cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Navigation for autonomous robots in partially observable facilities

Designing mobile robots that navigate indoor environments autonomously is known to be a difficult problem. A critical issue is in the formulation of robust motion control algorithms capable of reliably sensing partial or incomplete information from the environment and using this information to choose appropriate actions to achieve its designed goals. As an example, suppose we wish to deploy a mobile robot that autonomously patrols defined locations at a hazardous high-security facility. The robot must maintain accurate knowledge of its location, while using sensory data to recognize objects and obstacles in its immediate vicinity. Its task is to inspect the desired locations within a defined time period and provide real-time data in the event of an incident. The problem is thus to choose appropriate actions that result in accomplishing the patrol in a minimal amount of time in the partially structured environment. To solve this problem we adopt the Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes (POMDP) formalism to find near-optimal and efficient policies that provides a description the robot's motion in environments with incomplete state information. POMDP is a generalization of Markov Decision Processes (MDPs). It models a system as a coupling of an agent/decision maker (robots in our case) and an environment. We also present a methodology called Goal-Specific Representation (GSR) to reduce the size of the state-space for computational efficiency and propose an extension to the methodology.
90Y glass microspheres for the treatment of unresectable metastatic liver disease from chemotherapy-refractory gastrointestinal cancers: a pilot study.

This prospective pilot single-institution study was undertaken to document the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of treatment of liver-dominant metastatic gastrointestinal cancer using 90Y glass microspheres. Between June 2010 and November 2012, 30 adult patients (22 men, eight women; median age 61 years) with metastatic chemotherapy-refractory unresectable colorectal (n = 15), neuroendocrine (n = 9), intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (n = 3), pancreas (n = 2), and esophageal (n = 1) carcinomas underwent 45 lobar or segmental administrations of 90Y glass microspheres. Data regarding clinical and laboratory adverse events (AE) were collected prospectively for 6 months after each treatment. Radiographic responses were evaluated using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, version 1.1. Time to maximum response, response duration, progression-free survival (hepatic and extrahepatic), and overall survival were measured. Median target dose and activity were 111.6 Gy and 2.5 GBq per treatment session, respectively. All but three clinical AE were grade 1 or 2 in severity. Serious AE included an unplanned hospital admission for carcinoid crisis, grade 3 vomiting, and grade 4 gastric ulcer. Patients with colorectal cancer had hepatic objective response rate (ORR) of 27 % and a disease control rate (DCR) of 73 %. Median progression-free and overall survival were 1.0 and 4.9 months, respectively. Patients with neuroendocrine tumors had hepatic ORR and DCR of 78 % and 100 %, respectively. Median progression-free survival was 18.5 months for this cohort. Y glass microspheres device has a favorable safety profile and achieved prolonged disease control of hepatic tumor burden in a subset of patients, including all patients enrolled in the neuroendocrine cohort.
Coming Unbound: Disrupting Automatic Integration of Synesthetic Color and Graphemes by Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of the Right Parietal Lobe

In some individuals, a visually presented letter or number automatically evokes the perception of a specific color, an experience known as color-grapheme synesthesia. It has been suggested that parietal binding mechanisms play a role in the phenomenon. We used a noninvasive stimulation technique, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), to determine whether the posterior parietal lobe is critical for the integration of color and shape in color-grapheme synesthesia, as it appears to be for normal color-shape binding. Using a color-naming task with colored letters that were either congruent or incongruent with the synesthetic photism, we demonstrate that inhibition of the right posterior parietal lobe with repetitive TMS transiently attenuates synesthetic binding. These findings suggest that synesthesia (the induction of color from shape) relies on similar mechanisms as found in normal perception (where the perception of color is induced by wavelength).
Design of good low-density parity-check codes for block fading channels

The paper focuses on the design of good irregular low density parity check (LDPC) codes for Rayleigh block fading channels using a strategy of joint channel estimation and LDPC decoding. It is assumed that the amplitude of the fading coefficient is unknown. A density evolution technique employing a semi-Gaussian approximation is used to find good degree sequences for irregular LDPC codes for channels with different block memory sizes. The capacity of the BPSK-modulated Rayleigh block fading channel with unknown fading amplitude is used as a benchmark. For a block fading channel with a memory size of 20 bits, the best irregular LDPC code found has a threshold that is 0.47 dB away from the channel capacity.
Ultrastructure of spermiogenesis in the Cottonmouth, Agkistrodon piscivorus (Squamata: Viperidae: Crotalinae).

