cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A fast microtrack simulator for high-density perpendicular recording

We present a fast waveform simulator based on the microtrack model for high-density perpendicular recording. The simulator characterizes dominant noise sources to create realistic recording outputs that allow useful evaluation of modern software channels. A novel model architecture was developed to overcome the computational burden due to the long perpendicular response. Speed and distortion tradeoffs are quantified and indicate that a throughput of 1 Mbps can be achieved with negligible distortion on a contemporary desktop computer.
Toxicological Deaths of Major League Baseball Players

AbstractReport: A retrospective review of major league baseball records was conducted for players' cause of death. Any death attributed to a toxic exposure was analyzed for causal agent, reason for exposure, age at time of death, location, time of year, team, and dominant position played while active. Results; Twenty-eight poisoning deaths were identified between 1889–1995. The most common agent was carbon monoxide (8), followed by methane gas asphyxiation (4), opiate overdose (4), ethanol (3), and phenol (3). Fourteen (50%) were unintentional deaths, 13 (46%) were suicidal in nature, and 1 (4%) homicidal. The majority of deaths (75%) occurred after the players had retired from the game. The leading position was pitcher (13), followed by catcher (5), outfield (4), second base (2), first (1), shortstop (1), third (1), and umpire (1). Conclusions: With society's increased illicit drug use, better drug detection, escalating salaries, and increased public pressures placed on present-day players, more poisonin...
Exploring the relationship between production and perception in the mid front vowels of U.S. English

Abstract A combined vowel perception/vowel production study was designed to address the question of how variability in speech production relates to variability in speech perception. For the study, participants from three different U.S. dialect regions (North, South and West) completed an online vowel identification experiment. A subset of participants from each region also provided speech samples. In this paper, we acoustically analyze these participants’ vowel productions for the mid front vowel classes, and compare these productions to the same speakers’ performance on a mid front vowel categorization task, asking what kinds of links exist between speakers’ actual speech production and their perception of vowel categories. We are particularly interested in the role that regional vowel shifts currently affecting speech in the North and the South of the U.S. (the Northern Cities Shift and the Southern Vowel Shift, respectively) play in both production and perception. In addition to examining differences across regions, we investigate intra-regional variation in terms of individuals’ productive realization of shift and the extent to which this correlates with the same individuals’ perceptions. Results show that both regional affiliation and individual participation in regional shifts in production play a role in perception of the /e/-/ɛ/ continuum.
Generating perception requests and expectations to verify the execution of plans

This paper addresses the problem of verifying plan execution. An implemented computer program which is part of the execution monitoring process for an experimental robot system is described. The program analyzes a plan and automatically inserts appropriate perception requests into the plan and generates anticipated sensor values. Real-time confirmation of these expectations implies successful plan execution. The implemented plan verification strategy and knowledge representation are described. Several issues and extensions of the method are discussed, including a language for plan verification, heuristics for constraining plan verification, and methods for analyzing plans at multiple levels of abstraction to determine context-dependent verification strategies.
Angiomyxome agressif du pelvis et du périnée: à propos d'un cas

Resume Introduction L’angiomyxome agressif est une tumeur mesenchymateuse rare, de croissance lente, de topographie vulvo-perineale et pelvienne chez la femme en âge de procreer. Cas Une patiente de 32 ans a ete operee pour suspicion de bartholinite sur l’IRM initiale. Le diagnostic anatomopathologique est celui d’angiomyxome agressif avec reliquat tumoral. Une nouvelle chirurgie a ete pratiquee, en milieu specialise, avec exerese de type R0. Conclusion Le diagnostic d’angiomyxome agressif doit etre evoque chez une femme en periode d’activite genitale presentant une masse de croissance lente du pelvis et du perinee. Le diagnostic preoperatoire par IRM modifie la prise en charge chirurgicale et le pronostic de la patiente.
Examining spatial concordance of genetic and species diversity patterns to evaluate the role of dispersal limitation in structuring headwater metacommunities

