cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Surgical Treatment of Tumors Involving Kidneys With Fusion Anomalies: A Contemporary Series

Objective To report a contemporary series of surgically treated patients with tumors involving kidneys with fusion anomalies. Materials and Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all 10 patients treated at a single tertiary care institution for tumors involving kidneys with fusion anomalies between the years 2000 and 2015. One patient, diagnosed with lymphoma, did not undergo surgical treatment and was therefore excluded. Data regarding patient, tumor, and treatment characteristics were collected and described. Results The study cohort included 7 male and 2 female patients, at a median age of 52 years. Seven patients underwent open partial nephrectomy. Nephroureterectomy was performed on 2 patients; 1 open and 1 laparoscopic. All patients had localized disease at diagnosis. Tumor histologies were renal cell carcinoma in 5 patients, renal oncocytoma in 1 patient, urothelial carcinoma in 2 patients, and a well-differentiated liposarcoma involving the kidney in 1 patient. Accessory blood vessels were identified in 8 of 9 patients. Median estimated blood loss was 300 mL (interquartile range: 150-1000). Four patients had postoperative complications, including 3 major (Clavien grade ≥ 3) and 3 minor (Clavien grade ≤ 2) complications. During a median follow-up of 19.2 months (interquartile range: 3-34.8), 1 patient with urothelial carcinoma developed a bladder recurrence. None of the patients developed new-onset chronic kidney disease during the early postoperative period. Conclusion Localized renal cortical tumors in kidneys with fusion anomalies may be treated with partial nephrectomy; however, complication rates are relatively high. Preoperative imaging of the blood vessels is necessary, as most patients have an accessory blood supply.
Corporate Diversification, Asymmetric Information, and Firm Value: Evidence from Stock Market Trading Characteristics

There is no clear theoretical consensus about the overall effect of firm diversification on the magnitude of asymmetric information problems that firms face. We therefore compare stock market based measures of asymmetric information for diversified firms with those they could reasonably expect to exhibit if they were split along industry lines into separately traded entities. We find that approximately 74% of the diversified firms in our sample have less severe asymmetric information problems as conglomerates than they could expect to experience as separately traded pure-play firms. We also find evidence that diversified firms with low levels of information asymmetry trade at significant diversification premiums while diversified firms with high levels of information asymmetry trade at significant diversification discounts.
Immunosuppression With CD40 Costimulatory Blockade Plus Rapamycin for Simultaneous Islet–Kidney Transplantation in Nonhuman Primates

The lack of a reliable immunosuppressive regimen that effectively suppresses both renal and islet allograft rejection without islet toxicity hampers a wider clinical application of simultaneous islet-kidney transplantation (SIK). Seven MHC-mismatched SIKs were performed in diabetic cynomolgus monkeys. Two recipients received rabbit antithymocyte globulin (ATG) induction followed by daily tacrolimus and rapamycin (ATG/Tac/Rapa), and five recipients were treated with anti-CD40 monoclonal antibody (mAb) and rapamycin (aCD40/Rapa). Anti-inflammatory therapy, including anti-interleukin-6 receptor mAb and anti-tumor necrosis factor-α mAb, was given in both groups. The ATG/Tac/Rapa recipients failed to achieve long-term islet allograft survival (19 and 26 days) due to poor islet engraftment and cytomegalovirus pneumonia. In contrast, the aCD40/Rapa regimen provided long-term islet and kidney allograft survival (90, 94, >120, >120, and >120 days), with only one recipient developing evidence of allograft rejection. The aCD40/Rapa regimen was also tested in four kidney-alone transplant recipients. All four recipients achieved long-term renal allograft survival (100% at day 120), which was superior to renal allograft survival (62.9% at day 120) with triple immunosuppressive regimen (tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and steroids). The combination of anti-CD40 mAb and rapamycin is an effective and nontoxic immunosuppressive regimen that uses only clinically available agents for kidney and islet recipients.
A critical life in nuclear energy

We are fortunate that a few of the pioneers in the development of nuclear energy are willing to write about their rich experiences. Alvin Weinberg, a leader as well as a pioneer in reactor development, is the latest such individual. His book is a treasury of information regarding events and personalities that relate to the nuclear age, extending from the earliest stages of the Manhattan Project through to the present.
“I Got to Voice What’s in My Heart”: Participation in the Cultural Formulation Interview—Perspectives of Consumers with Psychotic Disorders

Consumers with serious mental illness (SMI) frequently disengage from treatment; tools to enhance rapport and therapeutic alliance with these consumers are needed. The Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI), published in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), assesses social and cultural context as it relates to mental health and has potential as a rapport-building tool. The present study aimed to examine the perspectives of consumers with psychotic spectrum disorders on participating in the CFI. Consumers (N = 14) with psychotic disorders were recruited from mental health programs at an urban Veterans Affairs Medical Center. They participated in the CFI followed by a debriefing interview, during which they were queried about their experiences with the CFI. Debriefing interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to collate the data and identify themes. Participants reported that the CFI was validating, therapeutic, and led to deeper realizations about themselves and their recovery. The CFI may be used to simultaneously enhance rapport and obtain meaningful health narrative data with consumers with psychotic disorders. The CFI may be a valuable tool to promote treatment engagement among individuals with SMI.
Compression Model for Ultimate Postbuckling Shear Strength at Elevated Temperatures

AbstractTension field theory assumes that after elastic shear buckling has occurred, compressive stresses in the web plate do not increase; therefore, postbuckling shear strength solely results fro...
Fecal Calprotectin Levels Predict Histological Healing in Ulcerative Colitis.

