cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Structure-function relationships of retinoids in their effects on retinol-binding protein metabolism in cultured H4II EC3 liver cells

Studies were conducted to explore the structural features of retinoids that may be required to stimulate the secretion or production of retinol-binding protein (RBP) by H4II EC3 rat hepatoma cells in culture. Sixteen retinoids, that differed from all-trans-retinol in the cyclohexene ring, the polyene side chain, and/or the functional end group, were each incubated with H4II EC3 cells, and RBP secretion and accumulation were determined by radioimmunoassay. A number of retinoids, in addition to retinol, effectively stimulated RBP secretion. The results suggest that an intact cyclohexene ring may be necessary for the stimulation of RBP secretion. In contrast the system did not exhibit much specificity with regard to either the structure of the side chain or the nature of the end group. No relationship was found between the ability of a retinoid to stimulate RBP secretion and production and its biological activity. The biologically active retinoid, 13-cis-retinoic acid, was inactive in the present system, whereas the biologically inactive perhydromonoeneretinol was moderately effective in stimulating both RBP secretion and accumulation. In contrast, there appeared to be some relationship between the ability of different retinoids to stimulate RBP secretion and their ability to bind to RBP. In general, retinoids that had previously been shown to bind to RBP produced a greater stimulation of RBP secretion than those that did not bind to RBP. The secretion of RBP obtained with a given retinoid was not well correlated with the net accumulation of RBP. For example, retinoyl amide did not stimulate RBP secretion but was moderately effective in stimulating RBP accumulation. Thus, the secretion of RBP does not appear to be necessary for the stimulation of the net accumulation of RBP.
Microinjection of GABA antagonists into posterior hypothalamus elevates heart rate in anesthetized rats.

Abstract Microinjection of the GABA antagonist bicuculline methiodide 1–25 ng into the posterior hypothalamus of urethaneanesthetized rats evoked sympathetically-mediated increases in heart rate of up to 150 beats/min and modest increases in blood pressure which could be prevented by prior local microinjection of miscimol 50 ng. Microinjection of picrotoxin but not strychnine produced similar effects. These resulta suggest that a latent sympathoexcitatory mechanism in this region is tonically inhibited by endogenous GABA.
In situ neuroblastoma associated with an adrenal cyst

Summary An in situ neuroblastoma was found associated with an adrenal cyst in an otherwise normal newborn girl. Postoperatively the infant has shown no evidence of clinical neuroblastoma. The natural and clinical significance of in situ neuroblastoma are unknown.
Use of the dementia rating scale as a test for neuropsychological dysfunction in HIV-positive IV drug abusers

Intravenous drug abusers (IVDAs) represent an increasing proportion of the HIV epidemic. Forty-three IVDA's (22 HIV-negative, 21 HIV-positive) were studied using the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (DRS). All subjects had used intravenous heroin, but reported that they were drug-free at the time of testing. HIV-positive subjects were predominantly symptomatic and were dichotomized into AIDS and non-AIDS groups. All subjects with abnormal DRS scores were HIV-positive (57% of all HIV-positives). All HIV-negative subjects had normal DRS scores while 43% of the positive group obtained such scores. The DRS reliably identifies neuropsychological impairment, and may be a useful screening tool in this population.
Studies on the distribution of lipids within fibrous plaques

The present report is an attempt to determine the nature of the circulation of lipids within fibrous plaques by studying the pattern of lipid distribution within the plaques. The material was obtained from aortas from 405 mammals and birds dying in the Oklahoma City Zoo. Analysis of the pattern of lipid distribution in 187 lipid containing aortic fibrous plaques suggested that most of the lipids entered the plaques at the shoulders and circulated from there toward the centers, usually in the outermost layers of the plaques.
Activated protein C-catalyzed proteolysis of factor VIIIa alters its interactions within factor Xase.

Factor VIIIa, the cofactor for the factor IXa-dependent conversion of factor X to factor Xa, is proteolytically inactivated by activated protein C (APC). APC cleaves at two sites in factor VIIIa, Arg336, near the C terminus of the A1 subunit; and Arg562, bisecting the A2 subunit (Fay, P., Smudzin, T., and Walker, F.(1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 20139-20145). Factor VIIIa increased the fluorescence anisotropy of fluorescein-Phe-Phe-Arg factor IXa (Fl-FFR-FIXa; Kd = 42.4 nM), whereas cleavage of factor VIIIa by APC eliminated this property. Isolation of the APC-cleaved A1/A3-C1-C2 dimer (A1336/A3-C1-C2), and the fragments derived from cleaved A2 subunit (A2N/A2C), permitted dissection of the roles of individual cleavages in cofactor inactivation. Intact A1/A3-C1-C2 dimer increased Fl-FFR-FIXa anisotropy and bound factor X in a solid phase assay, while these activities were absent in the A1336/A3-C1-C2. However, the residues removed by this cleavage, Met337-Arg372, did not directly participate in these functions since neither a synthetic peptide to this sequence nor an anti-peptide polyclonal antibody blocked these activities using intact dimer. CD spectral analysis of the intact and truncated dimers indicated reduced α and/or β content in the latter. The A1/A3-C1-C2 dimer plus A2 subunit reconstitutes cofactor activity and produced a factor VIIIa-like effect on the anisotropy of Fl-FFR-FIXa. However, when A2 was replaced by the A2N/A2C fragments, the resulting fluorescence signal was equivalent to that observed with the dimer alone. These results indicate that APC inactivates the cofactor at two levels within the intrinsic factor Xase complex. Cleavage of either subunit modulates the factor IXa active site, suggesting an essential synergy of interactive sites in factor VIIIa. Furthermore, cleavage of the A1 site alters the conformation of a factor X binding site within that subunit, thereby reducing the affinity of cofactor for substrate.
Analysis of quality management practices in services

