cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The GABAergic cerebello-olivary projection in the rat

Immunocytochemical detection of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD), the predominant biosynthetic enzyme of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), reveals the presence of a dense GABAergic innervation in all parts of the inferior olive. One brain center that provides a substantial projection to the inferior olive is the cerebellar nuclei, which contain many small GABAergic neurons. These neurons were tested as a source of GABAergic olivary afferents by combining retrograde tract tracing with GAD immunocytochemistry. As expected from previous studies, injections of wheat germ agglutinin-conjugated horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) into the inferior olive retrogradely label many small neurons in the interposed and lateral cerebellar nuclei and the dorsal part of the lateral vestibular nucleus, and fewer neurons in the ventro-lateral region of the medial cerebellar nucleus. These projections are predominantly crossed and are topographically arranged. The vast majority, if not all, of these projection neurons are also GAD-positive. The relative contribution of this projection to the GABAergic innervation of the inferior olive was tested by lesion of the cerebellar nuclei, or the superior cerebellar peduncle. Within 10 days the lesion eliminates most GAD-immunoreactive boutons in the principal olive, the rostral lamella of the medial accessory olive, the ventrolateral outgrowth, and the lateral part of the dorsal accessory olive ventral fold. Thus, the effectiveness of this depletion demonstrates that the cerebellar nuclei provide most of the GABAergic innervation to regions of the inferior olive known to receive a cerebellar projection. Moreover, when the lateral vestibular nucleus is damaged, the dorsal fold of the dorsal accessory olive is depleted of GABAergic boutons. The synaptic relations that boutons of the GABAergic cerebello-olivary projection share with olivary neurons were investigated at the electron microscopic level by GAD-immunocytochemistry, anterograde degeneration of the cerebellar axons or anterograde transport of WGA-HRP. All of these methods confirm that GABAergic, cerebello-olivary axon terminals contain pleomorphic vesicles, and synapse on various portions of olivary neurons, and especially on dendritic spines within glomeruli, often in very close proximity to the gap junctions that characteristically couple the dendritic profiles. These results demonstrate four major points: that virtually all of the GABAergic, and presumably inhibitory, neurons of the cerebellar and dorsal lateral vestibular nuclei are projection neurons; that a large portion of the inferior olive receives GABAergic afferents from the cerebellar nuclei; that a portion of the dorsal accessory olive receives GABAergic afferents from the dorsal lateral vestibular nucleus; and that cerebello-olivary fibers often synapse near gap junctions, and therefore could influence electrical coupling of olivary neurons.
Surface Plasmon Fields and Coupling in the Hollow Gold Nanoparticles and Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy. Theory and Experiment†

Most gold nanoparticles have surface plasmon fields only surrounding their surfaces. Recently, hollow nanoparticles have been studied, such as gold nanocages (AuNC) and gold nanoframes (AuNF). Those particles have two types of surfaces, one facing the outside and the other within the cavity. Their coupling provides a surface field inside the hollow particle and on the outside surface. Using DDA computational method, we have shown that the coupling between these fields gives field intensities and distribution inside and outside the nanoparticles that are sensitive to the thickness (the distance between the two surfaces) as well as the nanoparticle size. For small sizes, the coupling between the fields on the opposite sides of the cage is detected. These effects are detected by following the changes in the experimentally observed surface plasmon resonance spectra of these nanoparticles and the surface-enhanced Raman spectra of adsorbed molecules. The effect of the interaction between the external and intern...
The Graduate Theological Union in the San Francisco Bay Area

conduct an educational institution offering instruction on the graduate theological level; to participate with theological seminaries and other institutions of higher learning in co-operative programs of study; and to grant such academic degrees and honors as are customarily granted in universities and seminaries of learning, either in its own name only, or in conjunction with another such institution". It is clear that the charter of the GTU is broadly conceived; it was specifically formed to combine the theological and, indirectly, the university resources of the Bay Area at the doctoral level in the field of religion. But its Articles of Incorporation could also cover other co-operative developments.
Side-Wall Vertical Electrodes for Lateral Field Microfluidic Applications

This paper describes the design, fabrication, and testing of microfluidic devices enabled by electrodes embedded vertically in the side walls of SU-8 microchannels. With vertical electrodes on the side walls, one can generate higher lateral electrical fields uniform along the vertical direction in the channel (perpendicular to the substrate). By designing the electrode shapes and configurations, uniform and nonuniform electrical fields in the lateral (planar) directions can be applied to manipulate flow or particles in microchannels for switching or sorting applications. The uniform field is demonstrated in a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) microfluidic device for directing cells to different channel outlets while the nonuniform field is demonstrated in the generation of dielectrophoresis (DEP) forces for microbead focusing. Metal electrodes are fabricated by electroplating to form vertical electrodes aligned with the channel walls. The multilayer SU-8 lithography technique enables the four walls of the channel to be all SU-8. The thin precoated SU-8 layer on the substrate improves structure integrity of the SU-8 microchannels. The mechanical flexibility of PDMS compensates for the surface nonuniformity from the previous patterning steps to conformably cap the channel. The ability to integrate versatile electrodes design broadens the realm of electrical control and sensing for microfluidic applications
Roles of factor Va heavy and light chains in protein and lipid rearrangements associated with the formation of a bovine factor Va-membrane complex

