cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Origin of the major specific proteins in milk.

The proteins present in milk have been considered not only to arise from the synthetic activities of the mammary gland but also to include some preformed proteins which enter the gland from the blood and possibly other sources. The isolation and recognition in recent years of 97 per cent of the proteins of bovine skim milk as specific chemical and biological entities (1) have made it possible now to determine which of these proteins are synthesized in the mammary gland. Various investigators (2-7) have shown with several species that intravenously injected radioactive precursors are incorporated rapidly into the milk proteins in the lactating mammary gland. Proteins synthesized in the gland and removed periodically by the milking process contain a notably higher level of activity up to 24 hours than proteins synthesized elsewhere and diluted by an existing protein pool. Black and Kleiber (5) have shown, with the aid of carbonate-CY4, that in the cow in the early hours it is chiefly the non-essential amino acids which incorporate the activity. Campbell and Work (2) and Askonas et al. (3) found with the rabbit and the goat that the total casein isolated from milk taken within a few hours after the intravenous administration of radioactive amino acids contains a higher level of activity than the total whey proteins. On the assumption that all of the casein was synthesized in the gland, this result was interpreted to indicate that some, at least, of the whey proteins must have a different origin. Part of the difference was accounted for by the immune globulins’ which apparently enter the gland in a bound state from the blood, probably as the intact protein (6). Askonas et al. (7) subse-
A Temporally Varying Objective Audio Quality Metric

Currently, objective audio quality measures designed to mimic the human psychoacoustic system operate by giving a single number to designate the quality of an entire sequence. This methodology is only effective when both the error and the underlying audio sequence are stationary. It is highly desirable to have a quality measure that can predict the quality of time varying errors and sequences. This has applications in many areas, including audio compression, transmission over noisy channels, and further understanding of the human psychoacoustic system. Here we present a metric constructed by adapting several popular audio quality metrics to operate temporally and then combining these metrics into a single objective metric. Results are given over several different error types.
Eliminating race conditions in system-level models by using parallel simulation infrastructure

For a top-down system design flow, a well-written specification model of an embedded system is crucial for its successful design and implementation. However, the task of writing a correct system-level model is difficult, as it involves, among other tasks, the insertion of parallelism. In this paper, we focus on ensuring model correctness under parallel execution. In particular, the model must be free of race conditions in all accesses to shared variables, so that a safe parallel implementation is possible. Eliminating race conditions is difficult because discrete event simulation often hides such flaws. In particular, the absence of simulation errors does not prove the correctness of the model. We propose to use advanced conflict analysis in the compiler, fast checking in a parallel simulator, and a novel race-condition diagnosis tool, that not only exposes all race conditions, but also locates where and when such problems occur. Our experiments have revealed a number of dangerous race conditions in existing embedded multi-media application models and enabled us to efficiently and safely eliminate these hazards.
The Effects of Total Quality Management on Corporate Performance: An Empirical Investigation

This article examines the impact of deployment of Total Quality Management (TQM) systems on the performance of a sample of 108 firms which began serious efforts to implement TQM between 1981 and 1991. The impact of the adoption of TQM is measured by comparing each firm's performance to that of a control benchmark designed to capture what the firm's performance would have been had it not adopted TQM. The findings indicate that performance, measured by profit margin, return on assets, asset use efficiency, and excess stock returns, is improved for the sample of firms that adopted TQM. Performance of the TQM firms is also analyzed based on the extent of development of the firm's TQM approach as assessed by interviewing a senior quality executive in each firm. For firms with more advanced TQM systems, the improvement in financial performance is notably and consistently stronger. Results are also improved when manufacturing firms are considered alone. The association between performance and changes in the number of employees is examined to determine if downsizing is a key driver of the improved performance. The data do not support this hypothesis.
On geometric optics and surface waves for light scattering by spheres

A geometric optics approach including surface wave contributions has been developed for homogeneous and concentrically coated spheres. In this approach, a ray-by-ray tracing program was used for efficient computation of the extinction and absorption cross sections. The present geometric-optics surface-wave (GOS) theory for light scattering by spheres considers the surface wave contribution along the edge of a particle as a perturbation term to the geometric-optics core that includes Fresnel reflection–refraction and Fraunhofer diffraction. Accuracies of the GOS approach for spheres have been assessed through comparison with the results determined from the exact Lorenz–Mie (LM) theory in terms of the extinction efficiency, single-scattering albedo, and asymmetry factor in the size–wavelength ratio domain. In this quest, we have selected a range of real and imaginary refractive indices representative of water/ice and aerosol species and demonstrated close agreement between the results computed by GOS and LM. This provides the foundation to conduct physically reliable light absorption and scattering computations based on the GOS approach for aerosol aggregates associated with internal and external mixing states employing spheres as building blocks.
A Quasi‐Analytic Model of Droplet and Ccn Lifetimes, Optical and Chemical Characteristics of Ice‐Free Cumulus Clouds

