cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Introducing a nested phase change agent with an acoustic response that depends on electric field: A candidate for myocardial perfusion imaging and drug delivery

Abstract We present a voltage-sensitive phase change agent comprising an aqueous emulsion of surfactant-coated liquid perfluorocarbon droplets nested within a negatively charged phospholipid bilayer. The sensitivity to voltage allows, via exposure to an electric field, acoustic activation of the perfluorocarbon droplets at an ultrasound intensity that is otherwise insufficient to cause activation. The result is a phase change agent for which activation depends not on ultrasound intensity but rather on the presence of an electric field. Accordingly, we offer the first enhanced ultrasound contrast agent (“Electrast”) that takes advantage of the electrical activity of the heart and leads to selective activation at a fixed mechanical index (MI). Being voltage-sensitive, Electrast activates selectively in the coronary circulation, giving enhanced ultrasound contrast within the myocardium while leaving other regions largely unenhanced. Specifically, in a closed chest swine study, the contrast enhancement between the myocardium and the left ventricle increased by 36.4 dB ±0.2 upon injection of a charged, nested PCA formulation at a fixed MI of 0.9 (GE Vivid i). Similar enhancement was observed in rats, and the contrast-to-tissue ratio increased by nearly 10 dB at an MI of 0.28 upon exposure to an electric field of 1 V/cm in a tissue-mimicking phantom. Additionally, ultrasound-induced leakage of calcein, a water-soluble fluorescent dye, from a nested, charged PCA formulation more than doubled at a peak negative pressure of 0.5 MPa upon exposure to an electric field of 0.25 V/cm. These results suggest that Electrast, a voltage-sensitive phase change agent, is a candidate for myocardial perfusion imaging using ultrasound.
Reachability analysis for a grid-connected voltage-sourced converter (VSC)

To analyze a system accurately, all of its parameters, initial conditions, and inputs are needed; however, finding their precise value is not possible in practice. In addition, uncertainty of a system cannot be considered in conventional methods for system analysis. Reachability analysis is a method to find bounds of the system variables by given sets of unknown-but-bounded inputs, initial conditions, and state matrix. In this paper, reachability analysis is used to analyze a voltage-sourced converter with parameter uncertainty. This analysis is also used to tune the PI controllers of the VSC for an improved performance in the presence of the parameter error. Reachability analysis is performed using MATLAB/CORA. The effectiveness of the reachability analysis results and improved PI controller is validated by simulation case studies in MATLAB/SIMULINK and experimental case studies.
Tyrosine Hydroxylase Inhibition in Substantia Nigra Decreases Movement Frequency.

Reduced movement frequency or physical activity (bradykinesia) occurs with high prevalence in the elderly. However, loss of striatal tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in aging humans, non-human primates, or rodents does not reach the ~ 80% loss threshold associated with bradykinesia onset in Parkinson’s disease. Moderate striatal dopamine (DA) loss, either following TH inhibition or decreased TH expression, may not affect movement frequency. In contrast, moderate DA or TH loss in the substantia nigra (SN), as occurs in aging, is of similar magnitude (~ 40%) to nigral TH loss at bradykinesia onset in Parkinson’s disease. In aged rats, increased TH expression and DA in SN alone increases movement frequency, suggesting aging-related TH and DA loss in the SN contributes to aging-related bradykinesia or decreased physical activity. To test this hypothesis, the SN was targeted with bilateral guide cannula in young (6 months old) rats, in a within-subjects design, to evaluate the impact of nigral TH inhibition on movement frequency and speed. The TH inhibitor, α-methyl-p-tyrosine (AMPT) reduced nigral DA (~ 40%) 45–150 min following infusion, without affecting DA in striatum, nucleus accumbens, or adjacent ventral tegmental area. Locomotor activity in the open-field was recorded up to 3 h following nigral saline or AMPT infusion in each test subject. During the period of nigra-specific DA reduction, movement frequency, but not movement speed, was significantly decreased. These results indicate that DA or TH loss in the SN, as observed in aging, contributes as a central mechanism of reduced movement frequency.
Combined oral contraceptive interference with the ability of ulipristal acetate to delay ovulation: A prospective cohort study.

Abstract Objective To determine if a combined oral contraceptive (COC) initiated shortly after ulipristal acetate (UPA) administration interferes with its mechanism of action. Study design Healthy, reproductive-age women of normal BMI with proven ovulation (serum progesterone >3 ng/ml) were enrolled for three cycles (Cycle 1, UPA only; Cycle 2 washout; Cycle 3 UPA plus COC). During Cycles 1 and 3, subjects were monitored with transvaginal ultrasound and blood sampling for progesterone and LH every other day until a dominant follicle measuring >15 mm was visualized. In both treatment cycles, subjects received UPA (30mg) and were followed daily with similar monitoring for up to 7 days. In Cycle 3 only, subjects initiated a daily COC (0.15 mg levonorgestrel/30 μg ethinyl estradiol) 2 days after UPA. The study had 80% power to detect a 15% difference in the proportion of cycles with at least a 5-day delay in follicle rupture. We assessed follicle rupture as >50% decrease in mean size and adjudicated unclear outcomes with serum hormones. Results A total of 36 women enrolled and 33 completed all study procedures [age 28.4 years (SD 3.9); BMI 23.4 (SD 2.4)]. Compared to Cycle 1, more subjects demonstrated evidence of follicle rupture in Conclusion UPA’s effectiveness is significantly reduced by administering COCs 2 days later. Implications This study demonstrates that UPA’s efficacy as an emergency contraceptive is reduced with early exposure to COCs.
Low-Cost Drive for Switched Reluctance Machine Using Piezoelectric Actuators

