cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Microwave Q Measurements in the Presence of Coupling Losses

In the use of the impedance (Q-circle) method of measuring the cavity Q values, the presence of losses in the coupling network (between the cavity and the available external terminals) is usually neglected. If appreciable losses are present this simplification is not justitied, and its use can lead to significant errors. The losses in any coupling network can be described by means of an equivalent canonical circuit containing a series and a shunt resistor. The losses due to the series element are immediately apparent from the character of the impedance locus when plotted on a Smith Chart and can be corrected for an "apparent" Q value. However, unless the shunt loss can be determined by a separate calibration of the coupling network, the apparent Q value will be ambiguous because the shunt losses occurring in the coupling network are not distinguishable from those in the cavity proper. Methods for using the impedance data for determining the Q values are given on the assumption that the coupling network parameters cm be found. It is also pointed out that due to the presence of coupling losses the loaded and external Q values are no longer uniquely defined, but their meaning depends upon the application of interest. Formulas relating these to the coupling network parameters are given.
Haloperidol use is associated with lower hospital mortality in mechanically ventilated patients.

Objective:To determine whether haloperidol use is associated with lower mortality in mechanically ventilated patients.Design:Retrospective cohort analysis.Setting:A large tertiary care academic medical center.Patients:A total of 989 patients mechanically ventilated for >48 hrs.Measurements and Main
The Neurological Disease Ontology

Background We are developing the Neurological Disease Ontology (ND) to provide a framework to enable representation of aspects of neurological diseases that are relevant to their treatment and study. ND is a representational tool that addresses the need for unambiguous annotation, storage, and retrieval of data associated with the treatment and study of neurological diseases. ND is being developed in compliance with the Open Biomedical Ontology Foundry principles and builds upon the paradigm established by the Ontology for General Medical Science (OGMS) for the representation of entities in the domain of disease and medical practice. Initial applications of ND will include the annotation and analysis of large data sets and patient records for Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and stroke.
ATMOSPHERIC CO2 AND THE COMPOSITION AND FUNCTION OF SOIL MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES

Elevated atmospheric CO2 has the potential to increase the production and alter the chemistry of organic substrates entering soil from plant production, the magnitude of which is constrained by soil-N availability. Because microbial growth in soil is limited by substrate inputs from plant production, we reasoned that changes in the amount and chemistry of these organic substrates could affect the composition of soil microbial com- munities and the cycling of N in soil. We studied microbial community composition and soil-N transformations beneath Populus tremuloides Michx. growing under experimental atmospheric CO2 (35.7 and 70.7 Pa) and soil-N-availability (low N 5 61 ng N·g 21 ·d 21 and high N 5 319 ng N·g 21 ·d 21 ) treatments. Atmospheric CO2 concentration was modified in large, open-top chambers, and we altered soil-N availability in open-bottom root boxes by mixing different proportions of A and C horizon material. We used phospholipid fatty-acid analysis to gain insight into microbial community composition and coupled this analysis to measurements of soil-N transformations using 15 N-pool dilution techniques. The infor- mation presented here is part of an integrated experiment designed to elucidate the phys- iological mechanisms controlling the flow of C and N in the plant-soil system. Our ob- jectives were (1) to determine whether changes in plant growth and tissue chemistry alter microbial community composition and soil-N cycling in response to increasing atmospheric CO2 and soil-N availability and (2) to integrate the results of our experiment into a synthesis of elevated atmospheric CO2 and the cycling of C and N in terrestrial ecosystems. After 2.5 growing seasons, microbial biomass, gross N mineralization, microbial im- mobilization, and nitrification (gross and net) were equivalent at ambient and elevated CO2, suggesting that increases in fine-root production and declines in fine-root N concentration were insufficient to alter the influence of native soil organic matter on microbial physiology; this was the case in both low- and high-N soil. Similarly, elevated CO2 did not alter the proportion of bacterial, actinomycetal, or fungal phospholipid fatty acids in low-N or high-N soil, indicating that changes in substrate input from greater plant growth under elevated CO2 did not alter microbial community composition. Our results differ from a substantial number of studies reporting increases and decreases in soil-N cycling under elevated CO 2. From our analysis, it appears that soil-N cycling responds to elevated atmospheric CO 2 in experimental situations where plant roots have fully colonized the soil and root-associated C inputs are sufficient to modify the influence of native soil organic matter on microbial physiology. In young developing ecosystems where plant roots have not fully exploited the soil, microbial metabolism appears to be regulated by relatively large pools of soil organic matter, rather than by the additional input of organic substrates under elevated CO 2.
Stress Alters Rates and Types of Loss of Heterozygosity in Candida albicans

