cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Machine learning-based prediction of future breast cancer using algorithmically measured background parenchymal enhancement on high-risk screening MRI

BACKGROUND Preliminary work has demonstrated that background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) assessed by radiologists is predictive of future breast cancer in women undergoing high-risk screening MRI. Algorithmically assessed measures of BPE offer a more precise and reproducible means of measuring BPE than human readers and thus might improve the predictive performance of future cancer development. PURPOSE To determine if algorithmically extracted imaging features of BPE on screening breast MRI in high-risk women are associated with subsequent development of cancer. STUDY TYPE Case-control study. POPULATION In all, 133 women at high risk for developing breast cancer; 46 of these patients developed breast cancer subsequently over a follow-up period of 2 years. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE 5 T or 3.0 T T1 -weighted precontrast fat-saturated and nonfat-saturated sequences and postcontrast nonfat-saturated sequences. ASSESSMENT Automatic features of BPE were extracted with a computer algorithm. Subjective BPE scores from five breast radiologists (blinded to clinical outcomes) were also available. STATISTICAL TESTS Leave-one-out crossvalidation for a multivariate logistic regression model developed using the automatic features and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis were performed to calculate the area under the curve (AUC). Comparison of automatic features and subjective features was performed using a generalized regression model and the P-value was obtained. Odds ratios for automatic and subjective features were compared. RESULTS The multivariate model discriminated patients who developed cancer from the patients who did not, with an AUC of 0.70 (95% confidence interval: 0.60-0.79, P < 0.001). The imaging features remained independently predictive of subsequent development of cancer (P < 0.003) when compared with the subjective BPE assessment of the readers. DATA CONCLUSION Automatically extracted BPE measurements may potentially be used to further stratify risk in patients undergoing high-risk screening MRI. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 3 Technical Efficacy: Stage 5 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2019;50:456-464.
Performance of Screening Ultrasonography as an Adjunct to Screening Mammography in Women Across the Spectrum of Breast Cancer Risk

Importance Whole-breast ultrasonography has been advocated to supplement screening mammography to improve outcomes in women with dense breasts. Objective To determine the performance of screening mammography plus screening ultrasonography compared with screening mammography alone in community practice. Design, Setting, and Participants Observational cohort study. Two Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium registries provided prospectively collected data on screening mammography with vs without same-day breast ultrasonography from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2013. The dates of analysis were March 2014 to December 2018. A total of 6081 screening mammography plus same-day screening ultrasonography examinations in 3386 women were propensity score matched 1:5 to 30 062 screening mammograms without screening ultrasonography in 15 176 women from a sample of 113 293 mammograms. Exclusion criteria included a personal history of breast cancer and self-reported breast symptoms. Exposures Screening mammography with vs without screening ultrasonography. Main Outcomes and Measures Cancer detection rate and rates of interval cancer, false-positive biopsy recommendation, short-interval follow-up, and positive predictive value of biopsy recommendation were estimated and compared using log binomial regression. Results Screening mammography with vs without ultrasonography examinations was performed more often in women with dense breasts (74.3% [n = 4317 of 5810] vs 35.9% [n = 39 928 of 111 306] in the overall sample), in women who were younger than 50 years (49.7% [n = 3022 of 6081] vs 31.7% [n = 16 897 of 112 462]), and in women with a family history of breast cancer (42.9% [n = 2595 of 6055] vs 15.0% [n = 16 897 of 112 462]). While 21.4% (n = 1154 of 5392) of screening ultrasonography examinations were performed in women with high or very high (≥2.50%) Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium 5-year risk scores, 53.6% (n = 2889 of 5392) had low or average ( Conclusions and Relevance In a relatively young population of women at low, intermediate, and high breast cancer risk, these results suggest that the benefits of supplemental ultrasonography screening may not outweigh associated harms.
Maternal features at time of preterm prelabor rupture of membranes and short-term neonatal outcomes.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess if maternal and obstetric characteristics other than gestational age at the time of rupture impact short-term neonatal outcomes.Methods: This is a retrospective observational study from a single tertiary care referral center. This study reviewed women with a singleton pregnancy complicated by preterm prelabor rupture of membranes over a 3-year period from May of 2014 through May of 2017. Maternal characteristics and short term neonatal outcomes were collected.Results: We identified 210 pregnancies complicated by preterm prelabor rupture of membranes. Eighteen of these patients had rupture of membranes prior to viability. Of the maternal characteristics at time of admission studied, gestational age at rupture and race influenced short term neonatal outcomes. Women who identified as race other than white had neonates with lower rates of intubation than neonates born to white patients. Gestational age at rupture significantly influenced the neonatal intensive care unit length of stay. Each additional week gained before rupture occurred was associated with a 17.1% decrease in length of stay. Maternal age, gravidity, parity, body mass index, single deepest pocket, and amniotic fluid index did not influence short term neonatal outcomes.Conclusions: Gestational age at rupture of membranes is the most predictive factor associated with short term neonatal outcomes. Race may also influence short term neonatal outcomes. Other maternal characteristics do not seem to influence short term neonatal outcomes. This information can assist with patient counseling on admission for preterm prelabor rupture of membranes and expected neonatal course.
Optimization of S. aureus dCas9 and CRISPRi Elements for a Single Adeno-Associated Virus that Targets an Endogenous Gene.

