cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Posterior spinal artery aneurysm rupture after ‘Ecstasy’ abuse

Posterior spinal artery (PSA) aneurysms are a rare cause of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The commonly abused street drug 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) or ‘Ecstasy’ has been linked to both systemic and neurological complications. A teenager presented with neck stiffness, headaches and nausea after ingesting ‘Ecstasy’. A brain CT was negative for SAH but a CT angiogram suggested cerebral vasculitis. A lumbar puncture showed SAH but a cerebral angiogram was negative. After a spinal MR angiogram identified abnormalities on the dorsal surface of the cervical spinal cord, a spinal angiogram demonstrated a left PSA 2 mm fusiform aneurysm. The patient underwent surgery and the aneurysmal portion of the PSA was excised without postoperative neurological sequelae. ‘Ecstasy’ can lead to neurovascular inflammation, intracranial hemorrhage, SAH and potentially even de novo aneurysm formation and subsequent rupture. PSA aneurysms may be treated by endovascular proximal vessel occlusion or open surgical excision.
Association between telomere length in blood and mortality in people aged 60 years or older

Summary During normal ageing, the gradual loss of telomeric DNA in dividing somatic cells can contribute to replicative senescence, apoptosis, or neoplastic transformation. In the genetic disorder dyskeratosis congenita, telomere shortening is accelerated, and patients have premature onset of many age-related diseases and early death. We aimed to assess an association between telomere length and mortality in 143 normal unrelated individuals over the age of 60 years. Those with shorter telomeres in blood DNA had poorer survival, attributable in part to a 3·18-fold higher mortality rate from heart disease (95% CI 1·36–7·45, p=0·0079), and an 8·54-fold higher mortality rate from infectious disease (1·52–47·9, p=0·015). These results lend support to the hypothesis that telomere shortening in human beings contributes to mortality in many age-related diseases.
Evaluation of Two Trip Generation Techniques for Small Area Travel Models

This paper examines the practically of using a single internal trip purpose to generate the production and attraction values for traffic analysis zones in small urban community travel models. In previous research efforts, Quick- Response techniques, originally developed for cities with populations between 50,000 and 199,999, have been successfully applied to perform trip generation in small urban community travel models. Focusing on the reduction of data require- ments and complexity of the trip generation analysis, a single trip purpose tech- nique, based solely on aggregate numbers of households and businesses in a traffic analysis zone, has been proposed as a method to simplify the trip generation computation and reduce data requirements. This paper presents the fundamentals of the Quick-Response and single trip purpose tech- niques, tests the advantage of multiple trip purposes in a small sample network, and applies the two methodologies in a small urban community within Alabama to determine if significant differences exist when performing trip generation. The paper concludes that, for smaller urban community travel models, where different trip purposes are assumed to have similar trip lengths, both the Quick-Response and the single trip purpose technique produce similar results for the total produc- tions and attractions in a traffic analysis zone. This similarity, and the results of the test showing that different trip purposes are not vital for trip distribution in small networks, substantiate the use of the simplified single trip purpose tech- nique for trip generation.
SETmap: a soft error tolerant mapping algorithm for FPGA designs with low power

Field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are widely used in VLSI applications due to their flexibility to implement logical functions, fast total turn-around time and low none-recurring engineering cost. SRAM-based FPGAs are the most popular FPGAs in the market. However, as process technologies advance to nanometer-scale regime, the issue of reliability of devices becomes critical. Soft errors are increasingly becoming a reliability concern because of the shrinking process dimensions. In this paper we study the technology mapping problem for FPGA circuits to reduce the occurrence of soft errors under the chip performance constraint and power reduction. Compared to two power-optimization mapping algorithms, SVmap [17] and Emap [15] respectively, we reduce the soft error rate by 40.6% with a 2.22% power overhead and 48.0% with a 2.18% power overhead using 6-LUTs.
P-velocity models and earthquake locations in the Livermore Valley Region, California

P-wave travel times from 223 well-recorded earthquakes and five timed explosions recorded by the US Geological Survey-Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory seismic network are inverted simultaneously for one- and three-dimensional velocity structures and hypocenter locations. The stability of earthquake locations between the one- and three-dimensional inversions demonstrates the adequacy of a layered earth model combined with station corrections for routine hypocenter locations in the Livermore Valley. Initial one-dimensional velocity inversions indicate a fairly strong positive velocity gradient in the upper crust of about 6 km. Three-dimensional models show that the strongest velocity contrasts occur along the eastern and southern edges of the valley where lower velocity down-dropped Tertiary sediments and basin-full alluvium are found in structural contact with higher velocity Late Mesozoic and Tertiary sediments of the Altamont anticline and the Diablo Range. The low-velocity basin structure is truncated along the western margin of the Livermore Valley by the Calaveras fault across which higher velocity aftershocks from the Livermore are exposed. Some of the relocated Cretaceous and Tertiary formations earthquake sequence show a good correlation with surface trace of the northwest-trending Greenville fault. In the southeast corner of the Livermore Valley, a number of short (5 km or less), linear, andmore » discontinuous epicentral zones are observed. These seismic lineations appear to define a conjugate set of right-stepping faults in a right-lateral shear zone. Focal mechanisms for these aftershocks show many complexities, but are generally consistent with this interpretation.« less
Discrete Lagrangian method for optimizing the design of multiplierless QMF filter banks

