cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diagnostic performance of endoscopic ultrasound for detection of pancreatic malignancy following an indeterminate multidetector CT scan: a systemic review and meta-analysis

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has a dismal prognosis in part due to delayed diagnosis. Even with advances in cross-sectional imaging, small pancreatic malignancies can be missed. We sought to determine the performance of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) in those without an obvious mass on multi-detector CT scan (MDCT), but with clinical suspicion for pancreatic malignancy. Multiple databases were systematically searched to identify studies that assessed the diagnostic performance of EUS after negative or inconclusive pancreatic protocol MDCT for detection of pancreatic malignancy when clinically suspected. A total of four studies met the inclusion criteria. The point estimates in each study were compared to the summary pooled estimates of sensitivity and specificity with the aid of forest plots. Funnel plots and Egger’s test were employed to evaluate possible publication bias. EUS-guided fine needle aspiration was performed in all studies. EUS was performed in 206 subjects with a clinical suspicion of a pancreatic mass but with an indeterminate MDCT. A pancreatic mass (mean size 21 ± 1.2 mm) was identified in 70% (n = 144) of the subjects, and 42.2% (n = 87) were diagnosed with PDAC. The pooled estimates of EUS for diagnosing pancreatic malignancy in the setting of an indeterminate MDCT were a sensitivity of 85% (95% CI 69–94%), specificity of 58% (95% CI 40–74%), positive predictive value of 77% (69–84%), negative predictive value of 66% (95% CI 53–77%), and an accuracy of 75% (95% CI 67–82). The summary area under the ROC curve was 0.80 (95% CI 0.52–0.89). The funnel plots and Egger’s test did not show a significant publication bias. The yield of EUS is comparatively higher for the diagnosis of a pancreatic malignancy in patients with suspected cancer, but a non-diagnostic MDCT. Importantly, the majority of the lesions missed on CT represent PDAC, in which early diagnosis is essential.
Semantic driven hierarchical learning for energy-efficient image classification

Machine-learning algorithms have shown outstanding image recognition performance for computer vision applications. While these algorithms are modeled to mimic brain-like cognitive abilities, they lack the remarkable energy-efficient processing capability of the brain. Recent studies in neuroscience reveal that the brain resolves the competition among multiple visual stimuli presented simultaneously with several mechanisms of visual attention that are key to the brain's ability to perform cognition efficiently. One such mechanism known as saliency based selective attention simplifies complex visual tasks into characteristic features and then selectively activates particular areas of the brain based on the feature (or semantic) information in the input. Interestingly, we note that there is a significant similarity among underlying characteristic semantics (like color or texture) of images across multiple objects in real world applications. This presents us with an opportunity to decompose a large classification problem into simpler tasks based on semantic or feature similarity. In this paper, we propose semantic driven hierarchical learning to construct a tree-based classifier inspired by the biological visual attention mechanism for optimizing energy-efficiency of machine-learning classifiers. We exploit the inherent feature similarity across images to identify the input variability and use recursive optimization procedure, to determine data partitioning at each tree node, thereby, learning the feature hierarchy. A set of binary classifiers is organized on top of the learnt hierarchy to minimize the overall test-time complexity. The feature based-learning allows selective activation of only those branches and nodes of the classification tree that are relevant to the input while keeping the remaining nodes idle. The proposed framework has been evaluated on Caltech-256 dataset and achieves ∼3.7x reduction in test complexity for 1.2% accuracy improvement over state-of-the-art one-vs-all tree-based method, and even higher improvements in test-time (of ∼5.5x) when some loss in output accuracy (up to 2.5%) is acceptable.
Tobacco-Free Policy Compliance Behaviors among College Students: A Theory of Planned Behavior Perspective

The purpose of this study was to examine the theory of planned behavior (TPB) as a framework for understanding tobacco-free policy compliance behaviors. Undergraduate student smokers (n = 479) on a college campus with a tobacco-free policy were randomly selected to report their tobacco-free compliance behaviors and respond to TPB items. A path analysis found all constructs of the TPB model to be significantly related to tobacco-free policy compliance behaviors. The results obtained from this study fill gaps in the mostly atheoretical literature regarding our understanding of tobacco-free policy compliance behaviors as well as extend our knowledge of the TPB. Implications for this study provide recommendations for universities, health organizations, and government agencies currently attempting to enforce compliance with a tobacco-free policy.
Amyloid is essential but insufficient for Alzheimer causation: addition of subcellular cofactors is required for dementia

