cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Developing sensor and measurement T-shaped professional power engineering course

To meet the need of modern workplace, course and curriculum should be redesigned to provide students with the necessary depth of knowledge in a specific subject matter while helping them to acquire the breath in additional areas such as ability to communicate the technical knowledge and be able to work with others with different background. This type of course structure will help students to acquire the qualities and skills required of T-shaped professionals. We have developed a course on Sensor and Measurements course to promote the development of T-shaped professional power engineers. The course structure consists of class room lectures followed by laboratory experiments and demonstrations to reinforce principles discussed in class. Test exams, home-works, and survey results show a trend towards increased student understanding of sensors used in power engineering as well as measurements of power parameters and interpretation of measured data. Students show better understanding of the economic, social and environmental impacts of available data quality for power system observability. Hands-on experience during laboratory experiments and demonstrations as well as the design project related to power system helped promote T-shaped professional development of the students. In this presentation we will discuss course structure followed by students work to demonstrate the effect of the approach towards promoting T-shaped professional power engineers.
Comparative and integrative analysis of RNA structural profiling data: current practices and emerging questions

Structure profiling experiments provide single-nucleotide information on RNA structure. Recent advances in chemistry combined with application of high-throughput sequencing have enabled structure profiling at transcriptome scale and in living cells, creating unprecedented opportunities for RNA biology. Propelled by these experimental advances, massive data with ever-increasing diversity and complexity have been generated, which give rise to new challenges in interpreting and analyzing these data. We review current practices in analysis of structure profiling data with emphasis on comparative and integrative analysis as well as highlight emerging questions. Comparative analysis has revealed structural patterns across transcriptomes and has become an integral component of recent profiling studies. Additionally, profiling data can be integrated into traditional structure prediction algorithms to improve prediction accuracy. To keep pace with experimental developments, methods to facilitate, enhance and refine such analyses are needed. Parallel advances in analysis methodology will complement profiling technologies and help them reach their full potential.
What Is Safe Waste Disposal

The nature of radioactive wastes and their hazards is considered, and present and future methods of disposal are discussed. It is concluded that in the forseeable future the cumulative effect can lead to serious contamination of large sections of the globe. Even without genetic damage the potential hazard is considerable. Present practice is satisfactory for present needs. The problem of locating waste processing plants close to power reactors versus sites close to waste disposal areas is discussed. (T.R.H.)
TXT-tool 3.001-1.3: Laboratory Measurement of Fully Softened Shear Strength and Its Application for Landslide Analysis

Fully softened shear strength is equivalent to the peak shear strength of remolded soil specimens. Fully softened shear strength is important when evaluating the stability of first time slides and compacted fills. It is generally measured using various soil testing methods such as direct shear, direct simple shear, triaxial or ring shear tests. However, as the direct shear test devices are readily available in many geotechnical engineering laboratories, it is recommended to use this device to measure the fully softened shear strength. Generally, the fully softened shear envelopes are curved, starting from origin. Therefore, using constant volume direct simple shear devices are recommended to obtain the fully softened shear envelopes in order to accurately capture this curvature. This tool explains the importance of fully softened shear strength for slope stability analysis, methods used to measure the fully softened shear strengths in laboratory, and available correlations to estimate the fully softened shear strength with index properties.
Bond energies of nitrogen and phosphorous hydrides and fluorides

Recent measurements of bond energies in the N-H/sub n/ and P-H/sub n/ systems by photoionization mass spectrometry are compared with modern ab initio calculations and a semi-empirical theory. Good agreement is noted, providing confirmation for the level of accuracy of the ab initio calculations, and for the essential corrections of the semi-empirical parametrization. However, the N-F/sub n/ and P-F/sub n/ systems, also measured, are currently beyond the capabilities of such high quality ab initio calculations, and the trends observed in the bond energies indicate that other parametrizations are necessary in the semi-empirical approach. 20 refs., 8 figs.
Comorbidity of mathematics and reading deficits: Evidence for a genetic etiology.

In order to assess the genetic etiology of the comorbidity of reading and mathematics difficulties, data were ascertained from two samples: (1) 102 identical and 77 same-sex fraternal twin pairs in which at least one member of each pair is reading disabled and (2) 42 identical and 23 same-sex fraternal twin pairs in which at least one member is math disabled. Composite reading and mathematics performance data from each sample were fitted to the basic multiple regression model for the analysis of selected twin data and its bivariate extension. Resulting estimates of bivariate heritability and the genetic correlation between the reading and the mathematics performance measures suggest that the comorbidity between mathematics and reading difficulties is due in part to genetic influences.
The place of the conditioned reflex in psychology and psychiatry: Reply to reese, dykman, and peters