In this paper, we present a new discrete Lagrangian optimization method for designing multiplierless QMF (quadrature mirror filter) filter banks. In multiplierless QMF filter banks, filter coefficients are powers-of-two (PO2) where numbers are represented as sums or differences of powers of two (also cabled Canonical Signed Digit-CSD-representation), and multiplications can be carried out as additions, subtractions and shifting. We formulate the design problem as a nonlinear discrete constrained optimization problem, using the reconstruction error as the objective, and other performance metrics as constraints. One of the major advantages of this formulation is that it allows us to search for designs that improve over the best existing designs with respect to all performance metrics, rather than finding designs that trade one performance metric for another. We show that our design method can find designs that improve over Johnston's benchmark designs using a maximum of three to six ONE bits in each filter coefficient.
Asymptotes of solutions of a perfect fluid coupled with a cosmological constant in four-dimensional spacetime with toroidal symmetry

Asymptotes of solutions of a perfect fluid when coupled with a cosmological constant in four-dimensional spacetime with toroidal symmetry are studied. In particular, it is found that the problem of self-similar solutions of the first kind for a fluid with the equation of state, p = kρ, can be reduced to solving a master equation of the form, $$ 2 F(q, k)\frac{q''(\xi)}{q'(\xi)} - G(q,k) q'(\xi) = \frac{4}{\xi}. $$ For k = 0 and k = −1/3 the general solutions are obtained and their main local and global properties are studied in detail.
Clinical significance of ventricular fibrillation-flutter induced by ventricular programmed stimulation

Two hundred twenty-four patients underwent ventricular programmed stimulation (VPS) without prior documentation of the clinical occurrence of sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation-flutter (VF). Indications for VPS were: palpitations or nonsustained VT during ambulatory monitoring (85 patients), syncope or presyncope (137 patients), and a family history of sudden death (two patients). Sustained VF requiring transthoracic defibrillation was initiated by VPS in 18 patients (8.0%). Four patients were treated for inducible VF with antiarrhythmic agents directed by electropharmacologic testing; five patients were treated empirically; nine patients received no therapy. No patient has had a cardiac arrest or sudden death during a follow-up period 25.2 +/- 13.8 months (mean +/- standard deviation). VF was initiated by two ventricular extrastimuli in three patients and by three extrastimuli in 15 patients. The incidence of VF was similar in patients with and without previous symptoms (8.8% vs 6.9%) or heart disease (7.1% vs 9.6%). It was significantly higher when VPS at three ventricular sites with a current of 5 mA (pulse width 2 msec) was compared to programmed stimulation at two ventricular sites with a current twice diastolic threshold (pulse width 2 msec) (15.2% vs 3.0%, p less than 0.05). VF initiated by VPS in patients without prior VT or VF appears to be a nonspecific finding. Antiarrhythmic therapy for VF may not be necessary in these patients.
Location-transparent naming in grid computing using Legion-G

Globus is a powerful toolkit but lacks location transparency in its naming system, due to a reliance on URLs. In practical terms, this means that a Grid user (or software running on behalf of the user) must know precisely where Grid entities are. The problem is that hardware reconfiguration, file system reorganization, and changes in organizational structure can often result in dangling links. At the University of Virginia, we are designing and implementing a comprehensive project that combines the best aspects of Globus and Legion into Legion-G - roughly an "applications-level" interface from Legion to Globus, whereby Legion "runs on" key Grid functionality of Globus such as GSI. Among the capabilities already supported in Legion, and thus will be delivered to the Globus user, are: end-user tools for transparent remote execution and parameter-space studies; support for dynamic, transparent remote instantiation of transient Grid services, with integrated scheduling support; fine-grained access control for Grid services; and the Legion programming model which supports arbitrary, asynchronous, data-flow-style, secure Grid computations. This poster describes the Legion-G support for location-transparent naming in Grid Computing and illustrates its value in the context of Globus MPI computations that accesses LegionFS which is a location-transparent, Grid-enabled distributed file system.
Manufacturing Issues with Combining Different Antigens: A Regulatory Perspective

The regulation of biological products is conducted within the framework Title 21 of the US Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). These regulations describe product and clinical testing requirements for drugs and biological products, as well as the requirements for licensure of such products. The requirements outlined in the CFR also apply to combination vaccines. In addition, the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research has issued a Guidance to Industry document that discusses the manufacturing, testing, and clinical evaluation of combination vaccines. However, as the complexity of mixing the different antigens increases, the challenges associated with product development (e.g., demonstration of comparability of the components and lot consistency) require early interactions with the US Food and Drug Administration. The many areas of difficulty in the arena of combination vaccine development underscore the need for continued reevaluation of current guidance documents in addressing the increasing complexity of vaccines.
Scalable and interpretable data representation for high-dimensional, complex data

