cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Towards Topological Correct Segmentation of Macular OCT from Cascaded FCNs

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is used to produce high resolution depth images of the retina and is now the standard of care for in-vivo ophthalmological assessment. In particular, OCT is used to study the changes in layer thickness across various pathologies. The automated image analysis of these OCT images has primarily been performed with graph based methods. Despite the preeminence of graph based methods, deep learning based approaches have begun to appear within the literature. Unfortunately, they cannot currently guarantee the strict biological tissue order found in human retinas. We propose a cascaded fully convolutional network (FCN) framework to segment eight retina layers and preserve the topological relationships between the layers. The first FCN serves as a segmentation network which takes retina images as input and outputs the segmentation probability maps of the layers. We next perform a topology check on the segmentation and those patches that do not satisfy the topology criterion are passed to a second FCN for topology correction. The FCNs have been trained on Heidelberg Spectralis images and validated on both Heidelberg Spectralis and Zeiss Cirrus images.
Endoscopic and Surgical Gastrostomy and Jejunostomy Tube Placement

Enteral access is a common request for consulting surgeons and interventionists. Prior to the 1980s, such a consultation often necessitated open surgical intervention whereas today, enteral access is often performed via several minimally invasive methods. Tools and techniques for minimally invasive enteral access have changed drastically due to advancements in the fields of endoscopy, laparoscopy, and interventional radiology. Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube placement is one such advancement. Since its first development, its basic principles have been applied to other minimally invasive techniques, which have resulted in an expansion of techniques for establishment of enteral access. In this article, we outline various endoscopic and surgical techniques for gastric and jejunal access.
Famine, Pestilence, War, and Death: John Maxwell Landers’ Four Horseman Spurring Humans Faster Along the Life History Continuum

John Landers is a demographer of pre-industrial Europe, acutely aware of bioenergetic resources as they are spent and accrued in a careful calculus. As if on a balance sheet, output must match input. Within such an empirically informed historical framework, Landers provides one of the most detailed demographic studies of eighteenth-century London, combining mortality data with fertility, population structure, and migration. As does the life history researcher, Landers pursues a more complete bioenergetic balance sheet than does Price or Malthus, reflecting demography as a discipline plotting ever closer to studying these many variables as a yoked complex. Extending from Landers, this seventh chapter describes an emerging application of life history evolution known as social biogeography, with its cascade of consequences proliferating across five ecological levels.
Models of Genome Evolution

The evolutionary theory, “evolution by duplication”, originally proposed by Susumu Ohno in 1970, can now be verified with the available genome sequences. Recently, several mathematical models have been proposed to explain the topology of protein interaction networks that have also implemented the idea of “evolution by duplication”. The power law distribution with its “hubby” topology (e.g., P53 was shown to interact with an unusually large number of other proteins) can be explained if one makes the following assumption: new proteins, which are duplicates of older proteins, have a propensity to interact only with the same proteins as their evolutionary predecessors. Since protein interaction networks, as well as other higher-level cellular processes, are encoded in genomic sequences, the evolutionary structure, topology, and statistics of many biological objects (pathways, phylogeny, symbiotic relations, etc.) are rooted in the evolution dynamics of the genome sequences. Susumu Ohno’s hypothesis can be tested “in silico” using Polya’s urn model. In our model, each basic DNA sequence change is modelled using several probability distribution functions. The functions can decide the insertion/deletion positions of the DNA fragments, the copy numbers of the inserted fragments, and the sequences of the inserted/deleted pieces. Moreover, those functions can be interdependent. A mathematically tractable model can be created with a directed graph representation. Such graphs are Eulerian and each possible Eulerian path encodes a genome. Every “genome duplication” event evolves these Eulerian graphs, and the probability distributions and their dynamics themselves give rise to many intriguing and elegant mathematical problems. In this chapter, we explore and survey these connections between biology, mathematics and computer science in order to reveal simple, and yet deep, models of life itself.
Some Characteristics of Human Information Processing

Our technology is as concerned with the movement of signals as with the movement of objects. This observation immediately leads to thoughts of computers, but computers are not the only components of an information processing system. One must consider the performance of all system components; telephone lines and teletype terminals as well as central processors. Perhaps most important, one must know the operating characteristics of man.
Utilities for Health States: Whom to Ask

Health state utilities elicited from actual patients are generally higher than those elicited from hypothetical patients. Thus, whose ratings to use in cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) is an issue of practical importance. The issue is also complex, with numerous conceptual and normative elements. One promising comprehensive answer carefully distinguishes between individual utilities and social values. Cogent conflicting arguments, however, render the matter unresolved, and some elements in the discussion continue to pose fundamental challenges for CEA.
Individualized non-invasive brain stimulation engages the subgenual anterior cingulate and amygdala

