cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Patient Navigation As a Model to Increase Participation of African Americans in Cancer Clinical Trials

Purpose:Less than 10% of patients enrolled in clinical trials are minorities. The patient navigation model has been used to improve access to medical care but has not been evaluated as a tool to increase the participation of minorities in clinical trials. The Increasing Minority Participation in Clinical Trials project used patient navigators (PNs) to enhance the recruitment of African Americans for and their retention in therapeutic cancer clinical trials in a National Cancer Institute–designated comprehensive cancer center.Methods:Lay individuals were hired and trained to serve as PNs for clinical trials. African American patients potentially eligible for clinical trials were identified through chart review or referrals by clinic nurses, physicians, and social workers. PNs provided two levels of services: education about clinical trials and tailored support for patients who enrolled in clinical trials.Results:Between 2007 and 2014, 424 African American patients with cancer were referred to the Increasin...
Monte Carlo Analysis of Payer and Provider Risks in Shared Savings Arrangements

This article provides a thorough empirical analysis of random variation in shared savings arrangements. It uses claims data from seven provider coalitions that applied for certification to become Medicaid accountable care organizations (ACOs) in New Jersey to conduct Monte Carlo simulations under varying assumptions about true ACO savings. Among all the ACOs examined, the observed savings rate can be several percentage points higher or lower than the assumed true savings rate, leading to large probabilities of Type I and Type II error in determining the existence of savings. Although the effects of random variation are smaller for larger ACOs, the ACO-level coefficient of variation in health care spending also stands out as a highly relevant parameter. The risks of overpayment and underpayment can be minimized through modified specification of the savings measurement methodology. These findings have implications for the terms of shared savings arrangements negotiated between payers and providers.
Do All Components of the Chronic Care Model Contribute Equally to Quality Improvement

Article-at-a-Glance Background The Chronic Care Model (CCM) is a widely used conceptual model for improving chronic illness care, but there is limited evidence to support the validity of this model. Seventeen clinics in a single medical group used the CCM in a diabetes improvement initiative, and the study tested which CCM components at the clinic level were associated with improved glycohemoglobin (A1C) and low-density (LDL) outcomes for patients with diabetes. Design Three leaders from each of 17 clinics completed a survey in 2002 that assessed the presence of CCM components in their clinics. Clinic scores from this survey were correlated with change in clinic-level measures of the quality of care for their diabetes patients (A1C and LDL outcomes) during the preceding year. Results Delivery system design (DSD) scores were positively correlated with improvements in A1C and lipid test rates and levels at these clinics ( r = 0.49-0.57, p p Conclusions These data suggest that delivery system design is associated with improved A1C and LDL outcomes for people with diabetes. Additional studies are necessary to determine the association of other CCM components with improved outcomes.
Evaluation and Management of Erectile Dysfunction

The man who seeks treatment for impotence typically has a sense of inadequacy that extends beyond sexual satisfaction to his business and personal relationships. Although no magic potion is available, current medical technology allows the surgeon to accommodate each patient who seeks treatment, guaranteeing sufficient penile rigidity to effect coitus.
Collective turnover: An expanded meta-analytic exploration and comparison

As evidenced by the publication of three meta-analyses in 2013, the importance of collective turnover is garnering increasing attention. Although each of these meta-analyses delivers a unique and significant impact to the HR literature, there remain opportunities to expand and build upon their contributions. In a comparison of the three extant meta-analyses, we found over 90 unique papers that were included in only one of each of the three studies, and > 10 new studies published since 2013. We combined and expanded the existing meta-analyses, offering a comparison of results, as well as contributing to a greater understanding of the role of collective turnover. In the most comprehensive analysis to date, analyzing 2149 effect sizes from 159 studies across 150 articles, we find both support for and divergence from several previously examined relationships, as well as evidence of a curvilinear turnover-performance relationship and of the contagious influence of turnover.
Context and Goals of Early Princeton

Princeton University, originally the College of New Jersey, was founded out of the need to train ministers for the Presbyterian Church. William Tennent Sr. met this need by starting the Log College that occupied an official position of training ministers. As schools in New England increasingly departed from Reformed Orthodoxy, Presbyterians were hesitant to send students to these colleges for training. When the First Great Awakening created a revival in religious piety the need for a college to train ministers became clear. The founding purpose of the college was to train ministers in piety, which requires knowing God and the duty that God requires of humans. From the beginning the knowledge of God was mixed with the beatific vision in the afterlife.
Athletics and philosophy in the ancient world: contests of virtue

This book explores the relationship between athletics and philosophy in the entire period of ancient philosophy, from the heroic age before the origin of the Olympic contests to the late Roman empi...
The Teaching of Development Economics: Its Position in the Present State of Knowledge

(1968). The Teaching of Development Economics: Its Position in the Present State of Knowledge. Journal of Economic Issues: Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 122-125.
Recursive symmetries for geometrically complex and materially heterogeneous additive manufacturing

