cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pre-operative guided imagery in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery: a randomized trial

The purpose was to determine if pre-operative guided imagery (GIM) would help women to feel more prepared, less anxious, and have higher satisfaction scores 6 weeks after surgery compared with routine care. Eligible women planning to undergo pelvic floor surgery were enrolled and randomized. The GIM group received an institution-specific CD that uses GIM to detail day of surgery (DOS) events and expectations. Participants were asked to listen to the CD once daily during the week before surgery. At three time points (surgical consent visit, DOS, and 6-weeks post-operatively), we measured anxiety using the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory for Adults (STADI), in addition to preparedness for surgery and overall satisfaction (ten-point Likert scales). Data were analyzed in SPSS 23 using two-tailed t tests. A total of 38 out of 44 (86%) enrolled participants completed the study (GIM: 18, control: 20). The GIM self-reported compliance rate was 72%, with an average use of 4.8 times (range = 3–8 times). Women in the GIM group reported a significant increase from baseline in preparedness for surgery on both DOS and 6 weeks post-operatively (7.32 ± 1.81 vs 9.11 ± 1.13, p = 0.001) and (7.32 ± 1.81 vs 9.22 ± 0.81, p = 0.001) respectively; a change that was not seen in the control group. Satisfaction was high in both the GIM and the control group (9.55 ± 0.85 and 9.05 ± 1.70, p = 0.263). In all patients, anxiety increased from baseline to DOS and dropped at 6 weeks post-operatively, and was not significantly different in the two groups. Guided imagery improved patient preparedness for pelvic floor surgery with an overnight stay on their DOS and 6 weeks post-operatively.
Development of a three dimensional, multiscale agent-based model of ductal carcinoma in situ

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is the most commonly diagnosed form of non-invasive breast cancer, constituting 20% of all new breast cancer cases in the United States. Although non-invasive, DCIS is usually treated surgically through resection. Interestingly, long-term survival studies have shown that patient survival rates are not significantly impacted by the type or resection, indicating that increased breast conservation through minimized surgical resection may indeed be possible. This requires a greater understanding of disease development, so that clinicians may more accurately determine surgical margins which minimize patient impact while maintaining survival rates. To this end, we have developed a three-dimensional, lattice-free multiscale agent based model of DCIS designed to help quantify ductal invasion rates, in order to allow clinicians to better estimate disease age and extent of invasion, and to predict surgical margins based on parameters obtainable from non-invasive testing (i.e., mammography). Here, we present the model development to date, and discuss some preliminary results.
Engagement as an Individual Trait and Its Relationship to Achievement

Group differences in engagement have been found by gender as well as race and ethnicity, among other individual-level variables. Studies using the experience sampling method (ESM) in particular have found an “engagement–achievement paradox” in which students from low SES communities and African American students have reported higher levels of engagement in school despite underachieving relative to their peers. This may be attributed, in part, to the decline in engagement white students and those from high SES communities experience when in school compared to the home and public context. Research shows that the obsessive focus on achievement within a culture of competition can have deleterious effects on engagement and authentic interest in learning. Theories of social reproduction postulate that schools, especially their most competitive features, are mechanisms for reproducing class advantage from one generation to the next, thus stabilizing the socioeconomic status quo through time. However, research suggests that a focus on competitive success in school is frequently accompanied by an undermining of meaningful forms of engagement in learning.
Anti-NMDA-Receptor Encephalitis: From Bench to Clinic.

NMDAR encephalitis is a common cause of autoimmune encephalitis, predominantly affecting young adults. Current data supports the idea that autoantibodies targeting NMDARs are responsible for disease pathogenesis. While these autoantibodies occur in the setting of underlying malignancy in approximately half of all patients, initiating factors for the autoimmune response in the remainder of patients are unclear. While there is increasing evidence supporting viral triggers such as herpes simplex encephalitis, this association and the mechanism of action have not yet been fully described. Although the majority of patients achieve good outcomes, those without an underlying tumor consistently show worse outcomes, prolonged recovery, and more frequent relapses. The cloning of patient-specific autoantibodies from affected individuals has raised important questions as to disease pathophysiology and clinical heterogeneity. Further advances in our understanding of this disease and underlying triggers are necessary t...
Attachment to Technology: The Missing Link

Technology has transformed the way in which we conduct our interactions and communications in our relationships. As smartphones and the Internet have become embedded within managing our romantic re...
1746 Overview of the current state of knowledge about the health effects of nanomaterials

