cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High-resolution physical and biogeochemical variability from a shallow back reef on Ofu, American Samoa: an end-member perspective

Shallow back reefs commonly experience greater thermal and biogeochemical variability owing to a combination of coral community metabolism, environmental forcing, flow regime, and water depth. We present results from a high-resolution (sub-hourly to sub-daily) hydrodynamic and biogeochemical study, along with a coupled long-term (several months) hydrodynamic study, conducted on the back reefs of Ofu, American Samoa. During the high-resolution study, mean temperature was 29.0 °C with maximum temperatures near 32 °C. Dissolved oxygen concentrations spanned 32–178 % saturation, and pHT spanned the range from 7.80 to 8.39 with diel ranges reaching 0.58 units. Empirical cumulative distribution functions reveal that pHT was between 8.0 and 8.2 during only 30 % of the observational period, with approximately even distribution of the remaining 70 % of the time between pHT values less than 8.0 and greater than 8.2. Thermal and biogeochemical variability in the back reefs is partially controlled by tidal modulation of wave-driven flow, which isolates the back reefs at low tide and brings offshore water into the back reefs at high tide. The ratio of net community calcification to net community production was 0.15 ± 0.01, indicating that metabolism on the back reef was dominated by primary production and respiration. Similar to other back reef systems, the back reefs of Ofu are carbon sinks during the daytime. Shallow back reefs like those in Ofu may provide insights for how coral communities respond to extreme temperatures and acidification and are deserving of continued attention.
Calcium can delay age-related macular degeneration via enhanced copper metabolism

Secondary analyses of data from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) revealed that higher calcium intakes were associated with slower progression to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Earlier, primary analyses had revealed that a supplement containing copper reduced the odds of developing AMD while lengthening life. Because ocular lesions are being reported increasingly in neuropathy from copper deficiency and because higher dietary calcium can have beneficial effects on copper metabolism, it is hypothesized that the association of calcium intakes with better vision was mediated by improved copper utilization of study participants who were eating too little copper. Nutrition surveys reveal that amounts of copper proved insufficient for men and women in controlled studies are readily available to the general population. Observations on eye anatomy of animals deficient in copper and on decreased retinal superoxide dismutase, an enzyme dependent on copper for activity, in people with AMD support this hypothesis. Eradication of AMD will require new approaches based on hypotheses that fail falsification.
Local government responses to EU citizens’ integration needs

EU citizens migrating between EU member states are expected to be self-sufficient movers, with little access to social or integration support for the economically inactive. This generates challenge...
133 – Padé Approximants

Publisher Summary This chapter elaborates the application and yield of Pade approximants. It is applicable to any type of function (whether it comes from a differential equation or not). It yields an approximation formula generally valid over an interval, and, often, information about whether singularities exist. A Taylor series can be manipulated to produce information about the existence of singularities. It is found that when a power series representation of a function diverges, it indicates the inability of the power series to approximate the function in a certain region. A theorem of complex analysis states that if a Taylor series of a function diverges, then that function has singularities in the complex plane. A Pade approximant is a ratio of polynomials that contains the same information that a truncated power series does. It is found that since the polynomial in the denominator may have roots in the region of interest, the Pade approximant may accurately indicate the presence of singularities.
Preoperative hyponatremia is associated with postoperative major morbidity, prolonged length of stay, non-home discharge, and readmission in total shoulder arthroplasty

Abstract Introduction Hyponatremia is a known risk factor for postoperative complications, but prior research has not investigated its outcomes in patients undergoing total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA). The purpose of this study was to determine the association between preoperative hyponatremia and postoperative 30-day major morbidity, 30-day reoperation, length of stay (LOS), non-home discharge, and 30-day readmission. Methods Patients undergoing anatomic or reverse TSA from 2012 to 2016 were identified in the American College of Surgeons (ACS) National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database. A multiple logistic regression model was estimated for associated outcomes. An alpha level of 0.005 was used after accounting for Bonferroni correction. Results Primary analysis of 12,437 patients showed significant independent association of preoperative hyponatremia with 30-day major morbidity (OR = 2.00; 99% CI: 1.46–2.73), LOS greater than the 75th percentile (OR = 1.63; 99% CI: 1.31–2.03), non-home discharge (OR = 1.73; 99% CI: 1.08–2.79), and 30-day readmission (OR = 1.69; 99% CI: 1.08–2.64), but not with 30-day reoperation (OR = 1.55; 99% CI: 0.75–3.19). Conclusion Preoperative hyponatremia in TSA was significantly associated with increased odds of 30-day postoperative major morbidity, prolonged LOS, non-home discharge, and 30-day readmission compared to preoperative normonatremia. These findings emphasize the importance of pre-admission testing prior to undergoing elective orthopedic procedures. Additional research is needed to stratify hyponatremia by severity and measure the impact of correcting hyponatremia in patients planning on undergoing TSA. Level of Evidence Level III; Retrospective Study-Defined
Effects of Social Distancing on COVID-19 Infections and Mortality in the US

