cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intraoperative ultrasound for immediate evaluation of anterior cervical decompression and discectomy.

Study Design. An evaluation of whether the immediate operative results can be improved in anterior cervical surgery in patients in whom disc fragments could remain hidden behind a vertebral body or far laterally in the foramen or in canal stenosis that involved a significant amount of a vertebral body. Objectives. To determine whether intraoperative ultrasonography can provide immediate evaluation of the decompression. Summary of Background Data. The anterior cervical approach has anatomic limitations that prevent good visualization of deep structures. Sequestered disc fragments can be hidden behind the bone of the vertebral body. Even careful preoperative measurements cannot ensure adequate length and width of decompression for stenotic lesions. Methods. Three groups of patients were studied. Group 1 contained seven patients with soft disc herniations that were either behind the vertebral body or extended laterally into the neural foramen. Group 2 consisted of five patients with canal stenosis involving at least one third of the length of a vertebral body and causing myelopathic signs and symptoms. Group 3 consisted of four patients with radicular and cord symptoms. All were studied with either magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography myelography or both. The size of the desired decompression was measured from these studies. A standard anterior decompression using magnification was performed that satisfied the surgeon's visual and tactile evaluation. The operative site was imaged ultrasonically and the decompression extended until present imaging criteria were met. These criteria were clear root visualization for radiculopathy and good dural pulsations for stenotic lesions. Results. Twelve of the 16 patients did not meet the set criteria on initial imaging, and 11 had their decompression extended. A hidden lateral disc fragment was found in one. In this selected group of 16 patients with complicated cervical pathology, 14 improved neurologically after the use of ultrasonic guidance intraoperatively. One error of interpretation was made. One patient who did not meet the ultrasonic decompression criteria and did not have the decompression extended did not improve after surgery. Conclusions. In complicated anterior cervical decompressions, intraoperative ultrasonic imaging provides immediate evaluation of the extent of the decompressive procedure and may improve the operative result.
Empirical Research the Method of Primary Monitoring Organization's Adverse Drug Reaction Performance Evaluation Executed by Provincial Center

The author tries to illustrate how the provincial centers should execute primary monitoring organization's Adverse Drug Reaction(ADR) performance evaluation by introducing Hunan's backgrounds,items,effects and points for attention.
Antiepileptic drug therapy. Fine tuning the dosage regimen.

The first article in this series, published last month (page 121), acquainted readers with the basic principles of therapeutic drug monitoring and emphasized the value of this simple procedure in helping physician and patient reach their goal of optimal drug therapy. This month's article begins the analysis of specific therapeutic classes of drugs with a look at the antiepileptics. Because of some unique characteristics of these drugs and of epilepsy itself, fine tuning of the dosage regimen on the basis of concentrations of the drug in serum is crucial to achieving seizure control without toxicity. Dr Welty and associates discuss therapeutic ranges, side effects, and drug interactions of four major antiepileptics and present a detailed therapeutic plan for each.
Osteoporosis in men. Is it more common than we think

Men are most at risk for hip fracture as they grow older because of age-related loss of bone in the femur. Men with low peak bone mass are more vulnerable than those who achieved a higher peak bone mass in early adulthood. Peak bone mass and subsequent bone loss are affected by genetics, nutrition, exercise, alcohol consumption, smoking, disease, and medication use. Hypogonadal men and men treated with glucocorticoids are at markedly increased risk for spine fracture, especially as they age and bone resorption is superimposed on age-related changes. Evaluation of osteoporosis in men should include, at minimum, measurements of gonadal function (if unknown), nutritional status, calcium homeostasis, and thyroid function. Hypogonadal men should respond to testosterone replacement therapy. Men with high-turnover osteoporosis should respond to osteoclast-inhibitor therapy, and men with decreased osteoblast function should respond to stimulators of bone formation. Long-term effects of the various treatments on the rate of hip fracture are unknown, and the degree to which osteoporosis in men can be reversed is unclear.
Associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) procedure for hepatocellular carcinoma with chronic liver disease: a case report and review of literature

The incidence of complications after liver resection is closely related to functional future liver remnant (FLR). The standard approach to augment FLR is surgical or radiological occlusion of the artery or portal vein on the tumor side. Associated liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALLPS) has been introduced as an alternative method to augment FLR. It offers rapid and effective hypertrophy for resecting liver metastases. However, data regarding its application in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with a background of chronic liver disease are limited. Here we describe the use of ALPPS procedure to manage a large solitary HCC with a background of chronic liver disease. The rising incidence of HCC has increased the number of surgical resections in patients with advanced stage liver disease not considered for liver transplantation. We reviewed reported experience of ALPPS in established chronic liver disease and current therapeutic modalities for HCC on a background of chronic liver disease in patients with potential liver insufficiency where tumor burden is beyond liver transplant criteria.
Reconstructing Perceived and Retrieved Faces from Activity Patterns in Lateral Parietal Cortex