Introduction It has been close to 20 years that engineered nanomaterials have entered commerce. There are tens of thousands of types of nanomaterials that have been produced and the hazard potential varies across them. Some may be hazardous and some not. The last decade of research has begun to identify important determinants of ENM toxicity but there is still much uncertainty about hazard potential. It is useful to attempt to sort out what currently is known and not about hazards of ENMs. Methods The scientific literature from 2000–2017 was assessed using keywords and environmental scanning techniques to capture information about the health effects of ENMs. The focus will be on high volume ENM. Result The extent of research health effects that have been identified for various high volume ENMs will be described. While many nanomaterials have been developed there are a limited number that are widely used in commerce. Common determinants of toxicity will be identified. Discussion Assessing the hazard potential of ENM is a complex task since there are so many combinations of physio-chemical parameters that may lead to ENMs having differential toxicity. The implications of this will be discussed as well the research needed to address the hazard potential of engineered of nanomaterials that are or could be in commerce.
The Data Box

After a glance at the relatively accidental, historical grouping of features in the Wundt-Pavlov and Galton-Spearman research traditions, we have embraced in the last chapter a new and more comprehensive view of the taxonomy of possible research designs. Therein we have recognized three “panels”—or separate areas of decision that contribute to the total planning of an investigation—namely, hypothesis theme (theory), experimental design, and analysis method, each with a set of four or more definable parameters.
Biomedical Imaging and Image Processing in Tissue Engineering

Cell-based tissue engineering efforts, involving the incorporation of primitive (e.g., undifferentiated, pluripotent, stem) cells into biomaterial scaffolds, represent a significant research thrust in the field of regenerative medicine [7, 55, 65, 77]. The ability for these engineered tissues to regenerate functional tissues or organs hinges on the ability of the cellular component to differentiate, organize into tissue-like structures, and provide physiological signals to guide integration, vascularization, and normal remodeling processes in vivo. Despite the promise of primitive cells in tissue-regeneration strategies, they are highly complex and dynamic, and their behavior – even in well-controlled studies – is difficult to predict. Consequently, their use demands extensive characterization of both cell/biomaterial interactions in vitro, and engineered tissue/host interactions in vivo. For example, cells may be seeded into biomaterial matrices and allowed to proliferate, migrate, and mature (i.e., to differentiate and acquire specialized functions) over many days in a bioreactor. During this culture period, the ability to monitor and evaluate changes in phenotype and function, noninvasively, in detail, and in real-time could translate into significant improvements in the engineered tissue products.
Evaluation of key design parameters for mitigating motion artefact in the mobile reflectance PPG signal to improve estimation of arterial oxygenation.

OBJECTIVE Pulse oximetry, a widely accepted method for non-invasive estimation of arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) and pulse rate (PR), is increasingly being adapted for mobile applications. Previous work in mitigating motion artefact, which corrupts the photoplethysmogram (PPG) used in pulse oximetry, has focused on reducing noise using signal processing algorithms or through sensor design that controlled only one variable at a time. In this work, we have investigated the effect of several variables such as sensor weight, relative motion, placement, and contact force against the skin that can impact motion artefact independently or by interacting with each other. APPROACH We have identified a unique combination of these variables that is most optimal in reducing motion artefacts using a full factorial design of experiments methodology and evaluated the effect of these factors on PPG readings with and without motion. MAIN RESULTS Data collected on 10 diverse subjects showed that placement (p = 0.03), contact force (p = 0.004), and sensor-to-skin adhesion or relative motion when combined with force (p < 0.001) had the most significant effect on reducing the motion artefact signal. Sensor weight (p = 0.822) by itself had no significant effect, however when combined with sensor adhesion (p < 0.001) had a significant impact. SIGNIFICANCE This lays the foundation for future development of more robust sensors that can significantly reduce the effect of motion artefacts in reflectance-based pulse oximetry and could have great clinical value due to significant reduction of SpO2 errors and false alarms associated with motion artefact, making wearable pulse oximetry more reliable in mobile applications.
The presidency place and functions in the democratic political system

It’s been established that the results of scientific research on the place and functions of the presidential institution in the political system of democratic societies point to the existence of certain gaps and insufficient disclosure of the issues raised. The existence of an internal socio-political crisis and the need for the development of a democratic state based on the rule of law and the appropriateness of studying the issue of the balance of powers of state institutions within the framework of constitutional engineering have been confirmed. It is noted that at the present stage of state construction interest in the problem is dictated by the need to study the process of Ukraine’s consolidation as a state entity in the context of integration into the European community.The question of the place and basic functions of the presidential institution in the political systems of modern democratic societies is being investigated. It was established that achieving an effective checks and balances system for the institution of the president, the legislative branch and executive branch of power is one of the relevant factors for the successful development of the political and economic state system, the achievement of public harmony and the formation of a positive international image of the state.It is established that the constitutional basis determines the political legitimacy of the President’s actions, and also affects the degree of readiness of political and power subjects to agree to them or to support or deny them. However, the probability that an issued document will have the expected impact is determined, in most cases, by its constitutionality. The President provides the succession of the state, represents it in international relations, carries out management of foreign policy activities, negotiates and concludes international treaties of Ukraine. The president as a state institution appears to be active and influential in the system of power relations and state organization. The institute of presidency is intended to become a consolidating center and an arbiter between the branches of power.Based on the results of a comparative analysis of the presidency functional, a pragmatic approach to the formation of new principles of the national presidency mechanism in the context of the further development of the political system of society was proposed. The essence of this approach is in the need to ensure the dominance of constructive cooperation with other institutions of political power, primarily parliament and government. The expediency of introducing civilized methods of compromise search and a democratic solution to the political problems of social development in the system and practice the powers of the governing bodies is grounded, since the further development of the state will to a great extent be determined by the effectiveness and quality of the functioning of the presidential institution.
Feasibility of hard X-ray imaging using monolithic active pixel sensors (MAPS)

