cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
TH‐C‐137‐02: Robotic Radiotherapy Using Intermediate Beam Energies

Purpose: Intermediate energy (1–2MV) x‐rays have steeper depth dose drop‐off and sharper penumbra than commonly used 6MV x‐rays. Dosimetry benefits of these characteristics are studied on a robotic non‐coplanar planning and delivery platform. Methods: Dose of 1MV and 6MV x‐rays was calculated using the convolution/superposition algorithm with heterogeneity correction and Monte Carlo calculated dose kernels. The X‐ray spectrum was adjusted to match depth dose curves of published data. Thirty noncoplanar beams were selected by a pricing approach from a candidate beam pool, which consisted of 1162 uniformly distributed non‐coplanar beams minus beams leading to collision. The collision model was fit to individual treatment sites. Fluence optimization based on 5 mm MLC was performed after adding each beam. Identical objective functions for PTV and organs‐at‐risk (OARs) were employed in the 3 planning scenarios: 1 MV alone, 6 MV alone and the combination of 1 MV and 6 MV beams (1&6 MV) with the prescription dose covering 95% of the PTV. Four representative cases from the following anatomical sites were included in the study: head and neck, partial breast, lung and liver. Results: 1 MV and 1&6 MV plans provided superior OAR sparing for head, liver, partial breast and lung cases while maintaining the same PTV coverage. Compared with 6 MV plan, 1 MV plans reduced the integral dose by 25%, 23%, 19% and 9% for lung, breast, head and liver cases respectively. The plan quality of 1&6 MV plans, which primarily was slightly superior to that of the 1MV only plans. Conclusion: The dosimetric drawbacks of intermediate energy x‐rays are higher skin doses and shallower penetration when few of them are used on a coplanar platform but these drawbacks were effectively overcome on a highly non‐coplanar treatment planning platform, where its advantages of normal tissue sparing and sharp penumbra are manifested.
The Development of Drug-Free Therapy for Prevention of Dental Caries

Purpose The purpose of this study was to develop a novel, drug-free therapy that can reduce the over-accumulation of cariogenic bacteria on dental surfaces.
Lessons Learned in the Surgical Treatment of Neurogenic Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Over 10 Years.

Objective:To evaluate our extensive experience over a decade in the treatment of patients with neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome (NTOS) who underwent first rib resection and scalenectomy (FRRS).Methods:Patients treated with FRRS for NTOS from 2003 to 2013 were retrospectively reviewed using a prospectively maintained database.Results:Over 10 years, 286 patients underwent 308 FRRS. During the first 5-year period, 127 FRRS were performed (96 F, 31 M), with an average age of 36.9 years. During the second 5-year period, 181 FRRS were performed (143 F, 38 M), with an average age of 33 years. A total of 24 children (age ≤18years) underwent FRRS, 9 during the first 5 years and 15 during the second 5 years. When comparing the second 5-year period to the first 5-year period, patients were younger (P = .066), reported a significantly shorter length of preoperative symptoms (35.4 vs 52.1 months, P < .01), prior narcotic use decreased from 31.5% to 23.8% (P < .05), and a history of prior surgical intervention on th...
An extensible source-level debugger

Standard debuggers are limited in the amount of analysis that they perform in order to assist with debugging. This paper presents UDB, a source-level debugger for the Unicon programming language with a novel architecture and capabilities. UDB combines classical debugging techniques such as those found in GDB with a growing set of automatic debugging extensions. UDB tests the hypotheses that a debugger built on top of a high-level framework enables better debugging capabilities as well as easier and more efficient extension than ordinary debuggers.
Multi-mode Mid-IR Silicon Raman Amplifiers

This paper discusses the prospects of silicon as a Mid-wave Infra-red Raman crystal. As a specific example of novel devices that can be realized, we introduce the concept of multi-mode silicon Raman amplifiers and their application in infrared image pre-amplification. The same technology also has application in incoherent beam combining.
Absolute ionization energy of the 2 1 S level of helium

We have measured the absolute wave numbers of a series of transitions from the metastable 2${\mathrm{}}^{1}$S level of helium to the n $^{1}$P (n=7--74) excited states. From these data we determine the binding energy of the 2 $^{1}$S level to 2.2 parts in ${10}^{10}$ by using a Ritz series formula. This high-precision determination of the 2 $^{1}$S binding energy does not depend on theoretical calculation of the binding energy of any helium level. The result, 32 033.228 855(7) ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$, confirms our earlier finding of a relatively large discrepancy with the predicted two-electron Lamb shift for the 2 $^{1}$S level.
A Study of Practice Utilization in Family Businesses

An exploratory analysis of practice utilization in 231 family businesses in Washington State is presented. The authors argue that the extent of practice utilization varies with multiple measures of business development. Several practice areas are highlighted—mission statements, family- and nonfamily-management practices, and succession planning. During early business development, utilization is higher for family-focused practices (family boards of directors, councils, training, and development). Data suggest that business-focused practices (written job descriptions, incentive compensation, and formal employee reviews) are utilized more in businesses at later development.
Simulation-based utility assessment of real-time information for sustainable mining operations