BACKGROUND Mucosal healing as measured by endoscopic activity is the therapeutic target for ulcerative colitis (UC) and associated with improved outcomes. We investigated the clinical utility of fecal calprotectin (FC) levels to predict depth of remission, including histological remission in patients with UC. METHODS We performed a retrospective chart review of patients with UC who underwent a full colonoscopy and FC measured within 6 weeks before colonoscopy at a tertiary inflammatory bowel disease center. Clinical, endoscopic, and histological disease activity was assessed by Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO2), Mayo endoscopic score (0-3), and Nancy score (0-4), respectively. Outcomes of interest included (1) deep remission (PRO2 remission and Mayo score 0) and (2) deeper remission (deep remission plus Nancy score 0/1). Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests and area under the curve-receiver operating characteristic curve analysis were used to evaluate accuracy of the predictive values. RESULTS In 68 patients, increasing FC levels were significantly associated with disease extent (P = 0.006), Mayo score (P = 0.001), and Nancy scores (P < 0.001). Patients with Mayo score 0/1 and Nancy score ≤1 (n = 20) had significantly lower FC levels compared with Mayo 0/1 and Nancy ≥ 2 (31 versus 231; P < 0.001). FC level of ≤60 μg/g predicted deep remission (area under the curve = 0.92, sensitivity 86%, and specificity 87%) and deeper remission (area under the curve = 0.91, sensitivity 83%, and specificity 90%). CONCLUSIONS FC levels significantly correlated with endoscopic extent, mucosal healing, and histological activity, and reflect microscopic disease activity even in the face of macroscopic healing. An FC level of ≤60 μg/g robustly predicted depth of remission, suggesting that FC can be used instead of colonoscopy in a treat-to-target paradigm in patients with UC.
Method for monitoring chloride levels in steam condensate in thermal power plants using reverse osmosis membranes and an ion-selective electrode

ABSTRACTCurrent methods for monitoring chloride in steam condensate in thermal power plants cannot measure the recommended target level (2 ppb) or are too complex and maintenance intensive for smaller plants. We propose a new relatively low-cost, easy-to-use, low-maintenance method, in which chloride in steam condensate is separated and concentrated with reverse osmosis membranes and the chloride in the concentrate stream is measured using an ion-selective electrode. This concentration-and-measurement system was demonstrated to accurately and quickly detect changes in chloride levels in steam condensate at operationally relevant levels (2–10 ppb) and as low as 0.6 ppb.
Critique [of Strategies to Increase the Number of Minority Teachers in the Public Schools by Glenn M. Kraig]

In the course of his article, Kraig reviews a number of important ways to assure the recruitment and increase of minority teachers in the public school system. He also discusses specific programs which could stand as exemplary efforts directed at the daunting task of increasing the number of minorities in the educational pipeline, and ultimately, in the public school setting. Before examining these model programs and strategies, Kraig reviews the current and future demographic trends which suggest that the “relative population of the teaching force is not even close to being representative of the composition of the student body in terms of ethnicity.” This statistical revelation enables Kraig to advance his first reason for increasing the number of minorities in education — namely, that the ethnic representation of the student population should in some way be matched by a comparable percentage in the ethnicity of those hired to teach in the public schools.
Prenatal Opioid Exposure and Intermittent Hypoxemia in Preterm Infants: A Retrospective Assessment

Abstract Introduction: Intermittent hypoxemia (IH) is defined as episodic drops in oxygen saturation (SpO2). Preterm infants are at increased risk for IH due to their immature respiratory control/apnea of prematurity. The clinical relevance of IH is a relatively new observation with rising evidence linking IH to neonatal morbidities and long term impairment. Hence, assessing factors that influence IH in preterm infants is imperative. Given the epidemic of opioid misuse in the USA, there is an urgent need to understand the impact of prenatal opioid exposure on neonatal outcomes. Hence, we wanted to assess the relationship between isolated prenatal opioid exposure and IH in preterm infants. Methods: In order to accurately calculate IH, SpO2 data were prospectively collected using high resolution pulse oximeters during the first 8 weeks of life in preterm infants less than 30 weeks gestational age. Data related to prenatal opioid misuse were retrospectively collected from medical charts. Infants with tobacco or poly-drug exposure were excluded. The primary outcome measure is percent time spent with SpO2 below 80% (%time-SpO2<80). The secondary outcome measure is the number of severe IH events/week with SpO2 less than 80% (IH-SpO2<80). Results: A total of 82 infants with isolated opioid exposure (n=14) or who were unexposed (n=68) were included. There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between opioid exposed and unexposed groups. There was a statistically significant increase of 0.23 [95% CI: (0.03, 0.43), p=0.03] in mean of the square root of %time-SpO2<80. The number of IH-SpO2<80 events was higher in the opioid exposed group [mean difference = 2.95, 95% CI: (-0.35, 6.25), p-value = 0.08], although statistical significance was not quite attained. Conclusion: This study shows that preterm infants prenatally exposed to opioids have increased IH measures compared to unexposed infants. Interestingly, the increased IH in the opioid exposed group persists beyond the immediate postnatal period.
Addressing Physical Education Teacher Socialization Through Standards-based Reform of Physical Education Teacher Education

