cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Detection of somatic mutations in fine needle aspirates of pancreatic cancer with next-generation sequencing.

e15225 Background: Fine needle aspiration (FNA) is a common method of diagnosis of advanced stage pancreatic cancer, yet has traditionally been considered inadequate for molecular studies due to the small number of cells removed from the patient. Methods: To determine the extent to which FNAs can be sequenced we performed limiting dilution studies by mixing the human cancer cell line Panc1 with normal fibroblasts and found that mutations present at allele frequencies as low as 0.1% can be detected. In patients with resected pancreatic cancer, sequencing of FNAs taken postoperatively from the resected tissues correctly identified all driver genes present in the carcinoma. Based on these results we sequenced the normal blood and FNAs of 20 patients obtained in the course of diagnosis for an unresectable pancreatic mass. Results: We identified at least one driver gene mutation in the FNAs of 17 of 20 patients including actionable mutations in ATM and MTOR. For one patient with a wild type KRAS gene we also f...
Development of computer vision algorithm towards assessment of suturing skill

In this paper, we present a computer vision algorithm to extract key information pertinent to assessing surgical suturing. This algorithm uses an instrumented platform designed to quantify suturing skill. As subjects performed suturing on the platform, the vision algorithm computes the time and the location of suture needle's entry and exit, stitch length, needle trace, and hesitation time, which were identified as potential metrics to assess suturing skill. Preliminary experimental data from a study with 14 subjects with minimal suturing experience are presented. The results demonstrate that the algorithm is feasible for use in quantifying suturing expertise.
An Alternative Three-Factor Model

A new factor model consisting of the market factor, an investment factor, and a return-on-equity factor is a good start to understanding the cross-section of expected stock returns. Firms will invest a lot when their profitability is high and the cost of capital is low. As such, controlling for profitability, investment should be negatively correlated with expected returns, and controlling for investment, profitability should be positively correlated with expected returns. The new three-factor model reduces the magnitude of the abnormal returns of a wide range of anomalies-based trading strategies, often to insignificance. The model's performance, combined with its economic intuition, suggests that it can be used to obtain expected return estimates in practice.
Women receive more inpatient resections and ablations for hepatocellular carcinoma than men.

Women receive more inpatient resections and ablations for hepatocellular carcinoma than men
Residual analysis for unidimensional scaling in the L2-norm

ABSTRACTWe present a procedure (RAUS) for residual analysis of a dissimilarity matrix whereby unidimensional scaling is successively applied to the absolute value of residuals. A key advantage of R...
Developing soluble mimetics of the chemokine receptor CCR5 for the study of HIV Env/receptor interactions (CCR6P.216)

During HIV entry, the surface-exposed gp120 subunit of the envelope glycoprotein (Env) undergoes a series of stepwise conformational changes in response to interactions with the primary receptor CD4, and co-receptors, CCR5 or CXCR4. Obtaining structural information on the various intermediates during viral entry is a key focus of antiviral and vaccine research and could open the doors for more effective treatment and prevention. This project aims to develop recombinant soluble co-receptor mimetics featuring critical determinants of the chemokine receptor, CCR5, using two approaches: fusing the CCR5 moieties to soluble CD4 by flexible polypeptide linkers and using a globular, stable scaffold protein to orient the co-receptor determinants in an optimal conformation to recreate the binding interaction with gp120. We have successfully overexpressed and purified the recombinant proteins from mammalian cells. Characterization of the gp120-binding properties of the variants is underway using a vaccinia-based cell fusion assay where soluble CD4 has been shown to induce membrane fusion between Env-expressing effector cells and target cells bearing CCR5, but no CD4. The CCR5 moieties of the sCD4-fused constructs compete with cell-surface CCR5 for binding to gp120, leading to impaired activation of membrane fusion compared with sCD4. The soluble variants of CCR5 will be used in experiments to elucidate the conformational changes in gp120 that immediately precede membrane fusion.
Emergency department visits for work-related injuries.

Abstract Background Work-related injuries are commonly seen in the emergency department (ED). This study sought to analyze characteristics of ED patient visits that were billed under workers' compensation. Methods This was a retrospective chart review of visits during 2015 that were billed under workers' compensation at an academic ED. The following variables were collected: age, gender, mechanism of injury/exposure, diagnoses, imaging performed, specialty consultation, operative requirement, follow-up specialty, and ED disposition. Results In 2015, 377 patients presented to the ED for work-related injuries. The most common mechanism of injury was fall. Frequent diagnoses included lower extremity injuries and hand/finger injuries. The most common consulting service was orthopedics. Only five patients were referred to occupational medicine for follow up. Conclusion Knowledge of the types of occupational injuries and subsequent care required may help guide both workers and employers how to best triage patients within the healthcare system. Alternative settings such as occupational medicine or primary care services may be appropriate for some patients.
Mechanisms of Radiation Action on DNA in Model Systems - Their Relevance to Cellular DNA

