cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Prevalence of Persistent Prostate Cancer after Radiotherapy Detected at Radical Cystoprostatectomy for Bladder Cancer

Purpose: More than half of the men who receive treatment for prostate cancer elect radiotherapy. After radiotherapy recurrence is determined by an increase in prostate specific antigen and not usually by pathological confirmation. We describe the prevalence of persistent gradable prostate cancer in men treated with radiotherapy for prostate cancer at radical cystoprostatectomy for bladder cancer.Materials and Methods: A total of 78 patients underwent radiotherapy (brachytherapy and/or external beam radiation) before the development of bladder cancer requiring radical cystectomy at our institution. All tissues were evaluated by a specialized genitourinary pathologist.Results: Median time from radiotherapy to radical cystoprostatectomy was 77 months. Gradable prostate cancer was identified in 45% of patients. Of the tumors 69% were Gleason score 7 or greater, 17% were pT3 or greater and 5% showed positive lymph nodes. Men treated more recently were less likely to have gradable prostate cancer, including 100...
Evolving experience with thoracic aortic stent graft repair.

Abstract Purpose: We reviewed our initial thoracic aorta (TA) stent graft experience in 28 patients from the perspective of treatment with homemade devices (Dacron over Gianturco Z stents; 14 cases) and a commercial device (Excluder; W.L. Gore Co, Flagstaff, Ariz; 14 cases). Methods: From November 1996 to August 2001, 28 patients with a spectrum of disease (degenerative aneurysm, n=18; chronic dissection, n=4; pseudoaneurysm, n=3, with 1 trauma and 2 anastomotic; intramural hematoma, n=2; and coarctation, n=1) underwent TA stent grafting. Clinical parameters included a mean age of 71 years, 12 female (43%) and 16 male (57%) patients, 14 of 28 patients (50%) with major comorbidities that prohibited open repair, and nine of 28 patients (32%) with urgent or ruptured conditions. Seven patients (25%) needed open surgical access to the aorta or iliac artery for either concomitant abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (n = 3) or device deployment (n = 4), and six of 28 patients (21%) needed left subclavian-carotid transposition to provide for an adequate proximal fixation site. Focal ( Results: The procedural mortality rate was 3.5% (1/28 patients); three additional deaths, (1 device-related) occurred during the mean follow-up period of 17 months. Access artery complications occurred in six of 28 patients (21%), with one fatal. No immediate or late open conversions were performed. One patient needed urgent dilation and stenting of a collapsed stent graft 3 weeks after deployment. Serious systemic complications included temporary dialysis (n = 1), congestive heart failure (n = 1), and unstable angina (n = 1). Complete exclusion of the TA lesion was noted in 27 of 28 cases (96%). No cases of spinal cord ischemia were noted. Ease and accuracy of deployment was superior for the second generation (commercial) device. Conclusion: TA stent graft repair, although in evolution, appears to be a safe and effective alternative to open repair for many patients with a spectrum of TA disease. Prospective trials for individual diseases will be necessary to define its ultimate role. (J Vasc Surg 10.1067/mva.2002.123323.)
Gender demographic targeting in sponsored search

In this research, we evaluate the effect of gender in analyzing the performance of sponsored search advertising. We examine a log file with data comprised of nearly 7,000,000 records spanning 33 consecutive months of a search engine marketing campaign from a major US retailer. We classify key phrases selected for the campaign with a probability of being targeted for a specific gender and then compare the consumer actions using the critical sponsored search metrics of impressions, clicks, cost-per-click, sales revenue, orders, and items sold. Findings from our analysis show that the gender-orientation of the key phrase is a significant determinant in predicting behaviors and performance, with statistically different consumer behaviors for all attributes as the probability of a male or female keyword phrase changes. However, gender neutral phrases perform the best overall, calling into question the benefits of demographic targeting. Insight from this research could result in sponsored results being more effectively targeted to searchers and potential consumers.
All-optical TDM add/drop multiplexer demonstration with 100-Gbits/s words

All-optical add/drop multiplexers (ADMs) are necessary to increase the single channel speed and the flexibility of packet time-division-multiplexed (TDM) networks. We demonstrate an access node that adds, drops, and passes-through 100-Gbits/s data packets based on outputs of an all-optical header processor. Building on our previous "off-ramp" demonstration, we complete the ADM functionality by integrating the "on-ramp" component, which consists of synchronized lasers, a new packet generator, and packet routers. We achieve 10-dB switching contrast from the header processor and 20-dB switching contrast from the packet routers.
Optimal designs for estimating penetrance of rare mutations of a disease-susceptibility gene.