In capital intensive industries such as coalmines, real-time information is useful to run their operations within sustainable limits, and to enable early detection and response to deviations from those limits. The goal of this research is to assess the utilities of real-time information collected in coalmines for operating within sustainable limits. In this work, one of the largest coalmines in North America is considered. Utility indices are first proposed for important real-time information from the coalmine. Attributes are then defined for the indices and expressions for utility are proposed. The indices are also classified based on their impact on economic, social or environmental dimensions of sustainability of the coalmine. Experiments are conducted using real-time data on a simulation model of the material handling network of the coalmine to assess one of the proposed indices. The proposed index is found to precisely indicate utility of the corresponding real-time information.
Superior limb salvage with endovascular therapy in octogenarians with critical limb ischemia

Objective The goal of this study is to compare our results following open and endovascular infrainguinal revascularizations in patients ≥80 and Methods A retrospective analysis of 344 consecutive patients (399 limbs) who presented with CLI and underwent infrainguinal open or endovascular (EV) revascularizations between June 2001 and December 2007 was performed. Patients ≥80 (89 patients, 101 limbs) and Results Patients ≥80 were more likely to be nonambulatory and have coronary artery disease, whereas those P = .530). Perioperative mortality was significantly worse in ≥80 group in the open-treated group (16.2% vs 2.9%, P = .009), whereas it was similar in EV-treated patients (3.1% vs 0.6%, P = .197). The patency rates were similar between groups, however, LS was significantly better in ≥80 EV-treated patients than P = .043). Multivariate analysis showed diabetes, infrapopliteal intervention, presence of gangrene, nonambulatory status, dialysis-dependence, and runoff status being associated with limb loss whereas age being ≥ or Conclusions Our results suggest that revascularization in patients ≥80 with CLI is justified, especially when an endovascular intervention can be accomplished. Although limb salvage following endovascular interventions were better in the ≥80 group, sustained clinical success, and secondary clinical success rates were similar following open and endovascular interventions in both age groups. Open procedures carry a high perioperative mortality in the ≥80 age group and should be avoided if possible.
DNA motif alignment by evolving a population of Markov chains

Deciphering cis-regulatory elements or de novo motif-finding in genomes still remains elusive although much algorithmic effort has been expended. The Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method such as Gibbs motif samplers has been widely employed to solve the de novo motif-finding problem through sequence local alignment. Nonetheless, the MCMC-based motif samplers still suffer from local maxima like EM. Therefore, as a prerequisite for finding good local alignments, these motif algorithms are often independently run a multitude of times, but without information exchange between different chains. Hence it would be worth a new algorithm design enabling such information exchange. This paper presents a novel motif-finding algorithm by evolving a population of Markov chains with information exchange (PMC), each of which is initialized as a random alignment and run by the Metropolis-Hastings sampler (MHS). It is progressively updated through a series of local alignments stochastically sampled. Explicitly, the PMC motif algorithm performs stochastic sampling as specified by a population-based proposal distribution rather than individual ones, and adaptively evolves the population as a whole towards a global maximum. The alignment information exchange is accomplished by taking advantage of the pooled motif site distributions. A distinct method for running multiple independent Markov chains (IMC) without information exchange, or dubbed as the IMC motif algorithm, is also devised to compare with its PMC counterpart. Experimental studies demonstrate that the performance could be improved if pooled information were used to run a population of motif samplers. The new PMC algorithm was able to improve the convergence and outperformed other popular algorithms tested using simulated and biological motif sequences.
Adapative Error Protection for Energy Efficiency

With dramatic scaling in feature sizes, noise resilience is becoming one of the most important design parameters, similar to performance and energy efficiency. Noise resilience is particularly problematic in long on-chip buses of complex single chip systems such as on-chip multiprocessors. While one might opt to employ a very powerful error protection scheme, this may not be very energy efficient as noise behavior typically varies over time. In this paper, we propose an adaptive error protection scheme for energy efficiency, where the type of the coding scheme is modulated dynamically. The idea behind this strategy is to monitor the dynamic variations in noise behavior and use the least powerful (and hence the most energy efficient) error protection scheme required to maintain the error rates below a pre-set threshold. Our detailed experimental results obtained through simulation show that this adaptive strategy achieves the same level of error protection as the most powerful strategy experimented, without experiencing the latter's energy inefficiency. Based on our results, we recommend system designers to adopt adaptive protection schemes in environments where both energy and reliability are important.
Achievement and Safety of a Low Blood Pressure Goal in Chronic Renal Disease: The Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study Group*

The Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study showed a beneficial effect of a lower-than-usual blood pressure (BP) goal on the progression of renal disease in patients with proteinuria. The purpose of the present analyses was to examine the achieved BP, baseline characteristics that helped or hindered achievement of the BP goals, and safety of the BP interventions. Five hundred eighty-five patients with baseline glomerular filtration rate between 13 and 55 mL/min per 1.73 m2 (0.22 to 0.92 mL/s per 1.73 m2) were randomly assigned to either a usual or low BP goal (mean arterial pressure 92 mm Hg, a diagnosis of polycystic kidney disease or glomerular diseases, baseline urinary protein excretion > 1 g/d, age > or = 61 years, and black race. The frequency of medication changes and incidence of symptoms of low BP were greater in the low BP group, but there were no significant differences between BP groups in stop points, hospitalizations, or death. When data from both groups were combined, each 1-mm Hg increase in follow-up systolic BP was associated with a 1.35-times greater risk of hospitalization for cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease. Lower BP than usually recommended for the prevention of cardiovascular disease is achievable by several medication regimens without serious adverse effects in patients with chronic renal disease without cardiovascular disease. For patients with urinary protein excretion > 1 g/d, target BP should be a mean arterial pressure of < or = 92 mm Hg, equivalent to 125/75 mm Hg.
Hierarchical optimization of TSV placement with inter-tier liquid cooling in 3D-IC MPSoCs

Thermal management in 3D-ICs is a significant constraint, owing to the high heat flux (~200 W/cm2) and the vertical integration density. The vertical inter-layer connections are achieved using the through silicon vias (TSV). The placement and density of these TSVs are restricted by the pitch size, hotspots and fabrication costs. Moreover, the placement of TSVs effects the thermal gradients and the overall interconnect length. In this paper, an optimized architectural framework for the TSV placement with inter-tier liquid cooling is proposed. In particular, the framework introduces a weight-based simulated annealing (WSA) algorithm and incorporates power density in the cost function estimate for a balanced thermal gradient distribution. In addition, we propose a wholistic interconnect length estimate to optimize the TSV placement. The WSA algorithm implemented on MCNC'91 and GSRC benchmarks demonstrates up to 16% reduction in the average area of the chip. Furthermore, TSV rearrangement reduced the overall interconnect length 4%-33% across the MCNC'91 benchmarks.
Hyperthermia-regulated immunogene therapy.

One of the key milestones that must be reached before gene therapy becomes feasible for clinical cancer treatment is to be able to regulate therapeutic gene expression. This is true for most current cancer gene therapy approaches, since the majority of therapeutic genes are toxic to both tumour and normal tissues. Among the wide array of strategies available for regulating gene expression, hyperthermia represents a unique approach. Hyperthermic regulation of gene therapy is feasible because of the widely conserved heat shock response, which allows therapeutic gene expression to be elevated to thousands of fold higher than background when temperature reaches 3-5°C over physiological temperature (37°C). In addition, because of the long history of experimental research on the use of hyperthermia as an approach for cancer therapy, it is now quite feasible to apply hyperthermia to a number of tumour sites and to achieve temperatures that are sufficient to induce a heat shock response. This review will attempt ...
Use of Lexicon Density in Evaluating Word Recognizers

We have developed the notion of lexicon density as the true metric to measure expected recognizer accuracy. This metric has a variety of applications, among them evaluation of recognition results, static or dynamic recognizer selection, or dynamic combination of recognizers. We show that the performance of word recognizers increases as lexicon density decreases and that the relationship between the performance and lexicon density is independent of lexicon size. Our claims are supported by extensive experimental validation data.
Use of an approximate lethal exposure method for examining the acute inhalation toxicity of combustion products

An approximate lethal exposure (ALE) method for acute inhalation toxicity testing of thermal decomposition products was developed and evaluated. In comparison to "traditional" LC 50 calculation methods, the ALE method re quired 70% fewer animals and 50% fewer test runs. The ALE procedure relied on analysis of combustion gases and their limited animal testing (F-344 rats). The procedure was used to evaluate eight materials under flaming (5.0 W/cm2) and nonflaming (2.5 W/cm2) conditions. The complete 30-minute L(Ct)50's were also calculated for five of those eight materials and compared to the ALE's. The ALE's were within eleven percent of the calculated L(Ct)50's at 5.0 W/cm 2 and ranged within thirteen to fifty-five percent of the L(Ct) 50's at 2.5 W/cm2. A microcomputer data acquisition and control system to improve data collection and Ct product calculation is also described for the radiant furnace test method for improved data collection and concentration-time product calculation.
SEAL: a distributed short read mapping and duplicate removal tool

Summary: SEAL is a scalable tool for short read pair mapping and duplicate removal. It computes mappings that are consistent with those produced by BWA and removes duplicates according to the same criteria employed by Picard MarkDuplicates. On a 16-node Hadoop cluster, it is capable of processing about 13 GB per hour in map+rmdup mode, while reaching a throughput of 19 GB per hour in mapping-only mode. Availability: SEAL is available online at http://biodoop-seal.sourceforge.net/. Contact: ti.4src@udderip.acul
Developing a measure of provider adherence to improve the implementation of behavioral health services in primary care: a Delphi study

