cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Acute and Late Toxicity of Two Regimens of 3- and 5-Week Concomitant Boost Prone IMRT to Standard 6-Week Breast Radiotherapy.

Purpose: Limited information is available comparing toxicity of accelerated radiotherapy (RT) to those of standard fractionation RT for early stage breast cancer, after breast conserving surgery. We report early and late toxicities of two prone regimens of accelerated intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) with a concomitant boost (CB) to the tumor bed delivered over 3 or 5 weeks as compared to standard 6 week RT with a sequential electron boost. Methods: From 2/2003 to 12/2007, 169 consecutive patients with Stage I-II breast cancer were offered the choice to undergo prone RT with either: a 6 weeks standard RT regimen of 46 Gy/23 fractions (fx) to the whole breast (WB), followed by a14 Gy sequential boost (SB) to the tumor bed (6wSB) ; a 5 week regimen of 50 Gy to WB a with a IMRT CB of 6.25 Gy in 25 fx (5wCB); or a 3 week protocol of 40.5 Gy to WB with an IMRT CB of 7.5 Gy in 15 fx (3wCB). These regimens were estimated as biologically equivalent, based on alpha/beta=4 for tumor control. Toxicities were reported using RTOG and LENT/SOMA scoring. Results: 51/169 patients chose standard 6wSB, 28 selected 5wCB, and 90 enrolled in 3wCB protocol. Maximum acute toxicity was grade 3 dermatitis in 4% of the patients in the 6wSB compared 1% in 3wCB. In general, acute complications (breast pain, fatigue, and dermatitis) were significantly less in the 3wCB than in the other schedules (P<0.05). With a median follow up of 61 months, the only grade 3 late toxicity was telangiectasia in 2 patients: 1 in 3wCB and 1 in 5wCB group. Notably, fibrosis was comparable among the three groups (P=NS). Conclusions: These preliminary data suggest that accelerated regimens of breast RT over 3 or 5 weeks in the prone position, with an IMRT tumor bed CB, result in comparable late toxicity to standard fractionation with a sequential tumor boost delivered over 6 weeks. As predicted by radiobiological modeling the shorter regimen was associated with less acute effects.
Fast needle insertion to minimize tissue deformation and damage

During needle-based procedures, transitions between tissue layers often involve puncture events that produce substantial deformation and tend to drive the needle off course. In this paper, we analyze the mechanics of these rupture events corresponding to unstable crack propagation during the insertion of a sharp needle in an inhomogeneous tissue. The force-deflection curve of the needle prior to a rupture event is modeled by a nonlinear viscoelastic Kelvin model and a stress analysis is used to predict the relationship between rupture force and needle velocity. The model predicts that the force-deflection response of the needle is steeper and the tissue absorbs less energy when the needle moves faster. The force of rupture also decreases for faster insertion under certain conditions. The observed properties are sufficient to show that maximizing needle velocity minimizes tissue deformation and damage, and consequently, results in less needle insertion position error. The model predicts that tissue deformation and absorbed energy asymptotically approach lower bounds as velocity increases. Experiments with porcine cardiac tissue confirm the analytical predictions.
How far can a molecule of weak acid travel in the apoplast or xylem

The plant hormones auxin, abscisic acid (ABA), and the gibberellins (GAs) are all weak acids subject to the ion-trapping mechanism that tends to remove them from the extracellular space and concentrate them in the cytoplasm of plant cells. If a molecule of one of these compounds enters the
CD4+ Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte Activity against Macrophages Pulsed with Bovine Herpesvirus 1 Polypeptides

Bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1) induces immune suppression, but the mechanisms for suppression are not well identified. We examined the induction and activity of BHV-1-specific cytolytic CD4(+) T lymphocytes (CTL) by stimulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of cattle immunized with attenuated live BHV-1. Cytolytic effector cells were primarily CD4(+) T lymphocytes and lysed autologous, but not allogeneic, macrophages infected with BHV-1 or pulsed with BHV-1 polypeptides. Apoptosis of BHV-1-expressing target cells was observed in CD4(+) CTL assays by terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) analysis. To determine if apoptosis was mediated by a perforin- or Fas-mediated pathway, EGTA, a known selective inhibitor of the perforin pathway, was used. EGTA did not inhibit CD4(+)-T-cell-mediated cytotoxic activity, but it did limit the NK cell cytotoxicity of virus infected cells. These findings support the concept that CD4(+) CTL lyse macrophages pulsed with BHV-1 polypeptides through a Fas-mediated lytic pathway by inducing apoptosis in the target cells. The prominent cytotoxicity mediated by CD4(+) CTL suggests a mechanism of selective removal of viral antigen-associated antigen-presenting cells.
Employee Ownership, Participation and Workplace Safety: A Response to Grunberg, Moore and Greenberg:

This article questions assumptions from a 1996 article in Economic and Industrial Democracy on employee ownership and workplace safety and reviews findings about the safety performance of firms in ...
Methods for Increasing Region 2 Power Capture on a Variable-Speed Wind Turbine