Contemporary power electronics designs are based on stationary placement of power switches. Inability to change the terminal connections causes increase in number of switches, corresponding components, and driver circuits. Moreover, most fault tolerant realizations require additional switches (redundancy approach). Hence, the motivation behind this paper is to engineer a solution which can allow for a dynamic circuit topology, thereby alleviating the size, cost, and complexity issues associated with current technology. Dynamic circuit topology refers to a technology that enables making or breaking a connection without disrupting the circuit functionality. This idea embarks a novel set of possibilities such as replacing vulnerable components for increased fault tolerance, multiplexing components to change circuit behavior, and multiplexing circuits between multiple loads. In this paper, electromechanical actuation using piezoelectric materials has been explored for dynamic relocation of one asymmetric bridge to all the phases of a switched reluctance machine, reducing the number of semiconductor switches by a factor of 4. The presented concept can generate new opportunities such as reduced part converter topologies, which can in turn introduce substantial saving in development cost and the required footprint.
High-Tech vs. High Touch Service Design in Healthcare: A Case for Considering the Emotional Biorhythm of the Patient in Technology Interventions

The advent of Value Based Care (VBC) in the U.S. healthcare system has changed reimbursement models and shifted the paradigm of healthcare. Financial incentives not only reward clinical quality and outcomes, but they put more power in the hands of the patient and more emphasis on patient-centric care delivery models. To that end, service science has an increasingly respected seat at the table in the healthcare industry.
The Relationships of Socioeconomic Factors and Special Education with Reading Outcomes across PISA Countries

This study investigates the multivariate relationships among socioeconomic factors, special education coverage (SEC), and reading across countries participating in the Program for International Stu...
Comparison of protein expression levels and proteomically-inferred genotypes using human hair from different body sites

The microanatomy of human hair differs as a function of the site of origin on the body. This was a major consideration when anatomical features of hair were used as a means of comparison and human identification. Recent advances have demonstrated that proteomics of the hair shaft can be used to develop profiles of protein abundance and genetically variant peptides, the latter in turn being used to infer genotypes of SNP alleles. Because the profile of proteins would be expected to change as hair anatomy changes, it is an open question if the profile of genetically variant peptides will also change. While some sample to sample variation is expected, a potential drawback of using genetically variant peptides to infer an individual genotype is that the proteomic profile might change as a function of body site origin as well as an individual's genotype. The hypothesis in this study is that the profile of hair shaft genetically variant peptides depends more on an individual's genotype than on the site of hair shaft origin. To test this an analysis of both protein expression levels and genetically variant peptides was conducted on 4 body sites (scalp, axillary, beard and pubic hair) from 5 individuals with 4 biological replicates. Levels of protein expression were estimated using label-free quantification on resulting proteomic mass spectrometry datasets. The same datasets were then also analyzed for the presence of genetically variant peptides. This study demonstrates that the protein profiles of hair shafts varied as a function of somatic origin. By contrast the profile of genetically variant peptides, and resulting inferred genotype of SNP alleles, were more dependent on the individual. In this study random match probabilities ranged up to 1 in 196. Individual identification based on genetically variant peptides therefore can be obtained from human hair without regard to the site of origin. If the site of hair shaft origin was legally relevant then microscopic analysis is still necessary. This study demonstrates the utility of proteomic analysis for extracting forensic information from hair shaft evidence.
A symposium on teaching virtue: Interdisciplinary perspectives on pedagogy, liturgy, and moral formation:

Theologian Paul J. Griffiths has argued that thinking about Christian learning “must begin from thinking about the liturgy.” This comparison between learning and liturgy invites reflection upon the...
Real-Time Nonlinear Model Predictive Control of Robots Using a Graphics Processing Unit

In past robotics applications, Model Predictive Control (MPC) has often been limited to linear models and relatively short time horizons. In recent years however, research in optimization, optimal control, and simulation has enabled some forms of nonlinear model predictive control which find locally optimal solutions. The limiting factor for applying nonlinear MPC for robotics remains the computation necessary to solve the optimization, especially for complex systems and for long time horizons. This letter presents a new solution method which addresses computational concerns related to nonlinear MPC called nonlinear Evolutionary MPC (NEMPC), and then we compare it to several existing methods. These comparisons include simulations on torque-limited robots performing a swing-up task and demonstrate that NEMPC is able to discover complex behaviors to accomplish the task. Comparisons with state-of-the-art nonlinear MPC algorithms show that NEMPC finds high quality control solutions very quickly using a global, instead of local, optimization method. Finally, an application in hardware (a 24 state pneumatically actuated continuum soft robot) demonstrates that this method is tractable for real-time control of high degree of freedom systems.
Northeastern University Runs at the TREC12 Crowdsourcing Track