Background: The integration of behavioral health services into primary care is increasingly popular, yet fidelity of implementation in this area has been infrequently assessed due to the few measurement tools available. A sentinel indicator of fidelity of implementation is provider adherence, or utilization of prescribed procedures and engagement in model-specific behaviors. This study aimed to develop the first self-report measure of behavioral health provider adherence for co-located, collaborative care, a commonly adopted model of behavioral health service delivery in primary care. Methods: A preliminary 56-item measure was developed by the research team to represent critical components of adherence among behavioral health providers. To ensure the content validity of the measure, a modified Delphi study was conducted using a panel of co-located, collaborative care model experts. During three rounds of emailed surveys, panel members provided qualitative feedback regarding item content while rating each item’s relevance for behavioral health provider practice. Items with consensus ratings of 80% or greater were included in the final adherence measure. Results: The panel consisted of 25 experts representing the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, and academic and community health centers (total study response rate of 76%). During the Delphi process, two new items were added to the measure, four items were eliminated, and a high level of consensus was achieved on the remaining 54 items. Experts identified 38 items essential for model adherence, six items compatible (although not essential) for model adherence, and 10 items that represented prohibited behaviors. Item content addressed several domains, but primarily focused on behaviors related to employing a time-limited, brief treatment model, the scope of patient concerns addressed, and interventions used by providers. Conclusions: This study yielded the first content valid self-report measure of critical components of collaborative care adherence for use by behavioral health providers in primary care. Although additional psychometric evaluation is necessary, this measure may assist implementation researchers in clarifying how provider behaviors contribute to clinical outcomes. This measure may also assist clinical stakeholders in monitoring implementation and identifying ways to support frontline providers in delivering high quality services.
Pseudo-partial likelihood estimators for the Cox regression model with missing covariates

By embedding the missing covariate data into a left-truncated and right-censored survival model, we propose a new class of weighted estimating functions for the Cox regression model with missing covariates. The resulting estimators, called the pseudo-partial likelihood estimators, are shown to be consistent and asymptotically normal. A simulation study demonstrates that, compared with the popular inverse-probability weighted estimators, the new estimators perform better when the observation probability is small and improve efficiency of estimating the missing covariate effects. Application to a practical example is reported.
Preirradiation endocrinopathies in pediatric brain tumor patients determined by dynamic tests of endocrine function.

Abstract Purpose: To prospectively evaluate pediatric patients with localized primary brain tumors for evidence of endocrinopathy before radiotherapy (RT). Methods and Materials: Seventy-five pediatric patients were evaluated with the arginine tolerance test and l-dopa test for growth hormone secretory capacity and activity; thyroid-stimulating hormone surge and thyrotropin-releasing hormone stimulation test for the hypothalamic-thyroid axis; the 1-μg adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) and metyrapone test for ACTH reserve; and, depending on age, a gonadotropin-releasing hormone stimulation test to determine gonadotropin response. The study included 38 male and 37 female patients, age 1–21 years with ependymoma ( n = 35), World Health Organization (WHO) Grade I–II astrocytoma ( n = 18), WHO Grade III–IV astrocytoma ( n = 10), craniopharyngioma ( n = 7), optic pathway tumor ( n = 4), and germinoma ( n = 1). Seven patients receiving dexamethasone at the time of the evaluation were excluded from the final analysis. Results: Of 68 assessable patient, 45 (66%) had evidence of endocrinopathy before RT, including 15 of 32 patients (47%) with posterior fossa tumors. Of the 45 patients, 38% had growth hormone deficiency, 43% had thyroid-stimulating hormone secretion abnormality, 22% had an abnormality in ACTH reserve, and 13% had an abnormality in age-dependent gonadotropin secretion. Conclusion: The incidence of pre-RT endocrinopathy in pediatric brain tumor patients is high, including patients with tumors not adjacent to the hypothalamic-pituitary unit. These data suggest an overestimation in the incidence of radiation-induced endocrinopathy. Baseline endocrine function should be determined for brain tumor patients before therapy. The potential for radiation-induced endocrinopathy alone cannot be used as an argument for alternatives to RT for most patients. Pre-RT endocrinopathy may be an early indicator of central nervous system damage that will influence the functional outcome unrelated to RT.
Phenol groups in northeastern U.S. submicrometer aerosol particles produced from seawater sources.