The standard region 2 control scheme for a variable-speed wind turbine,t c5Kv 2 , has several shortcomings that can result in significant power loss. The first of these is that there is no accurate way to determine the gain K; modeling programs are not accurate enough to represent all of the complex aerodynamics, and these aerodynamics change over time. Furthermore, it is not certain whether the value of K used in the standard control even provides for the maximum energy capture under real-world turbulent conditions. We introduce new control methods to address these issues. First, we show in simulation that using smaller values of K than the standard can result in increased energy capture. Second, we give simulation results showing that an optimally tracking rotor control scheme can improve upon the standard scheme by assisting the rotor speed in tracking wind-speed fluctuations more rapidly. Finally, we propose an adaptive control scheme that allows for maximum power capture despite parameter uncertainty. @DOI: 10.1115/1.1792653#
GENOTYPE AND PHENOTYPE CORRELATIONS IN CONGENITAL GLAUCOMA

Purpose To determine whether there is a correlation among mutations in the cytochrome P450 1B1 gene (CYP1B1), the degree of angle dysgenesis observed histologically, and disease severity in congenital glaucoma.
Portlet Wrappers using JavaScript

In this paper we extend the classical portal (with static portlets) design with HTML DOM Web clipping on the client browser using dynamic JavaScript portlets: the port al server supplies the user/passwords for all servi ces through https and the client browser retrieves web pages and cuts/sel ects/changes the desired parts using paths (XPath) in the Web page structure. This operation brings along a set of adv antages: dynamic wrapping of existing legacy websit es in the client browser, the reloading of only changed portlets ins tead of whole portal, low bandwidth on the server, the elimination of re-writing the URL links in the portal, and last bu t not least, a support for Java applets in portlets by putting the login cookies on the client browser. Our solution is comp liant with JSR168 Portlet Specification allowing po rtability across all vendor platforms.
Coronary artery bypass graft surgery and phrenic nerve injury: another twist, unilateral amiodarone pulmonary toxicity

Amiodarone is an effective antiarrhythmic agent whose utility is limited by many side effects, the most significant and potentially lethal being pulmonary toxicity. We report a case of unilateral amiodarone pulmonary toxicity that resulted from left phrenic nerve injury from coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery with hypoxic vasoconstriction of the left pulmonary arterial system and preferential perfusion of the right lung with amiodarone. The diagnosis depended upon the chest radiograph and the perfusion scan that demonstrated shunting of blood to the right lung.
Vehicle detection using a magnetic field sensor

The measurement of vehicle magnetic moments and the results from use of a fluxgate magnetic sensor to actuate a lighting system from the magnetic fields of passing vehicles is reported. A typical U.S. automobile has a magnetic moment of about 200 A-m2(Ampere-meters2), while for a school bus it is about 2000 A-m2. When the vehicle is modeled as an ideal magnetic dipole with a moment of 200 A-m2, the predicted results from an analysis of the sensor-vehicle geometry agree closely with observations of the system response to automobiles.
Eradication of Plant Pests—Pro

Entomology professors were “fighting” among themselves about eradication 40 years ago, when I was an undergraduate in college. As a naive country boy, I found it difficult to understand why a group of well educated scientists could not agree, at least semantically if not philosophically, on what eradication was and its place in the overall management of pests. As our entomological as well as other biological, knowledge has increased during the last 40 years, along with technology—the ability to use our knowledge for the benefit of man—the intensity of the controversy over eradication seems to have increased. After 40 years of involvement in entomology, I admit that I am still a naive country boy; I still do not understand why the controversy rages on.
Earth First!: Environmental Apocalypse

This text examines the doctrine of Earth First!, the environmental movement whose tactics include unorthodox activities. The background, economic status and members of the organization of the movement are included here, along with details of the F.B.I. investigation which occurred.
188 SYSTEMIC TOXICITY AFTER DERMAL EXPOSURE TO PARAQUAT

