cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantized neural networks with new stochastic multipliers

With increased interests of neural networks, hardware implementations of neural networks have been investigated. Researchers pursue low hardware cost by using different technologies such as stochastic computing and quantization. For example, the quantization is able to reduce total number of trained weights and results in low hardware cost. Stochastic computing aims to lower hardware costs substantially by using simple gates instead of complex arithmetic operations. In this paper, we propose a new stochastic multiplier with shifted unary code adders (SUC-Adder) for quantized neural networks. The new design uses the characteristic of quantized weights and tremendously reduces the hardware cost of neural networks. Experimental results indicate that our stochastic design achieves about 10x energy reduction compared to its counterpart binary implementation while maintaining slightly higher recognition error rates than the binary implementation.
Existing standards as the framework to qualify additive manufacturing of metals

National security space agencies are funding large programs to develop additive manufacturing (AM) for use in satellites and launch vehicles within the next three years. However, no AM standard for the space industry presently exists, and the government faces the prospect of using AM before a standard has been developed. AM is a process sensitive manufacturing technique that currently displays large variability. In the last 40 years, other process sensitive techniques (such as casting, powder metallurgy, welding, and composites) have been successfully qualified for the space industry under an existing sound framework of standards that include AIAA S-110-2005: Space Systems — Structures; Metallic Materials Properties Development and Standardization (MMPDS); and TR-RS-2014-00016: Test Requirements for Launch, Upper-Stage and Space Vehicles. These standards are used to define requirements that form a framework guidance to qualify additively manufactured metal parts for space systems.
Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Neonate

Musculoskeletal disorders in newborn foals are complex, multifactorial, and associated with prematurity, dysmaturity, and twinning. They include incomplete ossification of cuboidal bones, tendon laxity, congenital angular limb deformities, septic arthritis, osteomyelitis, and septicemia. Other deformities associated with nutrition, large size, and rapid growth include osteochondrosis, physitis, ruptured tendons, acquired flexural deformities, and postnatal angular limb deformities. Optimal management of the complexly interrelated musculoskeletal disorders of the neonate also is discussed.
Identifying consumer-friendly display (CFD) names for health concepts.

We have developed a systematic methodology using corpus-based text analysis followed by human review to assign “consumer-friendly display (CFD) names” to medical concepts from the National Library of Medicine (NLM) Unified Medical Language System® (UMLS®) Metathesaurus®. Using NLM MedlinePlus® queries as a corpus of consumer expressions and a collaborative Web-based tool to facilitate review, we analyzed 425 frequently occurring concepts. As a preliminary test of our method, we evaluated 34 analyzed concepts and their CFD names, using a questionnaire modeled on standard reading assessments. The initial results that consumers (n=10) are more likely to understand and recognize CFD names than alternate labels suggest that the approach is useful in the development of consumer health vocabularies for displaying understandable health information.
Evaluation of the Temperature Trend and Climate Forcing in the Pre- and Post Periods of Satellite Data Assimilation

Based on multiple linear regression analysis, three temperature datasets from two reanalyses and one set of satellite observations have been used to evaluate the different responses in the winter [December–February (DJF)] period in the pre- and post periods of satellite data assimilation as they relate to a selected set of climate forcings: solar, the stratospheric quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO), El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and stratospheric aerosol optical depth (AOD). The two periods are defined as 1958–1978 when no satellite data was available to be assimilated and the 1979–2002 period when satellite data was assimilated in the operational forecast models. The multiple regression analysis shows that the solar response of the DJF temperatures in the three datasets shows large-scale similarities although there are differences over the southern middle-high latitudes and some tropical areas. The stratospheric response showed the strongest DJF temperature anomalies related to solar variability occurring over the Arctic, but its sign is negative in 1979–2002 and positive in 1958–1978. The temperature features may be partially explained by the impacts of the solar cycle, El Nino Southern Oscillation, stratospheric quasi-biennial oscillation, stratospheric aerosols, and other factors. In contrast, the tropospheric response, with a dynamic wavelike structure, occurs over the middle latitudes. The tropospheric differences between the two periods are not clearly resolved and raise questions about the efficacy of the observations and our ability to use the observations effectively.
The acculturation of preservice adventure educators: development of perspectives and beliefs

ABSTRACTLittle research on the socialisation of adventure educators into their craft has been conducted. The purposes of this study were to describe (a) the perspectives and beliefs of preservice adventure educators as they began adventure education training (AET) and (b) the elements within their acculturation that led to these perspectives and beliefs. Participants were 20 preservice adventure educators at the beginning of their AET. Data were collected with three types of interview. They were coded, categorised, and reduced to meaningful themes by employing analytic induction and constant comparison. Results revealed that preservice adventure educators possessed one of three orientations. These were a leisure orientation, outdoor pursuits orientation, or adventure orientation. Factors shaping these orientations were family and friends, experiences of outdoor and adventurous activities, experiences working as counsellors, timing of occupational selection and age, and a number of secondary attractors inc...
Acute Physiological Responses to an Intensity-And Time-Under-Tension-Equated Single- vs. Multiple-Set Resistance Training Bout in Trained Men.