We have formulated a semi-analytic model of the microphysical and passive chemical development within entraining ice-free cumulus clouds growing in surroundings characteristic of Hawaii and Montana in summertime. Calculations were made of liquid-water contents, age distributions of droplets and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), optical parameters (effective radius and optical depth), the concentration of a passive chemical tracer in both cloud and rainwater; and the variability of the concentration of cloud-water tracer over the droplet spectrum, all as functions of altitude within the clouds, entrainment scale, droplet number concentration and altitudinal variability in environmental tracer concentration. All of these microphysical and chemical parameters were found to be sensitive to the entrainment scale II. Droplets at any level above cloud base may have been formed on primary nuclei or entrained nuclei, either of which may already have activated droplets which subsequently evaporated as a consequence of entrainment. the average nuclear ages are greater (typically by about 50%) than that of the average droplets, the latter being in conformity with those inferred from observations. the effective radius at a given level was only mildly dependent on II, whereas the optical depth increased rapidly as II increased. the concentration of tracer in both cloud water and rainwater decreased markedly as the entrainment scale increased.
Carbon/Nafion® Nanocomposite Thin Films as Potential Matrix-free Laser Desorption-Ionization Mass Spectroscopy Substrates

Carbon/Nafion® nanocomposite thin films developed through a low-cost procedure were shown to function as high-sensitivity, low-noise, high-throughput laser desorption-ionization mass spectroscopy substrates for small molecule detection without the need of organic matrices. Our nanocomposite approach combines the strong light absorption feature of amorphous carbon with Nafion®’s efficient protonating capability to yield superior laser desorption-ionization.
Half-tetrad analysis in zebrafish: mapping the ros mutation and the centromere of linkage group I.

Analysis of meiotic tetrads is routinely used to determine genetic linkage in various fungi. Here we apply tetrad analysis to the study of genetic linkage in a vertebrate. The half-tetrad genotypes of gynogenetic diploid zebrafish produced by early-pressure (EP) treatment were used to investigate the linkage relationships of two recessive pigment pattern mutations, leopard (leo) and rose (ros). The results showed that ros is tightly linked to its centromere and leo maps 31 cM from its centromere. Analysis of half-tetrads segregating for ros and leo in repulsion revealed no homozygous ros individuals among 32 homozygous leo half-tetrads--i.e., a parental ditype (PD) to nonparental ditype (NPD) ratio of 32:0. This result shows that ros is linked to leo, a mutation previously mapped to Linkage Group I. Investigation of PCR-based DNA polymorphisms on Linkage Group I confirmed the location of ros near the centromere of this linkage group. We propose an efficient, generally useful method to assign new mutations to a linkage group in zebrafish by determining which of 25 polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based centromere markers shows a significant excess of PD to NPD in half-tetrad fish.
Tracking objects using recognition

Tracking is frequently considered a frame-to-frame operation. As such, object recognition techniques are generally too slow to be used for tracking. There are domains, however where the objects of interest do not move most of the time. In these domains, it is possible to watch for activity in the scene and then apply object recognition techniques to find the object's new location. This makes tracking a discrete process of watching for object disappearances and reappearances. We have developed a memory assistance tool that uses this approach to help people with slight to moderate memory loss keep track of important objects around the house. The system is currently deployed in a prototype smart home.
SAMPLE DESIGN, EXECUTION, AND ANALYSIS FOR WETLAND ASSESSMENT

Probability-based sample surveys are increasingly being used to assess natural resource condition, yet many of the techniques commonly used in survey sampling are not well known to environmental scientists. Here we discuss several techniques from survey sample methodology that can substantially increase the efficiency of a sample (lower the variance for the same sample size), make the survey more cost-effective, or adjust the analysis to accommodate difficulties in implementation, such as lack of access to all sample sites. The techniques are illustrated with two surveys that were designed to assess wetland condition: one in the Juniata watershed in Pennsylvania, USA, and one in the Nanticoke watershed in Maryland and Delaware, USA.
Cryptography with tamperable and leaky memory

A large and growing body of research has sought to secure cryptographic systems against physical attacks. Motivated by a large variety of real-world physical attacks on memory, an important line of work was initiated by Akavia, Goldwasser, and Vaikuntanathan [1] where security is sought under the assumptions that: (1) all memory is leaky, and (2) leakage can be an arbitrarily chosen (efficient) function of the memory. However, physical attacks onmemory are not limited to leakagethrough side-channels, but can also include active tampering attacks through a variety of physical attacks, including heat and EM radiation. Nevertheless, protection against the analogous model for tampering - where (1) all memory is tamperable, and (2) where the tampering can be an arbitrarily chosen (efficient) function applied to the memory - has remained an elusive target, despite significant effort on tampering-related questions. In this work, we tackle this question by considering a model where we assume that both of these pairs of statements are true - that all memory is both leaky and (arbitrarily) tamperable. Furthermore, we assume that this leakage and tampering can happen repeatedly and continually (extending the model of [10,7] in the context of leakage). We construct a signature scheme and an encryption scheme that are provably secure against such attacks, assuming that memory can be updated in a randomized fashion between episodes of tampering and leakage. In both schemes we rely on the linear assumption over bilinear groups. We also separately consider a model where only continual and repeated tampering (but only bounded leakage) is allowed, and we are able to obtain positive results assuming only that "self-destruct" is possible, without the need for memory updates. Our results also improve previous results in the continual leakage regime without tampering [10,7]. Whereas previous schemes secure against continual leakage (of arbitrary bounded functions of the secret key), could tolerate only 1/2-e leakage-rate between key updates under the linear assumption over bilinear groups, our schemes can tolerate 1-e leakage-rate between key updates, under the same assumption.
Amygdala: Structure and Circuitry in Primates

