cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Kinetically E -selective macrocyclic ring-closing metathesis

Macrocyclic compounds are central to the development of new drugs, but preparing them can be challenging because of the energy barrier that must be surmounted in order to bring together and fuse the two ends of an acyclic precursor such as an alkene (also known as an olefin). To this end, the catalytic process known as ring-closing metathesis (RCM) has allowed access to countless biologically active macrocyclic organic molecules, even for large-scale production. Stereoselectivity is often critical in such cases: the potency of a macrocyclic compound can depend on the stereochemistry of its alkene; alternatively, one isomer of the compound can be subjected to stereoselective modification (such as dihydroxylation). Kinetically controlled Z-selective RCM reactions have been reported, but the only available metathesis approach for accessing macrocyclic E-olefins entails selective removal of the Z-component of a stereoisomeric mixture by ethenolysis, sacrificing substantial quantities of material if E/Z ratios are near unity. Use of ethylene can also cause adventitious olefin isomerization-a particularly serious problem when the E-alkene is energetically less favoured. Here, we show that dienes containing an E-alkenyl-B(pinacolato) group, widely used in catalytic cross-coupling, possess the requisite electronic and steric attributes to allow them to be converted stereoselectively to E-macrocyclic alkenes. The reaction is promoted by a molybdenum monoaryloxide pyrrolide complex and affords products at a yield of up to 73 per cent and an E/Z ratio greater than 98/2. We highlight the utility of the approach by preparing recifeiolide (a 12-membered-ring antibiotic) and pacritinib (an 18-membered-ring enzyme inhibitor), the Z-isomer of which is less potent than the E-isomer. Notably, the 18-membered-ring moiety of pacritinib-a potent anti-cancer agent that is in advanced clinical trials for treating lymphoma and myelofibrosis-was prepared by RCM carried out at a substrate concentration 20 times greater than when a ruthenium carbene was used.
Comparison Of Hybrid-Optical And Digital Computers For Real-Time 2-D Fourier Transform Based Operations

Both hybrid optical and digital architectures are being used to perform 2-D Fourier transform based operations. It will be shown in this paper that for rectilinearly formatted data, digital systems are competitive with and in some instances out perform their hybrid-optical counterparts. However, as the input data format deviates significantly from rectilinear, the added reformatting computations which digital systems must undertake in order to utilize the Fast Fourier Transform algorithm degrades system performance and hybrid-optical systems become more attractive. These hybrid-optical processors may be the systems of choice for many potential applications which include tomographic processing, VLA radio telescope image formation, diffraction tomography, seismic cross-borehole tomography, and spotlight SAR image formation. Each of the above applications produce data in a unique non-rectilinear format. Numerous system architectures for both technologies exist today. This paper will enumerate the potential hybrid-optical and digital: architectures and compare their performance characteristics. A common system packaging (size/weight/power) constraint is imposed upon both technolgies to facilitate a fair comparison. A near term performance forecast will also be made for both technologies.
Virtual fusion: a hybrid environment for improved commissioning in manufacturing systems

AbstractEfficiency and quality are major factors contributing to profits in manufacturing systems. Production downtime occurs during commissioning of a new system, adoption of new processes, system faults, or (un)planned maintenance; all of which result in reduced production and profit loss. Current techniques for evaluating change to a manufacturing system rely on simulation and modeling to verify processes, but ignore the physical interactions of the work parts on the system. Implementation techniques to evaluate commissioning focus on identifying issues with the cyber interfaces, ignoring the physical interfaces. To validate the cyber and physical interfaces simultaneously, physical work are sent through the system, resulting in significant costs from scrapped work parts and loss of production time. This research proposes a virtual fusion environment where the physical interfaces between a virtual work part and a manufacturing system can be investigated in real-time, on the physical system, without the...
The Political Economy of European Security

What is the relationship between private actors and international institutions in global governance, as institutions such as the EU develop aspects of political authority once in the sole domain of nation states? Important areas of recent EU development have been immigration, security, and defense policies. Are these EU policies the result of strategic imperatives, or are they also driven by the political economy of markets? Kaija Schilde argues that answers require evaluating the EU in the comparative tradition of the political development of authority. Drawing on industry documents, interviews, interest group data, an original survey, and comparative political theory, The Political Economy of European Security demonstrates that interest groups can change the outcomes of developing political institutions because they provide sources of external capacity, which in turn can produce authority over time. In this way, the EU is like a developing state in its relationship with interest groups.
Suicide in Children

As the second leading cause of death among youth ages 10–24, suicide is an international public health threat that warrants increased attention from the medical community. While pediatric mortality from major medical illnesses has significantly decreased in recent years, the youth suicide rate continues to climb. Despite the alarming rates and devastating effects, youth suicide is a relatively rare event. More common than completed suicide are suicidal thoughts and behaviors. This chapter will address the terminology used to discuss suicide, the epidemiology of youth suicide, risk and protective factors, and approaches to screening for suicide and conducting follow-up assessments for at-risk youth. Management of suicidal youth, documentation, and treatment will also be discussed. With appropriate training and effective interventions, every healthcare provider can help save young lives.
An Exploratory Analysis of ECA Characteristics