Regardless of the setting, proper manipulation of resistance training program design variables is pivotal in eliciting the desired physiological adaptations. Furthermore, how these variables, especially volume and intensity, work together to affect training outcomes is a major topic of investigation. The purpose of this study was to compare the acute biochemical, physiological, and hormonal responses of a single-set accentuated eccentric high-intensity training (HIT) protocol to a traditional 3-set protocol to better understand the acute effects of volume. Resistance-trained male college students (N = 19; age = 21.11 ± 2.5 years; height = 174.33 ± 6.83 cm; body mass = 76.72 ± 10.24 kg; %BF = 15.53 ± 6.35%) participated in this study and were randomly assigned to either the 1-set HIT protocol (HIT) or the 3-set traditional (3ST) protocol. Heart rate (HR), blood lactate, salivary testosterone, and salivary cortisol levels were measured before, during, and at multiple time points after the exercise bout. Results showed no differences in average HR or testosterone at any time point between the 2 groups. However, the 3ST group exhibited higher values of peak HR, blood lactate during exercise, and cortisol during and 30 minutes after exercise than the HIT group. This indicated that the 3ST protocol induced greater metabolic stress and disrupted the homeostatic balance to a greater magnitude than the HIT protocol despite similar time under tension. These results show that even when training to momentary muscular failure, volume seems to be a key driver of the training stimulus.
Review: The Church of Saint-Eustache in the Early French Renaissance, by Anne-Marie Sankovitch

Anne-Marie Sankovitch The Church of Saint-Eustache in the Early French Renaissance Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols, 2015, 261 pp., 354 b/w illus. $129 (paper), ISBN 9782503555140 The posthumous publication of Anne-Marie Sankovitch's PhD dissertation (Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, 1991) on the Parisian church of Saint-Eustache is a gift for those architectural historians interested in the complex panorama of early French Renaissance architecture and, more generally, in the architecture of late medieval and early modern Europe. Sankovitch's study is preceded by a series of short essays by Krista de Jonge, Jean Guillaume, Etienne Hamon, and Marvin Trachtenberg, the volume's editor, that help to contextualize the author's pioneering contributions within the abundant recent literature in the field.1 Sankovitch's original bibliography has been updated to include the most relevant recent publications. The book is beautifully illustrated with 354 photographs, the vast majority of which Sankovitch took herself. The care taken by the editor and publisher in arranging and scaling the photographs is exemplary: not only do readers have visual access to Saint-Eustache through an abundance of high-quality, full-page images, but also the grouping of scaled sets of architectural details (for instance, figs. 52–59) eloquently supports Sankovitch's compelling analysis of the building. The volume is organized into seven chapters that focus on the conception, design, and early construction phases of Saint-Eustache, from 1519 to approximately 1545. Chapter 1, “A Critical Historiography of Saint-Eustache,” provides an intellectual map to the …
Fundamentals of Jewish conflict resolution ~ traditional Jewish perspectives on resolving interpersonal conflicts, by Howard Kaminsky

In these fractious times, when political and cultural tensions seem to be at a constant feverish pitch, any fresh approach to the amelioration of conflict is worthy of welcome. The field of conflic...
Minimizing Consequences of Explosive Attacks on Remote Construction Sites

AbstractRemote construction sites, such as oil production facilities and military forward operating bases, are frequently targeted by explosive terrorist attacks. These attacks produce devastating ...
Comparison of Post-Transplant Cyclophosphamide and Tacrolimus and Methotrexate Graft Versus Host Disease Prophylaxis in AML Patients Receiving Myeloablative Fractionated Busulfan Conditioning Regimen

Background Myeloablative conditioning can be given safely to older patients by simply administering busulfan over a longer period (fractionated busulfan regimen) than the standard four day regimen. (Popat et al Lancet Haematology 2018). Subsequently, we added post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) GVHD prophylaxis to our fractionated regimen with a hypothesis that it will reduce GVHD and improve outcomes. Herein, we report the results of our retrospective analysis comparing outcomes of patients with AML who received fractionated busulfan myeloablative conditioning and PTCy versus standard tacrolimus (Tac) and methotrexate (Mtx) GVHD prophylaxis. Methods Patients with AML between 18-70 years of age with adequate organ function and 8/8-HLA matched related or unrelated donor, who were treated on 4 consecutive protocols using fractionated busulfan were included in the analysis. All patients received two fixed doses of busulfan 80mg/m2 as outpatient either on days -13 and -12, or on days -20 and-13 followed by busulfan on day -6 to -3 dosed to achieve target area under the curve (AUC) of 20,000 mol/min for the whole course based on pharmacokinetic studies. Fludarabine ± cladribine were given on day -6 to -3. GVHD prophylaxis was PTCy 50mg/kg on days 3 and 4 and Tac ± mycophenolate mofetil in PTCy cohort (n=53), or standard Tac+ Mtx (n=53). Patients in both the cohorts were matched 1:1 by propensity score. Results Baseline characteristics were similar between the PTCy and Tac/Mtx cohorts. The median age was 60 (range, 18-70) and 58 (range, 24-70) years, respectively, (P=0.3). Forty-nine percent were in CR, and 30% had comorbidity index >3 in each arm. Similar proportion of patients had ELN adverse risk in both arms (43% vs 40%, respectively P=0.7). The median follow up was 19 months (range, 3-36) in the PTCy and 46 months (range, 14-73) in Tac/Mtx cohort. Overall survival at 2-year was 78% vs 58% (P=0.03), non-relapse mortality was 6% vs 13% (P=0.2), incidence of grade 3-4 acute GVHD at 1-year was 6% vs 19% (P=0.07) and chronic GVHD at 2-year was 10% vs 29% (P=0.03) [Table 1 and figure 1]. The median time to neutrophil engraftment was prolonged by 3 days (15 vs 12 days; P Conclusion As compared to Tac/Mtx, PTCy-based GVHD prophylaxis not only reduced severe acute GVHD and chronic GVHD, but also improved overall survival in AML patients up to the age of 70 years who received myeloablative fractionated busulfan conditioning. Prospective randomized trial is warranted to validate these findings.
Detection of Malicious Vbscript Using Static and Dynamic Analysis with Recurrent Deep Learning

