cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 5060: Identification of somatic retrotransposon insertions across cancer types using RetroSeq

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Retrotransposons comprise over 40% of the human genome and represent an important class of genetic variation. Though most elements are stationary ancient relics, it has recently been shown that some 100 elements remain highly active, copying and pasting themselves throughout the genome with each generation. Retrotransposon insertions can disrupt gene function, modulate gene expression, and lead to genomic rearrangement. These events have previously been implicated in cancer, including an account of insertional mutagenesis in APC as an early event in colon cancer progression. Due to the inherent difficulty in localizing repeat elements, however, an extensive investigation of retrotransposons’ role in cancer has not yet been performed. We developed RetroSeq, a computational framework to identify novel insertions of retrotransposons from paired-end sequencing data. In simulated data, RetroSeq identifies retrotransposon insertions with 99% sensitivity and 99% specificity. We ran RetroSeq on whole-genome sequencing data from a panel of tumors (including 9 colorectal, 20 non-small cell lung, 24 prostate and 22 breast tumors) and matched normal samples to determine the extent of somatic retrotransposon activity. We find a broad range of novel retrotransposon insertion events specific to each tumor, with some insertions falling in exonic as well as intronic and intergenic regions. These events were validated experimentally and integrated with expression and methylation data to provide a global view of retrotransposon activity in these samples. In sum, using RetroSeq we are able to localize novel retrotransposon insertions in paired-end sequencing data and provide evidence for the reactivation of retrotransposons in cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5060. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-5060
Advanced-technology 30-cm-diameter mercury ion thruster

An advanced-technology mercury ion thruster designed for operation at high thrust and high thrust-to-power ratio is described. The laboratory-model thruster employs a highly efficient discharge-chamber design that uses high-field-strength samarium-cobalt magnets arranged in a ring-cusp configuration. Ion extraction is achieved using an advanced three-grid ion-optics assembly which utilizes flexible mounts for supporting the screen, accel, and decel electrodes. Performance results are presented for operation at beam currents in the range from 1 to 5 A. The baseline specific discharge power is shown to be about 125 eV/ion, and the acceptable range of net-to-total accelerating-voltage ratio is shown to be in the range of 0.2-0.8 for beam currents in the range of 1-5 A.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever mimicking acute cholecystitis

• Rocky Mountain spotted fever can present with predominantly abdominal symptoms including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Two elderly patients presented with an acute febrile illness and abdominal symptoms. Rash was not present initially. Workup disclosed cholelithiasis in one, and a thickened gallbladder wall surrounded by a sonolucent zone suggesting a pericholecystic abscess was found by ultrasonography in the other. Both patients underwent emergency laparotomy, with cholecystectomy in both and appendectomy in one. Both patients died several days postoperatively. Pathologic specimens reviewed later showed that multiple blood vessels of the gallbladder and the appendix were infected with Rickettsiarickettsii, and there was focal vascular thrombosis and hemorrhage. These documented direct rickettsial infections and lesions in the blood vessels of abdominal viscera suggest the basis for the abdominal symptoms in Rocky Mountain spotted fever. (Arch Intern Med1985;145:2194-2196)
Detection of Methyl Radicals in a Flat Flame by Degenerate Four-Wave Mixing

We report the spatially resolved detection of methyl radicals in a methane–air flat flame, using degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM). A frequency-tripled dye laser pumped with a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser was used to access the Herzberg β1 band of methyl near 216 nm. Using a nearly phase-conjugate geometry, we detected methyl with high spatial resolution [0.2 mm (0.3 mm) vertical (horizontal) and ~6 mm longitudinal] and with good signal-to-noise ratio in a rich (ϕ = 1.55) flame. Compared with laser absorption spectra, DFWM spectra were much less influenced by a broad featureless background. From the absorption data, we measured the peak methyl concentration to be 650 parts in 106, resulting in an estimated DFWM detection limit of 65 parts in 106.
Simulation of oscillatory flow phenomena in vertical condensing flows inside a tube

This paper presents the results of a simulation of unstable flow phenomena in vertical condensing flows. The horizontal condensing flow model was extended to include gravitational effects. The simulations revealed existence of limit-cycle type of oscillations of large amplitude, including possibilities of flow reversals, as were observed on horizontal flows. The simulations also revealed that the gravitational effects have an attenuating effect on the oscillatory behavior in downward flows, and an enhancing effect on the upward flows. Matlab/Simulink tools were used for the system simulations.
Ultraviolet-improved gauge technique and the effective quark propagator in QCD.

