cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Image-Based Modeling of PSF Deformation With Application to Limited Angle PET Data

The point-spread-functions (PSFs) of reconstructed images can be deformed due to detector effects such as resolution blurring and parallax error, data acquisition geometry such as insufficient sampling or limited angular coverage in dual-panel PET systems, or reconstruction imperfections/simplifications. PSF deformation decreases quantitative accuracy and its spatial variation lowers consistency of lesion uptake measurement across the imaging field-of-view (FOV). This can be a significant problem with dual panel PET systems even when using TOF data and image reconstruction models of the detector and data acquisition process. To correct for the spatially variant reconstructed PSF distortions we propose to use an image-based resolution model (IRM) that includes such image PSF deformation effects. Originally the IRM was mostly used for approximating data resolution effects of standard PET systems with full angular coverage in a computationally efficient way, but recently it was also used to mitigate effects of simplified geometric projectors. Our work goes beyond this by including into the IRM reconstruction imperfections caused by combination of the limited angle, parallax errors, and any other (residual) deformation effects and testing it for challenging dual panel data with strongly asymmetric and variable PSF deformations. We applied and tested these concepts using simulated data based on our design for a dedicated breast imaging geometry (B-PET) consisting of dual-panel, time-of-flight (TOF) detectors. We compared two image-based resolution models; i) a simple spatially invariant approximation to PSF deformation, which captures only the general PSF shape through an elongated 3D Gaussian function, and ii) a spatially variant model using a Gaussian mixture model (GMM) to more accurately capture the asymmetric PSF shape in images reconstructed from data acquired with the B-PET scanner geometry. Results demonstrate that while both IRMs decrease the overall uptake bias in the reconstructed image, the second one with the spatially variant and accurate PSF shape model is also able to ameliorate the spatially variant deformation effects to provide consistent uptake results independent of the lesion location within the FOV.
Information as a Physical Quantity

Abstract A new physical conception of classical information in quantum mechanical systems is explicated, critically assessed, and formalized in a quantitative measure. Observer-local referential (OLR) information—a shared physical property of entities accessible to a specified observer—is defined on the joint states of composite systems, distinguished from related conceptions of information, and tested against strict criteria that would simultaneously qualify it as a physical state quantity and as a meaningful measure of classical information. It is shown specifically to satisfy these criteria in the technological context of digital computation on quantum-physical substrates, where familiar alternatives—the von Neumann entropy and quantum mutual information (or correlation entropy)— fall short. The OLR conception provides a natural foundation for the fundamental physical description of information processing in digital computing systems, both because it defines information as a physical state quantity—placing it on an equal footing with other physical quantities appearing in such descriptions—and because it captures essential features of information in computational contexts that alternative physical conceptions do not. The OLR information measure enables straightforward and thoroughly physical quantification of digital information in general quantum systems and processes, enabling unambiguous determination of bounds on physical costs of generally noisy digital computation. More generally, OLR information offers a physical foundation for information that does not require the physical to be—ontologically or metaphorically—already informational.
A Preliminary Study Examining Women's Physical Health and Nonmedical Prescription Opioid Use in a Recovering Framework

Abstract Background: There is a growing need for research on women recovering from nonmedical prescription opioid use. A paradigm shift is to focus on wellness and factors that support, rather than hinder, recovering women. For example, although physical health is impacted by nonmedical prescription opioid use, improved health may be a strength-based factor among recovering women. The aim of this preliminary study was to examine physical health in a recovering framework as women begin recovering from nonmedical prescription opiate use. Materials and Methods: This study conducted secondary data analysis using self-report data from Kentucky's Targeted Assessment Program (TAP). TAP assesses and provides pretreatment for problems impeding work or interfering with parental responsibilities. Data included 1247 adult women reporting a history of nonmedical prescription opioid use and receiving pretreatment. Bivariate and logistic regression analyses examined whether physical health and access to health services ...
Perioperative Pain Management in Patients with Congenital Heart Disease

The care of children with congenital heart disease is complex. In addition to considering intricate intracardiac anatomy, these children present with secondary issues that are either a result of their intracardiac pathology (liver failure from a failed Fontan palliation) or the management of this pathology. Persistent pain after sternotomy or thoracotomy is an underappreciated result of the latter. The little evidence available demonstrates that post-sternotomy pain may be 20 % 4 years after surgery in children, and post-thoracotomy pain between 1.96 and 16 %. There are distinct pathophysiologic mechanisms that distinguish this pain from acute postoperative pain, and proper management requires recognition and possible referral to a multidisciplinary pain clinic.
SMI 2012: Full Curvature-based offset distance: Implementations and applications