To date multiple studies exist that exam- ine the morphology of spermatozoa. However, there are limited numbers of data detailing the ontogenic charac- ters of spermiogenesis within squamates. Testicular tissues were collected from Cottonmouths (Agkistrodon piscivorus) and tissues from spermiogenically active months were analyzed ultrastructurally to detail the cel- lular changes that occur during spermiogenesis. The major events of spermiogenesis (acrosome formation, nu- clear elongation/DNA condensation, and flagellar devel- opment) resemble that of other squamates; however, spe- cific ultrastructural differences can be observed between Cottonmouths and other squamates studied to date. During acrosome formation vesicles from the Golgi appa- ratus fuse at the apical surface of the nuclear membrane prior to making nuclear contact. At this stage, the acro- some granule can be observed in a centralized location within the vesicle. As elongation commences the acro- some complex becomes highly compartmentalized and migrates laterally along the nucleus. Parallel and cir- cum-cylindrical microtubules (components of the man- chette) are observed with parallel microtubules outnum- bering the circum-cylindrical microtubules. Flagella, displaying the conserved 9 1 2 microtubule arrangement, sit in nuclear fossae that have electron lucent shoulders juxtaposed on either side of the spermatids basal plates. This study aims to provide developmental characters for squamates in the subfamily Crotalinae, family Viperidae, which may be useful for histopathological studies on sper- matogenesis in semi-aquatic species exposed to pesti- cides. Furthermore, these data in the near future may provide morphological characters for spermiogenesis that can be added to morphological data matrices that may be used in phylogenetic analyses. J. Morphol. 271:293-304, 2010. 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Nonclassical Phase Space Jumps and Optimal Spawning

Significant attempts have been made toward the intuitive understanding of nonclassical Franck–Condon factors that govern many important molecular processes from radiationless transitions to electronic spectroscopy. In the classical picture, i.e., Condon approximation, nuclear motion is assumed frozen throughout the duration of electronic transitions. However, as is demonstrated in this chapter, position and momentum jumps can compete in determining the Franck–Condon factor such that the conventional propensity rule can be misleading. We present a new method in this chapter where both position and momenta are simultaneously altered to achieve an improved description of nonadiabatic events. This optimal spawning procedure reduces to simpler approaches such as the strict momentum jump in appropriate limits, but is sufficiently flexible to describe cases where both position and momentum adjustments are important.
Promotion of Neurite Outgrowth and Axon Guidance in Spiral Ganglion Cells by Netrin-1

Objective: To identify the expression of netrin-1, a diffusible chemoattractive molecule, and its receptor, deleted in colorectal carcinoma (DCC), in the developmentally mature inner ear, and to determine its effects on axon length and guidance in cultured auditory neurons. Design: Messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression of netrin-1 and DCC were identified in the organ of Cortiandspiralganglioncellsusingreversetranscription– polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and fluorescence immunohistochemicalanalysis.Invitroexperimentsexamined the effects of exogenous netrin-1 on spiral ganglion cell axon length. Auditory neurons were cocultured with a cell line secreting netrin-1 to determine the effect on direction of axon extension. Subjects: Young C57 mice and posthatched white leghorn chicks. Results:Netrin-1andDCCmRNAexpressionwerefound in the mouse organ of Corti and spiral ganglion cells by RT-PCR. Application of exogenous netrin-1 led to a dosage-dependentincreaseinneuritelengthinculturedspiral ganglion cells. Chick acoustic ganglion cells cocultured with netrin-1–secreting cells demonstrated statistically significant preferential extension toward the source of netrin-1 (P =.04). Conclusions:Netrin-1andDCCareexpressedintheorgan of Corti and spiral ganglion cells of developmentallymaturemice.Exogenousnetrin-1promotesdosagedependent neurite growth in vitro. Mature auditory neurons preferentially direct neurite extension toward netrin-1 released in culture. These findings may lead to the development of strategies to optimize the interface between electrode arrays and spiral ganglion cells, resulting in improved cochlear implant performance. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2008;134(2):146-151
The loss of potassium from frog nerves in anoxia and other conditions.

1. Frog nerves immersed in Ringer's solution lose on the average 23 per cent more potassium if the solution is equilibrated with pure nitrogen than if equilibrated with oxygen. 2. Tying off the ends of the nerves during immersion increased rather than diminished the loss of potassium. 3. There was some evidence that nerves tended to regain potassium if they were returned to oxygen after a period of anoxia. 4. Addition of acetylcholine to the solution increases the loss of potassium. 5. Equilibration of the solution and nerves with 20 per cent CO2 in O2 increases the loss of K from nerves in Ringer's solution but decreases it in frog blood.
Slow-flow measurements and fluid dynamics analysis using the Fresnel drag effect

We have employed a Sagnac interferometer to measure small optical phase shifts induced by the Fresnel drag effect on moving media. The system detects volumetric flow rates of water as slow as 43 μL/min while maintaining a small pressure drop across the measuring pipe. Velocity profiles and turbulence measurements of flowing water are also demonstrated and discussed.
Improvements to detection capability by cross-correlating for similar events: a case study of the 1999 Xiuyan, China, sequence and synthetic sensitivity tests

