cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interstitial pregnancy undetected during earlier first-trimester screening for fetal aneuploidy at 13 weeks' gestation.

First-trimester screening for fetal aneuploidy using nuchal translucency (NT), pregnancy-associated plasma protein A, free or total β-hCG, and maternal age constitutes a very effective screening test for fetal Down syndrome. We describe a case in which a patient presented at 14 weeks' gestation with an acute abdomen 1 week after first-trimester screening (including NT measurement) performed elsewhere, which was negative for trisomies 21 and 18. Sonographic examination revealed an interstitial pregnancy with a singleton fetus with present cardiac activity, which had not been noted 1 week earlier at the time of earlier transabdominal NT measurement. This case indicates that successful acquisition of a NT measurement during first-trimester screening for fetal aneuploidy does not negate the rare possibility of an unusual ectopic pregnancy. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound, 2009
Automatic detection of Salmonella enterica in sprout irrigation water using a nucleic acid sensor

Abstract A nucleic acid sensor capable of automated sample and reagent loading, real-time PCR, automated detection, and sample line cleaning was tested. Real-time PCR reactions were performed with Salmonella enterica in autoclaved and spent alfalfa sprout irrigation water. S. enterica boiled cells were detected over a range of approximately 10 4 to 10 8 CFU/reaction (rxn). It was possible to generate enough PCR product to visualize a band on a gel at the expected size over approximately five orders of magnitude from 3.2 × 10 3 to 10 8 CFU/rxn. Automated detection experiments yielded correct identification of 9/9 positive control reactions over a range of 10 4 to 10 8 CFU/rxn, correctly identified a negative control reaction, and a sample of 3.2 × 10 3 CFU/rxn was incorrectly identified as negative. Primer dimers were not seen in positive or negative control reactions with sprout irrigation water, suggesting that it may be possible to improve the detection limit simply by increasing the number of thermal cycles or by lowering the annealing temperature. The system required no interpretation of real-time PCR data by the operator. The entire process of loading, running the PCR, automated data interpretation, and sample line cleaning was completed in under 2 h and 20 min, significantly faster than it would take to ship a sample and have it tested by an independent laboratory.
A SAS Interface for Bayesian Analysis With WinBUGS

Bayesian methods are becoming very popular despite some practical difficulties in implementation. To assist in the practical application of Bayesian methods, we show how to implement Bayesian analysis with WinBUGS as part of a standard set of SAS routines. This implementation procedure is first illustrated by fitting a multiple regression model and then a linear growth curve model. A third example is also provided to demonstrate how to iteratively run WinBUGS inside SAS for Monte Carlo simulation studies. The SAS codes used in this study are easily extended to accommodate many other models with only slight modification. This interface can be of practical benefit in many aspects of Bayesian methods because it allows the SAS users to benefit from the implementation of Bayesian estimation and it also allows the WinBUGS user to benefit from the data processing routines available in SAS.
Stocking rate, precipitation, and herbage production on sand sagebrush-grassland

Abstract Knowledge of the relationship between stocking rate or grazing intensity and plant production is fundamental to the sustainable management of rangelands. The general management paradigm is that plant production declines as stocking rate increases. Our objective was to determine the impact of stocking rate on herbaceous production of a sand sagebrush (Artemisia filifolia Torr.)-grassland. Stocking rates averaging 43, 57, and 85 animal-unit-days ha−1 (AUD ha−1) for year-round grazing were applied from 1941 to 1961. Herbaceous plant production was determined by sampling standing crop in temporary exclosures at the end of the growing season from 1958 to 1961, the last 4 years of the grazing study. Total herbaceous production averaged over stocking rates and years was 1,490 kg ha−1. Grasses contributed 89% of the total while forbs contributed 11%. Total production averaged 1,540, 1,470, and 1,450 kg ha−1 for stocking rates of 43, 57, and 85 AUD ha−1 y−1, respectively. There were no differences among s...
TIPS IN DIAGNOSING FETAL SKELETAL ANOMALIES

