cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
WE-D-BRB-03: Current State of Volumetric Image Guidance for Proton Therapy

The goal of this session is to review the physics of proton therapy, treatment planning techniques, and the use of volumetric imaging in proton therapy. The course material covers the physics of proton interaction with matter and physical characteristics of clinical proton beams. It will provide information on proton delivery systems and beam delivery techniques for double scattering (DS), uniform scanning (US), and pencil beam scanning (PBS). The session covers the treatment planning strategies used in DS, US, and PBS for various anatomical sites, methods to address uncertainties in proton therapy and uncertainty mitigation to generate robust treatment plans. It introduces the audience to the current status of image guided proton therapy and clinical applications of CBCT for proton therapy. It outlines the importance of volumetric imaging in proton therapy. Learning Objectives: 1.Gain knowledge in proton therapy physics, and treatment planning for proton therapy including intensity modulated proton therapy. 2.The current state of volumetric image guidance equipment in proton therapy. 3.Clinical applications of CBCT and its advantage over orthogonal imaging for proton therapy. B. Teo, B.K Teo had received travel funds from IBA in 2015.
Accelerating Geospatial Modeling in ArcGIS with Graphical Processor Units

Geospatial data can be enormous in size and tedious to process efficiently on standard computational workstations. Distributing the processing tasks through highly parallelized processing reduces the burden on the primary processor and processing times can drastically shorten as a result. ERSI's ArcGIS, while widely used in the military, does not natively support multi-core processing or utilization of graphic processor units GPUs. However, the ArcPy Python library included in ArcGIS 10 provides geospatial developers with the means to process geospatial data in a flexible environment that can be linked with GPU application programming interfaces APIs. This research extends a custom desktop geospatial model of spatial similarity for remote soil classification which takes advantage of both standard ArcPy/ArcGIS geoprocessing functions and custom GPU kernels, operating on an NVIDIA Tesla S2050 equipped with potential access to 1792 cores. The author will present their results which describe hardware and software configurations, processing efficiency gains, and lessons learned.
The big data potential of epidemiological studies for criminology and forensics

Big data, the analysis of original datasets with large samples ranging from ∼30,000 to one million participants to mine unexplored data, has been under-utilized in criminology. However, there have been recent calls for greater synthesis between epidemiology and criminology and a small number of scholars have utilized epidemiological studies that were designed to measure alcohol and substance use to harvest behavioral and psychiatric measures that relate to the study of crime. These studies have been helpful in producing knowledge about the most serious, violent, and chronic offenders, but applications to more pathological forensic populations is lagging. Unfortunately, big data relating to crime and justice are restricted and limited to criminal justice purposes and not easily available to the research community. Thus, the study of criminal and forensic populations is limited in terms of data volume, velocity, and variety. Additional forays into epidemiology, increased use of available online judicial and correctional data, and unknown new frontiers are needed to bring criminology up to speed in the big data arena.
Development and Validation of Molecular Testing on Cytologic Specimens

Molecular genetic analyses have been increasingly performed on cytologic specimens to facilitate management of cancer patients. Before developing and validating a molecular assay for clinical utility, it is important to evaluate if the assay will significantly change the patient management, e.g., its impacts in diagnosis, risk assessment, prognosis and prediction of therapeutic response. Gene fusions or rearrangements associated with chromosome translocations in neoplasm, mostly in lymphomas and soft tissue tumors, are useful biomarkers for purpose of diagnosis owing to their higher frequency and specificity. For example, detections of gene fusions of BCR-ABL1 and EWS-FLI1 have been used for diagnosis and minimal disease monitoring of CML and diagnosis for Ewing’s tumor, respectively. Genetic alterations in epithelial or neuroepithelial neoplasms, mostly point mutation, insertion/deletion and amplification, are usually not applied for purpose of diagnosis due to their lower frequency (<50 %) and lack of organ/tissue specificity, but they are successfully applied for prediction to therapeutic response and prognosis. For example, N-myc gene amplification and 1p/19q deletions have been used for prognosis/risk assessment of neuroblastoma and oligodendroglioma respectively, and EGFR, KRAS, and BRAF mutations for prediction of response to biomarker-driven (targeted) therapies for lung adenocarcinoma, colon adenocarcinoma and melanoma respectively. Selection and decision of a molecular assay may be affected by the many factors, such as official clinical guidelines for patient management including CAP and NCCA guidelines, availability of FDA-approved companion molecular assays for targeted therapy, requests by clinicians for a specific gene or disease, and reimbursable molecular-based assays by insurance company.
Big Data Critical Thinking Skills for Analysts—Learning to Ask the Right Questions

Big data analysis is in high demand; however, little work has identified important critical thinking skills for big data analysts. Here we suggest these critical thinking skills include understanding the limits of measurement and representation, the challenges of the uniqueness of information, and of underdeterminism, and the difficulty of selecting an appropriate software tool. In addition to explaining these topics and their impacts on analysis, we provide example questions for each and suggested overall learning outcomes as well as need for further research.
Different Simultaneous Sleep States in the Hippocampus and Neocortex.