The majority of machine learning research has been focused on building models and inference techniques with sound mathematical properties and cutting edge performance. Little attention has been devoted to the development of data representation that can be used to improve a user's ability to interpret the data and machine learning models to solve real-world problems. In this paper, we quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate an efficient, accurate and scalable feature-compression method using latent Dirichlet allocation for discrete data. This representation can effectively communicate the characteristics of high-dimensional, complex data points. We show that the improvement of a user's interpretability through the use of a topic modeling-based compression technique is statistically significant, according to a number of metrics, when compared with other representations. Also, we find that this representation is scalable — it maintains alignment with human classification accuracy as an increasing number of data points are shown. In addition, the learned topic layer can semantically deliver meaningful information to users that could potentially aid human reasoning about data characteristics in connection with compressed topic space.
Molecular insights into schizophrenia

A number of studies have demonstrated alterations in the structure and function of the frontal cortex in some schizophrenic patients. The possible etiology and pathogenesis of these abnormalities are unknown, but genetic and developmental causes are frequently mentioned. Recent in vivo 31P NMR studies of the dorsal prefrontal cortex have been conducted in eleven neuroleptic naive, first episode schizophrenic patients and corn-pared with normal controls of comparable age, educational level and parental educational level. The findings in the schizophrenic patients are different from those of normal IQ adult autistic patients of comparable age and Alzheimer’s patients but similar to normal elderly controls. These studies show decreased frontal lobe utilization of adenosine triphosphate in the schizophrenic patients which suggests a hypoactive dorsal prefrontal cortex. In addition, indices of membrane phospholipid metabolism are altered in the schizophrenic patients. However, the findings in the schizophrenic patients are quite similar to those observed in normal elderly controls and to those that normally occur to a lesser degree during adolescence. The phospholipid alterations observed in the schizophrenic patients are compatible with either premature aging or altered timing and exaggeration of the regressive events which occur during normal brain development. The changes in high-energy phosphate metabolism observed in the schizophrenic patients may prove to be state dependent, but the changes in membrane phospholipid metabolism could be related to molecular changes that precede the onset of clinical symptoms and brain structural changes in schizophrenia. These findings suggest new avenues of thinking about the pathogenesis and treatment of schizophrenia.
Abstract W P327: Quantitative Localization and Predictive Performance of Intracranial Hemorrhage

Background and Purpose: Current studies of association between intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) localization and stroke severity present conflicting evidence. Using advanced registration techniques on computed tomography (CT) scans, we provide detailed quantification of ICH location and its association with stroke outcomes. Methods: We analyzed 111 scans from 111 patients enrolled in the MISTIE (Minimally Invasive Surgery plus recombinant-tissue plasminogen activator for Intracerebral Evacuation) trial. We registered CT scans to a CT template, estimated a 3-dimensional map of where ICH engagement occurs, and derived regions predictive of 2 severity scores: the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores. We compared the prediction performance of these regions compared to using location information determined by human readers using the adjusted R2 from linear regression models. Results: In this sample, ICH is primarily located in deep brain nuclei and lobar white mat...
Squamous Dysplasia of the Urinary Bladder A Consecutive Cystectomy Series

Squamous dysplasia of the urinary bladder is uncommon and may represent a precursor to invasive squamous cell carcinoma. Though significant focus has been devoted to squamous differentiation in invasive bladder cancer, relatively little attention has been given to squamous dysplasia. We methodically reviewed microscopic slides from a consecutive cystectomy series at our institution (n = 303; 2001-2014), with special attention given to squamous dysplasia and squamous differentiation within association invasive carcinoma. Of these 303 cases, 3% (9 cases) had squamous dysplasia. The majority (89%; 8/9) had a similar morphological appearance to squamous dysplasia of the head and neck (ie, cytological atypia, architectural disturbances, and abnormal keratinization). Invasive carcinoma was present in 230 of the cystectomy cases. Of these 230 cases with invasive carcinoma, 4% (8 cases) also had squamous dysplasia. The invasive carcinoma had evidence of squamous differentiation in all cases with concurrent squamous dysplasia. Concurrent flat urothelial carcinoma in situ was present in 3 of the 8 cases with both invasive carcinoma and squamous dysplasia. Squamous dysplasia was not associated with clinical outcomes data, including death from bladder cancer and bladder cancer recurrence. The data from this study indicate that squamous dysplasia is uncommon in the cystectomy setting, frequently has the morphology of head and neck dysplasia, and is often associated with invasive carcinoma with squamous differentiation.
A Research on Voltage Stability Evaluation Criteria for Interconnected Power Grid in China

The authors firstly enumerate current administrative standard and prescriptions for power system voltage/reactive power in China and point out existing problems in them, then recommend static voltage stability evaluation indices, according to current status of power grids in China and using voltage stability evaluation standard in other countries for reference, related factors influencing voltage stability evaluation are analyzed and an evaluation standard frame suitable to voltage stability of interconnected power grids in China is proposed.
Practical Physiologie Therapy in Metabolic and Electrolyte Imbalances