Objective The aim of this study is to examine the hypotheses stating the importance of amyloid or of its oligomers in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods Published studies were examined. Results The importance of amyloid in the pathogenesis of AD is well established, yet accepting it as the main cause for AD is problematic, because amyloid-centric treatments have provided no clinical benefit and about one-third of cognitively normal, older persons have cerebral amyloid plaques. Also problematic is the alternative hypothesis that, instead of amyloid plaques, it is oligomers of amyloid precursor protein that cause AD.Evidence is presented suggesting amyloid/oligomers as necessary but insufficient causes of the dementia and that, for dementia to develop, requires the addition of cofactors known to be associated with AD. Those cofactors include several subcellular processes: mitochondrial impairments; the Wnt signaling system; the unfolded protein response; the ubiquitin proteasome system; the Notch signaling system; and tau, calcium, and oxidative damage. Conclusions A modified amyloid/oligomer hypothesis for the pathogenesis of AD is that activation of one or more of the aforementioned cofactors creates a burden of functional impairments that, in conjunction with amyloid/oligomers, now crosses a threshold of dysfunction that results in clinical dementia. Of considerable importance, several treatments that might reverse the activation of some of the subcellular processes are available, for example, lithium, pioglitazone, erythropoietin, and prazosin; they should be given in combination in a clinical trial to test their safety and efficacy. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On-Line Real Time Monitoring of Penicillin Fermentation

Abstract On-line real-time monitoring of fermentation processes is a crucial task. Conventional on-line process monitoring techniques and an adaptive hierarchical Principal Component Analysis technique were applied. A hybrid supervisory knowledge-based system with a heuristic rule-base was also developed and integrated with on-line monitoring techniques for providing real-time monitoring and supervision.
Carnap, Syntax, and Truth

Tarski’s definition of truth had a major impact on analytic philosophy. It unquestionably had a major impact on Carnap. It helped motivate his shift, in the mid-1930’s, from pure syntax to the incorporation of semantics (and then pragmatics) into his overall view of scientific language. But it is sometimes said (e.g. by Coffa1) that this change of Carnap’s, from pure syntax to a broader view including semantics, involved the abandonment of a coherence theory of truth, and the acceptance of a correspondence theory. Along with this comes the accusation — levelled, for instance, by Russell2 — that the supposed coherence theory of the syntax phase led Carnap to give up an empiricist criterion of meaning.
Spatial association detector (SPADE)

ABSTRACTThe geographical detector model can be applied to either spatial or non-spatial data for discovering associations between a dependent variable and potential discrete controlling factors. It can also be applied to continuous factors after they are discretized. However, the power of determinant (PD), measuring data association based on the variance of the dependent variable within zones of a potential controlling factor, does not explicitly consider the spatial characteristics of the data and is also influenced by the number of levels into which each continuous factor is discretized. Here, we propose an improved spatial data association estimator (termed as SPatial Association DEtector, SPADE) to measure the spatial data association by the power of spatial and multilevel discretization determinant (PSMD), which explicitly considers the spatial variance by assigning the weight of the influence based on spatial distribution and also minimizes the influence of the number of levels on PD values by using...
Do the Poor Benefit from More Generous Medicaid Policies

This paper examines how changes in Medicaid physician payments affect provision of care to both Medicaid patients and the uninsured. I find that payment increases generate an increase in supply of care to Medicaid patients but a more than offsetting decrease in supply to the uninsured. Using survey data, I additionally show that physicians encourage their uninsured patients to enroll in Medicaid. Finally, I demonstrate that when Medicaid eligibility is high, physicians are less likely to substitute between caring for Medicaid patients and treating the uninsured. Because higher eligibility magnifies the Medicaid supply response to a payment change, my results suggest that payment increases should be coupled with eligibility expansions in order to improve access to care among the poor.
The Saying of the Sage

Logos lets learning be by gathering together and providing the ultimate context (horos). Logos, Heidegger says, “names that which gathers everything present into presence, and lets it present itself.”1 Logos, like the Tao, is the ultimate context that is ineffable, unspeakable, and thereby ‘the Word,’ that beckons and appeals and is heard as an appeal by the Other that beckons from the mysterious region.
The Depressive Self-Focusing Style

As noted at the close of Chapter 6, once a depressive self-image is established, the individual may begin to derive some solace or comfort from this self-concept. Consequently, the individual may begin active attempts to maintain it. One particularly effective way of maintaining any type of concept or belief is to selectively focus attention on information that is congruent with that concept and selectively avoid focusing attention on information that is incongruent with it. According to our theory, the individual begins to employ such selective attention strategies as the self-image becomes increasingly negative. In this chapter, we review evidence for the existence of such a depressive self-focusing style, and then discuss the likely consequences of these tendencies for the individual’s psychological well-being. We also explore some of the functions that this seemingly paradoxical behavior might serve.
Introduction: Social Policy of the Changing Economic State

