cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cross-calibration of Fuji TR image plate and RAR 2492 x-ray film to determine the response of a DITABIS Super Micron image plate scanner

Fuji TR image plate is frequently used as a replacement detector medium for x-ray imaging and spectroscopy diagnostics at NIF, Omega, and Z facilities. However, the familiar Fuji BAS line of image plate scanners is no longer supported by the industry, and so a replacement scanning system is needed. While the General Electric Typhoon line of scanners could replace the Fuji systems, the shift away from photo stimulated luminescence units to 16-bit grayscale Tag Image File Format (TIFF) leaves a discontinuity when comparing data collected from both systems. For the purposes of quantitative spectroscopy, a known unit of intensity applied to the grayscale values of the TIFF is needed. The DITABIS Super Micron image plate scanning system was tested and shown to potentially rival the resolution and dynamic range of Kodak RAR 2492 x-ray film. However, the absolute sensitivity of the scanner is unknown. In this work, a methodology to cross calibrate Fuji TR image plate and the absolutely calibrated Kodak RAR 2492 x-ray film is presented. Details of the experimental configurations used are included. An energy dependent scale factor to convert Fuji TR IP scanned on a DITABIS Super Micron scanner from 16-bit grayscale TIFF to intensity units (i.e., photons per square micron) is discussed.
Recent advances in sequence-based protein structure prediction

The most accurate characterizations of the structure of proteins are provided by structural biology experiments. However, because of the high cost and labor-intensive nature of the structural experiments, the gap between the number of protein sequences and solved structures is widening rapidly. Development of computational methods to accurately model protein structures from sequences is becoming increasingly important to the biological community. In this article, we highlight some important progress in the field of protein structure prediction, especially those related to free modeling (FM) methods that generate structure models without using homologous templates. We also provide a short synopsis of some of the recent advances in FM approaches as demonstrated in the recent Computational Assessment of Structure Prediction competition as well as recent trends and outlook for FM approaches in protein structure prediction.
A Facies Model of Quaternary Glacial-Marine Cyclic Sedimentation Along Eastern Baffin Island, Canada

Geomorphologic mapping in several areas of eastern Baffin Island shows an association of raised marine shorelines (especially the marine limit) with glacial moraines, often marked by ice-contact deltas, suggesting that glacial and marine maxima were coincident, presumably through the agency of glacioisostatic depression of the crust. This model of glacial-marine interaction is supported by lateral association of glacial-marine and nearshore marine deposits and by the absence of glacial till.
The Social Contractarians: Can an Agreement Specify What Government Is For?

This chapter examines Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Immanuel Kant, paying particular attention to the purpose that each inferred for the existence of government. Hobbes intends government to prevent violence and obtain security; it is argued that his political theory nonetheless leaves more room for individual liberty than is commonly acknowledged. Locke finds the purpose of government is to serve as a mediator or arbitrator, so that no one judges his own case. Property rights are not creations of government. For Rousseau, government protects virtue, although no existing government enjoys particularly good prospects. Kant situated the purpose of government in the future, in the establishment of a cosmopolitan world order whose full outlines remain unknown, but that respects universal human rights.
Red Blood Cell Transfusion in the Elderly

The elderly population is growing rapidly, and the prevalence of anemia is approximately 11 % in the elderly. Observational data demonstrates poor outcome in patients with even mild anemia, but this may reflect the patients’ underlying disease rather than the anemia itself. Clinical trials evaluating transfusion thresholds in the elderly suggest that a restrictive transfusion approach is safe in most clinical settings. Transfusion guidelines do not recommend specific transfusion thresholds in the elderly but rather focus on the hemoglobin level in relation to patients’ comorbidities; thus, transfusion decisions may be affected by the higher prevalence of underlying medical problems in the elderly but not by age itself.
An Alternative Approach to Myelodysplasia Management: Aggressive Observation and Prompt Intervention

We have adopted an approach to the management of myelodysplasia patients which is contrary to that most commonly supported by the existing literature. We screen patients shortly after birth with ultrasound, urine culture and serum creatinine, and then follow patients at 3 to 6-month intervals with similar studies. Cystography and urodynamics are done only as required clinically or by a change in the sonogram. Clean intermittent catheterization is indicated for continence or medical reasons. With this approach of aggressive observation and prompt intervention, we observed a rate of renal deterioration (diminished function on renal scan or parenchymal loss on imaging studies) of 5%. Renal deterioration was associated statistically with urinary tract infections and reflux. Patients started on clean intermittent catheterization for medical indications had greater risk for renal deterioration than those started on it for continence. Renal deterioration occurred with equal frequency between patients with abnormal and normal urodynamic studies, that is urodynamics did not predict renal deterioration. Our data show a rate of renal deterioration similar to other reports. We believe that aggressive observation with prompt intervention for problems once identified represents a reasonable alternative to managing patients with myelodysplasia.
Orthopedic In-Training Examination: A Performance Review Based on Program- and Resident-Specific Characteristics.

