cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Carbon Dioxide, Hydrographic, and Chemical Data Obtained During the R/V Maurice Ewing Cruise in the Atlantic Ocean (WOCE Section A17, 4 January - 21 March 1994)

This documentation discusses the procedures and methods used to measure total carbon dioxide (TCO2), total alkalinity (TALK), and pH at hydrographic stations during the R/V Maurice Ewing cruise in the South Atlantic Ocean on the A17 WOCE section. Conducted as part of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE), this cruise was also a part of the French WOCE program consisting of three expeditions (CITHER 1, 2, and 3) focused on the South Atlantic Ocean. The A17 section was occupied during the CITHER 2 expedition, which began in Montevideo, Uruguay, on January 4, 1994 and finished in Cayenne, French Guyana, on March 21, 1994. During this period the ship stopped in Salvador de Bahia and Recife, Brazil, to take on supplies and exchange personnel. Upon completion of the cruise the ship transited to Fort de France, Martinique. Instructions for accessing the data are provided.
Quantitative Imaging-Based Dosimetry and Treatment Planning in Radionuclide Therapy

One of the important applications for quantitative analyses in nuclear medicine is the measurement of activity in human and animal organs and tissues, for the purposes of calculating radiation dose to these tissues. Knowledge of radiation dose is needed for making appropriate prescriptions of activity to patients for optimal therapeutic benefit, while assuring patient safety. Once reasonably accurate estimates of activity have been obtained, as has been outlined in the other chapters of this book, such data are applied to mathematical models that describe the kinetics of the radionuclide distribution in vivo and that estimate the amount of energy deposited in different regions of the body (via simulations of radiation transport and interaction). In this chapter, we outline the basic methods and models currently in use for making these calculations, and for relating calculated dose to biological effects, and discuss some of the uncertainties and limitations of these approaches.
Mortality in achondroplasia.

Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were determined for a historical cohort of achondroplastic individuals identified through the Medical Genetics Clinics of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore. Mortality was increased at all ages, with an overall SMR of 2.27 (95% confidence interval 1.7-3.0). Sudden death accounted for the excess deaths in those less than 4 years of age, and brain-stem compression was identified as the cause in half of these deaths. Central nervous system and respiratory causes were not significantly increased but accounted for half of the deaths in those 5-24 years of age. SMRs were not significantly increased for those greater than 34 years of age. However, deaths attributed to cardiovascular causes were increased in the 25-54-year-old age group, accounting for 10 of 17 deaths. The overall cardiovascular SMR was 5.2 (95% confidence interval 2.5-9.6). Within this group, severe disability resulting from marked spinal canal stenosis was present in a majority of individuals and may have been a contributing factor in these deaths. This study suggests that the bony abnormalities associated with achondroplasia--i.e., foramen magnum and spinal canal stenosis--may have a significant effect on mortality at all ages but particularly in children. Efforts to minimize these complications are recommended.
Tyrosine phosphorylation is a novel pathway for regulation of chloride secretion in shark rectal gland.

We used the specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein to define the involvement of tyrosine phosphorylation in the regulation of chloride transport in the rectal gland of the dogfish shark, a model for chloride secretion via a cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)-like channel. In the perfused gland, genistein (100 microM) promptly increased chloride secretion from basal values of 159 +/- 36 to 966 +/- 49 mueq.h-1.g-1 (P < 0.0001). Bumentanide fully reversed genistein-induced secretion. In primary culture monolayers of rectal gland tubular cells, genistein, but not the inactive 7-glucoside form, genistin, increased short-circuit current in a dose-dependent manner, from basal values of 2.7 +/- 4.3 to 104 +/- 10 microA/cm2 (P < 0.0001). Apically applied genistein induced significantly greater chloride secretion than basolateral addition. Genistein did not increase the adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) content of either perfused glands or cultured monolayers. Using an anti-phosphotyrosine antibody, we observed phosphorylation of multiple proteins. Four peptides, with molecular masses of 250, 210, 55, and 53 kDa, responded to genistein treatment with a decrease in tyrosine phosphorylation. These data demonstrate the following: 1) genistein induces bumetanide-sensitive chloride secretion in both perfused rectal glands and cultured tubular cells; 2) these effects are not accompanied by an elevation of tissue cAMP, indicating that genistein-induced secretion is not mediated by the cAMP-protein kinase A pathway; and 3) genistein-sensitive peptides are present in the rectal gland cell and are candidates for involvement in the regulation of chloride secretion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Surgical Aspects of Thoracic and Abdominal Organ Procurement from Brain-Dead Donors

Over the past two decades, the procedure of synchronous multiple organ procurement has been standardized. This has enabled the utilization of organs from nearly 8,000 deceased donors each year in the USA. This chapter sheds light on the technical aspects of safe retrieval of abdominal and thoracic organs.
The avalanche of children requiring social services in the Western Cape

