cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Digital Dance Literacy: An Integrated Dance Technology Curriculum Pilot Project.

Although the technological methods in which dance artists create, develop, document and present their work have grown significantly over the past two decades, technology education in undergraduate dance curricula in the US often remains peripheral. Some dance programs in higher education, especially those with graduate programs, now include a general course in dance technology that often functions as an overview of documentation methods and basic dance production. Given the technological advances and their creative applications in dance over the past decade (computer‐mediated choreography, musical scores, and sound environments; interdisciplinary and mixed media; Internet2 live telematic rehearsal and performance), this curriculum development project sought to design and implement a comprehensive technology curriculum for undergraduate dance students in bachelors degree programs in the US. Four developmental design problems were confronted in this pilot project, including how to provide: (1) integrated de...
Serotonergic regulation of circadian rhythms in Syrian hamsters.

Abstract This study investigated the effects of (±)-2-dipropylamino-8-hydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthaline hydrobromide (8-OH-DPAT) on circadian rhythms in Syrian hamsters. Systemic administration of 8-OH-DPAT (0.75 mg in 150 μl saline) at circadian time 7 produced phase advances in the circadian activity rhythm. These 8-OH-DPAT-induced phase advances were blocked by microinjection of bicuculline (166 ng, 200 nl) into the suprachiasmatic nucleus, suggesting that GABAergic activity in the suprachiasmatic nucleus mediates the phase shifts produced by systemic injections of 8-OH-DPAT. Microinjection of 8-OH-DPAT (1 μg, 200 nl) or serotonin (0.7 μg, 200 nl) directly into the suprachiasmatic nucleus did not induce phase shifts at circadian time 7, suggesting that the phase shifting effects of systemic injection of 8-OH-DPAT are mediated outside the suprachiasmatic nucleus. To examine possible sites of action of 8-OH-DPAT, 8-OH-DPAT (0.5 μg (100 nl) or 1.0 μg (200 nl)) was microinjected into the intergeniculate leaflet, dorsal raphe nuclei, and the median raphe nucleus at circadian time 7. Significant phase advances were observed after microinjection into the dorsal raphe and median raphe but not the intergeniculate leaflet. These results support the hypothesis that systemic injection of serotonergic agonists can alter circadian rhythms via action in the midbrain raphe nucleus, and that the phase shifts induced by microinjection of 8-OH-DPAT into the raphe nuclei are mediated by a neurotransmitter other than serotonin within the suprachiasmatic nucleus.
Measuring Resource Inequality: The Gini Coefficient

This paper stems from work done by the authors at the Mathematics for Social Justice Workshop held in June of 2007 at Middlebury College. We provide a description of the Gini coefficient and some discussion of how it can be used to promote quantitative literacy skills in mathematics courses. The Gini Coefficient was introduced in 1921 by Italian statistician Corrado Gini as a measure of inequality. It is defined as twice the area between two curves. One, the Lorenz curve for a given population with respect to a given resource, represents the cumulative percentage of the resource as a function of the cumulative percentage of the population that shares that percentage of the resource. The second curve is the line y = x which is the Lorenz curve for a population which shares the resource equally. The Gini coefficient can be interpreted as the percentage of inequality represented in the population with respect to the given resource. We propose that the Gini coefficient can be used to enhance students’ understanding of calculus concepts and provide practice for students in using both calculus and quantitative literacy skills. Our examples are based mainly on distribution of energy resources using publicly available data from the Energy Information Agency of the United States Government. For energy resources within the United States, we find that by household, the Gini coefficient is 0.346, while using the 51 data points represented by the states and Washington D.C., the Gini coefficient is 0.158. When we consider the countries of the world as a population of 210, the Gini coefficient is 0.670. We close with ideas for questions which can be posed to students and discussion of the experiences two other mathematics instructors have had incorporating the Gini coefficient into pre-calculus-level mathematics classes.
Laminin-2 stimulates the proliferation of epithelial cells in a conjunctival epithelial cell line

Laminin-2 (LN-2, alpha2beta1gamma1) is a basement membrane-associated laminin isoform usually considered in the context of muscle and nerve tissues. To test the hypothesis that LN-2 can additionally modulate epithelial cell biology, an analysis of the role of LN-2 in cell adhesion, activation of signalling intermediates and proliferation was undertaken. A virally transformed human conjunctival epithelial cell line (HC0597) was utilized in this study. Adhesion assays using function-inhibiting antibodies demonstrated that alpha3beta1 integrin is essential for the rapid attachment of conjunctival epithelial cells to LN-2. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation analyses revealed that, compared with LN-1 or LN-10, LN-2 significantly promotes epithelial proliferation. Phosphorylation of the signalling intermediates Erk1/2 and Akt-1 was observed within 15 min of cell adhesion to LN-2. Inhibiting alpha3beta1 integrin function decreased total cellular phosphotyrosine levels, specifically inhibited phosphorylation of Erk1/2 and Akt-1, and dampened the proliferation response of epithelial cells adherent to LN-2. Inhibition of Erk or Akt activation inhibited cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. However, the inhibition of Erk resulted in a stronger suppression of proliferation compared with Akt inhibition. From these results, it is concluded that human conjunctival epithelial cells adhere to immobilized LN-2 using alpha3beta1 integrin. alpha3beta1 integrin/LN-2 signalling, transduced primarily through an Erk pathway, enhances epithelial cell proliferation. These results demonstrate that LN-2 can impact on epithelial cell biology in addition to nerve and muscle, and provide information regarding the role of this isoform in ocular surface epithelial cells.
AERODYNAMICS OF WIND POLLINATION IN SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS (LINK) SCHNEIDER

