cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Signal Processing Approach for Cyber Data Classification with Deep Neural Networks

Abstract Recent cyber security events have demonstrated the need for algorithms that adapt to the rapidly evolving threat landscape of complex network systems. In particular, human analysts often fail to identify data exfiltration when it is encrypted or disguised as innocuous data. Signature-based approaches for identifying data types are easily fooled and analysts can only investigate a small fraction of network events. However, neural networks can learn to identify subtle patterns in a suitably chosen input space. To this end, we have developed a signal processing approach for classifying data files which readily adapts to new data formats. We evaluate the performance for three input spaces consisting of the power spectral density, byte probability distribution and sliding-window entropy of the byte sequence in a file. By combining all three, we trained a deep neural network to discriminate amongst nine common data types found on the Internet with 97.4% accuracy.
Uncertainty propagation in orbital mechanics via tensor decomposition

Uncertainty forecasting in orbital mechanics is an essential but difficult task, primarily because the underlying Fokker–Planck equation (FPE) is defined on a relatively high dimensional (6-D) state–space and is driven by the nonlinear perturbed Keplerian dynamics. In addition, an enormously large solution domain is required for numerical solution of this FPE (e.g. encompassing the entire orbit in the $$x-y-z$$ subspace), of which the state probability density function (pdf) occupies a tiny fraction at any given time. This coupling of large size, high dimensionality and nonlinearity makes for a formidable computational task, and has caused the FPE for orbital uncertainty propagation to remain an unsolved problem. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper presents the first successful direct solution of the FPE for perturbed Keplerian mechanics. To tackle the dimensionality issue, the time-varying state pdf is approximated in the CANDECOMP/PARAFAC decomposition tensor form where all the six spatial dimensions as well as the time dimension are separated from one other. The pdf approximation for all times is obtained simultaneously via the alternating least squares algorithm. Chebyshev spectral differentiation is employed for discretization on account of its spectral (“super-fast”) convergence rate. To facilitate the tensor decomposition and control the solution domain size, system dynamics is expressed using spherical coordinates in a noninertial reference frame. Numerical results obtained on a regular personal computer are compared with Monte Carlo simulations.
Effect of dihydrocholesterol and soybean sterols on cholesterol metabolism in rabbit and rat.

Summary1. Dietary dihydrocholesterol and soybean sterols were absorbed by rabbits, and soy sterols produced atherosclerosis in these animals. 2. Livers of rabbits and rats fed dihydrocholesterol and of rabbits fed soybean sterols had an impaired ability to incorporate C14-labeled-acetate into cholesterol. 3. Rats fed a 3% soybean sterols diet did not absorb significant amounts of these sterols. Soy sterols failed to produce a lowering of total liver sterol levels in rats.
Work and Disability: Contexts Issues, and Strategies for Enhancing Employment Outcomes for People with DisabilitiesE.M. Szymanski & R.M. Parker (Eds). Texas: Pro Ed.492 pages (pb), 2010

Review(s) of: Work and Disability: Contexts Issues, and Strategies for Enhancing Employment Outcomes for People with Disabilities, by E.M. Szymanski and R.M. Parker (Eds). Texas: Pro Ed. 492 pages (pb), 2010.
Factors Influencing Time-Dependent Quality Indicators for Patients With Suspected Acute Coronary Syndrome.

Objectives Rapid risk stratification and timely treatment are critical to favorable outcomes for patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Our objective was to identify patient and system factors that influence time-dependent quality indicators (QIs) for patients with unstable angina/non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) in the emergency department (ED). Methods A retrospective, cohort study was conducted during a 42-month period of all patients 24 years or older suspected of having ACS as defined by receiving an electrocardiogram and at least 1 cardiac biomarker test. Cox regression was used to model the effects of patient characteristics, ancillary service use, staffing provisions, equipment availability, and ED and hospital crowding on ACS QIs. Results Emergency department adherence rates to national standards for electrocardiogram readout time and biomarker turnaround time were 42% and 37%, respectively. Cox regression models revealed that chief complaints without chest pain and the timing of stress testing and medication administration were associated with the most significant delays. Conclusions Patient and system factors both significantly influenced QI times in this cohort with unstable angina/NSTEMI. These results illustrate both the complexity of diagnosing patients with NSTEMI and the competing effects of clinical and system factors on patient flow through the ED.
Differential responses of uterine and umbilical vasculatures to angiotensin II and norepinephrine.