State-mandated social distancing has emerged as one of the key tools for controlling the spread of COVID-19 around the world. In the United States, frustration over stay-at-home and social distancing orders has led some states to ease restrictions; raising questions over the efficacy of social distancing in slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus disease. However, empirical evidence on the effect of social distancing on COVID-19 infection and mortality rates is non-existent. Our paper attempts to fill this gap with state-level evidence from the United States. Combining weekly infection and mortality data with a rich longitudinal socioeconomic data at the state level, we find significant reductions in infection rates as a result of social distancing. In particular, a 1% percentage point increase in social distancing decreases infections by 0.12%. On the other hand, we do not find mortality-reducing effects of social distancing. This might be because the mortality-reducing effects of social distancing take a while to appear. Our findings suggest that while social distancing helps slow the spread of the virus, it might not be enough to affect the death of those already infected.
Exercising Control of the Sea : Theory and Practice

This book explains both the strategic and the operational aspects of exercising control of the sea. The struggle for sea control consists of three mutually related and overlapping phases: obtaining, maintaining and exercising sea control. It is in the phase of exercising sea control when one’s strategic or operational success is exploited; otherwise, the fruits of victories achieved would be wasted. This work describes the strategy of a stronger side in wartime after a desired degree of control has been obtained, which is followed by a discussion on the objectives and main methods used in exercising sea control. The remaining chapters explain and analyze in some detail each of the main methods of exercising sea control: defence and protection of one’s own and destruction/neutralization of the enemy’s military-economic potential at sea, capturing the enemy’s operationally important positions ashore, destroying/weakening the enemy’s military-economic potential ashore and supporting one’s ground forces in their offensive and defensive operations on the coast. This book will be of much interest to students of strategic studies, sea power and naval history.
Supramolecular Cross-Links in Mussel-Inspired Tissue Adhesives

Here we introduce a tissue-adhesive patch with orthogonal cohesive and adhesive chemistries; supramolecular ureido-4-pyrimidinone (UPy) cross-links provide cohesive strength, and catechols provide ...
Theory, praxis and transformation: The dramatic writing of Suzan-Lori Parks as liberatory critical pedagogy

THEORY, PRAXIS AND TRANSFORMATION: THE DRAMATIC WRITING OF SUZAN-LORI PARKS AS LIBERATORY CRITICAL PEDAGOGY Tamika Keene April 18, 2012 This research examined how the dramatic writing of Suzan-Lori Parks functioned as a form of critical pedagogy which may serve to elevate the critical consciousness of African American women. It sought to consider the implications of her dramatic writing in relation to the African American female experience. Specifically, this research explored Parks's dramatic work In The Blood by way of a constructed pedagogical model which utilized Henry A. Giroux's perspective on critical pedagogy and Lisa M. Anderson's perspective of a "black feminist aesthetic" (of theatre). This framework also incorporated methods of a literary deconstructive strategy, a black feminist approach and writing techniques of Parks. This research considered how Parks's work may encourage, or rather incite, women in general, but particularly, African American women to think critically about themselves and their social environment, to move towards social existences which actively oppose hierarchal systems of oppression and repression.
ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY FOR USING AGRICULTURAL LANDS CASE STUDY IN MENOUFIA GOVERNORATE

The study highlighted the importance of the need to study agricultural land resources in the recent period, what are the determinants of land use in agricultural activity, and the measurement of the economic and productivity efficiencies of these lands. Therefore, the study aimed to determine the current state of efficiency in the utilization of land resources in the different centers of Monofiya governorate, In the context of estimating the percentage of lost production due to the low productivity of agricultural land in the governorate. The importance of this study is to shed light on the levels of agricultural production that were accessible if it was used The study relied on a number of sources to obtain the published and unpublished secondary data collected from periodic publications, records and statistics, including the Agricultural Statistics Bulletin issued by the Economic Affairs Sector at the Ministry of Agriculture, Land Reclamation and Statistical Yearbook issued by the Central Agency for Packaging The study also adopted different methods of research in order to achieve the objectives of the previous study. Accordingly, the method of descriptive statistical analysis as well as the method of quantitative analysis The second part dealt with the research problem in four sections. The first part dealt with the theoretical framework of the study. The second part dealt with the reference review of the studies, research and previous scientific messages related to the subject of the study. In the province of Monofia to find out the most important crops planted in the province. The fourth section was to estimate the technical efficiency of the most important crops planted in different centers of the province. The study concluded with the results and recommendations that would help in the Aegean Ad solutions appropriate to this problem. In addition to the annexes and references Arabic and foreign.
Last interglacial sea-level history from speleothems: a global standardized database

