cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Head and neck manifestations of disseminated coccidioidomycosis.

Objectives/Hypothesis Coccidioidomycosis is a fungal disease endemic to semiarid regions in the southwestern United States, northern Mexico, and parts of South America. Although this is primarily a pulmonary disease, approximately 0.5% to 1.0% of infected individuals develop disseminated disease affecting skin, subcutaneous tissue, bone, joints, and meninges. The objectives of the study were to present three cases of head and neck manifestations of disseminated coccidioidomycosis and to review the literature of head and neck presentations, diagnosis, and treatment of this potentially life-threatening disease. Study Design Case reports and literature review. Methods A Medline search was performed with the keyword “coccidioidomycosis.” Of 1719 articles in all, 47 were selected for their relevance to otolaryngology, diagnosis, or treatment. Results Virtually all head and neck manifestations in patients with disseminated coccidioidomycosis involved the skin, with a predilection for the central face. Systemic symptoms such as fever and cough are often subtle, making the diagnosis difficult. Infections of multiple sites of the head and neck have been reported, including life-threatening airway lesions. Conclusion The incidence of patients with coccidioidomycosis has been steadily increasing since the late 1980s in endemic areas. Otolaryngologists are increasingly being called on to diagnose and manage the head and neck manifestations of the disease caused by Coccidioides immitis.
Symptomatic predictors of influenza virus positivity in children during the influenza season.

BACKGROUND: Symptomatic predictors of the etiology of infectious diseases are necessary when quick action is required in treatment, as with cases of influenza or anthrax, or for when patient isolation is required, as with cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Predictors of influenza virus infection during the influenza season have previously been evaluated in adult studies of the antiviral agent zanamivir; cough and temperature > or =37.8 degrees C predicted influenza virus positivity in 79% of those evaluated. METHODS: Fever and other respiratory symptoms were examined to determine their value in predicting influenza virus-positive status in children. Data analyzed were from a clinical trial of zanamivir in children 5-12 years of age and from a trial of oseltamivir in children 1-12 years of age. RESULTS: In the pediatric study of zanamivir, as in the adult zanamivir study, cough and fever were the best predictors of influenza virus infection; a temperature > or =38.2 degrees C plus cough predicted 83% (95% CI, 79%-88%) of illnesses that were determined to be influenza virus positive. Cough (positive predictive value, 70%; 95% CI, 64%-75%), but not fever, was the best predictor of influenza virus-positive status in children aged 5-12 years in the oseltamivir trials, but neither cough nor fever were successful predictors in young children 1-4 years of age. The latter findings appeared to be the result of less symptomatic diversity among patients recruited for this trial, such that subjects who were determined to be influenza virus positive and subjects who were influenza virus negative had similar symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The results of these studies suggest that, during the influenza season, symptomatic predictors of influenza virus infection are applicable to identification of cases in children, although confirmation of predictive values in subjects 1-4 years of age may require further study of additional signs/symptoms.
Use of ion probes in supersonic plasma flow

Supersonic plasma flows charge density levels and spatial and temporal variation, discussing theory and use of electrostatic probes
Regulation of Seed Yield Within and Among Populations of Prunella Vulgaris

Knowledge of how seed production is regulated by components of seed yield can provide insight into what determines fitness in natural populations. This study examines patterns and sources of variation and interaction among components of seed yield within and among 10 populations of a perennial weed. Much of the variation in total yield among individuals within populations could be explained by differences in plant size. In general, relationships between components of yield were weak, indicating that total yield was not tightly buffered by trade—offs among yield components. The pattern of relationships between yield components differed among populations, demonstrating that these relationships are not a constant characteristic of a species. The patterns of relationship between each component and an estimate of the number of successful seedlings produced also differed among populations, but seed number was generally more important than biomass per seed in determining plant fitness. Yield component means and ...
On the Impact of Node Failures and Unreliable Communications in Dense Sensor Networks

We consider the problem of decentralized detection in failure-prone tree networks with bounded height. Specifically, we study and contrast the impact on the detection performance of either node failures (modeled by a Galton-Watson branching process) or unreliable communications (modeled by binary symmetric channels). In both cases, we focus on ldquodenserdquo networks, in which we let the degree of every node (other than the leaves) become large, and we characterize the asymptotically optimal detection performance. We develop simple strategies that nearly achieve the optimal performance, and compare the performance of the two types of networks.
Narratives of conquest, colonialism, and cutting-edge technology

Many empirical studies have demonstrated that some indigenous technologies in the Americas survived for a long time after European colonization. Still, a narrative of the quick replacement of “Stone Age” indigenous technologies by more efficient European technologies continues to be the main model to explain postcontact technological change. I argue in this article that an important reason for the perseverance of this model is its clear narrative quality. I discuss alternative narrative strategies and examine in detail the case of Xaltocan, Mexico, where indigenous people resumed and intensified chipped-stone tool production and use after the Spanish conquest, instead of adopting steel knives. I argue that this trend was related to access to the means of production rather than to European notions of “practicality.” This model invites us to rewrite histories of postconquest technological change without assuming a quick replacement of indigenous tools and technologies.
Military Presidents in Arab States