Theory building efforts in quality management have begun in earnest. However, while services continue to dominate the developed economies of the world, these studies have mostly focused on manufacturing firms. Research that addresses this limitation by specifically addressing quality management in service organizations is presented in this paper. Through a survey of 170 US service firms, this study empirically develops and validates 11 constructs for quality management in services. A comparison between this study and other empirical quality management studies highlights many distinct quality management constructs in services. It also shows that all empirical studies have some gaps in the coverage of their constructs, reiterating the need for continued quality management theory building research in services and manufacturing.
Implications of mass-dependent renormalization group parameters for conventional QCD phenomenology☆

Abstract The effects of quark mass dependence in the momentum-subtracted beta function and anomalous dimensions of quantum chromodynamics are investigated. We examine the sensitivity of predicted quark and gluon moments for deep inelastic scattering to changes in the prescriptions used in defining the mass-dependent renormalization group parameters and we discuss interpretations of the resulting differences. Simple algorithms are presented in which the mass-dependent evolution of parton moments and the effective coupling can be approximated by massless formulae with carefully chosen thresholds for exciting additional quark flavors. We examine the expected nature of heavy quark components in the nucleon's sea, with particular attention given to the strange and charmed sea. The inherent scheme dependence in the definition of heavy quark parton distributions is also discussed.
Funding commercial fisheries management: Lessons from New Zealand

The funding of fisheries management in New Zealand over the last two decades is a complex story. It is a tale of fundamental principle, public policy experimentation, legal challenge and collective resolution of difficulties through tens of thousands of hours of research, review and constructive dialogue between stakeholders and the government. Importantly, funding issues cannot be separated from the evolution of fisheries management itself. Reviewing this history and tracing the maturing of fisheries management in New Zealand reveals many legal and institutional design lessons for fisheries managers considering cost recovery regimes in developed and developing countries.
The relative power output and relative lean body mass of World and Olympic male and female champions with implications for gender equity

A uniform measure of the gender-related differential performance of female and male Olympic and World champions is proposed: relative power output applied to the environment. Laws of physics are employed to derive equations for estimating relative power output. In previous controlled laboratory studies, equally trained male and female athletes were shown to have a relative power output not significantly different from relative lean body mass. As to the estimated power output for 32 Olympic and World championship events contested between 1976 and 2004, eight in running, four in speed skating, three in jumping, twelve in swimming and five in rowing: 100% of the 32 event mean percentage differences in power output and 96% of the 411 event percentage differences in power output are within one standard deviation of the appropriate lean body mass percentage difference, consistent with equality of training. For 1952-1972, significantly higher percentage differences in power output are estimated in running and swimming compared with 1976-2004, consistent with women being less well trained than men during that earlier period. It is noted that efforts in recent years to provide equality of opportunity for female athletes coincide with equalization of estimated relative power output in competition with the relative lean body mass.
Voltage-sensitive cyanine dye fluorescence signals in lymphocytes: plasma membrane and mitochondrial components

The origin of the cyanine dye fluorescence signal in murine and human peripheral blood leukocytes was investigated using the oxa- and indo-carbocyanines di-O-C5(3) and di-I-C5(3). Fluorescence signals from individual cells suspended with nanomolar concentrations of the dyes were measured in a flow cytometer modified to permit simultaneous four-parameter analysis (including two-color fluorescence or fluorescence polarization measurements). The contributions of mitochondrial membrane potential (psi m) and plasma membrane potential (psi pm) to the total voltage-sensitive fluorescence signal were found to depend on the equilibrium extracellular dye concentration, manipulated in these experiments by varying the ratio of dye to cell density. Hence, conditions could be chosen that amplified either the psi m or the psi pm component. Selective depolarization of lymphocytes or polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) in mixed cell suspensions demonstrated that defining the partition of dye between cells and medium is requisite to assessing the heterogeneity of cell responses by cyanine dye fluorescence. At extracellular dye concentrations exceeding 5 nM in equilibrated cell suspensions, both mitochondrial and plasma membrane dye toxicity were observed. In murine splenic lymphocytes, plasma membrane toxicity (dye-induced depolarization) was selective for the B lymphocytes. Certain problems in calibration of psi pm with valinomycin at low dye concentrations and perturbations of psi pm by mitochondrial inhibitors are presented. These findings address the current controversy concerning psi m and psi pm measurement in intact cells by cyanine dye fluorescence. The finding of selective toxicity at low cyanine dye concentrations suggest that purported differences in resting psi m among cells or changes in psi pm with cell activation may reflect variable susceptibility to dye toxicity rather than intrinsic cell properties.
On the failure mechanisms for concentrically and eccentrically loaded notched fixed-pinned columns