Etude des effets de l'angiotensine II (ANG II) et de la norepinephrine (NE) sur la circulation fœtoplacentaire comparee avec la circulation uteroplacentaire et determination du degre pour lequel l'infusion de l'ANG II et NE sur un cote de la circulation placentaire affecte l'hemodynamique de l'autre cote chez le mouton
Development of Barrier Layers for the Protection of Candidate Alloys in the VHTR

The objective of this project was to develop concepts for barrier layers that enable leading candi- date Ni alloys to meet the longer term operating temperature and durability requirements of the VHTR. The concepts were based on alpha alumina as a primary surface barrier, underlay by one or more chemically distinct alloy layers that would promote and sustain the formation of the pro- tective scale. The surface layers must possess stable microstructures that provide resistance to oxidation, de-carburization and/or carburization, as well as durability against relevant forms of thermo-mechanical cycling. The system must also have a self-healing ability to allow endurance for long exposure times at temperatures up to 1000°C.
HIV Vpr controls CNS metabolism

The vpr gene is conserved among human and simian immunodeficiency viruses and encodes the regulatory viral protein R (Vpr), a small basic protein (14 kDa) of 96 amino acids.1 The significance of Vp...
Repair of Parastomal Hernia by Translocation of the Stoma Without Laparotomy

AbstractRelocation of the ileal conduit stoma in cases of large peristomal hernia is simple and effective, and can be accomplished safely without formal laparotomy. Four difficult cases have been managed successfully in this manner. The technique also is applicable for other intransigent stomal problems.
Optimizing Power Density and Efficiency of a Double-Halbach Array Permanent-Magnet Ironless Axial-Flux Motor

NASA Glenn Research Center is investigating hybrid electric and turboelectric propulsion concepts for future aircraft to reduce fuel burn, emissions, and noise. Systems studies show that the weight and efficiency of the electric system components need to be improved for this concept to be feasible. This effort aims to identify design parameters that affect power density and efficiency for a double-Halbach array permanent-magnet ironless axial flux motor configuration. These parameters include both geometrical and higher-order parameters, including pole count, rotor speed, current density, and geometries of the magnets, windings, and air gap.
Stress from Risk Uncertainties

The phenomenon of stress in disasters and emergencies has been examined in a variety of ways over several decades. Results are not cumulative, and a wide range of opinion exists as to the stress impacts of disasters and emergencies on psychological stress. At the same time, stress does have a variety of meanings. Stress--as fear and anxiety versus stress as resulting in illness--does manifest itself in disasters and emergencies. One key reason is the use of uncertain information in ‘presentations to the public. Certain information--even about uncertain risk--can reduce stress. Stress due to the misuse of public information in emergencies can be reduced, and not all stress should be viewed as bad.
Teaching on the High Seas: How Field Research Enhances Teaching at All Levels

Although teaching and research often compete with each other for the limited time a professor has, they can be mutually supportive as a teaching-research symbiosis. Especially for fields in which study of the natural environment is central, bringing research field experiences to the classroom and bringing students to the field creates a powerful symbiosis. For me, the field is the world’s oceans, mid-ocean ridges in particular. Even the majority of students, who were unable to go on research expeditions, were inspired by their peers’ experiences at sea. As research tools become more remote and abstract (such as ocean observatories and remotely operated vessels using “telepresence”), it is more important than ever for students to have seagoing opportunities on research expeditions. Whenever possible they should be able to participate in physical work on deck in addition to computer-based work.
Kiglapait mineralogy V: Feldspars in a hot, dry magma

The lithology of the 1.305 Ga Kiglapait intrusion is dominated by a Lower Zone of troctolite, succeeded by an Upper Zone of olivine gabbro, ferrodiorite, and syenite with olivine composition of pure fayalite. The feldspar composition of the intrusion varies from An 68 to An 9 over a thickness of 8.4 km from the base to a sandwich horizon under an Upper Border Zone. The anhydrous nature of the Kiglapait syenites is shown by their high temperature, by the loss of minor biotite up-stratigraphy in the intrusion, and the absence of amphibole. The end-stage feldspar of the Kiglapait syenites is that of a solidus embedded in a solvus in a 3 kbar eutectic at 1000 °C. The end-member assemblage at temperature and pressure is invariant. The final bulk composition is relatively An-rich—An ~11%—with a composition of X Or = 1/3 when projected to the Ab-Or sideline. The experimental feldspar solvus when corrected for the effects of An and Ba and referred to 3 kbar penetrates the solidus and fits the experimental tie lines. These conditions precede a stage of local coarsening under subsolidus conditions that is found in colloform symplectites invading mesoperthite. The oligoclase-orthoclase symplectites are iso-compositional with their host mesoperthites. The coarsening is assumed to be related to a plausibly F-rich vapor phase that is locally consumed with time. The observed phase compositions indicate the end of exsolution at ~800 °C at 3 kbar on the binodal solvus.
Ultimate evidence for the ultimate regime

The ultimate regime of turbulence has been observed, more than half a century after its first prediction. Inspiration for achieving this technical feat came from the imperfections of an everyday pipe.
A Case of Relational Autonomy in the Mahābhārata : the Story of Pūjanī

