cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Glutamatergic and Dopaminergic Neurons in the Mouse Ventral Tegmental Area

The ventral tegmental area (VTA) comprises dopamine (DA), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate (Glu) neurons. Some rat VTA Glu neurons, expressing vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGluT2), co-express tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). While transgenic mice are now being used in attempts to determine the role of VGluT2/TH neurons in reward and neuronal signaling, such neurons have not been characterized in mouse tissue. By cellular detection of VGluT2 mRNA and TH immunoreactivity (TH-IR), we determined the cellular expression of VGluT2 mRNA within VTA TH-IR neurons in the mouse. We found that some mouse VGluT2 neurons coexpressed TH-IR, but their frequency was lower than in the rat. To determine whether low expression of TH mRNA or TH-IR accounts for this low frequency, we evaluated VTA cellular coexpression of TH transcripts and TH protein. Within the medial aspects of the VTA, some neurons expressed TH mRNA but lacked TH-IR; among them a subset coexpressed VGluT2 mRNA. To determine if lack of VTA TH-IR was due to TH trafficking, we tagged VTA TH neurons by Cre-inducible expression of mCherry in TH::Cre mice. By dual immunofluorescence, we detected axons containing mCherry, but lacking TH-IR, in the lateral habenula, indicating that low frequency of VGluT2 mRNA (+)/TH-IR (+) neurons in the mouse is due to lack of synthesis of TH protein, rather than TH protein trafficking. In conclusion, VGluT2 neurons are present in the rat and mouse VTA, but they differ in the populations of VGluT2/TH and TH neurons. Under normal conditions, the translation of TH protein is suppressed in the mouse mesohabenular TH neurons.
Application of high-resolution weather data to pest risk assessment1

Landscape maps of pest risk in the northeastern USA were produced for a hypothetical case study of an exotic plant disease (soybean rust) during the 1990 season. Published relations between the disease and a recently available high-resolution weather database were used to generate the maps. The landscape maps depicted patterns of risk using color classes overlaid with county boundaries at a spatial resolution of 1 km. The potential geographical impact of the exotic disease was estimated by interpreting a series of maps during a growing season.
Incorporation of fucose and glucosamine into cell bound and medium released macromolecules.

(1) Determinations were carried out on the incorporation of fucose-6-[3H] and glucosamine-6- [3H] into trichloracetic acid insoluble macromolecules which remained bound to the cells or were released into the medium of chick embryo muscle cell cultures. The radioactivity determined in the medium was corrected for unspecific binding of label to components of the medium. (2) During an incorporation period of six hours the incorporation per microgram DNA with fucose as label into cell bound macromolecules is about twice as high as the incorporation into macromolecules released into medium. With glucosamine about twice as much is incorporated into medium released than into the cell bound macromolecules. (3) The incorporation per microgram DNA increases during a culture period of three days but the increase ceases at different times during this culture period when determined with fucose or glucosamine or for cell bound and medium released material. (4) An increase in cell density increases the incorporation per DNA of fucose and to a much slighter extent that of glucosamine. Reduction of cell density by addition of cytosine arabinoside to the medium does not decrease the incorporation per microgram DNA. (5) The effect of changes of fibroblast/myoblast ratios on the incorporation of fucose and glucosamine were examined. No significant effect was observed for a ratio of 10–30% fibroblasts when control cultures or cultures after cell sedimentation were maintained in complete medium. Marked changes were observed after culture in medium without protein components. Under these conditions an increase in the fibroblast/myoblast ratios were observed as well as an increase in the incorporation of label into medium released and a decrease into cell bound macromolecules.
Obesity in American-Indian children: Prevalence, consequences, and prevention

Abstract Background American Indians of all ages and both sexes have a high prevalence of obesity. The health risks associated with obesity are numerous and include Type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and respiratory problems. Obesity has become a major health problem in American Indians only in the past few generations and it is believed to be associated with the relative abundance of high-fat, high-calorie foods and the rapid change from active to sedentary lifestyles. Methods The authors reviewed selected literature on prevalence of obesity in American-Indian children, and health consequences of obesity. Results Obesity is now one of the most serious public health problems facing American-Indian children, and it has grave implications for the immediate and long-term health of American-Indian youth. Unless this pattern is reversed, American-Indian populations will be burdened by an increased incidence of chronic diseases. Intervention studies are urgently needed in American-Indian communities to develop and test effective strategies for obesity prevention and treatment. Conclusions To be effective, educational and environmental interventions must be developed with full participation of the American-Indian communities.
The structure of plasma‐polymerized toluene: A solid‐state 13C‐NMR study of isotopically labeled polymers