Brain stimulation is used clinically to treat a variety of neurological and psychiatric conditions. The mechanisms of the clinical effects of these brain-based therapies are presumably dependent on their effects on brain networks. It has been hypothesized that using individualized brain network maps is an optimal strategy for defining network boundaries and topologies. Traditional non-invasive imaging can determine correlations between structural or functional time series. However, they cannot easily establish hierarchies in communication flow as done in non-human animals using invasive methods. In the present study, we interleaved functional MRI recordings with non-invasive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the attempt to map causal communication between the prefrontal cortex and two subcortical structures thought to contribute to affective dysregulation: the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC) and the amygdala. In both cases, we found evidence that these brain areas were engaged when TMS was applied to prefrontal sites determined from each participant9s previous fMRI scan. Specifically, after transforming individual participant images to within-scan quantiles of evoked TMS response, we modeled the average quantile response within a given region across stimulation sites and individuals to demonstrate that the targets were differentially influenced by TMS. Furthermore, we found that the sgACC distributed brain network, estimated in a separate cohort, was engaged in response to sgACC focused TMS and was partially separable from the proximal default mode network response. The amygdala, but not its distributed network, responded to TMS. Our findings indicate that individual targeting and brain response measurements usefully capture causal circuit mapping to the sgACC and amygdala in humans, setting the stage for approaches to non-invasively modulate subcortical nodes of distributed brain networks in clinical interventions and mechanistic human neuroscience studies.
Democratically consolidated, externally threatened, and NATO aligned: finding unexpected deficiencies in civilian control

ABSTRACTIt has long been presumed in the literature that consolidated democracies that face serious external threats or are NATO-aligned should feature strong, civilian control institutions and per...
Using bluetooth low energy spoofing to dispute device details: demo

In this demo, we will show the effects of multiple Bluetooth Low Energy spoofing attacks, including a novel cache poisoning attack. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is often used for communication between devices, ranging from headphones to medical sensors. Our attacks target the BLE advertising mechanism to cause Denial of Service and Man-in-the-Middle conditions. BLE Peripheral Devices are discovered through an advertising process, in which the Peripheral broadcasts advertising packets to listening Central Devices. Such packets typically include the advertising address of the device, name of the device, and information about the connectability of the device. Peripheral Devices are generally assumed to have distinct advertising addresses. If a device advertises with the same address as another device, Central Devices need to decide which information is correct. We term the condition where advertisements contain contradictory information a "Disputed Advertisement". In the case where an advertisement contains optional information, there may be a condition where one of the packets contains maliciously included information, but is not contradicted by a legitimate packet. We call this condition an "Undisputed Advertisement", which is the basis for a novel attack that we call Bluestaking. The Bluestaking attack poisons advertising name cache on Central Devices with attacker-selected address-to-name mappings. Because BLE devices are not required to be named, an attacker can spoof a device and provide a name without any dispute from the victim device. This causes scanning Central Devices to cache the name indefinitely.
When Does Sexual Signal Exploitation Lead to Signal Loss

Evolutionary loss of traits is common over evolutionary time and occurs in diverse taxa. Sexual signals and other non-signal traits should differ in their likelihood of becoming lost because they experience different selective pressures contributing to their diminution or persistence. In particular, conspicuous sexual signals are often exploited by natural enemies; this significant cost can favor signal reduction or loss. Yet sexual signals should also experience strong selection favoring their persistence because they facilitate communication during sexual encounters and their loss would involve changes in both the signaler and receiver. Most examples of sexual signal loss come from phylogenetic studies, so it is difficult to ascertain the context and key factors responsible for their loss. Here, we describe one of the best documented examples of evolutionary sexual signal loss in real time due to signal exploitation: Teleogryllus oceanicus (the Pacific field cricket) in Hawaii where many males have lost the ability to sing due to natural selection from a deadly, acoustically-orienting parasitoid fly. Using sexual signal loss in T. oceanicus as a model, we identify environmental, social, and genetic factors that appear generally important in driving sexual signal loss due to signal exploitation. We also discuss each putative factor contributing to signal loss more broadly within the context of non-signal trait loss. Overall, the factors that facilitate evolutionary loss of signals and other traits exhibit significant parallels. In general, a significant cost from the environment, weak selection for persistence, and alternative ways of accomplishing the former function appear critical to achieving evolutionary loss of both sexual signals and non-signal traits. However, because few empirical examples of sexual signal loss over contemporary timescales exist, we need more theory and empirical work to better understand the evolutionary dynamics of sexual signal loss.
Intermittent occurrence of health care-onset influenza cases in a tertiary care facility during the 2017-2018 flu season.