Ionizing radiation is known to damage DNA by a variety of mechanisms, some or all of which may be responsible for damage induced in the DNA of mammalian cells. Strong evidence points to the significance of DNA damage as the source of the biological consequences of ionizing radiation (Makrigiorgos et al. 1990, Painter 1979, Ward 1988). There are two major reasons for understanding all the chemical reactions which lead to DNA damage in a cell (and to identify those which do not contribute): This knowledge can serve as a basis for predicting the shapes and slopes of yield dose curves for biological effects at low doses and with different radiations, and, it can permit rational approaches to improvements in radiotherapy protocols. Thus it is important that a. reactions which actually occur in vivo be delineated, and b. the damage which causes the biological effects be defined. The overall scenario which is developed should be capable of explaining variations in cellular radiosensitivity caused by radiations of different LET, different oxygen concentrations, and the effects of sensitizers and protectors.
Stories Out of School: Teaching the Case of Brown v. Voss

As a law teacher, I have observed these benefits of the case method, particularly with conducive appellate opinions and a skillfully assembled text. But I have also experienced, as I suspect most law teachers have, instances in which a case that lacks a sufficiently revealing narrative seems to mystify more than elucidate. One example is the case of Brown v. Voss, which appears in a number of property law casebooks, including the widely used Property by Jesse Dukeminier and James E. Krier. In Brown v. Voss the State of Washington Supreme Court departs, in a somewhat disingenuous way, from an almost universally accepted common law rule and makes a cross-boundary allocation of property rights. In the process of finding the traditional rule unsuited to the facts of the case, the court presents what the reader suspects is a highly simplified narrative of the dispute between the neighboring residential landowners over a right of way across one of the neighbors' property. What I discovered from exploring the record in the case, related land and other court records, and interviews with the parties was predictable in some ways and startling in others. As the reader of the opinion suspects, the conflict between the neighbors had a dark and bitter emotional history. As one cannot easily suspect, the physical aspects of the property differ in legally significant ways from the court's description and understanding. When the supreme court of Washington decided the case, the controversy, unbeknownst to the court, was moot. And the party who appears to be the loser in the opinion was in reality the winner. The Article proceeds by telling a set of stories about the case within a story about teaching the case, in the process conveying its analytical content in part through narrative form. The Article then discusses how its analyses demonstrate the ways in which a more complete and accurate narrative could provide students with a concrete, evocative context that would enable them to engage in a more fruitful doctrinal and theoretical analysis. Students could better comprehend and evaluate the social and economic meaning of the court's decision because they could assess the court's conclusions about the parties' behavior, they could contemplate whether the relative value of the parties' reallocated rights was as disparate and as simple to assess as the court believed, and they could consider whether the manner in which the court reallocated the parties' rights was practicable. Perhaps most importantly, a more complete and accurate narrative would give students an opportunity to enter imaginatively into the lawyering process.
The Impact of PHEV Adoption on Natural Gas Demand in Electricity Generation

Publisher Summary Natural gas is an important energy resource that, because of its versatility, exerts an influence over many disparate sectors of the energy system. One such area is the electricity grid where natural gas serves as an important fuel for most electricity produced during peak periods. The widespread adoption of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) could significantly change the current electricity load profile and hence, the demand for natural gas from the electricity sector. Integrated electricity supply and demand model is developed to help quantify the changes to the energy system that are anticipated due to the adoption of PHEVs. While PHEVs are an attractive option to reduce the consumption of gasoline in the transportation sector and hence the United States' total petroleum imports, the shift in energy demand from petroleum to electricity can create unforeseen problems. If the adoption of PHEVs becomes widespread throughout the country, the aggregated demand increase would be significant. It is therefore important to be careful when planning for this transition from petroleum-based transportation to an electricity-based system in order to anticipate these and other foreseeable effects of the transition.
Academic Integrity in Higher Education: Is Collegiate Aviation Education at Risk?

Academic integrity needs to be an integral part of collegiate aviation education if students expect to effectively compete in this highly competitive field. Academic integrity is a serious problem in most US colleges and universities today and student dishonesty (in the form of cheating) has presently risen as a major contender for instructors' attention. Recent studies have revealed 40% to 90% of all US college students cheat. To presuppose that academic integrity issues are of little importance and do not present serious problems to collegiate aviation could, in time, irrevocably compromise its very foundation. This paper discusses academic integrity and legal issues in higher education, with implications for collegiate aviation.
Active DNA Olympic Hydrogels Driven by Topoisomerase Activity.

Biological systems are equipped with a diverse repertoire of proteins that regulate DNA topology with precision that is beyond the reach of conventional polymer chemistry. Here, we harness the unique properties of topoisomerases to synthesize Olympic hydrogels formed by topologically interlinked DNA rings. Using dynamic light scattering microrheology to probe the viscoelasticity of DNA topological networks, we show that topoisomerase II enables the facile preparation of active, adenosine triphosphate--driven Olympic hydrogels that can be switched between liquid and solid states on demand. Our results provide a versatile system for engineering switchable topological materials that may be broadly leveraged to model the impact of topological constraints and active dynamics in the physics of chromosomes and other polymeric materials.
Impact of pre-diagnosis depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life on treatment choice for ductal carcinoma in situ and stage I breast cancer in older women.

