cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modulation of tissue factor protein expression in experimental venous bypass grafts.

Abstract Vein graft failure is a major limitation of coronary artery and peripheral vascular surgery. Tissue factor (TF), a transmembrane glycoprotein, generates thrombin by initiating the extrinsic coagulation cascade and plays a major role in the response to arterial injury. This study was designed to examine changes in TF protein expression in response to venous bypass grafting. New Zealand White rabbits underwent interposition bypass grafting of the common carotid artery via the ipsilateral external jugular vein. The contralateral control jugular veins (n=6), early vein grafts (1 or 3 days after grafting, n=18), and late vein grafts (14 or 28 days after grafting, n=8) were examined by immunohistochemistry. The presence or absence of TF immunostaining in the intima was assessed in each vessel quadrant. In control veins, intimal TF staining was present in 5 of 24 vessel quadrants. In early vein grafts, TF staining was markedly increased in the intima (72 of 72 quadrants, P <.001 vs control veins), and TF immunostaining colocalized with CD18-positive leukocytes but not with endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, or RAM11-positive macrophages. In late vein grafts with intimal hyperplasia, TF expression was low or absent in the intima (6 of 32 quadrants, P <.001 vs early vein grafts; P =NS vs control veins), although medial smooth muscle cells expressed TF. Marked changes in TF expression occur in vein grafts. In early vein grafts, TF protein was greatly increased in the intima for at least 3 days and was associated with CD18-positive leukocytes. In late vein grafts with intimal hyperplasia, however, TF protein was not seen in the intima. These findings may have important implications for the development of therapeutic strategies to limit vein graft failure.
Survival of Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus in 3 Different Swimming Pool Environments (Chlorinated, Saltwater, and Biguanide Nonchlorinated)

The aim of this study was to examine the viability of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in 3 types of swimming pool environments. This study demonstrates that after 1 hour, all MRSA inoculants were found to be nonviable in chlorinated water, saltwater, and biguanide-treated water. This study indicates that swimming pool water that is properly maintained in both public and private swim centers is not likely to be a vehicle to spread MRSA from swimmer to swimmer.
The Genders of Citizenship

Feminism and republicanism are two of the most influential traditions critical of citizenship and civiclifeinliberaldemocraticpolitiestoday.Most notably, both share common cause in opposition to individualisttheoriesandpractices,andinthepromotion of a vibrant democratic civic life. Nonetheless, the respectiveconcernsofrepublicanismandfeminismarein many respects sufficiently distinctive as to discourage theoreticalorpoliticalcollaborationbetweentheirpartisans, and on some matters—‐especially those concerning gender—‐they even appear incompatible (Phillips 2000). This lacuna is not surprising because feminists are highly suspicious of the masculinist origins of civic republicanism, and republicanism has had a long history of disdain for “femininity” in politics. Even when the potential of a feminist-republican rapprochement has attracted scholars to puzzle through the conceptual and theoretical questions raised by various figures, movements, or developments that touch on concerns relevant to both republicanism and feminism (e.g., Kay 1986; Landes 1988; Pitkin1984; Snyder 1999; Wingrove 2005), gender remains a crucial, and crucially divisive, issue. Ourintentinthisessayistosuggestthatthisneednot
A clinically relevant animal model of temporomandibular disorder and irritable bowel syndrome comorbidity.

Abstract Temporomandibular disorder and irritable bowel syndrome are comorbid functional chronic pain disorders of unknown etiology that are triggered/exacerbated by stress. Here we present baseline phenotypic characterization of a novel animal model to gain insight into the underlying mechanisms that contribute to such comorbid pain conditions. In this model, chronic visceral hypersensitivity, a defining symptom of irritable bowel syndrome, is dependent on 3 factors: estradiol, existing chronic somatic pain, and stress. In ovariectomized rats, estradiol replacement followed by craniofacial muscle injury and stress induced visceral hypersensitivity that persisted for months. Omission of any 1 factor resulted in a transient (1 week) visceral hypersensitivity from stress alone or no hypersensitivity (no inflammation or estradiol). Maintenance of visceral hypersensitivity was estradiol dependent, resolving when estradiol replacement ceased. Referred cutaneous hypersensitivity was concurrent with visceral hypersensitivity. Increased spinal Fos expression suggests induction of central sensitization. These data demonstrate the development and maintenance of visceral hypersensitivity in estradiol-replaced animals following distal somatic injury and stress that mimics some characteristics reported in patients with temporomandibular disorder and comorbid irritable bowel syndrome. This new animal model is a powerful experimental tool that can be employed to gain further mechanistic insight into overlapping pain conditions. Perspective The majority of patients with temporomandibular disorder report symptoms consistent with irritable bowel syndrome. Stress and female prevalence are common to both conditions. In a new experimental paradigm in ovariectomized rats with estradiol replacement, masseter inflammation followed by stress induces visceral hypersensitivity that persists for months, modeling these comorbid pain conditions.
A New Proof of a Theorem of Shelah

