cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
EFFICACY OF ENZYME REPLACEMENT THERAPY IN ADENOSINE DEAMINASE-DEFICIENT SEVERE COMBINED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY

Adenosine deaminase deficiency (ADA) is an autosomal recessive disorder of purine metabolism that leads to the accumulation of toxic metabolites that impairs lymphocyte differentiation, viability, and function, resulting in severe combined immunodeficiency. Enzyme replacement therapy with polyethylene glycol-conjugated adenosine deaminase minimises infectious complications of patients who lack an HLA-identical bone marrow donor. An 8-day-old girl was admitted to our hospital with respiratory distress. The patient’s parents were first degree cousins. Her complete blood count revealed lymphopaenia with the following differentiation: CD3 T cell: 0.9%; CD19 B cell: 0.9%; CD4: 0%; CD8: 0%; natural killer cell: 4.3%. ADA activity was markedly deficient. Metabolic findings were consistent with ADA deficiency, including elevated deoxyadenosine nucleotide. Mutation analyses revealed a novel nonsense mutation of codon 272 (W272X). Our patient was homozygous and both parents were heterozygous for this mutation. A matched bone marrow transplant donor could not be found and ADA-replacement therapy was initiated. At the second week of PEG-ADA treatment total lymphocyte count increased to 1327/mm3 and B lymphocyte and natural killer cell counts reached normal values. Total deoxyadenosine nucleotides (dAXP) in red blood cells declined to normal range and plasma ADA enzyme activity increased. During 16 months follow-up on PEG-ADA treatment the patient was excellent without any severe infection. This report emphasises the importance of screening for severe combined immunodeficiency in newborns with lymphopaenia and the efficacy of enzyme replacement therapy for ADA-deficient severe combined immunodeficient patients who lack HLA matched donors.
Differential Privacy and Natural Language Processing to Generate Contextually Similar Decoy Messages in Honey Encryption Scheme.

Honey Encryption is an approach to encrypt the messages using low min-entropy keys, such as weak passwords, OTPs, PINs, credit card numbers. The ciphertext is produces, when decrypted with any number of incorrect keys, produces plausible-looking but bogus plaintext called "honey messages". But the current techniques used in producing the decoy plaintexts do not model human language entirely. A gibberish, random assortment of words is not enough to fool an attacker; that will not be acceptable and convincing, whether or not the attacker knows some information of the genuine source. In this paper, I focus on the plaintexts which are some non-numeric informative messages. In order to fool the attacker into believing that the decoy message can actually be from a certain source, we need to capture the empirical and contextual properties of the language. That is, there should be no linguistic difference between real and fake message, without revealing the structure of the real message. I employ natural language processing and generalized differential privacy to solve this problem. Mainly I focus on machine learning methods like keyword extraction, context classification, bags-of-words, word embeddings, transformers for text processing to model privacy for text documents. Then I prove the security of this approach with e-differential privacy.
The Differential Role of Socioeconomic Status in the Relationship between Curriculum-Based Mathematics and Mathematics Literacy: the Link Between TIMSS and PISA

Students’ socioeconomic status (SES) is not only directly related to mathematics achievement but also indirectly related to mathematics achievement through their unequal opportunity to learn (OTL). Despite a plethora of studies about how mathematics achievement is associated with SES and OTL, few systematic studies have examined the differential role SES plays in the relationship between curriculum-based mathematics performance and application-based mathematics literacy. To bridge the gap in the literature, this study aims at addressing the relationship between curriculum-based mathematics and application-based mathematics while considering the OTL associated with students at the two different assessment time points. Using the unique data set from the Russian Federation in which a subset of the 2011 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) student sample also took the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) assessment 1 year later, we found that lower SES students had difficulties in transferring their curriculum-based mathematics knowledge and skills to mathematics literacy, which plays an important role in the present society’s high-complexity demands. These results suggest that students with a lower SES need to receive greater attention and focus on their mathematics learning so as to improve their capacity to interpret and evaluate real-world problems mathematically and to make better decisions using this competency.
Nerve Blocks for Postoperative Pain Management in Children Receiving a Subcutaneous Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator: A Case Series.

Subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) placement may cause significant postoperative pain. Limited research exists on regional anesthesia for pediatric S-ICD placement. This case series examined transversus thoracic plane blocks (TTPBs), pectointercostal fascial plane blocks (PIFBs), pectoralis nerve I and II blocks, paravertebral, serratus anterior plane, and erector spinae plane blocks (ESPBs) in 10 children receiving S-ICDs. Parasternal nerve blocks consisting of TTPB or PIFB and left ESPB appeared to provide adequate pain control. These children had reduced opioid consumption, lower mean pain scores, longer delay in first postoperative analgesic, and no complications. Regional anesthesia may reduce pain after pediatric S-ICD implantation.
A Capability for Autonomous IoT System Security: Pushing IoT Assurance to the Edge