A detailed magic angle spinning 13C-NMR investigation of the intractable polymer prepared by plasma polymerization of toluene and isotopically labeled toluene led to a proposed model for the structure of the polymer and suggested some of the likely processes that occur in the gas phase leading to film formation. From the 13C spectra four resolved resonances permitted the determination of the contribution of nonprotonated and protonated unsaturated as well as methyl and other aliphatic carbons to the polymer structure. Specific 13C isotopic labeling of the methyl and phenyl C-1 toluene carbons in the injected liquid vapor allowed the destination of these carbons in the deposited polymer to be traced. The dominant structure is derived primarily from two precursors: benzyl radical and toluene itself. The 13C data further requires a net saturation of ca. 30% of the toluene double bonds and a net displacement of hydrogen by carbon on ca. 20% of the toluene ring carbons.
Hierarchy of Regulatory Interactions in the Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Calcium Transport Complex

We have used fluorescence microscopy to detect interactions of sarcolipin (SLN), phospholamban (PLB), and the SR Ca-ATPase (SERCA1a isoform). SLN and PLB individually regulate SERCA activity through protein-protein interactions controlled by phosphorylation; SLN is highly expressed in fast-twitch muscle and atria, while PLB is highly expressed in slow-twitch muscle and ventricles. When SERCA, SLN, and PLB are expressed in the same human cell (vastus lateralis muscle, Takotsubo cardiomyopathy), the three proteins form a “super-inhibited” ternary complex (SERCA-SLN-PLB), whereby SERCA activity shows 5-fold decreased calcium affinity and 2-fold decreased maximum velocity (MacLennan JBC 2002; Tupling PLOS 2013). Here we used Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) to quantify the complex equilibria of homo- and hetero-oligomeric interactions between SERCA, SLN, and PLB. The three proteins were tagged with genetically-encoded fluorescent probes (CFP, YFP), and the fluorescent fusion proteins were expressed in Sf21 cells via baculovirus infection. Five protein-protein interactions were assayed (SLN-SLN, SLN-PLB, PLB-PLB, SERCA-SLN, SERCA-PLB), and three parameters were calculated per interaction (binding affinity, oligomer number, interprobe distance). Results indicate (a) SLN and PLB show high-affinity self-association into homo-oligomers and low-affinity cross-assembly as hetero-dimers, and (b) SERCA forms 1:1 binary complexes with SLN or PLB when co-expressed with either subunit individually, with SERCA having 3-fold higher affinity for SLN over PLB. We conclude that SLN and PLB monomers bind independently to SERCA, and that each subunit shows competing self-association versus regulatory complex formation. Molecular modeling based on FRET parameters was used to examine the SERCA-SLN-PLB complex. We propose that equilibrium allocation of SERCA between binary and ternary complexes depends on the expression level and phosphorylation state of each regulatory subunit in muscle. Acknowledgments: This work was funded by NIH grants to DDT (GM27906, AR0507220, AR007612) and UMN awards to JMA (CBS-HHMI).
A Case Study of Channel Change during Urbanization: The San Antonio River from 1830-2004

The lower San Antonio River basin presents the opportunity to study channel planform change during urbanization in the study reach. Using a GIS framework, channel migration is measured over the period from 1838-2004. While the bulk of the watershed area remains rural, the effects of a large, urbanizing core extend throughout the reach. The physical processes governing river morphology in the watershed have a strong spatial component. The upper and lower portions of the study area respond differently to changes in the flow and sediment regimes related to increased impervious cover. By examining morphology change over a long time frame, the affect of urbanization on natural channel change can be determined. This research was motivated by the need to establish minimum in-stream flows for the San Antonio River. Significant alterations to the River are best understood when examined over large spatial and temporal scales, illustrating the need to understand the physical processes governing channel change.
Architecture, performance, and implementation of the tandem banyan fast packet switch