Given the unique spatial structure of stream habitat and the stochasticity characteristic of lotic ecosystems, metacommunity approaches hold much promise in the field of stream ecology. We take advantage of the tight parallels between neutral theories of molecular evolution and community assembly and present a novel conceptual approach to evaluating the role of stochasticity and dispersal limitation in structuring stream metacommunities. The analogous neutral frameworks generate similar expectations for the spatial structure of species comprising communities and genes comprising populations, particularly among patchily distributed, isolated local habitats (e.g., headwater streams) where among-stream dispersal is expected to be limited. Our emphasis is on the conceptual value of this approach, but we also used a limited data set composed of intensively sampled community and population-genetic data collected from 5 to 7 Rocky Mountain alpine streams for illustrative purposes. We characterized neutral population genetic structure as mitochondrial haplotype distributions for the blackfly Prosimulium neomacropyga, which shows strong genetic isolation by distance across the study region. We assessed community structure as the relative frequencies of ecologically similar species in the family Chironomidae collected annually over 2000-2003. Species richness was positively correlated with haplotype richness across streams (r = 0.55), and analogous methods revealed significant b diversity at both the population-genetic (FST = 0.23) and the community (FST = 0.16) levels. However, a more spatially explicit comparison of pairwise community dissimilarity and genetic distance revealed no evidence of correlation (Mantel test, r = 20.18, p = 0.54), a result suggesting no effect of spatial distance on community similarity at the relatively fine spatial scale of our study. We discuss 2 key arguments to explain the lack of community distance decay: 1) unaccounted environmental differences among streams, and 2) varying spatial and temporal scales of neutral processes (including genetic drift and ecological drift; i.e., stochastic temporal change) between population-genetic and community levels. Evidence for both selective and neutral explanations is compelling in this system. The explanations cannot be disentangled with the current data, but the study has strong heuristic value that we hope will stimulate future efforts in stream metacommunity analysis.
ATLAS: Automatic Term-level abstraction of RTL designs

Abstraction plays a central role in formal verification. Term-level abstraction is a technique for abstracting word-level designs in a formal logic, wherein data is modeled with abstract terms, functional blocks with uninterpreted functions, and memories with a suitable theory of memories. A major challenge for any abstraction technique is to determine what components can be safely abstracted. We present an automatic technique for term-level abstraction of hardware designs, in the context of equivalence and refinement checking problems. Our approach is hybrid, involving a combination of random simulation and static analysis. We use random simulation to identify functional blocks that are suitable for abstraction with uninterpreted functions. Static analysis is then used to compute conditions under which such function abstraction is performed. The generated term-level abstractions are verified using techniques based on Boolean satisfiability (SAT) and satisfiability modulo theories (SMT). We demonstrate our approach for verifying processor designs, interface logic, and low-power designs. We present experimental evidence that our approach is efficient and that the resulting term-level models are easier to verify even when the abstracted designs generate larger SAT problems.
The Familial Association of Tourette's Disorder and ADHD: The Impact of OCD Symptoms

Tourette's disorder (TD) frequently co-occurs with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). While the relationship between TD and OCD suggests that they share etiological factors, the exact relationship between TD and ADHD is less clear. The goal of the current analyses was to understand better the familial relationship between DSM-IV ADHD and TD. Direct interview diagnostic data from a case-control study of 692 relatives of 75 comorbid TD and ADHD (TD + ADHD), 74 TD without ADHD (TD Only), 41 ADHD without TD (ADHD Only), and 49 control probands were analyzed. Hierarchical loglinear modeling was used to explore association patterns between TD, ADHD, and OCD or sub-clinical OCD (OCD/OCDsub) diagnoses among the 190 affected probands and their 538 relatives. The presence of OCD or OCDsub diagnosis in a proband was associated with a significantly increased risk of comorbid TD + ADHD in his/her relatives. The finding of an association between TD, ADHD and a proband OCD/OCDsub diagnosis was unexpected. The current results suggest that TD, ADHD, and OCD symptoms have overlapping neurobiology when occurring in families of TD and/or ADHD probands.
Concepts of the advantages and disadvantages of teenage childbearing among pregnant adolescents: a qualitative analysis.

OBJECTIVE. We sought to enhance our understanding of pregnant adolescents’ concepts of the advantages and disadvantages of teen pregnancy and childbearing. METHODOLOGY. This is a qualitative study of 247 pregnant adolescents recruited during their first prenatal health care visit to a women9s primary care clinic in Providence, Rhode Island. Participants responded in writing to open-ended questions assessing their ideas about what was advantageous and disadvantageous about having an infant during their teen years rather than waiting until they were older. Themes and patterns in responding were coded, and subgroup differences based on age, ethnicity, intendedness of current pregnancy, and pregnancy/parenting history were assessed. RESULTS. Themes related to advantages of teen pregnancy included enhancing connections, positive changes/benefits, and practical considerations. Themes related to disadvantages included lack of preparedness, changes/interference, and others’ perceptions. Differences among groups based on age, ethnicity, intendedness of the current pregnancy, and pregnancy/parenting history were examined and noted. CONCLUSIONS. Pregnant adolescents do not represent a homogeneous group. Considering differences in how pregnancy and childbearing are conceptualized along developmental, cultural, attitudinal, and experiential lines will strengthen our ability to tailor pregnancy-prevention messages.
Scaling alignment of large ontologies

In recent years, the number of shared biomedical ontologies has increased dramatically, resulting in a need for integration of these knowledge sources. Automated solutions to aligning ontologies address this growing need. However, only very recently, solutions for scalability of ontology alignment have begun to emerge. This research investigates scalability in alignment of large-scale ontologies. We present an alignment algorithm that bounds processing by selecting optimal subtrees to align and show that this improves efficiency without significant reduction in precision. We apply the algorithm in conjunction with our approach that includes modelling ontology alignment in a Support Vector Machine.
Inference of seasonal and pandemic influenza transmission dynamics

