cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Weak sensory stimuli induce a phase sensitive bradycardia.

ABSTRACT We attempted to demonstrate that significant perceptual stimuli would induce different degrees of heart rate deceleration depending on when (phase) in the cardiac cycle they occurred. Relative to previous work, we concurrently examined a number of factors that might alter the amplitude of such a cardiac cycle time effect. Stimulus intensity and presence or absence of a speeded response were manipulated. Liminal stimuli and a perceptual rather than motor set were expected to maximize any cardiac cycle time effect. Respiratory phase, length of average interbeat interval, and number of trials were also investigated. Twenty-four college aged, male volunteers were randomly separated into equal groups receiving instructions either to judge which of two weak visual stimuli occurred or to execute a speeded, discriminative response to the stimuli. Discriminative stimuli were presented at either 0, 150, 250, 350, or 500 ms after the R-wave of the electrocardiogram. Stimuli were presented with an intensity that had yielded either 63% or 90% correct detections in a prior psychophysical assessment. A phase dependent deceleration occurred after both intensities of stimuli. Poststimulus deceleration was greater for stimuli in early to mid cycle as suggested by earlier work. As expected, this result was clear when the stimuli were presented during the expiratory phase of respiration. Neither perceptual/motor set nor stimulus intensity altered the phase sensitive deceleration. Thus, phase sensitive deceleration was confirmed using demanding sensory stimuli and an improved representational technique. Integrative Summary By controlling response speed and graphically separating anticipatory and stimulus induced effects, we have demonstrated primary bradycardia. Poststimulus deceleration was a decreasing function of time of stimulus presentation within the cardiac cycle. As expected, primary bradycardia was present during the expiratory phase, but not the inspiratory phase of respiration. Manipulations designed to enhance perceptual analysis altered performance but failed to significantly alter the cardiac response. Thus, we were able to produce a robust primary bradycardia, but were unable to alter the strength of primary bradycardia by manipulation of perceptual variables.
Structure determination of Ca2MnO4 and Ca2MnO3.5 by X-ray and neutron methods

Abstract The X-ray structure of Ca 2 MnO 4 by single crystal analysis and the X-ray and neutron structures of polycrystalline Ca 2 MnO 3.5 by Rietveld analysis have been determined. Ca 2 MnO 4 crystallizes in the tetragonal space group I 4 1 / acd with lattice constants a = 5.183(1) A˚and c = 24.117(4) A˚, a super-cell ( a = √2a′, c = 2c′) of the I 4/ mmm unit cell reported from powder diffraction work. This larger unit cell results from rotations of the MnO 6 octahedra about their z axes which produce a Mn O Mn bond angle of 161.6° between corner-connected polyhedra. Ca 2 MnO 3.5 crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Bbcm with lattice constants a = 5.30 A˚, b = 10.05 A˚, and c = 12.23 A˚. The oxygen defects in the structure produce layers of interconnected MnO 5 square-pyramids analogous to those found in the defect perovskite CaMnO 2.5 . The relationship between theCa 2 MnO 4 /Ca 2 MnO 3.5 and the CaMnO 3 /CaMnO 2.5 structures is discussed.
Computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging: developmental points of emphasis.

Approximately 1.1 million Americans suffer a myocardial infarction each year and coronary heart disease accounts for over half a million deaths in the USA annually [1]. This has led to the developm...
A Simple Modification to Prevent Side Reactions in Swern-Type Oxidations Using Py·SO3

Additional pyridine was used to convert pyridine sulfuric acid 1:1 salt in commercial pyridine sulfur trioxide to the inactive 2:1 salt and prevent side reactions in the Swern oxidation.
The chlorination kinetics of zirconium dioxide in the presence of carbon and carbon monoxide

Chlorination of zirconium dioxide, an important step in the commercial production of reactor grade zirconium metal, has been studied using carbon and carbon monoxide as reductants. Zirconium tetrachloride was produced when the oxide was reacted with chlorine alone above 1000°C; by introducing carbon the reaction temperatures could be lowered 200°C, and when carbon monoxide was used the reaction temperatures necessary for similar rates were even lower. With carbon monoxide the chlorination of zirconium dioxide is described by two regions differentiated by temperature and the dependence of reaction rate upon chlorine and carbon monoxide pressures.
Agent-based reconfigurable architecture for real-time object tracking

Most conventional object tracking algorithms are implemented on general-purpose processors in software due to its great flexibility. However, the real-time performance is hard to achieve due to the inherent characteristics of the sequential processing of these processors. To tackle this issue, a reconfigurable system-on-chip (rSoC) platform with microprocessors and FPGAs is applied in this paper. To simplify the hardware/software interface, a Belief–Desire–Intention (BDI)-based multi-agent architecture is proposed as the unified framework. Then an agent-based task graph and two heuristic partitioning methods are proposed to partition the hardware and software on an rSoC platform. Compared to the module-based architecture, this BDI-based multi-agent architecture provides more efficiency, flexibility, autonomy, and scalability for the real-time tracking systems. A particle swarm optimization (PSO)-based object detection and tracking algorithm is applied to evaluate the proposed architecture. Extensive experimental results of object tracking demonstrate that the proposed architecture is efficient and highly robust with real-time performance.
MIXED CULTURES OF AVIAN BLASTODERM CELLS AND THE QUAIL MESODERM CELL LINE QCE-6 PROVIDE EVIDENCE FOR THE PLURIPOTENTIALITY OF EARLY MESODERM