Many clinical decisions require accurate estimates of disease risks associated with mutations of known disease-susceptibility genes. Such risk estimation is difficult when the mutations are rare. We used computer simulations to compare the performance of estimates obtained from two types of designs based on family data. In the first (clinic-based designs), families are ascertained because they meet certain criteria concerning multiple disease occurrences among family members. In the second (population-based designs), families are sampled through a population-based registry of affected individuals called probands, with oversampling of probands whose families are more likely to segregate mutations. We generated family structures, genotypes, and phenotypes using models that reflect the frequencies and penetrances of mutations of the BRCA1/2 genes. We studied the effects of risk heterogeneity due to unmeasured, shared risk factors by including risk variation due to unmeasured genotypes of another gene. The simulations were chosen to mimic the ascertainment and selection processes commonly used in the two types of designs. We found that penetrance estimates from both designs are nearly unbiased in the absence of unmeasured shared risk factors, but are biased upward in the presence of such factors. The bias increases with increasing variation in risks across genotypes of the second gene. However, it is small compared to the standard error of the estimates. Standard errors from population-based designs are roughly twice those from clinic-based designs with the same number of families. Using the root-mean-square error as a measure of performance, we found that in all instances, the clinic-based designs gave more accurate estimates than did the population-based designs with the same numbers of families. Rough variance calculations suggest that clinic-based designs give more accurate estimates because they include more identified mutation carriers. Genet Epidemiol 24:173–180, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Visual and pain pathways involved in fear conditioning measured with fear-potentiated startle: behavioral and anatomic studies

The visual conditioned stimulus and footshock unconditioned stimulus pathways involved in fear conditioning were investigated. Anatomic tracing studies showed that the posterior triangular nucleus (PoT) of the thalamus receives somatic pain inputs from the spinal cord and, in turn, projects to the amygdala both directly and indirectly via the insular cortex. The lateral posterior nucleus (LP) of the visual thalamus projects to two amygdala-fugal cortical areas: area TE 2 and dorsal perirhinal cortex, and directly to the amygdala as well. Lesions of insular cortex and PoT together disrupt the acquisition, but not expression, of fear-potentiated startle using a footshock US. Lesions of insular cortex or thalamus alone had no effect. In contrast, post training lesions of both the lateral geniculate body (LG) and LP together, or LP and TE2, but not lesions of LG, LP or TE2 alone, completely blocked the expression of fear-potentiated startle to a visual CS. Together, these data suggest parallel cortical and subcortical (thalamo-amygdala) pathways are involved in relaying footshock and visual information to the basolateral amygdala during fear conditioning.
An approach to automatic recognition of spontaneous facial actions

Presents work on a project for the automatic recognition of spontaneous facial actions. Spontaneous facial expressions differ substantially from posed expressions, similar to how spontaneous speech differs from directed speech. Previous methods for automatic facial expression recognition assumed images were collected in controlled environments in which the subjects deliberately faced the camera. Since people often nod or turn their heads, automatic recognition of spontaneous facial behavior requires methods for handling out-of-image-plane head rotations. There are many promising approaches to address the problem of out-of-image plane rotations. In this paper, we explore an approach based on 3D warping of images into canonical views. A front-end system was developed that jointly estimates camera parameters, head geometry and 3D head pose across entire sequences of video images. First, a small set of images was used to estimate camera parameters and 3D face geometry. Markov-chain Monte-Carlo methods were then used to recover the most likely sequence of 3D poses given a sequence of video images. Once the 3D pose was known, we warped each image into frontal views with a canonical face geometry. We evaluated the performance of the approach as a front-end for a spontaneous expression recognition system using support vector machines and hidden Markov models. This system employed general-purpose learning mechanisms that can be applied to recognition of any facial movement. We showed that 3D tracking and warping, followed by machine learning techniques directly applied to the warped images, is a viable and promising technology for automatic facial expression recognition. One exciting aspect of the approach presented is that information about movement dynamics emerged out of filters which were derived from the statistics of images.
Lipomatous hemangiopericytoma of the head and neck: immunohistochemical and DNA ploidy analyses.

Background. Lipomatous hemangiopericytoma (LHPC) is a newly described rare soft tissue tumor with unpredictable biologic behavior and is difficult to diagnose by conventional histologic parameters. The molecular analyses of this entity to date are sparse. Only a few cases of LHPC have been reported. Although one case of LHPC in the sinonasal region was briefly reported, this is the first case in the head and neck region with detailed clinicopathologic features and molecular analysis of this entity. Methods. We reported a case of LHPC in a 55-year-old woman with a slowly growing lesion in the occipital area that was diagnosed by CT and MRI and removed surgically. Immunohistochemical and DNA ploidy analyses were performed. Results. A panel of 16 markers was included for immunohistochemical analysis. Diffuse immunopositivity of CD57 in our case provides supportive evidence that LHPC is linked with HPC because this marker is also present in approximately 50% of conventional HPCs. CD57 should be used in the immunohistochemical panel in any lesion suspected to be LHPC. Furthermore, CD57 along with CD34 and XIIIa is thought to stain for primitive mesenchymal stem cells, suggesting a bimodal/multimodal differentiation of LHPC. By flow cytometry, we found that tumor cells were 100% diploid with the S-phase fraction (SPF) being 3.21%. A significant positive correlation was detected between nuclear proliferating index and SPF (p < 0.001, by Spearman analysis). These findings provide molecular evidence indicating a benign nature of LHPC. Conclusions. Contrary to the old belief that HPC has an aggressive nature, this variant of tumor looks less aggressive. The patient was followed for 1 year without any evidence of recurrence, supporting our pathologic hypothesis. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck26: 544–549, 2004
A tool specification language for software maintenance