We address three related problems. The first problem is to change the volume of a solid by a prescribed amount, while minimizing Hausdorff error. This is important for compensating volume change due to smoothing, subdivision, or advection. The second problem is to preserve the individual areas of infinitely small chunks of a planar shape, as the shape is deformed to follow the gentle bending of a smooth spine (backbone) curve. This is important for bending or animating textured regions. The third problem is to generate consecutive offsets, where each unit element of the boundary sweeps the same region. This is important for constant material-removal rate during numerically controlled (NC) machining. For all three problems, we advocate a solution based on normal offsetting, where the offset distance is a function of local or global curvature measures. We discuss accuracy and smoothness of these solutions for models represented by triangle or quad meshes or, in 2D, by spine-aligned planar quads. We also explore the combination of local distance offsetting with a new selective smoothing process that reduces discontinuities and preserves curvature sign.
A New Species of Dasycladacean Alga from the Playa Grande Formation (Pliocene) of Northern Venezuela

The dasycladacean or "green" alga described in this note is rare, and occurs in a bioherm of coralline or "red'' algae. The bioherm, which has been referred to by Weisbord (1957, pp. 14, 15, 16, and geologic map; 1964, figs. 6-7) as a Lithothamnium reef, is 2 meters thick, and is exposed uninterruptedly for a distance of approximately 150 meters in a bluff along the coast at Punta Gorda, Distrito Federal, Venezuela. The bioherm or reef consists in large part of irregular nodular masses of coralline algae, bur within the bioherm there are pockets of sandstone containing numerous other fossils some of which after weathering out to the surface of the bioherm adhere to it and are well preserved.
AN ATYPICAL PRESENTATION OF INSULIN AMYLOIDOSIS: AN UNCOMMON BUT IMPORTANT COMPLICATION OF INSULIN THERAPY

ABSTRACT Objective: To describe a case of insulin amyloidosis that highlights an uncommon but significant complication of subcutaneous insulin therapy. Methods: We review the case of a patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus on long-standing insulin therapy with insulin amyloid deposits found at the insulin injection sites and the possible clinical complications associated with this condition. Results: A fat-pad aspirate of the abdomen, which was performed for the evaluation of worsening renal function, was positive for Congo red staining. Further subtype analysis via liquid chromatography in tandem with mass spectrometry revealed a peptide profile of insulin-derived amyloid deposition. Conclusions: Insulin amyloid is a less common but important complication of insulin therapy. Often patients will present with dermatologic changes at the site of insulin amyloid deposition, however some have faint (as in our patient) or no physical changes on exam. It is important for clinicians to be aware of this condition...
Review: Michigan Modern: Design That Shaped America, edited by Amy L. Arnold and Brian D. Conway, and Mid-Michigan Modern: Frank Lloyd Wright to Googie, by Susan J. Bandes

Amy L. Arnold and Brian D. Conway, eds. Michigan Modern: Design That Shaped America Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith, 2016, 352 pp., 200 illus. $50 (cloth), ISBN 9781423644972 Susan J. Bandes Mid-Michigan Modern: Frank Lloyd Wright to Googie East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 2016, 320 pp., 150 illus. $49.95 (cloth), ISBN 9781611862164 The term midcentury modernism , coined by Cara Greenberg in 1984, applies to design at all scales created from 1940 to 1970 in the United States.1 With designs featured prominently on television shows like Mad Men and in the spreads of periodicals such as Dwell and Metropolis , the names Bertoia, Saarinen, and Eames have increased in cachet through the decades, and midcentury modern works, especially home furnishings, have become highly prized collector's items. Office employees today might sit in Herman Miller or Steelcase cubicles, and their conference rooms may be outfitted with Knoll office chairs. In practical use and in the popular imagination, the midcentury legacy is alive and strong. What is not widely known, however, is that all these designers and manufacturers have something in common: Michigan. Two recent publications seek to set the record straight on Michigan's contributions to the midcentury modern story by drawing attention to the state as an incubator of design ideals and technologies that not only informed work within the Midwest but also transformed design across the United States and even internationally. Both volumes, Michigan Modern: Design That Shaped America and Mid-Michigan Modern: Frank Lloyd Wright to Googie , emerged from a 2009 initiative in the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to research, record, preserve, and promote Michigan's modern legacy. This effort led to a variety of protective measures, including National Register and National Historic Landmark designations. In addition, the SHPO launched a website (http://www.michiganmodern.org) to serve as a central repository for research and documentation on Michigan modern architecture and to provide an opportunity for the broader public to learn more about this heritage. In 2013, in association with the Cranbrook Art Museum, the SHPO organized an exhibition at the museum titled Michigan Modern: Design That Shaped America , which was …
Abstract 1331: Inhibition of mitochondrial reprogramming regulated c-Src in triple-negative breast cancer activates autophagy-mediated survival mechanism