Complex systems of IoT devices (SIoTD) are systems that have a single purpose but are made up of multiple IoT devices. These systems are becoming ubiquitous, have complex security requirements, and face a diverse and ever-changing array of cyber threats. Issues of privacy and bandwidth will preclude sending all the data from these systems to a central place, and so these systems cannot totally rely on a centralized cloud-based service for their security. The security of these systems must be provided locally and in an autonomous fashion. In this paper, we describe a capability to address this problem, explain specifications for the system, present our work on SIoTD assurance, and show initial results of a novel edge-based application of machine learning to build this capability.
Female Theology Meets Poietic Writing: Michela Murgia’s L’incontro (2012)

One of the most acclaimed (female) voices of contemporary Sardinian and Italian literature, Michela Murgia offers in her short novel L’incontro a powerful expression of poietic writing. Writing as poiēsis, as creative force capable of shaping reality through theoretical reflection, expresses itself in the in-between space of literal and metaphorical orders. In particular, L’incontro represents an expression of poietic writing in its combination of female theology and community activism. This contribution reads L’incontro, a novel of formation unfolding along the preparations for the traditional Sardinian Easter ritual of S’incontru, through the lens of feminist theology and within the theoretical framework provided by the theorization of sexual difference. Marina Warner’s (1976) and Virginia Ramsey Mollenkott’s (1983) feminist biblical exegesis, in conversation with the “teologia al femminile” elaborated by Marinella Perroni and Cristina Simonelli, connect Murgia’s L’incontro to her theological essay, Ave Mary: E la Chiesa invento la donna (2011). In this context Murgia’s writing articulates a concept of poiēsis that intertwines thinking and doing, transcendence and immanence while shaping a more open and inclusive community.
A bias-corrected fixed effects estimator in the dynamic panel data model

In this paper, we propose a biased-corrected FE estimator for the dynamic panel data model that works for the autoregressive coefficient $$\rho \in (-1,1]$$ . We further derive the asymptotic result of the suggested bias-corrected FE estimator. We show that when $$\rho =1$$ , the suggested estimator is super-consistent and is more efficient than the existing estimators that also work for $$\rho \in (-1,1]$$ . In addition, when the initial condition is nonstationary, many of the existing dynamic estimators become inconsistent; however, the consistency of the bias-corrected FE estimator we propose does not depend on the stationarity of the initial condition. We also compare the finite sample performances of these estimators using Monte Carlo simulations.
Magnúsdóttir, Rósa, Enemy Number One: The United States of America in Soviet Ideology and Propaganda, 1945–1959: New York: Oxford University Press, 256 pp., $78.00, ISBN 9780190681463, Publication Date: December 2018

References to the Soviet propaganda machine are frequent in studies of cultural life of the USSR. The Cold War era, in particular, evokes the image of hearts-and-minds battles between the two super...
Interconversion between methoxylated, hydroxylated and sulfated metabolites of PCB 3 in whole poplar plants

Methoxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (MeO-PCBs) are overlooked metabolites of PCBs. In general, they are more toxic to plants than their parent congeners. However, information on the fate of MeO-PCBs and the relationship between methoxylated, hydroxylated and sulfated metabolites of PCBs in plants is scarce. In this work, poplar plants (Populus deltoides × nigra, DN34) were hydroponically and separately exposed to 4'-methoxy-4-monochlorobiphenyl (4'-MeO-PCB 3) and 4'-PCB 3 sulfate for 10 days to investigate the uptake, translocation and metabolism of MeO-PCBs and the relationship between methoxy-PCBs, hydroxyl-PCBs and PCB sulfates within plants. Results showed that 4'-MeO-PCB 3 and 4'-PCB 3 sulfate were taken up by the roots of poplar plants and translocated from roots to shoots and leaves. 4'-OH-PCB 3 and 4'-PCB 3 sulfate were identified as the hydroxylated metabolite and sulfate metabolite of 4'-MeO-PCB 3 in poplar, respectively. In the backward reaction, 4'-OH-PCB 3 and 4'-MeO-PCB 3 were found as metabolites of 4'-PCB 3 sulfate. For exposure groups, the yields of 4'-OH-PCB 3 produced from 4'-MeO-PCB 3 and 4'-PCB 3 sulfate were 1.29% and 0.13% respectively. The yield of 4'-PCB 3 sulfate which originated from 4'-MeO-PCB 3 in wood and root samples of exposure groups was only 0.02%. Only 0.04% of the initial mass of 4'-PCB 3 sulfate was transformed to 4'-MeO-PCB 3 in the exposure groups. The sulfation yield of 4'-OH-PCB 3 was higher than hydrolysis yield of 4'-PCB 3 sulfate, indicating that formation of PCB sulfates was predominant over the reverse reaction, the formation of hydroxy-PCBs. These results provide new perspective on the transport, metabolism, and fate of MeO-PCBs, and also help to better understand sources of OH-PCBs and PCB sulfates in the environment. This study provides the first evidence of interconversion of sulfate metabolites from methoxy-PCBs and methoxy-PCBs from PCB sulfates.
Motivational Internalism About the Good and the Two-Tier Selfless Perspective