The power of CRISPRi to decrease targeted gene expression for clinical applications has been inhibited by delivery challenges. Existing constructs are too large to fit within the ∼4.7 kb packaging size limitation of adeno-associated virus (AAV), the only FDA approved viral vector for clinical use. Therefore, we optimized CRISPRi components to generate a single AAV vector that contains all functional elements and effectively knocks down expression of an endogenous gene in vivo. First, we increased nuclear targeting of Staphylococcus aureus deactivated Cas9 (SadCas9) 4-fold by using a helical linker and the c-Myc nuclear localization signal. Second, we identified an amino-terminal Kruppel associated box (KRAB) construct as the most effective in decreasing expression of target genes in vitro. Third, we optimized promoters for guide RNA and evaluated mini-promoters for expression of KRAB-SadCas9 in liver cells. Our final construct decreased protein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (Pcsk9) mRNA and secreted protein 5-fold in vitro. The corresponding AAV2/8 vector was localized in nuclei of liver cells and decreased Pcsk9 mRNA and serum protein levels by 30% in vivo. This single AAV approach provides a potential clinically translatable method for decreasing targeted gene transcription by CRISPRi in vivo.
Quasi-Equivalence of Width and Depth of Neural Networks

While classic studies proved that wide networks allow universal approximation, recent research and successes of deep learning demonstrate the power of the network depth. Based on a symmetric consideration, we investigate if the design of artificial neural networks should have a directional preference, and what the mechanism of interaction is between the width and depth of a network. We address this fundamental question by establishing a quasi-equivalence between the width and depth of ReLU networks. Specifically, we formulate a transformation from an arbitrary ReLU network to a wide network and a deep network for either regression or classification so that an essentially same capability of the original network can be implemented. That is, a deep regression/classification ReLU network has a wide equivalent, and vice versa, subject to an arbitrarily small error. Interestingly, the quasi-equivalence between wide and deep classification ReLU networks is a data-driven version of the De Morgan law.
Friedreich Ataxia: Multidisciplinary Clinical Care

Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) is a multisystem disorder affecting 1 in 50,000-100,000 person in the United States. Traditionally viewed as a neurodegenerative disease, FRDA patients also develop cardiomyopathy, scoliosis, diabetes and other manifestation. Although it usually presents in childhood, it continues throughout life, thus requiring expertise from both pediatric and adult subspecialist in order to provide optimal management. The phenotype of FRDA is unique, giving rise to specific loss of neuronal pathways, a unique form of cardiomyopathy with early hypertrophy and later fibrosis, and diabetes incorporating components of both type I and type II disease. Vision loss, hearing loss, urinary dysfunction and depression also occur in FRDA. Many agents are reaching Phase III trials; if successful, these will provide a variety of new treatments for FRDA that will require many specialists who are not familiar with FRDA to provide clinical therapy. This review provides a summary of the diverse manifestation of FRDA, existing symptomatic therapies, and approaches for integrative care for future therapy in FRDA.
Advance Care Planning in Chronically Ill Patients With an Episodic Disease Trajectory in the Acute Care Setting: A Quality Improvement Project:

Introduction:Advance care planning (ACP) is a fluid discussion between patients and providers to define preferences for future medical care. In the acute care setting, ACP is limited due to lack of...
controllable deep melody generation via hierarchical music structure representation

recent advances in deep learning have expanded possibilities to generate music, but generating a customizable full piece of music with consistent long-term structure remains a challenge. this paper introduces musicframeworks, a hierarchical music structure representation and a multi-step generative process to create a full-length melody guided by long-term repetitive structure, chord, melodic contour, and rhythm constraints. we first organize the full melody with section and phrase-level structure. to generate melody in each phrase, we generate rhythm and basic melody using two separate transformer-based networks, and then generate the melody conditioned on the basic melody, rhythm and chords in an auto-regressive manner. by factoring music generation into sub-problems, our approach allows simpler models and requires less data. to customize or add variety, one can alter chords, basic melody, and rhythm structure in the music frameworks, letting our networks generate the melody accordingly. additionally, we introduce new features to encode musical positional information, rhythm patterns, and melodic contours based on musical domain knowledge. a listening test reveals that melodies generated by our method are rated as good as or better than human-composed music in the pop909 dataset about half the time.
Stock Market Liquidity and Corporate Profit Growth