There are more than 200 known skeletal dysplasias, 50 of which are recognizable at birth and constitute the fetal skeletal anomalies. Approximately 40% of fetal skeletal anomalies result in a stillbirth or cause neonatal death. 17 Although fetal skeletal anomalies are relatively infrequent, with an overall incidence of 2.4 per 10,000 births, a disproportionately high incidence (1 in 110) of these disorders can be found as the cause of perinatal death. The most common lethal congenital anomaly is thanatophoric dysplasia, with incidence of 1 in 16,700. Achondrogenesis is also a lethal skeletal anomaly and occurs at approximately one third the frequency (1 in 43,400). Together these disorders account for the majority (62%) of perinatal death associated with skeletal anomalies. The most common nonlethal disorder is achondroplasia, with an incidence of 1 in 27,100. 4 The skeletal dysplasias represent a heterogeneous group of disorders with a wide variety of frequency, mode of transmission, clinical presentation, and prognosis. The International Nomenclature of Constitutional Diseases of Bone was revised in 1984 and classifies the skeletal dysplasias into five general categories. First are the osteochondrodysplasias. These disorders are abnormalities of the growth and development of the bone, cartilage, or both. This group includes the majority of fetal skeletal anomalies including most lethal forms of skeletal dysplasia. The second group includes the dysostoses, which include single or combination malformations of individual bones. This group is further subdivided into the areas of predominate involvement, such as cranial, facial, axial, or extremity. The third group includes disorders of idiopathic osteolysis that affect the resorption of bone. This group can be subdivided into the phalangeal, tarsocarpal, and multicentric types. The fourth group includes the skeletal disorders associated with chromosomal aberrations. The fifth group is made up of primary metabolic disorders that have bony manifestations. 7 Care should be taken to classify these disorders correctly to determine an accurate prognosis and recurrence rate. International skeletal dysplasia registries have been established to assist in correct classification and to accumulate accurate data to define further this complex group of disorders. 11 A detailed review of all the numerous skeletal dysplasias is beyond the scope of this article. Instead, the more common skeletal anomalies are identified with emphasis on those that can be diagnosed prenatally, shortly after birth or result in perinatal death.
Proteasome blockade exerts an antifibrotic activity by coordinately down-regulating type I collagen and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 and up-regulating metalloproteinase-1 production in human dermal fibroblasts

SPECIFIC AIMSFibrosis ensues when the balance between extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and degradation is disrupted in favor of deposition. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of proteasome inhibition (PI) on the biosynthetic machinery of human dermal fibroblasts in the context of fibrosis. We assessed the effect of PI in resting fibroblasts and fibroblasts activated by TGF-β, a master cytokine leading to fibrosis. In some experiments we used fibroblasts generated from individuals affected by systemic sclerosis (SSc), a human disease model of fibrotic conditions. Our read-out was the production of type I collagen, the main constituent of dermal ECM, and of metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), which has the distinctive capacity to cleave the triple helix of type I collagen. We also assessed levels of the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1).PRINCIPAL FINDINGS1. Proteasome inhibitors reduce type I collagen and TIMP-1, while increasing MMP-1 protein production in dermal fibroblastsT...
An efficient method for identifying statistical interactors in gene association networks

Network reconstruction is a main goal of many biological endeavors. Graphical Gaussian models (GGMs) are often used since the underlying assumptions are well understood, the graph is readily estimated by calculating the partial correlation (paCor) matrix, and its interpretation is straightforward. In spite of these advantages, GGMs are limited in that interactions are not accommodated as the underlying multivariate normality assumption allows for linear dependencies only. As we show, when applied in the presence of interactions, the GGM framework can lead to incorrect inference regarding dependence. Identifying the exact dependence structure in this context is a difficult problem, largely because an analogue of the paCor matrix is not available and dependencies can involve many nodes. We here present a computationally efficient approach to identify bivariate interactions in networks. A key element is recognizing that interactions have a marginal linear effect and as a result information about their presence can be obtained from the paCor matrix. Theoretical derivations for the exact effect are presented and used to motivate the approach; and simulations suggest that the method works well, even in fairly complicated scenarios. Practical advantages are demonstrated in analyses of data from a breast cancer study.
Sex difference in myelodysplastic syndrome survival and balance in randomized clinical trials.

TO THE EDITOR: In a worthwhile effort to explore alternative regimens of the deoxycytidine analog decitabine to treat lowor intermediate-1–risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs), GarciaManero et al compared two low-dose subcutaneous regimens in a randomized phase II trial. However, the efficacy and safety populations were not identical in a pertinent, but not discussed, regard: there was a significant imbalance in sex distribution between the treatment arms (arm A women, 18 of 43 [42%]; arm B women, 2 of 22 [9%]; Fisher’s exact test P .0096). Multiple reports from individual institutions have described substantial and significantly better overall survival of women with MDS, a highly significant difference (log-rank P .001) that is also evident in the SEER database (Fig 1A). Furthermore, the analyses that generated the International Prognostic Scoring System in MDSs demonstrated a significant role of sex in predicting clinical outcome, even in multivariable analyses that incorporated the standard components of the International Prognostic Scoring System (myeloblast percentage, cytogenetics, cytopenias; P .001). The largest impact on survival seemed to be in low-risk MDS categories, an impression that was also supported by the SEER data, in which the clear sex dichotomy in MDS survival contrasts with similar survival (log-rank P .051) in men and women with acute myeloid leukemia (Fig 1B). The reasons for sex differences in overall survival in MDSs (or in other cancers such as liver cancer) are incompletely understood. Male sex is associated with faster molecular aging as measured by telomere length or DNA methylation profiles. Therefore, one possibility is that faster cellular/molecular aging in men simultaneously increases probabilities for abnormal genetic or epigenetic programs and decreases the number of normal cells that can compete with or compensate for abnormal cells. Another contributing factor, in the context of patients with MDSs who are treated with cytidine analogs such as decitabine or 5-azacytidine, is a sex difference in the expression of the enzyme cytidine deaminase, which is the major determinant of the plasma half-lives of these drugs: cytidine deaminase expression is significantly higher in male compared to female liver, in both mice and humans, and consequently, produces shorter decitabine half-lives in men. Shorter decitabine half-lives, especially with low-dose regimens wherein drug exposure time may already be close to the minimal thresholds required for efficacy, may negatively affect treatment outcomes in men. In short, sex is a significant determinant of MDS clinical outcomes and should be balanced in randomized clinical trials to avoid confounded interpretation and conclusions.
In Vivo and In Vitro Aging Is Detrimental to Mouse Spermatogonial Stem Cell Function