Systemic symptoms of paraquat exposure are well described after oral ingestion of moderate to large amounts of paraquat. This case is an example of multiple organ involvement after only routine dermal exposure. This 34-year-old male was transferred from an outside facility due to a one week history of abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, jaundice and constipation. He denied recent fever, chills, weight loss, and night sweats. He worked as a day laborer, who had applied herbicides per routine recently. He had normal dermal exposure without ingestion. On physical examination, he had icteric sclera, dry mucous membranes, tachycardia, a diffusely tender abdomen, and hepatomegaly. Laboratory values were consistent with renal insufficiency, liver failure, pancreatitis, and thrombocytopenia. The chest radiography showed diffuse miliary pulmonary infiltrates bilaterally. Computed tomography of the thorax showed numerous small subpleural and parenchymal nodules. Renal, abdominal, and gall bladder sonograms were all unremarkable. Electrocardiogram showed first degree heart block. The patient was admitted to determine the cause of the above findings. At this point paraquat exposure was considered, but the patient repeatedly denied ingestion. The patient was initially treated supportively with intravenous fluids. By the second hospital day the white blood cell count had increased to 16,400/mm3, up from 11,000/mm3 (it would later peak at 23,700/mm3). The creatinine peaked at 9.3 mg/dL on the second hospital day, but subsequently dropped. All other lab values that were abnormal begin to trend down with supportive care except bilirubin. It continued to rise to a high of 33 mg/dL on the fifth hospital day. On the fourth hospital day it was learned that a coworker had been admitted with similar symptoms and required intubation. The patients' hospital courses differed in the degree in which organs were affected. This patient's lab values, symptoms, and hospital course are all consistent with paraquat ingestion. This case illustrates how dermal exposures can lead to severe symptoms classically attributed to paraquat ingestions. If a worker has poor hygiene, has prolonged exposure due to paraquat soaked clothes, or wears a leaking knapsack applicator, systemic symptoms can occur.
MR image classification algorithms for neurosurgical and stereotactic radiosurgical trajectory planning and volumetric analysis.

AbstractNeurosurgical and stereotactic radiosurgical trajectory planning involves a phase of image data acquisition followed by localization of tissues to be avoided or crossed during the procedure. Success of the procedure is often assessed during follow-up by performing volumetric analysis of tissues of interest. Both localization and volumetric analysis can be facilitated by classifying the input data into different tissue types. This study compares classification results based on four different input image data: (1) MR data obtained with oneTR and TE parameter combination, (2) MR data acquired with eight combinations of TR and TE parameters, (3) input data compressed into four principal components, and (4) the input data (3) together with first- and second-order texture features. The algorithms (a) to reduce the dimensionality using pricipal components, (b) to generate texture features, (c) to determine feature usefulness in classification using the Wilk’s X criterion, and (d) to classify the input se...
Effect of intracavernous simultaneous injection of acetylcholine and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide on canine penile erection.

Abstract We investigated the effects of intracavernous injection of a combination of acetylcholine (ACh) and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) on the erectile response in eleven adult male dogs. The minimum dose of ACh which increased the intracavernous pressure in eight dogs varied from 0.2 to 40 pg., and the minimum dose of VIP varied from 0.2 to 5 pg. When the minimum doses of ACh and VIP were injected simultaneously, a strong increase of intracavernous pressure (the mean increase was 102 cm. H20 from the baseline level) and a sustained erection (mean 5 min.) were observed in all eight dogs. The effect of simultaneous injection of both drugs was not additive but synergistic. Pretreatment with VIP-antibody and atropine intracavernously suppressed the erectile response induced by cavernous nerve stimulation. VIP may increase the affinity of muscarinic receptors for ACh in canine corpus cavernosum because pretreatment with atropine alone before the simultaneous injection of ACh and VIP completely abolished the effect of the combination. We conclude that ACh and VIP may play a cooperative role in canine penile erection. Accepted for publication February 10, 1992.
Assessing the research efficiency of higher education institutions in Chile: A data envelopment analysis approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the research efficiency of the Chilean higher education institutions (HEIs). As it has been argued in the literature, universities in Chile are far from being considered research-oriented institutions. Current governmental reforms have put pressures on the efficient use of public resources, especially, public expenditures in higher education. In response, the proposed data-driven approach can be used to inform educational managers and policy makers about research efficiency. Therefore, a better allocation of the scarce educational resources can be achieved. Design/methodology/approach – Data envelopment analysis is used to assess the research efficiency of a set of Chilean universities. Four models are proposed based on different parameters to cover various drivers of the research productivity. Findings – The paper provides evidence that only a few universities in Chile are efficient in regards to research. Moreover, interesting results in terms of the diff...
Pyrroloquinoline Quinone Ethanol Dehydrogenase in Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 Extends Lanthanide-Dependent Metabolism to Multicarbon Substrates.

ABSTRACT Lanthanides are utilized by microbial methanol dehydrogenases, and it has been proposed that lanthanides may be important for other type I alcohol dehydrogenases. A triple mutant strain ( mxaF xoxF1 xoxF2 ; named MDH-3), deficient in the three known methanol dehydrogenases of the model methylotroph Methylobacterium extorquens AM1, is able to grow poorly with methanol if exogenous lanthanides are added to the growth medium. When the gene encoding a putative quinoprotein ethanol dehydrogenase, exaF , was mutated in the MDH-3 background, the quadruple mutant strain could no longer grow on methanol in minimal medium with added lanthanum (La 3+ ). ExaF was purified from cells grown with both calcium (Ca 2+ ) and La 3+ and with Ca 2+ only, and the protein species were studied biochemically. Purified ExaF is a 126-kDa homodimer that preferentially binds La 3+ over Ca 2+ in the active site. UV-visible spectroscopy indicates the presence of pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) as a cofactor. ExaF purified from the Ca 2+ -plus-La 3+ condition readily oxidizes ethanol and has secondary activities with formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and methanol, whereas ExaF purified from the Ca 2+ -only condition has minimal activity with ethanol as the substrate and activity with methanol is not detectable. The exaF mutant is not affected for growth with ethanol; however, kinetic and in vivo data show that ExaF contributes to ethanol metabolism when La 3+ is present, expanding the role of lanthanides to multicarbon metabolism. IMPORTANCE ExaF is the most efficient PQQ-dependent ethanol dehydrogenase reported to date and, to our knowledge, the first non-XoxF-type alcohol oxidation system reported to use lanthanides as a cofactor, expanding the importance of lanthanides in biochemistry and bacterial metabolism beyond methanol dehydrogenases to multicarbon metabolism. These results support an earlier proposal that an aspartate residue near the catalytic aspartate residue may be an indicator of rare-earth element utilization by type I alcohol dehydrogenases.
Inferring Remediation and Operational Risk from Material Weakness Disclosures