“Routine fluid orders” do not constitute optimal or practical therapy any more than would routine orders for digitalization or diuretic programs. Treatment of any electrolyte imbalance requires a “metabolic prescription” in terms of the amounts of all the components to be administered per 24 hours, each constituent considered independently of all the others.A concept of practical value in terms of prognosis, evaluation of therapy, and organization of treatment is that which analyzes disease syndromes according to the existing functional capacity and the load relationships of all parts of the body (load/capacity ratio).
B-1 cell heterogeneity and the regulation of natural and antigen-induced IgM production

A small subset of B cells, termed B-1 cells, with developmental origins, phenotypes, and functions that are distinct from those of conventional B cells exist in mice. It contributes the vast majority of spontaneously produced "natural" IgM. Natural IgM is constitutively produced, even in the absence of microbiota, and fulfills many distinct functions in tissue homeostasis and host defense. B-1 cells also respond with IgM production to innate signals and pathogen exposure, while maintaining steady-state levels natural IgM. Thus, within the B-1 cell pool, cells of distinct and heterogeneous functionality must exist to facilitate these different functions. This review considers three factors that may contribute to this heterogeneity: first, developmental differences regarding the origins of the precursors, second, tissue-specific signals that may differentially affect B-1 cells in the tissue compartments, and finally responsiveness to self-antigens as well as innate and antigen-specific signals. All three are likely to shape the repertoire and responsiveness of B-1 cells to homeostatic- and antigen-induced signals and thus contribute to the functional heterogeneity among these innate-like B cells.
Scintillator crystal readout with wavelength-shifting optical fibers

Wavelength-shifting fiber readout of scintillator crystals permits efficient discrete event localization over large scintillator areas, by flexibly interfacing position-sensitive photosensors or photosensor arrays to scintillator crystal surfaces. We describe techniques for localizing gamma-ray interactions within large crystals, and for determining the crystal of interaction within multicrystal arrays. Measurements carried out with NaI(Tl) coupled through fibers to photomultipliers confirm the technique's expected light yield, and measurements with BGO coupled through fibers to avalanche photodiodes demonstrate the usefulness of this method for crystal-of-interaction determination. We use a block detector geometry, combining fiber localization with direct energy measurement by large photomultipliers. Potential applications for gamma cameras and for high resolution PET systems are discussed. >
The effect of cumulative glycemic burden on the incidence of diabetic foot disease

Glycemic control is a known modifiable risk factor for diabetic foot disease. Prior attempts to define its relationship with diabetic foot ulcer and Charcot arthropathy fail to account for variability in control and duration of diabetic disease. We developed a novel metric to reflect aggregate disease exposure in a diabetic, termed cumulative glycemic burden. We hypothesized that it would be positively associated with both diabetic foot ulcer and radiographically diagnosed Charcot arthropathy. Patients aged 18 to 90 years with ≥3 hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) values were identified retrospectively at a single institution over a 15-year period. Primary outcomes were ICD-9 diagnosis of foot ulcer and radiographically diagnosed Charcot arthropathy. Cumulative glycemic burden was calculated by trapezoidal integration of the area under a curve defined by HbA1c values above 7 over time. Patients were stratified into quartiles based on cumulative glycemic burden (excellent, good, fair, and poor control). χ 2 tests compared the proportion of foot ulcer and Charcot across quartiles. Regression analysis identified associated demographic and comorbidity factors with diabetic foot disease. Statistical significance was set at P < .05. Out of 22,913 diabetics, 1643 (7.2%) had a foot ulcer; 54 out of 771 diabetics (7.0%) had radiographic Charcot arthropathy. There was a statistically significant stepwise increase in the incidence of foot ulcer with increasing cumulative glycemic burden by patient quartile (5.2 vs. 6.4 vs. 7.9 vs. 13.9%; P < .001). No significant trend was seen between incidence of Charcot arthropathy and greater cumulative glycemic burden (7.8 vs. 5.6 vs. 4.4 vs. 10.0%; P = .469). Peripheral vascular disease was most strongly associated with diabetic foot ulcer. Hypertension and diabetic neuropathy were independently associated with Charcot arthropathy. Increasing cumulative glycemic burden is positively associated with diabetic foot ulcer. Greater attention should be paid towards the most poorly controlled diabetics with the longest duration of disease to reduce their risk. Cumulative glycemic burden is not associated with Charcot arthropathy.
Distinct complexes of yeast Snx4 family SNX-BARs mediate retrograde trafficking of Snc1 and Atg27.