STUDY OBJECTIVES Investigators assign sleep-waking states using brain activity collected from a single site, with the assumption that states occur at the same time throughout the brain. We sought to determine if sleep-waking states differ between two separate structures: the hippocampus and neocortex. METHODS We measured electrical signals (electroencephalograms and electromyograms) during sleep from the hippocampus and neocortex of five freely behaving adult male rats. We assigned sleep-waking states in 10-sec epochs based on standard scoring criteria across a 4-h recording, then analyzed and compared states and signals from simultaneous epochs between sites. RESULTS We found that the total amount of each state, assigned independently using the hippocampal and neocortical signals, was similar between the hippocampus and neocortex. However, states at simultaneous epochs were different as often as they were the same (P = 0.82). Furthermore, we found that the progression of states often flowed through asynchronous state-pairs led by the hippocampus. For example, the hippocampus progressed from transition-to-rapid eye movement sleep to rapid eye movement sleep before the neocortex more often than in synchrony with the neocortex (38.7 ± 16.2% versus 15.8 ± 5.6% mean ± standard error of the mean). CONCLUSIONS We demonstrate that hippocampal and neocortical sleep-waking states often differ in the same epoch. Consequently, electrode location affects estimates of sleep architecture, state transition timing, and perhaps even percentage of time in sleep states. Therefore, under normal conditions, models assuming brain state homogeneity should not be applied to the sleeping or waking brain.
40 GHz MMIC power amplifier in InP DHBT technology

We report a 40 GHz MMIC power amplifier in InP DHBT technology that exhibits 14 dBm output power at 1 dB gain compression and 17 dBm saturated output power with 4 dB associated gain. The small-signal power gain is 6.8 dB, the input return loss is less than -20 dB and the output return loss is less than -6 dB. The peak power added efficiency is 12.5%.
Transport Models for Mechanical Energy

State-Flux network solutions are developed for modeling flow and pressure fields driven by the mechanical energy fraction for both incompressible and compressible, viscous fluids, an expansion to Bernoulli’s equation. The partial differential equation form of the Computational Energy Dynamics (CED) model is also formulated as an alternative governing principle to the Navier–Stokes equation for viscous fluid flow. The primary variables of the CED model are scalar energy components assigned to the network geometry. The SF network formulations give vector-matrix equations for steady-state and time-dependent flow and pressure field calculations.
A Progressive Era Idea for Reforming Government that Didn’t Make It: Recall of Judicial Decisions

As a reform movement and an academic discipline, American public administration generally coalesced during the Progressive era (1890-1920). Progressive reforms for the public sector seeped deeply into the DNA of the field, including separation of civil servants from politics, reliance on expertise, fewer elected offices, and public reporting of agency activities. However, not all of the governmental reforms proposed during this era were enacted. One of the most controversial and least known was Theodore Roosevelt’s proposal in 1912 that the voters be able to have a referendum on major court decisions, permitting them to overturn those decisions. His idea was only enacted in Colorado, where it remained on the books until 1921. This article reviews the original concept and its history in Colorado.
Social Differentiation and Forms of Life

Urban social stratification has become much more polarized than it was in previous waves of capitalist development. Cities in the twenty-first century are also marked by complex patterns of social differentiation deriving in part from rapidly changing occupational structures and in part from the ways in which these structures are intertwined with the variables of race, ethnicity, gender, and so on. A matter of particular concern is the great growth of the marginalized slum population of the cities of the Global South.
Young Children's Emergent Science Competencies in Everyday Family Contexts: A Case Study.

ABSTRACTTo address the lack of research in early science learning and young children’s informal science experiences, this exploratory case study investigated a 7-year-old girl’s (Abigail) emergent science competencies and how they are related to her science experiences in everyday family contexts. Data sources included observations, interviews, parent journals, and the child’s digital journals that were collected over six months. Open-ended coding and constant comparison were used to analyse data. Findings revealed that Abigail’s emergent science competencies were naive but playful and included a developing, but sophisticated, understanding of the nature of science; family learning included both spontaneous and purposeful learning that contributed to her naive theories and islands of expertise; and her mother’s scaffolding played an important role in her emergent science competencies. The study suggests ways to connect formal science learning with informal science engagement to further young children’s sc...
Nascent life cycles and the emergence of higher-level individuality