SUMMARY Comparisons are made of the performance of a correlation detector compared to a standard short-term average window/long-term average window (STA/LTA) detector for 90 events in the 1999 Xiuyan, China, earthquake sequence. Triggers on three component data verify independent detections to the nearest sample. Unrelated signals that trigger above a threshold do not align on the three components and do not constructively interfere when the cross-correlation traces are stacked or averaged. Semi-similar events due to less than perfect matches arising from substantial mechanism differences can provide useful detections. Synthetic tests on 78 028 focal mechanisms indicate that statistically significant detections are still triggered for strike, dip and rake variations as large as 55°. The correlation detector finds 90 out of 90 or 100 per cent of the events whereas a STA/LTA detector finds 10 out of 90 or 11 per cent. This represents a 1.3 magnitude unit reduction in detection threshold for these events or nearly a factor of 20 improvement.
Police organizational structure and child sexual abuse case attrition

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the effects of formal police organizational structure on child sexual abuse case attrition.Design/methodology/approach – Data from two surveys were merged for this analysis: a 1988 survey of child abuse enforcement in US police departments, and the 1987 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) database produced by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Based on the structure‐performance link that is rooted in structural contingency theory, this study examines the effects of both global and specific structural features on two case disposition ratios. Because structure is more easily malleable than other factors that may affect performance, such as environment and context, it is important to know whether certain structural arrangements produce more desirable outcomes than others.Findings – The results indicate that the global structural variables included in this analysis play a small role in child sexual abuse case attrition. None of the variables inc...
Image Recording With Laser And Optical Disk

Image recording with laser and optical disk is described. In order to use semiconductor laser sources with relatively low output power, optics with high collection efficiency was used to couple the elliptical output beam and transformed it to match the circular reading beam. Optical disk with multilayer structure provided very high recording sensitivity to further reduce the laser output power requirement.© (1982) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Proportion of energy intake from fat and subsequent weight change in the NHANES I epidemiologic follow-up study

We examined the association of percent energy intake from fat with subsequent weight change in 2580 men and 4567 women, using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study (NHEFS). Weight change was defined as the difference between the follow-up weight (NHEFS, 1982-1984) and the baseline weight (NHANES I, 1971-1974). Fat intake was estimated from a 24-h dietary recall obtained at baseline. Regression analyses adjusted for potential confounders showed no significant association of percent fat energy with weight change in men. Among women aged < 50 y, the inverse relation of percent fat energy with weight change was significant (beta = -0.052, P = 0.04). After exclusion of respondents with any morbidity from the analytic cohort, percent fat energy and weight change were positively associated in men (beta = 0.046, P = 0.05), but not in women. In conclusion, percent fat energy intake and weight change were inversely related in women aged < 50 y in the NHEFS cohort, but positively associated in men without any morbidity.
What is Conservatism

The voice of conservatism is not much heard in contemporary political philosophy. There is no shortage of conservatives, but there is a shortage of systematic, articulate, and reasonable attempts to defend conservatism. The aim of this paper is to provide the outlines of such a defence. It is not possible, in a paper, to provide more than an outline. The argument proceeds by identifying several features of what is taken to be thestrongest version of conservatism. These features jointly define it and distinguish it from other versions of conservatism, as well as from other political outlooks.
Improving MapReduce Performance in Heterogeneous Network Environments and Resource Utilization

MapReduce is a widely-used model for data parallel applications. We found its resource utilization is inefficient when there are not enough tasks to fill all task slots as the resources "reserved" for idle slots are just wasted. We propose resource stealing which enables running tasks to steal the unutilized resources and return them when new tasks are assigned. It exploits the opportunistic use of the otherwise wasted resources to improve overall resource utilization and reduce job execution time. Besides, our practical use of Hadoop shows the current mechanism adopted to trigger speculative execution creates many unnecessary speculative tasks that are killed soon after creation as the original tasks complete earlier. To alleviate the issue, we propose Benefit Aware Speculative Execution which predicts the benefit of running new speculative tasks and greatly eliminates unnecessary runs. Finally, MapReduce is mainly optimized for homogeneous environments and its inefficiency in heterogeneous network environments has been observed in our experiments. We investigate network heterogeneity aware scheduling of both map and reduce tasks. Overall, our goal is to enhance Hadoop to cope with significant network heterogeneity and improve resource utilization.
Critical and near-critical reflections of near-inertial waves off the sea surface at ocean fronts