The gauge technique linearizes the Schwinger-Dyson equation by replacing the full vertex with a longitudinal vertex, satisfying the Ward identity. We show how to improve the standard gauge-technique treatment which is nonrenormalizable, by adding a conserved transverse vertex to the longitudinal vertex thereby removing all overlapping divergences from the Schwinger-Dyson equation in QCD. The improved gauge technique preserves multiplicative renormalizability and gauge covariance. Such a modified version of the gauge technique is used to solve the Schwinger-Dyson equation for the effective quark propagator of QCD, S(p), in the ultraviolet regime. For nonzero current-quark mass m, a solution is found that agrees with renormalization-group analysis, while a similar solution appears for the m = 0 case corresponding to dynamical chiral-symmetry breaking (i.e., a nonzero dynamical quark mass M(p)).
Notes on String Topology

This paper is an exposition of the new subject of String Topology. We present an introduction to this exciting new area, as well as a survey of some of the latest developments, and our views about future directions of research. We begin with reviewing the seminal paper of Chas and Sullivan, which started String Topology by introducing a BV-algebra structure on the homology of a loop space of a manifold, then discuss the homotopy theoretic approach to String Topology, using the Thom-Pontrjagin construction, the cacti operad, and fat graphs. We review quantum field theories and indicate how string topology fits into the general picture. Other topics include an open-closed version of string topology, a Morse theoretic interpretation, relation to Gromov-Witten invariants, and "brane'' topology, which deals with sphere spaces. The paper is a joint account of the lecture series given by each of us at the 2003 Summer School on String Topology and Hochschild Homology in Almeria, Spain.
Nitrate removal from water by quaternized pine bark using choline based ionic liquid analogue

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to quaternize pine bark (PB) wood residues using green chemistry and to use the quaternized PB to remove nitrate (NO3−) from water. The quaternization process was achieved by reacting the wood residues with an ionic liquid analogue comprised of a choline chloride derivative and urea. Batch adsorption tests were used to delineate the NO3− uptake by the modified pine bark (MPB). Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis and Zeta potential measurements were used to characterize the changes at the surface of the PB due to quaternization and NO3− uptake. RESULTS: The MPB has a maximum NO3− uptake capacity of 2.91 mmol g−1. The NO3− uptake kinetics indicated that diffusion through the boundary layer of the MPB was the rate limiting step. The Langmuir adsorption model provided a better fit for the uptake data than the Freundlich model, indicating monolayer adsorption. The uptake process was found dependent on concentration, pH and ionic strength, and was also spontaneous and exothermic. The desorption–regeneration experimental results indicated a 95% efficiency after five consecutive regeneration cycles. CONCLUSIONS: The quaternization technique was found very effective for developing effective and green anion exchange resins to remove NO3− from water. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry
Computing the variance of the forecast error for the holt‐winters seasonal models

This paper presents expressions for the variance of the forecast error for arbitrary lead times for both the additive and multiplicative Holt-Winters seasonal forecasting models. It is shown that even when the smoothing constants are chosen to have values between zero and one, when the period is greater than four, the variance may not be finite for some values of the smoothing constants. In addition, the regions where the variance becomes infinite are almost the same for both models. These results are of importance for practitioners, who may choose values for the smoothing constants arbitrarily, or by searching on the unit cube for values which minimize the sum of the squared errors when fitting the model to a data set. It is also shown that the variance of the forecast error for the multiplicative model is nonstationary and periodic.
THE SELECTION OF AMBER MUTATIONS IN GENES REQUIRED FOR COMPLETION OF START, THE CONTROLLING EVENT OF THE CELL DIVISION CYCLE OF S. CEREVISIAE

Using a modification of a procedure developed for the isolation of temperature-sensitive mutants defective in the start event of cell division, amber mutations were obtained for two Class-I start genes, cdc28 and cdc37. Genetic analysis demonstrated that co-segregation of an amber suppressor with such alleles was required for viability of spores subsequent to meiosis. These mutations are expected to be useful in the identification of the molecular products of the genes cdc28 and cdc37.
Age-dependent physiological responses of last instar Helicoverpa zea larvae to oral and topical application of precocene II

Newly-ecdysed last instar larvae of H. zea grouped into 100-, 200-, 300-, or 400-mg categories were fed diet containing precocene II or given precocene II topically on the abdomen. The time for larvae to reach a maximal weight, time to pupation, growth rate, and the amount of precocene II excreted were calculated. Younger larvae of lower weights, which were fed or topically treated with precocene II required more time to reach their maximal weight, had a lower maximal weight, a lower growth rate, and required more time to pupate than control larvae. Older larvae represented by the largest weight category were less sensitive to precocene II, had a shorter delay in reaching maximal weight, and a shorter delay in the time to pupation than control larvae; larvae in the largest weight category that were fed precocene II also had smaller decreases in the growth rate. Growth rate declines for larvae given topical doses of precocene II, however, were largest for the oldest larvae. All larvae given a single topical dose excreted precocene II for several days and were most efficient at eliminating smaller doses; larger, older larvae excreted more precocene II than smaller, younger larvae. Age-dependent responses to precocene II indicate that growth and metabolic processes, as well as xenobiotic metabolism, change in last instar larvae.
Obstructive sleep apnea, insulin resistance, and steatohepatitis in severe obesity.