The Arab world has experienced a large number of military presidencies since General Bakr Sidki's brief rule in Iraq in 1936. The phenomenon became of great significance beginning with Colonel Jamal ʿAbd al-Nasir's presidency in Egypt in the early 1950s, which established a model for similar regimes in Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and, at least initially, Libya under the self-promoted Colonel Muʿammar al-Qadhafi. The president who exchanged his uniform for a suit; an authoritarian style of political management in the name of a revolution against an old, foreign-dominated order; and the legitimacy obtained from laudable achievements in the international and economic sphere: these were all part of al-Nasir's influence and legacy.
Source power management in transparent wavelength-routed mesh networks

Wavelength-routed WDM networks are expected to offer on-demand lightpath services in the near future. Lightpath bit error rate (BER) is one of the most important quality of service (QoS) performance measures. In a transparent WDM network, an admitted lightpath can potentially impact the BER performance of many other lightpaths that are already established, and hence admission control becomes necessary. In order to reduce the number of BER-related call blockings, a dynamic power management algorithm in contrast to the traditional fixed source power assignment is proposed in this paper. Our study shows that having adjustable source powers can achieve the same BER performance as in the fixed-power case while using much lower average source powers. As a result, detrimental fiber nonlinearities are significantly reduced, thus leading to much improved network BER performance.
Parameter diagrams of the GRW and CSL theories of wavefunction collapse

It has been hypothesized that the time evolution of wavefunctions might include collapses, rather than being governed by the Schrodinger equation. The leading models of such an evolution, Ghirardi–Rimini–Weber (GRW) and continuous spontaneous localization (CSL), have two parameters (or new constants of nature): the collapse width σ and the collapse rate λ. We draw a diagram of the σλ-plane showing the region that is empirically refuted and the region that is philosophically unsatisfactory.
Real-time transaction processing: pessimistic, optimistic, and hybrid approaches

A real-time database system (RTDBS) differs from a conventional database system because in addition to the consistency constraints of the database, timing constraints of individual transaction need to be satisfied. To provide real-time response for queries and update while maintaining the consistency of data, real-time concurrency control should involve efficient integration of the ideas from both database concurrency control and real-time scheduling. The authors proposed hybrid real-time concurrency control protocols which combine pessimistic and optimistic approaches to concurrency control in order to control blocking and aborting in a more effective manner. >
Host-Adapted Borrelia burgdorferi in Mice Expresses OspA during Inflammation

Antibody responses to outer surface protein A (OspA) of Borrelia burgdorferi may occur during periods of arthritis late in the clinical course of untreated Lyme disease. These antibody responses are paradoxical, given the conclusive evidence demonstrating that B. burgdorferi transmitted to the mammalian host expresses little or no OspA. The parallel occurrence of OspA antibodies and arthritic episodes suggests that OspA expression is upregulated during infection with B. burgdorferi. We hypothesized that this was due to the inflammatory environment caused by the immune response to the spirochete. To test our hypothesis, we adapted an in vivo model that mimics the host-pathogen interaction. Dialysis chambers containing B. burgdorferi were implanted into the peritoneal cavities of mice in the presence or absence of zymosan, a yeast cell wall extract that induces inflammation. Spirochetes were harvested 2 days later, and OspA expression was assessed at the protein and transcription level by Western blotting and real-time reverse transcription-PCR, respectively. Flow cytometry was also utilized to evaluate OspA protein expression on individual spirochetes. B. burgdorferi maintained in an inflammatory in vivo environment show an increased OspA expression relative to B. burgdorferi kept under normal in vivo conditions. Furthermore, host-adapted B. burgdorferi with a low OspA phenotype upregulates OspA expression when transferred to an inflammatory in vivo environment. The results obtained by these techniques uniformly identify inflammation as a mediator of in vivo OspA expression in host-adapted B. burgdorferi, providing insights into the behavior of live spirochetes in the mammalian host.
Regeneration of deep-forest Stemmadenia donnell-smithii (Apocynaceae) at Los Tuxtlas, Mexico

Stemmadenia donnell-smithii is a subcanopy neotropical tree that occurs in a wide variety of forest and successional habitats. Often regarded as a species of highly disturbed habitats, we tested the hypothesis that regeneration in old-growth forest is consistent with that of a late-pioneer tree, with the number of established seedlings (stature 50 cm in forest conditions) occurred only under broken canopies.
Energy optimization of pipelined digital systems using circuit sizing and supply scaling