Razran’s “The Place of the Conditional Reflex in Psychology and Psychiatry” delivered at GAP Symposium No. 9 traced historically the influence of Russian physiology on American behavior systems, first in the classical Watson period and then in present-day Neobehaviorism. The address collated Pavlovianism and Behaviorism, and mentioned recent Soviet emphasis of interoceptive, semantic, and compound-stimulus conditioning. Within the limits of time, it dealt with group developments and not with individual contributions. And it assumed that a behavior system comprises both normal and abnormal aspects; that is, the basics of both psychology and psychiatry. The assertion by Reese, Dykman and Peters that “Psychiatrists tend to avoid contributions of experimental psychologists and vice versa” is not shared by Razran, nor, he believes, by American psychiatry and experimental psychology as such. And the assertion is contrary to the Pavlovian tradition. Pavlov’s first, 1903, publication on conditioned reflexes was entitled “Experimental Psychology and Psychopathology in Animals” which he later renamed “the physiology and pathology [or pathophysiology] of higher nervous activity.”
Fluid-Flow Mobility

The applications of the fluid-flow mobility model are explained in the context of both cellular wireless and mobile ad hoc networks along with its derivation of the analytical model. It is shown that the simulation results closely match the analytical results. How the mobility of nodes degrades the performances of the network is examined in detail.
Benefit-Cost Analysis

Benefit-cost analysis represents the “granddaddy” of outcome-based analysis. Although complex, its purpose is to answer a simple, straightforward question that program administrators, funding bodies, policy makers, and taxpayers are most interested in: Does a program’s benefits outweigh its costs? Although a simple question to ask, we will see in this chapter that a simple answer is most difficult and typically given with a number of cautions.
Care fragmentation and prescription opioids

In their article, Moyo and colleagues reported that veterans who received care through both the VA and Medicare are at higher risk for death from opioid overdose than those who use either system ex...
Coarse–grained molecular modeling of the microphase structure of polyurea elastomer

Abstract We present a structure–matching coarse–grained model of polyurea, similar to united atom models, in which hydrogen atoms are implicitly represented. The model was trained using iteration Boltzmann inversion and a new heuristically–determined, distance–dependent scaling function that dramatically reduces the iterations required. With its reduced complexity and accelerated dynamics, the coarse–grained model can simulate microphase separation with hard domain spacing of 5 nm, comparable to x-ray scattering measurements of similar polyurea elastomers. An analysis of the morphology of two model systems shows a large, interconnected hard domain within a multiblock system, compared to an interrupted hard phase composed of separate smaller ribbon–shaped domains in a diblock system. To analyze the topology of soft segment connectivity, we calculated their end–to–end distribution, revealing that soft segments are composed of a large population of bridge–like segments and a smaller population of loop–like segments.
Role of AHR in the control of GBM-associated myeloid cells

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive and incurable brain tumor; its malignancy has been associated with the activity of tumor infiltrating myeloid cells. Myeloid cells play important roles in the tumor control by the immune response, but also in tumor progression. Indeed, GBM exploits multiple mechanisms to recruit and modulate myeloid cells. The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AHR) is a ligand activated transcription factor implicated in the regulation of myeloid cells. In this review, we will summarize current knowledge on the AHR role in the control of myeloid cells and its impact on GBM pathogenesis.
Transition Structures of the Electrocyclic Reactions of cis,cis,cis‐1,3,5‐Cyclooctatriene

The electrocyclic reactions of cis,cis,cis-1,3,5-cyclooctatriene have been studied using ab initio molecular orbital theory. cis,cis,cis-1,3,5-cyclooctatriene can undergo an electrocyclic ring opening in a conrotatory fashion to form cis,cis-1,3,5,7-octatetraene and a disrotatory electrocyclization to form bicyclo[4.2.0]octa-2,4-diene. The transition structures for these electrocyclic reactions have been located. Geometry optimizations employed restricted Hartree-Fock calculations and the 3–21G and 6–31G* basis sets. Electron correlation energies were calculated using second-order, and in some cases fourth-order, Moller-Plesset theory. Scaled RHF/6–31G* force constants were employed in the prediction of secondary deuterium isotope effects for the conrotatory ring opening. The ground state of cis,cis,cis-1,3,5-cyclooctatriene exists in a twist-boat conformation with staggering at the saturated linkage. The transition structure for the conrotatory electrocyclic ring opening to form cis,cis-1,3,5,7-octatetraene has a helical structure, which has implications for the stereoselectivities of ring closure of 1-substituted-cis,cis-1,3,5,7-octatetraenes. The disrotatory transition structure for the electrocyclization to form bicyclo[4.2.0]octa-2,4-diene is strongly distorted from Cs symmetry, in contrast to the transition structure for the disrotatory electrocyclization of cis-1,3,5-hexatriene. This distortion is caused by staggering about the saturated linkage.
Design and Experimental Validation of a Martian Water Extraction System