To examine whether pre-diagnosis patient-reported health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and depressive symptoms are associated with local treatment for older women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and stage I breast cancer (BC). Using the SEER-MHOS dataset, we identified women ≥ 65 years old with DCIS or stage I BC diagnosed 1998–2011 who completed surveys ≤ 24 months before diagnosis. Depressive symptoms were measured by major depressive disorder (MDD) risk and HRQOL was measured by Physical and Mental Component Summary scores (PCS and MCS, respectively) of the SF-36/VR-12. Associations with treatment choice (breast-conserving surgery [BCS] and radiation therapy [RT], BCS alone, mastectomy) were assessed with multivariable multinomial logistic regression, controlling for patient characteristics. We identified 425 women with DCIS and 982 with stage I BC. Overall, 20.4% endorsed depressive symptoms placing them at risk for MDD pre-diagnosis; mean MCS and PCS scores were 52.3 (SD = 10.1) and 40.5 (SD = 11.5), respectively. Among women with DCIS, those at risk for MDD were more likely to receive BCS (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.04, 95% CI 1.04–4.00, p = 0.04) or mastectomy (AOR 1.88, 95% CI 0.91–3.86, p = 0.09) compared to BCS + RT. For DCIS, MCS score was not associated with treatment; higher PCS score was associated with decreased likelihood of receiving mastectomy versus BCS + RT (AOR 0.71 per 10-point increase, 95% CI 0.54–0.95, p = 0.02). For BC, none of the measures were significantly associated with treatment. Older women at risk for MDD before DCIS diagnosis were less likely to receive RT after BCS, compared to BCS alone or mastectomy.
Building multifunctionality into agricultural conservation programs: Lessons learned from designing agroforestry systems with central Illinois landowners

Since 1985, land retirement has been the primary approach used by the federal government for environmental protection of agricultural landscapes, but increasingly it is being supplemented by conservation initiatives on working lands. This shift logically supports agroforestry and other multifunctional approaches as a means to combine production and conservation. However, such approaches can be complex and difficult to design, contributing to the limited adoption in the USA. To understand and improve the integration of multifunctional landscapes into conservation programs, we worked with 15 landowners in a collaborative design process to build unique conservation plans utilizing agroforestry. We interviewed participants before and after the design process to examine the utility of a personalized design process, applicability of agroforestry to conservation programs and pathways to improve conservation policy. We found that landowners strongly preferred working in person for the design process, and being presented a comparison of alternative designs, rather than a single option, especially for novel systems. Agroforestry was seen as a viable method of generating conservation benefits while providing value to the landowners, each of whom stated they were more inclined to adopt such practices irrespective of financial assistance to do so. For conservation programs, landowners suggested reducing their complexity, inflexibility and impersonal nature to improve the integration of multifunctional practices that appeal directly to the practitioner's needs and preferences. These findings are valuable for conservation policy because they complement previous research theory suggesting the value of working collaboratively with landowners in the design of multifunctional landscapes. Personalized solutions that are developed based on the unique characteristics of the local landscape and the preferences of the individual landowner may be retained beyond a specified payment period, rather than being converted back into annual crop production.
Fly-Inspired Edge Detection: Architecture and Reconfigurable Embedded Implementation

This work presents a reconfigurable embedded implementation of a fly-inspired edge detection algorithm that allows for run-time alteration of the numerical format in response to constraints on accuracy and resources. The low-resource, high-performance system can effectively detect edge orientation and location. This work illustrates the advantages of run-time reconfiguration technology for the implementation of fly-inspired vision algorithms whose capabilities can surpass or supplement traditional image processing systems.
Mental Health Interventions

Abstract This chapter reviews youth mental health interventions that promote behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement among school-aged youth within a three-tier framework. We first summarize empirical relationships between positive indicators of student engagement [e.g., subjective well-being (SWB)] and negative indicators (e.g., internalizing and externalizing symptoms of psychopathology) of mental health. Then, we describe interventions that can be implemented in the school context to target the specified mental health indicators. At Tier 1, universal school- and class-wide prevention strategies that promote students’ SWB and emotional health and demonstrate positive improvements on student engagement are reviewed. At Tier 2, we describe how selective mental health interventions utilizing a motivational interviewing approach can promote students’ engagement. At Tier 3, we present cognitive-behavioral therapy as an evidence-based approach to treating externalizing and internalizing symptoms that pose barriers to student engagement. We illustrate interventions within each tier through providing a case study based on our work with adolescents enrolled in rigorous accelerated high school courses.
Public toilets in parklands or open spaces in international cities using geographic information systems.