We present a systematic method for minimizing the energy of pipelined digital systems, through joint optimization of each pipeline stage and the system. A pipeline stage with a constant load can either be optimized for delay at a given input size, minimized for energy at a fixed delay, or have delay traded off for energy at a fixed input size. The results of these optimizations are combined to yield the design region for energy and delay. At the system level with a fixed throughput constraint, the sensitivities to input size and output load of all pipeline stages form the optimal energy criteria that provide a systematic method to minimize the total system energy. This method is applied to a media datapath, where we show up to 37% energy saving for a fixed performance. The minimal energy-delay curve of the system obtained through application of this method demonstrates similar characteristics as that of a single pipeline stage. With voltage scaling, the optimal solution displays a strong dependency between delay, energy, and supply voltage. The proper tradeoff between these entities makes a fundamental impact on efficient digital design.
Protecting Children(?): Marriage, Gender, and Assisted Reproductive Technology

The Supreme Court has declared that children should not be penalized based on the circumstances of their birth. In the context of assisted reproductive technology ("ART"), however, parentage provisions that apply only to children born to heterosexual married couples continue to be the rule rather than the exception. Many of the policymakers resisting the calls for reform have been influenced by the debate currently playing out in the same-sex marriage context regarding the causal connection (or lack thereof) between marriage and gender, on the one hand, and positive child welfare outcomes, on the other. This Article approaches this increasingly contentious debate in a novel way by focusing on an issue on which both sides converge - the desire to protect the well-being of children. Using this lens, the Article accomplishes two things. First, this Article offers a doctrinal analysis of an issue that, until now, has remained almost entirely unexplored. Specifically, the Article demonstrates that, contrary to the asserted child welfare goals of marriage-preference proponents, marriage-only ART rules harm the financial and, in turn, the overall well-being of nonmarital children. Second, the Article considers how to reform the inadequacies of the current regime. After assessing a range of potential normative solutions, the Article concludes by proposing a new theoretical framework for determining the legal parentage of all children - both marital and nonmarital - born through ART.
Preliminary evidence for a change in spectral sensitivity of the circadian system at night.

Background It is well established that the absolute sensitivity of the suprachiasmatic nucleus to photic stimulation received through the retino-hypothalamic tract changes throughout the 24-hour day. It is also believed that a combination of classical photoreceptors (rods and cones) and melanopsin-containing retinal ganglion cells participate in circadian phototransduction, with a spectral sensitivity peaking between 440 and 500 nm. It is still unknown, however, whether the spectral sensitivity of the circadian system also changes throughout the solar day. Reported here is a new study that was designed to determine whether the spectral sensitivity of the circadian retinal phototransduction mechanism, measured through melatonin suppression and iris constriction, varies at night.
Expression of adenovirus E3/19K protein does not alter mouse MHC class I-restricted responses to vaccinia virus.

The adenovirus E3/19K glycoprotein forms a tight complex with most human and certain mouse MHC class I allomorphs, retaining them in the endoplasmic reticulum by virtue of its cytosolic carboxyl terminal amino acids. This prevents the presentation of viral antigens at the cell surface to class I-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). In adenovirus infection of cotton rats, E3/19K appears to act as an anti-inflammatory and/or immunosuppressive factor. Further studies of the role of E3/19K in adenovirus pathogenesis have been hampered by the lack of sufficient knowledge concerning the immune system of the cotton rat and by the poor correlation between adenovirus infection in mice and humans. We therefore addressed the function of this adenovirus glycoprotein in virus pathogenesis by infecting B10.HTG (H-2KdDb) mice with a vaccinia virus (VV) recombinant encoding E3/19K. The Kd and Db allomorphs normally present VV antigens to CTL and have high affinity for E3/19K. Infected mice were examined for the kinetics of virus replication in various tissues and the generation of natural killer (NK) cell and CTL responses. It was found that expression of E3/19K by vaccinia virus had no detectable effect on CTL responses, NK responses, or viral replication. These findings suggest that immune modulating proteins evolve to exploit unique circumstances of the host immune response to a given virus.
In Search of a Theoretical Structure for Understanding Motivation in Schizophrenia

This themed issue considers different ways to conceptualize the motivational impairment that is a core negative symptom of schizophrenia. Motivational impairment has been linked to poor functional outcome, thus it is important to understand the nature and causes of motivational impairment in order to develop better treatment strategies to enhance motivation and engage patients in the process of recovery. Motivation refers to the processes whereby goal-directed activities are instigated and sustained and can be thought of as the product of a complex interaction of physiological processes and social contextual variables. In this issue, the physiological processes of motivation are the focus of Barch and Dowd, who highlight the role of prefrontal and subcortical mesolimbic dopamine systems in incentive-based learning and the difficulties people with schizophrenia have using internal representations of relevant experiences and goals to drive the behavior that should allow them to obtain desired outcomes. The articles in this issue by Choi et al., Nakagami et al., and Silverstein, focus on social contextual or environmental variables that can shape behavior and motivation. Together, these articles highlight the impact of external cues and goal properties on the expectations and values attached to goal outcomes. Expectancy-value and Self-Determination theories provide an overarching framework to accommodate the perspectives and data provided in all these articles. In the following introduction we show how the articles in this themed issue both support the role of expectancies and value in motivation in schizophrenia and elucidate possible deficiencies in the way expectations and value get assigned.
Modeling Music as a Dynamic Texture