To help guide design and development of embodied conversational agents, this study reviews the evolving qualities of naturalistic agents by identifying and tracking their most relevant features. The study extends prior taxonomies of characteristics of ECAs, developing a rubric that distinguishes agents’ visual and functional characteristics. The study applies the rubric to 15 agents representing different genres of games, distinguishing agents in terms of their naturalistic qualities. The study explores changes in qualities of agents as a function of time.
Probability Theory: A Refresher

To understand the fundamentals underlying computer simulation, one must have some knowledge of the theory of probability. The goal of this chapter is to introduce some basic notions related to this theory. We will discuss the following concepts: random variables, probability of an event, some basic laws of probability, probability distributions, the mean and variance of random variables, and some “limit” theorems. The discussion here is at a very elementary level. If you are familiar with these concepts, you may skip this chapter.
A pictorial history of the early days of computational neuroscience: The CNS meeting posters

In addition to its oral history, the CNS meeting also has a graphical or pictorial history represented by the series of posters produced for CNS*93–CNS*03, and explicitly captured in the poster produced for CNS*10, which represented the meeting’s transition into its 20th year. These posters, reproduced in annotated form here for the first time, hang in laboratories around the world and in the halls of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and represent in their own way, the history of computational neuroscience.
Management of breast cancer with leptomeningeal disease: Is there a role for high dose intravenous methotrexate? The Medical College of Wisconsin’s single institution experience.

e14018Background: Leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) in breast cancer is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. While there is currently no standard therapy, treatment options include cra...
Necessity of Intracranial Imaging in Infants and Children With Macrocephaly.

Abstract Background Macrocephaly is frequently encountered in pediatrics and often leads to imaging. There are no recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics or the American College of Radiology providing imaging guidelines for macrocephaly. The goal of this study is to identify risk factors for pathologic macrocephaly and to aid the clinician in identifying patients that would benefit from imaging. Methods We conducted a medical record review throughout a multistate health care system, Sanford Health, from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2016. Patients with macrocephaly were identified by problem list in children aged less than 36 months. Data collection included basic demographics, imaging modality, developmental delay, prematurity, seizures, focal neurological symptoms, family history of macrocephaly, sedation used, and sedation complications. Results A total of 169 patients were included in the analysis. Imaging modalities included 39 magnetic resonance imagings (23.1%), 47 cranial computed tomographies (27.8%), and 83 head ultrasounds (49.1%). Imaging results demonstrated 13 abnormal studies with five of those studies being abnormal with high clinical yield. Patients with abnormal studies were more likely to have developmental delay (P = 0.04) or neurological symptoms (P = 0.015). Positive family history of macrocephaly was predictive of normal imaging (P = 0.004). There were no sedation complications. Conclusions Intracranial imaging does not appear to be necessary in children with no risk factors and or a positive family history of macrocephaly. Risk factors such as developmental delay or neurological symptoms could identify children at risk for imaging abnormalities that require further management.
Health Care Utilization and Financial Impact of Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease (aGVHD) Among Children Undergoing Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (alloHCT)

Introduction Steroids are the only effective treatment for acute GVHD and optimal salvage regimen for steroid refractory (SR) GVHD remains elusive. Impact of steroid sensitive (SS) and SR-AGVHD on healthcare utilization and cost is not well described. Methods In this is a single center study, we analyzed data on of 97/240 (40%) consecutive pediatric patients who developed grade I-IV AGVHD. Among patients with AGVHD, we analyzed cost, healthcare utilization and patient outcomes for the first year post-alloHCT. Costs were estimated from charges recorded in the PHIS database and hospital accounting. SR-AGVHD was defined as failure to respond to steroid treatment. Failure to respond was defined as any Grade II-IV AGVHD that showed progression within 3 days or had no improvement within 7 consecutive days of treatment with 2 mg/kg/day methylprednisolone or equivalent. Results The median age of children with SS-AGVHD vs. SR-AGVHD was 9.44 years (0.26-21.0) vs. 12.2 years (0.42-21.0), p=0.204. The incidence of SR-AGVHD was 27%. Median time to onset of AGVHD was 28 days (6-232). AGVHD was grade III at diagnosis in 71% patients with SR-AGVHD vs. 29% patients with SS-AGVHD, P In multivariable analysis, patients with aGVHD had an average of 45.4 days (p 1-year OS for SR-AGVHD compared to SS-AGVHD was 50% (SE=9.81%) vs. 69.0% (SE=5.49%), p=0.046. Conclusion SR-AGVHD is associated with prolonged hospitalization, higher cost and inferior survival among children. Better AGVHD prevention strategies are desperately needed. Despite significant advances, lack of effective salvage regimens for SR-AGVHD remains a major concern.
Photonic nanojet as a result of a focused near-field diffraction