Objectives The orthopedic in-training examination (OITE) is the most common and objective method used to assess resident knowledge in the United States. As such, residents and programs use a number of strategies to maximize OITE performance. The purpose of this work was to better understand what strategies were being implemented and to determine which program-specific and resident-specific characteristics best correlate with improved scores. Design A national survey of orthopedic residents and program directors (PDs) was performed to better understand OITE performance and correlate scores with various test preparation strategies. Setting Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. Participants The survey was completed by 33 of 48 (68.8%) PDs and 341 of 878 (38.8%) eligible residents. Results The most commonly used program-wide strategies were as follows: negative consequences for poor performance (72.7%), formal OITE prep program (54.5%), and purchase of OITE test prep material for residents (51.5%). The program-specific characteristics that had the strongest correlation with increased scores were negative consequences for poor performance (p Conclusions Although programs and residents looking to improve knowledge acquisition and OITE scores use a number of techniques, a few distinct strategies correlate with the greatest increases in OITE performance. These may be appropriate methods to consider for those looking to improve their performance in coming years.
Prosthetic Pearls: Solutions to Thorny Problems

Postamputation pain, residual limb-socket interface problems, and skin disorders occur frequently in lower extremity amputees. The team providing care to this patient population often is challenged in rendering a correct diagnosis and providing appropriate management for these problems. Diagnostic and therapeutic tips that have been used by the staff of the prosthetic program at the University of Michigan Medical School during the past four decades are presented. Easily mastered clinical techniques and simple treatment options are suggested to aid the practitioner in addressing these common problems.
Design Sensitivity Analysis for Coupled Systems and Their Application to Concurrent Engineering

Design sensitivities are derived via the direct and adjoint methods for fully coupled nonlinear systems. These sensitivity derivations may then be used to create a concurrent engineering design environment where the individual systems are the product analyses and manufacturing process analyses. The sensitivity information, in turn, may be used in a trade-off study to quantify how product or manufacturing design changes affect any performance functional, e.g. cost, mass, stress, or cooling rate. Finally, it is noted that the necessary operator required for the sensitivity analyses is, in fact, the tangent operator of the coupled system analysis; and that this operator may be partitioned to take advantage of existing software capabilities.
A user-centered approach towards attention visualization for learning activities

Technology is changing the way that students learn. Many students learn the content of different subjects outside the classroom by watching videos on YouTube, Vimeo, Khan Academy, and other sources. Nevertheless, exams are currently the best feedback indication of how effective the student's study session was. Physiological sensors such as electroencephalography (EEG) are accurate enough for measuring attention levels for feedback during self-learning. The traditional representation of brain data is complex for everyday users to comprehend; therefore, such graphs need to be represented in the form of static visualizations for simplicity. In this paper, we describe visualizations formulated by college students in focus groups sessions to visualize attention data for feedback after completing a learning task. These visualizations help us understand user's preference and perception for representing attention, which can be implemented in future quantified-self applications and dashboards.
Pharmacokinetics (PK) and exposure-response (ER) of rilotumumab (Rmab) in patients (pts) with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC).

7593 Background: Rmab is a fully human monoclonal antibody against hepatocyte growth factor that was evaluated as a first-line treatment for extensive-stage SCLC in a phase 1b/2 trial (J Thorac Oncol. 2013;8(S2):O21.05). That trial did not show meaningful improvements in progression-free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS). We characterized Rmab PK in pts with SCLC and performed an ER analysis that related PK to tumor size (TS), PFS, and OS. Methods: Rmab population PK (PPK) and ER were assessed in 132 pts with SCLC who were randomized 1:1 to receive either Rmab (15 mg/kg) or placebo, with etoposide plus carboplatin/cisplatin every 3 weeks (Q3W). A PPK model was developed using data from phase 1 and earlier phase 2 studies. TS vs time was characterized using a tumor dynamic model, and time to tumor growth (TTG) and TS ratios (the ratios of TS at 6, 9, or 12 weeks to TS at baseline) were derived from this model. The relationships between PFS/OS and baseline pt characteristics, exposure metrics, and tum...
Outdoor Recreation Management: Theory and Application. Alan Jubenville, Ben W. Twight, and Robert H. Becker

(1988). Outdoor Recreation Management: Theory and Application. Alan Jubenville, Ben W. Twight, and Robert H. Becker. Journal of Leisure Research: Vol. 20, No. 3, pp. 257-260.
Rabbit Immune System

Definition The rabbit immune system consists of the organs, tissues, cells, and molecules that interact to contribute to specific responses to foreign antigens, infectious agents, or—in autoimmune conditions—to self antigens. Included among the important molecules are the genes and gene products that are necessary for the development and proper functioning of the immune system including antigen-specific T cell and B cell receptors and B cell-secreted immunoglobulins. The innate immune system that constitutes the first line of defense will not be considered here, although it is now clearly recognized as important for early recognition of “infectious non self” and initiation of events that induce adaptive immune responses. Rather, special emphasis will be placed here on the unique characteristics of the rabbit humoral immune system. The cells and molecules that contribute to cell-mediated immunity, though less well characterized than those of mice and humans, appear to be comparable.
Estimation of Fine-Scale Histologic Features at Low Magnification.