Abstract : The goal of the TREC 2012 Crowdsourcing Track was to evaluate approaches to crowdsourcing high quality relevance judgments for images and text documents. This paper describes our submission to the Text Relevance Assessing Task. We explored three different approaches for obtaining relevance judgments. Our first two approaches are based on collecting a limited number of preference judgments from Amazon Mechanical Turk workers. These preferences are then extended to relevance judgments through the use of expectation maximization and the Elo rating system. Our third approach is based on our Nugget-based evaluation paradigm.
Opportunities for quality improvement in the morbidity pattern of older adults undergoing pulmonary lobectomy for cancer.

Abstract Background There is limited information on the frequency of complications among older adults after oncological thoracic surgery in the modern era. We hypothesized that morbidity and mortality in older adults with lung cancer undergoing lobectomy is low and different than that of younger patients undergoing thoracic surgery. Methods All patients undergoing lobectomy at a large volume academic center between May 2016 and May 2019 were included. Patients were prospectively monitored to grade postoperative morbidity by organ system, based on the Clavien-Dindo classification. Patients were divided into two groups: Group 1 included patients 65–91 years of age, and Group 2 included those Results Of 680 lobectomies in 673 patients, 414(61%) were older than 65 years of age (group 1). Median age at surgery was 68 years (20–91). Median hospital stay was 4 days (1–38) and longer in older adults. Older adults experienced higher rates of grade II and IV complications, mostly driven by an increased incidence of delirium, atrial fibrillation, prolonged air leak, respiratory failure and urinary retention. In this modern cohort, there was only 1 stroke (0.1%), and delirium was reduced to 7%. Patients undergoing minimally invasive (MI) surgery had a lower rate of Grade IV life-threatening complications. Older adults were more likely to be discharged to a rehabilitation facility, however this difference also disappeared with MI surgical procedures. Conclusions Current morbidity of older adults undergoing lobectomy for cancer is low and is different than that of younger patients. Thoracotomy may be associated with postoperative complications in these patients. Our findings suggest the need to consider MI approaches and broad-based, geriatric-focused perioperative management of older adults undergoing lobectomy.
A Novel FFT-Assisted Background Flow Sensing Framework for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles In Dynamic Environment with Changing Flow Patterns

Due to the harsh and unknown underwater environment, the question of how autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) should navigate and maneuver, especially in a dynamic environment with changing flow patterns, is still largely open. This paper presents a systematic background flow sensing framework, which plays an important role in improving the navigation/control intelligence of AUVs. This flow sensing framework utilizes distributed pressure measurements of AUVs to estimate surrounding flow fields. The proposed method first determines the flow pattern/model around AUVs based on fast Fourier transform (FFT) spectrum analysis and then uses recursive Bayesian estimation and dynamic mode decomposition (DMD)-based modeling to identify model parameters. This method is capable of sensing background flow fields even in flow pattern changing environments, e.g., open waters in real-world scenarios, thus dramatically expanding the application scope of the existing flow sensing methods. Simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed flow sensing method.
Prevalence of Clostridioides difficile and Other Gastrointestinal Pathogens in Patients with COVID-19.

Gastrointestinal symptoms are common in patients with COVID-19, but prevalence of co-infection with enteric pathogens is unknown. This study assessed the prevalence of enteric infections among hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We evaluated 4973 hospitalized patients ≥ 18 years of age tested for COVID-19 from March 11 through April 28, 2020, at two academic hospitals. The primary exposure was a positive COVID-19 test. The primary outcome was detection of a gastrointestinal pathogen by PCR stool testing. Among 4973 hospitalized individuals, 311 were tested for gastrointestinal infections (204 COVID-19 positive, 107 COVID-19 negative). Patients with COVID-19 were less likely to test positive compared to patients without COVID-19 (10% vs 22%, p < 0.01). This trend was driven by lower rates of non-C.difficile infections (11% vs 22% in COVID-19 positive vs. negative, respectively, p = 0.04), but not C. difficile infection (5.1% vs. 8.2%, p = 0.33). On multivariable analysis, infection with COVID-19 remained significantly associated with lower odds of concurrent GI infection (aOR 0.49, 95% CI 0.24–0.97), again driven by reduced non-C.difficile infection. Testing for both C.difficile and non-C.difficile enteric infection decreased dramatically during the pandemic. Pathogens aside from C.difficile do not appear to be a significant contributor to diarrhea in COVID-19 positive patients.
Solvation coordination compounds of scandium chloride from the dehydration of scandium chloride hexahydrate