Abstract A theoretical solution for centrally notched fixed-pinned ended column loaded concentrically or eccentrically in compression has been presented. The solution is based on the stress intensity concept and on methods of limit analysis. The experimental and theoretical results have been found to agree to within less than 5 per cent ( a/h ).
Double-strand Polyaniline as a Molecular Quasi-Memory to Chemical Stimuli

We report the apparent hysteresis cycles in the protonation/deprotonation induced conductor-insulator transition for a water-soluble double-strand polyaniline. Experimental evidences show that the polymeric complexes of polyaniline and poly(styrene sulfonic acid) are soluble in water as non-aggregated single molecules. Although the hysteresis loop becomes narrower within 40 hours and the bistability is not permanent, the rate of collapse of the hysteresis loop is extremely slow for a solvated polymer in water. The water soluble polyaniline was compared with solid state samples of PAN:HCl. It was found that, under thermodynamically identical conditions, the memory effect is stronger for the water-soluble polyaniline than the water-insoluble solid of PAN:HCI.
Factors associated with oxyhemoglobin desaturation during rapid sequence intubation in a pediatric emergency department: findings from multivariable analyses of video review data.

Objectives: In a video-based study of rapid sequence intubation (RSI) in a pediatric emergency department (PED), 33% of children experienced oxyhemoglobin desaturation (SpO2 < 90%). To inform targeted improvement interventions, we planned multivariable analyses to identify patient and process variables (including time-based data around performance of key RSI process elements uniquely available from video review) associated with desaturation during pediatric RSI. Methods: These were planned analyses of data collected during a retrospective, video-based study of RSI in a high-volume, academic PED. For variables with plausible associations with desaturation, multiple logistic regression and generalized estimating equations were used to identify those characteristics independently associated with desaturation at both the patient and the attempt levels. Results: The authors analyzed video data from 114 patients undergoing RSI over 12 months. Desaturation was more common in patients 24 months of age and younger (59%) than in patients older than 24 months of age (10%). Variables associated with desaturation in patients 24 months of age and younger were duration of attempts (both individual and cumulative), the occurrence of esophageal intubation, a respiratory indication for intubation, and young age. The receiver operating characteristics curve for the model had an area under the curve of 0.80 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.67 to 0.92). Forty-six percent of desaturations occurred after 45 seconds of laryngoscopy, and 82% after 30 seconds. The odds ratio for desaturation on individual attempts lasting longer than 30 seconds (vs. those 30 seconds or less) was 5.7 (95% CI = 2.26 to 14.36). Conclusions: For children 24 months of age or younger undergoing RSI in a PED, respiratory indication for intubation, esophageal intubation, and duration of laryngoscopy (both individual and cumulative) were associated with desaturation; the number of attempts was not. Interventions to limit attempt duration in the youngest children may improve the safety of RSI. ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2015;22:431–440 © 2015 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Effective workforce lifecycle management via system dynamics modeling and simulation

Efficiently planning and managing workforce is a challenge imposed on many companies, especially for those in the service industry. The target of an effective workforce management is to recruit, develop and deploy the right people at the right places at the right times to fulfill both organizational and individual objectives. In this paper, we propose a novel concept of "workforce supply chain" to address the workforce management issue by considering both the demand side issue, i. e., project management, and the supply side issue, i. e., the human resource management. We then use System Dynamics modeling technique to capture the causality relationships and feedback loops in the workforce supply chain with the merit of system thinking. The evaluation of System Dynamics-based simulation exposes dynamic behavior and workforce management system and shows how adaptive control can be applied to such system.
Extraocular Sebaceous Carcinoma in a Patient with Muir‐Torre Syndrome