Analyse de la morphologie florale et de la biologie de la pollinisation en terme de capture et types de sedimentation aerienne du pollen
Adaptation of the Mactaggart and Jack complex multiplication algorithm for floating-point operators

With a suitable treatment of the exponents in the input operands, a hardware implementation of the Mactaggart and Jack fixed-point complex multiplication algorithm can also calculate a floating-point product with no loss in accuracy from the greater dynamic range of the floating-point inputs. This floating-point technique can be extended to any sum to two products operation, such as encountered in matrix multiplication and vector cross-products. >
Ultra-deep imaging of turbid samples by enhanced photon harvesting

We constructed an advanced detection system for two-photon fluorescence microscopy that allows us to image in biological tissue and tissue phantoms up to the depth of a few mm with micron resolution. The innovation lies in the detection system which is much more sensitive to low level fluorescence signals than the fluorescence detection configuration used in conventional two-photon fluorescence microscopes. A wide area photocathode photomultiplier tube (PMT) was used to detect fluorescence photons directly from a wide (1 inch diameter) area of the turbid sample, as opposed to the photon collection by the microscope objective which can only collect light from a relatively small area of the sample. The optical path between the sample and the photocathode is refractive index matched to curtail losses at the boundaries due to reflections. The system has been successfully employed in the imaging of tissue phantoms simulating brain optical properties and in biological tissues, such as murine small intestine, colon, tumors, and other samples. The system has in-depth fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) capabilities and is also highly suitable for SHG signal detection, such as collagen fibers and muscles, due to the intrinsically forward-directed propagation of SHG photons.
Metrology of a mirror at the Advanced Photon Source: comparison between optical and x-ray measurements

This paper describes metrology of a vertically focusing mirror on the bending magnet beamline in sector-1 of the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory. The mirror was evaluated using measurements from both an optical long trace profiler and x-rays. Slope error profiles obtained with the two methods were compared and were found to be in a good agreement. Further comparisons were made between x-ray measurements and results from the SHADOW ray-tracing code.
Wnt Activation by Wild Type and Mutant Myocilin in Cultured Human Trabecular Meshwork Cells

The original version is available through Public Library of Science at DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0044902. This is an open-access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication.
HEALTH RESPONSES OF NEW YORK CITY FIREFIGHTER SPOUSES AND THEIR FAMILIES POST-SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 TERRORIST ATTACKS

Much attention has been focused on New York City firefighters and their responses to the traumatic events of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, given their extensive involvement in rescue efforts, and the overwhelming loss of life among the fire department employees. It quickly became evident that the impact of this horrendous event had resonated deeply not only on the families and children of the firefighters who gave their lives, but also on those who had survived. The goal of this study was to conduct semi-structured focus groups of women whose firefighter husbands were directly involved in rescue efforts at Ground Zero. We hoped to identify patterns in survivors' responses to the events as well as any coping mechanisms that the participants used to manage their exposure to the tragedy. An analysis of transcripts from interviews reveals the nature and extent of the impact of the trauma on these women, their husbands, and their children. There were two recurring themes that were apparent from the interview data. Women used patterns of connectedness to other spouses to cope with the emotional impact of the event. In addition, participants reported a constant need to be vigilant in helping their families cope. Issues related to the family's physical, mental, and spiritual health in the context of nursing practice are discussed.
Integrating tools and support-code with the developed program

Wide-spectrum support for program development that allows easy implementation of tools such as debuggers, test procedures and performance measurement elements as well as the production of support code that is well maintained and strongly connected to the developed program is suggested. The framework which is an extension of regular programming languages, makes it possible to change, adapt and extend tools written in the extended language. The developed program and its support code are combined syntactically and semantically by a programming language called an orthogonal language, that is, an extension of the language in which the developed program is written. Orthogonal-C, which is an orthogonal extension of C, is considered. >
Prediction and Coarse-Grained Modeling of RNA Structures