Evolutionary transitions in individuality (ETIs) occur when formerly autonomous organisms evolve to become parts of a new, 'higher-level' organism. One of the first major hurdles that must be overcome during an ETI is the emergence of Darwinian evolvability in the higher-level entity (e.g. a multicellular group), and the loss of Darwinian autonomy in the lower-level units (e.g. individual cells). Here, we examine how simple higher-level life cycles are a key innovation during an ETI, allowing this transfer of fitness to occur 'for free'. Specifically, we show how novel life cycles can arise and lead to the origin of higher-level individuals by (i) mitigating conflicts between levels of selection, (ii) engendering the expression of heritable higher-level traits and (iii) allowing selection to efficiently act on these emergent higher-level traits. Further, we compute how canonical early life cycles vary in their ability to fix beneficial mutations via mathematical modelling. Life cycles that lack a persistent lower-level stage and develop clonally are far more likely to fix 'ratcheting' mutations that limit evolutionary reversion to the pre-ETI state. By stabilizing the fragile first steps of an evolutionary transition in individuality, nascent higher-level life cycles may play a crucial role in the origin of complex life.This article is part of the themed issue 'Process and pattern in innovations from cells to societies'.
Characteristics of HIV-Positive Transgender Men Receiving Medical Care: United States, 2009–2014

Objectives. To present the first national estimate of the sociodemographic, clinical, and behavioral characteristics of HIV-positive transgender men receiving medical care in the United States.Methods. This analysis included pooled interview and medical record data from the 2009 to 2014 cycles of the Medical Monitoring Project, which used a 3-stage, probability-proportional-to-size sampling methodology.Results. Transgender men accounted for 0.16% of all adults and 11% of all transgender adults receiving HIV medical care in the United States from 2009 to 2014. Of these HIV-positive transgender men receiving medical care, approximately 47% lived in poverty, 69% had at least 1 unmet ancillary service need, 23% met criteria for depression, 69% were virally suppressed at their last test, and 60% had sustained viral suppression over the previous 12 months.Conclusions. Although they constitute a small proportion of all HIV-positive patients, more than 1 in 10 transgender HIV-positive patients were transgender me...
Suppressing the Search Engine Manipulation Effect (SEME)

A recent series of experiments demonstrated that introducing ranking bias to election-related search engine results can have a strong and undetectable influence on the preferences of undecided voters. This phenomenon, called the Search Engine Manipulation Effect (SEME), exerts influence largely through order effects that are enhanced in a digital context. We present data from three new experiments involving 3,600 subjects in 39 countries in which we replicate SEME and test design interventions for suppressing the effect. In the replication, voting preferences shifted by 39.0%, a number almost identical to the shift found in a previously published experiment (37.1%). Alerting users to the ranking bias reduced the shift to 22.1%, and more detailed alerts reduced it to 13.8%. Users' browsing behaviors were also significantly altered by the alerts, with more clicks and time going to lower-ranked search results. Although bias alerts were effective in suppressing SEME, we found that SEME could be completely eliminated only by alternating search results -- in effect, with an equal-time rule. We propose a browser extension capable of deploying bias alerts in real-time and speculate that SEME might be impacting a wide range of decision-making, not just voting, in which case search engines might need to be strictly regulated.
Do Serial and Non-Serial Investors Behave Differently?: An Empirical and Theoretical Analysis

This research investigates the differences between experienced private investors (‘serial angels’) in the UK, who have funded three or more unquoted ventures, and their less experienced counterpart...
Obesity Exacerbates the Cytokine Storm Elicited by Francisella tularensis Infection of Females and Is Associated with Increased Mortality

Infection with Francisella tularensis, the causative agent of the human disease tularemia, results in the overproduction of inflammatory cytokines, termed the cytokine storm. Excess metabolic byproducts of obesity accumulate in obese individuals and activate the same inflammatory signaling pathways as F. tularensis infection. In addition, elevated levels of leptin in obese individuals also increase inflammation. Since leptin is produced by adipocytes, we hypothesized that increased fat of obese females may make them more susceptible to F. tularensis infection compared with lean individuals. Lean and obese female mice were infected with F. tularensis and the immunopathology and susceptibility monitored. Plasma and tissue cytokines were analyzed by multiplex ELISA and real-time RT-PCR, respectively. Obese mice were more sensitive to infection, developing a more intense cytokine storm, which was associated with increased death of obese mice compared with lean mice. This enhanced inflammatory response correlated with in vitro bacteria-infected macrophage cultures where addition of leptin led to increased production of inflammatory cytokines. We conclude that increased basal leptin expression in obese individuals causes a persistent low-level inflammatory response making them more susceptible to F. tularensis infection and heightening the generation of the immunopathological cytokine storm.
Collection development for virtual libraries

The evolution from paper to electronic resources transforms the way that information is owned, shared, and accessed. For libraries, the commodification of digital information has long-term implications for the acquisition and development of library collections. As licensing replaces purchasing, and the business practices of software companies replace those of publishers, access to information on demand supersedes collection building, and cooperative acquisitions supplement local collection development. Growing demand for full-text online content that can be easily searched and remotely accessed has led libraries to depend on a host of intermediary agents and cooperatives. Within this landscape of proliferating information and diminishing buying power, it is not surprising that when the Digital Library Federation launched an informal survey of the major challenges confronting research libraries, respondents identified digital collection development as their greatest challenge (Greenstein, 2001).In this chapter, we will look first at how libraries have responded to this paradigmatic shift by pioneering new collection development strategies, and then examine the changing responsibilities of collection development librarians in an electronic environment.
Research Techniques Made Simple: Interpreting Measures of Association in Clinical Research.

