cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vitamin D status and prevalent early age-related macular degeneration in African Americans and Caucasians: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Vitamin D status has been hypothesized to protect against development of early age-related macular degeneration (AMD) via its anti-inflammatory properties and its possible beneficial influence on blood pressure control. We investigated the association between vitamin D status and prevalent early AMD in a community-based cohort. This was a cross-sectional study. This was a secondary data analysis of already existing data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (ARIC) cohort collected from 1990 to 1995. There were 9,734 (7,779 Caucasians, 1,955 African American) ARIC participants (aged 46 to 70 at visit 2 [1990-1992]) with 25(OH)D data available at visit 2, AMD assessment at visit 3 (1993-1995), and complete covariate data. Vitamin D status was assessed with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations from bloods drawn at visit 2. Prevalent, early AMD (n=511) was assessed at visit 3 (1993-95) with nonmydriatic retinal photographs of one randomly chosen eye. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for early AMD by categories of 25(OH)D in nmol/L (deficient <30, inadequate 30-<50, and two categories of adequate status: 50-<75 and ≥75). Linear trend was estimated using continuous 25(OH)D concentrations. ORs were adjusted for age, race, and smoking status. We further adjusted for hypertension status to examine if vitamin D status influenced early AMD via its effects on blood pressure. Exploratory analyses of effect modification by age, sex, race and high risk genotypes [Y402H complement factor H (CFH) rs1061170 and the A69S age-related maculopathy susceptibility 2 (ARMS2) rs10490924 polymorphisms] were conducted. The prevalence of early AMD was 5%, and 5% of participants were vitamin D deficient. The adjusted OR (95% CIs) for early AMD among those with adequate (=75 nmol/L) compared to deficient (<30 nmol/L) vitamin D status was 0.94 (0.59-1.50), p-trend=0.86. Further adjustment for hypertension status did not influence results (OR [95% CI]=0.95 [0.59-1.52], p-trend=0.84). Results did not vary significantly by age, race, sex, early AMD subtype (soft drusen or retinal pigment epithelium depigmentation), or ARMS2 genotype. Results did not vary significantly by CFH genotype in African Americans. The p for multiplicative interaction between 25(OH)D and CFH genotype was 0.06 in Caucasians, but OR [95% CIs] for AMD by vitamin D status were similar in each CFH genotype and not statistically significant. Vitamin D status was not associated with early AMD in this cohort sample.
A phase I/II study combining dasatinib (D) and erlotinib (E) in non-small cell lung cancer.

8102 Background: In preclinical models, combining EGFR and Src inhibition has been shown to have at least additive and possibly synergistic effects. In this phase I/II (phI/II) trial, we combined E...
FASB and Guarantees of Variable Interest Entities

Johnson proposes that the Financial Accounting Standards Board stop allowing companies to report revenue from the debt of variable interest entities that the companies have guaranteed.
A Survey of Hospice and Palliative Care Clinicians' Experiences and Attitudes Regarding the Use of Palliative Sedation.

Abstract Background: A variety of terms and attitudes surround palliative sedation (PS) with little research devoted to hospice and palliative care (HPC) clinicians' perceptions and experiences with PS. These factors may contribute to the wide variability in the reported prevalence of PS. Objective: This study was designed to better identify hospice and palliative care (HPC) clinician attitudes toward, and clinical experiences with palliative sedation (PS). Methods: A 32-question survey was distributed to members of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (n = 4678). The questions explored the language clinicians use for PS, and their experiences with PS. Results: Nine hundred thirty-six (20% response rate) responded to the survey. About 83.21% preferred the terminology of PS compared with other terms. A majority felt that PS is a bioethically appropriate treatment for refractory physical and nonphysical symptoms in dying patients. Most felt PS was not an appropriate term in clinical scena...
Pityrosporum folliculitis: A retrospective review of 110 cases

Background Pityrosporum folliculitis is an under-recognized eruption of the face and upper portion of the trunk that may be confused with, or occur simultaneously with, acne vulgaris. Objective We sought to characterize risk factors for Pityrosporum folliculitis, its clinical presentation, and its response to treatment. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed on all patients age 0 to 21 years seen at our facility from 2010 to 2015 with Pityrosporum folliculitis confirmed by a potassium hydroxide preparation. Results Of 110 qualifying patients, more than 75% had acne that had recently been treated with antibiotics, and when recorded, 65% reported pruritus. Clinical examination demonstrated numerous 1- to 2-mm monomorphic papules and pustules that were typically on the forehead extending into the hairline and on the upper portion of the back. The most common treatment was ketoconazole shampoo, which led to improvement or resolution in most cases. Some patients required oral azole antifungals. Limitations This study was retrospective and relied on providers describing and interpreting the clinical findings and potassium hydroxide preparations. No standard grading system was used. Conclusion Unlike classic acne vulgaris, Pityrosporum folliculitis was more common after antibiotic use. It presented as fine monomorphic, pruritic papules and pustules along the hairline and on the upper portion of the back, and it improved with topical or oral azole antifungal therapy.
Atrial Fibrillation Genetic Considerations: The Basic Scientist's Perspective