This paper discusses the design and realization of a robotic water extraction system used to harvest subsurface ice from a simulated Martian environment. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has discovered ice buried approximately 1-2 m below the surface at the mid-latitudes of Mars. Access to this vital resource could greatly contribute to the success of a human mission to Mars. Our research and development effort into the in-situ procurement of water on Mars was guided by the 2018 NASA Revolutionary Aerospace System Concepts Academic Linkages (RASC-AL) Mars Ice Challenge. The focus of the challenge was to validate design concepts that maximize water collected from a simulated Martian test-bed using a robotic system. The steering committee provided the team with a design framework including functional, operational, and physical requirements. For this challenge, the team developed the Planetary Articulating Water Extraction System (PAWES). PAWES uses an auger based drilling system in combination with an articulating water extraction tool to collect water from subsurface ice deposits. In this paper, we present potential solutions to ice extraction on Mars, an overview of the PAWES system, and experimental results of prototype testing in terrestrial conditions. Additionally, we will discuss lessons learned from the implementation and validation of PAWES to guide further development of Martian water extraction systems.
Balancing Gender Identity and Gamer Identity: Gender Issues Faced by Wang ‘BaiZe’ Xinyu at the 2017 Hearthstone Summer Championship

This article examines a terrain in which gender inclusion remains a challenge: competitive esports. In the male-dominated sphere of esports, the underrepresentation of women and nonbinary people of...
Design and evaluation of degassed anaerobic membrane biofilm reactors for improved methane recovery.

Abstract Anaerobic treatment of domestic wastewater (DWW) produces dissolved methane that needs to be recovered for use as an energy product. Membrane-based recovery systems have been reported in the literature but are often limited by fouling. The objective of this study was to develop a methane producing biofilm on the shell side surface a membrane to allow for immediate recovery of methane as it was produced, negating mass transfer resistance caused by fouling. Between 89 and 96% of total methane produced was recovered via in-situ degassing without the need for fouling control or cleaning throughout 72 weeks of operation. High methane recovery efficiencies led to predictions of net positive energy yield in one reactor and a 32–61% reduction in energy demand in the others compared to the control. This research demonstrates the feasibility and usefulness of combining attached growth anaerobic wastewater treatment processes with hollow fiber membrane methane recovery systems for improved operation.
The JNK Signaling Pathway in Inflammatory Skin Disorders and Cancer

The c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs), with its members JNK1, JNK2, and JNK3, is a subfamily of (MAPK) mitogen-activated protein kinases. JNK signaling regulates a wide range of cellular processes, including cell proliferation, differentiation, survival, apoptosis, and inflammation. Dysregulation of JNK pathway is associated with a wide range of immune disorders and cancer. Our objective is to provide a review of JNK proteins and their upstream regulators and downstream effector molecules in common skin disorders, including psoriasis, dermal fibrosis, scleroderma, basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and melanoma.
Chapter 3 – Benchmarking Process Performance Through Overall Mass Targeting

Publisher Summary This chapter deals with benchmarking the performance of an industrial facility, which refers to the determination of a standard of excellence to which the process performance can be compared. It is an important step in assessing the prospects for improving the performance of a process and in evaluating indicators and metrics for process efficiency and sustainability. The focus is on evaluating mass targets without deciding which technologies should be selected, what design changes must be made, and how the detailed economic analysis impacts the targets. Two types of mass targetting are discussed in the chapter. Stoichiometric calculations, which are used for when there are very limited data and information for the process and mass integration, which is used for existing processes or process designs with sufficient details. The overall mass targets of the process are typically determined without specifying the detailed design changes that are needed to reach the targets. Several mass integration strategies can be used to develop cost-effective implementations. Three main factors can be used in describing these strategies: economics, impact, and acceptability. The economic dimension can be assessed by a variety of criteria such as capital cost, return on investment, net present worth, and payback period. These strategies include stream segregation/mixing, recycle, interception using separation devices, changes in design and operating conditions of units, materials substitution, and technology changes including the use of alternate chemical pathways.
Improving neighbor-based collaborative filtering by using a hybrid similarity measurement

Abstract Memory-based collaborative filtering is one of the recommendation system methods used to predict a user’s rating or preference by exploring historic ratings, but without incorporating any content information about users or items. It can be either item-based or user-based. Taking item-based Collaborative Filtering (CF) as an example, the way it makes predictions is accomplished in 2 steps: first, it selects based on pair-wise similarities a number of most similar items to the predicting item from those that the user has already rated on. Second, it aggregates the user’s opinions on those most similar items to predict a rating on the predicting item. Thus, similarity measurement determines which items are similar, and plays an important role on how accurate the predictions are. Many studies have been conducted on memory-based CFs to improve prediction accuracy, but none of them have achieved better prediction accuracy than state-of-the-art model-based CFs. In this paper, we proposed a new approach that combines both structural and rating-based similarity measurement. We found that memory-based CF using combined similarity measurement can achieve better prediction accuracy than model-based CFs in terms of lower MAE and reduce memory and time by using less neighbors than traditional memory-based CFs on MovieLens and Netflix datasets.
Online, Model-Free Motion Planning in Dynamic Environments: An Intermittent, Finite Horizon Approach with Continuous-Time Q-Learning.

