cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Breast Cancer Screening for Average-Risk Women: Recommendations From the ACR Commission on Breast Imaging

Breast cancer is the most common non-skin cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death for women in the United States. Before the introduction of widespread mammographic screening in the mid-1980s, the death rate from breast cancer in the US had remained unchanged for more than 4 decades. Since 1990, the death rate has declined by at least 38%. Much of this change is attributed to early detection with mammography. ACR breast cancer screening experts have reviewed data from RCTs, observational studies, US screening data, and other peer-reviewed literature to update our recommendations. Mammography screening has consistently been shown to significantly reduce breast cancer mortality over a variety of study designs. The ACR recommends annual mammography screening starting at age 40 for women of average risk of developing breast cancer. Our recommendation is based on maximizing proven benefits, which include a substantial reduction in breast cancer mortality afforded by regular screening and improved treatment options for those diagnosed with breast cancer. The risks associated with mammography screening are also considered to assist women in making an informed choice.
RTL functional test generation using factored concolic execution

In this paper, we present CORT, a factored concolic execution based methodology for high-level functional test generation. Our test generation effort is visualized as the systematic unraveling of the control-flow response of the design over multiple explorations. We begin by transforming the Register Transfer Level (RTL) source for the design into a high-performance C++ compiled functional simulator which is instrumented for branch coverage. An exploration begins by simulating the design with concrete stimuli. Then, we perform an interleaved cycle-by-cycle symbolic evaluation over the concrete execution trace extracted from the Control Flow Graph (CFG) of the design. The purpose of this task is to dynamically discover means to divert the control flow of the system, by mutating primary-input stimulated control statements in this trace. We record the control-flow response as a Test Decision Tree (TDT), a novel representation for the test generation effort. Successive explorations begin at system states heuristically selected from a global TDT, onto which each new decision tree resultant from an exploration is stitched. CORT succeeds at constructing functional tests for ITC99 and IWLS-2005 benchmarks that achieve high branch coverage using the fewest number of input vectors, faster than existing methods. Furthermore, we achieve orders of magnitude speedup compared to previous hybrid concrete and symbolic simulation based techniques.
Technoeconomic Optimization of Emerging Technologies for Regulatory Analysis

Evaluating sustainable technologies during the regulatory design process requires tools for rapidly assessing the cost and performance of compliance technologies that leverage process integration or are still in the development phase. This work demonstrates the use of gray-box optimization to facilitate process assessment during regulatory design, using the recent Effluent Limitation Guidelines regulating the discharge of flue gas desulfurization wastewater as a case study. We build computationally lean meta-models of an emerging ammonium-bicarbonate forward osmosis (NH4HCO3 FO) technology that is heavily integrated with heat sources at the power plant. We then compare the capital and operational costs of an NH4HCO3 FO and crystallization treatment train against that of mechanical vapor recompression and crystallization, the “Best Available Technology” for zero liquid discharge and the basis for EPA’s benefit cost analysis during the regulatory process. We estimate that the NH4HCO3 FO treatment train woul...
Elliptical superconducting RF cavities for FRIB energy upgrade

Abstract The multi-physics design of a five cell, β G = 0 . 61 , 644 MHz superconducting elliptical cavity being developed for an energy upgrade in the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) is presented. The FRIB energy upgrade from 200 MeV/u to 400 MeV/u for heaviest uranium ions will increase the intensities of rare isotope beams by nearly an order of magnitude. After studying three different frequencies, 1288 MHz, 805 MHz, and 644 MHz, the 644 MHz cavity was shown to provide the highest energy gain per cavity for both uranium and protons. The FRIB upgrade will include 11 cryomodules containing 5 cavities each and installed in 80-meter available space in the tunnel. The cavity development included extensive multi-physics optimization, mechanical and engineering analysis. The development of a niobium cavity is complete and two cavities are being fabricated in industry. The detailed design of the cavity sub-systems such as fundamental power coupler and dynamic tuner are currently being pursued. In the overall design of the cavity and its sub-systems we extensively applied experience gained during the development of 650 MHz low-beta cavities at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL) for the Proton Improvement Plan (PIP) II.
Scalable Hardware Accelerator for Mini-Batch Gradient Descent

Iterative first-order methods that use gradient information form the core computation kernels of modern statistical data analytic engines, such as MADLib, Impala, Google Brain, GraphLab, MLlib in Spark, among others. Even the most advanced parallel stochastic gradient descent algorithm, such as Hogwild is not very scalable on conventional chip multiprocessors because of the bottlenecks induced by the memory system when sharing large model vectors. We propose a scalable architecture for large scale parallel gradient descent on a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) by taking advantage of the large amount of embedded memory in modern FPGAs. We propose a novel data layout mechanism that eliminates the need for expensive synchronization and locking of shared data, which makes the architecture scalable. A 32-PE system on the Stratix V FPGA shows about 5x improvement in performance compared to state-of-the-art implementation on a 14 core/28 thread Intel Xeon CPU with 64 GB memory and operating at 2.6 GHz.
Cryogenic Tests on a Teflon-Tube Heat Exchanger