In this paper, we present the formation of the photonic nanojet as a result of focused near-field diffraction. The dielectric structure responsible for the observation of the photonic nanojet effect plays the role of a diffracting slit and a focusing lens at the same time. We show numerically, for the first time to our knowledge, that it is possible to observe photonic nanojets by replacing the dielectric structure and incident plane wave with a diffracting slit and Gaussian beam, respectively. We find that one might control the most important features of the photonic nanojet, namely, the width and length, by varying the focusing parameters of the dielectric structure.
Intelligence and Adaptive Behavior: A Meta-Analysis

Intelligence tests and adaptive behavior scales measure vital aspects of human functioning. Assessment of each is a required component in the diagnosis or identification of intellectual disability....
The long-term effects of physical exercise on recurrent neonatal seizure-induced cognitive deficit and ZnT3 expression in rat hippocampus

Institute of Pediatric,Suzhou University Affiliated Children's Hospital,Suzhou 215003,China Objective To explore the long-term effects of physical exercise on neonatal seizure-induced learning,memory deficit and the expression of zinc transporter-3(ZnT3)in rat hippocampus.Methods Sprague Dawlev rats aged 6 days were randomly divided into a recurrent-seizure group(RS)and a control group. At postnatal dav 6(P6),the recurrent seizures were induced by inhalation of the volatile agent flurothyl once a day for consecu tive 6 davs.The rats in the control group were placed in the container for an equal period of time as those in the RS group without exposure to flurothyl. Y-maze test was performed to evaluate learning and memory capacity at postnatal day 29 to 35 and 61 to 67,respectively.During the period of postnatal day 51 to 56,all the animals in the RS and control groups were subject to a 30-minute daily aerobic exercise program for consecutive 6 days.All the animals were sacrificed at postnatal day 78,and the in situ hybridization method was used to detect the expression of ZnT3 mRNA in hippocampus. Results ①The number of trials needed for getting correct response to the electric stimulation in the first Y-maze test was(60±14.1)and(37.5±17.2)for the RS and control groups,respectively(P＜0.05),while that in the second Y-maze test carried out 24 hours later was(27.5±14.1)and(21±11.01)for the RS and the control groups,respectively(P＞0.05).②Memory test revealed no significant difference between the RS and the control groups(P＞0.05).③In situ hybridization detection showed that the expression of ZnT3 mRNA in hippocam pus was not significantly different between the two groups.However,there showed a significant difference between the dentate gyrus and CA3 in the RS group with regard to the expression of ZnT3 mRNA(P＜0.05). Conclusions Physical exercise improves the learning capacity of neonatal seizure-induced cognitive deficit and might have effects on the regulation of zinc transporter gene expressions in hippocampus. Key words: Seizure; Y-maze; Physical exercise; ZnT3
Toward a Universal Model for Shape From Texture

We consider the shape from texture problem, where the input is a single image of a curved, textured surface, and the texture and shape are both a priori unknown. We formulate this task as a three-player game between a shape process, a texture process, and a discriminator. The discriminator adapts a set of non-linear filters to try to distinguish image patches created by the texture process from those created by the shape process, while the shape and texture processes try to create image patches that are indistinguishable from those of the other. An equilibrium of this game yields two things: an estimate of the 2.5D surface from the shape process, and a stochastic texture synthesis model from the texture process. Experiments show that this approach is robust to common non-idealities such as shading, gloss, and clutter. We also find that it succeeds for a wide variety of texture types, including both periodic textures and those composed of isolated textons, which have previously required distinct and specialized processing.
POLE-EXTRAPOLATION RESULTS FROM pp $Yields$ $delta$$sup ++$n AT 6.6 GeV/c.

We present an experimental study of the low-momentum-transfer ${\ensuremath{\Delta}}^{++}n$ component of 6424 $\mathrm{pp}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}p{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}n$ events at 6.6 GeV/c. The ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}p$ elastic cross sections in the ${\ensuremath{\Delta}}^{++}$ region are measured by means of several different pole-extrapolation procedures. We find that the conventional Chew-Low extrapolation procedure yields results not in satisfactory agreement with the known on-shell cross sections. We suggest a modified extrapolation procedure which in our case yields results in good agreement with the on-shell values.
Challenges in heart transplantation during COVID-19: A single-center experience.

