cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Galaxy Selection Upon Lyman Alpha Absorber Identification

While it is possible to explain Lyman alpha absorber counts at low redshift using gas which is associated with moderately extended galaxies (Linder 1997), absorbers are often observed to be associated with galaxies at larger impact parameters from quasar lines of sight than are expected from calculated galaxy absorption cross sections in such absorber-galaxy models. However, a large fraction of absorbers is expected to arise in lines sight through galaxies which are low in luminosity and/or surface brightness, so that they are unlikely to be detected in surveys for galaxies close to quasar lines of sight. Given that it is impossible to be certain that any particular absorber has been matched to the correct galaxy, I show that it is possible to simulate plots of absorption covering factors around luminous galaxies which resemble observed plots by assuming that absorption often originates in unidentified galaxies.
Giant bilateral renal angiomyolipomas associated with tuberous sclerosis

Renal angiomyolipomas in patients with tuberous sclerosis can be associated with significant morbidity, mostly related to complications from bleeding. We describe a patient with tuberous sclerosis and massive bilateral renal angiomyolipomas (total tumor burden 5500 g) who presented with acute right renal hemorrhage. She was treated with right renal artery embolization followed immediately by right nephrectomy and left partial nephrectomy. The patient had a creatinine nadir of 1.3 mg/dL postoperatively. We demonstrate that nephron-sparing surgery is feasible, even in the setting of very large angiomyolipomas, such as the one presented here, currently the largest such tumor by weight reported.
TeV Gamma-ray Astronomy: A Summary

Abstract The field of TeV gamma-ray astronomy has produced many exciting results over the last decade. Both the source catalogue, and the range of astrophysical questions which can be addressed, continue to expand. This article presents a topical review of the field, with a focus on the observational results of the imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope arrays. The results encompass pulsars and their nebulae, supernova remnants, gamma-ray binary systems, star forming regions and starburst and active galaxies.
SPERM STORAGE AND DEPLETION IN THE SPERMATHECA OF ONCOPELTUS FASCIATUS

The minimum number of sperm stored in the spermatheca of many individual females of OncopeItus [asciatus (maintained at 20°--22 ° C on milkweed seed), estimated from the total count of fertile eggs laid after mating and isolation, is variable (100--1000, mean 400). This variability may result from very slow sperm transfer and the highly variable duration of copulation. Spermatozoa can survive at least 5 months, but the reserve is often completely depleted by egg fertilization. There is no correlation between the number of sperm stored and the egg production rate. The percentage of fertile eggs remains high (95%) while the number of stored sperm is above 100, but then falls linearly; this suggests that fertilization may be monospermie. Although the storage of sperm in some region of the female genital .tract (usually a specialized sac, :the reeeptaculum seminis or spermatheca) is universal among insects, there is surprisingly little information on the quan~ty stored. In Apis mellilera the entire sperm supply of one or more drones is transferred in mating, and the large spermatheca of a queen may store up to, 8 million spermatozoa (Woyke, 1964). In Drosophila melanogaster, o~y about 700 of the several thousand sperm transferred in one mating seem to. enter the spermatheca (Lefevre & Jonsson, 1962). For many other species, data on the number of fertile eggs. laid by mated females after removal of males is sometimes included incidentally (and so, not readily recoverable) in stu'dies of their biology. For example, Mukerji & Leroux (1969) showed that isolated females .of the predatory pentat.omid Podisus m.aculiventris at 27 ° can lay nearly 300 fertile eggs during a fertile period of about 9 weeks. The reduviid Rhodnius pro lixus can lay about 100 fertile eggs during a 4-week period and .the following infertile period can be broken by remating (Khalifa, 1950). The cimicid Cirnex lectuIarius lays only ~b.ont 100 fertile eggs during a 7-week period at 24 ° (Mellartby, 1939); in this species it is known that hemocoelic insemination introduces thousands of sperm into the female. Estimates of the sperm store based on counts of fertile eggs are clouded by two uncertainties: the possibility of polyspermy, in which a large and perhaps variable number of spermatozoa are used to fertilize each egg, and the possibility of sperm inactivation during storage. Although p,olyspermy certainly occurs, in some species such as Apis
Unscented state estimation for rigid body motion on SE(3)

A state estimation scheme that uses a global representation of the configuration space for rigid body motion, is presented. This estimation scheme works as a deterministic filter which selects a set of sigma points obtained from the unscented transform based on exponential coordinates centered at the current state estimate. These sigma points and the state estimate are propagated in time along the dynamics until the next set of state measurements are obtained. This propagation (prediction) stage is carried out using a Lie group variational integrator, which discretizes the continuous equations of motion of the rigid body. The propagated sigma points and state estimate are enclosed by a minimum volume ellipsoid at the measurement instant. It is assumed that all states are measured at a constant measurement sample rate and that state measurement errors, expressed in the exponential coordinates, are bounded by an ellipsoidal bound. The update stage of the filter then consists of finding the minimum trace ellipsoid that contains the intersection of this measurement uncertainty bound and the minimum volume ellipsoid enclosing the propagated sigma points. This updated ellipsoid provides the filtered uncertainty bound and its center provides the updated state estimate. A new set of sigma points is selected from this ellipsoid and the propagation and update steps are repeated between measurement instants.
The effects of perceived needs and means on the generation of ideas for industrial research and development projects