Common atrial fibrillation (AF) is a complex disease, and its pathogenesis involves multiple genetic factors, environmental factors, and interactions among these factors. Genetic factors clearly contribute to the risk of common AF. Parental AF increases by more than threefold the risk of AF under age of 75 years in offspring, and first-degree relatives have almost fivefold more risk of developing AF before the age of 60 years. Candidate gene case—control studies investigated the roles of several genes in common AF and thromboembolism in AF, including KCNE1, KCNE4, KCNE5, GNB3, AGT, CETP, coagulation factor II, α-fibrinogen, factor XIII, and IL6. Genomewide single nucleotide polymorphism association studies is the state-of-the art study design for dissecting the common complex AF trait and have successfully identified two SNPs on chromosome 4q25 that are associ ated with risk of atrial fibrillation. Rare families with AF have been reported, and studies of these families identified mutations in several genes for AF, including KCNQ1, KCNE2, KCNE3, and KCNJ2. Two autosomal dominant AF genes were mapped to chromosome 10 q and 6 q, and one autosomal recessive gene for AF was mapped to 5 p, but these genes have not yet been identified. Also, AF can occur in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy with SCN5A and LMNA mutations, long QT syndrome patients with an ankyrin-B mutation, and short QT syndrome patients with a KCNH2 mutation. Genetic studies of AF will continue to provide insight into molecular mechanisms for the pathogenesis of AF and will facilitate realization of genetic testing and genotype-based therapies (personalized medicine) for AF patients.
Membrane distillation at the water-energy nexus: limits, opportunities, and challenges

Energy-efficient desalination and water treatment technologies play a critical role in augmenting freshwater resources without placing an excessive strain on limited energy supplies. By desalinating high-salinity waters using low-grade or waste heat, membrane distillation (MD) has the potential to increase sustainable water production, a key facet of the water-energy nexus. However, despite advances in membrane technology and the development of novel process configurations, the viability of MD as an energy-efficient desalination process remains uncertain. In this review, we examine the key challenges facing MD and explore the opportunities for improving MD membranes and system design. We begin by exploring how the energy efficiency of MD is limited by the thermal separation of water and dissolved solutes. We then assess the performance of MD relative to other desalination processes, including reverse osmosis and multi-effect distillation, comparing various metrics including energy efficiency, energy quality, and susceptibility to fouling. By analyzing the impact of membrane properties on the energy efficiency of an MD desalination system, we demonstrate the importance of maximizing porosity and optimizing thickness to minimize energy consumption. We also show how ineffective heat recovery and temperature polarization can limit the energetic performance of MD and how novel process variants seek to reduce these inefficiencies. Fouling, scaling, and wetting can have a significant detrimental impact on MD performance. We outline how novel membrane designs with special surface wettability and process-based fouling control strategies may bolster membrane and process robustness. Finally, we explore applications where MD may be able to outperform established desalination technologies, increasing water production without consuming large amounts of electrical or high-grade thermal energy. We conclude by discussing the outlook for MD desalination, highlighting challenges and key areas for future research and development.
Nonlinear Prism Coupling and Propagation in Nonlinear Waveguides

Nonlinear waveguide theory has been shown to lead to a variety of intriguing phenomena [1]. Two of these effects have been studied experimentally: nonlinear prism coupling and propagation in nonlinear waveguides.
SoC Security Policy Verification

Verification of security policies represents one of the most critical, complex, and expensive steps of modern SoC design validation. SoC security policies are typically implemented as part of functional design flow, with a diverse set of protection mechanisms sprinkled across various IP blocks. An obvious upshot is that their verification requires comprehension and analysis of the entire system, representing a scalability bottleneck for verification tools. The scale and complexity of industrial SoC is far beyond the analysis capacity of state-of-the-art formal tools; even simulation-based security verification is severely limited in effectiveness because of the need to exercise subtle corner cases across the entire system. We address this challenge by developing a novel security architecture that accounts for verification needs from the ground up. Our framework, ArtiFact, provides an alternative architecture for security policy implementation that exploits a flexible, centralized, infrastructure IP and enables scalable, streamlined verification of these policies. With our architecture, verification of system-level security policies reduces to analysis of this single IP and its interfaces, enabling off-the-shelf formal tools to successfully verify these policies. We introduce a CAD flow that supports both formal and dynamic (simulation-based) verification, and is built on top of such off-the-shelf tools. We demonstrate reduced bug detection as well as verification time with our approach on illustrative policies.
Studies of the prothrombin activation pathway utilizing radioimmunoassays for the F2/F1 + 2 fragment and thrombin--antithrombin complex.