BACKGROUND Orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT) recipients may be particularly vulnerable to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). OHT during the pandemic presents unique challenges in terms of feasibility and safety. METHODS Chart review was performed for consecutive OHT recipients with COVID-19 and waitlisted patients who underwent OHT from March 1, 2020 to May 15, 2020. RESULTS Of the approximately 400 OHT recipients followed at our institution, 22 acquired COVID-19. Clinical characteristics included median age 59 (range, 49–71) years, 14 (63.6%) were male, and median time from OHT to infection was 4.6 (2.5–20.6) years. Symptoms included fever (68.2%), gastrointestinal complaints (55%), and cough (46%). COVID-19 was severe or critical in 5 (23%). All patients had elevated inflammatory biomarkers. Immunosuppression was modified in 85% of patients. Most (n = 16, 86.4%) were hospitalized, 18% required intubation, and 14% required vasopressor support. Five patients (23%) expired. None of the patients requiring intubation survived. Five patients underwent OHT during the pandemic. They were all males, ranging from 30 to 59 years of age. Two were transplanted at United Network of Organ Sharing Status 1 or 2, 1 at Status 3, and 2 at Status 4. All were successfully discharged and are alive without allograft dysfunction or rejection. One contracted mild COVID-19 after the index hospitalization. CONCLUSION OHT recipients with COVID-19 appear to have outcomes similar to the general population hospitalized with COVID-19. OHT during the pandemic is feasible when appropriate precautions are taken. Further study is needed to guide immunosuppression management in OHT recipients affected by COVID-19.
Role of Free Radicals in Failure of Fatty Livers following Liver Transplantation and Alcoholic Liver Injury

A critical factor in the extreme shortage of livers for transplantation is frequent failure due to primary non-function of ethanol-induced fatty livers when employed as donor organs (Starzl et all., 1988). Although fatty livers due to ethanol are frequently available in the donor pool since a major source of liver grafts is brain-dead victims of accidents involving alcohol (Butts & Patetta, 1988), surgeons must sometimes discard these organs because of high lipid content. Thus, an examination of the relationship between alcohol, fatty liver, and graft failure following liver transplantation could lead to a larger donor pool of usable organs. With this as a goal, we examined the connection between Kupffer cells and reperfusion injury in ethanol-induced fatty liver since Kupffer cells, which are activated following cold storage and reperfusion (Thurman, Cowper, Marzi, Currin, & Lemasters, 1988), have been implicated in primary non-function. Kupffer cells, when activated, release toxic mediators including cytokines and eicosanoids (Decker, 1990) which may play a role in reperfusion injury following transplantation.
Comparisons and their magic: a commentary on “Diversity of mathematical expression: the language of comparison in English and isiXhosa early grade mathematics texts” by Ingrid Mostert and Nicky Roberts

On difficult subjects I have given several texts referring to the same word. (Malinowski, 1965/1935, p. 4) We are delighted to contribute a text about Mostert and Roberts’ text about isiXhosa means...
Distributed Microscopic Traffic Simulation with Human-in-the-Loop Enabled by Virtual Reality Technologies

Abstract Microscopic traffic simulation (MTS) is the emulation of real-world traffic movements in a virtual world with various traffic entities (e.g., vehicles and pedestrians). Typically, the movements of these entities in the simulation are governed by some pre-defined algorithms (e.g., car-following models and lane-changing models). Modelers may develop customized algorithms through an application programming interface (API). In comparison to the human-controlled vehicles, however, any algorithm will fall short. Other than the configuration of some simplified behavioral parameters (e.g., reaction time), most of the existing MTS models have limited human-in-the-loop simulation abilities to capture the interactions among simulated entities. Besides, most existing MTS models do not provide a realistic virtual environment that enables high-fidelity simulations of the driver behavior in response to various driving conditions, such as road and weather conditions. This paper aims to develop a framework for improving MTS models and extending their capabilities by incorporating distributed vehicles controlled by human-in-the-loop with virtual reality (VR) technologies. This framework supports not only multiple/many users from geographically distributed locations but also interactive visualizations with VR devices from the perspective of a driver and other users (e.g., pedestrians). Data collected from the user-controlled vehicles can be used to calibrate different algorithms like car following, lane changing, etc., or to explore the virtual world from different perspectives for design investigation by potential stakeholders. This paper describes the overall framework, the significant challenges in the proposed approach, and our solutions to these challenges.
Professor Michelman's Quest for a Constitutional Welfare Right

This brief commentary on an article by Frank Michelman analyzes problems in his welfare-rights thesis and in his efforts to respond to critics, including his attempt to tie his claims to John Hart Ely’s reliance on representation reinforcement as the test for constitutional protection. The commentary identifies additional difficulties for Michelman’s thesis in the Supreme Court’s contemporaneous abortion-funding cases. Nonetheless, given that Michelman’s ideas offer much to admire, the quest for additional answers and support should continue — to quell the skepticism and to produce more durable constitutional theory.
Broadband Millimeter-wave Antenna Array Design

This paper presents the development of a wideband dual-polarized crossed bowtie scanning array for millimeterwave systems, as well as 5G applications. Simulation results of the antenna element and a $1\times 8$ subarray are presented in this paper. The developed antenna element has reflection coefficient less than −10 dB, gain of 7 dBi over the frequency band of 27 to 40 GHz. The $1\times 8$ subarray has a gain of 13 dBi. Measurement results and detail description of the antenna array and feed system will be presented in the conference.
The Persistence of Rural Underdevelopment: Evidence from Land Reform in Italy