Silicon detectors have been widely used in high energy physics (HEP) experiments. The outstanding properties of silicon detectors include radiation hardness, small material budget, fine spatial resolution, high speed and low cost. Here we report initial results of using a single-bit Monolithic Active Pixel Sensor (MAPS), a leading candidate for the next generation trackers in high luminosity colliders, for hard X-ray imaging. The MAPS responses to X-ray with different energies are obtained and compared with simulation. The observed cluster sizes are larger than that predicted by the Continuous Slowing Down Approximation (CSDA) model, indicating that the charge diffusion process might play an important in the MAPS response to low energy electrons. This work paves the way towards multiple layer ultrafast silicon sensor applications in synchrotrons and XFEL beamlines.
Ethics of esthetic procedures in pregnancy.

Ethical dilemmas arise when clinicians are faced with conflicting and mutually exclusive courses of action that create moral uncertainties (Beauchamp and Childress, 2001). Four ethical principles (respect for patient autonomy [i.e., respect patient’s preferences in medical care], beneficence [i.e., act in the best interests of the patient], nonmaleficence [i.e., do no harm; minimize risk to the patient], and justice [i.e., clinical intervention results in fair distribution of clinical benefits and burdens in a population]) form the foundation of modern bioethics (Beauchamp and Childress, 2001). In a systematic review of ethical principles in plastic surgery, autonomy was the most common theme (Chung et al., 2009). Cosmetic care is considered to be based on an individual’s autonomous right to seek to become more beautiful (Nejadsarvari et al., 2016). A resolution of ethical conflicts often requires prioritizing moral obligations through a process of shared decision making, negotiation, and thoughtful compromise (Mahowald, 2006). The aim of this article is to discuss ethical dilemmas related to esthetic procedures during pregnancy on the basis of evidence in support of the safety of such procedures during pregnancy. Ethical principles as applicable to mother and fetus and the concept of the fetus as a patient are discussed. Through the analysis of case scenarios, the article highlights reasons for ethical conflicts related to esthetic procedures during pregnancy, such as a lack of high-quality evidence.
Towards an AUV Swarm Based Mobile Underwater Sensor Network for Invasive Species Data Acquisition

Ecological data acquisition, refinement, and analysis methods have not kept pace with advancements in mobile sensor technology and applications of machine learning techniques due to the typical “stovepiping” of the sciences. Environmental sensor networks are an emerging technology which leverages advances in distributed sensing to realize real time rich data streams for researchers. When this network is made mobile it presents a disruptive technology with the potential to reveal new phenomena and questions as observations, that were once too dangerous or costly to obtain, becomes possible. In this concept paper, we motivate and present preliminaries in our investigation pertaining to the use of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) in swarms to realize a mobile sensor network targeting invasive species in the Great Lakes.
Age-Related Differences in Medication Adherence, Symptoms, and Stigma in Poorly Adherent Adults With Bipolar Disorder.

Objective:We present a secondary analysis of data reporting differences in medication adherence, psychiatric symptom severity, and internalized stigma levels in older (age ≥ 55 years) versus younge...
Maternal acetaminophen use during pregnancy and childhood behavioural problems: Discrepancies between mother- and teacher-reported outcomes.