The discovery of a large number of RNAs of complex three-dimensional (3D) structures, associated with numerous functions in the cell, has led to a major paradigm shift in biology. Computer simulation of the higher-order structure and dynamics of an RNA can provide great insights into the properties of the RNA and its functions in the cell. In recent years, steady progress has been made toward the RNA 3D structure prediction and modeling with an increasing number of advanced algorithms and models. Here, we describe recent advances in RNA structure prediction using coarse-grained approaches. We focus on the prediction strategies of different coarse-grained models according to their underlying physical or chemical principles. The strengths and the limitations of each model are discussed. We conclude by summarizing potential applications and the future directions of coarse-grained models for RNA structure prediction.
Terrain model registration for single cycle instrument placement

This paper presents an efficient and robust method for registration of terrain models created using stereovision on a planetary rover. Our approach projects two surface models into a virtual depth map, rendering the models, as they would be seen from a single range sensor. Correspondence is established based on which points project to the same location in the virtual range sensor. A robust norm of the deviations in observed depth is used as the objective function, and the algorithm searches for the rigid transformation, which minimizes the norm. An initial coarse search is done using rover pose information from odometry and orientation sensing. A fine search is done using Levenberg-Marquardt. Our method enables a planetary rover to keep track of designated science targets as it moves, and to hand off targets from one set of stereo cameras to another. These capabilities are essential for the rover to autonomously approach a science target and place an instrument in contact in a single command cycle.
ArcView 3.2a, MapInfo 6.0, and Manifold 4.5:A Comparative Review of Geographical Information System Software

This review compares the main features of recent releases of three geographical information system (GIS) products: ArcView 3.2a, MapInfo 6.0, and Manifold 4.5. ArcView and MapInfo are both good cho...
CAMP COUNTER-REGULATES INSULIN-MEDIATED PROTEIN PHOSPHATASE-2A INACTIVATION IN RAT SKELETAL MUSCLE CELLS

In this study, we examined the mechanism of recently reported inactivation of protein phosphatase-2A (PP-2A) by insulin (Srinivasan, M., and Begum, N. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 12514-12520) and its counter-regulation by cAMP agonists. Exposure of L6 myotubes to insulin resulted in a rapid inhibition of PP-2A that was accompanied by a 3-fold increase in the phosphotyrosine content of the immunoprecipitated PP-2A catalytic subunit. Pretreatment with (Sp)-cAMP, a cAMP agonist, completely blocked insulin-mediated inhibition of PP-2A activity and decreased the tyrosine phosphorylation of PP-2A catalytic subunit to control levels. To understand the mechanism of counter-regulation of PP-2A by (Sp)-cAMP, cells were pretreated with sodium orthovanadate, an inhibitor of phosphotyrosine phosphatases. Vanadate prevented the effect of (Sp)-cAMP on PP-2A activity and increased the phosphorylation status of PP-2A catalytic subunit to the level observed with insulin. Wortmannin, a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor, and rapamycin, an inhibitor of 70-kDa S6 kinase activation, prevented insulin-mediated inactivation of PP-2A, suggesting that these pathways may participate in insulin-mediated phosphorylation and inactivation of PP-2A. These results show that insulin signaling results in a rapid inactivation of PP-2A by increased tyrosine phosphorylation and cAMP agonists counter-regulate insulin's effect on PP-2A by decreasing phosphorylation, presumably via an activated phosphatase.
Memristive switching: physical mechanisms and applications

Memristive switches are devices which modulate their resistance state depending on the history of the applied current and/or voltage, and have substantial technological potential and as well as scientific interest. In this paper, we review the current state of research on memristive systems. We review the many classes of memristive switching, their physical mechanisms, and their fabrication and operational modes. Next, we discuss the state of the art experimental and modeling/simulation techniques, and the physical insight afforded from these approaches. Finally, we discuss the applications and believed technological potential of these fascinating and exciting devices.
Opportunity for Interaction? A Naturalistic Observation Study of Dual-Earner Families After Work and School

Everyday patterns of interaction can strengthen or undermine bonds between family members. This naturalistic observation study focused on an understudied facet of family life: opportunities for interaction among dual-earner family members after work and family members' responses to these opportunities. Thirty dual-earner couples and their children were observed and video-recorded in their homes throughout two weekday afternoons and evenings. Two interaction opportunities were analyzed: (1) the behavior of family members toward a parent returning home from work and (2) the physical proximity of family members throughout the evening. Three main findings emerged. Women, who tended to return home before men, were greeted with positive behavior and reports of the day's information from family members. Men, in contrast, returned home later in the day and received positive behavior or no acknowledgment from family members distracted by other activities. Throughout the evening, mothers spent more time with children whereas fathers spent more time alone. Couples were seldom together without their children. The implications of observed interaction patterns and the contribution of naturalistic observation methods to the study of family relationships are discussed.
Racial/Ethnic Differentials in Sentencing to Incarceration