Abstract. Speleothems (secondary cave carbonate precipitates) are archives of valuable information for reconstructing past sea levels as they are generally protected from weathering and erosion by their location and can be dated with U-series methods. Two main categories of speleothems are recognized as sea-level indicators: phreatic overgrowth on speleothems (POSs) and submerged vadose speleothems (SVSs). POSs have the great advantage that they precipitate on preexisting supports (vadose speleothems or cave walls) at a brackish water level equivalent to sea level when air-filled chambers of coastal caves are flooded by rising sea. SVSs are also useful, but sea level is inferred indirectly as periods of growth provide constraints on maximum sea-level positions, whereas growth hiatuses, sometimes difficult to observe, may indicate times when cave passages are submerged by sea highstands; hence they record minimum sea-level elevations. Here we describe a compilation that summarizes the current knowledge of the complete last interglacial (in its broadest sense from ∼ 140 to 70 ka, also known as marine isotope stage (MIS) 5) sea level captured by speleothems. We used the framework of the World Atlas of Last Interglacial Shorelines (WALIS), a comprehensive sea-level database, to provide a standardized format in order to facilitate scientific research on MIS 5 sea level. The discussion is focused on MIS 5e, but records that capture MIS 5d, 5c, 5b, and 5a are also included. We present the data from 71 speleothems (36 sea-level index points and 37 limiting points) in coastal caves located in 10 different locations, and we include the spatial coverage, the samples used, and their accuracy as indicators of sea level, U and Th isotopes used to generate the chronologies, and their scientific relevance to understand past sea-level changes. Furthermore, the paper emphasizes the usefulness of these indicators not only to render information regarding the eustatic sea level, but also for their contribution to refine the glacial isostatic adjustment models and to constrain regional tectonic uplift rates. The standardized sea-level database presented here is the first of its kind derived from speleothems and contains all the information needed to assess paleo relative sea levels and the chronological constraints associated with them. The database is available open-access at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4313860 (Dumitru et al., 2020). We refer the readers to the official documentation of the WALIS database at https://walis-help.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ (last access: 20 January 2021), where the meaning of each field is explained in detail.
Human cortical areas are sparsely connected: Combining histology with diffusion MRI to estimate the absolute number of axons

The tracts between cortical areas are conceived as playing a central role in cortical information processing, but their actual numbers have never been determined. Here we estimate the absolute number of axons linking cortical areas from a whole-cortex diffusion-MRI (dMRI) connectome, calibrated using the histologically-measured callosal fiber density. Median connectivity is estimated as ~2,700 axons between cortical areas within-hemisphere and ~540 axons interhemispherically, with axons connecting functionally-related areas surprisingly sparse. These results challenge models that require direct transmission of detailed information between cortical areas, rather suggesting that cortical integration mainly relies on the extremely dense local connections.
Sectoral Economic Downturns and Costs of Financial Crises

This paper studies the features of sectoral economic downturns in agriculture, industry and services sectors using an extensive database of 127 countries for the period 1970-2013. Our analysis shows that there are stark differences in the frequency and severity of economic downturns across sectors. In particular, economic downturns in agriculture are deeper than other sectors and their frequency is more than twice that of economy-wide downturns. They are also accompanied by larger losses in employment. Downturns in economic activity last longer in the industry sector. This study further investigates how economic downturns are related to financial crises. The negative effects associated with financial crises appear to die off quickly for agriculture and services sectors. For industry, the negative effects associated with banking crises persist in the following years. The empirical estimates suggest that a financial crisis is associated with losses up to 6 percent of sectoral value at the onset of the crisis, whereas the cumulative effects can add up to 18 percent.
Lower Utilization of Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Vegetarians, Adventist Health Study-2

This study aims to examine lifestyle predictors of the utilization of colorectal cancer screening. Using modified Poisson regression, we studied self-reported colorectal cancer screening utilization (colonoscopy or fecal occult blood test) with various dietary and lifestyle characteristics among 33,922 subjects aged 51 + years in the Adventist Health Study-2, a large population-based prospective cohort study. According to the multivariable-adjusted models, vegetarians were less likely to report screening: vegans, prevalence ratio (PR) = 0.80 (95% confidence interval 0.77–0.83); lacto-ovo-vegetarians (0.95 [0.93–0.97]); and semi-vegetarians (0.97 [0.94–0.99]) compared to non-vegetarians. Blacks were more likely than non-Blacks to be screened (1.04 [1.02–1.06]) and males were less likely (0.93 [0.92–0.95]) to utilize the screening tests. Older subjects were more likely to be screened, and unmarried and divorced/widowed subjects were less likely to screen. Education, personal income, and BMI were positively associated with screening, with p-value for trend < 0.001 for all three variables. A family history of colorectal cancer was associated with higher screening prevalence (1.15 [1.12–1.17]). Our stratified analyses on race and gender with dietary patterns showed non-Hispanic White vegans (PR = 0.77 [0.74–0.81]) and male vegans (PR = 0.76 [0.72–0.81]) were least likely compliant with colorectal cancer screening (p = 0.009 and p = 0.04, respectively). Vegans may believe that their personal risk for colorectal cancer is low due to their healthy lifestyle, resulting in lack of compliance to colorectal cancer screening. It remains to be seen whether vegans in AHS-2 also experience higher incidence of colorectal cancer or are diagnosed at a later stage.
Documentation of Advance Care Planning Forms in Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