Health care–onset influenza (HOI) poses a major risk for hospitalized patients. During the 2017-2018 season, 37 HOI cases out of 382 inpatients (9.7%) with influenza were detected in a tertiary care hospital. HOI and community-onset influenza cases peaked simultaneously, and employee absenteeism was delayed by 1 month. A HOI to community-onset influenza case-comparison revealed associations with placement in rehabilitation, leukocytosis, health care–associated infections, and elevated mortality rates. Interventions should be selected based on the epidemiology of influenza occurrence.
Associations of Polypharmacy and Inappropriate Medications with Adverse Outcomes in Older Adults with Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background Polypharmacy (PP) and potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) are highly prevalent in older adults with cancer. This study systematically reviews the associations of PP and/or PIM with outcomes and, through a meta-analysis, obtains estimates of postoperative outcomes associated with PP in this population. Materials and methods We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Register of Clinical Trials using standardized terms for concepts of PP, PIM, and cancer. Eligible studies included cohort studies, cross-sectional studies, meta-analyses, and clinical trials which examined outcomes associated with PP and/or PIM and included older adults with cancer. A random effects model included studies in which definitions of PP were consistent to examine the association of PP with postoperative complications. Results Forty-seven articles met the inclusion criteria. PP was defined as five or more medications in 57% of the studies. Commonly examined outcomes included chemotherapy toxicities, postoperative complications, functional decline, hospitalization, and overall survival. PP was associated with chemotherapy toxicities (4/9 studies), falls (3/3 studies), functional decline (3/3 studies), and overall survival (2/11 studies). A meta-analysis of four studies indicated an association between PP (≥5 medications) and postoperative complications (overall odds ratio, 1.3; 95% confidence interval [1.3-2.8]). PIM was associated with adverse outcomes in 3 of 11 studies. Conclusion PP is associated with postoperative complications, chemotherapy toxicities, and physical and functional decline. Only three studies showed an association between PIM and outcomes. However, because of inconsistent definitions, heterogeneous populations, and variable study designs, these associations should be further investigated in prospective studies. Implications for practice Polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) are prevalent in older adults with cancer. This systematic review summarizes the associations of polypharmacy and PIM with health outcomes in older patients with cancer. Polypharmacy and PIM have been associated with postoperative complications, frailty, falls, medication nonadherence, chemotherapy toxicity, and mortality. These findings emphasize the prognostic importance of careful medication review and identification of PIM by oncology teams. They also underscore the need to develop and test interventions to address polypharmacy and PIM in older patients with cancer, with the goal of improving outcomes in these patients.
Integrating General Strain Theory and Trauma-Informed Principles into the Study of Older Adult Victimization

Prevalence rates for late life victimization are well-documented. The literature has expanded, in part due to the identification of elder justice as a key priority for federal funding. The interdisciplinary field of criminology has begun addressing elder victimization and its consequences, informed by General Strain Theory (GST). It is challenging to connect the findings from this research to evidence-based interventions for older victims. Trauma-informed principles (TIP) - when linked with GST - offer a means for doing so. The current review contributes to the extant literature by examining connections between these perspectives, with the goal of encouraging future research, and ultimately informing treatment for older adult victims.
Application of Fluorescent in Situ Hybridization (FISH) in Surgical and Cytologic Specimens (Solid Tumors, Hematopoietic Tumors, Urine, Bile Duct Brushing and Bronchoscopy)

Florescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using chromosome-specific probes has become an important cytogenetic tool in the evaluation of many congenital disorders, hematologic malignancies, some solid tumors and cytologic neoplasm. Due to its interphase analysis, fast, high sensitivity and specificity, both fresh and fixed specimens, it becomes a very informative and rapid adjunct to standard karyotyping.
Misdiagnosis analysis of paragonimiasis with pleural effusion as the main manifestation in 10 children

目的 总结深圳地区以胸腔积液为主要表现的儿童肺吸虫病的临床特征，分析误诊原因，提高临床诊治水平。 方法 回顾分析2007年2月至2017年2月在深圳市儿童医院呼吸科确诊的10例以胸腔积液为主要表现的儿童肺吸虫病的临床资料和诊疗情况。 结果 10例患儿均来自肺吸虫疫源地，其中9例有明确进食溪蟹或蝲蛄史。临床表现以发热、干咳、胸痛、腹痛为主，3例伴多浆膜腔积液，1例伴皮下结节，1例无症状。10例患儿均有外周血嗜酸性粒细胞计数升高，肺吸虫血清抗体均阳性。胸部CT均提示胸腔积液，肺内以斑片影为主，可见有结节、空洞及囊性影。在确诊前，被误诊为肺炎、肺结核、结核性心包炎、白血病等。 结论 深圳地区虽然是非疫源地，但来自疫源地的流动人口多，对不明原因的胸腔积液需考虑儿童肺吸虫病的可能。为避免误诊，应详细询问疫源地居住史、不洁饮食及疫水接触史，结合临床表现、血嗜酸性粒细胞计数、实验室及影像学检查做到早期诊断。
Anomalous bi-directional scanning electro-optic KTN devices with UV-assisted electron and hole injections