This paper presents an online kinodynamic motion planning scheme for dynamically evolving environments, by employing Q-learning. The methodology addresses the finite horizon continuous-time optimal control problem with completely unknown system dynamics. An actor-critic structure is employed along with a buffer of previous experiences, to approximate the optimal policy and alleviate the learning signal requirements. The methodology is equipped with a terminal state evaluation to achieve fast navigation. The path planning is assigned to the RRT X . An obstacle augmentation and a local re-planning strategy are responsible for collision-free navigation. Rigorous Lyapunov-based proofs are provided to guarantee closed-loop stability of the equilibrium point. We evaluate the efficacy of the methodology with simulations.
Natural Language Descriptors of Family

Although self-report questionnaires assessing family relationships are plentiful, all were developed from the perspective of the theorist or researcher.There is no instrument that has as its basis ...
Use of Artificial Intelligence in Classification and Monitoring of VHF Signals in a Software Based Instrumentation System

A software based instrumentation system was designed to measure the transient frequency response for a 50 MHz signal with a precision better than 0.3 ppm. Long short-term memory (LSTM), an artificial recurrent neural network (RNN) architecture was used to detect and classify features on signals generated by this system. Dropouts in signal were detected and characterized with an accuracy better than 78%. The concept of software based instrumentation was implemented using a PXI based instrumentation system. The software solution was implemented in LabVIEW, Matlab and LabWindows/CVI.
Whole genome regulatory variant evaluation for transcription factor binding

Contemporary approaches to predict single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that alter transcription factor binding rely upon the sequence affinity of a transcription factor as represented by its canonical motif. WAVE (Whole-genome regulAtory Variants Evaluation) is a novel method for predicting more general regulatory variants that affect transcription factor binding, including those that fall outside of the canonical motif. WAVE learns a k-mer based generative model of transcription factor binding from ChIP-seq data and scores variants using its generative binding model. The k-mers learned by WAVE capture more sequence feature in transcription factor binding than a motif-based approach alone, including both a transcription factor's canonical motif as well as associated co-factor motifs. WAVE significantly outperforms motif-based methods in predicting SNPs associated with allele-specific binding.
The Spatial, Ionization, and Kinematic Conditions of the z = 1.39 Damped Lyα Absorber in Q0957+561A, B*

We examined the kinematics, ionization conditions, and physical size of the absorption clouds in a z = 1.3911 damped Lyα absorber (DLA) in the double-image lensed quasar Q0957+561A, B (separation 135 h pc at the absorber redshift). Using HIRES/Keck spectra (FWHM 6.6 km s-1), we studied the Mg II λλ2796, 2803 doublet, Fe II multiplet, and Mg I λ2853 transition in absorption. Based on the Fe II profiles (the Mg II suffers from saturation), we defined six "clouds" in the system of sight line A and seven clouds in the system of sight line B. An examination of the N(v) profiles, using the apparent optical depth method, reveals no clear physical connection between the clouds in A and those in B. The observed column density ratios of all clouds are log N(Mg )/N(Fe ) -2 across the full ~300 km s-1 velocity range in both systems and also spatially (in both sight lines). This is a remarkable uniformity not seen in Lyman limit systems. The uniformity of the cloud properties suggests that the multiple clouds are not part of a "halo." Based on photoionization modeling, using the N(Mg )/N(Fe ) ratio in each cloud, we constrain the ionization parameters in the range -6.2 ≤ log U ≤ -5.1, where the range brackets known abundance ratio and dust depletion patterns. The inferred cloud properties are densities of 2 ≤ nH ≤ 20 cm-3 and line-of-sight sizes of 1 ≤ D ≤ 25 pc. The masses of the clouds in system A are 10 ≤ M/M☉ ≤ 1000 and in system B are 1 ≤ M/M☉ ≤ 60 for spherical clouds. For planar clouds, the upper limits are 400 and 160 h M☉ for A and B, respectively. We favor a model of the absorber in which the DLA region itself is a single cloud in this complex, which could be a parcel of gas in a galactic interstellar medium. We cannot discern whether the H I in this DLA cloud is in a single, cold phase or in cold+warm phases. A spherical cloud of ~10 pc would be limited to one of the sight lines (A) and imply a covering factor less than 0.1 for the DLA complex. We infer that the DLA cloud properties are consistent with those of lower density, cold clouds in the Galactic interstellar medium.
Biologic Treatment of 4 HIV-Positive Patients: A Case Series and Literature Review:

Background:The management of psoriatic disease in HIV-positive patients is challenging. Psoriasis in HIV-positive patients is often severe, progressive, and resistant to first- and second-line ther...
Roads in You: Matching and Visualizing Veins and Roads in 3D

Roads in You is an interactive biometric-data art and physical 3D data visualization by using a vein matching process to roads. Veins are beautifully complicated forms hidden under skins. It includes many intersections of roads that resemble the roads and paths surrounding us. In this artwork, participants scan their veins, capture the aesthetically formed vein lines, and observe existing roads in the earth that match to the veins inside of their bodies. The surprising results discovered through this process are visualized in both interactive 3D map visualization and 3D printed sculptures as personal souvenirs as a part of the artistic experience. Unique aspects such as artistic expression and situated metaphors in this artwork invite audiences to experience a unique matching process and discover newly meaningful roads for them. Enhanced 3D data visualization and physical data sculptures are new additions to this updated version. This data-driven artwork aims to find an interesting correlation between biometric data and map-based data in terms of research questions.
Outpatient Management of Orthostatic Hypotension as a Chronic Complication of Upper Spinal Cord Injury