Few criminological topics are as controversial as the relationships between race, ethnicity, crime, and criminal justice outcomes—especially incarceration. This paper assesses whether Blacks and Hispanics are disadvantaged at the sentencing phase of the justice system and whether the findings depend on the use of traditional regression-based methods to control for legally relevant variables vs. the use of precision matching methods, which attend to potential sample selection bias that occurs when there are not exact matches for those sentenced to incarceration and non-incarceration. Analysis of the population of Florida offenders from 1994 to 2006 using both methodologies indicates that Black offenders continue to be disproportionately incarcerated compared to White or Hispanic offenders, and that Hispanic offenders were slightly more likely than White offenders to be incarcerated.
Making men: Enlightenment ideas of racial engineering

This essay suggests a colonial and Enlightenment genealogy for racial ideas more commonly associated with the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Nelson exposes unfulfilled pseudo-eugenic plans, focused on the French Caribbean colony of Saint-Domingue, in which racial engineering through controlled "breeding" was seen as a solution to challenges to stability after the Seven Years' War.
Synthesis of 2′-O-Photocaged Ribonucleoside Phosphoramidites

The chemical synthesis and incorporation of the phosphoramidite derivatives of 2 ′-O-photocaged ribonucleosides (A, C, G and U) with o-nitrobenzyl, α-methyl-o-nitrobenzyl or 4,5-dimethoxy-2-nitrobenzyl group into oligoribonucleotides are described. The efficiency of UV irradiated uncaging of these 2′-O-photocaged oligoribonucleotides was found in the order of α-methyl-o-nitrobenzyl < 4,5-dimethoxy-2-nitrobenzyl < 2′-O-o-nitrobenzyl.
Approximate non-Gaussian filtering with linear state and observation relations

Two approaches to the non-Gaussian filtering problem are presented. The proposed filters retain the computationally attractive recursive structure of the Kalman filter and they approximate well the exact minimum variance filter in cases where either 1) the state noise is Gaussian or its variance small in comparison to the observation noise variance, or 2) the observation noise is Gaussian and the system is one step observable. In both cases, the state estimate is formed as a linear prediction corrected by a nonlinear function of past and present observations. Some simulation results are presented.
Effect of Formulated Plant Extracts and Oils on Population Density of Phytophthora nicotianae in Soil and Control of Phytophthora Blight in the Greenhouse

Bowers, J. H., and Locke, J. C. 2004. Effect of formulated plant extracts and oils on population density of Phytophthora nicotianae in soil and control of Phytophthora blight in the greenhouse. Plant Dis. 88:11-16. Formulated plant extracts and oils were investigated for control of diseases caused by Phytophthora spp. Soil infested with chlamydospores of Phytophthora nicotianae was treated by incorporating 1, 5, and 10% aqueous emulsions of formulations containing clove oil, neem oil, pepper extract and mustard oil, cassia extract, synthetic cinnamon oil, or the fungicide metalaxyl. Population densities of P. nicotianae were determined at 0 (before treatment), 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 days after treatment. Treatment of the soil with 5 and 10% aqueous emulsions resulted in significant (P < 0.05) differences among treatment mean values at each assay date. After 1 day, population densities were reduced to below the limit of detection (<0.04 CFU/cm3) in soil treated with 10% aqueous emulsions of two pepper extract–mustard oil formulations and two cassia extract formulations, and near the limit of detection for a synthetic cinnamon oil formulation. Over time, populations of P. nicotianae were detected in the assay; however, after 21 days, populations of P. nicotianae in soil treated with one of the pepper extract–mustard oil formulations still were not detected. Formulations of clove oil, another pepper extract–mustard oil combination, the two cassia extracts, and the synthetic cinnamon oil reduced populations 98.4 to 99.9% after 21 days compared with the nontreated control soil. The neem oil formulation and metalaxyl did not reduce pathogen populations at any rate tested. In the greenhouse after 35 days, 10% aqueous emulsions of a pepper extract–mustard oil formulation, a cassia extract, and the synthetic cinnamon oil formulation suppressed disease development in periwinkle 93.0 to 96.7% compared with the nontreated infested soil. The observed reduction in the pathogen population and significantly more healthy plants in the greenhouse indicates that these formulations of plant extracts and oils could have important roles in biologically based management strategies for control of diseases caused by P. nicotianae.
Science and the New Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation’s making a comeback. Long thought to be an outdated approach to punishment, rehabilitation is reemerging in the wake of scientific advances. Not only have these advances in the fields of pharmacology, genetics, and neuroscience brought new rehabilitative possibilities, but the media’s communication of these advances to the general public have set the stage for rehabilitation’s reprise. The media constantly pummels the general public with reports of scientific breakthroughs like functional magnetic resonance imaging, prepping the public to be more accepting of deterministic viewpoints and to be more open to the possibility of transforming individuals. The rehabilitation that is emerging, however, differs in kind from the rehabilitation that reigned during the previous era. Instead of being aimed at transforming an individual’s character, this new rehabilitation focuses instead on changing the offender’s behavior. This intense focus on offender behavior may make rehabilitation in the form of transforming an offender’s biochemical composition more palatable to the average American, and indeed this new approach has the potential to be faster, more targeted, and more effective. Adoption of this new rehabilitation, though, discards the humanity of offenders, ignoring the dignity to which they are constitutionally entitled, and it also poses new concerns of coercion. In addition to recognizing rehabilitation’s return, it is important to understand this new version of rehabilitation and the implications it raises for the dignity of offenders.
Outcomes With Intravascular Ultrasound-Guided Stent Implantation A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials in the Era of Drug-Eluting Stents