A modified attribute-grammar language, to be used for specifying tools in a software maintenance environment, is proposed. This language is called Tool Specification Language (TSL). TSL allows an orderly sharing of specifications between different tools. It also allows the sharing of computed attribute values between different tools. For a suite of related tools that would support the maintenance programmer, using TSL as the specification language would result in a concise, shared specification. There would also be the benefit of less memory space and faster tool execution when computed attribute values are shared. >
Effect of luting composite shrinkage and thermal loads on the stress distribution in porcelain laminate veneers

Abstract Statement of problem. Cyclic thermal fatigue has demonstrated a significant influence of the thicknesses of luting composite and ceramic in crack propensity of porcelain laminates. Purpose. This study was conducted to define potentially involved parameters for crack development in porcelain laminates bonded to teeth. Finite element modeling was used to evaluate the respective effects of luting composite shrinkage and significant thermal changes. Material and methods. A buccolingual cross-section of a maxillary incisor was digitized and used as a template to generate a single 2-dimensional mesh, including all the different restorative designs. Luting composite shrinkage was simulated at a baseline temperature of 20°C. The effect of thermal loads from 20°C to 5°C and from 20°C to 50°C was assessed with and without preexisting composite shrinkage. Results. Shrinkage of the luting composite alone generated important compressive forces on the ceramic, either at the restoration surface or interface. Compression intensity was related to geometry and ratio of thicknesses between the ceramic and luting composite (CER/CPR). Lower ratios produced higher compression forces in the ceramic. When thermal loads were combined to the composite shrinking forces, the stress pattern was significantly changed only for the experimental conditions with the lowest CER/CPR ratio. Temperature increase reduced compressive stresses and exacerbated tensile stresses. Thermal loads were simulated alone (situation of an "ideal nonshrinking" luting composite) and generated mainly tensile stresses in the ceramic, which intensity was again modulated by the CER/CPR ratio and the local geometry of composite and ceramic. Because of ceramic brittleness, these tensile forces were more detrimental than the high compression created by composite shrinkage alone. The stress pattern was not influenced by the incisal length of the veneer but rather by the facial thickness of ceramic. The worst record made with a shrinking luting agent (500 μm of luting composite, lowest CER/CPR ratio, 5°C) was much less harmful than the worst record made with a hypothetical "nonshrinking" luting material. Conclusions. The ratio of the thickness of cement and luting composite appears to have a relevant influence on the stress distribution in porcelain laminates. Restorations that are too thin, combined with poor internal fit, resulted in higher stresses at both the surface and interface of the restoration. Because of its precompressed state given by composite shrinkage, ceramics performed better with regard to temperature-induced tensile forces. (J Prosthet Dent 1999;81:335-44.)
An Abundant Class of Tiny RNAs with Probable Regulatory Roles in Caenorhabditis elegans

Two small temporal RNAs (stRNAs), lin-4 and let-7, control developmental timing in Caenorhabditis elegans. We find that these two regulatory RNAs are members of a large class of 21- to 24-nucleotide noncoding RNAs, called microRNAs (miRNAs). We report on 55 previously unknown miRNAs in C. elegans. The miRNAs have diverse expression patterns during development: a let-7 paralog is temporally coexpressed with let-7; miRNAs encoded in a single genomic cluster are coexpressed during embryogenesis; and still other miRNAs are expressed constitutively throughout development. Potential orthologs of several of these miRNA genes were identified in Drosophila and human genomes. The abundance of these tiny RNAs, their expression patterns, and their evolutionary conservation imply that, as a class, miRNAs have broad regulatory functions in animals.
Update in PET Imaging of Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer

u m b n i t w a o v o c n a e i ONSMALL CELL Lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer death in both en and women in the United States. Despite ontinuing developments in diagnosis and treatent, the mortality from lung cancer remains high, ith an overall 5-year survival rate of only 15%.1 he primary treatment of lung cancer is surgery, nd the best chance for a complete cure comes rom total resection of localized disease. Once odal or distant metastases have developed, the enefits of primary surgical intervention decline nd patients may benefit from adjuvant chemotherpy or radiation therapy. Accurate delineation of isease extent is therefore critical in treatment lanning of patients with lung cancer. Positron mission tomography (PET) with 2-[F-18]-2-dexy-D-glucose, or fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), has roven to be a valuable noninvasive imaging test or the evaluation of the patient with known or uspected lung cancer. This article will review the urrent status of PET imaging for the diagnosis, taging, and restaging of NSCLC and will also iscuss potential future applications of the techique.
The Varieties of Molecular Explanation