The economic state was conceptualized at the beginning of the 1990s, which was published years later with the release of my first book in English (Chen, 1996). At that time, there was enormous confusion surrounding the seemingly minimal (or singularly residual) role of the Chinese state, along with the diminishing state-run Danwei (work unit) and vanishing People’s Commune, in providing social welfare amid rapid social changes and mounting social needs. Outspoken critics (mostly from outside mainland China) could easily take a political stance against the happenings, who however might not realize the underlying reasons for the status quo or even backward moves, along with the various problems that served as either the causes or the corollaries. Without a clear social resolution in sight, the ramifications of such frustration and criticism could only thwart the new economic drive and reform that were crucial in putting the country on a fast track to become a major part of the world economy (as we have all witnessed by now).
Becoming a literacy specialist: Developing identities

This paper describes findings from the first cohort of an ongoing longitudinal study investigating the impact of master’s coursework and related coaching experiences on in-service teachers’ coachin...
Measuring Disability in Glaucoma

Background Glaucomatous visual field loss can have far-reaching and debilitating consequences on an individual, affecting one's ability to perform many important tasks. Although assessment of glaucoma-related disability constitutes an important part of clinical care, there remains a lack of organized, detailed information on the most suitable methods to capture disability in glaucoma. Purpose This review details the available methods to measure glaucoma-related disability and highlights important findings from studies utilizing these various methods. Methods The literature was reviewed to identify papers evaluating disability in glaucoma and findings were summarized by research methodology used and area of impairment. Results Identified methods for capturing glaucoma-related disability included qualitative descriptions, glaucoma-specific quality of life questionnaires, vision-specific questionnaires, general health questionnaires, functional domain-specific questionnaires, evaluation of task performance, event assessment (ie, falls and motor vehicle accidents), and real-world behavior (ie, daily physical activity). Findings using these methods show a strong relationship between glaucoma and/or glaucoma severity and difficulties with reading, driving, mobility, and other tasks such as prehension and facial recognition. In addition, glaucoma has financial and psychological implications on the patient, and can affect caregivers in some cases as well. Conclusions A wide variety of research tools have been used to characterize the disability resulting from glaucoma. Together, these tools show that glaucoma affects many abilities which are important for independent living. Strengths and limitations of the various research techniques are discussed so that future studies may use the method(s) most suitable for answering the research question posed.
Integration of Quantifier Eliminator with Model Checker and Compositional Reasoner

We present our work on integration of quantifier elimination (QE) technique with model checking and compositional verification. We begin by showing how quantifier elimination problems arise in these applications. In a k-induction based model checking approach, the verification problems of the base and inductive steps can be reduced to the QE problems in which all the variables are existentially quantified. It follows that a k-induction based model checker can be extended with QE tools to provide back-end solver options. Our implementation of integrating the QE tool Redlog with the model-checker JKind showed the successful resolution of a non-linear computation (emanating from a fuzzy logic operation) that the SMT-solver supported JKind was unable to resolve. Thus the QE tool provides a parallel option to the model-checker. The integrations of the QE tool Redlog with the model-checker JKind has been completed by us, and relies on writing the SMT-to-Redlog translator. On the other hand, in compositional verification, the goal is to prove a system level assume-guarantee style contract from the given component level contracts. The existing compositional verification tool AGREE tries to sequentially prove that each component’s assumption is satisfied by the system assumption and other components’ guarantees, following which the conjunction of all component contracts and system assumption is used to verify the system guarantee. In contrast, we propose a QE-based approach to derive, in a single step, the strongest system contract, from which any postulated system contract can be verified by performing a simple implication verification from the former to the later. We show how the compositional reasoner AGREE can be strengthened through its integration with the QE tool Redlog. We implemented our above approaches in a new prototype tool called ReLIC (Reduced Logic Inference for Composition) and demonstrated it through an illustrative example.
A comparison between scientists' and communication scholars' views about scientists' public engagement activities.

This study investigated how communication scholars view scientists’ public engagement as well as differences between how these scholars and natural and physical scientists think about the topic. Th...
A Dangerous Detour

A Dangerous Detour A 26-year-old woman with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and an indwelling port catheter presented with progressive dyspnea. She had received a diagnosis of pulmonary emboli ...
Rachitic change and vitamin D status in young children with fractures

To examine the association between rachitic changes and vitamin D levels in children less than 2 years old with fractures. Children less than 2 years old who were admitted to a large children’s hospital for a fracture and underwent a skeletal survey were included. Two pediatric radiologists blinded to the children’s vitamin D levels independently reviewed the skeletal surveys for the following rachitic findings: demineralization, widened sutures, rachitic rosary, Looser zones, and metaphyseal changes. Kappa coefficients were calculated to assess inter-rater agreement. Logistic regression was used to test the association between vitamin D level and rachitic findings. There were 79 subjects (40 female and 39 male) with a median age of 4 months. Vitamin D levels ranged from 11.6 to 88.9 ng/ml and were low in 27. Questionable demineralization was noted in seven subjects; mild to moderate demineralization was observed in four subjects. Widened sutures were noted in seven subjects, many also with concurrent intracranial hemorrhage. Lower vitamin D levels were associated with increased odds of demineralization after adjusting for age, gender, and prematurity (P < 0.015). An association was not found between the vitamin D level and suture widening (P = 0.07). None of the cases demonstrated Looser zones, rachitic rosary, or metaphyseal changes of rickets. Infants and toddlers with fractures frequently have suboptimal vitamin D levels, but radiographic evidence of rickets is uncommon in these children.
The role of vertical wind shear in modulating maximum supercell updraft velocities