Abstract We present a generative method for the creation of geometrically complex and materially heterogeneous objects. By combining generative design and additive manufacturing, we demonstrate a unique form-finding approach and method for multi-material 3D printing. The method offers a fast, automated and controllable way to explore an expressive set of symmetrical, complex and colored objects, which makes it a useful tool for design exploration and prototyping. We describe a recursive grammar for the generation of solid boundary surface models suitable for a variety of design domains. We demonstrate the generation and digital fabrication of watertight 2-manifold polygonal meshes, with feature-aligned topology that can be produced on a wide variety of 3D printers, as well as post-processed with traditional 3D modeling tools. To date, objects with intricate spatial patterns and complex heterogeneous material compositions generated by this method can only be produced through 3D printing.
Safer or cheaper? Traffic safety, vehicle choices and the effect of new corporate average fuel economy standards

The new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards increase fuel economy to 54.5 MPG by model year 2025 and determine fuel economy targets based on vehicle sizes. This paper examines the effect of the new CAFE standards on consumer choices and composition of vehicle sales, accounting for the impact of traffic safety. We first formulate and estimate a mixed logit model of consumer demand using micro-level data. Two measures of traffic safety, consumers’ safety concerns and traffic fatalities, are included and interacted with two vehicle characteristics that matter most for traffic safety: weight and size. Further, we conduct simulations of three extreme firm responses to assess the potential impact of the new CAFE standards: lightweighting, paying CAFE fines, and size increase. Simulation results suggest that the sales impact will fall almost entirely on the SUV and light truck segments and on US automakers that use lightweighting. Moreover, consumers in states with more traffic fatalities are the most responsive, shifting away from passenger cars. In addition, the new CAFE standards could result in an increase of 8.1 percent in the share of SUV and light trucks, which will cause as many as 347 more equivalent fatalities on roads each year.
Water-resistant hemp fiber-reinforced composites: In-situ surface protection by polyethylene film

Abstract The bottleneck in the broad use of natural fiber-reinforced composite (NFRC) is the poor water resistance due to the fiber inherent moisture absorption property. This study presented a unique technology that might revolutionarily solve this bottleneck of NFRC. A polyethylene (PE) film was adhered in-situ to the surfaces of the hemp fiber-reinforced composite by replacing the traditional vacuum bag during the vacuum assisted resin infusion (VARI) process. The water resistance and mechanical properties of composites were examined using contact angle tests, water absorption, mechanical property tests, dynamic mechanical analysis, and scanning electron microscope. Compared to the control NFRC samples, the contact angles of water, coffee and milk (three home pollutants) of PE film protected NFRC (PE-NFRC) dramatically increased from 46.1° to 82.5°, from 43.2° to 70.5°, and from 48.6° to 72.9°, respectively, and the 2 h, 24 h, and 120 h water absorptions of PE-NFRC significantly decreased by 88.5%, 84.8%, and 68.5%, respectively. The results indicated that the water resistance of PE-NFRC was significantly improved. Based on comparisons of specific ultimate strengths of PE-NFRC and glass-fiber sheet molding compound (SMC), it is potential to replace glass fiber SMC by using PE-NFRC in the automotive industry.
Carbon Metabolism and the Exchange of Metabolites Between Symbionts in Legume Nodules

Two examples of exchange of carbon between host and bacteroids are presented. In the first example, α,α-trehalose which accumulates in nodules is synthesized in bacteroids, but substantial quantities of trehalose are released to the host cytoplasm where it is “recycled” to glucose. In comparisons across Bradyrhizobium japonicum strains, trehalose concentrations in nodules are negatively correlated with acetylene reduction activity. We still have no explanations for these unusual relationships involving trehalose. In the second example we have preliminary evidence for the operation of a malate/aspartate shuttle in B. japonicum bacteroids. Malate is taken up and, after oxidation and transamination, is returned to medium as aspartate. Glutamate which may be taken up or synthesized in bacteroids, is transaminated to α-ketoglutarate, which is exported to the medium. Evidence from the literature and from our recent labeling experiments supports this model, but it is far from being established.
Effect of water concentration on the shock response of polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogels: A molecular dynamics study.

Abstract Shockwave propagation in polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogels is simulated for the first time using nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. PEGDA hydrogel models are built using the “perfect network” approach such that each crosslink junction is comprised of six chain connections. The influence of PEGDA concentration (20–70 wt%) on shock behavior is investigated for a range of particle velocities (200–1000 m/s). In agreement with reported experimental results in the literature on gels with similar densities, shock velocity and pressure in PEGDA hydrogels are found to increase with polymer concentration, within a range bounded by pure water and pure polymer behaviors. Nonlinear relationships are observed for shock pressure and shock front thickness as a function of concentration, and a logarithmic equation is proposed to describe this behavior. In addition, the relationship between pressure and shock front thickness is compared with hydrodynamic theory. Deviation from hydrodynamic predictions is observed at high particle velocities and this deviation is found to be related to viscosity changes. A power-law relationship between strain rate and pressure in PEGDA hydrogels is identified, similar to that of metals. However, a power-law exponent of 1.4 is computed for all gel concentrations, whereas an exponent of 4 is typically reported for metals.
Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for the Treatment of Patients with Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes

Bone marrow failure, either acquired or inherited, is often treated by hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). The treatment algorithm for severe aplastic anemia is going through an evolution as newer reduced intensity approaches aimed at balancing and minimizing graft failure, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and transplant-related morbidity and mortality have resulted in excellent outcomes with limited late effects. Many patients with inherited bone marrow failure syndromes have increased sensitivity related to the underlying diagnosis or because of comorbidities due to previous therapies. Tailored approaches to each syndrome have been developed, with most patients now surviving. Only now are we starting to understand long-term sequelae that these patients face as a result of underlying diagnosis, previous treatments, and HCT combined. This chapter reviews the current approaches to transplantation in severe aplastic anemia, Fanconi anemia, dyskeratosis congenita, Diamond-Blackfan anemia, Shwachman-Diamond syndrome, severe congenital neutropenia, and congenital amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia. The forthcoming role of gene therapy is also discussed.
Lessons learned in the analysis of high-dimensional data in vaccinomics.

The field of vaccinology is increasingly moving toward the generation, analysis, and modeling of extremely large and complex high-dimensional datasets. We have used data such as these in the development and advancement of the field of vaccinomics to enable prediction of vaccine responses and to develop new vaccine candidates. However, the application of systems biology to what has been termed “big data,” or “high-dimensional data,” is not without significant challenges—chief among them a paucity of gold standard analysis and modeling paradigms with which to interpret the data. In this article, we relate some of the lessons we have learned over the last decade of working with high-dimensional, high-throughput data as applied to the field of vaccinomics. The value of such efforts, however, is ultimately to better understand the immune mechanisms by which protective and non-protective responses to vaccines are generated, and to use this information to support a personalized vaccinology approach in creating better, and safer, vaccines for the public health.
Diversity of termite breeding systems.

Termites are social insects that live in colonies headed by reproductive castes. The breeding system is defined by the number of reproductive individuals in a colony and the castes to which they belong. There is tremendous variation in the breeding system of termites both within and among species. The current state of our understanding of termite breeding systems is reviewed. Most termite colonies are founded by a primary (alate-derived) king and queen who mate and produce the other colony members. In some species, colonies continue throughout their life span as simple families headed by the original king and queen. In others, the primary king and queen are replaced by numerous neotenic (nymph- or worker-derived) reproductives, or less commonly primary reproductives, that are descendants of the original founding pair leading to inbreeding in the colony. In still others, colonies can have multiple unrelated reproductives due to either founding the colonies as groups or through colony fusion. More recently, parthenogenetic reproduction has shown to be important in some termite species and may be widespread. A major challenge in termite biology is to understand the ecological and evolutionary factors driving the variation in termite breeding systems.
Obesity is an initiator of colon adenomas but not a promoter of colorectal cancer in the Black Women's Health Study

Evidence for the association of anthropometrics with colorectal neoplasms is limited for African Americans. We examined anthropometric measures with both colorectal adenoma and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk in the ongoing Black Women's Health Study. In a nested case–control analysis, 954 cases of colorectal adenoma were compared with 3,816 polyp-free controls, matched on age and follow-up time. For the CRC analyses, 413 incident CRC cases were identified over a 16-year follow-up (802,783 person-years). Adenoma cases and CRC were verified by medical record review. We used multivariable conditional logistic regression analyses (for adenoma) and Cox proportional hazards analyses (for CRC) that included anthropometric exposures and selected confounders. Overall body mass index (BMI) and other anthropometric factors were not associated with colorectal adenoma or cancer risk in Black women. However, increased risk of adenoma (but not CRC) was observed among especially related to adenomas in the proximal colon. Among women ≥ 50 years of age, risk of proximal adenoma increased 14% (95% CI 1.00, 1.31), 35% (95% CI 1.12, 1.63), and 25% (0.93, 1.68) with each standard deviation increase in BMI, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio, respectively. None of the anthropometric factors were associated with young onset CRC or adenoma risk. Our results suggest that obesity might be an initiator for colon adenomas but not a promoter for colorectal cancer among Black women.
N6-adenosine methylation of ribosomal RNA affects lipid oxidation and stress resistance

During stress, global translation is reduced, but specific transcripts are actively translated. How stress-responsive mRNAs are selectively translated is unknown. We show that METL-5 methylates adenosine 1717 on 18S ribosomal RNA in C. elegans, enhancing selective ribosomal binding and translation of specific mRNAs. One of these mRNAs, CYP-29A3, oxidizes the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid to eicosanoids, key stress signaling molecules. While metl-5–deficient animals grow normally under homeostatic conditions, they are resistant to a variety of stresses. metl-5 mutant worms also show reduced bioactive lipid eicosanoids and dietary supplementation of eicosanoid products of CYP-29A3 restores stress sensitivity of metl-5 mutant worms. Thus, methylation of a specific residue of 18S rRNA by METL-5 selectively enhances translation of cyp-29A3 to increase production of eicosanoids, and blocking this pathway increases stress resistance. This study suggests that ribosome methylation can facilitate selective translation, providing another layer of regulation of the stress response.
Subgroup Analysis with Partial Linear Regression Model