µ gm -3 (4% of the total OM) at AI, 0.10 ( 0.6 µ gm -3 (5% of the total OM) at CP, and 0.08 ( 0.09 µ gm -3 (2% of the total OM) on board the RB, with detection limits typically between 0.06 and 0.11 µgm -3 . The spectra were partitioned into three primary factors using positive matrix factorization (PMF) sufficient to explain more than 95% of the measured OM. The fossil fuel combustion factor contributed 40% (AI), 34% (CP), and 43% (RB) of the total OM; the terrestrial biogenic factor contributed 20% (AI), 30% (CP), and 27% (RB). The seawater-derived factor contributed 40% (AI), 36% (CP) and 29% (RB) of the OM and showed similar correlations to tracers as the phenol group.
The Complete Genome Sequences, Unique Mutational Spectra, and Developmental Potency of Adult Neurons Revealed by Cloning

Somatic mutation in neurons is linked to neurologic disease and implicated in cell-type diversification. However, the origin, extent, and patterns of genomic mutation in neurons remain unknown. We established a nuclear transfer method to clonally amplify the genomes of neurons from adult mice for whole-genome sequencing. Comprehensive mutation detection and independent validation revealed that individual neurons harbor ∼100 unique mutations from all classes but lack recurrent rearrangements. Most neurons contain at least one gene-disrupting mutation and rare (0-2) mobile element insertions. The frequency and gene bias of neuronal mutations differ from other lineages, potentially due to novel mechanisms governing postmitotic mutation. Fertile mice were cloned from several neurons, establishing the compatibility of mutated adult neuronal genomes with reprogramming to pluripotency and development.
One-Dimensional Dynamic Modeling of a Single-Stage Downward-Firing Entrained-Flow Coal Gasifier

In the current paper, a one-dimensional partial differential equation (PDE)-based dynamic model and its simulation results are presented for a single-stage down-fired entrained-flow gasifier. The gasifier model comprises mass, momentum, and energy balances for the gas and solid phases. The initial gasification processes of water evaporation and coal devolatilization and the key heterogeneous and homogeneous chemical reactions have also been modeled. The resulting coupled system of PDEs and algebraic equations is solved using the well-known method of lines in Aspen Custom Modeler. In addition to the dynamic gasifier model, efficient control strategies that can satisfactorily perform both servo and disturbance rejection functions have been developed for the entrained-flow gasifier. The dynamic variations of key gasifier output variables in response to the disturbances commonly encountered in industrial operation are presented. Output variables of interest include gas and solid phase temperatures, synthesis ...
Damage detection via electrical impedance tomography in glass fiber/epoxy laminates with carbon black filler

The conductivity of glass fiber reinforced polymers with nanocomposite matrices can be leveraged for structural health monitoring. Since nanocomposite matrices depend on well-connected networks of conductive nanofillers for electrical conductivity, matrix damage will sever the connection between fillers and result in a local conductivity loss. Monitoring composite conductivity changes can therefore give insight into the state of the matrix. Existing conductivity-based structural health monitoring methods are either insensitive to matrix damage or employ large electrode arrays. This research advances the state of the art by combining the superior imaging capabilities of electrical impedance tomography with conductive networks of nanofillers in the composite matrix. Electrical impedance tomography for damage detection in glass fiber/epoxy laminates with carbon black nanocomposite matrices is characterized by identifying a lower threshold of through-hole detection, demonstrating the capability of electrical ...
A Visualization Framework for Bounding Physical Activities — Towards a Quantification of Gibsonian-Based Fields:

In a human-robot communications problem in which a mobile robot and an astronaut are required to work together to maintain network communication, it is possible for the mobile robot and the astronaut to have multiple courses of actions to restore communications if it becomes disrupted. To effectively accomplish a team's mission, a human supervisor responsible for monitoring and supervising the terrestrial activities of mobile robots and astronauts in this domain needs useful decision aiding tools in order to identify productive courses of action. Motivated by this, we propose a visualization framework based on Gibsonian-based fields for representing a mobile robot and an astronaut's possible action strategies to maintain their network communication in a continuous and dynamic environment and for graphically representing bounds on actualized action strategies of the robot and the astronaut based on their possible action strategies. The authors submit that it is not sufficient simply to calculate all the po...
Coevolving Robust Build-Order Iterative Lists for Real-Time Strategy Games

We investigate and develop a coevolutionary approach to finding strong, robust build orders for real-time strategy games. Which units to produce and the order in which to produce them is one important aspect of real-time strategy gameplay. In real-time strategy games, creating plans to address unit production problems are called “build orders.” Our research compares build orders produced from a coevolutionary algorithm, genetic algorithm (GA), and hill climber (HC) to exhaustive search. GAs find the strongest build orders, while coevolution produces more robust build orders than a genetic algorithm or HC. Case injection into the coevolutionary teachset and population can be used to bias coevolution into producing build orders that beat specific opponents or play like specific players, while maintaining robustness. Finally, in this paper, we extend our representation by adding branching and iteration to the build-action sequence and show that this more complex representation enables coevolution to find stronger build orders. We believe this study is a start toward a promising approach for creating strong, robust build orders for RTS games.
Attitudes of Army nurses toward African American and Hispanic patients