Factor Va is an essential protein cofactor of the enzyme factor Xa, which activates prothrombin to thrombin during blood coagulation. Peptides with an apparent Mr of approximately 94,000 (heavy chain; HC) and approximately 74,000 or 72,000 (light chain; LC) interact in the presence of Ca2+ to form active Va. The two forms of Va-LC differ in their carboxyl-terminal C2 domain. Using Va reconstituted with either LC form, we examined the effects of the two LC species on membrane binding and on the activity of membrane-bound Va. We found that 1) Va composed of the 72,000 LC bound only slightly more tightly to membranes composed of a mixture of neutral and acidic lipids, the Kd being reduced by a factor of approximately 3 at 5 mM and by a factor of 6 at 2 mM Ca2+. 2) The two forms of Va seemed to undergo different conformational changes when bound to a membrane. 3) The activity of bovine Va varied somewhat with LC species, the difference being greatest at limiting Xa concentration. We have also addressed the role of the two Va peptides in membrane lipid rearrangements and binding: 1) Va binding increased lateral packing density in mixed neutral/acidic lipid membranes. In the solid phase, Va-HC had no effect, whereas Va-LC and whole Va had similar but small effects. In the fluid phase, Va-HC and whole Va both altered membrane packing, with Va-HC having the largest effect. 2) Va-HC bound reversibly and in a Ca2+-independent fashion to membranes composed of neutral phospholipid (Kd, approximately 0.3 microM; stoichiometry approximately 91). High ionic strength had little effect on binding. 3) The substantial effect of Va on packing within neutral phospholipid membranes was mimicked by Va-HC. 4) Based on measurements of membrane phase behavior, binding of Va or its peptide components did not induce thermodynamically discernible lateral membrane domains. These results suggest that the membrane association of factor Va is a complex process involving both chains of Va, changes in lipid packing, and changes in protein structure.
The biphasic induction of p21 and p27 in breast cancer cells by modulators of cAMP is posttranscriptionally regulated and independent of the PKA pathway.

Cyclic AMP (cAMP) elevation affects growth arrest and differentiation in a wide variety of breast cell lines; however, the mechanisms associated with this process are poorly understood. Previous studies linked cAMP-mediated growth arrest in breast tumor cells to increased levels of cyclin kinase inhibitor (CKI), p21. In the present study we examined the role of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) on p21 and p27 induction in the breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-157. The induction of the CKIs by modulators of cAMP such as cholera toxin (CT) + 1-isobutyl-3-methylxanthine (IBMX) and lovastatin fluctuates with biphasic kinetics (although the kinetics of CKI induction with CT + IBMX treatment are different from that of lovastatin) and is depicted by the periodic accumulation of lower molecular weight forms of p21 and p27 which also correlate with fluctuations in CDK2 activity. Using three different approaches we show that the cAMP-mediated induction of CKIs is independent of PKA activity. In the first approach we treated MDA-MB-157 cells with a variety of cAMP modulators such as CT + IBMX, and forskolin in the presence or absence of H-89, a potent PKA inhibitor. This analysis revealed that the cAMP activators were capable of inducing p21 even though PKA activity was completely eliminated. In the second approach PKA dominant negative stable clones of MDA-MB-157 treated with CT + IBMX or forskolin also resulted in p21 induction, in the absence of any PKA activity. Last, treatment of MDA-MB-157 cells with lovastatin, another known cAMP modulator which also causes growth arrest, resulted in the induction of p21 and p27 without any increase in PKA activity. Collectively, the above results suggest that the induction of p21 by cAMP is through a novel pathway, independent of PKA activity.
Contribution of excitatory amino acids to morphine-induced metabolic alterations