A flow model is presented which identifies some of the organizational factors influencing idea generation behavior in industrial RD and, 2) knowledge of a means or technique for satisfying the need, solving the problem, or capitalizing on the opportunity. These results are discussed with respect to the stages of creative thought proposed by other investigators. Finally, the organizational events, which were associated as “needs” events or “means” events for the ideas studied, are identified and analyzed with respect to both quantity and quality of ideas.
Mutations occur in the Ig Smu region but rarely in Sgamma regions prior to class switch recombination.

Nucleotide substitutions are found in recombined Ig switch (S) regions and also in unrecombined (germline, GL) Sµ segments in activated splenic B cells. Herein we examine whether mutations are also introduced into the downstream acceptor S regions prior to switch recombination, but find very few mutations in GL Sγ3 and Sγ1 regions in activated B cells. These data suggest that switch recombination initiates in the Sµ segment and secondarily involves the downstream acceptor S region. Furthermore, the pattern and specificity of mutations in GL and recombined Sµ segments differ, suggesting different repair mechanisms. Mutations in recombined Sµ regions show a strong bias toward G/C base pairs and WRCY/RGYW hotspots, whereas mutations introduced into the GL Sµ do not. Additionally, induction conditions affect mutation specificity within the GL Sµ segment. Mutations are most frequent near the S–S junctions and decrease rapidly with distance from the junction. Finally, we find that mice expressing a transgene for terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) have nucleotide insertions at S–S junctions, indicating that the recombining DNA ends are accessible to end-processing enzyme activities.
THE FAILED COMPLETE REPAIR OF BLADDER EXSTROPHY: INSIGHTS AND OUTCOMES

Purpose: We describe the complications of complete repair and their management. Materials and Methods: A total of 19 patients were referred after failed complete repair. Total dehiscence occurred in 6 males, major bladder prolapse in 3, minor prolapse in 3, pubic separation in 1, impassable stricture in 1, and total hemiglans and corporal loss in 2. Overall, partial glans loss was seen in 7 patients, urethral loss in 5 and penile skin loss in 3. One female had complete dehiscence and 1 had major prolapse, both losing the urethrovaginal septum. One female had an impassable stricture. Results: Six males with dehiscence underwent re-closure with osteotomy. Urethral replacement was performed with full thickness skin graft (FTSG) in 3 and with buccal mucosa in 3. Five patients underwent a modified Cantwell-Ransley (C-R) epispadias repair after placement of skin expanders, and 1 awaits repair. The 3 patients with major prolapse underwent re-closure with osteotomy. A urethral buccal graft was used in 1 patient, FTSG was used in 2 at a later operation and all 3 underwent C-R epispadias repair. Of the 3 patients with minor prolapse 2 underwent re-closure with osteotomy using urethral buccal graft or FTSG followed later with a C-R repair. The final patient with minor prolapse underwent re-closure with osteotomy and C-R repair after testosterone stimulation. One patient with pubic separation and urethral and skin loss underwent re-closure with osteotomy, C-R repair after skin expanders and later bladder neck repair. In 1 case a ureteral graft replaced a posterior urethral stricture. Of the 2 patients with hemiglans and corporal loss 1 underwent penile torsion repair and later hypospadias repair, while the other is being observed. Two females underwent re-closure with osteotomy and urethral replacement with tubularized bladder. The case of stricture was managed endoscopically. Conclusions: Complications of complete repair are similar to those of other repairs but more serious if soft tissue loss occurs. Because of these increased risks, this procedure and its formidable complications are best managed by experienced exstrophy surgeons.
Energy efficient neurons with generalized inverse Gaussian conditional and marginal hitting times

Neuronal information processing is energetically costly. Energy supply restrictions on information processing have caused brains to evolve to compute and communicate information with remarkable efficiency. Indeed, energy minimization subject to functional constraints is a unifying principle. Toward better comprehension of neuronal information processing and communication from an information-energy standpoint, we consider a neuron model with a generalized inverse Gaussian (GIG) conditional density. This GIG model arises from a Levy diffusion process that is more general than that of a Wiener process with drift. We show that, when the GIG neuron operates so as to maximize bits per Joule (bpJ), the output interspike interval (ISI) distribution is a related GIG marginal distribution. Also, we specify how to obtain the associated input distribution fΛ(λ) numerically. By generalizing from the Gamma and inverse Gaussian (IG) families to the GIG family, the derived results contain both the homogeneous Poisson and Wiener processes as special cases. The results allow us to readily compute the tradeoff between information rate (bits/second) and average power (Joules/second) in the GIG class, reminiscent of Shannon's celebrated formula for such curves for the additive Gaussian family.
Hepatitis C Virus Risk in the Interventional Radiology Environment