Abstract During the early stages of embryogenesis, the mesoderm gives rise to cells of the cardiovascular system which include cardiac myocytes and vascular endothelial and red blood cells. We have investigated the development of these cell phenotypes using aggregate cultures of avian blastoderm cells, which replicated mesodermal cell diversification. The cell phenotypes expressed by the blastoderm cells were dependent upon the age of the blastoderm cells, with Hamburger–Hamilton stage 3 or 4 cells giving rise to endothelial and red blood cells and stage 5 cells producing endothelial and myocardial cells. To begin to understand the stage dependency of the cellular diversification of these aggregate cultures, we treated the cultures with various signaling factors that have been shown to be present in the early avian embryo. These experiments showed that stem cell factor and TGFα altered cell phenotypes by stimulating red blood cell and myocardial differentiation, respectively. The ability of these growth factors to shift the differentiation profile of aggregate cultures demonstrated the plasticity of early embryonic cells. To explore the diversification of individual mesodermal cells, labeled QCE-6 cells were incorporated within these blastoderm aggregate cultures. Previous studies have shown that this quail mesodermal cell line possesses characteristics of early nondifferentiated mesodermal cells and can be induced to express either myocardial or endothelial cell phenotypes (C. A. Eisenberg and D. M. Bader, 1996,Circ. Res.78, 205–216). In the present study, we show that when these cells were cultured as a component of blastoderm cell aggregates, they differentiated into fully contractile cardiomyocytes or endothelial or red blood cells. Moreover, QCE-6 cell differentiation was in accordance with that displayed by the blastoderm cells. Specifically, QCE-6 cells differentiated into red blood cells when cultured within stage 3 or stage 4, but not stage 5, blastoderm cell aggregates. Accordingly, the differentiation of QCE-6 cells into beating cardiomyocytes only occurred when these cells were incorporated into stage 5 blastoderm cell aggregates. The identical sorting and differentiation patterns that were exhibited by QCE-6 and blastoderm cells suggest that expression of differentiated cell types within the early mesoderm is directed by the surrounding environment without immediate cellular commitment. In addition, these results provide further evidence that QCE-6 cells are representative of a multipotential mesodermal stem cell and that they possess the potential to exhibit fully differentiated cell phenotypes.
Diagonalization of the vector addition theorem

The development of fast algorithms for integral equation solvers opens up new realms for the applications of integral equation solvers [V. Rokhlin, 1990; C.C. Lu and W.C. Chew, 1994; J.M. Song and W.C. Chew, 1995; W.C. Chew et al., 2001]. One of these is their use in the arena of circuits, micro-circuits and nanotechnologies. Often time, the use of fast solvers in this arena calls for the combined use of fast algorithms where both wave physics and circuit physics are captured well by the solvers [L.J. Jiang and W.C. Chew, 2005].
Diagnosing hysterical conversion reactions in children

To assist pediatricians in the early, accurate diagnosis of conversion reactions, a biopsychosocial profile of index patients and families was established. Utilizing a chart audit, all pediatric inpatients with conversion reactions at Children's Hospital Medical Center from July, 1976, through June, 1979, were compared with controls matched for age and socioeconomic status. Data on the medical history, physical examination, and hospital course were uniformly collected for 105 cases and contrasted with those in 105 controls. The mean age was 12.1 years; 47% were male and 53% were famale. Compared to controls, the children with conversion reaction had a higher frequency of recent family stress (97%), unresolved grief reactions (58%), and family communication problems (77%). Three case reports describe the pediatrician's use of the medical history, physical examination, and hospital course to diagnose conversion symptoms.
Spelling treatment for an individual with dysgraphia: Analysis of generalisation to untrained words

Background: Despite the fact that spelling impairments are common following left hemisphere injury, only a limited number of studies have examined effects of treatments for acquired spelling disorders. In general, following spelling treatment, individuals with spelling impairments related to the orthographic output lexicon have demonstrated improvements restricted to trained words, whereas individuals with impairments of the graphemic buffer demonstrate spelling improvements for both trained and untrained items. Aims: This study was designed to examine patterns of spelling generalisation following treatment in an individual whose spelling impairment related to disruption affecting at least these two stages in the spelling process. Methods & Procedures: Assessment of spelling abilities in one gentleman, NM, with severe agraphia indicated impairment related to the orthographic output lexicon and graphemic buffer stages of spelling. In a single subject experimental treatment design, we employed a copy and re...
The contractile state of the heart as expressed by force-velocity relations.