Rationale: Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with insulin resistance and liver injury. It is unknown whether apnea contributes to insulin resistance and steatohepatitis in severe obesity. Objectives: To examine whether sleep apnea and nocturnal hypoxemia predict the severity of insulin resistance, systemic inflammation, and steatohepatitis in severely obese individuals presenting for bariatric surgery. Methods: We performed sleep studies and measured fasting blood glucose, serum insulin, C-reactive protein, and liver enzymes in 90 consecutive severely obese individuals, 75 women and 15 men, without concomitant diabetes mellitus or preexistent diagnosis of sleep apnea or liver disease. Liver biopsies (n = 20) were obtained during bariatric surgery. Measurements and Main Results: Obstructive sleep apnea with a respiratory disturbance index greater than 5 events/hour was diagnosed in 81.1% of patients. The median respiratory disturbance index was 15 ± 29 events/hour and the median oxygen desaturation during apneic events was 4.6 ± 1.8%. All patients exhibited high serum levels of C-reactive protein, regardless of the severity of apnea, whereas liver enzymes were normal. Oxygen desaturation greater than 4.6% was associated with a 1.5-fold increase in insulin resistance, according to the homeostasis model assessment index. Histopathology data suggested that significant nocturnal desaturation might predispose to hepatic inflammation, hepatocyte ballooning, and liver fibrosis. Fasting blood glucose levels and steatosis scores were not affected by nocturnal hypoxia. There was no relationship between the respiratory disturbance index and insulin resistance or liver histopathology. Conclusions: Hypoxic stress of sleep apnea may be implicated in the development of insulin resistance and steatohepatitis in severe obesity.
Changes in a tidepool fish assemblage on two scales of environmental variation: Seasonal and El Niño Southern Oscillation

Intertidal organisms are influenced by the tidal, daily, and seasonal environmental variability of their habitat. Interannual variability, although often less severe than shorter-scale variability, may also be important in structuring intertidal systems. This study compares the magnitude of changes in a rocky intertidal fish guild occurring on a seasonal scale with those occurring during an El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). I examined tidepool fish assemblage structure and habitat use in two southern California sites approximately every 3 months from 1996 to 2000, a period including non-ENSO conditions, the 1997-1998 El Nino, and the 1998-1999 La Nina. During each sampling period, I censused fish abundance in 105 tidepools of differing intertidal height, depth, and surface area. Several aspects of habitat use varied seasonally for the four most common species: Clinocottus analis (woolly sculpin), Girella nigricans (opaleye), Gobiesox rhessodon(California clingfish), and Hypsoblennius gilberti(notch- brow blenny). All four species migrated vertically within the intertidal zone on a seasonal scale, corresponding to seasonal changes in sea level. The assemblage dominant, C. analis, occupied tidepools of different sizes depending on season. Although seasonality in habitat use suggests an influence of environmental variability on seasonal scales, fish habitat was generally not altered by temperature and sea level changes imposed by the El Nino. Species assemblage, however, differed among climate conditions. C. analis declined in abundance during the El Nino because of lack of recruitment but increased immediately after its conclusion. Paraclinus integripinnis(reef finspot), usually rare, was more abundant during the El Nino. Effect of the El Nino on the other four species was not detected. Assemblage changes suggest that although intertidal fishes regularly experience large tidal, daily, and seasonal environmental fluctuations, interannual changes in environmental factors, even when relatively small in magnitude, can perturb the system. Perturbations in the present system, however, did not persist beyond the end of the El Nino event as they often do in lower-latitude nearshore areas.
PERIODIC LOGISTIC REGRESSION

We show how to use logistic regression in situations where the phenomenon under consideration is periodic, i.e., follows a cyclic pattern. The method is illustrated by using data for the snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum, which exhibits a 24-hr periodic pattern of foraging. Snails are found on the top or bottom of rocks, depending on time of day. We show how periodic logistic regression models can be fitted simultaneously to several groups of data, taking into account that the groups may exhibit similar (but not identical) cyclic patterns. The proposed procedure is applicable to ecological studies that analyze the variability in a dichotomous response variable exhibiting a cyclic pattern over time.
Efficient and precise modeling of exceptions for the analysis of Java programs

The Factored Control Flow Graph, FCFG, is a novel representation of a program's intraprocedural control flow, which is designed to efficiently support the analysis of programs written in languages, such as Java, that have frequently occurring operations whose execution may result in exceptional control flow. The FCFG is more compact than traditional CFG representations for exceptional control flow, yet there is no loss of precision in using the FCFG. In this paper, we introduce the FCFG representation and outline how standard forward and backward data flow analysis algorithms can be adapted to work on this representation. We also present empirical measurements of FCFG sizes for a large number of methods obtained from a variety of Java programs, and compare these sizes with those of a traditional CFG representation.
Testing Keynesian Proposition And Ricardian Equivalence: More Evidence On The Debate