In this Letter, we reported anomalous electro-optic potassium tantalate niobate (KTN) devices, in which both electrons and holes were injected into the KTN crystal via ultraviolet (UV) illumination-assisted charge injection. This could not only significantly enhance the performance of electro-optic devices (e.g., a 270% increase in the deflection angle in terms of the KTN deflector) but also enable the new bi-directional scanning capability. The results in this work would be very useful for a variety of devices and applications, such as electro-optic based vari-focal lenses.
Abstract 4251: A performance characterization of microsatellite instability and mismatch repair testing methods in endometrial samples

Microsatellite instability (MSI), a functional measure of mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency, and immunohistochemistry testing for MMR proteins are well established technologies traditionally used for Lynch Syndrome screening in colorectal cancer. Recently testing for MMR deficiency, by MSI analysis or MMR protein expression, has expanded from hereditary cancer risk testing to a new role predicting immunotherapeutic response in all solid tumors. With this increase in utility and awareness, mismatch repair deficiency is now relevant in a variety of other cancer tissue types. However, little data is available for the performance of these testing techniques in non-colorectal cancer samples. In this study, we examine performance of methods for detecting MSI and MMR protein expression in endometrial cancer samples. 200 endometrial cancer samples were obtained for testing with MSI by PCR followed by capillary electrophoresis, and immunohistochemistry for MMR protein expression. Instability at 2/5 microsatellite loci was used as criteria for MSI-H designation and loss of immunostaining for one or more MMR protein was considered dMMR. Performance of these analysis methods for identification of MMR protein mutations was measured by comparing results to sequencing of MMR proteins using NGS. MSI by PCR followed by capillary electrophoresis and immunohistochemistry for all four major MMR proteins was successfully performed on all (200/200) samples. 140/200 samples had matched adjacent tissue for reference when performing MSI analysis. MSI and MMR did not exhibit 100% concordance, as expected due to their measurement of different biological effects associated with MMR deficiency. We also describe instances of microsatellite loci exhibiting more subtle shifts than those commonly observed in colorectal cancer, especially at shorter nucleotide repeats, an important consideration for future studies with pan-tumor MSI testing. With the increasing utility of identifying mismatch repair defects in hereditary and immuno-oncology for pan-tumor applications, choosing a testing approach that has the highest sensitivity is key. Our findings suggest that for maximal identification of mismatch repair deficiency, MMR by IHC and MSI by PCR are complementary technologies and should not be considered interchangeable. Consistent with these findings, a number of guideline committees globally have begun recommending co-testing for MMR and MSI. These two cost effective tools can be used together for both a functional and informative approach prior to more costly downstream testing. Citation Format: Samantha R. Lewis, Kathryn Oostdik, Shaun Peterson, Heather Tomlinson. A performance characterization of microsatellite instability and mismatch repair testing methods in endometrial samples [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 4251.
Stereotyping Ourselves: Gendered Language Use in Management and Instruction Library Job Advertisements

Are librarians perpetuating their own stereotypes? This study analyzed 460 job advertisements of instruction librarian and management positions in academic libraries for the use of gendered languag...
Freshwater decapod conservation: recent progress and future challenges

Freshwater ecosystems around the world support a highly diverse fauna that includes significant numbers of decapod crustaceans (freshwater crabs, crayfish, and shrimps) many of which are of economic importance. However, freshwater habitats and animals that depend on them are now under increasing threat. Recent International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assessments of the world’s freshwater crabs and crayfish revealed significant numbers of species threatened with extinction. The long-term survival of many freshwater species is becoming more precarious as wetland habitats are increasingly degraded and threats to freshwater biodiversity intensify. The majority of threatened decapods are restricted-range endemics living in habitats threatened by unprecedented human demands for water and food resulting in alteration of drainage patterns, pollution, and over-harvesting. Current strategies for slowing the decline of the world’s threatened freshwater decapod species include the sustainable management of their freshwater habitats and the collection of more baseline data on their diversity, population and distribution patterns, and conservation status.
Hierarchical guidance cues and selective axon pathway formation.

Publisher Summary This chapter explores the developmental mechanisms of navigation and selective fasciculation of peripheral sensory neurons in the embryo of the leech. It shows that central nervous system (CNS)-derived guidance cues are necessary for correct pathway formation of these neurons into the CNS. In the absence of these cues, the growing axons lose their orientation and default to fasciculation onto each other, often forming circular paths. In normal development, when the peripheral neurons reach the CNS, they segregate into four well-defined axonal tracts. The chapter also demonstrates that at least two antigenically distinct subpopulations of peripheral neurons can be defined which have selective affinity for two different pathways. These results provide compelling evidence for the existence of a hierarchy of guidance cues mediating specific tract formation in this system. The chapter proposes that different subsets of peripheral neurons differentially express other molecules or epitopes that can interact with CNS-derived guidance cues, possibly through heterophilic mechanisms and signal transduction events. These interactions override the common fasciculation and mediate selective segregation and tract formation.
A Critical Review of the Literature on Electronic Networks as Reflective Discourse Communities for Inservice Teachers