Abstract Attempts to dehydrate [Sc(H2O)6]3[Cl]•(H2O) using simple organic solvents led to the isolation of [ScCl3(THF)3] (1) from the addition of thionyl chloride (O = SCl2) to the hydrate, slurried in tetrahydrofuran (THF). Modification of 1 by a variety of solvents yielded the crystallographically characterized compounds: [ScCl3(MeCN)3]•MeCN (2), [ScCl3(py)3]•py (3), [ScCl2(MeOH)4][X] (X = Cl 4; X = Br 4a), and [ScCl2(HOPri)4][Cl] (5) (where MeCN = acetonitrile; py = pyridine; MeOH = methanol, HOPri = isopropanol). The heating of 3 resulted in the formation of [py-H-py][ScCl4(py)2]•(py)1/2 referred to as 6•py1/2. Attempts to dehydrate [Sc(H2O)6]3[Cl]•(H2O) with the same set of organic solvents did not lead to full exchange; however, direct dehydration was readily observed for Zwitterionic species, including: triphenylphosphine oxide (O=PPh3), diphenylsulfoxide (O=SPh2), urea (O=C(NH2)2), dimethylformamide (O C(H)N(Me)2), diphenylformamide (O=C(H)N(Ph)2) which formed [ScCl2(O=PPh3)4][Cl]•2HOEt (7), [ScCl3(O=SPh2)3] (8), [Sc(O C(NH2)2)6]3[Cl] (9), [ScCl3(O=C(H)N(Me)2)3] (10), [ScCl3(O C(H)N(Ph)2)3] (11), respectively. Interestingly, the use of propylene carbonate (PC) resulted in the reduction of the modifier forming [Sc(κ2(O,O’)PD)(μ, κ 2(O,O’)H-PD)(H2O)2]22[Cl] (12) where H2-PD = propane-1,2 diol. All compounds were identified using single crystal X-ray and solution 45Sc NMR.
An Emotion Regulation Tablet App for Middle-Aged and Older Adults at High Suicide Risk: Feasibility, Acceptability, and Two Case Studies.

ABSTRACT Objective The unique features of technological applications may improve the treatment of peopleat risk of suicide. In this article, we present feasibility and acceptability data as well as two case studies demonstrating the use of WellPATH, a tablet app that aims to help suicidal patients during emotionally-charged situations outside of therapy sessions. The WellPATH app was part of a 12-week psychotherapy intervention (CRISP- Cognitive Reappraisal Intervention for Suicide Prevention) for middle-aged and older adults after their discharge from a suicide-related hospitalization. Design The use of WellPATH includes three stages: preparation and practice, incorporation, and actual use. Measurements Feasibility was measured by the overall use of WellPATH during twelve weeks, and acceptability was measured with the three items of the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire. Results Twelve study participants were administered WellPATH as part of CRISP. The results provide preliminary evidence of feasibility and acceptability of WellPATH. Study participants and therapists reported high satisfaction with WellPATH and provided feedback for further research and development. The patients in the case studies reported a reduction in negative emotions and an increase in emotion regulation (i.e., cognitive reappraisal ability) after using techniques on the WellPATH app. Conclusions Our preliminary findings suggest that use of technology applications such as the WellPATH app is feasible and accepted among middle-aged and older adults at high suicide risk . Further research with an adequately powered sample is needed to further evaluate WellPATH's feasibility and accessibility, and test its efficacy with this high-risk population.
Grounding Transformative Learning Through Assessment: TROPOS (TRansformative Outcomes and PrOcesses Scale):

This article presents the development, results, validation, and implications of the TRansformative Outcomes and PrOcesses Scale (TROPOS), a 30-item, exploratory instrument to assess transformative ...
Classifying 3-D Models of Coral Reefs Using Structure-From-Motion and Multi-View Semantic Segmentation

Benthic quadrat surveys using 2-D images are one of the most common methods of quantifying the composition of coral reef communities, but they and other methods fail to assess changes in species composition as a 3-dimensional system, arguably one of the most important attributes in foundational systems. Structure-from-Motion (SfM) algorithms that utilize images collected from various viewpoints to form an accurate 3-D model have become more common among ecologists in recent years. However, there exist few efficient methods that can classify portions of the 3-D model to specific ecological functional groups. This lack of granularity makes it more difficult to identify the class category responsible for changes in the structure of coral reef communities. We present a novel method that can efficiently provide semantic labels of functional groups to 3-D reconstructed models created from commonly used SfM software (i.e., Agisoft Metashape) using Fully Convolutional Networks (FCNs). Unlike other methods, ours involves creating dense labels for each of the images used in the 3-D reconstruction and then reusing the projection matrices created during the SfM process to project semantic labels onto either the point cloud or mesh to create fully classified versions. When quantitatively validating the classification results we found that this method is capable of accurately projecting semantic labels from image-space to model-space with scores as high as 91% pixel accuracy. Furthermore, because each image only needs to be provided with a single set of dense labels this method scales linearly making it useful for large areas or high resolution-models. Although SfM has become widely adopted by ecologists, deep learning presents a steep learning curve for many. To ensure repeatability and ease-of-use, we provide a comprehensive workflow with detailed instructions and open-sourced the programming code to assist others in replicating our methodology. Our method will allow researchers to assess precise changes in 3-D community composition of reef habitats in an entirely novel way, providing more insight into changes in ecological paradigms, such as those that occur during coral-algae shifts.
Functional characterization and receptor binding studies of the malic enzyme thyroid hormone response element.