The dialogue between Pūjanī (a bird-mother) and Brahmadatta (a king) is a lesser known episode in the Mahābhārata. This paper explores how Pūjanī’s voice is relevant when rethinking autonomy for feminist relational selves. I first unravel the different ‘stories’ that can be told through this single but multi-layered narrative. Then, by re-arranging their insights and using the idea of ‘normative authority’ proposed by Catriona Mackenzie (in a different context), I piece together a picture of autonomy foregrounding dependence on others and volatile emotionality––both of which are generally thought to be opposed to ‘being in control’ or being autonomous. This emerging picture of self-governance indicates how even selves constituted by relationships to others can exit relational situations that are or become harmful. I also show that the episode leaves behind ‘internalist’ conceptions of autonomy for more capacious notions of self-determination that incorporate the importance of structural changes for agentive freedom. This goes beyond the insights of the Mahābhārata in a self-reflexive move built into the story itself.
Heat Transfer in Porous Radiant Burners

In the past decade, considerable effort has been devoted to establishing a body of knowledge concerning heat transfer and combustion in porous radiant burners (PRBs). The operation of PRBs typically involves feeding premixed gaseous fuel and air into a porous medium. By adjusting the fuel-air flow rate properly, combustion can be stabilized either inside the porous medium or in a region downstream from but very close to the porous exit plane. The heat of combustion released in the combustible mixture heats up the solid matrix, which emits radiant energy to a heat load. Due to enhanced rates of heat removal from the combusted gas, the flame temperature in a PRB is a few hundreds of °C lower than that in a conventional open-flame burner. As a result, PRBs generate lower emissions of NOx. Suitable applications for PRBs include situations where radiant heating is required and/or low NOx emission is desired. The objective of this chapter is to present an overview of the research aimed at gaining an understanding of the thermal behavior of PRBs. The presentation will draw upon the research conducted by the first author and his former colleagues at Arizona State University. For a more comprehensive review of this subject and access to an extensive list of the relevant references, the reader is referred to a recent review article published by Howell et al. [1].
The Mass Spectral Search System

With the mass spectrum of a pure compound in hand, only one additional but major step is required to make a correct identification: the interpretation of the data. Interpretation may be made by applying the theory of mass spectra, and the rules of fragmentation of ions in the gas phase. This process is tedious, and it is difficult to sustain the necessary deductive reasoning process for the long periods of time required to make a large number of identifications. Lack of sufficient knowledge about the details for the fragmentation process further limits the effectiveness of this approach in interpreting some spectra. Instead, the mass spectrometrist may take advantage of the collections of reference mass spectra that have been accumulated in recent years. Empirical methods have been developed for searching a file of reference mass spectra to find a similar or exact match of an experimental mass spectrum.
The Influence of Backchannel Communication on Cognitive Load

Synchronous online conferencing systems not only expand opportunities for real-time interaction but also foster parallel channels of communication. Visual and audio channels facilitate instructional presentation in the main channel of communication while text-chat features support participants’ backchannel exchanges. Within the context of cognitive load theory and research, this chapter considers whether backchannel communication helps to manage intrinsic load and optimize germane load through improved facilitation of computer-mediated discourse or whether the backchannel poses a distraction that unnecessarily increases extraneous cognitive load.
Avoidance of general anesthesia for circumcision in infants under 6 months of age using a modified Plastibell technique

There is currently no gold standard for the type of analgesia or preferred circumcision technique in infants requiring circumcision after 1 month of age. Our study presents a modified Plastibell circumcision technique, which offers excellent surgical outcomes, and can be performed under local anesthesia until 6 months of age, thereby avoiding the risks of general anesthesia in delayed circumcision. This is a retrospective case series of 508 consecutive male infants between 1 and 6 months of age, from one institution, who all underwent circumcision under local anesthesia, performed by the same pediatric surgeon, from 2013 to 2018. The study parameters included postoperative complications such as re-operation for control of hemorrhage, wound infection, circumcision revision, and urethral meatotomy. There were no re-operations for control of hemorrhage, no wound infections, and no circumcision revisions. One patient developed urethral meatal stenosis requiring urethral meatotomy. Our modified Plastibell circumcision technique under local anesthesia is a safe and reproducible alternative for infants between 1 and 6 months of age, whose parents desire circumcision and wish to avoid general anesthesia.
Altered Structural Connection Between Hippocampus and Insula in Adolescent Major Depressive Disorder using DTI

The adolescent major depressive disorder is one of the top 10 debilitating psychiatric illnesses and the effectiveness of current treatment methods are constrained by the limited understanding of biological causes. In this paper, we use diffusion tensor imaging to explore changes in anatomical connectivity between the MDD group (n=37) and control group (n=27). Furthermore, along-track analysis is performed to identify locations of alterations along connections with significant connectivity change. For the connection between the hippocampus and the insular cortex in the right hemisphere, decreased connectivity in axial diffusivity (AD), mean diffusivity (MD), and radial diffusivity (RD) was discovered. Additionally, the number of tracks for the same connection is increased for the MDD group. Moreover, for the connection between the parahippocampal gyrus and the insular cortex in the left hemisphere, increased connectivity is observed in fractional anisotropy (FA), AD, MD, and RD. Furthermore, the locations of significant alterations are identified to be between 65% to 100% from the insular cortex to the hippocampus in the right hemisphere and at the 80% location from the insular cortex to the parahippocampal gyrus in the left hemisphere. The significant and consistent white matter changes at the hippocampus end of the insula-hippocampus connection suggest potential correlations to the previously reported grey matter shrinkage and functional abnormalities.
Precision immunomodulation with synthetic nucleic acid technologies