I address the theoretical underpinnings of the relation between morality and aesthetics that I argue for. I present three interrelated theses, one in moral psychology, one in normative value theory, and one in the intersection between them. The first thesis is motivational internalism about the good, and the second thesis is the substantive claim that the moral is, in fact, good. Therefore, when one understands the moral as good they have motivation toward it. However, humans do not necessarily have such an understanding. A person may believe that something is morally required without believing it to be good. Thus, the third thesis is that art may help us to see the moral as good by giving us a new kind of perspective—a new point of view from which one understands that there is a higher self. First, I make some initial remarks about the nature of internalism and moral realism, and summarize Plato’s, Kant’s, and Murdoch’s views of moral motivation in terms of contemporary views. Then, I sketch my own view that motivational judgment internalism can and does coexist with an objective Good, where goodness is not a function of one’s desires. In the process of doing so, I clarify exactly what is compelling about an account of moral motivation that draws on (as well as expands) the views of Plato, Kant, and Murdoch.
How penal common sense comes to europeans

AbstractThis article analyzes the processes whereby a new ‘penal common sense’ aiming to criminalize poverty and thereby normalize precarious wage labor has incubated in America and is being internationalized, alongside the neoliberal economic ideology which it translates and complements in the realm of ‘justice’. Three operations are distinguished in the transatlantic diffusion of this new doxa on ‘security’: (1) the gestation and dissemination of terms, theses, and measures that converge to penalize social insecurity and its consequences; (2) their borrowing, through a work of adaptation to the national cultural idiom and state tradition, by the officials of the different receiving countries; (3) the ‘academicization’ of the categories of neoliberal understanding by pseudo-social research that serves to legitimize the bolstering of the penal state.Denunciations of ‘urban violence’ and increased surveillance of ‘problem neighborhoods’, curfews and the targeting of petty drug offenders, deregulation and p...
TU-EF-210-03: Real-Time Ablation Monitoring and Lesion Quantification Using Harmonic Motion Imaging

The use of therapeutic ultrasound to provide targeted therapy is an active research area that has a broad application scope. The invited talks in this session will address currently implemented strategies and protocols for both hyperthermia and ablation applications using therapeutic ultrasound. The role of both ultrasound and MRI in the monitoring and assessment of these therapies will be explored in both pre-clinical and clinical applications. Katherine Ferrara: High Intensity Focused Ultrasound, Drug Delivery, and Immunotherapy Rajiv Chopra: Translating Localized Doxorubicin Delivery to Pediatric Oncology using MRI-guided HIFU Elisa Konofagou: Real-time Ablation Monitoring and Lesion Quantification using Harmonic Motion Imaging Keyvan Farahani: AAPM Task Groups in Interventional Ultrasound Imaging and Therapy Learning Objectives: 1. Understand the role of ultrasound in localized drug delivery and the effects of immunotherapy when used in conjunction with ultrasound therapy. 2. Understand potential targeted drug delivery clinical applications including pediatric oncology. 3. Understand the technical requirements for performing targeted drug delivery. 4. Understand how radiation-force approaches can be used to both monitor and assess high intensity focused ultrasound ablation therapy. 5. Understand the role of AAPM task groups in ultrasound imaging and therapies. Chopra: Funding from Cancer Prevention and Research Initiative of Texas (CPRIT), Award R1308 Evelyn and M.R. Hudson Foundation; Research Support from Research Contract with Philips Healthcare; COI are Co-founder of FUS Instruments Inc Ferrara: Supported by NIH, UCDavis and California (CIRM and BHCE) Farahani: In-kind research support from Philips Healthcare
‘The Lament for the South’: Two Sui shu anecdotes

The ‘Lament’ was much admired from the time of its completion. We can get some indication of its popularity from the fact that two of Yu Hsin's metaphors for contemporary events have made their way into the official histories as if literally true. In both cases, the historian responsible was Wei Cheng (580–643), the chief compiler of the Sui shu . In line 345 of the ‘Lament’, Yu Hsin says of Hsiao Lun, ‘A hibernating bear injured his horse’. Sui shu 22.23b3–4 duly records that while Lun was on his way to the capital during Hou Ching's rebellion, ‘a hibernating bear all at once came up and bit the horse Lun was riding’. This comes from the ‘Treatise on the Five Elements’, the repository in the official histories for omens and portents. These Sui shu treatises had originally been prepared to accompany the history of the dynasties before the Sui, and that explains how Hsiao Lun can appear in the Sui shu despite his death in 551. Yu's original line had been an allusion, as yet unidentified, used as a metaphor for divine punishment for Lun's crimes. The two lines before it had involved allusions to the First Emperor; it is quite likely that line 345 also refers to another story about the same man, or at least some similar ancient figure surrounded by legends. It is hardly necessary to point out that hibernating bears do not all at once come up and bite one's horse; anyone but a poet had better be prepared to explain the circumstances.
Social Embeddedness and Economic Governance: A Small World Approach