We have evaluated the efficacy of utilizing radioimmunoassays (RIAs) for prothrombin activation fragments (F2/F1 + 2) and for thrombin-- antithrombin complex (TAT) in purified systems and in whole blood. During venipuncture, appropriate anticoagulants were employed in order to prevent the generation of thrombin and factor Xa. The RIAs were shown to be specific for F2/F1 + 2 as well as TAT and did not interact with other plasma components. Initially, thrombin generation was studied in a purified human system of prothrombin, antithrombin, factor Xa, and factor V as well as phospholipid and Ca++. Under these conditions, the kinetics of F2/F1 + 2 and TAT generation were virtually superimposable. However, when factor V was omitted from the reaction mixture, a significantly greater amount of F2/F1 + 2 as compared to TAT was observable. Subsequently, prothrombin activation was monitored during the spontaneous coagulation of freshly drawn blood. Throughout the entire course of thrombin generation, the observable rate of formation of F2/F1 + 2 was considerably greater than that of TAT. We have examined the levels of F2/F1 + 2 and TAT in normal individuals. Our studies indicate that the concentrations of F1 + 2 and TAT average 1.97 nM and 2.32 nM, respectively. We have also quantitated the concentrations of F2/F1 + 2 and TAT in patients with disseminated intravascular coagulation. In these individuals, the levels of both components are elevated. However, the ratio of F1 + 2 to TAT ranges from 2.37 to 5.55. Thus, we conclude that under in vivo conditions, prothrombin activation is characterized by the accumulation of a stable precursor, such as prethrombin-2, and that this phenomenon may be related to an alteration of factor V function.
U. S. Fiscal Policy and Consumer Spending

Steindel’s paper focuses on the interaction of tax and transfer programs and consumer spending. The issue has attracted increased attention in the United States as a result of simultaneity of the first US recession in a decade and of the 2001 tax cut. Steindel points out that while the US experience supports some of the major implications of the life cycle/permanent income theory, some of the evidence also conflicts with it. For example, in accord with the theory, the response of US consumers to fiscal policy changes is smaller when they are explicitly declared as temporary. However, in contrast to the predictions of the theory, households do not anticipate policy changes until there is an actual effect on their cash flow, and they even seem to gauge the size of permanent policy changes by their short-term cash flow impact. Steindel suggests that the surprising sluggishness of the response may reflect the complexity of the US tax system and the policy process: since the tax law often changes, tax changes that are not explicitly temporary may not necessarily be viewed as permanent.
L-3,3’,5-triiodothyronine and pregnenolone sulfate inhibit Torpedo nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) is an excitatory pentameric ligand-gated ion channel (pLGIC), homologous to the inhibitory γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) type A receptor targeted by pharmaceuticals and endogenous sedatives. Activation of the GABAA receptor by the neurosteroid allopregnanolone can be inhibited competitively by thyroid hormone (L-3,3',5-triiodothyronine, or T3), but modulation of nAChR by T3 or neurosteroids has not been investigated. Here we show that allopregnanolone inhibits the nAChR from Torpedo californica at micromolar concentrations, as do T3 and the anionic neurosteroid pregnenolone sulfate (PS). We test for the role of protein and ligand charge in mediated receptor inhibition by varying pH in a narrow range around physiological pH. We find that both T3 and PS become less potent with increasing pH, with remarkably similar trends in IC50 when T3 is neutral at pH < 7.3. After deprotonation of T3 (but no additional deprotonation of PS) at pH 7.3, T3 loses potency more slowly with increasing pH than PS. We interpret this result as indicating the negative charge is not required for inhibition but does increase activity. Finally, we show that both T3 and PS affect nAChR channel desensitization, which may implicate a binding site homologous to one that was recently indicated for accelerated desensitization of the GABAA receptor by PS.
The Subjectivist Critique of Proportionality

Offenders vary in their sensitivity to punishment. In recent years, this observation has formed the basis of a critique of retributivism (the view that wrongdoers should suffer or be punished in proportion to the seriousness of their wrongdoing). According to the subjectivist critique, retributivists must choose between two bad options. If they ignore variation in how offenders experience punishment and are worsened by it, they will fail to justify punishment practices, such as incarceration, that inevitably inflict experiential harms and worsen offenders to varying degrees. Even if these harms do not formally constitute punishment, they reduce desert debt and must be considered to avoid overpunishment. If, however, retributivists properly consider experiential harms and other worsenings, they are led to counterintuitive results—for example, that the wealthy should generally spend less time in prison or have better conditions than the poor when they commit equally serious crimes. Hence, the subjectivist critique reveals that retributivism cannot justify common punishment practices, such as incarceration, without also leading to conclusions that most will find unappealing.
Distal Radius Fracture Hematoma Block with Combined Lidocaine and Bupivacaine can induce Seizures while within Therapeutic Window: A Case Report

Introduction: Hematoma blocks are effective pain management modalities for closed reduction of distal radius fractures. Complications of hematoma blocks are associated with systemic reaction to anesthetic used. Case Report: We present a case report of an elderly patient who received a hematoma block of lidocaine and bupivacaine for a distal radius fracture and subsequently developed a generalized tonic clonic seizure. The dose of both lidocaine and bupivacaine were well within the suggested dose limit. Conclusion: We conclude that hematoma blocks with a combination of anesthetics may decrease the threshold to neurologic complications, especially in elderly patients. Precautions and ready teratment measures should be made available while performing closed reduction.
Conditional Recurrent Flow: Conditional Generation of Longitudinal Samples With Applications to Neuroimaging