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a very bad disease. Prevalence in the general U.S. population approaches 2% (1). Although HCV causes acute illness in only about one-third of those infected, it leads to chronic liver disease in 74%–86% (2). Fifteen to 20% of persons with HCV will go on to develop cirrhosis (2). HCV-related end-stage liver disease is the most common indication for liver transplantation in U.S. adults (3). Unlike Hepatitis B, there is no vaccine. Unlike human immunodeficiency virus, there is no accepted post-exposure prophylaxis regimen (1). Management of occupational exposure consists of monitoring serial anti-HCV antibody levels, and administering antiviral therapy when seroconversion is documented. All in all, HCV is a disease to avoid. In this issue of JVIR, an interdisciplinary Study Group on Hygiene Practices in Interventional Radiology summarizes its findings related to the risk of occupationally-acquired HCV infection in the interventional radiology (IR) environment (4). The authors’ core message is that the risk of HCV transmission to physicians in the IR suite is real, and that compliance with standard infection control measures is suboptimal. This large effort must be commended for quantifying an estimated risk of HCV transmission to the group of 77 radiologists studied; and for identifying IR work practices that may contribute to the risk of accidental blood exposure. Both of these issues deserve commentary.
Elementary extensions of models of set theory

A theorem of Enayat's concerning models of ZFC which had been proved using several different additional set-theoretical hypotheses is shown here to be absolute.
MRI of insulitis in autoimmune diabetes.

Development of imaging techniques that would allow the mapping of immune cells in vivo could greatly aid our understanding of a number of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The current study focused on imaging of autoimmune destruction of the insulin-producing pancreatic beta-cells by cytotoxic lymphocytes, the cause of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM; Type 1 diabetes). Using high-resolution MR microscopy and a conventional clinical MR imaging system, it was possible to visualize the infiltration of immune cells in the diabetic mouse pancreas. Mouse lymphocytes were visualized by magnetically labeling them with recently developed magnetic nanoparticles (CLIO-Tat). The results from this study could potentially lead to detection of immune infiltration during diabetes formation in vivo, which would be one of the earliest parameters of disease development.
A review of the hydrogen reduction of ruby at megabar pressure

It is shown that the available optical data on composites of hydrogen and Al2O3 are an indirect proof of the presence of metallic Al formed in the reaction Al2O3 + 0.75 H2 = 1.5 AlOOH + 0.5 Al at 177 GPa. The AlOOH (diaspore) Raman peak for the OH stretching mode is not strong and is very broad. This unfortunately eliminates one direct method of showing that the reaction proceeds. It is shown that recent arguments attempting to show that Al does not form at high pressure are invalid.
Fusion of phospholipid vesicles arrested by quick-freezing. The question of lipidic particles as intermediates in membrane fusion

We have examined the early events in Ca2+-induced fusion of large (0.2 microns diameter) unilamellar cardiolipin/phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine/phosphatidylethanolamine vesicles by quick-freezing freeze-fracture electron microscopy, eliminating the necessity of using glycerol as a cryoprotectant. Freeze-fracture replicas of vesicle suspensions frozen after 1-2 s of stimulation revealed that the majority of vesicles had already undergone membrane fusion, as evidenced by dumbbell-shaped structures and large vesicles. In the absence of glycerol, lipidic particles or the hexagonal HII phase, which have been proposed to be intermediate structures in membrane fusion, were not observed at the sites of fusion. Lipidic particles were evident in less than 5% of the cardiolipin/phosphatidylcholine vesicles after long-term incubation with Ca2+, and the addition of glycerol produced more vesicles displaying the particles. We have also shown that rapid fusion occurred within seconds of Ca2+ addition by the time-course of fluorescence emission produced by the intermixing of aqueous contents of two separate vesicle populations. These studies therefore have produced no evidence that lipidic particles are necessary intermediates for membrane fusion. On the contrary, they indicate that lipidic particles are structures obtained at equilibrium long after fusion has occurred and they become particularly prevalent in the presence of glycerol.
Latency-tolerant software pipelining in a production compiler

In this paper we investigate the benefit of scheduling non-critical loads for a higher latency during software pipelining. "Non-critical" denotes those loads that have sufficient slack in the cyclic data dependence graph so that increasing the scheduling distance to their first use can only increase the number of stages of the software pipeline, but should not increase the lengths of the individual stages, the initiation interval (II). The associated cost is in many cases negligible, but the memory stall reduction due to improved latency coverage and load clustering in the schedule can be considerable.We first analyze benefit and cost in theory and then present how we have implemented latency-tolerant pipelining experimentally in the Intel Itanium® product compiler. A key component of the technique is the preselection of likely long-latency loads that is integrated into prefetching heuristics in the high-level optimizer. Only when applied selectively based on these prefetcher hints, the optimization gives the full benefit also without trip-count information from dynamic profiles. Experimental results show gains of up to 14%, with an average of 2.2%, in a wide range of SPEC® CPU2000 and CPU2006 benchmarks. These gains were realized on top of best-performing compiler options typically used for SPEC submissions.
Thermal segregation of water ice on the Galilean satellites