The yeast SNX4 sub-family of SNX-BAR proteins, Snx4/Atg24, Snx41, and Atg20/Snx42, are required for endocytic recycling and selective autophagy. Here we show that Snx4 forms two functionally distinct heterodimers: Snx4–Atg20 and Snx4–Snx41. Each heterodimer coats an endosome-derived tubule that mediates retrograde sorting of distinct cargo; the v-SNARE, Snc1, is a cargo of the Snx4-Atg20 pathway, and Snx4-Snx41 mediates retrograde sorting of Atg27, an integral membrane protein implicated in selective autophagy. Live cell imaging of individual endosomes shows that Snx4 and the Vps5-Vps17 retromer SNX-BAR heterodimer operate concurrently on a maturing endosome. Consistent with this, the yeast dynamin family protein, Vps1, which was previously shown to promote fission of retromer-coated tubules, promotes fission of Snx4-Atg20 coated tubules. The results indicate that the yeast SNX-BAR proteins coat three distinct types of endosome-derived carriers that mediate endosome-to-Golgi retrograde trafficking.
Estimating the Parameters of the Curve Number Model

AbstractA methodology is presented for combining the conventional Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) 24-h rainfall distributions with Horton and Green–Ampt infiltration processes to esti...
Fuzzy logic planning and control for a team of UAVS

A fuzzy logic resource allocation algorithm that enables a collection of unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) to automatically cooperate as they make meteorological measurements will be discussed. No human intervention during the measurement process is required. A fuzzy logic based planning algorithm determines the optimal trajectory and points each UAV will sample, while taking into account the UAVs' risk, risk tolerance, reliability, and mission priority for sampling in certain regions. It also considers fuel limitations, mission cost, and related uncertainties. The real-time fuzzy control algorithm running on each UAV renders the UAVs autonomous allowing them to change course immediately without consulting with any commander, requests other UAVs to help, change the points that will be sampled when observing interesting phenomena, or to terminate the mission and return to base. The underlying optimization procedures including the fuzzy logic based cost function, the fuzzy logic decision rule for UAV path assignment, and the fuzzy algorithm that determines when a UAV should alter its mission to help another UAV are discussed. Simulations show the ability of the fuzzy algorithms to allow UAVs to effectively cooperate to increase the UAV team's likelihood of success even when UAV measurement devices, propulsion or communications fail.
Effective Intervention through Collaboration: The Key to Success

In my many years (more than 44 now!) in the field of visual impairment as a teacher of students of visual impairments, an orientation and mobility specialist, an administrator, and a professor in personnel preparation, the one significant thing I have learned in each of these roles is the importance of collaboration with coworkers, team members, and families. No one individual can meet all the needs of any student with a visual impairment alone. Without collaboration, the effect of what we all do in the field of visual impairment, when working with either children or adults, is greatly reduced, and student outcomes are typically not met to the same degree as when everyone is engaged and working together. The goal of our work is ultimately to foster positive outcomes and successes in our students or clients, so why not collaborate as a team if that is what we all truly care about? We may be experts in our unique professional roles and skill sets, but there is little chance of generalization of what we teach if all members of the student's team are not on the same page and supporting the student and one another. The three practice contributions in this issue of the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness (JVIB) address this collaboration in unique ways while also providing innovative ideas about how to work with diverse populations of students. "Effective Collaboration Between Physical Therapists and Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments Who Are Working with Students Who Have Multiple Disabilities and Visual Impairments," by Erica Stearns, describes the importance of teachers of students with visual impairments and physical therapists working together to share expertise in both positioning and visual functioning. Examples are provided that show how each specialist benefits from the other's knowledge and skills. Stearns has the unique advantage of having worked in both the physical therapy and education arenas, so she is able to share her perspective on the importance of teachers of students with visual impairments collaborating with physical therapists from both vantage points, particularly when working with students with multiple impairments. The Practice Report by Allison Nannemann, Susan Bruce, and Andrea Covelli, "Positive Behavior Supports for a Young Adult with CHARGE Syndrome," takes another approach to collaboration through describing how to use positive behavior supports for preventing or stopping challenging behaviors in students who are deafblind. The strategies used with a young adult with CHARGE syndrome included adult use of language, environmental engineering, and sensory-motor strategies. …
A Papertronic, On‐Demand and Disposable Biobattery: Saliva‐Activated Electricity Generation from Lyophilized Exoelectrogens Preinoculated on Paper

Portable, on-demand micropower generation is provided by developing paper-based biobatteries that can deliver on-chip energy to the next generation of point-of-care (POC) diagnostic platforms. This work creates a low-cost, disposable, long shelf life and eco-friendly micropower source that can be easily integrated in paper-based POC devices and be readily activated by one drop of saliva, which is readily available in any challenging area. A high-performance, paper-based, bacteria-powered battery is created by building microbial fuel cells with inactive, lyophilized (or freeze-dried) exoelectrogenic cells, allowing for a long shelf life, which generates power within minutes of adding saliva. An oxygen-tight interface and engineered conductive paper reservoir achieve significant performance boosts from maximized microbial electron transfer efficiency. Exoelectrogenic bacteria preinoculated in the paper battery is freeze-dried for long-term storage (in this work, the bacteria cells are stored for up to four months) and can be readily rehydrated for on-demand power generation. Sixteen microbial fuel cells are incorporated on a single sheet of paper while all are connected in series with two electrical switches mounted on a paper circuit board, which produce more than enough electrical energy to power an on-chip, light-emitting diode.
Search for evidence of source event grouping among ureilites