We develop a conditional generative model for longitudinal image datasets based on sequential invertible neural networks. Longitudinal image acquisitions are common in various scientific and biomedical studies where often each image sequence sample may also come together with various secondary (fixed or temporally dependent) measurements. The key goal is not only to estimate the parameters of a deep generative model for the given longitudinal data, but also to enable evaluation of how the temporal course of the generated longitudinal samples are influenced as a function of induced changes in the (secondary) temporal measurements (or events). Our proposed formulation incorporates recurrent subnetworks and temporal context gating, which provides a smooth transition in a temporal sequence of generated data that can be easily informed or modulated by secondary temporal conditioning variables. We show that the formulation works well despite the smaller sample sizes common in these applications. Our model is validated on two video datasets and a longitudinal Alzheimer's disease (AD) dataset for both quantitative and qualitative evaluations of the generated samples. Further, using our generated longitudinal image samples, we show that we can capture the pathological progressions in the brain that turn out to be consistent with the existing literature, and could facilitate various types of downstream statistical analysis.
A technology evaluation of Annovera: a segesterone acetate and ethinyl estradiol vaginal ring used to prevent pregnancy for up to one year

The segesterone acetate and ethinyl estradiol contraceptive vaginal ring (SA/EE CVR) was FDA-approved in August 2018 and is now available in the U.S. The CVR is placed vaginally for 21 days followe...
Ixazomib, dexamethasone, and rituximab in treatment-naive patients with Waldenström macroglobulinemia: long-term follow-up.

Proteasome inhibition is a standard of care for the primary treatment of patients with Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM). We present the long-term follow-up of a prospective, phase II clinical trial that evaluated the combination of ixazomib, dexamethasone, and rituximab (IDR) in 26 treatment-naive patients with WM. IDR was administered as 6 monthly induction cycles followed by 6 every-2-month maintenance cycles. The MYD88 L265P mutation was detected in all patients, and CXCR4 mutations were detected in 15 patients (58%). The median time to response (TTR) and time to major response (TTMR) were 2 and 6 months, respectively. Patients with and without CXCR4 mutations had median TTR of 3 months and 1 month, respectively (P = .003), and median TTMR of 10 months and 3 months, respectively (P = .31). The overall, major, and very good partial response (VGPR) rates were 96%, 77%, and 19%, respectively. The rate of VGPR in patients with and without CXCR4 mutations were 7% and 36%, respectively (P = .06). The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 40 months, the median duration of response (DOR) was 38 months, and the median time to next treatment (TTNT) was 40 months. PFS, DOR, and TTNT were not affected by CXCR4 mutational status. The safety profile was excellent with no grade 4 adverse events or deaths to date. IDR provides a safe and effective frontline treatment option for symptomatic patients with WM. This study was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02400437.
“Latino” or “Hispanic”? The Sociodemographic Correlates of Panethnic Label Preferences among U.S. Latinos/Hispanics:

Despite different origins, “Hispanic” and “Latino” are often used interchangeably to describe people with Latin American ancestry in the United States. Nevertheless, research consistently finds aro...
Competing risk analysis of ventricular arrhythmia events in heart failure patients with moderately compromised renal dysfunction.

AIMS Patients with impaired renal function were shown to have an attenuated benefit from implantable cardioverter-defibrillator. However, there are limited data on the competing risk of ventricular arrhythmia events and death by renal function in patients without severe disease. Therefore, we aimed to assess the competing risk of ventricular arrhythmia events and death by renal function. METHODS AND RESULTS We analysed 1782 patients (99%) enrolled in Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial-Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (MADIT-CRT) with glomerular filtration rate (GFR) data available. Cumulative incidence function curves were used to display the rate of ventricular tachycardia (VT), ventricular fibrillation (VF), and the competing risk of death without experiencing VT/VF. Multivariable Fine and Gray regression models and recurrent event analysis were performed. There were 355 (20%) patients with GFR < 52 and 1427 with GFR ≥ 52 (lowest quintile). The incidence of non-fatal VT/VF at 4 years was higher in patients with high GFR (26%) as compared to low GFR (16%), whereas rates of death without non-fatal VT/VF were 5% and 20% (P < 0.001). In Fine and Gray models, the low GFR group was 35% less likely to experience VT/VF compared to the high GFR [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.48-0.88, P = 0.005]. In contrast,death without experiencing VT/VF was 3.5-fold higher in the low GFR group (95% CI 2.38-5.12, P-value < 0.001). Recurrent event analysis consistently showed a lower risk of recurrent VT/VF, recurrent anti-tachycardia pacing only, and shock in the low GFR group. CONCLUSIONS We show, in a competing risk model, a lower risk of VT/VF events and a higher risk of mortality without an arrhythmic event in patients with moderate renal dysfunction in MADIT-CRT. These findings can be used for improved selection of patients for defibrillator therapy among CRT candidates. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00180271.
Increases in Loneliness Among Young Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Association With Increases in Mental Health Problems.