South Africas social services are facing a crisis fueled by an avalanche of children in need of help. The author describes the following major social problems affecting children in the Western Cape and the related demands made upon social services: poverty and unemployment housing and overcrowding drug and alcohol abuse violence and gangsterism domestic violence child abuse child abandonment and neglect street children disabled children and children with AIDS. Given the enormity of the problem and the cutting back of funding for trained personnel there has been a lowering of the standard of service burn-out and a feeling of helplessness among social workers. The profession of social work also lacks credibility among clients.
Repair of Paravalvular Leaks

Paravalvular leak (PVL) remains an important complication of surgically placed prosthetic valves. Treatment options historically have been limited to redo surgery, which is associated with a relatively high mortality and the need for repeat surgeries. Percutaneous techniques offer a less invasive yet highly successful alternative to surgery. We describe incidence, clinical presentation, and percutaneous approaches to repair of paravalvular leak with an Amplatzer device.
Ultra-high resolution gamma-ray spectrometer development for nuclear attribution and non-proliferation applications

Cryogenic gamma-ray spectrometers based on superconducting thermistors provide more than an order of magnitude improvement in energy resolution over conventional high-purity germanium detectors. They are based on measuring the temperature increase upon gamma-ray absorption with a sensor operated at the transition between its superconducting and normal state. We are developing gamma-ray calorimeters using Mo/Cu multilayer sensors with an attached Sn absorber for increased absorption efficiency ("UltraSpec"). We have also developed two-stage adiabatic demagnetization refrigerators for user-friendly detector operation at the required temperatures of /spl sim/0.1 K. The spectrometer has achieved an energy resolution between 50 and 90 eV FWHM for photon energies up to 100 keV, and can be operated up to 0.4 MeV with reduced resolution. We present an update on spectrometer performance and sensitivity, and discuss the relevance of this technology for gamma-ray analysis in nuclear attribution and nuclear non-proliferation applications.
Development of one-dimensional photonic selective emitters for energy harvesting applications

Abstract The small wavelength utilizable range used for determining the optimum performance of photovoltaic and rectenna devices, compared to the broad band spectrum of solar or other heat sources, limits the energy conversion efficiency of such technologies. A selective emitter, with an emissivity profile that matches the receiver's characteristic bandwidth, can be used to improve the overall efficiency of such energy harvesting devices. This paper compares simulated and experimental results of the design and fabrication of a selective emitter that can be used in the 8–12 µm frequency range. The matrix transform method is used to calculate the radiative properties of one dimensional metal-dielectric photonic structures. By using genetic algorithm as a powerful optimization tool, the simulated design characteristics of such structure are adjusted to minimize the mean square deviation of the actual spectral emissivity from the target emissivity profile. Specifically, this paper presents and compares results of the simulated design and fabrication of selective emitters composed of alternating layers of Al2O3-SiO2 or Al2O3-SiC on an aluminum substrate. The output radiation of these selective emitters could be used as the input radiation to high efficiency rectenna devices.
Epidermal growth factor receptor inhibition downregulates Helicobacter pylori-induced epithelial inflammatory responses, DNA damage and gastric carcinogenesis

Objective Gastric cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide and infection by Helicobacter pylori is the strongest risk factor. We have reported increased epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) phosphorylation in the H. pylori -induced human carcinogenesis cascade, and association with DNA damage. Our goal was to determine the role of EGFR activation in gastric carcinogenesis. Design We evaluated gefitinib, a specific EGFR inhibitor, in chemoprevention of H. pylori -induced gastric inflammation and cancer development. Mice with genetically targeted epithelial cell-specific deletion of Egfr ( Efgr Δ epi mice) were also used. Results In C57BL/6 mice, gefitinib decreased Cxcl1 and Cxcl2 expression by gastric epithelial cells, myeloperoxidase-positive inflammatory cells in the mucosa and epithelial DNA damage induced by H. pylori infection. Similar reductions in chemokines, inflammatory cells and DNA damage occurred in infected Egfr Δ epi versus Egfr fl/fl control mice. In H. pylori -infected transgenic insulin-gastrin (INS-GAS) mice and gerbils, gefitinib treatment markedly reduced dysplasia and carcinoma. Gefitinib blocked H. pylo ri-induced activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase 1/3 (MAPK1/3) and activator protein 1 in gastric epithelial cells, resulting in inhibition of chemokine synthesis. MAPK1/3 phosphorylation and JUN activation was reduced in gastric tissues from infected wild-type and INS-GAS mice treated with gefitinib and in primary epithelial cells from Efgr Δ epi versus Egfr fl/fl mice. Epithelial EGFR activation persisted in humans and mice after H. pylori eradication, and gefitinib reduced gastric carcinoma in INS-GAS mice treated with antibiotics. Conclusions These findings suggest that epithelial EGFR inhibition represents a potential strategy to prevent development of gastric carcinoma in H. pylori -infected individuals.
Rh-MnO Interface Sites Formed by Atomic Layer Deposition Promote Syngas Conversion to Higher Oxygenates