In a balanced oceanic front, the possible directions of the group velocity vector for internal waves depart from the classic Saint Andrew’s cross as a consequence of sloping isopycnals and the associated thermal wind shear. However, for waves oscillating at the Coriolis frequency , one of these directions remains horizontal, while the other direction allows for vertical propagation of energy. This implies the existence of critical reflections from the ocean surface, after which wave energy, having propagated from below, cannot propagate back down. This is similar to the reflection of internal waves, propagating in a quiescent medium, from a bottom that runs parallel to the group velocity vector. We first illustrate this phenomenon with a series of linear Boussinesq numerical experiments on waves with various frequencies, , exploring critical ( ), forward ( ), and backward ( ) reflections. We then conduct the nonlinear equivalents of these simulations. In agreement with the classical case, backward reflection inhibits triadic resonances and does not exhibit prominent nonlinear effects, while forward reflection shows strong generation of harmonics that radiate energy away from the surface. Surprisingly though, critical reflections are associated with oscillatory motions that extend down from the surface. These motions are not freely propagating waves but instead take the form of a cluster of non-resonant triads which decays with depth through friction.
Evaluation of a semiquantitative SNAP test for measurement of bile acids in dogs

Background. Serum bile acids (SBA) are used as a routine screening tool of liver function in dogs. Serum samples are usually shipped to a referral laboratory for quantitative analysis with an enzymatic chemistry analyzer. The canine SNAP Bile Acids Test (SNAP-BAT) provides an immediate, semi-quantitative measurement of bile acid concentrations in-house. With the SNAP-BAT, bile acids concentrations of 5–30 µmol/L are quantified, and results outside of that range are classified as 30 µmol/L. Agreement of the SNAP-BAT with the enzymatic method has not been extensively investigated. Objectives. The purposes of this prospective clinical study were to assess the precision of the SNAP-BAT and determine agreement of SNAP-BAT with results from an in-house chemistry analyzer. Methods. After verifying intra-assay precision of the SNAP-BAT, a prospective analysis was performed using blood samples collected from 56 dogs suspected to have liver disease. Each sample was analyzed with an enzymatic, in-house chemistry analyzer and the SNAP-BAT. Agreement between the two methods was statistically assessed using the κ index of agreement. Results. Intra-assay variability was minimal. The κ index for agreement between the SNAP-BAT and routine chemistry analyzer was between 0.752 and 0.819, indicating substantial to near perfect agreement. Conclusions. The SNAP-BAT is a highly accurate, semi-quantitative test that yields immediate results, and has very little intra-assay variability, particularly for results >30 µmol/L.
My Mother's Garden: Transitional Phenomena on a Japanese Sacred Mountain

Drawing on Winnicott's concept of transitional phenomena and Doi's approach to dependence, this article explores ascetic disciplinary practices undertaken by women at a northern Japanese mountain shrine. In dreams and visions, the mountain evokes infantile desires and anxieties of dependence and encompassment. Pilgrims may be kidnapped or possessed by sexually ambiguous demons or "trapped" in the mountain's feminine apertures, associated with wombs and vaginal passages. Over time, however, many women worshipers report being able to transcend proximate generational crises and familial predicaments, and to achieve a measure of peace and autonomy at home and at work.
An applied test of the functional communication perspective of small group decision‐making

The purpose of this study was to test the validity of the functional communication perspective on small group decision‐making in an applied context. Six task‐achievement functions were examined: (a) establishment of operating procedures, (b) analysis of the problem, (c) establishment of evaluation criteria, (d) generation of alternative solutions, (e) positive evaluations of alternative solutions, and (f) negative evaluations of alternative solutions. Seventeen seven‐person groups from a corporate setting were selected for the analysis. One discussion of each group was recorded and coded for the presence of task‐achievement functions. The decisions of the seventeen groups were evaluated by experts, and two categories were formed: effective decision‐making and ineffective decision‐making groups. The results indicate that effective groups employed significantly more statements that functioned to establish evaluation criteria and more statements that positively evaluated alternative solutions were found in i...
3.06 – Earth Tides

The tidal deformation of the solid Earth has become increasingly important in geodesy as the precision of geodetic measurements has increased, to the point that for some quantities, uncertainties in tidal effects are a major source of inaccuracy. Fortunately, our models for the tidal driving forces, the response of the Earth to them, and the effect of loading by ocean tides have all improved significantly over the last 20 years. This chapter describes the theories and methodologies used in computing all these effects and also those used in analyzing and predicting observed tidal series. It also summarizes some of the observations of Earth tides, particularly in the last two decades, when the traditional measurements of tidal effects in gravity, tilt, and strain have been supplemented by direct measurements of displacement using space geodetic methods.
The Superpower as Superhero: Hubris in U.S. Foreign Policy

Though the United States is not the first state to have suffered from the effects of hubris, it suffers the most. No other country believes that it is the “indispensible nation,” established by God to bring freedom, democracy and open trading systems to the rest of the world. The rhetoric of the exceptionalism narrative sells with the public, and is a sine qua non for high leadership posts. If hubris only led to an inflated sense of self-worth, it would not be pathological; unfortunately, it has more pernicious effects. Leaders under its spell tend to overestimate their capabilities, and those of their country. They engage in counterproductive interventions as well as quixotic adventures in nation-building and public diplomacy; they also are rendered averse to apology and tend to believe that their power is vital to world peace and security. This paper is a discussion of the beliefs spawned by hubris and narcissism in U.S. foreign policy. Where does this pathology come from? What are its effects?
Control Structure: Producing Powerful Programs

This chapter provides a transition from the language fundamentals we have seen so far to the more practical aspects of AutoLISP. We begin by learning the contracts of many subrs. These subrs are integrally tied to the workings of AutoLISP because they enhance our control over the functions that we write.
Rectal absorption of homatropine [14C]methylbromide in the rat.