The primate amygdala comprises a group of cytoarchitecturally, histochemically, and connectionally heterogeneous nuclei in the medial temporal lobes. Clinically, impairments in amygdala function have been implicated in social, emotional, and perceptual disorders such as autism, depression, and schizophrenia. Numerous experimental studies support the hypothesis that the amygdala is critical for forming associations between environmental stimuli and their motivational and emotional significance. The anatomical and physiological substrates of the amygdala’s role in learning have been most thoroughly described in fear conditioning paradigms, in which an animal develops a conditioned fear response to a previously neutral stimulus; studies in human and nonhuman primates have also demonstrated that the amygdala is important for forming positive associations. The amygdala’s widespread interconnections with cortical and subcortical sites provide the substrate for its role in learning and behavior. Here we summarize these interconnections and suggest their functional significance.
Neural mechanisms of social influence in adolescence

During the transformative period of adolescence, social influence plays a prominent role in shaping young people’s emerging social identities, and can impact their propensity to engage in prosocial or risky behaviors. In this study, we examine the neural correlates of social influence from both parents and peers, two important sources of influence. Nineteen adolescents (age 16–18 years) completed a social influence task during a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan. Social influence from both sources evoked activity in brain regions implicated in mentalizing (medial prefrontal cortex, left temporoparietal junction, right temporoparietal junction), reward (ventromedial prefrontal cortex), and self-control (right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex). These results suggest that mental state reasoning, social reward and self-control processes may help adolescents to evaluate others’ perspectives and overcome the prepotent force of their own antecedent attitudes to shift their attitudes toward those of others. Findings suggest common neural networks involved in social influence from both parents and peers.
Conception of a Personalized Medication Adherence Discharge Kit for Rivaroxaban

Purpose: Due to a lack of necessary monitoring with rivaroxaban, patients have fewer opportunities for education, adherence reinforcement, and follow-up. If rivaroxaban is taken incorrectly, patients are at increased risk for adverse events. The objective was to create personalized rivaroxaban patient adherence kits (R-PAKs) to enhance successful transition from 15 mg twice daily to 20 mg once daily on day 22 of venous thromboembolism (VTE) treatment. Summary: A review of rivaroxaban drug information and existing medication adherence tools was completed to increase understanding of ways to improve adherence. Clinical pharmacists identified several concerns the R-PAK should address, including patient understanding of correct dose, administration timing, serious adverse effects, and importance of compliance, along with loss to follow-up by a health care provider. In the pilot phase, 100 R-PAKs were created. Each kit includes an educational handout describing adverse effects, administration, and monitoring; ...
Outcome of 5 mm resection of one medial rectus extraocular muscle for recurrent exotropia.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the success rate of 5 mm resection of one medial rectus (MR) as the second surgery for intermittent exotropia of childhood after bilateral lateral rectus recessions and after unilateral lateral rectus recessions, and to propose a theory of how this surgery works. CASES: The author performed a retrospective chart review of 10 years experience of routinely performing a 5 mm resection of one medial rectus as the second surgery for exotropia recurrent after unilateral or bilateral lateral rectus (LR) recession. A total of 45 cases of children receiving a second surgery for recurrent exotropia, a 5 mm resection of one medial rectus in all cases, were identified. Ten of the second surgeries were performed with the first surgery having been a large unilateral LR recession. Thirty-five had received bilateral LR recessions as the first procedure. Only those cases needing a third surgery prior to 2 years or with at least two years followup with continued good binocular alignment were included. OUTCOME: Residual deviations of 8 XT to 10 ET, inclusive, (or less) were considered surgical "successes". RESULTS: Of the 10 whose first surgery had been a unilateral LR recession (8-9 mm for 9 of the 10), the two year failure rate was 4/10. Of the 35 whose first surgery had been a bilateral LR recession (4.5 to 8.2 mm), the two year failure rate was 4/35. The time to failure after resection of one MR averaged 27 months for the 6/10 failures of the unilateral LR recession group; the time to failure after resection of one MR for the 14/35 failures of the bilateral LR recession group averaged 42 months. CONCLUSIONS: The more rapid failure of resection of one MR for those whose first surgery was a unilateral instead of a bilateral LR recession suggests that recession of the other LR may yield a higher success rate for the unilateral LR recession group in the future. Resection may work for a long time due to removal of embryonic myosin responsible for restoration of normal linear sarcomeric density.
Application of Mixed Matrix Modifier on Determination of Blood Lead by Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorbance Spectrometry