The inference of key infectious disease epidemiological parameters is critical for characterizing disease spread and devising prevention and containment measures. The recent emergence of surveillance records mined from big data such as health-related online queries and social media, as well as model inference methods, permits the development of new methodologies for more comprehensive estimation of these parameters. We use such data in conjunction with Bayesian inference methods to study the transmission dynamics of influenza. We simultaneously estimate key epidemiological parameters, including population susceptibility, the basic reproductive number, attack rate, and infectious period, for 115 cities during the 2003–2004 through 2012–2013 seasons, including the 2009 pandemic. These estimates discriminate key differences in the epidemiological characteristics of these outbreaks across 10 y, as well as spatial variations of influenza transmission dynamics among subpopulations in the United States. In addition, the inference methods appear to compensate for observational biases and underreporting inherent in the surveillance data.
Use of a proprietary database to examine lengths of hospital stay of patients who received drug therapy for acute myocardial infarction.

Lengths of hospital stay of patients who received streptokinase therapy and of patients who received conventional i.v. heparin or nitroglycerin therapy for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) were determined using the International Health Services, Ltd., (IHS) database. Patients in all IHS-participating hospitals who had received streptokinase in conjunction with an AMI between October 1985 and September 1986 were identified from the database. Diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) 121 and 122 were found to contain patients who potentially could serve as the study population. Based on examination of length-of-stay data from the medical record database at the study hospital, the IHS study population was refined to include AMI patients 75 years of age or younger with stage 2 disease (intermediate severity) in DRG 121 or stage 1 disease (least severe) in DRG 122 and a length of stay of at least seven days. Patients who met those criteria and had been treated with heparin, nitroglycerin, or both served as a control group. The mean length of stay of patients treated with streptokinase (113 patients) was significantly shorter than that of patients treated with heparin (1332 patients) or nitroglycerin (752 patients). Patients treated with streptokinase had a length of stay 1.2 days shorter than patients treated with heparin and 1.3 days shorter than patients treated with nitroglycerin. The database proved to be useful for determining lengths of patient stay associated with thrombolytic and conventional medical therapy for AMI. Thrombolytic therapy may be a cost-effective treatment for AMI because length of stay may be somewhat shorter.
Women's experiences after Planned Parenthood's exclusion from a family planning program in Texas.

Abstract Objective We assessed the impact on depot medroxyprogesterone continuation when a large care provider was banned from a state-funded family planning program. Study Design We used three methods to assess the effect of the ban: (a) In a records review, we compared how many state program participants returned to two Planned Parenthood affiliates for a scheduled dose of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) immediately after the ban; (b) We conducted phone interviews with 224 former Planned Parenthood patients about DMPA use and access to contraception immediately after the ban; (c) We compared current contraceptive method of our interviewees to that of comparable DMPA users in the National Survey of Family Growth 2006–2010 (NSFG). Results (a) Fewer program clients returned for DMPA at a large urban Planned Parenthood, compared to a remotely located affiliate (14.4%, vs. 64.8%), reflecting different levels of access to alternative providers in the two cities. (b) Among program participants who went elsewhere for the injection, only 56.8% obtained it at no cost and on time. More than one in five women missed a dose because of barriers, most commonly due to difficulty finding a provider. (c) Compared to NSFG participants, our interviewees used less effective methods of contraception, even more than a year after the ban went into effect. Conclusions Injectable contraception use was disrupted during the rollout of the state-funded family planning program. Women living in a remote area of Texas encountered more barriers. Implications Requiring low-income family planning patients to switch healthcare providers has adverse consequences.
TriBot: A minimally-actuated accessible holonomic hexapedal locomotion platform

This paper introduces a unique hexapedal locomotion platform tagged TriBot as potential agents for swarm robotic systems. We investigate the differences in performance and kinematic characteristics of two identical prototypes of this mobile robot manufactured using different design and fabrication methods and materials. Among alternatives for mass production, we focus on cut-and-assemble (CA) acrylic bodies and cut-and-fold (CF) origami-inspired polyester structures as two promising methods for manufacturing these agents. Through a comprehensive comparison between the two prototypes, advantages and disadvantages of each robot development approach are presented. This information will enable the selection of the most appropriate robotic platform according to environmental and operational task specifications.
Improving semi-supervised target alignment via label-aware base kernels