Rhodium (Rh) catalysts are among the major candidates for syngas conversion to higher oxygenates (C2+oxy), with manganese (Mn) as a commonly used promoter for enhancing the activity and selectivity toward C2+oxy. In this study, we use atomic layer deposition (ALD) to controllably modify Rh catalysts with MnO, by depositing manganese oxide as a support layer or an overlayer, in order to identify the function of the Mn promoter. We also compare the ALD-modified catalysts with those prepared by coimpregnation. An ultrathin MnO support layer shows the most effective enhancement for C2+oxy production. Transmission electron microscopy, temperature-programmed reduction, and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy characterization indicates that formation of Rh–MnO interface sites is responsible for the observed activity and selectivity improvements, while ruling out Rh nanoparticle size and alloy or mixed oxide formation as significant contributors. MnO overlayers on Rh appear to suffer from ...
TGF-β (Transforming Growth Factor-β) Signaling Protects the Thoracic and Abdominal Aorta From Angiotensin II-Induced Pathology by Distinct Mechanisms.

Objective— The role of TGF-β (transforming growth factor-β) signaling in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) formation is controversial. Others reported that systemic blockade of TGF-β by neutralizing antibodies accelerated AAA development in angiotensin II-infused mice. This result is consistent with other studies suggesting that TGF-β signaling prevents AAA. Development of a therapy for AAA that exploits the protective actions of TGF-β would be facilitated by identification of the mechanisms through which TGF-β prevents AAA. We hypothesized that TGF-β signaling prevents AAA by its actions on aortic medial smooth muscle cells. Approach and Results— We compared the prevalence, severity, and histopathology of angiotensin II-induced AAA among control mice (no TGF-β blockade), mice with antibody-mediated systemic neutralization of TGF-β, and mice with genetically based smooth muscle–specific loss of TGF-β signaling. Surprisingly, we found that systemic—but not smooth muscle–specific—TGF-β blockade significantly increased the prevalence of AAA and tended to increase AAA severity, adventitial thickening, and aortic wall macrophage accumulation. In contrast, abdominal aortas of mice with smooth muscle–specific loss of TGF-β signaling differed from controls only in having a thinner media. We examined thoracic aortas of the same mice. Here we found that smooth muscle–specific loss of Tgfbr2 —but not systemic TGF-β neutralization—significantly accelerated development of aortic pathology, including increased prevalence of intramural hematomas, medial thinning, and adventitial thickening. Conclusion— Our results suggest that TGF-β signaling prevents both abdominal and thoracic aneurysmal disease but does so by distinct mechanisms. Smooth muscle extrinsic signaling protects the abdominal aorta and smooth muscle intrinsic signaling protects the thoracic aorta.
Malt Beverage Brand Popularity Among Youth and Youth‐Appealing Advertising Content

Background This study examined whether alcohol brands more popular among youth are more likely to have aired television advertisements that violated the alcohol industry's voluntary code by including youth-appealing content. Methods We obtained a complete list of 288 brand-specific beer advertisements broadcast during the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men's and women's basketball tournaments from 1999 to 2008. All ads were rated by a panel of health professionals using a modified Delphi method to assess the presence of youth-appealing content in violation of the alcohol industry's voluntary code. The ads represented 23 alcohol brands. The popularity of these brands was operationalized as the brand-specific popularity of youth alcohol consumption in the past 30 days, as determined by a 2011 to 2012 national survey of underage drinkers. Brand-level popularity was used as the exposure variable to predict the odds of having advertisements with youth-appealing content violations. Results Accounting for other covariates and the clustering of advertisements within brands, increased brand popularity among underage youth was associated with significantly increased odds of having youth-appeal content violations in ads televised during the NCAA basketball tournament games (adjusted odds ratio = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.38, 2.09). Conclusions Alcohol brands popular among underage drinkers are more likely to air television advertising that violates the industry's voluntary code which proscribes youth-appealing content.
Characterization of Complex Brain Functions with Sparse Nonlinear Dynamical Modeling

Building computational models to explain and mimic complex brain functions is one of the most challenging goals in science and engineering. In this article, we describe a specific form of input-output model of brain functions termed sparse generalized Laguerre-Volterra model. In this approach, input and output signals are spike trains a brain region receives from and sends out to other brain regions. Brain function is defined as its input-output transformational properties that can be represented by a multi-input, multi-output nonlinear dynamical model. Using regularized estimation and basis functions, sparse form of the model can be derived to reduce model complexity and better capture the sparse connectivities in the brain. This approach has been successfully applied to the human hippocampus. The resulting hippocampal CA3-CA1 model accurately predicts the CA1 (output) spike trains based on the ongoing CA3 (input) spike trains and provides a computational basis for developing hippocampal memory prostheses.
Sequential Inference for Nonlinear Models using Slice Variables