Availability of public toilets in parklands and open spaces is a community resource for all persons and may support self-management of incontinence. The purpose of this study was to describe and map the availability of public toilets in parklands and open spaces in major international cities by city population and area. Observational/descriptive design. Twelve cities in nine countries with available data about toilets in parklands (Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP), New York City, Philadelphia, Toronto, and Osaka) or open spaces (Greater London, Greater Sydney, Paris, Berlin, Brussels, and Seoul) were included in the analysis. Data were from online open/free data sets. Availability of publicly owned and/or operated permanent toilet facilities was measured/analyzed as number, density (calculated by population and area (km2)), and distribution (visualized using Geographic Information Systems). Density of public toilets/area (km2) in parklands was highest in Osaka. MSP had the most toilets per 100,000 residents. In open spaces, the density of public toilets/area (km2) was highest in Paris. Sydney had the most toilets in open spaces per 100,000 residents. The distribution of public toilets across parklands was fairly even in MSP, Philadelphia, and Toronto. The distribution of public toilets in open spaces was highly concentrated in one area in Brussels. Sydney has a low population density but a high toilet density in open spaces. Availability of public toilets in parklands or open spaces varies among international cities. Toilet availability should be considered in urban planning and community healthcare programs to promote continence, health, and quality of life.
Short Communication: Herd-level Variables Associated With Overmilking in Michigan Dairy Herds

The objective of this study was to determine the herd-level variables that are associated with overmilking in 64 Michigan dairy herds with a mean herd size of 451 cows (range: 59-2,771 cows). Participating producers completed surveys to indicate their mastitis management practices and attitudes. Additionally, milking protocols were observed and milk flow dynamics for 3,824 cows were estimated using digital vacuum recorders. The median duration of overmilking was 47 s (95% confidence interval, CI: 38.6 to 55.9 s), with a mean of 55% (95% CI: 49.5 to 61.1%) of cows within each herd overmilked by at least 30 s. Median milking time for all herds was 324 s (95% CI: 302 to 346 s) and was found to be positively correlated with median duration of overmilking (r = 0.670). Backward multivariate analysis was used to determine which of 45 herd-level milking and management variables were associated with median duration of overmilking. Median duration of overmilking was negatively associated with the duration of time needed to complete 1 milking for the entire herd (adjusted R2 = 0.13). Herds that operate milking facilities below maximum daily capacity may be prone to overmilking. Given the low coefficient of determination, variables unaccounted for in this study, such as equipment function or manual detachment by milking operators, are likely the most important risk factors for overmilking.
New Onset Palpitations, Chest Pain, Dyspnea, and Diaphoresis in a 65-Year-Old Woman

A woman with the new onset of cardiac symptoms was in atrial fibrillation with a wide QRS complex that was not typical of bundle branch block. After electrical cardioversion, a short PR interval and delta waves indicated the presence of an accessory atrioventricular pathway. This left lateral atrioventricular bypass tract was subsequently ablated.
Past Reality Meets Reality Television and Social Media: Southern Charm as a Tool in Education, Outreach, and Scholarship

With reference to the Bravo Network’s reality television program, Southern Charm, this paper explores how television programs and social media sites can serve as a platform to discuss the insensiti...
Teaching Electromagnetics and Antennas Using Free Software and Online Calculators

Teaching Electromagnetics can be made more exciting to students when there are hands-on experiments. Although in-class laboratories can be set up with well-established commercial software, there are challenges such as costs and maintenance of licenses, which make them inapplicable to some instructors. This paper presents several free software and online calculators that allow an instructor to set up low-cost and reliable electromagnetics and antennas laboratories.
Characteristics of Pulmonary Critical Care Medicine and Pulmonary Medicine Applicants and Fellowships.

Background: Little is known about historical and recent application trends for pulmonary critical care medicine (PCCM) or pulmonary medicine (PM) fellowship programs. Describing trends in and chara...
High pressures and the Kondo gap in Ce 3 Bi 4 Pt 3 s

We have measured the electrical resistivity \ensuremath{\rho}(T) of single crystals of ${\mathrm{Ce}}_{3}$ ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{4}$ ${\mathrm{Pt}}_{3}$ for temperatures from 1.2 to 300 K, and pressures from 1 bar to 145 kbar. The transport is dominated at high temperatures by excitations across a small activation gap \ensuremath{\Delta}, which increases rapidly with pressure. The low-temperature transport involves variable range hopping among extrinsic states in the gap. The spatial extent of the in-gap states reflects coupling to conduction-electron states, and is strongly modified as pressure enhances \ensuremath{\Delta}. Despite the strong pressure dependence of \ensuremath{\Delta}, a direct correspondence between single-ion energetics and the measured gap is maintained, and the role of valence fluctuations is minimal even at the highest pressures.
Chapter 8 – Hydrogen Permeation and Hydrogen-Induced Cracking