AbstractObserved supercell updrafts consistently produce the fastest mid- to upper-tropospheric vertical velocities among all modes of convection. Two hypotheses for this feature are investigated. ...
Diversity Dissonance as an Implication of One School’s Relocation and Reintegration Initiative:

Purpose: This article describes one charter school’s ‘diversity’ initiative—a relocation to a racially and socioeconomically diverse site—intended to reintegrate minoritized students displaced by g...
Heteronormative gatekeeping when enacting queer research in elementary schools: an autoethnographic perspective.

Using authoethnography, the authors analyze how queerphobia and cis/heterosexism shape their research process regarding (LGBTQ)-inclusive empirical work in elementary school spaces. With examples f...
Shock and Spall in the Low-alloy Steel AF9628

The shock and spall behavior of tempered AF9628, an ultra-high strength (UHSS) martensitic low-alloy carbon steel, is investigated using gun-driven, symmetric, planar impacts. The study utilized laser velocimetry to obtain transmitted wave velocity histories that were analyzed to obtain the Hugoniot Elastic Limit (HEL), the shock Hugoniot, and the spall strength. The work was limited to the stress range below 13 GPa (below the e phase transition), and an HEL of 2.35 GPa and a spall strength of 6.8 GPa are reported. The HEL and spall strength of AF9628 are both above the typical values for inexpensive low-alloy steels, and only slightly below those for a much more expensive Aermet steel. The dynamic compressive yield strength (as calculated from the HEL) is only slightly higher than the quasi-static compressive yield strength when compared using a similar yield assignment convention, indicating a small, but positive, value of strain-rate sensitivity. The Hugoniot for AF9628, US = 0.67uP + 5.01 km/s, is in good agreement with other low-alloy martensitic steels for which data is available, and distinctly different than the Hugoniot for ferritic steels. The Hugoniot extrapolates to a bulk sound speed significantly higher than what is measured at ambient conditions, an incongruity that is unusual among metals and that the authors attribute to the unsteady nature of the shock waves generated in this work. Finally, it is suggested that there may be a relationship between dynamic compressive yield strength (calculated from the HEL) and dynamic tensile failure strength (the spall strength).
The association of acculturation with accelerometer-assessed and self-reported physical activity and sedentary behavior: The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos.

Abstract The adoption of US culture among immigrants has been associated with higher leisure-time physical activity and sedentary behavior. However, most research to date assesses this association using single measures of acculturation and physical activity. Our objective was to describe the cross-sectional association between acculturation and both physical activity and sedentary behavior among US Hispanic/Latino adults. Participants included Hispanic/Latinos 18–74 years living in four US locations enrolled in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos from 2008 to 2011. Acculturation was measured using acculturation scales (language and social), years in the US, language preference, and age at immigration. Physical activity and sedentary behavior were measured using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (N = 15,355) and Actical accelerometer (N = 11,954). Poisson, logistic, and linear regression were used, accounting for complex design and sampling weights. English-language preference was positively associated with self-reported leisure-time and transportation physical activity and accelerometer-assessed moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Social acculturation was positively associated with self-reported leisure-time and transportation physical activity and MVPA. Years in the US and age at immigration were positively associated with accelerometer-assessed MVPA. Language acculturation, years in the US, and age at immigration were associated with occupational physical activity among those who reported employment. Most acculturation measures were associated with self-reported sitting but not with accelerometer-assessed sedentary behavior. Different measures of acculturation, capturing various domains acculturation, were associated with physical activity and sedentary behavior. However, the direction of the association was dependent on the measures of acculturation physical activity/sedentary behavior, highlighting the complexity of these relationships.
Chapter 27 – CONCLUSION

Publisher Summary The primary principles of nervous system design are those of convergence and divergence, labeled lines, and the preservation of neighborhood mappings. The functional counterparts of these principles are the pooling of signals in a population of cells, the emergence of detail through overlapping stimulus sets, and the reliability and flexibility resulting from parallel processing in conjunction with convergence and divergence. All this is achieved with cells that (1) are variable in operation and lack reliability in the engineering sense; (2) are responsive to relatively large stimulus classes; and (3) are highly complex in structure and function. Although they are very numerous, the cells at any one level are insufficient in number to transmit all the potentially possible response combinations of the cells at a preceding level.
Euglycemic Diabetic Ketoacidosis in Concurrent Very Low-carbohydrate Diet and Sodium-glucose Transporter-2 Inhibitor Use: A Case Report.