Recent findings suggest that the contents of memory encoding and retrieval can be decoded from the angular gyrus (ANG), a subregion of posterior lateral parietal cortex. However, typical decoding approaches provide little insight into the nature of ANG content representations. Here, we tested whether complex, multidimensional stimuli (faces) could be reconstructed from ANG by predicting underlying face components from fMRI activity patterns in humans. Using an approach inspired by computer vision methods for face recognition, we applied principal component analysis to a large set of face images to generate eigenfaces. We then modeled relationships between eigenface values and patterns of fMRI activity. Activity patterns evoked by individual faces were then used to generate predicted eigenface values, which could be transformed into reconstructions of individual faces. We show that visually perceived faces were reliably reconstructed from activity patterns in occipitotemporal cortex and several lateral parietal subregions, including ANG. Subjective assessment of reconstructed faces revealed specific sources of information (e.g., affect and skin color) that were successfully reconstructed in ANG. Strikingly, we also found that a model trained on ANG activity patterns during face perception was able to successfully reconstruct an independent set of face images that were held in memory. Together, these findings provide compelling evidence that ANG forms complex, stimulus-specific representations that are reflected in activity patterns evoked during perception and remembering. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Neuroimaging studies have consistently implicated lateral parietal cortex in episodic remembering, but the functional contributions of lateral parietal cortex to memory remain a topic of debate. Here, we used an innovative form of fMRI pattern analysis to test whether lateral parietal cortex actively represents the contents of memory. Using a large set of human face images, we first extracted latent face components (eigenfaces). We then used machine learning algorithms to predict face components from fMRI activity patterns and, ultimately, to reconstruct images of individual faces. We show that activity patterns in a subregion of lateral parietal cortex, the angular gyrus, supported successful reconstruction of perceived and remembered faces, confirming a role for this region in actively representing remembered content.
When Does a Drug Market Become a Drug Market? Finding the Boundaries of Illicit Event Concentrations

The difficulties of forming valid measurements of social phenomena have been well documented in social science research (Blalock 1971; Denton and O’Malley 1999; Murphy and Arroyo 2000). As the concept under study becomes more abstract, so too does its measurement. The spatial world is no exception to this problem as we frequently rely on convenient spatial boundaries such as census areas to compartmentalize a phenomenon in a meaningful way. In this chapter we illustrate this problem through the conceptualization and operationalization of drug markets. After we have explained some of the nuances of drug market construction and ‘­creation’ in detail, we argue that many of the current measurements used to spatially define them are subject to validity issues. We therefore propose a hierarchical clustering methodology that provides a more refined indicator of market activity. We conclude with a summary of implications for crime analysts, police resource allocation, and theory testing.
Accurate zero-field mobilities of atomic ions in the rare gases for calibration of ion mobility spectrometers

The zero-field mobilities of many atomic ions in rare gases are calculated from highly accurate, ab initio potential energy curves. They are expected to be accurate to at least 0.05%, thus allowing them to be used to calibrate mobility measurements in different drift-tube and ion mobility mass spectrometers.
Purity of essence in the Cold War: Dr. Strangelove, paranoia, and bodily boundaries

In Stanley Kubrick’s 1963 black comedy, Dr. Strangelove, General Ripper narrativises his move towards nuclear apocalypse through an understanding of the (male) body – physical and national – as pen...
Dynamics Sampling in Transition Pathway Space

The minimum energy pathway contains important information describing the transition between two states on a potential energy surface (PES). Chain-of-states methods were developed to efficiently calculate minimum energy pathways connecting two stable states. In the chain-of-states framework, a series of structures are generated and optimized to represent the minimum energy pathway connecting two states. However, multiple pathways may exist connecting two existing states and should be identified to obtain a full view of the transitions. Therefore, we developed an enhanced sampling method, named as the direct pathway dynamics sampling (DPDS) method, to facilitate exploration of a PES for multiple pathways connecting two stable states as well as addition minima and their associated transition pathways. In the DPDS method, molecular dynamics simulations are carried out on the targeting PES within a chain-of-states framework to directly sample the transition pathway space. The simulations of DPDS could be regul...
Refugee Youth Leverage Social, Physical, and Digital Information to Enact Information Literacy