We previously showed that the 5'-flanking region of the malic enzyme (ME) gene contains a cis-regulatory element (-281 to -261) that binds thyroid hormone receptors and confers triiodothyronine (T3) inducibility of transcription to the ME promoter (Petty, K.J., Desvergne, B., Mitsuhashi, T., and Nikodem, V. M. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 7395-7400). In this report, we have used deletion and mutation analyses of the ME thyroid hormone response element (TRE) to evaluate the roles of several subregions of TRE in T3 binding and transactivation. ME TRE was shown to act as an enhancer conferring T3 responsiveness to a heterologous promoter thymidine kinase. Although T3 treatment induced the promoter activity, the absence of hormone resulted in repression as measured by the level of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase expression in the NIH 3T3 transient expression system in the presence of overexpressed receptor. The degree of repression was similar to the degree of T3 induction observed for the same TRE mutants. Mutation and deletion analyses indicated that the functional TRE is comprised of discrete regions that are not contiguous, with a dominant role of a cluster of G residues and an AGGACA sequence. Both functions, induction and repression of transcription, correlated with receptor binding to the ME TRE as determined by competition binding assays using wild type and mutated TRE as competitors.
LABORATORY MEASUREMENTS OF BREAKING INCEPTION AND POST- BREAKING DYNAMICS OF STEEP SHORT CRESTED WAVES

Monochromatic short crested waves have been produced in a laboratory flume using a shaped wavemaker. Breaking has been observed to occur near the peak in the amplitude modulation of these waves, over a range of local wave steepness. The conditions for inception and the post-breaking morphology (breaker area, height, length) and dynamics were observed photographically, and are quantified. Breaking inception was observed over a wide range of wave steepness (Hi/gT2) from 0.011 to 0.0335. The latter is in excess of the Stokes limiting steepness for planar waves, and an explanation is suggested based on calculated reductions in crest orbital velocity due to short crestedness. Variations in breaker severity from one wave cycle to the next are observed and are believed to be due to the disturbances left in the water by preceding breakers. A small jet was observed at the initiation of the breaking wave, and a simple estimate of jet dimension is given, based on observed breaker growth rates.
Collaborative Study of Temperature-Sensitive Mutants of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2

Abstract Eighteen complementation groups were identified by complementation tests and by phenotype from twenty temperature-sensitive mutants isolated independently in Glasgow, Scotland, and Houston, Tex.
An integrated digital microfluidic lab-on-a-chip for clinical diagnostics on human physiological fluids

Clinical diagnostics is one of the most promising applications for microfluidic lab-on-a-chip systems, especially in a point-of-care setting. Conventional microfluidic devices are usually based on continuous-flow in microchannels, and offer little flexibility in terms of reconfigurability and scalability. Handling of real physiological samples has also been a major challenge in these devices. We present an alternative paradigm—a fully integrated and reconfigurable droplet-based “digital” microfluidic lab-on-a-chip for clinical diagnostics on human physiological fluids. The microdroplets, which act as solution-phase reaction chambers, are manipulated using the electrowetting effect. Reliable and repeatable high-speed transport of microdroplets of human whole blood, serum, plasma, urine, saliva, sweat and tear, is demonstrated to establish the basic compatibility of these physiological fluids with the electrowetting platform. We further performed a colorimetric enzymatic glucose assay on serum, plasma, urine, and saliva, to show the feasibility of performing bioassays on real samples in our system. The concentrations obtained compare well with those obtained using a reference method, except for urine, where there is a significant difference due to interference by uric acid. A lab-on-a-chip architecture, integrating previously developed digital microfluidic components, is proposed for integrated and automated analysis of multiple analytes on a monolithic device. The lab-on-a-chip integrates sample injection, on-chip reservoirs, droplet formation structures, fluidic pathways, mixing areas and optical detection sites, on the same substrate. The pipelined operation of two glucose assays is shown on a prototype digital microfluidic lab-on-chip, as a proof-of-concept.
Metabolism of Peptides by Rumen Microorganisms

Rumen microorganisms utilize tryptic peptides from Chlorella protein, forming carbon dioxide, volatile fatty acids, and bacterial protein. Peptide carbon is more efficiently converted into bacterial protein than is amino acid carbon. A progressive degradation of the peptides was demonstrated by use of columns of Sephadex G-25.
Cholesterol and cognition in schizophrenia: A double-blind study of patients randomized to clozapine, olanzapine and haloperidol