In [10, §0, E), 5)] Shelah states using the proofs of 7.9 and 6.9 in [9] it is possible to prove that if a countable first-order theory T is ℵ 0 -stable (totally transcendental) and not ℵ 1 -categorical, then it has at least ∣1 + α ∣ models of power ℵ α . In this note we will give a new proof of this theorem using the work of Baldwin and Lachlan [1]. Our original proof used the generalized continuum hypothesis (GCH). We are indebted to G. E. Sacks for suggesting that the notions of ℵ 0 -stability and ℵ 1 -categoricity are absolute, and that consequently our use of GCH was eliminable [8]. Routine results from model theory may be found, e.g. in [2]. Proof (with GCH). In the proof of Theorem 3 of [1] Baldwin and Lachlin show of power ℵ α such that there is a countable definable subset in . Let B 0 be such a subset. Say . We will give by transfinite induction an elementary chain of models of T of power ℵ α such that B[i 1 … i n ] has power ℵ β and such that every infinite definable subset of has power ≥ℵ β . This clearly suffices.
Genetic deletion of BACE1 in mice affects remyelination of sciatic nerves

BACE1 is a promising therapeutic and preventive target for Alzheimer's disease because it is essential for amyloid deposition. However, the recent demonstration of BACE1 in modulating developmental myelination in both peripheral and central nervous systems raises a concern of its effect on myelin maintenance or remyelination, and inhibition of these processes will potentially be detrimental to the BACE1 inhibitor users who are susceptible to myelination diseases such as adult peripheral nerve injury or multiple sclerosis. In this report, we investigated the role of BACE1 during peripheral nerve remyelination in wild-type (WT) and BACE1-null mice. We show here that genetic deletion of BACE1 affects sciatic nerve remyelination. The impaired remyelination appears to stem from the loss of neuregulin-1 cleavage by BACE1. To demonstrate a direct cleavage of neuregulin-1 by BACE1, we have identified a BACE1 cleavage site that turns out be highly conserved among neuregulin-1 paralogues. Moreover, we show that neuregulin-1 family member neuregulin-3 is also cleavable by BACE1. We hypothesize that the BACE1-cleaved extracellular domain of axonal neuregulin-1, perhaps neuregulin-3 as well, binds to Schwann cell ErbB receptors, which in turn regulate remyelination. Pharmacological inhibition of BACE1 should be carefully monitored to avoid alteration of signaling pathway that regulates remyelination.
Case Study: Mashups Interoperability and eInnovation

Web services have been wildly hyped for a long while now. Web services, and more specifically mashups, on which we focus here, are an area of enormous innovation. That innovation is manifested through new business models, new technologies, and clever new ways to use and share data. It's also an area where interoperability is the name of the game; the notion that people, data, and code can interact with other people, data, and code is the starting point for these services. The word interoperable is often in the definition of what a Web service is. The focus of this case study is the relationship between innovation in Web services applications and the interoperability (or interoperability potential) that we see. We conclude that the connection between interoperability and innovation is plain in this context. A wide variety of mashups that are useful to individuals, enterprises, and society as a whole have been enabled by interoperability in Web services, and could not exist without it. The drivers of interoperability have been market demand, private ordering, and work done in standards bodies. But the system by which it has come to pass is currently unstable, in the sense that a lawsuit or withdrawal of interoperable interfaces by a key stakeholder could set back innovation considerably. We consider several options for creating greater sustainability over time, such as license interoperability, open standards, and back-up in the form of traditional law enforcement.
Effects of Corn and Soybean Meal Particle Size on Phosphorus Use in Turkey Poults

Abstract Two 28-d experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of grinding corn or soybean meal (SBM) to various particle sizes on P utilization in turkey poults. Dietary Ca was formulated to be 1.20% in the corn-SBM-based diets of both studies and nonphytate P (NPP) was calculated to be 0.40% in experiment 1 and 0.48% in experiment 2. In experiment 1, corn that had been processed through a roller mill was used or was ground through 3 different screen sizes in a hammer mill to yield 4 corn particle sizes ranging from about 600 to 1,100 μm. Initial (7 d) growth was reduced when the coarsest corn was fed due to lower feed intake. Phosphorus utilization was improved the first 2 wk as corn particle size increased as measured by incidence of rickets, tibia ash, and total P retention. Gizzard weight and phytate P retention were increased at 28 d as corn particle size increased. In experiment 2, corn was ground to approximately 850 μm and commercial SBM (856 μm) was used or ground to 2 finer particle sizes in a hammer mill. Gizzard weight and phytate P retention were increased at 28 d as SBM particle size increased. Other parameters were not affected at least partially due to the higher dietary NPP level fed to prevent severe rickets observed in the first trial. These studies show that young poults can utilize P better from coarser corn and soybean meal, especially when dietary P is low.
Linear-time Training of Nonlinear Low-Dimensional Embeddings