Background—In the era of drug-eluting stents, it is unknown if intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) guidance for percutaneous coronary intervention should be routinely endorsed. This study aimed to determine if IVUS-guided stent implantation is associated with improved outcomes. Methods and Results—Randomized trials that reported clinical outcomes and compared routine IVUS-guided stent implantation with an angiography-guided approach in the era of drug-eluting stents were included. Summary estimates were constructed primarily using the Peto model. Seven trials with 3192 patients were analyzed. The mean length of the coronary lesions was 32 mm. At a mean of 15 months, routine IVUS-guided percutaneous coronary intervention was associated with a reduction in the risk of major adverse cardiac events (6.5% versus 10.3%; odds ratio, 0.60; 95% confidence interval, 0.46–0.77; P<0.0001), mainly because of reduction in the risk of ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization (4.1% versus 6.6%; odds ratio, 0.60; 95% c...
External calcium controls the developmental strategy of Phytophthora sojae cysts

AbstractThe effect of added calcium on the developmental fate of encysted zoospores was studied in four strains of Phytophthora sojae. Cysts from all strains were capable of producing both secondar...
Health-related quality of life in ovarian cancer survivors: Results from the American Cancer Society's Study of Cancer Survivors - I

Abstract Objective There are limited data on outcomes and predictors of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of ovarian cancer survivors. Therefore, we examined the trajectory and predictors of HRQOL one- and two-years post-diagnosis in this population. Methods 365 ovarian cancer survivors, a subset of participants in the longitudinal American Cancer Society's Study of Cancer Survivors-I, completed questionnaires at one-year post-diagnosis on sociodemographics, clinical factors, and HRQOL (SF-36). 284 women had HRQOL data at two-years post-diagnosis. In this secondary data analysis, we examined HRQOL at both time points, changes in HRQOL and predictors of HRQOL with univariate and multivariate linear regression. Results Mean mental and physical HRQOL scores one-year post-diagnosis were 49.37 (SD±11.59) and 45.96 (SD±10.89), respectively. Older age, lower income, higher disease stage, more comorbidities and greater symptom burden were associated with poorer physical functioning one year post-diagnosis. Younger age, higher stage, having an existing mental health issue, greater symptom burden, and not receiving chemotherapy were associated with poorer mental functioning. Disease recurrence between one- and two-years post-diagnosis and greater symptom burden were predictors of declining physical functioning from one- to two-years post-diagnosis. Mental functioning did not change significantly between assessments. Conclusions Overall mental and physical functioning of these ovarian cancer survivors was similar to the general population. However, lower HRQOL was associated with a number of variables, including disease recurrence, treatment status, symptom burden, age, and number of comorbidities. These findings can help health care providers identify survivors who may benefit from relevant interventions.
Effects of electron pulsing current on static recrystallization behaviour of GH4049 superalloy

To solve the problem of hard-deformation of Gh4049 superalloy,the effects of high density electron pulsing current on both the variation of initial temperature and activation energy of recrystallization of the alloy were investigated,and the influence of coarsen γ' during aging on crystallization behavior was also discussed.It is found that compared with normal annealing treatment,the initial temperature of recrystallization decreases apparently and the reducing ratio increases with the increasing of pulse frequency or current density.Meanwhile,the recrystallization can also be promoted by the coarsen γ' particles. The results obtained in the present study can be applied to enlarge the hot deforming temperature range of GH4049 superalloy. The electron wind force caused by the electron pulsing current can reduce the resistance of dislocation movement,and decrease the activation energy of recrystallization. Both nucleation and growth of recrystallization of the superalloy can be promoted with the adding of electron pulsing current.
Sympathetic ophthalmia:immuno-pathologic mechanism and its immunotherapy

Sympathetic ophthalmia is a bilateral inflammatory disease that occurs following penetrating trauma to one eye.The primary feature of sympathetic ophthalmia is a diffuse non-necrotizing granulomatous inflammation of the uvea,with prominent lymphocytic infiltration of the choroids.Immunopathologic studies demonstrate the important role of the T lymphocyte in the sympathetic ophthalmia pathogenesis.Whereas CD4+ T lymphocyte dominate early in disease,the CD8+ T lymphocyte is more common later.B lymphocytes make up less than 20% of the cellular infiltrate and may correlate with prolonged disease.Adhesive molecule,MHC molecule,Fas and Fas ligand expression were found to be increased in sympathetic ophthalmia eyes.Sympathetic ophthalmia patients have a genetic predisposition.There is an association between sympathetic ophthalmia and the HLA status of the host.Treatment principle of sympathetic ophthalmia is to control the intraocular inflammation with immunosuppressive agents as soon as possible,but should closely observe the adverse effects and toxicity.In addition,the advisability regarding enucleating the exciting eye is discussed.
Ex Vivo Renal Stone Characterization with Single-Source Dual-Energy Computed Tomography: A Multiparametric Approach