A PROBLEM OF increasing concern and interest to the cardiologist in the evaluation and care of the patient with known or suspected heart disease is an assessment of the contractility of the myocardium. Unless cardiac function is markedly reduced, impairment of myocardial performance may not be evident in terms of hemodynamic dysfunction. Conversely, in the presence of abnormal hemodynamic loads such as occur with valvular disease, abnormal shunts, or hypertension, the secondary effects of congestive heart failure and circulatory insufficiency may ensue; it then becomes difficult or even impossible to assess the primary and intrinsic defect in the performance of the ventricular muscle. For example, congestive heart failure may ensue in the presence of severe valvular abnormalities despite an ostensibly normal myocardium. Various methods and approaches to the problem which have been extended from the animal laboratory to the evaluation of the human heart have been based on the characteristics of the ventricle as a pump. Unfortunately, most, if not all, of these methods are limited by the associated effects of abnormal loading. Further, it is now increasingly clear that a definition of the contractility of the myocardium per se requires the consideration of the heart as a muscle, as well as a pump.
Gynecologic disorders in women with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

We characterized the population with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome with regard to genital prolapse, urinary incontinence, and other gynecologic disorders. Forty-one adult women who had registered for a first-ever Ehlers-Danlos multidis-ciplinary clinic participated in the study. Each had a comprehensive standardized evaluation, including gynecologic history, physical examination, urodynamic testing, and physical therapy evaluation. Qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed to determine means for various gynecologic disorders of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. The frequencies of incontinence complaints (59%), endometriosis (27%), dyspa-reunia (57%), and previous hysterectomy (44%) were higher than expected for a population with a mean age of 41 years. Incontinence could not be demonstrated objectively. Prolapse was diagnosed in 12 (29.3%). Careful attention should be paid to women with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome because of an association with many gynecologic complaints. Women with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome should be questioned regarding incontinence, genital prolapse, endometriosis, and dyspa-reunia. (J Soc Gynecol Invest 1995;2:559-64)
Host defense during pregnancy: neutrophil chemotaxis and adherence.

Pregnancy is associated with impairment in several immunologic functions that effect the outcome of certain infectious and autoimmune diseases. Previous studies have indicated that pregnant women have decreased neutrophil motility, but results are discordant. We performed a longitudinal study of polymorphonuclear leukocyte chemotaxis using a micropore filter assay and polymorphonuclear leukocyte adherence using a nylon wool column assay in 58 women during pregnancy, delivery, and the postpartum period. Polymorphonuclear leukocyte chemotaxis was decreased significantly in pregnant women during the second (−20%) and third (−17%) trimesters and 1 to 3 months post partum (−18%), but not during the first trimester (−6%) compared with nonpregnant control subjects. The impairment in polymorphonuclear leukocyte chemotaxis appeared to be a cell-associated rather than a humoral defect. Polymorphonuclear leukocyte adherence was decreased significantly in pregnant women during the third trimester (−16%). These data may help explain the increased incidence of infection and amelioration of certain immunologically mediated illnesses during pregnancy.
‘An Extremely Pleasant New Kind of World’: Hughes Mearns and the Open-Access Approach to Creative Writing

This article examines the pedagogy of Hughes Mearns, the arguable founder of academic creative writing in the United States in the 1930's and 1940's, in order to better understand issues of access and educational purpose for creative writing instruction. Mearns' belief in the imaginative ability of all students paralleled cultural messages at the time about the collective rather than selective ability of individuals to write creatively and the importance of providing individuals with creative writing instruction. The open-access view is evident in interdisciplinary approaches to creative writing including CWAC – or Writing Across the Curriculum initiatives that use creative genres to teach low- and high-stakes writing. Overall, the affirmative vision of creative writing as an academic pursuit that needs to be widely taught is a view that should remain central to the purpose of Creative Writing Studies.
Is Diagnostic Evidence on the Dilution Effect Weakened When Nondiagnostic Objections Are Added? A Response to Igou (2007):

Kemmelmeier (2007) challenges the notion of conversational basis of the dilution effect by providing a reanalysis of Igou and Bless (2005), new data, and a metaanalysis. Responding to this evidence, Igou (2007) raises a number of objections that are demonstrated to be without merit against the conclusion that the dilution effect is not the result of the applicable conversational norms. However, Igou points to an unanswered question concerning the role of processing motivation in the emergence of the dilution effect.
Cross-fostering in coyotes: Evaluation of a potential conservation and research tool for canids