Nonlinear embeddings such as stochastic neighbor embedding or the elastic embedding achieve better results than spectral methods but require an expensive, nonconvex optimization, where the objective function and gradient are quadratic on the sample size. We address this bottleneck by formulating the optimization as an N -body problem and using fast multipole methods (FMMs) to approximate the gradient in linear time. We study the effect, in theory and experiment, of approximating gradients in the optimization and show that the expected error is related to the mean curvature of the objective function, and that gradually increasing the accuracy level in the FMM over iterations leads to a faster training. When combined with standard optimizers, such as gradient descent or L-BFGS, the resulting algorithm beats the O(N logN) Barnes-Hut method and achieves reasonable embeddings for one million points in around three hours’ runtime.
An ultra-fast fiber optic pressure sensor for blast event measurements

Soldiers who are exposed to explosions are at risk of suffering traumatic brain injury (TBI). Since the causal relationship between a blast and TBI is poorly understood, it is critical to have sensors that can accurately quantify the blast dynamics and resulting wave propagation through a helmet and skull that are imparted onto and inside the brain. To help quantify the cause of TBI, it is important to record transient pressure data during a blast event. However, very few sensors feature the capabilities of tracking the dynamic pressure transients due to the rapid change of the pressure during blast events, while not interfering with the physical material layers or wave propagation. In order to measure the pressure transients efficiently, a pressure sensor should have a high resonant frequency and a high spatial resolution. This paper describes an ultra-fast fiber optic pressure sensor based on the Fabry–Perot principle for the application of measuring the rapid pressure changes in a blast event. A shock tube experiment performed in US Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center has demonstrated that the resonant frequency of the sensor is 4.12 MHz, which is relatively close to the designed theoretical value of 4.113 MHz. Moreover, the experiment illustrated that the sensor has a rise time of 120 ns, which demonstrates that the sensor is capable of observing the dynamics of the pressure transient during a blast event.
ULTRASHORT PULSE MULTISPECTRAL NONLINEAR OPTICAL MICROSCOPY

Ultrashort pulse, multispectral nonlinear optical microscopy (NLOM) is developed and used to image, simultaneously, a mixed population of cells expressing different fluorescent protein mutants in a 3D tissue model of angiogenesis. Broadband, sub-10-fs pulses are used to excite multiple fluorescent proteins and generate second harmonic in collagen simultaneously. A 16-channel multispectral detector is used to delineate the multiple nonlinear optical signals, pixel by pixel, in NLOM. The ability to image multiple fluorescent protein mutants and collagen, simultaneously, enables serial measurements of cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions in our 3D tissue model and characterization of fundamental processes in angiogenic morphogenesis.
Interconnect optimization in behavioral synthesis of ASICs

A new quadratic time global interconnect allocation algorithm for ASIC data path synthesis is presented. The algorithm is based on graph coloring and flipping commutative operation inputs and it has two phases: phase one sets an upper bound on number of multiplexer/bus inputs while phase two minimizes multiplexer/bus inputs as well as the number of two-input multiplexer equivalent of the interconnection network using interconnect merging techniques. The algorithm was applied to problems taken from current literature, and the results compare favorably to those for previous techniques. >
Anomalous light scattering from a perturbed grating

Both diffraction orders and backscattering enhancement have been observed in light scattering from a metallic diffraction grating with random groove depths. The polarization dependence of the observations is shown to be consistent with multiple-scattering models.
Invited review: Ruminating conscientiously: Scientific and socio-ethical challenges for US dairy production

Despite the predominantly positive depictions of dairy production, public concern about farm animal production practices in the United States is currently higher than at any point in recent history. Many standard industry practices, including some used by the US dairy industries, are increasingly challenged not just on scientific grounds, but also on ethical grounds. Concerns include the environmental impacts and sustainability of modern farm animal production practices, food safety and security, and the increasingly complex issue of animal welfare. As the impetus increases to achieve broad stakeholder engagement in discussions of US food policy, understanding and addressing the ethical concerns associated with contemporary dairy production is critically important to ensure the industry's autonomy and long-term viability. Animal welfare assessment or accountability tools such as the Ethical Matrix or Campbell's Ethics Assessment Process can provide a structured, transparent method of making appropriate ethical choices about the care and welfare of farm animals that are also scientifically grounded.
Cutaneous Nociception Evoked by 15-delta PGJ2 via Activation of Ion Channel TRPA1