We develop a framework that may be helpful for understanding the coevolution of social embeddedness and economic governance as an economy modernizes. We associate the transition from a traditional to a modern economy with an increase in the probability of interacting with individuals outside of a narrow relational neighbourhood. The small world framework, based on random graph theory, enables us to use this probability to interpolate the economy between a situation of close-knit group interaction and arms-length anonymous market interaction. This transition is accompanied by a decline in social embeddedness and can cause cooperation to collapse if the economy crosses a threshold before third party institutions emerge. Consequently, external institutions are crucial for market development to proceed beyond a threshold of complexity. The relative effectiveness of different institutions depends on the stage of modernization of the economy. Enforcement is relatively more valuable at low levels of modernization while information is relatively more valuable at high levels.
Parent-Child Coresidence and Quasi-Coresidence in Peninsular Malaysia

The authors studied the incidence and correlates of quasi-coresidence between mothers and children and the extent to which it substitutes for actual coresidence in Peninsular Malaysia. They consider a number of different definitions of quasi-coresidence including the frequency with which adult children visit their mothers provide assistance to their mothers and both visit and assist their mothers. Analysis of data from the 1987-88 Malaysian Family Life Survey a twelve-year follow-up to the First Malaysian Family Life Survey indicates that while frequent visits between children and mothers are quite common among all ethnic groups frequent assistance is relatively rare. Nonetheless among mothers who do not coreside with an adult child more than 15% receive weekly assistance and visits from at least one of their children. Malays especially sons are less likely to coreside with their mothers but they are more likely to provide assistance when they do not coreside. There is also evidence of substitution between coresidence and quasi-coresidence.
The Interstices of Copyright Law and Contract Law: Finding the Terms of an Implied Nonexclusive License in a Failed Work for Hire Agreement

An issue that frequently arises in Copyright Law is whether a work that was commissioned by a hiring party was created by the hired party as an employee or as an independent contractor. In cases where there is no formal employer-employee relationship, the answer is virtually always that the work was created by the hired party as an independent contractor. Therefore, under Copyright Law, the work is not a "work made for hire," so copyright in the work belongs to the hired party. Most cases end at that point. But the question remains: what rights does the hiring party have to use the work? This article uses principles of Contract Law to resolve that question.
Effects of obscurant materials on millimeter wave seekers

Millimeter-wave radar seeker functions for detecting, classifying, identifying, and tracking ground targets are described. The adverse effects of both naturally occurring and man-made obscurant material are discussed. Obscurants considered include clear air components, fog, rain, frozen hydrometeors, and specially designed smokes. The phenomenological characteristics that affect radar performance are discussed in terms of signal absorption, signal backscatter, signal depolarization, and signal scintillation. It is noted that signal attenuation, via absorption, remains the major justification for creating man-made obscurant materials for protecting targets from millimeter-wave radars. While a minimal obscurant backscatter has the advantage of not giving away target area positions, a higher obscurant backscatter can itself degrade radar target detection by creating false targets and by decreasing the target-to-interference power ratio. The effects of conducting obscurant materials which remain spatially aligned in a wind field and the actual inhomogeneities in an obscurant cloud are discussed. >
A parametric design tool for large space telescope sunshields

In what follows, we describe the thermal-mechanical model, the thermo-optical properties assumed for the components, and the environment which influences the thermal performance. Following this, we present predictions of performance sensitivity to variation in some of the optical characteristics. Studies of the performance sensitivity are continuing, to inform the direction of technology investment for further development of capabilities for large space telescopes.
Hhex is a direct repressor of endothelial cell-specific molecule 1 ( ESM-1 )

Abstract Hhex encodes a homeodomain-containing protein that functions as both a transcriptional repressor and activator, and is necessary for normal embryonic development. We previously reported that a null mutation of Hhex leads to abnormalities in vasculogenesis and have focused on identifying the transcriptional targets of Hhex necessary for vascular development. Here we report that the expression of ESM-1 , a cysteine-rich protein expressed in the endothelium, is increased in Hhex −/− embryos. Overexpression of Hhex in endothelial cells down-regulates ESM-1. The results from transient cotransfection assay, electrophoretic-mobility shift assay, site-directed mutagenesis, and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay demonstrate that Hhex can directly bind to and repress ESM-1 via an evolutionarily conserved Hhex response element (HRE) 1. These findings indicate that ESM-1 is a direct target of Hhex and that Hhex functions as a transcriptional repressor of ESM-1 . We speculate that Hhex-mediated repression of ESM-1 is critical for the normal function of the vascular endothelium and for tumor vasculogenesis.
Persistence of methidathion in soils.

The organophosphorus insecticide, methidathion, degraded rapidly in a sandy loam, silt loam, clay loam and organic soil. Fifty percent of the initial applications decomposed in less than 2 weeks and more than 90% of the insecticide disappeared within 16 weeks. When soils were treated with methidathion containing14C in the ring or methyl side chain 40 to 66% of the radioactivity was expired as14CO2 after 16 weeks. Over half of the remaining radioactivity could not be extracted from the soils while lesser amounts were recovered as the parent compound or as water-soluble degradation products. In fumigated soils 50% of the initial insecticide applications still remained after 16 weeks and less than 3% of the radioactivity was expired as14CO2 which suggests that microorganisms are primarily responsible for the degradation of methidathion in soil.
Preferential chemical modification of a binding subsite on the acetylcholine receptor.