Over the past two decades, computer mediated communication (CMC) technologies have been used in a variety of efforts aimed at fostering teacher learning and teacher collaboration. This study is an attempt to closely examine the literature on the use of electronic networks for creating reflective teacher communities. We found that many teacher networks pursued the goal of building learning and reflective communities for teachers. Much was expected out of electronic teacher networks both as a practical solution to the stubborn problems in teacher professional development and as a new agent to create what is difficult to realize in face-to-face situations. However, we found a general lack of rigorous research on these networks. Little is known about the effectiveness of these networks on teacher learning. Few seriously examined to what degree the networks indeed were “communities” that promote “reflective discourses.”
Michel Foucault and Michael Oakeshott: The Virtuosity of Individuality

In this paper, I reinterpret Michael Oakeshott’s idea of a liberal self through the conceptual framework of Foucault’s theory of the aesthetics of the self. Oakeshott believes that agents can create themselves as a “style” or a distinctive shape. This style is a “virtuosity,” an artistic achievement that is also an “excellence” in itself. Oakeshott’s liberal version of the aesthetics of the self is a new way to think about what Foucault’s argument might mean. Oakeshott’s theory is an internal challenge to liberalism insofar as liberalism is purportedly a theory of individuality and the unalienable worth of each person; but for Oakeshott, this individuality pertains to the agent gaining a distinctive style, sustaining “distinctness,” not achieving “distinction.” Oakeshott draws our attention to how distinctness is undermined by the forces of conformity and “normality” in existing liberal society. I also argue that the purportedly “radical” social policy of the basic income, which, while in tension with parts of Oakeshott’s theory, provides all citizens the opportunity to enjoy his particular idea of the self.
SLC30A10: A novel manganese transporter

Homozygous mutations in SLC30A10 cause familial parkinsonism associated with manganese (Mn) retention. We recently identified SLC30A10 to be a cell surface-localized Mn efflux transporter and demonstrated that parkinsonism-causing mutations block its intracellular trafficking and efflux function. In C. elegans, SLC30A10 over-expression protected against Mn-induced lethality and dopaminergic neurotoxicity, consistent with results in mammalian systems. Here, we present new data about SLC30A10 function in C. elegans. SLC30A10 expression did not protect worms against ZnSO4toxicity, suggesting that SLC30A10 does not mediate Zn export in C. elegans. Furthermore, while a blast search identified 5 potential SLC30A10 homologs in worms (cdf-1, cdf-2, ttm-1 and toc-1; sequence identity <35%), knock-down of these genes showed a tendency of increased survival after Mn exposure (although only ttm-1 was statistically significant), suggesting that the worm homologs may function differently.
The Radicalization of Establishment Clause Jurisprudence

There are two central issues at the core of Establishment Clause jurisprudence: (1) the intelligibility of the distinction between the religious and the secular, and (2) the intelligibility of the concept of governmental neutrality. Our interpretive approach to the Establishment Clause depends upon the premise that we can distinguish clearly between religion and non-religion, and upon the premise that government can be truly neutral among different religions and between religion and non-religion. The Christian Right’s radicalization of Establishment Clause jurisprudence is the claim that the very attempt to be neutral between religion and non-religion is itself a religious position and thus violates Establishment Clause prohibitions. It is, more specifically, the claim that purported neutrality between the religious and the secular is itself a secular position, that secularism is what the Christian Right calls secular humanism, that secular humanism is itself a religion, that government endorsement and advancement of secular humanism thus contravenes the Establishment Clause, and that, consequently, neutrality itself violates the Establishment Clause. The burden of this paper is to dissect and challenge that radical challenge itself by arguing that because accepting the radicalization of Establishment Clause jurisprudence undermines the intelligibility of the religion clauses, affirming that intelligibility requires rejecting the radical challenge.
Imaging of Dynamic Changes of the Actin Cytoskeleton in Microextensions of Live NIH3T3 Cells with a GFP Fusion of the F-Actin Binding Domain of Moesin

The cell surface undergoes continuous change during cell movement. This is characterized by transient protrusion and partial or complete retraction of microspikes, filopodia, and lamellipodia. This requires a dynamic actin cytoskeleton, moesin, components of Rho-mediated signal pathways, rearrangement of membrane constituents and the formation of focal adhesion sites. While the immunofluorescence distribution of endogenous moesin is that of a membrane-bound molecule with marked enhancement in some but not all microextensions, the C-terminal fragment of moesin co-distributes with filamentous actin consistent with its actin-binding activity. By taking advantage of this property we studied the spontaneous protrusive activity of live NIH3T3 cells, expressing a fusion of GFP and the C-terminal domain of moesin. C-moesin-GFP localized to stress fibers and was enriched in actively protruding cellular regions such as filopodia or lamellipodia. This localization was reversibly affected by cytochalasin D. Multiple types of cytoskeletal rearrangements were observed that occurred independent of each other in adjacent regions of the cell surface. Assembly and disassembly of actin filaments occurred repeatedly within the same space and was correlated with either membrane protrusion and retraction, or no change in shape when microextensions were adherent. Shape alone provided an inadequate criterion for distinguishing between retraction fibers and advancing, retracting or stable filopodia. Fluorescence imaging of C-moesin-GFP, however, paralleled the rapid and dynamic changes of the actin cytoskeleton in microextensions. Regional regulatory control is implicated because opposite changes occurred in close proximity and presumably independent of each other. This new and sensitive tool should be useful for investigating mechanisms of localized actin dynamics in the cell cortex.
A hardware and software architectural model for the manipulation of genetic databases