To bring evidence-based improvements in medicine and health care delivery to clinical practice, health care providers must know how to interpret clinical research findings and critically evaluate the strength of evidence. This requires an understanding of differences in clinical study designs and the various statistical methods used to identify associations. We aim to provide a foundation for understanding the common measures of association used in epidemiologic studies to quantify relationships between exposures and outcomes, including relative risks, odds ratios, and hazard ratios. We also provide a framework for critically assessing clinical research findings and highlight specific methodologic concerns.
Transmediational practices in a bilingual elementary classroom

Creative classroom constructions imbued with arts integration, a transmediational multimodal pedagogy, are examined in exploratory action research in three bilingual elementary classroom learning e...
Application of Genetic Engineering in Biotherapeutics Development

Advancements in genetic engineering have profoundly impacted the biotherapeutic industry and shaped many of the methods and strategies used today for both bioproduction and therapeutic design. Improvements in production yield and quality have been achieved by manipulating the expression of genes involved in cell survival, metabolism, secretion, and glycosylation, among others, and recent breakthroughs in gene therapy clinical trials show great promise for the future. Here we review the current genome editing tools used in the field and examine major areas of research for microbial and mammalian host bioproduction as well as progress in gene and cell-based therapeutics. We summarized gene editing methods used for both prokaryote and eukaryote-based bioproduction and provide a brief survey of clinical approaches for gene therapy. While early advances in genetic engineering have create ideal prokaryotic host cells for bioproduction, the advent of programmable nucleases has greatly expanded the utility of eukaryotic hosts for glycoprotein production, enabling more precise control over these cell factories. These same tools have also created new opportunities for the creation of gene therapy-based therapeutics with several clinical trials now underway. Genetic engineering has changed the biotherapeutic landscape and created novel avenues for bioproduction and therapeutic design.
Investigation of countercurrent flow profile and liquid holdup in random packed column with local CFD data

Abstract Liquid holdup and mass transfer area are critical parameters for packed column design and CO2 capture efficiency prediction. In this paper, a framework was established for modeling the liquid–gas countercurrent flow hydrodynamics in a random packed column with pall rings. Besides the column-averaged information, the radial pall ring distribution, velocity, and liquid holdup profiles are obtained to study the entrance effect and the wall influence in the packed column. With local CFD data, the validated packing specific area ap and liquid velocity uL range for liquid holdup correlation is significantly expanded with respect to existing experimental or column-averaged CFD data. The proposed liquid holdup correlation h L ~ u L 0.44 indicates the random packed column falls in a viscous to turbulent transition regime and it covers a Reynolds Number range of [6.7–40.2]. The derived liquid holdup correlation is in good agreement with existing correlations developed using the column-averaged experimental data.
Student pharmacist personal and work experiences with people displaying warning signs of suicidal ideation.

Introduction Student pharmacists, in their roles as trainees, technicians, and peers, may interact with people displaying suicide warning signs. Providing suicide gatekeeping training to student pharmacists may prepare them to engage people at risk. Measuring the extent to which student pharmacists have encountered people displaying warning signs of suicide may help contextualize the potential importance of training student pharmacists in suicide gatekeeping. The objective was to describe student pharmacists' awareness of someone they know having attempted or died by suicide and whether they have heard statements suggesting suicide risk in their personal and work life. Methods An anonymous electronic survey was administered to 111 student pharmacists before engaging in question-persuade-refer training as part of their second-year pharmacy curriculum. Respondents were asked for demographics and if Someone ever told you something concerning where you wondered if they were thinking about suicide for both work and one's personal life. Descriptive statistics and chi-squared tests were used to compare items by gender. Results There were 111 responses to the survey for a 100% response rate. Concerning statements related to suicide were reported by 71.2% of respondents in their personal life and by 34.2% of students while at work. There were no differences based on gender. Discussion A significant proportion of student pharmacists have personal, peer, and professional exposure related to people with potential suicidal ideation. These findings emphasize the need for broad approaches for training students and pharmacists in suicide gatekeeping as a new public health role.
Evaluating the Benefits of Red-Light Violation Warning System in a Connected Vehicle Simulation Environment:

The rapid development of connected vehicle (CV) and cooperative automated vehicle (CAV) technologies in recent years calls for the assessment of the impacts of these technologies on system performa...
Multi-Stage Stock Pricing with a Financial Calculator

Alexander, Arnold and Wu (2020) introduce an algorithm for multi-stage stock pricing that uses a present value annuity structure. This algorithm is adapted for a financial calculator by using an iterative bond pricing structure.
A Coordinated Adaptive Traffic Control Strategy Based on Phase-Time Network