A random sample of 86 Army nurses from a major metropolitan area participated in a study to investigate their attitudes toward African American and Hispanic patients. Information was collected using the Ethnic Attitude Assessment Survey. Cronbach alpha for the African American patient was 0.74, with 0.72 for the Hispanic patient. Analysis was conducted using one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation, paired t test, and descriptive statistics. The variables examined were gender, educational preparation, ethnicity, nursing experience, time in the Army, overseas assignments, and whether cultural diversity content was included in the respondent's undergraduate curriculum. Attitudes were statistically more positive toward the African American patient than toward the Hispanic patient. Females had more positive attitudes than males, but only toward the African American patient. Finally, nurses perceived a need for cultural understanding when providing care to patients of different ethnic groups.
Interface-mediation of lipid bilayer organization and dynamics

We report on the morphology and dynamics of planar supported lipid bilayer structures as a function of pH and ionic strength of the aqueous overlayer. Supported lipid bilayers composed of three components (phosphocholine, sphingomyelin and cholesterol) are known to exhibit phase segregation, with the characteristic domain sizes dependent on the amount and identity of each constituent, and the composition of the aqueous overlayer in contact with the bilayer. We report on fluorescence anisotropy decay imaging measurements of a rhodamine chromophore tethered to the headgroup of a phosphoethanolamine, where anisotropy decay images were acquired as a function of solution overlayer pH and ionic strength. The data reveal a two-component anisotropy decay under all conditions, with the faster time constant being largely independent of pH and ionic strength and the slower component depending on pH and ionic strength in different manners. For liposomes of the same composition, a single exponential anisotropy decay was seen. We interpret this difference in terms of bilayer curvature and support surface–bilayer interactions, and the pH and ionic strength dependencies in terms of ionic screening and protonation in the bilayer headgroup region.
The Longitudinal Course of Borderline Personality Disorder in Youth

This chapter will review studies exploring the developmental course of borderline personality traits across youth and early adulthood. A great deal of this work has come from the Children in the Community Study and as such, these studies will occupy the majority of the review. Then we will summarize what has been learned from other, more recent, prospective longitudinal studies of BPD with children and adolescents. A summary of findings, limitations, and directions for future research is provided at the end of each review section. The final section will include reflections regarding the clinical implications of this research as well as a summary table of key studies and suggested readings.
Couples Therapy and Counseling

This chapter contrasts the biomedical model of sex dysfunction with a comprehensive couple biopsychosocial approach to assessment, treatment, and relapse prevention. A detailed case study illustrates the multicausal, multidimensional approach to couple sexual dysfunction and the complexity of successful treatment. The four-session assessment process, especially the individual psychological/relational/sexual history, is a core component. The Good-Enough Sex (GES) approach illustrates the importance of the new sexual mantra of desire, pleasure, eroticism, and satisfaction. In essence, sexuality is a couple process of sharing intimacy, pleasure, and eroticism rather than an individual pass-fail intercourse performance test. Creating an individualized relapse prevention plan is an integral component of comprehensive couple sex therapy.
Synthesis and Initial in vivo Evaluation of a Radiofluorinated Sigma Receptor Radioligand for Prostate Tumor Imaging

111 Objectives Sigma receptors (SR) are highly overexpressed in a variety of human tumors of prostate, breast, lung and neural origin. Overexpression of both SR subtypes (sigma-1 and sigma-2) has been demonstrated in many prostate tumor cells (e.g. DU-145, LNCaP, PC3). The goal of this study was to develop a [F-18]-labeled radioligand with high affinity for both SR subtypes modeled on the benzamide class of SR ligands for PET imaging of prostate tumors. Methods Benzamide analogs bearing 2- and 4-(fluoroalkylether) substituents in the aromatic ring were synthesized and evaluated for their binding affinities for both SR subtypes. One candidate with optimal sigma-1/sigma-2 binding affinity: N-[2-(1’-piperidinyl)ethyl]-5-bromo-2-(fluoroethoxy)benzamide (2-FEBZM) was selected for [F-18]-labeling and further biological evaluation. PET imaging and biodistribution studies were conducted with 2-[F-18]FEBZM in mice bearing PC3 tumor xenografts. Results 2-FEBZM displayed high binding affinity towards sigma1 (6.3 nM) and sigma2 (10.2 nM) receptors. 2-[F-18]FEBZM was synthesized in >25% decay-corrected radiochemical yield by alkylation of its phenolic precursor with [F-18]fluoroethyl tosylate. PET imaging studies demonstrated clear visualization of PC3 prostate tumor xenografts between 1 - 4 h post-injection in tumor bearing mice. 2-[F-18]FEBZM showed a maximal tumor uptake of 4 %ID/g at 90 min post-injection. Pretreatment of mice with haloperidol (blocks both SRs) showed >40% blockade of tumor uptake. Biodistribution studies displayed the following rank order for tissue uptake: tumor > blood > liver > kidney at 90 min post-injection. Low radioactivity accumulation in bone suggests that 2-[F-18]FEBZM displays negligible in vivo defluorination. Conclusions Based on these preliminary studies, 2-[F-18]FEBZM demonstrates favorable in vivo pharmacokinetics for further evaluation as a prostate tumor imaging radioligand. Research Support Financial support of this work is prodived by the James Selleck Bower Fund for Cancer Research from the University of Michigan Cancer Center and NIH P50CA093990.
Do seismic intensity measures (IMs) measure up