[Objective]To select suitable matrix modifier,to reform the blood lead testing methods,and improve the detection sensitivity and detection quality.[Methods]The samples were digested by nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide to several different matrix modifier,and the content of blood lead was detected by graphite furnace atomic absorbance spectrometry (GFAAS).[Results]The recovery of the method with matrix modifier of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate + nitrate + ascorbic acid was 93.5%～100.9%,and the relative standard deviation was 3.1%～5.2%,the detection limit was 2.1 μg/L.[Conclusion]The matrix modifier is an ideal matrix modifier for blood lead detection with the characteristics of simple,convenient,accurate and low cost.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING SCORING OF AN EXPERIMENTAL MODEL OF POST-TRAUMATIC OSTEOARTHRITIS IN THE EQUINE CARPUS

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the most sensitive imaging modality to detect the early changes of osteoarthritis. Currently, there is no quantifiable method to tract these pathological changes over time in the horse. The objective of this experimental study was to characterize the progression of MRI changes in an equine model of post-traumatic osteoarthritis using a semiquantitative scoring system for whole-organ evaluation of the middle carpal joint. On day 0, an osteochondral fragment was created in one middle carpal joint (OCI) and the contralateral joint (CON) was sham-operated in 10 horses. On day 14, study horses resumed exercise on a high-speed treadmill until the completion of the study (day 98). High-field MRI examinations were performed on days 0 (preosteochondral fragmentation), 14, and 98 and scored by three blinded observers using consensus agreement. Images were scored based on 15 independent articular features, and scores were compared between and within-groups. On days 14 and 98, OCI joints had significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher whole-organ median scores (29.0 and 31.5, respectively), compared to CON joints (21.5 and 20.0, respectively). On day 14, OCI joints showed significant increases in high-signal bone lesion scores, and osteochondral fragment number and size. On day 98, high-signal bone lesion, low-signal bone lesion, osteophyte formation, cartilage signal abnormality, subchondral bone irregularity, joint effusion, and synovial thickening scores were significantly increased in OCI joints. Study results suggest that the MRI whole-organ scoring system reported here may be used to identify onset and progression of pathological changes following osteochondral injury.
Monolithic Silicon Photonic Crystal Fiber Tip Sensors

Photonic Crystals (PC) enable sensitive and robust sensors for a large number of measurands, including temperature, refractive index, displacement, pressure, acceleration, and rotation. The small volumes of two-dimensional PC sensors also make them ideal for integration onto the facet of optical fibers. In this chapter, we describe the operation, design, and fabrication of Si PC sensors for refractive index and temperature, and the process technology used to integrate the sensors onto the facets of standard single-mode fibers (SMFs). The PC sensors are fabricated on standard Si wafers, using a single photolithography mask and a combination of isotropic and anisotropic etching. Once the sensor fabrication is completed, the miniaturized sensors (50 μm × 50 μm × 0.5 μm) are assembled onto SMF facets. The results are highly-sensitive, robust sensors with submicron sensing layers that are well suited for deployment in harsh environments, including temperatures up to 700 °C.
Associations between bedtime and nighttime parenting and infant cortisol in the first year

We examined how maternal care within the bedtime and nighttime contexts influences infant cortisol levels and patterning. Eighty-two mothers (Mage = 29.4 years) and infants participated in a longitudinal study when infants were 3, 6, and 9 months old. At each time point, bedtime and nighttime parenting were recorded and infant cortisol at bedtime and the following morning was analyzed. Multilevel model analyses showed that infants had lower cortisol levels when mothers were more emotionally available at bedtime, and infants whose mothers responded more often to their non-distressed cues had lower cortisol levels on average. Less co-sleeping and more maternal responses to infant distress were linked to healthier cortisol patterning. By shedding light on parenting qualities and behaviors that influence infant cortisol, these results indicate avenues for intervention and suggest the utility of studying parenting in infant sleep contexts.
Myristoylation of the Arenavirus Envelope Glycoprotein Stable Signal Peptide Is Critical for Membrane Fusion but Dispensable for Virion Morphogenesis