Abstract Purpose Young adults are at high risk for increases in loneliness and mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study examined increases in loneliness in a young adult sample, for whom increases were greater, and association with increases in depression and anxiety. Method Data from 564 young adults (ages 22–29, 60.7% women) were collected in January 2020 (pre-pandemic) and April/May 2020 (during pandemic). Results Loneliness increased from January to April/May and changes in loneliness were greater for females, those with higher perceived social support in January, and those with greater concerns about the pandemic's social impacts. Depression (but not anxiety) increased during this time with changes in loneliness accounting for much of the increase in depression. Conclusions Intervention strategies with young adults need to address loneliness and feelings of reduced social support during this time, especially for those who may have had greater disruption in their social lives.
Patients with insulin-dependent diabetes are at greater risk for perioperative adverse outcomes following total hip arthroplasty.

Background The prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) continues to increase among patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA). It is unclear how insulin use is correlated with risk for adverse outcomes. Methods A cohort of 146,526 patients undergoing primary THA were identified in the 2005-2017 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Patients were classified as insulin-dependent diabetic (IDDM), non-insulin-dependent diabetic (NIDDM), or not diabetic. Multivariate analyses were used. Results Compared to patients without diabetes, patients with NIDDM were at increased risk for 4 of 17 perioperative adverse outcomes studied. Patients with IDDM were at increased risk for those 4 and 8 additional adverse outcomes (12 of the 17 studied). Conclusion These findings have important implications for preoperative risk stratification and quality improvement initiatives.
Use of psychiatric medication by college students: A decade of data

OBJECTIVES Given the rising prevalence of psychiatric symptomatology among college students, this analysis aims to identify temporal trends in psychiatric medication usage. METHODS This analysis used data from the Healthy Minds Study Survey administered between 2007 and 2019, yielding a sample of 320,817 university students. Survey data were examined via descriptive analyses. RESULTS Over the last decade from 2007 to 2018-2019, there was an increase in use of nearly all classes of psychiatric medications, with reported antidepressant medication (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors [SSRIs], serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors [SNRIs], etc.) use increasing from 8.0% to 15.3%, anti-anxiety medication (benzodiazepines, buspirone, etc.) from 3.0% to 7.6%, psychostimulants from 2.1% to 6.3%, antipsychotics from 0.38% to 0.92%, and mood stabilizers from 0.8% to 2.0% (all p < 0.0001), respectively. In addition, the use of more than one category of medication at a time has increased, from 28.2% in 2007 to 40.8% in 2018-2019 (p < 0.0001). The proportion of students who received their most recent prescription for psychiatric medication from primary care providers has risen from 49.1% in 2007 to 58.8% in 2018-2019 (p < 0.0001), while the proportion receiving these prescriptions from psychiatric providers did not increase significantly and stands at 36.1% in 2018-2019. The percentage of students taking psychiatric medication without a prescription varied from year to year, starting at 11.9% in 2007 and ending at 7.7% in 2018-2019 (p < 0.0001). The proportion of students who discussed their use of psychiatric medication with their doctor or other health professional three or more times in the previous year has increased from 39.2% in 2007 to 49.5% in 2018-2019 (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS The proportion of college students who have taken psychiatric medications of all categories has risen in the last decade; these students are increasingly likely to be on more than one kind of psychiatric medication and be treated by healthcare providers at a greater frequency. Despite the growing complexity of student treatment, the proportion of students receiving psychiatric medication management by psychiatric providers has not changed, while the proportion receiving services in primary care settings has increased.
Infant nutrition – review of lipid innovation in infant formula

Summary Breastfeeding provides the optimum nutrition for infants, supplying macro- and micronutrients in readily absorbable forms. It is almost 100 years since the first artificial feeds were created in an attempt to ‘humanise’ cows' milk. Formula improvements have taken place over the decades; advances in food technology supported by clinical studies have contributed to the aim of matching the composition and functional outcomes of breastmilk in formula manufacture. It is possible to alter the structure of triglycerides in vegetable oil, in order to more closely match their composition and structure in breastmilk fat. Clinical research in infant formula for pre-term and term infants supports the safety and beneficial nutritional outcomes of this innovation, which are the subject of a health claim submission currently being evaluated by the European Food Safety Authority.
ITERATIVE DENSE CORRESPONDENCE CORRECTION THROUGH BUNDLE ADJUSTMENT FEEDBACK-BASED ERROR DETECTION