This paper develops particle-based methods for sequential inference in nonlinear models. Sequential inference is notoriously difficult in nonlinear state space models. To overcome this, we use auxiliary state variables to slice out nonlinearities where appropriate. This induces a Fixed-dimension conditional sufficient statistics and, given these, we adapt existing particle learning algorithms to update posterior beliefs about states and parameters. We provide three illustrations. First, a dynamic exponential model with Gaussian errors. Second, a stochastic growth model with nonlinear state evolution and t-distributed errors. Finally, a bivariate radar tracking problem which was originally analyzed in the nonlinear Monte Carlo Filtering literature. In all cases, we illustrate the efficiency of our methodology.
Prognostic value of chromogranin-a (CGA) compared to circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

249Background: Serum CGA has been identified as a candidate prognostic biomarker for mCRPC. In a two cohort study, we compared the prognostic value of serum CGA with a validated CTC assay. Methods: In the discovery cohort (DC), blood samples were collected from 256 men with mCRPC. In an independent validation cohort (VC), 92 men with mCRPC were enrolled in a biospecimen collection study. In both cohorts, men receiving proton pump inhibitors and those with non-castrate levels of testosterone ( > 50ng/dl) were excluded. Serum CGA was measured in a homogeneous automated immunofluorescent assay using time-resolved amplified cryptate emission. In the VC, CTC enumeration was performed using the FDA cleared CELLSEARCH CTC test prior to treatment with abiraterone acetate/ prednisone. Cox proportional hazard regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis were performed for associations with elevated CGA (above reference range), unfavorable (≥ 5) CTCs, and overall survival (OS). Results: In the DC, 200 men were eligible for ...
Psychiatry Course Discussion Groups and Human Sexuality

Previous literature on discussion groups in medical courses on human sexuality suggests that group leaders should encourage an honest, open and non-judgmental atmosphere for participants to feel free to examine their own sexual values and beliefs. Empirical documentation of these relationships, however, is sparse. Data were collected from 155 students who participated in 18 different, independently run discussion groups as part of their 2nd year human behavior course. A questionnaire, completed two weeks after the end of the lectures and discussions on human sexuality, assessed students’ perceptions of their own, their peers’ and their leaders’ behavior. The groups differed significantly on many of the measures. Male students consistently expressed more comfort with the discussions than did female students. Role playing was significantly related to several aspects of group process. The various findings are discussed in light of present and needed knowledge in this area.
Standardized Uptake Values in 2-Deoxy-2-[18F]Fluoro-D-Glucose with Positron Emission Tomography. Clinical Significance of Iterative Reconstruction and Segmented Attenuation Compared with Conventional Filtered Back Projection and Measured Attenuation Correction.

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the clinical significance of differences in 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) lymph node standardized uptake values (SUV) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection using iterative reconstruction with segmented attenuation correction (IR SAC) compared to filtered back-projection with measured attenuation correction (FBP MAC). Procedures: Seven patients with HIV infection and multiple focal lymph node abnormalities were investigated with whole-body FDG-PET. Mean and maximum SUVs from lymph node regions of interest (n = 961) were compared for quantitative differences between reconstruction techniques. Results: IR MAC resulted in significantly lower mean SUV [0.06; 95% (confidence interval (CI)) = 0.04–0.07] and maximum SUV (0.82; 95% CI = 0.77–0.88) values compared to FBP MAC. With IR, segmentation of attenuation correction (AC) resulted in significantly higher mean SUV (0.12; 95% CI = 0.11–0.13) and maximum SUV (0.21; 95% CI = 0.18–0.23) values compared to IR MAC. The overall effect of both IR and SAC was a slight but significant increase in mean SUV (0.06; 95% CI = 0.06–0.08; bias = 2.1%) and a significant decrease in maximum SUV (0.62; 95% CI = 0.56–0.67) compared to FBP MAC. Conclusions: With our reconstruction parameters, significant differences in mean and maximum SUV values were observed. The magnitude of the mean SUV difference, however, was small. IR SAC is a promising method to accurately quantify standardized uptake values for clinical use.
The Use of Heat-Shock-Induced Ectopic Expression to Examine the Functions of Genes Regulating Development

The beauty of the fruitfly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a system for the study of development derives principally from its amenability to genetic analysis (Morgan 1926). Yet there remain situations where classical genetics fails to address important questions: mutagenesis is by nature random and constrained. Once a gene has been identified, it is usually desirable to alter the sequence of its gene product, or the timing and location of its expression. To do so in a directed manner requires new technology. One successful approach has been the adoption of heat shock promoters to induce ectopic and high-level expression of developmentally active genes in transgenic flies.
The visibility of feminism in the Olympic Games: narratives of progress and narratives of failure in sports journalism

Over the past 35 years, feminist sports media studies scholars have rightly noted the underrepresentation of women’s sports and the objectification and trivialization of sportswomen in media. Toni ...
Culture Through Color Perception in "West Side Story"