ABSTRACT: Understanding the inferences that nonprofessional investors draw from material weakness disclosures is important because of their effect on investment decisions and for assessing whether current standards serve their needs. Prior research shows that users assess higher financial reporting risk for an entity-level material weakness compared to an account-specific material weakness because they perceive the former as presenting a higher risk of potential misstatement. We extend the literature by proposing two variables (remediation and operational risks) that mediate and incrementally explain the observed relationship between the type of material weakness and financial reporting risk assessments. In an experiment involving 181 nonprofessional investors, we find, as predicted, that the entity-level material weakness signals not just a higher potential for undetected misstatements but also higher remediation and operational risks. Further, we find that the two variables fully mediate and incremental...
History Dependency of Muscle Strength Recovery from a Fatiguing Intermittent Task

Muscle fatigue and recovery are complex processes influencing muscle force generation capacity. While fatigue reduces this capacity, muscle recovery acts to restore the unfatigued muscle state. Many factors can potentially affect muscle recovery, among these may be a task dependency of recovery following an exercise. However, little has been reported regarding the history dependency of recovery after fatiguing contractions. Recently, we investigated the dependency of the fatigue process on cycle time during low to moderate exertion levels of intermittent muscle contraction (Rashedi & Nussbaum, 2016). A dependency of localized muscle fatigue on cycle time was shown, even though there was a consistent level of overall physical demand. It was concluded that the difference in fatigue development might be related to recovery processes occurring during execution of the intermittent task. In the present study, we focused on the potential effect of contraction history on post-fatigue recovery. Based on the expect...
Reform predictive policing

Police agencies, software firms and the public must ensure that crime-forecasting software improves public safety and officer accountability, writes Aaron Shapiro.
Preliminary studies of a simultaneous PET/MRI scanner based on the RatCAP small animal tomograph

We are developing a scanner that will allow simultaneous acquisition of high resolution anatomical data using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and quantitative physiological data using positron emission tomography (PET). The approach is based on the technology used for the RatCAP conscious small animal PET tomograph which utilizes block detectors consisting of pixelated arrays of LSO crystals read out with matching arrays of avalanche photodiodes and a custom-designed ASIC. The version of this detector used for simultaneous PET/MRI imaging will be constructed out of all nonmagnetic materials and will be situated inside the MRI field. We have demonstrated that the PET detector and its electronics can be operated inside the MRI, and have obtained MRI images with various detector components located inside the MRI field. The MRI images show minimal distortion in this configuration even where some components still contain traces of certain magnetic materials. We plan to improve on the image quality in the future using completely non-magnetic components and by tuning the MRI pulse sequences. The combined result will be a highly compact, low mass PET scanner that can operate inside an MRI magnet without distorting the MRI image, and can be retrofitted into existing MRI instruments.
Age-dependent changes in behavioural plasticity: insights from Bayesian models of development

Recent models of sensitive periods and age-dependent changes in plasticity are based on the premise that animals use Bayesian-like processes to update information across ontogeny. Here we adopt this approach to consider how cues in the rearing environment, cues in the test environment and an individual's information state at birth or hatching (its naive prior distribution) combine to generate age-dependent changes in ‘plasticity of belief’ (i.e. the effects of exposure to a given cue on the individual's estimate of a variable in the external world). Our models were based on experimental designs (within-individual, replicate-individual) that empiricists routinely use to study age-dependent changes in behavioural plasticity. We found that for parameter values representing a wide range of naive prior distributions and likelihood functions for the stimuli in the rearing and the test environment, the plasticity of belief nearly always eventually declined with age, results that are consistent with empirical observations of age-dependent declines in behavioural plasticity. However, plasticity of belief was maintained with age when individuals were reared in the absence of any cues, in agreement with data indicating that sensitive periods are often prolonged if subjects are reared in the absence of potentially informative stimuli. For a few combinations of naive prior distributions and likelihood functions we found that the plasticity of belief briefly increased early in life, before declining later in life. These results imply that patterns of age-dependent plasticity during the early juvenile period might predictably vary among genotypes that express different levels of behaviour at birth or hatching, as a function of the cues with which those genotypes were reared and tested. More generally, given that information updating would usually encourage age-dependent declines in behavioural plasticity, we suggest that future theory should focus on explaining situations in which this does not occur.
AMBIGUITY TYPES OF FORMAL GRAMMARS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses ambiguity types of formal grammars. All known parsing techniques used in compilers of programming languages work only, or work more efficiently, when unambiguous CF-grammars are concerned. The execution meaning of a program is defined inductively from its instructions and statements, and formally, it can be characterized by a set of execution sequences of instructions, which should be preserved by the translation. Usually, the execution meaning of an arithmetic expression, E, is uniquely determined and can be obtained from the reversed order of its right-most derivation in the underlying grammar, G. If G is ambiguous, there exist two right-most derivations of E and, therefore, two different execution meanings. If they lead to different results, the ambiguity of G can be called harmful. The execution meaning of a sequence of two or more assignments is the sequence of assignments itself, independently of any grammar. In structured programming, the sequencing of statements, S, is usually expressed by the production S →SS.
Variance Modeling in ASReml