The use of heat exchangers with tubes made of Teflon for application at moderate temperatures has been discussed by Githens, Minor, and Tomsic [1]. This type of heat exchanger was developed for use with fluids which normally would foul metal surfaces, but not the flexible walls of Teflon tubes, Since Teflon retains some resiliency at cryogenic temperatures, the heat exchanger was tested with liquid hydrogen and liquid nitrogen in order to Investigate some advantages that would be offered by Teflon tubes for cryogenic heat transfer. Because of its low thermal conductivity, a reasonable wall thickness of Teflon can accommodate a sufficiently large temperature difference for a cryogen to absorb heat through nucleate boiling instead of film boiling, As shown by the cryogenic data cited by Brentari and Smith [2], the rate of nucleate boiling heat transfer can be an order of magnitude greater than the rate of film boiling heat transfer. The possibility of attaining nucleate boiling with a reasonable thickness of Teflon is illustrated in Fig. 1, which is based on data cited by Brentari and Smith for pool boiling at 1 atm. The wall to saturated liquid temperature differences used for Fig. 1 were 8°K for nitrogen and 2°K for hydrogen. The nucleate boiling heat fluxes were 10 and 8 W/cm2 for nitrogen and hydrogen, respectively. The thermal conductivity of Teflon was obtained from the literature [3]. The figure indicates that nucleate boiling can occur in a water to liquid hydrogen heat exchanger with a Teflon tube wall thickness of 0.035 in., in a water to liquid nitrogen heat exchanger with a thickness of 0.02 in., and in a liquid nitrogen to liquid hydrogen heat exchanger with a thickness of 0.006 in.
Molecular characterization and expression of the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase alpha-subunit in Drosophila melanogaster.

Abstract The (Na+ + K+)-ATPase (sodium pump) is an ouabain-sensitive, electrogenic ion pump responsible for maintaining the balance of sodium and potassium ions in almost all animal cells. Robust, ouabain-sensitive rubidium uptake, indicative of the sodium pump, was found in tissue-cultured Drosophila cells, and both larvae and adults die when fed a diet containing ouabain. A monoclonal antibody to the avian sodium pump alpha-subunit was found to cross-react with the Drosophila sodium pump alpha-subunit. Immunofluorescence microscopy was used to obtain a semi-quantitative view of the expression of the sodium pump in Drosophila tissues: high levels of the sodium pump were detected in malpighian tubules, indirect flight muscles and tubular muscles, and throughout the nervous system. The cDNA encoding this sodium pump alpha-subunit in Drosophila melanogaster was cloned, sequenced and expressed in mouse L cells. At the amino acid level, its deduced sequence of 1038 residues (the first such sequence for an invertebrate) is approximately 80% similar to alpha-subunit sequences reported for vertebrates. Only one gene was found in Drosophila, located on the third chromosome at position 93B. A restriction site polymorphism has been found, and several mutations exist that may involve the alpha-subunit gene.
Late-Life Insomnia

Older adults experience many physical and health-related changes, including normative changes in sleep patterns characterized by greater fragility of sleep and a tendency toward “lightening” of sleep. This altered sleep patterning combined with an accumulation of other age-related changes (such as illness, polypharmacy, institutionalization, and social role transitions) increases the likelihood of incident sleep complaints and chronic insomnia during older adulthood. This chapter will provide an overview of the foundational research literature on late-life insomnia integrated with up-to-date data on the prevalence and clinical presentation of insomnia symptoms among older adults. Guidelines for the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of late-life insomnia will also be summarized.
The Shoreline as a Bridge, Not a Boundary: Cognitive Maritime Landscapes of Lake Ontario

One aspect of human consciousness is the ability to perceive patterns beyond the immediate environment and to identify trends in landscape and culture that extend beyond the immediate sphere. This ability allows humans to react effectively to new experiences, and allows for broader anthropological interpretation of the archaeological and historical records. Similarly, many human actions are founded on subconscious perceptions of the surroundings. Some of these perceptions, grounded in human evolution, are nearly pan-human; others grow from cultural traditions, taught by subtle hints and repetitive reinforcement from birth, and are unique to a specific population. Subconscious perceptions of the landscape are not generally explicit in the primary historical record but are accessible through synthesis of archaeological and historical data. Three regional scale trends of human perception that manifest themselves in the historical Lake Ontario littoral landscape are permeable boundaries, danger in the lake, and ephemeral landscapes.
Preferred Criterion for Deciding Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy for Patients with Chronic Cholecystitis Using Radio-Nuclide Tc99m Hepatobiliary Mebrofenin