A Review of: Lloyd, A., & Wilkinson, J. (2017). Tapping into the information landscape: Refugee youth enactment of information literacy in everyday spaces. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0961000617709058 Abstract Objective – To describe the ways in which refugee youth use everyday information to support their learning. Design – Photo voice technique, a process by which the population under consideration is provided with cameras and asked to visually document an aspect of their experience. Setting – Social agency in New South Wales, Australia Subjects – Fifteen 16-25 year old refugees resettled from South Sudan or Afghanistan Methods – Three workshops were conducted. In the first, participants learned how to use the cameras and the protocols for participation. Between the first and second workshops, participants took several photographs of places, sources and types of information that were personally meaningful. In the second workshop, participants were first split into small groups to share and discuss the five images that they selected as their most important information sources and later reconvened as a large group in which participants again shared and discussed their images. In the third and final workshop, the authors shared their findings and analysis with the participants and invited discussion. The authors analyzed both photos and group transcripts from the workshops using Charmaz’s constant comparative method. Main Results – Refugee youth use digital, vernacular, meditational, and visual literacies in everyday settings in to order to understand and create their new information landscapes. Information literacy enactment is agile and responsive to context. Conclusion – Engaging with digital, vernacular, and visual information in a variety of contexts is central to how young refugees (re)form their information landscapes.
The Relation of Spiritual Self-Identity to Religious Orientations and Attitudes:

Spiritual self-identity, one of four factors in the centrality model of self-identity (D. Pedersen, 1994), is seemingly related to religious orientation (i.e., religion as a means, end, or quest) a...
Abstract 297: GJA1-20k Protects the Heart From Ischemic Injury by Inducing Mitochondrial Metabolic Quiescence

The mRNA of the GJA1 gene that encodes gap junction protein connexin 43 (Cx43) undergoes alternative translation, producing N-terminal truncated smaller protein isoforms. Unlike the well-characterized full-length Cx43 (GJA1-43k), little is known about the function and regulation of the smaller isoforms. Here, we report that global ischemia/reperfusion injury in Langendorff-perfused mouse hearts upregulates endogenous GJA1-20k, the most abundant isoform of alternative translation. Biochemical fractionation indicates that the induced GJA1-20k is preferentially enriched in cardiomyocyte mitochondria. When introduced in vitro through adenovirus-medicated gene expression, exogenous GJA1-20k, but not full length protein GJA1-43k, localizes to mitochondria and improves the survival and viability of adult cardiomyocytes when subjected to oxidative stress. In vivo gene transfer of GJA1-20k through retro-orbital injection of AAV9 virus results in lower mitochondria-dependent basal oxygen consumption as well as maximal respiratory capacity in cardiomyocytes, unlike GFP or GJA1-43k controls. Thus GJA1-20k, but not GJA1-43k, protects the heart against ischemic injury induced by permanent LAD ligation. As compared to GFP control group, myocardial infarct size in GJA1-20k treated hearts is reduced by 30% at 72 hours post LAD ligation. These results indicate that endogenous GJA1-20k is induced upon stress and has strong tropism to mitochondria. Increased GJA1-20k induces mitochondrial metabolic quiescence and affords cardioprotection in vitro and in vivo. Alternatively translated GJA1-20k acts as a novel mitochondrial stress protein and demonstrates therapeutic potential against ischemic injury.
Long-term plasma exchange as maintenance therapy for cerebellar-type Hashimoto's encephalopathy, a case report.

Abstract Hashimoto’s encephalopathy (HE) is a presumed autoimmune disorder associated with anti-thyroid autoantibodies and signs and symptoms of encephalopathy. A sub-type of HE is associated with cerebellar dysfunction and ataxia. Immunosuppressive therapy, particularly corticosteroid treatment, is utilized in the majority of cases. Short-term apheresis has been reported with variable patient responses. Here we report the case of a 72 year-old female with an ∼15 year history of cerebellar type HE that had profound improvement in symptoms after long-term apheresis treatment over an ∼2 year period. Following an induction phase, twice-weekly maintenance apheresis of 1 plasma volume reversed long-standing severe gait ataxia that had required a walker, as well as mild cognitive symptoms. This paralleled reductions in anti-thyroid antibody levels. Holidays from apheresis lasting several weeks and/or reductions in maintenance apheresis frequency to once per-week resulted in re-expression of ataxia and cognitive impairments along with a rise in anti-thyroid antibody levels. An apheresis dose-effect was observed whereby parallel rise and fall in both symptomatology and antibody levels would mirror duration between apheresis intervals. To our knowledge, this is the first report of profound therapeutic benefit and a dose-response relationship to long-term apheresis in cerebellar-type HE. This case suggests that maintenance apheresis be considered in responsive patients, particularly in those with contraindications to medical immunosuppression.
Neuroprotective and neuroregenerative potential of pharmacologically-induced hypothermia with D-alanine D-leucine enkephalin in brain injury.