Background: A number of prostaglandins (PGs) sensitize dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons and contribute to inflammatory hyperalgesia by signaling through specific G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). One mechanism whereby PGs sensitize these neurons is through modulation of "thermoTRPs," a subset of ion channels activated by temperature belonging to the Transient Receptor Potential ion channel superfamily. Acrid, electrophilic chemicals including cinnamaldehyde (CA) and allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), derivatives of cinnamon and mustard oil respectively, activate thermoTRP member TRPA1 via direct modification of channel cysteine residues. Results: Our search for endogenous chemical activators utilizing a bioactive lipid library screen identified a cyclopentane PGD2 metabolite, 15-deoxy-Δ 12,14 -prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2), as a TRPA1 agonist. Similar to CA and AITC, this electrophilic molecule is known to modify cysteines of cellular target proteins. Electophysiological recordings verified that 15d-PGJ2 specifically activates TRPA1 and not TRPV1 or TRPM8 (thermoTRPs also enriched in DRG). Accordingly, we identified a population of mouse DRG neurons responsive to 15d-PGJ2 and AITC that is absent in cultures derived from TRPA1 knockout mice. The irritant molecules that activate TRPA1 evoke nociceptive responses. However, 15d-PGJ 2 has not been correlated with painful sensations; rather, it is considered to mediate anti-inflammatory processes via binding to the nuclear peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ). Our in vivo studies revealed that 15d-PGJ2 induced acute nociceptive responses when administered cutaneously. Moreover, mice deficient in the TRPA1 channel failed to exhibit such behaviors. Conclusion: In conclusion, we show that 15d-PGJ2 induces acute nociception when administered cutaneously and does so via a TRPA1-specific mechanism.
A Simplification Algorithm for Visualizing the Structure of Complex Graphs

Complex graphs, ones containing thousands of nodes of high degree, are difficult to visualize. Displaying all of the nodes and edges of these graphs can create an incomprehensible cluttered output. This paper presents a simplification algorithm that may be applied to a complex graph in order to produce a controlled thinning of the graph. Using importance metrics, the simplification process removes nodes from the graph, leaving the central structure for visualization and evaluation. The simplification algorithm consists of two steps, calculation of the importance metrics and pruning. Several metrics based on various topological graph properties are described. The metrics are then used in a pruning process to simplify the graph. Nodes, along with their corresponding edges, are removed from the graph, while maintaining the graph's overall connectivity. This simplified graph provides a cleaner, more meaningful visual representation of the graph's structure; thus aiding the analysis of the graph's underlying data.
Individual and Institutional Characteristics Related to Inmate Victimization

This study examines the effect of inmate and institutional characteristics on inmate victimization during incarceration. In addition, it examines whether factors related to inmate victimization varies by perpetrator type, specifically inmate versus staff victimizer. Self-reported data from 247 male and female inmates confined to eight correctional institutions are collected, including questions regarding their experiences of staff-on-inmate and inmate-on-inmate victimization. Results show that similar institutional-level variables predict both types of inmate victimization; however, there are some differences between outcomes based on inmate-level characteristics. The authors address possible explanations for the results and suggest several policy implications to reduce the incidence of prison violence.
Modeling of ultra-wideband channels within vehicles

This paper aims to lay a solid foundation for the application of ultra-wideband (UWB) radio in vehicle environments by exploring the characteristics of UWB channels within a vehicle. A comprehensive measurement campaign was conducted to gather a set of channel impulse responses of UWB links within and outside an armored vehicle. Based on the experimental data, the channel's temporal characteristics, path loss, and capacities are analyzed. The distributions of delay spread and amplitudes of multipath signals are also studied, showing correspondence with the IEEE 802.15.3a UWB channel model. The UWB channels within the vehicle are then modeled by extracting relevant cluster and ray arrival rates and cluster and ray decay factors.
Post-hypoxic changes in rat cortical neuron GABAA receptor function require L-type voltage-gated calcium channel activation

Abstract Hypoxia modifies GABA A receptor (GABA A R) function and can cause seizures, encephalopathy or myoclonus. To characterize the effects of hypoxia on neuronal GABA A Rs, we subjected rat cortical neurons to 1% O 2 for 2, 4 or 8 h, followed by recovery times of 0–96 h, and used whole-cell and perforated patch-clamp recording to assess GABA A R currents and pharmacology. Hypoxic exposure for 4 h caused downregulation of maximal GABA current immediately following hypoxia and after 48 h recovery without changing the EC 50 for GABA. Two- and eight-hour hypoxic exposures had inconsistent effects on GABA A R currents. Maximal diazepam potentiation was increased immediately following 4 h hypoxia, while potentiation by zolpidem was increased after 48 h recovery. Pentobarbital enhancement and zinc inhibition of GABA currents were unchanged. Hypoxia also caused a depolarizing shift in the reversal potential of GABA-induced Cl − currents after 24 h recovery. The L-type voltage-gated calcium channel (L-VGCC) blocker, nitrendipine, during hypoxia or control treatment prevented the reduction in GABA A R currents, and increased control currents over baseline. Nitrendipine also prevented the increase in zolpidem potentiation 48 h after hypoxia, and blocked the depolarizing shift in Cl − reversal potential 24 h after hypoxia. The effects of hypoxia on maximal GABA A R currents, zolpidem pharmacology and Cl − reversal potential thus require depolarization-induced calcium entry via L-VGCCs, and constitutive L-VGCC activity appears to reduce maximal GABA A R currents in control neurons via a calcium-dependent process. Calcium-dependent modulation of GABA A R currents via L-VGCCs may be a fundamental regulatory mechanism for GABA receptor function.
Towards cyber operations - The new role of academic cyber security research and education