INTRODUCTION/AIMS Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive weakness. Survival is typically only a few years from symptom onset. The often-predictable disease course creates opportunities to complete advance care planning (ACP) forms. The Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) is a broadly used ACP paradigm to communicate end-of-life wishes but has not been well-studied in the ALS population. METHODS In this retrospective chart review study, patients diagnosed with ALS seen between 2014 and 2018 at an academic ALS center were identified. Demographic information, clinical characteristics, and ACP data were collected. RESULTS Of 513 patients identified, 30% had an ACP document. POLST forms were competed in 16.6% of patients with 73.8% of forms signed by a neurologist. Only 5.1% of patients saw a palliative care physician. Palliative care consultation was associated with having an POLST on file (P < .001). Patients with completed POLST forms were significantly more likely to have been seen in clinic more frequently (P < .001) and have a lower ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised score on last visit (P = .005). DISCUSSION Less than one third of patients with ALS completed an ACP document, and only a small percentage completed POLST forms. The data suggest a need for greater documentation of goals of care in the ALS population.
Cataclysmic Binary Systems

Cataclysmic binary systems consist of a white dwarf star, conventionally called the primary star, and a companion secondary star that is usually a cool main-sequence star (red dwarf) of late spectral type G, K or M. These variable binary star systems have orbital periods lying between 1 and 15 hours. The orbital period and ratio of the masses of the two stars are such that the secondary star fills its Roche lobe, causing gas to flow from the secondary toward the degenerate primary star. In the absence of a magnetic field, this gas forms an accretion disk around the primary star; the gas streams onto the magnetic poles when there is a strong magnetic field (Wade and Ward, 1985).
Development of a Theoretically Grounded Model of Sexual Harassment Awareness Training Effectiveness

Sexual harassment awareness (SHA) training has been under-studied as an organizational intervention deterring occurrences of sexual harassment. In this chapter, we articulate a general model of SHA training effectiveness that is grounded theoretically in broader workplace training effectiveness models and training outcome taxonomies. In particular, we highlight the role that cynicism and motivation play in influencing SHA training effectiveness and identify possible training design, individual factors, and contextual factors that may influence trainees' cynicism and motivation, as well as SHA training outcomes.
Distributed Constraint Satisfaction, Restricted Recombination, and Hybrid Genetic Search

In this paper, we present simple and genetic forms of an evolutionary paradigm known as a society of hill-climbers (SoHC). We compare these simple and genetic SoHCs on a test suite of 400 randomly generated distributed constraint satisfaction problems (DisCSPs) that are composed of asymmetric constraints (referred to as DisACSPs). Our results show that all of the genetic SoHCs dramatically outperform the simple SoHC even at the phase transition where the most difficult DisACSPs reside.
Abstract 1463: Long non-coding RNA RoR and microRNA-145 regulate tumor cell invasion in triple-negative breast cancer via targeting of ADP-ribosylation factor 6

Triple-negative (ER-, HER2-, PR-) breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive disease with a poor prognosis. Currently, there is no available molecularly targeted therapy for TNBC. MicroRNA-145 (miR-145) silencing was identified as a defining marker of TNBC by molecular profiling using deep sequencing. Previous reports indicate that miR-145 may function as a growth suppressor in some breast cancers. However, we find that in TNBC miR-145 does not regulate proliferation or apoptosis but instead, miR-145 regulates tumor cell invasion. Since metastatic breast cancer remains an incurable disease we investigated miR-145 regulated pathways to identify new potential biomarkers or therapeutic targets. Here we identify a novel target of miR-145, the small GTPase ADP-ribosylation factor 6 (Arf6). We find that ARF6, a known regulator of breast tumor cell invasion, is dramatically upregulated in triple-negative and metastatic breast tumors. We find that ARF6 can regulate E-cadherin localization and impact cell-cell adhesion. Finally, we examined the molecular mechanism behind miR-145 down-regulation in TNBC. We find that when compared to ER+ disease, TNBC shows dramatic downregulation of mature miR-145, but not pri-miR-145 or pre-miR-145, indicating that loss of miR-145 is occurring post-transcriptionally and following Drosha and Dicer processing. We find that overexpression of the long non-coding RNA, lincRNA-ROR, functions as a competitive endogenous RNA sponge in TNBC. We find that lincRNA-ROR is dramatically upregulated in TNBC and in metastatic disease. Finally, we find that knockdown of lincRNA-ROR restores miR-145 expression and reduces breast tumor cell invasion. These results reveal a lincRNA-ROR / miR-145 / ARF6 pathway that is a critical regulator of invasion in TNBCs. Citation Format: Gabriel L. Eades, Qun Zhou. Long non-coding RNA RoR and microRNA-145 regulate tumor cell invasion in triple-negative breast cancer via targeting of ADP-ribosylation factor 6. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1463. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1463
High-resolution Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of the CCl radical (X2Π32,12)