DNA and RNA of both natural and synthetic origin can elicit strong immune responses in higher organisms. Computer-aided design in conjunction with high-throughput sequencing has improved our ability to build tuneable synthetic DNA and RNA architectures with high structural and functional precision. The natural biological roles of nucleic acids endow these synthetic assemblies with the ability to specifically engage cellular components. This makes DNA and RNA particularly powerful materials with which to probe or programme immune cells. In this Perspective, we discuss the potential of designer nucleic acid assemblies to control and modulate the immune response for biomedical applications. Nucleic acid scaffolds can be precisely interfaced with cellular components, making them interesting materials to probe and program immune cells. In this Perspective, the authors explore nucleic acid technologies for the quantitative detection of single immune cells and for modulating the immune response.
Drug screening during pregnancy: Urine dip cups measure up.

Abstract Background Substance use during pregnancy is a major medical and public health concern. Determination of the most appropriate screening protocol remains a clinical conundrum. Interviews and/or laboratory drug screens may be costly, inaccurate, and are frequently inadequate to identify patterns of substance use for a given population or geographic area. We compared commercially available urine “dip cup” toxicology screens obtained in the clinic to university hospital drug toxicology results. Methods 267 observed urine samples were collected from pregnant women with known substance use disorders enrolled in a specialized treatment program that included access to buprenorphine medication-assisted treatment. Each urine sample was tested by commercial dip cup with temperature confirmation and then sent to the university hospital laboratory for analyses. The number of substances detected and cost for each screening method were compared. Results Uniformly, the dip cup had comparable detection of amphetamines, barbiturates, cocaine, methadone, opiates, and tetrahydrocannabinol to the university hospital laboratory with the exception of benzodiazepines. In addition, the dip cup detected use of buprenorphine (a commonly misused opiate receptor ligand not included in the hospital screen) and was significantly less expensive. Conclusions Commercially available urine dip cups are cost-effective, equally comparable to hospital based screening, and provide ‘real time’ results germane to clinical care and treatment planning.
Chronic myeloid leukemia stem cells require cell-autonomous pleiotrophin signaling

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) induce molecular remission in the majority of patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), but the persistence of CML stem cells hinders cure and necessitates indefinite TKI therapy. We report that CML stem cells upregulate the expression of pleiotrophin (PTN) and require cell-autonomous PTN signaling for CML pathogenesis in BCR/ABL+ mice. Constitutive PTN deletion substantially reduced the numbers of CML stem cells capable of initiating CML in vivo. Hematopoietic cell-specific deletion of PTN suppressed CML development in BCR/ABL+ mice, suggesting that cell-autonomous PTN signaling was necessary for CML disease evolution. Mechanistically, PTN promoted CML stem cell survival and TKI resistance via induction of Jun and the unfolded protein response. Human CML cells were also dependent on cell-autonomous PTN signaling, and anti-PTN antibody suppressed human CML colony formation and CML repopulation in vivo. Our results suggest that targeted inhibition of PTN has therapeutic potential to eradicate CML stem cells.
Choosing the Biopsy Technique

The art of percutaneous breast biopsy is to combine diagnostic efficacy with optimal tolerance by the patient. To address the former, only the smallest amount of tissue required for a reliable and accurate diagnosis of the mass should be removed. For the latter, the percutaneous biopsy should not be painful and should have the lowest risk of hemorrhagic or infectious complications. This is critical if the patient is expected to return frequently to the imaging center for regular screening and potentially another biopsy. In addition, the biopsy itself should be totally innocuous and should not worsen the patient’s condition or complicate the treatment, e.g., by causing malignant seeding along the needle track.
Development of a narrow-band imaging classification to reduce the need for routine biopsies of gastric polyps.

Background Most incidental gastric polyps identified during upper endoscopy are considered low-risk. However, current guidelines recommend sampling all gastric polyps for histopathologic analysis. We aimed to devise a simple narrow-band imaging (NBI) classification to reduce the need for routine biopsies of low-risk gastric polyps. Methods Pairs of NBI and white-light images were collected from 73 gastric polyps for which concurrent histopathologic diagnosis was available. A diagnostic accuracy cohort study was performed. Two blinded endoscopists independently analysed NBI features of each polyp for color, vessel pattern, surface pattern, and any combinations thereof to develop a classification scheme to differentiate low-risk polyps (fundic-gland or hyperplastic) from high-risk polyps (adenomatous or adenocarcinoma) and fundic-gland polyps (FGPs) from non-FGPs. Results An isolated lacy vessel pattern and a homogenous absence of surface pattern successfully differentiated low-risk from high-risk gastric polyps. Combining both descriptors into a single algorithm resulted in a negative predictive value (NPV) of 100% [95% confidence interval (CI): 100%-100%], positive predictive value (PPV) of 13.7% (95% CI: 2.6-24.8), sensitivity of 100% (95% CI: 100%-100%), and specificity of 53.7% (95% CI: 45.3%-62.0%) for high-risk polyps. This would reduce the number of polyps requiring biopsy by 50%, while still capturing all high-risk polyps. Regarding FGPs, using a rule not to biopsy polyps with isolated lacy vessels resulted in a 94.9% NPV (95% CI: 89.2%-100%), 63.2% PPV (95% CI: 47.2%-79.2%), 94.8% sensitivity (95% CI: 89.5%-100%), and 63.6% specificity (95% CI: 51.3%-76.0%) for non-FGPs. Conclusion In this derivation cohort study, NBI is helpful for differentiating between high-risk and low-risk gastric polyps, thereby reducing the need for routine sampling of low-risk polyps. These results need to be validated in a separate test population.
2D Microstructure Reconstruction for SEM via Non-local Patch-Based Image Inpainting