The susceptibility of dirty ice surfaces to a water cold-trapping process in the Galilean satellites' local bright patches, in association with preferential removal from dark areas, is inferred on the basis of a consideration of the thermal sublimation of ice. A decade time-scale segregation of the surface into bright icy regions and dark ice-free lag deposit regions would be the main consequence of such a process. While ion sputtering and micrometeorite bombardment do not appear to be of sufficient magnitude for a prevention of the process on Callisto and Ganymede, sputtering on the trailing side of Europa may be able to prevent segregation.
The effects of oral pentoxifylline on interleukin-2 toxicity in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) mediates the regression of metastatic renal cell carcinoma, but clinical application has been limited by associated toxicities. Preclinical studies show that pentoxifylline (PTXF), a methylxanthine derivative, inhibits IL-2 toxicity while preserving anti-tumour efficacy. This study was designed to determine whether oral PTXF would alter IL-2-induced toxicities. Patients with disseminated renal cell carcinoma were treated with continuous infusion of 18 x 10(6) IU/m2/24 h for 4 days followed by 3 days without treatment, for 4 consecutive weeks. After a 2-week interval, the 4-week treatment cycle was repeated. All patients concomitantly received oral PTXF (2000 mg/24 h) in five divided doses. Despite the co-administration of PTXF, all patients demonstrated a spectrum and severity of toxicities consistent with previous reports of continuous infusion of IL-2 alone. There was considerably more nausea and vomiting associated with the administration of PTXF which improved on withdrawal of PTXF. Oral PTXF in IL-2 therapy did not show any substantiated benefit. Indeed, patients suffered more severe nausea and vomiting than if they had received IL-2 alone, resulting in the early termination of the trial.
Fc dependence of anti-μ antibody-induced isotype suppression of mice

The mechanisms by which heterologous anti-μ antibodies suppress humoral immunity in BALB/c mice were investigated. IgG and (Fab′)2γ fragments were prepared from goat antimurine μ antiserum and normal serum. Groups of animals were injected intraperitioneally thrice weekly from birth through 28 days of life with one of these preparations. Immunization of these mice with sheep red blood cells was performed on Days 18 and 25, and all mice were assessed for antibody production, immunoglobulin levels, and residual anti-μ activity on Day 30. Animals treated with the whole IgG anti-μ preparation had no IgM (direct) and essentially no IgG (indirect) anti-sheep red blood cell antibody-producing splenocytes, no serum IgM, very low serum lgG2 levels, and free circulating residual anti-μ activity. In contrast, these immunologic parameters from F(ab′)2 anti-μ-treated mice were similar to those in animals receiving normal goat IgG or F(ab′)2 fragments. Moreover, despite conclusive demonstration of the persistence of functional F(ab′)2 anti-μ fragments in circulation of injected mice during the critical 7-day postnatal period in which suppression is induced, anti-μ activity could not be found in the F(ab′)2 group on Day 30. These results indicate that F(ab′)2 anti-μ-treated mice were immunocompetent and further suggest (i) that isotype suppression in BALB/c mice by anti-μ antibody is Fc dependent and (ii) that simultaneous binding to cell surface IgM and the Fc receptor on the B cell by intact IgG anti-μ antibody may constitute the inhibitory signal.
Variations in the cooling transitions of potassium nitrate

Because of questions concerning the suitability of potassium nitrate as a dynamic temperature standard for DTA, the relation between the experimental procedure and the resulting curves was ascertained for the Standard Reference Material KNO3. The material behaves differentlyon cooling in open pans than in cylindrical holders because confinement in the latter case initiates reversion to the room temperature form. Under the conditions of use as a dynamic temperature reference material, the curves are accurately reproducible.
Some Symbolic Dimensions of Andean Materia Medica

Therapeutic healing symbols should be recognized as being embedded in and arising from a cultural context, which both specialists and nonspecialists then draw upon in treating the sick. The symbolic aspects of material features of medical systems have been discussed in reference to biomedicine, but little discussion has been devoted to these symbolic dimensions of traditional medical systems. Ethnographic data from an Andean hamlet in Northern Peru provides evidence that the symbolic content of remedies is rooted in the collective experience of the people and can be shared across all types of healing encounters. The three symbolic qualities of materia medica identified are blackness, topicality and liquidity, [index words: symbolic healing, ethnomedicine, medical anthropology, Peru, Andes]
A luminescent heterometallic dirhodium-silver chain.

A novel one-dimensional (1D) heterometallic chain, {[Rh2(dfpma)2(MeCN)4]2[Ag(MeCN)4]}[PF6]5 (1), is afforded from the in situ reaction of [ClRh(cod)]2 with [Ag(MeCN)4][PF6] and dfpma (dfpma = bis(difluorophosphine)methylamine). Dichroic crystals, which are obtained from MeCN/Et2O solutions, crystallize in the monoclinic space group C2/m with a = 13.570(5) A, b = 20.895(9) A, c = 13.810(6) A, β = 104.904(7)°, V = 3784(3) A3, Z = 4. X-ray diffraction studies reveal an asymmetric unit comprising two RhI2 dimers and a square planar AgI cation; this subunit propagates to form a 1D heterometallic chain. Compound 1 displays novel spectroscopic properties in the solid state, including temperature-dependent luminescence.
The legendary beauty of the Rocky Mountain region: is it more than skin deep?