Summary form only given. The authors describe a hardware and software architectural model for the characterization and analysis of genomes of select organisms. The data for research is obtained by semantically relating existing heterogeneous genetic databases. The authors have developed an architectural model based on associative memory structures at the hardware level and an object-oriented model at the software level. Simulation studies are under way to establish the appropriateness of a system based on a set of tagged associative processors operating in parallel which can be used for gene sequencing and analysis. They have identified primitive instructions on the machine which are consonant with biologists' map manipulation and usage requirements. >
Characterization of acid-tolerant H2/CO2-utilizing methanogenic enrichment cultures from an acidic peat bog in New York State

Two methanogenic cultures were enriched from acidic peat soil using a growth medium buffered to c. pH 5. One culture, 6A, was obtained from peat after incubation with H(2)/CO(2), whereas culture NTA was derived from a 10(-4) dilution of untreated peat into a modified medium. 16S rRNA gene clone libraries from each culture contained one methanogen and two bacterial sequences. The methanogen 16S rRNA gene sequences were 99% identical with each other and belonged to the novel "R-10/Fen cluster" family of the Methanomicrobiales, whereas their mcrA sequences were 96% identical. One bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequence from culture 6A belonged to the Bacteroidetes and showed 99% identity with sequences from methanogenic enrichments from German and Russian bogs. The other sequence belonged to the Firmicutes and was identical to a thick rod-shaped citrate-utilizing organism isolated from culture 6A, the numbers of which decreased when the Ti (III) chelator was switched from citrate to nitrilotriacetate. Bacterial clones from the NTA culture clustered in the Delta- and Betaproteobacteria. Both cultures contained thin rods, presumably the methanogens, as the predominant morphotype, and represent a significant advance in characterization of the novel acidiphilic R-10 family methanogens.
Analytical solution for two-phase flow in a wellbore using the drift-flux model

This paper presents analytical solutions for steady-state, compressible two-phase flow through a wellbore under isothermal conditions using the drift flux conceptual model. Although only applicable to highly idealized systems, the analytical solutions are useful for verifying numerical simulation capabilities that can handle much more complicated systems, and can be used in their own right for gaining insight about two-phase flow processes in wells. The analytical solutions are obtained by solving the mixture momentum equation of steady-state, two-phase flow with an assumption that the two phases are immiscible. These analytical solutions describe the steady-state behavior of two-phase flow in the wellbore, including profiles of phase saturation, phase velocities, and pressure gradients, as affected by the total mass flow rate, phase mass fraction, and drift velocity (i.e., the slip between two phases). Close matching between the analytical solutions and numerical solutions for a hypothetical CO{sub 2} leakage problem as well as to field data from a CO{sub 2} production well indicates that the analytical solution is capable of capturing the major features of steady-state two-phase flow through an open wellbore, and that the related assumptions and simplifications are justified for many actual systems. In addition, we demonstrate the utility of the analyticalmore » solution to evaluate how the bottomhole pressure in a well in which CO{sub 2} is leaking upward responds to the mass flow rate of CO{sub 2}-water mixture.« less
Validity and reliability of an omega-3 fatty acid food frequency questionnaire for first-generation Midwestern Latinas.

This study tested the hypothesis that a culturally developed omega-3 (n-3) fatty acid food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) could be an accurate instrument to capture n-3 fatty acid food intakes of first-generation Midwestern Latinas. The goal of the study was to assess validity and test-retest reliability of an FFQ to estimate total n-3 fatty acid (total n-3), α-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) intakes. An n-3 FFQ was developed and pilot tested. Two FFQs and 3 nonconsecutive 24-hour recalls were collected from 162 participants. Pearson correlation and paired t test were used to test the hypothesis. Correlation of the 2 FFQs was 0.71 for total n-3, 0.65 for ALA, 0.74 for EPA, and 0.54 for DHA (P .05), but were significantly different for EPA and DHA. The n-3 FFQ had acceptable reliability, validated only total n-3 and ALA, and provided relevant findings about the n-3 eating habits of Midwestern Latinas.
Three-Dimensional Model for Manufacturing and Inspection