We consider representing a short temporal fragment of musical audio as a dynamic texture, a model of both the timbral and rhythmical qualities of sound, two of the important aspects required for automatic music analysis. The dynamic texture model treats a sequence of audio feature vectors as a sample from a linear dynamical system. We apply this new representation to the task of automatic song segmentation. In particular, we cluster audio fragments, extracted from a song, as samples from a dynamic texture mixture (DTM) model. We show that the DTM model can both accurately cluster coherent segments in music and detect transition boundaries. Moreover, the generative character of the proposed model of music makes it amenable for a wide range of applications besides segmentation. As examples, we use DTM models of songs to suggest possible improvements in other music information retrieval applications such as music annotation and similarity.
Effects of Supplement Type and Feeding Frequency on Performance and Physiological Responses of Yearling Brahman-Crossbred Steers1

Abstract The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effects of supplement type and feeding frequency on performance of yearling steers. Twenty-four steers were stratified by initial BW and randomly assigned to one of 3 treatments: 1) molasses-based supplement fed 3 times/wk (ML), 2) citrus pulp-based supplement fed 3 times/wk (C3), or 3) citrus pulp-based supplement fed daily (C7). Supplement intakes were formulated to be isocaloric and isonitrogenous. Limpograss hay was offered in amounts to ensure ad libitum intake. Steer shrunk BW was measured at the beginning and at the end of the experiment. Blood samples were collected for determination of plasma metabolites and hormones. Forage DMI was recorded daily during an 18-d period. Mean BW gain was greater (P
Environmental aging in polycrystalline-Si photovoltaic modules: comparison of chamber-based accelerated degradation studies with field-test data

Lifecycle degradation testing of photovoltaic (PV) modules in accelerated-degradation chambers can enable the prediction both of PV performance lifetimes and of return-on-investment for installations of PV systems. With degradation results strongly dependent on chamber test parameters, the validity of such studies relative to fielded, installed PV systems must be determined. In the present work, accelerated aging of a 250 W polycrystalline silicon module is compared to real-time performance degradation in a similar polycrystalline-silicon, fielded, PV technology that has been operating since October 2013. Investigation of environmental aging effects are performed in a full-scale, industrial-standard environmental chamber equipped with single-sun irradiance capability providing illumination uniformity of 98% over a 2 x 1.6 m area. Time-dependent, photovoltaic performance (J-V) is evaluated over a recurring, compressed night-day cycle providing representative local daily solar insolation for the southwestern United States, followed by dark (night) cycling. This cycle is synchronized with thermal and humidity environmental variations that are designed to mimic, as closely as possible, test-yard conditions specific to a 12 month weather profile for a fielded system in Tucson, AZ. Results confirm the impact of environmental conditions on the module long-term performance. While the effects of temperature de-rating can be clearly seen in the data, removal of these effects enables the clear interpretation of module efficiency degradation with time and environmental exposure. With the temperature-dependent effect removed, the normalized efficiency is computed and compared to performance results from another panel of similar technology that has previously experienced identical climate changes in the test yard. Analysis of relative PV module efficiency degradation for the chamber-tested system shows good comparison to the field-tested system with ~2.5% degradation following an equivalent year of testing.
Flavor of Georgia: Entrepreneurship and Value Added Products

The University of Georgia’s Flavor of Georgia program coordinated through the College of Agriculture’s Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development offers small businesses wider exposure for their locally produced barbecue sauces, jellies, preserves, cheeses, and meats. During a statewide competition, entrants’ products are evaluated by food science professionals and marketers each year. Since the program went statewide in 2007, over 750 Georgia food products have been submitted to the competition. Survey results indicate that 77% of the 2013 Flavor of Georgia finalists reported increased interest in their products while 86% reported more business contacts; 45% reported an increase in sales and 27% reported an increase in profits.
A Feasibility Study to Mitigate Tissue-Tumor Heterogeneity Using High Frequency Bipolar Electroporation Pulses