Abstract Previous studies have indicated that excitatory amino acids are involved in the analgesic and addictive properties of morphine. However, their role in the morphine-induced alterations in glucose metabolism is not known. This study assessed the contribution of NMDA receptor activation to the morphine-induced hormonal and metabolic alterations in conscious unrestrained chronically catheterized rats. Whole body glucose flux was assessed with a primed constant intravenous infusion of [3-3H]glucose in rats pretreated with the NMDA-receptor antagonist MK-801 (0.25 mg/kg, intraarterial) or an equal volume (1.5 ml) of sterile saline (0.9% ) administered 15 min prior to i.c.v. injection of H2O (Con; 5 μl) or morphine sulfate (80 μg). No significant alterations were noted in metabolic and hormonal parameters of H2O injected rats. i.c.v. morphine increased the plasma glucose concentration (60%), hepatic glucose production (Ra; 60%) and whole body glucose utilization (Rd; 53%), but did not alter the glucose metabolic clearance rate (MCR). MK-801 alone resulted in transient hyperglycemia (25%), stimulation of glucose Ra (60%) and glucose Rd (53%), and a significant (30%) increase in MCR. MK-801 pretreatment blunted the morphine-induced hyperglycemia and the increased glucose Ra and Rd. Morphine increased the plasma concentration of epinephrine (4-fold), norepinephrine (2-fold) and corticosterone (67%); however, no alterations in plasma insulin and glucagon were detected. MK-801 pretreatment, blunted the morphine-induced increase in corticosterone and norepinephrine, and elicited a significant rise in insulin concentrations. These results indicate that activation of the NMDA receptors contributes to the morphine-induced hyperglycemia and hormonal alterations. Furthermore, this response appears partially mediated by activation of sympathetic outflow and suppression of insulin release, which is blunted by inhibition of NMDA receptors.
What Does ‘Respect’ Mean? Exploring the Moral Obligation of Health Professionals to Respect Patients

Respect is frequently invoked as an integral aspect of ethics and professionalism in medicine, yet it is often unclear what respect means in this setting. While we recognize that there are many reasonable ways to think about and use the term 'respect', in this paper, we develop a conception of respect that imposes a distinct moral duty on physicians. We are concerned mainly with the idea of respect for persons, or more specifically, respect for patients as persons. We develop an account of respect as recognition of the unconditional value of patients as persons. Such respect involves respecting the autonomy of patients, but we challenge the idea that respect for autonomy is a complete or self-sufficient expression of respect for persons. Furthermore, we suggest that the type of respect that physicians owe to patients is independent of a patient's personal characteristics, and therefore, ought to be accorded equally to all. Finally, the respect that we promote has both a cognitive dimension (believing that patients have value) and a behavioral dimension (acting in accordance with this belief).
Sorption of benzene by poly(ethylene oxide)

Abstract The activity of benzene in poly(ethylene oxide), PEO, has been determined over the concentration range 0.3 to ∼35 wt% benzene using the piezoelectric sorption method. The temperature range was 64° to 97°C and the molecular weights of polymer samples were 1.0 × 10 5 , 6.0 × 10 5 , and 5.0 × 10 6 g/g mol. The Flory-Huggins interaction parameters, χ, determined in this work agree within experimental error with χ values determined by gas chromatography and by vapour pressure measurement. The values of χ extrapolated to zero solvent concentration, χ ∞ , have a minimum and negative value in the vicinity of 85°C for the sample of molecular weight 1.0 × 10 5 , 84°C for the sample of molecular weight 6.0 × 10 5 , and 77°C for the sample of molecular weight 5.0 × 10 6 . In the vicinity of 65°C, χ ∞ is negative for each molecular weight of polymer and increases to positive values with an increase in temperature. For all samples studied, the χ ∞ parameters reach constant values (0.22 to 0.30) at temperatures higher than 90°C.
Involvement of Norepinephrine in Transmission of The Stimulatory Influence of Progesterone on Gonadotropin Release11

Progesterone injected sc into spayed rats primed two days earlier with 5 μg estradiol benzoate increased plasma levels of LH and FSH 6 hr later as measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA). These peaks of plasma LH and FSH were abolished by prior treatment with phenoxybenzamine or haloperidol, while the P-adrenergic receptor blocker, propranolol, had no effect. The results indicated the involvement of an β-adrenergic receptor mechanism and catecholamines (CA) in the transmission of the progesterone stimulus. Drugs which modify brain CA levels were used to identify the CA involved. They were administered prior to the injection of progesterone. The expected peak levels of plasma LH and FSH failed to occur in rats treated with DL-β-methylp-tyrosine methyl ester HC1 (β-MPT) which lowers brain dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) levels. Sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC) and l-phenyl-3-(2-thiazolyl)-2 thiourea (U-14,624), which are known to decrease NE levels without decreasing DA levels by inhibiting the activity...
Humor and well-being in spouse caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease

The relationship between the use of humor and well-being was studied in a convenience sample of 96 elderly spouse caregivers of community-residing patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Using hierarchical multiple regression analysis and controlling for severity of illness, caregiver education, and income, the use of humor accounted for 18.2% ( p
The effects of real and nominal uncertainty on inflation and output growth: some garch‐m evidence