This paper takes its motives from recent literature concerning the debate on the Keynesian proposition and the Ricardian equivalence, using data of the Greek economy and applying cointegration analysis, Granger causality tests and impulse response functions (IRF). The aim of the econometric methodology is to derive robust results by means of using alternative quantitative techniques. The empirical analysis shows the existence of dynamic relationships between the budget deficit and the interest rate, indicating a two-way causality between deficits and interest rates. The findings of Granger tests and IRFs contradict the view of Ricardian equivalence that government deficits do not influence the behavior of interest rate. Experimenting with the four-variable system (R, D, Y, P), IRF results show that in the case of Greece the budget deficit positively affects the inflation rate. The evidence that budget deficits exert positive effects on interest rates and inflation is consistent with the rationale of the Keynesian proposition.
CONSERVED ONTOGENY AND ALLOMETRIC SCALING OF RESOURCE ACQUISITION AND ALLOCATION IN THE DAPHNIIDAE

Life histories vary widely among taxa, but within phylogenetic groups there may be a fundamental frame- work around which trait variation is organized, perhaps as a consequence of lineage-specific developmental constraints. In organisms with indeterminate growth, there is an ongoing problem of optimally allocating resources between growth and reproduction, and that allocation decision may manifest itself through allometric scaling. Previous work on freshwater zooplankton has shown that the ontogenetic pattern of resource allocation can be described by simple mathematical functions. An important component of understanding how such functions can explain life-history variation is to discover which parameters in these functions are robust, with respect to both resource availability and evolutionary diversification, and which parameters exhibit interspecific allometry. To shed light on these issues, detailed life table experiments were conducted on eight species in the family Daphniidae (Crustacea) at high and low levels of resources. Using data on growth, reproduction, and instar duration, the ontogeny of resource allocation to growth and reproduction could be described as functions that plateau at or shortly after the onset of maturity. To be sure that the results were not an artifact of phylogenetic structure, the parameters were tested in a phylogenetically controlled fashion. The results suggest a simple set of resource allocation rules for daphniids, whereby all species exhibit a similar form of ontogenetic change in allocation, and reach a plateau where approximately 94% of available resources are allocated to reproduction. The asymptotically maximal rate of net resources incorporated in growth and reproduction was positively related to size at maturity, whereas the rates of approach to plateaus (for both net resource assimilation and proportional allocation to reproduction) were negatively related to body size. Per-offspring investment was pos- itively related to the square root of size at maturity. Using this approach, a wide range of interspecific variation in life-history features can be related to a single underlying trait, the size at first reproductive investment.
Quantitative cerebrovascular 4D flow MRI at rest and during hypercapnia challenge

Abstract Non-invasive measurement of cerebral blood flow (CBF) in humans is fraught with technologic, anatomic, and accessibility issues, which has hindered multi-vessel hemodynamic analysis of the cranial vasculature. Recent developments in cardiovascular MRI have allowed for the measurement of cine velocity vector fields over large imaging volumes in a single acquisition with 4D flow MRI. The purpose of this study was to develop an imaging protocol to simultaneously measure pulsatile flow in the circle of Willis as well as the carotid and vertebrate arteries at rest and during increased CO 2 (hypercapnia). Methods 8 healthy adults (3 women, 26 ± 0.4 years) completed this study. Heart rate (pulse oximetry), arterial oxygen saturation (pulse oximetry), blood pressure (MAP, sphygmomanometry), and end-tidal CO 2 (capnograph) were measured at rest (baseline) and during hypercapnia. Hypercapnia was induced via breathing a mixed gas of 3% CO 2 and 21% O 2 (balance N 2 ) in the MR magnet. CBF and vessel cross-sectional area were quantified in 11 arteries using a 4D flow MRI scan, lasting 5–6 min with a radially undersampled acquisition and an isotropic spatial resolution of 0.7 mm. Results Baseline total CBF was 665 ± 54 ml • min − 1 . Hypercapnia increased total CBF 9 ± 3% to 721 ± 61 ml • min − 1 . Hypercapnic increases in CBF ranged from 7 to 36% by artery, with the largest increases in the left anterior cerebral artery. Increases in artery cross-sectional area were observed in basilar and vertebral arteries. Conclusion 4D flow MRI methods are sensitive enough to detect non-uniform changes in CBF and cross-sectional area to a mild yet clinically relevant CO 2 stimulus. 4D flow MRI is a non-invasive reliable tool providing high spatio-temporal resolution in clinically feasible scan times without contrast agent. This approach can be used to interrogate regional cerebrovascular control in health and disease.
Movement Pattern and Parameter Learning in Children: Effects of Feedback Frequency.