The shift towards cyber operations represents a shift not only for the defense establishments worldwide but also cyber security research and education. Traditionally cyber security research and education has been founded on information assurance, expressed in underlying subfields such as forensics, network security, and penetration testing. Cyber security research and education is connected to the homeland security agencies and defense through funding, mutual interest in the outcome of the research, and the potential job market for graduates. The future of cyber security is both defensive information assurance measures and active defense driven information operations that jointly and coordinately are launched, in the pursuit of a cohesive and decisive execution of the national cyber defense strategy. The cohesive cyber defense requires universities to optimize their campus wide resources to fuse knowledge, intellectual capacity, and practical skills in an unprecedented way in cyber security. The future will require cyber defense research teams to address not only computer science, electrical engineering, software and hardware security, but also political theory, institutional theory, behavioral science, deterrence theory, ethics, international law, international relations, and additional social sciences. This paper is the result of an ocular survey of the U.S. 48 academic CAE-R research centers, evaluating the collective group of research centers' ability to adapt to the shift towards cyber operations, and the challenges therein.
VEGF controls lung Th2 inflammation via the miR-1–Mpl (myeloproliferative leukemia virus oncogene)–P-selectin axis

Asthma, the prototypic Th2-mediated inflammatory disorder of the lung, is an emergent disease worldwide. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a critical regulator of pulmonary Th2 inflammation, but the underlying mechanism and the roles of microRNAs (miRNAs) in this process have not been defined. Here we show that lung-specific overexpression of VEGF decreases miR-1 expression in the lung, most prominently in the endothelium, and a similar down-regulation occurs in lung endothelium in Th2 inflammation models. Intranasal delivery of miR-1 inhibited inflammatory responses to ovalbumin, house dust mite, and IL-13 overexpression. Blocking VEGF inhibited Th2-mediated lung inflammation, and this was restored by antagonizing miR-1. Using mRNA arrays, Argonaute pull-down assays, luciferase expression assays, and mutational analysis, we identified Mpl as a direct target of miR-1 and showed that VEGF controls the expression of endothelial Mpl during Th2 inflammation via the regulation of miR-1. In vivo knockdown of Mpl inhibited Th2 inflammation and indirectly inhibited the expression of P-selectin in lung endothelium. These experiments define a novel VEGF–miR-1–Mpl–P-selectin effector pathway in lung Th2 inflammation and herald the utility of miR-1 and Mpl as potential therapeutic targets for asthma.
Touch, Sound and Vision in Human Superior Temporal Sulcus

Abstract Human superior temporal sulcus (STS) is thought to be a key brain area for multisensory integration. Many neuroimaging studies have reported integration of auditory and visual information in STS but less is known about the role of STS in integrating other sensory modalities. In macaque STS, the superior temporal polysensory area (STP) responds to somatosensory, auditory and visual stimulation. To determine if human STS contains a similar area, we measured brain responses to somatosensory, auditory and visual stimuli using blood-oxygen level dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD fMRI). An area in human posterior STS, STSms (multisensory), responded to stimulation in all three modalities. STSms responded during both active and passive presentation of unisensory somatosensory stimuli and showed larger responses for more intense vs. less intense tactile stimuli, hand vs. foot, and contralateral vs. ipsilateral tactile stimulation. STSms showed responses of similar magnitude for unisensory tactile and auditory stimulation, with an enhanced response to simultaneous auditory–tactile stimulation. We conclude that STSms is important for integrating information from the somatosensory as well as the auditory and visual modalities, and could be the human homolog of macaque STP.
Learning equivalence classes of acyclic models with latent and selection variables from multiple datasets with overlapping variables

While there has been considerable research in learning probabilistic graphical models from data for predictive and causal inference, almost all existing algorithms assume a single dataset of i.i.d. observations for all variables. For many applications, it may be impossible or impractical to obtain such datasets, but multiple datasets of i.i.d. observations for different subsets of these variables may be available. Tillman et al. [2009] showed how directed graphical models learned from such datasets can be integrated to construct an equivalence class of structures over all variables. While their procedure is correct, it assumes that the structures integrated do not entail contradictory conditional independences and dependences for variables in their intersections. While this assumption is reasonable asymptotically, it rarely holds in practice with finite samples due to the frequency of statistical errors. We propose a new correct procedure for learning such equivalence classes directly from the multiple datasets which avoids this problem and is thus more practically useful. Empirical results indicate our method is not only more accurate, but also faster and requires less memory.
Penny pincher: a blazing fast, highly accurate $-family recognizer