Homatropine[14C]methylbromide (HMB-14C) was administered to rats by intramuscular injection, oral gavage and rectal suppository. Plasma concentrations of 14C were measured over the subsequent 12 h. Peak plasma concentrations were higher and achieved more rapidly after rectal administration than by the other routes whether HMB-14C was administered in a water-soluble suppository base or in aqueous solution. Twelve h after the suppositories were inserted and retained 28% of the 14C had been excreted in the urine while 56% remained in the large intestine. Unlabelled HMB, given in rectal suppositories to anaesthetized rats, caused prompt blockade of the effects of vagal stimulation on pulse rate and of intravenous acetylcholine on blood pressure. These results confirm the rapid rectal absorption of the drug.
Advancing OB Research An Illustration Using Psychological Capital

This article traces the progression of psychological capital (PsyCap) research from its emergence to its current state, now after a decade, including a recent meta-analysis and a critical review of...
Movements of Lygus Bugs Between Alfalfa and Cotton

Adults of Lygus hesperus Knight and L. elisus Van Duzee were mass collected from alfalfa hay fields. These insects were divided into 2 groups, each marked with a different fluorescent dust and released in adjacent cotton and alfalfa fields, respectively. Subsequent monitoring showed a rapid movement of the Lygus from cotton to alfalfa, but the reverse was not true. This further verified that Lygus prefer alfalfa over cotton.
Particle Swarm Optimization for the control of a swarm of biological robots

The objective of this paper is to discuss the control of a swarm of robots using the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) technique. The authors present fundamental research being conducted at the Autonomous Vehicle Systems Laboratory located at University of the Incarnate Word in developing biologically inspired robots emulating insect foraging and search behavior. PSO technique is used in order to characterize the artificial intelligence and social behaviors implemented in the multi-robot systems. Additionally, the authors will discuss novel approaches for integrating the results into the realm of collaborative and formation control of autonomous ground and air vehicles.
Determination of toluene diisocyanate (TDI) by GC-MS in air of workplace

Objective:To establish a method for determination of Toluene diisocyanate(TDI) by GC-MS in air of workplace.Methods:TDI can be hydrolyzed to toluene diamine(TDA) which can be extracted with toluene.TDA of toluene was derivatived with Heptafluorobutyric anhydride and its derivative was used for determination by GC-MS.Results:The detection limits was 0.001 mg/L.The correlated coefficient was 0.999.The average recovery was 98% and RSD 4.3%(n=6).Conclusion:The method is simple,efficient,accurate and sensitive.It can be used to determine TDI in air of workplace.
Violence-Oriented Action Design and the Loss of Traditional Wushu Moral Culture:Reconstruction of Wushu Combating Routines Designing Ideologies

In Wushu combating competitions there have been more and more violence-oriented actions in recent years.This study used methods of on-site observation,video observation,logic analysis,documentation and experts interviewing to clarify the essence,features and content of Wushu combats,then further discussed the deformation of traditional Wushu combats designing and the consequent influence.Wushu combats designing does not comply with traditional Wushu morals of harmony,mercy,neutralism,and self-cultivation-based leadership.The paper proposes the following countermeasures to reform competitive Wushu combats designing:to revise the present competing rules,to make right use of the instructing functions of Wushu regulations,to deplore proper aesthetic expressions of Wushu.Besides,the designers should enrich themselves with more traditional culture knowledge,Wushu theories and Wushu moral culture while the athletes should improve themselves on culture learning and self cultivation and enhance their art performing capabilities.
Modeling of the current-dependent 3-dB bandwidth in modified uni-traveling-carrier photodiodes

Abstract A physics-based model is proposed for the current-dependent 3-dB bandwidth in Modified Un-Traveling-Carrier Photodiodes. In the effective circuit model of the photodiodes, the junction resistance and capacitance are extracted from the real and imaginary parts of the near-DC complex junction impedance; the effect of carrier transit time across the absorber and electron transition layer is evaluated by the frequency-dependent AC conduction current output to the electron transition layer and the average induced AC electron current across the electron transition layer, respectively. The simulation results by this model agree well with the measurements.
Everyday Heroism: Victorian Constructions of the Heroic Civilian. By John Price. (London, United Kingdom: Bloomsbury, 2014. Pp. xii, 265. $120.00.)