Rationale and Objectives We aimed to investigate a multiparametric approach using single-source dual-energy computed tomography (ssDECT) for the characterization of renal stones. Materials and Methods ssDECT scans were performed at 80 and 140 kVp on 32 ex vivo kidney stones of 3–10 mm in a phantom. True composition was determined by infrared spectroscopy to be uric acid (UA; n = 14), struvite ( n = 7), cystine ( n = 7), or calcium oxalate monohydrate ( n = 4). Measurements were obtained for up to 52 variables, including mean density at 11 monochromatic keV levels, effective Z, and multiple material basis pairs. The data were analyzed with five multiparametric algorithms. After omitting 8 stones smaller than 5 mm, the remaining 24-stone dataset was similarly analyzed. Both stone datasets were also analyzed with a subset of 14 commonly used variables in the same fashion. Results For the 32-stone dataset, the best method for distinguishing UA from non-UA stones was 97% accurate, and for distinguishing the non-UA subtypes was 72% accurate. For the 24-stone dataset, the best method for distinguishing UA from non-UA stones was 100% accurate, and for distinguishing the non-UA subtypes was 75% accurate. Conclusion Multiparametric ssDECT methods can distinguish UA from non-UA stones of 5 mm or larger with 100% accuracy. The best model to distinguish the non-UA renal stone subtypes was 75% accurate. Further refinement of this multiparametric approach may increase the diagnostic accuracy of separating non-UA subtypes and assist in the development of a clinical paradigm for in vivo use.
Segmental mid-wall myocardial dimensions in man recorded by sonomicrometry.

Regional myocardial function after cardiac operations has been quantitated indirectly by conventional angiography, radionuclide angiography, epicardial markers, and the intraoperative application of isometric epicardial force gauges. However, real-time assessment of regional mid-wall myocardial motion has not been possible. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of using pulse transit sonomicrometry, as described by Franklin and associates in experimental animals, to measure regional mid-wall dimensions in man. To test the applicability of this system in the human heart, we implanted two miniature ultrasonic transducers at mid-wall depth into a region of myocardium supplied by a bypass graft. They were located along the minor axis of the heart, 1 cm. apart and at a depth of 7 mm. from the epicardium. A 16 gauge polyvinyl catheter was positioned into the left ventricle for measuring left ventricular pressure, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP), dP/dt, and timing wall motion signals. Following termination of bypass, the patients were studied prior to and 30 seconds after graft occlusion. The transducers then were removed and no complication related to their use was encountered. From the wall motion signals in 17 patients, we calculated end-systolic length (ESL), end-diastolic length (EDL), and the extent and rate of both shortening and relaxation. Ischemia, induced by graft occlusion, was associated with abnormal systolic wall bulging as well as significant changes in systolic excursion and systolic lengths. By varying left ventricular filling volumes, we were able to assess regional left ventricular mid-wall compliance as well as systolic function. Inotropic agents resulted in a decrease in ESL with a resulting increase in the systolic excursion. Further refinement of this technique should allow more accurate measurement of bypass effects in hearts with regional contraction abnormalities.
Ability of Surgical Residents to Impact Patient Tobacco Use in the Perioperative Setting

AbstractIntroduction: Tobacco use significantly impacts patient morbidity and mortality, and is particularly important to the surgical community as it has a negative impact on surgical recovery. Despite its relevance, most surgeons do not engage in smoking cessation counseling.Methods: As part of the UCSF Medical Center quality improvement program, urology residents designed and led an initiative targeting urological patients undergoing surgery at UCSF between August 2013 and July 2014. Our primary objectives were to 1) elicit the smoking status of at least 80% of perioperative patients who stayed at least 1 night in the hospital and 2) obtain an inpatient smoking cessation consultation for patients who were active tobacco users.Results: A total of 934 patients were assessed, of whom 8.5% were current tobacco users, 37% were past users and 55% had never used tobacco. Current smokers were more likely to be younger and female, and less likely to have a cancer diagnosis compared to past or never smokers (all...
Social Organizations, Risk-sharing Institutions, and Economic Development

Economic, legal, and political institutions are important determinants of economic development (see, for example, North 1990). Economic institutions govern interactions among economic agents, legal institutions govern contractual relations and the private use of force, and political institutions govern the political decision-making process. Economic and political developments thus require institutions that support impersonal exchange and align the incentives of political decision-makers and the public.1
Diversity among Drosophila Transposable Elements and in Their Effects on Gene Expression