Case: AL is an 18-year-old man with a history of incomplete tetraplegia following traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (SCI), complicated by orthostatic hypotension (OH), neurogenic bladder, and neuropathic pain, who presented to the clinic to establish care. He reported chronic episodes of pre-syncope and diaphoresis several times daily with no loss of consciousness, provoked by rapid positional changes and partially alleviated by leaning forward. Pre-syncopal episodes had persisted despite treatment with 5 mg …
Oceans and Human Health and the New Blue Economy

Abstract The field of Oceans and Human Health (OHH) is a “metadiscipline,” combining elements of oceanography, marine biology, ecology, biomedical science, environmental health science, medicine, public health, social sciences, economics, and communication science and fostering collaborations among scientists from these and other disciplines as well as with public health professionals, natural resource managers, and land use planners. Initially, OHH programs focused primarily on illnesses associated with exposure to ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes waters, such as those caused by harmful algal blooms (HABs) and Vibrio bacteria, as well as a few health benefits including potential new pharmaceuticals. More recently, OHH programs have expanded to encompass health effects from other freshwater bodies and reported health-promoting effects of “blue” spaces (coastal areas, rivers, or landscapes involving water features). Today’s OHH centers follow community participatory approaches to research, and results are incorporated into products and tools to increase understanding of health risks and benefits associated with aquatic environments and to communicate this information in ways that protect and enhance public health. This chapter explores OHH topics including forecasting of HABs and Vibrios, the wicked problem of plastics in the marine environment, aquaculture as a source of sustainable seafood, potential for growth of wellness tourism, environmental justice, and development of a human health observing system. Highlighted throughout the chapter are some of the myriad opportunities for OHH programs to contribute to the new blue economy and vice versa through data streams, information products and services, new and developing technologies, and workforce development.
Delta variants of SARS-CoV-2 cause significantly increased vaccine breakthrough COVID-19 cases in Houston, Texas

Genetic variants of SARS-CoV-2 have repeatedly altered the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, and disease in individual patients. Delta variants (B.1.617.2, AY.2, and AY.3) are now the focus of international concern because they are causing widespread COVID-19 disease globally. Vaccine breakthrough cases caused by SARS-CoV-2 variants also are of considerable public health and medical concern worldwide. As part of a comprehensive project, we sequenced the genomes of 3,913 SARS-CoV-2 from patient samples acquired March 15, 2021 through July 3, 2021 in the Houston Methodist hospital system and studied vaccine breakthrough cases. During the study period Delta variants increased to cause 58% of all COVID-19 cases and spread throughout the metropolitan Houston area. In addition, Delta variants caused a significantly higher rate of vaccine breakthrough cases (19.7% compared to 5.8% for all other variants). Importantly, only 6.5% of all COVID-19 cases occurred in fully immunized individuals, and relatively few of these patients required hospitalization. Our genomic and epidemiologic data emphasize that vaccines used in the United States are highly effective in decreasing severe COVID-19 disease, hospitalizations, and deaths.
Paleoenvironments and Paleoecology of the Eocene Green River Formation, Fossil Basin, Wyoming

Investigations begun in 1981 of the paleoenvironments and paleoecology of ancient Fossil Lake in Fosil Basin (Fossil Butte National Monument) were continued in 1982. The principle 1982 objectives of this continuing study were to: 1. Study and sample the paleontology of stratigraphic sections within Fossil Basin at locations representing the center and margins of the lake. Data collected from this study will provide insights into paleoecologic changes through time; 2. Continue detailed investigations of one time-synchronoas stratigraphic unit by excavating additional "miniquarries." The "Lower Oil Shale" unit was quarried in 1981 and several additional quarries were excavated in 1982. The data from this part of the study will provide a picture of the paleoecology and environments during one period of the lake's history; and 3. Continue field mappjng and reconnaissance to determine the maximum size of Fossil Lake, inflow areas (delta locations), lake bottom gradients, and maximum extent of the Lower Oil Shale. This data will provide a paleogeographic context for evaluating the paleoecology and paleoenvironments.
Bilateral megalo-ureter in a child

Summary A case of bilateral megalo-ureters is reported. Streptomycin therapy followedby daily administration of 1.0 to 1.5 Gm. of sulfadiazine controlled the infection of the genitourinary tract. After thirty-two months of therapy, the cystograms and intravenous pyelograms appeared normal.
What can you learn from rashes? An approach for children

Rashes cause a great deal of concern to parents and are often dismissed as either inconsequential or confusing by health care practitioners. While the majority of rashes have trivial consequences, others are manifestations of serious and potentially fatal disease. A careful evaluation of a rash can be extremely rewarding. Serious diseases can be diagnosed with a reasonable degree of certainty and appropriate therapy rapidly instituted. For example, Kawasaki disease often presents with fever and a rash and failure to recognize it in time and give intravenous gammaglobulin will result in coronary artery aneurysms in 20Yo of patients. In contrast, parents can often be reassured of the benign nature of many rashes.
Lossless compression of medical images using space-varying multiresolution multiplicative autoregressive models