Reductionists in biology claim that all biological events can be explained in terms of genes and macromolecules alone, while antireductionists argue that some biological events must be explained at a higher level. The literature, however, does not distinguish between different kinds of molecular explanation. The goal of this article is to identify and analyze three such kinds. The analysis of molecular explanations herein carries an important philosophical implication; in shunning crude reductionism and extreme versions of holism, we can combine the insights of thoughtful reductionists with sophisticated antireductionism. When this is done, the question of explanatory reductionism becomes less substantial than often supposed.
Improved knockdown from artificial microRNAs in an enhanced miR-155 backbone: a designer's guide to potent multi-target RNAi

Artificial microRNA (amiRNA) sequences embedded in natural microRNA (miRNA) backbones have proven to be useful tools for RNA interference (RNAi). amiRNAs have reduced off-target and toxic effects compared to other RNAi-based methods such as short-hairpin RNAs (shRNA). amiRNAs are often less effective for knockdown, however, compared to their shRNA counterparts. We screened a large empirically-designed amiRNA set in the synthetic inhibitory BIC/miR-155 RNA (SIBR) scaffold and show common structural and sequence-specific features associated with effective amiRNAs. We then introduced exogenous motifs into the basal stem region which increase amiRNA biogenesis and knockdown potency. We call this modified backbone the enhanced SIBR (eSIBR) scaffold. Using chained amiRNAs for multi-gene knockdown, we show that concatenation of miRNAs targeting different genes is itself sufficient for increased knockdown efficacy. Further, we show that eSIBR outperforms wild-type SIBR (wtSIBR) when amiRNAs are chained. Finally, we use a lentiviral expression system in cultured neurons, where we again find that eSIBR amiRNAs are more potent for multi-target knockdown of endogenous genes. eSIBR will be a valuable tool for RNAi approaches, especially for studies where knockdown of multiple targets is desired.
Modeling and control of closed kinematic chains: a singular perturbation approach

Closed kinematic chains (CKCs) are constrained multibody systems that contain closed kinematic loops. Nowadays, CKCs are used in a variety of applications ranging from flight simulators to medical instruments, and are becoming increasingly popular in the machine-tool industry and haptic interfaces due to their better performance in terms of accuracy, rigidity and payload capacity as compared to open-chain mechanisms. This document intends to present a novel methodology for the modeling and control of general CKCs. The dynamics of CKCs are characterized by index-3 differential algebraic equations (DAEs). Dynamic models in the form of DAEs pose difficulties in model-based control because most existing control design techniques are devised for explicit state space models. The control methodology presented in this document is based on a singular perturbation formulation (SPF), which has attractive properties including the minimum dimension of its slow dynamics and the large validity domain that contains the entire singularity-free workspace of the CKCs. The key issue of the model approximation error is addressed under different stability conditions. Explicit error bounds are derived and sufficient conditions for the exponential convergence of the approximation errors are established. For the control of CKCs, our approach transfers the control of the original DAE system to the control of an artificially created singularly perturbed system. Compared to control methods which directly solve the nonlinear algebraic constraint equations, the proposed method uses an ODE solver to obtain the dependent coordinates, hence eliminating the need for Newton type iterations and is amenable to real-time implementation. The closed loop system, when controlled by typical open kinematic chain schemes, achieves asymptotic trajectory tracking. The efficacy of the approach is illustrated by simulating the dynamics of a CKC mechanism, the Rice Planar Delta Robot, and then by validating the simulation results with experimental data. Thus, this work establishes a framework in which the control of CKCs can be systematically addressed.
Western Cream for Eastern Markets

Western cream has been something of a bugbear or a big bad wolf to farmers producing milk for the large eastern markets. They have known very little about it, but suspected that the supply was very great. They have feared that their markets might turn to the West for cream, and even for fluid milk, as they have already done for butter, cheese, and evaporated milk. Western cream has been a favorite subject for dairy orators when confronted with a dearth of other issues. Western cream also has been troublesome to the fluid milk bargaining associations because it has been an entirely uncontrolled part of the market supply. It has been an unpredictable but important factor in determining the prices and outlets for surplus milk in the eastern milk sheds. From time to time, since 1925, we have gathered information as to quantities and prices of western cream shipped to New York and other eastern markets. In 1936, the Cooperative Division of the Farm Credit Administration joined us in making a survey of plants that have been shipping this cream. My paper is based mostly upon the results of that survey. So far as I know, the first sizable shipments of western cream were made about 1924. The volume increased steadily until about 1931. This trade was encouraged when the supply of Canadian cream was shut off by sanitary restrictions and higher tariffs adopted between 1926 and 1930. After 1931 the demand for western cream slackened because of increasing surplus production in the eastern milk sheds. The total volume of western cream shipments has not changed much since that time. During the year 1931, the three largest markets in the East received 441,000 cans of western cream. During 1937, they have received somewhat less than 400,000 cans, but this quantity represents practically the same percentage of total cream receipts as did the shipments of 1931, namely, a little less than 16 per cent (table 1).
Structural Brain Abnormalities in Youth With Psychosis Spectrum Symptoms.