Understanding the matrix representations of variance-covariance models is important to be able to fit mixed models with complex variance structures. In particular, ASReml makes use of a notation for direct products of matrices to form some complex variance structures. The direct product notation can be applied both to the residual errors from the model (in the ‘R structure’) and to random model factors (in the ‘G structure’). In this chapter we introduce the major variance models to form more complex R and G structures with some examples, but more detailed applications of variance modeling will be covered in later chapters.
Wirksamkeitsturbo: Agieren auf Augenhöhe

Nun haben wir uns bisher sehr intensiv und gar ingenieurhaft mit der Wirksamkeit von Organisationen befasst. Haben Sie sich die ganze Zeit gefragt: Und wo bleibt der Mensch? Diese Reaktion ist vollig berechtigt, spiegelt sie doch den tief in uns liegenden Wunsch wider, dass wir mit all unseren Starken und Schwachen, Leidenschaften, „Macken“ und Talenten, kurz mit der uns ganz eigenen Personlichkeit gewertschatzt werden.
H2O2 and mTOR control the senescence-associated secretory phenotype by coordinating Ca2+ transients through TRPC6 expression and activation

Cellular senescence has evolved as a protective mechanism to arrest growth of cells with oncogenic potential. While senescent cells have lost the ability to divide, they remain metabolically active and adapt a deleterious senescence associated secretory phenotype (SASP) central to the progression of several age-associated disease pathologies. The SASP is mechanistically regulated by the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1α) whose expression and activity is responsive to the senescence associated (SA) oxidant production and the accompanying disruption of calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis. Using primary IMR-90 human fetal lung fibroblasts as a model of replicative senescence, we explored the molecular underpinnings facilitating increased Ca2+ entry in senescent cells. We establish that the redox-responsive Transient Receptor Potential TRPC6 channel is compromised due to desensitization owing to SA increases in steady state hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production. SA dysregulation of Ca2+ is also accompanied by loss of response to H2O2-induced Ca2+ influx that can be rescued with catalase pre-treatments. Senescent cells are also insensitive to Ca2+ entry induced by hyperforin, a specific activator of TRPC6 that can be restored by catalase pre-treatments, further suggesting redox regulation of TRPC6 in senescence. Inhibition of TRPC6 channel activity restores ability of senescent cells to respond to peroxide-induced Ca2+ in addition to suppressing SASP gene expression. Furthermore, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling regulates SASP by means of modulating TRPC6 channel expression. Together, our findings provide compelling evidence that H2O2 and mTOR-mediated regulation of TRPC6 channel modulates SASP gene expression. As TRP channels emerge as targets of pharmacologic intervention for numerous disease pathologies, it is exciting to speculate that effect of TRP interventions may be attributed in part to inhibition of senescence and the SASP.
Hybrid silicon CMOS-carbon nanotube physically unclonable functions

Physically unclonable functions (PUFs) are used to uniquely identify electronic devices. Here, we introduce a hybrid silicon CMOS-nanotube PUF circuit that uses the variations of nanotube transistors to generate a random response. An analog silicon circuit subsequently converts the nanotube response to zero or one bits. We fabricate an array of nanotube transistors to study and model their device variability. The behavior of the hybrid CMOS-nanotube PUF is then simulated. The parameters of the analog circuit are tuned to achieve the desired normalized Hamming inter-distance of 0.5. The co-design of the nanotube array and the silicon CMOS is an attractive feature for increasing the immunity of the hybrid PUF against an unauthorized duplication. The heterogeneous integration of nanotubes with silicon CMOS offers a new strategy for realizing security tokens that are strong, low-cost, and reliable.
A Class of Transformations for Box‐Jenkins Seasonal Models

A numerical algorithm is developed for estimating the Box‐Cox transformation parameter λ in a seasonal arima model, jointly with other model parameters. The algorithm is easily implemented and requires only modest modification of existing Box‐Jenkins computer programs. Use of the algorithm is illustrated in analysing a time series of Chatfield and Prothero.
Preventing Brain Injury After Cardiopulmonary Bypass Will Require More Than Just Dialing Up the Pressure.