Research suggests that progress in the physical education profession is slowed by a cycle of nonteaching and dominance of traditional methodologies. Socialization factors operate to preserve and pe...
Soil Carbon in the World: Ecosystem Services Linked to Soil Carbon in Forest and Agricultural Soils

Abstract Organic carbon is an important soil property that influences all the other chemical, physical, and biological soil properties and functions. In view of this, soil organic carbon plays a pivotal role in providing the main ecosystem services. Consequently, the adoption of soil management practices that reduce soil disturbance and increase the input and stabilization of organic matter can contribute not only to store carbon (C) for climate regulation, but also to enhance other ecosystem services derived from soil, such as soil stability, primary production, water-holding capacity, biodiversity, nutrient cycles, and soil fertility. The understanding of how soil organic carbon can be formed and conserved will assist policy makers and land managers to design environmentally acceptable sustainable management programs.
Seeking help from weak ties through mediated channels: Integrating self-presentation and norm violation to compliance

Abstract Seeking help from weak ties via information communication technology (ICT) can be challenging. Drawing upon the self-presentation literature and norm violation theory, this study examines how the level of anticipated future interaction (AFI) with weak ties and the choice of channel for seeking help from them --- email, texting, and voicemail --- affect their compliance with these requests. Results from a between-subjects experiment (N = 398) show that self-presentational concern fully mediate the impact of AFI on compliance. Additionally, compared to email and texting, making such requests via voicemail is perceived as less normative, resulting in the reduced likelihood of compliance. These findings provide implications about using ICT to seek social support and promote pro-social acts.
Serum osmolality and its applicability to drug overdose.

The purpose of this study was to determine the applicability of the serum osmolality in cases of intoxication with drugs or other substances. Twenty-one patients with ethanol intoxication, five with isopropanol intoxication, and 28 overdosed with 18 drugs were studied. Serum osmolalities and appropriate drug analyses were performed in all cases. The normal serum delta osmolality (∆osm) was determined in 56 healthy individuals. It was concluded that the serum ∆osm is an effective screening procedure for a group of intoxicants that attain high, toxic, serum levels and have relatively low molecular weights. This group includes ethanol, isopropanol, methanol, acetone, ethyl ether, and trichloroethane. In addition, if these intoxicants are identified the serum concentrations can be calculated. However, most drugs or intoxicants cannot be screened using the ∆osm because their serum levels are low and their molecular weights high, so that they have negligible effects on osmolality.
User Fees as an Alternative to Coercive Taxation: A Look at Some Economic and Ethical Issues

Most forms of public finance rely on force or the threat of force to collect revenue. Two forms of public finance that do not rely on force are lotteries and user fees. This article discusses some of the economic and ethical issues involved in using user fees as a form of public finance.
Renal Frame Count and Renal Blush Grade: Quantitative Measures That Predict the Success of Renal Stenting in Hypertensive Patients With Renal Artery Stenosis

Objectives This study sought to identify angiographic parameters of favorable clinical response to renal artery stenting. Background Stenting improves blood pressure (BP) control in patients with renal artery stenosis (RAS), but markers predicting a favorable clinical response are limited. Methods Renal perfusion was quantified in hypertensive patients (BP ≥140/90 mm Hg) without RAS by determining renal frame count (RFC) (angiographic frames [30 frames/s] for contrast to reach distal renal parenchyma after initial renal artery opacification) and renal blush grade (RBG) (0: none, 1: minimal, 2: normal, 3: hyperemic parenchymal blush). It was hypothesized that stenting unilateral RAS in hypertensive patients would result in decreased RFC and increased RBG, which might predict BP reduction. Results The RFC in 17 consecutive hypertensive patients without RAS (control group) (64.4 ± 14.2 years, 12 male, 22 kidneys) was 20.1 ± 5.4, whereas RBG was 2.33 ± 0.66. In 24 consecutive hypertensive patients with unilateral RAS (study group) (72.7 ± 11.3 years, 8 male), reduced RFC (26.6 ± 9.1 to 21.4 ± 6.7, p l 0.001) and increased RBG (1.63 ± 0.71 to 2.13 ± 0.85, p = 0.03) were observed after renal stenting. At 6 months, reduced BP (systolic BP 150.6 ± 15.6 mm Hg to 128.6 ± 15.5 mm Hg, p l 0.001; diastolic BP 77.2 ± 15.6 mm Hg to 68.3 ± 10.4 mm Hg, p = 0.022) without change in number of hypertensive medications was observed. Clinical responders (systolic BP reduction g15 mm Hg) had a greater decrease in RFC (7.7 ± 4.6 vs. 1.7 ± 5.1, p = 0.009) and 78.6% of patients with g4 RFC decrease were responders (p = 0.024). Conclusions This study shows that quantitative indices of renal perfusion (RFC and RBG) are impaired in patients with RAS and improve after stenting, and that RFC reduction is associated with BP reduction.
Why are we learning this? Using mixed methods to understand teachers’ relevance statements and how they shape middle school students’ perceptions of science utility