Neurovascular disorders, such as traumatic brain injury and stroke, persist as leading causes of death and disability – thus, the search for novel therapeutic approaches for these disorders continues. Many hurdles have hindered the translation of effective therapies for traumatic brain injury and stroke primarily because of the inherent complexity of neuropathologies and an inability of current treatment approaches to adapt to the unique cell death pathways that accompany the disorder symptoms. Indeed, developing potent treatments for brain injury that incorporate dynamic and multiple disorder-engaging therapeutic targets are likely to produce more effective outcomes than traditional drugs. The therapeutic use of hypothermia presents a promising option which may fit these criteria. While regulated temperature reduction has displayed great promise in preclinical studies of brain injury, clinical trials have been far less consistent and associated with adverse effects, especially when hypothermia is pursued via systemic cooling. Accordingly, devising better methods of inducing hypothermia may facilitate the entry of this treatment modality into the clinic. The use of the delta opioid peptide D-alanine D-leucine enkephalin (DADLE) to pharmacologically induce temperature reduction may offer a potent alternative, as DADLE displays both the ability to cause temperature reduction and to confer a broad profile of other neuroprotective and neuroregenerative processes. This review explores the prospect of DADLE-mediated hypothermia to treat neurovascular brain injuries, emphasizing the translational steps necessary for its clinical translation.
A Novel NOMA Design Based on Steiner System

In this paper, a code-domain Non-orthogonal Multiple access (NOMA) technique based on combinatorial structures with balanced incomplete block design is studied. Initially, a Steiner system (STS) is used for its specific highly structured and fair resource allocation properties. A new multiuser detection scheme is provided. Compared with traditional serial and iterative MUD scheme, our scheme is capable of working in parallel with low complexity. Simulation results on Rayleigh and Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) channels shows that our system outperforms than similar code-domain NOMA techniques with higher overload factor and spectrum efficiency.
Detecting PTSD in a traumatically injured population: The diagnostic utility of the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5.

Background The posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) is among few validated measures of PTSD severity in line with the DSM-5. Validation efforts among veteran samples have recommended cut scores of 33 and 38 to indicate PTSD; cut scores vary across populations depending on factors such as trauma type. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic utility of and identify optimal cut scores for the PCL-5 in relation to the gold standard Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) among traumatically injured individuals 6 months after discharge from a level I trauma center. Methods A total of 251 participants completed the PCL-5 and CAPS-5 6 months after discharge from a level I trauma center following traumatic injury. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses detailed diagnostic accuracy of the PCL-5 and identified the optimal cut score via Youden's J index. Cut scores were also broken down by intentional versus nonintentional injury. Results The PCL-5 produces satisfactory diagnostic accuracy, with adequate sensitivity and specificity, in a traumatically injured population. Estimates indicate the optimal cut score as >30; the optimal cut score for intentional injuries was >34 and >22 for nonintentional injuries. Conclusions This investigation provides support for the PCL-5 in detection of PTSD among injured individuals 6 months after discharge from a level I trauma center. PCL-5 specificity and sensitivity suggest clinicians working with this population can feel confident in using this measure over more onerous structured interviews (e.g., CAPS-5). This study signifies a move toward ensuring those experiencing mental health difficulties after traumatic injury are identified and connected to resources.
Optimum age for performing Fontan operation in patients with univentricular heart

The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal age for performing Fontan operation using data from the National Inpatient Sample. Our results showed that although the Fontan operation was most commonly performed at age 2 in the United States, age 3 is the optimum age for this procedure as evident by lower rate of in-hospital mortality, procedure-related complications, and rate of nonroutine home discharge when procedure is performed at age 3 years.
CoQ10 and Aging

The aging process includes impairment in mitochondrial function, a reduction in anti-oxidant activity, and an increase in oxidative stress, marked by an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Oxidative damage to macromolecules including DNA and electron transport proteins likely increases ROS production resulting in further damage. This oxidative theory of cell aging is supported by the fact that diseases associated with the aging process are marked by increased oxidative stress. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) levels fall with aging in the human but this is not seen in all species or all tissues. It is unknown whether lower CoQ10 levels have a part to play in aging and disease or whether it is an inconsequential cellular response to aging. Despite the current lay public interest in supplementing with CoQ10, there is currently not enough evidence to recommend CoQ10 supplementation as an anti-aging anti-oxidant therapy.
A Dependency Capturing Code for Robust Object Representation

Abstract The brain has a remarkable ability to recognize objects from noisy or corrupted sensory inputs. How this cognitive robustness is achieved computationally remains unknown. We present a coding paradigm, which encodes structural dependence among features of the input and transforms various forms of the same input into the same representation. The paradigm, through dimensionally expanded representation and sparsity constraint, allows redundant feature coding to enhance robustness and is efficient in representing objects. We demonstrate consistent representations of visual and olfactory objects under conditions of occlusion, high noise or with corrupted coding units. Robust face recognition is achievable without deep layers or large training sets. The paradigm produces both complex and simple receptive fields depending on learning experience, thereby offers a unifying framework of sensory processing. One line abstract We present a framework of efficient coding of objects as a combination of structurally dependent feature groups that is robust against noise and corruption.
Survival of epidermal keratinocyte on different extracellular matrix components-the involvement of MEK, PI3K/AKTand NFκB pathways.