Article, see p 1770 Brain injury remains an important and potentially preventable complication of cardiac surgery. Although clinically overt strokes occur in a minority of patients, studies using frequent neurological assessments after surgery have found a much higher rate than had been previously appreciated.1 Even more commonly, patients manifest nonfocal or nonspecific neurological signs and symptoms of brain dysfunction such as encephalopathy, seizure, delirium, or postoperative cognitive impairment, at least some of which are also attributable to acute infarct. Recent investigations using perioperative magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) have demonstrated that cerebral infarction is frequently present after cardiac operations and interventions even in the absence of overt stroke.1,2 These findings have led a research consortium guideline to recommend combining neurological examinations, neurocognitive testing, and brain imaging in clinical trials designed to assess neurological outcomes after cardiac procedures to fully characterize the incidence, severity, and clinical sequelae of perioperative brain injury.3 Perioperative cerebral infarction associated with cardiac operations can be attributed to preexisting vascular disease, transient hypercoagulability, procedure-related thromboembolism, hypoperfusion, or a combination of these factors. Among these mechanisms, hypoperfusion stands out as an obvious modifiable risk factor. Early observational studies found an association between the incidence and severity of postoperative brain damage and low mean arterial pressure (MAP) during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).4,5 Subsequent brain imaging studies suggested that up to 48% of cardiac surgical patients with postoperative stroke had infarction in the watershed regions of the brain and that hypotension was a risk factor for stroke.6 Furthermore, although thromboembolism is an important mechanism for stroke, hypotension may exacerbate these injuries by impairing “washout” or clearance of microemboli.7 However, randomized controlled studies8–10 and observational studies11,12 have yielded inconclusive or conflicting results on the effect of …
Scapular instability. The scapulothoracic joint.

Instability of the scapula is increasingly recognized as a cause of shoulder and arm pain. There are several distinct causes for this malady, each of which requires appropriate work-up. Treatment is focused to correct the cause of instability. Nonoperative measures are the mainstay of most treatment regimens. This article describes possible causes and treatments of scapular instability and outlines an appropriate rehabilitation plan.
Pelagic larvae of New England intertidal gastropods

The egg case, pelagic larva and postlarva ofNassarius trivittatus Say are described and figured from specimens reared in the laboratory. Similarities and differences in the larvae of New England and European species ofNassarius are indicated.
Pollen limitation and its effect on seed germination

In nature, fruit and seed production in many plants have been shown to be pollen limited. Pollen limitation is demonstrated when open-pollinated plants that are hand-supplemented (Ps) with outcross pollen produce more fruits and/or seeds than open-pollinated controls that are not hand-pollinated (Po). There are three categories of results in such studies: Ps > Po, Ps = Po and Ps < Po, in which case pollen limitation indices are positive, zero and negative, respectively. In an index widely used to calculate pollen limitation, 1 – (Po/Ps), the bounds for Ps ≥ Po are 0 to + 1, whereas the bounds for Ps < Po are 0 to –∞. The first aim of this review was to show how the pollen limitation index can be modified so that the bounds of Ps < Po are 0 and –1, whereupon the index gives equal weight to the best performer (Ps or Po) and worst performer (Ps or Po). In addition to seed quantity, pollen supplementation can affect seed quality, including germinability. Thus, our second aim was to summarize the results of studies that have also tested the effect of pollen limitation on seed germination. In short, the 30 case studies in 15 families, 16 genera and 18 species that we identified show that seed germination percentage increased, was not affected or decreased by pollen supplementation in 12, 11 and seven cases, respectively. The effect of pollen limitation on seed germination, which can be quite large, has not been considered in developing population growth models to determine the effect of pollen limitation on λ.
Continuous-Variable Quantum Key Distribution With Self-Reference Detection and Discrete Modulation

We proposed the optimized continuous-variable quantum key distribution protocol with self-reference and discrete modulation, which incorporates the advantages of both self-reference detection scenario and discrete modulation of quantum states. The impact of excess phase noise resulting from the self-reference intradyne detection on the secret key rate has been evaluated. We have comprehensively analyzed the optimized protocol performance and compared it with the other three continuous-variable quantum key distribution protocols proposed so far and confirmed that the optimized protocol that we proposed enables the quantum key distribution over longer distances and immunity against the side-channel attack.
Understanding Phase Error and Jitter: Definitions, Implications, Simulations, and Measurement