Importance Structural brain abnormalities are prominent in psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia. However, it is unclear when aberrations emerge in the disease process and if such deficits are present in association with less severe psychosis spectrum (PS) symptoms in youth. Objective To investigate the presence of structural brain abnormalities in youth with PS symptoms. Design, Setting, and Participants The Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort is a prospectively accrued, community-based sample of 9498 youth who received a structured psychiatric evaluation. A subsample of 1601 individuals underwent neuroimaging, including structural magnetic resonance imaging, at an academic and children’s hospital health care network between November 1, 2009, and November 30, 2011. Main Outcomes and Measures Measures of brain volume derived from T1-weighted structural neuroimaging at 3 T. Analyses were conducted at global, regional, and voxelwise levels. Regional volumes were estimated with an advanced multiatlas regional segmentation procedure, and voxelwise volumetric analyses were conducted as well. Nonlinear developmental patterns were examined using penalized splines within a general additive model. Psychosis spectrum (PS) symptom severity was summarized using factor analysis and evaluated dimensionally. Results Following exclusions due to comorbidity and image quality assurance, the final sample included 791 participants aged youth 8 to 22 years. Fifty percent (n = 393) were female. After structured interviews, 391 participants were identified as having PS features (PS group) and 400 participants were identified as typically developing comparison individuals without significant psychopathology (TD group). Compared with the TD group, the PS group had diminished whole-brain gray matter volume ( P = 3.4 × 10 −4 ) when not accounting for intracranial volume and relatively expanded white matter volume when accounting for intracranial volume ( P = 2.2 × 10 −3 ). Voxelwise analyses revealed significantly lower gray matter volume in the medial temporal lobe (maximum z score = 5.2 and cluster size of 1225 for the right and maximum z score = 4.5 and cluster size of 310 for the left) as well as in frontal, temporal, and parietal cortex. Volumetric reduction in the medial temporal lobe was correlated with PS symptom severity. Conclusions and Relevance Structural brain abnormalities that have been commonly reported in adults with psychosis are present early in life in youth with PS symptoms and are not due to medication effects. Future longitudinal studies could use the presence of such abnormalities in conjunction with clinical presentation, cognitive profile, and genomics to predict risk and aid in stratification to guide early interventions.
Neurocognitive Impairment in Adults With Moyamoya Disease Without Stroke

BACKGROUND Adults with moyamoya disease (MMD) have been shown to manifest cognitive impairment, but it is unclear whether this is the result of ischemic stroke. OBJECTIVE To determine whether adults with MMD but without stroke have cognitive impairment. METHODS We performed detailed neuropsychological assessments in 30 adults with angiographically confirmed MMD without magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evidence of stroke. RESULTS Twenty patients (67%) exhibited small T2 hyperintensities in the cerebral subcortical white matter on brain MRI but no evidence of gray matter damage. Significant cognitive impairment, defined as half of test scores ≥ 1 SD below the normal mean, was present in 7 patients (23%). Executive functioning, mental efficiency, and word finding were the ability areas most frequently impaired, whereas memory was relatively intact. Clinically significant emotional distress (depression and/or anxiety) was present in 11 patients (37%). Comparable cognitive findings were also observed in the subset of 10 patients (33%) with completely normal static brain MRI. CONCLUSION Cognitive impairment in MMD can occur in the absence of ischemic stroke as manifested on MRI.
112. Functional consequences of social stress-induced alterations in activation and inhibitory phenotypes of natural killer cells

In general, the release of glucocorticoids (GC) in response to a stressor suppresses immunity. However, recent studies have shown social disruption (SDR) causes GC insensitivity and certain aspects of innate immunity to be enhanced. For example, SDR increases macrophage/monocyte and dendritic cell activation, cytokine release, antigen presentation, trafficking, and anti-microbial capabilities. To date, a full examination of social stress-induced alterations in additional innate immune cells important in the primary immune response against viruses and tumors has not been conducted. Therefore, the current experiments were performed to determine if SDR was capable of “priming” natural killer (NK) cells in a similar fashion to other innate immune cells. Results showed that splenic NK cells derived from SDR-treated animals increased activation markers (CD69 and CD16/32), decreased inhibitory receptor expression (CD94/NKG2a and Ly49a), increased degranulation potential (CD107a), and increased anti-viral cytokine production (IFN-γ) upon costimulation with IgG and IL-2, when compared to control animals. Additionally, SDR treatment increased the total number of lung derived NK cells and altered the activating/inhibitory receptor expression pattern similar to splenic NK cells. No changes were observed in circulating NK cells from SDR animals. Overall, SDR “primed” tissue NK cells, potentially making them more potent/effective against pathogens. Taken together, these experiments provide additional evidence for the importance of psychological stressors on innate immune cell function and may lead to novel mechanistic anti-viral/tumor based therapies.
Patterns of Promotion: The St. Louis Police Department, 1899–1975