The development of techniques to maintain the spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) in vivo and in vitro for extended periods essentially allows for the indefinite continuation of an individual germline. Recent evidence indicates that the aging of male reproductive function is due to failure of the SSC niche. SSCs are routinely cultured for 6 mo, and no apparent effect of culture over this period has been observed. To determine the effects of SSC aging, we utilized an in vitro culture system, followed by quantitative transplantation experiments. After culture for 6 mo, SSCs that had been aged in vivo for 1500 days had a slower proliferation rate than SSCs that were aged in vivo to 8 or 300 days. Examination of methylation patterns revealed no apparent difference in DNA methylation between SSCs that were aged 8, 300, or 1500 days before culture. Long-term culture periods resulted in a loss of stem cell potential without an obvious change in the visual appearance of the culture. DNA microarray analysis of in vivo- and in vitro-aged SSCs identified the differential expression of several genes important for SSC function, including B-cell CLL/lymphoma 6, member B (Bcl6b), Lim homeobox protein 1 (Lhx1), and thymus cell antigen 1, theta (Thy1). Collectively, these data indicate that, although both in vitro and in vivo aging are detrimental to SSC function, in vitro aging results in greater loss of function, potentially due to a decrease in core SSC self-renewal gene expression and an increase in germ cell differentiation gene expression.
Local Thermometry of Neutral Modes on the Quantum Hall Edge

In most electrical conductors, heat is transported by charge carriers and so both usually flow in the same direction; but in two-dimensional electron systems subject to strong magnetic fields, certain fractional quantum Hall states can cause charge and heat to flow in opposite directions.
Electrocorticography and Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: Relationship to Quantitative MRI and Operative Outcome

We investigated the relationship between electrocorticography (ECoG), quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and surgical outcome in 165 patients with intractable nonlesional temporal lobe epilepsy (NLTLE). A standard mesial temporal resection was performed in all patients. Patients with an operative follow-up 0.5). Patients undergoing a right anterior temporal lobectomy had a larger LCR (p 0.1). The topography of the acute intracranial spikes did not correlate with operative outcome (p > 0.5) and was independent of hippocampal volumetric studies (p > 0.5). The postexcision ECoG was also shown not to be of prognostic importance (p > 0.5). Our results indicates that the extent of the lateral temporal cortical resection and the ECoG findings are not important determinants of surgical outcome in patients with NLTLE.
Sir Proteins, Rif Proteins, and Cdc13p Bind Saccharomyces Telomeres In Vivo

Although a surprisingly large number of genes affect yeast telomeres, in most cases it is not known if their products act directly or indirectly. We describe a one-hybrid assay for telomere binding proteins and use it to establish that six proteins that affect telomere structure or function but which had not been shown previously to bind telomeres in vivo are indeed telomere binding proteins. A promoter-defective allele of HIS3 was placed adjacent to a chromosomal telomere. Candidate proteins fused to a transcriptional activation domain were tested for the ability to activate transcription of the telomere-linked HIS3 gene. Using this system, Rif1p, Rif2p, Sir2p, Sir3p, Sir4p, and Cdc13p were found to be in vivo telomere binding proteins. None of the proteins activated the same reporter gene when it was at an internal site on the chromosome. Moreover, Cdc13p did not activate the reporter gene when it was adjacent to an internal tract of telomeric sequence, indicating that Cdc13p binding was telomere limited in vivo. The amino-terminal 20% of Cdc13p was sufficient to target Cdc13p to a telomere, suggesting that its DNA binding domain was within this portion of the protein. Rap1p, Rif1p, Rif2p, Sir4p, and Cdc13p activated the telomeric reporter gene in a strain lacking Sir3p, which is essential for telomere position effect (TPE). Thus, the telomeric association of these proteins did not require any of the chromatin features necessary for TPE. The data support models in which the telomere acts as an initiation site for TPE by recruiting silencing proteins to the chromosome end.
A Novel Energy-Efficient Training Method for Receive Antenna Selection