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses diversity among Drosophila transposable elements and in their effects on gene expression. Transposable elements in Drosophila can be divided into several groups based on their structural features. The major division is between those elements known as retrotransposons that transpose through a mechanism involving an RNA intermediate and those elements whose transposition does not involve an RNA intermediate. Retrotransposons include long tandem repeat (LTR) retrotransposons and non-LTR retrotransposons. The DNA elements can be divided into those with short inverted repeats and long inverted repeats. Almost all repeated elements fall into one of these four classes, and subdivision within these classes is possible. Closely related transposons have been found in the genomes of taxonomically diverse species, indicating that these transposons are either very old or are capable of transmission among distantly related species.
Intermolecular Interactions Determine Exciton Lifetimes in Neat Films and Solid State Solutions of Metal-Free Phthalocyanine

Thin films of vapor-deposited metal-free phthalocyanine (H2Pc) were studied using ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy in the visible region. Following photoexcitation, an excited state absorption feature located near 532 nm was observed which served as a probe of the excited state. For exciton densities larger than 5 × 1018 excitons/cm3 the time-dependent measurements of the excited state absorption included the presence of nonexponential decay kinetics attributed to exciton–exciton annihilation. At exciton densities less than 5 × 1018 excitons/cm3 annihilation was negligible, and the decay kinetics appeared single exponential within the signal-to-noise. The fitted time constant, 239 ± 24 ps, was attributed to the lifetime decay of the singlet excitons. When the H2Pc was diluted into a wide energy gap host via vapor deposition, the observed lifetime was significantly reduced, reaching 87 ± 9 ps for a concentration of 25% H2Pc. The decreased exciton lifetime with dilution was remarkable since it ha...
Acquisition Probability for a Correlation Algorithm with a Wide-Sense Markov Model and a Multiplicative Noise

on the acquisition probability gorithm is developed. The hm is used to match the or time) of a discrete-indepen1 received from a sensor with tored estimate of the same ility of exactly matching the o signals (the acquisition endent on several parameters stics of the estimation error 1, the statistics of the gth of the signal. For the stimation error is multiplicaignal is wide-sense Markov a acquisition probability is tion of the above cited parameters. the stored signal by determining the maximum value of the sample correlation coefficient between the stored and sensed signals. At the point of maximum it is assumed that the two signals coincide in position. Since the stored signal is an estimate, it will be in error, thus the position determined in this manner is probabilistic. In this paper we examine the probability that this match is correct. For the case in which the true signal has a widesense Markov property and the estimation error of the stored signal is a multiplicative white noise, a lower bound on this probability is developed.
Prenatal Growth and Adult Size of the Vomeronasal Organ in Mouse Lemurs and Humans

Previous studies of VNO size have primarily sought to compare the magnitude of VNO function (via a presumed link between VNO size and receptor population) among vertebrate species (Dawley, 1998) and sexes (Dawley and Crowder, 1995; Weiler et al., 1999). A few have sought to determine whether the structure degenerates or persists in humans. These studies have described a continuous increase in prenatal VNO anteroposterior length and epithelial volume (Smith et al., 1996, 1997; Sherwood et al., 1999), especially during the late second and third trimesters (Smith et al., 1997). A comparison of prenatal VNO data with the same measures in adults indicates that some postnatal growth, of variable magnitude, occurs during postnatal human ontogeny (Smith et al., 1998; Bhatnagar and Smith, in preparation). Although these studies have established that the human VNO does not degenerate (prenatally or postnatally), no studies have attempted to determine the magnitude of human VNO growth via a comparison to other species.
Causal effect of prolificacy on milk yield in dairy sheep using propensity score

In animal production, it is often important to investigate causal relationships among variables. The gold standard tool for such investigation is randomized experiments. However, randomized experiments may not always be feasible, possible, or cost effective or reflect real-world farm conditions. Sometimes it is necessary to infer effects from farm-recorded data. Inferring causal effects between variables from field data is challenging because the association between them may arise not only from the effect of one on another but also from confounding background factors. Propensity score (PS) methods address this issue by correcting for confounding in different levels of the causal variable, which allows unbiased inference of causal effects. Here the objective was to estimate the causal effect of prolificacy on milk yield (MY) in dairy sheep using PS based on matched samples. Data consisted of 4,319 records from 1,534 crossbred ewes. Confounders were lactation number (first, second, and third through sixth) and dairy breed composition ( 0.75 of East Friesian or Lacaune). The causal variable prolificacy was considered as 2 levels (single or multiple lambs at birth). The outcome MY represented the volume of milk produced in the whole lactation. Pairs of single- and multiple-birth ewes (1,166) with similar PS were formed. The matching process diminished major discrepancies in the distribution of prolificacy for each confounder variable indicating bias reduction (cutoff standardized bias = 20%). The causal effect was estimated as the average difference within pairs. The effect of prolificacy on MY per lactation was 20.52 L of milk with a simple matching estimator and 12.62 L after correcting for remaining biases. A core advantage of causal over probabilistic approaches is that they allow inference of how variables would react as a result of external interventions (e.g., changes in the production system). Therefore, results imply that management and decision-making practices increasing prolificacy would positively affect MY, which is important knowledge at the farm level. Farm-recorded data can be a valuable source of information given its low cost, and it reflects real-world herd conditions. In this context, PS methods can be extremely useful as an inference tool for investigating causal effects. In addition, PS analysis can be implemented as a preliminary evaluation or a hypothesis generator for future randomized trials (if the trait analyzed allows randomization).
Early detection of thymidylate synthase resistance in non-small cell lung cancer with FLT-PET imaging