Attackers have used malicious VBScripts as an important computer infection vector. In this study, we explore a system that employs both static and dynamic analysis to detect malicious VBScripts. For the static analysis, we investigate two deep recurrent models, LaMP (LSTM and Max Pooling) and CPoLS (Convoluted Partitioning of Long Sequences), which process a VBScript as a byte sequence. Lower layers capture the sequential nature of these byte sequences while higher layers classify the resulting embedding as malicious or benign. Our models are trained in an end-to-end fashion allowing discriminative training even for the sequential processing layers. Dynamic analysis allows us to investigate obfuscated VBScripts an additional files which may be dropped during execution. Evaluating these models on a large corpus of 240,504 VBScript files indicates that the best performing LaMP model has a 69.3% true positive rate (TPR) at a false positive rate (FPR) of 1.0%. Similarly, the best CPoLS model has a TPR of 67.9% at an FPR of 1.0%. Our system is general in nature and can be applied to other scripting languages (e.g., JavaScript) as well.
A PRODUCTION SYSTEM FOR SPEECH UNDERSTANDING

A production system was developed for syntactic and semantic processing within the Hearsay-II speech understanding system. The major properties of the system are discussed, including (1) conversion of static language descriptions into productions, (2) compilation and data-directed execution of productions, (3) dynamically modifiable thresholds on goodness of pattern matches, (4) partial matching, and (5) representation and integration of bottom-up, top-down, and horizontal searches. Several weaknesses of the production system paradigm in this application appeared during the course of this research. These arose from (1) the arbitrariness of canonical decompositions of patterns into subpatterns, (2) insufficient use of contextually confirming evidence for individual hypotheses due to the narrowness (literality) of monitored conditions, and (3) difficulty in evaluating the varying import of the same generic action in different contexts. Thus, while the uniformity and lack of explicit organization of production systems are touted as their most desirable features, attendant difficulties of dynamically organizing and controlling coherent problem solutions must be seriously considered in problem domains requiring careful allocation of computational resources.
WEATHER FORECASTING | Marine Meteorology

Marine meteorology is a subfield of meteorology, which deals with the weather and climate as well as the associated ocean conditions in marine, island, and coastal environments. Marine meteorologists collect and analyze weather and oceanographic data, make marine weather forecasts, and provide marine meteorological services to support marine and coastal activities, including but not limited to shipping, fishing, tourism, offshore oil drilling and mining operations, oil spill control, offshore wind and tidal energy harvesting, search and rescue at sea, and naval operations. The interactions between the atmosphere and the ocean create a unique dynamical framework for the fundamental principles of marine meteorology, and the need for employing air–sea coupled models for marine weather prediction.
Outcomes for black versus white women with stage IV breast cancer enrolled on investigator-initiated clinical trials at Emory.

1086Background: Black women are 40% more likely to die from their breast cancer compared to White women. Inadequate representation of Blacks in clinical trials may contribute to health care inequit...
Persistent hypogammaglobulinemia in pediatric solid organ transplant recipients.

INTRODUCTION Hypogammaglobulinemia has not been well studied in pediatric solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients. We evaluated plasma immunoglobulin (Ig) and lymphocyte phenotypes among 31 pediatric heart and kidney recipients for two years post-transplant and from 10 non-transplanted children. METHODS Plasma IgM, IgG, and IgA were quantified by immunoturbidimetric assays, IgG subclasses were quantified by bead-based multiplex immunoassay, and lymphocyte phenotypes were assessed by flow cytometry. RESULTS Median age at transplant for SOT recipients was similar to that of the control cohort (15 vs. 12.5 years, respectively; P = .61). Mean plasma IgG and IgM levels for SOT recipients fell significantly below the control cohort means by 1 month post-transplant (P < .001 for both) and remained lower than control levels at 12-18 months post-transplant. Heart recipients had lower frequencies of a CD4+ naive T lymphocytes relative to kidney recipients. CONCLUSIONS Hypogammaglobulinemia was prevalent and persistent among pediatric SOT recipients and may be secondary to immunosuppressive medications, as well as loss of thymus tissue and CD45RA+ CD4+ T cells in heart recipients. Limitations of our study include but are not limited to small sample size from a single center, lack of samples for all participants at every time point, and lack of peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples for the non-transplanted cohort.
Risk factors associated with 30-day hospital readmission after carotid endarterectomy:

ObjectiveThe current study evaluated all-cause 30-day readmissions after carotid endarterectomy.MethodsPatients undergoing carotid endarterectomy were selected from the Cerner Health Facts® databas...
Fuzzy aggregation for multimodal remote sensing classification

This paper investigates methods of fusing hyperspectral imagery (HSI) and LiDAR data for urban land use and land cover classification. A variety of fusion methods including combination rules, deep neural networks, and fuzzy aggregation are compared against using any single modality for classification. The experimental results demonstrate that the two fuzzy aggregation methods, the linear order statistic neuron (LOSN) and the Choquet integral (ChI), achieved the best overall and average classification accuracy, respectively. We further discuss how the fuzzy aggregation methods provides advantages with difficult samples and the opportunity to gain network explainability.
The PEGASUS Games: Physical Exam, Gross Anatomy, phySiology and UltraSound Games for Preclinical Medical Education

Introduction: Gamification engages learners and has successfully taught point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) to residents and fellows. Yet ultrasound (US) curricula in undergraduate medical education remains limited. This study assessed a gamification model integrating US, anatomy, physiology, physical examination, and radiology created for preclinical medical students as compared with traditional didactic education. Methods: Twenty first-year medical students participated in a session on neck and thyroid material. Students were randomly assigned to a game or non-game group. Game students participated in games incorporating thyroid US with exam maneuvers, other imaging modalities, physiology, and pathology. Non-game students were taught the same material with an instructor. Students were assessed with a pretest and immediate and delayed post-tests. Group differences and scores were assessed using t-tests. A Likert scale evaluated learners’ opinions of the educational experience. Results: The game group performed better than the non-game group on the immediate post-test (p = 0.007, CI = [0.0305, ∞]). There was no significant difference between the groups on the delayed post-test (p = 0.726, CI = [-0.120, ∞]). Students in both groups felt more confident in their knowledge of the material, and all students in the game group agreed that the games encouraged teamwork. Most (9/10) stated the games allowed them to learn the material more effectively and would like to see more gamification (8/10). Conclusion: This US education model incorporating gamification for preclinical medical students promotes teamwork and is as effective for learning material than a traditional learning model. Students additionally convey a positive attitude towards gamification.
Cellular nucleic acid–binding protein is essential for type I interferon–mediated immunity to RNA virus infection

Type I interferons (IFNs) are innate immune cytokines required to establish cellular host defense. Precise control of IFN gene expression is crucial to maintaining immune homeostasis. Here, we demonstrated that cellular nucleic acid-binding protein (CNBP) was required for the production of type I IFNs in response to RNA virus infection. CNBP deficiency markedly impaired IFN production in macrophages and dendritic cells that were infected with a panel of RNA viruses or stimulated with synthetic double-stranded RNA. Furthermore, CNBP-deficient mice were more susceptible to influenza virus infection than were wild-type mice. Mechanistically, CNBP was phosphorylated and translocated to the nucleus, where it directly binds to the promoter of IFNb in response to RNA virus infection. Furthermore, CNBP controlled the recruitment of IFN regulatory factor (IRF) 3 and IRF7 to IFN promoters for the maximal induction of IFNb gene expression. These studies reveal a previously unrecognized role for CNBP as a transcriptional regulator of type I IFN genes engaged downstream of RNA virus-mediated innate immune signaling, which provides an additional layer of control for IRF3- and IRF7-dependent type I IFN gene expression and the antiviral innate immune response.
Optimization of the resonator-induced phase gate for superconducting qubits

The resonator-induced phase gate is a two-qubit operation in which driving a bus resonator induces a state-dependent phase shift on the qubits equivalent to an effective $ZZ$ interaction. In principle, the dispersive nature of the gate offers flexibility for qubit parameters. However, the drive can cause resonator and qubit leakage, the physics of which cannot be fully captured using either the existing Jaynes-Cummings or Kerr models. In this paper, we adopt an ab-initio model based on Josephson nonlinearity for transmon qubits. The ab-initio analysis agrees well with the Kerr model in terms of capturing the effective $ZZ$ interaction in the weak-drive dispersive regime. In addition, however, it reveals numerous leakage transitions involving high-excitation qubit states. We analyze the physics behind such novel leakage channels, demonstrate the connection with specific qubits-resonator frequency collisions, and lay out a plan towards device parameter optimization. We show this type of leakage can be substantially suppressed using very weakly anharmonic transmons. In particular, weaker qubit anharmonicity mitigates both collision density and leakage amplitude, while larger qubit frequency moves the collisions to occur only at large anharmonicity not relevant to experiment. Our work is broadly applicable to the physics of weakly anharmonic transmon qubits coupled to linear resonators. In particular, our analysis confirms and generalizes the measurement-induced state transitions noted in Sank et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 190503) and lays the groundwork for both strong-drive resonator-induced phase gate implementation and strong-drive dispersive qubit measurement.
Leukemic polyradiculopathy due to blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm

but, to our knowledge, there havebeen no reports of complications affecting more peripheralstructures.A76-year-oldmanwithaknownBPDCNpresentedwithsub-acute, progressive, symmetric lower extremity weakness and uri-nary retention. His examination demonstrated a severe flaccidquadriparesisandreducedmusclestretchreflexes,whichwereworseinthelowerlimbs,andleukemiacutis(Figure1).Healsohadmod-erateright-sidedptosisthathadbeenpresentforabout1month.Theptosis had been evaluated by use of contrast-enhanced magneticresonanceimagingofthebrainandorbits,whichdidnotrevealanabnormality, although multiple areas of cutaneous scalp demon-stratedrestrictionofdiffusionthatwasnotedtobeconsistentwithhismalignantneoplasm.Magneticresonanceimagingofhisentirespinerevealednodu-lar thickening and enhancement of the lumbosacral nerve roots(Figure 2). There was no abnormal signal or enhancement any-where in the spinal cord. Also noted were diffuse heterogeneousT1-andT2-weightedsignalabnormalitieswithinthebonemarrowsecondarytohisknownoncologicdisease.Analysisofcerebrospinalfluidsamplesobtainedfromthepa-tientrevealedthatthepatienthadawhitebloodcellcountof3397/μL(toconvertto×10
Bullets, Firearms, and Colonel Chiswell’s Mines

Thomas Jackson was a determined man. Not wanting to miss his chance to purchase the Lead Mines in the backcountry of southwestern Virginia, the British immigrant traveled from Wythe County some 250 miles to Richmond where the state offered the metal works at auction. In the Virginia of 1806, this was a difficult journey. Local lore claims that Jackson made it without frequenting the bars and taverns along the way as did his competitors. Arriving at the sale first, his bid secured the Wythe County lead enterprise for himself and two partners.
Inferring causal networks using fuzzy cognitive maps and evolutionary algorithms with application to gene regulatory network reconstruction

Proposed a decomposed evolutionary algorithm for learning fuzzy cognitive map models.Applied the proposed method to infer causal networks from gene expression time series.Learned 300-node fuzzy cognitive maps while less than 40 nodes are common in the literature.Compared four stochastic optimization methods for learning fuzzy cognitive maps. Fuzzy cognitive maps have been widely used as abstract models for complex networks. Traditional ways to construct fuzzy cognitive maps rely on domain knowledge. In this paper, we propose to use fuzzy cognitive map learning algorithms to discover domain knowledge in the form of causal networks from data. More specifically, we propose to infer gene regulatory networks from gene expression data. Furthermore, a new efficient fuzzy cognitive map learning algorithm based on a decomposed genetic algorithm is developed to learn large scale networks. In the proposed algorithm, the simulation error is used as the objective function, while the model error is expected to be minimized. Experiments are performed to explore the feasibility of this approach. The high accuracy of the generated models and the approximate correlation between simulation errors and model errors suggest that it is possible to discover causal networks using fuzzy cognitive map learning. We also compared the proposed algorithm with ant colony optimization, differential evolution, and particle swarm optimization in a decomposed framework. Comparison results reveal the advantage of the decomposed genetic algorithm on datasets with small data volumes, large network scales, or the presence of noise.
The completion of the church roof of San Antonio de Valero

El autor ha identificado un plano sin fechar para la construccion de un techo de madera sobre una iglesia sin nombre, correspondiente a un calculo preparado en 1810 para el techado de la mision inacabada de San Antonio de Valero (El Alamo), en San Antonio, Texas. Este plano y calculo previos no identificados nos informan sobre las condiciones de la iglesia en 1810. Un analisis de la informacion sobre el plano y documento nos da una vision de los metodos de construccion y del pensamiento innovador del maestro mason que trabajaba en la frontera norte de la Nueva Espana, justo antes del inicio de la revolucion mexicana.
Exploring Control Design Variables

This paper suggests a method of control system parameter selection based on a set of parametric plots of closed-loop system performance. Here, the performance measures of rise time, settling time, percent overshoot, root sensitivity, gain margin, and phase margin are investigated as functions of the forward loop gain. The explicit functional dependence of these performance indices is summarized in plots that highlight the control system design space as well as the tradeoffs between feasible system parameters. An example problem demonstrates how the information serves as an aid in satisfying design specifications and uncovering design tradeoffs.
American Indian Health: Innovations in Health Care, Promotion, and Policy

American Indian Health: Innovations in Health Care, Promotion, and Policy. Everett R. Rhoades. M.D., ed. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000. xxiii. 459 pp.
Abstract 1602: Clobetasol treatment of vulvar carcinoma cell lines influences growth rates