Cross-fostering has been attempted opportunistically with endangered canids as a means of increasing populations. Due to the usefulness of cross-fostering for conservation, an understanding of factors influencing success rates is essential. Using captive coyotes (Canis latrans) as a model, we assessed the willingness of adult pairs to foster young born to other parents. We assessed the efficacy of fostering pups into existing litters (augmentation) and completely switching litters (replacement). We augmented four litters with two pups of similar age when pups were <7 days old. In addition, we replaced four entire litters when pups were <10 days old. We also augmented litters with pups 3-4 and 6-7 weeks of age. Sur- vival, weight gain, and dominance status of pups were monitored for six weeks and com- pared to four control litters to determine success. All complete litter replacements were successful with survival rates among replaced pups (89.5%) similar to those of control lit- ters (90%). For augmented litters, pup survival was dependent on the age at which fostering occurred. All pups fostered into 4 litters at <1 week of age survived beyond 6 weeks of age, two of three fostering attempts with 3-4-week-old pups succeeded, while neither of two attempts to foster 6-week-old pups succeeded. Surviving fostered pups appeared to be at no disadvantage. Weight gains were similar for pups in all treatments, and there was no evidence of reduced dominance status among fostered pups as compared to natal pups in the same litters. These results illustrate that genetic relatedness is not essential for suc- cessful fostering and does not appear to alter dominance patterns; however the age at which pups are fostered may affect the success of fostering attempts. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Preparing Anglos for the Challenges and Joys of Multiculturalism

The purpose of this article is to discuss the multicultural training process with Anglo trainees as it relates to the following three issues: (a) supportively assisting Anglos with the difficult task of confronting White racism, (b) teaching Anglos to respond empathetically to challenges from ethnic-minority colleagues and clients, and (c) introducing Anglos to the joys inherent in multicultural counseling.
A marginal structural model analysis for loneliness: implications for intervention trials and clinical practice.

Objective: Clinical scientists, policymakers, and individuals must make decisions concerning effective interventions that address health-related issues. We use longitudinal data on loneliness and depressive symptoms and a new class of causal models to illustrate how empirical evidence can be used to inform intervention trial design and clinical practice. Method: Data were obtained from a population-based study of non-Hispanic Caucasians, African Americans, and Latino Americans (N 229) born between 1935 and 1952. Loneliness and depressive symptoms were measured with the UCLA Loneliness Scale— Revised and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, respectively. Marginal structural causal models were employed to evaluate the extent to which depressive symptoms depend not only on loneliness measured at a single point in time (as in prior studies of the effect of loneliness) but also on an individual’s entire loneliness history. Results: Our results indicate that if interventions to reduce loneliness by 1 standard deviation were made 1 and 2 years prior to assessing depressive symptoms, both would have an effect; together, they would result in an average reduction in depressive symptoms of 0.33 standard deviations, 95% CI [0.21, 0.44], p .0001. Conclusions: The magnitude and persistence of these effects suggest that greater effort should be devoted to developing practical interventions on alleviating loneliness and that doing so could be useful in the treatment and prevention of depressive symptoms. In light of the persistence of the effects of loneliness, our results also suggest that, in the evaluation of interventions on loneliness, it may be important to allow for a considerable follow-up period in assessing outcomes.
The Potential for Mixed Methods: Results from the Field in Urban South Africa

With the “cultural turn” in geography, scholars have become more focused on the politics of representation, politics of fieldwork, and politics of the research setting. In human geography, this epistemological shift has been accompanied by a methodological move toward intensive methods at the expense of extensive methods. In this article, I suggest that mixed methods that utilize the strengths of both intensive and extensive methods can offset the weaknesses of each method. Moreover, results from the field suggest that the combination of intensive and extensive methods could produce unique insights only possible from a mixed method approach.
MEMS microhotplate temperature sensor BIST: Importance and applications

This paper describe the importance of temperature sensor built-in self test (BIST) for microhotplate-based sensors. It shows possible ways to implement BIST functionality for microhotplate temperature sensors, including resistance temperature detectors (RTD), microhotplate thermal efficiency, and Thermocouples. A calibration technique is discussed and conclusions are given.
Racial and Social Diversity and U.S. Presidential Election Regions

This article examines political regionalism in presidential elections from 1892 to 2000 by analyzing the percentage of the popular vote received by Democratic candidates for president using statistical methods and spatial analysis. The results indicate three long-term and stable political regions in presidential elections and a history of spatially dependent voting. The article then proposes four fluid political regions based on social diversity and recent political behavior and integrates the role of the Electoral College. This provides a framework in which political geography can integrate political regionalism, racial and social diversity, and the electoral vote in studying presidential elections.
Fryze's power definition: Some limitations

This paper advocates the concept that a power theory that is in harmony with the physical laws must be based on Maxwell's equations. This claim is mathematically proven by analyzing the energy conversion mechanism that governs an induction motor performance. This study shows that the Poynting Vector theory leads to a practical apparent power resolution that supports the definitions given in the IEEE Std. 1459 – 2000.
Vacuum/gas handling systems for CPRF/ZTH