This study examines how aggregate corporate profit growth (CP) dynamically influences liquidity in the stock market using NYSE share turnover (STO) as a proxy. The VAR results from fitting quarterly data from 1951Q4 to 2012Q4 show that STO has a significant jump immediately in the first quarter following the shock to CP then drops and stays at the zero territory after the first quarter. The Granger-causality tests indicate that CP and STO Granger-cause each other. CP forecasts 3.5% to 4% of the STO variability at the two- and eight-quarter horizons, respectively.
Analysis of subcellular localization of Myo7a, Pcdh15 and Sans in Ush1c knockout mice

Usher syndrome (USH) is the most frequent cause of combined deaf-blindness in man. An important finding from mouse models and molecular studies is that the USH proteins are integrated into a protein network that regulates inner ear morphogenesis. To understand further the function of harmonin in the pathogenesis of USH1, we have generated a targeted null mutation Ush1c mouse model. Here, we examine the effects of null mutation of the Ush1c gene on subcellular localization of Myo7a, Pcdh15 and Sans in the inner ear. Morphology and proteins distributions were analysed in cochlear sections and whole mount preparations from Ush1c(-/-) and Ush1c(-/+) controls mice. We observed the same distribution of Myo7a throughout the cytoplasm in knockout and control mice. However, we detected Pcdh15 at the base of stereocilia and in the cuticular plate in cochlear hair cells from Ush1c(+/-) controls, whereas in the knockout Ush1c(-/-) mice, Pcdh15 staining was concentrated in the apical region of the outer hair cells and no defined staining was detected at the base of stereocilia nor in the cuticular plate. We showed localization of Sans in the stereocilia of controls mouse cochlear hair cells. However, in cochleae from Ush1c(-/-) mice, strong Sans signals were detected towards the base of stereocilia close to their insertion point into the cuticular plate. Our data indicate that the disassembly of the USH1 network caused by absence of harmonin may have led to the mis-localization of the Protocadherin 15 and Sans proteins in the cochlear hair cells of Ush1c(-/-) knockout mice.
Applying the classification theorem for finite simple groups to minimize pin count in uniform permutation architectures (extended abstract)

In this paper, we show how to efficiently realize permutations of data stored in VLSI chips using bus interconnections with a small number of pins per chip. In particular, we show that permutations among chips from any group G can be uniformly realized in one step with a bus architecture that requires only \(\Theta (\sqrt {\left| G \right|} )\) pins per chip. The bound is within a small constant factor of optimal and solves the central question left open by the recent work of Kilian. Kipnis and Leiserson on uniform permutation architectures [8]. The proof makes use of the Classification Theorem for Finite Simple Groups to show that every finite group G of nonprime order contains a nontrivial subgroup of size at least \(\sqrt {\left| G \right|}\). The latter result is also optimal and improves the old pre-Classification Theorem lower bound of |G|1/3 proved by Brauer and Fowler [1] and Feit [4].
Linear Independence of Finite Gabor Systems

This chapter is an introduction to an open conjecture in time-frequency analysis on the linear independence of a finite set of time-frequency shifts of a given L 2 function. Background and motivation for the conjecture are provided in the form of a survey of related ideas, results, and open problems in frames, Gabor systems, and other aspects of time-frequency analysis, especially those related to independence. The partial results that are known to hold for the conjecture are also presented and discussed.
Towards Affect-sensitive Assistive Intervention Technologies for Children with Autism

Investigation into technology-assisted intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has gained momentum in recent years. Therapists involved in interventions must overcome the communication impairments generally exhibited by children with ASD by adeptly inferring the affective cues of the children to adjust the intervention accordingly. Similarly, an intelligent system, such as a computer or robot, must also be able to understand the affective needs of these children an ability that the current technologyassisted ASD intervention systems lack to achieve effective interaction that addresses the role of affective states in human-computer interaction (HCI), human-robot interaction (HRI), and intervention practice. In this chapter we present a physiology-based affect-inference mechanism for emotion modeling, emotion recognition, and emotion-sensitive adaptive response in technology-assisted intervention. This work is the first step towards developing “understanding” interactive technologies for use in future ASD intervention. We address the problem of how to make computer-based ASD intervention tools affect-sensitive by designing therapist-like affective models of the children with ASD based on their physiological responses. By employing these models, we explain how a robot can detect the affective states of a child with ASD and adapt its behaviors accordingly. Experimental results with 6 children with ASD from computer-based cognitive tasks and a proof-ofconcept experiment (i.e., a robot-based basketball game) are presented. A Support Vector Machines (SVM) based affective model yielded approximately 82.9% success for predicting affect inferred from a therapist. The robot learned the individual liking level of each child with regard to the game configuration and selected appropriate behaviors to present the task at his/her preferred liking level. Results show the robot automatically predicted individual liking level in real time with 81.1% accuracy. This is the first time, to our knowledge, that the affective states of children with ASD have been detected via a physiology-based affect recognition technique in real time. This is also the first time that the impact of affect-sensitive closed-loop interaction between a robot and a child with ASD has been demonstrated experimentally. While there is at present no single accepted intervention, treatment, or known cure for ASD, there is growing consensus that intensive behavioral and educational intervention programs can significantly improve long term outcomes for individuals and their families (Rogers,
CATNAP: a tool to compile, analyze and tally neutralizing antibody panels