Background. Sebaceous carcinoma is a rare, aggressive neoplasm that arises from the adnexal epithelium of sebaceous glands and is commonly associated with Muir-Torre syndrome. Objective. The metastatic potential of extraocular sebaceous carcinoma warrants a thorough evaluation to establish the extent of disease. Methods. We describe a 55-year-old man who presented with an asymptomatic abdominal wall mass 3 years after definitive diagnosis of Muir-Torre syndrome. Results. A biopsy of the surgical specimen revealed sebaceous carcinoma. Conclusion. Dermatologists are crucial to the early recognition and diagnosis of extraocular sebaceous carcinoma. In our patient with documented Muir-Torre syndrome, continued surveillance allowed for prompt recognition and treatment of this associated cutaneous malignancy.
Making Strategic Information Systems Happen

Executive Overview Computer-based information systems are becoming essential to the execution of business strategy. Business managers, however, are too often besieged by inadequate new systems with missed target dates and overrun budgets. These managers are questioning whether their firms are selecting and developing systems effectively and efficiently. To select and develop computer-based information systems, firms conventionally follow the systems development life cycle. Our thesis is that, since the implementation of a computer-based information system is an example of organizational change, problems during the life cycle are generally tied to organizational issues in addition to technical matters. Organizational researchers have long studied the same issues that now face companies attempting to develop computer-based information systems. In this article, we apply their findings and prescriptions to information systems development. The mystique of the computer is also challenged—that the computer is in...
Occult Iris Erosion: A Treatble Cause of Recurrent Hyphema in Ins-supported Intraocular Lenses

Abstract A 78-year-old man underwent intracapsular cataract extraction with implantation of a Binkhorst four-loop lens. Two years later he developed recurrent hyphema, glaucoma, diffusion of blood into the vitreous, and reduction of visual acuity to 3/200. Iris fluorescein angiography demonstrated a localized network of prominent collateral vessels without fluorescein leakage above the pupil, deflection and compression of, radial iris vessels by the superior lens posts, and a focal area of leakage adjacent to one of the posts. Argon laser photocoagulation obliterated the abnormal vessels in each of these areas, eliminated the recurrent hyphema and glaucoma, and permitted recovery of 20/80 visual acuity. The patient died suddenly three months after iris photocoagulation. Histopathologic study of the eye demonstrated erosion of iris stroma and displacement of iris vessels by the lens posts, as well as the vascular effects of successful photocoagulation therapy.
Pitfalls in higher order model extensions of basic spatial regression methodology

Spatial regression methodology has been around for most of the 50 years (1961‐2011) that the Southern Regional Science Association has been in existence. Cliff and Ord (1969) devised a parsimonious specification for the structure of spatial dependence among observations that could be used to empirically model spatial interdependence. later work (Cliff and Ord, 1973, 1981; Ord, 1975) further developed these ideas into basic spatial regression models, which were popularized and augmented by Anselin (1988). We discuss several issues that have arisen in recent work that attempts to extend basic models of spatial interdependence to include more types of spatial and non‐spatial interdependencies. Understanding these issues should help future work avoid several pitfalls that plague current and past attempts at extensions along these lines.
Improved Cumulative Survival in Fistulas Requiring Surgical Interventions to Promote Fistula Maturation Compared with Endovascular Interventions

Due to high nonmaturation rates, arteriovenous fistulas (AVF) frequently require intervention(s) to promote maturation. Endovascular or surgical interventions are often undertaken to salvage nonmaturing AVFs. The objective of this study was to compare the impact of surgical versus endovascular interventions to promote AVF maturation on cumulative AVF survival. We evaluated 89 patients with new AVF placement from a Veterans Affairs population over a 5-year period. Of these, 46 (52%) required intervention(s) to achieve successful maturation for dialysis: 31 patients had surgical revisions and 15 patients had endovascular repairs. We compared cumulative survival between AVFs requiring no intervention, surgical revision, and endovascular intervention to promote AVF maturation. Cumulative survival was longer in AVFs receiving surgical intervention compared with angioplasty to promote AVF maturation (p = 0.05). One-year cumulative survival was 86% vs. 83% vs. 40% for no intervention vs. surgery vs. angioplasty, respectively. In AVFs that required interventions to promote maturation, AVFs with surgical intervention had longer cumulative survival compared with those AVFs with endovascular intervention. AVFs with surgical intervention to promote maturation had similar 1-year cumulative survival to those AVFs that did not require intervention to promote maturation.
Triple-deck solutions for viscous supersonic and hypersonic flow past corners

A viscous-inviscid interaction is produced when a compressible laminar boundary layer encounters a corner. The correct mathematical structure for such interactions at large Reynolds number is given by the asymptotic triple-deck theory. In the present work the triple-deck equations for supersonic and hypersonic flows are solved for both compression and expansion corners. Results are presented for a range of corner angles, including separated cases, and are compared with experimental data and with finite Reynolds number calculations based on an interacting boundary-layer model.
Butler on Benevolence and Conscience

It is tempting and even useful to read the history of ethics from Hobbes to Rousseau, and even to Kant, as a response to the devastation of making self-interest—the movement to the satisfaction of particular ego-oriented desires—either the basic motive, or the basic form of motivational explanation. After Hobbes, philosophical ingenuity allied with Christian sensibility to search for countervailing forces.
Glugea heraldi n. sp. (Microsporida, Glugeidae) from the seahorse Hippocampus erectus Perry