Reduced feedback during practice has been shown to be detrimental to movement accuracy in children but not in young adults. We hypothesized that the reduced accuracy is attributable to reduced movement parameter learning, but not pattern learning, in children. A rapid arm movement task that required the acquisition of a motor pattern scaled to specific spatial and temporal parameters was used to investigate the effects of feedback (FB) frequency (100% vs. 62% faded) on motor learning differences between 19 school-age children and 19 young adults. Adults and children practiced the task for 200 trials under the 100% or faded FB condition on Day 1 and returned on Day 2 for a no-FB retention test. On the retention test, children who practiced with reduced feedback performed with greater temporal parameter errors, but not pattern error, than children who received frequent feedback. Motor skill learning in children is influenced by feedback frequency during practice that affects parameter learning but not patte...
Dynamic Tornadic Wind Loads on Tall Buildings

A mathematical model is developed to study tornadic wind loading on tall buildings. Based on a theoretical solution, a wind field model is constructed, in which the variation of wind velocity within the tornado vortex boundary layer is considered. The dynamic wind loading and response of a tall building is investigated. A method of evaluating the probability of maximum response due to tornado is also presented. It is found that: (1) the inertia force component, usually neglected in conventional wind force formula, plays an important role; (2) Dynamic effect is important and the response level can be extremely high if the building is close to the tornado path; and (3) dynamic tornado effect dominates, as compared with ordinary winds, in the risk range where structural failure is of primary concern.
KSD-VP-1/1: Analysis of the Postcranial Skeleton Using High-Resolution Computed Tomography

The KSD-VP-1/1 partial Australopithecus afarensis skeleton from Woranso-Mille, Ethiopia, provides an excellent opportunity to reconstruct various aspects of the paleobiology of Australopithecus. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scan data were collected from each skeletal element. Three-dimensional reconstructions were used to visualize and quantify internal and external anatomical structures. The skeleton was heavily mineralized and preservation of the internal bone structures, such as the endosteal borders of diaphyseal cortical bone and the trabecular structure of the epiphyses was generally poor. The three-dimensional HRCT data also permitted the reconstruction of the pelvic girdle and the fragmented distal femur using rigid transformations of isosurface reconstructions.
Temperature dependent Cs retention, distribution, and ion yield changes during Cs+ bombardment SIMS

Combining Cs+ bombardment with positive secondary molecular ion detection (MCs+) can extend the analysis capability of secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) from the dilute limit (<1 at. %) to matrix elements. The MCs+ technique has had great success in quantifying the sample composition of III–V semiconductors. However, the MCs+ has been less effective at reducing the matrix effect for group IV materials, particularly Si-containing compounds. The lack of success in quantifying group IV materials is primarily attributable to the high Cs surface concentrations overloading the sample surface and lowering ion yields. The Cs overload issue is caused by the mobility and relocation of the implanted Cs to the surface during an analysis. Critical to understanding the material-dependent success of the MCs+ technique and elucidating the Cs mobility is understanding how Cs is incorporated and distributed into the sample and how the Cs surface concentration affects the ionization processes. The authors provide both ...
A Method for the Synthesis of a Mycorrhizal Association Between Pezizella Ericae and Rhododendron Maximum Seedlings Growing in a Defined Medium

Rhododendron spp. are frequently infected with an "ericoid" type of mycorrhiza (6). This association may benefit the plant through improved growth and nutrition, and has been implicated in the survival of ericaceous plants on low fertility soils (7). Since the development of methods for the isolation of ericaceous endophytes and culture of mycorrhizal seedlings under aseptic conditions (3), research has centered on the physiological aspects of the mycorrhizal relationship. Stribley and Read (7) have demonstrated nutrient transfer between the endophyte and host plant, utilizing systems involving autoclaved soil and agar media, gamma-irradiated soil, and sterilized sand. Culture of plants in a sterilized, defined medium, free from the variability, toxicity and aeration problems associated with soil and agar media, is necessary to attribute precise physiologic changes in host plants to the mycorrhizae (1, 8). We have developed an aseptic method for the synthesis of a mycorrhizal association between Pezizella ericae Read (5) and Rhododendron maximum L. seedlings growing on a wellaerated, defined, liquid medium. Axenic seedlings were obtained from surface sterilized seed of R. maximum. Seed was shaken from dry, dehiscing capsules collected in the fall. Approximately 1 g of seed was placed in each of several tubes containing a 1% sodium hypochlorite solution with a drop of Tween #80. The capped tubes were tumbled for 30 min on a multipurpose rotator (Model 150v, Scientific Industries Inc., Springfield, Massachusetts 01103). The liquid was decanted and seeds were rinsed a minimum of three times in sterile, distilled water. Seed was transferred to
Aerosol Synthesis of Metal and Metal Oxide, Nitride and Carbide Nanoparticles Using an Arc Evaporation Source

Nanoparticle synthesis by condensation from the vapor is a versatile process which allows control of both particle size and composition. We have developed a novel aerosol source for producing nanoparticles of metals and metal oxides, nitrides and carbides with controlled mean size. Metal is vaporized by heating a liquid metal pool by means of an atmospheric pressure d.c. arc. The evaporated atoms are entrained in a steady stream of inert gas and are quickly transferred to a quench region where the hot stream from the arc plasma is mixed with a second stream of cold gas. The role of the quench gas is to suppress aggregation by both rapid cooling and dilution. Metal oxide, nitride, and carbide particles are formed by the addition of oxygen, nitrogen, and methane respectively to the inert gas flow in either the arc or the quench region. The size of the primary particles is controlled by varying the metal atom density and residence time in the arc plasma and in the quench region. Cluster aggregation is controlled by varying the cluster density in the flow downstream from the quench region.
Quantum-Inspired Simulative Data Interpretation: A Proposed Research Strategy.