2121 Objectives: To determine what gastroenterologist prefer for laparoscopic cholecystectomy when using Tc99m hepatobiliary scans. Methods: 33 patients who were diagnosed with chronic cholecystitis were evaluated in whether or not would have laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The 33 patients fell within 3 categories: 1: Gallbladder ejection fraction (GBEF) <35% 2: No Gallbladder (GB) visualized after 1.5 Hr but bowel visualized 3: Delayed Gallbladder visualization after 1 Hr with bowel activity Technique: Patient are to be NPO for at least 4 hrs. A hepatobiliary scan was obtained following IV administration of 7 mCi Tc99m Choletech, dynamic imaging for 1 hr was obtained. If necessary, additional static images were also obtained at 90 mins. Additionally, ordering physicians may want to determine GBEF so fatty meal or CCK was given. Results: 24 out of 33 patients with chronic cholecystitis ended up with laparoscopic cholecystectomy. 8 out of 19 patients with GBEF <35% ended up with laparoscopic cholecystectomy. 9 out of 11 patients with NO GB after 1.5 Hr but bowel visualization ended up with laparoscopic cholecystectomy. And 2 out of 2 patients with delayed GB visualization with bowel had laparoscopic cholecystectomy. 7 of out the 33 patients had no data or follow up on whether they had surgery. Conclusions: Use of Tc99m hepatobiliary scans is pertinent on whether or not patients undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Of the 3 categories, No GB after 1.5 Hr but bowel visualization seems to be the highest choice for gastroenterologist.
Purging of Strongly Deleterious Mutations Explains Long-Term Persistence and Absence of Inbreeding Depression in Island Foxes.

Summary The recovery and persistence of rare and endangered species are often threatened by genetic factors, such as the accumulation of deleterious mutations, loss of adaptive potential, and inbreeding depression [ 1 ]. Island foxes (Urocyon littoralis), the dwarfed descendants of mainland gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), have inhabited California’s Channel Islands for >9,000 years [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Previous genomic analyses revealed that island foxes have exceptionally low levels of diversity and elevated levels of putatively deleterious variation [ 5 ]. Nonetheless, all six populations have persisted for thousands of generations, and several populations rebounded rapidly after recent severe bottlenecks [ 6 , 7 ]. Here, we combine morphological and genomic data with population-genetic simulations to determine the mechanism underlying the enigmatic persistence of these foxes. First, through analysis of genomes from 1929 to 2009, we show that island foxes have remained at small population sizes with low diversity for many generations. Second, we present morphological data indicating an absence of inbreeding depression in island foxes, confirming that they are not afflicted with congenital defects common to other small and inbred populations. Lastly, our population-genetic simulations suggest that long-term small population size results in a reduced burden of strongly deleterious recessive alleles, providing a mechanism for the absence of inbreeding depression in island foxes. Importantly, the island fox illustrates a scenario in which genetic restoration through human-assisted gene flow could be a counterproductive or even harmful conservation strategy. Our study sheds light on the puzzle of island fox persistence, a unique success story that provides a model for the preservation of small populations.
Learning to Listen: The Power of Transnational Life Storytelling

As a scholar, educator, and activist, I have always been in search of my voice, only to find it when I helped students discover their own. Like many of my transnational students, I, an Iranian Amer...
Terrorist assassinations and societal unrest in Africa: a research brief

This exploratory research brief examines social unrest in Africa in the aftermath of terrorist assassinations. Assassination is a tactic of violence in modern terrorist campaigns and assassinations...
On Competition: The Problem of John Kutts's Best

On April 11, 1834, Representative Elisha Whittlesey of Ohio presented a petition on behalf of the architect John Kutts to the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee of Claims.1 Kutts, an architec...
The Florida Cohort study: methodology, initial findings and lessons learned from a multisite cohort of people living with HIV in Florida.

In 2013, Florida had the highest rate of new HIV infections and only 56% of persons living with HIV (PLWH) were virally suppressed. In response, we initiated a new HIV cohort in Florida to better u...
Right ventricular septal pacing via transmural approach for resynchronization in a child with postoperative heart block

An infant with transposition of the great arteries was paced for postoperative heart block (single-site, right ventricular [RV] epicardial). She developed severe left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and septal dyskinesis. Resynchronization was performed at the age of 4 with an LV epicardial lead and an RV septal endocardial lead. The endocardial lead was affixed to the interventricular septum, then tunneled through the RV free wall and attached to an abdominal pulse generator. QRS duration decreased (176 to 122 ms) and LV ejection fraction improved (26 to 61%) and remained stable for 8 years. We present a case of successful resynchronization in congenital heart disease using a transmural RV septal lead.
Bounds on Absolute Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar dispar) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) Population Density as Derived from Counts in Single Milk Carton Traps.

Estimates of absolute pest population density are critical to pest management programs but have been difficult to obtain from capture numbers in pheromone-baited monitoring traps. In this paper, we establish a novel predictive relationship for a probability (spTfer(r)) of catching a male located at a distance r from the trap with a plume reach D.
Machine Learning and Improved Quality Metrics in Acute Intracranial Hemorrhage by Noncontrast Computed Tomography.