Background Maternal acetaminophen use during pregnancy is common and has been associated with childhood behavioural problems among offspring, specifically hyperactivity and conduct problems. Objective Assessments of child behaviour in many previous studies have relied on maternal or parent report. Acknowledging that results of behavioural assessments vary between informants, we examined the association between maternal acetaminophen use during pregnancy and behaviour problems in childhood based on mother- and teacher-report. Methods A longitudinal study of 560 mother-child pairs with data on illnesses and medication use during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental assessments during childhood was conducted. Acetaminophen use during pregnancy was captured using a standardised maternal interview, completed 1 year after delivery on average. Measures of childhood (6-12 years of age) behaviour were obtained via mother- and teacher-report, using the Child Behaviour Checklist and Teacher Report Form. Linear and log-binomial models were used to calculate adjusted mean differences (MD) and risk ratios (RR), respectively and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for internalising, externalising, and total behaviour problems comparing acetaminophen users to non-users. Stabilized inverse probability weights were used to account for loss to follow-up, and adjustments for indication were made. Results Approximately 60% (n = 354) of women reported use of acetaminophen during pregnancy. Acetaminophen use during pregnancy was associated with an increase in total behaviour problem score and risk of clinical behaviour problems according to mother report (MD 2.2, 95% CI 0.3, 4.1 and RR 1.93, 95% CI 0.99, 3.76) but not according to teacher report. Weighting to account for participation did not alter results, while adjustment for indications of acetaminophen use greatly attenuated the associations with mother-reported total behaviour problem score and risk of clinical behaviour problems (MD 0.1, 95% CI -2.1, 2.3 and RR 1.31, 95% CI 0.67, 2.58). Conclusions Acetaminophen use during pregnancy was weakly associated with mother-reported behaviour problems and not associated with teacher-reported problems.
Incorporating the participatory process in the design of geospatial support tools: Lessons learned from SeaSketch

Abstract Since launching five years ago, SeaSketch has been used in approximately 30 large-scale projects and over 200 educational programs and research-based initiatives distributed over 40 countries. The study presented in this article engages SeaSketch developers, project administrators, and users through semi-structured interviews and surveys meant to inform designers on how to better incorporate the participatory process within geodesign applications. The results of this study suggest five ways in which designers can help increase public participation including: (1) determining the eligibility of a project by mapping stakeholder engagement, (2) monitoring perceptions of fairness, (3) visualizing data for non-technical experts, (4) alternatives to usability models with chauffeurs, and (5) project management features within geodesign. Each one of these suggestions provides ample avenues of inquiry and can help practitioners and researchers conduct longitudinal studies across projects and/or applications.
Rescorla–Wagner Models with Sparse Dynamic Attention

The Rescorla-Wagner (R-W) model describes human associative learning by proposing that an agent updates associations between stimuli, such as events in their environment or predictive cues, proportionally to a prediction error. While this model has proven informative in experiments, it has been posited that humans selectively attend to certain cues to overcome a problem with the R-W model scaling to large cue dimensions. We formally characterize this scaling problem and provide a solution that involves limiting attention in a R-W model to a sparse set of cues. Given the universal difficulty in selecting features for prediction, sparse attention faces challenges beyond those faced by the R-W model. We demonstrate several ways in which a naive attention model can fail explain those failures and leverage that understanding to produce a Sparse Attention R-W with Inference framework (SAR-WI). The SAR-WI framework not only satisfies a constraint on the number of attended cues, it also performs as well as the R-W model on a number of natural learning tasks, can correctly infer associative strengths, and focuses attention on predictive cues while ignoring uninformative cues. Given the simplicity of proposed alterations, we hope this work informs future development and empirical validation of associative learning models that seek to incorporate sparse attention.
Joint Problem-Solving Orientation in Fluid Cross-Boundary Teams

Using interviews, a national field survey, and an online laboratory study, we have examined teamwork in fluid cross-boundary teams. Across three studies, we qualitatively discovered and quantitativ...
Allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for hematologic diseases.

Circulating hematopoietic stem cells have emerged as an alternative to bone marrow (BM) stem cells for allografting. For many years the reconstitutive potential of circulating stem cells was questioned; peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) were even characterized a waste product (1). The preclinical experience with allogeneic, sex-mismatched PBSC transplantations in canine littermates, has clearly shown that blood-derived stem cells reconstitute hematopoiesis completely and permanently (2,3) including long-lasting evidence of donor chimerism (4). The first reported case of allogeneic PBSC transplantation in a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia was published in 1989 by Kessinger et al. (5) showing clear evidence of trilineage engraftment. This was followed in 1994 and 1995, by various reports of successful allogeneic PBSC transplantations using PBSC from rhG-CSF mobilized donors (6–9).
Designing Data Science Workshops for Data-Intensive Environmental Science Research

Over the last 20 years, statistics preparation has become vital for a broad range of scientific fields, and statistics coursework has been readily incorporated into undergraduate and graduate progr...
COVID-19 and the U.S. Fiscal Imbalance

Policymakers must do something to slow the growing debt burden or else face a major fiscal meltdown. Proposals such as Medicare for All and the Green New Deal would only make the looming fiscal crisis worse.
Gain-free routes to parity-time symmetry and non-Hermitian physics

In this talk, we discuss our recent theoretical and experimental efforts in the context of non-Hermitian phenomena and parity-time symmetry, as well as in the exploration of exceptional points. In particular, we discuss our work in enabling parity-time symmetry, phase transitions and asymmetric transmission resonances based on temporal modulations, virtual excitations in the complex frequency domain and using evanescent fields. In addition, I will discuss our experimental work in observing these phenomena in a table-top fiber optics experiment using Brillouin scattering. Our results show that it is possible to observe the unusual scattering features associated with parity-time symmetry without the need for carefully controlled material gain distributions.
Bacteria-specific phototoxic reactions triggered by blue light and edible carvacrol

