cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Learning to walk with an adaptive gain proportional myoelectric controller for a robotic ankle exoskeleton

Robotic ankle exoskeletons can provide assistance to users and reduce metabolic power during walking. Our research group has investigated the use of proportional myoelectric control for controlling robotic ankle exoskeletons. Previously, these controllers have relied on a constant gain to map user’s muscle activity to actuation control signals. A constant gain may act as a constraint on the user, so we designed a controller that dynamically adapts the gain to the user’s myoelectric amplitude. We hypothesized that an adaptive gain proportional myoelectric controller would reduce metabolic energy expenditure compared to walking with the ankle exoskeleton unpowered because users could choose their preferred control gain. We tested eight healthy subjects walking with the adaptive gain proportional myoelectric controller with bilateral ankle exoskeletons. The adaptive gain was updated each stride such that on average the user’s peak muscle activity was mapped to maximal power output of the exoskeleton. All subjects participated in three identical training sessions where they walked on a treadmill for 50 minutes (30 minutes of which the exoskeleton was powered) at 1.2 ms-1. We calculated and analyzed metabolic energy consumption, muscle recruitment, inverse kinematics, inverse dynamics, and exoskeleton mechanics. Using our controller, subjects achieved a metabolic reduction similar to that seen in previous work in about a third of the training time. The resulting controller gain was lower than that seen in previous work (β=1.50±0.14 versus a constant β=2). The adapted gain allowed users more total ankle joint power than that of unassisted walking, increasing ankle power in exchange for a decrease in hip power. Our findings indicate that humans prefer to walk with greater ankle mechanical power output than their unassisted gait when provided with an ankle exoskeleton using an adaptive controller. This suggests that robotic assistance from an exoskeleton can allow humans to adopt gait patterns different from their normal choices for locomotion. In our specific experiment, subjects increased ankle power and decreased hip power to walk with a reduction in metabolic cost. Future exoskeleton devices that rely on proportional myolectric control are likely to demonstrate improved performance by including an adaptive gain.
Surfactant protein A prevents silica-mediated toxicity to rat alveolar macrophages

Silicosis is a serious occupational lung disease associated with irreversible pulmonary fibrosis. The interaction between inhaled crystalline silica and the alveolar macrophage (AM) is thought to b...
K Depletion Enhances the Extracellular Ca2+-Induced Inhibition of the Apical K Channels in the Mtal of Rat Kidney

We have shown previously that raising extracellular Ca2+ inhibited the apical 70-pS K channel in the thick ascending limb (TAL; Wang, W.H., M. Lu, and S.C. Hebert. 1996. Am. J. Physiol. 270:C103–C111). We now used the patch-clamp technique to study the effect of increasing the extracellular Ca2+ on the 70-pS K channel in the mTAL from rats on a different K diet. Increasing the extracellular Ca2+ from 10 μM to 0.5, 1, and to 1.5 mM in the mTAL from rats on a K-deficient (KD) diet inhibited the channel activity by 30, 65, and 90%, respectively. In contrast, raising the extracellular Ca2+ to 1.5 mM had no significant effect on channel activity in the mTAL from animals on a high K (HK) diet and further increasing the extracellular Ca2+ to 2.5, 3.5, and 5.5 mM decreased the channel activity by 29, 55, and 90%, respectively. Inhibition of the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase completely abolished the effect of the extracellular Ca2+ on channel activity in the mTAL from rats on a different K diet. In contrast, blocking cyclooxygenase did not significantly alter the responsiveness of the 70-pS K channel to the extracellular Ca2+. Moreover, addition of sodium nitropruside, a nitric oxide (NO) donor, not only increased the channel activity, but also blunted the inhibitory effect of the extracellular Ca2+ on the 70-pS K channel and decreased 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) concentration in the mTAL from rats on a KD diet. In contrast, inhibiting NOS with L-NAME enhanced the inhibitory effect of the extracellular Ca2+ on the channel activity and increased 20-HETE concentration in the mTAL from rats on a high K diet. Western blot has further shown that the expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) is significantly higher in the renal medulla from rats on an HK diet than that on a KD diet. Also, addition of S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine abolished the inhibitory effect of arachidonic acid on channel activity in the mTAL, whereas it did not block the inhibitory effect of 20-HETE. We conclude that a low dietary K intake increases the sensitivity of the 70-pS K channel to the extracellular Ca2+, and that a decrease in NOS activity is involved in enhancing the inhibitory effect of the extracellular Ca2+ on channel activity in the mTAL during K depletion.
Managerial Judgment and Forecast Combination: An Experimental Study

This paper examines the role of managerial judgment in forming a final forecast, or judging the achievability of a critical level of sales, when multiple forecasts or opinions are available to the decision maker. Several factors that can help improve the quality of human intervention are identified and incorporated in a decision aid. Experimental results show that aided combination can help the decision maker exploit her relevant private information and mitigate the generally observed negative effects of human intervention. Further, the results suggest that emphasizing expected sales, even when the organization is primarily interested in go/no-go decisions, helps improve performance. Several suggestions for future research are presented.
Thermoelastic Modeling of a PWB With Simulated Circuit Traces Subjected to Infrared Reflow Soldering With Experimental Validation