c-Src is a proto-oncogene involved in signaling that culminates in the control of multiple biological functions. Src is also one of the most frequently upregulated pathways in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Dysregulation of Src has been detected in TNBC and is strongly associated with tumor metastasis and poor prognosis. However, even after promising preclinical studies, Src inhibitors did not show major clinical advantage in unselected TNBC populations. Thus, understanding the mechanism of drug resistance to Src inhibition has major clinical significance in TNBC patients. The full activation of Src signature depends on the autophosphorylation at Y419 that allows the substrate to gain access. We have previously published that metastatic TNBC has high energy-dependency to mitochondrial fatty acid beta-oxidation (FAO) and FAO activate Src by inducing autophosphorylation at Y419. However, our recent analysis suggests that as observed with the Src inhibitors, treatment with FAO inhibitors only attenuate the TNBC tumor growth, but do not result in complete regression. Evaluation of their drug resistance mechanism revealed that while short-term inhibition of FAO or Src induces autophagic and apoptotic cell deaths, long-term inhibition results in autophagy-mediated drug resistance and survival. Studies using p53 knocked out TNBC cells confirmed that the autophagy-mediated resistance to Src inhibition is independent of their p53 status. Further analyses suggest that FAO and Src inhibitors increase the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in TNBC. Treatment with MAPK/ERK inhibitors abolished the FAO or Src inhibitor-mediated autophagy activation. Validation of in vitro findings using in vivo TNBC patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models confirmed that Src inhibition enhances ERK1/2 activity and induces autophagy in TNBC. Overall, our results suggest that long-term FAO or Src inhibition results in ERK-mediated autophagy activation and therapeutic resistance in TNBC. This finding will have major therapeutic impact in the management of currently non-targetable aggressive TNBC. Citation Format: Kwang Hwa Jung, Jun Hyoung Park, Tirupataiah Sirupangi, Dongya Jia, Shivanand Pudakalakatti, Nishant Gandhi, Jessica Elswood, Vasanta Putluri, Chad J. Creighton, Weston Porter, Michael T. Lewis, Xi Chen, Nagireddy Putluri, Pratip K. Bhattacharya, Lee-Jun C. Wong, Gokul M. Das, Benny A. Kaipparettu. Inhibition of mitochondrial reprogramming regulated c-Src in triple-negative breast cancer activates autophagy-mediated survival mechanism [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1331.
Wayfinding and Navigation Behavior

Navigation and wayfinding includes both the purposeful movement through an environment, and the thought processes that enable successful travel between places. Humans employ a variety of strategies to carry out various wayfinding tasks, such as commutes to work or explorations of new cities. In addition, humans use various systems of reference that enable them to successfully navigate and wayfind. Social scientists study navigation and wayfinding behavior to understand spatial cognition in general, to discover better designs for environments, to maximize economic benefits, to chart development of spatial skills, and to discover more effective tools for representing and visualizing environments to assist navigation and wayfinding.
The Remains of Death: A Reconsideration of the Soul as Legacy

S'interrogeant sur l'heritage et sur la nature des souvenirs qu'il laisserait a ses proches apres sa mort, l'A. entreprend une reflexion sur l'immortalite de l'âme dans le «Phedon» de Platon, a travers la lecture de l'article de M. Jackson consacre a l'âme de Socrate («Socrates' soul and our own», in «Journal of value inquiry», 31, 2, 1997). Considerant l'âme comme l'heritage d'une personne, l'A. montre que l'âme est ce qui reste de la mort et existe, de maniere dispersee et composee, dans les souvenirs contradictoires des legataires, meme ceux, negatifs, qui refutent l'oeuvre de la personne
Mechanistic insights into the regulation of transcription and transcription-coupled DNA repair by Cockayne syndrome protein B

Cockayne syndrome protein B (CSB) is a member of the SNF2/SWI2 ATPase family and is essential for transcription-coupled nucleotide excision DNA repair (TC-NER). CSB also plays critical roles in transcription regulation. CSB can hydrolyze ATP in a DNA-dependent manner, alter protein-DNA contacts and anneal DNA strands. How the different biochemical activities of CSB are utilized in these cellular processes have only begun to become clear in recent years. Mutations in the gene encoding CSB account for majority of the Cockayne syndrome cases, which result in extreme sun sensitivity, premature aging features and/or abnormalities in neurology and development. Here, we summarize and integrate recent biochemical, structural, single-molecule and somatic cell genetic studies that have advanced our understanding of CSB. First, we review studies on the mechanisms that regulate the different biochemical activities of CSB. Next, we summarize how CSB is targeted to regulate transcription under different growth conditions. We then discuss recent advances in our understanding of how CSB regulates transcription mechanistically. Lastly, we summarize the various roles that CSB plays in the different steps of TC-NER, integrating the results of different studies and proposing a model as to how CSB facilitates TC-NER.
Learning about electromagnetic compatibility (review of "intersystem emc analysis, interference, and solutions, vered, u.; 2018) [book review]