In this paper we use GARCH-M methods to test four hypotheses about the effects of real and nominal uncertainty on average inflation and output growth in the United States from 1948 to 1996. We find no evidence that higher inflation uncertainty or higher output growth uncertainty raises the average inflation rate. We also find no support for the idea that more risky output growth is associated with a higher average real growth rate. Our key result is that in a variety of models and sample periods, inflation uncertainty significantly lowers real output growth. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Interruption of Wnt signaling in müller cells ameliorates ischemia-induced retinal neovascularization

Retinal Muller cells are major producers of inflammatory and angiogenic cytokines which contribute to diabetic retinopathy (DR). Over-activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway has been shown to play an important pathogenic role in DR. However, the roles of Muller cell-derived Wnt/β-catenin signaling in retinal neovascularization (NV) and DR remain undefined. In the present study, mice with conditional β-catenin knockout (KO) in Muller cells were generated and subjected to oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes. Wnt signaling was evaluated by measuring levels of β-catenin and expression of its target genes using immunoblotting. Retinal vascular permeability was measured using Evans blue as a tracer. Retinal NV was visualized by angiography and quantified by counting pre-retinal nuclei. Retinal pericyte loss was evaluated using retinal trypsin digestion. Electroretinography was performed to examine visual function. No abnormalities were detected in the β-catenin KO mice under normal conditions. In OIR, retinal levels of β-catenin and VEGF were significantly lower in the β-catenin KO mice than in littermate controls. The KO mice also had decreased retinal NV and vascular leakage in the OIR model. In the STZ-induced diabetic model, disruption of β-catenin in Muller cells attenuated over-expression of inflammatory cytokines and ameliorated pericyte dropout in the retina. These findings suggest that Wnt signaling activation in Muller cells contributes to retinal NV, vascular leakage and inflammation and represents a potential therapeutic target for DR.
Outcomes after ileoanal pouch surgery in frail and older adults.

Abstract Background Evidence from single-center studies suggests that ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) can be safely performed in selected older patients with ulcerative colitis. The impact of age and frailty on surgical outcomes and hospital length of stay after IPAA has not been examined. Methods We identified all patients with ulcerative colitis who underwent total proctocolectomy or completion proctectomy with IPAA in the National Surgery Quality Improvement Program database from 2005–2012. We examined the associations of age and frailty trait count with length of hospital stay and surgical complications using multivariate regression. Results IPAA was performed in 2493 patients with ulcerative colitis. Thirty-day mortality was 0.2% (n = 6). The majority of patients had no serious postoperative complications (age ≤50 y: 79.5%, age 51–60 y: 80.4%, and age >60 y: 79.1%). After multivariate risk adjustment, patients aged >60 y had a similar mean number of complications as patients aged ≤50 y (0.31 versus 0.35, P = 0.47) and a 0.8-d longer mean length of hospital stay (7.4 versus 8.2 d, P = 0.035). Compared to patients with zero frailty traits, a frailty trait count ≥1 was associated with a similar mean number of complications (0.31 versus 0.34, P = 0.36) and length of hospital stay (7.4 versus 7.7 d, P = 0.25). Conclusions In this analysis of patients undergoing IPAA at National Surgery Quality Improvement Program hospitals, surgical complications were not substantially increased in older patients or those with frailty traits. Older age was associated with a small increase in hospital length of stay. These findings suggest that IPAA is safe in selected older adults with ulcerative colitis.
Lumbar transforaminal epidural dexamethasone: a prospective, randomized, double-blind, dose-response trial.

Background and Objectives: Serious adverse events related to particulate steroids have curtailed the use of transforaminal epidural steroid injections for radicular pain. Dexamethasone has been proposed as an alternative. We investigated the efficacy, dose-response profile, and safety of 3 doses of epidural dexamethasone. Methods: A prospective, randomized, double-blind, dose-ranging design was used. A total of 98 subjects were randomized to transforaminal epidural dexamethasone 4 mg (n = 33), 8 mg (n = 33), or 12 mg (n = 32). The primary outcome measure for this study was reduction in radicular pain according to the visual analog scale from baseline, with 30% reduction or higher considered clinically meaningful. Secondary measures included the Oswestry Low Back Disability Scale, Subject Global Impression of Change, Subject Global Satisfaction Scale, and adverse events. Outcomes were assessed at 1, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after injection. Outcome measures, sample size, and statistical analysis were defined before enrollment. Results: Mean radicular pain according to the visual analog scale compared with baseline was reduced 41.7%, 33.5%, and 26.6% at 4, 8, and 12 weeks, respectively, after injection. Oswestry disability ratings declined from "moderate" at baseline to "minimal" at 4, 8, and 12 weeks after injection. There was no statistical difference between groups for either measure (all P values Conclusions: Transforaminal epidural dexamethasone provides statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in radicular pain at 12 weeks after injection, with parallel improvements in disability, impression of change, and satisfaction measures. There was no difference in efficacy for dexamethasone 4 mg compared with 8 or 12 mg. The optimal dose of epidural dexamethasone may be lower than 4 mg, further increasing the long-term safety and tolerability of this treatment. Current data are reassuring with regard to the safety of dexamethasone for transforaminal epidural steroid injection.
Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis: Ten Years at One Facility