A bare, four copper layer printed wiring board with simple trace patterns was built for modeling and experimental validation purposes. In-plane elastic properties of the core materials in the board were measured as a function of temperature. Thermoelastic lamination theory was utilized to predict the warpage of the board when subjected to an infrared reflow process, with emphasis on studying the influence of thermal gradients through the board, its support conditions and CTE differential on the warpage process. Board layers with traces were approximated with quasi-homogeneous effective properties obtained using micromechanics theory. An experimental system that employs the shadow moird technique in a simulated infrared reflow environment was used to evaluate the warpage for comparison to modeled results.
Rhagoletis zephyria (Diptera: Tephritidae) in the Great Lakes Basin: a Native Insect on Native Hosts?

In the Great Lakes region, Rhagoletis zephyria Snow (Diptera: Tephritidae) infests snowberries, Symphoricarpos albus variety laevigatus (Fern.) Blake, a western North American native plant that has been introduced widely into eastern North America. These R. zephyria infestations have been hypothesized to be the result of flies that were introduced into eastern North America along with their host plants. In its native range, R. zephyria infests S. albus variety laevigatus, but it infests a related host, Symphoricarpos occidentalis Hook., in the northern Great Plains. Knowledge of the natural geographic and host ranges of R. zephyria is important. R. zephyria is a sibling species of the apple maggot, Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh), and aspects of R. zephyria biology can be applied to work on speciation mechanisms. Additionally, the possible co-occurrence of morphologically similar R. zephyria and R. pomonella in apple (Malus spp.)-growing regions complicates the positive identification of trap-caught flies in the R. pomonella species group. Here, we examine the hypothesis that R. zephyria in the Great Lakes region has been introduced. Collections of R. zephyria yielded new state/provincial records in Idaho, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, and Ontario and Quebec, Canada, and a new host record, S. albus variety albus, which is native to eastern North America. Finding R. zephyria infesting native host plants in the eastern United States leads us to hypothesize that R. zephyria infestations in the Great Lakes region may not be the result of recent (historical) introductions of R. zephyria, but rather they may represent native R. zephyria populations.
“Risk = Probability × Consequences”: Probability, Uncertainty, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Evolving Risk Communication Rhetoric

This article examines the rhetoric employed by the Atomic Energy Commission and its successor, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, to communicate the risks of nuclear power to legislators and the public. Close reading of official and unofficial documents demonstrates the importance of developing an effective risk-communication strategy in anticipation of danger rather than in response.
Facteurs relaxants d'origine endothéliale et spasme coronarien

L'hypertrophie ventriculaire gauche (HVG) a ete etudiee en tant qu'affection predisposant aux maladies cardiovasculaires sur une periode d'observation de 34 ans, dans le cadre de l'etude de Framingham. Qu'elle soit presente a l'electrocardiogramme, a la radiographie ou a l'echocardiographie, l'HVG est un signe avant-coureur de maladie cardiovasculaire. Toute forme d'HVG, qu'elle soit anatomique ou electrocardiographique, doit etre consideree comme un grave signe pronostique et non comme un phenomene compensatoire sans consequence
A mechanistic investigation of the photoinduced, copper-mediated cross-coupling of an aryl thiol with an aryl halide

Photoinduced, copper-catalyzed cross-coupling can offer a complementary approach to thermal (non-photoinduced) methods for generating C–X (X = C, N, O, S, etc.) bonds. In this report, we describe the first detailed mechanistic investigation of one of the processes that we have developed, specifically, the (stoichiometric) coupling of a copper–thiolate with an aryl iodide. In particular, we focus on the chemistry of a discrete [CuI(SAr)2]− complex (Ar = 2,6-dimethylphenyl), applying a range of techniques, including ESI-MS, cyclic voltammetry, transient luminescence spectroscopy, optical spectroscopy, DFT calculations, Stern–Volmer analysis, EPR spectroscopy, actinometry, and reactivity studies. The available data are consistent with the viability of a pathway in which photoexcited [CuI(SAr)2]−* serves as an electron donor to an aryl iodide to afford an aryl radical, which then reacts in cage with the newly generated copper(II)–thiolate to furnish the cross-coupling product in a non-chain process.
Honey Flow from Goldenrod in its Relation to Temperature at Donaldsonville, La.

Temperature factors have been correlated with the daily gross gains in weight of one colony of bees, at Donaldsonville. The study covers only the goldenrod honey flow for 1930.
ID: 73: ATHEROTHROMBOSIS, THROMBOPHILIA, AND RELENTLESS PROGRESSION OF CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE

Introduction Atherothrombosis involves a complex pathway often initiated by ulceration of an atherosclerotic plaque with platelet aggregation and thrombus formation. In the concurrent presence of familial and acquired thrombophilia, coronary artery disease (CAD) is often accelerated despite conventional lipid lowering, anti-platelet, and vascular interventions (stents, angioplasty, bypass). In a cohort of 30 patients with premature CAD and atherothrombosis, often worsening despite maximal conventional medical-surgical intervention, our specific aim was to describe major concurrent thrombophilia as a treatable component of atherothrombosis. Methods In 30 patients with premature, severe, and progressive CAD and atherothrombosis, despite maximal lipid lowering, anti-platelet therapy, and direct intervention (stents, angioplasty, coronary artery bypass grafts), we assessed for the presence of familial and acquired thrombophilia, with comparison to 110 healthy normal controls without CAD, and to 110 patients without CVD but with previous venous thromboembolism (VTE). Results The 30 patients (21 men, 9 women) had severe CAD despite anti-platelet treatment, maximal lipid lowering therapy (mean±SD LDLC was 82±46, median 72 mg/dl), and direct arterial intervention. The patients9 first cardiac event occurred at age 46±12, median 47 years, and current age was 59±12, median 59 years. Most patients had suffered from multiple myocardial infarctions (12 had multiple stents, 8 were post cardiac bypass), 8 had previous VTEs, 3 had TIAs and one had preeclampsia. Compared with 110 healthy normal controls, the 30 patients with CAD-atherothrombosis were more likely to have high homocysteine (20% vs 5%, P=0.014), Factor Leiden Heterozygosity (23% vs 2, P=0.006), lupus anticoagulant (27% vs 2%, P=0.003), high anticardiolipin antibody IgM (17% vs 3%, P=0.005), high factor VIII (30% VS 7%, P=0.007), high Factor XI (25% vs 3%, P=0.003), low antigenic protein C (26% vs 6%, P=0.18) and low antigenic protein S (21% vs 2%, P=0.007). Of the 8 patients who had CABG, 2 had multiple early venous graft failure (25%) compared to the historical one year graft failure of 10–15%. Thrombophilia did not differ across the atherothrombosis/CAD and VTE groups, except that the lupus anticoagulant was more common in the CAD-atherothrombosis patients than in the VTE patients (27% VS 4%, P=0.002). Conclusion In the presence of premature-aggressive CAD, despite maximal lipid lowering, anti-platelet therapy, and angioplasty-stent-bypass interventions, it is clinically valuable to assess for anticoagulant-treatable thrombophilia, which interacts with the atherosclerosis with resultant atherothrombosis. The patterns of thrombophilia in atherothrombotic patients do not differ from those in VTE without CAD, except for the lupus anticoagulant.
Effects of monofunctional platinum agents on bacterial growth: a retrospective study.

The effect of the novel and potent monofunctional platinum(II) agent phenanthriplatin on Escherichia coli and bacteriophage λ lysogens is reported. E. coli filamentation was observed by light microscopy when cells were grown in the presence of phenanthriplatin, cis-[Pt(NH3)2(Am)Cl]+ where Am is phenanthridine. Treatment of lysogenic bacteria with this compound resulted in lysis and the production of viral particles, as indicated by plaque formation in a bacterial lawn. The results obtained with phenanthriplatin are contextualized by comparison with those obtained using cisplatin as well as other, less active, monofunctional compounds such as [Pt(NH3)3Cl]+ and cis-[Pt(NH3)2(py)Cl]+, where py is pyridine. The ability of phenanthriplatin to induce bacterial filamentation and initiate lysis in lysogenic bacteria corroborates the hypothesis that the biological activity of this complex is mediated by its interaction with DNA.
Detection of Group A Streptococci From Throat Cultures: Comparison of Enzyme Fluorescence, Latex Agglutination, and Routine Culture

Two rapid commercial methods were compared with conventional throat cultures for their effectiveness in the detection of group A streptococci. Three throat swabs were obtained simultaneously from 213 pediatric patients and subsequently tested by culture on a 5% sheep blood agar plate, Culturette Brand 10-Minute Group A Strep ID (Marion Scientific), and StrepAFIuor (BioSpec). A total of 110 specimens contained group A streptococci confirmed by conventional grouping methods. Culturette detected all 110 specimens containing group A streptococci, but StrepAFIuor detected only 22. False-positive reactions were obtained with two specimens tested by Culturette and with nine specimens tested by StrepAFIuor. The Culturette system appears to offer a rapid and accurate alternative to culture for the detection of group A streptococcal antigen. The current StrepAFIuor system does not have the sensitivity necessary to be recommended as an acceptable alternative to culture for the detection of group A streptococci
Rotational Bands in Ne 22 Excited by the O 18 ( Li 7 , t ) Ne 22 Reaction

The $^{18}\mathrm{O}(^{7}\mathrm{Li},t)^{22}\mathrm{Ne}$ reaction has been studied at 12-MeV incident energy. Angular distributions have been extracted for 22 triton groups leading to states in $^{22}\mathrm{Ne}$ up to 8.59 MeV in excitation energy. The experimental angular distributions have been compared with the predictions of the Coulomb-distorted plane-wave model. $L$ values have been assigned and relative $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-cluster widths have been extracted for the strong transitions. Significant $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ clustering has been observed for 10 states in $^{22}\mathrm{Ne}$ between 6.24- and 8.59-MeV excitation energy. Spin and parity assignments have been made to these states from the combined results of the $^{18}\mathrm{O}(^{7}\mathrm{Li},t)^{22}\mathrm{Ne}$ and $^{21}\mathrm{Ne}(d,p)^{22}\mathrm{Ne}$ reaction. The classification of the $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-cluster states into rotational bands has been discussed within the framework of the SU(3) model.
Novel laser-processed CsI:Tl detector for SPECT