My project is part of my larger, ongoing research interest on the representation of social identities in American cinema. My poster/paper will focus on the use of color theory to clearly characterize members of rival ethnic gangs in the 1961 film adaptation of West Side Story . Originally a 1957 Broadway musical loosely based on William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet , West Side Story captured audiences with its groundbreaking innovation in choreography and music, while earning praise from critics for delving into contemporary issues like immigration and gang-related violence. It won an astonishing ten Academy Awards, including the Academy Awards for Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction, and still holds the record for the most Academy Awards won by a movie musical. While much of the existing research on West Side Story focuses on references of vying cultures made explicitly through song and dance, my research instead focuses on the non-verbal representations of these cultures that are expressed through color in the film. By studying the film’s iconic art direction and investigating audiences’ subsequent perceptions of characters and settings, I argue that the colors featured in the costume designs and set designs are used to denote a culturally-charged power structure within the Jets and the Sharks. Based on close examination of these various designs, the film’s overall color palette, and published scholarship, I conclude that West Side Story's non-verbal references are uniquely dangerous to its explicit references, as they subliminally promote harmful stereotypes and suggest that gang violence brings life to an otherwise drab city. Studying the connection between color theory and culture ultimately illuminates the historical roots of society's perceptions of colors and their seemingly inherent associations to certain traits.
Enhancer deletion and allelic effects define a regulatory molecular mechanism at the VLDLR cholesterol GWAS locus.

Total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) are heritable risk factors for cardiovascular disease, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying the majority of blood lipid-associated genome-wide association studies signals remain elusive. One association signal is located in intron 3 of VLDLR; rs3780181-A is a risk allele associated (P ≤ 2 × 10-9) with increased TC and LDL-C. We investigated variants, genes and mechanisms underlying this association signal. We used a functional genetic approach to show that the intronic region spanning rs3780181 exhibited 1.6-7.6-fold enhancer activity in human HepG2 hepatocyte, THP-1 monocyte and Simpson-Golabi-Behmel Syndrome (SGBS) preadipocyte cells and that the rs3780181-A risk allele showed significantly less enhancer activity compared with the G allele, consistent with the direction of an expression quantitative trait locus in liver. In addition, rs3780181 alleles showed differential binding to multiple nuclear proteins, including stronger IRF2 binding to the rs3780181 G allele. We used a CRISPR-cas9 approach to delete 475 and 663 bp of the putative enhancer element in HEK293T kidney cells; compared to expression of mock-edited cell lines, the homozygous enhancer deletion cell lines showed 1.2-fold significantly (P < 0.04) decreased expression of VLDLR, as well as 1.5-fold decreased expression of SMARCA2, located 388 kb away. Together, these results identify an enhancer of VLDLR expression and suggest that altered binding of one or more factors bound to rs3780181 alleles decreases enhancer activity and reduces at least VLDLR expression, leading to increased TC and LDL-C.
Tools and Methodologies for Data Collection, Analysis, and Visualization

In this chapter, we briefly introduce a set of tools (mostly free and publicly available) and methodologies that can be used to collect, analyze, and visualize data from OSINF , Facebook , YouTube , Twitter , Blogs , and other sources. We will point out where you can get these tools, the capabilities of each tool, and how we used it in our research. This chapter is meant to give an overview of the tools currently used to conduct social network analysis (SNA) , social cyber forensics (SCF) , and text analytics . We will not cover the details of all the features/capabilities for each tool in this chapter—as some tools may require a whole book by themselves, but we will highlight each tool’s importance and point out the available resources to interested readers. This chapter should help readers finding answers to some research questions using various tools for data collection, analysis, and visualization.
The effect of atmospheric optical turbulence on laser communications systems: Part 1, theory

Laser Communication (lasercom) systems whose beam paths traverse the Earth’s atmosphere, in whole or in part, are subject to the effects of optical turbulence: the random variation in the index of refraction due to small temperature variations. These effects include beam tilt, wander, and spreading, as well as scintillation: the variation in intensity across the receiver’s aperture plane. These effects can result in fades on the order of milli-seconds or longer, and so are important considerations in the design of lasercom links and systems. Stochastic analysis of optical turbulence has been developed since the 1940’s, but formal courses are still relatively rare, particularly courses for the professional lasercom engineer. Much of the literature has been devoted to the effects on imaging and directed energy systems, where analysis of mean effects often suffices. This differs considerably from lasercom, where low probability events, leading to fades, are important. The intent of this paper is to provide a concise but reasonably thorough tutorial on the mathematical theory regarding this subject, presenting the background necessary to analyze the effects of turbulence on lasercom systems. Measures for the correlation of phase and intensity across the receiver’s aperture will be developed, as well as the evolution in time. Analytic equations are only valid for mild turbulence, and so wave-optics simulation, a method for predicting the effects of moderate and strong turbulence, will also be discussed. In Part 2, we will consider specific lasercom geometries and architectures designed to mitigate fades due to turbulence.
Synchronous Detection of Circulating Tumor Cells in Blood and Disseminated Tumor Cells in Bone Marrow Predicts Adverse Outcome in Early Breast Cancer.