Genetic diversity is often generated during adaptation to stress, and in eukaryotes some of this diversity is thought to arise via recombination and reassortment of alleles during meiosis. Candida albicans, the most prevalent pathogen of humans, has no known meiotic cycle, and yet it is a heterozygous diploid that undergoes mitotic recombination during somatic growth. It has been shown that clinical isolates as well as strains passaged once through a mammalian host undergo increased levels of re- combination. Here, we tested the hypothesis that stress conditions increase rates of mitotic recombination in C. albicans, which is measured as loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at specific loci. We show that LOH rates are elevated during in vitro exposure to oxi- dative stress, heat stress, and antifungal drugs. In addition, an increase in stress severity correlated well with increased LOH rates. LOH events can arise through local recombination, through homozygosis of longer tracts of chromosome arms, or by whole-chromosome homozygosis. Chromosome arm homozygosis was most prevalent in cultures grown under conventional lab conditions. Importantly, exposure to different stress conditions affected the levels of different types of LOH events, with oxida- tive stress causing increased recombination, whilefluconazole and high temperature caused increases in events involving whole chromosomes. Thus, C. albicans generates increased amounts and different types of genetic diversity in response to a range of stress conditions, a process that we term "stress-induced LOH" that arises either by elevating rates of recombination and/or by increasing rates of chromosome missegregation. IMPORTANCE Stress-induced mutagenesis fuels the evolution of bacterial pathogens and is mainly driven by genetic changes via mitotic recombination. Little is known about this process in other organisms. Candida albicans, an opportunistic fungal patho- gen, causes infections that require adaptation to different host environmental niches. We measured the rates of LOH and the types of LOH events that appeared in the absence and in the presence of physiologically relevant stresses and found that stress causes a significant increase in the rates of LOH and that this increase is proportional to the degree of stress. Furthermore, the types of LOH events that arose differed in a stress-dependent manner, indicating that eukaryotic cells generate increased genetic diversity in response to a range of stress conditions. We propose that this "stress-induced LOH" facilitates the rapid adaptation of C. albicans, which does not undergo meiosis, to changing environments within the host.
Twentieth century forest-grassland ecotone shift in Montana under differing livestock grazing pressure

We studied 20th century lower forest–grassland ecotone shift in the Centennial Valley in southwestern Montana and investigated the effects of livestock herbivory on ecotone shift at a local spatial scale and a decadal time scale. A total of 525 aspen (Populus tremuloides) and 1703 Douglasfir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) trees were cored and 10,168 saplings were mapped along the ecotone at five sites that represented five different grazing regimes. Tree-age distribution was constructed to determine 20th century tree establishment. Tree age and location within the ecotone were correlated to describe the process of ecotone shift into the adjacent grassland. To corroborate the dendrochronological data and to detect changes in the ecotone, historic and current aerial photographs were compared. To examine livestock herbivory effects on ecotone shift at a decadal time scale, the number of new trees was correlated with 10 different levels of cattle grazing pressure during the last 60 years. Two different types of ecotone shift were documented. Previously documented simple linear relationships between livestock herbivory and tree encroachment were not consistently observed at decadal time scales. Livestock herbivory had a complex relationship with tree encroachment. Our results suggested that no consistent conclusions could be made regarding grazing effects on tree establishment across broad ranges of grazing pressure at decadal time scales. We suggest that the way forward needs to use a process-based approach to devise strategies for observing and quantifying multiple interacting processes of inhibition and facilitation effects. # 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A Web-based browsing and spatial analysis system for regional natural resource analysis and mapping

Proper use and monitoring of our land and environmental resources for quality of life and sustainable growth considerations require that timely and accurate data on land cover and land use be regularly available. Remote sensing is an appropriate tool and NOAA's 1-km AVHRR time series imagery has proven to be an invaluable input for regional level natural resource mapping and monitoring. Many previous efforts addressing the use of satellite-derived data for land cover and land use classification have resulted in the development of useful products. However, they have seldom been widely applied due to the lack of an efficient and easy-to-use delivery mechanism. The World Wide Web has become popular as a vehicle for information distribution and client/server applications. Web GIS is rapidly evolving and adapting to advances in Internet technologies. Web GISes are predominantly designed under a “thin-client / fat-server” paradigm. This approach has several disadvantages. For example, as the number of users increases, the load on the server increases and system performance decreases. Recently the focus has been shifted towards client-side Web GIS. In this paper we present a balanced client/server Web-based spatial analysis system and evaluate its performance in a regional natural resource mapping and analysis application which utilizes biweekly AVHRR imagery and several other raster and vector geospatial datasets. We also evaluate alternative approaches and assess the pros and cons of our design and implementation.
New TIT capacitor with ZrO2/Al2O3/ZrO2 dielectrics for 60 nm and below DRAMs

Abstract New ZrO2/Al2O3/ZrO2 (ZAZ) dielectric film was successfully developed for DRAM capacitor dielectrics of 60 nm and below technologies. ZAZ dielectric film grown by ALD has a mixture structure of crystalline phase ZrO2 and amorphous phase Al2O3 in order to optimize dielectric properties. ZAZ TIT capacitor showed small Tox.eq of 8.5 A and a low leakage current density of 0.35 fA/cell, which meet leakage current criteria of 0.5 fA/cell for mass production. ZAZ TIT capacitor showed a smaller cap leak fail bit than HAH capacitor and stable leakage current up to 550 °C anneal. TDDB (time dependent dielectric breakdown) behavior reliably satisfied the 10-year lifetime criteria within operation voltage range.
Anterior cruciate ligament injury