Summary Following modification with trimethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate, the binding parameters of the acetylcholine receptor from Torpedo californica in the solubilized, purified state and in its native membrane environment have been studied. α-Bungarotoxin binding was not affected, but cholinergic ligand binding was. Bis-quaternary cholinergic ligands were especially sensitive to the modification. Protection studies have shown that the site of specific modification is adjacent to the acetylcholine binding site, most likely at the carboxyl group which interacts with the second quaternary nitrogen group of bifunctional ligands.
Embedding maximal cliques of sets in maximal cliques of bigger sets

Abstract Characterizations are obtained of the maximal ( k + s )-cliques that contain a given maximal k -clique as a substructure: (1) when s = 1; (2) for arbitrary s when no line of the clique contains exactly one point of the subclique. These characterizations are used to obtain maximal cliques which have fewer lines (for given k ) than previously known examples.
Viability of embryos of the winter flounder Pseudopleuronectes americanus exposed to mixtures of cadmium and silver in combination with selected fixed salinities

Abstract Developing embryos of winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus, were exposed to 48 combinations of cadmium (0–1000 μ·l−1), salinity (10–32 ‰), and silver (0–180 μ·l−1) at 8.7°C. Percentage of total hatch was at least 89% in all treatments while viable hatches ranged from 0 to 100%. Viable hatches decreased with increases in cadmium concentrations. The toxic effect of cadmium was greatest at 10 ‰ salinity and decreased significantly with each incremental increase in salinity level. Addition of silver to cadmium solutions also decreased the toxicity of the latter metal significantly. Silver exerted no lethal effect over the range of concentrations tested. Step-wise regression analysis shows that cadmium as well as interactions between cadmium and salinity, cadmium and silver, and silver and salinity significantly influenced the viable hatch response. Analyses of variance of viable hatch data indicate that each of those two-factor interactions was linear in nature.
Atomic and molecular oxygen adsorption on Ag(111)

Abstract The adsorption of O 2 on Ag(111) between 150 and 650 K has been studied with thermal desorption spectroscopy, Auger and photoelectron spectroscopies, and low-energy electron diffraction. A molecularly adsorbed O 2 species is populated with extremely low sticking probability (~ 5 X 10 −6 ) at 150 K. This species desorbs, with little dissociation, at 217 K. An atomically adsorbed species, with an O(1s) BE of 528.2 eV, is populated at 490 K with a sticking probability near 10 −6 . This species exists in islands of local coverage θ O ≅ 0.41, displaying a p(4 X 4)-O LEED pattern. It associatively desorbs at 579 K as O 2 , and can be titrated at room temperature with CO to produce CO 2 . There is also evidence for a subsurface oxygen species which reactivates below 600 K. Surface carbonate (CO 3,a ) can be produced from O a and CO 2 gas. These results are compared with similar species on Ag(110). A kinetic model is developed which describes the interaction of O 2 with these surfaces over a broad range of temperatures, and provides energetic values for the O 2 /Ag interaction potential.
Hard/soft magnetic heterostructures: model exchange-spring magnets

An overview is provided of research on exchange-spring coupled magnetic films and multilayers, including fabrication methods, and the characterization and modeling of the magnetization reversal processes. For coupled hard/soft bilayers and multilayers the deposition process provides nanometer-scale control of thicknesses and magnetic anisotropy. Such magnetic heterostructures provide model systems for studying the exchange hardening mechanism. Recent work on epitaxial SmCo/Fe and SmCo/Co bilayers and superlattices that display many of the characteristic features of exchange-spring magnets is highlighted. Comparison of the experimental results with numerical simulations indicates that the exchange-spring behavior can be understood from the intrinsic parameters of the hard and soft layers. The simulations are extended to realistically estimate the ultimate gain in performance that can potentially be realized in permanent magnets based on the exchange-spring principle.
All-order polarisation mode dispersion compensation in 10 Gbit/s x 2 Pol-Mux system via hyperfine resolution optical pulse shaping

By using wavelength-parallel polarimetry and hyperfine optical pulse shaping for sensing and compensation of the frequency-dependent Jones matrix, optical compensation of all-order polarisation mode dispersion is experimentally demonstrated with >40 ps mean differential group delay in a 10 Gbit/s × 2 Pol-Mux system (10% RZ).
Design of moored buoy system in shallow waters

Surface moored data buoys have been deployed in shallow waters in the East China Sea and the Adriatic Sea to provide meteorological and oceanographic data for use in weather forecasting and climatological studies. The buoys are of thick discus hull configuration with a diameter from 6.1 to 10 meters. The extreme conditions of large waves, high current and shallow water depth create a design problem different from that of deep water moorings. An extensive computer simulation study was conducted using the method of characteristics to determine the dynamic loads of the mooring lines, whereas the method of imaginary reaction was used to predict the watch circles of the mooring systems. The effects of the mooring scope, line size, and ocean environment on the design configuration are discussed. The buoy systems designed have been deployed successfully.
Intra-arterial Chemotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer: Is There a Verdict?