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Vulvar cancer is an aggressive cancer often masked by diseases such as the vulvar rash known as lichen sclerosis (LS). Ultrapotent corticosteroids such as clobetasol are commonly used to treat LS but there is debate over the safety of long-term clobetasol use and development of vulvar cancer. Growing cells from LS biopsies has proven difficult so our objective was to decipher if clobetasol promotes changes in vulvar cancers in vitro that parallel the formation of more aggressive cancer types. Previously we have shown that clobetasol actually promotes transformation of one vulvar cancer cell line into a more aggressive phenotype. Our present studies used MTT assays to examine the effect that short-term (72 hours) and long-term (4 weeks) clobetasol treatment had on the growth rate of vulvar cancer cell lines. Our preliminary data indicates that the growth response varies between cell lines with at least two cell lines displaying increased cell growth after extended treatment with clobetasol when compared to controls. Citation Format: Jani E. Lewis, Mehek Mehta, Alison Treichel, Sean Colligan, Vinh Nguyen, David C. Foster. Clobetasol treatment of vulvar carcinoma cell lines influences growth rates. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1602. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1602
Induction, invariants, and abstraction

Given that loops in imperative programs can be represented as tail-recursive programs, it is perhaps possible to gain insights into automatically generating loop invariants by analyzing inductive reasoning about tail-recursive programs. Intermediate lemmas are typically needed in a proof by induction, and methods have been investigated to speculate such lemmas from proof attempts.
Fabry-Perot interferometers as narrow band optical filters.

We have constructed solid Fabry-Perot narrow-band filters that can be used in systems having one arc second or better resolution. Our filters operate at H-alpha, have a three-inch aperture, and typical transmission of 70 per cent. However, the same technology can be applied to construction of filters as narrow as 0.05 A at any wavelength from 4200 to 11000 A.
Larynx and hypopharynx

Cross-sectional imaging with CT and MR imaging plays an indispensable complementary role to endoscopy in the pretherapeutic work-up of laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer and is very valuable for the detection of tumor recurrence after surgery or radiation treatment as well. Close interdisciplinary co-operation and the radiologist's familiarity with therapeutic options and challenges are required in order to use these powerful diagnostic tools in an optimal fashion. Other indications for cross-sectional imaging of the larynx and hypopharynx include uncommon neoplasms, benign masses, inflammatory disorders, and trauma.
Neutron interferometric method to provide improved constraints on non-Newtonian gravity at the nanometer scale

In recent years, an energetic experimental program has set quite stringent limits on a possible ''non-1/r{sup 2}'' dependence on gravity at short length scales. This effort has been largely driven by the predictions of theories based on compactification of extra spatial dimensions. It is characteristic of many such theories that the strength and length scales of such anomalous gravity are not clearly determined from first principles. As a result, it is productive to extend the current limits the range and strength of such hypothetical interactions. As a heavy, neutral, and (almost) stable particle, the neutron provides an ideal probe for the study of such hypothetical interactions at very short range. In this work, we describe methods based on neutron interferometry which have the capability to provide improved sensitivity non-Newtonian forces down to length scales at and below an nanometer.
Resistance of obese and non-obese, spontaneously hypertensive rats to alloxan-induced diabetes.

Abstract Male, 5 month old, massively obese, spontaneously hypertensive rats (Obese/SHR) were given 10 mg alloxan/100 g b.w., s.c., to induce diabetes. Control Obese and non-obese/SHR were given saline. Insulin therapy was withheld. All of the animals were killed at 6 months of age. Alloxan caused a slight but statistically significant increase in blood pressure, pituitary and adrenal glandular hyperplasia, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, and increased BUN levels. The giant sized islets of Langerhans in Obese/SHR showed only partial degranulation of the insulin-producing beta cells concomitant with residual but apparently adequate blood insulin levels, whereas the islets of non-obese/SHR exhibited virtually total beta cell degranulation and only trace amounts of blood insulin. The alloxanized, non-obese rats were severely emaciated; the alloxanized Obese/SHR maintained their obesity. Alloxan-treated, Obese and non-obese/SHR manifested gross and microscopic degenerative changes suggesting acceleration of the normal aging process. The genetically-programmed pathogenesis of diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and Cushingoid pathophysiology of Obese/SHR may be due to hyperadrenocorticism.
The contribution of mast cells to the histamine content of the central nervous system: A regional analysis

W/WV mice are severely deficient in mast cells. The absence of mast cells in skin and salivary glands was found to be paralleled by a drastic decrease of the histamine levels in these tissues when compared to non-anemic +/+ control mice. Brains of W/WV mice are also devoid of mast cells. A comparison of the histamine concentrations in several brain regions of W/WV mice and controls revealed a moderate decrease in cerebral cortex, thalamus, hypothalamus and midbrain but no change in pons, medulla and cerebellum. These findings provide strong evidence that mast cells contribute to the histamine content in forebrain regions but not in hindbrain regions. It is speculated that there may exist histaminergic neurons intrinsic to the medulla and pons.
Sex education policies in schools: the first hurdle