Author(s): Earle, Matthew; Ault, Brian; Bonney, Caitlin | Abstract: Introduction: With the incredibly high incidence of Type 2 Diabetes in the current population of emergency department patients, it is critical for clinicians to understand the possible complications of the treatment of this disease. Medication like canagliflozin are more common to encounter on patient’s home medication lists and clinicians should be aware of how these medications, alone or combined with dietary modifications, can result in significant pathology and even mortality if not appropriately treated.Case Report: We report a case of a patient with type II diabetes mellitus who presented with euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis in the setting of concurrent use of canagliflozin, a sodium-glucose transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor, and strict adherence to a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet for weight control.Discussion: Euglycemic ketoacidosis has previously been observed in both diabetic and non-diabetic patients following strict ketogenic diets, as well as in diabetic patients being treated with SGLT-2 inhibitors.Conclusion: As more patients choose ketogenic diets for weight control and diabetes management, clinicians should be aware of this potentially life-threatening complication in patients concurrently taking SGLT-2 inhibitors.
Where on the Differential Is Eisenmenger Syndrome in a Patient Without Prior Cardiopulmonary Disease

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) can occur in patients with undiagnosed congenital heart disease, like atrial septal defects (ASDs), causing chronic left-to-right shunting. This may ultimately result in Eisenmenger physiology or syndrome (ES), a reversal of left-to-right shunting, resulting in a right-to-left shunt, thereby causing deoxygenated blood to enter systemic circulation as it bypasses the lungs. Development of PH due to an ASD is uncommon, and the occurrence of ES is <1% as most ASDs are corrected early in life. We present a 28-year-old female presenting with new-onset dyspnea found to have an undiagnosed ASD with ES. A 28-year-old female without past medical history presented to the emergency department after a chest x-ray performed by her primary care physician (PCP) showed dilation of the pulmonary artery concerning PH. The patient reported a three-month history of progressively worsening intermittent palpitations and dyspnea, now unable to walk more than one block without becoming dyspneic. Further imaging studies revealed a 1.4 centimeters (cm) secundum ASD, 4.4 cm dilatation of the PA, a mean pulmonary artery pressure (PAPm) of 132 millimeters (mm) mercury (Hg), and Eisenmenger physiology. She was placed on pulmonary vasodilators and iron supplementation to address an underlying iron-deficiency anemia. The patient is stable on her current regimen and is undergoing evaluation for possible heart-lung transplantation at an outside hospital. Dyspnea is one of the top 10 most common indications for emergency room visits annually. The differential diagnosis for dyspnea is vast, with ES, affecting only 0.8 in 1 million, far down on the list of possibilities, thus requiring high clinical suspicion to prompt further evaluation. Ultimately, the condition is preventable with early identification of underlying structural abnormalities for which definitive treatment options exist and are readily available, dramatically improving the prognosis if implemented before ES develops.
Clinical, Behavioral and Social Factors Associated with Racial Disparities in Hospitalized and Ambulatory COVID-19 Patients from an Integrated Health Care System in Georgia

Introduction: Racial and ethnic minorities have shouldered a disproportioned burden of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection to date in the US, but data on the various drivers of these disparities is limited. Objectives: To describe the characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 patients and explore factors associated with hospitalization risk by race. Methods: Case series of 448 consecutive patients with confirmed COVID-19 seen at Kaiser Permanente Georgia (KPGA), an integrated health care system serving the Atlanta metropolitan area, from March 3 to May 12, 2020. KPGA members with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19. Multivariable analyses for hospitalization risk also included an additional 3489 persons under investigation (PUI) with suspected infection. COVID-19 treatment and outcomes, underlying comorbidities and quality of care management metrics, socio-demographic and other individual and community-level social determinants of health (SDOH) indicators. Results: Of 448 COVID-19 positive members, 68,3% was non-Hispanic Black (n=306), 18% non-Hispanic White (n=81) and 13,7% Other race (n=61). Median age was 54 [IQR 43-63) years. Overall, 224 patients were hospitalized, median age 60 (50-69) years. Black race was a significant factor in the Confirmed + PUI, female and male models (ORs from 1.98 to 2.19). Obesity was associated with higher hospitalization odds in the confirmed, confirmed + PUI, Black and male models (ORs from 1.78 to 2.77). Chronic disease control metrics (diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia) were associated with lower odds of hospitalization ranging from 48% to 35% in the confirmed + PUI and Black models. Self-reported physical inactivity was associated with 50% higher hospitalization odds in the Black and Female models. Residence in the Northeast region of Atlanta was associated with lower hospitalization odds in the Confirmed + PUI, White and female models (ORs from 0.22 to 0.64) Conclusions: We found that non-Hispanic Black KPGA members had a disproportionately higher risk of infection and, after adjusting for covariates, twice the risk of hospitalization compared to other race groups. We found no significant differences in clinical outcomes or mortality across race/ethnicity groups. In addition to age, sex and comorbidity burden, pre-pandemic self-reported exercise, metrics on quality of care and control of underlying cardio-metabolic diseases, and location of residence in Atlanta were significantly associated with hospitalization risk by race groups. Beyond well-known physiologic and clinical factors, individual and community-level social indicators and health behaviors must be considered as interventions designed to reduce COVID-19 disparities and the systemic effects of racism are implemented.
Tumor somatic mutations also existing as germline polymorphisms may help to identify functional SNPs from genome-wide association studies