Patchiness in rural development remains a salient feature of many developed and developing countries that have struggled historically to overcome enormous national disparities in economic structure and well-being. This paper examines how one major, explicit rural policy ostensibly aimed at rural advancement – land reform – can impact uneven development in the countryside. It does so in Italy, where a major land reform redistributed large landholdings to individual peasant families after World War II. Based on original fine-grained data on land redistribution and a geographical regression discontinuity analysis that takes advantage of Italy’s zonal approach to land reform, I find that greater land reform fueled underdevelopment and precarity locally over the long term. Several related mechanisms delayed development in land reform zones: a slower transition out of agriculture, lower labor mobility, and an ageing demographic. These are generalizable mechanisms that could operate in other cases of land reform aside from Italy.
Unsual Case of Ring Enhancing Multifocal Radiation Induced Necrosis (P6.121)

Objective: N/A Background: Radiation-induced necrosis (RIN) is documented in 5% of patients who received at least a 120 gray fractionation dose of radiation and is detected on MRI within 1–3 years after radiation exposure. Time between radiation and RIN leads to the need for proper differentiation between the development of RIN and the recurrence of a brain tumor, as this significantly affects treatment plans. Design/Methods: Case Report Results: 38 yo woman presented with worsening headaches. In 2014, she experienced the worst headache of her life and MRI revealed a large pituitary adenoma that penetrated through sphenoid sinus. She underwent resection on 06/11/2014. In early 2017, she had worsening of headache. MRI revealed tumor recurrence. She underwent 31 cycles of radiation from 05–06/2017. Post radiation, her headache changed in character from a dull, general pain to a constant, sharp, and severe pain averaging 7/10 behind the left eye. MRI Brain on 10/02/17 revealed a pituitary mass that had at most minimally increased in size. In addition, there were multifocal new peripherally enhancing lesions in the white matter of the anterior, inferior frontal lobes and bilateral anterior temporal lobes. MRI SPECT showed increase in lactate metabolite peak in the largest right sub-frontal lobe lesion suggesting presence of the necrosis. In addition, a decrease in the other metabolite peaks suggest loss of neural tissues and that the lesion is not malignant. A LP was performed which was unremarkable for infections or demyelination. Amitriptyline significantly decreased her headaches. Conclusions: RIN is one of the well-known complications of radiation exposure. This case is unique in that it was rapid onset (1 month after the treatment) and radiographic finding of multifocal peripherally enhanced lesions made it difficult to diagnose. After ruling out infectious causes and MS, diagnosis of RIN was established. Disclosure: Dr. Karim has nothing to disclose. Dr Panjwani has nothing to disclose. Dr. Vick has nothing to disclose. Dr. Tietjen has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with Eli Lilly and Company, Dr. Reddy9s Laboratories.
Lebensqualität, Schwangerschaft und Reproduktion nach Nierentransplantation

Die Patienten- und Transplantatuberlebensrate kann nicht separat von der Lebensqualitat nach der Transplantation betrachtet werden. Es gilt im allgemeinen, das erfolgreich Transplantierte eine bessere Lebensqualitat aufweisen als chronisch Dialysierte. Die Tatsache, das durch die erfolgreiche Transplantation ein Patient nicht nur uberlebt, sondern ein relativ normales Leben fuhren kann, macht diese Behandlungsform der Niereninsuffizienz besonders attraktiv.
Complications and postoperative events after cryosurgery for prostate cancer.

Study Type – Harm (case series) Level of Evidence 4 What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? There is limited data available to determine the rate of complications following prostate cryosurgery. This is particularly true when limiting the experience to third generation cryoprobes. Herein we thoroughly report all complications and postoperative events, defined as any deviation from an ideal postoperative course, with extended follow up. OBJECTIVES • There has been a call in the urological literature for standardized reporting of complications. • To use strict criteria aiming to report our complications and other postoperative events in a cohort of men undergoing third-generation prostate cryosurgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS • Demographic, clinical and pathological data were collected on men undergoing primary cryosurgery from 2002–2010, excluding those who had received neoadjuvant or adjuvant radiotherapy. • Complications and events were broadly defined as any deviation from the expected postoperative course and any subjective complaint expressed during a follow-up visit. • Descriptive statistics were generated and compared between groups using chi-squared and rank sum tests as appropriate. • Logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the potential predictors of any complication or event. RESULTS • In total, 106 consecutive patients were identified. • There were no intra-operative complications or instances of equipment failure. We observed 42 early complications, with 48 delayed and 10 late postoperative events. • A total of five (4.7%) patients had persistent urge and/or stress incontinence. • Thirty-one patients had International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and bother index scores available before and after surgery; median scores decreased from 7 and 2 to 6 and 1, for IPSS and bother index, respectively. Twenty-four patients had Sexual Health Inventory for Men scores available before surgery and at 2-year follow-up; median scores decreased from 11 to 2. • On multivariate analysis, there were no significant associations. CONCLUSIONS • Modern cryosurgery is safe, and most of the complications and postoperative events are transient. • Erectile function, however, has marked deterioration. • We were unable to identify significant risk factors for complications or postoperative events.
Dynamic Brachytherapy of the Prostate Under Active Image Guidance