Purpose: We examined the prognostic impact of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) detected at the time of surgery in 742 untreated patients with early breast cancer. Experimental Design: DTCs in bone marrow were enumerated using the EPCAM-based immunomagnetic enrichment and flow cytometry (IE/FC) assay. CTCs in blood were enumerated either by IE/FC or CellSearch. Median follow-up was 7.1 years for distant recurrence-free survival (DRFS) and 9.1 years for breast cancer–specific survival (BCSS) and overall survival (OS). Cox regressions were used to estimate hazard ratios for DRFS, BCSS, and OS in all patients, as well as in hormone receptor–positive (HR-positive, 87%) and HR-negative (13%) subsets. Results: In multivariate models, CTC positivity by IE/FC was significantly associated with reduced BCSS in both all (n = 288; P = 0.0138) and HR-positive patients (n = 249; P = 0.0454). CTC positivity by CellSearch was significantly associated with reduced DRFS in both all (n = 380; P = 0.0067) and HR-positive patients (n = 328; P = 0.0002). DTC status, by itself, was not prognostic; however, when combined with CTC status by IE/FC (n = 273), double positivity (CTC+/DTC+, 8%) was significantly associated with reduced DRFS (P = 0.0270), BCSS (P = 0.0205), and OS (P = 0.0168). In HR-positive patients, double positivity (9% of 235) was significantly associated with reduced DRFS (P = 0.0285), BCSS (P = 0.0357), and OS (P = 0.0092). Conclusions: Detection of CTCs in patients with HR-positive early breast cancer was an independent prognostic factor for DRFS (using CellSearch) and BCSS (using IE/FC). Simultaneous detection of DTCs provided additional prognostic power for outcome, including OS.
Moral (and ethical) realism

ABSTRACTThis article advocates a naturalist and realist ethics of solidarity. Specifically, it argues that human needs should be met; and that they should be met in harmony with the environment. Re...
Selecting an Optimal Antibody for Antibody- Drug Conjugate Therapy

Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) represent an increasing proportion of therapeutics in preclinical and clinical development for the treatment of oncology indications. ADC-based therapies are attractive due to their potential to increase efficacy and reduce the systemic toxicity produced by other conventional anticancer regimens. ADCs are complex molecules, however, and their clinical success depends both on properties of the target in the context of disease and properties of the ADC itself—the antibody, the toxin payload, and the linker to which it is coupled, and the site and chemistry of linkage. In this chapter, we review some of the strategies that can be utilized to generate and characterize optimal ADC antibodies including the selection of appropriate targets, the development of tools for antibody generation and screening, approaches to antibody isolation, advanced screening strategies for lead antibody selection, antibody engineering to increase selectivity and potency, and selection of appropriate combinations of linker, payload, and linker attachment strategy.
Special Issue Foreward.

PURPOSE On behalf of the University of Washington School of Dentistry Department of Restorative Dentistry, we would like to welcome you to the proceedings publication on "Antibacterial and Bioactive Dental Restorative Materials: Do They Really Work? " We believe it was high time that such an event took place to focus on and discuss some of the basic questions related to the topic. We made a special effort to invite presentations from a diversity of research back-grounds. The symposium, supported by the Dental Materials Group under the same title, was held during the 94th General Session & Exhibition of the IADR in Seoul, Korea on June 24, 2016, and provided a valuable opportunity for research scientists, industry specialists, clinicians and academicians to share experiences.
Computing-in-Memory for Performance and Energy-Efficient Homomorphic Encryption

Homomorphic encryption (HE) allows direct computations on encrypted data. Despite numerous research efforts, the practicality of HE schemes remains to be demonstrated. In this regard, the enormous size of ciphertexts involved in HE computations degrades computational efficiency. Near-memory processing (NMP) and computing-in-memory (CiM)—paradigms where computation is done within the memory boundaries—represent architectural solutions for reducing latency and energy associated with data transfers in data-intensive applications, such as HE. This article introduces CiM-HE, a CiM architecture that can support operations for the Brakerski/Fan–Vercauteren (B/FV) scheme, a somewhat HE scheme for general computation. CiM-HE hardware consists of customized peripherals, such as sense amplifiers, adders, bit shifters, and sequencing circuits. The peripherals are based on CMOS technology and could support computations with memory cells of different technologies. Circuit-level simulations are used to evaluate our CiM-HE framework assuming a 6T-SRAM memory. We compare our CiM-HE implementation against: 1) two optimized CPU HE implementations and 2) a field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based HE accelerator implementation. Compared with a CPU solution, CiM-HE obtains speedups between $4.6\times $ and $9.1\times $ and energy savings between $266.4\times $ and $532.8\times $ for homomorphic multiplications (the most expensive HE operation). Also, a set of four end-to-end tasks, i.e., mean, variance, linear regression, and inference, are up to $1.1\times $ , $7.7\times $ , $7.1\times $ , and $7.5\times $ faster (and $301.1\times $ , $404.6\times $ , $532.3\times $ , and $532.8\times $ more energy efficient). Compared with CPU-based HE in previous work, CiM-HE obtains $14.3\times $ speedup and $> 2600\times $ energy savings. Finally, our design offers $2.2\times $ speedup with $88.1\times $ energy savings compared with a state-of-the-art FPGA-based accelerator.
A Mechanism for Evaluating the Relevance of Credibility Problems in Politics: Online Appendix