Abstract The v = 1-0 band of the CCl (X2Πi) radical has been measured using a high-resolution Fourier transform spectrometer coupled to a fast-flow multipass absorption cell. CCl radicals were generated in the reaction of H atoms with CCl4. The spectrum was recorded at 0.004 cm−1 unapodized resolution. Transitions in both 2 Π 3 2 and 2 Π 1 2 spin-orbit states were observed for both C35Cl and C37Cl as follows: C 35 Cl( 2 Π 3 2 ) R(30.5) to P(26.5) and Q(1.5) , C 35 Cl( 2 Π 1 2 ) R(26.5) to P(30.5) , C 37 Cl( 2 Π 3 2 ) R(22.5) to P(18.5) , and C 37 Cl( 2 Π 1 2 ) R(20.5) to P(19.5) . The analysis yielded ν0(C35Cl) = 866.08619(4), ν0(C37Cl) = 860.16317(10), and Be(C35Cl) = 0.6970912(15) cm−1. The rms standard deviation was 0.00026 cm−1 for C35Cl and 0.00036 cm−1 for C37Cl. The present results are compared with previous diode laser and microwave measurements.
The Permian-Triassic boundary revisited

At the very end of Permian time, all continents, as we know them today, were dry land, with the possible exception of a minor part of China. At and around the Permian-Triassic boundary, some major fossil groups (on the class and order level) became extinct; others passed from one system to the other with minor or major modifications; yet others sailed through with just ordinary, expectable, evolutionary changes. The evidence points toward the occurrence of environmental changes at and before the Permian-Triassic boundary, spread out over several million years, that affected different life forms, from Foraminifera to tetrapods and plants, in a variety of ways. A few went out with a whimper, still fewer with a bang. Some became extinct shortly before the beginning of the Triassic, some shortly after. Others suffered setbacks, but came through virtually intact. The paleontological record does not support the postulate of a catastrophic event that led to simultaneous extinctions of a significant portion of Paleozoic life forms. Rather, evolutionary changes were brought about by processes acting over several millions of years. Causative factors may have included worldwide regression of the sea, changes in ocean salinity, global temperature changes, changing supplies of nutrients, and intrinsic biologic modifications.
Phonological Reorganization: A Case Study:

Various types of phonological behavior have been identified as evidence of the systematization which is said to occur in the course of the transition from early, “whole-word” phonology to later, segment-based phonology. However, we have a limited understanding of the role of such early phonological behavior in facilitating — or initiating — the emergence of segmental phonology. Furthermore, there has been little acoustic verification of such changes in children's phonological systems. in this study, the lexical production of one child is analyzed in detail from the onset of word use at 10 months to 16 months, when she had a cumulative lexicon of over 70 words. A period of phonological experimentation and the emergence of productive “word recipes” are documented, using both perceptual and acoustic analysis. Implications of such systematization for the later development of segmental phonology are discussed.
Transplantation of autologous peripheral blood progenitor cells procured after high-dose cytarabine-based consolidation chemotherapy for adults with secondary acute myelogenous leukemia in first remission.

Patients with acute myelogenous leukemia secondary to an antecedent hematologic disturbance or cytotoxic chemotherapy are considered to have a very low likelihood of leukemia-free survival regardless of the form of post-remission therapy. The purpose of this study is to evaluate, on the basis of intention to treat, the feasibility and efficacy of high-dose cyt-arabine/anthracycline consolidation chemotherapy followed by autologous transplantation of chemotherapy/rHuG-CSF-mobilized peripheral blood progenitor cells for seventeen adult patients (median age 63, range 27 to 68) with secondary acute myelogenous leukemia in first remission. Ten eligible patients underwent autologous transplantation of peripheral blood progenitor cells procured following high-dose cytarabine/mitoxantrone consolidation chemotherapy used as a method of in vivo purging. A median of 5 collections (range 2 to 13) were reuired to procure a median of 9.27 × 108 total mononuclear cells/kg (range 2.35 to 21.44 × 108 per kg). The median n...
Progression of micronutrient alteration and hepatotoxicity following acute PCB126 exposure