. A new species of Microsporida, Glugea heraldi, is described from the seahorse Hippocampus erectus. Measurements of fixed spores and notes on the histopathology of parasitized tissue are given.
The Reaction of Landlords to Rent Control

Studies on rent control have generally failed to elicit attitudes and reactions of landlords to rent control ordinances. This analysis attempts to fill the gap by querying 1357 landlords in San Diego County, an area currently without rent control. As expected, almost all the landlords were opposed to rent control. The landlords were asked if actual rent control enactment would impact their investment plans and, if so, how. They also were asked if the current threat of rent control is having an impact on their investment plans and, if so, how. The vast majority of landlords responded to both of these questions in the affirmative. The various answers on type of reaction center around two themes: getting out of the apartments business and a cessation of any further investment in apartments. A discriminant analysis showed numerous variables to be related to whether landlords are reactive to rent control enactment or the threat of rent control.
Genre-Specific Cultivation Effects: Lagged Associations Between Overall TV Viewing, Local TV News Viewing, and Fatalistic Beliefs About Cancer Prevention

Cultivation theory and research has been criticized for its failure to consider variation in effects by genre, employ appropriate third-variable controls, and determine causal direction. Recent studies, controlling for a variety of demographic characteristics and media use variables, have found that exposure to local television (TV) newscasts is associated with a variety of problematic "real-world" beliefs. However, many of these studies have not adequately assessed causal direction. Redressing this limitation, we analyzed data from a two-wave national representative survey which permitted tests of lagged association between overall TV viewing, local TV news viewing, and fatalistic beliefs about cancer prevention. We first replicated the original cultivation effect and found a positive association between overall TV viewing at time 1 and increased fatalistic beliefs about cancer prevention at time 2. Analyses also provided evidence that local TV news viewing at time 1 predicts increased fatalistic beliefs about cancer prevention at time 2. There was little evidence for reverse causation in predicting changes in overall TV viewing or local TV news viewing. The paper concludes with a discussion of theoretical and practical implications of these findings.
Influence of Elective versus Emergent Hospital Admission on Patient Satisfaction

Background: Patient satisfaction is increasingly used as a health care quality metric, although satisfaction has been associated with more intense health care, including hospitalization. Whether the increased hospitalization associated with satisfaction is limited to elective (often discretionary) hospitalization is unknown. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of adult respondents to the 2000 to 2010 US National Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (N = 50,978), including 2 years of panel data for each subject. Patient sociodemographics, health status, and hospital use were assessed in year 1, with hospital use categorized as elective or emergent hospitalization (based on whether it was preceded by an emergency visit). Year 2 patient satisfaction with health care providers was assessed using 5 items from the Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Survey. We used ordinal logistic regression to estimate adjusted associations between year 1 hospitalization and year 2 patient satisfaction quartile. Results: Adjusting for sociodemographics, insurance status, availability of a usual source of care, chronic disease burden, health status, and year 1 office and prescription drug utilization, having ≥1 elective hospitalizations in year 1 was associated with higher year 2 satisfaction quartile (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.21; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11–1.32). Emergent hospitalizations in year 1 were not associated with satisfaction quartile in year 2 (adjusted OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.91–1.12). Conclusion: In a nationally representative sample, elective (but not emergent) hospitalizations were associated with subsequently higher overall satisfaction with health care providers, suggesting a nexus between discretionary hospital use and patient satisfaction.
Exploiting Musical Connections: A Proposal for Support of Work Relationships in a Digital Music Library.

Musical works in the Western art music tradition exist in a complex, inter-related web. Works that are derivative or part of another work are common; however, most music information retrieval systems, including traditional library catalogs, don’t use these essential relationships to improve search results or provide information about them to end-users. As part of the NSF-funded Variations2 Digital Music Library project at Indiana University, we have developed a set of functional requirements defining how derivative and whole/part relationships between musical works should be acted upon in search results, and how these results should be displayed. This paper describes recent research into these relationships, provides examples why they are important in Western art music, outlines how Variations2 or any other music information retrieval system could use these relationships in matching user queries, and describes optimal displays of these relationships to end-users.
Small molecule diffusion in cold‐drawn or stretched polymer films