Since the early days of quantum theory, the concept of wave function collapse has been looked upon as mathematically unquantifiable, observer-dependent, non-local, or simply inelegant. Consequently, modern interpretations of quantum theory often try to avoid or make irrelevant the need for wave collapse. This is ironic, since experimental quantum physics requires some variant of wave collapse wherever quantum phenomena interact with the classical universe of the observer. This paper proposes a pragmatic view in which wave function collapses are treated as real phenomena that occur in pairs. Paired collapses occur when two wave packets exchange real (vs. virtual) momentumcarrying force particles such as photons. To minimize reversibility, such pairs must be separated by a relativistically time-like interval. The resulting model resembles a network of future-predictive simulations (wave packets) linked together by occasional exchanges of data (force particles). Each data exchange “updates” the wave packets by eliminating the need for them to “consider” some range of possible futures. The rest of the paper explores the information processing implications of this idea of networked wave packets. It is postulated that similar networks of simulations in classical computers could provide faster, more efficient ways to process sensor data.
Resident partnerships: a tool for enhancing ambulatory training.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES This study examined resident partnerships and their effect on graduates' practice patterns. METHODS The study authors surveyed graduates from a residency program that used resident partnerships. We also surveyed the graduates' current practice partners, and they served as a comparison group. RESULTS The graduates' response rate was 86%, and their current practice partners' response rate was 61%. Graduates from a partnership program rated themselves better trained for outpatient medicine and more comfortable communicating with other physicians and working within a patient care team; they were also slightly less likely to practice inpatient medicine. Reported benefits during residency included enhanced availability for continuity clinics, more emotional and intellectual support, and more flexible work schedules. CONCLUSIONS Graduates valued partnerships during their training and reported being better prepared to work with other physicians in ambulatory settings.
Troubleshooting the Collaborative Process

This chapter introduces the Leader-Negotiator's challenge to build collaborative teams that can in turn build collaborative organizations. It asserts that the formula for organizational success is intense internal collaboration that complements a strong external mind-set. Facilitating the collaborative process is covered by discussing insights that enhance collaboration, perspectives that obstruct collaboration, ways to turn different goals into similar goals, how to establish common ground, concluding with the dilemma of trust, honesty, and openness.
Exploring the Tax Advantages of Exchange-Traded Funds

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) were created not only to offer the same diversification and convenience presented by mutual funds, but also to alleviate the tax burden on investors. This chapter examines why mutual funds present a disadvantage relative to ETFs, by reviewing the relevant tax laws and how ETFs operate to produce the significant tax savings reported by their sponsors.
Comparative analysis of head impact in contact and collision sports

Abstract As concerns about head impact in American football have grown, similar concerns have started to extend to other sports thought to experience less head impact, such as soccer and lacrosse. However, the amount of head impact experienced in soccer and lacrosse is relatively unknown, particularly compared with the substantial amount of data from football. This pilot study quantifies and compares head impact from four different types of sports teams: college football, high school football, college soccer, and college lacrosse. During the 2013 and 2014 seasons, 61 players wore mastoid patch accelerometers to quantify head impact during official athletic events (i.e., practices and games). In both practices and games, college football players experienced the most or second-most impacts per athletic event, highest average peak resultant linear and rotational acceleration per impact, and highest cumulative linear and rotational acceleration per athletic event. For average peak resultant linear and rotatio...
Informatics-Based Discovery of Disease-Associated Immune Profiles

Advances in flow and mass cytometry are enabling ultra-high resolution immune profiling in mice and humans on an unprecedented scale. However, the resulting high-content datasets challenge traditional views of cytometry data, which are both limited in scope and biased by pre-existing hypotheses. Computational solutions are now emerging (e.g., Citrus, AutoGate, SPADE) that automate cell gating or enable visualization of relative subset abundance within healthy versus diseased mice or humans. Yet these tools require significant computational fluency and fail to show quantitative relationships between discrete immune phenotypes and continuous disease variables. Here we describe a simple informatics platform that uses hierarchical clustering and nearest neighbor algorithms to associate manually gated immune phenotypes with clinical or pre-clinical disease endpoints of interest in a rapid and unbiased manner. Using this approach, we identify discrete immune profiles that correspond with either weight loss or histologic colitis in a T cell transfer model of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and show distinct nodes of immune dysregulation in the IBDs, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. This streamlined informatics approach for cytometry data analysis leverages publicly available software, can be applied to manually or computationally gated cytometry data, is suitable for any clinical or pre-clinical setting, and embraces ultra-high content flow and mass cytometry as a discovery engine.
Algorithm-Driven Dosage Decisions (AD3): Optimizing Treatment for Children With Language Impairment.