The authors propose a new space-division fast packet switch architecture based on banyan interconnection networks, called the tandem banyan switching fabric (TBSF). It consists of placing banyan networks in tandem, offering multiple paths from each input to each output, thus overcoming in a very simple way the effect of conflicts among packets (to which banyan networks are prone) and achieving output buffering. From a hardware implementation perspective, this architecture is simple in that it consists of several instances of only two VLSI chips, one implementing the banyan network and the other implementing the output buffer function. The basic structure and operation of the tandem banyan switching fabric are described, and its performance is discussed. The authors propose a modification to the basic structure which decreases the hardware complexity of the switch while maintaining its performance. An implementation of the banyan network using a high-performance BiCMOS sea-of-gates on 0.8- mu m technology is reported. >
The evolution of fecundity is associated with female body size but not female-biased sexual size dimorphism among frogs

Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is one of the most common ways in which males and females differ. Male-biased SSD (when males are larger) is often attributed to sexual selection favouring large males. When females are larger (female-biased SSD), it is often argued that natural selection favouring increased fecundity (i.e. larger clutches or eggs) has coevolved with larger female body size. Using comparative phylogenetic and multispecies regression model selection approaches, we test the hypothesis that among-species variation in female fecundity is associated with the evolution of female-biased SSD. We also ask whether the hypothesized relationship between SSD and fecundity is relaxed upon the evolution of parental care. Our results suggest a strong relationship between the evolution of fecundity and body size, but we find no significant relationship between fecundity and SSD. Similarly, there does not appear to be a relationship between fecundity and the presence or absence of parental care among species. Thus, although female body size and fecundity coevolve, selection for increased fecundity as an explanation for female-biased SSD is inconsistent with our analyses. We caution that a relationship between female body size and fecundity is insufficient evidence for fecundity selection driving the evolution of female-biased SSD.
Money and Modernity: State and Local Currencies in Melanesia; Border Fetishisms: Material Objects in Unstable Spaces

Money and Modernity: State and Local Currencies in Melanesia. David Akin and Joel Robbins. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1999. viii. 284 pp., notes, bibliography, index. Border Fetishisms: Material Objects in Unstable Spaces. Patricia Spyer. London: Routledge Press, 1998. vii. 262 pp., illustrations, photographs, index.
Effects of Liver Biopsy Sample Length and Number of Readings on Sampling Variability in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Background & Aims Liver biopsy is required to diagnose nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in patients with suspected non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); recent studies suggested significant sampling variability. Using percutaneous liver biopsy samples from patients with suspected NAFLD, we examined the relationship between histological yield and length of biopsies, number of cores and number of independent readings. Methods Three cores of liver tissue were collected, by percutaneous liver biopsy, from each of 50 patients suspected to have NAFLD. The diagnostic yield (percent with definite NASH) and other histological findings from 2 independent, blinded examinations of 2 cores and from all 3 cores combined were assessed. Results Steatosis, lobular inflammation and fibrosis scores were significantly higher when 3 samples were analyzed, compared with 2. However, between groups, there were no significant differences in hepatocyte ballooning, proportion with an NAFLD activity score ≥4 or proportion with definite NASH (57% vs 61%, P = .3). The length of the biopsy sample correlated with percentage of patients found to have definite NASH (29%, 46%, 56%, and 65% in biopsies measuring Conclusions There is a significant relationship between histological yield and sample length and number of independent readings of liver biopsy samples. More studies are needed to optimize the strategy for liver biopsy, to more effectively assess histology in patients with suspected NAFLD.
Stereotactic radiosurgery for intracranial arteriovenous malformations using a standard linear accelerator

Abstract We have previously described the development of a technique which utilizes a standard linear accelerator to provide stereotactic, limited field radiation. The radiation is delivered using a modified and carefully calibrated 6 MV linear accelerator. Precise target localization and patient immobilization is achieved using a Brown-Roberts-Wells (BRW) stereotactic head frame which is in place during angiography, CT scanning, and treatment. Seventeen arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) have been treated in 16 patients from February 1986 to July 1988. Single doses of 1500–2500 cGy were delivered using multiple non-coplanar arcs with small, sharp edged x-ray beams to lesions
Animal milk sustains micronutrient nutrition and child anthropometry among pastoralists in Samburu, Kenya