The ZTH high-vacuum system is described. It is a modular design in which each pumping stack has a dedicated roughing system and a control-system interface. Each high-vacuum pumping station is electrically grounded through the vacuum liner and isolated from all other grounds. Large magnetic fields near the ZTH during operation require the turbomolecular pumps to be located approximately 5 m from the center of the machine. A separate roughing system is used to rough the vessel from atmospheric pressure. The gas-handling system supplied high-purity gases for continuous gas flow, gas injection, and discharge cleaning procedures. Control and interlock functions are provided by a subsystem controller dedicated to the vacuum/gas handling systems. >
Nonactive-Power-Related Ancillary Services Provided by Distributed Energy Resources

The nonactive-power-related ancillary services provided by distributed energy (DE) resources are categorized by voltage regulation, reactive power compensation, power factor correction, voltage and/or current unbalance compensation, and harmonics compensation. An instantaneous nonactive power theory is adopted to control the DE system to provide these ancillary services. Three control schemes, including nonactive current compensation, power factor correction, and voltage regulation, are developed which can perform one or more of the ancillary services. The control schemes are implemented in a DE system in simulation and experiments. The simulation and the experimental results show that DE is feasible for providing nonactive-power-related ancillary services.
Non-information-maximizing neural coding

Information theoretic techniques are often used to investigate neural coding. Results - in terms of bits per second or bits per spike - have been used as evidence to support temporal or rate coding, spike timing precision, etc. Despite its use this way, information theory does not tell one what the neural code (or any code) is. In artificial systems, codes are often purposefully made sub-optimal from a pure information density point of view. This work tests the feasibility of a neural code containing error correction characteristics which uses greater spike timing precision than might be necessary to simply transmit a given amount of information. A model of the recognized prototype of an inhibitory synapse shows that, even compared to small input imprecision and in the presence of robust dynamical behaviors, high timing precision can enable error correction.
Synthesis of high quality, closely packed vertically aligned carbon nanotube array and a quantitative study of the influence of packing density on the collective thermal conductivity

In this work, we present the effect of packing density of vertically aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT) array on its thermal conductivity, as a step closer to its application in thermal interface materials (TIMs). High quality, closely packed VACNT array is synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. Cyclic catalyst deposition is performed to increase the packing density of VACNT array. Liquid precursor is applied to adjust the growth rate and keep the uniformity of the final thickness of the samples. The thermal conductivity of the VACNT array is greatly enhanced with the packing density, from 45.2 W/m K to 75.5 W/m K.
Growth Factor and Catabolic Cytokine Concentrations Are Influenced by the Cellular Composition of Platelet-Rich Plasma:

Background: Previous studies of bioactive molecules in platelet-rich plasma (PRP) have documented growth factor concentrations that promote tissue healing. However, the effects of leukocytes and inflammatory molecules in PRP have not been defined.Hypothesis: The hypothesis for this study was that the concentration of growth factors and catabolic cytokines would be dependent on the cellular composition of PRP.Study Design: Controlled laboratory study.Methods: Platelet-rich plasma was made from 11 human volunteers using 2 commercial systems: Arthrex ACP (Autologous Conditioned Plasma) Double Syringe System (PRP-1), which concentrates platelets and minimizes leukocytes, and Biomet GPS III Mini Platelet Concentrate System (PRP-2), which concentrates both platelets and leukocytes. Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), platelet-derived growth factor–AB (PDGF-AB), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results: The PRP-1 syste...
Configuration-Dependent Performance of a Prioritized CSMA Broadcast Network

The interaction of node placement and contention mechanism is crucial to network performance. These experiments suggest that elaborate contention schemes have but little advantage over simpler ones.
On the charging of mesospheric dust

Polar mesosphere summer echoes (PMSE) are strong radar returns from the cold summer mesopause region, at altitudes ∼ 80–95 km at high latitudes. The probing radar frequency can range from about 50 MHz to over 1 GHz. The prevailing theory to explain PMSE involves both neutral air turbulence and the presence of charged dust (probably ice) which slows down electron diffusion. This turbulence scattering theory requires a large value of the Schmidt number (the ratio of neutral viscosity to plasma diffusion) to explain observations. There have been questions recently about how large the Schmidt number has to be, and how realistic these values are, with regard to explaining PMSE at higher UHF frequencies.
Rewarding patient-directed research: Excellence in Translational Medicine Award

The Editorial Board of Journal of Translational Medicine is pleased to announce a prize to recognize outstanding contributions in the field of translational medicine. The prize is sponsored by Pfizer Global Research and Development, Global Translational Medicine and supported by the Journal of Translational Medicine Editorial Board.
Administrative Practice, Organization Theory, and Political Philosophy: Ruminations on the Reflections of John M. Gaus

agents dealing with abstract principals than we do about real bureaucrats dealing with real politicians. We know more about incremental hill climbing on an imagined surface using formally specified decision rules (or rules that learn) than we do about problem identification, problem solving, and change in the messy world of real organizations. We know more about the formal properties of learning from experience than we do about the ways organizations evaluate, record, and retrieve the lessons of history. We know more about the effects of local positive feedback in adaptive models than we do about the ways in which real people in real organizations respond to the development of individual or collective competence. We know more about the transfer of abstract knowledge through abstract networks than we do about the fineknowledge through abstract networks than we do about the fine detail of the exchange of information in real networks. And we know more about the possibilities for collective confusion in the development of social meaning than we do about
The Human Genome at 10: Successes and Challenges