The accurate modeling of electric fields is important for predicting the volume of treated tissue in electroporation-based therapies (EBTs). In most clinical cases, the electrical properties of tissue are heterogeneous and patient-to-patient and tissue-to-tissue variability makes modeling these parameters complicated. In this study, we propose the use of microsecond bursts of High Frequency Bipolar Electroporation Pulses (HFBEPs) on the order of 1 μs to achieve predictable electric field distributions by reducing effective tissue heterogeneity. For a proof-of-concept we compared in-silico the fields due to the traditional low-frequency electroporation pulses and HFBEPs in a heterogeneous geometry consisting of healthy and tumor liver tissue. We simulated the electric fields in different geometric configurations, i.e. with the tumor centered and offset in the healthy tissue domain and compared the results to the analytical solution of the Laplace’s equation, which is independent of the electrical properties of tissue. In order to quantify the difference, we plotted the fields along the vertical centerline between the two electrodes. We found that that the field distributions using low frequency and high frequency pulses differed from the analytical solution at position (0, 2 cm) by 30% and 7% for the centered tumor and by 53% and 12% for the offset tumor geometry, respectively. These results indicate that HFBEP therapy is more predictable as the field is largely independent of the electrical properties and closely resembles the homogenous analytical solution.
The Hexachordal Theorem: A Mathematical Look at Interval Relations in Twelve-Tone Composition

mentary six-member subsets A and B. Each subset has (6) = 15 pairs of members; the interval between any pair of numbers is the (positive) difference between them, subject to the equivalence n 12 n. So, for the pair (1, 11) the interval may be said to be either 10 or 2. A convenient way to represent a complementary pair of interval sets, which makes visually apparent the equivalence just described, is to present a "clock face" with six A's and six B's, as follows:
Applications of high-speed non-linearities of semiconductor amplifiers

In the recent past, there has been unprecedented progress in the use of non-linear effects in semiconductor laser amplifiers (SLAs) for high-speed all-optical signal processing. Applications include all-optical demultiplexing (1-4), clock recovery (5,6), mid-span spectral inversion (7), wavelength conversion (8,9), and use as an ultrafast AND gate for optical packet processing (10).
Identification of a High-Risk Group for Development of BOS Using Latent Class Analysis

s S107 and bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS), of which the exact pathophysiology remain elusive. A previous study demonstrated that increased bronchoalveolar lavage eosinophilia predisposed to CLAD. We further investigated the presence of eosinophils in explants lung tissue of CLAD. Methods: Sections of BOS (n= 16) and RAS (n= 16) lungs were stained and quantified compared to (non-transplant) control lungs (n= 20). Eosinophils, identified by the marker EG2, were counted in three different compartments; around the airway, in the parenchyma and around the blood vessel. Results were represented as the mean number (±SEM) of cells per high power field. Results: Representative staining of BOS (A), RAS (B) and control (C) are provided in figure 1. Around the airways, eosinophils were significantly increased in BOS (16.7±4.8; p< 0.05) and in RAS (13.4±4.0; p< 0.05) compared to control (2.8±0.8). In the parenchyma, there were more eosinophils present in BOS (8.8±1.4; p< 0.05), but not in RAS (8.2±2.2), compared to control (3.9±0.9). Around the blood vessels, both BOS (11.4±2.1; p< 0.01) and RAS (9.8±1.9; p< 0.05) demonstrated an increased number of eosinophils compared to control (4.0±0.6). The number of eosinophils around the airways correlated with eosinophil numbers in the parenchyma (R= 0.55, p< 0.0001) and around the blood vessels (R= 0.79, p< 0.0001). Conclusion: Eosinophils, regulated by a Th2 immune response, are increased in BOS and RAS which may implicate a new pathway. These findings may lead to additional therapeutic options to improve outcome after LTx in the future.
Two-variable crossing-symmetric expansion of the ππ scattering amplitude and low-energy parameter sum rules

A two-variable crossing-symmetrie expansion of the ππ scattering amplitude in the interior of the Mandelstam triangle is obtained. From this expansion, we derive sum rules for the low-energy parameters, assuming the «weakness» of the threshold unitarity cut. Finally, we compare these sum rules with experimental data and theoretical predictions.
Regulation of Engineers in California

State-administered certification programs for the engineering profession are unjustified and should be eliminated. The reasons for this conclusion have nothing to do with the peculiarities of any particular engineering discipline, but are due to the inherent weaknesses of governmental-sponsored certification programs. State-run certification programs are not enforceable, may not reduce information costs to consumers, put barriers on an engineer's ability to practice, and may be duplicative of private certification programs. The second conclusion of this article calls for the registration of all exempt engineers who are in responsible charge in licensed disciplines. Finally, this article proposes that criteria be extablished and followed when determining whether a discipline should be brought under a licensing program. Each state should develop criteria whenever it seeks to impose regulations upon a given discipline, for without such standards it is impossible to establish a rational system of engineering regulations.
Laser cooling of a cesium beam utilizing Stark effect frequency compensation

Laser cooling of neutral atoms has possible applications such as better frequency standards and high precision spectroscopy. It would be desirable to produce a cold continuous beam of atoms with small transverse velocity to be used in atomic fountains and collision studies. One method to produce a cold continuous beam uses Zeeman effect to compensate the Doppler shift as atoms are slowed. We present a new method for producing a cold Cesium beam using Stark effect frequency tuning.
The effects of photochromic lenses on visual performance.