Semi-supervised kernel design is an essential step for obtaining good predictive performance in semi-supervised learning tasks. In the current literatures, a large family of algorithms builds the new kernel by using the weighted average of predefined base kernels. While optimal weighting schemes have been studied extensively, the choice of base kernels received much less attention. Many methods simply adopt the empirical kernel matrices or its eigenvectors. Such base kernels are computed irrespective of class labels and may not always reflect useful structures in the data. As a result, in case of poor base kernels, the generalization performance can be degraded however hard their weights are tuned. In this paper, we propose to construct high-quality base kernels with the help of label information to globally improve the final target alignment. In particular, we devise label-aware kernel eigenvectors under the framework of semi-supervised eigenfunction extrapolation, which span base kernels that are more useful for learning. Such base kernels are individually better aligned to the learning target, so their mixture will more likely generate a good classifier. Our approach is computationally efficient, and demonstrates encouraging performance in semisupervised classification and regression.
Eurozone Rate Cuts in 2008: Oui or Nein?

This case describes the trade-offs inherent in monetary policy for open economies in a highly globalized world. The focus is on the economic, financial, and political pressures facing policy-makers at the European Central Bank as they weigh the pros and cons of their next interest rate decision. Specific attention is given to the challenge of setting monetary policy in the EU when two of its largest economies, Germany and France, are facing somewhat opposite economic circumstances.
Studying Surface Chemistry Atom-by-Atom Using the Scanning Tunneling Microscope

A solid surface provides a great variety of sites for a possible chemical reaction. A perfect surface may have several strucutrally inequivalent sites while a real life surface may have steps, a multitude of point and extended defect sites, adsorbed foreign atoms, etc. It is clear then that in order to even begin discussing the chemistry of a particular surface we have to have a good idea about its structure. This recognized need has led to the development of a great variety of surface structural techniques [16.1]. Most of these techniques provide information averaged over a macroscopic area of the sample defined by the size of the probe beam. Moreover, diffraction-based structural probes require long-range order which is not present in many cases of interest. Even when the structure of the surface is known, the understanding of the reactivities of the various sites requires that a correlation be made between the chemical behavior of a particular site and its local electronic structure. Thus, ideally one needs a surface technique or techniques which will allow the study of the topography and valence electronic structure of surfaces with atomic resolution.
Cut-and-Rewind: Extending Query Engine for Continuous Stream Analytics

Combining data warehousing and stream processing technologies has great potential in offering low-latency data-intensive analytics. Unfortunately, such convergence has not been properly addressed so far. The current generation of stream processing systems is in general built separately from the data warehouse and query engine, which can cause significant overhead in data access and data movement, and is unable to take advantage of the functionalities already offered by the existing data warehouse systems.
Effect of correlation on viscosity and diffusion in molecular-dynamics simulations

In the warm dense matter (WDM) regime, material properties like diffusion and viscosity can be obtained from lengthy quantum molecular dynamics simulations, where the quantum behavior of the electrons is represented using either Kohn-Sham or orbital-free density functional theory. To reduce the simulation duration, we fit the time dependence of the autocorrelation functions (ACFs) and then use the fit to find values of the diffusion and viscosity. This fitting procedure avoids noise in the long time behavior of the ACFs. We present a detailed analysis of the functional form used to fit the ACFs, which is always a more efficient means to obtain mass transport properties. We use the fits to estimate the statistical error of the transport properties. We apply this methodology to a dense correlated plasma of copper and a mixture of carbon and hydrogen. Both systems show structure in their ACFs and exhibit multiple time scales. The mixture contains different structural forms of the ACFs for each component in the mixture.
Cavity Design of Monolithic Long-Wavelength InAs/InP Quantum Dash Passively Mode-locked Lasers

A theory for the cavity design of quantum dash passively mode-locked lasers is reported based on a microwave photonics perspective. It is a valuable tool for realizing monolithic InAs/InP quantum dash passively mode-locked lasers.
Some Geometric Considerations for Rubber—Metal Bond Test Specimens

Abstract Most methods for predicting fatigue lives of rubber components rely heavily on experimental studies that involve specimens subjected to essentially uniform states of deformation. But, in service, rubber components often fail at or near rubber-metal bonds where the state of deformation is far from uniform. Before experimental studies of fatigue failure in the vicinity of rubber-metal bonds, it is prudent to perform an analysis of the specimen geometry to make sure it has been optimized. This paper reports on finite element analyses of cylindrical rubber-metal bond test specimens recommended in ASTM D 429. The results suggest that taller specimens (height/radius ratio ≥ 2) have some advantages. Interpretation in terms of the strain energy release rate is recommended. A new asymmetric test specimen is proposed.
Considerations in Imaging Among Emergency Department Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease who experience abdominal pain and gastrointestinal symptoms often seek care in the emergency department (ED). These patients commonly undergo abdominopelvic computed tomography (CT) as part of their evaluation, and the rate of imaging appears to be increasing without a corresponding increase in identification of clinically actionable findings or effect on disposition. Studies demonstrate that the yield of CT tends to be fairly high. Yet, because inflammatory bowel disease is often diagnosed at an early age, these patients are repeatedly imaged during their lifetime, a subset of whom accumulate high levels of ionizing radiation exposure, increasing their risk of cancer. This compounds an already increased risk of cancer in these patients because of inflammatory bowel disease alone. Lack of intimate knowledge of a patient's disease phenotype and disease progression contributes to uncertainty in distinguishing between an inflammatory exacerbation; a complication such as obstruction, abscess, perforation, fistula, or stricture; and a noninflammatory-bowel-disease-related condition. This uncertainty can lead to overuse of imaging with CT. Limited availability of and lack of awareness of alternate imaging modalities and strategies may prevent providers from pursuing strategies that avoid ionizing radiation. In this article, we review options for imaging inflammatory bowel disease patients in the ED and attempts undertaken to risk stratify these patients, and we discuss ways in which details of a patient's disease might guide imaging decisionmaking.
A Novel Redoxin in the Thylakoid Membrane Regulates the Titer of Photosystem I