The author of this new book challenges the view that heroism in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was “synonymous with the military or with adventurism.” Instead, he argues that plenty o...
Abstract 2565: Aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist 5F 203 induces oxidative stress triggering DNA damage and cytoglobin up-regulation in human breast cancer cells

Breakthroughs are needed in breast cancer therapy to improve clinical outcomes. Emerging evidence suggests that tumorigenesis stems, in part, from epigenetically silenced tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) and restoring TSGs may represent a viable strategy to treat breast cancer. We previously found that aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonist 2-(4-amino-3-methylphenyl)-5-fluorobenzothiazole (5F 203) exhibits potent cytotoxicity, increases reactive oxygen species (ROS), induces DNA damage and up-regulates the expression of putative tumor suppressor gene cytoglobin in breast cancer cells. In the current study, we seek to delineate the mechanism by which 5F 203 induces DNA damage and cytoglobin expression in susceptible breast cancer cells. We found that 5F 203 activated p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (p38) and c-Jun-N terminal kinase (JNK) signaling in breast cancer cells. Pretreatment with antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine or AhR inhibitor α-naphthoflavone diminished 5F 203-mediated p38 or JNK activation in a cell context-dependent fashion. Pretreatment with pharmacological inhibitors of p38 or JNK suppressed 5F 203-mediated increases in intracellular ROS to suggest the presence of a positive feedback loop. 5F 203 induced oxidative DNA damage in breast cancer cells but not breast epithelial MCF-10A cells unlike AhR agonist benzo[a]pyrene which induced oxidative DNA damage more indiscriminately. Pretreatment with p38 or JNK inhibitors suppressed 5F 203-induced single strand break formation and cytoglobin mRNA expression in breast cancer cells. Our data show 5F 203 confers anticancer activity in breast cancer cells in part by increasing ROS via a positive feedback loop to sustain p38 and JNK activation resulting in DNA damage and cytoglobin restoration. Citation Format: Leah K. Rowland, Lancelot S. McLean, Petreena Campbell, Cheri N. Watkins, Dain Zylstra, Louisa H. Amis, Maheswari Senthil, Eileen Brantley. Aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist 5F 203 induces oxidative stress triggering DNA damage and cytoglobin up-regulation in human breast cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 2565. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-2565
Reading Fluency and Vocabulary

Fluency in reading is a necessary bridge between decoding and comprehension. There is a strong relationship between students’ knowledge of vocabulary and their reading fluency. A lack of English vocabulary can present a challenge to educators who are attempting to teach English learners at their instructional level. Educators must understand the differences between the English of the classroom (cognitive academic language proficiency) and the language that is used outside of the classroom (basic interpersonal communication skills). Children with reading disabilities may have sufficient vocabulary knowledge to understand a text and may be able to decode but they do so in a slow, laborious manner. Students may have a problem with rapid automatic naming—or other cognitive correlates of reading fluency—difficulties that can exist despite the orthography of the language being learned. We explore the clinical signs of fluency disorders and the steps that can be taken to appropriately assess the reading fluency of English learners. We end with characteristics of good classroom instruction for English learners and interventions that can be put into place to help students improve their vocabulary and reading fluency.
Memory, relational representations, and the long reach of the hippocampus

What is memory and what is it for? How does the brain represent our experiences and use stored information to guide future behavior? In this chapter, we explore the contributions of the hippocampus to memory and to the many aspects of behavior it supports. We start with discussion of the view that hippocampal-dependent memory is a fundamentally relational and compositional representation system, supporting the binding of even arbitrary or accidental relations among constituent elements of experience into memory, representing experience via links that maintain the separate representational integrity of those elements rather than fusing them into wholistic or unitized memories, and supporting the subsequent reactivation of these relational representations. The major portion of the chapter discusses the surprisingly long reach of hippocampal influence, due to the relational and flexible nature of its representations. Hippocampal influence extends both across all manner of relations, including spatial, temporal, and associative relations, and across timescales, including not only the classically described role in long-term memory, but also on the timescale of short-term or working memory and even in moment-to-moment processing. Furthermore, the long reach of hippocampal influence is seen in the flexible use of relational representations in service of a rich variety of behavioral repertoires, helping critically in guiding flexible and adaptive choices—uses of hippocampal representations that clearly stretch the classical definition of memory. Finally, we consider the debt owed to clinical studies in providing insights about the nature of relational representations and about the extent of hippocampal influence.
Purification of Specific Chromatin Regions Using Oligonucleotides: Capture Hybridization Analysis of RNA Targets (CHART)

Identification of genomic binding sites and proteins associated with noncoding RNAs will lead to more complete mechanistic characterization of the regulatory activities of noncoding RNAs. Capture hybridization analysis of RNA targets (CHART) is a powerful technique wherein specific RNA molecules are isolated from cross-linked nuclear extracts using complementary, biotinylated capture oligonucleotides, allowing subsequent identification of genomic DNA and proteins cross-linked to the RNA of interest. Here, we describe the procedure for CHART and list strategies to optimize nuclear extract preparation, capture oligonucleotide design, and isolation of nucleic acids and proteins enriched through CHART.
Complementary Initiatives from the NIDDK to Advance Kidney Health.