// Xiao Chen 1, 2 , Yizeng Yang 3 and Sharyn Katz 1 1 Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA 2 Department of Radiology, Institute of Surgery Research, Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China 3 Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA Correspondence to: Sharyn Katz, email: sharyn.katz@uphs.upenn.edu Keywords: FLT, PET, pemetrexed, lung cancer, flare Received: April 19, 2017 Accepted: June 01, 2017 Published: July 31, 2017 ABSTRACT Introduction: Inhibition of thymidylate synthase (TS) results in a transient compensatory “flare” in thymidine salvage pathway activity measureable with 18 F-thymidine (FLT)- positron emission tomography (PET) at 2hrs. of therapy which may predict non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) sensitivity to TS inhibition. Materials and Methods: Resistance to TS inhibition by pemetrexed was induced in NSCLC cell lines H460 and H1299 through TS overexpression. TS overexpression was confirmed with RT-PCR and Western blotting and pemetrexed resistance confirmed with IC 50 assays. The presence of a pemetrexed-induced thymidine salvage pathway “flare” was then measured using 3 H-thymidine in both pemetrexed sensitive (H460 and H1299) and resistant (H460R, H1299R, CALU-6, H522, H650, H661, H820, H1838) lines in vitro , and validated with FLT-PET in vivo using H460 and H460R xenografts. Results: Overexpression of TS induced pemetrexed resistance with IC 50 for H460, H1299, H460R and H1299R measured as 0.141 μM, 0.656 μM, 22.842 μM, 213.120 μM, respectively. Thymidine salvage pathway 3 H-thymidine “flare” was observed following pemetrexed in H460 and H1299 but not H460R, H1299R, CALU-6, H522, H650, H661, H820 or H1838 in vitro . Similarly, a FLT “flare” was observed in vivo following pemetrexed therapy in H460 but not H460R tumor-bearing xenografts. Conclusions: Imaging of TS inhibition is predictive of NSCLC sensitivity to pemetrexed.
Uptake of Macromolecules at the Cell Surface

Current knowledge on the uptake of macromolecules by mammalian cells rests on the following four fundamental observations. The use of probe macromolecules in electron microscopy has demonstrated in a variety of cells that foreign macromolecules can be taken up by pinocytosis. Histochemical and biochemical studies have shown that ingested macromolecules reach secondary lysosomes, where they are degraded by hydrolytic enzymes. Experiments with viral nucleic acids, biologically active polynucleotides and proteins have proven that foreign macromolecules can exert biological functions in mammalian host cells. Finally, experiments with probe proteins and other macromolecules have shown that uptake is markedly enhanced in the presence of basic polymers and other helper-compounds.
Emergency Medical Service Transport Times for Acute Stroke and Myocardial Infarction

P188 It is currently recommended by the American Heart Association that both stroke and myocardial infarction (MI) patients be treated with urgency, as time dependent medical therapies are available for both conditions. Since stroke symptoms are often vague, it has been hypothesized that stroke patients may not be treated with the same urgency as MI patients by emergency medical services (EMS). To examine this hypothesis, EMS transport times were examined for both stroke and MI patients who used a paramedic-level, county based EMS system for transportation to a single hospital during 1999. Patients were identified by their hospital discharge diagnosis as stroke (ICD-9 430–438) or MI (ICD-9 410–414). Trip sheets with the corresponding transport times were retrospectively obtained from the 911 center. Thirteen patients with both a stroke and MI discharge diagnosis code were excluded from these analyses, leaving 75 stroke and 127 MI patients. While stroke patients were older than MI patients (median 81.1 vs. 73.3 years, p=0.01), the distribution of gender (56.9% women) and ethnicity (68.3% white) was not significantly different between stroke and MI patients. The use of lights and sirens to the scene (84.4%) and to the hospital (10.6%) also was not significantly different between stroke and MI patients. Mean EMS transport times are presented below in minutes, with the corresponding Wilcoxon rank sum test. In this study, all components of EMS transport times were similar for stroke and MI patients. Multiple linear regression predicting transport times confirmed these results. In this single county, EMS urgency for delivery of care was not different for stroke and MI patients.
Correction: Analysis of moisture diffusion mechanism in structured lipids using magnetic resonance imaging

Correction for ‘Analysis of moisture diffusion mechanism in structured lipids using magnetic resonance imaging’ by Sravanti Paluri et al., RSC Adv., 2015, 5, 76904–76911.