This paper focuses on the production of school sex education policies. At the start of the decade, two moral panics – about high teenage pregnancy rates and AIDS/HIV – coloured UK Government policy formation. The legislative response put control of sex education into the hands of governing bodies of individual schools. As a result, policies vary widely in quality, presenting local education authorities with a monitoring problem even before policy is put into practice. In 1995, Avon Local Education Authority published a document to help schools develop their sex education policies. In 1997, a project to look at the sex education policies of schools in Bristol began, developing a set of criteria to measure their quality. It found that the quality varied from good to superficial, and that the policies held by most secondary schools in Bristol had serious deficiencies. The main problems with the policies included both specific and general issues. Many either failed to address the topics of sexuality and abortion at all, or addressed them only superficially, despite explicit advice from the local education authority that these topics should be covered by schools’ policies. Many did not make it clear that parents have the right to withdraw their child from sex education, nor did they say what would happen to pupils who are withdrawn. Few schools made their commitment to staff training explicit. Most policies failed to deal adequately with the issue of confidentiality. These findings do not mean that sex education lessons in secondary schools are inevitably poor. Nevertheless this study shows that a considered approach to formulation of sex education policies should be one of the first steps included in a national strategy on sex education.
Three dimensional considerations in thermal-hydraulics of helical cruciform fuel rods for LWR power uprates

Abstract In order to increase the power density of current and new light water reactor designs, the helical cruciform fuel (HCF) rods have been proposed. The HCF rod is equivalent to a thin cylindrical rod, with 4 fuel containing vanes, wrapped around it. The HCF rods increase the surface area to volume ratio of the fuel and enhance the inter-subchannel mixing due to their helical shape. The rods do not need supporting grids, as they are packed to periodically contact their neighbors along the flow direction, enabling a higher power density in the core. The HCF rods were reported to have the potential to uprate existing PWRs by 45% and BWRs by 20%. In order to quantify the mixing behavior of the HCF rods based on their twist pitch, experiments were previously performed at atmospheric pressures with single phase water in a 4 by 4 HCF and cylindrical rod bundles. In this paper, the experimental results on pressure drop and mixing are benchmarked with computational fluid dynamic (CFD) using steady state the Reynolds average Navier–Stokes (RANS) turbulence model. The sensitivity of the CFD approach to computational domain, mesh size, mesh shape and RANS turbulence models are examined against the experimental conditions. Due to the refined radial velocity profile from the HCF rods twist, the turbulence models showed little sensitivity to the domain. Based on the CFD simulations, the total pressure drops under the PWR and BWR conditions are expected to be about 10% higher than the values previously reported solely from an empirical correlation based on the experimental data. The impact of 3D conduction in the HCF rods is shown to be negligible under steady state but significant under transient conditions.
Performance scaling of high-power picosecond cryogenically cooled rod-type Yb:YAG multipass amplification

The performance scaling of high-power picosecond cryogenically cooled rod-type Yb:YAG multipass amplification is studied numerically, taking into account diffraction, dispersion, self-focusing, self-phase modulation, gain guiding, and thermal lensing effects. It is shown that the beam size narrows as the beam energy rises, rapidly reaching the damage threshold of optics, mainly due to gain guiding and self-focusing effect. Simulation results predict that for a 1 kHz cryogenically cooled Yb:YAG bulk amplifier, it is difficult to obtain energies beyond 40 mJ with 100 ps seed pulse in a single stage, which is consistent with experimental results, while it is possible to produce more than 100 mJ with 300 ps pulses.
Automated characterization of perceptual quality of clinical chest radiographs: validation and calibration to observer preference.

Purpose: The authors previously proposed an image-based technique [Y. Lin et al. Med. Phys. 39, 7019–7031 (2012)] to assess the perceptual quality of clinical chest radiographs. In this study, an observer study was designed and conducted to validate the output of the program against rankings by expert radiologists and to establish the ranges of the output values that reflect the acceptable image appearance so the program output can be used for image quality optimization and tracking. Methods: Using an IRB-approved protocol, 2500 clinical chest radiographs (PA/AP) were collected from our clinical operation. The images were processed through our perceptual quality assessment program to measure their appearance in terms of ten metrics of perceptual image quality: lung gray level, lung detail, lung noise, rib–lung contrast, rib sharpness, mediastinum detail, mediastinum noise, mediastinum alignment, subdiaphragm–lung contrast, and subdiaphragm area. From the results, for each targeted appearance attribute/metric, 18 images were selected such that the images presented a relatively constant appearance with respect to all metrics except the targeted one. The images were then incorporated into a graphical user interface, which displayed them into three panels of six in a random order. Using a DICOM calibrated diagnostic display workstation and under low ambient lighting conditions, each of five participating attending chest radiologists was tasked to spatially order the images based only on the targeted appearance attribute regardless of the other qualities. Once ordered, the observer also indicated the range of image appearances that he/she considered clinically acceptable. The observer data were analyzed in terms of the correlations between the observer and algorithmic rankings and interobserver variability. An observer-averaged acceptable image appearance was also statistically derived for each quality attribute based on the collected individual acceptable ranges. Results: The observer study indicated that, for each image quality attribute, the averaged observer ranking strongly correlated with the algorithmic ranking (linear correlation coefficient R > 0.92), with highest correlation (R = 1) for lung gray level and the lowest (R = 0.92) for mediastinum noise. There was a strong concordance between the observers in terms of their rankings (i.e., Kendall’s tau agreement > 0.84). The observers also generally indicated similar tolerance and preference levels in terms of acceptable ranges, as 85% of the values were close to the overall tolerance or preference levels and the differences were smaller than 0.15. Conclusions: The observer study indicates that the previously proposed technique provides a robust reflection of the perceptual image quality in clinical images. The results established the range of algorithmic outputs for each metric that can be used to quantitatively assess and qualify the appearance quality of clinical chest radiographs.
Effect of dietary fat on the development of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus in obese Zucker diabetic fatty male and female rats.