Abstract Objective A positive relationship between cholesterol levels and cognition has been reported in various human and animal studies, but has never been investigated in schizophrenia. The goal of this study was to examine this relationship in schizophrenic patients randomized to clozapine, olanzapine or haloperidol. Method This was a double-blind randomized prospective 12-week study. Participants received a baseline evaluation including a cognitive battery consisting of an evaluation of psychomotor function, general executive function, visual and verbal memory, and visuospatial ability. Their fasting serum cholesterol level was also assessed. The participants were then randomized to clozapine, olanzapine, or haloperidol. They were evaluated at the end of 12 weeks. A general cognitive index (GCI) derived from the cognitive battery was the primary variable. Results 82 patients had both baseline and endpoint neurocognitive assessments and cholesterol levels. There was a statistically and clinically significant positive association between change in cholesterol levels and change in GCI. This association was especially pronounced for verbal memory. There was no interaction between medication grouping and cholesterol level; the positive association was observable separately in each medication group. It was very robust and remained significant after we controlled for glucose and triglyceride levels, anticholinergic side effects, medication serum levels, cholesterol lowering medications, and pre-study antipsychotic medications. Conclusions Cholesterol levels show a strong association with cognition in schizophrenia in all medication groups. Further research on the role of lipid metabolism in cognition may suggest new treatments for this core deficit of schizophrenia.
Genetic risk, parent-child relations, and antisocial phenotypes in a sample of African-American males

Abstract Gene×environment interactions have been found to be associated with the development of antisocial behaviors. The extant gene×environment research, however, has failed to measure directly the ways in which global measures of genetic risk may interact with a putative environmental risk factor. The current study addresses this gap in the literature and examines the interrelationships among a global measure of genetic risk based on five genetic polymorphisms, a measure of parent–child relations, and eight antisocial phenotypes. Analysis of African-American males ( N =145 to 159) drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) revealed two broad findings. First, the genetic risk and parent–child relations scales were inconsistently related to the outcome variables. Second, genetic risk and parent–child relations interacted to predict variation in all of the eight antisocial phenotype measures. These findings point to the possibility that measures of genetic risk that are based on multiple polymorphisms can be employed to examine the gene×environmental basis to antisocial behavioral phenotypes.
Equivalence and resolution of singularities

Abstract This article provides a simple presentation of an algorithm to resolve singularities of algebraic varieties over fields of characteristic zero by means of a sequence of blowing ups with smooth centers contained in the set of points of maximum multiplicity. The algorithm uses primarily multiplicity, rather than the Hilbert–Samuel function, to control the resolution process, and it does not involve a local embedding into a smooth variety. The paper introduces a generalization of the usual notion of equivalence in the theory of resolution of singularities, which is important to justify an essential step in the construction of the algorithm.
Vesicle-mediated trafficking of parasite proteins to the host cell cytosol and erythrocyte surface membrane in Plasmodium falciparum infected erythrocytes

During the development of the asexual stage of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, the composition, structure and function of the host cell membrane is dramatically altered, including the ability to adhere to vascular endothelium. Crucial to these changes is the transport of parasite proteins, which become associated with or inserted into the erythrocyte membrane. Protein and membrane targeting beyond the parasite plasma membrane must require unique pathways, given the parasites intracellular location within a parasitophorous vacuolar membrane and the lack of organelles and biosynthetic machinery in the host cell necessary to support a secretory system. It is not clear how these proteins cross the parasitophorous vacuolar membrane or how they traverse the erythrocyte cytosol to reach their final destinations. The identification of: (1) a P. falciparum homologue of the protein Sar1p, which is an essential component of the COPII-based secretory system in mammalian cells and yeast and (2) electron-dense, possibly coated, secretory vesicles bearing P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 and P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 3 in the host cell cytosol of P. falciparum infected erythrocytes recently provided the first direct evidence of a vesicle-mediated pathway for the trafficking of some parasite proteins to the erythrocyte membrane. The major advance in uncovering the parasite-induced secretory pathway was made by incubating infected erythrocytes with aluminium tetrafluoride, an activator of guanidine triphosphate-binding proteins, which resulted in the accumulation of the vesicles into multiple vesicle strings. These vesicle complexes were often associated with and closely abutted the erythrocyte membrane, but were apparently prevented from fusing by the aluminium fluoride treatment, making their capture by electron microscopy possible. It appears that malaria parasites export proteins into the host cell cytosol to support a vesicle-mediated protein trafficking pathway.
Differentially regulated interferon response determines the outcome of Newcastle disease virus infection in normal and tumor cell lines.

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is a negative-strand RNA virus with oncolytic activity against human tumors. Its effectiveness against tumors and safety in normal tissue have been demonstrated in several clinical studies. Here we show that the spread of NDV infection is drastically different in normal cell lines than in tumor cell lines and that the two cell types respond differently to beta interferon (IFN-β) treatment. NDV rapidly replicated and killed HT-1080 human fibrosarcoma cells but spread poorly in CCD-1122Sk human skin fibroblast cells. Pretreatment with endogenous or exogenous IFN-β completely inhibited NDV replication in normal cells but had little or no effect in tumor cells. Thus, the outcome of NDV infection appeared to depend on the response of uninfected cells to IFN-β. To investigate their differences in IFN responsiveness, we analyzed and compared the expression and activation of components of the IFN signal transduction pathway in these two types of cells. The levels of phosphorylated STAT1 and STAT2 and that of the ISGF3 complex were markedly reduced in IFN-β-treated tumor cells. Moreover, cDNA microarray analysis revealed significantly fewer IFN-regulated genes in the HT-1080 cells than in the CDD-1122Sk cells. This finding suggests that tumor cells demonstrate a less-than-optimum antiviral response because of a lesion in their IFN signal transduction pathway. The rapid spread of NDV in HT-1080 cells appears to be caused by their deficient expression of anti-NDV proteins upon exposure to IFN-β.
Long-term equity anticipation securities and stock market volatility dynamics