Receive antenna selection (AS), in which only a subset of antennas receive simultaneously at any time, requires the transmitter to send pilots multiple times so that the receiver can acquire channel state of all antennas and select the best subset. In conventional AS training, sensitivity of coherent {\em reception} to channel estimation errors forces the transmitter to boost the energy allocated to all pilots to ensure accurate channel estimates. Energy for pilots received by unselected antennas is mostly wasted, especially since the {\em selection} process is robust to estimation errors. In this paper, we propose a novel training method uniquely tailored for AS. Using one extra pilot symbol, accurate channel estimates get generated for the antenna subset that actually receives data. Consequently, the transmitter can selectively boost the energy allocated to the extra pilot. Other pilots, which now primarily help in subset selection, get allocated less energy. We derive closed-form expressions for the proposed scheme's symbol error probability, and optimize the energy allocated to pilot and data symbols. We show that the optimal solution achieves full diversity; it is provably unique and strictly better than the conventional model.
Communication Primitives for Hypercube Computers

This chapter presents and analyzes a number of algorithms for performing basic communication operations on hypercubes and hypercube-derived computers. All of the operations will be implemented on what is called a plain hypercube. A plain hypercube consists of P = 2 p PEs arranged in a p-dimensional hypercube. The plain hypercube operates in an SIMD mode with uniform addressing and communication. A single communication operation consists of exchanging data between PEs along a single hypercube dimension. Each PE has a mask register that allows the selective disabling of PEs.
Policies for Productivity Growth

Growth, investment and trade are the outcomes of the processes by which people with ideas start firms. But where does the productive capacity of firms come from? What are the barriers that prevent resources to flow to the firms with the greatest potential? Why is it that not all people that possess entrepreneurial talent choose to start firms? This paper reviews the micro forces that matter for aggregate productivity growth focusing on six issues: costs to reallocating labour and capital, the influence of firm ownership and political connections, informality, the allocation of talent across the economy, barriers to internal trade and the working of housing markets. It concludes that the forces are complex but matter tremendously for macro productivity and addressing them requires a wide combination of policies.
RV Electrical Activation in Heart Failure During Right, Left, and Biventricular Pacing

Since its approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2001 for selected patients with systolic dysfunction, cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has generated tremendous interest and a large body of literature. The mere idea of addressing the maladaptive electrical phenomena associated
Decisionmaking About General Damages: A Comparison of Jurors, Judges, and Lawyers

The research reported in this Article investigates jurors’ perceptions of injury seriousness and awards of general damages, and compares them to judges’ and lawyers’ responses to the same injuries. We developed regression models for each group of decision makers to determine which attributes of the injuries had what degree of impact on injury severity judgments and on awards. The models also examined how differences in geography, demography, and experiences affected decisions. The models showed a remarkable degree of similarity among the decision-making groups when evaluating the severity of injuries. That is, jurors, judges, and lawyers largely relied on the same injury attributes in similar ways and gave them similar relative weight. When it came to translating injury perceptions into monetary awards, however, more differences among the groups appeared, and the predictive power of the models declined. The findings suggest that the differences between jurors’ awards and those of the other groups do not reflect fundamental differences in decision making, but rather a loss of consistency in translating perceptions of injury severity into damages. That loss of consistency likely can be attributed to the fact that jurors lack the frame of reference created by other cases that is readily available to judges and lawyers. The article concludes with a discussion of the policy implications of the findings.
Ecological Context of Epidemiology

This chapter is focused on ecoepidemiology. It introduces and studies a number of models related to infectious diseases in animal populations. Animals are typically subject to ecological interactions. The chapter first introduces SI and SIR models of species subject to a generalist predator and studies the impact of selective and indiscriminate predation. The classical Lotka–Volterra predator–prey and competition models are reviewed together with their basic mathematical properties. Furthermore, the chapter includes and discusses a Lotka–Volterra predator–prey model with disease in prey and a Lotka–Volterra competition model with disease in one of the species. Hopf bifurcation and chaos are found in some of the ecoepidemiological models.
Concurrent bronchopulmonary foregut malformations. A rare occurrence.

The incidence of multiple or bilateral bronchopulmonary foregut malformations is unusual, and has rarely been reported in the literature [1]. The presence of symptomatic concurrent, different malformations in the same patient, as described here, has not been previously reported. The spectrum of these congenital lesions is wide, and each form may present with its own set of symptoms. This may lead to a complex clinical picture requiring extensive and varied imaging evaluation.
Implantation into Covalent Polymeric Materials

Ion implantation has been used to modify the organic semiconducting polymer, polyacetylene, (CH)x, and the semimetal, graphite, Cx. Implantation results in the formation of a unique polymer-fluorine interaction. This interaction leads to increased conductivity. The implantation also made the “doped” (CH)x resistant to the usual air oxidation which normally occurs with the conventionally doped polymers.
A generalization of theKohlberg criterion

TheKohlberg criterion, which characterizes the nucleolus of a game (over the set of all imputations) in terms of balanced collections, is here extended to the sets of payoff vectors for various coalition structures. It is shown that one generalization yields a necessary condition; another yields a sufficient condition. A necessary and sufficient condition — which is unfortunately somewhat difficult to verify — is also given.
A Novel Approach for Performing Bone Marrow Aspiration at the Time of Radical Prostatectomy

The bone marrow microenvironment represents a “metastatic niche” in which prostate cancer cells may persist and evade cytotoxic therapy. In order to study the biology of prostate cancer dissemination, we have established a safe and efficient method for performing pubic bone marrow aspiration at the time of radical prostatectomy. We herein describe our experience with this technique.
Effect of vitamin A deficiency on taste.