Successful traffic signal system implementation will maximize available resources for effective coordinated operations during under saturated conditions, demand variations, and near-saturation conditions. These strategies will allow signal systems to react quickly to anticipated volume surges, to manage queues better, and to recover quickly from congestion by implementing coordination settings such as using early return, late arrival, and platoon identification schemes. These operational guidelines could also be used to take advantage of many currently available traffic monitoring and signal system fine-tuning capabilities to postpone the possibility of oversaturation on many highways and major arterials. Earlier, coordination has been used in actuated traffic control systems and fixed timed traffic-controlled system. However, in this paper we are going to do time-based coordination in an adaptive traffic control system using in the phase time network. This indicates the uniqueness of this work where we used an adaptive controller in a coordinated intersection to analyze the performance of an isolated intersection using the phase time network model.
Nanomechanics and Mechanical Behavior of Nanobelts

Semiconducting oxides, such as ZnO, are now widely used as transparent conducting oxide materials and gas sensors. In particular, ZnO is regarded as a promising candidate material for flat panel displays because of its high electrical conductivity, high optical transparency as well as its low cost and easy etchability. The current studies of semiconducting oxides have been focused on two-dimensional films and zerodimensional nanoparticles, while investigations of one-dimensional semiconducting oxide nanostructures are very few. Recently, Z. L. Wang successfully synthesized the beltlike zinc oxides (so called nanobelts) by evaporating the ZnO powders at high temperatures without the presence of catalyst. HRTEM and electron diffraction show that the ZnO nanobelts are structurally uniform, single crystalline and dislocation free.
Functional Electrical Stimulation and Its Application in the Rehabilitation of Neurologically Injured Individuals

The concept of using electrical stimulation in medical therapy is not new, predating even the birth of Christ. A number of references are found in early writings concerning the use of electricity for therapy, including electric eels and other species with electric organs. Ancient physicians used electric discharges from the black torpedo fish for the treatment of arthritis, headaches, and other types of disorders. However, these early therapies were not very well understood.
Backscattering of wide-band HF signals from evolving ocean-like surface: 2-D direct numerical simulations and analysis

Direct numerical simulations are used to calculate wide-band HF radar backscatter from evolving ocean-like surfaces in 2-D space. With the attainable spatial resolution of about 15 m, the large-scale wave pattern is visible in range-time plots of backscatter magnitude. The double Fourier transform of the signal magnitude or power in range and time reveals strong harmonics located along the dispersion curve of the propagating long waves. The signature is not predicted by the 1st-order Small Perturbation Method, and considering the next, 2nd order is required. It is shown that the spectral components along the expected dispersion curves in the ω-K domain can be used to retrieve the deterministic wave height of the surface.
Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery: Techniques and Tips

General concepts.- Cholecystectomy.- Common Bile Duct Exploration and Bilioenteric Anastomoses.- Liver Surgery.- Esophageal Surgery.- Gastric Surgery.- Appendectomy.- Colorectal Procedures.- Small Bowel Obstruction.- Inguinal Hernia Repair.- Laparoscopic Incisional and Ventral Hernia Repair.- Splenectomy (Total and Partial) and Splenopancreatectomy.- Adrenalectomy.- Bariatric Surgery.- Single-Access Laparoscopic Surgery (SALS).- Advanced Laparoscopic Suturing Techniques.- Index.
Democracy and the Politics of the Extraordinary: Max Weber, Carl Schmitt, and Hannah Arendt

Preface: the extraordinary and political theory Part I. Charismatic Politics and the Symbolic Foundations of Power: Max Weber: 1. Revisiting Weber's concept of the political 2. Charismatic politics 3. Disavowing charismatic politics Part II. The Exception and Constitutional Politics: Carl Schmitt: 4. The popular constituent sovereign and the 'pure' theory of democratic legitimacy 5. Toward a theory of democratic constitutionalism 6. The extra-institutional sovereign Part III. Taming the Extraordinary: Hannah Arendt: 7. Extraordinary beginnings I: Arendt's critique of Schmitt 8. Extraordinary beginnings II: Arendt's response to Schmitt 9. The republic of councils: beyond democracy and liberalism? Conclusion: a democratic theory of the extraordinary Bibliography.
Retórica e História

Traducao de Rhetoric and History, from History and Criticism. Copyright (c) 1985 by Cornell University. Todos os direitos reservados.
Regulation of Lymphocyte-Activating Factor (LAF) Production and Secretion in P388D1 Cells: Identification of High Molecular Weight Precursors of LAF