In clinical trials it is common that the treatment has different effects on different subjects. This motivates the precision medicine, the goal is to identify the treatment favorable or unfavorable subgroups, if they exist, and classify the subjects into one of the subgroups based on their covariate values. In practice, some covariate(s) is known to affect the response non-linearly, in this case the existing linear model is not adequate. To address this issue, we use a partial linear model, in which the effect of some specific covariates is a non-linear monotone function, along with a linear part for the rest of the covariates. This approach not only makes the model more flexible than the parametric linear model, and more interpretable and efficient than the full nonparametric model. The Wald statistics is used to test the existence of subgroups, and the Neyman-Pearson rule is used to classify the subjects. Simulation studies are conducted to evaluate the performance of the method, and then the method is used to analyze a real clinical trial data.
Examining the evolution of mobile social payments in Venmo

This study aims to understand the changes in behavior over time of users on Venmo, an American social payments platform. As there is a dearth of replication studies in social media studies, we chose to replicate an existing study of Venmo using new data we collected. This enabled us to track the growth of Venmo from the beginning of the platform, and to verify the robustness of the existing, very limited literature using Venmo data. To accomplish this, we studied how the structure of the transaction graph of Venmo transactions changed since 2016, the data endpoint of previous research. Additionally, we collected a much larger set of data and examined if new community structures or network-level features emerged since 2016. Although we found that Venmo's growth has maintained a similar pattern within its transaction graph and community structure, we discovered some changes, such as the existence of more communities of a smaller size and an increase towards users quitting the platform after one transaction versus becoming regular users. Ultimately, our study confirms both the methods and results of previous work on Venmo, opening up the possibility for future work to study if changes unfold in the next era of the platform. We argue that this replication study serves as an intervention in the field of social media research more broadly, and encourage others to take up replication studies to enhance the reliability and generalized knowledge of the field.
Formulation development and pharmacokinetic investigation of self-assembled hybrid niosomes for oral delivery of 17-Hydroxyprogesterone caproate

Abstract 17-Hydroxyprogesterone caproate (HPC) is an approved efficacious drug for reducing the incidence of a preterm birth defect by intramuscular (I.M.) injection. Oral administration of HPC encounters challenges given by slow absorption and low bioavailability. Thus, the objective of this study was to explore the feasibility of delivering HPC through the oral route using niosomes. Niosomes were prepared with different non-ionic surfactants having permeation enhancing properties (NSPEs) in combination with Span 60 and cholesterol to form hybrid niosomes and later screened for the lead formulation by variability studies. All the formulations were characterized in terms of entrapment efficiency, particle size. Results indicated that 1:2:2 M ratio of Brij 76: cholesterol: Span 60 (N2-c) demonstrated optimal characteristics with entrapment efficiency (92.2 ± 1.05%), particle size (62.9 ± 0.65 nm), PDI (0.2 ± 0.003) and zeta potential (−22.2 ± 0.85 mV) and was chosen as the lead formulation. Ex vivo intestinal permeation study showed significantly high permeation of HPC. In vivo pharmacokinetics in rats showed an increase in oral bioavailability (AUC0-t) by niosomes (1.8-fold, 802.4 ± 273.84 h*ng/mL) compared to the oral suspension and better efficacy than intramuscular injection. Overall, results showed hybrid niosomes enhanced the bioavailability of HPC by increasing the intestinal permeation, which may be a better approach to minimize side effects of administration associated with intramuscular injection.
Substance use behaviors in the daily lives of U.S. college students reporting recent use: The varying roles of romantic relationships.

Abstract Rationale While the detrimental consequences of problematic substance use behaviors in early adulthood are well-documented, the interpersonal predictors of substance use in the naturalistic context of daily life are less known. Methods Using ecological momentary assessments to capture moments of binge drinking, marijuana use, nicotine use, and prescription misuse in everyday life, this study explored the romantic relationship contexts (status, quality, partner presence) of substance use among young adults (aged 18–21) attending a university in the Midwestern U.S. Between 2017 and 2019, 296 participants, who had endorsed recent substance use at screening for a larger study on prescription misuse, completed four reports per day for approximately 28 days, resulting in over 23,000 reports for this investigation. Results Relationship status, partner support, and partner presence in the moment were all associated with at least one type of substance use behavior. Generalized multilevel models indicated that partnered participants engaged in less marijuana use, nicotine use, and prescription misuse in daily life compared to single participants. Higher partner support predicted less binge drinking, yet also predicted higher nicotine use and prescription misuse. When with a romantic partner in daily life, partnered participants were more likely to engage in binge drinking and marijuana use, and less likely to misuse prescription drugs. Nicotine use was more likely when with a partner, but only if partner support was high. Conclusions Findings highlight the intricate links between interpersonal contexts and substance behaviors and indicate supportive relationships are not universally protective against substance use among this population.
FEMOSSA: Patient-specific finite element simulation of the prostate-rectum spacer placement, a predictive model for prostate cancer radiotherapy.