Background This study was designed to provide recommended amounts of treatment to achieve the optimal amount of language gain for children with language impairment. Method The authors retrospective...
Tech Select Decision Aide: A Mobile Application to Facilitate Just-In-Time Decision Support for Instructional Designers

With the ubiquitous use of mobile technologies and the increasing demand for just-in-time training, there is a need to prepare and support instructional designers and educators to meet the pedagogical and technological development requirements of their target audience in the most effective and efficient way. This paper reviews the iterative design, development and testing of the Tech Select Decision Aide, a mobile recommender system designed to align instructional strategies with learning technologies based on the pedagogical affordances of the learning technology and the cognitive level of the learning objective. Focus group and survey results show that the Tech Select Decision Aide is a useful and usable mobile app that provides just-in-time performance support to assist instructional designers and faculty in the development and creation of pedagogically sound instructional and training materials using technology. Future areas of mobile development are discussed.
Teaching Criminal Justice Online: A Case Study in Systems Improvement

This case study, examining the experiences of a criminal justice instructor teaching Women and Crime online, highlights some of the issues, challenges and discoveries that surface as the course continues to evolve and improve. Some specific topics include facilitating discussion online, concern about online cheating, the prevalence of online course delivery, performance issues and the "double-edges sword of anonymity." The theme of continuous improvement is emphasized.
Late Cretaceous stratigraphy and vertebrate faunas of the Markagunt, Paunsaugunt, and Kaiparowits plateaus, southern Utah

The Late Cretaceous succession of southern Utah was deposited in an active foreland basin circa 100 to 70 million years ago. Thick siliciclastic units represent a variety of marine, coastal, and alluvial plain environments, but are dominantly terrestrial, and also highly fossiliferous. Conditions for vertebrate fossil preservation appear to have optimized in alluvial plain settings more distant from the coast, and so in general the locus of good preservation of diverse assemblages shifts eastward through the Late Cretaceous. The Middle and Late Campanian record of the Paunsaugunt and Kaiparowits Plateau regions is especially good, exhibiting common soft tissue preservation, and comparable with that of the contemporaneous Judith River and Belly River Groups to the north. Collectively the Cenomanian through Campanian strata of southern Utah hold one of the most complete single region terrestrial vertebrate fossil records in the world.
Trisomy 13 and the risk of gestational hypertensive disorders: a population-based study

AbstractPurpose: To describe the rate and severity of gestational hypertensive disorders (GHDs) in pregnancies complicated by trisomy 13 (T13).Materials and methods: Retrospective cohort study of singleton deliveries in California from 2005 to 2008 using vital statistics and ICD-9 data. We were interested in gestational hypertension (gHTN), preeclampsia with and without severe features (sPREX and PREX), and gestational age at delivery. Pregnancies and maternal complications affected by prenatally diagnosed T13 were compared to unaffected pregnancies. Regression models were used to compute adjusted odds ratios for pregnancy outcomes by T13 status.Results: Of the 2,029,004 deliveries, 142 women had prenatally diagnosed T13. A diagnosis of GHD occurred in 26.8% of the T13 pregnancies versus 6% of the non-T13 pregnancies (p < .001). This remained true for gHTN (9.2% versus 3.2%, p=.001), PREX (12% versus 2.2%, p < .001), and sPREX (8.5% versus 0.9%, p < .001). After adjusting for confounders, T13 pregnancies ...
Abstract 348: Dietary Quercetin Prevents Warfarin-Induced Vascular Calcification in Rats

Medial arterial calcification contributes to the development of isolated systolic hypertension, the most frequent type of blood pressure elevation in the elderly; complicates a variety of prevalent disorders such as diabetes and renal disease; and can develop in response to warfarin - the staple in anticoagulant therapy to millions of people. Our in vitro studies have shown that the bioflavonoid quercetin effectively prevents warfarin-induced vascular calcification in VSMCs and identified b-catenin signaling as a specific target of this effect. Here, we have tested in vivo the association of b-catenin signaling with warfarin-induced calcification and the efficacy of quercetin in preventing warfarin-induced aortic calcium accrual. Vitamin K-warfarin treatment was used for 4 weeks to induce arterial calcification in male rats. Molecular analysis demonstrates activation of b-catenin signaling in the calcified areas and osteoblast-like transformation in vascular cells. Dietary quercetin (10 mg/kg body weight) (Quercegen Pharma, Newton, MA) efficiently prevents warfarin-induced calcification (3.04+/-0.45 ug Ca in vitamin K-warfarin animals vs 0.77+/-0.08 ug Ca in quercetin supplementation per mg dry arterial tissue (n=5; p
A simple plug-in bagging ensemble based on threshold-moving for classifying binary and multiclass imbalanced data