We hypothesized that a joint analysis of cancer risk-associated single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and somatic mutations in tumor samples can predict functional and potentially causal SNPs from GWASs. We used mutations reported in the Catalog of Somatic Mutations in Cancer (COSMIC). Confirmed somatic mutations were subdivided into two groups: (1) mutations reported as SNPs, which we call mutational/SNPs and (2) somatic mutations that are not reported as SNPs, which we call mutational/noSNPs. It is generally accepted that the number of times a somatic mutation is reported in COSMIC correlates with its selective advantage to tumors, with more frequently reported mutations being more functional and providing a stronger selective advantage to the tumor cell. We found that mutations reported ≥10 times in COSMIC-frequent mutational/SNPs (fmSNPs) are likely to be functional. We identified 12 cancer risk-associated SNPs reported in the Catalog of published GWASs at least 10 times as confirmed somatic mutations and therefore deemed to be functional. Additionally, we have identified 42 SNPs that are tightly linked (R2 ≥ 0.8) to SNPs reported in the Catalog of published GWASs as cancer risk associated and that are also reported as fmSNPs. As a result, 54 candidate functional/potentially causal cancer risk associated SNPs were identified. We found that fmSNPs are more likely to be located in evolutionarily conserved regions compared with cancer risk associated SNPs that are not fmSNPs. We also found that fmSNPs also underwent positive selection, which can explain why they exist as population polymorphisms.
Simple Tools for Rapid Diagnostics and Decision Making

Acute decision making requires accurate information to mitigate risk in producing and storing a potato crop. Unfortunately, sometimes those decisions need to be made rapidly to ensure crop yield and quality. Simple tools, which require little to no user’s expertise or elaborate equipment for rapid data collection, may be crucial in developing a prompt response. Determining the causal disease of a plant or tuber symptom, if transport conditions altered tuber processing quality, or where the greatest bruise impacts occurred in the harvest operation, are just three examples where a prompt response utilizing scientific information can impact quality and value. Validation of decision making tools as a reliable resource requires verifying the accuracy, dependability and consistency of the technology or methodology. Using potatoes as a test model, we assessed multiple pathogen diagnostic test kits for diseases, such as Potato virus Y, and compared results to traditional diagnostic methods. Results indicated kits were reliable, easy to use, and sufficiently accurate. Some limitations were observed but those did not restrict the value of the test. Another project objective was to correlate values from diabetic glucose meters to standard laboratory methods for quantifying potato tuber glucose concentrations. These hand-held meters with disposable test strips proved to be reliable in classifying relative levels of glucose in raw tubers, but initial validation and correlation of equipment and values were necessary. Additional examples of decision support tools to support immediate information collection include use of infrared guns and cameras for determining tuber pulp temperatures, mobile applications and calculators for evapotranspiration, irrigation and dew point, and use of hot boxes and impact recording devices for bruise management. These simple tools provide instant or rapid information, but need to be validated and their constraints understood for proper use within context of the intended technology and situation.
Goals in tension: motivated by genetic disease yet rooted in basic science.

A familial connection to disease can motivate a career in the biological sciences. However, tension may exist over how much effort to devote to fundamental versus translational research. In reality, both pursuits are symbiotic — they synergize to advance our understanding of life and the development of effective therapeutics. Eric Wang’s familial connection to disease raised tension between efforts devoted to fundamental versus translational research — until he realized both synergize.
Current evidence on potential of adipose derived stem cells to enhance bone regeneration and future projection

Current evidence on potential of adipose derived stem cells to enhance bone regeneration and future projection
GradSign: Model Performance Inference with Theoretical Insights.