Fifteen years ago, my team published the first complete genome sequence of a living species, that of Haemophilus influenzae , using our newly developed technique of whole-genome shotgun sequencing. This genome sequence was only 1.8 million base pairs in length and required 4 months of sequencing to produce. Five years later, as a result of dramatic changes in automation and massively parallel DNA sequencing, it was possible to sequence the human genome at 3 billion base pairs in only 9 months, a >1000-fold improvement. We published the first individual, diploid human genome sequence in 2007, and now, with single DNA sequencing instruments producing 100 million base pairs per day, individual genome sequences are becoming commonplace. ![Figure][1] CREDIT: SCIENCE Most of the new generations of sequencing technologies, although faster and considerably cheaper, produce much shorter sequences (50 to 200 bp) from smaller DNA fragments than did the strategies to produce the first human genome sequences. Long DNA sequence reads (800 bp) from the ends of long DNA clones (>100 kb) provide scaffolding and extensive DNA assembly by linking together subassemblies. The short sequences can only produce small clusters; these make sequence assemblies of substantial length improbable. Because of these technical issues, some investigators only layer their short sequences against a “reference” and do not try to assemble a sequence, which makes it problematic to define scientific standards for a “genome sequence.” As important as sequence quality standards are, a much larger issue rests with the current state of our ability or inability to interpret human genome sequence. Among the many improvements that are needed in human genome research, the most important is the collection of human phenotypes (according to agreed-upon parameters and standards), in conjunction with tens of thousands of accurate human genome sequences. Such data sets will be the foundation for accurately predicting clinical outcomes from DNA sequence information. This is true not only for diagnosis but also in foreseeing and avoiding drug side effects, as well as monitoring stem cell genome mutations and/or variations before cell therapies. Although many “genome” companies and researchers are promoting personal genomics for medicine and/or life choices, regulation of data quality and standards is lacking, which has made deceptive marketing a reality in some instances. We have sequence and genetic data quality that is suitable for some scientific analyses but no standards adequate for clinical practice or even for informing individuals of results that exist. We have come a long way in genomics; however, for genome sequencing to reach its full potential we still have a long way to go. [1]: pending:yes
Terahertz, photon-assisted transport in semiconductor quantum structures

Abstract We review experiments carried out at UC Santa Barbara, with terahertz free electron lasers, that have graphically exposed several aspects of photon assisted transport in semiconductor quantum structures. Heretofore this phenomenon was restricted to superconducting electronics at low temperatures. In semiconductor quantum structures, photon assisted transport is not restricted to low temperatures but rather high frequencies and has many attributes that make it potentially important for future terahertz electronics.
Beyond positivism: humanistic perspectives on theory and research in health education

The purpose of this paper is to expand the set of ideas about what constitutes 'theory' in public health education. The paper presents a review of seven functions of theory: prediction, explanation, making assumptions explicit, understanding, sense-making, sensitization and critique. The first two uses fall under the domain of positivist research; the latter five are drawn from theorizing conducted in the humanities, as in historical, legal, literary and philosophical research. The paper argues that a broader conception of theory and research, one that moves beyond the parameters of the positivist paradigm, may help to bridge the gap between theory and practice in health education.
Role of Leucine in the Regulation of mTOR by Amino Acids: Revelations from Structure–Activity Studies

In this study an overview is presented of the mTOR signaling pathway and its regulation by amino acids, particularly L-leucine. Our laboratory is studying amino acid regulation of mTOR in adipocytes. Potential roles for mTOR in adipocytes that were previously posited include hypertrophic growth, leptin secretion, protein synthesis and adipose tissue morphogenesis. A current area of interest in the field is how amino acids regulate mTOR and which amino acids are regulatory. Revelations concerning mechanism and recognition are emerging from different laboratories that examined the structural requirements for stimulation and inhibition of the mTOR signaling pathway by leucine and amino acid analogs. In adipocytes and some other cell types, leucine appears to be the main regulatory amino acid. However, this is not uniformly the case. In those cells where mTOR is regulated by several amino acids, there is evidence that the mechanism of mTOR activation may be different from cells where mainly leucine is regulatory. Furthermore, in tissues where leucine regulates mTOR, the possible existence of different tissue-specific leucine recognition sites may be indicated.
Maximum Attainable Performance of Stirling Engines and Refrigerators