Purpose: The aim of this work is to demonstrate the feasibility of a novel technique for fabrication of high spatial resolution CsI:Tl scintillation detectors for single photon emission computed tomography systems. Methods: The scintillators are fabricated using laser-induced optical barriers technique to create optical microstructures (or optical barriers) inside the CsI:Tl crystal bulk. The laser-processed CsI:Tl crystals are 3, 5, and 10 mm in thickness. In this work, the authors focus on the simplest pattern of optical barriers in that the barriers are created in the crystal bulk to form pixel-like patterns resembling mechanically pixelated scintillators. The monolithic CsI:Tl scintillator samples are fabricated with optical barrier patterns with 1.0 × 1.0 mm2 and 0.625 × 0.625 mm2 pixels. Experiments were conducted to characterize the fabricated arrays in terms of pixel separation and energy resolution. A 4 × 4 array of multipixel photon counter was used to collect the scintillation light in all the experiments. Results: The process yield for fabricating the CsI:Tl arrays is 100% with processing time under 50 min. From the flood maps of the fabricated detectors exposed to 122 keV gammas, peak-to-valley (P/V) ratios of greater than 2.3 are calculated. The P/V values suggest that regardless of the crystal thickness, the pixels can be resolved. Conclusions: The results suggest that optical barriers can be considered as a robust alternative to mechanically pixelated arrays and can provide high spatial resolution while maintaining the sensitivity in a high-throughput and cost-effective manner.
Operation Characteristics of RTV Antipollution Flashover Coatings in Guangdong Region

The subtropical climate in Guangdong region significantly affects the operation of room-temperature vulcanized silicone rubber(RTV) antipollution flashover coatings. To this end, we tested the RTV antipollution flashover coatings which had run in different operation environments in Guangdong region for 4~7 years, and analyzed the influences of some factors, such as high temperature and humidity, ultraviolet radiation, and rainy climate, on the performance of the RTV coatings. Moreover, the silicone content of the RTV coatings was analyzed using the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy method. The results indicated that, influenced by high temperature, high humidity, strong ultraviolet radiation, and rainfall, the surface of RTV coatings was seriously deteriorated. The longer the operation period was, the worse the hydrophobicity and hydrophobicity transference of RTV antipollution coatings were. The hydrophobicity transference of the RTV coatings near urban areas was even totally lost after seven years of operation. Moreover, the type of pollution source also influenced the RTV antipollution flashover coatings. After being operated for the same period, the RTV coatings running near the urban area performed better than those running near cement plants.
Recent Developments and Trends in Thin-Film Electroluminescent Display Drivers

The development of the thin-film electroluminescent display from a laboratory technology to a viable commercial product has in large part been made possible by advances in integrated circuit technology. Prior to the early 1980’s, driving a display required thousands of discrete transistors in a configuration that was bulky, unreliable and costly. Integrated circuits pioneered by Sharp, Supertex, and Texas Instruments enabled system designers to overcome these shortcomings and led to the first commercial TFEL products. Those early products have since matured, responding to market demands for increased reliability, lower power, and reduced cost. The driver ICs have responded to these demands as well with symmetric row drivers, low power column drivers, and innovative new packaging.
Failure Modes during Low-Voltage Electrowetting.

Low-voltage electrowetting devices allow significant contact angle changes below a 50 V bias; however, operation under prolonged cycling and failure modes have not yet been sufficiently elucidated. In this work, the failure modes and performance degradation of Cytop (23–210 nm)/aluminum oxide (15–44 nm) bilayers have been investigated. Contact angle and leakage current were measured during stepped voltage measurements up to failure, showing three electrowetting response regimes: ideal Young–Lippmann behavior, contact angle saturation, and dielectric breakdown. The onset of ionic conduction in aluminum oxide and the resulting breakdown control when the layer would ultimately fail, but the thickness of the Cytop layer determined the achievable contact angle versus voltage characteristics. Cyclic electrowetting measurements studied the repeatability of contact angle change using an applied voltage above or below the voltage drop needed for polymer breakdown (VT). Results show repeatable electrowetting below ...
Just for Fun: The Misappropriation of OCD for Humor and the Role of Critical Disciplines in Claiming It Back

While my ultimate goal in this book is to present a reading of OCD through literary lenses, an understanding of which can be expanded and applied in advocacy, education, and other forms of critical inquiry, I believe it is also important to offer some commentary on the theoretical foundation that sustains the work and on the disciplines from which I draw insights. As shown in Chapter 2, it is equally important to present some reflection on historical linguistic and discursive elements as well as to employ “literary” in its broader sense. I say this because, taken as a group, these components all contribute to the social understandings that we apply to medical phenomena in our own time.
Nitric Oxide Inhibits High Voltage-Activated Calcium Channels through S-Nitrosylation