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) are industrial chemicals that have become a persistent threat to human health due to ongoing exposure. A subset of PCBs, known as dioxin-like PCBs, pose a special threat given their potent hepatic effects. Micronutrients, especially Cu, Zn and Se, homeostatic dysfunction is commonly seen after exposure to dioxin-like PCBs. This study investigates whether micronutrient alteration is the byproduct of the ongoing hepatotoxicity, marked by lipid accumulation, or a concurrent, yet independent event of hepatic damage. A time course study was carried out using male Sprague-Dawley rats with treatments of PCB126, the prototypical dioxin-like PCB, resulting in 6 different time points. Animals were fed a purified diet, based on AIN-93G, for three weeks to ensure micronutrient equilibration. A single IP injection of either tocopherol-stripped soy oil vehicle (5 mL/kg) or 5 μmol/kg PCB126 dose in vehicle was given at various time points resulting in exposures of 9h, 18 h, 36 h, 3 days, 6 days, and 12 days. Mild hepatic vacuolar change was seen as early as 36 h with drastic changes at the later time points, 6 and 12 days. Micronutrient alterations, specifically Cu, Zn, and Se, were not seen until after day 3 and only observed in the liver. No alterations were seen in the duodenum, suggesting that absorption and excretion may not be involved. Micronutrient alterations occur with ROS formation, lipid accumulation, and hepatomegaly. To probe the mechanistic underpinnings, alteration of gene expression of several copper chaperones was investigated; only metallothionein appeared elevated. These data suggest that the disruption in micronutrient status is a result of the hepatic injury elicited by PCB126 and is mediated in part by metallothionein.
Context dependent phonetic duration models for decoding conversational speech

Conversational speech provides a particularly difficult task for speech recognition. It provides much more variability than either dictation, read speech, or isolated commands. Phonetic context was used to predict the durations of phones using a decision tree. These predictions were used to calculate context dependent HMM transition probabilities for these phone models, which were used to decode telephone conversations from the SwitchBoard corpus. We observed that the duration models do not appreciably improve the word error rate; that more can be gained by modeling phone durations within words than by adjusting for local average speaking rates; and conclude that local or global variations in speaking rate are not major contributors to the observed high error rates for SwitchBoard.
Itraconazole and clarithromycin inhibit P-glycoprotein activity in primary human sinonasal epithelial cells.

Background Itraconazole and clarithromycin are clinically effective in the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) through incompletely understood anti-inflammatory properties. P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is overexpressed in CRS and inhibition results in decreased inflammatory cytokine secretion. Both itraconazole and clarithromycin have also been shown to have P-gp inhibitory properties in other tissues, suggesting a novel explanation for their immunomodulatory effects in CRS. The purpose of this study is to therefore confirm whether these drugs are capable of inhibiting P-gp specifically in sinonasal epithelial cells. Methods This was an institutional review board (IRB)-approved study in which primary sinonasal epithelial cells were cultured in 96-well plates. A Calcein AM assay was used to quantify P-gp inhibition as determined by an increase in intracellular fluorescence. A dose-response curve was generated for itraconazole and clarithromycin (maximal concentration 100 μM) and compared to that of Zosuquidar, a highly specific known P-gp inhibitor. Results were compared using a Student t test with a significance defined as p < 0.05. Results Both itraconazole and clarithromycin demonstrated a dose-response curve for P-gp inhibition similar to that of Zosuquidar. The respective maximal inhibitory concentrations of Zosuquidar, itraconazole, and clarithromycin prior to induction of cytotoxicity were 0.31, 3.13, and 1.56 μM, respectively, as demonstrated by a statistically significant increase in total intracellular fluorescence (p < 0.05 in all groups). Conclusion Both itraconazole and clarithromycin are capable of inhibiting sinonasal epithelial cell associated P-gp. The anti-inflammatory effects of these agents in CRS may be attributable, in part, to their heretofore unrecognized P-gp modulatory properties.
Cherenkov excited phosphorescence-based pO2 estimation during multi-beam radiation therapy: phantom and simulation studies.

Megavoltage radiation beams used in External Beam Radiotherapy (EBRT) generate Cherenkov light emission in tissues and equivalent phantoms. This optical emission was utilized to excite an oxygen-sensitive phosphorescent probe, PtG4, which has been developed specifically for NIR lifetime-based sensing of the partial pressure of oxygen (pO2). Phosphorescence emission, at different time points with respect to the excitation pulse, was acquired by an intensifier-gated CCD camera synchronized with radiation pulses delivered by a medical linear accelerator. The pO2 distribution was tomographically recovered in a tissue-equivalent phantom during EBRT with multiple beams targeted from different angles at a tumor-like anomaly. The reconstructions were tested in two different phantoms that have fully oxygenated background, to compare a fully oxygenated and a fully deoxygenated inclusion. To simulate a realistic situation of EBRT, where the size and location of the tumor is well known, spatial information of a prescribed region was utilized in the recovery estimation. The phantom results show that region-averaged pO2 values were recovered successfully, differentiating aerated and deoxygenated inclusions. Finally, a simulation study was performed showing that pO2 in human brain tumors can be measured to within 15 mmHg for edge depths less than 10–20 mm using the Cherenkov Excited Phosphorescence Oxygen imaging (CEPhOx) method and PtG4 as a probe. This technique could allow non-invasive monitoring of pO2 in tumors during the normal process of EBRT, where beams are generally delivered from multiple angles or arcs during each treatment fraction.
SU-E-I-34: Air Kerma to Estimated Entrance Skin Dose Look-Up Tables: A Tool to Improve Dose Awareness in the Angiography Suite.