The $-family of recognizers ($1, Protractor $N, $P, 1¢, and variants) are an easy to understand, easy to implement, accurate set of gesture recognizers designed for non-experts and rapid prototyping. They use template matching to classify candidate gestures and as the number of available templates increase, so do their accuracies. This, of course, is at the cost of higher latencies, which can be prohibitive in certain cases. Our recognizer Penny Pincher achieves high accuracy by being able to process a large number of templates in a short amount of time. If, for example, a recognition task is given a 50μs budget to complete its work, a fast recognizer that can process more templates within this constraint can potentially outperform its rival recognizers. Penny Pincher achieves this goal by reducing the template matching process to merely addition and multiplication, by avoiding translation, scaling, and rotation; and by avoiding calls to expensive geometric functions. Despite Penny Pincher's deceptive simplicity, our recognizer, with a limited number of templates, still performs remarkably well. In an evaluation compared against four other $-family recognizers, in three of our six datasets, Penny Pincher achieves the highest accuracy of all recognizers reaching 97.5%, 99.8%, and 99.9% user independent recognition accuracy, while remaining competitive with the three remaining datasets. Further, when a time constraint is imposed, our recognizer always exhibits the highest accuracy, realizing a reduction in recognition error of between 83% to 99% in most cases.
Is stress-only SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging with attenuation correction an effective laboratory strategy in patients with no known CAD?

1744 Objectives Stress-only myocardial perfusion imaging (SO MPI) with attenuation correction has been proposed as an effective tool to reduce radiation exposure and improve laboratory efficiency. Outcomes data are limited as is the necessity to perform rest imaging in such patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate cardiac events and the need for rest imaging in patients undergoing clinically-indicated SO MPI. Methods Consecutive patients without known CAD referred for chest pain were scheduled for stress-only Tc-99m MPI (n= 1384 ). Resting images S/(R) were acquired on a subset of these patients if requested by the interpreting physician (n= 128). Images were interpreted using the ASNC 17-segment model and summed stress scores (SSS) were calculated. A SSS > 0 was considered an abnormal result. All Patients were followed for mean of 2.1 + 1.3 yrs for occurrence of cardiac events (coronary revascularization, non-fatal MI or cardiac death). Annualized event rates (AER) were calculated for both groups with normal and abnormal images. Results A subsequent rest study was required in 128 patients (9.2%). In the SO group, 50 patients (3.9%) had abnormal images whereas 86 patients (67%) in S/R group had abnormal images.. The mean SSS in SO was significantly lower than S/R (0.2 + 1.5 vs 3 + 1.5; p Conclusions Stress-only SPECT MPI with attenuation correction effectively risk stratifies patients at risk for CAD. In our study population, an abnormal study without rest was associated with a significantly higher cardiac event rate primarily in the form of revascularization. A normal study was found to be safe, efficient, and associated with low cardiac events. The need for subsequent rest studies was low, and usually associated with an abnormal result
Validation of venous duplex ultrasound imaging in determining iliac vein stenosis after standard treatment of active chronic venous ulcers.

Objective Chronic venous ulcer (CVU) is a potentially debilitating condition that remains the most common etiology for leg ulcers. The condition has significant associated costs and effect on patient quality of life. That truncal reflux can be worsened by iliac vein occlusive disease is well known. However, there has not been systematic investigation of venous duplex ultrasound (VDUS) criteria to correlate common femoral vein (CFV) reflux with iliac vein stenosis. We sought to correlate VDUS criteria for predicting iliac vein stenosis and to investigate venous outflow factors associated with CVU recurrence. Methods We conducted a systematic retrospective review of a consecutive series of 36 patients who received standard therapies, including compression therapy along with ablation of incompetent great saphenous veins for treating CVU, but in whom the treatment failed. Elevated CVF reflux was considered as reflux duration (RD) measured by VDUS to last >1 second. A receiver operator characteristic curve analysis was performed to determine the optimal CFV threshold value to predict 50% iliac vein stenosis measured by intravascular ultrasound. Results The 36 patients presented with 54 CVUs on 38 limbs. The median (25th-75th quartiles) age was 61.2 (57.6-68.8) years, body mass index was 36.8 (25.2-52.3) kg/m 2 , CFV RD was 2.7 (1.6-3.5) seconds, ulcer diameter was 4.2 (3.0-4.0) cm, and ulcer depth was 2.5 (2.0-3.0) mm. The optimal cutoff RD value was >2.5 seconds by receiver operator characteristic curve analysis, with an area under the curve of 0.77 ( P = .001). CVUs associated with an RD >2.5 seconds had significantly more iliac vein stenosis >50% by intravascular ultrasound (24 of 30; 80%) than those with an RD P 50% stenosis for those above and below an RD >1 second was 61.4% vs 30%, respectively ( P = .089). Significantly less recurrence of CVU was found for patients taking pentoxifylline (43.6% vs 80.0%; P = .031) and those with stents placed (40.0% vs 70.8%; P = .031). A nonsignificant trend was found for iliac vein interrogation (44.4% vs 72.2%; P = .082). Conclusions This study highlights the utility of VDUS in diagnosing iliac vein stenosis with 2.5 seconds to predict ≥50% iliac vein stenosis. Stent placement and pentoxifylline were associated with ulcer healing and reduced risk of venous ulcer recurrence.
Long-term Alternative Fuels Scenarios