PURPOSE Major advances in delivery systems in recent years have turned radiotherapy (RT) into a more effective way to manage prostate cancer. Still, adjacency of organs at risk (OARs) can severely limit RT benefits. Rectal spacer implant in recto-prostatic space provides sufficient separation between prostate and rectum, and therefore, the opportunity for potential dose escalation to the target and reduction of OAR dose. Pretreatment simulation of spacer placement can potentially provide decision support to reduce the risks and increase the efficacy of the spacer placement procedure. METHODS A novel finite element method-oriented spacer simulation algorithm, FEMOSSA, was developed in this study. We used the finite element (FE) method to model and predict the deformation of rectum and prostate wall, stemming from hydrogel injection. Ten cases of prostate cancer, which undergone hydrogel placement before the RT treatment, were included in this study. We used the pre-injection organ contours to create the FE model and post-injection spacer location to estimate the distribution of the virtual spacer. Material properties and boundary conditions specific to each patient's anatomy were assigned. The FE analysis was then performed to determine the displacement vectors of regions of interest (ROIs), and the results were validated by comparing the virtually simulated contours with the real post-injection contours. To evaluate the different aspects of our method's performance, we used three different figures of merit: dice similarity coefficient (DSC), nearest neighbor distance (NND), and overlapped volume histogram (OVH). Finally, to demonstrate a potential dosimetric application of FEMOSSA, the predicted rectal dose after virtual spacer placement was compared against the predicted post-injection rectal dose. RESULTS Our simulation showed a realistic deformation of ROIs. The post-simulation (virtual spacer) created the same separation between prostate and rectal wall, as post-injection spacer. The average DSCs for prostate and rectum were 0.87 and 0.74, respectively. Moreover, there was a statistically significant increase in rectal contour similarity coefficient (P < 0.01). Histogram of NNDs showed the same overall shape and a noticeable shift from lower to higher values for both post-simulation and post-injection, indicative of the increase in distance between prostate and rectum. There was less than 2.2- and 2.1-mm averaged difference between the mean and fifth percentile NNDs. The difference between the OVH distances and the corresponding predicted rectal dose was, on average, less than 1 mm and 1.5 Gy, respectively. CONCLUSIONS FEMOSSA provides a realistic simulation of the hydrogel injection process that can facilitate spacer placement planning and reduce the associated uncertainties. Consequently, it increases the robustness and success rate of spacer placement procedure that in turn improves prostate cancer RT quality.
Naming the States Where Loving Will Be Recognized: On Tea Leaves, Horizontal Federalism, and Same-Sex Marriage

Two issues were before the Obergefell Court: (1) whether states could deny a marriage license because the members of the would-be married couple were of the same sex, and (2) whether states had to recognize same-sex marriages validly celebrated in other states. Some commentators suggested that (2) was a compromise position that the Court might readily adopt. This article discusses why the Court was very unlikely to have adopted that compromise position and some of the difficult issues that the Court would have had to address were the Court to have chosen this allegedly easier path.
Right predominant electrical remodeling in a pure model of pulmonary hypertension promotes reentrant arrhythmias.

Background Electrophysiological (EP) properties have been studied mainly in the monocrotaline model of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Findings are confounded by major extrapulmonary toxicities, which preclude the ability to draw definitive conclusions regarding the role of PAH per se in EP remodeling. Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the EP substrate and arrhythmic vulnerability of a new model of PAH that avoids extracardiopulmonary toxicities. Methods Sprague-Dawley rats underwent left pneumonectomy (Pn) followed by injection of the vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor Sugen-5416 (Su/Pn). Five weeks later, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was performed in vivo, optical action potential (AP) mapping ex vivo, and molecular analyses in vitro. Results Su/Pn rats exhibited right ventricular (RV) hypertrophy and were highly prone to pacing-induced ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation (VT/VF). Underlying this susceptibility was disproportionate RV-sided prolongation of AP duration, which promoted formation of right-sided AP alternans at physiological rates. While propagation was impaired at all rates in Su/Pn rats, the extent of conduction slowing was most severe immediately before the emergence of interventricular lines of block and onset of VT/VF. Measurement of the cardiac wavelength revealed a decrease in Su/Pn relative to control. Nav1.5 and total connexin 43 expression was not altered, while connexin 43 phosphorylation was decreased in PAH. Col1a1 and Col3a1 transcripts were upregulated coinciding with myocardial fibrosis. Once generated, VT/VF was sustained by multiple reentrant circuits with a lower frequency of RV activation due to wavebreak formation. Conclusion In this pure model of PAH, we document RV-predominant remodeling that promotes multiwavelet reentry underlying VT. The Su/Pn model represents a severe form of PAH that allows the study of EP properties without the confounding influence of extrapulmonary toxicity.
4-D Modeling of Displacement Vector Fields for Improved Radiation Therapy