181 Homeostasis in multicellular organisms depends on the efficient disposal of superfluous, dangerous or damaged cells by programmed cell death or apoptosis. Apoptosis thresholds are set by survival signals emanating from attachment to other cells or the extracellular matrix (ECM) or from activation of growth factor/cytokine receptors. It is poorly known how these signals are integrated to steer cell fate decisions. Here we demonstrate that specific matrix components protected human immortalized keratinocytes (HaCaT) against apoptosis induced by blockade of either the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) or MEK or PI3-kinase. In contrast, nuclear factor NFκB activation was indispensable to HaCaT cell survival regardless of matrix availability. Conversely, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α supported anchorage-independent survival of HaCaT cells in an NFκB-dependent fashion. These results highlight previously unrecognized patterns of signal integration between survival pathways relevant to wound healing and malignant transformation of the skin. This work is supported by NIH grant (R01 CA106633, R01 CA81001)
CHARACTERIZATION OF PURIFIED FORMS OF RABBIT PULMONARY CYTOCHROME P-450 AND COMPARISON WITH THE HEPATIC CYTOCHROME P-450 INDUCED BY PHENOBARBITAL

Purified rabbit pulmonary cytochrome P-450 I (P-450 I ) and the major form of rabbit hepatic phenobarbital-induced cytochrome P-450 (P-450 PB ) were shown to be indistinguishable on the basis of monomeric molecular weighty, amino acid composition, and peptide maps. Based upon these criteria, however, pulmonary P-450 II was shown to differ from P-450 I and P-450 PB .
The limits of post-genocide justice in Rwanda: assessing gacaca from the perspective of survivors

In 2002 the Rwandan government asked thousands of untrained civilians to organize, staff, and operate the largest judicial experiment in human history: the gacaca courts. For nearly a decade, commu...
6 – Cobalt bioavailability

Publisher Summary Gastrointestinal microflora of livestock synthesize vitamin B12 and its analogs from dietary cobalt, and, for ruminants and certain other animals, the quantities synthesized can be great enough to meet the host animal's vitamin B12 requirement. Cobalt may be one of the mineral elements for which an in vitro assay may be more indicative of true availability than in vivo methods, because vitamin B12 production by the microflora is the actual physiological response to cobalt. Few studies exist in which comparisons in bioavailability among cobalt sources were made. Several authors have suggested that various cobalt compounds would be suitable as supplemental sources without providing research data. In general, studies with cobalt sources have consisted of supplementing deficient animals with a single source, possibly at a few added levels, and often under field conditions. The toxicity of a mineral element is related to its bioavailability. Ely and colleagues fed calves 500 mg of cobalt daily as cobalt chloride, sulfate, and carbonate for 30 days. Dietary factors that seem to have the greatest effect on ruminal production of vitamin B12 are cobalt concentration, roughage content of the diet, and total feed intake. The dietary addition of inorganic sulfate or cyanide in sheep decreased liver cobalt stores, but added dietary molybdenum increased liver cobalt. Very few critical tests of bioavailability of cobalt sources for ruminants have been made. The carbonate, chloride, sulfate, nitrate, and glucoheptonate forms of cobalt have been indicated to be effective supplemental sources of cobalt for ruminants, but not always with support of comparative data.
Phase II study of capecitabine and oxaliplatin with concurrent radiation therapy (XELOX-XRT) for squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal

4116 Background: Definitive therapy for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the anal canal consists of external beam radiotherapy with concurrent 5-fluorouracil and mitomycin C or cisplatin. This regi...
Science, Literature, and the Work of the Imagination

The essay explores common concerns regarding the biospheric, geologic, and atmospheric foundations of the blue planet in modern literary and scientific enterprises. I argue that the imagination as a creative force governing the mental faculties of thinking, remembering, and fantasizing is key to both enterprises. On the one hand, the imagination spurs speculative conceptualization of models before they materialize: it mediates what can come to be. On the other, the self-reflective dimension of the imagination locates what one makes in the past and present. I trace critical conversations of the last forty years on the role imagination that ask: At what cost do we pursue modern science? What are the consequences of separating the modern sciences from philosophical questions or social thought?
Hash Table Scalability on Intel PIUMA

The Intel PIUMA (Programmable and Integrated Unified Memory Architecture) is a scalable, massively multithreaded architecture designed to operate on unstructured data, with a global address space, fine-grain memory access and various novel features for latency hiding during data movement. Hash tables are a commonly used data structure with unstructured data, hence it is imperative that the performance and scaling for hash table usages are optimized for this architecture. We study three different hash table implementations on a PIUMA simulator to show that a dual-atomics based implementation, a unique feature in PIUMA, performs competitively both at larger scales and under hash collisions. Our implementations are able to achieve strong scaling up to 16,384 hardware threads.
Climate Change and Nature-Based Tourism: How Do Different Types of Visitors Respond?