The obese Zucker diabetic fatty male rat (ZDF/Gmi?trade mark omitted?-fa) has become a widely used animal model of NIDDM, in contrast to the obese ZDF females that rarely develop NIDDM. However, preliminary observations suggest that obese ZDF females may become diabetic on high-fat diets. Therefore, we studied the effect of dietary fat on development of NIDDM, dyslipidemia, and alterations in organ-specific serum panels in obese ZDF males and females. Results indicated different effects of dietary fat-content on development of diabetes in males and females. Males, even on low fat-content diets, developed diabetes but the process was accelerated as a function of dietary fat-content, whereas only the highest fat-content diet induced development of NIDDM in obese ZDF females. Additionally, triglyceride/apolipoprotein B ratios demonstrated gender-specific differences in the nature of circulating lipoprotein particles independent of diabetic state with values for females approximately twice those of males indicating more highly triglyceride-enriched lipoprotein particles in females. We conclude that the obese ZDF female rat has the potential to become an important animal model of NIDDM especially in women where few models currently exist.
An Optimal Experimental Design Perspective on Radial Basis Function Regression

This article provides a new look at radial basis function regression that reveals striking similarities with the traditional optimal experimental design framework. We show theoretically and computationally that the so-called relevant vectors derived through the relevance vector machine (RVM) and corresponding to the centers of the radial basis function network, are very similar and often identical to the support points obtained through various optimal experimental design criteria like D-optimality. This allows us to provide a statistical meaning to the relevant centers in the context of radial basis function regression, but also opens the door to a variety of ways of approach optimal experimental design in multivariate settings.
Measurements of turbulent dissipation during the Bahamas Optical Turbulence Experiment

The Bahamas Optical Turbulence Experiment (BOTEX) was conducted in the summer of 2011 to investigate the impact of turbulence on underwater optical imaging. Underwater optical properties can be affected by turbulence in the water, due to localized changes in the index of refraction. We discuss measurements of current velocity and temperature, made with a Nortek Vector Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV) and PME Conductivity- Temperature (CT) probe, as well as observations made with a Rockland Oceanographic Vertical Microstructure Profiler (VMP). The instruments were deployed in close proximity in the field and in the context of measurements of optical target clarity. Turbulent kinetic energy dissipation (TKED) and temperature dissipation (TD) rates are calculated from the ADV/CT measurements and compared to TKED and TD estimated from the data collected with the VMP. The results show reasonable agreement between the two methods; differences are attributed to turbulence patchiness and intermittence, as well as sampling challenges. The study also highlights the importance of collecting concurrent data on temperature, current velocity, and current shear to assess the turbulence impact on underwater optical properties.
A Positron Emission Tomography Study Examining The Dopaminergic Activity of Armodafinil in Adults Using [11C]Altropane and [11C]Raclopride

Background Armodafinil, prescribed principally to treat narcolepsy, is undergoing assessment of therapeutic potential for other neuropsychiatric disorders and medical conditions. The neurochemical substrates and mechanisms of armodafinil are unresolved. We investigated the hypothesis that armodafinil enhances wakefulness by modulating the activities of the dopamine transporter (DAT). With positron emission tomography imaging, we determined DAT occupancy and changes in extracellular dopamine by armodafinil in vivo. Methods Twelve subjects were enrolled. Plasma armodafinil levels were obtained. In vivo armodafinil occupancy of the DAT in striatum was detected by [ 11 C]altropane and changes in extracellular dopamine were detected by indirect displacement of [ 11 C]raclopride in human subjects at different times after drug administration. Results Armodafinil (100 mg by mouth [PO]) occupied striatal DAT (34.0 ± 9.0% at 1 hour, 40.4 ± 9.5% at 2.5 hours, n = 6) and 250 mg occupied striatal DAT (60.5 ± 7.4% at 1 hour, 65.2 ± 6.1% at 2.5 hours, n = 6). In addition, armodafinil was associated with changes in extracellular dopamine (17.8 ± 30.1% [100 mg PO] and 7.0 ± 8.6% [250 mg PO] at 2.5 hours, n = 6). Conclusions Occupancy of the DAT and changes in extracellular dopamine in vivo further implicates the actions of armodafinil on DAT as a potential candidate for its therapeutic improvement of wakefulness and other conditions.