Bacteria-specific phototoxic reactions were triggered by blue light (BL) and edible carvacrol leading to safe and broad spectrum of bactericide, in sharp contrast to anti-microbial photodynamic therapy that has a relatively poor selection. While anti-microbial photodynamic therapy triggers the generation of cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) in both bacteria and mammalian cells, BL paired with carvacrol induced phototoxic reactions resulting in robust ROS generation only in bacteria, as demonstrated by UPLC-VION-IMS-QTOF-MS/MS analyses in vivo and in vitro. This highly selective phototoxic reaction represents a unique strategy to combat the growing threat of MDR bacteria
Metagenomic evaluation of the dairy farm environment and facilities for evidence of digital dermatitis-associated bacteria

Bovine digital dermatitis is a common polybacterial disease process and a leading cause of lameness in dairy and beef cattle. Mature lesions are associated with a very high abundance of Treponema spp organisms, while developing lesions have a larger diversity with different populations of organisms. This study was designed to utilize 16S-based phylogenomics to evaluate a variety of environmental samples obtained from various areas of a dairy farm for the presence of bacterial organisms associated with digital dermatitis lesions.
The Berkeley Environmental Air-quality and CO 2 Network: field calibrations of sensor temperature dependence and assessment of network scale CO 2 accuracy

Abstract. The majority of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions originate in cities. We have proposed that dense networks are a strategy for tracking changes to the processes contributing to urban CO2 emissions and suggested that a network with ∼ 2 km measurement spacing and ∼ 1 ppm node-to-node precision would be effective at constraining point, line, and area sources within cities. Here, we report on an assessment of the accuracy of the Berkeley Environmental Air-quality and CO 2 Network (BEACO 2 N) CO2 measurements over several years of deployment. We describe a new procedure for improving network accuracy that accounts for and corrects the temperature-dependent zero offset of the Vaisala CarboCap GMP343 CO2 sensors used. With this correction we show that a total error of 1.6 ppm or less can be achieved for networks that have a calibrated reference location and 3.6 ppm for networks without a calibrated reference.
Towards inferring nanopore sequencing ionic currents from nucleotide chemical structures.

The characteristic ionic currents of nucleotide kmers are commonly used in analyzing nanopore sequencing readouts. We present a graph convolutional network-based deep learning framework for predicting kmer characteristic ionic currents from corresponding chemical structures. We show such a framework can generalize the chemical information of the 5-methyl group from thymine to cytosine by correctly predicting 5-methylcytosine-containing DNA 6mers, thus shedding light on the de novo detection of nucleotide modifications. Nanopore sequencing allows users to identify nucleotide sequence from ionic currents. Here, the authors use deep learning to facilitate the de novo identification of modified nucleotides, particularly methylated cytosine and guanine, from the measured ionic currents without the need for controls.
Sequence and structure continuity of evolutionary importance improves protein functional site discovery and annotation

Protein functional sites control most biological processes and are important targets for drug design and protein engineering. To characterize them, the evolutionary trace (ET) ranks the relative importance of residues according to their evolutionary variations. Generally, top-ranked residues cluster spatially to define evolutionary hotspots that predict functional sites in structures. Here, various functions that measure the physical continuity of ET ranks among neighboring residues in the structure, or in the sequence, are shown to inform sequence selection and to improve functional site resolution. This is shown first, in 110 proteins, for which the overlap between top-ranked residues and actual functional sites rose by 8% in significance. Then, on a structural proteomic scale, optimized ET led to better 3D structure-function motifs (3D templates) and, in turn, to enzyme function prediction by the Evolutionary Trace Annotation (ETA) method with better sensitivity of (40% to 53%) and positive predictive value (93% to 94%). This suggests that the similarity of evolutionary importance among neighboring residues in the sequence and in the structure is a universal feature of protein evolution. In practice, this yields a tool for optimizing sequence selections for comparative analysis and, via ET, for better predictions of functional site and function. This should prove useful for the efficient mutational redesign of protein function and for pharmaceutical targeting.
A Jost–Pais-type Reduction of (Modified) Fredholm Determinants for Semi-separable Operators in Infinite Dimensions

We study the analog of semi-separable integral kernels in \(\mathcal{H}\) of the type $$K\left( {x,x\prime} \right) = \left\{\begin{array}{lll}{F_1}\left( x \right){G_1}\left( {x\prime} \right),\,\,\,\,a \prec x\prime \prec x \prec b, \\ {F_2}\left( x \right){G_2}\left( {x\prime} \right),\,\,\,\,a \prec x \prec x\prime \prec b,\end{array}\right.$$
SU-E-T-681: Robust and Monte Carlo-Based Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy Optimization with GPU Acceleration