Abstract We investigated how four middle school science teachers perceived and communicated the relevance of science content in their seventh-grade classrooms (n = 14), and examined their students’ (N = 306) perceptions regarding the utility of daily course content and the domain of science more generally. Teacher interviews and repeated classroom observations were used to build an understanding of how and for whom science teachers saw science content as relevant, and to examine the different ways teachers communicated content relevance to students during instruction. Students’ perceptions of science utility were measured using repeated self-reports of the usefulness of daily content and traditional surveys assessing global science utility. Following separate analyses of the quantitative and qualitative data strands, the data sources were merged to investigate how teachers’ relevance statements relate to their own stated beliefs, and to students’ daily and global perceptions of science utility. Teachers varied in terms of the depth and breadth of connections they saw between science content and students’ lives, and these beliefs were largely reflected in the relevance statements they made while they were teaching. Students perceived the domain of science as being moderately useful, and often did not see the utility of their daily course activities. When teachers made more frequent relevance statements, their students were more likely to see daily content as useful and had increased perceptions of global science utility. Results highlight the influence of teacher beliefs on practice, as well as the immediate and longer-term effects of relevance strategies on students’ utility beliefs.
Historical Epic Blockbusters: Are You Not Entertained … By Actors?

Smith-Rowsey opens his investigation into blockbuster performances with a close look at the genre that, more than any other, diminished the reputation of the initial blockbuster cycle (of the 1950s and 1960s) because of what were often considered “ham-fisted,” “declamatory,” “histrionic,” or simply “bad” performances. Prompted by Vivian Sobchack’s famous essay about “surge and splendor” in the historical epic, Smith-Rowsey asks if audiences want performers to fit in with their films’ pomp and circumstance, or if audiences rely upon relatively nuanced performances to mitigate against a production’s excesses. Smith-Rowsey finds that in Gladiator (2000), Sobchack’s performative “magnitude” is both appropriate and achieved given the film’s (and sub-genre’s) prioritization of size and scale. However, the author finds that in Titanic (1997), more understated, “heritage film”-style performances well suit that epic’s melodrama. Research shows that preview audiences for Titanic, importuned to suggest cuts, preferred that the film trim the ship-sinking scenes and preserve the quieter love scenes. The idea that blockbuster audiences prefer “acting” over “action” runs counter to most film criticism and scholarship.
Snapshots of Iron Speciation: Tracking the Fate of Iron Nanoparticle Drugs via a Liquid Chromatography–Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spectrometric Approach

Nanomedicines are nanoparticle-based therapeutic or diagnostic agents designed for targeted delivery or enhanced stability. Nanotechnology has been successfully employed to develop various drug formulations with improved pharmacokinetic characteristics, and current research efforts are focused on the development of new innovator and generic nanomedicines. Nanomedicines, which are often denoted as complex or nonbiological complex drugs, have inherently different physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties than conventional small molecule drugs. The tools necessary to fully evaluate nanomedicines in clinical settings are limited, which can hamper their development. One of the most successful families of nanomedicines are iron-carbohydrate nanoparticles, which are administered intravenously (IV) to treat iron-deficiency anemia. In the U.S., the FDA has approved six distinct iron-carbohydrate nanoparticles but only one generic version (sodium ferric gluconate for Ferrlecit). There is significant interest in approving additional generic iron-carbohydrate drugs; however, the lack of a direct method to monitor the fate of the iron nanoparticles in clinical samples has impeded this approval. Herein we report a novel liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LC-ICP-MS) method that allows for the direct quantification of the iron-carbohydrate drugs in clinical samples, while simultaneously measuring the speciation of the iron released from the nanoparticles in biological samples. To our knowledge, this is the first time that iron nanoparticles have been observed in clinical samples, opening the door for direct pharmacokinetic studies of this family of drugs. This method has potential applications not only for iron-nanoparticle drugs but also for any nanomedicine with an inorganic component.
Automated Structured Threat Information Expression (STIX) Document Generation with Privacy Preservation