SummaryRats in the advanced stages of vit. A depletion showed abnormal taste responses. A marked decrease in rejection of quinine and selection of NaCl solutions occurred. Administration of vit. A resulted in rapid recovery of NaCl selection but not of quinine rejection. These data suggest that vit. A may have a direct effect on the functioning of the taste cells.
Foraging and flight trump defense and fight

Hypothalamic Agouti-related peptide (AgRP)-expressing neurons promote feeding via inhibitory mechanisms. A downstream target in the medial amygdala both mediates feeding and modulates risk-taking and defensive behaviors in the face of starvation.
Synthesis of the Paralytic Shellfish Poisons (+)-Gonyautoxin 2, (+)-Gonyautoxin 3, and (+)-11,11-Dihydroxysaxitoxin.

The paralytic shellfish poisons are a collection of guanidine-containing natural products that are biosynthesized by prokaryote and eukaryote marine organisms. These compounds bind and inhibit isoforms of the mammalian voltage-gated Na+ ion channel at concentrations ranging from 10–11 to 10–5 M. Here, we describe the de novo synthesis of three paralytic shellfish poisons, gonyautoxin 2, gonyautoxin 3, and 11,11-dihydroxysaxitoxin. Key steps include a diastereoselective Pictet–Spengler reaction and an intramolecular amination of an N-guanidyl pyrrole by a sulfonyl guanidine. The IC50’s of GTX 2, GTX 3, and 11,11-dhSTX have been measured against rat NaV1.4, and are found to be 22 nM, 15 nM, and 2.2 μM, respectively.
Evidence-Based Neuroimaging for Traumatic Brain Injury in Children

■ Head injury is not a homogeneous phenomenon and has a complex clinical course. There are different mechanisms, varying severity, diversity of injuries, secondary injuries, and effects of age or underlying disease. A highly sensitive clinical decision rule in more than 20,000 children has been derived for the identification of children who should undergo CT imaging after head trauma (moderate evidence).
From 'Sweet Clover Disease' to NOACs: A Historical Perspective on Oral Anticoagulation for Prevention of Cardioembolic Stroke (P2.397)

OBJECTIVE: To review the development of oral anticoagulants and their application for prevention of cardioembolic stroke. BACKGROUND: In the era of novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs), it is timely to review the development of their predecessor, warfarin, and factors that shaped current practice. METHODS: Literature review RESULTS: Warfarin has been the most widely used anticoagulant internationally since its introduction to clinical practice in the 1950s. Its discovery story begins in the 1920s as cattle began to die from consuming moldy sweet clover hay. The so-called ‘sweet clover disease’ resulted in fatal internal hemorrhage within 30 to 50 days of ingestion. Karl Link, with the financial support of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), identified the pathogenic substance from the spoiled hay as dicoumarol in 1941. Link later used coumarin derivatives to kill rodents by internal hemorrhage, yielding “warfarin” as a rodenticide in 1948. Warfarin exhibited higher oral bioavailability, water solubility, and potency than dicoumarol, thus was ripe for clinical applications as “Coumadin.” Early applications of Coumadin included treatment of President Eisenhower’s myocardial infarction in 1955, and pulmonary embolism treatment trials in 1960. The effect of warfarin for prevention of cardioembolic stroke was robustly demonstrated in randomized trials in the early 1990s, however it remained underutilized for stroke prevention. The drug’s narrow therapeutic index and interactions with medications and diet raised concerns of safety, efficacy, and patient compliance. The NOACs, comprised of direct thrombin and factor Xa inhibitors, were developed as alternative oral anticoagulants. Since 2009, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, and edoxaban have emerged as alternatives to warfarin for the prevention of cardioembolic stroke due to atrial fibrillation. CONCLUSIONS: Warfarin, born from ‘sweet clover disease’ and humble beginnings as rodenticide, has been the cornerstone of cardioembolic stroke prevention. Its shortcomings inspired the development of a new generation of oral anticoagulants. Disclosure: Dr. Chiota-McCollum has nothing to disclose.
No Regret Routing for ad-hoc wireless networks

In this paper we consider the problem of adaptive routing in wireless ad-hoc networks with respect to the regret (or learning loss) criterion. The regret criterion accounts for the loss in performance incurred because of the implicit on-line learning task involved when the link probabilities are unknown. In particular, we construct asymptotically efficient adaptive control schemes (that minimize the rate at which regret accumulates with time) that come arbitrarily close to the minimum rate. The intention is to capture the conflict between learning and control.
A simple EM dipole radiating element for dual-polarized phased array weather radars student submission