Image-guided brachytherapy is a promising treatment for early stage prostate cancer. Current research emphasizes methods for intraoperative optimized planning and precise implantation of radioactive seeds. Some new technologies for these purposes are descnbed in this paper. A morphological template will overcome pubic arch interference and achieve better-optimized dose coverage under the real-time dynamic dosimetry technique. Autosegmentation of the prostate anatomy has been implemented for clinical use to reduce operative time. Just-in-time planning and procedure tracking under active image guidance can now be performed in the operating room. Interactive planning and dynamic dosimetry can be achieved based on seed recognition in the live ultrasound images, which permit real-time replannmg to eliminate under-dosage. As a result of these advances, prostate brachytherapy of the future will increasingly be practised as a precision procedure rather than an art form.
Objectrank: authority-based keyword search in databases

The ObjectRank system applies authority-based ranking to keyword search in databases modeled as labeled graphs. Conceptually, authority originates at the nodes (objects) containing the keywords and flows to objects according to their semantic connections. Each node is ranked according to its authority with respect to the particular keywords. One can adjust the weight of global importance, the weight of each keyword of the query, the importance of a result actually containing the keywords versus being referenced by nodes containing them, and the volume of authority flow via each type of semantic connection. Novel performance challenges and opportunities are addressed. First, schemas impose constraints on the graph, which are exploited for performance purposes. Second, in order to address the issue of authority ranking with respect to the given keywords (as opposed to Google's global PageRank) we precompute single keyword ObjectRanks and combine them during run time. We conducted user surveys and a set of performance experiments on multiple real and synthetic datasets, to assess the semantic meaningfulness and performance of ObjectRank.
Intravascular hemolysis and renal insufficiency after bone marrow transplantation

Renal disease has not been considered a major late complication of bone marrow transplantation. Of 31 evaluable pediatric patients undergoing allogeneic or autologous bone marrow transplantation for neuroblastoma or acute lymphoblastic leukemia, 14 developed a hemolytic anemia, microscopic hematuria, and renal insufficiency at a median of 5 months (range, 3 to 7 months) posttransplant. Renal biopsies were performed in two patients at the onset of kidney disease and showed mesangiolysis with intraglomerular capillary aneurysm formation, mesangial proliferation, and focal thickening and splitting of the glomerular basement membranes. The clinical presentation, time to onset of renal disease, and biopsy material are consistent with a diagnosis of radiation nephritis, a previously uncommon finding in this patient group. The high incidence of this syndrome in the current report may have been due to the combination of intensive chemotherapy and total-body irradiation in the conditioning regimens.
Epidemiology of Pesticide Exposure

This article discusses how to evaluate effects of pesticides on humans based on the information available. Basic concepts of edipemiology such as disease frequency, incidence and prevalence, sensitivity and specificity are presented. Population incidence can be estimated from illness registry data, which is ultimately derived from cases seeking medical treatment. The quality of such surveillance information is of critical importance. Design study issues involving surveillance are discussed. Various case studies involving the use of pesticides and the incidence of various types of cancers and skin diseases are given. Outbreak studies are unique opportunities to evaluate hazards of exposure to pesticides. Outbreaks most often occur among groups of field workers. An example of an outbreak of illness in grape workers is given. Cross-sectional (survey) studies are a means of assessing the distribution of illness in a population. Questionnaires are also discussed. Evaluations of cause and effect are made through observational studies (includes cohort and case control studies) and experimental studies. All types are discussed and examples are given, as well as rules for evaluating these data. Keywords: epidemiology; studies; pesticides; surveillance information; study design; illness patterns; skin disease; cancer; farm workers; cohort studies; populations; case control studies; examples; design limitations; rules; bradford-Hill criteria; organophosphate poisoning; outbreaks; experimental studies
The National Ignition Facility: Laser Performance and First Experiments

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a stadium-sized facility containing a 192-beam, 1.8-Megajoule, 500-Terawatt, ultraviolet laser system together with a 10-meter diameter target chamber with room for nearly 100 experimental diagnostics. NIF will be the world's largest and most energetic laser experimental system, providing a scientific center to study inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and matter at extreme energy densities and pressures. NIF's energetic laser beams will compress fusion targets to conditions required for thermonuclear burn, liberating more energy than required to initiate the fusion reactions. Other NIF experiments will study physical processes at temperatures approaching 10{sup 8} K and 10{sup 11} bar, conditions that exist naturally only in the interior of stars, planets and in nuclear weapons. NIF has successfully activated, commissioned, and utilized the first four beams of the laser system to conduct over 300 shots between November 2002 and August 2004. NIF laser scientists have established that the laser meets nearly all performance requirements on a per beam basis for energy, uniformity, timing, and pulse shape. Using these four beams, ICF and high-energy-density physics researchers have conducted a number of experimental campaigns resulting in high quality data that could not be reachedmore » on any other laser system. We discuss the successful NIF Early Light Program including details of laser performance, examples of experiments performed to date, and recent advances in the ICF Program that enhance prospects for successful achievement of fusion ignition on NIF.« less
Treatment decision making for adolescents with familial hypercholesterolemia: Role of family history and past experiences.