Diffusion and solubility coefficients for several gases in undrawn and drawn films of four high polymers (polyvinyl butyral, nylon 66, polyethylene, and polypropylene) are reported as functions of temperature. In general, the diffusion, solubility, and permeability coefficients of the semicrystalline polymers investigated changed on drawing. The magnitude and direction of such changes depended on the penetrant used and on the experimental temperature. The molecular orientation introduced by stretching in one direction had little or no effect on the diffusion properties of the amorphous polyvinyl butyral. With the other polymers, the changes in void content on cold drawing were usually found to be associated with changes of the opposite sign in the activation energy of diffusion, in consequence of the relatively weak temperature dependence of diffusion in the gas phase. The process of solution of low molecular weight gases in high polymers was found to be more exothermic for those samples which had a comparatively low void content (i.e., drawn polyethylene, undrawn nylon 66, and undrawn polypropylene, as compared, respectively, to undrawn polyethylene, drawn nylon 66, and drawn polypropylene). Possible explanations for this result are given.
What Do Energy Prices Tell Us About UK Inflation

We investigate the effect of oil price shocks on UK inflation using a time-varying vector autoregression with stochastic volatility. The estimates show that the oil price–inflation pass-through declined from the early 1980s until the mid/late 1990s. Post-2003, however, the importance of oil price shocks for UK inflation rose significantly. The rise in the pass-through coincided with a significant increase in the size of oil price shocks. This paper shows that allowing for time variation in the stochastic volatilities better captures time variation between oil prices and UK inflation.
Chameleon: operating system support for dynamic processors

The rise of multi-core processors has shifted performance efforts towards parallel programs. However, single-threaded code, whether from legacy programs or ones difficult to parallelize, remains important. Proposed asymmetric multicore processors statically dedicate hardware to improve sequential performance, but at the cost of reduced parallel performance. However, several proposed mechanisms provide the best-of-both-worlds by combining multiple cores into a single, more powerful processor for sequential code. For example, Core Fusion merges multiple cores to pool caches and functional units, and Intel's Turbo Boost raises the clock speed of a core if the other cores on a chip are powered down.These reconfiguration mechanisms have two important properties. First the set of available cores and their capabilities can vary over short time scales. Current operating systems are not designed for rapidly changing hardware: the existing hotplug mechanisms for reconfiguring processors require global operations and hundreds of milliseconds to complete. Second, configurations may be mutually exclusive: using power to speed one core means it cannot be used to speed another. Current schedulers cannot manage this requirement.We present Chameleon, an extension to Linux to support dynamic processors that can reconfigure their cores at runtime. Chameleon provides processor proxies to enable rapid reconfiguration, execution objects to abstract the processing capabilities of physical CPUs, and a cluster scheduler to balance the needs of sequential and parallel programs. In experiments that emulate a dynamic processor, we find that Chameleon can reconfigure processors 100,000 times faster than Linux and allows applications full access to hardware capabilities: sequential code runs at full speed on a powerful execution context, while parallel code runs on as many cores as possible.
Brief optogenetic inhibition of dopamine neurons mimics endogenous negative reward prediction errors

Correlative studies have strongly linked phasic changes in dopamine activity with reward prediction error signaling. But causal evidence that these brief changes in firing actually serve as error signals to drive associative learning is more tenuous. Although there is direct evidence that brief increases can substitute for positive prediction errors, there is no comparable evidence that similarly brief pauses can substitute for negative prediction errors. In the absence of such evidence, the effect of increases in firing could reflect novelty or salience, variables also correlated with dopamine activity. Here we provide evidence in support of the proposed linkage, showing in a modified Pavlovian over-expectation task that brief pauses in the firing of dopamine neurons in rat ventral tegmental area at the time of reward are sufficient to mimic the effects of endogenous negative prediction errors. These results support the proposal that brief changes in the firing of dopamine neurons serve as full-fledged bidirectional prediction error signals.
An Introduction to the Malliavin Calculus and Its Applications

The purpose of these notes is to provide an introduction to the Malliavin calculus and its recent application to quantitative results in normal approximations, in combination with Stein’s method. The basic differential operators of the Malliavin calculus and their main properties are presented. We explain the connection of these operators with the Wiener chaos expansion and the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck semigroup. We survey several applications of the Malliavin calculus including stochastic integral representation, density formulas, smoothness of densities and normal approximations.
The Past Is a…Native Land?

Did the events of September 11, 2001 “change the world,” signifying the birth of an incommensurable brave new world of heightened uncertainty and insecurity? No. That headline-grabbing claim lacks historical perspective. Rather, the Cold War has exerted a profound impact on how America wages the War on Terror simply because the intelligence, bureaucratic, and military-industrial institutions that have shaped U.S. strategy since 9/11 took their present shape during the Cold War. Indeed, dramatic differences between the circumstances of the Cold War era and the dangers confronting the twenty-first century prevail, among them the shift from “conventional” to digital warfare, and from ominous nation-states to “rogue” states and sects. But the respective challenges and constraints shared by the two periods also possess notable similarities. Both the obvious discontinuities and the more subtle continuities with the recent past require judicious assessment from us today. Just as American leaders before World War II needed to “unlearn” the lessons of isolationalism in the 1930s in order to fight World War II, so too do American policymakers today need to unlearn the lessons of conventional warfare—including “intelligence” warfare–in order to combat rogue states and terrorist cells in the twenty-first century.
Acute loss of fusional convergence following head trauma.