A review of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) performed at one facility over a period of 10 years showed that age and type II diabetes mellitus were associated with the worst technique survival. The median survival of patients entering CAPD was not significantly different when the etiology of renal failure was chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN; 27 months), chronic interstitial nephritis (CIN; 21 months), diabetes mellitus type I (21 months), or hypertension (16 months). Patients with diabetes mellitus type II had significantly (P less than 0.05) worse survival (11 months). A patient remaining on CAPD 6 months had a 55% to 60% chance of remaining on therapy at 2 years and a 47% chance at the end of 3 years, whereas a patient with diabetes mellitus type II had a 34% conditional probability of remaining on dialysis at 2 years and 18% at 3 years. Sex, race, and educational achievement were not important determinants of dialysis technique survival. Studies are indicated to identify predictors of a poor dialysis experience.
REGULATED EXPRESSION OF MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASES AND TIMP IN NEPHROGENESIS

The roles of the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their specific inhibitors, the tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMP), in embryologic development in general, and in nephrogenesis in particular, have not been fully elucidated. The activities of these enzymes and their inhibitors may be critical in the extensive extracellular matrix remodeling that accompanies the formation of the full complement of mature nephrons in the developing kidney. The temporal and spatial expression of two critical basal lamina modifying enzymes, the 72 kDa gelatinase A (MMP-2) and the 92 kDa gelatinase B (MMP-9), as well as TIMP-1,-2, and -3 molecules were evaluated in the developing rat kidney. Additionally, transcripts for the recently described membrane-associated matrix metalloproteinase, MT1-MMP (MMP-14), which can act as an activating receptor for MMP-2/TIMP-2 complexes (Strongin et al.[1995] J. Biol. Chem. 270:5331–5338) were localized by in situ hybridization. Our immunohistochemical data demonstrate distinct localization of MMP-2 within immature nephron structures undergoing epithelial differentiation, while MMP-9 localizes only to the invading vascular structures within immature glomeruli. In contrast, by in situ hybridization, MMP-2 transcripts localize to the background undifferentiated mesenchyme and not to those structures undergoing epithelial differentiation. In a pattern similar to the MMP-2 protein, MT1-MMP transcripts were found within developing epithelial structures. Neither MMP-2, MMP-9 nor MT1-MMP were detected in mature nephrons. TIMP-2 and -3 follow a pattern of expression similar to the MMP-2 protein. We conclude that MMP-2 and TIMP play important roles in the remodeling of basal laminae associated with the epithelial structures of the developing kidney, that these enzymes are temporally and spatially regulated, and that the co-localization of MT1-MMP to sites of basement membrane remodeling suggests a potential role for this molecule as a receptor for and/or modulator of MMP-2/TIMP complexes. Dev. Dyn. 1998; 213:121–129. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Potato meristem culture and virus X

Parent meristem apices, subcutting, and re-isolations, with and without malachite green treatment, were cultured on several types of liquid and solid media. Considerable difficulty was experienced in achieving and maintaining satisfactory culture growth. No potato plantlets free of virus X, nor any showing a measurable reduction in virus titer were obtained. From a practical standpoint, meristem culture with or without malachite green treatment for virus X elimination is apparently of little value for routine potato improvement work.
PATHS: analysis of PATH duration statistics and their impact on reactive MANET routing protocols

We develop a detailed approach to study how mobility impacts the performance of reactive MANET routing protocols. In particular we examine how the statistics of path durations including PDFs vary with the parameters such as the mobility model, relative speed, number of hops, and radio range. We find that at low speeds, certain mobility models may induce multi-modal distributions that reflect the characteristics of the spatial map, mobility constraints and the communicating traffic pattern. However, our study suggests that at moderate and high velocities the exponential distribution with appropriate parameterizations is a good approximation of the path duration distribution for a range of mobility models. The reciprocal of the average path duration is analytically shown to have a strong linear relationship with the throughput and overhead that is confirmed by the simulation results for DSR.
Software for computer modeling of laser-pulse propagation through an optical system with nonlinear optical elements