Microstructure reconstruction is a long-standing problem in experimental and computational materials science, for which numerous attempts have been made to solve. However, the majority of approaches often treats microstructure as discrete phases, which, in turn, reduces the quality of the resulting microstructures and limits its usage to the computational level of fidelity, but not the experimental level of fidelity. In this work, we applied our previously proposed approach [41] to generate synthetic microstructure images at the experimental level of fidelity for the UltraHigh Carbon Steel DataBase (UHCSDB) [13].
BRCA1-BARD1 regulates transcription through BRD4 in Xenopus nucleoplasmic extract

The tumor suppressor BRCA1 is considered a master regulator of genome integrity. Although widely recognized for its DNA repair functions, BRCA1 has also been implicated in various mechanisms of chromatin remodeling and transcription regulation. However, the precise role that BRCA1 plays in these processes has been difficult to establish due to the widespread consequences of its cellular dysfunction. Here, we use nucleoplasmic extract derived from the eggs of Xenopus laevis to investigate the role of BRCA1 in a cell-free transcription system. We report that BRCA1-BARD1 suppresses transcription initiation independent of DNA damage signaling and its established role in histone H2A ubiquitination. BRCA1-BARD1 acts through a histone intermediate, altering acetylation of histone H4K8 and recruitment of the chromatin reader and oncogene regulator BRD4. Together, these results establish a functional relationship between an established (BRCA1) and emerging (BRD4) regulator of genome integrity.
Fragile States, Technological Capacity, and Increased Terrorist Activity

Research on terrorism disagrees on whether terrorist activity is at its highest in collapsed states, which are more hospitable to such activities, or whether terrorism increases in more capable sta...
Rethinking Time-to-Exchange: Outcomes of Nephrostomy Tube Placement in Pregnancy.

This study evaluated outcomes for percutaneous nephrostomy tube placement in pregnant patients, including potential complications that required early, unplanned tube exchange. A retrospective review was conducted for 51 pregnant patients and a nonpregnant cohort matched 1:1 who received percutaneous nephrostomy tube placement between 2012 and 2020. Factors potentially contributing to unplanned tube exchanges were analyzed, including gestational age, prevalence and severity of hydronephrosis, presence of renal calculi, and serum calcium level. The mean tube exchange interval was significantly shorter in the pregnant group (3.4 weeks ± 1.8 [standard deviation] vs 5.7 weeks ± 0.7, P < .0001), and pregnant subjects were significantly more likely to require reintervention before the 6-week scheduled exchange (80.4% vs 21.6%, P < .0001). The serum calcium level was lower in pregnant subjects (8.4 mg/dL ± 0.4 vs 8.9 mg/dL ± 0.7, P = .002). A shorter interval schedule (every 3 weeks) of routine percutaneous nephrostomy tube exchange in pregnant patients may be necessary to avoid complications.
Beyond the Plateau: pL Dependence of Proton Inventories as a Tool for Studying Ribozyme and Ribonuclease Catalysis.

Acid/base catalysis is an important catalytic strategy used by ribonucleases and ribozymes; however, understanding the number and identity of functional groups involved in proton transfer remains challenging. The proton inventory (PI) technique analyzes the dependence of the enzyme reaction rate on the ratio of D2O to H2O and can provide information about the number of exchangeable sites that produce isotope effects and their magnitude. The Gross-Butler (GB) equation is used to evaluate H/D fractionation factors from PI data typically collected under conditions (i.e., a "plateau" in the pH-rate profile) assuming minimal change in active site residue ionization. However, restricting PI analysis to these conditions is problematic for many ribonucleases, ribozymes, and their variants due to ambiguity in the roles of active site residues, the lack of a plateau within the accessible pL range, or cooperative interactions between active site functional groups undergoing ionization. Here, we extend the integration of species distributions for alternative enzyme states in noncooperative models of acid/base catalysis into the GB equation, first used by Bevilacqua and colleagues for the HDV ribozyme, to develop a general population-weighted GB equation that allows simulation and global fitting of the three-dimensional relationship of the D2O ratio (n) versus pL versus kn/k0. Simulations using the GPW-GB equation of PI results for RNase A, HDVrz, and VSrz illustrate that data obtained at multiple selected pL values across the pL-rate profile can assist in the planning and interpreting of solvent isotope effect experiments to distinguish alternative mechanistic models.
Statistical Inference for High-Dimensional Generalized Linear Models with Binary Outcomes

This paper develops a unified statistical inference framework for high-dimensional binary generalized linear models (GLMs) with general link functions. Both unknown and known design distribution se...
Chapter 18. Peptide Hormones of the Hypothalamus and Pituitary.