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effects of filtering by an activated photochromic lens on visual performance in healthy adults. Glare disability, glare discomfort, heterochroma...
Modeling of air/ground air traffic control communications for fast-time simulation

A fast-time simulation model of air traffic in the National Airspace System (NAS), developed by the Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD) of the MITRE Corporation, has been used over the past several years for capacity and delay analyses. Prior to the effort documented in this paper, this model did not explicitly account for the communications events that transpire, and the related communications messages that would ensue, as the simulated aircraft are moving through the NAS. The model did account for overall controller workload,, which incorporates communications workload, in an abstract sense. In order to properly engineer current and future air/ground (A/G) communications systems, it is necessary to explicitly quantify the communications traffic that those systems support. This paper describes the capability added to the simulation model during fiscal year 2005 (FY2005) to identify communications message triggering events, and to generate the appropriate voice or data communications messages. This work was facilitated through the MITRE Sponsored Research (MSR) Program of the MITRE Technology Program.
An equalization-based adaptive digital background calibration technique for successive approximation analog-to-digital converters

This paper presents an equalization-based digital background error-correction technique for successive approximation analog-to-digital converters (SA-ADCs). Computer simulation indicates that large differential and integral nonlinearities resulting from component errors including capacitor mismatch, comparator offset, and switch-induced offset can be corrected in the digital domain by an FIR adaptive filter, which essentially performs a linear equalization (LE) to align the digital codes of the SA-ADC to those of a slow-but-accurate reference ADC. In return, the size of the sampling capacitors can be scaled down to the kT/C limit without matching concerns. For SA-ADCs with resolutions of 10 bits and above, a large power saving is envisioned using the proposed low-cost, power-efficient digital calibration technique. The treatment improves the scalability and power efficiency of SA-ADCs in deeply scaled CMOS technology.
A Method to Generate and Analyze Modified Myristoylated Proteins.

Covalent lipid modification of proteins is essential to their cellular localizations and functions. Engineered lipid motifs, coupled with bio-orthogonal chemistry, have been utilized to identify myristoylated or palmitoylated proteins in cells. However, whether modified proteins have similar properties as endogenous ones has not been well investigated mainly due to lack of methods to generate and analyze purified proteins. We have developed a method that utilizes metabolic interference and mass spectrometry to produce and analyze modified, myristoylated small GTPase ADP-ribosylation factor 1 (Arf1). The capacities of these recombinant proteins to bind liposomes and load and hydrolyze GTP were measured and compared with the unmodified myristoylated Arf1. The ketone-modified myristoylated Arf1 could be further labeled by fluorophore-coupled hydrazine and subsequently visualized through fluorescence imaging. This methodology provides an effective model system to characterize lipid-modified proteins with additional functions before applying them to cellular systems.
Antidepressant Use in Association with Multiple Sclerosis Disease Modifying Therapy (P2.180)

Objective: To assess association of antidepressant use and multiple sclerosis (MS) disease modifying therapy (DMTs) using Explorys database. Background: Explorys Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) is a HIPAA compliant database containing depersonalized clinical data spanning 26 different healthcare systems, totaling 44 million patients. MS DMTs, specifically interferon treatments, may potentiate depression, as shown in the IFNB MS study group publication, “Interferon beta-1b in the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis: final outcome of the randomized control trial.” This study serves to compare results of Patten et. al. “Anti-depressant Use in Association with Interferon and Glatiramer Acetate Treatment in Multiple Sclerosis." using the EPM platform in the United States. Methods: An EPM power search was performed to find the prevalence of antidepressant use in the MS population active within the last 3 years. Additionally, the antidepressant prevalence was tested in the MS population also on the following DMTs; Intereron-B1a, Interferon-B1b, combined Interferon-B as “IFN”, Glatiramir Acetate, Natalizumab, Fingolimod and Dimethyl Fumarate. This data was further analyzed by age and sex. Results: In patients with MS the rate of antidepressant use in those on MS DMTs ranged from 40.60-44.57[percnt]. The rate of antidepressant use among IFN DMTs was 41.61[percnt]. The rate of antidepressant use in males ranged from 31.25-39.62[percnt], while in females it ranged from 43.10-47.33[percnt]. Antidepressant use peaked in the 45-54 age group in five of six MS DMTs studied, while Natalizumab antidepressant rates peaked in the 35-44 age group. Conclusions: There is no correlation between depression and interferon treatment in the MS population. Depression rates are higher in older populations and females, also mirroring the Patten et. al. data. Antidepressant rate in patients with MS without DMTs was 32.2[percnt], which could exist for various reasons. EPM limitations include a lack of specific patient information, and rounding of patient cohorts to the nearest 10. Disclosure: Dr. Mirsky has nothing to disclose. Dr. Rae-Grant has nothing to disclose.
Developmental pruning of excitatory synaptic inputs to parvalbumin interneurons in monkey prefrontal cortex