We use cosmic-ray exposure (CRE) ages of ureilites, combined with magnesium numbers of olivine, and oxygen isotopes, to search for evidence of specific source events initiating exposure for groups of ureilites. This technique can also be used to investigate the heterogeneity of the body from which the samples were derived. There are a total of 39 ureilites included in our work, which represents the largest collection of ureilite CRE age data used to date. Although we find some evidence of possible clusters, it is clear that most ureilites did not originate in one or two events on a homogeneous parent body.
A new approach to estimate the 2D-PSF in SPECT

1750 Objectives: Corruption of scattered photons in the projections is one of the image degradations in SPECT. Many scatter compensation methods have been investigated. An accurate scatter model is important for the scatter compensation. A popular model is the scatter point response functions in the projection data. In our previous research, we proposed a new model to estimate the scattering with a two dimensional point spread function (2D-PSF) in the reconstructed image. In this study, we explore a revised method to obtain the 2D-PSF. Methods: The 2D-PSF is defined as the reconstructed image of the point source blurred projections with attenuation compensation. We model this 2D-PSF as a Gaussian function with only five variables: the magnitude A0, the full-width at half-maximum on the major axis FWHMl, the full-width at half-maximum in the minor axis FWHMs, and the center (x0,y0). The magnitude A0 for a certain point source is derived as a function of the distance from this point source to the center of the image. The FWHMl and FWHMs are determined by the combination effects of the collimator blurring and the scatter blurring. The latter is proportional to the energy window in the camera. The center of the Gaussian function is simply the location of the point source. In this way, we are able to estimate the 2D-PSF with only an attenuation map and the collimator parameters. Results: The 2D-PSF for a point source at different locations in homogeneous scatter medium was obtained using our proposed method. The 2D-PSF obtained using Monte Carlo approach was also implemented as a standard to validate our method. The parallel hole collimator was modeled with a thickness of 2cm and hole diameter of 0.14cm. The detection energy window was centered at 140keV with a width of 10%. The experimental results show fairly good agreement between our proposed method and the Monte Carlo approach. Conclusions: We presented a new way to estimate the 2D-PSF in the image domain. The 2D-PSF is obtained efficiently using only the attenuation map and collimator parameters. Our method works for both uniformly and non-uniformly attenuated phantom even though only the uniform case is studied at this point. More research needs to be done for more realistic phantoms. This 2D-PSF can be used to compensate for the scattering effect and deblur the image, as a post-processing method.
Identifying predictive features of Clostridium difficile infection recurrence before, during, and after primary antibiotic treatment

Colonization by the pathogen Clostridium difficile often occurs in the background of a disrupted microbial community. Identifying specific organisms conferring resistance to invasion by C. difficile is desirable because diagnostic and therapeutic strategies based on the human microbiota have the potential to provide more precision to the management and treatment of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and its recurrence. We conducted a longitudinal study of adult patients diagnosed with their first CDI. We investigated the dynamics of the gut microbiota during antibiotic treatment, and we used microbial or demographic features at the time of diagnosis, or after treatment, to predict CDI recurrence. To check the validity of the predictions, a meta-analysis using a previously published dataset was performed. We observed that patients’ microbiota “before” antibiotic treatment was predictive of disease relapse, but surprisingly, post-antibiotic microbial community is indistinguishable between patients that recur or not. At the individual OTU level, we identified Veillonella dispar as a candidate organism for preventing CDI recurrence; however, we did not detect a corresponding signal in the conducted meta-analysis. Although in our patient population, a candidate organism was identified for negatively predicting CDI recurrence, results suggest the need for larger cohort studies that include patients with diverse demographic characteristics to generalize species that robustly confer colonization resistance against C. difficile and accurately predict disease relapse.
Association of basal marker expression with outcome and trastuzumab resistance in HER2-positive breast cancer.

608 Background: Herceptin resistance is a significant challenge in the treatment of Her2-positive (Her2+) breast cancer. A subset of Her2+ breast cancers are known to express basal genes (basal Her...
Medical applications of laser-induced fluorescence