ABSTRACT Arenaviruses are responsible for severe and often fatal hemorrhagic disease. In the absence of effective antiviral therapies and vaccines, these viruses pose serious threats to public health and biodefense. Arenaviruses enter the host cell by fusion of the viral and endosomal membranes, a process mediated by the virus envelope glycoprotein GPC. Unlike other class I viral fusion proteins, GPC retains its stable signal peptide (SSP) as an essential third subunit in the mature complex. SSP spans the membrane twice and is myristoylated at its cytoplasmic N terminus. Mutations that abolish SSP myristoylation have been shown to reduce pH-induced cell-cell fusion activity of ectopically expressed GPC to ∼20% of wild-type levels. In order to examine the role of SSP myristoylation in the context of the intact virus, we used reverse genetics to generate Junin viruses (Candid #1 isolate) in which the critical glycine-2 residue in SSP was either replaced by alanine (G2A) or deleted (ΔG2). These mutant viruses produced smaller foci of infection in Vero cells and showed an ∼5-fold reduction in specific infectivity, commensurate with the defect in cell-cell fusion. However, virus assembly and GPC incorporation into budded virions were unaffected. Our findings suggest that the myristate moiety is cryptically disposed in the prefusion GPC complex and may function late in the fusion process to promote merging of the viral and cellular membranes. IMPORTANCE Hemorrhagic fever arenaviruses pose significant threats to public health and biodefense. Arenavirus entry into the host cell is promoted by the virus envelope glycoprotein GPC. Unlike other viral envelope glycoproteins, GPC contains a myristoylated stable signal peptide (SSP) as an essential third subunit. Myristoylation has been shown to be important for the membrane fusion activity of recombinantly expressed GPC. Here, we use reverse genetics to study the role of SSP myristoylation in the context of the intact virion. We find that nonmyristoylated GPC mutants of the Candid #1 strain of Junin virus display a commensurate deficiency in their infectivity, albeit without additional defects in virion assembly and budding. These results suggest that SSP myristoylation may function late in the fusion process to facilitate merging of the viral and cellular membranes. Antiviral agents that target this novel aspect of GPC membrane fusion may be useful in the treatment of arenavirus hemorrhagic fevers.
The validity of measurement of mean whole body intracellular hydrogen ion activity using 5,5-dimethyl-2,4-oxazolidinedione.

1. To study the validity of mean whole-body intracellular hydrogen ion activity measurements ([H+]i) by the distribution of 14C-labelled 5,5-dimethyl-2,4-oxazo-lidinedione ([14C]DMO), eight anaesthetized dogs received three separate injections of iso-osmotic buffered chemical DMO, in cumulative doses of 50–2000 mg/kg body weight, following a control [H+]i determination by the 14C-tracer technique. 2. A correlation between dose of chemical DMO and measured [H+]i was found with a regression line of −Δ[H+]i = 23.27 + 16.45 [log DMO dose −2.41]. 3. Although the results are consistent with active transport of DMO across cell membranes, other possible explanations such as altered cell buffering capacity by DMO loading and variable sequestration of DMO in the gastrointestinal tract must be considered. 4. There is no evidence for cellular binding of DMO.
A vortex approach for unsteady insect flight analysis in 2D

This paper considers 2D insect wing motion in which the flow field does not change in the out-of-plane direction. When modelling complex phenomena, simpler, but not overly simple, analysis techniques become imperative. We achieve the balance of simplicity and accuracy by a technique based on the vortex. The wing is represented by its chord, described by a line in 2D. During the unsteady flapping, a time-dependent circulation pattern is developed over the wing, modelled by the distribution of discrete line vortices. The magnitudes of the bound vortices on the wing are determined by the non-penetration condition. Two vortices at the wing’s leading and trailing edges are shed. The velocity is determined by the bound and wake vortices using 2D Biot–Savart law, which is also used to convect wake vortices. The entire cycle is repeated as the time progresses. While establishing a simple affordable numerical method for flapping wing analysis and highlighting its remarkable performance, the limitation of the metho...
Extensive Regional Metastasis of High-Grade Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma of an Unknown Primary Tumor

Purpose Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is the most common salivary carcinoma. It arises most frequently in the major salivary glands, but can also arise in minor glands or intraosseous sites. MEC of an unknown primary occurs very rarely. The present report documents only the third case reported in medical studies. Methods A 66-year-old man with previous carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the left posterior oral tongue that had been excised in 2004 and again in 2010 presented with a hard lymph node, 3 × 2 cm at level II of the right neck in July 2015. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) revealed multiple, bilateral cervical lymphadenopathy, with no primary site identified. Fine needle aspiration biopsy and cytologic examination from the right neck was positive for malignancy, suggestive of metastatic squamous cell carcinoma. Panendoscopy and biopsy revealed CIS at the tongue bases and tonsils bilaterally (p16-negative). The patient's case was presented to a tumor board, and definitive concurrent cispl.atin-based chemoradiation was recommended for TisN2cM0, stage IVA oropharyngeal CIS, which was completed in November 2015. PET-CT in January 2015 showed complex interval changes, with some areas demonstrating improvement (ie, no uptake in the left neck) and worsening in others (ie, increased metabolic activity in the right neck), suggestive of residual disease. Repeat PET-CT in March 2016 showed increased nodal involvement and increasing standardized uptake value. Bilateral modified radical neck dissection was undertaken, and histologic examination showed high-grade MEC in 51 of 61 lymph nodes with extracapsular spread and soft tissue involvement. Results The patient died in May 2016 at 2 months after surgery. Conclusions Metastatic MEC of an unknown primary is a diagnostic challenge. PET-CT might not be the most reliable diagnostic investigation to identify the primary or metastatic foci, such as was demonstrated in the present case.
An incongruent picture of direct-to-consumer advertising of genetic tests: Qualitative framing analysis on newspapers and 23andMe’s press releases:

Drawing upon framing theory, this exploratory study suggested that conservative newspaper (the Wall Street Journal) regarded direct-to-consumer advertising of genetic tests as a regulation issue wh...
Sera cytokine levels to predict survival in men with progressive castration-resistant prostate cancer.