Purpose: Accuracy of dose calculation models and robustness under various uncertainties are key factors influencing the quality of intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) plans. In this work, a robust IMPT optimization based on accurate Monte Carlo (MC) dose calculation is developed. Methods: We used an in-house developed and graphics processing unit (GPU) accelerated MC for dose calculation. For robust optimization, dose volume histograms (DVHs) were computed for each uncertainty scenario at each optimization iteration. A gradient based adaptive method was used to improve the DVHs with adjustable scenario weights. GPUs were employed to accelerate the optimization process. Uncertainties in patient setup and proton range were considered in all cases studied. Additionally, the uncertainty of intra-fraction relative shift between fields was considered for craniospinal irradiation cases. The adaptive robust optimization method was compared with for clinical cases at several different disease sites. Results: Comparing with the traditional optimization target volume (OTV) based method, the adaptive robust optimization spared critical structures better while maintain the target coverage in clinical cases. For example, the right parotid hot spot dose was reduced from 78.5Gy to 74.5Gy as shown in Fig. 1. For craniospinal irradiation, the adaptive method found the robust solution at field junctions without manual feathering of the match lines. Even for relatively large head-and-neck cases and craniospinal cases, the whole process of MC dose calculation and robust optimization can be done within 30 minutes on a system of 100 Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan cards. Conclusion: A robust IMPT treatment planning system is developed utilizing an adaptive method. The treatment planning optimization is based on MC dose calculation and is accelerated by GPU to be clinically viable. This work is supported in part by Varian Medical Systems.
A Simpler Nucleic Acid

It has been supposed that for a nucleic acid analog to pair with RNA it must, like RNA, have a backbone with at least a sixatom repeat; a shorter backbone presumably would not stretch far enough to bind RNA properly. The Eschenmoser group has shown, however, that this first impression is incorrect.As they report in their new paper, Eschenmoser and co-workers ( I ) have now synthesized a substantial number of these polymers, which are called (L)-a-threofuranosyl oligonucleotides or TNAs. They are composed of bases linked to a threose sugar-phosphate backbone, with phosphodiester bonds connecting the nucleotides. The investigators discovered that pairs of complementary TNAs do indeed form stable Watson-Crick double helices and, perhaps more importantly, that TNAs form stable double helices with complementary RNAs and DNAs.
Water incorporated into a food but not served with a food decreases energy intake in lean women

Background: Previous research showed that decreasing the energy density (kJ/g) of foods by adding water to them can lead to reductions in energy intake. Few studies have examined how water consumed as a beverage affects food intake. Objective: This study examined the effects of water, both served with a food and incorporated into a food, on satiety. Design: In a within-subjects design, 24 lean women consumed breakfast, lunch, and dinner in our laboratory I d/wk for 4 wk. Subjects received I of 3 isoenergetic (1128 kJ) preloads 17 min before lunch on 3 d and no preload on I d. The preloads consisted of 1) chicken rice casserole, 2) chicken rice casserole served with a glass of water (356 g), and 3) chicken rice soup. The soup contained the same ingredients (type and amount) as the casserole that was served with water. Results: Decreasing the energy density of and increasing the volume of the preload by adding water to it significantly increased fullness and reduced hunger and subsequent energy intake at lunch. The equivalent amount of water served as a beverage with a food did not affect satiety. Energy intake at lunch was 1209 ± 125 kJ after the soup compared with 1657 ± 148 and 1639 ± 148 kJ after the casserole with and without water, respectively. Subjects did not compensate at dinner for this reduction in lunch intake. Conclusion: Consuming foods with a high water content more effectively reduced subsequent energy intake than did drinking water with food.
Notes on the development of phonological theory.

An analogy is drawn between the recent history of (generative) phonology and the history of the philosophy of mathematics. It is suggested that the formal project of Chomsky and Halle's Sound Pattern of English is closely parallel to the axiomatization of mathematics proposed by Whitehead and Russell. In these terms, the development of such restrictive theories as that of Natural Generative Phonology — and in general, the work characterized in Basboll's Status Report as "substance—based" — represents a reaction similar to that of the Intuitionist school of mathematics. As such, it has a certain intrinsic interest, but its difficulties in reconstructing the full range of material usually considered part of phonology suggest that a modification of the interpretation of the "formalist" program represented by the standard theory is ultimately more satisfactory.
A comparison of preferred treatment outcomes between children with ADHD and their parents.