A novel method to detect and correct inaccuracies in a set of unconstrained dense correspondences between two images is presented. Starting with a robust, general-purpose dense correspondence algorithm, an initial pose estimate and dense 3D scene reconstruction are obtained and bundle-adjusted. Reprojection errors are then computed for each correspondence pair, which is used as a metric to distinguish high and low-error correspondences. An affine neighborhood-based coarse-to-fine iterative search algorithm is then applied only on the high-error correspondences to correct their positions. Such an error detection and correction mechanism is novel for unconstrained dense correspondences, for example not obtained through epipolar geometry-based guided matching. Results indicate that correspondences in regions with issues such as occlusions, repetitive patterns and moving objects can be identified and corrected, such that a more accurate set of dense correspondences results from the feedback-based process, as proven by more accurate pose and structure estimates.
Note: The U.S. Discovery-EU Privacy Directive Conflict: Constructing a Three-Tiered Compliance Strategy

This note examines the conflicts of laws issue faced by trans-border civil litigants attempting to comply with both the U.S. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the requirements of the EU Privacy Directive. This note first sifts through the quagmire of regulations, and then attempts to help trans-border litigants view the U.S. discovery-EU data protection conflict through a transnational legal lens, and concludes by constructing a three-tiered strategy for compliance that respects U.S., EU and international law.
Global, Regional, Transnational, Translocal

The globalization of media industries has proceeded by a process of accumulation or sedimentation of layers or spaces that burst upon the world media stage but gradually take their place as parts, often very important parts, of complex industries such as television. One of the first ways that this process became visible, historically, was through the growth of different kinds of television to fill different spaces. To continue this theoretical reexamination, several key moments from the example of Brazilian network television are examined and theorized. It is a prominent case of a cultural industries’ growth from import substitution to increasing national self-sufficiency and then to transitional and global prominence as an exporter.
Socrates and Philosophical Practice

Interpreters of the Phaedo often cite the Pythagorean context of the dialogue as a source of influence on the demanding conception of philosophy defended therein. Sandra Peterson offers a striking account of that influence: the Pythagorean sympathies of Socrates's interlocutors lead him to defend a conception of philosophy that captures their commitments, but that he himself rejects. Call this the Strong Influence Thesis (SIT). Peterson defends SIT by attempting to demonstrate a mismatch between the conception of philosophy espoused by Socrates in the Apology and ‘true philosophy’ as described in the Phaedo. Assessing this defence thus requires a detailed examination of both sides of the comparison. This paper undertakes that task. I argue that when the beliefs and norms that define both philosophical lives are correctly understood, the appearance of a significant mismatch fades away. The life of true philosophy realizes the Apology ideal of caring most about wisdom, truth, and the best possible state of ...
The disintegrin contortrostatin in combination with docetaxel is a potent inhibitor of prostate cancer in vitro and in vivo

BACKGROUND There are few available treatments for hormone refractory prostate cancer. Through the inhibition of integrins, contortrostatin (CN) effects tumor cell growth directly as well as through the inhibition of angiogenesis. The effect of CN in combination with docetaxel on prostate cancer cell lines in vitro and in vivo is evaluated in the present study. METHODS FACS analysis of integrin expression, assessment of CN and docetaxel exposure on viability of plated cancer cells, and scratch test migration analysis were performed on PC-3 prostate cancer cells. CN and docetaxel inhibition of both PC-3 and CWR-22 prostate cancer cell lines were evaluated in a mouse xenograft bone model. Angiogenic activity in tumors were assessed using IHC with antibodies to CD31. RESULTS Cell culture experiments indicate that the combination of docetaxel and CN inhibits growth in an additive fashion. FACS analysis of PC-3 cells shows expression of α5β1 and αvβ5 integrins, but little expression of the αvβ3. CN showed complete inhibition of PC-3 migration in cultures grown on matrigel plates. In mice xenograft bone models, CN with docetaxel showed increased inhibition of both PC-3 and CWR-22 derived tumors. Analysis of treated xenograft tumors showed significantly decreased expression of CD31 indicating suppression of angiogenesis. Prostate 70:1359–1370, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The Greater Good Defence

Most if not all theistic attempts to resolve the problem of evil make use in some way of the greater-good defence (hereafter the GGD1).1 Few if any philosophers have given more concentrated attention to this defence than Keith Yandell.2 In simple terms the defence runs as follows.
Fertility is reduced after restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch anal anastomosis: a study of 300 patients.

Background Restorative proctocolectomy and ileal pouch anal anastomosis (RP/IPAA) has become the gold standard surgical therapy for the majority of patients with mucosal ulcerative colitis and familial adenomatous polyposis. The aims of this study were to evaluate the fertility rates before and after RP/IPAA, to compare them with the reproductive data of the general United States population, and to determine surgical parameters that might influence subsequent fertility. Methods Three hundred women of reproductive age who underwent RP/IPAA between 1983 and 2001 completed a mailed questionnaire regarding their reproductive function before and after the procedure. Additional information was obtained from the pelvic pouch database. The reproductive information was compared to age-matched historical control subjects from the United States general population. The associations between changes in fertility and surgical parameters were also investigated. Results The median (25th, 75th percentile) age at surgery was 28 (24, 33) years. Out of 300 women, 206 attempted to conceive. Before operation, 48 (38%) of 127 patients were unsuccessful after 1 year of unprotected intercourse, whereas after operation, 76 (56%) of 135 patients were unsuccessful. This infertility rate was higher after operation than before (P Conclusions There was an increase in the infertility rate after RP/IPAA. Intraoperative blood transfusion had a negative impact on the fertility rate after operation in patients who tried to conceive both before and after RP/IPAA.
Undercover Asian: Multiracial Asian Americans in Visual Culture

Multiracial individuals are often uncritically venerated as a beacon of post-racial progress, as if their mere existence serves to mark the end of racial anxieties. LeiLani Nishime's book Undercove...
Sodium hydroxide pretreatment of genetically modified switchgrass for improved enzymatic release of sugars.