Medical applications of laser-induced fluorescenceKevin T. Schomacker, Joan K. Frisoli,Thomas F. Deutsch,Massachusetts General HospitalBoston, MA 021141. INTRODUCTIONAlthough lasers have traditionally been used in medicine as therapeutic devices,there has been considerable interest in using them as diagnostic tools. A numberof groups have been studying the medical applications of Laser-InducedFluorescence (LIF)1'2. We describe three projects examining the potential use ofLIF in medicine. They involve the classification of colonic polyps, the LIF-.guided resection of brain tumors, and the advantages of LIF for studyingphotosensitizer pharmacokinetics. All three projects are only summarized;complete descriptions will appear elsewhere.2. LASER-INDUCED AUTOFLUORESCENCE OF COLONIC TISSUE:BASIC BIOLOGY AND DIAGNOSTIC POTENTIALRecently, several groups have used LIF to diagnose premalignant colorectallesions, i.e., to distinguish adenomatous polyps from normal colonic tissue andhyperplastic polyps3'4. Hyperplastic polyps are non-neoplastic lesions caused bythe failure of mature epithelial cells to detach normally. Adenomatous polypsare benign hyperproliferative neoplasms consisting of immature, poorly-differentiated epithelial cells with differing degrees of dysplasia. The vastmajority of colorectal carcinomas arise from adenomatous polyps.This study had three goals: 1) to evaluate the feasibility of using LIF to detectcolonic neoplasia and, in particular, to distinguish adenomatous from hyperplasticpolyps in vivo; 2) to test the transportability of published algorithms forevaluating our colonic LIF and 3) to examine the LIF spectra ofdifferent colonic tissue types along with spectral changes with time afterresection and relate the changes to the biology and structure of the tissue. Amore quantitative understanding of these spectral changes with tissue type wasobtained by decomposing the fluorescence spectra into the contributions ofindividual tissue components (fluorophores and absorbers). This spectraldecomposition approach was also used to quantify the differences between in vivoand in vitro LIF spectra as well as the changes in the observed in vitro spectraas a function of time after resection. In addition, the depth to which the LIFmeasurement probes was estimated from measurements of fluorescence intensity offrozen sections as a function of tissue thickness. Finally, the entire study usedcolonic polyps as a model system for understanding the potential and limitationsof autofluorescence for tissue diagnosis. Only the diagnostic potential will bedescribed here.The LIF system is shown schematically in Figure 1. The output of a pulsed-nitrogen laser (337 nm, 3-ns pulses at 10 Hz and 200-jzJ pulse energies) wascoupled via a quartz lens into a single 600-jLm-core-diameter quartz optical fiber.Typical energies delivered to tissue were 40 jzJ. Fluorescence from the tissue wastransmitted through the same optical fiber and optically coupled to a quartz
Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Facilitated Down-Regulation of the Cohesin Stromal Antigen-1: Implications for Colorectal Cancer Racial Disparities

Abstract The biological underpinnings for racial disparities in colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence remain to be elucidated. We have previously reported that the cohesin SA-1 down-regulation is an early event in colon carcinogenesis which is dramatically accentuated in African-Americans. In order to investigate the mechanism, we evaluated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for association with SA-1-related outcomes followed by gene editing of candidate SNP. We observed that rs34149860 SNP was significantly associated with a lower colonic mucosal SA-1 expression and evaluation of public databases showed striking racial discordance. Given that the predicted SNP would alter miR-29b binding site, we used CRISPR knock-in in CRC cells and demonstrated that the SNP but not wild-type had profound alterations in SA-1 expression with miR-29b inhibitor. This is the first demonstration of high-order chromatin regulators as a modulator of racial differences, risk alteration with SNPs and finally specific modulation by microRNAs.
Wind-Wave Effects on Estuarine Turbulence: A Comparison of Observations and Second-Moment Closure Predictions

AbstractObservations of turbulent kinetic energy, dissipation, and turbulent stress were collected in the middle reaches of Chesapeake Bay and were used to assess second-moment closure predictions ...
Primordial neutrinos: hot in SM–GR– $$\Lambda $$ Λ -CDM, cold in SM–LGT

We replace general relativity (GR) and the cosmological constant ( $$\Lambda $$ ) in the standard cosmology (SM–GR– $$\Lambda $$ –CDM) with a Lorentz gauge theory of gravity (LGT) and show that the standard model (SM) neutrinos can be the cold dark matter (CDM) because (1.) the expansion of the universe at early times is not as sensitive to the amount of radiation as in the SM–GR– $$\Lambda $$ –CDM and (2.) in LGT there exists a spin-spin long-range force that is very stronger than the Newtonian gravity and interacts with any fermion including neutrinos. Assuming that neutrinos as heavy as 1 eV are the cold dark matter, the lower bound on the dimensionless coupling constant of LGT is derived to be $$10^{-7}$$ which is small enough to be consistent with the upper bound that can be placed by the electroweak precision tests. We also show that the vacuum energy does not gravitate in LGT and a decelerating universe shifts spontaneously to an accelerating one right at the moment that we expect. Therefore, current observations can be explained in our cosmological model (SM–LGT) with lesser assumptions than in the SM–GR– $$\Lambda $$ –CDM.
Superdeformation in 154Er.