Class imbalance presents a major hurdle in the application of classification methods. A commonly taken approach is to learn ensembles of classifiers using rebalanced data. Examples include bootstrap averaging (bagging) combined with either undersampling or oversampling of the minority class examples. However, rebalancing methods entail asymmetric changes to the examples of different classes, which in turn can introduce their own biases. Furthermore, these methods often require specifying the performance measure of interest a priori, i.e., before learning. An alternative is to employ the threshold moving technique, which applies a threshold to the continuous output of a model, offering the possibility to adapt to a performance measure a posteriori, i.e., a plug-in method. Surprisingly, little attention has been paid to this combination of a bagging ensemble and threshold-moving. In this paper, we study this combination and demonstrate its competitiveness. Contrary to the other resampling methods, we preserve the natural class distribution of the data resulting in well-calibrated posterior probabilities. Additionally, we extend the proposed method to handle multiclass data. We validated our method on binary and multiclass benchmark data sets by using both, decision trees and neural networks as base classifiers. We perform analyses that provide insights into the proposed method.
A Deep Learning Architecture for Histology Image Classification with Curriculum Learning

Inspired by curriculum learning, we present a two-tiered approach for CNN training. First, we learn an intermediate representation, called a pixel labeling. The pixel labels capture low-level details and textures within objects, providing a more complete semantic description that is used as input to a subsequent image classifier. The two learning tasks can be considered together as a single deep network. Extensive experiments show that our architecture, which includes an intermediate layer substantially outperforms fine-tuned CNN models trained without an intermediate target, even when the two networks have an identical overall topology and numbers of parameters. We demonstrate our approach on a histology image classification task.
Robotic enucleation of benign pancreatic tumors

Robot-assisted enucleation provides the dual benefits of a minimally-invasive technique and pancreatic parenchymal conservation to selected patients with functional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (F-pNETs) and serous cystadenomas. Insulinomas, the most common F-pNETs, are ideal candidates for enucleation when <2 cm given the 80% probability of being benign. Current evidence suggests enucleation for the following: benign, isolated lesions with a distance between tumor and main pancreatic duct ≥3 mm (no focal stricture or dilation), insulinomas, gastrinomas <2 cm, and nonfunctional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NF-pNETs) <1–2 cm and low Ki67 mitotic index. Minimally-invasive enucleation is an imaging-dependent procedure that requires recognizable anatomic landmarks for successful completion, including tumor proximity to the pancreatic duct as well as localization relative to major structures such as the gastroduodenal artery, bile duct, and portal vein. Tumor localization often mandates intraoperative ultrasound aided by duplex studies of intratumoral blood flow and frozen section confirmation. Five patients have undergone robot-assisted enucleation at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center between January 2014 and January 2017 with median tumor diameter of 1.3 cm (0.9–1.7 cm) located in the pancreatic head [2] and tail [3]. Surgical indications included insulinoma [2] and NF-pNETs [3]. Median operative time was 204 min (range, 137–347 min) and estimated blood loss of 50 mL. There were no conversions to open or transfusions. Robotic enucleation is a safe and feasible technique that allows parenchymal conservation in a minimally-invasive setting, reducing operative time and length of stay with equivalent pathological outcomes compared to open surgery.
Quantification of visual diagnostic heuristics during simulated pathology diagnosis

We introduce a method to quantify visual diagnostic clues that are considered during simulated pathology diagnosis. We extend Apriori method of association rule mining with custom Perl extensions to collect sets of diagnostic clues that show an improvement in diagnostic accuracy. We developed an information gain measure based on Kullback-Leibler divergence in an attempt to gauge the impact of additional factors in diagnostic process.
Linear Precoding to Optimize Throughput, Power Consumption and Energy Efficiency in MIMO Wireless Sensor Networks

This paper considers joint precoder design to optimize throughput, power consumption and energy efficiency (EE) in the context of multi-antenna wireless sensor networks with coherent multiple access channels. To maximize throughput, both centralized and decentralized algorithms are developed. Our centralized algorithm obtains a new second order cone programming formulation of the problem, which is different from related works and can apply to more generic system setup compared to existing literature. In addition, noting the fact that all existing solutions in literature are centralized based, we propose a novel decentralized solution and analyses its convergence. Besides the throughput maximization, the power consumption and EE problems are also attacked. To optimize these two metrics, a decentralized algorithm based on dual-decomposition and block successive upper-bound method has been developed, which runs in parallel with semi-analytical solutions and has provable strong convergence. A sufficient condition for the validity of the decentralized method is obtained. Extensive numerical results are presented to consolidate our findings.
Stalled for Whom? Change in the Division of Particular Housework Tasks and Their Consequences for Middle- to Low-Income Couples:

Whether the gender revolution has transformed couple behavior across all social classes is the subject of ongoing scholarly debate. The authors explore cohort change in the performance of individua...
Taking satisfiability to the next level with z3

Several applications from program analysis, design and testing rely critically on solving SMT problems. Many applications build on top of SMT solvers in sophisticated ways by carefully crafting the solver interaction. We illustrate partial correctness checking as an SMT problem and we introduce a procedure for model finding of recursive Horn clauses with arithmetic.