The traditional approach to cybersecurity is struggling to defend against modern, dynamic and rapidly evolving cyber-attacks. Automated generation of cyber-threat intelligence (CTI) along with effective and real-time sharing of the CTI is required by organizations to prevent major cyber-attacks. It is nearly impossible to achieve comparable defense individually without cybersecurity information sharing. The first step towards this end is to collect cyber threat data and to represent that data in a standardized format. There is plenty of raw cyber threat data available to organizations in the form of firewall logs, malware signatures, spam emails, etc. However, the automated conversion of these data into a standard format has not been studied before. In this paper, we introduce a novel, privacy-preserving, mechanism to represent raw cyber threat-data in Structured Threat Information Expression (STIX) format in an automated manner. A complexity analysis shows that this process is suitable for large-scale deployments. This general guideline can be followed to represent all types of threat data in a standardized format. This will help the security administrators get a broad picture of the threat landscape and enable them to share these data with a cybersecurity information sharing platform for advanced analytics.
Rapid and Efficient Synthesis of [11C]Trifluoromethylarenes from Primary Aromatic Amines and [11C]CuCF3.

Prior studies have shown that trifluoromethylarenes can be labeled in high molar activities (Am > 200 GBq/μmol) with positron-emitting carbon-11 (t1/2 = 20.4 min) by the reaction of the copper(I) derivative of [11C]fluoroform [11C]CuCF3, with several types of precursors, such as aryl iodides, arylboronic acids, and aryldiazonium salts. Nonetheless, these precursors can be challenging to synthesize, and in the case of diazonium salts, are unstable. Methods that reduce challenges in precursor preparation for the synthesis of [11C]trifluoromethylarenes are desirable to enhance possibilities for developing biologically relevant 11C-labeled compounds as radiotracers for biomedical imaging with positron emission tomography (PET). Here, we explored the production of no-carrier-added [11C]trifluoromethylarenes from commercially available primary aromatic amines through reactions of [11C]CuCF3 with diazonium salts that were generated in situ. Moderate to high isolated decay-corrected radiochemical yields (RCY) (32-84%) were obtained rapidly (within 2 min) for many para-substituted and meta-substituted primary aromatic amines bearing a halo, methoxy, thiomethyl, hydroxy, nitro, nitrile, carboxyl, ethylcarboxy, or trifluoromethyl substituent. Null to low RCYs (0-13%) were observed only for ortho bromo-, nitro-, or nitrile-substituted precursors. This new radiosynthetic method usefully expands options for producing PET radiotracers bearing a [11C]trifluoromethyl group, especially from aryl amine precursors.
On the Linear Convergence of Random Search for Discrete-Time LQR

Model-free reinforcement learning techniques directly search over the parameter space of controllers. Although this often amounts to solving a nonconvex optimization problem, for benchmark control problems simple local search methods exhibit competitive performance. To understand this phenomenon, we study the discrete-time Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) problem with unknown state-space parameters. In spite of the lack of convexity, we establish that the random search method with two-point gradient estimates and a fixed number of roll-outs achieves $\epsilon $ -accuracy in $O$ ( $\log $ (1/ $\epsilon $ )) iterations. This significantly improves existing results on the model-free LQR problem which require $O$ (1/ $\epsilon $ ) total roll-outs.
Exploration of Design Space and Runtime Optimization for Affective Computing in Machine Learning Empowered Ultra-Low Power SoC

The incorporation of artificial intelligence into the rapidly growing IoT devices demands a high level of built-in intelligence, e.g. machine learning capability at the device level. Affective computing offers a new degree of cognitive intelligence into edge processing IoT devices by inferring human emotion, stress levels for intelligent human assistance. This work explores the design space and runtime optimization opportunity for affective computing at the system-on-chip (SoC) level. A design optimization methodology for the neural network classifier and runtime power management schemes are proposed to achieve high energy efficiency on embedded low power devices. A test chip based on a 65nm CMOS process was used to demonstrate the proposed methodology on emotion and stress classification for affective computing. An average power saving of 45% is achieved with a peak power savings of 60% from the proposed emotion-driven adaptive power management scheme.
A Patient with speechlessness and rhabdomyolysis: a rare presentation of severe hypocalcaemia.

A 29-year-old man with no medical history presented to our emergency department with episodes of sudden speechlessness, hoarseness, vomiting after drinking cold water and spasms of his hands. Chvostek's and Trousseau's signs were both seen at presentation. Blood tests revealed severe hypocalcaemia (1.03 mmol/L) and rhabdomyolysis (creatine kinase (CK) of 2962 IU/L). The patient was treated immediately with calcium intravenously with an almost immediate improvement of his voice and quick normalisation of his CK. Additional investigation showed primary hypoparathyroidism in the presence of a vitamin D deficiency, requiring lifelong treatment with calcium supplements and alphacalcidol. Severe hypocalcaemia can be life threatening and prompt treatment is essential. This case reports the unusual first presentation of hypocalcaemia via speechlessness and vomiting together with rhabdomyolysis. Identifying an atypical presentation of hypocalcaemia is critical, for it can be lifesaving.
Chemoreduction with topotecan and vincristine: Quantifying tumor response in bilateral retinoblastoma patients.