Context.— Whole-slide imaging has ushered in a new era of technology that has fostered the use of computational image analysis for diagnostic support and has begun to transfer the act of analyzing ...
The Structural and Functional Neuroanatomy of Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder (BD) is characterised by mood dysregulation manifesting as recurrent episodes of depression and mania, with variable inter-episode remission. Neuroimaging studies have made the most significant contribution to date in defining the neural correlates of the disorder. Evidence from multiple imaging modalities suggest that (a) the ventral prefrontal cortex plays a central role in BD; this brain region is structurally compromised and functionally abnormal in terms of reduced engagement and deviant connectivity primarily with the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and medial temporal structures (amygdala and parahippocampal gyrus); (b) subcortical structures (insula, thalamus, basal ganglia) involved in the representation and responsiveness to emotional stimuli show abnormalities in engagement and connectivity consistent with the notion of reduced regulatory input; and (c) new computational approaches in neuroimaging data analyses may lead to the development of neuroimaging tools of clinical utility.
Molecular characterization of the human delta opioid receptor in lung cancer

A variety of neuropeptide receptors have been detected in human lung cancer. They are thought to play a role in autocrine/paracrine regulation of cell growth, and may be clinically useful as diagnostic, prognostic or therapeutic targets. The current study characterizes the molecular structure of the delta opioid receptor and its gene expression level in lung cancer cell lines relative to normal human lung using a sensitive RT-PCR approach. The goals of this investigation were a) to define the correlation between receptor binding and gene expression in lung cancer cell lines, and b) to determine the cDNA sequence integrity of this receptor in comparison to the receptor recently found in human brain. Five small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cell lines revealed size-matched RT-PCR products which strongly hybridized to the human brain delta opioid receptor probe. One of three non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines (NCI-H23), known to be negative by binding analysis, demonstrated low level expression. No gene expression was found in normal human lung. RT-PCR products from two SCLC cell lines (SCLC-22H and 16HC) as well as the low level expressing NSCLC cell line (NCI-23) were subjected to bidirectional DNA sequence analysis and the receptor ends were resolved using a 3'-end RACE and 5'-end gene-specific approach. The isolated cDNA sequences proved to be identical to the published human brain delta opioid receptor sequence. These data show that lung cancers with neuroendocrine features express human brain delta opioid receptors in contrast to normal lung, and that the delta opioid receptor mRNA in lung cancer is not mutated. This unique feature of lung cancer may be exploitable for diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic strategies.
Serum CA-125 measurements > 65 U/mL. Clinical value.

Objective To review the prevalence of various conditions associated with serum CA-125 values > 65 U/mL, to calculate the odds ratios of different ranges of high CA-125 in predicting cancer and to study the effect of menopause and the presence of a mass on the predictive value of high serum CA-125. Study design A retrospective review of the diagnoses in 313 consecutive women seen at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation whose serum CA-125 was > 65 U/mL was performed. Statistical analysis was performed using crosstabulation, chi 2, Fisher's exact test and the odds ratio. Results In patients with serum CA-125 > 65 U/mL, gynecologic cancers, nongynecologic cancers and non-malignant conditions constituted 74.3%, 10.2% and 13.1% of diagnoses, respectively. In patients with serum CA-125 > or = 1,000 U/mL, the same conditions were responsible for 89%, 7% and 3% of diagnoses, respectively. Endometriosis and metastatic breast cancer were the most common benign condition and nongynecologic cancer associated with serum CA-125 > 65 U/mL. The presence of an abdominopelvic mass significantly increased the risk of malignancy (P 65 U/mL and no mass had nonmalignant disease. The diagnoses of serum CA-125 values > 65 U/mL varied significantly in premenopausal versus postmenopausal patients. Postmenopausal patients had a higher incidence of gynecologic (P = .002) and nongynecologic (P = .0008) cancers and lower incidence of benign conditions (P or = 1,000 U/mL was reached. Conclusion In patients seen at a tertiary center, serum CA-125 measurements > 65 U/mL were associated with nonmalignant conditions in 13% of patients. Although higher serum CA-125 levels were more associated with gynecologic malignancies, no level of CA-125 occurred exclusively with gynecologic cancers. In postmenopausal patients with serum CA-125 values > 65 U/mL and in patients with serum CA-125 values > 65 U/mL and an abdominopelvic mass, subspecialty consultation should be considered before proceeding to surgery.
The Pragmatic Enlightenment: Recovering the Liberalism of Hume, Smith, Montesquieu, and Voltaire