CATNAP (Compile, Analyze and Tally NAb Panels) is a new web server at Los Alamos HIV Database, created to respond to the newest advances in HIV neutralizing antibody research. It is a comprehensive platform focusing on neutralizing antibody potencies in conjunction with viral sequences. CATNAP integrates neutralization and sequence data from published studies, and allows users to analyze that data for each HIV Envelope protein sequence position and each antibody. The tool has multiple data retrieval and analysis options. As input, the user can pick specific antibodies and viruses, choose a panel from a published study, or supply their own data. The output superimposes neutralization panel data, virus epidemiological data, and viral protein sequence alignments on one page, and provides further information and analyses. The user can highlight alignment positions, or select antibody contact residues and view position-specific information from the HIV databases. The tool calculates tallies of amino acids and N-linked glycosylation motifs, counts of antibody-sensitive and -resistant viruses in conjunction with each amino acid or N-glycosylation motif, and performs Fisher's exact test to detect potential positive or negative amino acid associations for the selected antibody. Website name: CATNAP (Compile, Analyze and Tally NAb Panels). Website address: http://hiv.lanl.gov/catnap.
The Reaction of Ferrous Horseradish Peroxidase with Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide reacts with ferrous horseradish peroxidase and converts it to oxyperoxidase in a sequence of two reactions. The first is the reaction of ferrous peroxidase with H2O2 to form Compound II; the second is the reaction of Compound II with H2O2 to form oxyperoxidase. Both reactions follow second order kinetics, being first order with respect to each of the reactants. They proceed without detectable intermediates, and, therefore, appear to be single step 2-electron oxidations.
Diagnosis of Annular Pancreas with Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography

Two patients with annular pancreas are described. The diagnosis was established unequivocally with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography before operation. In both patients there was pancreatitis of the annular pancreas. The first patient also had congenital absence of the ventral pancreas and pancreatic insufficiency. The second patient subsequently developed gastric outlet obstruction. The literature is reviewed.
The Parcel and Then Some: Unity of Ownership and the Parcel as a Whole

The U.S. Supreme Court’s “parcel as a whole” doctrine evaluates regulatory takings claims in the context of the landowner’s entire holding. The doctrine is predicated upon a largely arbitrary bifurcation, whereby the jurisprudence of regulatory takings is rooted in substantive due process, although the jurisprudence of physical takings is rooted in property law. Given its lack of a foundation in property law, “parcel as a whole” is both complex and uncabined.The open-ended nature of “parcel as a whole” is reflected in current attempts to extend it under an asserted “unity of ownership” theory. Under this formulation, separate deeded parcels may be treated as one parcel for takings purposes, even if there is no common or overlapping ownership or common commercial enterprise as traditionally defined by property, partnership, or corporate law.This Article asserts that the proper foundation for “parcel as a whole” is the common law doctrine of “appropriation to use.” It subsequently analyzes the “unity of ownership theory,” as it relates to coordinated development by separate owners of contiguous parcels. Under the Georgist “unity of ownership” view, value is created by society, which justifies government’s arrogation of the benefits of neighborly cooperation.The Article concludes that “appropriation to use” clarifies analysis of the relevant parcel, and that “unity of ownership” undermines rules for determination of ownership established in real property, partnership, and business law. It thus is inimical to property rights, and, more broadly, hinders individual flourishing by depriving people of the fruits of social cooperation.
High temperature setup for measurements of Seebeck coefficient and electrical resistivity of thin films using inductive heating

We have developed an automated setup for simultaneous measurement of Seebeck coefficient S(T) and electrical resistivity ρ(T) of thin film samples from room temperature to ∼650 °C. S and ρ are extracted from current-voltage (I-V) measurements obtained using a semiconductor parameter analyzer and temperature measurements obtained using commercial thermocouples. The slope and the x-axis intercept of the I-V characteristics represent the sample conductance G and the Seebeck voltage, respectively. The measured G(T) can be scaled to ρ(T) by the geometry factor obtained from the room temperature resistivity measurement of the film. The setup uses resistive or inductive heating to control the temperature and temperature gradient on the sample. Inductive heating is achieved with steel plates that surround the test area and a water cooled copper pipe coil underneath that generates an AC magnetic field. The measurements can be performed using resistive heating only or inductive heating only, or a combination of both depending on the desired heating ranges. Inductive heating provides a more uniform heating of the test area, does not require contacts to the sample holder, can be used up to the Curie temperature of the particular magnetic material, and the temperature gradients can be adjusted by the relative positions of the coil and sample. Example results obtained for low doped single-crystal silicon with inductive heating only and with resistive heating only are presented.
Relation between Doppler color flow variables and invasively determined jet variables in patients with aortic regurgitation