This book discusses intermodulation distortion, but it also covers much more than what an engineer might normally analyze during the design stage. This comprehensive resource provides methods and tools for defining EMC requirements and techniques when predictions and calculations are performed to achieve EMC. The book explores interference from the transmitter or the receiver, between many components, between antennas, and between the receiver and transmitter. It also explains how to calculate interference levels at the receiver, interference margin, and interference probability for the antenna, frequency, and pulse. It goes on to cover interference in digital communication. Finally, the author offers solutions for EMC and interference. The text comprises 23 short chapters running five to ten pages each. All mathematical equations are at the college algebra level—very easy to read and understand. The author provides many practical examples that illustrate how to solve everyday engineering problems. The topics covered in each chapter are as follows: Chapters 1 and 2, definitions and EMC requirements; Chapter 3, EMC analysis and survey; Chapter 4, interference types; Chapter 5, interference from both transmitter and receiver; Chapter 6, interference from the transmitter; Chapter 7, interference Learning About Electromagnetic Compatibility.
An Atomistic Understanding of the Unusual Thermal Behavior of the Molecular Oxide Tc2O7

The thermal behavior of Tc2O7 has been investigated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction of the solid state over a range of 80–280 K and by ab initio molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The thermal expansion coefficient of the solid was experimentally determined to be 189 × 10–6 A3 K–1 at 280 K. The simulations accurately reproduce the experimentally determined crystal structures and thermal expansion within a few percent. The experimental melting point and vapor pressure for Tc2O7 are unusually high and low, respectively, in comparison to similar molecular solids. Through investigating the structure and the motion of the solid across a range of temperatures, we provide insights into the thermal behavior of Tc2O7.
Community-Based Resource Mobilization: How Entrepreneurs Acquire Resources from Distributed Non-Professionals via Crowdfunding

We examine how entrepreneurs acquire financial resources for their early-stage ventures from distributed non-professionals via crowdfunding. Through an inductive analysis of entrepreneurs’ successf...
Implementation and enforcement of state opioid prescribing laws

Background In response to the role overprescribing has played in the U.S. opioid crisis, in the past decade states have enacted four main types of laws to curb opioid prescribing: mandatory prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) enrollment laws requiring clinicians to register with a PDMP; mandatory PDMP query laws requiring clinicians to check a PDMP prior to prescribing opioids; pill mill laws regulating pain management clinics; and opioid prescribing cap laws limiting the dose/duration of opioid prescriptions. While 47 states now have one or more of these laws in place, little is known about implementation and enforcement strategies, facilitators, and barriers. Methods From November 2017 to February 2019, we interviewed 114 professionals involved in state opioid prescribing law implementation and enforcement in 20 states and identified common themes. Results Implementation efforts focused on awareness campaigns and targeted training of key front-line implementers. Enforcement strategies included active, complaint-based, and automated strategies. Collaboration across agencies and stakeholders, particularly health agencies and law enforcement, was identified as an important facilitator of implementation and enforcement. Two key interrelated barriers were identified: the complexity of state opioid prescribing laws in terms of which providers, patients, and prescriptions they applied to, and IT infrastructure. Conclusion Despite differing approaches, our findings suggest similar barriers to implementation and enforcement across state opioid prescribing laws. Strategies are needed to ease implementation and enforcement of laws that apply only to specific sub-sets of providers, patients, or prescriptions and address issues of access and data utilization of the PDMP.
The Psychology of Art: A Research Perspective

The possibly good, bad, and neutral influences of exposure to mass-produced original paintings, based on the findings reported in Chap. 11, are discussed. Several gedank experiments on perception, learning, and development are proposed. The methodological advantages of including mass-produced original paintings in studies of art are emphasized.
CNN Approaches to Classify Multivariate Time Series Using Class-specific Features

Many smart data services (e.g., smart energy, smart homes) collect and utilize time series data (e.g., energy production and consumption, human body movement) to conduct data analysis. Among such analysis tasks, classification is a widely utilized technique to provide data-driven solutions. Most existing classification methods extract a single set of features from the data and use this feature set for classification across multiple classes. This often ignores the reality that different and class-specific subsets of the initial feature set may better facilitate classification. In this paper, we propose two convolutional neural network (CNN) models using class-specific variables to solve the multi-class classification problem over multivariate time series (MTS) data. A new loss function is introduced for training the CNN models. We compare our proposed methods with 13 baseline approaches using 14 real datasets. The extensive experimental results show that our new approaches can not only outperform other methods on classification accuracy, but also successfully identify important class-specific variables.
Topology of tiling spaces

Basic notions Tiling spaces and inverse limits Cohomology of tilings spaces Relaxing the rules I: Rotations Pattern-equivariant cohomology Tricks of the trade Relaxing the rules II: Tilings without finite local complexity Solutions to selected exercises Bibliography.
Integration of Ethics with American Pedagogy