Recent empirical findings suggest that the long-run dependence in U.S. stock market volatility is best described by a slowly mean-reverting fractionally integrated process. The present study complements this existing time-series-based evidence by comparing the risk-neutralized option pricing distributions from various ARCH-type formulations. Utilizing a panel data set consisting of newly created exchange traded long-term equity anticipation securities, or leaps, on the Standard and Poor's 500 stock market index with maturity times ranging up to three years, we find that the degree of mean reversion in the volatility process implicit in these prices is best described by a Fractionally Integrated EGARCH (FIEGARCH) model.
Effect of Vitamin E on Prostacyclin (PGI2) and Prostaglandin (PG) E2 Production by Human Aorta Endothelial Cells: Mechanism of Action

Vitamin E has been suggested to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Prostanoids are vasoactive molecules, the change in whose production contributes to homeostasis and pathophysiology of the cardiovascular system. In the current study, we determined the effect of vitamin E on production of vasodilative PGI(2) and PGE(2) by human aorta endothelial cells (HAECs) and its underlying mechanism. Results showed that vitamin E increased production of both prostanoids by HAECs. This effect of vitamin E is due to increased release of substrate arachidonic acid, which in turn results from increased expression of phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)).
SU-FF-T-194: Dosimetric Validation of Tomotherapy in Hetergeneous Media

Purpose: Helical Tomotherapy is a relatively new treatment modality that is being used to treat lesions that lie within and near low‐density organs. Accurate dose calculations are critical to the effective use of this modality. This study quantified the Tomotherapy treatment planning system (TPS) convolution‐superposition‐based dose calculation accuracy in heterogeneous media. Method and Materials: This evaluation required a custom fabricateddosimetry phantom with lung‐equivalent and water‐equivalent media. The phantom consisted of an 18×18×18 cm3 cuboid constructed from slabs of water‐equivalent and lung‐equivalent materials (LN300 Gammex RMI, Middleton, WI (ρ ∼0.3g/cc), and Balsa wood (ρ ∼0.1g/cc) and imaged on a CT scanner. Dose measurements were conducted using both film and ionization chambers using the same phantom geometry. Evaluations were conducted using an esophageal treatment plan, delivering 1.8 Gy/fraction, was superimposed onto the phantom CT‐datasets and computed the dose distributions using the Tomotherapy treatment planning system. Radiochromic film (EBT, International specialty Products, Wayne, NJ) sheets were inserted between slabs of virtual water and lung equivalent material LN‐300. Experiments were repeated with radiographic film (Kodak EDR2, Eastman Kodak, Rochester, NY) with balsa wood. Calibration curves for absolute dosimetry for both types of film were generated from additional film exposures and ion chamber measurements on the Tomotherapy unit. Ionization‐chamber measurements were performed to confirm the film dosimetry.Results: Doses measured inside the water‐equivalent plastic were within 2% of the computed doses by the Tomotherapy planning system. Measurements with radiochromic film in LN‐300 material verified that the planning system computed the doses within 5%. Similar results were observed with EDR2 film in Balsa wood. Conclusions: The dose calculation accuracy of TPS was measured to be within 5% in lungmaterial and within 2% in water‐equivalent plastic. This work supported in part by Tomotherapy, Inc.
High-resolution imagery applications in the littorals

We focus on three applications of high-resolution imagery in the littorals: mapping bathymetry, monitoring the health of coral reefs, and taking censuses of marine mammals. All three applications show the importance and potential benefits of higher-resolution imagery. Increased radiometric sensitivity and the simultaneous collection of panchromatic and multispectral imagery are also important. An Ikonos image of Maui is used to demonstrate these applications. We also briefly explain some important differences between multispectral remote sensing over water and land.
Effects of 2(RS)-n-propylthiazolidine-4(R)-carboxylic acid on 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal-induced apoptotic T cell death

Abstract 4-Hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE), the aldehydic product of lipid peroxidation, is associated with multiple immune dysfunctions, such as HIV and hepatitis C virus infection. HNE-induced immunosuppression could be due to a decrease in CD4 + T lymphocyte activation or proliferation. Glutathione (GSH) is the most abundant endogenous antioxidant in cells, and an adduct between HNE and GSH has been suggested to be a marker of oxidative stress. Our earlier studies showed that HNE induced cytotoxicity and Akt inactivation, which led to the enhancement of FasL expression and concomitantly decreased cellular FLICE-like inhibitory protein (c-FLIP S ) levels. In this study, we found that HNE caused intracellular GSH depletion in Jurkat T cells, and we further investigated the role of 2( RS )- n -propylthiazolidine-4( R )-carboxylic acid (PTCA), a GSH prodrug, in attenuating HNE-induced cytotoxicity in CD4 + T lymphocytes. The results show that PTCA protected against HNE-induced apoptosis and depletion of intracellular GSH. PTCA also suppressed FasL expression through increasing levels of Akt kinase as well as antiapoptotic c-FLIP S and decreasing the activation of type 2 protein serine/threonine phosphatase. Taken together, these data demonstrate a novel correlation between GSH levels and Akt activation in T lymphocyte survival, which involves FasL down-regulation and c-FLIP S expression through increasing intracellular GSH levels. This suggests that PTCA could potentially be used in the treatment of oxidative stress-induced immunosuppressive diseases.
Measurement of hydrogen uptake by palladium using a quartz crystal microbalance