trial. For most oncologists who have limited experience with the IA method of drug delivery, and generally consider it to be more complex and invasive than IV chemotherapy, the results as published will be accepted without further question. For those of us who have experience with the IA approach, there remain some concerns that may have influenced the results of this trial. The most prominent concern relates to the technique used to deliver the IA infusions. The contemporary method for IA infusions employs the transfemoral approach for the placement of microcatheters through which the chemotherapy agent can be rapidly and selectively infused to the tumor bed. The determination of which artery or arteries to infuse and whether to target the external carotid artery and its branches on the ipsilateral side versus additional infusions through the contralateral carotid artery system is a judgment typically made by the interventional radiologist based on observed blood flow and anatomical location of the primary disease. 4 For the vast majority of patients, we have observed that the primary tumor can be effectively treated simply by using the carotid artery system on the side ipsilateral to the side of the tumor, even when the lesion has crossed the midline. We have noted that most tumors extending across the midline will continue to receive arterial flow through the ipsilateral vessels. In our experience, the decision to perform an additional infusion through the contralateral carotid artery is reserved only for a small number of patients whose primary disease substantially encompasses the opposite side of the upper aerodigestive tract or who have angiographic evidence of a bilateral arterial supply. Furthermore, the proportion of the infusate delivered through the contralateral arterial system is virtually always smaller. However, in the current study Rasch et al chose to employ bilateral infusions in the majority of patients (58 %) receiving IA chemotherapy using the criteria of ‘‘more than 1 cm extension across the midline’’ and delivering 50% if the infusate through the opposite vessels. Inherent to the technique of bilateral IA infusions is the necessity to divide the total dose and, hence, diminish the effect of the drug delivered. In the case of cisplatin infusion with sodium thiosulfate neutralization, an infusate that has been divided may represent an amount that is disproportionate to the targeted tumor volume. As a consequence, not only is the cisplatin more likely to be neutralized by the sodium thiosulfate, but also a suboptimal dose is delivered to the tumor
A total dissipated energy theory of fatigue crack growth in ductile solids

Abstract This study proposes a new theory of fatigue crack growth in ductile solids based on the total plastic energy dissipation per cycle ahead of the crack. The fundamental hypothesis of the theory proposes a unified criterion for crack extension under monotonic and fatigue loading, so that the fatigue crack growth rate is given explicitly in terms of the total plastic dissipation per cycle and the monotonic plane stress or plane strain fracture toughness of the material. The total plastic dissipation per cycle is obtained herein by 2-D elastic–plastic finite element analysis of a stationary crack under constant amplitude, mode I loading (C(T) specimen geometry). Both elastic–perfectly plastic and bi-linear kinematic hardening constitutive behaviors are considered, and numerical results for a dimensionless plastic dissipation per cycle are presented over the full range of relevant mechanical properties and loading conditions. Finally, the results of the current theory are compared to measured Paris-regime crack growth data for a variety of ductile metals, as well as dissipated energy measurements previously reported in the literature.
Push‐Pull Factors and Immigrant Political Integration in Germany*

Objectives. Drawing specifically on the German case, I argue that individuals' motivations for immigration, or so-called push-pull factors, have a lasting impact beyond the decision to immigrate and, in fact, profoundly influence immigrants' political integration in the host country. Specifically, economic push-pull factors are likely to impede immigrants' political integration, whereas political push-pull factors lead immigrants to remain more interested and engaged in politics while abroad. Methods. I test these hypotheses using a combination of qualitative interviews conducted in 2002 with first-generation Turkish immigrants living in Berlin, and quantitative survey data from the 1998 German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP). Results. Results from both analyses lend considerable support to these assertions. Conclusions. The positive findings suggest that factors unique to the immigrant experience contribute to a fundamentally different understanding of immigrants' political integration from that of natives.
Influence of MOVPE growth conditions on carbon and silicon concentrations in GaN

Abstract Impurity incorporation is studied as a function of metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy growth conditions. The same GaN growth conditions were used initially, resulting in films with approximately the same dislocation density, after which a single growth parameter was varied and the impurity concentrations measured using SIMS. The C concentrations were found to decrease with increasing growth temperature, pressure, and ammonia flow, and to increase with increasing H 2 carrier and trimethylgallium flow. The Si concentrations for both unintentionally doped (UID) and intentionally doped (ID) films increased with increasing growth pressure. The UID and ID Si concentrations varied inversely with the GaN growth rate, suggesting an independent source for UID Si within the reactor. Moreover, the NH 3 flow rate influenced the Si-doping concentration, even though the GaN growth rate remained constant. A H 2 /NH 3 etching mechanism is proposed to explain the growth parameter influence on the observed C and Si concentrations. The reduction in the ID Si concentrations at high NH 3 flows is explained by NH 3 site blocking, similar to that proposed for increased Ga vacancies at high NH 3 flows.
Self-Association of Hydroxypropylcellulose in Water