The United States has established itself, for better orworse, as the single most powerful country in the world. TheAmerican school system was not designed to familiarize itsstudents with the language and concepts of ethics they willneed as heirs and future leaders of a nation with ever increasingglobal reach and influence. This article proposes a program forthe integration of ethics consciousness and vocabulary withstandard American pedagogy. Practical examples of techniquesand materials are proposed for utilization by intentional teachersof students from pre-K through college level.
Space and Language in Mr Scobie's Riddle: Translating Displacement into Italian

The relationship between space and language is brought up and questioned in Elizabeth Jolley’s Mr Scobie’s Riddle through the displacement felt by the three male patients of Room One of the nursing home in which the novel is set. The patients desire to go back to the lives they were leading before entering the hospital, and return to their previous homes. Their feelings are portrayed in the novel through an affective description of the spaces they share in the nursing home in which the novel is set and the spaces they occupied in the past. The contrast between indoors and outdoors is a vehicle for the expression of these feelings of displacement. Some key words which describe spaces, such as ‘home’, ‘house’ and ‘place’, are also used to express displacement. They identify different nuances of attachment to or repulsion from a certain space. Due to their primary role in portraying displacement, all of the above elements need to be mirrored in my Italian translation of the novel. This operation is not always easily carried through due to the anisomorphism between the English and the Italian language.
Prescription Drug Labeling and “Over-Warning”: The Disturbing Case of Diana Levine and Wyeth Pharmaceutical

In April of 2000, Diana Levine went to a clinic in Vermont suffering from a migraine headache. She was given the drug Demerol for the migraine symptoms and Phenergan for nausea. Complications with the administration of Phenergan ultimately resulted in Ms. Levine contracting gangrene, necessitating the amputation of her right arm. Ms. Levine sued the drug maker, Wyeth Pharmaceutical, in state court and prevailed. The lower court's decision was appealed by Wyeth to the state supreme court where the ruling was confirmed. Wyeth next appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court which, to the surprise of many observers, affirmed the judgment of the state supreme court. At issue was the fundamental question of the ability of consumers to obtain redress against negligent manufacturers in state courts. Wyeth's arguments to the Court were based upon preemption: Foodand Drug Administration (FDA) approval of a drug (and its labeling) preempts the ability of injured consumers like Ms. Levine to recover in state courts despite years of precedent to the contrary. Ability to recover damages in state courts represents, perhaps, the most important safety net available to consumers injured by defective products. A ruling by the Supreme Court that FDA-approved labeling of pharmaceuticals preempts the reach of the state courts would have severely compromised the balance of power between consumers and producers.
A low power frequency synthesizer for biosensor applications in the MedRadio band

With the growing applications of biosensors, there is growing desire for wireless interface to integrated biosensors to the outside world. This paper proposes a multichannel PLL for transmitter in Device Radio Communications Service (Med radio) band at 401–406 MHz. Phase locked loop (PLL) consists of rail to rail quadrature output voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), a low power digital synchronous programmable integer N-divider, Bang bang Phase Frequency Detector (PFD), Charge Pump and a 3rd order loop filter. The overall power consumption of the PLL is 204µW at 1.2 V. PLL meets all the FCC requirements for the MedRadio band. This proposed work is implemented in TSMC18rf process.
Time Dependent Quantum Molecular Dynamics: Experiments and Theory

Over the past several years a method of analysis has been developed that uses classical mechanics and the associated ideas of non-linear dynamics to extract the basic motions of the nuclei in highly excited molecules and of electrons in highly excited atoms.1,2,3 The method works hand in hand with, and uses as input, experimental and/or quantally computed theoretical spectra and cross sections. It is to be noted that often such calculated quantities do not easily exhibit the underlying nature of the dynamics. These quantal calculations can yield correct cross sections, spectra, and energy levels but the implicit averages and eigenfunction complexity make dynamic motions less than apparent. This classical method of analysis (CMMA) aims at extracting the detailed motions that when quantized, give rise to the dominant structure in the measured or computed “quantum” results. The CMMA excels at extracting dynamics: (a) from chaotic spectra [e.g., highly excited rovibrational spectra in molecules and in excited atoms in fields].4,5 (b) from transition state spectra.6 (c) from absorption spectra of photodissociating systems.7,8 (d) from high quality scattering and half scattering calculations and experiments. In all cases the information CMMA extracts is the motions the system undergoes when it forms a resonance complex. (e) from stabilization and L2 calculation of pseudo-discreet states and resonances in the continuum or quasi-continuum.
Limits to the advantage of recombination in increasing the rate of incorporation of favorable mutants.