Zusammenfassung Ein 17-jahriger Fusballer, welcher zu den grosten Talenten seines Jahrganges zahlt und bereits im erweiterten Kader einer professionellen Mannschaft steht, reist sich das vordere Kreuzband. In den darauffolgenden funf Jahren werden insgesamt sieben Operationen durchgefuhrt, welche aufgrund persistierender Beschwerden, erneuten Traumas und intraoperativer Komplikationen notwendig werden. Wie viel Chirurgie kann einem jungen Patienten zugemutet werden? Wie hatten die Komplikationen durch geeignete Masnahmen moglicherweise verhindert werden konnen?
Editorial Board Thoughts: Sharing Responsibility in the Digital Age

This topic is very resonant for me because this past year we launched a new interface to our catalog, rich with all of the features that our users have been self-trained to expect from browsing the Internet. We actually launched this project in public beta for two years, T-W-O years. I should also mention that the initial implementation team was diverse, drawing from technology, public services, collections, and technical services. Yet, when we launched the project into production, it was only then that we heard concerns and complaints. Those concerns revolved around two things--first, there was functionality in the classic catalog that wasn't in the new one, and second, people were used to the old way of doing things and didn't know how the supposedly more intuitive interface worked--a kind of Opacholm syndrome, and more importantly for librarians, they wanted to know how to exploit the system powerfully. We also found during the first semester, there were few instructors teaching the new system because they were afraid they couldn't speak authoritatively about it. People are creatures of habit and even though something might be easier to learn if it were your first exposure to it (Macs vs. PCs anyone?), often times changing from a more complex, but well understood, process is difficult. I remember years ago at another institution I worked for, helping the organization move from a menu driven ILS interface to a graphical user interface. It required staff to actually rethink the process they were performing because although the GUI is able to make the process more efficient, it also hides many of the more mundane parts of it. With all of those concerns on the table all of a sudden, what did we do? We spent the Summer after our production launch providing targeted training sessions and gathering in person feedback from our internal stakeholders. It probably amounted to more than thirty meetings over the course of three months. We synthesized feedback, identified the biggest pain points, and spent a couple of months developing solutions. Providing a more organized training program and targeted feedback sessions as a replacement for our more generalized call for input bought us a lot of goodwill internally. It also gave us some direction on what areas to focus on and opened more dialog with the rest of the library. In the end, it is really important for all areas to be responsible for trying out new systems, even if those responsible are doing more outreach than simple general calls for participation. …
VESICLES ASSOCIATED WITH CALCIFICATION IN THE MATRIX OF EPIPHYSEAL CARTILAGE

Vesicles have been identified within the cartilage matrix of the upper tibial epiphyseal plate of normal mice. They were seen at all levels within the plate and usually did not appear to be in contact with cartilage cells. Vesicles were concentrated within the matrix of the longitudinal septa from the proliferative zone downward. They varied considerably in size (∼300 A to ∼1 µ) and in shape. They were bounded by unit membranes, and contained materials of varying density including, rarely, ribosomes. A close association was demonstrated between matrix vesicles and calcification: in the lower hypertrophic and calcifying zones of the epiphysis, vesicles were found in juxtaposition to needle-like structures removed by demineralization with ethylenediaminetetraacetate and identified by electron diffraction as hydroxyapatite and/or fluorapatite crystal structure—the former being indistinguishable from the latter for most cases in which electron diffraction methods are employed. Decalcification also revealed electron-opaque, partially membrane-bounded structures within previously calcified cartilage of the epiphyseal plate and underlying metaphysis which corresponded in size and distribution to matrix vesicles. It is suggested that matrix vesicles are derived from cells and that they may play a role in initiating calcification at the epiphysis.
Most Murine CD8+ Intestinal Intraepithelial Lymphocytes Are Partially But Not Fully Activated T Cells

Murine small intestine intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) bear properties of both activated and nonactivated T cells, although the significance of that dichotomy remains unclear. In this study, we show that although IELs express CD69 in situ and ex vivo, and have cytotoxic activity ex vivo, most CD8(+) IELs from normal mice are phenotypically similar to naive T cells in that they are CD45RB(high), CD44(low/int), and lack or have low levels of expression of CD25, Ly-6C, OX40, Fas ligand (FasL), and intracellular IFN-gamma synthesis. Unlike CD8(+) lymph node cells, IELs express high levels of the FasL gene, but do not express surface FasL until after CD3-mediated stimulation has occurred. Additionally, anti-CD3 stimulation of IELs in the presence of actinomycin-D did not inhibit FasL expression, suggesting that regulation FasL expression on IELs is controlled at least partially at the posttranscriptional level. Following CD3-mediated stimulation, IELs synthesize and secrete IFN-gamma more rapidly and to greater levels than CD8(+) lymph node cells, and they acquire the phenotype of fully activated effector cells as seen by an up-regulation of CD44, Ly-6C, OX40, FasL, and CD25 with the kinetics of memory T cells, with down-regulation of CD45RB expression. These findings indicate that contrary to previous interpretations, most small intestine IELs are not fully activated T cells, but rather that they are semiactivated T cells ready to shift to a fully activated state once a CD3-mediated signal has been received. These data also imply that under appropriate conditions it is possible for T cells to be sustained in a state of partial activation.
Critical Ethical Reasoning and Role-Play:

Role-playing games provide a particularly fruitful environment for the development of critical, ethical reasoning skills, a core component in developing a citizenry capable of fully participating in a cosmopolitan, democratic society. In this study, ethnographic interview participants recount particularly engaging ethical situations in their own game play. Through their responses, thematic trends develop that help us identify key elements in games that provide opportunities for the development of these crucial skills.
4H SiC beta-powered temperature transducer

The change in open-circuit voltage of a 4 H SiC pn diode betavoltaic cell in response to temperature was used to sense temperature. A linear sensitivity of 2.7 mV/K was obtained from 24degC to 86degC. This was achieved with only 2.5 muCi of active Ni-63 as the beta-source, giving a short circuit current of 21 pA, low-enough an activity for civilian applications. The measured sensitivity of 2.7 mV/K was lower than the 5.5 mV/K predicted from theory. The 28 GOmega shunt resistance of the betavoltaic cell was used to explain the lower sensitivity. Despite the lower sensitivity than predicted by theory, this work represents a significant improvement over metal thermocouples which typically give <0.1 mV/K.
Mid–infrared ‘W’ lasers

We review recent progress in the development of mid–infrared (mid–IR) quantum–well lasers with type–II antimonide ‘W’ active regions. Optically pumped W lasers achieved continuous–wave (CW) operation nearly to room temperature, and CW output powers exceeding 0.5 W per facet at 77 K. Improvements in the differential quantum efficiency were obtained by increasing the effective number of passes of the pump beam through the active region in the optical pumping injection cavity configuration. Near–diffraction–limited beam quality was achieved in the mid–IR using the angled–grating distributed feedback (α–distributed feedback (DFB)) approach with a W active region. Single–longitudinal–mode operation was demonstrated by vertical–cavity surface–emitting lasers emitting at λ = 2.9–3.0 μm. Broadened–waveguide W diode lasers recently operated at room temperature in pulsed mode and up to 195 K CW. A slope efficiency exceeding unity was achieved using the interband cascade laser approach with a W active region.
Freezing Rate Due to Heterogeneous Nucleation

Abstract The heterogeneous nucleation of ice from supercooled water is influenced by the nature of the foreign nuclei that serve as the sites for ice embryo formation, and by the stochastic nature of the process of embryo growth to critical size. The relative roles of these two factors have been the subject of some debate, especially as they influence the way nucleation of ice is modeled in clouds. “Freezing rate” is defined as the time-dependent rate at which a population of macroscopically identical samples (e.g., drops in a volume of air) freeze due to the nuclei contained in them. Freezing rate is the combined result of nucleus content and of time dependence. The time-dependent freezing rate model (TDFR) is consistent with available empirical evidence. For droplets cooled at rates of the order of −1°C per min, the nucleus content, or nucleus spectrum, predicts the freezing rate with reasonable accuracy. For samples exposed to a fixed temperature, the time dependence of the freezing rate becomes import...
DAMAGE DETECTION IN SIMULATED AGING-AIRCRAFT PANELS USING THE ELECTRO-MECHANICAL IMPEDANCE TECHNIQUE

The aging of aerospace structures is a major current concern of civilian and military aircraft operators. PZT active sensors offer special opportunities for developing sensor arrays for in-situ health monitoring of aging aircraft structures. In this paper, we examine the structural health monitoring of aging aircraft structures with the electro-mechanical (E/M) impedance method. Local impedance methodology as well as damage detection strategy were developed. The detection of damage due to corrosion, structural cracks, and active sensor self-diagnostics with electro-mechanical (E/M) impedance method are discussed. The paper emphasis is sensor fabrication and installation procedures. Consistency and repeatability of sensor fabrication and installation were perfected and confirmed by statistical tests on a number of nominally identical specimens. Experiments on simple metallic beams were then performed and the results were compared with readily available theoretical predictions. Experiments on square plates manufactured from aircraft grade thin-gage stock followed. Statistical analysis of plate data confirmed that consistent and repeatability results could be achieved with our methodology. Finally, experiments on realistic aircraft panels with simulated crack and corrosion damage were performed. An array of four sensors were installed along a line emanating at a right angle from the crack, and E/M impedance readings were collected from all sensors. Consistency of sensor readings was verified. Also, the tendency of frequency to shift in the vicinity of the crack was noticed. However, further data processing, and detailed FEM modeling are still needed before full understanding of the correlation between crack presence and sensors readings is achieved.
Challenges in forensic pathology; old and new