Three-dimensional Model-Based Engineering (MBE) along with Quality Information Framework (QIF) is an approach to product design, manufacturing, and support where a digital three-dimensional representation of the product serves as the normative source for information communicated throughout the product’s lifecycle and supply chain. MBE simplifies data management and provides a more powerful communication medium than 2D-based environments. This is not just using a model for reference or a visual aid. The model will be the definition for the parts being manufactured, inspected, and built into full engines. The use of two-dimensional prints will be outdated and a culture change will be needed to embrace this change. Many organizations are implementing MBE and are using this technology to produce aerospace products. Manufacturing and inspection functions are dependent on the models from cradle to grave of the product lifecycle. These smart models will have all of the necessary dimensional metrology interoperability, GDT paper prints will not be needed or produced. These types of models will drive almost all of the military’s new designs and if the organization is not prepared for this change, it will lose many opportunities to be competitive.Copyright © 2013 by Rolls-Royce Corporation
Late Loss in Lumen Diameter and Binary Restenosis for Drug-Eluting Stent Comparison

Background— Published rates of coronary restenosis have fallen below 10% in drug-eluting stent trials. Early evaluations of new stents have used continuous end points that are presumed surrogates for restenosis, but the generalizability and power of such end points have not been examined systematically. Methods and Results— We examined the relationship between incremental changes in observed late loss in lumen diameter and the probability of restenosis using reported late loss from 22 published trials of various types of stents (bare-metal, drug-eluting, and small-vessel stents). Next, the power of late loss differences was compared with that of corresponding binary restenosis rates. The relationship between mean late loss and its SD was linear and did not vary with stent type (drug-eluting or bare-metal) or vessel diameter. At all levels of late loss examined (0 to 1 mm), incremental changes were associated with increasing restenosis risk (with an increasing magnitude of effect at higher levels of late l...
Tomographic hyperspectral imaging without a missing-cone

We describe a hyperspectral imager combining coded aperture spectroscopy and tomographic spatial reconstruction. The throughput of the system is improved compared to scanning techniques while avoiding the missing-cone problem common to many spectral tomographic approaches.
Syntheses of Siderophore–Drug Conjugates Using a Convergent Thiol–Maleimide System

Three siderophore–drug conjugates (sideromycins) were synthesized by preparation of a maleimide linked derivative of the siderophore desferrioxamine B and reacting the corresponding Ga3+-complex with freshly prepared thiol-containing antibiotics: loracarbef, ciprofloxacin, and nadifloxacin. The conjugates and their synthetic precursors were tested against a broad panel of bacteria and were found to display Gram-positive selective, growth inhibitory activity (μM), indicating that this approach is suitable for the convergent syntheses and screening of novel sideromycins.
Spin dynamics at very high spin polarization

The dynamics for dipole-coupled nuclear spin systems under conditions of high spin polarization are investigated both theoretically and numerically. Quantum spin simulations were performed which demonstrate that the transverse magnetization decays more rapidly as $\ensuremath{\theta}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\pi}∕2$, where $\ensuremath{\theta}$ is the initial tip angle applied to the spins. Simple analytical models are used to demonstrate the increased decay of the transverse magnetization as $\ensuremath{\theta}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\pi}∕2$. Calculations of the free induction decay (FID) up to the fourth moment are consistent with the increased decay of the FID with increasing tip angle. The increased decay of the FID is a result of increased spectral interference amongst the various spectral transitions.
The mechanism of specific prolongation of class I‐mismatched skin grafts induced by retroviral gene therapy

In the present study, we examine the mechanism of specific hyporesponsiveness to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-mismatched skin allografts induced by retrovirus-mediated gene transfer of an allogeneic class I gene into syngeneic bone marrow (BM). Using appropriate congenic recombinant mouse strains, we have mapped MHC determinants that are capable of restoring rapid rejection of Kb-bearing skin grafts. Our results indicate that either a single class I or a single class II alloantigen expressed on skin in association with Kb is able to restore the rapid rejection of Kb-mismatched skin grafts. These data suggest that third-party alloantigens expressed on skin in association with Kb abrogate hyporesponsiveness by providing T cell help. Consistent with this interpretation, spleen cells from mice reconstituted with Kb-transduced BM were unable to elicit a significant anti-Kb cytotoxic T lymphocyte response in vitro unless interleukin-2 was added to the culture medium. Skin graft survival was also analyzed on B10. AKM mice thymectomized 3-4 weeks post-reconstitution with Kb-transduced BM. Thymectomy did not result in significantly prolonged survival of B10. MBR skin grafts compared to euthymic controls, suggesting that even early after reconstitution, intrathymic deletion of Kb-reactive T cells must have been incomplete. Taken together, these data suggest that prolongation of skin allograft survival in this model is controlled at the level of T cell help.
The Aesthetics of Natural Elderhood

Elders have played a critical role in human evolution as keepers of stories and contributors to beauty in culture. In a fashion reflective of Gene Cohen's broadly integrative thinking about aging, we assert the importance of elders to the future of our species during this time of great social unrest and environmental challenges. A deeper ethics of aging is required which challenges simple scientific notions of aging as disease and decline and broadens the human dimension of wise elderhood.
Characterisation of children's asthma status by ICD-9 code and criteria-based medical record review