Objective: The newest guidelines for the treatment of ADHD call for the formation of an individualized treatment plan based on collaboration. Because the process of collaboration requires the communication of desired outcomes, the authors’ goal is to examine the preferred outcomes of treatment for ADHD for children and parents. Method: A preferred outcomes questionnaire is used to gather data. A listing of the outcomes in ranked order is generated for each group. Spearman’s rho is used to generate comparative data. Results: Our results indicate a significant correlation between the preferred outcomes of the children and the parents. There is one outlier regarding the use of medication. Conclusion: The existence of the single outlier concerning the use of medication may infer that an assessment of the child’s feelings regarding a medication regimen is therapeutically indicated.
Baryosynthesis and promordial inflation reexamined

Abstract We demonstrate that previous estimates of baryosynthesis levels in supergravity models designed to produce completely acceptable cosmological scenarios have been incorrect. With baryosynthesis with light Higgs, produced after primordial inflation with a mass ∼ 10 10 GeV, we find n B / n γ ≲ 10 −5 e, where e is the baryon number asymmetry per decay.
Line Strengths for Gd 3 + at a C 4 v Site in Sr F 2

Oscillator strengths of the transitions from $^{8}S_{\frac{7}{2}}$ to some of the $^{6}P$, $^{6}I$, and $^{6}D$ multiplets at a ${C}_{4v}$ symmetry site in Sr${\mathrm{F}}_{2}$: ${\mathrm{Gd}}^{3+}$ have been measured experimentally and compared with calculations using the Ofelt-Judd theory. Calculations using crystal-field wave functions for the $^{6}P_{\frac{7}{2}}$ and $^{6}P_{\frac{5}{2}}$ spectra showed that $J$ mixing is negligible and, in agreement with Zeeman measurements, the transitions are predominantly magnetic dipole. The $^{6}I$ transitions are predominantly electric dipole and the intensities are in good agreement with theory. The line-strength parameters ${T}_{\ensuremath{\lambda}}$ are 3.4 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.1, 1.05 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 1.05, and 12.2 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.05 cm \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} ${10}^{10}$ for $\ensuremath{\lambda}=2,4$, and 6, respectively.
The diffusion of heavy interstitial atoms in a particle density gradient

Abstract The dependence of the diffusivity D of interstitial atoms in a particle density gradient has been calculated as a function of interstitial atom concentration and temperature. The method of calculation is a combination of Absolute Rate Theory and cumulant expansion techniques. The presence of a gradient results in “skewing” effects which cause D to increase with interstitial atom concentration more rapidly than is found for the diffusivity D measured with interstitial tracers in the absence of a density gradient.
Research within physical oceanography and submarine geology at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography during April 1945 to April 1946

The present report deals not only with the activities in 1945–46, but opportunity is also taken to review briefly the oceanographic studies at the Scripps Institution during the years of war. These studies fall mainly within four subjects: Examination of the surface layers of the ocean in connection with the submarine warfare; studies of the boundary layer atmosphere-ocean; studies of sea, swell, and surf; and studies of beaches in relation to wave action.
Mortality and prognostic factors in penetrating injuries of the aorta.

Purpose This study was designed to investigate the epidemiology and prognostic factors determining survival in penetrating injuries of the aorta.Patients and Methods This was a retrospective analysis of all patients with penetrating aortic injuries, admitted to a large, level I trauma center. The fo
Atomistic simulations of an antimicrobial molecule interacting with a model bacterial membrane

The dynamics of an antimicrobial molecule (end-only oligo(p-phenylene ethynylene) or EO-OPE-1 (C3)) interacting with a model bacterial membrane is simulated using all-atom molecular dynamics. It is found that the molecule spontaneously adheres to the membrane at the membrane–water interface, but no insertion into the bilayer was observed within the nanosecond simulation time. However, when the simulations start from an inserted configuration, this molecule aligns with the lipid molecules in the membrane and interacts strongly through electrostatic interactions with the anionic phosphoryl groups of the lipid molecules. Due to the hydrophobic mismatch between the molecule and lipids, the inserted molecule induces the deformation of the membrane in the form of local thinning. When more than one molecule were inserted, self-assembling was observed on a nanosecond scale. However, no transmembrane pore formation was observed, due presumably to the hydrophobic backbone of the molecule. Implications in the biocidal action of this molecule are discussed.
Quantitative variation in vulpinic and pinastric acids produced by Tuckermannopsis pinastri (lichen-forming Ascomycotina, Parmeliaceae)

Tuckermannopsis pinastri is a lichen species found commonly on rocks and tree branches in boreal and alpine habitats in the northern United States. Members of this species produce three yellow-pigmented phenolic compounds: usnic, pinastric, and vulpinic acids. The objective of our study was to quantify the variation in concentration of the latter two of these compounds in relation to substrate factors, chlorophyll content, and thallus size. Using high-performance liquid chromatography, we analyzed 120 thalli of T. pinastri collected randomly from a single large population located at Spruce Knob, West Virginia. Although individuals were sampled from both tree and rock substrates that differed markedly in light intensity, these environmental factors were not correlated with observed variations in vulpinic or pinastric acid concentrations. Instead, compound concentrations were correlated most closely with thallus size, with small rather than large thalli having the highest concentrations of the two compounds. Small thalli did not have higher concentrations of chlorophylls than large thalli, however, which suggests that the rate of production of secondary compounds by the fungus in T. pinastri is independent of algal biomass. Inasmuch as lichen secondary compounds serve a defensive role against microorganisms and herbivores, our results suggest that small, juvenile thalli are better defended than more mature thalli.
Gastric Amyloidosis Presenting as Massive Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding

To the Editor: Multiple myeloma (MM) represents a malignant proliferation of plasma cells derived from a single clone. Primary (AL) amyloidosis is a late complication of MM, occurring in 6–15% of patients (1). Asymptomatic gastrointestinal involvement is common in amyloidosis (2). We report on a patient with relapsed MM presenting with massive upper gastrointestinal bleeding from an amyloid-related gastric ulcer. This case highlights that a diagnosis of amyloidosis should be considered in patients with MM and gastrointestinal hemorrhage.
Fogwater Composition in Southern California

In an urban region such as southern California, incorporation of air pollutants into the aqueous chemistry occuring within fog and cloud droplets can represent an important component of the regional air pollution. Field and laboratory studies have indicated that droplet-phase chemistry is important in SO_2 oxidation. In Los Angeles, the presence of coastal fog and low clouds in the morning has been observed to correlate well with high sulfate aerosol levels during the subsequent afternoon.
The spectrum of matrix-isolated GeO and GeS

Abstract The spectrum of GeO and GeS was studied in the 14 000 to 50 000 cm−1 region in argon, krypton, xenon, oxygen, sulfur hexafluoride, and methane at 20°K. In both molecules the system A 1 Π -X 1 Σ is observed. The analysis of the spectrum of GeS corresponds to that in the gas phase. For GeO in xenon, vibrational bands to the red of the gas phase (0,0) are found. This suggests that the gas phase numbering should be corrected by +1. This yields a new T0.0 = 36 996 cm−1. In both molecules, excitation into the A state yields phosphorescence in the visible. The emission is assigned to the previously unknown transition a3Π-X1Σ, which corresponds to the Cameron bands of isovalent CO. T0.0 of the a3Π state in SF6 at 20°K is 26 945 ± 200 cm−1 for GeO, and 22 465 ± 200 for GeS. From the transition energies in various matrices we deduce a gas phase value of T0.0 = 26 900 ± 200 cm−1 for GeO and 22 500 ± 200 cm−1 for GeS. The phosphorescence results from matrix-induced intersystem crossing. Absorption and emission shifts are consistent with the external heavy atom effect. The spectrum of matrix-isolated GeO and GeS is in all respects analogous to that of SnO and SnS.
Spells, Saints, and Streghe: Witchcraft, Folk Magic, and Healing in Italy

There is a rich body of ethnographic data on folk magical practices and beliefs from Italy, but for the most part Italian American Witches have not drawn from this in recreating their traditions.
Biosynthesis of albomycin δ2 provides a template for assembling siderophore and aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase inhibitor conjugates

"Trojan horse" antibiotic albomycins are peptidyl nucleosides consisting of a highly modified 4'-thiofuranosyl cytosine moiety and a ferrichrome siderophore that are linked by a peptide bond via a serine residue. While the latter component serves to sequester iron from the environment, the seryl nucleoside portion is a potent inhibitor of bacterial seryl-tRNA synthetases, resulting in broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities of albomycin δ(2). The isolation of albomycins has revealed this biological activity is optimized only following two unusual cytosine modifications, N4-carbamoylation and N3-methylation. We identified a genetic locus (named abm) for albomycin production in Streptomyces sp. ATCC 700974. Gene deletion and complementation experiments along with bioinformatic analysis suggested 18 genes are responsible for albomycin biosynthesis and resistance, allowing us to propose a potential biosynthetic pathway for installing the novel chemical features. The gene abmI, encoding a putative methyltransferase, was functionally assigned in vitro and shown to modify the N3 of a variety of cytosine-containing nucleosides and antibiotics such as blasticidin S. Furthermore, a ΔabmI mutant was shown to produce the descarbamoyl-desmethyl albomycin analogue, supporting that the N3-methylation occurs before the N4-carbamoylation in the biosynthesis of albomycin δ(2). The combined genetic information was utilized to identify an abm-related locus (named ctj) from the draft genome of Streptomyces sp. C. Cross-complementation experiments and in vitro studies with CtjF, the AbmI homologue, suggest the production of a similar 4'-thiofuranosyl cytosine in this organism. In total, the genetic and biochemical data provide a biosynthetic template for assembling siderophore-inhibitor conjugates and modifying the albomycin scaffold to generate new derivatives.