Precision oscillators are ubiquitous in modern electronic systems, and their accuracy often limits the performance of such systems. Hence, a deep understanding of how oscillator performance is quantified, simulated, and measured, and how it affects the system performance is essential for designers. Unfortunately, the necessary information is spread thinly across the published literature and textbooks with widely varying notations and some critical disconnects. This paper addresses this problem by presenting a comprehensive one-stop explanation of how oscillator error is quantified, simulated, and measured in practice, and the effects of oscillator error in typical oscillator applications.
Intratumoral injection of I-131 sodium iodide suppresses tumor growth in a rat breast cancer model

1470 Introduction: Locoregional applications of beta emitting radiopharmaceuticals are known to suppress tumor growth by nonspecific ablation of tumors. While the current clinical schemes involve intraarterial injection of particulate radiopharmaceuticals, direct intratumoral injection is an attractive alternative. This study is designed to investigate the intratumoral therapeutic application of I-131 NaI which is readily available to most nuclear medicine clinics. Methods: 2 triplicate groups of female Fisher rats inoculated with 13762 tumor cells (100,000) in the right thigh received 2 oral doses of non-radioactive iodine (Lugol solution) for thryoid blockade 1 day before and 1 hour before injection. Doses of 0.5 or 2 mCi of I-131 NaI in saline were injected into the tumor site. Serial whole-body scintigraphic images were acquired up to 19 hours using a Seimens M-CAM. Organ distribution of I-131 were evaluated and compared with reference standards. Time activity curves were constructed and tumor growth rates were recorded up to 3 months (to date). Results: Clearance of I-131 from the injection sites was mainly through the circulation with biologic half-life of approximately 1 hour. There is also fast clearance of I-131 from the body and transient visualization of the stomach. No thyroid was identified indicating effective thyroid blockade. The group treated with 0.5 mCi showed only slightly slower growth compared with the control group with no treatment and were euthanized at about day 25 after injection. In 2 of the 3 rats treated with 2mCi I-131 NaI prolonged tumor suppression (>3 months) was observed with no growth retardation. Conclusion: Despite relatively fast clearance, direct injection of I-131 NaI into the tumor site may serve as an effective means to suppress tumor. Thyroid blockade using non-radioactive iodine did not adversely affect the effectiveness of I-131 NaI. The approach may be further applied to other radionuclides. Discussion: This example illustrates the advantages of locoregional injection of therapeutic radionuclides: the initial maximal exposure, lower systemic toxicity because of dilution and the use of nonradioactive and nontoxic drugs to decrease systemic toxicit(ies). This direct intratumoral injection approach may further be aided by recent developments of image-guidance for tumor localization and accurate placement of the radionuclides.
Book Review - Student Financial Literacy: Campus-Based Program Development

The foreword of Student Financial Literacy: Campus-Based Program Development is written by a pioneer in the development of college-based financial literacy programs, Dr. Tahira K. Hira, a well-known professor from Iowa State University. She indicates the book is written for individuals who are involved with or interested in developing a university financial literacy program; as well as ideas for those who wish to enhance their current programs. Dr. Hira indicates that this book is the first resource of its kind to provide financial education and counseling to assist college students with the problems of high debt and low financial knowledge.
‘Cultural Memory and Resistance in Assia Djebar’s Vaste est la prison’

This article examines the concept of cultural memory and Resistance in Vaste est la prison by the Francophone and postcolonial Maghrebi author Assia Djebar. It also attempts to highlight the link(s...
Intratumoral injection of the seasonal flu shot converts immunologically cold tumors to hot and serves as an immunotherapy for cancer

Reprogramming the tumor microenvironment to increase immune-mediated responses is currently of intense interest. Patients with immune-infiltrated “hot” tumors demonstrate higher treatment response rates and improved survival. However, only the minority of tumors are hot, and a limited proportion of patients benefit from immunotherapies. Innovative approaches that make tumors hot can have immediate impact particularly if they repurpose drugs with additional cancer-unrelated benefits. The seasonal influenza vaccine is recommended for all persons over 6 mo without prohibitive contraindications, including most cancer patients. Here, we report that unadjuvanted seasonal influenza vaccination via intratumoral, but not intramuscular, injection converts “cold” tumors to hot, generates systemic CD8+ T cell-mediated antitumor immunity, and sensitizes resistant tumors to checkpoint blockade. Importantly, intratumoral vaccination also provides protection against subsequent active influenza virus lung infection. Surprisingly, a squalene-based adjuvanted vaccine maintains intratumoral regulatory B cells and fails to improve antitumor responses, even while protecting against active influenza virus lung infection. Adjuvant removal, B cell depletion, or IL-10 blockade recovers its antitumor effectiveness. Our findings propose that antipathogen vaccines may be utilized for both infection prevention and repurposing as a cancer immunotherapy.
Tensor Products of C*-Algebras and Operator Spaces: The Connes-Kirchberg Problem