We developed a set of computer codes organized in a software package that allows us to model high-energy laser pulse propagation through bulk nonlinear optical media. Nonlinearities included in the model are two-photon absorption, the electronic Kerr effect, excited-state and free-carrier absorption along with the associated electrostrictive and photo-acoustic refractive index change. The propagation of CW beams, nsec/psec pulses and picosecond pulse trains is determined for various spatial distributions of the input beam. We used a cylindrically symmetric spatial geometry typical for laser outputs to reduce the CPU and memory requirements making modeling a real-time task on PC's, even for significant propagation paths (many Rayleigh ranges). The validity of the numerical outputs was tested against known results for a large range of parameters. In particular the codes are being used to investigate and design optical limiting devices with single or multi-element geometries, as well as limiters using stepped or graded density of nonlinear material. The linear propagation module integrated with the nonlinear beam propagation method (BPM) codes allow the simulation of typical experiments such as Z-scan (sample position changes in a focused beam) and limiting experiments (different input energy values).
A joint perspective towards image super-resolution: Unifying external- and self-examples

Existing example-based super resolution (SR) methods are built upon either external-examples or self-examples. Although effective in certain cases, both methods suffer from their inherent limitation. This paper goes beyond these two classes of most common example-based SR approaches, and proposes a novel joint SR perspective. The joint SR exploits and maximizes the complementary advantages of external- and self-example based methods. We elaborate on exploitable priors for image components of different nature, and formulate their corresponding loss functions mathematically. Equipped with that, we construct a unified SR formulation, and propose an iterative joint super resolution (IJSR) algorithm to solve the optimization. Such a joint perspective approach leads to an impressive improvement of SR results both quantitatively and qualitatively.
Adventures in Moral Consistency: How to Develop an Abortion Ethic through an Animal Rights Framework

The question of whether there is a connection between the moral discussions regarding animal rights and abortion has been the subject of on-going debate in both the academic literature and general public discourse. Singer (2011) accuses self-proclaimed “pro-life” advocates of hypocrisy for regularly dining on the flesh of animals while claiming to promote “life.” He enjoins anti-abortionists to give the fetus the same moral standing as they would a nonhuman animal at a similar level of “rationality, self-consciousness, awareness, capacity to feel, and so on” (Singer 2011, 136). Theologians like Scully (2013, 2013*) and Camosy (2013) acknowledge this demand for moral consistency and, as a result, have come to embrace and advocate for an animal liberation ethic in light of the principles of non-violence and respect for life which support their conservative, anti-abortion ethic. In this same spirit, Black (2003) defends what he refers to as a homological view: a view that draws attention to the commonalities between the right to life and animal rights movements. While some ethicists and theologians have come to agree that a pro-life ethic demands an animal liberation ethic, others, such as Blackwood (1993), Noonan (1981), Murti (1995, 2006), Hill (1998), and Dinshah (1982) encourage animal liberationists to acknowledge that the principles which govern the animal rights movement have implications for the moral issue of abortion and that it is inconsistent for animal liberationists to promote an ethic for animals while failing to recognize the inherent value of fetuses. 2 The underlying assumption, then, is that a theory of animal rights seems to be at odds with a permissive abortion ethic (Hill 1998; Jenni 1994; and Kao 2005). Ethic Theory Moral Prac (2015) 18:145–164 DOI 10.1007/s10677-014-9515-y
Convex regression via penalized splines: A complementarity approach

Estimation of a convex function is an important shape restricted nonparametric inference problem with broad applications. In this paper, penalized splines (or simply P-splines) are exploited for convex estimation. The paper is devoted to developing an asymptotic theory of a class of P-spline convex estimators using complementarity techniques and asymptotic statistics. Due to the convex constraints, the optimality conditions of P-splines are characterized by nons-mooth complementarity conditions. A critical uniform Lipschitz property is established for optimal spline coefficients. This property yields boundary consistency and uniform stochastic boundedness. Using this property, the P-spline estimator is approximated by a two-step estimator based on the corresponding least squares estimator, and its asymptotic behaviors are obtained using asymptotic statistic techniques.
Development and structure of drinking water biofilms and techniques for their study

1. SUMMARY Drinking water systems are known to harbour biofilms, even though these environments are oligotrophic and often contain a disinfectant. Control of these biofilms is important for aesthetic and regulatory reasons. Study of full-scale systems has pointed to several factors controlling biofilm growth, but cause-and-effect relationships can only be established in controlled reactors. Using laboratory and pilot distribution systems, along with a variety of bacterial detection techniques, insights have been gained on the structure and behaviour of biofilms in these environments. Chlorinated biofilms differ in structure from non-chlorinated biofilms, but often the number of cells is similar. The number and level of cellular activity is dependent on the predominant carbon source. There is an interaction between carbon sources, the biofilm and the type of pipe material, which complicates the ability to predict biofilm growth. Humic substances, which are known to sorb to surfaces, appear to be a usable carbon source for biofilms. The finding offers an explanation for many of the puzzling observations in full scale and laboratory studies on oligotrophic biofilm growth. Pathogens can persist in these environments as well. Detection requires methods that do not require culturing.
Predicting anastomotic leak: Can we?