In photosynthetic organisms like cyanobacteria and plants, the main engines of oxygenic photosynthesis are the pigment-protein complexes photosystem I (PSI) and photosystem II (PSII) located in the thylakoid membrane. In the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, the slr1796 gene encodes a single cysteine thioredoxin-like protein, orthologs of which are found in multiple cyanobacterial strains as well as chloroplasts of higher plants. Targeted inactivation of slr1796 in Synechocystis 6803 resulted in compromised photoautotrophic growth. The mutant displayed decreased chlorophyll a content. These changes correlated with a decrease in the PSI titer of the mutant cells, whereas the PSII content was unaffected. In the mutant, the transcript levels of genes for PSI structural and accessory proteins remained unaffected, whereas the levels of PSI structural proteins were severely diminished, indicating that Slr1796 acts at a posttranscriptional level. Biochemical analysis indicated that Slr1796 is an integral thylakoid membrane protein. We conclude that Slr1796 is a novel regulatory factor that modulates PSI titer.
Appropriate Use of Cardiac Stress Testing with Imaging: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background Appropriate use criteria (AUC) for cardiac stress tests address concerns about utilization growth and patient safety. We systematically reviewed studies of appropriateness, including within physician specialties; evaluated trends over time and in response to AUC updates; and characterized leading indications for inappropriate/rarely appropriate testing. Methods We searched PubMed (2005–2015) for English-language articles reporting stress echocardiography or myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) appropriateness. Data were pooled using random-effects meta-analysis and meta-regression. Results Thirty-four publications of 41,578 patients were included, primarily from academic centers. Stress echocardiography appropriate testing rates were 53.0% (95% CI, 45.3%–60.7%) and 50.9% (42.6%–59.2%) and inappropriate/rarely appropriate rates were 19.1% (11.4%–26.8%) and 28.4% (23.9%–32.8%) using 2008 and 2011 AUC, respectively. Stress MPI appropriate testing rates were 71.1% (64.5%–77.7%) and 72.0% (67.6%–76.3%) and inappropriate/rarely appropriate rates were 10.7% (7.2%–14.2%) and 15.7% (12.4%–19.1%) using 2005 and 2009 AUC, respectively. There was no significant temporal trend toward rising rates of appropriateness for stress echocardiography or MPI. Unclassified stress echocardiograms fell by 79% (p = 0.04) with updated AUC. There were no differences between cardiac specialists and internists. Conclusions Rates of appropriate use tend to be lower for stress echocardiography compared to MPI, and updated AUC reduced unclassified stress echocardiograms. There is no conclusive evidence that AUC improved appropriate use over time. Further research is needed to determine if integration of appropriateness guidelines in academic and community settings is an effective approach to optimizing inappropriate/rarely appropriate use of stress testing and its associated costs and patient harms.
Leukemia-Reactive Cytotoxic CD8 + and CD4 + T-Cells Specific for Novel WT-1 Epitopes Are Generated In Vitro by Sensitization with Overlapping Pentadecapeptides (15-mers) Spanning the Wilms Tumor Protein.