The advantage of recombination in increasing the rate of incorporation of favorable mutants is shown to disappear for large NU if substitution is occurring at only two loci. Recombination will, on the average, destroy all double favorable individuals in a haploid population until the product of the frequencies of the single favorable mutants exceeds 1/N. As NU increases there is an increasing probability of the occurrence of the double favorable my mutation alone. Recombination provides a significant advantage in the rate of incorporation of favorable mutants only if 2 s/lnN<NU<2c when substitution is occurring at only two loci. If substitution is occurring at more than two loci the recombining population apparently has a substantial advantage for large NU.
Nucleic Acid Surveillance and Malaria Elimination

In the current issue of Clinical Chemistry , Cheng et al. describe their application of a recently developed commercial kit to perform molecular diagnosis of malaria by a capture and ligation probe-PCR (CLIP-PCR)2 strategy 1. Some review of the efforts directed against malaria is necessary to understand how CLIP-PCR will integrate into the current global malaria elimination effort. Sixty years ago, the WHO launched the Global Malaria Eradication Program (GMEP) (1955–1969). The GMEP was successful in eliminating malaria from numerous regions in temperate climates (including parts of southern Europe, the United States, the former Soviet Union, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, India, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Venezuela, and the Caribbean Islands) 2. Operationally, the GMEP was largely equipped with insecticides—dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) with residual longevity was central to the mission 3—and motivated by evidence for interruption of malaria transmission from a control campaign in Greece and additional success in interrupting malaria and yellow fever transmission during construction of the Panama Canal 2, 3. Unfortunately, numerous biological (mosquito insecticide resistance and parasite drug resistance), socioeconomic, and political factors conspired against the GMEP, and the global effort to eradicate malaria fell well short of its goals 2, 3. Additionally, resurgence of disease has been well documented in numerous countries where malaria transmission had reached or was approaching elimination 4. Thus, whereas some campaigns against malaria have been durable and long-lived, others were very fragile. The effort to eliminate malaria was rejuvenated beginning with the 1997 International Conference on Malaria in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities Cooperation, held in Dakar, Senegal 5. At that time, malaria was killing an estimated 1.5–2.7 million people annually (3–5 people per min), insecticide resistance was being observed in many of the Anopheles species vectors 2, 6, and parasite …
α-Tocopherol supplementation decreases production of superoxide and cytokines by leukocytes ex vivo in both normolipidemic and hypertriglyceridemic individuals

Background: α-Tocopherol plays an important role in protecting LDL against oxidation. However, additional effects of α-tocopherol at the intracellular level may contribute to the clinical outcome of intervention studies. Objective: We investigated whether α-tocopherol influences the inflammatory responses of immune cells in normolipidemic and hypertriglyceridemic subjects. Design: RRR-α-Tocopherol was administered for 6 wk at a dose of 600 IU (402 mg)/d to 12 primary hypertriglyceridemic and 8 normolipidemic (fasting triacylglycerol >3.0 and <2.0 mmol/L, respectively) subjects. Cytokine production [tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-8] by mononuclear cells and superoxide production by polymorphonuclear cells and in diluted whole blood were determined before and after the intervention. Results: Cytokine and superoxide production did not differ significantly between hypertriglyceridemic and normolipidemic subjects. α-Tocopherol supplementation resulted in a 2- to 3-fold increase in the concentration of α-tocopherol in plasma and LDL. Whereas superoxide production in response to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate decreased in all subjects, response to oxidized LDL increased in 19 of 20 subjects. Response to opsonized zymosan before α-tocopherol supplementation was not significantly different from that after supplementation. Lipopolysaccharide-induced cytokine production by mononuclear cells decreased after supplementation with α-tocopherol. Conclusions: α-Tocopherol differentially influences inflammatory responses of immune cells. These effects of α-tocopherol may be relevant in chronic inflammatory processes such as atherogenesis.
Analysis of the translational capacity of the male accessory gland during aging in Acheta domesticus.

Abstract The protein synthesizing capacity of the male cricket accessory gland was inspected for changes associated with aging by analysis of organs from young (2 weeks post-imaginal molt), middle-aged (4 and 6 weeks) and senescent (8 weeks) animals. Total RNA content and the percentage of ribosomes in polysomes show an increase up to 4 weeks and then a steady decline. The rates of protein synthesis by young and old glands incubated in vitro were comparable, although the old glands were significantly less efficient in precursor uptake and therefore showed lower incorporation levels. The overall picture appears to be one of a steady but unspectacular decline in protein synthesizing capacity in aging animals. The quality of the secretory proteins formed by young and old glands was inspected by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and by isoelectric focusing, using both wide and narrow pH-range gels. While some differences in the banding patterns of isoelectric focusing gels were detected, they were eliminated by the inclusion of Triton X-100 in the gels. No other evidence for age-associated qualitative or quantitative changes was detected, strongly suggesting that proteins from young and old glands are identical.
Incorporation of charge transfer into the explicit polarization fragment method by grand canonical density functional theory