Objective The timely reporting of critical results in radiology is paramount to improved patient outcomes. Artificial intelligence has the ability to improve quality by optimizing clinical radiology workflows. We sought to determine the impact of a United States Food and Drug Administration-approved machine learning (ML) algorithm, meant to mark computed tomography (CT) head examinations pending interpretation as higher probability for intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), on metrics across our healthcare system. We hypothesized that ML is associated with a reduction in report turnaround time (RTAT) and length of stay (LOS) in emergency department (ED) and inpatient populations. Materials and Methods An ML algorithm was incorporated across CT scanners at imaging sites in January 2018. RTAT and LOS were derived for reports and patients between July 2017 and December 2017 prior to implementation of ML and compared to those between January 2018 and June 2018 after implementation of ML. A total of 25,658 and 24,996 ED and inpatient cases were evaluated across the entire healthcare system before and after ML, respectively. Results RTAT decreased from 75 to 69 minutes (P Conclusion We demonstrated that utilization of ML was associated with a statistically significant decrease in RTAT. There was also a significant decrease in LOS for ED patients without ICH, but not for ED patients with ICH. Further evaluation of the impact of such tools on patient care and outcomes is needed.
Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy and LV Outflow Tract Obstruction after Initiation of Novel Oral Chemotherapy.

Background Japanese authors first reported a reversible cardiomyopathy due to emotional stress known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy or stress-induced cardiomyopathy or apical ballooning syndrome. In this case report, we describe Takotsubo cardiomyopathy associated with use of a chemotherapy drug, Regorafenib (Stivarga). Case history A 72-year-old female with history of metastatic colon cancer, with liver metastasis status post-resection and a recent diagnosis of primary non-small cell lung cancer on chemotherapy presented with shortness of breath exacerbated on exertion for 3 days. Patient was treated with Regorafenib for 10 days. EKG done showed 2mm ST elevation in V2-V4 leads and troponin was elevated to 6.8 ng/ml. The patient was taken for emergency cardiac catheterization which revealed normal coronaries but left ventriculogram showed low ejection fraction of 30% with apical akinesis and basal hyperkinesis with typical Takotsubo pattern. Discussion Regorafenib is a multi-kinase inhibitor, approved by the FDA for metastatic colon carcinoma, hepatic carcinoma and advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors. The stress of cancer diagnosis and chemotherapeutic agents can cause significant cardiac mortality including Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Cardiogenic shock and thromboembolic complications are an important cause of mortality. Conclusion This is a rare presentation of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy associated with use of Regorafenib along with dynamic LVOT obstruction and systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve.
OpenTree: A Python package for Accessing and Analyzing data from the Open Tree of Life

The Open Tree of Life project constructs a comprehensive, dynamic and digitally-available tree of life by synthesizing published phylogenetic trees along with taxonomic data. Open Tree of Life provides web-service application programming interfaces (APIs) to make the tree estimate, unified taxonomy, and input phylogenetic data available to anyone. Here, we describe the python package 9opentree9, which provides a user friendly python wrapper for these APIs and a set of scripts and tutorials for straightforward downstream data analyses. We demonstrate the utility of these tools by generating an estimate of the phylogenetic relationships of all bird families, and by capturing a phylogenetic estimate for all taxa observed at the University of California Merced Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve.
Race and racism in soil science

Soil science is one of the least diverse fields within science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Because demographics of groups and institutions provide a window into the culture, climate, equity and inclusion of minoritized scholars, we discuss how lack of diversity continues to affect our science and the scientific community, and its implications for the welfare of the global population. We highlight the role of antiracist practices and policies for improving workplace climate and thereby developing a diverse and inclusive scientific community. We present this article as a starting point for discussions on issues of race and racism in our scientific community and institutions. HIGHLIGHTS: Soil science remains one of the least diverse fields in STEM. Workplace climate plays a major role in perpetuating the lack of diversity within soil science and other fields within geosciences. Incorporation of antiracist practices and policies is urgently needed to reverse the current trend and improve representation in our scientific community.
The Rhetoric of Roman Transportation: Vehicles in Latin Literature

Latin literature is crowded with portraits of Romans in transit, but despite this ubiquity scholars have been reluctant to read vehicles as significant conveyors of textual and cultural meaning. This book offers the first systematic analysis of the representation of Roman vehicles in Latin literary texts. By moving past approaches that count such vehicular portrayals as either transparent glimpses of reality or soaring poetic symbols, it demonstrates how these conveyances work as a system of representation to structure both the texts in which they appear and underlying cultural discourses surrounding power, gender, and empire. Arranged as a series of interlocking studies, each chapter explores the representation of a particular conveyance across author and text, from the humblest and most quotidian (plaustrum) to the most exalted and symbol-laden (currus).
Development, validation, and relevance of in vivo low-contrast task transfer function to estimate detectability in clinical CT images.