4-D MODELING OF DISPLACEMENT VECTOR FIELDS FOR IMPROVED RADIATION THERAPY By Elizabeth Shobha Zachariah Bachelor of Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, May 2008 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2010. Major Director: Ding-Yu Fei, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering In radiation therapy, it is imperative to deliver high doses of radiation to the tumor while reducing radiation to the healthy tissue. Respiratory motion is the most significant source of errors during treatment. Therefore, it is essential to accurately model respiratory motion for precise and effective radiation delivery. Many approaches exist to account for respiratory motion, such as controlled breath hold and respiratory gating, and they have been relatively successful. They still present many drawbacks. Thus, research has been expanded to tumor tracking. This paper presents a spatio-temporal model for four dimensional CT reconstruction. The method begins with a set of initial CT projections and a simultaneously acquired breathing trace. Two methods are explored to model the spatial components: principal component analysis and a pseudoinverse matrix method. An iterative approach is used to match the simulated projections to the actual projections. The simulated projections and the initial projections are evaluated using Normalized Root Mean Square Error (NRMSE). The proposed method shows simulated projections and actual projections match, and as such the model is able to accurately predict the deformation.
Capillary electrophoresis separation of neutral organic compounds, pharmaceutical drugs, proteins and peptides, enantiomers and anions

Addition of a novel anionic surfactant, namely lauryl polyoxyethylene sulfate, to an aqueous-acetonitrile electrolyte makes it possible to separate nonionic organic compounds by capillary electrophoresis. Separation is based on differences in the association between analytes and the surfactant. Highly hydrophobic compounds such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons are well separated by this new surfactant. Migration times of analytes can be readily changed over an unusually large range by varying the additive concentration and the proportion of acetonitrile in the electrolyte. Several examples are given, including the separation of four methylbenz[a]anthracene isomers and the separation of normal and deuterated acetophenone. The effect of adding this new surfactant to the acidic electrolyte was also investigated. Incorporation of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide in the electrolyte is shown to dynamically coat the capillary and reverse electroosmotic flow. Chiral recognition mechanism is studied using novel synthetic surfactants as chiral selectors, which are made from amino acids reacting with alkyl chloroformates. A satisfactory separation of both inorganic and organic anions is obtained using electrolyte solutions as high as 5 M sodium chloride using direct photometric detection. The effect of various salts on electrophoretic and electroosmotic mobility is further discussed. Several examples are given under high-salt conditions.
LOCALIZED CORROSION OF AUSTENITIC STAINLESS STEELEXPOSED TO MIXTURES OF PLUTONIUM OXIDE AND CHLORIDE SALTS

Laboratory corrosion tests were conducted to investigate the corrosivity of moist plutonium oxide/chloride (PuO{sub 2}/Cl-) salt mixtures on 304L and 316L stainless steel coupons. The tests exposed flat coupons for pitting evaluation and 'teardrop' stressed coupons for stress corrosion cracking (SCC) evaluation at room temperature to various mixtures of PuO{sub 2} and chloride-bearing salts for periods up to 500 days. The two flat coupons were placed so that the solid oxide/salt mixture contacted about one half of the coupon surface. One teardrop coupon was placed in contact with solid mixture; the second teardrop was in contact with the headspace gas only. The mixtures were loaded with nominally 0.5 wt % water under a helium atmosphere. Observations of corrosion ranged from superficial staining to pitting and SCC. The extent of corrosion depended on the total salt concentration and on the composition of the salt. The most significant corrosion was found in coupons that were exposed to 98 wt % PuO{sub 2}, 2 wt % chloride salt mixtures that contained calcium chloride. SCC was observed in two 304L stainless steel teardrop coupons exposed in solid contact to a mixture of 98 wt % PuO{sub 2}, 0.9 wt % NaCl, 0.9 wt % KCl, and 0.2 wt % CaCl{sub 2}. The cracking was associated with the heat-affected zone of an autogenous weld that ran across the center of the coupon. Cracking was not observed in coupons exposed to the headspace gas, nor in coupons exposed to other mixtures with either 0.92 wt% CaCl{sub 2} or no CaCl{sub 2}. The corrosion results point to the significance of the interaction between water loading and the concentration of the hydrating salt CaCl{sub 2} in the susceptibility of austenitic stainless steels to corrosion.
Discretization of timed automata

We construct two discretizations of dense time automata which generate the same untimed language as the dense time automata. >
Heat tolerance plays an important role in regulating remontant flowering in an F1 population of octoploid strawberry (Fragaria×ananassa)