Throughout the early decades of this century, reformers bemoaned the unsystematic nature of police management, reserving particular criticism for the influence of nonbureaucratic and nonmeritocratic matters on promotions. Their advocacy of greater routinization and regularity, cloaked in the rhetoric of professionalism, eventually won acceptance in formal police administration. Few proponents of change, however, measured the consequences of their efforts upon the actual careers of officers (Fosdick, 1972; Vollmer, 1972; Smith, 1940; Wilson and McLaren, 1950; Price, 1977).
THE ABSORPTION AND METABOLISM OF C-14-LABELED ENDOSULFAN IN THE HOUSE FLY.

The absorption rates of technical endosulfan and each of its 4 components were studied by paper and gas chromatography. The toxicant was applied topically to cyclodiene- resistant and susceptible female house flies, Musca domestica L., and recovered as external, internal, and fecal extracts in hexane for chromatographic analysis. Endosulfan ether and endosulfan alcohol were absorbed almost completely in less than 2 hr, while residues of the highand low-melting point isomers were detectable in external extracts 24 hr after treatment. No difference in the rate of absorption was noted between the 2 strains. Dosagemortality determinations indicated the following relative toxicity to 3-day-old female flies of both strains: lowmelting point isomer > technical endosulfan > high-melting point isomer > endosulfan sulfate. Endosulfan ether and endosulfan alcohol were relatively nontoxic. The metabolic fate of C14-labeled endosulfan was studied by the aforementioned means and autoradiography. A previously unreported metabolite found in the internal extracts of both fly strains was identified as endosulfan sulfate, the oxidized form of endosulfan. Endosulfan oxidized in vitro and the metabolite found in internal fly extracts gave identical Rf values and retention times when analyzed by paper and gas chromatography. The identity of this metabolite was further confirmed by microcoulometric gas chromatography and by comparison with purified endosulfan sulfate. Judged from visual inspection of gas chromatograms of internal extracts, the high- and low-melting point isomers were metabolized to endosulfan sulfate, while endosulfan ether and endosulfan alcohol were degraded by a different route. The low-melting isomer was absorbed and metabolized to the sulfate more rapidly than the high-melting isomer. Fecal extracts contained tiaces of unchanged high- and low-melting point isomers but no endosulfan sulfate, indicating its possible role as an intermediate in the metabolic degradation of endosulfan. Paper chromatograms of fecal extracts revealed a water-soluble metabolite and an acetone-soluble metabolite in both strains of flies, but no hexane-soluble derivatives.
Ethyl alcohol and gonadal function.

The biochemical mechanisms thought to contribute to the hypogonadism and “feminization” of chronically alcoholic men are reviewed. Alcohol abuse per se, and not the associated liver disease, is responsible for the hypogonadism. In contrast, feminization is a manifestation of both alcohol abuse and liver disease.
Experience with Gleason’s Histopathologic Grading in Prostatic Cancer

AbstractThe inaccuracy of clinical staging as a predictor of the biologic potential of prostatic cancer has prompted evaluation of additional methods of assessment. We reviewed 228 patients with prostatic adenocarcinoma who presented during a 4-year period. Of the 228 patients 144 with no detectable bony disease underwent staging pelvic lymphadenectomy with or without preliminary bilateral pedal lymphangiography. Histopathologic specimens of the primary diagnostic prostatic biopsy were classified with Gleason’s grading system of tumor differentiation. Of the patients with Gleason’s sum of 8, 9 or 10, 93 per cent had regional nodal metastases, regardless of preliminary clinical stage. Furthermore, no patient with Gleason’s sum of 2, 3 or 4 had nodal metastatic disease. The incidences of falsely positive and falsely negative lymphangiograms were 29 and 35 per cent, respectively, reflecting the unreliability of pedal lymphangiography to predict nodal involvement accurately in patients with prostatic cancer. ...
Burden of pneumococcal disease in adults aged 65 years and older: an Australian perspective.