This is a study of the political theory of the Enlightenment, focusing on four leading eighteenth-century thinkers: David Hume, Adam Smith, Montesquieu and Voltaire. Dennis C. Rasmussen calls attention to the particular strand of the Enlightenment these thinkers represent, which he terms the 'pragmatic Enlightenment'. He defends this strand of Enlightenment thought against both the Enlightenment's critics and some of the more idealistic Enlightenment figures who tend to have more followers today, such as John Locke, Immanuel Kant and Jeremy Bentham. Professor Rasmussen argues that Hume, Smith, Montesquieu and Voltaire exemplify an especially attractive type of liberalism, one that is more realistic, moderate, flexible, and contextually sensitive than most other branches of this tradition.
Environmental Justice Law, Policy & Regulation (Second Edition) (Table of Contents)

Environmental justice is a significant and dynamic contemporary development in environmental law. Professors Rechtschaffen, Gauna, and O’Neill provide an accessible compilation of interdisciplinary materials for studying environmental justice, interspersed with extensive notes, comments and questions designed to facilitate classroom discussion. Environmental Justice integrates excerpts from empirical studies, cases, agency decisions, informal agency guidance, law reviews and other academic literature, as well as community-generated documents. The materials include writings from the fields of environmental law and civil rights law, as well as sociology, political science, and risk assessment.After examining various conceptions of justice, studies about disparities in environmental harms and benefits, and the theories concerning the causes of such inequities, the book looks at environmental justice in a variety of regulatory contexts. Environmental Justice also explores various tools used in the effort to achieve environmental justice, including citizen suit enforcement of environmental laws, claims brought under the Equal Protection Clause and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and various non-litigation strategies, including land use and planning tools, disclosure laws and collaborative projects.This second edition includes a new chapter addressing climate change. It also adds expanded coverage of international environmental justice issues, risk and the public health, empirical environmental justice research, and environmental justice for American Indian peoples.The Table of Contents is available to download at the link above.
Wireless Sensor Networks for Smart Healthcare

Surging popularity of wireless sensor networks is being propelled by rapid advances in hardware/software technologies, smaller size of sensors, increased connectivity, ease of mobility, and societal needs. As a result, wireless sensor networks are becoming a part of almost all applications that are commonly in use leading to significant improvement in quality of life. Healthcare is no exception and wireless sensors networks are being innovatively deployed to make healthcare smart, cost-effective, and efficient. This paper discusses some of the applications of wireless sensor networks for smart healthcare. The paper also includes discussion future research related to applications of wireless sensor networks in healthcare and future research directions.
Lossless Tensor Surface Invisibility Cloaks Utilizing Surface Waves

A design technique for lossless surface invisibility cloaks for free-space objects using surface waves is presented. For a time-harmonic plane wave of known incidence direction and polarization, the bounding surface of a cloaked region can be designed to transform and guide the illuminating plane wave around and along the surface as surface waves. The cloak design is characterized by an inhomogeneous tensor surface impedance that is pointwise lossless everywhere. The proposed designs are promising for realization as ultra-thin metasurface cloaks for electrically large objects in free space.
Berberine Induces Apoptosis in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Cells through Downregulation of the MDM2 Oncoprotein.

Abstract Berberine, an isoquinoline alkaloid derived from a plant used in Chinese herbal medicine, has a wide range of biological and pharmacological activities that include anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects on human cancer. However, the mechanism of berberine's anticancer action is not clearly defined. Herein, we report that berberine induces apoptosis in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells through downregulation of the MDM2 oncoprotein. In studying a set of ALL cell lines, we found that the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of berberine were positively associated with the expression levels of MDM2 by those cells, regardless of their p53 status. However, most potent apoptosis induced by berberine was seen in ALL cells with wild-type (wt) p53 and MDM2 overexpression, while no pro-apoptotic effect of berberine was detected in MDM2-negative ALL cells that had a p53-null phenotype. Berberine induced apoptosis in wt-53/MDM2-overexpressing cells through downregulation of MDM2 and a concomitant stabilization of p53, with induction of its pro-apoptotic target PUMA. This berberine-induced p53 activation in the wt-p53/MDM2-overexpressing ALL differed from that induced by the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin, which activates p53 without prior MDM2 downregulation or even with a late upregulation of MDM2 due to a p53-mediated increase in transcription. The berberine's downregulation of MDM2 in ALL cells occurred at the post-translational level through modulation of DAXX, which promotes MDM2 self-ubiquitination. Because wt-p53/MDM2-overexpressing ALL cells are commonly chemo-resistant due to MDM2-regulated repression of the p53 function, the potent killing of these cells by berberine through direct targeting of MDM2 suggests that this agent may be a novel therapeutic for refractory ALL.
The Longitudinal Influence of Social Determinants of Health on Glycemic Control in Elderly Adults With Diabetes