Phorbol myristic acetate (PMA) markedly enhanced the production and secretion of lymphocyte-activating factor (LAF) by the murine macrophage cell line, P388D1. The stimulatory effect of PMA proceeded, in part, via activation of an existing intracellular precursor pool of LAF. This conclusion is based on the observations that 1) the initial stimulatory effect of PMA on LAF production and secretion occurred for at least 4 hr in the presence of two inhibitors of protein synthesis, cycloheximide and puromycin, and 2) higher m.w. aggregate forms of LAF, possessing differing levels of activity, were present in the sonicates of P388D1 cells. Five species of intracellular LAF with approximate m.w. of 220,000, 50,000 to 70,000, 39,000, 26,000, and 13,000 daltons were resolved on a Sephacryl S200 column. The 50,000 and 13,000 m.w. forms exhibited the most LAF activity, the 39,000 and 26,000 m.w. species were significantly less active, and the 220,000 m.w. form was only weakly active. The 13,000 m.w. intracellular LAF exhibited the same charge heterogeneity on DEAE cellulose as the LAF obtained from the culture supernatants of PMA-stimulated cells, suggesting that the charge heterogeneity of LAF is probably not the result of extracellular modification but a characteristic of the intracellular factor. The 50,000 m.w. species could be completely converted to the 26,000 and 13,000 m.w. forms of intracellular LAF at 37°C. The conversion reaction was not mediated by a trypsin or chymotrypsin-like enzyme nor was the reaction inhibited or enhanced by sodium dodecyl sulfate. The reaction was, however, strongly temperature dependent, proceeding with low efficiency at 4° or 25°C. We propose that during the initial stage of macrophage activation (“priming”), the inactive precursor form(s) of LAF is synthesized and stored. Upon exposure of the primed cells to a secondary stimulus such as PMA, the LAF precursor is converted to an active low m.w. form and secreted. This precursor activation process would thus provide a rapid and efficient mechanism for the mobilization and release of relatively large quantities of LAF by primed or activated macrophages.
State following (StaF) kernel functions for function approximation Part I: Theory and motivation

Unlike traditional methods that aim to approximate a function over a large compact set, a function approximation method is developed in this paper that aims to approximate a function in a small neighborhood of a state that travels within a compact set. The development is based on universal reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces over the n..dimensional Euclidean space. Three theorems are introduced that support the development of this state following (StaF) method. In particular an explicit uniform number of StaF kernel functions can be calculated to ensure good approximation as a state moves through a large compact set. An algorithm for gradient descent is demonstrated where a good approximation of a function can be achieved provided that the algorithm is applied with a high enough frequency.
Elevated first trimester PAPP--a is associated with increased risk of placenta accreta.

Objectives The objective of this article is to determine whether there were differences in first trimester serum analytes between cases of placenta previa with and without accreta. Methods Cases of placenta previa in which the patient had first trimester aneuploidy screening were identified. Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) and free beta human chorionic gonadotropin (fbhCG) MoMs were compared with those with an accreta. Accreta cases were also compared with published distributions to determine significance and to develop likelihood ratios based on MoM values. Results Eighty-two cases of previa were identified, including 16 with a histological diagnosis of placenta accreta. The median PAPP-A MoM of 1.68 in accreta was significantly greater than that of 0.98 in non-accreta (P = 0.002). For fbhCG, the median MoM was 1.00 and 1.01 in accreta and non-accreta, respectively. Of the 16 patients with accreta, 14 (87.5%, 95% confidence interval: [61.6%, 98.4%]) had PAPP-A MoM above 1.0. Six of 16 (37.5%) accreta cases were above the 90th percentile of the unaffected distribution. The likelihood ratios for accreta were 0.5, 2.0, and 3.0. PAPP-A MoMs were 0.19, 2.11, and 4.27, respectively. Conclusions First trimester PAPP-A levels may be useful in identifying pregnancies at high risk for placenta accreta. Larger studies could incorporate both clinical and biochemical data into a risk algorithm. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evaluation of different cortical potential imaging methods using simulated EEG data

Different cortical potential imaging methods have been developed to directly link the scalp potentials with the cortical potentials. These methods make it possible to non-invasively investigate cortical activities with high spatial and time resolutions by using scalp EEG. However, although there are many different cortical potential imaging methods available, up to now, the accuracy and efficiency of these methods have not been rigorously evaluated nor compared. In this paper, we investigated a total of five different methods using ten different scenarios that employ simulated scalp EEG data with or without noise. Our results showed that 1), when only the center of electrical cortical activity needs to be estimated, single moving dipole and single dipole deviation scan methods are more accurate and more efficient than current density methods; and 2), with respect to current density methods, which are useful when the number of sources are unknown, the LORETA method with the L1-norm gives the highest accuracy, however, at a significant computational cost.
SU-E-T-39: A Logistic Function-Based Model to Predict Organ-At-Risk (OAR) DVH in IMRT Treatment Planning