This paper presents a new multiresolution predictive scheme for lossless image compression that consists of four successive steps; namely, spatial varying mean calculation, multiresolution decomposition, hierarchical interpolation and predictive coding using two-dimensional multiplicative autoregressive models. This approach has two advantages, namely, entropy reduction in the low resolution, and progressive transmission. The performance of the proposed technique is compared with three alternative techniques; namely, difference pyramid (DP), reduced difference pyramid (RDP) and hierarchical interpolation (HINT) method. The experiments demonstrate that the proposed technique achieves higher compression compared to the other techniques considered. >
Disruption of Annexin II /p11 Interaction Suppresses Leukemia Cell Binding, Homing and Engraftment, and Sensitizes the Leukemia Cells to Chemotherapy.

The bone marrow microenvironment plays an important role in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cell proliferation, maintenance, and resistance to chemotherapy. Annexin II (ANX2) is abundantly expressed on bone marrow cells and complexes with p11 to form ANX2/p11-hetero-tetramer (ANX2T). We present evidence that p11 is upregulated in refractory ALL cell lines and patient samples. A small molecule inhibitor that disrupts ANX2/p11 interaction (ANX2T inhibitor), an anti-ANX2 antibody, and knockdown of p11, abrogated ALL cell adhesion to osteoblasts, indicating that ANX2/p11 interaction facilitates binding and retention of ALL cells in the bone marrow. Furthermore, ANX2T inhibitor increased the sensitivity of primary ALL cells co-cultured with osteoblasts to dexamethasone and vincristine induced cell death. Finally, in an orthotopic leukemia xenograft mouse model, the number of ALL cells homing to the bone marrow was reduced by 40–50% in mice injected with anti-ANX2 antibody, anti-p11 antibody or ANX2T inhibitor compared to respective controls. In a long-term engraftment assay, the percentage of ALL cells in mouse blood, bone marrow and spleen was reduced in mice treated with agents that disrupt ANX2/p11 interaction. These data show that disruption of ANX2/p11 interaction results in reduced ALL cell adhesion to osteoblasts, increased ALL cell sensitization to chemotherapy, and suppression of ALL cell homing and engraftment.
KAM Theory Near Multiplicity One Resonant Surfaces in Perturbations of A-Priori Stable Hamiltonian Systems

We consider a near-integrable Hamiltonian system in the action-angle variables with analytic Hamiltonian. For a given resonant surface of multiplicity one we show that near a Cantor set of points on this surface, whose remaining frequencies enjoy the usual diophantine condition, the Hamiltonian may be written in a simple normal form which, under certain assumptions, may be related to the class which, following Chierchia and Gallavotti [1994], we call a-priori unstable. For the a-priori unstable Hamiltonian we prove a KAM-type result for the survival of whiskered tori under the perturbation as an infinitely differentiable family, in the sense of Whitney, which can then be applied to the above normal form in the neighborhood of the resonant surface.
The mapping of faradic efficiencies in large electrodialysis units

Abstract A method is described to measure current efficiency distribution in large electrodialysis stacks equipped with sectioned electrodes without the necessity of sampling and analyzing the solution in each segment of the unit.
Minimizing occupational exposure to biohazards.

Exposure to body fluids via needlestick injury or otherwise is a risk inherent to interventional radiology. Although the incidence of occupational exposure to biohazards appears to be decreasing in the era of universal precautions, in IR, safety needles are the exception rather than the rule. In the United States, hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are the major risks because most health-care workers have access to the hepatitis B vaccine. As a general rule, hepatitis B is most easily transmitted (2 to 40%) from a needlestick injury, followed by hepatitis C (2.7 to 10%) and HIV (0.3%). With postexposure prophylaxis, the risk of contracting HIV is likely even lower than the figure commonly quoted. Unfortunately, there is no effective prophylaxis for hepatitis C exposure.
Bypassing the Emergency Department to Improve the Process of Care for ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Necessary but Not Sufficient

The past several decades have been marked by dramatic advances in the management of patients with an acute decompensation of ischemic heart disease. A now common phrase in our clinical lexicon is acute coronary syndrome, which is further subdivided into presentations with and without ST-segment elevation on the ECG, thus dividing acute coronary syndrome presentations into ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and unstable angina/non–ST-segment myocardial infarction (MI).1 Given the time urgency of restoring antegrade flow in the culprit coronary artery in STEMI, it is understandable that a major focus of clinical research has been defining the optimal reperfusion regimen, first with fibrinolysis and later with catheter-based interventions. Article see p 352 In 2006, an American Heart Association (AHA) Consensus Statement was published outlining the fact that, at the time, only a minority of patients with STEMI in the United States received primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and, in those who did, <40% were treated within 90 minutes after hospital arrival.2 The AHA convened an acute MI Advisory Working Group that agreed that the next step in the process after the initial consensus statement was to develop an implementation plan to establish a system of care to increase the number of patients with STEMI who received timely access to primary PCI. Within a year, a conference was held with representation from all the key stakeholders, the success of early model STEMI systems was reviewed, and the AHA launched Mission:Lifeline , an initiative to improve the quality of care and outcomes for patients with STEMI and to improve the healthcare system readiness and response to STEMI.3 Several remarkable achievements of Mission:Lifeline over the past 6 years are worth noting. A robust Website exists that is the central clearing house to learn more about Mission:Lifeline , get the latest news …
SU-E-T-207: Establishing Institution-Specific Action Levels for EPID-Based QA for IMRT