Purpose The current state-of-the-art calculation of detectability index (d') is largely phantom based, with the latest being based on a hybrid phantom NPS combined with patient specific noise magnitude and high-contrast air-skin interface. The purpose of this study was to develop and assess the use of fully-patient-specific measurements of noise and low-contrast resolution, derived entirely from patient images, on d'. Methods This study developed a d' calculation that is patient- and task-specific, employing newly developed algorithms for estimating patient-specific noise power spectrum (NPS) and low-contrast task transfer function (TTF). The TTF estimation methodology used a trained regression support vector machine (SVM) to estimate a fitted form of the TTF given a variance-normalized estimate of the noise power spectrum (referred to as the TTFNPS ). The regression SVM was trained and tested using five-fold cross validation on 192 scans (4 dose levels x 6 reconstruction kernels x 4 repeats) of a phantom with low-contrast polyethylene insert, and reconstructed with filtered backprojection and iterative reconstructions across 12 clinically-relevant kernels (FBP: B20f, B31f, B45f; SAFIRE: I26f, I31f, J45f with Strengths: 2, 3, 5). To test the low contrast TTF estimation method, the estimated TTFNPS measurements were compared to (1) TTF measurements from the air-phantom interface (referred to as the TTFair , representing the most patient-specific clinical alternative) and (2) TTF measurements from the edge of the low-contrast polyethylene insert (referred to as the TTFpoly ) which represented the gold standard of low-contrast TTF measurement. Patient-specific NPS, patient-specific noise magnitude, and patient-specific low-contrast TTF were further combined with a reference task function to calculate a d' (according to a non-pre-whitening matched filter model) across 1120 lesions previously evaluated in 2AFC human observer detection of liver lesions. The resulting values were compared to the observer results using a generalized linear mixed-effects statistical model. The correlations between the model and observer results were also compared with previously-reported values (using a hybrid method with phantom-derived NPS and TTFair ). Results The TTFNPS more accurately represented resolution across the considered reconstruction settings compared with the TTFair . The out-of-fold predictions of the TTFNPS had statistically better RMSE concordance (p = 0.05, bootstrap resampled corrected paired Student's t-test). Conclusions The results suggest that fully-patient-specific characterization of image quality based on in vivo NPS and low-contrast TTF offer advantages over hybrid methods. The results in terms of detectability index favorably relate to observer detection of liver lesions. The method can potentially be integrated into an automated image quality tracking system to assess image quality across a CT clinical operation without needing phantom scans. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Infusing Training into the Documentation and Culture of Ares I Upper Stage Design and Manufacturing

In roughly two years time, Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Mission Operations Laboratory (MOL) has incubated a personnel training and certification program for about 1000 learners and multiple phases of the Ares I Upper Stage (US) project. Previous MOL-developed training programs focused on about 100 learners with a focus on operations, and had enough full-time training staff to develop courseware and provide training administration. This paper discusses 1) how creation of a broad, structured training program unfolded as feedback from more narrowly defined tasks, 2) how training philosophy, development methods, and administration are being simplified and tailored so that many Upper Stage organizations can grow their own training yet maintain consistency, accountability, and traceability across the project, and 3) possibilities for interfacing with the production contractor's training system and staff.
Psychology: Mind, brain, & culture.

Psychology: The Study of Mental Processes and Behavior. Research Methods in Psychology. Biological Bases of Mental Life and Behavior. Sensation and Perception. Learning. Memory. Thought and Language. Intelligence. Consciousness. Motivation. Emotion, Stress, and Coping. Personality. Physical and Cognitive Development. Social Development. Psychological Disorders. Treatment of Psychological Disorders. Attitudes and Social Cognition. Interpersonal Processes. Glossary. References. Photo Credits. Text and Illustration Credits. Indexes.
Some Tax Advice for Latvia

Although this paper says a few words about the tax system of Latvia, Latvia's tax situation is not unique. Many of the problems and policies that now exist in Latvia also exist in most other emerging market economies. Thus, the scope of this paper encompasses the tax systems and problems of any emerging market economy. The Latvian case is used only as an example for illustrative purposes. Part I of this paper provides an introduction and overview. Part II discusses the attributes of a good system of public finance. Part III addresses the special problems of raising revenue in an emerging economy. Part IV discusses the Latvian tax system. In Part V, the author makes recommendations for Latvia and other emerging economies.
Circle of Willis blood velocity and flow direction after common carotid artery ligation for neonatal extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

The velocity and direction of blood flow in the circle of Willis arteries were measured in three infants who underwent right common carotid artery ligation for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation treatment. Within 15 minutes of common carotid artery ligation, blood flow was detected in one infant9s right middle cerebral artery; however, the velocity was reduced to 50% of the preextracorporeal membrane oxygenation level. The velocity remained 50% to 70% lower than normal during the 88 hours of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy. In the other two infants, the velocity changes were less severe. By 2 to 10 weeks after weaning from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, the velocities in the left cerebral arteries were increased to 116% to 217% of the corresponding right cerebral vessels. Following common carotid artery ligation, a retrograde direction of flow was noted in the first (A1) segment of the right anterior cerebral artery and in the right posterior communicating artery, whereas the direction of flow was normal in the corresponding vessels on the left. After common carotid artery ligation, the vertebrobasilar and the contralateral internal carotid systems appear to be the main sources of reperfusion of the right cerebral hemisphere via the circle of Willis. Furthermore, because of the known variants of the circle anatomy, a noninvasive pulsed Doppler method could be used to evaluate the flow patterns in the circle of Willis arteries, both before and after common carotid artery ligation for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
Update on System Virtualization Management