The burden of pneumococcal disease in adults aged 65 years and older in Australia is not well defined. This retrospective cross-sectional study calculated rates for pneumococcal pneumonia using data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and from the Bettering Evaluation and Care of Health program. Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) incidence was calculated using National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System data. Population estimates and pneumonia mortality data were from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Medical costs were derived from Australian Refined Diagnosis Related Groups and the literature. Clinical and economic burden of pneumococcal pneumonia hospitalisations and general practitioner (GP) visits were described and compared with IPD. For adults aged ≥65 years, pneumococcal pneumonia hospitalisation incidence was 274 per 100,000 population in 2011–2012. From 2004 to 2012, a mean of 2235 pneumonia hospitalisation deaths were recorded, corresponding to a case fatality rate of 6.1 %. GP visits accounted for the largest portion of healthcare encounters, with an annual average of 455 pneumococcal pneumonia GP visits per 100,000 population from 2008 to 2013. In 2012, IPD incidence was 19 per 100,000 population. The estimated annual costs of treating pneumococcal pneumonia hospitalisations and GP visits were A$55,722,136 and A$1,604,189, respectively. Estimated costs for IPD were A$1,172,986. The healthcare and economic burden of pneumococcal disease in adults aged ≥65 years in Australia is substantial, with the incidence of pneumococcal pneumonia hospitalisation nearly 15-fold higher than for IPD. Despite this, it remains less recognised than other infectious diseases such as influenza.
RobStruck: Improving occlusion handling of structured tracking-by-detection using robust Kalman filter

Starting from an object's location in a video frame, tracking-by-detection methods find the location of that object in a subsequent video frame. The tracker's detection step may produce multiple false positives during short-term occlusions, which can result in loss of track. We propose a tracking-by-detection method that is robust to short-term occlusions and false positives. Here, we extend the Struck tracker, which is based on structured SVM, to output bounding boxes at multiple scales. In addition to predicting scale changes, we use the Robust Kalman filter to decrease false-positive detections and to increase the tracker resilience to short-time occlusions. Here, we develop a special strategy for the tracker's update step, which is designed to decrease over fitting and to allow for the tracker to recover from loss of track. We thoroughly evaluate our method on a publicly available video dataset and show that it outperforms the state-of-the-art.
Problem behaviour in adolescent boys with fragile X syndrome: relative prevalence, frequency and severity

BACKGROUND: A large proportion of boys with fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common known inherited form of intellectual disability (ID), exhibit problem behaviours (e.g. aggression, self-injury, property destruction and stereotypy) that can negatively impact the health and safety of others as well as the individual concerned. However, data are limited concerning the relative prevalence, frequency and severity of problem behaviours exhibited by boys with FXS compared with those by boys with mixed-aetiology ID who also exhibit problem behaviours. METHOD: As part of a larger study on problem behaviour, we obtained survey data on 85 adolescent boys with FXS and 155 age-matched boys with mixed-aetiology ID who exhibited at least one form of problem behaviour. RESULTS: For boys with FXS, stereotypy was reported to be more prevalent (χ(2) = 4.52, P = 0.012), self-injury was reported to more frequent (U = 2525, P = 0.010) and aggression was reported to be less severe (U = 4176, P = 0.029) than for boys with mixed-aetiology ID. Ratings of aggression and property destruction were highly correlated in each group in terms of both frequency and severity (r = 0.60 to 0.71). Examination of the data by age indicated that the relative frequency of self-injury decreased with age in boys with FXS (χ(2) = 8.29, P = 0.040). CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these results refine and extend previous studies concerning the specificity of the behavioural phenotype in FXS and indicate that specific forms of problem behaviour shown by boys with FXS appear to differ from those exhibited by boys with mixed-aetiology ID in terms of prevalence, frequency and severity. Studies employing more objective measures of frequency and severity, including direct observations, are needed to confirm these findings.© 2016 MENCAP and International Association of the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Language: en
Bioluminescence Insights and Quorum Sensibilities: A persistent, curiosity-driven pursuit of bacterial bioluminescence led to the discovery of autoinducers

Early on, no one told me that bacteria were not believed to communicate. I first encountered the phenomenon, now known as quorum sensing, while at the University of Illinois in Urbana. Working with graduate student Bill Riley, we were growing luminous bacteria in large quantities to isolate and characterize luciferase, the enzyme critical for forming light. We soon discovered that cell density is not a useful marker of luciferase content. By the time cells reach maximum density, the bright light that they produce declines steeply—as does extractable luciferase activity. That decline was later studied and explained by Tom Baldwin, who is now at the University of California, Riverside.
Numerical modeling of porosity waves in the Nankai accretionary wedge décollement, Japan: implications for aseismic slip.

Seismic and hydrologic observations of the Nankai accretionary wedge decollement, Japan, show that overpressures at depths greater than ∼2 km beneath the seafloor could have increased to near lithostatic values due to sediment compaction and diagenesis, clay dehydration, and shearing. The resultant high overpressures are hypothesized then to have migrated in rapid surges or pulses called ‘porosity waves’ up the dip of the decollement. Such high velocities—much higher than expected Darcy fluxes—are possible for porosity waves if the porous media through which the waves travel are deformable enough for porosity and permeability to increase strongly with increasing fluid pressure. The present study aimed to test the hypothesis that porosity waves can travel at rates (kilometers per day) fast enough to cause aseismic slip in the Nankai decollement. The hypothesis was tested using a one-dimensional numerical solution to the fluid mass conservation equation for elastic porous media. Results show that porosity waves generated at depths of ∼2 km from overpressures in excess of lithostatic pressure can propagate at rates sufficient to account for aseismic slip along the decollement over a wide range of hydrogeological conditions. Sensitivity analysis showed porosity wave velocity to be strongly dependent on specific storage, fluid viscosity, and the permeability–depth gradient. Overpressure slightly less than lithostatic pressure could also produce porosity waves capable of traveling at velocities sufficient to cause aseismic slip, provided that hydrogeologic properties of the decollement are near the limits of their geologically reasonable ranges.
Hepcidin Contributes to Anemia of Malignancy by Causing Sequestration of Iron in Hepatic Stores.