Challenges and problems in Forensic Pathology are as old as human interaction and as new as the information age. While advances in medical technology are accelerating and changing the way forensic pathologists practice, logistical, technical, political, and emotional challenges have been and will continue to be with us. The speaker will provide an overview of recent technological advances, both new technology and new applications of existing technology, illustrated with examples of how these innovations are impacting upon our practice and the role forensic pathologists play in death investigation. At the same time, he will also speak to more ancient and omnipresent problems, such as workload, budgets, educating future generations of forensic pathologists, governmental pressures, emotional impacts and self-care, responsible versus irresponsible testimony, and legal challenges to our profession.
Mitomycin-C and Capecitabine (MIXE) as Salvage Treatment in Patients with Refractory Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: A Retrospective Study

Aim To report on the efficacy and safety of mitomycin-C-capecitabine (MIXE) regimen as salvage chemotherapy regimen for patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer. Patients and methods We retrospectively reviewed patients who were treated with mitomycin-C (7 mg/m(2)) every three weeks in combination with capecitabine (1,000 mg) twice daily (2,000 mg per day) days 1 to 14 every three weeks. All patients had previously received at least three chemotherapy regimens including biological agents, such as a monoclonal antibody either against vascular endothelial growth factor receptor or epidermal growth factor receptor (only if wild-type KRAS). Laboratory tests including complete blood count were checked weekly, while chemistries, liver function tests and carcinoembryogenic antigen levels were determined every three weeks. Radiological assessment of their disease with computed tomography scans was performed every nine weeks. Results Fifteen patients were included: Male:female ratio, 9:6; age ranged from 52-70 years; Eastern Cooperative Oncologic Group performance status 1 in 5 patients and 2 in the remaining 10 patients. Seven patients demonstrated a clinical benefit (one partial response, two minor responses, five stable disease), disease in six patients progressed and one patient participated in a phase I clinical study and hence was not evaluable. No grade 3 or 4 hematological toxicities were noticed; the most common toxicities included grade 2 hand-foot syndrome (HFS), grade 1 fatigue and grade 2 diarrhea. Conclusion The MIXE regimen showed a modest efficacy in heavily pre-treated patients with mCRC. The MIXE regimen may be considered for patients with mCRC who are refractory to primary treatment and are without other options or who are not eligible for clinical studies.
IGFBP-3 proteolysis by plasmin, thrombin, serum: heparin binding, IGF binding, and structure of fragments

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)-3 was exposed to plasmin, thrombin, and pregnancy serum, substances normally present at the endothelial surface in enriched concentrations. The NH2-termini of the proteolytic fragments were sequenced, and their ability to bind insulin-like growth factor (IGF) and heparin was assessed by ligand blotting. Plasmin generated at least five fragments, three beginning at the NH2-terminus of IGFBP-3 and two with NH2-termini corresponding to middle portions of IGFBP-3. The dominant fragment bound both IGF and heparin while NH2-terminal fragments bound only IGF. Thrombin generated three and serum five easily identified fragments; the dominant fragments, beginning at midportions of IGFBP-3, retained IGF and heparin affinity, whereas the remaining fragments had differential affinities for IGF and heparin. We suggest that such fragments, when generated at the endothelia surface, have the potential to alter regional vascular concentrations of IGF and thus influence both IGF and endothelial function.
The changing face of pneumonia.

The past few years have seen several developments that affect the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of pneumonia, among them the emergence of multiple antibiotic resistance in pneumococci, the increasing use of antipneumococcal vaccine, and the higher than previously recognized incidence of Legionnaires' disease. Their full impact is not yet apparent, but they are certain to affect medical practice significantly.
Workflow Management in Condor

The Condor project began in 1988 and has evolved into a feature-rich batch system that targets high-throughput computing; that is, Condor ([262], [414]) focuses on providing reliable access to computing over long periods of time instead of highly tuned, high-performance computing for short periods of time or a small number of applications.
Getting Over Yourself: Struggles, Triumphs, and Failures in Marketing Education

Why have I been recognized as a good marketing teacher? I don’t know, but I suspect it has something to do with the fact that I don’t feel like I’m a good marketing teacher. That feeling personally troubles me, and has compelled me to approach teaching in a distinct way both philosophically and tactically. Philosophically, I approach teaching with an appreciation and respect for my unease combined with fearlessness in facing that unease. Tactically, this results in a paradoxically intimate approach to the classroom and a healthy dose of skepticism toward the tried-and-true.
Advancing Top-down Analysis of the Human Proteome Using a Benchtop Quadrupole-Orbitrap Mass Spectrometer

Over the past decade, developments in high resolution mass spectrometry have enabled the high throughput analysis of intact proteins from complex proteomes, leading to the identification of thousands of proteoforms. Several previous reports on top-down proteomics (TDP) relied on hybrid ion trap–Fourier transform mass spectrometers combined with data-dependent acquisition strategies. To further reduce TDP to practice, we use a quadrupole-Orbitrap instrument coupled with software for proteoform-dependent data acquisition to identify and characterize nearly 2000 proteoforms at a 1% false discovery rate from human fibroblasts. By combining a 3 m/z isolation window with short transients to improve specificity and signal-to-noise for proteoforms >30 kDa, we demonstrate improving proteome coverage by capturing 439 proteoforms in the 30–60 kDa range. Three different data acquisition strategies were compared and resulted in the identification of many proteoforms not observed in replicate data-dependent experiments...
Retention in Porous Layer Pillar Array Planar Separation Platforms.