This chapter describes hydrogen permeation and hydrogen-induced damage in metals and alloys. The chapter discusses hydrogen evolution kinetics, theoretical diffusion solutions, and basic hydrogen permeation models. Models are used as a diagnostic tool to determine various metal and alloy effectiveness as hydrogen permeation inhibitors. It then explains experimental atomic hydrogen permeation transient determination and hydrogen absorption rate constants and diffusivity evaluation into metals through case studies. A discussion on hydrogen embrittlement, hydrogen-induced cracking (HIC), hydrogen blistering, and hydrogen stress cracking is included to show the relationship to hydrogen permeation and HIC mechanisms previously described in the chapter. The most recent research related to hydrogen kinetic parameters is reviewed in the chapter. The case studies and solved problems illustrate models to develop alloys that reduce hydrogen ingress.
Low-Grade Spinal Malignancies: Chordoma and Chondrosarcoma

Chordoma and chondrosarcoma comprise a small group of low-grade malignant primary bone neoplasms that can affect the spine. Chordoma is almost always axial in location and chondrosarcoma can occur both in axial and appendicular locations but can be more aggressive in the axial skeleton. This chapter focuses on the characteristics, pathology, clinical features, and treatment options for these related tumors that characteristically have an abundance of extracellular matrix. Important similarities and differences of these low-grade malignancies are highlighted in this chapter.
Persistent lactic acidosis in the Mauriac syndrome in type 1 diabetes mellitus

Mauriac syndrome is an uncommon clinical condition arising in the setting of poorly controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus. Clinical features include hepatomegaly and liver abnormalities indistinguishable from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Early diagnosis and management are essential, as Mauriac syndrome is reversible.
Changes in utilization of immediate-release, extended-release, and liquid formulation medications relative to bariatric surgery: a segmented regression analysis.

Abstract Background Changes in gut anatomy following bariatric surgery impacts medication absorption, often requiring changes in medication formulations. Objectives To assess changes in utilization of extended-release (ER), immediate-release (IR), and liquid formulations 360 days before and after bariatric surgery. Setting Large U.S. administrative claims database of privately insured beneficiaries, January 2005 through December 2018. Methods We included patients aged ≥18 years with 360 days of continuous enrollment before and after date of bariatric surgery (Roux-en-Y gastric bypass [RYGB] or sleeve gastrectomy [SG]). The proportion of each formulation (ER, IR, or liquid) of oral prescription medications filled during the study period were assessed in twelve 30-day windows before and after bariatric surgery and stratified by bariatric surgery type. Segmented regression analysis was used to assess filled medication categorized by formulation before and after bariatric surgery overall and RYGB relative to SG. Results Among 122,866 included patients, there were increases in the proportion of patients on each formulation before and after surgery attributed to proton pump inhibitors, opioids, antiemetics, and ursodiol. After removing these acutely used medications, we found a 40% immediate reduction in patients on ER medications (P Conclusion Despite reductions in ER formulations, many patients continued on this formulation which may potentially contribute to poor outcomes.
Development of CNN-Based Cochlear Implant and Normal Hearing Sound Recognition Models Using Natural and Auralized Environmental Audio

Restoration of auditory function among hearing impaired individuals using Cochlear Implant (CI) technology has contributed significantly towards an improved quality of life. CI users experience greater challenges in recognizing speech effectively in noisy, reverberant, or time-varying diverse environments. Most CI research efforts focus on enhancing speech perception and environmental sound awareness has received little or no attention. This study focuses on a comparative analysis of normal hearing (NH) vs. CI environmental sound recognition using classifiers trained on learned sound representations using a CNN-based sound event model. Sounds experienced by CI listeners are recreated by auralizing electrical stimuli. CCi-MOBILE is used to generate electrical stimuli and Braecker Vocoder is used for auralization. Natural and auralized sound representations are then applied in order to develop NH and CI sound recognition models. Comparative assessment of environmental sound recognition is carried out by analyzing f1-scores and other performance characteristics. Benefits stemming from this research can help CI researchers improve sound recognition performance, develop novel sound processing algorithms, exclusively for environmental sounds, and identify optimal CI electrical stimulation characteristics to enhance sound perception. Among CI users, improvement in environmental sound awareness contributes to improved quality of life.
The Pectoralis Major Flap