Purpose: To establish institutionally specific action levels for quality assurance (QA) ofintensity‐modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment plans based on the guidelines andstatistical principles presented by Howell et al. in 2008 for the University of Texas MD Anderson. Methods: A review of 3937 fields of 364 patients treatment plans was undertaken to findinstitutional action level values unique to this clinic. Data analysis focused on the commonlyused gamma parameter. Institutional averages and standard deviations were found formaximum gamma, average gamma, and percentage of a field's fluence area exhibiting a gammavalue greater than 1.0. Additional analysis reviewed action level dependence on disease site and EPID acquisition software version. Results: These observations were used to create action levels specific to this clinic and which were found to be substantially stricter than those recorded by Howell et al; this difference perhaps reflects institution‐specific aspects such as updated acquisition software and individual treatment planning styles. Conclusion: Results suggest that action levels for Portal Dosimetry‐based IMRT QA should beadjusted based on individual institutional experience.
Structural and Functional Basis of Tollip Association to the Endosomal Adaptor Protein Tom1

Adaptor proteins are often committed to cellular processes that involve cargo internalization from the plasma membrane. Ubiquitinated cargo is internalized by endocytosis and delivered to early endosomes via intracellular vesicles. Cargo is then sorted to late endosomes/multivesicular bodies followed by, in most cases, degradation in the lysosomal compartments. Adaptor proteins, such as Tollip and Tom1, facilitate cargo sorting through their ubiquitin-binding domains. Tollip is localized to early endosomes, through binding to phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PtdIns(3)P). Tom1 can also bind ubiquitin-conjugated cargo and is recruited to the endosomal membranes through its association with Tollip. The interaction of these two proteins is proposed to be involved in the lysosomal degradation of polyubiquitinated cargo. In this work, we demonstrate that binding of Tollip to PtdIns(3)P is negatively modulated by interaction with Tom1. Structural studies determine that the Tom1-binding domain (TBD) of Tollip is intrinsically disorded and folds upon binding to the Tom1 GAT domain, which also undergoes a conformational change upon binding. Intermolecular NOEs of the Tollip TBD-Tom1 GAT complex indicate that association is mainly driven by hydrophobic contacts with very high affinity. Ubiquitin binds to the Tom1 GAT domain at a site that does not overlap with that for the Tollip TBD, but the binding events are mutually exclusive and are likely driven by conformational changes in the GAT domain. Endosomal localization of Tom1 depends on the presence of Tollip in this compartment. Using fluorescence microscopy, we show that mutations in the binding interphase of the Tom1 GAT and Tollip TBD complex leads to a dissociation of the proteins and triggers cytosolic localization of Tom1. Consequently, we propose that association of Tom1 to Tollip helps to release Tollip from endosomal membranes, allowing Tollip to commit to endosomal ubiquitinated cargo trafficking.
Glen H. Elder, Jr., and the Importance of Lived Experience

This special issue of Research in Human Development celebrates the work of Glen H. Elder, Jr., founder of the life course paradigm. Central to this perspective is the embeddedness of individual development as it reflects social context changing through time and across place. In exploring these themes, Elder acknowledges the importance of “lived experience”—what happens to real people in the real world in all of its complexity. The contributors to this special issue—criminologists, psychologists, and sociologists—discuss how his foundational insights have animated their research on diverse aspects of behavioral development.
Induction of ethylenediamine hypersensitivity in the guinea pig and the development of ELISA and lymphocyte blastogenesis techniques for its characterization