Climate change will impact nature-based tourism communities by altering weather patterns and influencing the supply of outdoor recreation resources. Visitors to these such destinations respond thro...
Diffusion-MRI-based regional cortical microstructure at birth for predicting neurodevelopmental outcomes of 2-year-olds

Cerebral cortical architecture at birth encodes regionally differential dendritic arborization and synaptic formation. It underlies behavioral emergence of 2-year-olds. Brain changes in 0-2 years are most dynamic across the lifespan. Effective prediction of future behavior with brain microstructure at birth will reveal structural basis of behavioral emergence in typical development and identify biomarkers for early detection and tailored intervention in atypical development. Here we aimed to evaluate the neonate whole-brain cortical microstructure quantified by diffusion MRI for predicting future behavior. We found that individual cognitive and language functions assessed at the age of 2 years were robustly predicted by neonate cortical microstructure using support vector regression. Remarkably, cortical regions contributing heavily to the prediction models exhibited distinctive functional selectivity for cognition and language. These findings highlight regional cortical microstructure at birth as a potential sensitive biomarker in predicting future neurodevelopmental outcomes and identifying individual risks of brain disorders.
Edge artifact removal in diffuse optical tomography using the heterogeneous VICTRE digital breast model

Ultrasound (US)-guided diffuse optical tomography (DOT) has demonstrated potential value for screening and treatment monitoring of breast cancers. However, in clinical cases, the chest wall, bad probe-tissue contact, and tissue heterogeneity can create image artifacts, causing misinterpretation of lesion images. In the current work, realistic and flexible threedimensional numerical breast phantoms were generated using the Virtual Imaging Clinical Trials for Regulatory Evaluation (VICTRE) tools developed by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). By selecting physical attributes and tissue optical properties, the VICTRE breast phantoms were, for the first time, adopted in DOT for in silico studies. Monte Carlo simulations were conducted to generate the forward data. Edge artifacts (hot spots on the edge of the regions of interests) were found on the reconstructed images when there was a mismatch between the lesion-side breast and the contralateral reference-side breast. We propose a fully automated, connected components analysis-based algorithm that can remove these edge artifacts and improve lesion reconstruction.
An H1N1 Computationally Optimized Broadly Reactive Antigen Elicits a Neutralizing Antibody Response against an Emerging Human-Infecting Eurasian Avian-Like Swine Influenza Virus.

Next-generation influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA)-based Computationally-Optimized Broadly Reactive Antigens (COBRAs) are capable of eliciting a broader neutralizing antibody response compared to current standard of care influenza virus vaccines (1-3).….
Assorted Musings on Dimension-critical Graphs

For a finite simple graph $G$, say $G$ is of dimension $n$, and write $\dim(G) = n$, if $n$ is the smallest integer such that $G$ can be represented as a unit-distance graph in $\mathbb{R}^n$. Define $G$ to be $\textit{dimension-critical}$ if every proper subgraph of $G$ has dimension less than $G$. In this article, we determine exactly which complete multipartite graphs are dimension-critical. It is then shown that for each $n \geq 2$, there is an arbitrarily large dimension-critical graph $G$ with $\dim(G) = n$. We close with a few observations and questions that may aid in future work.
Near-Millimeter Wave Studies of Sub-Micron Layers of Doped Gallium Arsenide

The near-millimeter wave optical properties of doped GaAs films on high resistivity GaAs substrates have been studied. These measurements are compared to a Drude free carrier model and the electrically measured properties.
Near Field Scanning based Characterization for Wireless Coexistence

In this paper, a near field scanning based method is utilized to characterize wireless coexistence issues in design of a practical electronic device. This device supports multiple wireless communication radios. Based on near field, the radiation at the intermodulation frequency when two different radios both operate are evaluated. Reduction of scanned near field is proved to be an effective method to predict far field reduction.
Donor age and sex have limited effects on the mechanical and microstructural properties of human connective tissues.