5083 Background: Serum cytokines have been proposed as immunologic biomarkers of clinical responses based on their role in tumor biology. Recently, two whole blood mRNA signatures, which included i...
Trends in high-throughput and functional neuroimaging in Caenorhabditis elegans

The nervous system of Caenorhabditis elegans is an important model system for understanding the development and function of larger, more complex nervous systems. It is prized for its ease of handling, rapid life cycle, and stereotyped, well-cataloged development, with the development of all 302 neurons mapped all the way from zygote to adult. The combination of easy genetic manipulation and optical transparency of the worm allows for the direct imaging of its interior with fluorescent microscopy, without physically compromising the normal physiology of the animal itself. By expressing fluorescent markers, biologists study many developmental and cell biology questions in vivo; by expressing genetically encoded fluorescent calcium indicators within neurons, it is also possible to monitor their dynamic activity, answering questions about the structure and function of neural microcircuitry in the worm. However, to successfully image the worm it is necessary to overcome a number of experimental challenges. It is necessary to hold worms within the field of view, collect images efficiently and rapidly, and robustly analyze the data obtained. In recent years, a trend has developed toward imaging a large number of worms or neurons simultaneously, directly exploiting the unique properties of C. elegans to acquire data on a scale, which is not possible in other organisms. Doing this has required the development of new experimental tools, techniques, and data analytic approaches, all of which come together to open new perspectives on the field of neurobiology in C. elegans, and neuroscience in general. WIREs Syst Biol Med 2017, 9:e1376. doi: 10.1002/wsbm.1376 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
L2-cohomology of spaces with nonisolated conical singularities and nonmultiplicativity of the signature

We study from a mostly topological standpoint the L 2-signature of certain spaces with nonisolated conical singularities. The contribution from the singularities is identified with a topological invariant of the link fibration of the singularities. This invariant measures the failure of the signature to behave multiplicatively for fibrations for which the boundary of the fiber is nonempty. The result extends easily to cusp singularities and can be used to compute the L 2-cohomology of certain noncompact hyperkahler manifolds that admit geometrically fibered end structures.
A Thought on Approximation by Bi-Analytic Functions

A different approach to the problem of uniform approximations by the module of bi-analytic functions is outlined. This note follows the ideas from Khavinson (On a geometric approach to problems concerning Cauchy integrals and rational approximation. PhD thesis, Brown University, Providence, RI (1983), Proc Am Math Soc 101(3):475–483 (1987), Michigan Math J 34(3):465–473 (1987), Contributions to operator theory and its applications (Mesa, AZ, 1987). Birkhauser, Basel (1988)), Gamelin and Khavinson (Am Math Mon 96(1):18–30 (1989)) and the more recent paper (Abanov et al. A free boundary problem associated with the isoperimetric inequality. arXiv:1601.03885, 2016 preprint), regarding approximation of \(\overline {z}\) by analytic functions.
Why Benzene prefers to substitute and an Olefin likes to add

Huckel MQ (HMO) theory,1,2 predicts that pi benzene is more stable than three pi ethylenes. This conclusion seems to be compatible with the fact that the heat of hydrogenation of benzene is much less than the heat of hydrogenation of three cyclohexenes3 and the known unwillingness of benzene to undergo addition reactions, opting for “aromatic” substitution instead. These data have prompted an on-going preoccupation with “resonance energies”, “aromaticity”, and the like. In this chapter, we suggest that, while the experimental facts are indisputable, the concepts which chemists have devised over more than a century are most likely erroneous and that benzene is pi destabilized but operationally “aromatic”.
Polypentapeptide of Elastin as an Elastomeric Biomaterial

The polypentapeptide of elastin, (L·-Val1-L·Pro2-Gly3-L·Val4-Gly5)n, is synthesized with \(\bar n\)>200. The purity of the synthesis is verified by carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectra. Coacervate concentrations are γ-irradiation cross-linked at 2,6,10,14, 18,26 and 34 MRADs to produce elastomeric bands. The dependence of the elastic modulus on cross-linking dose is demonstrated and thermoelasticity studies indicate a dominantly entropic elastomeric force. These results are discussed in connection with the property of the polypentapeptide to self-align into fibers, in connection with a proposed entropy source for the elasticity utilizing a class of β-spiral conformations and in terms of specific analogs which had been synthesized to test concepts of conformation and entropy source. Finally, the biocompatibility of the polypentapeptide is considered.
Aspects of Bioadhesion