Dual Polarized radiating element is a critical component in the Multi-function Phased Array Radar (MPAR) System. This paper evaluates dual polarized radiating element based on EM dipole concept. Two different geometries i.e., loop approximated as magnetic dipole and a printed electric dipole are used to form a single dual polarized radiating element. Radiation patterns based on Ansoft HFSS simulation software and measurements carried out in Anechoic Chambers are presented. Initial array design based on these elements is also discussed.
Natural History of Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy with Hippocampal Sclerosis

Temporal lobe epilepsy, the most common form of human epilepsy,1 is most often associated with hippocampal sclerosis (HS), the most common epileptogenic lesion.2 This condition is referred to as mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) with HS.3 Perhaps in recognition of the importance of MTLE with HS as a major health burden worldwide, a large percentage of research on epilepsy now utilizes animal models of this disorder. Whereas kindling was the most popular model of MTLE during the 1970s and’ 80s, it has been largely replaced in recent years by chronic post status epilepticus models induced by excitotoxic substances such as kainic acid (KA) and pilocarpine (Pilo), or tetanic hippocampal stimulation to produce self-sustained status epilepticus (SSSE).4 This chapter will briefly review MTLE with HS and examine the strengths and weaknesses of these various experimental models for investigating mechanisms underlying this human condition.
Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Myeloma: When and in Whom Does It Work

The growing list of available therapies for patients with multiple myeloma has resulted in tremendously high response rates and prolonged survival. However, the cure remains elusive. A continued effort at developing strategies to utilize all available treatment modalities in the most effective manner is needed. Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) is a robust platform, associated with high response rates, and provides a unique foundation on which immune therapies and novel agents can be employed to improve clinical outcomes. Patients with high-risk myeloma and those relapsing after novel agent-based therapies or early after an autologous HCT should be considered for allo-HCT, ideally in a clinical trial setting. Results from several ongoing studies are expected to provide important information that will help determine the place of allo-HCT in the myeloma treatment algorithm.
Fluorescent Proteins Such as EGFP Catalytically Generate Superoxide Anion Free Radical and H2O2 in the Presence of NAD(P)H

Fluorescent proteins are an important tool that has become omnipresent in life sciences research. Because of its high fluorescence and light stability, enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) is widely used to tag, quantify and locate biomolecules in living systems. It has been established that during the maturation of the eGFP chromophore, one molecule of the molecular oxygen-derived reactive species H2O2 is produced, reportedly with no consequences to cellular homeostasis. However, here we demonstrate that E. coli and HeLa cells expressing eGFP show signs of oxidative stress. E. coli bacteria expressing eGFP show expression of genes associated with activation of the transcription factors SoxR and OxyR, which are, in turn, directly activated by O2•– (superoxide free radical anion) and H2O2. HeLa cells expressing eGFP exhibit gene expression associated with H2O2-mediated signaling. We found that an immature species of eGFP reacts intracellularly with NAD(P)H to catalytically generate biologically significant amounts of O2●– and H2O2. This mechanism was also detected with TagRFP, a GFP-homologous red fluorescent protein. Our findings call for a careful reinterpretation of experiments using fluorescent proteins in living systems in view of the intrinsic oxidative stress induced by GFP-like fluorescent proteins.
Caregiving burden in head and neck cancer.

e20678 Background: Head and neck cancer (HNC) presents family caregivers (FCs) with enormous challenges, yet this population remains understudied. Caregiving tasks include general tasks (e.g., prov...
Disparities in Treatment of Older Adults with Suicide Risk in the Emergency Department

Background/objective We described characteristics and treatment received for older (≥60 years) vs younger ( Design Retrospective chart review. Setting An ED with universal screening for suicide risk. Participants Eligible charts included a random sample of adults (≥18 years) who screened positive for suicidal ideation (SI) in past 2 weeks and/or a suicide attempt (SA) within the past 6 months. Visit dates were from May 2014 to September 2016. Results A total of 800 charts were reviewed, with oversampling of older adults. Of the 200 older adults sampled, fewer older adults compared to younger adults (n = 600) had a chief complaint involving psychiatric behavior (53% vs 70%) or self-harm behavior (26% vs 36%). Although a higher number of older adults (93%) had documentation of current SI compared to younger adults (79%), fewer older adults (17%) reported SA in the past 2 weeks compared to younger adults (23%). Of those with a positive suicide screen who were discharged home, less than half of older adults received a mental health evaluation during their visit (42%, 95% CI 34-52) compared to 66% (95% CI 61-70) of younger adults who met the same criteria. Similarly, fewer older, than younger, adult patients with current SI/SA received referral resources (34%; 95% CI 26-43; vs 60%; 95% CI 55-65). Conclusions Significantly fewer suicidal older adult patients who were discharged home received a mental health evaluation when compared to similar younger adults. These findings highlight an important area for improvement in the treatment of older adults at risk for suicide.
A Data-Driven Dependability Assurance Scheme with Applications to Data and Design Diversity