Publisher Summary This chapter elaborates the different aspects of peptide hormones of the hypothalamus and pituitary. Radioimmunoassay of plasma levels of the various pituitary hormones has provided a more reliable endpoint for the determination of hypothalamic releasing factors. The use of dispersed pituitary cell cultures has greatly increased precision and quantitative ability of the releasing factor bioassay, as well as being more amenable to multiple treatment experiments than other assay methods. The binding of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRF) to whole pituitary cells in culture or plasma cell membrane fractions in competition with [3H]TRF has been studied. The binding affinities of the TRF analogs have shown a close correlation with the observed biological activity, suggesting that the limiting factor in biological activity is the affinity for the receptor. The mechanisms of action of hypothalamic factors have been reviewed. Effects of [K+], [Ca+], other cations, and metabolic inhibitors as well as possible roles of cyclic-AMP and prostaglandins in the release of pituitary hormones are discussed in the chapter. The acute effects of release of thyroid-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone by TRF and luteinizing hormone-releasing factor respectively appear not to be affected by pretreatment with inhibitors of protein synthesis, such as cycloheximide, puromycin, or actinomycin D, but conflicting reports occur regarding the effect of these inhibitors on the release of other pituitary hormones.
ACCELERATION OF LINEAR GROWTH AFTER REPEATED DOSES OF GROWTH HORMONE-RELEASING FACTOR (GRF)

ACCELERATION OF LINEAR GROWTH AFTER REPEATED DOSES OF GROWTH HORMONE-RELEASING FACTOR (GRF)
Jaunts, Jottings, and Jetsam in Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts

A pageant of curiosities and dynamic images inhabits the margins of manuscripts, sometimes ornamenting, sometimes competing, sometimes commenting on the text they surround. They are a commonplace of codicological study, even more so since the publication of Lilian Randall's Images in the Margins of Gothic Manuscripts in 1966 and of Michael Camille's Image on the Edge in 1992, which has done much to bring us to understand and interpret this panoply in ink and paint. The images these writers treat, of course, are late, and it is the more rich and entertaining margins that command the attention, such as the copulating figures in the top margin of a book of hours (New York, Pierpont Morgan Library, M. 754, f. 65v), or the Christ-like figure showing forth his buttocks to a spear-wielding, monkey-like creature mounted on an ostrich in the Rudand Psalter (London, British Library, Additional 62,925, ff. 66v-67r). The margins of Anglo-Saxon manuscripts seem, by comparison, rather barren fields. There are certainly some notable exceptions, such as the illustrations in the Bury St Edmunds Psalter (Rome, Vatican Library, MS Reg. lat. 12), or perhaps those in the Exeter Book (Exeter Cathedral Library MS 3501, ff. 78r, 87v, 123r). But in truth, such examples are few in number and rather sober occasions in any case, lacking the spirited, immensely entertaining, and often surprising creations that fill the margins of later manuscripts. But if the Anglo-Saxons possessed vastly different conceptions of space, margins, and response to text than later generations, we nevertheless often find in their manuscripts a quiet, typically hidden or overlooked world of text and image entered into manuscripts by Anglo-Saxon and later users of diese codices.
Taming the Perfect Poison: A Comparative Analysis of the EMEA's EPAR System and the FDA's Improved Warning Protocol

In Europe and the United States, regulatory agencies responsible for monitoring drug safety have struggled to address the health concerns raised by the burgeoning market for minimally invasive cosmetic procedures utilizing botulinum toxins, the active ingredients in Botox. A 2005 study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology drew attention to these shortcomings after an analysis of adverse event reports submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) linked twenty-eight patient deaths to Botox-induced respiratory arrest and myocardial infarction. After an independent review of adverse effects reports submitted to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) revealed similar findings in Europe, the FDA and EMEA implemented bolstered product warnings aimed at increasing patient awareness of the drug’s health risks. This Note compares the FDA and EMEA’s heightened warning protocols and argues that the agencies’ recent efforts are unlikely to reduce the number of serious adverse events linked to botulinum toxins.
Dendritic solidification. I - Analysis of current theories and models. II - A model for dendritic growth under an imposed thermal gradient