Anastomotic leaks remain a feared complication in colorectal surgery. A myriad of variables have been evaluated, but the variability among those studies provides little consensus on absolute risk factors and clinical application. Nevertheless, identifying these risk factors may assist the surgeon in mitigation of risk with preoperative optimization, intraoperative decision-making for diversion, and heightened postoperative vigilance for anastomotic leak. These risk factors can be organized into surgeon-, patient-, and pathology-related categories.
Why Teachers Are Leaving Special Education: Implications for Preservice and Inservice Educators

This investigation identified the reasons that teachers leave the special education classroom and examined the patterns and trends in teacher dropout in order to help in the retention of quality special educators. A survey instrument was developed and used to determine the factors that teachers identified as to why they left the special education classroom. Survey items were tabulated, and adjusted frequency scores were reported. A contingency analysis determined whether there were associations among any of the factors and the demographic characteristics. The most significant factor for leaving the special education classroom was the excessive amount of paperwork. Other important factors included pupil load, inadequate resources, and lack of recognition and support. There was also a relationship between certain demographic characteristics and burnout among special educators.
Dissipative processes in galaxy formation

Abstract A galaxy commences its life in a diffuse gas cloud that evolves into a predominantly stellar aggregation. Considerable dissipation of gravitational binding energy occurs during this transition. I review here the dissipative processes that determine the critical scales of luminous galaxies and the generation of their morphology. The universal scaling relations for spirals and ellipticals are shown to be sensitive to the history of star formation. Semiphenomenological expressions are given for star-formation rates in protogalaxies and in starbursts. Implications are described for elliptical galaxy formation and for the evolution of disk galaxies.
Multimodal interactive maps: designing for human performance

Dynamic interactive maps with powerful interface capabilities are beginning to emerge for a variety of geographical information systems, including ones situated on portables for travelers, students, business and service people, and others working in field settings. In part through the design of more expressive and flexible input capabilities, these map systems can provide new capabilities not supported by conventional interfaces of the past. In this research, interfaces supporting spoken, pen-based, and multimodal input were analyzed for their effectiveness in interacting with map systems. Input modality and map display format were varied as people completed realistic tasks with a simulated map system. The results identified a constellation of performance difficulties with speech-only map interactions, including elevated performance errors, lengthier task completion time, and more complex and disfluent input-problems that declined substantially when people could interact multimodally. These difficulties also mirrored a strong user preference to interact multimodally. The error-proneness and unacceptability of speech-only input to maps was traced to people's difficulty articulating spatially oriented descriptions. Analyses also indicated that map displays can be structured to minimize performance errors and disfluencies effectively. Implications of this research are discussed for the design of high-performance multimodal interfaces for future map systems.
Preliminary study of the protective effect of the calcium channel blocker, nifedipine, on adriamycin-induced tissue injury.

The effect of nifedipine, an oral calcium-channel blocker, on adriamy cin-induced wound healing was studied. Nifedipine was administered to animals prior to treating with adriamycin. The healing strengths of cecal, fascial, and skin anatomoses were measured. Animals treated with adriamycin alone had significant decreases in healing strength compared to controls: for cecum at postoperative days (POD) 7 and 14; for skin at PODS 14, 21, and 28; for fascia at POD 28. Overall, nifedipine reduced the impact of adriamycin injury on the strength of healing incisional anastomoses. Nifedipine also appeared to protect collagen synthesis at anastomotic sites from adriamycin-induced impairment.
Stochastic theory of intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution and dissociation in the presence of radiation

A theory for internal vibrational energy redistribution and dissociation in polyatomic molecules in the presence of a strong radiation field is formulated. The fundamental assumption is that a random phase approximation is valid at specific time intervals. This results in the replacement of the Schrodinger equation by a master‐type equation, which is further approximated by a Fokker–Planck diffusionlike equation. Energy transfer is described as a flow of probability among the quantum states, and the dissociation dynamics are embodied in the boundary conditions. By virtue of the continuous character of the Fokker–Planck equation, the computational difficulty of its numerical solution depends only on the number of degrees of freedom and not on the number of states. Due to the high density of levels encountered in a polyatomic molecule, this is of paramount importance in reducing the problem to a manageable size. A multiple time scale stochastic formulation, which allows for a mixed quantum‐stochastic approa...
Effect of ionizing radiation on the thermal oxidative stability of medical polymers

In the medical-device industry, most products need to be sterilized prior to use. Sterilization by ionizing radiation is fast becoming the preferred method on account of its effectiveness and economy. However, energetic secondary electrons released from the primary irradiation event can cause significant damage and degrade the polymer. We have undertaken a study on the thermal oxidative stability of several medical polymers as measured by the oxidative induction time (OIT) on radiation exposures. It was found that, in selected cases with polyolefins, active antioxidants can be completely consumed during the sterilization process, leaving the polymer unprotected for the required shelf life. In addition, comparison between γ- and electron-beam irradiation sources revealed major differences on OIT reduction, primarily due to the dose rate effect.
Effects of promotion on pharmaceutical demand.