Milk has been integral to pastoralist nutrition for thousands of years, but as communities move toward settled livelihoods, milk consumption is dropping with only minimal evidence for the health and nutrition implications. This longitudinal study aimed to first test whether increased dependency on agriculture reduced household milk production and consumption, and ultimately, nutrient adequacy among the Samburu pastoralists. Second, we investigated whether household milk availability affected child milk intakes and anthropometry. Socioeconomic and dietary intake data were collected from households (n = 200) in 2000, 2005, and 2010, and anthropometric measures and individual child milk intakes in 2012. Nutrient intakes were assessed by the probability of nutrient adequacy method, and generalized least-squared regression modeling with mixed effects was applied to identify predictors of milk consumption. Milk contributed 10% of energy intakes, below maize (52%) and sugar (11%), but over one-half of critical micronutrients, vitamins A, B12 , and C. Livestock holdings and income increased the likelihood of higher milk intakes (overall adj R(2) = 0.88, P < 0.001). Undernutrition was widely prevalent among young children: stunting (30.6%); underweight (23.9%); and wasting (8.6%). There was evidence for a previously described Nilotic body type in the youth, who were taller and thinner than the international reference. Milk consumption at the household level was positively associated with higher body mass index z scores among youth (P < 0.001). Programming for livestock development may better ensure micronutrient nutrition in Samburu, while deeper investigation into the diet and growth patterns of pastoralists could provide insight into leaner and taller anthropometrics for other populations globally.
LMI approach to structured model reduction via coprime factorizations

We discuss dynamic model reduction methods which preserve a certain structure in the underlying system. Specifically, we consider the situation where the reduction must be consistent with a partition of the system states. This is motivated by, for instance, situations where state variables are associated with the topology of a networked system, and the reduction should preserve this. We build on the observation that imposing block structure to generalized controllability and observability gramians automatically yields such state partitioned model reduction. The difficulty lies in ensuring feasibility of the resulting Lyapunov inequalities, which is in general very restrictive. To overcome this, we consider coprime factor model reduction. We derive an LMI characterization of expansive coprime factorizations that preserve structure, and use this to build a more flexible method for structured model reduction. An example is given to illustrate the method.
On the resolution of the phase space density required to obtain a specified accuracy of the solar wind bulk velocity

Plasma measurements with significantly improved accuracy and time resolution are needed to advance knowledge and understanding of plasma physical process in the magnetosphere and the solar wind. In this study, it is shown how small unresolved features in particle distribution functions can have significant impacts on the measurement of plasma bulk parameters such as the plasma bulk velocity. Errors are caused by the numerical integration scheme used to compute the phase space integrals and by errors or experimental uncertainties in measurements of the phase space distribution. Here the errors in the bulk velocity caused by the numerical integration procedure are investigated for both Gaussian (Maxwellian) velocity distributions and Kappa distributions. The particle distribution functions are perturbed by a small “bump” represented by a relatively small amplitude Gaussian with a thermal width that is much smaller than the thermal width of the unperturbed distribution. The goal is to find the grid spacing Δv in phase space required to obtain a specified accuracy of the mean flow velocity v. For parameters encountered in the solar wind near the orbit of the Earth, it is shown that to determine the radial component of the solar wind bulk velocity with an accuracy less than 0.1 km/s requires a grid spacing less than Δv/v = 0.8% or, equivalently, an energy spacing less than ΔE/E = 1.6%. To accurately resolve the velocity components transverse to the heliocentric radial direction, it is found that the spacing of the angle bins must be less than Δθ = 0.4∘. The required spacing of the energy and angle bins are approximately 1 order of magnitude less than those of any solar wind ion instrument ever flown in space.
Design of diffractive optical elements with optimization of the signal-to-noise ratio and without a dummy area

We describe a new approach to suppress undesired diffraction orders in the signal area of a Fourier plane diffractive optical element (DOE). We implement this new approach for the DOE design by a two-stage iterative Fourier transform algorithm that incorporates an adaptive optimization of the signal-to-noise ratio and does not require the introduction of a dummy output area outside the field of view. A comparison among this approach and three other approaches are presented on the basis of numerical results from several sample diffraction patterns.
UDS: A UNIVERSAL DATA STRUCTURE