Connective tissues, such as tendons, ligaments, and capsules, play a large role in locomotion and joint stability and are often subjected to traumatic injuries and degeneration. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if the mechanical and microstructural properties of connective tissues correlate with the age and sex of the human donor. Dissected samples were prepared for mechanical testing, consisting of 10 cycles of preconditioning, a stress-relaxation ramp and hold, and a quasi-static ramp to failure. During the testing protocol, the microstructural organization of tissues was analyzed using quantitative polarized light imaging. A linear mixed model was used to assess whether tissue type, donor age, or donor sex were significantly associated with mechanical and microstructural tissue properties. Tissue type had a significant effect on all parameters, while donor age and sex did not. Groupings by tissue type (i.e., tendon vs. ligament vs. capsule) were evident for microstructural data, with tendons having a tighter grouping and ligaments having a larger spread of values. The interaction of tissue type and age yielded a significant effect for linear modulus only (p = 0.007), with the palmaris tendon appearing to have the largest contribution to this effect. There were no significant interaction effects between sex and tissue type or donor age. Donor age appears to affect linear modulus in some, but not all, tissue types. Otherwise, age and sex do not have significant effects on the mechanical and microstructural properties of the range of connective tissues that were analyzed in this study.
Regulation of Salmonella Resistance to Oxidative and Nitrosative Stress

This chapter presents the molecular mechanisms used by Salmonella to sense and respond to reactive species encountered at various phases during the infectious cycle. Salmonellae are exposed to reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced endogenously through the univalent or divalent reduction of O2 by enzymes of the electron transport chain or cytoplasmic flavoproteins. Oxyradicals generated by the NADPH phagocyte oxidase react with sulfur compounds in the gut lumen, generating the alternative electron acceptor tetrathionate. The effect of ROS on Salmonella central metabolism may be especially pertinent in phagosomes of macrophages, where nutrients might be a limited resource. The importance of thiol-mediated sensing of ROS and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) has been established in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Of interest to this chapter, SPI2 lessens the oxidative and nitrosative stress that Salmonella must endure within macrophages. A section briefly discusses the sources of NO and the chemistry of RNS relevant to Salmonella pathogenesis. The formation of dinitrosyliron complexes in fumarate/nitrate reduction (FNR) derepresses genes involved in the antinitrosative response of Salmonella. ROS and RNS have distinct biological chemistries, but they also share some common molecular targets. The realization that the SPI2 master regulator SsrB can be a sensor of RNS illustrates the complex strategies used by intracellular Salmonella to sense reactive species engendered in the course of the infection.
When series of computable functions with varying domains are computable

In this paper we study the behavior of computable series of computable partial functions with varying domains (but each domain containing all computable points), and prove that the sum of the series exists and is computable exactly on the intersection of the domains when a certain computable Cauchyness criterion is met. In our point-free approach, we name points via nested sequences of basic open sets, and thus our functions from a topological space into the reals are generated by functions from basic open sets to basic open sets. The construction of a function that produces the sum of a series requires working with an infinite array of pairs of basic open sets, and reconciling the varying domains. We introduce a general technique for using such an array to produce a set function that generates a well-defined point function and apply the technique to a series to establish our main result. Finally, we use the main finding to construct a computable, and thus continuous, function whose domain is of Lebesgue measure zero and which is nonextendible to a continuous function whose domain properly includes the original domain. (We had established existence of such functions with domains of measure less than e for any ɛ>0, in an earlier paper.)
Phases of the 5-Min Photospheric Oscillations above Granules and Intergranular Lanes

The currently accepted excitation mechanism of solar oscillations is the stochastic excitation by turbulent convection with the acoustic energy output that scales as a high power of the Mach number of the convection (Goldreich and Kumar, 1988; Goldreich et al., 1994, and references therein). Acoustic events of large amplitudes might be observed with the help of high-resolution techniques as enhancements of the oscillatory amplitude localized in time and space (Brown, 1991). The analyses of observations performed by Rimmele et al. (1995) and Espagnet et al (1996) revealed that the amplitude amplification occurs mainly above the darkest intergranular lanes. This was attributed to the enhanced turbulence of downflows. But later Hoekzema et al. (1998) found no difference between oscillations above the granules and intergranular lanes. In this work we re-examine the links between the 5-minute oscillations and granulation using observations of the Fe I 5324 A line obtained with high spatial and temporal resolution. In contradiction to the previous studies we show that oscillations above the brightest granules as well as above the darkest intergranular lanes occur with the smaller amount of radiative energy losses. This causes the amplitude amplification with the contrast of granulation.
An electron microscopic radioautographic identification of the "enterochromaffin-like" APUD cells in murine oxyntic glands. Demonstration of a metabolic difference between rat and mouse gastric A-like cells.