Background Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) are at high risk for underdiagnosis and inadequate treatment. Yet, little is known about the factors that influence the medical decision making of AYAs with FH and their families. Objective This study explores how family medical history, family narratives of medical experiences, and AYA medical experiences together function as "experiential evidence" and influence screening and treatment decisions. Methods Twenty-four parents and AYAs affected by FH from a pediatric preventive cardiology practice responded to a survey and a semistructured qualitative interview. Transcribed interviews were analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach. Study design, instruments, and interpretation of results were informed by a 20-member stakeholder panel. Results AYAs and parents reported extensive personal and family experiences with cholesterol and cardiovascular conditions and treatments, sometimes distinct from FH, which were used as evidence to inform their own perceptions of FH risk and treatment. This experiential evidence impacted perceptions of: (1) hereditary risk for FH diagnoses, (2) risk for future cardiovascular disease, (3) risks associated with treatments, and (4) capacity to comply with recommended treatments. Although experiences of family members initially informed screening and treatment decisions, the subsequent personal experiences of AYAs led to new experiential evidence that informed future decisions. Conclusions Family cardiovascular history related to and distinct from FH influenced screening and treatment decisions of AYAs and parents affected by FH. Additional clinical assessment of personal and family medical experiences may enhance understanding of the decision-making processes among AYAs and ultimately improve adherence to screening and treatment recommendations.
Cobalt and nickel in the Peru upwelling region: A major flux of labile cobalt utilized as a micronutrient

behaved as a micronutrient with correlations with major nutrients (nitrate, phosphate; r 2 = 0.90, 0.96) until depleted to � 50 pM of strongly complexed cobalt. Co:P utilization ratios were an order of magnitude higher than in the North Pacific, comparable to utilization rates of zinc in other oceanic regions. Cobalt speciation measurements showed that available cobalt decreased over 4 orders of magnitude in this region, with shifts in phytoplankton assemblages occurring at transitions between labile and nonlabile cobalt. Only small changes in total dissolved nickel were observed, and nickel was present in a labile chemical form throughout the region. In the Peru upwelling region, cobalt uptake was highest at the surface and decreased with depth, suggesting phytoplankton uptake was a more important removal mechanism than co-oxidation with microbial manganese oxidation. These findings show the importance of cobalt as a micronutrient and that cobalt scarcity and speciation may be important in influencing phytoplankton species composition in this economically important environment. INDEX TERMS: 1030 Geochemistry: Geochemical cycles (0330); 1050 Geochemistry: Marine geochemistry (4835, 4850); 1065 Geochemistry: Trace elements (3670); 4279 Oceanography: General: Upwelling and convergences;
A Totally Self-Checking Checker Design for the Detection of Errors in Periodic Signals

Periodic signals have a known behavior, and deviations in their waveforms may indicate failures in the signal source. Monitoring these signals can be a valuable technique in detecting both hardware and software failures in a computer. Schemes previously used to check for errors in these signals are reviewed and evaluated. These circuits, however, share a common weakness in that they are susceptible to undetectable internal faults. Described here is a self-checking periodic-signal checker; that is, the checker is capable of indicating the occurrence of any error in the input signal and failures in the checker itself. Applications of the checker in aspects of computer operation as well as a fail-safe circuit for communicating the detection of an error to an external observer are presented.
Comparative response of Ceriodaphnia dubia and juvenile Anodonta imbecillis to pulp and paper mill effluents discharged to the tennessee river and its tributaries

The responses of Ceriodaphnia dubia (daphnid) in a 7–d chronic daily-renewal bioassay and 6–d-old juvenile Anodonta imbecillis (paper pondshell mussel) in a 9–d acute daily-renewal bioassay are compared. Values for relative sensitivity to selected complex, industrial, whole-effluent samples were generated following determination of either observed or calculated no-observable-effect concentrations (NOEC). Results from tests using effluents from six pulp and paper products facilities in the Tennessee River Valley indicate that A. imbecillis juveniles are substantially more sensitive than C. dubia to selected effluents. It is suggested that a juvenile mussel bioassay should be used to assess the toxicity of effluent releases to waters with freshwater mussel resources.
Halide Ligands: Anchors for Metal Clusters on Gold Surfaces

The interaction of the redox-active clusters [Bu4N]3[Nb6Cl12X6] (X = Cl, Br, or I) with gold and silver surfaces were studied with XPS, cyclic voltammetry, and quartz crystal microgravimetry. The e...
Low Levels of p53 Protein and Chromatin Silencing of p53 Target Genes Repress Apoptosis in Drosophila Endocycling Cells