Sunshine, mild dry climate, clean air, blue skies, and unexcelled natural scenic beauty have long been associated with the Rocky Mountain region. This image was fostered by early visitors' journals and by outstanding landscape paintings and photography. Turn-of-the-century physicians were so impressed by the quality of these environmental characteristics that they advocated migration to the region for its health and therapeutic benefits. Rising public appreciation of the natural environment led to significant protective legislation in the 1970s. A growing body of research now seeks to understand better the psychological and health benefits of these “environmental amenities”.
S100 proteins in cancer

In humans, the S100 protein family is composed of 21 members that exhibit a high degree of structural similarity, but are not functionally interchangeable. This family of proteins modulates cellular responses by functioning both as intracellular Ca(2+) sensors and as extracellular factors. Dysregulated expression of multiple members of the S100 family is a common feature of human cancers, with each type of cancer showing a unique S100 protein profile or signature. Emerging in vivo evidence indicates that the biology of most S100 proteins is complex and multifactorial, and that these proteins actively contribute to tumorigenic processes such as cell proliferation, metastasis, angiogenesis and immune evasion. Drug discovery efforts have identified leads for inhibiting several S100 family members, and two of the identified inhibitors have progressed to clinical trials in patients with cancer. This Review highlights new findings regarding the role of S100 family members in cancer diagnosis and treatment, the contribution of S100 signalling to tumour biology, and the discovery and development of S100 inhibitors for treating cancer.
The fuelling of active galactic nuclei

We review accretion mechanisms for powering the central engines of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and possible sources of fuel. Local sources, such as dense star clusters, require extreme set of parameters. Instead we argue that the interstellar matter in the main body of the host galaxy is channelled towards the centre and address the problem of angular momentum transport. Thin accretion disks are not a viable means of delivering fuel to luminous AGN on scales much larger than a parsec because of the long inflow time and effects of self-gravity. There are also serious obstacles to maintaining and regulating geometrically thick, hot accretion flows. We emphasize the role of non-axisymmetric perturbations of the gravitational potential on galactic scales and their triggers: galaxy interactions and internal self-gravitational instabilities. We outline a unified model for fuelling AGN, in which the inflow on large scales is driven by gravitational torques, and on small scales forms a mildly self-gravitating disk of clouds with inflow driven by magnetic torques or cloud–cloud collisions.
Dimensionality reduction and information-theoretic divergence between sets of LADAR images

This paper presents a preliminary study of information-theoretic divergence between sets of LADAR image data. This study has been motivated by the hypothesis that despite the huge dimensionality of raw image space, related images actually lie on embedded manifolds within this set of all possible images and can be represented in much lowerdimensional sub-spaces. If these low-dimensional representations can be found, information theoretic properties of the images can be exploited while circumventing many of the problems associated with the so-called "curse of dimensionality." In this study, PCA techniques are used to find a low-dimensional sub-space representation of LADAR image sets. A real LADAR image data set was collected using the AFSTAR sensor and a synthetic image data set was created using the Irma LADAR image modeling program. One unique aspect of this study is the use of an entirely synthetic data set to find a sub-space representation that is reasonably valid for both the synthetic data set and the real data set. After the sub-space representation is found, an information-theoretic density divergence measure (Cauchy- Schwarz divergence) is computed using Parzen window estimation methods to find the divergence between and among the sets of synthetic and real target classes. These divergence measures can then be used to make target classification decisions for sets of images. In practice, this technique could be used to make classification decisions on multiple images collected from a moving sensor platform or from a geographically distributed set of cooperating sensor platforms operating in a target region.
Simplify to survive: prescriptive layouts ensure profitable scaling to 32nm and beyond

The time-to-market driven need to maintain concurrent process-design co-development, even in spite of discontinuous patterning, process, and device innovation is reiterated. The escalating design rule complexity resulting from increasing layout sensitivities in physical and electrical yield and the resulting risk to profitable technology scaling is reviewed. Shortcomings in traditional Design for Manufacturability (DfM) solutions are identified and contrasted to the highly successful integrated design-technology co-optimization used for SRAM and other memory arrays. The feasibility of extending memory-style design-technology co-optimization, based on a highly simplified layout environment, to logic chips is demonstrated. Layout density benefits, modeled patterning and electrical yield improvements, as well as substantially improved layout simplicity are quantified in a conventional versus template-based design comparison on a 65nm IBM PowerPC 405 microprocessor core. The adaptability of this highly regularized template-based design solution to different yield concerns and design styles is shown in the extension of this work to 32nm with an increased focus on interconnect redundancy. In closing, the work not covered in this paper, focused on the process side of the integrated process-design co-optimization, is introduced.
TH-A-116-08: Guaranteed Epsilon-Optimal Treatment Plans with Minimum Number of Beams for Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