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to understand the longitudinal relationship between financial, psychosocial, and neighborhood social determinants and glycemic control (HbA1c) in older adults with diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Data from 2,662 individuals with self-reported diabetes who participated in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) were used. Participants were followed from 2006 through 2014. Financial hardship, psychosocial, and neighborhood-level social determinant factors were based on validated surveys from the biennial core interview and RAND data sets. All social determinant factors and measurements of HbA1c from the time period were used and treated as time varying in analyses. SAS PROC GLIMMIX was used to fit a series of hierarchical linear mixed models. Models controlled for nonindependence among the repeated observations using a random intercept and treating each individual participant as a random factor. Survey methods were used to apply HRS weighting. RESULTS Before adjustment for demographics, difficulty paying bills (β = 0.18 [95% CI 0.02, 0.24]) and medication cost nonadherence (0.15 [0.01, 0.29]) were independently associated with increasing HbA1c over time, and social cohesion (−0.05 [−0.10, −0.001]) was independently associated with decreasing HbA1c over time. After adjusting for both demographics and comorbidity count, difficulty paying bills (0.13 [0.03, 0.24]) and religiosity (0.04 [0.001, 0.08]) were independently associated with increasing HbA1c over time. CONCLUSIONS Using a longitudinal cohort of older adults with diabetes, this study found that financial hardship factors, such as difficulty paying bills, were more consistently associated with worsening glycemic control over time than psychosocial and neighborhood factors.
‘They often have AHA-moments’: how training teachers to philosophize the Dialogos Way with their students can promote life skills and democratic citizenship in education

This paper is an account of a developmental action inquiry research project in which teachers from 13 secondary schools were trained to philosophize the Dialogos way with their 8th-grade students, ...
The epigenetics of pluripotent stem cells: Epigenome dynamics in in vitro and in vivo mammalian embryonics stem cell systems

Abstract Early embryonic development is characterized by a dynamic epigenome. Some of the most drastic changes occur as the mammalian embryo transitions from the free-floating, preimplantation blastocyst to the early embryo embedded in the uterus. Efforts to understand early embryonic molecular phenotypes have driven the derivation of mammalian embryonic stem cells that represent the pre- and postimplantation embryo, termed naive and primed embryonic stem cells. Here, we describe in detail mouse and human embryonic stem cell derivation as it pertains to pre- and postimplantation development. We look at the epigenetic research conducted in these systems and what we have learned to date. We highlight whenever possible in vivo embryo studies as a comparison with the in vitro embryonic stem cell studies. Where data are lacking, we describe what is currently known. Altogether, we hope to focus attention on the research that has led to major discoveries in naive and primed pluripotent stem cells.
Can Employees Motivate Themselves? The Link between Peer Motivating Language and Employee Outcomes

This study examines whether employee outcomes can be affected through motivating language use among peers, and if these peers, therefore, may substitute the need for a leader’s use of ML. It propos...
Optimal Fiber Diffusion Model Restoration

Assessing the effects of white matter (WM) lesions on structural connectivity as measured by diffusion MRI (dMRI) is invaluable for understanding structure-function relationships. These WM lesions have many etiologies that ultimately lead to attenuation of the anisotropic signature in dMRI signals. Attenuation can produce inaccurate reconstructions of the underlying model of the fiber population. In this paper, we combine methods from image inpainting and estimation theory to develop a novel approach for restoring the fiber model in small to moderate sized WM lesions. Our approach begins by taking healthy reconstructed WM fiber models at the boundary of the lesion and filling in lesioned voxels with their optimal affine estimate moving iteratively in a fast-marching method style until the fiber models in the lesion are restored. We demonstrate with in-vivo simulations on diffusion tensors (DTs) and fiber orientation distributions (FODs) that our approach offers superior performance over multiple restoration approaches. We restore lesioned fiber models in three stroke patients suffering hemiparesis from damaged corticospinal tracts (CST). We show that our method restores diffusivities, anisotropy and orientation of lesioned DTs as well as the amplitudes and orientations of fiber populations in lesioned FODs enhancing tractography and enabling more accurate characterization of lesion connectivity and changes in tissue microstructure in patient populations.
SYSTEMIC MEDICATION USE AND THE INCIDENCE AND GROWTH OF GEOGRAPHIC ATROPHY IN THE COMPARISON OF AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION TREATMENTS TRIALS.