A critical review of the present dendritic growth theories and models is presented. Mathematically rigorous solutions to dendritic growth are found to rely on an ad hoc assumption that dendrites grow at the maximum possible growth rate. This hypothesis is found to be in error and is replaced by stability criteria which consider the conditions under which a dendrite tip advances in a stable fashion in a liquid. The important elements of a satisfactory model for dendritic solidification are summarized and a theoretically consistent model for dendritic growth under an imposed thermal gradient is proposed and described. The model is based on the modification of an analysis due to Burden and Hunt (1974) and predicts correctly in all respects, the transition from a dendritic to a planar interface at both very low and very large growth rates.
CHIP MORPHOLOGY CHARACTERIZATION AND MODELING IN MACHINING HARDENED 52100 STEELS

Hard machining is attracting more and more attention as an alternative to grinding in finish machining some hardened steels. The saw-toothed chips formed in hard machining have their own unique characteristics. The saw-toothed chip morphology is of great interest since the understanding of the saw-toothed chip morphology and its evolution in machining helps unveil hard machining chip formation mechanisms as well as facilitate hard machining implementation into industry. In this study, the effect of tool wear and cutting conditions on the saw-toothed chip morphology was examined in machining 52100 hardened 52100 bearing steel. It was found that the chip dimensional values and segmentation frequency were affected by tool wear and cutting conditions while the chip segmentation angles were approximately constant under different tool wear and cutting conditions. The shear band spacing has also been predicted at the same order of magnitude as the measurement, and improved spacing modeling accuracy is expected i...
A framework for efficient execution of array-based languages on SIMD computers

The author presents a framework for supporting efficient execution of machine-independent, array-based, data-parallel languages, such as Fortran-90 and Parallel Pascal, on distributed-memory SIMD (single-instruction-stream, multiple-data-stream) machines with mesh or hypercube interconnection topologies. The framework supports (1) a wide class of mappings of arrays into machines, (2) the implementation of many data selection and reorganization operations by manipulation of data descriptors instead of data movement, and (3) the decomposition of required data motions into sequences of efficient nearest-neighbor communications on the mesh. Each of these is discussed, and an application example is given. Related work is examined. >
Listening styles and their correspondence with second guessing

This study examined the correspondence between four different styles of listening (people, action, content, and time) and their relationship to second‐guessing theory. Individuals often question the veracity of messages that they receive from second‐hand sources. Individuals may doubt the second‐hand source as well as the “primary” source. We explored whether different styles of listening were associated with a tendency to second guess was explained. A regression analysis revealed that two listening styles predicted second guessing, accounting for 17% of the variance. Results are discussed in terms of listener profiles and second‐guessing motivation.
Reduced mono-, di-, and tetracubane-type clusters containing the [MoFe3S4]2+ core stabilized by tertiary phosphine ligation.

Treatment of oxidized clusters [(Cl4cat)(MeCN)MoFe3S4Cl3]2- (1) and [(Meida)MoFe3S4Cl3]2- (2) with tertiary phosphines in the presence of NaBPh4 in acetonitrile results in chloride substitution at the iron sites and the formation of clusters with the reduced [MoFe3S4]2+ core. Thus, 1 is a precursor to [(Cl4cat)(MeCN)MoFe3S4(PR3)3] (R = But (3), Pri (4)) and [(Cl4cat)2(Et3P)2Mo2Fe6S8(PEt3)4] (5). Cluster 2 affords [{(Meida)MoFe3S4(PCy3)3}4Fe2(μ-Cl)L2]3+ (L = THF (6), MeCN (7)). The structures of 3−7 were established by X-ray analysis. Clusters 3 and 4 are single cubanes, centrosymmetric 5 (previously reported in a different space group: Demadis, K. D.; Campana, C. F.; Coucouvanis, D. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1995, 117, 7832) is a double cubane with a rhomboidal Fe2S2 bridge, and 6 and 7 are tetracubanes. In the latter, four Meida oxygen atoms from different cubanes bind each of two central high-spin Fe(II) atoms in trans-Fe(μ-Cl)LO4 coordination. The topology of these clusters is not precedented. Zero-field Moss...
Informing Our Elders About Dialysis: Is an Age-Attuned Approach Warranted?

As the fastest growing sector of the incident ESRD population, older patients constitute a group for which renal replacement therapy has special implications. Older CKD patients have unique needs by virtue of advanced age, high prevalence of comorbid conditions, slower progression of renal disease, and reduced survival. Burdens and risks attendant to dialysis may be amplified in the older patient and patients with impaired functional status or comorbid conditions, and therefore, dialysis may confer little to no survival benefit. Rates of dialysis withdrawal are highest among the oldest patients, raising the possibility that the standard content of informed consent for dialysis warrants an age-sensitive approach that is attuned to the very different balance of pros and cons of dialysis for older patients with multiple comorbidities and younger patients with limited comorbidity. Informed consent for older patients should include presentation of risks, benefits, and burdens associated with dialysis, age-specific estimates of prognosis with and without dialysis, and potential for loss of independence and decline in functional status with initiation of dialysis. In this article, medical evidence and clinical practice guidelines relevant to advance care planning for the older patient with CKD are reviewed, issues to consider in the dialogue with older patients contemplating dialysis are presented, and recommendations for an age-attuned approach to informed consent for older CKD patients are made.
What’s the Relationship Got to do with It? Understanding the Therapeutic Relationship in Therapeutic Foster Care

The therapeutic relationship is increasingly recognized as important to understanding how process variables contribute to treatment outcomes. In this paper, we examine the therapeutic relationship between children with serious emotional and behavioral disorders and their treatment providers in the context of an observational study of Therapeutic Foster Care (TFC). Our findings suggest that the quality of the relationship between the treatment parent and youth in a TFC setting is significantly associated with better emotional and behavioral functioning for the youth. It appears from these findings that the quality of the relationship between the youth and treatment parent in a TFC setting is at least one of the mechanism or process factors that contribute to improved functioning for the youth.
Cognitive Style, Attention, and Learning.