Purpose: To efficiently find quality‐guaranteed treatment plans with the minimum number of beams for stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). Methods: We formulate the beam angle optimization problem (BAO) as a mixed integer programming problem (MIP) whose solution gives the optimal beam orientation as well as optimal beam intensity. We first allow use of all candidate beams and find the ' 'ideal plan' ' with the objective of minimizing dose to organs at risk (OARs) while keeping the dose to the tumor and other structures in specified ranges. Then we resolve the MIP with the objective of minimizing the number of beams while remaining in a predetermined epsilon‐optimality of the ideal plan with respect to the dose to OARs. Since the treatment plan optimization is a multicriteria optimization problem, the planner can navigate the ideal dose distribution Pareto surface and select a plan of desired target coverage versus OARs sparing, and then use the proposed technique to reduce the number of beams while guaranteeing epsilon‐optimality. To reduce the computation time, we use a family of heuristic cuts, known as ((neighbor cuts)) while preserving epsilon‐optimality. For the numerical experiments a liver case with 34 and a lung case with 36 coplanar beams were considered. Results: The ideal plan uses an impractically large number of beams. The proposed technique reduced the number of beams to the range of practical application (5 to 9 beams) while remaining in the epsilon‐optimal range of 1% to 5% optimality gap. Adding the neighbor cuts reduced the computation time considerably. Conclusion: The proposed method can be integrated into a general algorithm for fast navigation of the ideal dose distribution Pareto surface and finding the treatment plan with the minimum number of beams, which corresponds to the delivery time, in epsilon‐optimality range of the desired ideal plan. The project was supported by the Federal Share of program income earned by Massachusetts; General Hospital on C06 CA059267, Proton Therapy Research and Treatment Center and also partially by RaySearch laboratories.
Current Understanding of the Genetic Basis of Reading and Spelling Disability

Dyslexia is a common developmental disorder of unknown etiology. Behavioral and biological studies of dyslexia are complicated by its phenotypic heterogeneity and the lack of uniformly applied diagnostic criteria. In the past 20 years, increasingly powerful genetic technologies and statistical methodologies have been applied to identify genomic locations for genes involved in this complex heterogeneous disorder. This article reviews studies addressing the genetic contributions to dyslexia.
Production of recombinant proteins in high-density insect cell cultures.

The effect of the growth phase of Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells on the production of recombinant proteins (beta-galactosidase and glucocerebrosidase) was investigated. Cells infected with the recombinant Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus at the late exponential and stationary phases yielded low quantities of expressed protein. Highest enzyme yields were obtained using Sf9 cells from the early exponential phase (0.9 mg beta-galactosidase/10(6) cells and 1.7 microg glucocerebrosidase/10(6) cells). Infection of resuspension of cells collected from various phases of growth in fresh medium resulted in 75% restoration of maximal expression levels. This finding suggested either nutrient limitation or waste product accumulation as the cause of the decrease in productivity at the latter phases of growth. Further experiments revealed that the highest productivity levels could be obtained with cultures of Sf9 cells grown in a fermentor to a cell concentration of 4 x 10(6) mL(-1). The medium needed to be replaced prior to infection with the recombinant virus and supplemented with a mixture of glucose, L-glutamine, and yeastolate ultrafiltrate.
Optimal Perturbation Control of General Topology Molecular Networks

In this paper, we develop a comprehensive framework for optimal perturbation control of dynamic networks. The aim of the perturbation is to drive the network away from an undesirable steady-state distribution and to force it to converge towards a desired steady-state distribution. The proposed framework does not make any assumptions about the topology of the initial network, and is thus applicable to general-topology networks. We define the optimal perturbation control as the minimum-energy perturbation measured in terms of the Frobenius-norm between the initial and perturbed probability transition matrices of the dynamic network. We subsequently demonstrate that there exists at most one optimal perturbation that forces the network into the desirable steady-state distribution. In the event where the optimal perturbation does not exist, we construct a family of suboptimal perturbations, and show that the suboptimal perturbation can be used to approximate the optimal limiting distribution arbitrarily closely. Moreover, we investigate the robustness of the optimal perturbation control to errors in the probability transition matrix, and demonstrate that the proposed optimal perturbation control is robust to data and inference errors in the probability transition matrix of the initial network. Finally, we apply the proposed optimal perturbation control method to the Human melanoma gene regulatory network in order to force the network from an initial steady-state distribution associated with melanoma and into a desirable steady-state distribution corresponding to a benign cell.
Impact of Left Atrial Volume on Outcomes of Pulmonary Vein Isolation in Patients With Non-Paroxysmal (Persistent) and Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation

Using a novel graded outcomes scale, the investigators evaluated whether left atrial (LA) volume measured by cardiac computed tomographic angiography is a predictor of pulmonary vein isolation success in patients with nonparoxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) and paroxysmal AF (PAF). Data from 45 patients who underwent electrocardiographically gated computed tomographic angiography before pulmonary vein isolation for AF were used. LA volume was measured in the ventricular systolic and diastolic phases, defined as 40% and 75% of the interval between consecutive R waves. Outcomes were graded at 0 to 3, 3 to 6, 6 to 12, and 12 to 24 months after pulmonary vein isolation and scored on a 5-point scale: 1 = no AF recurrence off antiarrhythmic drug, 2 = no AF recurrence on antiarrhythmic drug, 3 = rare AF (
Self-Worth as a Mediator Between Attachment and Posttraumatic Stress in Interpersonal Trauma