BACKGROUND Evaluate the efficacy of two courses of vincristine and topotecan (VT) neoadjuvant intravenous chemotherapy in reducing retinoblastoma tumor volumes. METHODS Twenty-seven patients with previously untreated, bilateral advanced retinoblastoma who were enrolled on a prospective treatment protocol (NCT00186888). Patients underwent high-resolution ophthalmic imaging at diagnosis and were reimaged following treatment with two cycles of VT. Tumor height and diameter were measured before and after treatment, and tumor volumes were calculated. Statistical methods for dependent samples were used. RESULTS Imaging was completed for 75 tumors in 23 patients (43 eyes). After two cycles of VT, median decrease in tumor height was 47% and median decrease in tumor diameter was 22%. Median decrease in estimated tumor volume was 74%. Sixty-one of 75 tumors demonstrated >50% reduction in tumor volume. Distance from the optic nerve (=0 vs >0), age ( 4 months), macular location (within vs outside), and time (pre- and posttreatment) were found significantly associated with log-transformed tumor volume adjusting for the repeated effect of patient eye using generalized estimating equations to estimate the parameters of a generalized linear model (P < .0001 [ β : 1.95, CI: 1.53-2.36], P = .0031 [ β : 1.49, CI: 0.57-2.41], P < .0001 [ β : .94, CI: 0.54-1.35], and P < .0001 [ β : 1.43, CI: 1.15-1.71]). CONCLUSION Chemoreduction was achieved in all patients and most retinoblastoma tumors following two cycles of VT. Reduction in tumor dimensions was comparable to that reported with platinum-based chemotherapy. Tumor location, distance from the optic nerve, and age at diagnosis were significant predictors of treatment response.
Дополнительные материалы по истории благотворительности в США и обзор некоторых мотивов пожертвований. (History of American Charity and Principal Motivations of Thereof Short Review. Supplemental Materials to the Book ‘The Strategy of Lasting Prosperity…’)

Russian Abstract: Предлагаемые вниманию читателя материалы включают обзор литературы о составе и стимуле благотворителей. Об идеологических и религиозных факторах благотворительности. Особое место среди предлагаемых материалов занимает обзор книги по истории благотворительности США Марвина Оласки. Задача которую ставили перед собой авторы – показать что традиционная религиозная мораль, чувство солидарности и личная вовлеченность в помощь бедным дают результаты качественно, а не только количественно превосходящие благотворительность основанную на светских заменителях морали, не говоря уже о принудительной «благотворительности» правительственных социальных программ. English Abstract: Collection of materials supplemental to the book “The strategy of lasting Prosperity. In the search for the lost Constellation” contains: A short review of the literature on charity motivation and US Charity history. The materials show significant quality advantages of traditional Judeo-Christian moral values and personal involvement into charity (true, natural compassion) comparing to secular charitable activities, to say nothing on Government welfare programs (false, artificial compassion).
Actively translated uORFs reduce translation and mRNA stability independent of NMD in Arabidopsis

Upstream ORFs (uORFs) are widespread cis-regulatory elements in the 5 prime untranslated regions of eukaryotic genes. Translation of uORFs could negatively regulate protein synthesis by repressing main ORF (mORF) translation and by reducing mRNA stability presumably through nonsense-mediated decay (NMD). While the above expectations were supported in animals, they have not been extensively tested in plants. Using ribosome profiling, we systematically identified 2093 Actively Translated uORFs (ATuORFs) in Arabidopsis seedlings and examined their roles in gene expression regulation by integrating multiple genome-wide datasets. Compared with genes without uORFs, we found ATuORFs result in 38%, 14%, and 43% reductions in translation efficiency, mRNA stability, and protein levels, respectively. The effects of predicted but not actively translated uORFs are much weaker than those of ATuORFs. Interestingly, ATuORF-containing genes are also expressed at higher levels and encode longer proteins with conserved domains, features that are common in evolutionarily older genes. Moreover, we provide evidence that uORF translation in plants, unlike in vertebrates, generally does not trigger NMD. We found ATuORF-containing transcripts are degraded through 5 prime to 3 prime decay, while NMD targets are degraded through both 5 prime to 3 prime and 3 prime to 5 prime decay, suggesting uORF-associated mRNA decay and NMD have distinct genetic requirements. Furthermore, we showed ATuORFs and NMD repress translation through separate mechanisms. Our results reveal that the potent inhibition of uORFs on mORF translation and mRNA stability in plants are independent of NMD, highlighting a fundamental difference in gene expression regulation by uORFs in the plant and animal kingdoms.
Sense of Direction—The Need for Supervision

With prison population worldwide reaching new peaks, early release may become a necessity for communities, which will then face massive numbers of released inmates returning home. For many released inmates, returning home after completing their sentence is not easy. The task becomes even harder for recovering drug addicts who participated in treatment while incarcerated and are returning home as drug-free individuals.
A survey of face recognition algorithms and testing results

Automated face recognition (AFR) has received increased attention. We describe two general approaches to the problem and discuss their effectiveness and robustness with respect to several possible applications. We also discuss some issues of run-time performance. The AFR technology falls into three main subgroups, which represent more-or-less independent approaches to the problem: neural network solutions, eigenface solutions, and wavelet/elastic matching solutions. Each of these first requires that a facial image be identified in a scene, a process called segmentation. The image should be normalized to some extent. Normalization is usually a combination of linear translation, rotation and scaling, although the elastic matching method includes spatial transformations.
γH2Ax: Biomarker of Damage or Functional Participant in DNA Repair “All that Glitters Is not Gold!”