Purpose: Although air kerma (AK) is displayed during a case, often it does not represent the entrance skin dose (ESD), which can be estimated. The purpose of this work is to develop and provide system‐customized AK‐to‐ ESD look‐up tables (LUTs) for immediate reference so that physicians can better evaluate the likelihood of deterministic skin reactions to weigh the risk‐versus‐benefit of continuing high‐dose procedures. Methods: Four correction factors are applied to estimate ESD from AK: inverse square correction from the interventional reference point to the average entrance table position, backscatter factor, mean energy absorption coefficient ratio, and measured table attenuation. Correction factors are room and service specific; therefore, room‐specific AK‐to‐ESD LUTs are posted for easy reference. LUTs also list corresponding tissue reactions and their approximate time‐of‐onset. Protocols can be established for nurse or technology staff to provide verbal AK dose notifications during the case at crucial skin reaction dose thresholds (e.g. 2Gy indicating possible skin erythema and 5Gy indicating potentially prolonged recovery or permanent skin damage). Patient follow‐up protocols can be established if the estimated ESD exceeds a set trigger level (e.g. 5Gy). Staff and physicians surveys evaluate usefulness and impact of dose awareness by system users. Results: Two surveys report feedback on LUTs from physicians and technologists with 14 years median experience (range: 3–24 years). Over three‐quarters of all angiography system users identify the LUTs and verbal dose notifications as positively affecting the institution's ‘Patient First’ initiative and roughly one‐half of the imaging system users indicate that the LUTs and site‐specific dose trigger level improves the dose awareness of care providers. Conclusions: Our efforts have focused on educating care providers about the differences between displayed AK and the estimated ESD. LUTs provide physicians and staff an immediate reference for estimated ESD and the associated deterministic skin effects at specific dose levels.
Mixed convection plume above a horizontal line source situated in a forced convection approach flow

Abstract Both analytical and numerical techniques were employed to solve for the velocity and temperature fields in a two-dimensional mixed convection plume for the Prandtl number range from 0.72 to infinity. The method of inner and outer expansions was used for the Pr = ∞ case while a parabolic, finite-difference method yielded the solutions for the other Prandtl numbers. In general, the plume was found to evolve with increasing distance from the line source from one with a basically forced convection character to one which resembles that for pure natural convection. The centerline velocity and temperature variations with distance from the line source were bounded by envelope curves constructed from the asymptotes for pure forced and pure natural convection. Highly accurate algebraic relations valid for all Prandtl numbers and all distances above the line source were developed to generalize the results obtained for the various discrete Prandtl numbers. The plume width increased with distance from the source, but at a slower rate at greater distances. The shapes of the velocity profiles changed both with distance and Prandtl number, whereas all temperature profiles displayed a common bell-like shape.
Arsenic exacerbates atherosclerotic lesion formation and inflammation in ApoE-/- mice

Exposure to arsenic-contaminated water has been shown to be associated with cardiovascular disease, especially atherosclerosis. We examined the effect of arsenic exposure on atherosclerotic lesion formation, lesion composition and nature in ApoE-/- mice. Early post-natal exposure (3-week-old mice exposed to 49 ppm arsenic as NaAsO(2) in drinking water for 7 weeks) increased the atherosclerotic lesion formation by 3- to 5-fold in the aortic valve and the aortic arch, without affecting plasma cholesterol. Exposure to arsenic for 13 weeks (3-week-old mice exposed to 1, 4.9 and 49 ppm arsenic as NaAsO(2) in drinking water) increased the lesion formation and macrophage accumulation in a dose-dependent manner. Temporal studies showed that continuous arsenic exposure significantly exacerbated the lesion formation throughout the aortic tree at 16 and 36 weeks of age. Withdrawal of arsenic for 12 weeks after an initial exposure for 21 weeks (to 3-week-old mice) significantly decreased lesion formation as compared with mice continuously exposed to arsenic. Similarly, adult exposure to 49 ppm arsenic for 24 weeks, starting at 12 weeks of age increased lesion formation by 2- to 3.6-fold in the aortic valve, the aortic arch and the abdominal aorta. Lesions of arsenic-exposed mice displayed a 1.8-fold increase in macrophage accumulation whereas smooth muscle cell and T-lymphocyte contents were not changed. Expression of pro-inflammatory chemokine MCP-1 and cytokine IL-6 and markers of oxidative stress, protein-HNE and protein-MDA adducts were markedly increased in lesions of arsenic-exposed mice. Plasma concentrations of MCP-1, IL-6 and MDA were also significantly elevated in arsenic-exposed mice. These data suggest that arsenic exposure increases oxidative stress, inflammation and atherosclerotic lesion formation.
Heteromeric geranyl diphosphate synthase from mint: construction of a functional fusion protein and inhibition by bisphosphonate substrate analogs