The Wilms Tumor protein, WT-1 is differentially expressed in 60–80% of acute leukemias and CML. Evidence also suggests WT-1 expression in clonogenic leukemia stem cells, making WT-1 an attractive target for T-cell therapy. However, to date, only a limited number of immunogenic epitopes have been identified. To address this limitation, we employed a pool of 15-mers with 10 amino acid overlaps spanning the complete sequence of WT-1 loaded on autologous monocyte derived dendritic cells or EBV transformed BLCL to sensitize T-cells from normal donors of varied HLA genotypes. Specific 15-mers eliciting WT-1 specific responses were identified by quantitating IFNγ + CD8 + or CD4 + T-cell responses to secondary stimulation with 15-mer subpools organized in a mapping grid with single overlaps. Phenotypes of T-cells producing IFNγ + in response to identified specific 15-mers were determined by FACS analysis. We identified the HLA class I or II allele presenting each epitope by assessing the cytolytic activity and/or cytokine production of the pooled-peptide sensitized T-cells in response to 2° stimulation with a panel of PHA blasts loaded with the identified 15-mer, each sharing a single HLA allele with the T-cell donor. T-cells from each of 15 donors tested generated WT-1 peptide reactive T-cells in response to the WT-1 peptide pool. Of 23 epitopes identified that elicited T-cell responses, 19 were heretofore unrecognized epitopes presented by HLA A0201(N=4), A0301(N=2), A2402 (N=2), B3501(N=3), B0701(N=1), B4402(N=2), B3808(N=1), DRB, 0401(N=2), DRB 1 0402(N=1) and DRB 1 0701(N=1). Each of the 15 new epitopes presented by class I alleles elicited IFNγ + CD8 + T-cells that were also cytotoxic against leukemic blasts sharing the restricting allele. All four epitopes presented by class II HLA alleles elicited IFNγ + CD4 + T-cell responses, of which 2 were also cytotoxic against HLADR + leukemia blasts expressing the restricting allele. Responses to these newly identified epitopes were comparable to or exceeded those elicited by the known immunogenic peptide epitope 126–134 RMFPNAPYL presented by HLAA0201. Like RMF-specific T-cells, T-cells specific for 4 of the new epitopes tested to date do not exhibit activity against normal hematopoietic progenitor cells. Thus, by sensitizing T-cells from unselected normal donors, with autologous DCs loaded with a pool of overlapping 15-mers spanning WT-1, we have generated T-cells specific for a series of new epitopes of WT-1, each, presented by a distinct class I or II HLA allele, which also exhibit HLA-restricted cytotoxic against WT-1 + leukemic cells. Clinical trials of adoptive therapy with WT-1 specific T-cells generated by this approach are being initiated for adoptive therapy.
Cardiac Inotropy and Ca Overload

My aim in this chapter is to discuss some of the general mechanisms involved in cardiac inotropy and their relationship with cellular Ca overload. I do not plan to provide a comprehensive review of either inotropic agents or cardiac pathophysiology. I will start by considering four fundamentally different examples of cardiac inotropy: 1) β-adrenergic activation, 2) α-adrenergic activation, 3) hypothermia and 3) cardioactive steroids (digitalis glycosides). Then I will discuss the ways in which intracellular Ca metabolism can go awry, with particular emphasis on Ca overload. Finally, I will address strategic sites for induction of cardiac inotropy. These discussions may help to bring some of the characteristics of specific cellular systems discussed in preceding chapters into a more integrative picture of cellular Ca regulation.
Do gametes woo? Evidence for non-random unions at fertilization

A fundamental tenet of inheritance in sexually reproducing organisms such as humans and laboratory mice is that genetic variants combine randomly at fertilization, thereby ensuring a balanced and statistically predictable representation of inherited variants in each generation. This principle is encapsulated in Mendel’s First Law. But exceptions are known. With transmission ratio distortion (TRD), particular alleles are preferentially transmitted to offspring without reducing reproductive productivity. Preferential transmission usually occurs in one sex but not both and is not known to require interactions between gametes at fertilization. We recently discovered, in our work in mice and in other reports in the literature, instances where any of 12 mutant genes bias fertilization, with either too many or too few heterozygotes and too few homozygotes, depending on the mutant gene and on dietary conditions. Although such deviations are usually attributed to embryonic lethality of the under-represented genotypes, the evidence is more consistent with genetically-determined preferences for specific combinations of egg and sperm at fertilization that results in genotype bias without embryo loss. These genes and diets could bias fertilization in at least three not mutually exclusive ways. They could trigger a reversal in the order of meiotic divisions during oogenesis so that the genetics of fertilizing sperm elicits preferential chromatid segregation, thereby dictating which allele remains in the egg versus the 2nd polar body. Bias could also result from genetic- and diet-induced anomalies in polyamine metabolism on which function of haploid gametes normally depends. Finally, secreted and cell-surface factors in female reproductive organs could control access of sperm to eggs based on their genetic content. This unexpected discovery of genetically-biased fertilization in mice could yield insights about the molecular and cellular interactions between sperm and egg at fertilization, with implications for our understanding of inheritance, reproduction, population genetics, and medical genetics.
The work gap: a structured review of collaborative teamwork research from 2005 to 2015

Celebrations of the benefits of collaborative teams have become commonplace in contemporary organizations. Scholarship on this topic remains fragmented. Scholars in different sub-fields use distinc...
Evaluation of the Federal Aviation Administration methodology for characterizing the nonlinear behavior of granular base and subbase materials