This work presents the retention capabilities and surface area enhancement of highly ordered, high-aspect-ratio, open-platform, two-dimensional (2D) pillar arrays when coated with a thin layer of porous silicon oxide (PSO). Photolithographically prepared pillar arrays were coated with 50–250 nm of PSO via plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition and then functionalized with either octadecyltrichlorosilane or n-butyldimethylchlorosilane. Theoretical calculations indicate that a 50 nm layer of PSO increases the surface area of a pillar nearly 120-fold. Retention capabilities were tested by observing capillary-action-driven development under various conditions, as well as by running one-dimensional separations on varying thicknesses of PSO. Increasing the thickness of PSO on an array clearly resulted in greater retention of the analyte(s) in question in both experiments. In culmination, a two-dimensional separation of fluorescently derivatized amines was performed to further demonstrate the capabilities of ...
Broken Windows, Neighborhoods, and the Legitimacy of Law Enforcement or Why I Fell in and out of Love with Zimbardo

Objective:Wilson and Kelling (1982) introduced Zimbardo’s “broken windows” into the lexicon a little over 30 years ago. This article explores broken windows from a legal policy perspective, with the aim of putting forth a framework for integrating what we know (or think we know) about the potential effects of broken windows policing into our goals for improving high-crime neighborhoods.Methods:A narrative review was carried out of key social science research on the broken windows perspective.Results:The first part of the article explains the appeal of broken windows to legal theorists interested in challenging criminal law policy based on a law and economics approach. The second part reviews maturing broken windows research and evaluations of broken windows policing. The third part explains the contours of an analysis that addresses the value of broken windows policing from a legal policy perspective.Conclusion:While I remain a tentative fan of broken windows policing, I argue that the modest outcomes of ...
Whole-exome analysis reveals novel somatic genomic alterations associated with cell of origin in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Whole-exome analysis reveals novel somatic genomic alterations associated with cell of origin in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
The Dynamics of Human-Agent Trust with POMDP-Generated Explanations

Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes (POMDPs) enable optimized decision making by robots, agents, and other autonomous systems. This quantitative optimization can also be a limitation in human-agent interaction, as the resulting autonomous behavior, while possibly optimal, is often impenetrable to human teammates, leading to improper trust and, subsequently, disuse or misuse of such systems [1].
Aptasensor based optical detection of glycated albumin for diabetes mellitus diagnosis

Glycated albumin (GA) has been reported as an important biomarker for diabetes mellitus. This study investigates an optical sensor comprised of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) aptamer, semiconductor quantum dot and gold (Au) nanoparticle for the detection of GA. The system functions as a 'turn on' sensor because an increase in photoluminescence intensity is observed upon the addition of GA to the sensor. This is possibly because of the structure of the DNA aptamer, which folds to form a large hairpin loop before the addition of the analyte and is assumed to open up after the addition of target to the sensor in order to bind to GA. This pushes the quantum dot and the Au nanoparticle away causing an increase in photoluminescence. A linear increase in photoluminescence intensity and quenching efficiency of the sensor is observed as the GA concentration is varied between 0-14 500 nM. Time based photoluminescence studies with the sensor show the decrease in binding rate of the aptamer to the target within a specific time period. The sensor was found to have a higher selectivity towards GA than other control proteins. Further investigation of this simple sensor with greater number of clinical samples can open up avenues for an efficient diagnosis and monitoring of diabetes mellitus when used in conjunction with the traditional method of glucose level monitoring.
Weighted Multi-resource Minority Games

Game theory and its application in multi-agent systems continues to attract a considerable number of scientists and researchers around the globe. Moreover, the need for distributed resource allocation is increasing at a high pace and multi-agent systems are known to be suitable to deal with these problems. In this chapter, we investigate the presence of multiple resources in minority games where each resource can be given a weight (importance). In this context, we investigate different settings of the parameters and how they change the results of the game. In spite of some previous works on multi-resource minority games, we explain why they should be referred as multi-option games. Through exploring various scenarios of multi-resource situations, we take into account two important issues: (i) degree of freedom to choose strategy, and (ii) the effect of resource capacity on the different evaluation criteria. Besides, we introduce a new criterion named resource usage to understand the behavior of the system and the performance of agents in utilizing each resource. We find that although using a single strategy may involve less computation, using different strategies is more effective when employing multiple resources simultaneously. In addition, we investigate the system behavior as the importance of resources are different; we find that by adjusting the weight of resources, it is possible to attract agents towards a particular resource.
On a continuous-time multi-group bi-virus model with human awareness