The association of hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC) chains above their lower critical solution temperature (LCST, ∼41 °C) leads to metastable nanosphere aggregates instead of precipitation. Laser light scattering (LLS) measurements revealed that the size of the aggregates is dependent not only on temperature and HPC concentration but also on heating history. There existed a narrow temperature range from ∼41 to ∼44 °C in which narrowly distributed metastable nanospheres formed in a few minutes and lasted for a few days without changing their sizes and molar masses. Increasing temperature in this range and increasing HPC concentration resulted in larger and denser nanosphere aggregates. In situ cross-linking of self-associated HPC chains was performed in a LLS sample cuvette at 42 °C using divinyl sulfone as a cross-linker. Formation of HPC gel microspheres was monitored by LLS and demonstrated by allowing the gel microspheres to swell and shrink at temperatures below and above the LCST, respectively.
Radiation damage in heteroepitaxial BaTiO3 thin films on SrTiO3 under Ne ion irradiation

The microstructure evolution of heteroepitaxial BaTiO3 (BTO) thin films grown on single crystal (001) SrTiO3 (STO) under Ne irradiation at room temperature was systematically investigated with special attention given to the behavior at the BTO/STO interface. Cross sectional transmission electron microscope investigations reveal that amorphization occurs at the top BTO film region. BTO grains in the dimensions of 10–20 nm survived the irradiation damage and maintained their original crystal orientation. Other irradiation-induced defects such as dislocation loops and defect clusters were observed only at the portion of the BTO thin film near the interface, but not at the STO side of the bilayer. Atomic calculations find that the energetics of defects are very similar on each side of the BTO/STO interface, suggesting that the interface will not significantly modify radiation damage evolution in this system, in agreement with the experimental observations. These results support the hypothesis we presented in previous work about the role of coherent interfaces on radiation damage evolution.
Elbroch, M. 2006. Animal Skulls. A Guide to North American Species. Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, 727 pp. ISBN 978-0-8117-3309-0, price (paper), $44.95

M. Elbroch 2006. Animal Skulls. A Guide to North American Species. Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, 727 pp. ISBN 978-0-8117-3309-0, price (paper), $44.95. This book, authored by the intrepid natural historian and master wildlife tracker, Mark Elbroch, is a celebration of the vertebrate skull. As emphasized in the Introduction to this attractive and well-crafted book, the human mind—encased in its own protective skull—is endlessly fascinated by the skulls of fellow vertebrates. Although we may not understand why, the allure of animal skulls is very real, and this book feeds the human desire to know more about them. Animal Skulls is a unique reference and identification guide to skulls of 275 vertebrate species of North America. The book is extremely well illustrated with 1,434 black-and-white drawings and 123 color photographs. Some of the photographs are especially creative, including the cougar ( Puma concolor ) photo on page 42 superimposed with a semitransparent image of its skull. Topics in Animal Skulls are presented in a logical order. The Introduction includes a section entitled Importance of Collections , which is a powerful statement on the vital role of collections as repositories for biodiversity. The Bones of the Skull (Chapter 1) provides skull vocabulary, reference diagrams of skulls, and defines standard measurements used by scientists to describe the skull. The beautifully illustrated skulls and careful use of color to identify particular bones make this chapter especially useful to the lay naturalist. Chapter 2 focuses sequentially on teeth, jaws, the senses (as interpreted from cranial morphology), skull variation, and ways to determine age and sex of the skull's owner. Chapter 3 ( Tracking Across the Surface of Animal Skulls ) provides an unusual …
On Optimal Subset Representations of Integer Sets

Abstract In this paper, we investigate representations of sets of integers as subset sums of other sets of minimal size, achieving results on the nature of the representing set as well as providing several reformulations of the problem. We apply one of these reformulations to prove a conjecture and extend a theorem of David Moulton concerning the case when the set to be represented consists of a geometric sequence. Finally, we provide a number of interesting questions for possible future research in this relatively new area.
Near real-time high-resolution airborne camera, AEROCam, for precision agriculture

Precision agriculture often relies on high-resolution imagery to delineate the variability within a field. Airborne Environmental Research Observational Camera (AEROCam) was designed to meet the needs of agriculture producers, ranchers, and researchers, who require high-resolution imagery in a near real-time environment for rapid decision support. AEROCam was developed and operated through a unique collaboration between several departments at the University of North Dakota, including the Upper Midwest Aerospace Consortium (UMAC), the School of Engineering and Mines, and flight operations at the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences. AEROCam consists of a Redlake MS4100 area-scan multi-spectral digital camera that features a 1920 × 1080 CCD array (7.4-μm detector) with 8-bit quantization. When operated at ∼2 km above ground level, multispectral images with four bands in the visible and near infrared have a ground sample distance of 1 m with a horizontal extent of just over 1.6 km. Depending on the a...
Regulatory elements of microfibril-associated glycoprotein-1 gene expression in muscle cells.