Apoptotic cell death is an important response to genotoxic stress that prevents oncogenesis. It is known that tissues can differ in their apoptotic response, but molecular mechanisms are little understood. Here, we show that Drosophila polyploid endocycling cells (G/S cycle) repress the apoptotic response to DNA damage through at least two mechanisms. First, the expression of all the Drosophila p53 protein isoforms is strongly repressed at a post-transcriptional step. Second, p53-regulated pro-apoptotic genes are epigenetically silenced in endocycling cells, preventing activation of a paused RNA Pol II by p53-dependent or p53-independent pathways. Over-expression of the p53A isoform did not activate this paused RNA Pol II complex in endocycling cells, but over-expression of the p53B isoform with a longer transactivation domain did, suggesting that dampened p53B protein levels are crucial for apoptotic repression. We also find that the p53A protein isoform is ubiquitinated and degraded by the proteasome in endocycling cells. In mitotic cycling cells, p53A was the only isoform expressed to detectable levels, and its mRNA and protein levels increased after irradiation, but there was no evidence for an increase in protein stability. However, our data suggest that p53A protein stability is regulated in unirradiated cells, which likely ensures that apoptosis does not occur in the absence of stress. Without irradiation, both p53A protein and a paused RNA pol II were pre-bound to the promoters of pro-apoptotic genes, preparing mitotic cycling cells for a rapid apoptotic response to genotoxic stress. Together, our results define molecular mechanisms by which different cells in development modulate their apoptotic response, with broader significance for the survival of normal and cancer polyploid cells in mammals.
Preliminary Assessment of Velvet Ant (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) Diversity in the Deserts of Southern California

ABSTRACT. The deserts of southern California house a diverse and unique insect fauna. Velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) are common in these deserts. Velvet ants are important to ecosystem health, particularly in desert environments, because they are parasitic on the bees and wasps that help maintain overall ecosystem function. The goal of this study was to measure velvet ant diversity across the deserts of southern California, We made preliminary collections from 10 sites in a variety of areas in the western Sonoran Desert (Colorado Desert), the Mojave Desert, and the Great Basin Desert. We measured β-diversity using Sorensen's similarity index to compare velvet ant richness and relative abundance between different sites. To determine how accurate our similarity estimates were, and to gain an understanding of actual velvet ant diversity, we also compared velvet ant richness of 2 sites (Algodones Sand Dunes and Deep Canyon) using data obtained from the examination of museum specimens borrowed from over...
Hemodynamic Responses to an Epinephrine Test Dose in Adults During Epidural or Combined Epidural-General Anesthesia

The efficacy of an epinephrine test dose during epidural and combined epidural-general anesthesia is unknown. Thirty-two patients were randomized to receive 2% lidocaine at either a high (25 mL) or low (12 mL) thoracic level of epidural anesthesia followed by general anesthesia with 1 minimum alveolar anesthetic concentration nitrous oxide and isoflurane. A 15-micrograms epinephrine test dose was intravenously administered prior to placement of the lumbar epidural catheter, 20 min after initiation of epidural anesthesia, and after 10 min of stable end-tidal concentrations of general anesthesia. Only high thoracic levels (T-5) of epidural anesthesia reduced the peak systolic blood pressure response to epinephrine (34 +/- 17 vs 18 +/- 11 mm Hg, control versus epidural stage; P < 0.05) and reduced the peak heart rate response when combined with general anesthesia (31 +/- 11 vs 15 +/- 8 bpm; P < 0.05). Incidences of identification of intravascular injection from hemodynamic responses were similarly reduced for systolic blood pressure (100% vs 44%) and heart rate (100% vs 38%). The standard 15-micrograms epinephrine test dose is unaffected by low thoracic levels of epidural anesthesia, but may have decreased sensitivity for detection of intravascular injection during high thoracic levels of epidural anesthesia, especially during general anesthesia.
Ferret: An RFID-enabled pervasive multimedia application

This paper presents the design and implementation of Ferret, a system for locating nomadic augmented with RFID tags and visually displaying them to a user in real-time. We present a novel algorithm to infer location of tagged objects using the location of a camera and reader that observes them. We also present techniques to refine location estimates using multiple observations and a method to display and update object locations on a video camera screen. An experimental evaluation of the Ferret prototype shows that (i) Ferret can refine object locations to only 1% of the reader's coverage region in less than 2min with small error rate (2.22%); (ii) Ferret can detect nomadic objects with 100% accuracy when the moving distances exceed 20cm; and (iii) Ferret is robust against different movement patterns of user's mobility.
Optimization and performance analysis of copper immersion coating on AZ91 magnesium alloy

An orthogonal experimental methodology was used to study a copper immersion coating on AZ91 magnesium-alloy from a hydrofluoric acid-containing bath. Factors such as hydrofluoric acid concentration, sonication time, chemical etching, and activation process were considered in the design. The analysis of variance on the orthogonal experimental results was performed, resulting in an optimal condition for achieving a uniform copper coating with high coverage. Hydrofluoric acid was found to be an essential component in the copper immersion coating bath and a possible mechanism was suggested to explain its significance in terms of magnesium film destruction and magnesium dissolution.