It is well documented that most trauma survivors recover from adversity and only a number of them go on to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In addition, survivors of interpersonal trauma (IPT) appear to be at heightened risk for developing PTSD in comparison to survivors of noninterpersonal trauma (NIPT). Despite a robust association between IPT exposure and attachment disruptions, there is a dearth of research examining the role of attachment-related processes implicated in predicting PTSD. Using a sample of college undergraduates exposed to IPT and NIPT, this study explores the mediating effect of self-worth in the relationship between attachment and PTSD. It is hypothesized that insecure attachment will be related to posttraumatic symptomatology via a reduced sense of self-worth in IPT survivors but not in NIPT survivors. Mediation analyses provide support for this hypothesis, suggesting the importance of considering negative cognitions about the self in therapeutic interventions, particul...
The causes of tropical deforestation in Ecuador: a statistical analysis.

Abstract This paper reports a statistical analysis of the causes of agricultural colonization and land clearing in eastern Ecuador. The results bolster many of the arguments that have been made about the social forces driving tropical deforestation. In general, the prospect of capturing agricultural rents stimulates settlement of tree-covered hinterlands. Accordingly, the presence of roads and urban centers attracts rural settlement. Colonists also prefer to go where soils are suitable for crop or livestock production, all else remaining the same. In addition to being a function of population pressure, the extent of land clearing is shown to be a consequence of tenure insecurity. These results suggest that institutional reform is needed to encourage conservation of tropical forests.
Sunyaev–Zel’dovich polarization simulation

Abstract Compton scattering of cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons on galaxy cluster electrons produces a linear polarization, which contains some information on the local quadrupole at the cluster location. We use N-body simulations to create, for the first time, maps of this polarization signal. We then look at the different properties of the polarization with respect to the cluster position and redshift.
Transverse Witzel-T-tube feeding jejunostomy.

Background : In patients prone to recurrent aspiration, a feeding jejunostomy is only performed to ensure adequate nutrition. A popular method for placement of the jejunostomy tube is the Witzel procedure, employing a sersosal tunnel on the antimesenteric border. The Witzel procedure, however, frequently suffers from the complication of tube dislodgement and obstruction due to narrowing of the intestinal lumen. Methods : To minimize the complications associated with the standard Witzel method, we modified the procedure wherein a T-tube is substituted for a standard French rubber catheter, and transversely sutured to the mesenteric border. We believe that the placement of the Witzel line in the transverse plane minimizes the risk of obstruction, and substitution of a T-tube for a standard French catheter should reduce the incidence of tube dislodgement. Results : The Transverse Witzel T-tube feeding jejunostomy has been performed successfully in 30 patients without any complications of tube dislodgement or leaks, and no tube to date has been difficult to remove. Length of tube use has ranged from 1 to 6 months, and no postoperative complications have been observed in this group. Conclusions : The Transverse Witzel T-tube jejunostomy is an effective and rapid technique for placement of a feeding tube. No serious complications have been observed, and the complication of tube dislodgement appears to be decreased compared to the standard Witzel procedure. Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition 19 :326-327, 1995)
Expression of pluripotent stem cell reprogramming factors by prostate tumor initiating cells

Purpose: We identified a discrete population of stem cell-like tumor cells expressing 5 essential transcription factors required to reprogram pluripotency in prostate tumor cell lines and primary prostate cancer tissue.Materials and Methods: DU145 and PC3 human prostate cancer cell lines (ATCC®), tumor tissue from patients with prostate cancer and normal prostate tissue were evaluated for the reprogramming factors OCT3/4 (Cell Signaling Technology®), SOX2, Klf4 (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, California), Nanog (BioLegend®) and c-Myc (Cell Signaling) by semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, histological and immunohistochemical analysis. Stem cell-like tumor cells were enriched by flow cytometric cell sorting using E-cadherin (R&D Systems®) as a surface marker, and soft agar, spheroid and tumorigenicity assays to confirm cancer stem cell-like characteristics.Results: mRNA expression of transcription factors OCT3/4 and SOX2 highly correlated in primary prostate tumor tissu...
Consistent, high-level ethanol consumption in pig-tailed macaques via a multiple-session, limited-intake, oral self-dosing procedure.