The joining of substances in wet, salty, biochemically active environments is perforce an event of—at least—water displacement from interfaces. When living cells or tissues are to be intimately mated, or that mating prevented, consideration must be especially given to interaction of the hydrated peripheries of the particles/materials in question.(1) If neither, or only one, of the potentially adherent members easily sheds its bound water layer, prompt practical underwater adhesion is weak to negligible, although it might later become quite secure as excess water is expressed from the joint. Natural mucosal surfaces that resist bioadhesion to most other substances, living or synthetic, provide excellent examples. Witness the inherent resistance to biofouling of the inside of the cheek, the outside of the porpoise and killer whale,(2) and the uncompromised endothelial lining of blood vessels,(3) for instance.
Shortcomings of Positivistic Methodology for Researching Cultural Psychology

Many social scientists see no need for a new cultural psychological methodology because they believe the prevailing positivistic methodology is sufficient. This chapter explains why positivistic methodology is inadequate for investigating cultural psychological phenomena and why a new approach is necessary. I do not simply identify positivism’s shortcomings, e.g., that it is superficial. Such a limited analysis offers no explanation of the weaknesses. Nor does it instruct us on how to achieve a deeper understanding of cultural psychology. Consequently, I attempt not merely to identify positivism’s weaknesses but also to explain them. I link the weaknesses of positivism to its fundamental ontological and epistemological assumptions. Once we understand the erroneous assumptions that underlie positivism’s problems, we can uproot and replace them.
Learning from goal interactions in planning: goal stack analysis and generalization

This paper presents a methodology which enables the derivation of goal ordering rules from the analysis of problem failures. We examine all the planning actions that lead to failures. If there are restrictions imposed by a problem state on taking possible actions, the restrictions manifest themselves in the form of a restricted set of possible bindings. Our method makes use of this observation to derive general control rules which are guaranteed to be correct. The overhead involved in learning is low because our method examines only the goal stacks retrieved from the leaf nodes of a failure search tree rather than the whole tree. Empirical tests show that the rules derived by our system PAL, after sufficient training, performs as well as or better than those derived by systems such as PRODIGY/EBL and STATIC.
Gert, Sidgwick, and hybrid theories of rationality

Etude de la conception hybride et complexe de la rationalite defendue par B. Gert dans le cadre de sa definition egocentrique de l'action irrationnelle. Par comparaison avec le dualisme de la raison pratique chez H. Sidgwick, l'A. montre que les deux theories partagent les memes objections concernant l'alternative entre l'egoisme et la neutralite individuelle.
Dissection of ascending aorta: A complication of transradial artery access of coronary procedure

Iatrogenic acute dissection of ascending aorta following coronary angiography and percutaneous intervention is a rare complication. Most reports involve localized aortic dissections as a complication of cannulation of a coronary artery with propagation into the ascending aorta. It is usually treated by sealing the intima with a stent in the ostium of the coronary artery or conservative management, while extensive dissections may require a surgical intervention. We describe a case of the subclavian dissection extending into the ascending aorta that occurred during diagnostic catheterization using the radial approach. The patient was successfully treated utilizing conservative management.
Post-surgical opioid prescribing patterns and risk factors for additional opioid prescriptions within one year after non-emergent colorectal surgery.

Abstract Background National opioid concerns resulted in review of prescribing patterns following colorectal surgery. Methods This retrospective cohort study examined prescribing patterns in elective colorectal surgery at a tertiary academic medical center from January 2012 through December 2014. Results Forty percent of 4286 patients received additional opioid prescriptions within the year following colorectal surgery. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that a pre-operative opioid prescriptions within 1 year of surgery (OR 2.91; 95% CI, 1.83–4.60), increasing operative time (OR 1.02; 95% CI, 1.00–1.04), or complications (OR 2.18; 95% CI, 1.38–3.43) was associated with additional opioid prescriptions. The median opioid prescription upon discharge was 225 mg morphine milligram equivalents. Discharge opioid amount was not a risk factor. Conclusions Additional opioid prescriptions after surgery occurred in 40% of patients. Pre-operative prescriptions, increasing operative time and complications were associated with additional opioid prescriptions while opioid amount at discharge was not a risk factor.
Convergence of an Operator Splitting Scheme for Abstract Stochastic Evolution Equations

In this paper, we study the convergence of a Lie-Trotter operator splitting for stochastic semilinear evolution equations in a Hilbert space. The abstract Hilbert space setting allows for the consideration of convergence of the approximation for both the original and spatially discretized problems. It is known that the strong convergence of this scheme is classically of half-order, at best. We demonstrate that this is in fact the optimal order of convergence in the proposed setting, with the actual order being dependent upon the regularity of noise collected from applications.
Mitigating Suppression Attack in Multicast Protocol for Low Power and Lossy Networks