AbstractObjectives. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that invasively derived jet variables including regurgitant orifice area and momentum determine the characteristics of Doppl...
Observations of Singularity Formation during the Capillary Collapse and Bubble Pinch-off of a Soap Film Bridge

Abstract Observations of capillary-driven collapse of a soap film bridge and consequent bubble pinch-off are reported. According to a recent mathematical surface model, in which the surface tension force is resisted only by the fluid inertia, a neck starts on the midplane between the solid supports and splits into two mirror-symmetric necks that straddle the midplane, and these necks “turn over” (the interface becomes multivalued), after which self-similarity develops as the pinch-off exhibits finite time blow-up of both principal curvatures. Singular curvatures imply an unbounded pressure and diverging axial and radial velocities. It is therefore anticipated that the model breaks down at a length scale near pinch-off where neglected physics becomes important in the experiment. This paper examines where and how the model breaks down. Observations on length scales from 200 mm down to 0.2 mm (time scales from 1.0 s down to 10−4 s) show that the model quantitatively predicts behavior down to the millimeter scale below which deviations occur. These deviations are attributed to the finite thickness of the soap film whose inertia can be considerable in motions approaching 10 m/s.
Linear-scaling subspace-iteration algorithm with optimally localized nonorthogonal wave functions for Kohn-Sham density functional theory

We present a linear-scaling method for electronic structure computations in the context of Kohn-Sham density functional theory (DFT). The method is based on a subspace iteration, and takes advantage of the nonorthogonal formulation of the Kohn-Sham functional, and the improved localization properties of nonorthogonal wave functions. A one-dimensional linear problem is presented as a benchmark for the analysis of linear-scaling algorithms for Kohn-Sham DFT. Using this one-dimensional model, we study the convergence properties of the localized subspace-iteration algorithm presented. We demonstrate the efficiency of the algorithm for practical applications by performing fully three-dimensional computations of the electronic density of alkane chains.
Micro x-ray absorption spectroscopic analysis of arsenic localization and biotransformation in Chironomus riparius Meigen (Diptera: Chironomidae) and Culex tarsalis Coquillett (Culicidae).

The distribution and speciation of arsenic (As) were analyzed in individuals of various life stages of a midge, Chironomus riparius, and the mosquito Culex tarsalis exposed to 1000 μg/l arsenate. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) revealed that C. riparius larvae accumulate As in their midgut, with inorganic arsenate [As(V)] being the predominant form, followed by arsenite [As(III)] and an As-thiol. Reduced concentrations of As in pupal and adult stages of C. riparius indicate excretion of As between the larval and pupal stages. In adults, As was limited to the thorax, and the predominant form was an As-thiol. In Cx. tarsalis, As was not found in high enough concentrations to determine As speciation, but the element was distributed throughout the larva. In adults, As was concentrated in the thorax and eyes of adults. These results have implications for understanding the biotransformation of As and its movement from aquatic to terrestrial environments.
System design for robot agent team

Small air and ground physical agents (robots) will be ubiquitous on the battlefield of the 21st century, principally to lower the exposure to harm of our ground forces in urban and open terrain. Teams of small collaborating physical agents conducting tasks such as Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition (RSTA), intelligence, chemical and biological agent detection, logistics, decoy, sentry, and communications relay will have advanced sensors, communications, and mobility characteristics. The Army Research Laboratory (ARL) is conducting research in sensor fusion, communications, and processing on small mobile robotic platforms principally in the urban environment in support of Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT). This paper discusses on-going research at ARL that supports the development of multi-robot collaboration. Commercial ATRV-2 and Urban Robot platforms are being utilized along with advanced battlefield visualization tools and other tools to effectively command and control teams of collaborating physical agents and present the gathered information in a manner that is useful to the commander. The software architecture and the modular packaging designs will be the focus of the paper, which also consider mother ship concepts. Additionally, work that has been conducted with PM Soldier Systems to integrate robotic platforms (Robot Warrior) with the Land Warrior (LW) ensemble to create a Scout Warrior will be discussed.© (2002) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
In vivo determinations of RBE in a high energy modulated proton beam using normal tissue reactions and fractionated dose schedules