Working memory requires efficient excitatory drive to parvalbumin-positive (PV) interneurons in the primate dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Developmental pruning eliminates superfluous excitatory inputs, suggesting that working memory maturation during adolescence requires pruning of excitatory inputs to PV interneurons. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that excitatory synapses on PV interneurons are pruned during adolescence. The density of excitatory synapses, defined by overlapping vesicular glutamate transporter 1-positive (VGlut1+) and postsynaptic density 95-positive (PSD95+) puncta, on PV interneurons was lower in postpubertal relative to prepubertal monkeys. In contrast, puncta levels of VGlut1 and PSD95 proteins were higher in postpubertal monkeys and positively predicted activity-dependent PV levels, suggesting a greater strength of the remaining synapses after pruning. Because excitatory synapse number on PV interneurons is regulated by erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 4 (ErbB4), whose function is influenced by alternative splicing, we tested the hypothesis that pruning of excitatory synapses on PV interneurons is associated with developmental shifts in ErbB4 expression and/or splicing. Pan-ErbB4 expression did not change, whereas the minor-to-major splice variant ratios increased with age. In cell culture, the major, but not the minor, variant increased excitatory synapse number on PV interneurons and displayed greater kinase activity than the minor variant, suggesting that the effect of ErbB4 signaling in PV interneurons is mediated by alternative splicing. Supporting this interpretation, in monkey DLPFC, higher minor-to-major variant ratios predicted lower PSD95+ puncta density on PV interneurons. Together, our findings suggest that ErbB4 splicing may regulate the pruning of excitatory synapses on PV interneurons during adolescence.
Two-dimensional Data

This chapter describes two-dimensional arrays which are typically used for showing a relationship between two variables. A detailed description of Java classes used for visualization of such data types is given. In particular, the P1D Java class which is designed for storing two-dimensional data points, including information on measured uncertainties is introduced. Various mathematical operations, functional transformation and smoothing are also explained. Input and output aspects as well as real-life examples are discussed.
Abstract IA14: Mechanisms of the ATR-dependent replication stress response

Replication stress can be caused by DNA damage, difficult to replicate DNA sequences, collisions between replication and transcriptional machineries, and aberrations in the replication timing or other regulatory mechanisms. Cancer cells often have elevated levels of replication stress driven by oncogenes. Replication stress response pathways are important in these contexts to allow cells to complete replication, maintain genome stability, and remain viable. Drugs that increase the replication stress burden or inactivate components of the replication stress response pathway can be useful as cancer therapeutics. For example, inhibitors of the replication checkpoint kinase ATR are currently being tested in clinical trials. To better understand how replication stress response pathways operate, we have taken both genetic and proteomic approaches. These approaches include purifying active and stressed replication fork proteomes using isolation of proteins on nascent DNA (iPOND). iPOND can monitor changes in the replication fork proteome and when combined with mass spectrometry provides an unbiased analysis. These approaches have allowed us characterize the consequences of replication stress and functions of ATR. For example, we found that ATR does not regulate the stability of the replisome itself in response to stress, but it does direct the action of a number of fork remodeling enzymes including SMARCAL1 that act to protect and repair damaged forks. In addition, iPOND identified new replication stress response proteins including ETAA1—a new regulator of the ATR checkpoint kinase. I will present our latest data on the replication stress response emphasizing the results from iPOND proteomic analyses. Citation Format: David Cortez. Mechanisms of the ATR-dependent replication stress response [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on DNA Repair: Tumor Development and Therapeutic Response; 2016 Nov 2-5; Montreal, QC, Canada. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2017;15(4_Suppl):Abstract nr IA14.
Beyond Matriculation: Examining Factors That Contribute to African American Male Persistence at a Predominantly White Institution:

In higher education, academic disparities exist between African American males and their gender and ethnic counterparts. Furthermore, many institutions struggle to promote African American male per...
Effects of high iron and sulfate ion concentrations on dry matter digestion and volatile fatty acid production by ruminal microorganisms.

The inhibitory effects of iron- and sulfate-containing compounds on the in vitro digestion of a balanced forage diet by mixed populations of ruminal microorganisms were examined in batch cultures. Compounds containing ferrous and ferric cations consistently inhibited DM digestion by up to 36% when added Fe concentrations in cultures were between 100 and 1,000 mg/L. Increased sulfate concentrations of up to 200 mg/L or chloride concentrations of up to 635 mg/L were not associated with decreased DM digestion. Ammonium sulfate additions that provided 200 mg/L of added sulfur increased (P less than .05) digestibility by 10%. Sulfate-containing iron salts tended to be less inhibitory than chloride salts and were associated with increased gas production during digestion. Ferric chloride inhibited (P less than .05) microbial activities at lower concentrations than ferrous chloride. Data suggest that excessive iron supplementation or contamination of feeds with iron-containing pollutants may decrease microbial activities in the rumen.
BEHAVIORAL CONSEQUENCES OF VERY EARLY DEVELOPMENTAL EXPOSURE TO CHLORPROMAZINE IN RATS