Molecular fragmentation algorithms provide a powerful approach to extending electronic structure methods to very large systems. Here we present a method for including charge transfer between molecular fragments in the explicit polarization (X-Pol) fragment method for calculating potential energy surfaces. In the conventional X-Pol method, the total charge of each fragment is preserved, and charge transfer between fragments is not allowed. The description of charge transfer is made possible by treating each fragment as an open system with respect to the number of electrons. To achieve this, we applied Mermin's finite temperature method to the X-Pol wave function. In the application of this method to X-Pol, the fragments are open systems that partially equilibrate their number of electrons through a quasithermodynamics electron reservoir. The number of electrons in a given fragment can take a fractional value, and the electrons of each fragment obey the Fermi–Dirac distribution. The equilibrium state for the electrons is determined by electronegativity equalization with conservation of the total number of electrons. The amount of charge transfer is controlled by re-interpreting the temperature parameter in the Fermi–Dirac distribution function as a coupling strength parameter. We determined this coupling parameter so as to reproduce the charge transfer energy obtained by block localized energy decomposition analysis. We apply the new method to ten systems, and we show that it can yield reasonable approximations to potential energy profiles, to charge transfer stabilization energies, and to the direction and amount of charge transferred.
Tolerance to dextroamphetamine sulfate in hyperactive children: Assessment using an empirical neuropsychological paradigm—a pilot study

Abstract 1. 1. Changes in performance levels on a repeatable battery of neuropsychological tests were used to assess tolerance to dextroamphetamine sulfate in 6 hyperactive children over a 6 week treatment period. 2. 2. An individual ranking system was used to compare performance under an initial dose, both with itself and with another, higher dose, at the end of the treatment period. 3. 3. The results showed no children developed tolerance to the medicine. 4. 4. The usefulness and applicability of the paradigm were discussed.
Trends and Patterns Among Music Pirates

The current work, based on data from a cross-sectional sample of approximately 2,000 randomly selected university students, seeks to clarify exactly who is most likely to engage in online music piracy. The extant knowledgebase on why individuals take part in this form of intellectual property is growing, but little is known about the type and background of those involved. This study therefore seeks to construct a profile of the typical music pirate by measuring the salience of demographic characteristics and the respondent's scope of overall participation in cyberspace-based activities. Findings indicated that respondents’ differentially participated in music piracy based on their gender, race, type of college major, proficiency in using the Internet, and variety of online participation. Policy solutions based on an attempt to clearly specify, reinforce, and enforce definitions of appropriate Internet use are consequently suggested to reduce the prevalence of piracy among a university population.
Undesirable Outputs in Commodities Trading Advisers: A Data Envelopment Analysis Approach

This article uses data envelopment analysis (DEA) models to investigate CTA rankings using undesirable outputs. Many papers examining CTAs have used basic DEA models and have never addressed the issue of undesirable factors. This work attempts to use the theoretical model developed by Seiford and Zhu [2002] and apply it to CTAs during the period from 2009 to 2013. The results suggest that a traditional DEA will produce different rankings than an undesirable output model.
Atypical Right Atrial Flutter Patterns

Background—The purpose of our study was to define the incidence and mechanisms of atypical right atrial flutter. Methods and Results—A total of 28 (8%) of 372 consecutive patients with atrial flutter (AFL) had 36 episodes of sustained atypical right AFL. Among 24 (67%) of 36 episodes of lower loop reentry (LLR), 13 (54%) of 24 episodes had early breakthrough at the lower lateral tricuspid annulus, whereas 11 (46%) of 24 episodes had early breakthrough at the high lateral tricuspid annulus, and 9 (38%) of 24 episodes showed multiple annular breaks. Bidirectional isthmus block resulted in elimination of LLR. A pattern of posterior breakthrough from the eustachian ridge to the septum was observed in 4 (14%) of 28 patients. Upper loop reentry was observed in 8 (22%) of 36 episodes and was defined as showing a clockwise orientation with early annular break and wave-front collision over the isthmus. Two patients had atypical right AFL around low voltage areas (“scars”) in the posterolateral right atrium. Conclu...
TAX ABATEMENTS AND BELOW MARKET RATE MORTGAGES TO ATTRACT MIDDLE INCOME FAMILIES TO THE CENTRAL CITY: A Cincinnati Study

There is growing recognition among mayors and other local officials of the need for programs such as tax abatements and government financed below market rate loans to stimulate new middle income ho...
Effect of Freestream Velocity Disturbances on Hypersonic Vehicles

The behavior of the pressure disturbance field on bodies experiencing an external disturbance in high-speed flight is of considerable interest because it is the surface pressure fluctuation field that applies much of the potential for structural/vibratory loading. Considered here is a quasi-steady method for a vehicle responding to a velocity field disturbance in near proximity to a high-speed vehicle. The quasi-static assumption implies that the structural surface does not need to deform to induce the associated loading, as would be the case in traditional hypersonic panel flutter problems. The effect of hypersonic shock and supersonic postshock environment is explicitly treated in this analysis. Pressure fluctuation fields as derived by this two-step process are compared to direct perturbation of the mean pressure coefficient via the dynamic pressure. Preliminary studies suggest that the simpler mean flow pressure coefficient/dynamic pressure perturbation as compared to the postshock environment method may overpredict the loading pressure by a factor of two for sharp-edged cones and as much as four for blunt (bluntness ratio 5–10%) sphere cones. Predictions from bothmethods lie within the velocimetry bounds for available experimental data, so it is not possible to select between based on data.
Group I metabotropic receptors down-regulate nitric oxide induced caspase-3 activity in rat hippocampal neurons.