Abstract The major pavement test facility for airfields in the United States is the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This facility is the National Airfield Pavement Test Facility and is housed in a covered hangar on the outskirts of the Atlantic City Airport. Here, a variety of pavement cross sections have been constructed since the late 1990s and trafficked with different load carts, simulating a wide range of aircraft gear types, wheel loads and tire pressures. Arizona State University initiated a study to investigate the possibility of moisture movements in the subgrade clays were occurring due to climatic effects, particularly the thermal gradients. If the hypothesis were validated, it would have the potential to alter the initial design CBR strength parameters used in the performance analysis of the pavement-load sections. This study involved a variety of comprehensive research investigations, covering a wide range of technical topics. One major task of the overall project focused upon an assessment of the nonlinear moduli of the unbound base and subbase layers to investigate the effect of asphalt temperature on the stress state of the pavement profile. This task allowed for the comparison of nonlinear moduli results to the current FAA methodology used in FAA AC-150-5320-6E (FAA, 2009). This publication discusses and presents the moduli results obtained from a comprehensive multi-layer stress analysis of the CC-7 pavement section, for a wide range of load cart configurations, wheel loads and contact areas. While the overall average results of 243 separate pavement computer analysis were found to provide somewhat comparable modulus values, several analytical limitations were found that would lead to relative errors of resilient modulus of base and subbase materials ranging from −60% to +60%. Errors in the modulus of the underlying base and subbase layers are very important as they will lead to significant errors in predicting the subsequent fatigue cracking resistance and predictions of any asphalt surfacing layer.
Thoracic Surgery Considerations in the Child and Young Adult

Vascular rings and slings may represent life-threatening compression of the esophagus and trachea. Such anatomic variants, although rare, are encountered by all thoracic surgeons in the scope of their practice at some time. The thoracic surgeon, whether treating such patients in the practice of congenital heart surgery, or in the practice of adult cardiac or thoracic surgery must have a requisite understanding of such anatomic variants, their diagnostic workup and radiologic interpretation, as well as their surgical management. Primary tracheobronchial disorders are also frequently encountered in the scope of a thoracic surgical practice and also are discussed.
Double trap: A single product from the THF-initiated interception of a cyclopropylidene(oid) and its rearranged strained cyclic allene

Abstract The reaction of 1,1-dibromo-1a,9b-dihydro-1H-cyclopropa[l]phenanthrene (3) with butyllithium in THF at ∼ −70 °C, followed by quenching with water at room temperature, led to a complex mixture of products which included a trace amount of the unusual pyran derivative, 3-(5H-dibenzo[a,c][7]annulen-5-yl)-2-(phenanthren-9-yl)tetrahydro-2H-pyran (6). The X-ray crystal structure of 6 revealed a phenanthrene unit α to the oxygen and a dibenzocycloheptene moiety in the β position. The formation of 6 is mechanistically rationalized on the basis of the initially generated cyclopropylidenes(oid) (4/5) interacting with THF to form an oxonium ylid 7 which then undergoes a ring expansion to produce the pyran framework in 10. Subsequent reaction of 10 with the strained dibenzocycloheptatetraene 2, resulting from ring opening of 4/5, leads to the observed product 6. To the best of our knowledge, this work documents the first example of a cyclopropylidene(oid) and its ring-opened allene trapped into a single product.
Role of Inflammation in Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is a common complication of diabetes and remains the leading cause of blindness among the working-age population. For decades, diabetic retinopathy was considered only a microvascular complication, but the retinal microvasculature is intimately associated with and governed by neurons and glia, which are affected even prior to clinically detectable vascular lesions. While progress has been made to improve the vascular alterations, there is still no treatment to counteract the early neuro-glial perturbations in diabetic retinopathy. Diabetes is a complex metabolic disorder, characterized by chronic hyperglycemia along with dyslipidemia, hypoinsulinemia and hypertension. Increasing evidence points to inflammation as one key player in diabetes-associated retinal perturbations, however, the exact underlying molecular mechanisms are not yet fully understood. Interlinked molecular pathways, such as oxidative stress, formation of advanced glycation end-products and increased expression of vascular endothelial growth factor have received a lot of attention as they all contribute to the inflammatory response. In the current review, we focus on the involvement of inflammation in the pathophysiology of diabetic retinopathy with special emphasis on the functional relationships between glial cells and neurons. Finally, we summarize recent advances using novel targets to inhibit inflammation in diabetic retinopathy.
Mitigating Knowledge Decay from Instruction with Voluntary Use of an Adaptive Learning System