Despite the high prevalence and burden of acute and chronic kidney diseases, our understanding of appropriate clinical care and underlying disease pathology is far from complete. Nephrology clinical practice guidelines are littered with weak recommendations on the basis of low or very low evidence.
Geriatric Trauma and Emergent/Urgent Surgery

Individuals over 65 years of age are the fastest growing age group in most developed countries across the globe, as birth rates decrease and longevity improves. As the geriatric population grows, so will the number of traumatic injuries and emergencies in this expanding demographic. As elderly trauma and emergency surgery patients face increased risk of adverse outcomes, it is especially important to understand how the physiologic changes of aging affect the evaluation, treatment, and outcomes in geriatric emergent patients. In addition to advanced physiologic age, geriatric patients are statistically more likely to carry significant comorbidities which make them unable to compensate for even relatively minor injuries and are susceptible to age-specific problems such as delirium. Also at play is a complex mix of social and cultural factors which can reduce the aggressiveness of treatment in these patients. Finally, they are often on multiple medications, especially antiplatelet agents and anticoagulants which increase their risk of complications (Cerreta N Engl J Med 367:972–4, 2012; McGwin et al. J Trauma 56:291–6, 2004; Jacobs Curr Opin Crit Care 9:535–9, 2003).
Association between low diastolic blood pressure and subclinical myocardial injury.

Coronary arteries perfuse cardiac myocytes during diastole. We hypothesized that marked lowering of diastolic blood pressure (DBP) is associated with increased risk of subclinical myocardial injury (SC-MI). This analysis included 6107 participants without history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. SC-MI was determined by a validated electrocardiogram-based scoring system. Logistic regression was used to examine the cross-sectional association between DBP ( 80 mmHg; and per each 10 mmHg decrease, separately) with SC-MI across levels of systolic blood pressure (SBP) ( 140 mmHg). In a multivariable model, DBP 140 mmHg. This association was consistent in subgroups stratified by age, race, diabetes, hypertension, obesity and smoking, but was stronger in women than in men [OR (95% CI) 1.58 (1.06, 2.37) vs. 1.10 (0.62, 1.94), respectively; interaction p value = 0.006]. Also, among participants with SBP > 140 mmHg, every 10 mmHg decrease in DBP was associated with a 12% increased odds of SC-MI [OR (95% CI) 1.12 (1.01, 1.23)]. No significant associations between DBP and SC-MI were observed in those with SBP 80 mmHg and SC-MI in any of SBP levels. Low DBP 140 mmHg carries higher risk of SC-MI, especially in women. Further research is needed to understand the therapeutic implications of these findings.
Peace education evaluation: learning from experience and exploring prospects

Peace education evaluation: learning from experience and exploring prospects, edited by Celina Del Felice, Aaron Karako, and Andria Wisler, is a volume in a series of books on Peace Education edite...
Neural correlates of reduced depressive symptoms following cognitive training for chronic traumatic brain injury.

Depression is the most frequent comorbid psychiatric condition among individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Yet, little is known about changes in the brain associated with reduced depressive symptoms following rehabilitation for TBI. We identified whether cognitive training alleviates comorbid depressive symptoms in chronic TBI (>6 months post-injury) as a secondary effect. Further, we elucidated neural correlates of alleviated depressive symptoms following cognitive training. A total of seventy-nine individuals with chronic TBI (53 depressed and 26 non-depressed individuals, measured using the Beck Depressive Inventory [BDI]), underwent either strategy- or information-based cognitive training in a small group for 8 weeks. We measured psychological functioning scores, cortical thickness, and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) for these individuals before training, immediately post-training, and 3 months post-training. After confirming that changes in BDI scores were independent of training group affiliation, we identified that the depressive-symptoms group showed reductions in BDI scores over time relative to the non-depressed TBI controls (p < .01). Within the depressive-symptoms group, reduced BDI scores was associated with improvements in scores for post-traumatic stress disorder, TBI symptom awareness, and functional status (p < .00625), increases in cortical thickness in four regions within the right prefrontal cortex (pvertex < .01, pcluster <.05), and decreases in rsFC with each of these four prefrontal regions (pvertex < .01, pcluster < .0125). Overall, these findings suggest that cognitive training can reduce depressive symptoms in TBI even when the training does not directly target psychiatric symptoms. Importantly, cortical thickness and brain connectivity may offer promising neuroimaging markers of training-induced improvement in mental health status in TBI.
A novel approach for automated detection of listric faults within migrated seismic volumes