The purpose of this Appendix is to provide proofs for all of the Lemmas and Theorems in Rodriguez and Zambrano (2020).
Correlates related to follow-up in a community engagement program in North Central Florida

Aims This analysis identifies the correlates of 60- and 120-day telephone-based study follow-ups among community-dwelling adults in North Central Florida. Methods Six thousand three hundred and forty participants were recruited by Community Health Workers from the University of Florida's community engagement program with a face-to-face baseline and two phone follow-ups assessing indicators of health. Results Physical disability versus none (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2─1.9), high trust in research versus none (aOR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1─2.1), history of research participation versus none (aOR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.3─2.0), having health insurance versus none (aOR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1─1.7), interest in research participation versus none (aOR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.3─2.7), and no drug use versus drug use (aOR, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.3─0.9) significantly predicted completion of follow-up. Conclusions Health and social factors such as disability, insurance, history of and interest in research, trust and no drug use significantly predicted completing two follow-ups. These findings can facilitate efforts to minimize attrition in the research enterprise.
Mecro-Economic Voting: Local Information and Micro-Perceptions of the Macro-Economy

We develop an incomplete information theory of economic voting, where voters' information about macro-economic performance is determined by the economic conditions of people similar to themselves. We test our theory using both cross-sectional and time-series survey data. A novel survey instrument that asks respondents their numerical assessment of the unemployment rate confirms that individuals' economic information responds to the economic conditions of people similar to themselves. Furthermore, these assessments are correlated with individuals' vote choices. We also show in time-series data that state unemployment robustly correlates with evaluations of national economic conditions, and presidential support.
The Impact of the 1986 Tax Reform Act on Income Shifting from Corporate to Shareholder Tax Bases: Evidence from the Motor Carrier Industry

Using a sample of privately held C corporations and S corporations from the motor carrier industry during 1984–92, we assess the effect of the 1986 Tax Reform Act on the amount of corporate income shareholders of privately held C corporations shifted to their personal tax bases. We estimate that the C corporations shifted a mean of $130,587 taxable income each year to shareholders (representing 29% of their mean accounting earnings before income shifting) after the 1986 tax law change. The C corporations used deductible managerial compensation and rent expense, but not interest expense, to shift income to shareholders.
A Discussion of Leadership Theories as they Relate to Information Systems Leadership

What is leadership? In the past years, people have given this term a lot of different explanations. Someone said leadership is influence, while someone claimed leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. Researchers believe that the effectiveness of group performance is determined in large part by the leadership structure of the group, and thus leadership attracts people’s eyes in the area of social science (Borgatta et al., 1954). Trevisani (2015) stated that leadership is a holistic spectrum that can arise from higher levels of physical power, superior mental energies, higher abilities in managing the overall picture, higher abilities in specialized tasks, higher ability in managing the execution of a task, and higher level of values, wisdom, and spirituality, where any leader derives its leadership from a unique mix of one or more of the former factors. We cannot argue that Trevisani’s viewpoint on leadership is wrong; however, his statement on leadership has not described what leadership is in a complete way. In fact, there are a variety of existing views on describing leadership. Some researchers conceptualize leadership as a trait or as a behavior, whereas others view leadership from an information-processing perspective or relational standpoint (Northouse, 2012). In the following sections, we will show you the highlight of leadership theories, a brief review for information systems (IS) leadership papers in recent years, and then discuss the similarities and differences between the different approaches and theories.
A National Survey on Physician Trainee Participation in Pediatric Interfacility Transport

Purpose: There is a paucity of data in the medical literature on physician trainee readiness prior to participating in pediatric interfacility transports. The aims of this study were to ascertain the national experience regarding which physician trainees are allowed to participate in pediatric interfacility transports and what is considered adequate education and training for physician trainees prior to participating in the transport of children. Methods: An electronic survey was sent to leaders of pediatric transport teams listed with the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Transport Medicine (AAP-SOTM) …
Sex and the G Protein-Coupled Estrogen Receptor Impact Vascular Stiffness.