Abstract The research question addressed in this study was, “Do changes in promotional expenditure cause changes in the size of the market (primary demand) or market share (selective demand)?” Two types of promotion were evaluated; sales calls to physicians and medical journal advertising. The sales elasticities of each of these promotional techniques were estimated through the use of ARIMA modeling. The market expansive effects and the market share effects were measured for each of 7 drugs in two therapeutic categories, the benzodiazepines and diuretics. The results of the analysis showed that there was no correlation between changes in detailing or journal advertising expenditures and primary or selective demand. Thus, it was assumed that the primary and selective demand elasticities for pharmaceutical advertising may be equal to zero. Drug manufacturers should evaluate the effects of reductions in their promotional expenditures, changes in promotional content, as well as seek alternative methods of advertising which may have a higher sales elasticity and effectiveness.
Competitive inhibition of phosphoinositide hydrolysis by the muscarinic receptor antagonist AF-DX 116 is of low affinity in mouse cerebral cortex

Abstract Carbamylcholine stimulated [3H]inositol phosphate accumulation in mouse cerebral cortical slices with an ED50 value of approximately 70 μM. Increasing concentrations of the M2 selective muscarinic cholinergic receptor antagonist, AF-DX 116 (0.3–3.0 μM), produced parallel shifts to the right for concentration-response curves to carbamylcholine. A pA2 value for AF-DX 116 of 6.5 (low affinity) was obtained frommSchild plot analysis. It is concluded that the M2 muscarinic receptor subtype, as defined by high affinity [3H]AF-DX 116 radioligand binding, is not appreciably coupled to polyphosphoinositide hydrolysis in the mouse cerebral cortex.
A Saddlepoint Approximation Based Simulation Method for Uncertainty Analysis

Uncertainty analysis, which assesses the impact of the uncertainty of input random variables on performance functions, is an important and indispensable component in engineering design under uncertainty. In this paper, a simulation method based on the Saddlepoint Approximation (SPA) is proposed to estimate accurately and efficiently the distribution of a response variable. The proposed method combines both simulation and analytical techniques and involves three main steps: (1) sampling on input random variables, (2) approximating the cumulant generating function (cgf) of the response variable with its first four cumulants and (3) estimating the cumulant distribution function (cdf) and probability density function (pdf) of the response variable using the SPA. This method provides more computationally efficient solutions than the general Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) while maintaining high accuracy. The effectiveness of the proposed method is illustrated with a mathematical example and two engineering analysis problems.
Integrated stress responses in Salmonella

The foodborne gram-negative pathogen Salmonella must adapt to varied environmental conditions encountered within foods, the host gastrointestinal tract and the phagosomes of host macrophages. Adaptation is achieved through the coordinate regulation of gene expression in response to environmental signals such as temperature, pH, osmolarity, redox state, antimicrobial peptides, and nutrient deprivation. This review will examine mechanisms by which the integration of regulatory responses to a broad array of environmental signals can be achieved. First, in the most straightforward case, tandem promoters allow gene expression to respond to multiple signals. Second, versatile sensor proteins may respond to more than one environmental signal. Third, transcriptional silencing and counter-silencing as demonstrated by the H-NS paradigm provides a general mechanism for the convergence of multiple regulatory inputs. Fourth, signaling cascades allow gene activation by independent sensory elements. These mechanisms allow Salmonella to utilize common adaptive stress pathways in response to a diverse range of environmental conditions.
A GEOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF SEMI-SPIRAL CHIP MORPHOLOGY IN ORTHOGONAL MACHINING

Continuous, unbroken chips used to be a significant manufacturing problem, creating a hazardous situation for the operator and endangering the machine tool. This problem, however, is now largely solved. At this point, further work is needed to optimize well-broken chips. Once chip initial curl and spiral characteristics can be predicted, they can be optimized as part of the overall cutting process design. This may decrease the need for cutting fluids to flush the chips from the cutting region, thereby facilitating a more environmentally conscious process design. Analytic and experimental work is performed to investigate chip spiral morphology and develop a predictive orthogonal chip model. The analytic semi-spiral chip prediction model of Cook et al., [1] is extended to the constricted envelope case. Numerically developed chips are created to investigate the effects of generalized obstruction geometry. The process inputs that have statistically significant effects on chip morphology are determined to conf...