OBJECTIVE To characterise the relationship between ICD code-based (i.e. physician diagnosis-based) and criteria-based asthma ascertainment. METHODS We compared identification of children with asthma between criteria-based medical record review for asthma ascertainment and an ICD-9 code-based approach. We determined the agreement rate and validity index of ICD code-based asthma ascertainment using asthma status by medical record review as a gold standard. RESULTS Of the 115 study subjects, the agreement between medical record review and ICD-9 coding was 81.6% with a kappa value of 0.28 (P<0.0001). Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values for ICD-9 code were 24.0%, 97.8%, 75.0%, and 82.0%, respectively, using criteria for asthma by medical record review as gold standard. CONCLUSIONS ICD code-based asthma ascertainment appears to under-identify children with asthma compared to criteria-based medical record review. ICD codes may be useful for etiologic research but may not be suitable for surveillance of asthma epidemiology.
Effect upon the family of transfer of mental patients

Mental patients do not always remain in the hospital to which they are first admitted; they may, after brief or extended periods, be transferred to other hospitals. This is the report of an exploratory study of the attitudes, perceptions, and reactions of patients' families to their transfer to or from a state hospital and of the relationships between the families' attitudes to the change and characteristics of the patients and their hospital experiences. Of 27 variables studied, 11 are strongly correlated with negative attitudes toward transfer, including a number of hospital-associated measures. The conclusions suggest modifications in hospital practices which may substantially reduce these negative attitudes.
A micromethod for the determination of urinary inorganic sulfates

Abstract A simple, sensitive and reliable method is presented for the direct measurement of inorganic sulfates in urine. A known concentration of Ba 2+ ion is complexed with sodium rhodizonate. Absorbance of the red colored complex is measured at 520 nm. In the presence of sulfate, BaS0 4 is precipitated and the color diminishes and absorbance is lowered. The concentration of sulfate is calculated from the difference in absorbance.
Comparison of materials for use in the precision grinding of optical components

Precision grinding of optical components is becoming an accepted practice for rapidly and deterministically fabrication optical surfaces to final or near-final surface finish and figure. In this paper, a comparison of grinding techniques and materials is performed. Flat and spherical surfaces were ground in three different substrate materials: BK7 glass, chemical vapor deposited (CVD) silicon carbide ceramic, and sapphire. Spherical surfaces were used to determine the contouring capacity of the process, and flat surfaces were used for surface finish measurements. The recently developed Precitech Optimum 2800 diamond turning and grinding platform was used to grind surfaces in 40mm diameter substrates sapphire and silicon carbide substrates and 200 mm BK7 glass substrates using diamond grinding wheels. The results of this study compare the surface finish and figure for the three materials.
Melatonin mediates two distinct responses in vascular smooth muscle

The pineal hormone melatonin was found to produce two distinct contractile responses in vascular smooth muscle. In isolated rat caudal artery segments, denuded of endothelium, melatonin (10(-10)-10(-7) M) potentiated phenylephrine-induced contractions in a concentration-dependent manner. At higher melatonin concentrations (10(-7)-10(-5) M), however, the potentiating effect was attenuated. In the presence of the melatonin MT2 receptor antagonist, 4-phenyl-2-acetamidotetraline (4P-ADOT), the attenuated constrictor responses were selectively enhanced. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that melatonin activates two receptor subtypes in vascular smooth muscle; MT2 receptors may induce relaxation, while a second receptor subtype mediates vasoconstriction.
Cross-National Variation in the Size of Passenger Car Fleets: A Study in Environmentally Significant Consumption

To help build theory on the factors contributing to “environmentally significant consumption,” I analyze cross-national variation in the size of passenger car fleets. I take into consideration multiple factors—demographic, economic, and socio-political—that potentially influence motorization. The results indicate that all types of factors have a significant influence on national motorization, although economic factors are the most influential. I conclude that in order to properly understand consumption practices we need to consider multiple perspectives and recognize that there are global structural conditions that form the context in which causal processes unfold.
ANTINEURONAL ANTIBODIES, ANTISTREPTOCOCCAL ANTIBODIES AND TOURETTE SYNDROME: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY † 1762

ANTINEURONAL ANTIBODIES, ANTISTREPTOCOCCAL ANTIBODIES AND TOURETTE SYNDROME: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY † 1762
Singlet Oxygen Delivery Through the Porous Cap of a Hollow-Core Fiber Optic Device

The development of the first photosensitizer/fiber optic device is reported. An oxygen-flowing, fiber-capped configuration is used for the application of heterogeneous, spatially confined singlet oxygen delivery in aqueous media. This is a unique device, unlike other heterogeneous photosensitizers, in which local concentrations of singlet oxygen can be delivered via introduction and withdrawal of the fiber tip.