Abstract Overcoming biomass recalcitrance to bioconversion is crucial for cellulosic biofuels commercialization. In this study, Alamo switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum L. ) was genetically transformed to suppress the expression of 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (4CL). The transgenic plants were determined to have lignin content reductions of up to 5.8%. The ratios of acid soluble lignin (ASL) to acid insoluble lignin (AIL) and syringyl/guaiacyl ( S / G ) in transgenic plants were 21.4–64.3% and 11.8–164.5%, respectively, higher than those of conventional biomass. Both conventional and transgenic plants were pretreated with 0.5%, 1%, and 2% (w/v) NaOH for 15, 30, and 60 min at 121 °C, followed by enzymatic hydrolysis with commercial cellulases and xylanases. At the optimal conditions, the glucan and xylan conversion efficiency in the best transgenic plants were 16% and 18% higher than the conventional plant, respectively. The results show that down-regulation of 4CL gene promoted enzymatic hydrolysis of plant cell walls following a mild alkali pretreatment.
IMMUNIZATION EXPERIMENTS WITH LECITHIN

In testing several egg lecithin preparations prepared by ourselves it was found that they did not react in complement fixation tests with immune sera made by injections with commercial egg lecithin Merck. With the flocculation method two of the preparations reacted only faintly. Also the brain lecithin and hydrolecithin gave no distinct reactions. The immunization experiments of Sachs and Klopstock could easily be confirmed when commercial egg lecithin Merck was used for the injections. Immunizations with brain lecithin and hydrolecithin yielded no active sera. With an egg lecithin (No. 1) prepared by us the results were not satisfactory though a great number of injections was made. Only one serum gave reactions of medium strength by complement fixation and in flocculation tests with emulsions of Merck lecithin. It did not react however with the lecithin preparation No. 1 itself. In this respect the results resemble to a certain degree those of Sachs and Klopstock with their lecithin Bohringer immune serum. While the reactions of Merck lecithin were slightly diminished by the removal of cholesterol) addition of cholesterol to the lecithin No. 1 had no marked effect on the complement fixation tests, even when a larger amount was added than that present in the Merck preparation. The cholesterol content of this lecithin therefore does not suffice to account for the difference in the results. It is noteworthy that our lecithin immune serum No. 967 gave complement fixation with emulsions of cholesterol although this substance was not present in the injected material. There are several plausible explanations for our results. According to one, the production of antibodies for lecithin would depend on certain physicochemical conditions of the emulsion injected or upon the presence of auxiliary substances in the lecithin preparation (cf. Sachs and Klopstock). Another possibility is that the active agent inducing the formation of antibodies is not lecithin itself but some other substance present in the active lecithin preparations. With regard to the latter assumption it may be mentioned that we obtained definite immunization effects from several injections of quantities as little as 0.2 mg. of purified preparations of Forssman's heterogcnetic haptene mixed with pig serum.(2) To decide between the alternative explanations, further studies are necessary.
The Eyes of Woodrow Wilson: Retinal Vascular Disease and George de Schweinitz

Woodrow Wilson suffered a retinal hemorrhage in 1906, which is central to a historical controversy over whether medical problems significantly affected his political behavior prior to his stroke of October 1919. In terms of modern knowledge, the most likely cause of the event of 1906 is a retinal vein occlusion. Confidence in this judgment is gained from evidence that George de Schweinitz, one of the prominent ophthalmologists of his day, examined Wilson and showed through writings that he was well aware of the major categories of retinal vascular disease that are recognized today. Wilson was also subject to more ordinary problems, illustrated by anecdotes about his refractive errors, difficulty in learning to read, asthenopic symptoms, and visual problems with golf.
Seven deadly sins in confronting endemic iodine deficiency, and how to avoid them.