PURPOSE To determine associations of systemic medications with the incidence and growth of geographic atrophy (GA) in participants of the comparison of age-related macular degeneration treatments trials. METHODS Participants of comparison of age-related macular degeneration treatments trials with new untreated choroidal neovascularization in the study eye (one study eye per participant) were randomized to receive treatment with bevacizumab or ranibizumab. Participants were released from clinical trial treatment at 2 years and examined at approximately 5 years. Color fundus photographs and fluorescein angiograms taken at baseline, Years 1, 2, and 5 were assessed for the presence and size of GA by two masked graders. Participants were interviewed about systemic medication use at baseline. Systemic medications previously reported to be associated with age-related macular degeneration were evaluated for associations with GA incidence in study eye using univariable and multivariable Cox models and for association with the GA growth using linear mixed effects models. RESULTS In multivariable analysis of 1,011 study eyes without baseline GA, systemic medications, including cholinesterase inhibitors, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, beta-blockers, diuretics, aspirin, steroids, statins, hormone replacement therapy, antacids, and drugs targeting G protein-coupled receptors, were not associated with GA incidence in the study eye (all adjusted hazard ratios ≤1.86, P ≥ 0.18). In multivariable analysis of 214 study eyes with longitudinal GA size measurements, calcium channel blockers were associated with a higher GA growth rate (0.40 vs. 0.30 mm/year, P = 0.02). CONCLUSION None of the systemic medications analyzed were associated with GA incidence. However, calcium channel blockers were associated with a higher growth rate of GA in the study eye.
Cholangioscopy in primary sclerosing cholangitis: a case series of benign features

Background and Aims Cholangioscopy is useful in establishing a visual diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), but this is harder to achieve in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) because of the stricture-forming nature of the disease. Furthermore, it can be harder to differentiate malignant from benign features of the underlying inflammation. This case series demonstrates the varied features of nonmalignant inflammatory findings in PSC. Methods A single experienced endoscopist performed cholangioscopy for PSC cases referred for ERCP. Results Cholangioscopy in these 5 cases without CCA demonstrated the features of acute and chronic inflammation, acute inflammatory mass, dominant stricture, acute cholangitis in a duct with features of chronic inflammation with a large pigmented stone, and fibrostenotic disease. Cholangioscopic maneuvers such as advancement across strictures after balloon dilation, targeted mucosal biopsy, and electrohydraulic lithotripsy (EHL) of impacted stones are demonstrated. The relevant radiographic and histopathologic features of the disease accompany each case description. Regarding long-term prognosis, 1 case of acute inflammatory mass and a case of worsening liver function required a liver transplant evaluation, whereas the other 3 cases remain stable. Conclusions Cholangioscopic features of benign disease in PSC are varied. Knowledge of these features is essential in differentiating between benign and malignant findings. These features, combined with biopsy and cytology evaluation, can help in tailoring management in patients with benign PSC.
Deep learning-based autofocus method enhances image quality in light-sheet fluorescence microscopy.

Light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) is a minimally invasive and high throughput imaging technique ideal for capturing large volumes of tissue with sub-cellular resolution. A fundamental requirement for LSFM is a seamless overlap of the light-sheet that excites a selective plane in the specimen, with the focal plane of the objective lens. However, spatial heterogeneity in the refractive index of the specimen often results in violation of this requirement when imaging deep in the tissue. To address this issue, autofocus methods are commonly used to refocus the focal plane of the objective-lens on the light-sheet. Yet, autofocus techniques are slow since they require capturing a stack of images and tend to fail in the presence of spherical aberrations that dominate volume imaging. To address these issues, we present a deep learning-based autofocus framework that can estimate the position of the objective-lens focal plane relative to the light-sheet, based on two defocused images. This approach outperforms or provides comparable results with the best traditional autofocus method on small and large image patches respectively. When the trained network is integrated with a custom-built LSFM, a certainty measure is used to further refine the network’s prediction. The network performance is demonstrated in real-time on cleared genetically labeled mouse forebrain and pig cochleae samples. Our study provides a framework that could improve light-sheet microscopy and its application toward imaging large 3D specimens with high spatial resolution.
Costly circRNAs, Effective Population Size, and the Origins of Molecular Complexity.

While much excitement has attended the discovery and study of circular RNAs, a new study in Cell Reports suggests that most mammalian circRNAs are not only functionless, but in fact costly. Comparison across three species is also consistent with the influential but rarely tested Drift-Barrier Hypothesis of molecular complexity. According to this hypothesis, nonessential genomic elements are slightly deleterious elements that fix by genetic drift and, thus, are generally more abundant in species with small effective population sizes. I discuss the implications of these new results for the Drift-Barrier hypothesis. In particular, I note the distinction between two classes of genomic elements, based on whether they are created by ‘standard’ small-scale mutations (basepair substitutions, indels, etc.) or larger, more idiosyncratic mutations (segmental duplications, transposable element propagation, etc.) I suggest that the Drift-Barrier Hypothesis is likely to apply to the former class, but perhaps not the latter class.
Punch stretching process monitoring using acoustic emission signal analysis. II - Application of frequency domain deconvolution

The coloring effect on the acoustic emission signal due to the frequency response of the data acquisition/processing instrumentation may bias the interpretation of AE signal characteristics. In this paper, a frequency domain deconvolution technique, which involves the identification of the instrumentation transfer functions and multiplication of the AE signal spectrum by the inverse of these system functions, has been carried out. In this way, the change in AE signal characteristics can be better interpreted as the result of the change in only the states of the process. Punch stretching process was used as an example to demonstrate the application of the technique. Results showed that, through the deconvolution, the frequency characteristics of AE signals generated during the stretching became more distinctive and can be more effectively used as tools for process monitoring.
Distributed Online Topology Design for Disturbance Rejection