This paper studies the effect of human awareness on a distributed continuous-time bi-virus model in which two competing viruses diffuse over a network comprised of multiple groups of individuals. When contacting infected individuals in their own and neighboring groups, individuals may either be infected by one of the two viruses with a virus-dependent infection rate or become alert. Alert individuals may be infected by either virus but with a smaller virus-dependent infection rate, and the alert state also diffuses over the network. Limiting behaviors of the model are studied by analyzing the equilibria of the system and their stability. Both equilibria and their stability are compared with those of the model without human awareness.
Best Practices in Academia to Remedy Gender Bias in Tech

The New York Times published an op-ed by Anita Hill [3] suggesting that women in tech consider class action to remedy the gender bias that is increasingly being reported in the mass-media. This panel raises the question "what are we doing in undergraduate programs to reduce the 'Mad Men', 'Brogrammer' culture she describes that is increasingly being reported in the popular press. Part of our mission as educators is to develop professional behavior so that our students entering the workforce not only understand what it means to act professionally, but understand that it is their responsibility to actively push back on the existing bias within the tech culture. As moderator Ursula Wolz brings a depth of insight from 40 years of industrial and academic experience, including a National Science Foundation project to broaden participation in computing [5]. She does not believe this problem can be solved through quantitative data collection on who does well in computer science, but that SIGCSE needs to begin to collect good stories (ala Sally Fincher [2]) on what constitute best practices to support diversity. The panelists present a range of perspectives that have the potential to establish new cultural norms in the single most influential industry in our economy.
Establishment of White Oak Seedlings with Three Post-Plant Handling Methods on Deep-Tilled Minesoil during Reclamation

Abstract Three methods to improve first-year establishment of bare-root white oak on compacted minesoil during reclamation were investigated. We applied tree-shelter, hydrophilic-polymer, and nitro...
Automated shape-based pavement crack detection approach

Pavements are critical man-made infrastructure systems that undergo repeated traffic and environmental loadings. Consequently, they deteriorate with time and manifest certain distresses. To ensure long-lasting performance and appropriate level of service, they need to be preserved and maintained. Highway agencies routinely employ semiautomated and automated image-based methods for network-level pavement-cracking data collection, and there are different types of pavement-cracking data collected by highway agencies for reporting and management purposes. We design a shape-based crack detection approach for pavement health monitoring, which takes advantage of spatial distribution of potential cracks. To achieve this, we first extract Potential Crack Components (PCrCs) from pavement images. Next, we employ polynomial curve to fit all pixels within these components. Finally, we define a Shape Metric (SM) to distinguish crack blocks from background. We experiment the shape-based crack detection approach on different datasets, and compare detection results with an alternate method that is based on Support Vector Machines (SVM) classifier. Experimental results prove that our approach has the capability to produce higher detections and fewer false alarms. Additional research is needed to improve the robustness and accuracy of the developed approach in the presence of anomalies and other surface irregularities.
Unilateral Blastomyces dermatitidis optic neuropathy case report and systematic literature review.

Objective To describe the clinical and histopathologic findings of a unique case of isolated optic nerve Blastomyces dermatitidis infection and to summarize the ophthalmic blastomycosis literature. Design Case report and systematic literature review. Methods A 70-year-old healthy man experienced impaired vision in his left eye. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed an enhancing process of the left optic nerve sheath. Although vision initially improved with oral dexamethasone, visual acuity subsequently decreased from 20/25 to no light perception over 8 weeks. An optic nerve biopsy revealed blastomycosis. Because ophthalmic blastomycosis infections are unusual, the Cochrane Library, PubMed, OVID, and UpToDate databases were searched using the term blastomycosis with the limits English and humans . Articles that predated the databases were gathered from current references. Main Outcome Measures Visual acuity of the left eye and MRI of the orbits and brain. Results Histopathologic examination of the nerve specimen showed B. dermatitidis infection. Needle biopsy and culture results of a suspicious lung scar were positive for Blastomyces . The patient was treated with intravenous amphotericin B followed by oral itraconazole for 6 months. The left eye remained blind 23 months after the biopsy. Approximately 40 articles describing ophthalmic infection were found in the literature search. Conclusions Ophthalmic blastomycosis infections can cause rapid, complete vision loss. Prompt treatment is required, but infections are uncommon and usually are misdiagnosed, often because of lack of biopsy results. Tissue must be biopsied, cultured, or both for a definitive diagnosis. Because virtually all blastomycosis cases begin in the lungs, a chest radiograph or computed tomographic scan should be obtained. Any questionable lung lesion should be biopsied to corroborate possible ophthalmic disease.
HYALURONAN AND HYLAN IN THE TREATMENT OF OSTEOARTHRITIS