Abstract In an attempt to characterize the long-term alterations in nervous system functioning after early exposure to chlorpromazine, we tested offspring of rats treated during pregnancy at drug levels which did not interfere with normal gestation, parturition or neonatal integrity. In a series of studies, measures included neonatal reflex development, reaction to neonatal stress, seizure threshold in the post-weaning period, avoidance conditioning in the adult, and behavioral response to acute drug administration in the adult. CPZ treatment was also compared to electrical stimulation of the reticular formation (RF) as regards pre-natal influence on seizure threshold and avoidance conditioning. Results indicated that a maximum influence was produced by very early post-implantation drug treatment. The time sequence of reflex development was not altered in the treated animals as compared to controls, but reflexes were more easily elicited in the drug-exposed groups. Pre-natal CPZ did not alleviate the influence of neonatal stress on later behavior. Seizure susceptibility was greater in treated animals from 30 to 120 days of age. Per cent avoidance and inter trial responding were both higher in treated rats and this effect was sex-dependent. CPZ-treated offspring showed a reduced disruption of operant responding by CPZ and pentobarbital injection in adulthood, and this effect also depended on the sex of the animal. In contrast to CPZ-treated animals, offspring of RF-stimulated mothers showed a complex interaction between treatment and fostering on measures of seizure susceptibility and avoidance conditioning. Fostering studies also revealed both prenatal and post-natal components of prenatal CPZ exposure. Taken together these data suggest that exposure to the potent psychoactive agent CPZ during gestation can modulate the development of central arousal systems, even when the drug is administered at doses which do not noticeably alter physical development. This influence of CPZ is mediated by the maternal system and depends on the sex of the offspring.
Tumor treating fields: a new approach to glioblastoma therapy

Glioblastoma is an aggressive brain malignancy with poor outcomes. Current standard of care involves surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Even with optimal treatment, 5-year survival rates are low. Many patients are unable to tolerate the considerable side effects that therapy involves and suffer from low quality of life. Anti-mitotic tumor treating fields have shown potential in treating glioblastoma with data suggesting that they prolong disease-free survival and overall survival. Novocure has marketed a device that generates these fields via externally placed electrodes. Incorporation of electric field therapy into GBM treatment has been somewhat slow, due to concerns about cost, practicality of its usage from a patient perspective, and hesitation of the medical and scientific community to embrace its unconventional mechanism. However, clinical trials have demonstrated this therapy has relatively minor side effects and high patient compliance. In this review, we explore the current state of this technology and discuss the benefits and limitations of tumor treating fields.
The epidemiology and survivorship of clear cell sarcoma: a National Cancer Database (NCDB) review

Clear cell sarcoma (CCS) is a rare soft tissue tumor thought to originate from tendons and aponeuroses. This is the largest and most comprehensive study of CCS to the best of our knowledge. In addition, this is the first study to determine the estimated 10-year overall survival, specific treatment modalities including neoadjuvant and adjuvant combinations, and sites of distant metastasis in CCS utilizing a national database. The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was used to study 489 patients diagnosed with CCS from 2004 to 2014. Kaplan–Meier methods were used to estimate 5- and 10-year overall survival, and log-rank tests were used to compare survival amongst stage. Median age at diagnosis was 39 years. Males and females were equally affected. Race distribution was 78% Caucasian and 15% Black. Most common primary site was lower limb or hip (53%). Percentage of patients with distant organ metastases was 15%, with lung being the most common site (4%). Median overall survival was 57.2 months. Overall estimated 5- and 10-year survival was approximately 50 and 38%, respectively. Approximate 5-year survival for Stages I–IV was 75, 65, 35, and 15%, respectively. Stages at disease presentation were 34% at Stage I, 13% at Stage II, 16% at Stage III, and 38% at Stage IV. Surgery was the most common form of treatment (83%); 34% received radiation and 20% received chemotherapy. The 5-year overall survival for CCS in Stages III and IV was much worse than Stages I and II. Overall estimated 5- and 10-year survival was approximately 50 and 38%, respectively. Men and women were equally affected and had a median age at diagnosis of 39 years. The most common tumor location was lower limb and hip and the most common site of metastases was the lung.
Child Abuse: Imaging and Legal Aspects

In 1860, Ambroise Tardieu described in small children a series of traumatic lesions with common characteristics indicating physical maltreatment: 55% of these cases involved children younger than 5 years, and 30% were under 1 year [1]. In 1946, Caffey reported the frequent association of central nervous system injuries with bony lesions. Since then, various terms have been used in reference to this constellation of symptoms, such as Ambroise-Tardieu syndrome, Caffey-Silverman syndrome, parent-infant trauma syndrome, battered child syndrome, and non-accidental-injury (NAI) [2, 3].