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of a logistic function-based model to predict organ-at-risk (OAR) DVH for IMRT planning. The predicted DVHs are compared to achieved DVHs by expert treatment planners. Methods: A logistic function is used to model the OAR dose-gradient function. This function describes the percentage of the prescription dose as a function of the normal distance to PTV surface. The slope of dose-gradient function is function of relative spatial orientation of the PTV and OARs. The OAR DVH is calculated using the OAR dose-gradient function assuming that the dose is same for voxels with same normal distance to PTV. Ten previously planned prostate IMRT plans were selected to build the model, and the following plan parameters were calculated as possible features to the model: the PTV maximum/minimum dose, PTV volume, bladder/rectum volume in the radiation field, percentage of bladder/rectum overlapping with PTV, and the distance between the bladder/rectum centroid and PTV. The bladder/rectum dose-gradient function was modeled and applied on 10 additional test cases, and the predicted and achieved clinical bladder/rectum DVHs were compared: V70 (percentage of volume receiving 70Gy and above), V65, V60, V55, V50, V45, V40. Results: The following parameters were selected as model features: PTV volume, and distance of centroid of rectum/bladder to PTV. The model was tested with 10 additional patients. For bladder, the absolute difference (mean±standard deviation) between predicted and clinical DVHs is V70=−0.3±3.2, V65=−0.8±3.9, V60=1.5±4.3, V55=1.7±5.3, V50=−0.6±6.4, V45=0.6±6.5, and V40=0.9±5.7, the correlation coefficient is 0.96; for rectum, the difference is V70=1.5±3.8, V65=1.2±4.2, V60=−0.1±5.3, V55=1.0±6.6, V50=1.6±8.7, V45=1.9±9.8, and V40=1.5±10.1, and the correlation coefficient is 0.87. Conclusion: The OAR DVH can be accurately predicted using the OAR dose-gradient function in IMRT plans. This approach may be used as a quality control tool and aid less experienced planners determine benchmarks for plan quality.
CFD modeling for motor fan system

For fan-cooled motors, the fan performance directly influences the thermal performance of the motor and so its lifetime. A 10-degree temperature reduction could extend the motor electrical insulation lifetime twofold. The purpose of this study is to apply computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling techniques to a motor fan system and use the validated CFD model to analyze key design parameters. Simulation results and measured data at various fan speeds showed good agreement between CFD results and the test data. In addition, both the calculated and measured flow rates and torques follow fan laws very well. The validated CFD model is used to perform a parametric study for the fan system. The effect of axial clearance between the fan and the fan cover and between the fan and the bracket, the effect of the fan cover diameter, and the effect of the number of fan blades and their chord length, on fan performance are studied. We demonstrated the capability of applying CFD to complicated geometry to effectively analyze the design parameters.
El análisis del discurso y la intertextualidad

Actualmente, la expresion analisis del discurso se utiliza como una etiqueta que recubre el estudio de piezas de uso comunicativo autenticas, en la busqueda de una perspectiva integradora acerca del lenguaje. En la linea del analisis del discurso, un campo interesante de abordar es aquel del analisis de la intertextualidad. Este tipo de analisis -ya esbozado por Bajtin (1986) en sus escritos sobre texto y genero- se considera como un complemento esencial para el analisis linguistico. Kristeva (1967) alude por primera vez a la intertextualidad en sus estudios literarios y la define como "la existencia en un texto de discursos anteriores como precondicion para el acto de significacion". Este primer intento de incorporar esta problematica como objeto de estudio encuentra seguidores que han profundizado el campo y asi hoy podemos determinar distintos matices, fuente de numerosas investigaciones, entre los que destaca aquel de la interdiscursividad o intertextualidad constitutiva que pone el acento en la heterogeneidad de los textos al estar constituidos estos por combinaciones de diversos generos y discursos
Production and epitope analysis of monoclonal antibodies against a Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii strain.

Abstract Heat-treated cells of Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii strain 162X95 were used to produce monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). The fusion produced three cross-reactive MAbs and eight MAbs specific for the immunizing strain and a group of five other R. trifolii strains from the same geographic region where 162X95 was isolated (California). Seven MAbs were analyzed by competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to determine the number of different epitopes detectable on strain 162X95. The results indicated that six MAbs reacted with the same or overlapping epitopes, and the seventh MAb gave inconclusive results.
The complete sequence of the mitochondrial genome of Nautilus macromphalus (Mollusca: Cephalopoda)

Mitochondria contain small genomes that are physically separate from those of nuclei. Their comparison serves as a model system for understanding the processes of genome evolution. Although complete mitochondrial genome sequences have been reported for more than 600 animals, the taxonomic sampling is highly biased toward vertebrates and arthropods, leaving much of the diversity yet uncharacterized. The mitochondrial genome of the bellybutton nautilus, Nautilus macromphalus, a cephalopod mollusk, is 16,258 nts in length and 59.5% A+T, both values that are typical of animal mitochondrial genomes. It contains the 37 genes that are almost universally found in animal mtDNAs, with 15 on one DNA strand and 22 on the other. The arrangement of these genes can be derived from that of the distantly related Katharina tunicata (Mollusca: Polyplacophora) by a switch in position of two large blocks of genes and transpositions of four tRNA genes. There is strong skew in the distribution of nucleotides between the two strands, and analysis of this yields insight into modes of transcription and replication. There is an unusual number of non-coding regions and their function, if any, is not known; however, several of these demark abrupt shifts in nucleotide skew, and there are several identical sequence elements at these junctions, suggesting that they may play roles in transcription and/or replication. One of the non-coding regions contains multiple repeats of a tRNA-like sequence. Some of the tRNA genes appear to overlap on the same strand, but this could be resolved if the polycistron were cleaved at the beginning of the downstream gene, followed by polyadenylation of the product of the upstream gene to form a fully paired structure. Nautilus macromphalus mtDNA contains an expected gene content that has experienced few rearrangements since the evolutionary split between cephalopods and polyplacophorans. It contains an unusual number of non-coding regions, especially considering that these otherwise often are generated by the same processes that produce gene rearrangements. The skew in nucleotide composition between the two strands is strong and associated with the direction of transcription in various parts of the genomes, but a comparison with K. tunicata implies that mutational bias during replication also plays a role. This appears to be yet another case where polyadenylation of mitochondrial tRNAs restores what would otherwise be an incomplete structure.
A novel GaInAs/GaAs Heterostructure Interdigital Photodetector (HIP) Using Lattice Mismatched Epitaxial Layers