Knowledge decays across breaks in instruction. Learners lack the metacognition to self-assess their knowledge decay and effectively self-direct review, as well as lacking interactive exercises appropriate to their individual knowledge level. Adaptive learning systems offer the potential to mitigate these issues, by providing open learner models to facilitate learner’s understanding of their knowledge levels and by presenting personalized practice exercises. The current study analyzes differences in knowledge decay between learners randomly assigned to an intervention where they could use an adaptive system during a long gap between courses, compared with a control condition. The experimental condition used the Personal Assistant for Life-Long Learning (PAL3), a tablet-based adaptive learning system integrating multiple intelligent tutoring systems and conventional learning resources. It contained electronics content relevant to the experiment participants, Navy sailors who graduated from apprentice electronics courses (A-School) awaiting assignment to their next training (C-School). The study was conducted over one month, collecting performance data with a counterbalanced pre-, mid-, and post-test. The control condition exhibited the expected decay. The PAL3 condition showed a significant difference from the control, with no significant knowledge decay in their overall knowledge, despite substantial variance in usage for PAL3 (e.g., most of overall use in the first week, with fewer participants engaging as time went on). Interestingly, while overall decay was mitigated in PAL3, this result was primarily through gains in some knowledge offsetting losses in other knowledge. Overall, these results indicate that adaptive study tools can help prevent knowledge decay, even with voluntary usage.
Development of an Instrument Measuring Perceived Environmental Healthfulness: Behavior Environment Perception Survey (BEPS)

Abstract Objective To create a tool to measure college students’ perception of the healthfulness of their environment. Design (1) Item generation, (2) cognitive interview testing and exploratory factor analysis, (3) item refinement/modification, (4) factor structure validation, and (5) criterion validation. Setting Ten college campuses. Participants Time point 1 (n = 120 cognitive interviews; n = 922 factor analysis); time point 2 (n = 2,676), convenience sample of undergraduate students. Main Outcome Measures Cognitive interviews and survey data were used to assess perceptions about the environment. Analysis Exploratory factor analysis, structural equation confirmatory factor analysis, correlations, and regressions. Results Item generation resulted in 93 items. Items were eliminated based on cognitive interviews, exploratory factor analysis of pilot data, and elimination of cross-loading or weak loading items. In confirmatory analyses, a 21-item, 5-factor structure was the best fit for the data (χ2 = 3,286.77, degrees of freedom = 189; comparative fit index = 0.840; root-mean-square error of approximation = 0.078). Environmental factors include physical activity (α = 0.68, 4 items), healthful eating (α = 0.86, 5 items), mental health (α = 0.85, 5 items), barriers to healthful eating (α = 0.70, 4 items), and peer influences (α = 0.73, 3 items). There were significant associations between scales and validation criteria (P Conclusions and Implications The Behavior Environment Perception Survey is a novel instrument measuring perceptions of the healthfulness of the campus environment. Strengths include a development process involving 10 different universities, strong psychometric properties, and breadth of constructs.
Adenomyomatosis of endometrium and endocervix-a hamartoma.

A 44-year-old woman was found to have a sessile lesion replacing most of her endometrium and endocervical mucosa, consisting of an intimate admixture of endometrial glands, endometrial stroma, and smooth muscle. On the basis of a previous curettage, it was concluded that the lesion had been present for at least seven years. The lesion is considered to be related to the pedunculated adenomyomatous polyp. The possibilities that it may represent adenomyosis, neoplasm, or hamartoma are discussed, and the latter is considered to be the most likely possibility. The presence of smooth muscle distinguishes the present case from the recently described and probably closely related entities of papillary adenofibroma, benign mullerian tumor, and mullerian adenosarcoma.
Human and Canine Prostatic Metabolism of Testosterone-4-C 14

It first became obvious in my student days at Johns Hopkins Medical School that the prostate gland, guardian of the outlet of the urological system, served a very vital and important function. In addition, it is of interest that the dog is the only species which shares with man an age-dependent tendency to develop benign prostatic hyperplasia and adenocarcinoma of the prostate. Under the stimulus of Dr. W. W. Scott and Dr. Fred Burt at the Brady Institute, methods were mastered for the analysis of steroid hormones in urine of normal subjects as well as prostatic cancer patients. These studies were later continued and embellished in collaboration with Dr. Peter Ofner at the Steroid Biochemistry Laboratory of the Medical Services, Lemuel Shattuck Hospital, and in the Departments of Pharmacology and Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
ENAVis: enterprise network activities visualization

With the prevalence of multi-user environments, it has become an increasingly challenging task to precisely identify who is doing what on an enterprise network. Current management systems that rely on inferring user identity and application usage via log files from routers and switches are not capable of accurately reporting and managing a large-scale network due to the coarseness of the collected data. We propose a system that utilizes finer-grained data in the form of local context, i.e., the precise user and application associated with a network connection. Through the use of dynamic correlation and graph modeling, we developed a visualization tool called ENAVis (Enterprise Network Activities Visualization). ENAV is aids a real-world administrator in allowing them to more efficiently manage and gain insight about the connectivity between hosts, users, and applications that is otherwise obfuscated, lost or not collected in systems currently deployed in an enterprise setting.