(1974). Acute Loss of Fusional Convergence following Head Trauma. American Orthoptic Journal: Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 57-59.
Elder Abuse in a Cross-Cultural Context: Assessment, Policy and Practice

This paper discusses practice and policy issues related to elder abuse among Asian Indians. It lays out a plan for conducting assessment and interventions and what practitioners can do to detect elder abuse. Case studies highlight instances of elder abuse among Asian Indian immigrants managing care of their elders living in the United States.
When the Smoke Clears: Focusing Events, Issue Definition, Strategic Framing, and the Politics of Gun Control*

Objective This article explores the strategic nature of framing following a focusing event. We argue that focusing events serve as catalysts for bill introductions along three particular causal stories prevalent in gun control policy: restrictive, punitive, and lenient. Methods We employ a negative binomial regression model to investigate the effect firearm focusing events have on restrictive, lenient, and punitive bills introduced in both the House and the Senate. Results Focusing events lead to an increase in restrictive, punitive, and lenient bills introduced in the House. In the Senate, however, focusing events lead to an increase in the number of punitive and lenient bills, while having no significant impact on the number of restrictive bills. Conclusion This represents an increase in attention to gun control policy regardless of the causal story.
Thrombin stimulates wortmannin-inhibitable phosphoinositide 3-kinase and membrane blebbing in CHRF-288 cells.

We have investigated thrombin-stimulated morphological changes and the activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI 3-K), as manifested by the accumulation of PtdIns(3,4)P2 and PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 (labelled with 32P or myo-[3H]inositol), in CHRF-288 cells, a leukaemic cell line derived from a platelet progenitor cell. We report that these cells, when exposed to thrombin or SFLLRN (the peptide Ser-Phe-Leu-Leu-Arg-Asn, a thrombin-receptor ligand) rapidly change shape, forming membrane 'blebs', detectable by differential interference contrast or confocal microscopy, as well as labelled 3-phosphorylated phosphoinositides. The 'blebs' are distinguishable from 'ruffles' or lamellae, since they do not contain phalloidin-detectable actin. Studies with permeabilized cells indicate that PI 3-K is activated synergistically by thrombin+guanosine 5'[gamma-thio]triphosphate. Two forms of PI 3-K, i.e. PI 3-K(gamma) and p85/PI 3-K, regulated by G beta gamma subunits of heterotrimeric G-protein and the small G-protein Rho, respectively, are present in these cells, as is true for platelets. Wortmannin, a known potent and specific inhibitor of PI 3-K activities, inhibits thrombin-stiumlated accumulation of 3-phosphorylated phosphoinositides in a dose-dependent manner (IC50 approximately 10nM), without affecting phospholipase C activation. Pretreatment of CHRF-288 cells with either wortmannin (100 nM) or an unrelated synthetic PI 3-K inhibitor, LY294002 (50 microM), abolishes thrombin-receptor-stimulated blebbing. These results suggest that thrombin-stimulated accumulation of 3-phosphorylated phosphoinositide(s) is required for the shape-change response in CHRF-288 cells.
Microwave Hazards Evaluation: Concepts and Criteria*

AbstractThis presentation is intended to provide a basis for evaluating data obtained on experimental animals and from surveys on humans. Non-thermal effects of micro-waves and comments on the Soviet views will also be considered.
Assessing the Experience of Vaginal Dilator Use and Potential Barriers to Ongoing Use among a Focus Group of Women with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser Syndrome.

Abstract Study Objective To assess the experience of dilator use for neovagina creation in women diagnosed with Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome and identify barriers affecting patient compliance with dilator use. Design and Setting This was a qualitative study using a structured questionnaire to investigate perception and identify barriers regarding vaginal dilator use. A questionnaire was administered after participants viewed a 2-minute patient educational video to additionally examine the usefulness of a patient education video tool as an adjunct to counseling in clinic on vaginal dilator use. Participants, Interventions, and Main Outcome Measures We enrolled 13 adolescent girls and women diagnosed with MRKH, aged 14-48 years, recruited from clinic and during a conference geared toward women affected by MRKH. Results The mean age of participants was 26 (±11.4) years with most diagnosed between the ages of 12 and 18 years. Of all participants, 69% (9/13) reported ever being sexually active with a mean age of coitarche of 16 (±2.6) years. Seventy-seven percent (10/13) reported current or past use of vaginal dilators, and most had some previous education on dilator use. Only 15% (2/13) reported no previous exposure to an educational tool. After viewing the 2-minute educational video, all participants rated it very helpful using a Likert scale (strongly agree to strongly disagree). Major themes that emerged as perceived barriers to dilator use included viewing dilation as a negative experience, uncertainty about success, and lack of motivation. Conclusion Education is an integral part of improving compliance with vaginal dilator use among adolescent girls and women affected by MRKH. Technology can be used to reinforce face-to-face counseling in the clinic. To our knowledge, this is the first study to specifically investigate patient experience with dilator use and opinion regarding the use of video technology to demonstrate self-directed neovagina creation in an MRKH population. The barriers identified in this study provide new insights to inform future research and clinical management of dilator use.
Ultra-high throughput microfluidic optomechanical sensors (Conference Presentation)