46 male college students were administered both the Rod-and-frame test (RFT) and a learning task, consisting of learning the nonsense-syllable “names” arbitrarily assigned to a series of complex designs. RFT performance was unrelated to learning the names of the over-all designs, but good performance on the RFT was associated with better ability to identify part-aspects of the designs. Results were discussed in terms of the greater ability of field-independent individuals to extract aspects of their experience from an embedding context, as well as their greater task orientation.
Should we ask our children about sex, drugs, and rock & roll? A different conclusion

Abstract Fitzsimons and Moore argue that survey questions for adolescents concerning risky behaviors can increase the degree to which participants will adopt those behaviors. This outcome is likely to be true for behaviors about which adolescents have negative explicit attitudes but positive implicit attitudes. Such a conclusion is extremely important for the health of research participants, for researchers, and for the field in general. I argue that it is premature to accept these conclusions, raising questions about process issues as well as conceptual, methodological, and empirical issues.
Response of cultured human brain tumors to nitrosoureas: Correlation with clinical data

An in vitro microcytotoxicity assay was utilized to determine the sensitivity of 58 cultured human malignant gliomas to the chemotherapy agent 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU). Of 58 such tumors, 42 (72%) showed a statistically significant cytotoxic response to BCNU in this assay. For those responding tumor lines, the cytotoxic index ranged from 0.25 to 0.76, with most clustered at the 0.40 level. To determine the therapeutic predictive relevance of such microcytotoxicity testing, the clinical course of patients receiving postoperative radiation therapy plus two or more doses of nitrosourea chemotherapy, as well as two or more computerized tomographic scans, was evaluated. In the 14 patients meeting all these criteria, tumor size increased in all five patients whose tumors did not respond to BCNU in the microcytotoxicity test. Six of the nine patients whose tumors in culture showed significant sensitivity to BCNU in vitro showed a clear decrease in tumor size over periods ranging from 17 to 48 months. Tumors in two patients increased in size, and one remained unchanged over the interval studied. These data support the concept that in vitro microcytotoxicity testing can be predictive of clinical response. Further study of this correlation seems warranted.
Cognitive Training for Improving Executive Function in Chemotherapy-Treated Breast Cancer Survivors

Abstract Background A majority of breast cancer (BC) survivors, particularly those treated with chemotherapy, experience long-term cognitive deficits that significantly reduce quality of life. Among the cognitive domains most commonly affected include executive functions (EF), such as working memory, cognitive flexibility, multitasking, planning, and attention. Previous studies in other populations have shown that cognitive training, a behavioral method for treating cognitive deficits, can result in significant improvements in a number of cognitive skills, including EF. Materials and Methods In this study, we conducted a randomized controlled trial to investigate the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a novel, online EF training program in long-term BC survivors. A total of 41 BC survivors (21 active, 20 wait list) completed the 48 session training program over 12 weeks. The participants were, on average, 6 years after therapy. Results Cognitive training led to significant improvements in cognitive flexibility, verbal fluency and processing speed, with marginally significant downstream improvements in verbal memory as assessed via standardized measures. Self-ratings of EF skills, including planning, organizing, and task monitoring, also were improved in the active group compared with the wait list group. Conclusions Our findings suggest that EF skills may be improved even in long-term survivors by using a computerized, home-based intervention program. These improvements may potentially include subjective EF skills, which suggest a transfer of the training program to real-world behaviors.
Using Fags vs. Communication Scores to Measure Spontaneous Facial Expression of Emotion in Brain-Damaged Patients: A Reply to Mammucari et al. (1988).

Abstract Buck and Duffy (1980) and Borod et al. (1985) found evidence of deficits in spontaneous expressiveness in right brain-damaged (RBD) patients relative to LBD patients and controls. Using FAGS, Mammucari et al. (1988) failed to replicate this result`and questioned our methods and findings. This paper replies (a) that Mammucari et al. (1988)'s review of our work is selective and misleading; (b) that there are aspects of their study that can account for their null results, including the insufficient sensitivity of FAGS for the measurement of spontaneous expressiveness; and (c) that the results of Mammucari et al. (1988) regarding “aversive eye movements” to a negative film in LBD and control, but not RBD, patients are in fact compatible with our findings. This paper also suggests a general strategy for the objective and comprehensive analysis of spontaneous emotional expressiveness.