The pectoralis major (PM) flap is a Mathes–Nahai type V flap (one major pedicle, multiple minor pedicles). While it is very useful in the reconstruction of the head and neck, as well as sternal reconstruction, these indications are beyond the scope of this book and will not be discussed. When it comes to extremity reconstruction, the uses of the pectoralis major flap are limited, since there are other options in the armamentarium of the plastic surgeon. We prefer to use this flap mainly for pedicled functional muscle transfer to restore the deltoid function whenever other options are not available. The PM flap has also been utilized as a functional muscle flap to restore FDP function following Volkmann’s ischemic contracture of the forearm; however, we feel that an innervated gracilis muscle flap is technically easier and results in a negligible donor deficit, making the gracilis muscle the flap of choice in our practice for FDP function restoration. Anatomically, the pectoralis major muscle can be divided into three anatomically distinct portions: the clavicular portion, the sternal portion, and the costal portion (Fig. 16.1). The PM flap can be harvested as a split muscle flap, thus maintaining some of the function and minimizing the donor deficit, or as a whole muscle, most commonly when used for head and neck reconstruction. We prefer to harvest the clavicular and sternal portion of the flap, leaving the costal portion attached to the humerus to allow adequate functionality. The pectoralis major muscle allows for (1) flexion of the humerus, (2) adduction of the humerus, (3) medial rotation, and (4) stabilization of the humerus. The PM flap is usually based off of the thoracoacromial pedicle and if preservation of functionality is desired, the lateral pectoral nerve is preserved. Main disadvantages of the flap include the short pedicle (only 3 cm) and the aesthetically non-pleasing donor side defect, especially in females.
Supermentalism and the Fall of Church’s Thesis

In this chapter we refute one of the core parts of computationalism, as this doctrine is defined in Chapter 1: namely, Church’s Thesis. More precisely, we refute the Church- Turing Thesis, the view, put roughly for now, that that which is algorithmic in the intuitive sense can be identified with what a (standard) Turing machine can accomplish. As you will see, our refutation makes crucial use of the formal terrain above the Turing Limit (recall, yet again, Figure 1.1). The refutation owes a great debt to Elliot Mendelson, who, in a widely affirmed paper in the Journal of Philosophy (1986), challenges what he rightly calls the “standard conception” (Mendelson 1986, p. 230) of Church’s Thesis (CT) — the conception being that CT is unprovable. Mendelson got Bringsjord thinking about CT in earnest; he provided the stimulus that eventuated in this chapter. However, our core argument owes much to many other thinkers who have offered critiques, and our case has in the process — by our lights, anyway — grown progressively stronger.
Immunohistochemical localization and mRNA detection of Rab3D and/or Rab3B in rat von Ebner's glands, parotid gland, pancreas, and liver.

In examining the secretory mechanism of exocrine glands, we focused on the small GTP-binding proteins, Rab3D and Rab3B, which function in the final steps of exocytosis in non-neuronal tissues. These proteins were observed in von Ebner's glands by 32P-GTP overlay. mRNA isolated from von Ebner's glands, the pancreas, parotid glands, and liver was subjected to reverse transcription PCR and probed with primers and nested primers for Rab3D and Rab3B. Rab3D was found in all three exocrine glands and the liver, while Rab3B was found in the liver. Utilizing immunofluorescence histochemistry, Rab3D was localized to hepatocytes of the liver and to secretory granules of the exocrine glands, and Rab3B to liver and pancreatic islets. Isoproterenol evoked decreases in α-amylase- and Rab3D-labelled parotid secretory granules, and pilocarpine stimulated decreases in secretory granules labelled for lingual lipase and Rab3D from von Ebner's glands, and amylase and Rab3D from pancreas. Neither secretagogue affected Rab3B in pancreatic islets. These observed parallel decreases in response to β-adrenergic (parotid) or cholinergic (von Ebner's and pancreas) secretagogues indicate that the function of Rab3D in exocytosis in these exocrine organs is similar and that the type of secretagogue does not determine the function.
Testing speciation models with DNA sequence data

This chapter reviews an approach to the study of speciation that is based on patterns of genetic variation within and between closely related species. Historically, research on the genetic mechanisms of speciation, and of species divergence, is very difficult–suffering from both practical difficulties in data collection and from theoretical problems. The method outlined in this paper is based on genealogical models of population divergence. We describe a hierarchy of models, and show how these fit into a hypothesis-testing framework that overcomes some of the theoretical problems of studying speciation. The method also advances the empirical study of speciation. Since testing of the models relies only on comparative DNA sequence data from closely related species, it can be applied to existing species regardless of whether it is practical or possible to generate hybrids.
Temperature-sensitive mutants of Sindbis virus: biochemical correlates of complementation

Temperature-sensitive mutants of Sindbis virus fail to grow at a temperature that permits growth of the wild type, but when certain pairs of these mutants, mixed together, infect cells at that temperature, viral growth (i.e., complementation) occurs. The yield from this complementation, however, is of the same order of magnitude as the infectivity in the inoculum. Since in animal virus infections the protein components of the virion probably enter the cell with the viral nucleic acid, it was necessary to demonstrate that the observed complementation required synthesis of new viral protein and nucleic acid rather than some sort of rearrangement of the structural components of the inoculum. To demonstrate that complementation does require new biosynthesis, three biochemical events of normal virus growth have been observed during complementation and correlated with the efficiency of viral growth seen in complementation. These events include: (i) entrance of parental viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) into a double-stranded form; (ii) subsequent synthesis of viral RNA; and (iii) synthesis and subsequent incorporation of viral protein(s) into cell membranes where they were detected by hemadsorption. Although the infecting single-stranded RNA genome of the wild type was converted to a ribonuclease-resistant form, the genome of a mutant (ts-11) incapable of RNA synthesis at a nonpermissive temperature was not so converted. However, during complementation with another mutant also defective in viral RNA synthesis, some of the RNA of mutant ts-11 was converted to a ribonuclease-resistant form, and total synthesis of virus-specific RNA was markedly enhanced. The virus-specific alteration of the cell surface, detected by hemadsorption, was also extensively increased during complementation. These observations support the view that complementation between temperature-sensitive mutants and replication of wild-type virus are similar processes.
From Particles with Random Potential to a Nonlinear Vlasov–Fokker–Planck Equation