Abstract One of the important geological structures that have significant geologic implications on petroleum and gas exploration in the subsurface are listric faults . The classical interpretation of listric faults is usually performed by manual picking, which is not only time consuming and labor intensive but also susceptible to interpreter bias. In this paper, we propose a texture-based interpretation workflow for the automated delineation of major listric faults in a 3D migrated seismic volume. In the first step, we compute three-dimensional gradient of texture (3D-GoT), which describes the texture dissimilarity between neighboring cubes around each voxel in a seismic volume across time or depth, crossline, and inline directions. In the second step, we calculate an adaptive global threshold and apply it to the 3D-GoT map to obtain a binary map, which highlights the probable boundary regions of the listric faults. Finally, we apply post-processing to obtained binary maps that includes morphological opening and curve fitting to yield a delineated listric fault within the migrated seismic volume. The experimental results on a real seismic dataset from the Stratton field in the Texas Gulf coast show the effectiveness of the proposed workflow indicating its great potential for assisting structural interpretation and reservoir characterization in the exploration areas dominated by listric faults as well as the associated rollover anticlines and normal faults.
Human multipotential progenitor cells (CFU-GEMM) have extensive replating capacity for secondary CFU-GEMM: An effect enhanced by cord blood plasma

The replating capability of human umbilical cord blood (CB) multipotential (CFU-GEMM) progenitors was assessed in vitro as an estimate of self-renewal using erythropoietin (Epo), steel factor (SLF), and either fetal bovine serum (FBS) or CB plasma. This study found a much higher replating efficiency for CB CFU-GEMM than previously reported, in terms of the percentage of colonies that could be replated, the number of secondary colonies per replated primary colony, and the size of secondary colonies. Moreover, the majority of secondary colonies were CFU-GEMM-derived. Although the percentages of bone marrow CFU-GEMM that replate was similar to that for CB CFU-GEMM and the sizes of secondary bone marrow and CB CFU-GEMM were also similar, replated CB CFU-GEMM gave rise to far greater numbers of secondary colonies. No tertiary colonies were observed when secondary CFU-GEMM were replated. Detection of extensive secondary replating potential was enhanced by the addition of CB plasma to the cultures. This activity was not found in either adult blood (PB) plasma, umbilical cord vein endothelial cell-conditioned medium (ECCM), FBS plus ECCM, or FBS plus the combination of interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-3, IL-6, IL-11, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, and granulocyte- macrophage colony-stimulating factor. Whether the CB plasma-enhancing activity for CFU-GEMM replating capacity is attributable to a novel factor or factors, or represents effects of other known cytokines, alone or in combination, remains to be determined. Of particular relevance, these studies suggest that human CFU-GEMM have some degree of stemness and perhaps should be classified as a subset of stem cells.
Determination of Transgene Copy Number and Expression Level Using Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis

Transgenic mice and cell lines are frequently developed to study human disease. Accurate determination of transgene copy number and levels of mRNA are necessary to understand the phenotypic changes observed in these models. Currently, transgene copy number and expression are estimated by Southern blot analysis of genomic DNA and Northern blot analysis of mRNA. We report a novel PCR-based method for determining transgene copy number and levels of transgene expression using competitive PCR between endogenous genomic genes and mutant transgenes followed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). We are able to accurately quantify a range of 1-10 copies of transgene incorporated per diploid genome. After reverse-transcribing RNA to cDNA, we are able to quantify levels of transgene mRNA that correlate with biochemical and histological evidence of transgene activity. In conclusion, resolving PCR and reverse transcription-PCR products by DGGE is a rapid and reproducible method that allows for accurate determination of transgene copy number and expression. This technique provides a more complete understanding of transgene effects.
Vascular depression and the death of Queen Victoria.

Objectives The aim of this article was to examine relationships between the neurological events that were the immediate cause of the death of Queen Victoria and the late-life depression that preceded it. Methods/design The authors closely reviewed the surviving medical notes of Queen Victoria's personal physician, Sir James Reid,Bt. recorded during the Queen's last 10 days of life. These notes were summarized in a chronological narrative and their implications considered in light of current concepts of vascular depression. Results The depression that Queen Victoria experienced over the 5 months prior to her death and during her final 10 days from 13 January 1901 until 22 January likely had a vascular etiology. Conclusions Although conclusions from this study are necessarily speculative given the lack of neuroimaging and other diagnostic tools available in 1901, it emerged that Queen Victoria had experienced early-onset depression followed in later life by an acute depressive episode associated with vascular risk factors and personal losses, a sequence also encountered by today's geriatricians. In addition, etiological connections between the Queen's early-onset and late-life depressions appeared probable. Underlined for contemporary practitioners are the suffering experienced by patients with vascular depression at the end of their lives, as well as the struggles of physicians like Sir James Reid to provide clinical wisdom and emotional support.