Abstract In preparation for a clinical trial of proton radiation therapy, we have performed a series of in vivo radiobiological experiments to determine the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of protons as compared to 60 Co using normal tissue reaction in mice as the biological endpoint. The first assay studied was the survival of jejunal crypt cells in both the spread out Bragg Peak (SOBP) and the unmodulated portion (valley) of the proton beam. Experiments were performed using both single fraction and 20 fraction (3 hr between fractions) irradiations. These data demonstrate an RBE in the SOBP and the proton valley of 1.23 and 1.17 respectively for the 20 fraction experiment, and 1.19 and 1.13 for the single fraction experiment. These RBE values are only minimally dependent on the endpoint used for the analysis. The second assay was the acute skin reaction in the mouse thigh after 20 fractions of irradiation. Analyzing the average response from 11 to 30 days after irradiation the RBE was 1.13, and analyzing the dose for 50% of the animals to reach a score of 2.5 indicated an RBE of 1.14. Analysis of late effects by measurement of thigh epilation indicated an RBE of 1.14 while analysis of contraction was inadequate for an RBE estimate. These experiments indicate an RBE of approximately 1.20 for protons (compared to 60 Co) when analyzing mouse jejunum and approximately 1.13 when analyzing acute and late skin reaction. They also indicate that the RBE is relatively independent of fraction size in the range studied, and independent of whether the irradiation is performed in the center of a 10 cm wide SOBP or in the valley of the proton beam.
Children's Understanding of False Beliefs in Two Contexts

The present study explored the link between narrative and theory of mind by comparing 26 preschool-age children's understanding of false beliefs in standard theory-of-mind tasks and in the context of a folktale narrative. The central finding, that older children made more correct predictions of false beliefs in both contexts, was taken as support for the contention that the general change in understanding representation that underlies children's success on theory-of-mind tasks also permits comprehension of narrative. However, analysis of the justifications children gave for incorrect predictions also suggested that the narrative context may assist children's understanding of representation. Further research is recommended.
Multistage skin carcinogenesis: a useful model for the study of the chemoprevention of cancer.

Abstract: Skin carcinogenesis can be operationally and mechanistically divided into at least three stages; tumor initiation, stage I and stage II of promotion. Current information suggests that reactive intermediates of skin tumor initiators are mutagenic and bind convalently to DNA of epidermal stem cells (dark basal keratinocytes) leading to some irreversible alteration in the differentiation capacity of these cells. Inhibitors of skin tumor initiation by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) decrease the level of the PAH diol-epoxide bound to specific DNA adducts. The tumor promoters have been shown to have many cellular and biochemical effects in the skin. Recent data suggests that free radicals may be important in skin tumor promotion. The first stage of promotion is partially irreversible and can be accomplished by a single treatment of a tumor promoter such as TPA or by non-promoting agents such as 4-O-methyl-TPA, calcium ionophore A23187, and hydrogen peroxide, as well as wounding. These agents increase the number of dark basal keratinocytes, which suggest that these cells are important in the first stage of promotion. Prostaglandin was found to specifically enhance stage I of promotion whereas the protease inhibitor tosyl phenylalanine chloromethylketone (TPCK) specially inhibited stage I of promotion and the TPA-induced dark basal keratinocytes. The second stage of promotion is initially reversible but later becomes irreversible. The weak promoting agent mezerein is an effective stage II promoter. Polyamines and epidermal cell proliferation appear to be important events in stage II of promotion. Putrescine was found to specifically enhance stage II, whereas retinoic acid (RA), diflouromethylornithine (DFMO), and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) specially inhibited stage II of promotion and the mezerein-induced polyamine levels. Floucinolone acetonide (FA) was found to inhibit both stages but was more effective in counteracting stage I of promotion. Although, TPA can cause a decrease in the number of glucocorticoid receptors during promotion, FA can effectively prevent this loss. Recent data suggest that skin tumor promotion can be effectively inhibited by a combination of stage I and II inhibitors. Furthermore, skin carcinogenesis can be counteracted by a combination of low and nontoxic doses of BHA, TPCK, DFMO and vitamin E.
THE PIVOTAL POSITION OF THE MITOCHONDRIAL THIOL GROUP EXPOSED BY DINITROPHENOL LOCATED BY MEANS OF ATP ENERGIZED MITOCHONDRIAL VOLUME CHANGES REQUIRING GRAMICIDIN, SHOWDOMYCIN, AND DINITRIPHENOL

An appropriate concentration of DNP (2, 4-dinitrophenol) is capable of inhibiting the ATP energized mitochondrial volume change induced by gramicidin in the presence of the permeant ions potassium and L-malate. The further addition of the non-mercurial thiol reagent, showdomycin reinstates, an effect of gramicidin which is dependent upon potassium ion. Thus the strategically located nucleophilic mitochondrial thiol group exposed by DNP occupies a pivotal position between two cycles. One of the cycles meshes with the respiratory chain and the other cycle meshes with ATP. This latter cycle contains the site sensitive to gramicidin.
Disparate modulation of plasma membrane protein lateral mobility by various cell permeabilizing agents

