has been shown that herbarium specimens dried and preserved under generally accepted parameters and without chemical preservation often possess recoverable DNA. Some samples contain fragments of genes or organellar genomes that may be amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology. The PCR technology allows for amplification of gene or genomic sequences from small amounts of DNA preserved in single leaves or small amounts of leaf tissue (ca. 0.1 g or less). The amplified DNA may then be subjected to restriction fragment analysis and/or direct dideoxy base sequencing. These results suggest that taxa that are not readily accessible due to seasonal or geographic isolation to collectors may still be examined with molecular techniques using small amounts of herbarium material or properly stored dried leaf or other tissue. PCR technology has also recently allowed the recovery and sequencing of organellar DNA from Miocene leaf compression fossils from the Clarkia Flora of Northern Idaho, U.S.A. Isotopically dated at ca. 17 MYBP, these Miocene compressions are remarkably preserved in color, shape, dimensions and ultrastructure. This opens yet another field and option in plant phylogeny allowing phylogenetic analysis in vertical geological time.
Epistemological Framework of Psychology

A chronic controversy persists, in the context of the contemporary philosophy of science, over the problem of the metaphysical presuppositions of natural science. Our examination of the experimental phenomena of empirical psychology has led us to the conclusion that, as a natural science, psychology is grounded in epistemological foundations which provide a theoretical basis for its methodology. On closer inspection it will be seen that the epistemological foundation of science, considered as an integrated a priori schema, necessarily has a transempirical (metaphysical) nature; and that our conclusion is not to be limited to psychology alone, but applies to the whole family of natural sciences, insofar as the various sciences have a common logical structure which gives them their objective unification. Accordingly this author agrees with the observation of Cassirer (60: pp. 22 & 448), that, “After all the progress made by epistemological analysis in the field of modern physics, it is scarcely open to serious doubt that the knowledge of the world of things is bound up with very definite theoretical pre-suppostions and conditions, and that consequently the objectivization progressively effected in the natural sciences is always at the same time a process of logical mediation,” and his conclusion that, “We consider the world of exact science not as the beginning but as the end of a process of objectivization, whose roots reach down into other and earlier strata of formation.”