Optical resonators have enabled the label-free measurement of nanoparticles suspended in liquids, down to the resolution of individual viruses and large molecules, but are only able to quantify optical properties (refractive index, scattering, fluorescence). Additionally, these sensors are fundamentally limited by the random diffusion of particles to the sensing region, and thus only measure a tiny fraction of the analyte. We have developed a microfluidic optomechanical resonator capable of sensing freely flowing nanoparticles using the action of phonons that are coupled to light. The phonon mode of the system casts a nearly perfect net for measuring density, viscoelasticity, and compressibility of the particles that flow through, without being limited by random diffusion. Information on the mechanical properties of the particles is encoded in the light scattered from the thermal fluctuations of the phonon mode. We have also developed a new electro-opto-mechanical method for improving the sensing speed achievable with this technique. We demonstrate real-time particle transit measurements as fast as 400 microseconds, without any post-processing. We discuss how this novel technique can be used for ultra-high throughput analysis of mechanical properties of biological particles in liquids, enabling a new form of flow cytometry. (invited by Prof. Giuseppe Leo)
Structural origins of broadband emission from layered Pb–Br hybrid perovskites

Through structural and optical studies of a series of two-dimensional hybrid perovskites, we show that broadband emission upon near-ultraviolet excitation is common to (001) lead-bromide perovskites. Importantly, we find that the relative intensity of the broad emission correlates with increasing out-of-plane distortion of the Pb–(μ-Br)–Pb angle in the inorganic sheets. Temperature- and power-dependent photoluminescence data obtained on a representative (001) perovskite support an intrinsic origin to the broad emission from the bulk material, where photogenerated carriers cause excited-state lattice distortions mediated through electron–lattice coupling. In contrast, most inorganic phosphors contain extrinsic emissive dopants or emissive surface sites. The design rules established here could allow us to systematically optimize white-light emission from layered hybrid perovskites by fine-tuning the bulk crystal structure.
Getting Started in ZBrush: An Introduction to Digital Sculpting and Illustration

Getting Started in ZBrush is a gentle introduction to ZBrush, today’s premier digital sculpting program. Beginning with the fundamentals of digital sculpting as well as a thorough introduction to the user interface, Getting Started in ZBrush will have you creating a variety of professional-level 3D models in no-time. More than just another button-pushing manual, this comprehensive guide is packed with start-to-finish projects that ease you into the workflow of the program, while at the same time providing tips and tricks that will allow you to achieve certain tasks much more quickly. After progressing through the tutorials, you will be shown how to customize brushes, materials, scripts, and the interface so that you can utilize these tools to their full advantage. Special consideration is given to ZBrush’s integration plug-ins with Maya and 3ds Max, allowing you to properly import and export your models in all programs. Texturing, painting, mapping, decimation, baking, and topology are also fully covered so your Zbrush creations can come to life without sacrificing that high-resolution look. Ease your way into this complex subject with this straight-forward approach to ZBrush Perfect your technique with step-by-step tutorials that allow you to create high res models from start to finish. Expand your knowledge by visiting the companion website, which features video demonstrations, project files, texture and model files, scripts, customized menus, brushes, and additional resources.
Implementation of Upright Digital Breast Tomosynthesis-guided Stereotactic Biopsy

With growing adoption of digital breast tomosynthesis, an increasing number of imaging abnormalities are being identified only by tomosynthesis. Upright digital breast tomosynthesis-guided stereotactic biopsy is a proven method for sampling these abnormalities as well as abnormalities traditionally evaluated using conventional stereotactic biopsy. In this article, we describe the technique of upright digital breast tomosynthesis-guided stereotactic biopsy and outline a systematic operational approach to implementation of this technique in clinical radiology practices.
Continuing Medical Education Questions: July 2017: Colorectal Cancer Screening: Recommendations for Physicians and Patients from the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer.

Continuing Medical Education Questions: July 2017: Colorectal Cancer Screening: Recommendations for Physicians and Patients from the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer
Jewish Women Homesteaders on the Plains

The homesteading experience is being revisited with the regrowth of Midwestern Studies. What has been ignored and is now being investigated are the women homesteaders, who worked with their men (husband, brother, or father) to build farms on the wild plains. However, often forgotten among these women are the Jewish women who battled to keep their religion in an environment that was unknown to them. By understanding this minority in the western expansion experience, a greater understanding of the American experience can be uncovered.