A new scheme for dependability assurance in digital systems that allows highly selective use of redundancy with low additional overhead is introduced. This scheme, which can be described as data-driven, contrasts with and complements the conventional structure-driven and function-driven approaches to dependability procurement for digital systems. The proposed approach is based on attaching a dependability tag (d-tag) to each data object and updating pertinent d-tag values as a computation unfolds. Normal operations on data objects tend to lower d-tag values while comparisons and voting on redundant versions of a result work in the opposite direction. Judicious intermixing of dependability-lowering and dependability-raising operations, driven dynamically by the dependability requirements for various data objects, can lead to a desired overall dependability for computation results. Following an exposition of basic concepts of the proposed method with the assumption of perfect d-tags and operations, various issues in the formulation of a strategy for dealing with erroneous d-tags and imperfect operations are outlined. Applications of the proposed data-driven approach in connection with data and design diversity are presented through simple examples. Some benefits of the proposed scheme for fault tolerance in a class of critical systems are discussed.
Structural and Functional Components of the Skate Sensory Organ Ampullae of Lorenzini.

The skate, a cartilaginous fish related to sharks and rays, possesses a unique electrosensitive sensory organ known as the ampullae of Lorenzini (AoL). This organ is responsible for the detection of weak electric field changes caused by the muscle contractions of their prey. While keratan sulfate (KS) is believed to be a component of a jelly that fills this sensory organ and has been credited with its high proton conductivity, modern analytical methods have not been applied to its characterization. Surprisingly, total glycosaminoglycan (GAG) analysis demonstrates that the KS from skate jelly is extraordinarily pure, containing no other GAGs. This KS had a molecular weight of 20 to 30 kDa, consisting primarily of N-linked KS comprised mostly of a monosulfated disaccharide repeating unit, →3) Gal (1→4) GlcNAc6S (1→. Proteomic analysis of AoL jelly suggests that transferrin, keratin, and mucin serve as KS core proteins. Actin and tropomyosin are responsible for assembling the macrostructure of the jelly, and...
Using the American Thyroid Association Risk-Stratification System to Refine and Individualize the American Joint Committee on Cancer Eighth Edition Disease-Specific Survival Estimates in Differentiated Thyroid Cancer.

Background: The eighth edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system has reclassified up to one third of differentiated thyroid cancer patients into one of the younger pro...
The Atomic Level Interaction of Polyphenols with the Aβ Oligomer Aggregate, A Molecular Dynamic Guidance for Rational Drug Design

This chapter gives an overview of the molecular dynamic simulation’s application in elucidating the mechanisms by which polyphenolic compounds inhibit aggregation of peptides related to Alzheimer’s disease. It opens with a discussion on amyloid proteins and their relation to amyloid diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and amyloid formation inhibition by polyphenols. The underlying theories of MD are then outlined. This is followed by a literature review of the molecular dynamic studies on the mechanism of aggregation inhibitor effect of polyphenols. We present our studies of Aβ aggregates interaction with polyphenols, their effect on destabilizing the aggregate and the MMPBSA (Molecular Mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann) binding free energy analysis of the Aβ protofibril with polyphenolic compounds. Comparative molecular simulations establish molecular interaction and inhibitory effect of polyphenols. The hydrophobic interaction of the polyphenols with Aβ aggregates was found to play a critical role in both interaction and destabilizing the aggregate. The interaction energy calculated using MMPBSA of the polyphenol/Aβ fibril complex is in good agreement with experimentally derived maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values. The significant structural alterations are the loss of a stabilizing hydrophobic interaction at the interface of the double layer. The main effect of polyphenols is the induction of sizable destabilization in native fibril structure. These structural insights may serve as a molecular guide for further rational drug design of effective inhibitors targeting fibril formation in Alzheimer’s disease. Finally, we present the future outlook for a computational approach in the search for and designing of small molecule amyloid aggregation inhibitors.
Evaluating Text Analytic Frameworks for Mental Health Surveillance

Reducing suicide incidence among US veterans is one of the highest priorities for the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). We are implementing a suicide risk detection system, in collaboration with the VA, that would serve as a surveillance system for risk factors appearing in clinical text data. Primary requirements for this system are fast search capability, feature and information extraction, and delivery of data to up-stream natural language processing models. As such, we are evaluating scalable storage solutions on the basis of performance, fault tolerance, and scalability. In this paper we present our current approach to evaluation, preliminary findings, and the work in progress towards a more robust text analysis pipeline.
The Histomorphometry of the Subadult Rib: Age-Associated Changes in Bone Mass and the Creation of Peak Bone Mass