We consider large time and infinite particle limit for a system of particles living in random potentials. The randomness enters the potential through an external ergodic Markov process, modeling oscillating environment with good statistical averaging properties. From each individual particle’s point of view, both law of large number and central limit theorem type of averaging are possible. Problems of this type have been well studied and are known as random evolutions. Instead of one particle, we focus on the collective behavior of infinite particles. We separately rescale potential functions (type one) which annihilates the equilibrium measure of the ergodic environment process, and the potential functions which may not annihilate such measure (type two). Appropriately rescaled to the macroscopic limit, type two potentials give a transport term while type one potentials give a nonlinear diffusion term. The resulting equation is a version of nonlinear Vlasov–Fokker–Planck equation. We will also prove the uniqueness of solution for such equation.
A high performance SRAM based FPGA device

This paper considers alternatives to the standard coarse grain architectures that currently exist and contrast with a new fine grain approach. We shall deal only with SEAM based products since structures and delays are very different for SRAM based products compared to anti-fuse devices. >
Mixed triplet and singlet pairing in ultracold multicomponent fermion systems with dipolar interactions

The symmetry properties of the Cooper pairing problem for multicomponent ultracold dipolar molecular systems are investigated. The dipolar anisotropy provides a natural and robust mechanism for both triplet and singlet Cooper pairing to first order in the interaction strength. With a purely dipolar interaction, the triplet ${p}_{z}$-like polar pairing is the most dominant. A short-range attractive interaction can enhance the singlet pairing to be nearly degenerate with the triplet pairing. We point out that these two pairing channels can mix by developing a relative phase of $\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}\frac{\ensuremath{\pi}}{2}$, thus spontaneously breaking time-reversal symmetry. We also suggest the possibility of such mixing of triplet and singlet pairing in other systems.
Inhibition of HER2-Integrin signaling by Cucurbitacin B leads to in vitro and in vivo breast tumor growth suppression

// Parul Gupta 1 and Sanjay K. Srivastava 1,2 1 Department of Biomedical Sciences and Cancer Biology Center, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, TX, USA. 2 Cancer Preventive Material Development Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Department of Pathology, Kyunghee University, 1 Hoegi-dong, Dongdaemun-ku, Seoul, South Korea Correspondence: Sanjay K. Srivastava, email: // Keywords : Breast cancer, in vivo, ITGB4, ITGA6, Cucurbitacin B Received : December 25, 2013 Accepted : February 24, 2014 Published : February 25, 2014 Abstract HER2, an oncogenic receptor is overexpressed in about 25-30% of breast cancer patients. HER2 has been shown to play role in tumor promotion by having cross-talk with multiple oncogenic pathways in cancer cells. Our results show that Cucurbitacin B (CuB), a triterpenoid steroidal compound inhibited the growth of various breast cancer cells with an IC50 ranging from 18-50nM after 48 and 72 h of treatment. Our study also revealed the significant inhibitory effects of CuB on HER2 and integrin signaling in breast cancer. Notably, CuB inhibited ITGA6 and ITGB4 (integrin α6 & integrin β4), which are overexpressed in breast cancer. Furthermore, CuB also induced the expression of major ITGB1and ITGB3, which are known to cause integrin-mediated cell death. In addition, we observed that TGFβ treatment resulted in the increased association of HER2 with ITGA6 and this association was inhibited by CuB treatment. Efficacy of CuB was tested in vivo using two different orthotopic models of breast cancer. MDA-MB-231 and 4T-1 cells were injected orthotopically in the mammary fat pad of female athymic nude mice or BALB/c mice respectively. Our results showed that CuB administration inhibited MDA-MB-231 orthotopic tumors by 55%, and 4T-1 tumors by 40%. The 4T-1 cells represent stage IV breast cancer and form very aggressive tumors. CuB mediated breast tumor growth suppression was associated with the inhibition of HER2/integrin signaling. Our results suggest novel targets of CuB in breast cancer in vitro and in vivo .
Contributions of vital rates to growth of a protected population of American black bears