Background: Alcohol abuse is a major public health burden that can lead to many adverse health effects such as impaired hepatic, gastrointestinal, central nervous system and immune system function. Preclinical animal models of alcohol abuse allow for experimental control over variables often difficult to control in human clinical studies (e.g., ethanol exposure before or during the study, history of other drug use, access to medical care, nutritional status, etc). Nonhuman primate models in particular provide increased genetic, anatomic and physiologic similarity to humans, relative to rodent models. A small percentage of macaques will spontaneously consume large quantities of ethanol; however, most nonhuman primate models of “voluntary” ethanol intake produce relatively low daily ethanol intake in the majority of monkeys. Methods: To facilitate study of chronic exposure to high levels of ethanol intake, a macaque model has been developed that induces consistent, daily high-level ethanol consumption. This multiple-session procedure employed 4 drinking sessions per day, with sessions occurring once every 6 hours. Results: The group average alcohol consumption was 4.6 g/kg/d (SEM 0.4), roughly twice the group average consumption of previous reports. Ethanol drinking sessions produced group mean blood ethanol levels of 95 mg/dl after 60 minutes, and fine motor control was impaired up to 90 minutes after a drinking session. Conclusion: This model of multiple-session, limited access, oral ethanol self-dosing produced consistent, high-level ethanol consumption with each session qualifying as a “binge” drinking session using the definition of “binge” provided by the NIAAA (>80 mg/dl/session). This model of ethanol drinking in macaques will be of great utility in the study of immunological, physiological and behavioral effects of ethanol in nonhuman primates.
A liquid crystal tunable filter based shortwave infrared spectral imaging system: Design and integration

This paper presents the methodology to design and integrate a liquid crystal tunable filter (LCTF) based shortwave infrared (SWIR) spectral imaging system. The system consisted of an LCTF-based SWIR spectral imager, an illumination unit, a frame grabber, and a computer with the data acquisition software. The spectral imager included an InGaAs camera (320x256 pixels), an SWIR lens (50mm, F/1.4), and an LCTF (20mm aperture). Four multifaceted reflector halogen lamps (35W, 12 VDC) were used to build the illumination unit. The system was integrated by a LabVIEW program for data acquisition. It can capture hyperspectral or multispectral images of the test object in the spectral range of 900-1700nm. The system was validated by differentiating sugar from wheat flour, and water from 95% ethanol. The results showed that the system can distinguish these materials in both spectral and spatial domains. This SWIR spectral imaging system could be a potential useful tool for nondestructive inspection of food quality and safety.
Elastic threshold-based admission control for QoS satisfaction with reward optimization for servicing multiple priority classes in wireless networks

We analyze performance characteristics of a class of call admission control (CAC) algorithms designed for servicing multiple priority classes in wireless networks with the goal of quality of service (QoS) satisfaction and reward optimization. By reward, we mean some sort of ''value'' obtained by the system as a result of servicing multiple priority classes. In this paper we design and evaluate the performance of a new algorithm, elastic threshold-based CAC, in terms of the maximum reward obtainable with QoS satisfaction from servicing multiple priority classes with distinct QoS requirements, and compare it with existing partitioning, threshold, and spillover CAC algorithms. We also develop a heuristic-based search method to determine the best threshold-value sets used for multiple service classes by sequentially adjusting these thresholds based on the reward and rejection rate obtainable vs. QoS constraints of each service class. We demonstrate through test cases and simulation that elastic threshold-based CAC outperforms existing CAC algorithms for QoS satisfaction and reward optimization in solution optimality for serving multiple QoS service classes in wireless networks.
Parity symmetry with respect to both x=0 and x=L requires periodicity with period 4L: Connections between computer graphics, group theory and spectral methods for solving partial differential equations

Abstract A function is symmetric with respect to a point x = L if f ( x + L ) = f ( - x + L ) for all x and similarly is antisymmetric if f ( x + L ) = - f ( - x + L ) . A function which is either symmetric or antisymmetric is said to be of “definite parity” with respect to L . The sines and cosines of a Fourier series have definite parity with respect to two points; all cosines are symmetric with respect to the origin while all sines are antisymmetric with respect to x = 0 ; cos ( 2 nx ) and sin ( [ 2 n + 1 ] x ) for integral n are also symmetric with respect to x = π / 2 while all other Fourier basis functions are antisymmetric with respect to the same point. Such symmetries can be exploited in numerical calculations; for example, computing the angular Mathieu functions using N basis functions can be split into four uncoupled eigenproblems each of dimension N / 4 . It is natural to ask: Are there other classes of functions with similar symmetries? Using concepts from computer graphics, we prove that all functions which are symmetric with respect to two points separated by a distance L must be spatially periodic with period 4 L . We also prove that the only function which is of definite parity with respect to three distinct points must be a constant. These theorems define parity in the usual sense of a global property such that even parity with respect to the origin means f ( x ) = f ( - x ) for all x ∈ [ - ∞ , ∞ ] . We construct counterexamples to both theorems that are functions with local parity, that is, symmetry which applies only for a finite interval in x .
Micro-column high-performance liquid chromatography and flame-based detection principles

Abstract Novel detectors are described for micro-column high-performance liquid chromatography; they are based on the well-known principles of flame photometric and thermionic detection. These devices exhibit good selectivity and sensitivity for organophosphorus compounds in both aqueous and selected organic solvents. The extremely small volume of these flame-based detectors and their enhanced response at low flow-rates make them particularly attractive for capillary-column high-performance liquid chromatography.