Abstract The Mfap2 gene encodes the microfibril-associated glycoprotein-1 (MAGP1), an extracellular matrix protein of microfibrillar structures. The gene is transcribed from a major transcription start site embedded in a CpG island. Mapping of transcriptionally active regions in the 5′ flanking sequence identified a region, located between nucleotides −339 and −109 as the Mfap2 basal promoter. Site-directed and random mutagenesis demonstrated that a KLF sequence motif at −256/−270, an E-box at −222/−229, and a GC-box at −117/−125, are critical for the promoter function. Using electrophoresis mobility shift assays, we find that the KLF motif mediates the binding of GKLF/KLF4, whereas the E-box is a target for both Upstream Stimulatory Factors 1 and 2, and the GC box at −117/−125 forms complexes with Sp1 and Sp3, but not with Sp4 or AP2α. A sequence element spanning position −150 may represent the binding motif of an uncharacterized transcription factor. The basal transcriptional regulation of Mfap2 in muscle cells is discussed.
Exploration of the utility of ancestry informative markers for genetic association studies of African Americans with type 2 diabetes and end stage renal disease

Admixture and population stratification are major concerns in genetic association studies. We wished to evaluate the impact of admixture using empirically derived data from genetic association studies of African Americans (AA) with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Seventy ancestry informative markers (AIMs) were genotyped in 577 AA with T2DM–ESRD, 596 AA controls, 44 Yoruba Nigerian (YRI) and 39 European American (EA) controls. Genotypic data and association results for eight T2DM candidate gene studies in our AA population were included. Ancestral estimates were calculated using FRAPPE, ADMIXMAP and STRUCTURE for all AA samples, using varying numbers of AIMs (25, 50, and 70). Ancestry estimates varied significantly across all three programs with the highest estimates obtained using STRUCTURE, followed by ADMIXMAP; while FRAPPE estimates were the lowest. FRAPPE estimates were similar using varying numbers of AIMs, while STRUCTURE estimates using 25 AIMs differed from estimates using 50 and 70 AIMs. Female T2DM-ESRD cases showed higher mean African proportions as compared to female controls, male cases, and male controls. Age showed a weak but significant correlation with individual ancestral estimates in AA cases (r 2 = 0.101; P = 0.019) and in the combined set (r 2 = 0.131; P = 3.57 × 10−5). The absolute difference between frequencies in parental populations, absolute δ, was correlated with admixture impact for dominant, additive, and recessive genotypic models of association. This study presents exploratory analyses of the impact of admixture on studies of AA with T2DM-ESRD and supports the use of ancestral proportions as a means of reducing confounding effects due to admixture.
Tetranuclear, Oxygen Centered Copper(II) Clusters Linked Together with Guanidine-Guanidinate Ligands

The reaction of copper(I) chloride with Htbo (1,4,6-triazabicyclo[3.3.0]oct-4-ene) under reflux in THF with oxidation by oxygen, produces a neutral cluster comprising two oxo-tetra-copper(II) units connected by six tbo− bridges three of them bind two and the other three bind four metals; each unit also contains three chlorine bridges and a Htbo terminal ligand. Two different X-ray crystal structures (1a, 1b) have been determined and the magnetic behavior has been studied. The molar magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate strong exchange interactions within an oxo cluster with coupling constants of J 1 = −163 cm−1 and J 2 = −1.1 cm−1, and a weak interaction across the guanidinate bridges of J 3 = −5.2 cm−1 of the octa-CuII cluster.
Comparative assessment of bone mass and structure using texture-based and histomorphometric analyses.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to develop a methodology for quantitatively assessing bone quantity and anisotropy based on texture analysis using Gabor wavelets. The wavelet approach has the capability to simultaneously examine the images at low and high resolutions to gain information on both global and detailed local features of the bone image. The program that implemented the texture analysis gave measures of density (MDensity) and anisotropy (MAnisotropy). It also allowed us to examine the texture energy at four orientations (0°, 45°, 90°, 135°) to gain insight about the details of the anisotropy. Analysis of templates of four simulated patterns, which had same number of dots but with differing orientations, demonstrated how the texture-based analysis differentiated between these templates. The measures of MAnisotropy discriminated between the four simulated patterns. The MDensity measures were similar across all patterns. These outcomes matched the design intent of the simulated patterns. We also compared the trabecular bone images obtained from a previous study, in which the right forelimbs of normal female retired breeder beagle dogs (5–7 years old) were cast for 12 months to induce bone loss, using both histomorphometry and texture analysis. Both histomorphometry and the texture analysis detected significant differences in the trabecular bone of the distal metatarsal between the control and disuse groups. Percent trabecular bone (Tb.Ar/T.Ar) and the textural density parameter (MDensity) were highly correlated (r = 0.962). MAnisotropy was decreased (3.9%) after the 12-month disuse protocol, but was not significantly different from normal. However, the texture energy values at all orientations (0°, 45°, 90° and 135°) were significantly decreased in the disuse group. Therefore, texture analysis was able to assess anisotropy, which could not be extracted from histomorphometric parameters. We conclude that texture analysis is an effective tool for assessing 2D bone images that yields information regarding the quantity of bone as well as the orientation of the trabecular structure that can augment our ability to discriminate between normal and pathological bone tissue.