In this communication it is shown that these large frequency shifts can be attributed to stresses arising in the metal as the lattice expands due to the hydrogen (deuterium) charging. We also want to alert others using this technique of the possible role stresses can play in these measurements
A Degree Sequence Variant of Graph Ramsey Numbers

A (finite) sequence of nonnegative integers is graphic if it is the degree sequence of some simple graph G. Given graphs G 1 and G 2, we consider the smallest integer k such that for every k-term graphic sequence π, there is some graph G with degree sequence π with $${G_1 \subseteq G}$$ or with $${G_2 \subseteq \overline{G}}$$ . When the phrase "some graph" in the prior sentence is replaced with "all graphs", the smallest such integer k is the classical Ramsey number r(G 1, G 2). Thus we call this parameter for degree sequences the potential-Ramsey number and denote it r pot (G 1, G 2). In this paper, we give exact values for r pot (K n , K t ), r pot (C n , K t ), and r pot (P n ,K t ) and consider situations where r pot (G 1,G 2) = r(G 1,G 2).
Free radical induced graft copolymerization of ethyl acrylate onto SOY for multifunctional materials

Soy flour, here referred as SOY, is a low-cost, environmentally friendly, biodegradable, and biorenewable material available in excess amount in the United States. However, its hydrophilic nature limits the use of SOY in many commercial applications. The present research attempts to alter the surface characteristics of SOY via free radical induced graft copolymerization with ethyl acrylate. Different reaction conditions were investigated in order to achieve an optimum degree of grafting of ethyl acrylate monomer onto the SOY. The synthesized graft copolymers were characterized by different techniques to determine the interaction mechanisms between reaction monomer and SOY. Polymer composites were subsequently fabricated to assess the potential of modified SOY for different applications. Composites reinforced by graft polymerized SOY exhibited significantly increased storage modulus.
A robust target tracking algorithm for FLIR imagery

A robust target tracking algorithm is proposed to overcome a number of challenges often associated with the FLIR imagery. Several disjoint intermediate background models are used to form an accurate and dynamic representation of the current background. The signatures of moving targets are captured and enhanced through a set of image filters, while the next movements of these targets are reasonably estimated using a set of kinematic predictors. By integrating the effective target detection method with the robust background modeling process, an excellent target tracking performance can be achieved.
A 10-year follow-up of treatment outcomes in patients with early stage breast cancer and clinically negative axillary nodes treated with tangential breast irradiation following sentinel lymph node dissection or axillary clearance

We compare long-term outcomes in patients with node negative early stage breast cancer treated with breast radiotherapy (RT) without the axillary RT field after sentinel lymph node dissection (SLND) or axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). We hypothesize that though tangential RT was delivered to the breast tissue, it at least partially sterilized occult axillary nodal metastases thus providing low nodal failure rates. Between 1995 and 2001, 265 patients with AJCC stages I–II breast cancer were treated with lumpectomy and either SLND (cohort SLND) or SLND and ALND (cohort ALND). Median follow-up was 9.9 years (range 8.3–15.3 years). RT was administered to the whole breast to the median dose of 48.2 Gy (range 46.0–50.4 Gy) plus boost without axillary RT. Chi-square tests were employed in comparing outcomes of two groups for axillary and supraclavicular failure rates, ipsilateral in-breast tumor recurrence (IBTR), distant metastases (DM), and chronic complications. Progression-free survival (PFS) was compared using log-rank test. There were 136/265 (51%) and 129/265 (49%) patients in the SLND and ALND cohorts, respectively. The median number of axillary lymph nodes assessed was 2 (range 1–5) in cohort SLND and 18 (range 7–36) in cohort ALND (P < 0.0001). Incidence of AFR and SFR in both cohorts was 0%. The rates of IBTR and DM in both cohorts were not significantly different. Median PFS in the SLND cohort is 14.6 years and 10-year PFS is 88.2%. Median PFS in the ALND group is 15.0 years and 10-year PFS is 85.7%. At a 10-year follow-up chronic lymphedema occurred in 5/108 (4.6%) and 40/115 (34.8%) in cohorts SLND and ALND, respectively (P = 0.0001). This study provides mature evidence that patients with negative nodes, treated with tangential breast RT and SLND alone, experience low AFR or SFR. Our findings, while awaiting mature long-term data from NSABP B-32, support that in patients with negative axillary nodal status such treatment provides excellent long-term cure rates while avoiding morbidities associated with ALND or addition of axillary RT field.