Abstract The assumption that demand parameters D for realistic structures, i.e., complex, nonlinear dynamic systems, subjected to seismic acceleration processes A(t) correlate satisfactorily with maxima Sa(T) of responses of single degree of freedom (SDOF) linear systems to A(t) is the cornerstone of current definitions of seismic intensity measures (IMs). We show that, generally, Sa(T) and D are weakly dependent and conclude that fragilities defined as functions of Sa(T) have large uncertainties. The analysis considers linear/nonliear systems and single/multiple ordinates of Sa(T). Tools of random vibration, copula models, and multivariate extreme value theory are employed to quantify the dependence between Sa(T) and D.
Mechanism of inhibition of rat liver class 2 ALDH by 4-hydroxynonenal.

Lipid oxidation is a pathological process that results in the peroxidation of cellular membrane lipids ultimately giving rise to a number of reactive, cytotoxic, aldehydic products (Esterbauer et al, 1991). 4-hydroxy-2-trans-nonenal (4-HNE) malondialdehyde (MDA), the most abundant aldehydes produced during lipid peroxidation, have a relatively long half-life and are capable of diffusing to distant sites within the cell of origin or into adjacent cells. 4-HNE can produce a variety of adverse cellular effects which have b summarized in detail elsewhere (Schauer et al, 1990) and include the inhibition of various enzymes (Vander Jagt et al, 1997). The ability of certain biogenic aldehydes to produce diverse biological and cytotoxic effects can be attributed to their α, β-unsaturated configuration that gives the compounds strong electrophilic properties (Esterbauer et al, 1991).us, investigators attribute these adverse effects to the formation of aldehyde ad- ducts h cellular protein nucleophiles through covalent alkylation of sulfhydryl, primary amino, and histidyl groups of proteins (Hartley et al, 1997; Uchida and Stadtman, 1993).
Building Recovery Capital: The Role of Faith-Based Communities in the Reintegration of Formerly Incarcerated Drug Offenders:

Recovery capital is an important concept in the field of addiction studies. A person’s access to recovery capital can mean the difference between the termination of addiction and successful reinteg...
Case 12-2017 - A 34-Year-Old Man with Nephropathy.

A 34-year-old man presented with worsening renal function. Eleven weeks earlier, fever, fatigue, and decreased appetite had developed. A urinalysis showed proteinuria, and imaging studies revealed nephromegaly. An additional diagnostic procedure was performed.
Strategies and Considerations for Improving Expression of “Difficult to Express” Proteins in CHO Cells

Despite substantial advances in the field of mammalian expression, there are still proteins that are characterized as difficult to express. Determining the expression bottleneck requires troubleshooting techniques specific for the given molecule and host. The complex array of intracellular processes involved in protein expression includes transcription, protein folding, post-translation processing, and secretion. Challenges in any of these steps could result in low protein expression, while the inherent properties of the molecule itself may limit its production via mechanisms such as cytotoxicity or inherent instability. Strategies to identify the rate-limiting step and subsequently improve expression and production are discussed here.
Thomas Jefferson and an Arithmetic for the People

This chapter focuses on U.S. currency issues, related school mathematics practices during the period 1775–1792. As a result of post-war agreements spelled out by the Treaty of Paris (1783), the fledgling U.S. Congress needed to establish an official currency for the new nation. At that time, the most powerful financial figure in the nation was Robert Morris, Superintendent of Finance between 1781 and 1784, but aspects of his proposal for a new currency system were problematized by the young, and influential Thomas Jefferson, already a former Governor of Virginia, and famous for having drafted the Declaration of Independence. Like Morris, Jefferson proposed a decimal-based system of coinage, but the units for Morris’s and Jefferson’s systems were different. It was Jefferson’s system which prevailed, and the most startling thing about his success on this matter was that his fundamental argument belonged to the realm of mathematics education—a combination of mathematics and education. Jefferson argued that his system would assist all U.S. citizens to achieve a better grasp of basic arithmetic than ever before, and that that would make it easier for them to survive with dignity. This chapter summarizes Jefferson’s main arguments for the introduction of his version of decimal currency, and why he thought educational issues were so important.
Hive-Minded: Educators, Professional Learning Networks, and Knowledge Exchange in the Digital Age

The traditional ways of teaching – often in isolation – are no longer an option for today’s educators. Through digitally mediated professional learning communities, teachers can find resources, expertise, and collegiality through a variety of social media formats. This chapter explores how, why, and when educators in K–20 contexts connect through digital knowledge networks. We look at the way in which educators use social media for knowledge co-creation and sharing through digitally facilitated communities to inform practice and to stay invigorated in a challenging profession. Practical tips to build successful professional learning networks (PLN) are shared.
Crowdfunding for Open Access