Invoking the modulation of parallel cellular pathways, the G-protein metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) and nitric oxide (NO) have been shown to require a host of signal transduction pathways to modulate neuronal programmed cell death (PCD). Since the cysteine protease caspase-3 (CPP32) is one of the principal mediators of PCD in several non-neuronal cell systems, we investigated whether CPP32 activity was linked to both NO induced PCD and mGluR neuroprotection. We demonstrate that NO directly increases the activity of CPP32 by approximately 400% over a 6 h period that is necessary, at least in part, for the generation of neuronal PCD. Activation of only Group I mGluRs completely ameliorates the induction of CPP32 activity by NO and prevents the induction of PCD.
Preliminary study on the inhibition of nuclear internalization of Tat peptides by conjugation with a receptor-specific peptide and fluorescent dyes

Numerous studies have shown that basic Tat peptide (48-57) internalized non-specifically in cells and localized in the nucleus. However, localization of imaging agents in cellular nucleus is not desirable because of the potential mutagenesis. When conjugated to the peptides that undergo receptor-mediated endocytosis, Tat peptide could target specific cells or pathologic tissue. We tested this hypothesis by incorporating a somatostatin receptor-avid peptide (octreotate, Oct) and two different fluorescent dyes, Cypate 2 (Cy2) and fluorescein 5'-carboxlic acid (5-FAM), into the Tat-peptide sequence. In addition to the Cy2 or 5-FAM-labeled Oct conjugated to Tat peptide (Tat) to produce Tat-Oct-Cypate2 or Tat-Oct-5-FAM, we also labeled the Tat the Tat peptide with these dyes (Tat-Cy2 and Tat-5-FAM) to serve as positive control. A somatostatin receptor-positive pancreatic tumor cell line, AR42J, was used to assess cell internalization. The results show that Tat-5-FAM and Tat-Cypate2 localized in both nucleus and cytoplasm of the cells. In contrast to Tat-Oct-Cypate2, which localized in both the cytoplasm and nucleus, Tat-Oct-5-FAM internalized in the cytoplasm but not in the nucleus of AR42J cells. The internalizations were inhibited by adding non-labeled corresponding peptides, suggesting that the endocytoses of each group of labeled and the corresponding unlabeled compounds occurred through a common pathway. Thus, fluorescent probes and endocytosis complex between octreotate and somatostatin receptors in cytoplasm could control nuclear internalization of Tat peptides.
Care near the end-of-life in critically ill patients: a North American perspective.

Purpose of review End-of-life care for critically ill patients has emerged as an area in which significant quality improvement is possible. In this article, we present a North American perspective on recent research and quality improvement initiatives in this field. Recent findings Some of the most important recent developments in end-of-life care in the intensive care unit concern physician-patient-family communication. There is consensus between North American and European professional societies that a shared approach to decision-making by physicians and family members is optimal. The shared decision approach demands that physicians not only skillfully elicit the patient's treatment preferences but also effectively inform the family of the patient's clinical condition and prognosis. Moreover, the ultimate responsibility for end-of-life treatment decisions is shared between the physician and the patient or family. Summary This update presents a North American perspective on six topics of particular importance to end-of-life care in the intensive care unit: (a) The role of advance directives, (b) shared decision-making and the role of the family, (c) conflict and futility in the intensive care unit, (d) cultural aspects of end-of-life care, (e) multidisciplinary care in the intensive care unit, and (f) future directions for improving end-of-life care in the intensive care unit.
Lotka's game in predator-prey theory: linking populations to individuals.

Abstract This paper further examines an individual-based model of a spatially distributed predator–prey population that demonstrates strong spatial structuring in contrast with predictions from its representative analytic formulation. Examination of a small, localized population reveals that extinctions due to demographic stochasticity dominate the dynamics. Local extinction dynamics produce wave pulses and the interactions of these wave pulses constitute global dynamics. The results motivate a population-level cell-based model with each cell representing a local population and parameterized by local extinction probabilities, rather than individual-based interaction rates. A detailed comparison of spatiotemporal plots from the two modelling frameworks shows that the population-level model captures the broad range of dynamics exhibited by the individual-based model. The agreement between these two complementary theoretical frameworks, one formulated at the level of individuals, the other at the level of populations, provides a mechanistic understanding of the dynamics.