Introduction 1. Completely bounded and completely positive maps: basics 2. Completely bounded and completely positive maps: a tool kit 3. C*-algebras of discrete groups 4. C*-tensor products 5. Multiplicative domains of c.p. maps 6. Decomposable maps 7. Tensorizing maps and functorial properties 8. Biduals, injective von Neumann algebras and C*-norms 9. Nuclear pairs, WEP, LLP and QWEP 10. Exactness and nuclearity 11. Traces and ultraproducts 12. The Connes embedding problem 13. Kirchberg's conjecture 14. Equivalence of the two main questions 15. Equivalence with finite representability conjecture 16. Equivalence with Tsirelson's problem 17. Property (T) and residually finite groups. Thom's example 18. The WEP does not imply the LLP 19. Other proofs that C(n) < n. Quantum expanders 20. Local embeddability into ${\mathscr{C}}$ and non-separability of $(OS_n, d_{cb})$ 21. WEP as an extension property 22. Complex interpolation and maximal tensor product 23. Haagerup's characterizations of the WEP 24. Full crossed products and failure of WEP for $\mathscr{B}\otimes_{\min}\mathscr{B}$ 25. Open problems Appendix. Miscellaneous background References Index.
International migration and cross-national homicide: considering the role of economic development

This study investigates the longitudinal relationship between international migration and homicide using a sample of 88 developed and developing countries from 1993 to 2015. Drawing on research dem...
Low-temperature T -linear resistivity due to umklapp scattering from a critical mode

We consider the transport properties of a model of fermions scattered by a critical bosonic mode. The mode is overdamped and scattering is mainly in the forward direction. Such a mode appears at the quantum critical point for an electronic nematic phase transition and in gauge theories for a U(1) spin liquid. It leads to a short fermion lifetime, violating Landau's criterion for a Fermi liquid. In spite of this, transport can be described by a Boltzmann equation. We include momentum relaxation by umklapp scattering, supplemented by weak impurity scattering. We find that above a very low temperature which scales with ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}}_{q}^{3}$, where ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}}_{q}$ is the minimum umklapp scattering vector, the resistivity is linear in $T$ with a coefficient which is independent of the amount of disorder. This picture holds until the temperature dependent part of the resistivity exceeds that due to impurity scattering. We compare the relaxation time approximation with an exact numerical solution of the Boltzmann equation. Surprisingly we find that, unlike the resistivity, the Hall coefficient strongly deviates from the relaxation time approximation and shows a strong reduction with increasing temperature. We comment on possible comparisons with experiments on high ${T}_{c}$ cuprates.
Measuring The Impact Of Air Pollution On Health Care Costs.

Air pollution contributes to the development of numerous adverse human health outcomes. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program–Community Edition (...
Analgesic effects of a retrobulbar block with 0.75% ropivacaine in dogs undergoing enucleation.

Abstract Objective To assess the analgesic effects of a retrobulbar block with ropivacaine in dogs undergoing enucleation. Study design Prospective, randomized, masked placebo-controlled trial. Animals A total of 23 client-owned dogs. Methods Dogs were randomized to be administered a preoperative inferior-temporal palpebral retrobulbar injection of either ropivacaine 0.75% (1 mL 10 kg–1; group RG) or equivalent volume of 0.9% saline (control; group CG). Intraoperative variables recorded to detect a response to noxious stimuli included heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP). Three observers assessed and recorded pain using a numerical rating pain scale and visual analog scale (VAS) before anesthesia (baseline) and postoperatively at 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 24 hours after extubation. Rescue analgesia was administered if intraoperative HR or MAP increased by ≥ 20% from the previously recorded surgical time point, average postoperative pain scores totaled ≥ 9/20, scored ≥ 3/4 in any one category with VAS ≥ 35/100, or if VAS was ≥ 35/100 with a palpation score > 0/4. Results Intraoperatively, there was no significant difference in HR or MAP between groups. Rescue analgesia was administered intraoperatively to four and one dogs and postoperatively to five and seven dogs in groups CG and RG, respectively, with no significant difference between groups. VAS scores were significantly lower in ropivacaine dogs at extubation (p = 0.02), but not at other postoperative time points. Adverse events were not observed in either group. Conclusions and clinical relevance Preoperative retrobulbar 0.75% ropivacaine injection (1 mL 10 kg−1) provided analgesia in dogs following enucleation at extubation; however, intraoperative and postoperative pain control did not differ from a placebo injection with saline. Lack of differences between groups may have been influenced by sample size limitations.
Secret messaging with endogenous chemistry.

Data encoded in molecules offers opportunities for secret messaging and extreme information density. Here, we explore how the same chemical and physical dimensions used to encode molecular information can expose molecular messages to detection and manipulation. To address these vulnerabilities, we write data using an object’s pre-existing surface chemistry in ways that are indistinguishable from the original substrate. While it is simple to embed chemical information onto common objects (covers) using routine steganographic permutation, chemically embedded covers are found to be resistant to detection by sophisticated analytical tools. Using Turbo codes for efficient digital error correction, we demonstrate recovery of secret keys hidden in the pre-existing chemistry of American one dollar bills. These demonstrations highlight ways to improve security in other molecular domains, and show how the chemical fingerprints of common objects can be harnessed for data storage and communication.