Funding open access publications is often a difficult problem, especially when authors may not have sufficient funds to support a project. Yet it may be possible to convert the funds libraries curr...
Chapter 15 Wolf Recolonization of the Madison Headwaters Area in Yellowstone

Theme After decades of absence, large carnivores are being restored or recolonizing substantial portions of their historical ranges worldwide. The reintroduction of wolves (Canis lupus) to Yellowstone National Park in 1995 is one such example of this larger trend. While the Greater Yellowstone Area was rich in prey abundance and diversity, how wolves would respond to the varying prey assemblages within the park was an open question. Wolves were expected to readily adapt to the elk-rich (Cervus elaphus) area of northern Yellowstone, but restoration success and subsequent wolf population ecology was less certain in the central portion of the park, where formidable bison outnumber elk and prey density was more patchy and seasonal due to severe winters. We describe wolf reintroduction efforts in the central Yellowstone area and the population ecology of wolf packs in this system as it transitioned from no wolves to an established population. We focused on pack dynamics in this relatively small area that supports dense ungulate prey in winter, but dispersed prey in summer.
Ultra Wide Planar Monopole Antenna for LTE Application in Automobile

An FR4 printed planar monopole antenna element for use in the automobile roof top shark fin application is proposed in this paper. This antenna element covers the LTE frequency band from 698MHz to 2700MHz and will be part of a larger $2\times 2$ MIMO system. Physical constraints of a shark fin style antenna are considered in this design. Numerical simulation of the antenna design using FEKO is performed in order to verify the design parameters. Results show a VSWR of less than 3 is achieved in higher frequency band and a VSWR of less than 4 is achieved in lower frequency band.
Reinforced Adversarial Attacks on Deep Neural Networks Using ADMM

As deep learning penetrates into wide application domains, it is essential to evaluate the robustness of deep neural networks (DNNs) under adversarial attacks, especially for some security-critical applications. To better understand the security properties of DNNs, we propose a general framework for constructing adversarial examples, based on ADMM (Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers). This general framework can be adapted to implement L2 and L0 attacks with minor changes. Our ADMM attacks require less distortion for incorrect classification compared with C&W attacks. Our ADMM attack is also able to break defenses such as defensive distillation and adversarial training, and provide strong attack transferability.
Current and Emerging Therapies for Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in the developed world and commonly associated with metabolic comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and obesity. Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis is an aggressive form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, associated with an increased risk of liver and non-liver-related mortality. Currently there are no approved therapies for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease/non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and standard-of-care lifestyle advice is rarely effective. This has spurned intense drug development efforts and several agents are in clinical trials to address this major gap in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Drug development efforts have focused on pathogenic mechanisms including pathways involving lipid metabolism, inflammation, and fibrosis. This review presents the overview of the trials and agents in the pipeline of emerging therapies for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease/non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.
263 : IFN-gamma reprograms IFN-beta-induced signaling pathways in human monocytes

Type I and II IFNs both play an important role in the induction of inflammation and the clearance of microbial infections. The order that leukocytes are exposed to such IFNs seems to matter for the subsequently induced signaling pathways and genes. Previously, it was shown that priming of mouse macrophages with IFN-gamma enhances IFN-alpha-induced activation of STAT3, and particularly the activation of STAT1. Moreover, in mouse macrophages, the induction of inflammatory STAT1 target genes by IFN-alpha is strongly enhanced after pre-exposure to IFN-gamma. Although we could confirm the enhanced induction of PY-STAT1 by IFN-beta after IFN-gamma priming of primary human monocytes, the formation of PY-STAT3 remained the same. In contrast, we observed strongly increased IFN-beta-induced activation of STAT5 after pre-exposure of primary human monocytes and THP-1, a human monocytic cell line, to IFN-gamma. Mechanistically, we could confirm in human monocytes the published data in mice, which showed that the enhanced type I IFN-induced activation of STAT1 after priming with IFN-gamma is dependent on the increased activity of the tyrosine kinase Syk. However, our data showed that the enhanced induction of PY-STAT5 in human monocytes did not depend on Syk, suggesting that the enhancement of the activation of STAT5 occurs via a different mechanism than the augmentation of PY-STAT1. We are currently investigating which tyrosine kinase is responsible for the enhanced induction of PY-STAT5 by IFN-beta after IFN-gamma priming. Once identified, this will provide us a tool to study which IFN-beta-induced genes depend on either STAT1 or STAT5 activation and insights into the altered biological response in human monocytes after pre-exposure to IFN-gamma. Finally, because activation of STAT5 is generally associated with increased cell survival and proliferation, we will study whether the increased activation of STAT5 opposes the IFN-beta-induced apoptosis in human monocytes that normally occurs via the activation of STAT1.