A superdeformed (SD) band consisting of 13 {gamma}-ray transitions has been observed in {sup 154}Er, an isotone of {sub 66}{sup 152}Dy. The experiment was performed using the {sup 118}Sn({sup 40}Ar,4{ital n}) reaction at {ital E}({sup 40}Ar)=185 MeV and the early implementation of GAMMASPHERE. This is an observation of a SD band in the {ital A}{approx}150 region with a proton number greater than 66. The J{sup (2)} moment of inertia of the band is constant above {h_bar}{omega}=0.45 MeV and shows a sharp rise below this value suggesting a paired band crossing. These results suggest that total Routhian surface calculations fail to accurately predict the deformation of the band.
Stabilization of Nonlinear Hydroelastic Structures via Random Parametric Excitation

The problem of stabilizing dynamical nonlinear systems by introducing random fluctuations to the control parameter has been of great interest to physicists, engineers and mathematicians (Ibrahim, 1997). For nonlinear one dimensional systems with widely separated time scales, Graham and Schenzle (1982) showed the possibility of shifting the bifurcation point by a broad-band multiplicative noise. The classical problem of stabilizing the inverted position of a simple pendulum during vertical support oscillation was considered by Stoker (1950), Bogdanoff and Citron (1965), Valeev (1971), and many others. The unstable equilibrium position can be stabilized if one imposes a sinusoidal support motion with appropriate amplitude and frequency. Bogdanoff and Citron (1965) observed experimentally that it was not possible to stabilize the inverted pendulum with Gaussian random noise, regardless of the excitation spectral shape. However, it was possible to stabilize the pendulum for brief intervals with Gaussian random noise clipped at one sigma interval.
Missed Diagnosis of Liver Cirrhosis Leads to Disparities in Care for Older Patients.

Background Cirrhosis of the liver is often not recognized until late in the disease state, when patients decompensate or develop hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This inquiry considered factors associated with undiagnosed cirrhosis. Methods Patients with undiagnosed cirrhosis were compared to patients with known diagnosis of cirrhosis, to evaluate the differences between these two groups. The study population is patients with confirmed diagnosis of HCC, stratified into patients with known diagnosis of cirrhosis (n = 36) and patients without the known diagnosis of cirrhosis who have features of cirrhosis (n = 36). Results There was no significant difference in insurance, gender, race, etiology of liver disease, presence of splenomegaly, model for end stage liver disease (MELD) score, fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to platelet ratio index (APRI) scores between groups. However, the strongest predictor of the diagnosis of cirrhosis was age, with older patients being less likely to be diagnosed with cirrhosis (OR: 0.924, P = 0.012). Furthermore, tumor size in patients without known cirrhosis was larger than those diagnosed with cirrhosis (median: 4.9 cm versus 3.5 cm, P = 0.015). Of note, 50% of cases with cirrhosis were undiagnosed. Conclusion Older age was the most significant predictor of the missed diagnosis of liver cirrhosis. This led to a larger tumor size at diagnosis, which may imply worse prognosis in these patients. Further evaluation of health disparities related to older age and outcomes of older patients with liver cirrhosis should guide the development of guidelines to prevent the missed diagnosis of cirrhosis.
Vital Sign Monitoring Using Capacitive Sensing

Unobtrusive vital sign monitoring is essential for most wearable monitoring applications. This paper presents a new method for unobtrusive vital sign monitoring based on the change in capacitance of passive sensors in contact with the user’s body. Unlike traditional capacitive coupling that is commonly used for elimination of the DC component of bioamplifiers, we propose monitoring of heart rate using galvanically isolated capacitive sensors. This paper presents the theory of operation and the implementation of a prototype device for heart rate monitoring. A prototype capacitive sensor was implemented using parallel coplanar plates in contact with the tip of the finger. Preliminary testing allowed us to observe changes in capacitance in the range of 0.1-0.3 pF per heartbeat, or 0.3-0.9% of the measured signal. The detected heart rate was validated using a PPG sensor positioned on the same hand. During a single recording session of 772 s, the detected heart rate was within 3 BPM 42% of the time. Proposed method is sensitive to motion artefacts; however, processing of signals collected from multiple contact points may facilitate removal of motion artifacts. Since many microcontrollers directly support high quality monitoring of capacitance on multiple I/O pins, the proposed method provides a promising solution for a low-power, low-cost, multi-contact monitoring.
Repositioning Art Education within Educational Equity in K-12 Urban Schools: A Partnership between Philadelphia Public Schools and the Barnes Foundation

This chapter repositions art education within educational equity in K-12 urban schools by exploring how teachers and students experience art. Using John Dewey’s notion of art as experiential learning and the practice of democracy, this study is positioned within critical research aimed at repositioning art as a medium of teaching and learning aimed at educational equity. Participants in this study comprised teachers from 19 schools in the School District of Philadelphia involved in the Art of Looking Program coordinated by the Barnes Foundation. Teacher surveys, interviews, student assignments, observations, and documents from the program provided evidence that an alliance between the School District of Philadelphia and the Foundation’s art program contributed toward addressing the equity gap in art education that is evident in many urban schools. Findings showed that art education provided teachers with teaching tools for developing and enhancing students’ creativity, reflection, and critical thinking across content areas such as math, science, and social studies.
A structural equation model of cooperative member satisfaction and long-term commitment

The organizational growth of farmer cooperatives is tied to increased heterogeneity in member attitudes and perceptions. To inform possible solutions, a better understanding of the complex interrel...