A key challenge in neural architecture search (NAS) is quickly inferring the predictive performance of a broad spectrum of networks to discover statistically accurate and computationally efficient ones. We refer to this task as model performance inference (MPI). The current practice for efficient MPI is gradient-based methods that leverage the gradients of a network at initialization to infer its performance. However, existing gradient-based methods rely only on heuristic metrics and lack the necessary theoretical foundations to consolidate their designs. We propose GradSign, an accurate, simple, and flexible metric for model performance inference with theoretical insights. The key idea behind GradSign is a quantity {\Psi} to analyze the optimization landscape of different networks at the granularity of individual training samples. Theoretically, we show that both the network's training and true population losses are proportionally upper-bounded by {\Psi} under reasonable assumptions. In addition, we design GradSign, an accurate and simple approximation of {\Psi} using the gradients of a network evaluated at a random initialization state. Evaluation on seven NAS benchmarks across three training datasets shows that GradSign generalizes well to real-world networks and consistently outperforms state-of-the-art gradient-based methods for MPI evaluated by Spearman's {\rho} and Kendall's Tau. Additionally, we integrate GradSign into four existing NAS algorithms and show that the GradSign-assisted NAS algorithms outperform their vanilla counterparts by improving the accuracies of best-discovered networks by up to 0.3%, 1.1%, and 1.0% on three real-world tasks.
What are the important subsets of gastroparesis

Gastroparesis is often divided into subsets based on etiology and pathophysiology; however, the utility of these subsets in the diagnosis and treatment of gastro-paresis is not well defined. The objectives are to consider the subsets of gastroparesis from the perspectives of etiology and pathogenesis, pathophysiology, histopathology, and clinical associations, with particular focus on similarities and differences between diabetic and idiopathic gastroparesis and consideration of the potential subset of painful gastroparesis. We conclude that idiopathic and diabetic gastroparesis has similar initial presentations and manifestations, except that idiopathic gastroparesis tends to be associated more frequently with pain. Myopathic disorders are uncommon. Extrinsic denervation was considered the most common etiology; however, with the decline in surgery for peptic ulceration and in-depth study of full-thickness gastric biopsies, the most common intrinsic defects are being recognized in the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC-opathy) and with immune infiltration and neuronal changes (intrinsic neuropathic gastroparesis). Histomorphological differences at the microscopic level between diabetic and idiopathic gastroparesis are still of unclear significance. Two gastroparesis subsets worthy of special mention, because they are potentially reversible with identification of the cause, are postviral gastroparesis, which has a generally good prognosis, and iatrogenic gastroparesis, especially in patients with non-surgical gastroparesis, such as diabetics exposed to incretins such as pramlintide and exenatide.
Regularizing images in emission tomography via an extension of Good's roughness penalty

Summary form only given, as follows. Good's roughness penalty has been used previously for regularizing maximum likelihood estimates of radionuclide distributions by constraining the energy in the first derivative of the square root of the estimate, where the square root is used to enforce the nonnegativity of the estimate. The authors investigate the implications of constraining the energy in the nth derivative of the function. The extended penalty is equivalent to a Markov random field or Gibbs' prior in which the neighborhood of any pixel includes the 2n(n+1) closest pixels that surround it. Although the reconstructions are nonlinear, it is shown how nth order Butterworth filters arise as natural smoothing kernels. A comparison has been made between estimates in SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) produced by maximum likelihood penalized with the extended nth-order Good's roughness, for orders one to five, and those produced by the method of filtered backprojection with Butterworth smoothing for a filter corresponding order. >
How to Leverage Access Control Specification for Autonomic Policy Management

To bridge the gap between decoupled environments, such as, generic policy managers running on a variety of managed resources, we have proposed a new framework for access control inference directly from the managed resources, and provide advisory feedback based on finegrained analysis and validation. We provided a canonical representation and data structure for representing arbitrarily fine-grained access control information. We also provided efficient solution for validating policies against the inferred access control information, which can easily be implemented as a reference monitor in any generic policy management system. More importantly we have provided an advisory feedback module that advises both the policy manager and managed resource administrator on potential access control violations
Sequential Binding of Agonists to the β2 Adrenoceptor KINETIC EVIDENCE FOR INTERMEDIATE CONFORMATIONAL STATES

The beta2 adrenoreceptor (beta2AR) is a prototypical G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) activated by catecholamines. Agonist activation of GPCRs leads to sequential interactions with heterotrimeric G proteins, which activate cellular signaling cascades, and with GPCR kinases and arrestins, which attenuate GPCR-mediated signaling. We used fluorescence spectroscopy to monitor catecholamine-induced conformational changes in purified beta2AR. Here we show that upon catecholamine binding, beta2ARs undergo transitions to two kinetically distinguishable conformational states. Using a panel of chemically related catechol derivatives, we identified the specific chemical groups on the agonist responsible for the rapid and slow conformational changes in the receptor. The conformational changes observed in our biophysical assay were correlated with biologic responses in cellular assays. Dopamine, which induces only a rapid conformational change, is efficient at activating Gs but not receptor internalization. In contrast, norepinephrine and epinephrine, which induce both rapid and slow conformational changes, are efficient at activating Gs and receptor internalization. These results support a mechanistic model for GPCR activation where contacts between the receptor and structural determinants of the agonist stabilize a succession of conformational states with distinct cellular functions.
A comparison of a second-order quantum mechanical and an all-order semi-classical electron broadening model