The flow through the regenerator of a Stirling engine is driven by differences of pressure in the compression and expansion spaces. These differences lead to power dissipation in the regenerator. Using linearized theory, it is shown that this dissipation severely limits the maximum attainable thermal efficiency and nondimensional power output. The maximum attainable values are independent of the value of the regenerator conductance. For optimised nondimensional power output, the thermal efficiency equals only half the Carnot value. The power dissipated in the regenerator is removed as part of the heat withdrawn at the regenerator's cold side. Analogous results are presented for the Stirling refrigerator At optimized nondimensional rate of refrigeration, its coefficient of performance is less than half the Carnot value.
Statistics and Epidemiology: Facts and Formulas

Although not commonly considered a clinical subject, statistics and epidemiology form the cornerstone of clinical practice. An understanding of statistical principles is necessary to comprehend the published literature and practice in a rational manner. The purpose of this chapter is to review some of the basic statistical principles and formulas. More in-depth discussion can be obtained in texts of biostatistics.
Permeabilized Acinar Cells as a Tool to Study the Effects of Membrane Impermeant Agents on Acinar Exocytosis

Use of cell permeabilization methodology including cracked cells, cell sheets, detergents (saponin) and the cholesterol-binding β-hemolytic cytolysins α-toxin, streptolysin O (SLO) and perfringolysin O (PFO) has proven to be an invaluable tool in identifying and characterizing the role of soluble regulatory proteins and membraneimpermeant chemicals that modulate cellular function. Cell permeabilization has been used in numerous secretory cell types including neural, endocrine, immune, and exocrine cells (1,4-6,10-15,17-29,34-41). Permeabilized preparations provide the distinct advantage of allowing the acute introduction of small molecules and proteins into the cytoplasm. Clamping the Ca concentration at a desired level is used to stimulate secretion, as only those cells that are permeabilized will respond to the ion. Moreover, this technique allows for analysis of the direct effects of specific molecules on the secretory pathway because the early signaling events elicited by receptor activation are effectively bypassed. As such, the use of cell permeabilization has become the gold-standard to study inhibitory peptides (4,20), toxins (14), pharmacological agents (11,12), dominant negative protein constructs (15,31,32), and to screen for novel cytosolic regulatory proteins (41) that modulate membrane fission and fusion. In addition to secretory studies, permeabilized cells have been used to investigate a variety of cellular functions including Ca-signaling and G-protein coupled receptor regulation (3,16)
Grading pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms by Ki-67 staining on cytology cell blocks: manual count and digital image analysis of 58 cases

Introduction Controversy remains as to whether Ki-67 labeling on endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) cell blocks (CBs) can be used to grade pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (PanNENs) reliably and what would be the best methodology for doing so. Materials and methods A retrospective search identified cases with both EUS-FNA and correlating surgical pathology (SP) available. 58 CBs (>100 tumor cells) were identified. Ki-67 labeling on CB was counted using both manual count (MC) and digital image analysis (DIA, ImmunoRatio software). The grades determined on CB were compared with those on corresponding SP reports (kappa statistics). The correct grading rates between MC and DIA were compared (McNemar's test). Total tumor cell number (TTCN, cutoffs: 500 and 2000) was used as a stratification factor (chi-square tests for trend). Results Of 58 cases, the SP grade distribution was 31 grade 1, 23 grade 2, and 4 grade 3. Overall, the grading concordance of CB MC and SP was higher than that of CB DIA and SP (McNemar's P -value = 0.022). Compared with SP, CB MC correctly graded 69% (40 of 58) [κ = 0.44 (95% CI: 0.21, 0.66)]; CB DIA correctly graded 55% (32 of 58) [κ = 0.19 (95% CI: 0.04, 0.42)]. Grade 1 tumors had the highest concordance. Although the correct grading rate improved as TTCN increased, no statistical significance was found. Conclusion Although Ki-67 labeling on CB can be used to grade PanNENs, limitation exists, particularly for grade 2 tumors. The method of counting makes a difference: MC is more accurate than DIA. The major reasons of discordance include non-tumor cell contamination and insufficient sampling.
Modeling female and male rib geometry with logarithmic spirals

In this study we present a novel six-parameter shape model of the human rib centroidal path using logarithmic spirals. It provides a reduction in parameter space from previous models of overall rib shape, while simultaneously reducing fitting error by 34% and increasing curvature continuity. Furthermore, the model directly utilizes geometric properties such as rib end-to-end span, aspect ratio, rib "skewness", and inner angle with the spine in its parameterization, making the effects of each parameter on overall shape intuitive and easy to visualize. The model was tested against 2197 rib geometries extracted from CT scans from a population of 100 adult females and males of uniformly distributed ages between 20 and 70. Significant size and shape differences between genders were identified, and shape model utility is demonstrated by the production of statistically average male and female rib shapes for all rib levels. Simulated mechanical loading of the resulting model rib shapes showed that the stiffness of statistically average male and female ribs matched well with the average rib stiffness from each separate population. This in-plane rib shape model can be used to characterize variation in human rib geometry seen throughout the population, including investigation of the overall changes in shape and resultant mechanical properties that ribs undergo during aging or disease progression.
Investors versus States