Iodine deficiency is a problem for almost all countries of the world. Goiter is its most obvious consequence, but others do more damage, particularly effects on the developing brain. In 1990, most countries and international agencies pledged the virtual elimination of iodine deficiency by the year 2000. The technology for the assessment and implementation is sufficient to attain this goal, but translating its potential into success requires careful planning. This article reviews seven major errors that frequently occur in iodine supplementation programs and offers suggestions for their avoidance. They are 1) unreliable assessment of iodine deficiency: the best indicators are urinary iodine concentration, thyroid size (preferably by ultrasound), blood spot thyroglobulin levels, and neonatal TSH determinations; the best group for surveys is schoolchildren; 2) poor iodine supplementation plan: iodized salt is the preferred supplement; its effective application frequently requires extensive changes in salt pr...
Decentralization and Corruption: New Cross-Country Evidence

We attempt to improve the understanding and measurement of decentralization and its relationship with corruption in a worldwide context. This is done by presenting the conceptual underpinnings of such a relationship as well as using more defensible measures of both decentralization in its various dimensions as well as corruption for a sample of 158 countries. It is the first paper that treats various tiers of local governments (below the intermediate order of government) as the unit of comparative analysis. By pursuing rigorous econometric analysis we demonstrate that decentralization, when properly measured to mean moving government closer to people by empowering local governments, is shown to have a significant negative effect on the incidence of corruption regardless of the choice of the estimation procedures or the measures of corruption used. In terms of various dimensions of decentralized local governance, political decentralization matters even when we control for fiscal decentralization. Further v...
FATTY ACIDS FROM LARVAL SULCASCARIS SP. (NEMATODA) AS POSSIBLE INDICATORS OF INFECTION OF CALICO SCALLOPS (ARGOPECTEN GIBBUS)

Fatty acid profiles of larval nematodes (stage- 4 Sulcascaris sp.), of tissue from their intermediate host (calico scallops, Argopecten gibbus), and of the host capsule that surrounds the larvae were prepared in an attempt to identify infected scallops. Nematode tissue showed lower ratios of C14:O/C14:1, C16:0/C16:1 and C18:0/C18:1 than did scallop tissue. The nematodes contained relatively less C16:0 and more C18:2 than did scallops. Fatty acids shorter than C14:0 were found in small amounts in both organisms. Fatty acid profiles of capsules differed little from those of normal scallop tissue.
The UV continuum 1450 2100 Å and the problem of the solar temperature minimum

This study is based on a set of ten solar rocket spectra well exposed for photometry photographed on July 27, 1966 by Purcell, Snider, and Tousey. The photometry of the far UV continuum illustrates the transition of the solar temperature minimum at 1700 A in the solar spectrum - (a) the continuum intensity decreases by 30–50% between 1700 A and the1 D limit of silicon at 1682 A, and (b) the equivalent brightness temperature shows minimum values throughout the spectral range 1540–1682 A, which average just under 4700 ± 100K. The minimum UV brightness temperature is 300K higher than the far infrared measurement of the solar minimum temperature, and possible reasons for this are discussed. Brightness temperatures measured in prominent CO band heads and in the aluminum 1937 A auto-ionization line also are given.
MOLECULAR ACTIVATION BY SURFACE COORDINATION : NEW MODEL FOR HCL REACTIVITY ON WATER-ICE POLAR STRATOSPHERIC CLOUDS

The annual depletion of the ozone layer in the polar stratosphere has received considerable scrutiny, particularly in the area of conversion chemistry involving chlorine. Numerous studies have implicated polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) as playing a fundamental role in the conversion of reservoir chlorine species, such as HCl and ClONO{sub 2}, into active forms of chlorine such as Cl{sub 2} Results of studies of the uptake of HCl by the deuterated analogue of protonated water clusters are reported. The successive uptake of nHCl n = 1--4 is observed, n = 2--4 appearing in a stepwise manner with a ratio of 6:1 D{sub 2}O/HCl for the bimolecular reaction products. This primary uptake scheme is observed over a range of pressures and temperatures. However, for increased flows of HCl, enhanced uptake is observed at a lower ratio of D{sub 2}O/HCl, a trend that is effected by an increased buffer gas pressure. Two distinctly dominant mechanisms of HCl uptake are operative: the bimolecular uptake of HCl in a 6:1 ratio with water and a subsequent association mechanism of HCl binding to water in a 3:1 ratio. The atmospheric implications are discussed along with a proposed molecular activation by surface coordination (MASC) model for HClmore » uptake and subsequent reactivity on polar stratospheric clouds.« less
Notch-dependent T-lineage commitment occurs at extrathymic sites following bone marrow transplantation

Early T-lineage progenitors (ETPs) arise after colonization of the thymus by multipotent bone marrow progenitors. ETPs likely serve as physiologic progenitors of T-cell development in adult mice, although alternative T-cell differentiation pathways may exist. While we were investigating mechanisms of T-cell reconstitution after bone marrow transplantation (BMT), we found that efficient donor-derived thymopoiesis occurred before the pool of ETPs had been replenished. Simultaneously, T lineage–restricted progenitors were generated at extrathymic sites, both in the spleen and in peripheral lymph nodes, but not in the bone marrow or liver. The generation of these T lineage–committed cells occurred through a Notch-dependent differentiation process. Multipotent bone marrow progenitors efficiently gave rise to extrathymic T lineage–committed cells, whereas common lymphoid progenitors did not. Our data show plasticity of T-lineage commitment sites in the post-BMT environment and indicate that Notch-driven extrathymic Tlineage commitment from multipotent progenitors may contribute to early T-lineage reconstitution after BMT.