Abstract It has been argued previously that line profiles created using a quantum model to second order in the radiator-perturbing electron interaction are reasonable over a wide region of plasma temperatures and densities for K shell α, β, and γ lines of many different radiator species. Most of the results shown in this paper show that this, in general, is true. However, the results also show that when an accurate treatment of the wings of a line profile is of importance or when a significant portion of the line profile extends beyond twice the plasma frequency from line center, one must take care in using a second-order electron broadening model.
A SEROLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION OF VIRIDANS STREPTOCOCCI WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THOSE ISOLATED FROM SUBACUTE BACTERIAL ENDOCARDITIS

A total of 108 strains of viridans streptococci from subacute bacterial endocarditis, and 99 strains from human throats and extracted teeth have been studied, and approximately two-thirds of all the strains so far have been differentiated into a number of serological groups. The similarity between strains from these sources is evident from the fact that approximately 50 per cent of the reacting strains from each source fall into two groups I and II, and that three groups I, II, and IV, contain streptococci from both sources in approximately the same distribution. Fifteen vaginal strains of viridians streptococci failed, with the exception of one strain, to react with groups I–IV of the endocarditis serums. More than three-fourths of the strains from both sources were Streptococcus salivarius as determined by Sherman's criteria. However, no correlation between the biochemical and serological classification could be made. It may be concluded that the viridans streptococci are amenable to classification by serological methods. The results so far obtained do not indicate a serological difference between strains of viridans streptococci isolated from subacute bacterial endocarditis, and those isolated from human throats and extracted teeth. The greater definitive value of serological methods in the identification of a particular strain is indicated.
Creatine entry into skeletal muscle of normal and of dystrophic mice.

SummaryCreatine entry into isolated extensor digitorum longus muscles of normal and of dystrophic mice was studied with the aid of creatine-14C as a tracer. The creatine entry process in mouse muscle was found to differ from that of rat muscle by having a major nonsaturable component.At all external creatine concentrations, entry of creatine into dystrophic muscles exceeded entry into normal muscles, even after correcting for a greatly expanded inulin space in dystrophic muscles. This finding is inconsistent with the hypothesis of inhibited creatine entry in vivo, leaving accelerated loss of creatine to explain the low creatine content of skeletal muscle of dystrophic mice.
Heat-Transfer Characteristics of Flight Jacket Materials

The heat transfer behavior was determined for textile materials used in Air Force flight jackets. The primary objective as to incorporate flame resistant, thermally stable fiber forms in jackets to provide greater protection to aircrewmen from fire. Combinations of fabric/insulation, flammable and nonflammable, were evaluated in the layered configurations intended for use in either cold weather and moderately cold weather jackets. A combination of Nomex fabric (outer shell) and Kynol® batting (insulation) proved superior to all other combinations of fabric and batting.
Bringing Group Psychotherapy Training To the Community: An Innovative Approach

Bilan du nouveau programme lance en 1981 pour la formation des psychotherapeutes de groupe a l'institut specialise fonde par la societe de psychotherapie de groupe de Los Angeles. Les nouvelles bases de l'enseignement ont ete: 1) l'analyse personnelle; 2) le systeme des «controles» ou «supervisions» des therapies entreprises par les stagiaires; 3) l'apprentissage des fondements de la psychiatrie clinique, de la psychopathologie et de la psychologie dynamique
Disruption of Conserved Rhodopsin Disulfide Bond by Cys 187Tyr Mutation Causes Early and Severe Autosomal Dominant Retinitis Pigmentosa

Purpose: To determine the molecular basis of an early and severe form of autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa and to characterize the associated phenotype. Methods: Visual function evaluation included electrophysiologic and psychophysical testing. Molecular genetic analysis included determining the DNA sequence of sections of the rhodopsin gene amplified by polymerase chain reaction and screening for singlenucleotide changes by allele-specific oligonucleotide hybridization. Results: Affected family members are heterozygous for a unique Cys187Tyr rhodopsin mutation which disrupts a highly conserved disulfide bond essential to normal rhodopsin function. The retinitis pigmentosa (RP) phenotype includes early and severe retinal dysfunction. The full-field electroretinogram showed only negligible remaining rod and cone responses by 22 years of age. Visual fields were constricted severely by early middle-age years. Macular dysfunction caused reduced visual acuity in early adult years, and macular atrophy was present in older age. The severity of phenotype generally correlated with age, with the exception of an affected 44-year-old patient who had better visual acuity, fields, electroretinogram, and dark-adapted thresholds than did three younger affected relatives, ranging in age from 22 to 38 years. Conclusion: An early onset, blinding form of autosomal dominant RP results from a rhodopsin Cys187Tyr mutation that eliminates a residue necessary for the formation of a highly conserved disulfide bond essential to normal rhodopsin function. The fact that one family member is significantly less affected than his younger relatives suggests that genetic or environmental factors can modulate the phenotype.