Abstract Analyses of large, long-lived animals suggest that adult survival generally has the potential to contribute more than reproduction to population growth rate (λ), but because survival varies little, high variability in reproduction can have a greater influence. This pattern has been documented for several species of large mammals, but few studies have evaluated such contributions of vital rates to λ for American black bears (Ursus americanus). We used variance-based perturbation analyses (life table response experiments, LTRE) and analytical sensitivity and elasticity analyses to examine the actual and potential contributions of variation of vital rates to variation in growth rate (λ) of a population of black bears inhabiting the Pisgah Bear Sanctuary in the southern Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, using a 22-year dataset. We found that recruitment varied more than other vital rates; LTRE analyses conducted over several time intervals thus indicated that recruitment generally contributed ...
In Vitro Analysis of Mutations Causing Myoclonus Epilepsy with Ragged-Red Fibers in the Mitochondrial tRNA Lys Gene: Two Genotypes Produce Similar Phenotypes

Cytoplasts from patients with myoclonus epilepsy with ragged-red fibers harboring a pathogenic point mutation at either nucleotide 8344 or 8356 in the human mitochondrial tRNA(Lys) gene were fused with human cells lacking endogenous mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). For each mutation, cytoplasmic hybrid (cybrid) cell lines containing 0 or 100% mutated mtDNAs were isolated and their genetic, biochemical, and morphological characteristics were examined. Both mutations resulted in the same biochemical and molecular genetic phenotypes. Specifically, cybrids containing 100% mutated mtDNAs, but not those containing the corresponding wild-type mtDNAs, exhibited severe defects in respiratory chain activity, in the rates of protein synthesis, and in the steady-state levels of mitochondrial translation products. In addition, aberrant mitochondrial translation products were detected with both mutations. No significant alterations were observed in the processing of polycistronic RNA precursor transcripts derived from the region containing the tRNA(Lys) gene. These results demonstrate that two different mtDNA mutations in tRNA(Lys), both associated with the same mitochondrial disorder, result in fundamentally identical defects at the cellular level and strongly suggest that specific protein synthesis abnormalities contribute to the pathogenesis of myoclonus epilepsy with ragged-red fibers.
Assessing experiences with online educational videos: Converting multiple constructed responses to quantifiable data

Online educational videos disseminated content for a university pre-service teacher internship program. Placed within an online course management system, the videos were accessed by 202 interns located in several Western U.S. states. To ascertain the interns’ subjective experiences of the online course and videos to assist in the evaluation of the course, the researcher analyzed qualitative survey data in the form of constructed response items using a new qualitative-to-quantitative protocol. Based on phenomenological and grounded theory methods, this protocol was designed to handle the large amount of subjective constructed responses, allowing the inductive understanding of the overall experiences of a common phenomenon. The responses provided critical information that is useful for instructional designers, online educators, and educational video producers. The data suggest: 1) Universities must carefully consider video hosting options to ensure access. 2) Online videos should be carefully planned to create high quality, concise videos of less than ten minutes in length, yet contain enough educational content to reduce the overall number of required videos. 3) Students appreciate the flexibility online course delivery offered in terms of scheduling and eliminating the need to come to campus to attend seminars. 4) Self-paced online courses require progress indicators to alleviate confusion.
Prognostic significance of the number of positive lymph nodes in women with T1-2N1 breast cancer treated with mastectomy: should patients with 1, 2, and 3 positive lymph nodes be grouped together?

Purpose To determine whether patients with 1, 2, or 3 positive lymph nodes (LNs) have similar survival outcomes. Methods and Materials We analyzed the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry of breast cancer patients diagnosed between 1990 and 2003. We identified 10,415 women with T1-2N1M0 breast cancer who were treated with mastectomy with no adjuvant radiation, with at least 10 LNs examined and 6 months of follow-up. The Kaplan-Meier method and log–rank test were used for survival analysis. Multivariate analysis was performed using the Cox proportional hazard model. Results Median follow-up was 92 months. Ten-year overall survival (OS) and cause-specific survival (CSS) were progressively worse with increasing number of positive LNs. Survival rates were 70%, 64%, and 60% (OS), and 82%, 76%, and 72% (CSS) for 1, 2, and 3 positive LNs, respectively. Pairwise log–rank test P values were Conclusions Our study suggests that patients with 1, 2, and 3 positive LNs have distinct survival outcomes, with increasing number of positive LNs associated with worse OS and CSS. The conventional grouping of 1-3 positive LNs needs to be reconsidered.
Demerol hydrochloride: A new drug in the practice of surgery

Abstract 1. 1. Demerol Hydrochloride is a safe analgesic and antispasmodic drug. 2. 2. In ordinary dosage, it is not depressing to the respiratory or circulatory systems. 3. 3. It does not damage the hematopoietic system. 4. 4. It may be used preoperatively with safety as a synergist with all types of anesthesia. 5. 5. It may be used postoperatively to replace morphine in almost all cases. 6. 6. Demerol Hydrochloride has all the advantages of morphine but few of its disadvantages. 7. 7. The use of Demerol Hydrochloride in surgical practice is recommended for the alleviation of pain.