Increased bone fragility and other problems associated with age-associated bone loss are primarily manifested in the later years of life, and much of the research on this important health problem has focused upon the skeletal systems of adults. There is considerable evidence, however, that the accumulation of bone mass that occurs during the growth period in subadults plays an important role in determining achieved peak bone mass, and in turn the risk of osteopenia, bone fragility, and osteoporosis in later life. Whereas considerable attention has been paid to age-associated bone loss in older adults, few studies have addressed bone mass during the first two decades of life (Gilsanz et al., 1988). In addition, while loss of cancellous bone with age is particularly well documented, histomorphometric data on the loss of cortical bone with age is less well studied (Compston, 1999). This is particularly significant, since the process of bone loss is not homogeneous and trabecular bone and cortical bone are independently “modulated” (Burckhardt and Cichel, 1989).
Away from Criticality: Some Results from the S Matrix Approach

In two dimensions, conformai invariance provides a natural way to classify the universality classes for critical phenomena [1]. It is of growing interest to extend the Conformai Field Theories (CFT) away from criticality to reach a complete understanding of the scaling region around the fixed points. Zamolodchikov [2] found that particular deformations of the CFT preserve the integrability of the models and the corresponding massive field theories can be described by a factorizable S-matrix. The 5-matrix of the three-state Potts model [3] and the S-matrix of the Ising model in a magnetic field [2] are the first examples of this approach. The hidden E 8 symmetry of Ising model is responsible for the rich structure of the S-matrix in the latter case. Recently, other models have been discussed: the 5-matrix of non-unitary Yang-Lee edge singularity [4] and the S-matrix of the thermal perturbation of the tricritical Ising model [5]. P. Christe will discuss the latter model, expecially its hidden E 7 symmetry, in his talk [6].
Monoclonal Antibodies against Heat-Treated Muscle Proteins for Species Identification and End-Point Temperature Determination of Cooked Meats

Quality and safety of muscle foods have been a concern of consumers and regulatory authorities. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been recognized as a sensitive and suitable analytical method in muscle foods for quality control and enforcement of food safety and labeling regulations. Several monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) have been developed as probing agents in ELISA for quantitative identification of adulterated meat species in fully cooked products. The Mabs developed were raised against heat-treated muscle proteins. The extent of heat treatment of a particular meat species could also be determined by these Mabs by comparing the increased ELISA response with the increase end-point cooking temperature. Therefore, these Mabs could be used to determine the maximum internal cooking temperature of a precooked meat sample to ensure safety of products. A brief review of current techniques and the experimental approach, characterization, and applications of these Mabs are addressed in this chapter
Self-Diffusion and Impurity Diffusion of FCC Metals Using the Embedded Atom Method

Diffusion in FCC metals at medium and high temperatures occurs primarily by a vacancy mechanism. Diffusion is dominated by the contribution of mono-vacancies, but the contribution of di-vacancies is significant at high temperatures.
Classical Cytogenetics: Karyotyping Techniques

Classical cytogenetics by karyotyping has been utilized in clinical research laboratories for more than 50 years and remains the key method used in the stem cell laboratory to assess the genetic stability of stem cell cultures. It is currently the most readily accessible method for detecting chromosomal abnormalities in pluripotent stem cell cultures. This chapter will describe (1) how to prepare a culture to maximize the number of metaphase cells, (2) how to prepare slides containing chromosome spreads (3) methods used to stain chromosomes, and (4) how to interpret the cytogenetic report.
Cost-Effectiveness of Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt versus Large-Volume Paracentesis in Refractory Ascites: Results of a Markov Model Incorporating Individual Patient-Level Meta-Analysis and Nationally Representative Cost Data.

Abstract Purpose To compare relative cost-effectiveness of serial large-volume paracentesis (LVP) and transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) creation for treatment of refractory ascites. Materials and Methods A decisional Markov model was developed to estimate payer cost and quality-adjusted life-ears (QALYs) associated with LVP and TIPS treatment strategies for cirrhotic patients with refractory ascites. Survival estimates were derived from an individual patient-level meta-analysis of prospective randomized clinical trials. Health utilities for potential health states were derived from a prospective study of patients with cirrhosis. Cost data were derived from national representative claims databases (MarketScan and Medicare) and included reimbursement amounts for relevant procedures, hospitalizations, and outpatient pharmaceutical costs. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed. Results LVP resulted in 1.72 QALYs gained at a cost of $41,391, whereas TIPS resulted in 2.76 QALYs gained at a cost of $100,538. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of TIPS versus LVP was $57,003/QALY. At a willingness-to-pay ratio of $100,000/QALY, TIPS has a 62% probability of being acceptable compared with LVP. Conclusions This study suggests that TIPS should be considered cost-effective in a country that places a relatively high value on health improvements but less so in countries with lower levels of health care resources.
Intermarriage and Marital Satisfaction

The concept of marital satisfaction as it relates to intermarried couples is examined. Intermarried couples are defined in this paper as married individuals from differing cultural, racial, or ethn...