Geranyl diphosphate synthase catalyzes the condensation of dimethylallyl diphosphate (C(5)) with isopentenyl diphosphate (C(5)) to produce geranyl diphosphate (C(10)), the essential precursor of monoterpenes. The enzyme from peppermint and spearmint (Menthaxpiperita and Mentha spicata, respectively) functions as a heterodimer or heterotetramer consisting of a 40kDa subunit and 33kDa subunit. The DNAs encoding each subunit were joined with different sized linkers and in both possible orders, and expressed in Escherichia coli to yield the corresponding fused protein. The properties of the recombinant fused version, in which the small subunit was followed by the large subunit with a 10 amino acid linker, resembled those of the native heteromeric enzyme in kinetics, product chain-length specificity, and architecture, and this form thus provided a suitable single gene transcript for biotechnological purposes. Bisphosphonate substrate analogs of the type that inhibit farnesyl diphosphate synthase (C(15)) and geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase (C(20)) also inhibited the fused geranyl diphosphate synthase, apparently by interacting at both the allylic and homoallylic co-substrate binding sites. The results of inhibition studies, along with the previously established role of the small subunit and related mutagenesis experiments, suggest that geranyl diphosphate synthase employs a different mechanism for chain-length determination than do other short-chain prenyltransferases.
1/z Expansion for the Heisenberg Antiferromagnet at Low Temperatures

It is shown that the expansion in density of spin deviations for the Heisenberg antiferromagnet at low temperatures leads to a 1/z expansion for the free energy. In contrast to the 1/S expansion, the kinematic properties of spin operators are realized within each order of the expansion. The spin-wave energy at long wavelength is also calculated.
The Cycle Time Distribution of Exponential Cyclic Queues

The cycle time distribution of a cyclic queue with two exponential servers is derived. Results show that when the population size N is large enough, the cycle time distribution is not sensitive to the ratio of service rates and asymptotically approaches an Erlangian distribution. If service rates are identical, however, the cycle time has an exact Erlangian distribution for any N.
Telomerase and the aging process

The level of telomerase activity is important in determining telomere length in aging cells and tissues. Here evidence on the importance of telomerase activity is reviewed with respect to aging rates of mammalian species and the health and life span of individuals within a species. The significance of telomerase reactivation for both cancer development and for immortalizing cells for therapeutic processes is assessed.
Multiple Subpial Transections for Partial Seizures in Sensorimotor Cortex

We report six patients with complex partial seizures arising from the primary sensorimotor cortex who underwent invasive long-term ictal electroencephalogram/video monitoring and brain mapping and then multiple subpial transections. Although four patients demonstrated no abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging, each patient showed moderate to marked gliosis in cortex biopsied from the site of ictal onset. Extensive preoperative and postoperative neuropsychological tests demonstrated no functional deficits resulting from surgery. Only one patient failed to derive significant postoperative seizure improvement, and he subsequently underwent additional subpial sectioning without further significant improvement. We propose a modification for this surgical technique and hypothesize that these patients may represent a syndrome of central cortical epilepsy.
On data mining, compression, and Kolmogorov complexity

Will we ever have a theory of data mining analogous to the relational algebra in databases? Why do we have so many clearly different clustering algorithms? Could data mining be automated? We show that the answer to all these questions is negative, because data mining is closely related to compression and Kolmogorov complexity; and the latter is undecidable. Therefore, data mining will always be an art, where our goal will be to find better models (patterns) that fit our datasets as best as possible.
SU‐FF‐T‐253: Improvement of the Convolution/Superposition Algorithm for IMRT Dose Calculations

Purpose: To study improvements to the Convolution/Superposition (CS) dose calculation algorithm which enhance IMRT dose calculation accuracy. Method and Materials: Several aspects of typical CS calculation algorithms can be improved in order to increase the accuracy of IMRT dose calculations. To improve beam modeling and fitting, CS polyenergetic kernels were based on newly generated individual energy deposition kernels which are calculated on a high resolution grid using the Monte Carlo simulation package PENELOPE and relative contributions obtained from a detailed simulation of the accelerator head using the Monte Carlo code BEAM. Further improvement resulted from beam fitting based on data carefully measured using different detectors to better model dose in different regions of the dose distribution (e.g. beam penumbra, leaf and jaw transmission, buildup region, etc). Additional features added to enhance the CS algorithm included calculation of collimatorscatter (for shaped and IMRT fields), an electron contamination correction for the buildup region for both the individual beamlet and final dose calculations, and modeling of the complete SMLC delivery sequence, allowing a more realistic final dose calculation after the optimization process is completed. Results: Comparison of output, depth dose and various dose profiles for square and shaped fields demonstrate the improved results for basic beam modeling. Ion chamber and 2‐D dose distributions measured for a series of IMRT fields illustrate the increased accuracy possible with the enhanced algorithm. Routine IMRT QA accuracy showed an average improvement of 3% with respect to the more standard CS implementation. Conclusion: Enhancements to standard convolution/superposition algorithm implementations can significantly improve accuracy for shaped field and IMRT dose calculations throughout the patient, including the buildup region, penumbra and outside the field.