The mobility of a cell surface protein on cells osmotically swollen by treatment with several different cell permeabilizing agents retains specific restraints despite detachment of the plasma membrane from the cortical cytoskeleton. Fluorescence photobleaching recovery experiments indicate that the lateral diffusion constants of immunoglobulin E (IgE)-receptor complexes on the surface of rat basophilic leukemia cells increase 2-5x following permeabilization with streptolysin O or digitonin, with little change in their mobile fractions. Swelling by hypo-osmotic treatment in water enhances lateral diffusion of IgE-receptor complexes and raises the mobile fractions to near 100%. In contrast, swelling by treatment with filipin arrests lateral diffusion, although rotational mobility remains unhindered. Lateral mobility of a fluorescent lipid analogue remains unchanged under these conditions. Crosslinking by anti-IgE antibodies redistributes the IgE-receptor complexes into large patches on untreated cells and on cells swollen by permeabilization with streptolysin O or digitonin, but not on cells swollen by treatment with filipin. The results indicate a diversity of effects of the various permeabilizing agents on the mobility of membrane proteins. In particular, treatment with filipin appears to reorganize the plasma membrane into a network of fluid domains on a scale smaller than the bleaching spot size used (approximately 1.5 microns).
Pentacene ultrathin film formation on reduced and oxidized Si surfaces

We have compared the nucleation of pentacene on reduced and oxidized Si surfaces by a combination of x-ray reflectivity measurements and atomic force microscopy. For the reduced surface, the nucleation density is 0.007 $\ensuremath{\mu}{\mathrm{m}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}.$ Second monolayer (ML) formation starts at a coverage of \ensuremath{\Theta}=0.6 ML, and the first layer is completely closed at a total coverage of 2 ML. For the oxidized surface, the nucleation density is larger by a factor of 100 (0.7 $\ensuremath{\mu}{\mathrm{m}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}).$ Second ML formation also starts at \ensuremath{\Theta}=0.6 ML, but the first layer closes already at 1.1 ML coverage, indicating nearly ideal layer-by-layer growth. For both terminations, the electron density obtained for the closed first monolayer is only 75% of the bulk value, indicating a reduced mass packing efficiency of the layer. Second ML islands are aligned relative to each other on an area limited by the lateral size of first ML islands, which act as templates for epitaxial growth.
Hume's Distinction between Philosophical Anatomy and Painting

Although the implications of Hume's distinction between philosophical ‘anatomy’ and ‘painting’ have been the subject of lively scholarly debates, it is a puzzling fact that the details of the distinction itself have largely been a matter of interpretive presumption rather than debate. This would be unproblematic if Hume's views about these ‘two species of philosophy’ were obvious, or if there were a rich standard interpretation of the distinction that we had little reason to doubt. But a careful review of the literature shows neither to be the case. We are far from scholarly consensus about Hume's vision of philosophical anatomy and painting, and what unity there is rests on extremely unsteady ground and leaves important questions unanswered. In this article, my aim is three-fold: first, to show that the appearance of well-grounded scholarly unity about Hume's distinction is illusory; second, to dispose of those misinterpretations of Hume's distinction that are sufficiently at odds with the text that they can be demonstrated to be false in this context; and third, to explore in sufficient detail the numerous questions one might raise about the content of Hume's distinction so that the stage might at last be properly set for a truly full account of Hume's distinction between philosophical anatomy and painting.
A robust and efficient algorithm for the shape description of protein structures and its application in predicting ligand binding sites

An accurate description of protein shape derived from protein structure is necessary to establish an understanding of protein-ligand interactions, which in turn will lead to improved methods for protein-ligand docking and binding site analysis. Most current shape descriptors characterize only the local properties of protein structure using an all-atom representation and are slow to compute. We need new shape descriptors that have the ability to capture both local and global structural information, are robust for application to models and low quality structures and are computationally efficient to permit high throughput analysis of protein structures. We introduce a new shape description that requires only the Cα atoms to represent the protein structure, thus making it both fast and suitable for use on models and low quality structures. The notion of a geometric potential is introduced to quantitatively describe the shape of the structure. This geometric potential is dependent on both the global shape of the protein structure as well as the surrounding environment of each residue. When applying the geometric potential for binding site prediction, approximately 85% of known binding sites can be accurately identified with above 50% residue coverage and 80% specificity. Moreover, the algorithm is fast enough for proteome-scale applications. Proteins with fewer than 500 amino acids can be scanned in less than two seconds. The reduced representation of the protein structure combined with the geometric potential provides a fast, quantitative description of protein-ligand binding sites with potential for use in large-scale predictions, comparisons and analysis.
Time-Resolved EPR Studies of Photogenerated Radical Ion Pairs Separated by p-Phenylene Oligomers and of Triplet States Resulting from Charge Recombination†