BACKGROUND: Flower initiation in strawberry is often classified by photoperiod sensitivity; however, temperature also plays a major role in determining flower initiation. OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to determine the role heat tolerance plays in regulating remontant flowering in a segregating population of strawberry, Fragaria×ananassa. METHODS: Non-remontant (short day)‘Honeoye’ and remontant ‘Tribute’ were crossed and 54 progeny were grown in three temperature regimes (17, 20, and 23 ◦ C) under a long photoperiod in the greenhouse and differences in flower and runner formation among the progeny were compared. In addition, clonally replicated individuals of the same family were grown in the field in Michigan and Oregon, so that the extent of heat tolerance observed for each genotype in the greenhouse studies could be compared to their phenotype in the field (remontant vs. non-remontant). RESULTS: A significant Genotype x Environment interaction was observed in the greenhouse studies, indicating that there was a strong genetic component regulating the response of the individuals to increasing temperature. The level of heat tolerance, as defined as the difference in flower numbers at 23 ◦ C vs. 17 ◦ C,showed a continuous distribution among the progeny, indicating polygenic control. The majority of the genotypes that were remontant in the field produced more flowers at 23 ◦ C than at 17 ◦ Ci n the greenhouse trials. Flower initiation in both the parents was reduced at 23 ◦ C, but ‘Tribute’ produced significantly more flowers than ‘Honeoye’ at 23 ◦ C (48.0 vs. 11.3). Most remontant progeny had few runners, although there were some notable exceptions. CONCLUSIONS: Temperature tolerance plays an important role in the flower and runner initiation of remontant genotypes. Genotypes with high heat tolerance can be selected that will more dependably flower in environments with highly variable levels of summer heat.
Epistemic particles and perfomativity

The German discourse particles ja and doch both mark the information expressed by their host sentence as somehow given, obvious, or uncontroversial (McCready & Zimmermann 2011 call them 'epistemic particles'). Two things are puzzling: (i) despite its 'epistemic' nature, doch can appear in imperatives and with performative modals; (ii) despite their similarity, ja is unacceptable in imperatives and forces a descriptive reading of modal verbs. We explain (i) by assuming that the performativity of modalized propositions depends on certain contextual constellations which may conflict with constraints imposed by the particles. To account for (ii), we offer an analysis for ja and doch that explains the inviolable ban against ja (but not doch ) from performative modal contexts in terms of defeasible inferences about the context.
Minimizing the maximum codeword cost

The highly structured recursively constructed subsequence of optimal exhaustive code trees has been extended to the nonexhaustive case by focusing on the minimax optimality criterion instead of Varn's (1971) original minimum average codeword cost criterion. When these two criteria give the same sequence of code trees, as they do under certain conditions on the costs, omitted here for conciseness, the recursive structure applies to Varn's original problem as well.
Remarks on magnetic flows and magnetic billiards, Finsler metrics and a magnetic analog of Hilbert's fourth problem

We interpret magnetic billiards as Finsler ones and describe an analog of the string construction for magnetic billiards. Finsler billiards for which the law "angle of incidence equals angle of reflection" are described. We characterize the Finsler metrics in the plane whose geodesics are circles of a fixed radius. This is a magnetic analog of Hilbert's fourth problem asking to describe the Finsler metrics whose geodesics are straight lines.
Effect of (-)-hydroxycitrate on fatty acid synthesis by rat liver in vivo.

Incorporation of 3H from 3H2O was used to measure the rate of fatty acid synthesis in rat liver. (—)-Hydroxycitrate strongly inhibits fatty acid synthesis in vivo.
Proficiency testing of clinical microbiology laboratories using modified decontamination procedures for detection of nontuberculous mycobacteria in sputum samples from cystic fibrosis patients. The Nontuberculous Mycobacteria in Cystic Fibrosis Study Group.

An improved decontamination method has been demonstrated to reduce overgrowth of mycobacterial media by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and allow the successful recovery of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Twenty microbiology laboratories participating in a multicenter investigation designed to determine the significance of NTM in CF patients were required to demonstrate proficiency in the incorporation of this improved method; this was accomplished by successful decontamination and culture workup of a panel of simulated sputum samples seeded with P. aeruginosa and various NTM. All laboratories successfully recovered NTM from samples with acid-fast bacillus (AFB) smear scores of 3+/4+ (i.e., 2 to 18 or > 18 organisms/field). Low-inoculum samples (1+/2+ AFB smears [2 to 18 organisms in 100 or 10 fields]) were problematic in that processed specimens were often smear and/or culture negative.
Alienation: The fetishism of commodities