Abstract The oxyntic glands of rat and mouse stomachs contain argyrophil "enterochromaffin-like" endocrine cells that synthesize and store histamine and also have APUD ability—they can take up exogenous L-5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), can decarboxylate it to 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, serotonin) by the enzyme DOPA decarboxylase, and can store the amine. Previous cytochemical studies have suggested that these cells correspond to both the ECL and A-like cells, the two predominant endocrine cells identified by electron microscopy in rat and mouse oxyntic glands. The purpose of this study was to identify by EM radioautography the APUD and thereby the enterochromaffin-like cells in the oxyntic glands of these rodents. Pieces of rat and mouse gastric mucosa were incubated in organ culture with H3-5-HTP, H3-5-HTP and carbidopa (an inhibitor of DOPA decarboxylase), and H3-5-HT and were processed for LM and EM radioautography. Additional pieces of rat gastric mucosa were incubated with 5-HTP, freeze-dried, and processed by the Falck-Hillarp technique to permit the detection of 5-HT by fluorescence microscopy. After H3-5-HTP incubations, the EeL cells of both the rat and mouse oxyntic glands were labeled by EM radioautography, but the A-like cells of only the mouse were so labeled. Since this labeling was inhibited by carbidopa and since exogenous H3-5-HT failed to label endocrine cells, the labeling must have resulted from the uptake of exogenous H3-5-HTP and its intracellular conversion to H3-5-HT. The failure of some rat oxyntic endocrine cells to form and store 5-HT from exogenous 5-HTP was also demonstrated by the Falck-Hillarp technique and by LM radioautography. Thus, this study demonstrates that only the ECL and not the A-like cell of rat oxyntic glands is an APUD and therefore enterochromaffin-like cell, and that despite their morphologic similarities, the A-like cells of the rat and mouse have metabolic differences.
Athena: Mining-Based Interactive Management of Text Database

We describe Athena: a system for creating, exploiting, and maintaining a hierarchy of textual documents through interactive mining-based operations. Requirements of any such system include speed and minimal end-user effort. Athena satisfies these requirements through linear-time classification and clustering engines which are applied interactively to speed the development of accurate models. Naive Bayes classifiers are recognized to be among the best for classifying text. We show that our specialization of the Naive Bayes classifier is considerably more accurate (7 to 29% absolute increase in accuracy) than a standard implementation. Our enhancements include using Lid-stone's law of succession instead of Laplace's law, under-weighting long documents, and over-weighting author and subject. We also present a new interactive clustering algorithm, C-Evolve, for topic discovery. C-Evolve first finds highly accurate cluster digests (partial clusters), gets user feedback to merge and correct these digests, and then uses the classification algorithm to complete the partitioning of the data. By allowing this interactivity in the clustering process, C-Evolve achieves considerably higher clustering accuracy (10 to 20% absolute increase in our experiments) than the popular K-Means and agglomerative clustering methods.
Influence of MgO, SrO, and ZnO Dopants on Electro-Thermal Polarization Behavior and In Vitro Biological Properties of Hydroxyapatite Ceramics

The objective of this work was to investigate the influence of trace element (Mg2+, Zn2+, and Sr2+) doping on polarization behavior of sintered hydroxyapatite [HAp, Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2] pertinent to biomedical applications. For this purpose, commercially procured phase pure HAp powder was doped with MgO, SrO, and ZnO dopants in different single, binary, and ternary compositions. All samples were sintered at 1200°C for 2 h and subsequently electro-thermally polarized via application of an external dc field (2.0 kV/cm) at 400°C. Combined addition of 1 wt% MgO/1 wt% SrO in HAp was found to be the most beneficial in enhancing the polarizability (stored charge ∼4.19 μC/cm2) of pure HAp (stored charge ∼2.23 μC/cm2) by inhibiting high-temperature HAp phase decomposition. Furthermore, in vitro bone cell–material interaction has been studied for polarized binary doped (1 wt% MgO+1 wt% SrO in HAp) HAp samples by culturing with human fetal osteoblast cells for a maximum of 7 days to establish the significance of dopants on polarized HAp for bone graft applications. Scanning electron microscope images of cell morphology revealed that favorable surface properties and dopants chemistry led to good cellular adherence and extracellular matrix formation on negatively charged surfaces of binary doped HAp samples in comparison with undoped HAp surfaces. MTT assay results at 7 days showed the highest cell proliferation on negatively charged surfaces of binary doped HAp samples.
Integration of multidimensional geospatial information for coastal management and decision-making

Coastal management and decision-making requires timely and accurate multidimensional geospatial data that often reside in government agencies, organizations, and institutions on various levels. Integration of such data involves research on the spatial and temporal characteristics of coastal geospatial information, interoperability of spatial databases and tools, and distributed and mobile technologies. This demonstration will present a system we have developed in last four years, which aims at integrating multidimensional coastal spatial data and information technology to enhance the operational capabilities of federal, state, and local agencies responsible for coastal management and decision making.
Is It Abuse, Alienation, and/or Estrangement?: A Decision Tree

Abstract Allegations of family violence, child abuse, and alienation often occur in the same contested child custody case. Custody eval-uators often are poorly trained in forensic assessment of allegations of domestic violence and allegations of alienation. The authors of this article suggest language that is designed to differentiate between cases in which the term alienation is appropriate, as in non-abuse cases, and when it is best to use other language such as estrangement sabotaging, and counter productive protective parenting in cases where there is abuse. This article describes a decision tree that is designed to assist evaluators in identifying the causes of multiple allegations of maltreatment and abuse.