Because arterial stiffness increases following menopause, estrogen may be a protective factor. Our previous work indicates that the GPER (G protein-coupled estrogen receptor) mediates estrogen's vascular actions. In the current study, we assessed arterial stiffening using pulse wave velocity (PWV), a clinically relevant measurement that independently predicts cardiovascular mortality. We hypothesized that genetic deletion of GPER would attenuate sex differences in PWV and would be associated with changes in passive vascular mechanics. Control and Ang II (angiotensin II)-infused male and female wild-type and GPER knockout mice were assessed for blood pressure, intracarotid PWV, cardiac function, passive biaxial mechanics, constitutive modeling, and histology. Sex differences in PWV and left ventricular mass were detected in wild-type mice but absent in GPER knockout and Ang II-infused mice, regardless of genotype. Despite lower PWV, the material stiffness of female wild-type carotids was greater than males in control conditions and was maintained in response to Ang II due to increased wall thickness. PWV positively correlated with unloaded thickness as well as circumferential and axial stiffness only in females. In contrast, blood pressure positively associated with circumferential and axial stiffness in males. Taken together, we found that female wild-type mice were unique in their vascular adaptation to hypertension by increasing wall thickness to maintain stiffness. Given that carotid arteries are easily accessible clinically, systematic assessment of intracarotid PWV in women may provide insight into vascular damage that cannot be assumed from blood pressure measurements alone.
#1: Pediatrics Institutional COVID-19 review

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by SARS-COV2 represents global public health concern, with varied severity of illness in different ages and racial groups. This study aims to describe clinical presentation and outcomes in children aged 0-18 years in a community hospital setting in the United States.
Sleep, health, productivity, and the double-edged sword of technology

While technology has traditionally impaired sleep, it also has the potential to enable and reframe sleep as a productivity and health booster.
Diabetes Detection and Prevention in Dermatology.

We are currently in the midst of an international epidemic of diabetes mellitus (DM) and prediabetes. The prevalence of DM in the United States is estimated at 9.4% of the population across all ages, while an estimated 1 in 3 Americans (33.9%) has prediabetes. According to the WHO, about 60 million people suffer from diabetes in the European Region. Dermatologists may play an important role in tackling this epidemic via efforts to improve early detection of both diabetes and prediabetes. Dermatologists often treat patients with, or at risk of, diabetes. This includes patients who present with cutaneous manifestations such as acanthosis nigricans, as well as patient populations at increased risk, including those with psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa, and polycystic ovarian syndrome. Simple screening guidelines can be used to identify patients at risk, and screening can be performed via a single non-fasting blood test. The diagnosis of prediabetes is a key feature in diabetes prevention, as interventions in this group can markedly reduce progression towards diabetes. In addition to referral to a primary care physician, dermatologists may refer these patients directly to structured behavioral lifestyle intervention programs known as diabetes prevention programs. A significant portion of the population lacks routine care by a primary care physician, and current data indicates need for improvement in diabetes screening and prevention among patient groups such as those with psoriasis. These factors highlight the importance of the dermatologist’s role in the detection and prevention of diabetes.
Some Factors Influencing Required Reservoir Storage

The impact of streamflow variability and correlation and demand patterns on the required capacity of a water supply reservoir were studied. Inflow traces were generated by simple Markov models; demand was treated as time variables. The relative advantages of annual and monthly models, the influence of initial reservoir contents on required storage, and errors resulting from use of insufficient inflow traces to estimate storage requirements, are shown. Required storage is described by the extreme value probability distribution.
Ferdinand Braun: Forgotten Forefather

Publisher Summary This chapter provides a biographical sketch of Karl Ferdinand Braun born on June 6, 1850 in Fulda. He earned the doctorate cum laude in 1872 with a dissertation in acoustics and had begun to look for a job as a school teacher when his thesis advisor engaged Braun as his assistant. But the assistantship turned out to be a blind alley. After two years, Braun had enough and went back to his original plan to become a school teacher. He got a job at the well-known Thomas-Gymnasium in Leipzig, center of the German publishing industry and stayed there for three years. It was during these years that he published his only book; an amusing set of mathematical and scientific puzzles, experiments, and other entertainments for young people. It was during these same years, that he finally found time to write some experiments he must have initiated while he was still at Wurzburg.
Unique Function for Carboxyl-Terminal Domain of Oct-2 in Ig-Secreting Cells

The activity of Ig gene promoters and enhancers is regulated by two related transcription factors, Oct-1 (ubiquitous) and Oct-2 (B lineage specific), which bind the octamer motif (ATTTGCAT) present in these elements. As Ig promoter-binding factors, Oct-1 and Oct-2 each work together with a B lymphocyte-specific cofactor OCA-B/OBF-1/Bob-1 that interacts with them through their POU (DNA-binding) domains. Because both can mediate Ig promoter activity in B cells, there has been some question as to whether these two octamer-binding factors serve distinct functions in lymphocytes. We have shown previously that the silencing of B lymphocyte-specific genes in plasmacytoma x T lymphoma hybrids can be prevented by preserving Oct-2 expression. The pronounced effect of this transcription factor on the phenotype of plasmacytoma x T lymphoma hybrids established a critical role for Oct-2 not only in maintaining Ig gene expression, but in maintaining the overall genetic program of Ig-secreting cells. In the present study, we have explored the functional differences between Oct-1 and Oct-2 using chimeric Oct-1/Oct-2 proteins in cell fusion assays. Our results provide further evidence for an essential role for Oct-2 in Ig-secreting cells and identify the C-terminal domain of Oct-2 as responsible for its unique function in these cells.