Alternative fuels have been proposed as one of the solutions to significantly reduce the Greenhouse Gas footprint of aviation over longer time future timeframes. This modeling approach attempts to quantify alternative fuels quantities that the US market will support in a given time frame for specific marginal cost functions for the different alternative fuels production pathways that currently seem viable. The modeling approach uses the approach of a Cournot-Nash equilibrium oligopoly model that represents each of the production pathways as a competing firm with a specific marginal cost trade-off function. The model chooses the best market response of each firm that maximizes the payoff of each competing firm. The result is a fuel quantity of each production pathway at a given market clearing price. Additionally, a number of sensitiies that explore the sentivity to assumptions such as fuel price, elasticities, and assumed technology improvements were studied.
DEVELOPMENT OF NON-COLLINEAR ARRAYS FOR USE NEAR WASTEWATER HOLDING PONDS

Mineral and organic salts from beef manure contained in precipitation runoff from feedlot pen surfaces can alter the conductivity properties of soil and water receiving it. Typically, holding ponds are constructed to control runoff from concentrated animal feeding operations. The integrity of these holding ponds has come under increased scrutiny since subsurface leakage has the potential to affect soil and groundwater quality. Traditionally, ponds are monitored by installing monitoring wells at strategic locations to evaluate the impact of these ponds on the environment. Monitoring wells are expensive to install, costly to sample and the information received is subject to ambiguous interpretation. Researchers from USDA-ARS U.S. Meat Animal Research Center have combined efforts and resources with the Nebraska Cattlemen, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ), and AgraTek LLC, to evaluate electronic monitoring of subsurface soils near holding ponds used to contain runoff from beef cattle feedlots. A three year study summarized data from two feedlots and concluded that resistivity array systems were able to adequately measure subsurface dynamics and to alert operators of changes that exceeded nominal operation. Subsequently, two NDEQ provisionally approved systems were installed at a University of Nebraska research site. Unlike previous test installations, each of these new sites required non-collinear installations. This report discusses the theoretical development and testing of non-collinear arrays which proved to be a viable approach to unique array geometries necessitated by feedlot designs.
Hormone-like substances which increase carotenogenesis in + and - sexes of Choanephora cucurbitarum.

Cultures of Choanephora cucurbitarum (Berk. & Rav.) Thaxt. containing mycelia of both sexes produced more carotene than did cultures of either sex alone (Barnett et al., 1956; Chu and Lilly, 1960). Hesseltine and Anderson (1957) reported increased carotene production by mixed + and cultures of other species of Choanephoraceae. Barnett and Lilly (1956) separated the + and sexes by a cellophane membrane and observed increased pigmentation in the mycelium of each sex near the membrane, but quantitative measurements of carotene content were not made. The purpose of this paper is to describe a technique which demonstrates that each sex of Choanephora cucurbitarum liberates a substance(s) which increases the synthesis of carotene by the opposite sex. Using the apparatus (FIG. 1), quantitative measurements were made of the carotene produced when the culture medium was reciprocally transferred between two cultures of the same sex (control) and between cultures of the opposite sex.
The Pathogenicity of Bacillus Influenzae for Laboratory Animals

The severity and extent of the recent pandemic of influenza has stimulated many investigations of the etiology of this disease. During the interval between the pandemic which started in 1889 and the one which began in 1918, the bacillus discovered by Pfeiffer1 in 1892 was accepted rather generally as the cause of influenza. The etiologic relationship was questioned by some because the bacillus was frequently found in the normal throat and in connection with a number of other inflammatory conditions of the respiratory system. The finding of it under such conditions was assumed by some to be due to a diminution or loss, for the time being, of its virulence. When influenza first appeared in extensive epidemic form in Europe in 1918, many bacteriologists were able to isolate the Pfeiffer bacillus from only a rather small proportion of the cases.2 The same has also rather generally been true in this country. It is, therefore, the opinion of many that this organism is not the cause of the epidemic disease influenza.
First-Year MBA Teaching Vignettes

This case presents a series of case-method faculty situations including incidents that occurred before class, during class, and after class.Topics include being a section faculty leader, preparing for class, dealing with colleagues who let out late and crunch your class time, unprepared students, dealing with requests for announcements, students coming in late, students leaving class, students who don't listen, eating in class, students with unusual styles, students who introduce dysfunctional ideas, use of tape recorders, absences, tracking class participating, grading, controlling the class, and offensive "labeling." This case could be used to introduce common teaching problems and to develop instructor discussion about how to handle them.
Effect of fecal ethanol extract of German cockroach on the catch of sticky trap

Objective To evaluate the effect of fecal ethanol extract of German cockroach nymph on the catch of sticky trap.Methods German cockroach nymph feces were extracted by ethanol and was used coupling with sticky traps.Then the control effect was evaluated by laboratory and field experiments.Results In laboratory tests,the catch of nymph and adult were significantly enhanced by 1.8 and 2.5 times respectively.The trapping competitiveness was enhanced by 5.1 and 5.4 times respectively when the sticky traps were added ethanol extract of nymph feces compared with sticky traps alone.Similarly,the catch was remarkably enhanced by 2.1 times when the traps containing the ethanol extract of nymph feces were used than the traps without containing the extract in the field experiment.Conclusion Fecal ethanol extract of German cockroach nymph feces can significantly enhance the catch rate of sticky trap on themselves.This method will be an effective approach in German cockroach management program.
Intestinal Inflammation Leads to a Long-lasting Increase in Resistance to Systemic Salmonellosis that Requires Macrophages But Not B or T Lymphocytes at the Time of Pathogen Challenge.