ABSTRACT Endre Balazs' recognition that some forms of osteoarthritic pain are related to decreases in the elastoviscous properties of hyaluronan and his purification of a noninflammatory fraction of hyaluronan led him to develop the concept of viscosupplementation. The first hyaluronan viscosupplement Healon® produced in his laboratory, had a mw of 2-3 million, and was safe and effective in the treatment of early to moderate human osteoarthritis. He subsequently developed hylans: cross-linked hyaluronans in which the carboxylate and acetamido groups are not chemically modified. Hylan G-F20 (Synvisc®) was specifically formulated to behave as a synovial fluid prosthesis. It has similar physicochemical properties to the synovial fluid found in young healthy adults, prolonged residence time, the same permeability, biocompatibility and lack of immunogenecity as unmodified hyaluronan. Clinical studies have demonstrated its safety and efficacy compared to saline, NSAIDs, and low molecular weight hyaluronans in all stages of osteoarthritis and over multiple courses.
Estimates of Interstitial Adenosine in Isolated Rat Hearts from Surface Exudates During Rapid Pacing and EHNA Infusion

When isolated hearts are perfused with colloid-free salt solution, fluid filters from the vascular bed through the interstitial space and accumulates on the epicardial surface. We suggest that under steady-state conditions, the composition of this exudate is equivalent to that of the extracellular fluid. We have developed techniques to collect samples of this surface exudate (s) and have used HPLC methods to determine the adenosine (ADO) and inosine (INO) concentrations which can be compared to those of the venous effluent (v). Under steady-state conditions, [ADO]v and [ADO]s were 23 ± 3 and 130 ± 8 nM, respectively, and [INO]v and [INO]s were 38 ± 5 and 119 ± 13, respectively. An increase in pacing from 3 Hz to 6 Hz was associated with a transient increase in [ADO]v but no increase in [ADO]s. After 10 min rapid pacing, [ADO]s and [ADO]V were below the prerapid pacing values. Both [INO]S and [INO]V, however, increased and remained elevated throughout the 10 min period of rapid pacing. The data suggest that coronary vascular tone decreased during rapid pacing. Addition of the adenosine deaminase inhibitor, EHNA (10−5 M), was associated with an increase in the [ADO] and a decrease in [INO] of both fluid samples and a decrease in the coronary vascular resistance under steady-state conditions. The [ADO]v and [ADO]s of EHNA-treated hearts were increased significantly during the period of rapid pacing. Furthermore, the data indicate that the decrease in coronary vascular tone during rapid pacing was greater in EHNA-treated hearts than in control hearts. The results of these experiments suggest that interstitial levels of adenosine in these hearts is nearly six-fold greater than that of the venous effluent and that there is significant endogenous adenosine deaminase activity that may prevent interstitial levels from rising significantly during rapid pacing.
The moral standing of the dead.

In choosing to do certain things, we appear to presuppose that we can act in the interests the dead, and that we have a duty to do so. For example, some of us go to great lengths to carry out their...
D-dimer, hsCRP, Ghrelin, MMP3 and Eotaxin Correlate with Ejection Fraction in Cardiomyopathy

Introduction There is growing interest in identifying new biomarkers in cardiomyopathy. Most recently, clinical trials with treatment strategies targeting tumor necrosis factor α in CHF patients yielded disappointing results, suggesting the pathophysiology is even more complicated than originally thought. To investigate further, we assessed 58 soluble mediators known to be associated with cardiovascular disease for their relationship with cardiomyopathy. Methods Consecutive asymptomatic patients with carotid atherosclerosis followed in the Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs Vascular Medicine clinic between 2015-2017, with a TTE within three years of enrollment were eligible. Plasma was obtained at baseline for measurement of soluble mediators using 50-plex (Thermo Scientific) and 8-plex (Bio-Rad Laboratories) assay kits for human cytokines. Subjects were categorized based on EF as follows: ≥50% normal EF, 35-49% mild to moderately reduced EF and Results Fifty-nine patients were analyzed (97% male, mean age 70, range 57-89 years, 85% hypertensive, 66% diabetic, and 27% with reduced EF). Five soluble mediators inversely correlated with EF category: D-Dimer (r = -.27, p = .04), Ghrelin (r = -.29, p = .03), matrix metallopeptidase 3 (MMP3) (r = -.32, p = .01), high sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hsCRP) (r = -.27, p = .04) and Eotaxin (r = -.28, p = .04). Conclusion Our results identified five plasma soluble mediators significantly inversely correlated with EF, including D-dimer, hsCRP, Ghrelin, MMP3 and Eotaxin. The association between cardiomyopathy and elevation of D-dimer, hsCRP, MMP3 and Ghrelin have been described previously. The association between eotaxin and cardiomyopathy in humans identified in our work is novel, although similar elevations have been suggested in an animal model of autoimmune response to cardiac troponin and subsequent myocardial fibrosis. Eotaxin is a C-C chemokine expressed by macrophages and cardiac fibroblasts and is thought to facilitate eosinophil trafficking to the heart. Further study in larger sample sizes is warranted to confirm our results and further elucidate mechanisms involved.