Nitric oxide (NO) is involved in a variety of physiological processes, such as vasoregulation and neurotransmission, and has a complex role in the regulation of pain transduction and transmission. We have shown previously that NO inhibits high voltage-activated Ca2+ channels in primary sensory neurons and excitatory synaptic transmission in the spinal dorsal horn. However, the molecular mechanism involved in this inhibitory action remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of S-nitrosylation in the NO regulation of high voltage-activated Ca2+channels. The NO donor S-Nitroso-N-acetyl-DL-penicillamine (SNAP) rapidly reduced N-type currents when Cav2.2 was coexpressed with the Cavβ1 or Cavβ3 subunit in HEK293 cells. In contrast, SNAP only slightly inhibited P/Q-type and L-type currents reconstituted with various Cavβ subunits. SNAP caused a depolarizing shift in voltage-dependent N-type channel activation, but it had no effect on Cav2.2 protein levels on the membrane surface. The inhibitory effect of SNAP on N-type currents was blocked by the sulfhydryl-specific modifying reagent methanethiosulfonate ethylammonium. Furthermore, the consensus motifs of S-nitrosylation were much more abundant in Cav2.2 than in Cav1.2 and Cav2.1. Site-directed mutagenesis studies showed that Cys805, Cys930 and Cys1045 in the II-III intracellular loop, Cys1835 and Cys2145 in the C-terminus of Cav2.2, and Cys346 in the Cavβ3 subunit were nitrosylation sites mediating NO sensitivity of N-type channels. Our findings demonstrate that the consensus motifs of S-nitrosylation in cytoplasmically accessible sites are critically involved in post-translational regulation of N-type Ca2+ channels by NO.
National patterns of care and predictors of neoadjuvant and concurrent chemotherapy use with definitive radiotherapy in the treatment of patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND To the authors' knowledge, the patterns of care for the radiotherapy-based treatment of patients with stage III to IVB oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) are poorly defined. The objective of the current study was to characterize the use and predictors of chemotherapy with radiotherapy for this population using the National Cancer Database. METHODS Patients in the National Cancer Database with AJCC (American Joint Committee on Cancer) stage III to IV OPSCC who were treated with radiotherapy between 2003 and 2012 were eligible for analysis. Treatment was defined as radiotherapy alone, concurrent chemoradiotherapy, or induction chemotherapy (IC). Multivariable regression with multilevel modeling was used to determine predictors of any chemotherapy use and, among patients receiving chemotherapy, the predictors of IC. RESULTS The majority (90%) of the 30,875 eligible patients received chemotherapy, the majority of whom (71% of the total) were treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy; a sizeable percentage of patients received IC (19% of total). On multivariable regression, younger age, favorable comorbidity status, and more advanced tumor and lymph node disease were found to be independent predictors of any chemotherapy and IC use. Nonwhite patients (odds ratio [OR], 0.71; P<.0001), women (OR, 0.74; P<.0001), and individuals without private insurance were found to be significantly less likely to receive chemotherapy. Patients treated at higher-volume institutions were significantly less likely to receive IC (OR, 0.69; P = .0006). Human papillomavirus status did not appear to independently influence treatment choice. CONCLUSIONS The vast majority of patients with stage III to IVB OPSCC who were treated with definitive radiotherapy received chemotherapy, which is consistent with high-level data and national recommendations. However, disparities with regard to race, sex, and insurance status emerged thereby requiring additional investigation. The frequent use of IC despite limited supportive evidence warrants research on physician and patient decision making and presents an opportunity to improve evidence-based treatment delivery. Cancer 2017;123:273–282. © 2016 American Cancer Society.
Developing a visual sensitive image features based CAD scheme to assist classification of mammographic masses

Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) schemes of mammograms have been previously developed and tested. However, due to using “black-box” approaches with a large number of complicated features, radiologists have lower confidence to accept or consider CAD-cued results. In order to help solve this issue, this study aims to develop and evaluate a new CAD scheme that uses visual sensitive image features to classify between malignant and benign mammographic masses. A dataset of 301 masses detected on both craniocaudal (CC) and mediolateraloblique (MLO) view images was retrospectively assembled. Among them, 152 were malignant and 149 were benign. An iterative region-growing algorithm was applied to the special Gaussian-kernel filtered images to segment mass regions. Total 13 Image features were computed to mimic 5 categories of visually sensitive features that are commonly used by radiologists in classifying suspicious mammographic masses namely, mass size, shape factor, contrast, homogeneity and spiculation. We then selected one optimal feature in each of 5 feature categories by using a student t-test, and applied two logistic regression classifiers using either CC or MLO view images to distinguish between malignant and benign masses. Last, a fusion method of combining two classification scores was applied and tested. By applying a 10-fold cross-validation method, the area under receiver operating characteristic curves was 0.806±0.025. This study demonstrated a new approach to develop CAD scheme based on 5 visually sensitive image features. Combining with a “visual-aid” interface, CAD results are much more easily explainable to the observers and may increase their confidence to consider CAD-cued results.
Pay It Forward

How many times have we heard the phrase pay it forward? Just what does this phrase mean? It is not new: according to sources, it has been around since the third century B.C., with the author unknown. How has it survived for such a long period, and how is it interpreted today?
Riding down the Bay: Space‐time clustering of ecological trends