The iron regulatory hormone hepcidin is presumed to be the central mediator of anemia of inflammation (AI, anemia of chronic disease). Hepcidin is an acute phase protein which restricts iron absorption and release of iron from stores. Patients with hepatic adenomas producing large amounts of hepcidin had severe AI that resolved when the tumors were resected (Weinstein et al, 2002). In order to study the effects of hepcidin in anemia of malignancy, we created tumor xenografts in SCID mice, some of which were engineered to secrete large amounts of hepcidin (33 mice with control tumors, 30 with hepcidin producing tumors). Hepcidin producing tumors expressed 2000-times more hepcidin mRNA which also correlated with increased levels of hepcidin peptide detected in urine of these mice. Mice with hepcidin producing tumors were significantly more anemic (median hemoglobin = 10.4 vs. 8.4 g/dL, p=0.02) and had significantly lower serum iron values (median serum iron = 242 vs. 96 mg/dL, p
Who Am I?: Identity, Resistance, and Resilience in the Classical-Style Poetry of Nie Gannu

This article examines modern Chinese writer Nie Gannu’s 聶紺弩 (1903–86) poetic exploration of the meaning of life and poetry in times of both personal crisis and sociopolitical crises in China from the 1950s through the mid-1970s. Before and during the Cultural Revolution, Nie was thrice denounced—as a member of the Hu Feng clique in 1955, as a rightist in 1957, and as a counterrevolutionary in 1967 for his critique of the extreme political measures of the time. Political persecution spurred Nie’s serious interest in writing classical-style poetry, in which he redefined the role of intellectual writers in the socialist state. His poems were generated from ideological crisis, emotional vexation, and a moral imperative to record unvarnished truth; in an age obsessed with the future, they bore witness to the suffering of the present and the past.
Electrical activity of the diaphragm during nCPAP and high flow nasal cannula

Objective To determine if the electrical activity of the diaphragm, as measure of neural respiratory drive and breathing effort, changes over time in preterm infants transitioned from nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) to high flow nasal cannula (HFNC). Design Prospective observational study. Setting Neonatal intensive care unit. Patients Stable preterm infants transitioned from nCPAP to HFNC using a 1:1 pressure to flow ratio. Interventions The electrical activity of the diaphragm was measured by transcutaneous electromyography (dEMG) from 30 min before until 3 hours after the transition. Main outcome measures At eight time points after the transition to HFNC, diaphragmatic activity was compared with the baseline on nCPAP. Percentage change in amplitude dEMG , peak dEMG and tonic dEMG were calculated. Furthermore, changes in respiratory rate, heart rate and fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO 2 ) were analysed. Results Thirty-two preterm infants (mean gestational age: 28.1±2.2 weeks, mean birth weight: 1118±368 g) were included. Compared with nCPAP, the electrical activity of the diaphragm did not change during the first 3 hours on HFNC (median (IQR) change in amplitude dEMG at t=180 min: 2.81% (−21.51–14.10)). The respiratory rate, heart rate and FiO 2 remained stable during the 3-hour measurement. Conclusions Neural respiratory drive and breathing effort assessed by electrical activity of the diaphragm is similar in the first 3 hours after transitioning stable preterm infants from nCPAP to HFNC with a 1:1 pressure-to-flow ratio.
A multi-path ring amplifier with dynamic biasing

This paper presents a new method for ring amplifier biasing to improve their stability while maintaining high slew rate. A multi-path ring amplifier is proposed for switched capacitor applications that allows accurate charge transfer at high speeds. Dynamic biasing improves large signal slewing without affecting residue amplifier settling performance. Stable operation is possible because the auxiliary path turns off dynamically, allowing the main path to be optimized for accuracy. The proposed multi-path amplifier was used in the first stage of a pipelined ADC in 180nm CMOS. Measurements show SNDR, SNR, and SFDR of 73.6 dB, 74.6 dB and 85.5 dB respectively, sampled at 10 MS/s, and consumes 7.68 mW.
PRogram In Support of Moms (PRISM): a pilot group randomized controlled trial of two approaches to improving depression among perinatal women.

Purpose: This pilot study was designed to inform a larger effectiveness trial by: (1) assessing the feasibility of the PRogram In Support of Moms (PRISM) and our study procedures; and, (2) determin...