In this chapter, we examine a networked multi-agent system running consensus susceptible to mis-information from its environment. The influenced dynamics are modeled with leader–follower dynamics and the impact of the foreign input is measures through the open loop \(\mathcal{H}_{2}\) norm of the network dynamics. To dampen the external disturbances a novel decentralized edge reweighting method is proposed. The method is composed of a decentralized conjugate gradient method coupled with a decentralized online optimization algorithm. The uncertainties of the effect of local rewiring and unknown environmental influences are demonstrated to be well-suited to the online regret framework. A simulation of the reweighting method is discussed and shown to have small regret.
Implications of Population Pressure on Agriculture and Ecosystems

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses different aspects of the effects of population pressure on agriculture such as carrying capacity, technology and sustainability, population growth, agriculture's resource base, ecosystems and agriculture, measuring impacts, nutritional security and the rich-poor gap, and global change. Biologists define carrying capacity as the maximum number of individuals of an organism that can be supported indefinitely without degrading the capacity of their environment to support future populations. Carrying capacity is easily defined, but calculating it for any organism is a complex matter. The term “sustainable” has caused considerable confusion in recent years while gaining widespread use. Achievement of replacement reproduction or less is a process that usually takes decades when TFRs are initially high. Population momentum explains why, even if unexpectedly rapid reductions in fertility occurred in nations with high birth rates, the world population is destined to grow substantially further. Modern farming requires a generous fossil fuel subsidy to support the high crop yields and intensive practices necessary to feed the present population. The primary limiting resource for agriculture is obviously productive land, a resource often claimed to be in abundant supply by technological optimists who may overlook either physical limitations or social constraints on that supply. Civilization is now also threatening to destabilize major elements of the natural life-support system through changes, such as large-scale deforestation. Although agricultural activities are very important in generating environmental problems from pesticide pollution to loss of biodiversity, land degradation, and greenhouse gas emissions, the consequences of many environmental problems include impacts on agriculture.
Quantity Flexibility Contract in the Presence of Discount Incentive

We design a new contract, which we refer to as the QFi contract, that combines the quantity flexibility (QF) mechanism and the price-only discount incentive. Under the QF contract, the buyer does not assume full responsibility for the forecast, yet the supplier guarantees the availability of the forecasted quantity and extra buffer inventory. In contrast, the price-only discount contract places full inventory burden on the buyer. We show that the proposed QFi contract effectively balances the inventory risk for both the buyer and the supplier considering both the QF and discount mechanisms. We also show that the QFi contract is able to achieve supply chain coordination. More importantly, the QFi contract's coordinating price scheme does not require knowledge of demand distribution. We identify areas where the buyer and supplier may both benefit from implementing the QFi contract as opposed to the extant QF or price-only (wholesale) discount contractual decisions in a decentralized supply chain. We also specify the conditions under which supply chain coordination can be achieved in a win-win manner. We conclude with managerial implications and provide directions for future research.
CD40 Ligand Functions Non-Cell Autonomously to Promote Deletion of Self-Reactive Thymocytes

CD40 ligand (CD40L)-deficient mice have been shown to have a defect in negative selection of self-reactive T cells during thymic development. However, the mechanism by which CD40L promotes deletion of autoreactive thymocytes has not yet been elucidated. We have studied negative selection in response to endogenous superantigens in CD40L-deficient mice and, consistent with previous reports, have found a defect in negative selection in these mice. To test the requirement for expression of CD40L on T cells undergoing negative selection, we have generated chimeric mice in which CD40L wild-type and CD40L-deficient thymocytes coexist. We find that both CD40L wild-type and CD40L-deficient thymocytes undergo equivalent and efficient negative selection when these populations coexist in chimeric mice. These results indicate that CD40L can function in a non-cell-autonomous manner during negative selection. Deletion of superantigen-reactive thymocytes was normal in B7-1/B7-2 double-knockout mice, indicating that CD40-CD40L-dependent negative selection is not solely mediated by B7 up-regulation and facilitation of B7-dependent T cell signaling. Finally, although the absence of CD40-CD40L interactions impairs negative selection of autoreactive CD4 + and CD8 + cells during thymic development, we find that self-reactive T cells are deleted in the mature CD4 + population through a CD40L-independent pathway.
The value of physical examination in the diagnosis of hip osteoarthritis