The phosphorylation of H2Ax on its S139 site, γH2Ax, is important for the assembly of repair complexes at DNA double strand breaks (DSBs). The formation and functional role of γH2Ax after other kinds of DNA damage, especially UV light, where DSBs are rare, is less clear. Following UV light in the UVB and UVC ranges, complex distributions of γH2Ax can be identified, quite unlike the discrete enumerable foci seen after ionizing radiation. Several distinct distributions of γH2Ax occur: a low level nuclear-wide distribution of γH2Ax occurs during nucleotide excision repair; irregular focal distributions occur at arrested replication forks; high intensity nuclear-wide γH2Ax occurs in association with S-phase apoptosis. The intensity and distributions of γH2Ax vary according to the activity of excision repair, bypass polymerase and apoptotic caspases. The frequency of DSBs at arrested replication forks is low but highly variable in different cell types, and probably caused by enzymatic action. Despite the prominence of S139 phosphorylation following UV damage, mutation of this site has no influence on the UV damage response indicating that γH2Ax is a biomarker but not a participant in the UV-DNA damage response.
Debt Collection in the Information Age: New Technologies and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

Debt collectors are increasingly using internet and mobile technologies as part of the debt collection process. While these technologies may provide conveniences for collectors and consumers alike, they also create the potential for new forms of deception and raise novel privacy concerns. Much of the problem lies in the failure to update the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). Despite the dramatic transformation of the debt collection industry over the last thirty years, the statute has remained largely backward looking, even in the face of calls to modernize the act from regulators, industry representatives, and consumer advocates.
The Nuclear Family and Antagonism Towards Markets

Why do we so often find the press carrying glowing stories of the benefits derived from governmental programs such as urban renewal (often-times even when they are in the process of failing miserably)? In view of this, why are we so seldom treated to glowing reports by the press about how a housing developer, for example, has improved the standard of living of 5,000 families by planning and completing a new subdivision of 5,000 homes? - a feat made no less remarkable (as compared to urban renewal) through its accomplishment by voluntary exchange!Or to put the issue in its starkest form: Why is it that the public at large is so basically antagonistic towards markets in general? There exists in many, if not most people, a deep seated belief that man should not be motivated by monetary rewards. This belief is reflected in many cultural traditions, one of which is called the Golden Rule. We believe a major element in the determination of these attitudes is the structure of the family, in particular the way in which we raise children and the reflection of these values in religious dogma.
Single Machine Scheduling

The single machine scheduling problem is foundational to the study of production scheduling in general. This article describes four basic problems and their solution methods: total weighted completion time, maximum of nondecreasing cost functions (which includes the maximum lateness problem and the problem with precedence constraints), weighted number of tardy jobs, and total weighted tardiness. Additional problems considered include those with both earliness and tardiness penalties, and those with release dates and preemptions. Keywords: single machine scheduling; weighted completion time; maximum lateness; total tardiness; number of tardy jobs; release dates; preemption; regular measures
Model reduction, centering, and the Karhunen-Loeve expansion

We propose a computationally efficient modeling method that captures a given translation symmetry in a system. To obtain a low order approximate system of ODEs, prior to performing a Karhunen Loeve expansion, we process the available data set using a "centering" procedure. This approach has been shown to be efficient in nonlinear scalar wave equations.
The ion current density and spectroscopic study in a straight magnetic filtering arc deposition system

Abstract The changes of plasma states during cathodic arc discharges of Ti and TiAl under various magnetic fields of straight magnetic solenoid were analyzed by Langmuir probe method and optical emission spectroscopy (OES). The ion emission intensity of Ti II for Ti arc discharge was enhanced by a factor of 2. with increasing magnetic field up to 150 Gauss compared to that under no magnetic fields. For discharging TiAl with ambient N2 under 150 Gauss, however, the emission of Al exhibited dominant neutral emission of Al I only with slight increase of ionized Al II emission while Ti II emissions were increased at a similar ratio as measured in Ti discharge. The enhancement of electron density induced by a straight solenoid magnetic field promoted the effective ionization of metal vapors, therefore producing a high fraction of ionized vapor flux including macroparticles, which contributed to the increase of deposition rate and sputtering of macroparticles seated on the film surface by energetic metal ion flux. The changes of surface morphology and film formation behaviors of TiN and (TiAl)N arc was evaluated with a variation of external magnetic field in conjunction with plasma conditions obtained from Langmuir probe, OES and XRD analyses. The corresponding hardness and friction coefficient variations are also illustrated.
Elementary and Secondary Teacher Education Students' Perspectives on Citizenship