Photoexcitation of a series of donor−bridge−acceptor (D−B−A) systems, where D = phenothiazine (PTZ), B = p-phenylene (Phn), n = 1−5, and A = perylene-3,4:9,10-bis(dicarboximide) (PDI) results in rapid electron transfer to produce 1(PTZ+•−Phn−PDI-•). Time-resolved EPR (TREPR) studies of the photogenerated radical pairs (RPs) show that above 150 K, when n = 2−5, the radical pair−intersystem crossing mechanism (RP−ISC) produces spin-correlated radical ion pairs having electron spin polarization patterns indicating that the spin−spin exchange interaction in the radical ion pair is positive, 2J > 0, and is temperature dependent. This temperature dependence is most likely due to structural changes of the p-phenylene bridge. Charge recombination in the RPs generates PTZ−Phn−3*PDI, which exhibits a spin-polarized signal similar to that observed in photosynthetic reaction-center proteins and some biomimetic systems. At temperatures below 150 K and/or at shorter donor−acceptor distances, e.g., when n = 1, PTZ−Phn−3...
Sexual orientation, gender, and alcohol use in a cohort study of U.S. adolescent girls and boys

Abstract Background Sexual minority youth may be at elevated risk for alcohol use relative to heterosexual youth, but the reasons underlying higher rates and whether there may be gender differences in risk are not known. Methods Cross-sectional survey data from 9731 early and middle adolescent girls and boys in the Growing Up Today Study in 1999 were examined to assess sexual orientation and gender patterns in alcohol use. Multivariable regression models estimated associations between sexual orientation and alcohol-related behaviors, such as binge drinking and drinking before age 12 years. Models controlled for sociodemographic and psychosocial factors, with heterosexuals as the reference. Results Girls who described themselves as “mostly heterosexual” and lesbian/bisexual girls were at elevated risk compared to heterosexual girls on almost all alcohol-related behaviors and exposures. “Mostly heterosexual” boys were also at elevated risk. No significant differences in alcohol-related behaviors were observed between gay/bisexual and heterosexual boys. Gender-by-sexual orientation interactions were statistically significant for LGB but not other orientations, indicating that lesbian/bisexual girls experienced elevated risk above and beyond that of gay/bisexual boys relative to same-gender heterosexual peers. Conclusions In early and middle adolescence, sexual minority girls and “mostly heterosexual” boys experienced consistent patterns of elevated risk for alcohol use.
Synthesis of reinforcement learning, neural networks and PI control applied to a simulated heating coil

An accurate simulation of a heating coil is used to compare the performance of a proportional plus integral (PI) controller to the following schemes for learning improved control: a neural network trained to predict the steady-state output of the PI controller, a neutral network trained to minimize the n-step ahead error between the coil output and the set point, and a reinforcement learning agent trained to minimize the sum of the squared error over time. Although the PI controller works very well for this task, the neural networks showed improved performance. The reinforcement learning agent, when combined with a PI controller, learned to augment the PI control output for the subset of states for which control can be improved.
Social support as a moderator of life stress

Social support is defined as information leading the subject to believe that he is cared for and loved, esteemed, and a member of a network of mutual obligations. The evidence that supportive interactions among people are protective against the health consequences of life stress is reviewed. It appears that social support can protect people in crisis from a wide variety of pathological states: from low birth weight to death, from arthritis through tuberculosis to depression, alcoholism, and the social breakdown syndrome. Furthermore, social support may reduce the amount of medication required, accelerate recovery, and facilitate compliance with prescribed medical regimens.
Quantitative Characterization of Corrosion Under Insulation

A method is described to quantitatively characterize the corrosion status of steel samples under insulation. The method uses backscatter X-rays to obtain a density vs. depth profile of the sample, from which the mass absorption coefficient, density, and thickness of the rust layer are evaluated. From these data, the iron content of the rust layer is computed, and the steel losses are expressed in either wall thickness or in the mass per unit area. Rust with a thickness of less than 1 mm can be detected but not quantified. The upper limit for quantitative expression of steel losses is approximately 6 mm when an X-ray tube operated at 160 KV is used.
Probabilism and phylogenetic inference

The maximum likelihood approach to phylogenetics rests on frequency probability theory. This stands in stark contrast to the logical probability of corroboration-based cladistic parsimony. History is particular and cannot be described in terms of universal statements about abstract generalities, the task of the historical sciences being one of explanation, not prediction. Thus, frequency probability methods of estimation are inappropriate for making historical inferences. Maximum likelihood estimation procedures are deconstructed from numerous perspectives in spite of their supposed impressive technicalities. Charges of parsimony's inconsistency are rendered mute, because its justification lies elsewhere, yet maximum likelihood is still subject to Wald's dilemma if realism is of any interest. Although all epistemologies make assumptions, the models employed by maximum likelihood are problematic and deterministic, as opposed to the unproblematic background knowledge characteristic of cladistics. Apart from issues of logical and sampling dependencies, the requirements of frequency probability theory are non-trivial and the maximum likelihood estimation of phylogeny can neither escape, nor satisfy the tenets of calculus independence (e.g. i.i.d.) inherent in the multiplicative relations of the method. If phylogeneticists are to maintain a rational foundation for their epistemology, neo-justificationist appeals to some metaphysical truth must be abandoned in favour of the realism of sophisticated falsification.