The Chesapeake Bay Program, initiated in 1983, is a regional partnership between several state governments, federal agencies, and advisory groups that is involved in the cleanup and restoration of the Bay. To study the ecological trends in the area, we propose a new data-driven procedure for optimal selection of tuning parameters in dynamic clustering algorithms, using the notion of a stability probe. We refer to the new procedure as Downhill Riding (DR) because of the dynamics of the clustering stability probe. We study the finite sample performance of DR when clustering benchmark Iris data and synthetic times series, and illustrate the methods using data on water quality in the Chesapeake Bay.
On “Dative Idioms” in English

Appeals to idiom data have played an important role in arguments about the relation between English prepositional datives (Mary gave a present to John) and double object forms (Mary gave John a present).The claimed existence of idioms in both types has led researchers to conclude that the two constructions are independent, with no derivational relation between them. This article shows that the factual claims are mistaken: no English dative idioms exist in either type. Forms like give ~ the creeps/show ~ the ropes are not double object idioms because they are not idioms—they are fully compositional. Forms like throw ~ to the wolves/send ~ to the showers are not dative idioms because they are not datives—they are caused-motion constructions. The former misanalysis arises from a confusion of idioms with collocations. The latter misanalysis arises from a simplistic view about the syntax-semantics mapping, namely, that oblique datives univocally express caused motion. Given that English dative idioms do not exist, arguments about the derivational relatedness of dative forms in English must appeal to other data.
Chondroblastoma-like chondroma of soft tissue: A report of two cases

Soft tissue chondroma is a benign cartilaginous neoplasm composed of cells with a chondroid phenotype. Chondromas of soft tissue can have variable histological appearances including deposition of calcium, histiocytic reaction, ossification, and myxoid change. One notable variation is the presence of histological features reminiscent of chondroblastoma of the bone, and the term used in this scenario is chondroblastoma-like chondroma of soft tissue. There have been fourteen previous case reports of chondroblastoma-like chondroma of soft tissue, predominantly in the hands; with one case being reported in the base of the skull. We report two cases of chondroblastoma-like chondroma of soft tissue occurring in the hand and foot. To the best of our knowledge this is the first reported case of chondroblastoma-like chondroma of soft tissue in the foot.
Promising immunotherapy for prostate cancer

Introduction Sipuleucel-T is the only currently approved immunotherapy for the management of prostate cancer. However, other immunotherapy agents have recently shown activity in prostate cancer and are being developed alone or in combination with other agents. Areas covered This article provides a review of positive or encouraging clinical trials of agents under development including vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, immune modulators, gene-mediated cytotoxic immunotherapy and chimeric antigen receptor-modified 'designer' T cells in patients with prostate cancer. Expert opinion Personalized peptide vaccines have been associated with improvements in overall survival in early phase clinical trials of patients with prostate cancer, which may lead to their future adoption into management. While single agent, monoclonal antibody-based immunotherapy trials and PSA-TRICOM's phase III trial have not demonstrated statistically significant improvements in overall survival, combinations of these agents with complementary agents have demonstrated encouraging activity. To improve the development and targeting of these therapies, agent and patient selection/modification needs to occur in the context of a rational model of the immune system's interaction with prostate cancer. In addition, some traditional surrogates of efficacy may need to be reconsidered as multiple trials of immunotherapy in prostate cancer have had conflicting results between progression-free survival and overall survival.
Russian Airpower’s Success in Syria: Assessing Evolution in Kinetic Counterinsurgency

Russia’s employment of airpower in Syria presents an opportunity to assess its inter- and intra-war adaptation in kinetic counterinsurgency. An initial survey suggests that new technologies and tac...
HEART RATE AND BLOOD LACTATE RESPONSES TO CHANGQUAN AND DAOSHU FORMS OF MODERN WUSHU

The development of specific training designed to enhance physiological aspects of performance relies heavily on the availability of accurate and validity physiological data. In the combat sport of Wushu, katas are used to develop aerobic fitness. It is arguably important to assess and monitor heart rate (HR) and lactate (La) responses when designing effective training programs. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate heart rate and lactate responses to forms execution among Wushu combatants. Male elite modern Wushu athletes (n = 4) from a South Brazilian regional team participated in the study. Athletes were aged 22.5 ± 2.08 years old and had at least eight years of Wushu experience. Athletes carried out the Changquan and Daoshu forms in random order, HR and La were measured pre- and post-exercise. Results indicate that HR was 176 ± 3 and 176 ± 2 bpm and La was 4.38 ± 1.3 and 5.15 ± 1.07 mmol·l(-1) for Changquan and Daoshu forms, respectively. There were no significantly differences in HR and La between the two forms. HR values represent 89.2 ± 1.1 and 89.1 ± 1.8% of age-predicted maximal heart rate and lactate was near of 4 mmol·l(-1) point. In conclusion, training programs to Wushu combatants could target the range of physiological values cited above with no differences between two forms. Key PointsHeart rate and lactate responses are not significantly different between Changquan and Daoshu forms for Wushu combatants.The Wushu katas could be used to develop aerobic fitness.
The Roots of DNA Research