The DMTF System Virtualization, Partitioning and Clustering (SVPC) Working Group is working on standardizing management interfaces for the management of system virtualization platforms. This paper outlines the modeling approach taken by the SVPC working group, briefly presents the central management profiles already developed.
Keeping up to Date: Apps to Stay on Top of the Medical Literature

Clinicians, researchers, and students today are faced with the challenge of keeping up with the seemingly exponential growth of scientific literature. Health sciences libraries provide access to much of that literature in electronic format. In concert with these changes in the amount of and means of access to the scientific literature is the rise in usage of mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones, and apps for mobile devices. Since increasing numbers of library users prefer to read library-provided content on a variety of devices, including personal computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones, librarians should be knowledgeable about apps that search and browse for journal content provided by libraries. This column will focus on several e-journal apps including: BrowZine, Docphin, Read by QxMD, and ReadCube, as well as citation managers and publisher-specific apps. The use of these apps to promote library resources and services will also be discussed.
Lipid and Lipoprotein Levels and Trend in Rheumatoid Arthritis Compared to the General Population

Objective Differences in lipid levels associated with cardiovascular (CV) risk between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and the general population remain unclear. Determining these differences is important in understanding the role of lipids in CV risk in RA. Methods We studied 2,005 RA subjects from 2 large academic medical centers. We extracted electronic medical record data on the first low-density lipoprotein (LDL) measurement, and total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) measurements within 1 year of the LDL measurement. Subjects with an electronic statin prescription prior to the first LDL measurement were excluded. We compared lipid levels in RA patients to recently published levels from the general US population using the t-test and stratifying by published parameters, i.e., 2007–2010, and women. We determined lipid trends using separate linear regression models for total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol, testing the association between year of measurement (1989–2010) and lipid level, adjusted by age and sex. Lipid trends in RA were qualitatively compared to the published general population trends. Results Women with RA had a significantly lower total cholesterol (186 versus 200 mg/dl; P = 0.002) and LDL cholesterol (105 versus 118 mg/dl; P = 0.001) compared to the general population (2007–2010). HDL cholesterol was not significantly different in the 2 groups. In the RA cohort, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol significantly decreased each year, while HDL cholesterol increased (all with P < 0.0001), consistent with overall trends observed in a previous study. Conclusion RA patients appear to have an overall lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol than the general population despite the general overall risk of CV disease in RA from observational studies.
Optical blur and collection efficiency in columnar phosphors for X-ray imaging

Abstract Columnar phosphors are common in modern indirect X-ray digital imaging systems. However, a comprehensive description of the light scattering processes within such structures has not yet been reported. We present a Monte Carlo analysis of the depth-dependent optical blur and collection efficiency of columnar phosphor screens. We present line-spread (LSF) and modulation transfer (MTF) functions, and optical collection efficiencies for screens with transparent phosphors and different back-layer reflectance. Our phosphor model consists of a uniformly spaced columnar array ( 9 μm diameter with 1 μm gaps). We present data for single X-ray interactions occurring at varying depths (99, 90, 40, 30, 20, 10, and 1 μm ) for a given screen thickness of 100 μm , and for screens of varying thicknesses (10, 20, 40, 100, 200, and 300 μm ) with exponentially absorbed X-ray beams corresponding to typical mammography spectra. We show quantitatively that depth of interaction and phosphor thickness have a strong effect on LSF and MTF. Our Monte Carlo results are in agreement with published experimentally measured MTF results. The depth-dependent collection efficiency is affected by optical absorption, while being independent of interaction depth and thickness for transparent phosphors.
Prognosis of facial palsy in Borrelia burgdorferi meningopolyradiculoneuritis.

Out of 72 patients treated forBorrella burgdorferi meningopolyradiculoneuritis facial palsies occurred in 22 (12 unilateral, 10 bilateral). Eleven of the 32 pareses were initially complete. By the follow-up examination patients had recovered well with slight sequelae in 22% without cosmetically disfiguring pareses or synkinesias. Electrophysiological studies revealed axonal damage of the nerve as the underlying mechanism.
Review essay / dworkin's “full political theory of law”

Ronald Dworkin, Law's Empire Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1986, xiii + 470 pp.
Incidence of Postthrombotic Syndrome in Patients Undergoing Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty for Osteoarthritis

Background Postthrombotic syndrome (PTS) is a chronic condition in the lower extremity that develops after deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The incidence of PTS after total hip arthroplasty (THA) is not well established.
Methodological Issues in Pivotal Trials: Discussion

The discussion from “Methodological Issues in Pivotal Trials,” Session 2 of the DIA Workshop “Clinical Trials in Biotechnology: Planning to Prevent the Pitfalls,” is presented. This is an unusual offering for the Drug Information Journal, but the comments are important enough to merit publication.
Flow pattern analysis in the abdominal aorta with velocity-encoded cine MR imaging