Investor-state dispute mechanisms are built into many different trade agreements and form the core of the Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) that have proliferated among states in the past few decades. They are unique in trade policy, because they allow foreign investors to initiate investment disputes against governments that they believe have violated their rights. Drawing from a set of core trade and tobacco control disputes involving investor-state protections, Jarman argues that extensive forum and rule choice for firms and a lack of transparency narrow the scope of conflict in these cases, preventing adequate public scrutiny.
Satellite Altimetry - An Introduction

The altimetry papers presented at the symposium show that the basic hypotheses underlying the measurement of sea surface topography have considerable merit, but that much work in both science and spacecraft technology remains to be done before such measurements become routine. The altimetric observations contribute to geodesy, oceanography, marine meteorology and glaciology.
Teaching Interview Skills Through a Service-Learning Partnership

Interviewing is required of most managers and the skill of the interviewer and structure of theinterview affect the validity of the information collected. However, interview training, whendone at all, is typically very limited and lacking an experiential component. This articledescribes an exercise that teaches students how to conduct a structured interview withbehaviorally-based and situational questions. Students carry out the role of interviewer multipletimes for a group of job seekers at a local occupational training center. After each interview, theinterviewer conducts a self-reflection and, at least once per event, receives feedback from anexperienced interviewer. This approach is recognized as a service-learning project for thecollege’s HRM program.
Infection following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: An Analysis of 6,389 Cases.

Infection following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is rare. Previous authors have concluded that diabetes, tobacco use, and previous knee surgery may influence infection rates following ACLR. The purpose of this study was to identify a cohort of patients undergoing ACLR and define (1) the incidence of infection after ACLR from a large multicenter database and (2) the risk factors for infection after ACLR. We identified patients undergoing elective ACLRs in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database between 2007 and 2013. The primary outcome was any surgical site infection within 30 days of surgery. We performed univariate and multivariate analyses comparing infected and noninfected cases to identify risk factors for infection. In total, 6,398 ACLRs were available for analysis of which 39 (0.61%) were diagnosed with a postoperative infection. Univariate analysis identified preoperative dyspnea, low hematocrit, operative time > 1 hour, and hospital admission following surgery as predictors of postoperative infection. Diabetes, tobacco use, age, and body mass index (BMI) were not associated with infection (p > 0.05). After multivariate analysis, the only independent predictor of postoperative infection was hospital admission following surgery (odds ratio, 2.67; 95% confidence interval, 1.02–6.96; p = 0.04). Hospital admission following surgery was associated with an increased incidence of infection in this large, multicenter cohort. Smoking, elevated BMI, and diabetes did not increase the risk infection in the present study. Surgeons should optimize outpatient operating systems and practices to aid in same-day discharges following ACLR.
Stochastically Robust Resource Management in Heterogeneous Parallel Computing Systems

This extended abstract describes the keynote presentation “Stochastically Robust Resource Management in Heterogeneous Parallel Computing Systems,” to be given by H. J. Siegel. What does it mean for a computer system to be “robust”? How can robustness be described? How does one determine if a claim of robustness is true? How can one decide which of two systems is more robust? Often people state that their system software component, piece of hardware, application code, or technique is “robust,” but never define what they mean by “robust.” How does one determine if a claim of robustness is true when it is not defined? Furthermore, without a definition, robustness cannot be quantified, so if two people claim to have robust computing systems, for example, how can one decide which is the more robust? These are the types of issues we address in this keynote presentation. We study robustness in the context of resource allocation in heterogeneous parallel and distributed computing systems, but the robustness concepts presented have broad applicability.
Serum Amyloid A Induces G-CSF Expression and Granulocytosis Via Toll-Like Receptor 2.

Abstract As a major acute-phase protein, serum amyloid A (SAA) is commonly used as a marker for inflammatory diseases; however, its precise role in inflammation and infection, which often result in granulocytosis or neutrophilia, remains ambiguous. In this study, we demonstrate that SAA is a potent endogenous stimulator of granulocyte colony-stimulated factor (G-CSF), a principle cytokine regulating granulocytosis, and this effect of SAA is mediated by Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2). Our data showed that in mouse macrophages, the elevation of the G-CSF mRNA level was observed within the first two hours of SAA stimulation while the secretion of the G-CSF protein was significantly increased after eight hours and sustained for 24 hours. The induction of G-CSF by SAA was blocked by the specific anti-TLR2 antibody and significantly decreased in TLR2 knockout mouse macrophages. We also showed that SAA-stimulated G-CSF expression correlates with the activation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), the p65 subunit of which was bound to the CK-1 element of the G-CSF promoter region within 30 minutes of the stimulation. In addition, the SAA increased production of G-CSF was tested to be sensitive to heat, yet insensitive to polymyxin B treatment, indicating that the induction is a direct effect of SAA. Furthermore, our in vivo studies confirmed that SAA significantly increases the plasma concentration of G-CSF and the number of neutrophils in the blood circulation while such phenomenon vanishes in G-CSF or TLR2 knockout mice.