Abstract Ethylenediamine (EDA) is reported to be a poorly characterized iatrogenic and occupational contact sensitizer. To better characterize EDA hypersensitivity, a guinea pig model was employed in which the animals were exposed epicutaneously to simulate conditions of human exposure, and selected immune parameters were measured. Induction of hypersensitivity was by the Buehler occluded patch method (6 hr application/day, once a week for 3 consecutive weeks) to 10, 20, 30, or 40% EDA, using either an ethanol or acetone/corn oil vehicle. Fourteen days after the last induction, guinea pigs were challenged by patch application of 2% EDA (nonirritating). The incidence of responders for erythema in the 10% EDA (ethanol) treatment group was 83 and 50% at 24 and 48 hr, respectively. In the 10% EDA (acetone/corn oil) group the corresponding values were 50 and 17%. For 20, 30, and 40% EDA, in either vehicle, the incidence of erythema was 83 to 100%. Severity grades (scale = 0–3) for cutaneous reactions to increasing concentrations of EDA in ethanol ranged from 0.8 to 2.5; those for EDA in acetone/corn oil ranged from 0.6 to 2.8. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay developed to detect the predominant serum antibodies to EDA, it was shown that guinea pigs treated by patch application did not produce the main allergic antibody IgG specific for EDA. However, intradermal administration of an EDA-guinea pig serum albumin conjugate (EDA-GSA) to guinea pigs presensitized by patch application resulted in antibody production by 39 and 86% of the animals, at the initial and second dosing, respectively. An in vitro blastogenesis assay, using peripheral blood lymphocytes from EDA-sensitized guinea pigs, was developed to identify specific chemical allergens implicated in in vivo sensitization. Maximum tritiated thymidine ([3H]TdR) incorporation by lymphocytes stimulated in vitro with EDA-GSA was observed on Day 7. Optimal antigen concentration for maximum lymphocyte proliferation ranged from 5 to 50 μg/ml, the major variation being attributable to interanimal differences. These results indicate that epicutaneous application of EDA in the guinea pig induces a Type IV delayed hypersensitivity; immunological memory to the hapten is maintained in cultured lymphocytes, suggesting the potential usefulness of the lymphocyte transformation test for in vitro diagnosis of chemically induced hypersensitivity in humans.
Dietary flavonoids fail to suppress F2-isoprostane formation in vivo.

Abstract Dietary antioxidants, including α-tocopherol (α-TOH) and polyphenolic flavonoid compounds, have been the subject of much research interest, but few studies have investigated interactions between these two antioxidants in vivo. We have conducted a feeding study to determine if supplementation with dietary flavonoids or polyphenol-containing compounds will provide antioxidant protection in tocopherol-deficient animals or exceed the antioxidant protection provided by α-TOH alone, using the sensitive and specific measure of lipid peroxidation, F 2 -isoprostanes. Seventy-two male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into 12 treatment groups to receive either α-TOH-sufficient or -deficient AIN93-G diet supplemented with one of five compounds: 0.5% quercetin, catechin, or epicatechin; or 1% cocoa powder or lignin. The fat source was polyunsaturated oil, increased from 7 to 11.05% (w/w with diet) to maximize lipid peroxidation while staying within a physiological range. After 7 weeks of treatment, animals were sacrificed with plasma and hearts analyzed to determine differences in F 2 -isoprostane levels. None of the treatment compounds significantly decreased plasma or heart F 2 -isoprostanes compared to the control beyond the significant protection displayed by α-tocopherol. We conclude that under these experimental conditions, quercetin, catechin, and epicatechin do not suppress lipid peroxidation in vivo.
On singular partial differential boundary problems

In the first part, the existence of a differential operator is established that is elliptic inside a domain and singular on the boundary. In the second part the invariance of the essential spectrum is established under a large class of perturbations of the original boundary problem.
The mechanism of increasing l-asparaginase activity in the rat liver, chick liver and chick kidney

Abstract 1. 1. The increase in l -asparaginase specific activity in liver of Sprague-Dawley Rats, Rattus norvegicus , and liver and kidney of Hubbard broiler chicks, Gallus domesticus , fed 75% protein diets or fasted was examined using kinetic studies. 2. 2. The 2.6-fold increase in asparaginase specific activity in liver of rats fed 75% protein diets was dependent upon a 6.8-fold elevation of the asparaginase synthesis rate. 3. 3. The 3.1-fold increase in asparaginase specific activity in liver of chicks fed 75% protein diets was due to a 3-fold reduction in the asparaginase degradation rate constant. 4. 4. The increase in asparaginase specific activity in the kidney of chicks fed high protein diets or fasted is due to an increase in the synthesis rate for asparaginase.
The specificity of carboxylesterase protection against the toxicity of organophosphorus compounds

The ability of endogenous carboxylesterase (CaE) to protect against the lethal effects of a variety of organophosphorus (OP) compounds was examined in rats. The in vivo protection provided by endogenous CaE was measured by the difference in the LD50 values of OP compounds in control rats and rats whose CaE activity had been inhibited by sc injection with 2 mg/kg of 2-(O-cresyl)-4H-1,3,2-benzodioxaphosphorin-2-oxide. Endogenous CaE provided significant protection against the in vivo toxicity of soman, sarin, tabun, and paraoxon, but not against dichlorvos, diisopropyl fluorophosphate, or ethoxymethyl-S-[2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl] thiophosphonate (VX). The relationship between the in vivo CaE protection against OP compounds and their relative reactivities with CaE and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was evaluated by measuring the in vitro bimolecular rate constants (ki) for inhibition of plasma CaE and brain AChE. Except for VX, ki values for CaE inhibition varied less than 10-fold while ki values for AChE inhibition varied 10(5)-fold. The degree of in vivo inhibition of CaE by equitoxic doses of the OP compounds increased as the CaE/AChE ki ratio increased. However, the protective ratio of the LD50 values in control vs CaE-inhibited rats decreased as the CaE/AChE ki ratio increased. This inverse relationship between in vivo CaE protection and relative in vitro reactivity for CaE suggested that CaE detoxication is more important for highly toxic OP compounds (i.e., compounds with high AChE ki values and low LD50 values) than for less toxic compounds.