The sites of deposition of atherosclerotic plaque on the aortic wall are considered to be influenced by secondary and retrograde flow patterns that cause regions of altered shear stress. To detect secondary flow patterns and areas of retrograde flow in the abdominal aorta, velocity-encoded cine (VEC) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was performed at five different levels of the abdominal aorta in nine healthy volunteers. Net retrograde flow (expressed as a percentage of antegrade flow) increased from proximal to distal levels and was maximal (13.8% +/- 11.8) just distal to the origin of the renal arteries. An increase in the duration of retrograde flow over the cardiac cycle was observed from proximal to distal levels. Whereas retrograde flow was present at end systole and early diastole in each volunteer at every level, the duration and amount of retrograde flow during diastole showed high interindividual variation. Such differences suggest the possibility of variable vascular geometric risk factors in the population for the development of atherosclerotic plaque. The location of retrograde flow in the abdominal aorta demonstrated in vivo with VEC MR imaging was close to that obtained with in vitro flow visualization studies in models of the abdominal aorta.
Studies on the chemical nature and size of sex factors of Escherichia coli K12

The P/sup 32/-decay inactivation technique was used to study the wild- type sex factor of E. coli K12, F/sub 1/, and a variant sex factor, F/sub 2/. Both are sensitive to decay of incorporated P/sup 32/. Labeled sex factors transferred into unlabeled recipient cells were shown to lose function on storage; inactivation kinetics were described by concave exponential curves, indicating the transfer of only one sex factor particle to any one recipient. Mitomycin C was employed as a specific inhibitor of net DNA synthesis. A concentration of the antibiotic having no effect on net RNA or protein synthesis was found to inhibit incorporation of W/sub 2/ into F/sub 1/ particles and nuclei of F/sub 1/ donor cells 84 and 69%, respectively, as determined by relative rates of P/sup 32/-decay inactivation of the genetic elements labeled in the presence and absence of mitomycin. An inhibition of incorporation of P/sup 32/ into F/sub 2/ and nuclei of donor cells of 88 and 64%, respectively, was observed. DNA is thus an essential constituent of the sex factors; RNA, in amounts detectable by the methods employed, is not. A comparison of the relative rates of P/sup 32/- decay inactivation of F/sub 1/, F/sub 2/,more » and bacteriophages T1 and T4 indicated that F/sub 1/ comprises between 8.5 x 10/sup 4/ and 2.5 x 10/sup 5/ P atoms while F/sub 2/ comprises between 1.9 x 10/sup 5/ and 5.4 x 10/sup 5/, upper limits being the more probable. This difference in size between the two sex factors was also demonstrated by the respective times required for transfer to recipients. The rate of sex factor transfer was estimated to be between 8.7 x 10/sup 4/ and 1.9 x 10/sup 5/ P atoms/min. This indicates that transfer is not initiated until more than six min after donor and recipient cells are mixed, although contacts between parent cells are considered to be formed as soon as mixing occurs. (BBB)« less
Effects of synthetic cathinones contained in "bath salts" on motor behavior and a functional observational battery in mice.

Synthetic stimulants commonly sold as “bath salts” are an emerging abuse problem in the U.S. Users have shown paranoia, delusions, and self-injury. Previously published in vivo research has been limited to only two components of bath salts (mephedrone and methylone). The purpose of the present study was to evaluate in vivo effects of several synthetic cathinones found in bath salts and to compare them to those of cocaine (COC) and methamphetamine (METH). Acute effects of methylenedioxyphyrovalerone (MDPV), mephedrone, methylone, methedrone, 3-fluoromethcathinone (3-FMC), 4-fluoromethcathinone (4-FMC), COC, and METH were examined in male ICR mice on locomotor activity, rotorod, and a functional observational battery (FOB). All drugs increased locomotor activity, with different compounds showing different potencies and time courses in locomotor activity. 3-FMC and methylone decreased performance on the rotorod. The FOB showed that in addition to typical stimulant induced effects, some synthetic cathinones produced ataxia, convulsions, and increased exploration. These results suggest that individual synthetic cathinones differ in their profile of effects, and differ from known stimulants of abuse. Effects of 3-FMC, 4-FMC, and methedrone indicate these synthetic cathinones share major pharmacological properties with the ones that have been banned (mephedrone, MDPV, methylone), suggesting that they may be just as harmful.
An Ancient Foxtail Pine

MY young friend Mr. Allan Caplan has recently obtained a remarkable series of fossil plants in the Miocene shales at Creede, Colorado. Among these the conifers are especially interesting, and one specimen consists of a small cone, about 19 mm. long, broadly oval in form, the scales armed with long prickles (Fig. 1). I sought the advice of my colleague, Dr. Edna L. Johnson, who at once produced some immature cones of Pinus aristata, Engelmann, the foxtail pine of the western mountains of the United States. On comparison, it was impossible to see any difference. Knowlton (1923) described a Pinus crossii from Creede, based on foliage which does not appear to differ from that of P. aristata.
Correlated Conductance Parameters in Leech Heart Motor Neurons Contribute to Motor Pattern Formation