The ‘fetishism of commodities’ refers to people's misconception of the products of labor once they enter exchange, a misconception which accords these forms of value leading roles in what is still a human drama. The metamorphosis of value is a tale about man, his productive activity and products, and what happens to them all in capitalist society. Misreading this story as one about the activities of inanimate objects, attributing to them qualities which only human beings could possess, positing living relations for what is dead, is what Marx calls the ‘fetishism of commodities’. According to Marx, ‘This fetishism of commodities has its origins … in the peculiar social character of the labor that produces them.’ This character, as we saw, is reproduced in the product, value. As the abstract product of alienated labor, value expresses the relations of the individuals engaged in such labor. However, though value contains human relations, it actually conveys them as relations between their products. Hence, the remark, ‘When, therefore, Galiani says: Value is a relation between persons … he ought to have added: a relation between persons expressed as a relation between things’. For Marx, it is through the monetary expression of exchange value that the ties between people at work have remained so carefully hidden. He maintains that it is this ultimate money-form of the world of commodities that actually conceals, instead of disclosing the social character of private labor, and the social relations between the individual producers. […]
Incremental rule learning with partial instance memory for changing concepts

Learning concepts that change over time is important for a variety of applications in which an intelligent system must acquire and use a behavioral profile. Computer intrusion detection, calendar scheduling, and intelligent user interfaces are three examples. An interesting class of methods for learning such concepts consists of algorithms that maintain a portion of previously encountered examples. Since concepts change over time and these methods store selected examples, mechanisms must exist to identify and remove irrelevant examples of old concepts. In this paper, we describe an incremental rule learner with partial instance memory, called AQ 11 -PM+WAH, that uses Widmer and Kubat's heuristic to adjust dynamically the window over which it retains and forgets examples. We evaluated this learner using the STAGGER concepts and made direct comparisons to AQ-PM and to AQ 11 - PM, similar learners with partial instance memory. Results suggest that the forgetting heuristic is not restricted to FLORA2 the learner for which it was originally designed. Overall, result from this study and others suggest learners with partial instance memory converge more quickly to changing target concepts than algorithms that learn solely from new examples.
The Pedagogy of African American Parents: Learning from Educational Excellence in the African American Community.

This qualitative study of how parents teach their children to excel academically in the African American community seeks to establish the validity of the pedagogical practices of working class African American families by investigating the educational leadership of two families on Chicago's south side. The study acknowledges the significance of non school factors (Schubert, 1986) that contribute to academic success. Parent pedagogical strategies are consistent with research findings on the sponsored independence parent involvement style reported by Clark, (1983). Findings demonstrate the significance of intergenerational educational practices, expectations, experiential motivation, parent advocacy, rituals and other factors.
Radioenzymatic assay measurement of yohimbine's influence on adrenergic neurotransmission of rat vas deferens: unique consequence of using normetanephrine as an uptake2-blocking agent

The effect of the alpha 2-receptor antagonist, yohimbine on norepinephrine overflow was studied in the transmural-stimulated isolated rat vas deferens. A radioenzymatic assay was used to measure the endogenous norepinephrine overflow. In initial studies conducted in the presence of uptake1 blocker desipramine (10(-6) M) and uptake 2 blocker, normetanephrine (10(-5) M) there was an apparent uncoupling of the influence of yohimbine on nerve-stimulated contractile response from norepinephrine overflow. These results were found to be due to the electrolytic O-demethylation of normetanephrine with the resultant generation of large quantities of norepinephrine obscuring the influence of yohimbine on nerve-stimulated norepinephrine overflow from the vas deferens. These findings serve as a warming to the use of normetanephrine as an uptake1 blocker when radioenzymatic assay is used to measure norepinephrine overflow from transmural-stimulated isolated tissue preparations. Yohimbine (10(-6) M), in the absence of uptake blockade, causes a 3-fold enhancement of nerve-stimulated norepinephrine overflow at 1 Hz and a 2-fold enhancement at 10 Hz. This report demonstrates utilization of a radioenzymatic assay to study endogenous norepinephrine overflow from rat vas deferens. Results for yohimbine are complementary to others using measurement of 3H-label overflow from [3H]norepinephrine prelabeled isolated tissue.
Developmentally regulated gene expression of Th2 cytokines in the brain.

Abstract Given the critical role of cytokines in the regulation of an inflammatory response, we investigated whether certain cytokines are expressed in the brains of normal mice during maturation that could contribute to the immune-privileged nature of the CNS or potentially influence an immune-mediated illness such as experimental allergic encephalomyelitis. The gene expression of IFNγ (Th1 cytokine) and IL-4 (Th2 cytokine) was analyzed in the brain of several strains of mice. IFNγ was not detectable. However, IL-4 was present in the brains of neonatal mice, but not adult mice. Resident CNS cells are believed to be the source of the IL-4, because mice deficient in T cells (SCID and RAG2−/−) expressed the IL-4 gene in the CNS. Further analysis indicated that the gene expression of the Th2 cytokine transcription factor, GATA-3, correlated with IL-4 and IL-10 expression in the brain. Since GATA-3-deficient mice have an abnormal CNS, brain-derived Th2 cytokines may play an important role in CNS development, as well as potentially contribute to the immune-privileged nature of the brain.