Objective To compare the sensitivity of physical examination (internal rotation of the hip) with radiographs (using the Kellgren-Lawrence grading scale) in the diagnosis of clinically significant hip osteoarthritis. Design Case Series, Retrospective chart review of hip pain patients that underwent fluoroscopically guided hip steroid and anesthetic injections. Participants 10 patients with hip pain patients seen at an academic outpatient center over a 2 year period were analyzed. Interventions Fluoroscopically guided hip steroid and anesthetic injection. Main outcome measure Pain relief and change in VAS pain score after intra-articular hip steroid and lidocaine injection was the main outcome measure. Results Based on Fisher's exact test, there was no association between severity of radiographic hip arthritis and pain relief with intra-articular anesthetic/steroid injection (p=0.45). Physical examination (provocative hip internal rotation) however was associated with a significant decrease in VAS pain score after intra-articular lidocaine and corticosteroid hip injection (p=0.022). Conclusion Simple hip radiographs alone are not sufficient to diagnose clinically significant hip osteoarthritis. Physical examination (hip internal rotation) was found to be more accurate than simple radiographs in the diagnosis of clinically significant hip osteoarthritis. Radiographs seem to best utilized when they are an extension of the physical examination and patient history.
A Retrofitting Framework for Pre-Northridge Steel Moment-Frame Buildings

In the 1994 Mw 6.7 Northridge and 1995 Mw 6.9 Kobe earthquakes, steel moment-frame buildings were exposed to an unexpected flaw. The commonly utilized welded unreinforced flange, bolted web connections were observed to experience brittle fractures in a number of buildings, even at low levels of seismic demand. A majority of these buildings have not been retrofitted and may be susceptible to structural collapse in a major earthquake. This dissertation presents a case study of retrofitting a 20-story pre-Northridge steel moment-frame building. Twelve retrofit schemes are developed that present some range in degree of intervention. Three retrofitting techniques are considered: upgrading the brittle beam-to-column moment resisting connections, and implementing either conventional or buckling-restrained brace elements within the existing moment-frame bays. The retrofit schemes include some that are designed to the basic safety objective of ASCE-41 Seismic Rehabilitation of Existing Buildings. Detailed finite element models of the base line building and the retrofit schemes are constructed. The models include considerations of brittle beam-to-column moment resisting connection fractures, column splice fractures, column baseplate fractures, accidental contributions from ``simple'' non-moment resisting beam-to-column connections to the lateral force-resisting system, and composite actions of beams with the overlying floor system. In addition, foundation interaction is included through nonlinear translational springs underneath basement columns. To investigate the effectiveness of the retrofit schemes, the building models are analyzed under ground motions from three large magnitude simulated earthquakes that cause intense shaking in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area, and under recorded ground motions from actual earthquakes. It is found that retrofit schemes that convert the existing moment-frames into braced-frames by implementing either conventional or buckling-restrained braces are effective in limiting structural damage and mitigating structural collapse. In the three simulated earthquakes, a 20% chance of simulated collapse is realized at PGV of around 0.6 m/s for the base line model, but at PGV of around 1.8 m/s for some of the retrofit schemes. However, conventional braces are observed to deteriorate rapidly. Hence, if a braced-frame that employs conventional braces survives a large earthquake, it is questionable how much service the braces provide in potential aftershocks.
Treatment of common skin infections and infestations during pregnancy

In the absence of systematic studies in pregnant and lactating women, recommendations for the treatment of infections during pregnancy are based on animal studies, accumulated evidence from clinical use and case reports, as well as published consensus statements and expert opinion. This article examines the evidence basis for the treatment of common cutaneous infections in women who are pregnant or breast-feeding.
The Tail of the Magnetosphere and Particle Acceleration

This paper is a shorter version of an earlier paper (Hoh, 1965) but emphasize some of the questions which arose during the Institute.
Detecting Activity in Olfactory Bulb Glomeruli with Astrocyte Recording

In the olfactory bulb, axons of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) expressing the same olfactory receptor converge on specific glomeruli. These afferents form axodendritic synapses with mitral/tufted and periglomerular cell dendrites, whereas the dendrites of mitral/tufted cells and periglomerular interneurons form dendrodendritic synapses. The two types of intraglomerular synapses appear to be spatially isolated in subcompartments delineated by astrocyte processes. Because each astrocyte sends processes into a single glomerulus, we used astrocyte recording as an intraglomerular detector of neuronal activity. In glomerular astrocytes, a single shock in the olfactory nerve layer evoked a prolonged inward current, the major part of which was attributable to a barium-sensitive potassium current. The K+ current closely reflected the time course of depolarization of mitral/tufted cells, indicating that K+ accumulation mainly reflects the activity of mitral/tufted cells. The astrocyte K+ current was dependent on AMPA and NMDA receptors in mitral/tufted cells as well as on a previously undescribed metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 component. Block of the K+ current with barium unmasked a synaptic glutamate transporter current. Perhaps surprisingly, the transporter current had components caused by glutamate released at both olfactory nerve terminals and mitral/tufted cell dendrites. The time course of the transporter currents suggested that rapid synchronous glutamate release at OSN terminals triggers asynchronous glutamate release from mitral/tufted cells. Glomerular astrocyte recording provides a sensitive means to examine functional compartmentalization within and between olfactory bulb glomeruli.