Abstract For many educators, citizenship preparation is the main goal of public education (Patrick, 2002, 2004). Yet, because of the nature of how individuals and groups within a society interpret the concept, citizenship may be redefined with each generation (Center for Civic Education, 1994; Giroux, 1988). This research therefore explored elementary and middle/secondary teacher education students' perceptions regarding the attributes of a good citizen and their current and future activities related to citizenship. Because these individuals will help to educate future generations of citizens, it is appropriate to understand their concepts of citizenship. Based on case study research, the results showed that elementary and middle/secondary students emphasized civic engagement (community service) more than political engagement. They viewed a good citizen as someone who helps others and follows laws. Both groups currently demonstrate good citizenship by helping others; their plans 10 years from now include ...
Laryngeal webs: A new treatment for an old problem

Laryngeal webs, both congenital and acquired, present a difficult therapeutic challenge for the laryngologist. A young trial attorney with an iatrogenic laryngeal web secondary to laser excision of anterior cordal papillomata presented with the double therapeutic challenge: on the one hand, he had recurrent papillomata and, on the other hand, he had a significant anterior web that was 7 mm long and extended to within 3 mm of the tips of the vocal processes and involved the full thickness of the vocal folds. A new/old treatment was tried in this patient and subsequently used on another patient involving old ideas from Chevalier Jackson coupled with newer technology using video laryngoscopy. Two patients underwent the procedure and had significant amelioration of their laryngeal pathology.
Improving Classification Accuracy by Comparing Local Features through Canonical Correlations

Classifying images using features extracted from densely sampled local patches has enjoyed significant success in many detection and recognition tasks. It is also well known that generally more than one type of feature is needed to achieve robust classification performance. Previous works using multiple features have addressed this issue either through simple concatenation of feature vectors or through combining feature specific kernels at the classifier level. In this work we introduce a novel approach for combining features at the feature level by projecting two types of features onto two respective subspaces in which they are maximally correlated. We use their correlation as an augmented feature and demonstrate improvement in classification accuracy over simple combination through concatenation in a pedestrian detection framework.
Defending Philadelphia: A Historical Case Study of Civil Defense in the Early Cold War

The city of Philadelphia, today, is in the midst of revamping its plans for emergency preparedness. For a city of its size, age, and infrastructural complexity, this presents a number of critical c...
Human norovirus infection of Caco-2 cells grown as a three-dimensional tissue structure

Human norovirus (hNoV) infectivity was studied using a three-dimensional model of large intestinal epithelium. Large intestine Caco-2 cells were grown in rotating wall vessel bioreactors for 18-21 days at 37 degrees C and then transferred to 24-well tissue culture plates where they were infected with GI.1 and GII.4 human noroviruses collected from human challenge trials and various outbreak settings, respectively. Compared with uninfected cells, transmission micrographs of norovirus-infected cells displayed evidence of shortening or total loss of apical microvilli, and vacuolization. Quantitative reverse transcription real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) indicated an approximate 2-3 log10 increase in viral RNA copies for the infected cells. A passage experiment examined both the ability for continued viral RNA and viral antigen detection. In the passaged samples 1.01x10(6) copies ml(-1) were detected by qRT-PCR. Immune electron microscopy using primary antibody to hNoV GI.1 capsids in conjunction with 6 nm gold-labelled secondary antibodies was performed on crude cellular lysates. Localization of antibody was observed in infected but not for uninfected cells. Our present findings, coupled with earlier work with the three-dimensional small intestinal INT407 model, demonstrate the utility of 3-D cell culture methods to develop infectivity assays for enteric viruses that do not readily infect mammalian cell cultures.
Leveraging our assets: the academic library and campus leadership

In the competition for resources, academic libraries possess more assets than they know. These include a still central role in access to published academic knowledge; a cadre of professionals experienced in managing change and in developing assessment instruments that match resources with outcomes; an ethos and record of success in collaborative projects; and significant development potential and successes. These assets can be leveraged to enhance funding as well as the role of librarians in campus leadership. The author, a library director for more than a decade, bases his observations in part on a 16‐month appointment as interim assistant vice‐chancellor for administration at a mid‐sized public university.
Regulation of the activities of the mammalian transglutaminase family of enzymes.

Mammalian transglutaminases catalyze post-translational modifications of glutamine residues on proteins and peptides through transamidation or deamidation reactions. Their catalytic mechanism resembles that of cysteine proteases. In virtually every case, their enzymatic activity is modulated by elaborate strategies including controlled gene expression, allostery, covalent modification, and proteolysis. In this review, we focus on our current knowledge of post-translational regulation of transglutaminase activity by physiological as well as synthetic allosteric agents. Our discussion will primarily focus on transglutaminase 2, but will also compare and contrast its regulation with Factor XIIIa as well as transglutaminases 1 and 3. Potential structure–function relationships of known mutations in human transglutaminases are analyzed.