BACKGROUND Intestinal inflammation is associated with systemic translocation of commensal antigens and the consequent activation of B and T lymphocytes. The long-term consequences of such immune activation are not completely understood. METHODS C57BL/6 mice were subjected to 2 courses of treatment with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) to induce colitis. Two to 7 weeks after the DSS treatment, the mice were infected intraperitoneally with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. The outcome of infection was evaluated based on survival and tissue pathogen burden. RESULTS Mice that had recovered from DSS colitis displayed a significant increase in resistance to S. Typhimurium infection as indicated by improved survival and decreased tissue pathogen numbers. The colitis-induced increase in resistance to systemic salmonellosis lasted for as long as 7 weeks after discontinuing DSS and was dependent on T lymphocytes but not on B cells. Interestingly, depletion of CD4 and CD8 T cells just before the Salmonella infection did not alter the colitis-induced increase in resistance. Mice that had recovered from colitis had evidence of persistent activation of resident peritoneal macrophages and enhanced Salmonella-induced neutrophil recruitment to the peritoneum. Macrophage depletion with clodronate liposomes abrogated the colitis-induced increase in resistance to Salmonella. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, our results indicate that DSS colitis leads to a long-lasting increase in resistance to Salmonella infection that is initiated in a T cell-dependent manner but is ultimately mediated independently of B and T cells as a result of persistent changes in innate immune cell function.
Microbiome Data Science: Understanding Our Microbial Planet

Microbiology is experiencing a revolution brought on by recent developments in sequencing technology. The unprecedented volume of microbiome data being generated poses significant challenges that are currently hindering progress in the field. Here, we outline the major bottlenecks and propose a vision to advance microbiome research as a data-driven science.
Interoperation with network services

The success of the Web and the emergence of ubiquitous computing (the embedding of computation and networking in the physical environment) has led to the re-emergence of the network service paradigm. A network service is a software component (e.g. a search engine) or a device (e.g. a media player) that exports a well-defined, network-accessible programmatic interface. The purpose of the network services paradigm is to provide a standard mechanism for discovering and accessing resources in the network. Two fundamental problems arise in this context: (1) how do (human) users discover and interact with services? and (2) how do applications discover and interact with services? Concerning user discovery and interaction, existing service frameworks have several drawbacks. First, most existing service frameworks limit users to accessing services from a specific platform (e.g., a Web browser) or modality (e.g., graphical user interfaces). Second, users are usually limited to interacting with one service at a time, making it tedious to accomplish tasks involving multiple services. Third, as users access similar services from different providers, they are likely to see different user interfaces, leading to an inconsistent user experience. In this thesis, we present the design and implementation of a service framework called ICrafter that addresses these limitations. We evaluated our contributions by deploying ICrafter in the iRoom, our testbed laboratory, and testing it on a number of iRoom services. Concerning application discovery and interaction, a major drawback of existing service frameworks is that changes to service interfaces, such as might occur due to versioning and extensions, break interoperability with existing applications in unpredictable ways. To remedy this, we first show how to automatically determine which changes to a service interface affect a given application written to that interface. Second, we show how these application-relevant changes can be “resolved” and interoperation re-enabled. We implemented these contributions in a system called AMIBA. Experimental results indicate that (typically) resolving 20% of the changes is sufficient to enable interoperation (because 80% of the changes are typically not relevant to a given application), thus demonstrating the utility of our approach.
Targeting histone methylation for cancer therapy: enzymes, inhibitors, biological activity and perspectives

Post-translational methylation of histone lysine or arginine residues plays important roles in gene regulation and other physiological processes. Aberrant histone methylation caused by a gene mutation, translocation, or overexpression can often lead to initiation of a disease such as cancer. Small molecule inhibitors of such histone modifying enzymes that correct the abnormal methylation could be used as novel therapeutics for these diseases, or as chemical probes for investigation of epigenetics. Discovery and development of histone methylation modulators are in an early stage and undergo a rapid expansion in the past few years. A number of highly potent and selective compounds have been reported, together with extensive preclinical studies of their biological activity. Several compounds have been in clinical trials for safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy, targeting several types of cancer. This review summarizes the biochemistry, structures, and biology of cancer-relevant histone methylation modifying enzymes, small molecule inhibitors and their preclinical and clinical antitumor activities. Perspectives for targeting histone methylation for cancer therapy are also discussed.
Influence of pericardium on left atrial compliance and pulmonary venous flow.

We studied seven open-chest anesthetized dogs to test the hypothesis that left atrial (LA) compliance is increased after pericardiectomy and to determine the effect of pericardiectomy on left atria...