This chapter describes gene theory, and a research that focuses on deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) as the substance of the gene. The chapter begins by explaining that early research concentrated on the blood theory of inheritance, but discarded the idea that blood influenced heredity. The chapter also discusses Gregor Mendel, an Austrian monk's experiments to reveal the statistical pattern of inheritance. Mendel's work with plants acted as the basis for studies in genetics. Mendel studied the traits of pea plants and developed the theory of inheritance. In the twentieth century, studies based on Mendel's theory, scientists found the existence of chromosomes. They found that all human bodies have 46 chromosomes that are organized in 23 pairs. W.H.Sutton, one of the leaders in chromosome research based on Mendel's experiments, highlighted that chromosomes could be the hypothetical inheritance factors that Mendel had studied. Morgan used the fruit fly to determine that the male fruit fly inherits only one chromosome for sex determination and inherits only one chromosome for white eye color. This research placed the theory of inheritance on firm footing. He also suggested that the chromosome could be divided into smaller entities. The smaller entities later came to be known as the “genes.” Miescher discovered the presence of nucleic acid in chromosomes. Feulgen and Mirsky found out that genes are composed of DNA. Griffith researched bacteria to connect DNA and the appearance of traits in bacteria. Hershey and Chase linked DNA to the synthesis of protein, proving the involvement of DNA in heredity.
Patterns of Cell Proliferation and Cell Migration in the Sezary Syndrome

The patterns of cell proliferation and cell migration were studied in three patients with the Sezary syndrome using autoradiographic techniques. Cell labeling patterns following pulse labeling with tritiated thymidine in vivo indicated that Sezary cells proliferate actively in skin and in lymph nodes but that few if any Sezary cells proliferate in the peripheral blood. In two of the patients serial samples were obtained. Label dilution patterns in skin and blood over time suggested that circulating Sezary cells originated in extracutaneous sites where cells were proliferating more rapidly than in the skin. Cells labeled in extracutaneous sites of proliferation appear rapidly in the blood, and their transit time through the peripheral blood compartment is short. Circulating Sezary cells may then be deposited in the skin where they resume proliferation at a low rate. Thus, while Sezary cells proliferate in both cutaneous and extracutaneous sites, proliferation appears to be more rapid in extracutaneous sites such as lymph nodes. This suggests that trials of systemic therapeutic approaches should be undertaken.
Dynamic Perspectives on the Control of Animal Disease: Merging Epidemiology and Economics

The literature on managing animal diseases has its roots in mathematical epidemiology, which focuses on understanding the dynamics of infectious populations (Kermack and McKendrick 1927; Anderson and May 1979). Mathematical epidemiology models can be used to predict the conditions under which disease prevalence will diminish over time and eventually be eradicated from the animal system. Management in this context generally is viewed as a sequence of exogenous perturbations designed to produce the required conditions for prevalence decline and, when possible, eradication (Heesterbeek and Roberts 1995).
Cultures with Requisite Imagination

When a large system is developed, there are always, in the early stages, a great number of serious problems with it. In some organizations these serious problems are quickly noted and rapidly attacked. In others they are hidden, skirted, or only half-solved. If we call the former organizations effective and the latter ineffective, we are led to an obvious question: what distinguishes the effective from the ineffective ones? The differences in performance are apparent; we need to explore their causes. In this paper I will use engineering examples from the 19th and 20th centuries to develop a more detailed picture of the kinds of differences that exist between those organizations likely to vet their systems successfully and those unlikely to do so.
Penicillium Antibiotic Effect

In this lesson students will use the Penicillium chrysogenum fungus, which naturally produces the antibiotic penicillin, to investigate the effect of naturally produced antibiotics on bacteria in laboratory cultures. Students co-culture P. chrysogenum with three species of bacteria to observe differences between penicillin-resistant and penicillin-sensitive bacteria. They will normalize fungal spore suspension and bacterial culture concentrations before inoculating co-cultures. After bacteria have been exposed to the antibiotic, students will quantify culture density to determine antibiotic effect in liquid culture and on solid media. Students will learn about natural product antibiotics as well as experimental design and application.
Predictive modeling of the performance of asynchronous iterative methods

Asynchronous algorithms may increase the performance of parallel applications on large-scale HPC platforms due to decreased dependence among processing elements. This work investigates strategies for implementing asynchronous hybrid parallel MPI–OpenMP iterative solvers. Seven different implementations are considered, and results show that striking a balance between communication and computation that balances the number of iterations in each processing element benefits performance and solution quality. A predictive performance model that utilizes kernel density estimation to model the underlying probability density function to the collected data is then developed to optimize execution parameters for a given problem. For the majority of iteration executions, the performance model matches within about 6% of the empirical data. The different hybrid parallel implementations are examined further to find optimal parametric distributions whose parameters can be tuned to the problem at hand. The generalized extreme value distribution was selected based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative comparisons, and for the most of the iteration executions, the model matches the data within about 6.1%. Results from the parametric distribution model are examined along with results of the model on related problems, and possible further extensions to the predictive model are discussed.
Post-Conviction and Prejudice: The Ninth Circuit's Application of Martinez in Pending Capital Cases