With increasingly prevalent wireless sensors and devices, low power and lossy networks (LLNs) play an essential role in the realization of ubiquitous computing and communication infrastructure, which in turn, leads to enhanced data accessibility and availability. A multicast protocol for LLNs, also referred to as MPL, has been standardized to provide both efficient and reliable communication. Due to the shared wireless medium, lack of tamper resistance, and inherent resource constraints, MPLbased LLNs are vulnerable to various Denial-of-Service attacks. In this paper, we propose a heuristic-based detection scheme, called HED, against the suppression attack in MPL-based LLNs, where a malicious node multicasts a series of spoof data messages with continuous sequence numbers to prevent normal nodes from accepting valid data messages and cause them to delete cached data messages. The simulation results show that the proposed scheme is a viable approach against suppression attack.
The Haunts of the Banditti: Transnationalism and Mediation in George Robinson’s Publishing Network

In the 1790s, banditti occupied rocky shelves in picturesque landscapes and accompanied exiled aristocrats in gothic fiction; in news columns, they framed attempts at political participation by non...
Regulation Of Caveolin-dependent Endocytosis By Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperones

Calreticulin (CRT) is an endoplasmic reticulum chaperone protein that is involved in quality control process during protein folding and maturation. It plays an important role as a regulator of intracellular calcium homeostasis. Previously it has been shown that loss of CRT protein results in endoplasmic reticulum stress, increase in ubiquitin-proteasome activity, and resistance to apoptosis. Our preliminary studies illustrated that CRT deficient cells expresses significantly higher connexin 43 protein, however its function is significant suppressed. We showed that connexin 43 was accumulated within intracellular vesicles. Because connexin 43 function is dependent on its trafficking and localization, we hypothesized that loss of CRT function increases rate of endocytosis via caveolin dependent pathway. To test our hypothesis we measured the rate of uptake of fluorescently tagged-Wheat Germ Agglutinin, in wild type (wt) versus crt-/- mouse embryonic fibroblast cells (MEF). In crt-/- cells WGA was completely endocytosed within 30 minute incubation while in wt cells WGA was localized both on cell membrane and intracellular vesicles at 30 minute. The endocytotic process in crt -/- was significantly reduced by inhibiting proteasome activity with MG132. The caveolin-1 mRNA and protein levels were significantly increased in crt-/- cells compared to wt cells. However, there were no significant changes in clathrin protein level in wt versus crt-/- cells. Using Methyl-B-cylcodextrin to deplete cell cholesterol content, we demonstrated inhibition of endocytosis in crt-/- cells which confirms a major role for caveolin in endocytosis in these cells. Overall our data are the first to illustrate the inhibitory role of CRT in endocytotic pathways. Acknowledgment: This research was funded by Qatar National Research Fund (NPRP4-043-3-016).
Retrosplenial cortex damage produces retrograde and anterograde context amnesia using strong fear conditioning procedures

Contextual fear conditioning relies upon a network of cortical and subcortical structures, including the hippocampus and the retrosplenial cortex (RSC). However, the contribution of the hippocampus is parameter-dependent. For example, with "weak" training procedures, lesions of the hippocampus produce both retrograde and anterograde context amnesia. However, with "strong" training procedures (e.g., more trials and/or higher levels of footshock), lesions of the hippocampus produce retrograde context amnesia but not anterograde amnesia (Wiltgen et al., 2006). Likewise, prior studies have shown that with weak training, RSC lesions produce both retrograde and anterograde context amnesia (Keene & Bucci, 2008). The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of RSC damage on contextual fear conditioning following strong training. In Experiment 1, lesions of the RSC resulted in both retrograde and anterograde context amnesia following strong training using the same unsignaled fear conditioning procedures described by Wiltgen et al. (2006). In Experiment 2, using a signaled fear conditioning procedure, we replicated these effects on context memory observing both retrograde and anterograde context amnesia. In contrast, there were no lesion effects on tone-fear memory. Thus, unlike lesions of the hippocampus, lesions of RSC produce both retrograde and anterograde context amnesia even when rats undergo strong fear conditioning. These findings suggest that the RSC has an essential role in contextual fear conditioning and that other systems or pathways are unable to compensate for the loss of RSC function.
Mining big data to help make informed decisions for designing effective digital educational games

ABSTRACTMore research is needed on how to best use analytics to support educational decisions and design effective learning environments. This study was to explore and mine the data captured by a d...
Percutaneous Iliac and S2AI Fixation

Pelvic instrumentation in spine surgery provides crucial fixation to the distal end of a long-construct fusion or added support to comminuted sacral fractures or pelvic ring injuries. Studies have shown increased rates of pseudoarthrosis when fixation is terminated at S1 in deformity cases. There are several techniques with which the pelvis can be instrumented. The most common is the iliac bolt, but S2-alar-iliac (S2AI) screw has gained popularity due to in-line connection to the cephalad construct and lower profile. Both can be placed safely via a percutaneous technique.
Experimental Design for Bathymetry Editing

Author(s): Alafate, Julaiti; Freund, Yoav; Sandwell, David T; Tozer, Brook | Abstract: We describe an application of machine learning to a real-world computer assisted labeling task. Our experimental results expose significant deviations from the IID assumption commonly used in machine learning. These results suggest that the common random split of all data into training and testing can often lead to poor performance.