Planar high-speed interdigital photoconductive detectors have been fabricated on MOCVD-grown GaInAs/GaAs heterostructures. The small intentional lattice mismatch at the GaInAs/GaAs interface allows a controlled surface recombination velocity which decreases the effective lifetime of minority carriers without significant active layer mobility degradation. The InGaAs detectors have the following characteristics: bandgap of ~ 1.25 eV; rise times of < 25 psec; fall times ~ 50-100 psec; FWHM < 45 psec; high speed responsivity ~0.3 A/W; 2-300 nA leakage current at 5-10 V operating voltages and flat analog response to ~ 15 GHz.
Decreased hippocampal 5-HT2A receptor binding in major depressive disorder: in vivo measurement with [18F]altanserin positron emission tomography.

Abstract Background Serotonin 5-HT 2A receptors play an important role in the regulation of many functions that are disturbed in patients with major depressive disorder. Postmortem and positron emission tomography studies have reported both increased and decreased 5-HT 2A receptor binding in different limbic and paralimbic regions. Methods We conducted a quantitative 5-HT 2A receptor binding study using positron emission tomography and [ 18 F]altanserin of four regions hypothesized to have altered levels of 5-HT 2A receptors in major depressive disorder. Using a four-compartment model, the 5-HT 2A receptor distribution was estimated by calculating the regional [ 18 F]altanserin k 3 /k 4 ratio in which k 3 is the rate of binding to the receptor and k 4 is the rate of dissociation from the receptor. Forty-six antidepressant-free patients with major depressive disorder and 29 healthy control subjects were enrolled. Results 5-HT 2A receptor binding in the hippocampus was reduced by 29% in depressed subjects ( p = .004). In other regions, 5-HT 2A receptor binding was decreased (averaging 15%) but not significantly. Both groups had similar age-dependent decreases in 5-HT 2A receptors throughout all brain regions. Conclusions Altered serotoninergic function in the hippocampus is likely involved in the disturbances of mood regulation in major depressive disorder, although the specific role of the 5-HT 2A receptor changes is still unclear.
Consequences of conquest? The analysis and interpretation of subadult trauma at Puruchuco-Huaquerones, Peru

Abstract This paper examines bioarchaeological evidence of violence and traumatic injury on subadult skeletal remains from two Late Horizon (A.D. 1470–1540) cemeteries within the archaeological zone of Puruchuco-Huaquerones, Peru. Here we present the frequency and types of traumatic lesions on the 242 subadults analyzed. We observed significant increases in the frequency of subadult trauma, particularly among the burials associated with Spanish Conquest. Specifically, we noted a statistically significant increase in the frequency of cranial trauma in a subsample of individuals from one of two cemeteries at the site, 57AS03. These perimortem cranial injuries suggest an intensification of violence and lethality that may have affected the children from this community. We then discuss the biocultural implications of this analysis within the context of Spanish invasion and conquest.
Seismic attenuation beneath Europe and the North Atlantic: Implications for water in the mantle

Abstract It is well known that anelasticity has significant effects on the propagation of seismic waves, as manifested by physical dispersion and dissipation. Investigations of anelasticity provide complementary constraints on the physical properties of Earth materials, but — contrary to imaging with elastic waves — progress in mapping Earthʼs anelasticity has been relatively slow, and there is only limited agreement between different studies or methodologies. Here, within the framework of adjoint tomography, we use frequency-dependent phase and amplitude anomalies between observed and simulated seismograms to simultaneously constrain upper mantle wavespeeds and attenuation beneath the European continent and the North Atlantic Ocean. In the sea-floor spreading environment beneath the North Atlantic, we find enhanced attenuation in the asthenosphere and within the mantle transition zone (MTZ). In subduction zone settings, for example beneath the Hellenic arc, elevated attenuation is observed along the top of the subducting slab down to the MTZ. No prominent reductions in wavespeeds are correlated with these distinct attenuation features, suggesting that non-thermal effects may play an important role in these environments. A plausible explanation invokes the transport of water into the deep Earth by relatively cold subducting slabs, leading to a hydrated MTZ, as previously suggested by mineral physics and geodynamics studies.