Neurons can have widely differing intrinsic membrane properties, in particular the density of specific conductances, but how these contribute to characteristic neuronal activity or pattern formation is not well understood. To explore the relationship between conductances, and in particular how they influence the activity of motor neurons in the well characterized leech heartbeat system, we developed a new multi-compartmental Hodgkin-Huxley style leech heart motor neuron model. To do so, we evolved a population of model instances, which differed in the density of specific conductances, capable of achieving specific output activity targets given an associated input pattern. We then examined the sensitivity of measures of output activity to conductances and how the model instances responded to hyperpolarizing current injections. We found that the strengths of many conductances, including those with differing dynamics, had strong partial correlations and that these relationships appeared to be linked by their influence on heart motor neuron activity. Conductances that had positive correlations opposed one another and had the opposite effects on activity metrics when perturbed whereas conductances that had negative correlations could compensate for one another and had similar effects on activity metrics.
Spatially heterogeneous dynamics in liquids: insights from simulation

In this paper, review of recent theoretical and simulation work on dynamical heterogeneity and correlated particle motion in glass-forming liquids and polymers is presented. Evidence for increasing mobility fluctuations in these systems with decreasing temperature, and the relationship between dynamical heterogeneity and decoupling of diffusion and structural relaxation is described. The relationship between dynamical heterogeneity, string-like collective motion, the clustering of strings, and mode-coupling theory is briefly discussed.
Moiré patterns of atomic planes obtained by X-ray interferometry

Laue case X-ray interferometers have been described previously. So that the necessary stability of alignment could be easily maintained, the components have been fabricated as part of the same single crystal block, but this does not exclude the possibility of translating, rotating or deforming one part of an interferometer with respect to its other parts. Such manipulations can be made by a wide variety of methods, some of which are described herein.
WS01‐09Diagnostically critical fetal imaging artifacts: identification and management

The purpose of this project was to identify sources and clinical significance of 3DUS artifacts on patient diagnosis and to increase clinician and sonographer awareness to reduce misdiagnosis in 3DUS studies. To accomplish this 3DUS data were acquired and reviewed interactively. Artifacts were cataloged according to origin: B-mode, color/power Doppler or unique to 3DUS (acquisition, rendering or volume editing). Original scan planes, re-sliced planes and rendered images were evaluated. Overall our results showed a variety of artifacts. B-mode artifacts included drop-out, shadowing, etc. and depending on relationships between slice and imaging plane orientation. Color/power Doppler artifacts were related to gain, aliasing, and flash and could add apparent structure or confusion to the volume images. Rendering artifacts were due to parameter adjustment, shadowing and motion. Important structures could be removed by improper editing. In conclusion 3DUS and 2DUS are prone to similar artifacts plus others unique to 3DUS. Diagnostically significant artifacts can mimick abnormal development, masses, or missing structures thus requiring careful study before reaching a diagnosis.
Equation of state of CH1.36: First-principles molecular dynamics simulations and shock-and-release wave speed measurements

We report the computation and measurement of the equation of state of a plastic with composition CH${}_{1.36}$. The computational scheme employed is density functional theory based molecular dynamics, at the conditions: 1.8 g/cm${}^{3}$ $l\ensuremath{\rho}l10$ g/cm${}^{3}$, and 4000 K $lTl$ 100 000 K. Experimental measurements are of the shock speeds in a geometry in which the plastic is directly abutting a different material, liquid deuterium, from which release wave behavior in the plastic can be deduced. After fitting our computed pressure and internal energy with a Mie-Gr\"uneisen free energy model, we predict the principal shock Hugoniot and various shock-and-release paths and show that they agree with both recently published laser-shock data and our new data regarding the shock speeds on release. We also establish that, at least in the particular $(\ensuremath{\rho},T)$ range considered, the equation of state of this complex two-component material is well described by an equal pressure and temperature mixture of pure C and H equations of state with a composition-weighted additive-volume assumption. This observation, together with our fit to the limited-range simulation data, can form the basis for the construction of an accurate wide-range equation of state model for this plastic. Implications for its use as an ablator in inertial confinement fusion capsules are discussed.
Brief Report: Randomized Test of the Efficacy of Picture Exchange Communication System on Highly Generalized Picture Exchanges in Children with ASD

A randomized control trial comparing two social-communication interventions in young children with autism examined far-transfer of the use of picture exchange to communicate. Thirty-six children were randomly assigned to one of two treatment conditions, one of which was the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS). All children had access to picture symbols during assessments. Post-treatment measurement of the number of picture exchanges in a far-transfer, assessment context favored the PECS intervention. These findings were interpreted as support for the hypothesis that the PECS curriculum can successfully teach a generalized means of showing coordinated attention to object and person without requiring eye contact to children with ASD.