The 2012 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Martinez v. Ryan created a new equitable rule permitting federal courts to consider the merits of otherwise unreviewable claims of ineffective assistance of trial counsel. This article discusses the rule set forth in Martinez and examines Arizona death-penalty cases that were pending on appeal when the opinion came down, focusing on the Ninth Circuit's treatment of Martinez in cases where an appellant seeks to return to district court for further development and consideration of his claims of ineffective assistance of trial counsel. The article suggests that more latitude should be afforded for development of otherwise defaulted claims in those cases where a state prisoner has been sentenced to death. In that regard, the article presents a workable solution consistent with Supreme Court precedent when evaluating cases under Martinez and urges the appellate courts to allow capital prisoners the opportunity to return to the federal district court to develop substantial claims that were never raised in state court.
Membrane Bioreactors for Nitrogen Removal from Wastewater: A Review

AbstractThe application of membrane bioreactor (MBR) processes for conventional, municipal and industrial wastewater treatment [e.g., biological oxygen demand (BOD) reduction] is well established. ...
Implant and prosthetic rehabilitation of a patient with mucous membrane pemphigoid.

Abstract Mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) is an autoimmune condition characterized by subepithelial separation and deposition of autoantibodies and complement along the basement membrane zone. The disease results in the development of vesiculobullous lesions of the mucous membranes and skin. This report discusses the surgical treatment and management and the prosthetic implant rehabilitation of a patient with mucous membrane pemphigoid. The rationale for this treatment was to fabricate a prosthesis that was stable and did not rub against the gingival tissues and that was easily cleaned. The overdenture attachment system used provides more stability than other attachment systems while allowing the prosthesis and abutments to be easily cleaned.
Parametrization of Quark and Gluon Generalized Parton Distributions in a Dynamical Framework

We present a parametrization of the chiral even generalized parton distributions, $H$, $E$, $\widetilde{H}$, $\widetilde{E}$, for the quark, antiquark and gluon, in the perturbative QCD-parton framework. Parametric analytic forms are given as a function of two equivalent sets of variables $x,\xi,t$ (symmetric frame) and $X,\zeta,t$ (asymmetric frame), at an initial scale, $Q_o^2$. In the $X>\zeta$ region a convenient and flexible form is obtained as the product of a Regge term $\propto X^{-\alpha + \alpha' t}$, describing the low $X$ behavior, times a spectator model-based functional form depending on various mass parameters; the behavior at $X<\zeta$, is determined using the generalized parton distributions symmetry and polynomiality properties. The parameters are constrained using data on the flavor separated nucleon electromagnetic elastic form factors, the axial and pseudoscalar nucleon form factors, and the parton distribution functions from both the deep inelastic unpolarized and polarized nucleon structure functions. For the gluon distributions we use, in particular, constraints provided by recent lattice QCD moments calculations. The parametrization's kinematical range of validity is: $0.0001 \leq X \leq 0.85$, $0.01 \leq \zeta \leq 0.85$, $0 \leq -t \leq 1$ GeV$^2$, $2 \leq Q^2 \leq 100$ GeV$^2$. With the simultaneous description of the quark, anti-quark and gluon sectors, this parametrization represents a first tool enabling a global QCD analysis of deeply virtual exclusive experiments.
Energy Levels in C 12 from Be 9 (α,n)C 12

A thin polonium source and thin beryllium target have been used to investigate energy states in ${\mathrm{C}}^{12}$. The neutron spectrum was determined from proton tracks in Eastman NTA emulsions. By investigating the neutrons emitted in the forward and backward directions, neutrons associated with the transition to the ground state of ${\mathrm{C}}^{12}$ were detected, and excited levels in ${\mathrm{C}}^{12}$ were identified at 4.2 and 7.5 Mev above the ground state.
Significance of Mass–Concentration Relation on the Contaminant Source Depletion in the Nonaqueous Phase Liquid (NAPL) Contaminated Zone

This study develops a new numerical model adopting a generic relation between the nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) mass and aqueous-phase NAPL concentration to simulate the relationship between NAPL contaminant mass discharge and contaminant mass reduction in the source zone, which plays a critical role to assist with site management decisions on contaminated zone remediation. The model can accommodate any contaminant mass and concentration relations and applicable to the situations when groundwater flowrate in the NAPL source zone varies in any form temporally. Therefore, the combined effects of mass–concentration relation and groundwater flowrate variations can be examined. It is hypothesized that the NAPL mass–concentration relations reflect the spatial variability of porous media in the subsurface. The developed model is compared with results from field monitoring sites and found to exhibit high flexibility and capability in capturing the observed complex NAPL source zone dynamics. Using six contaminant mass and concentration functions of varying shapes, we show that contaminant mass and concentration relation has pronounced effects on contaminant mass discharge dynamics in addition to the groundwater flowrate temporal variations. In general, the coupled mass–concentration relation and groundwater flowrate variations demonstrate stronger capability in capturing the NAPL source zone dynamics under a wide range of field porous medium conditions reported in the literature than the models that only consider groundwater flux variations. In particular, the concave mass–concentration models can be used in less heterogeneous porous media, while the convex mass–concentration models are more appropriate in more heterogeneous site conditions.