This paper gives a data structure (UDS) for supporting database retrieval, inference and machine learning that attempts to unify and extend previous work in relational databases, semantic networks, conceptual graphs, RETE, neural networks and case-based reasoning. Foundational to this view is that all data can be viewed as a primitive set of objects and mathematical relations (as sets of tuples) over those objects. The data is stored in three partially-ordered hierarchies: a node hierarchy, a relation hierarchy, and a conceptual graphs hierarchy. All three hierarchies can be stored as "levels" in the conceptual graphs hierarchy. These multiple hierarchies support multiple views of the data with advantages over any of the individual methods. In particular, conceptual graphs are stored in a relation-based compact form that facilitates matching. UDS is currently being implemented in the Peirce conceptual graphs workbench and is being used as a domain-independent monitor for state-space search domains at a level that is faster than previous implementations designed specifically for those domains.In addition it provides a useful environment for pattern-based machine learning.
Locoregional Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma with and without Extrahepatic Spread.

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the use of locoregional therapy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with and without extrahepatic disease (EHD). Materials and Methods Patients who underwent locoregional therapy for HCC were identified from institutional databases. Clinicopathologic and treatment characteristics were compared between patients with and without EHD. Survival and progression were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and multivariate analysis was completed. Results Of 224 patients, 39 (17%) had radiologic evidence of EHD. Patients without EHD were older than patients with EHD (68.8 y ± 10.1 vs 65.0 y ± 11.7, P = .04); underlying liver disease/function and tumor characteristics were not different. Type of locoregional therapy (hepatic artery embolization vs drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization, P = .12; radiofrequency ablation + embolization, P = .07) was similar. Progression occurred in 75% (169/224) of patients. Progression-free survival (PFS) did not differ between the 2 groups (13 [10.3–15.7] mo EHD vs18 [14.6–21.4] mo no EHD, P=.13). Overall survival (OS) was 13 (4.1–21.9) months and 25 (20.4–29.6) months in the EHD and no EHD groups, respectively ( P = .02). On multivariate analysis, systemic therapy after locoregional treatment was the only variable independently associated with PFS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.70 [0.49–1.00], P = .04); EHD (HR 1.60 [1.02–2.50], P = .04) and tumor size (HR 1.77 [1.21–2.58], P = .003) were independently associated with worse OS. Conclusions Patients with HCC and limited EHD treated with locoregional therapy had worse OS than patients without EHD; PFS was not different. Use of systemic therapy after locoregional therapy was independently associated with improved PFS in this cohort. Further prospective studies of locoregional, systemic, and combination therapies are necessary to improve outcome in these high-risk patients.
Compressive Sampling for Signal Detection

Compressive sampling (CS) refers to a generalized sampling paradigm in which observations are inner products between an unknown signal vector and user-specified test vectors. Among the attractive features of CS is the ability to reconstruct any sparse (or nearly sparse) signal from a relatively small number of samples, even when the observations are corrupted by additive noise. However, the potential of CS in other signal processing applications is still not fully known. This paper examines the performance of CS for the problem of signal detection. A generalized restricted isometry property (GRIP) is introduced, which guarantees that angles are preserved, in addition to the usual norm preservation, by CS. The GRIP is leveraged to derive error bounds for a CS matched filtering scheme, and to show that the scheme is robust to signal mismatch.
Eosinophilic meningitis: What's the diff?

We report a case of a 22-year-old man who presented to the emergency department (ED) with altered mental status and was diagnosed with eosinophilic meningitis due to Angiostrongylus cantonensis (AC) acquired in the United States after exposure to snails.
A hetero-core optical fiber dendrometer for measurement of a tree growing condition

A hetero-core optical fiber dendrometer is considered to be suitable for a tree growth monitoring compared to conventional measuring methods because it has attractive features such as no influence from electromagnetic noise and independence from temperature fluctuation. In this study, a long-term measuring was especially suggested for a radial growth trend of trees. Our measuring results showed that the proposed fiber optic dendrometer could specifically detect Quercus serrata grown up 2.081mm and 0.213mm in spring-summer and in autumn-winter, respectively. Additionally, our natural environmental monitoring system could measure the minute variation of tree boundary length by every hour, therefore, is expected to be used for an application of wide area forest monitoring and agricultural control.
False Allegations of Sexual Assualt: An Analysis of Ten Years of Reported Cases

One of the most controversial disputes affecting the discourse related to violence against women is the dispute about the frequency of false allegations of sexual assault. In an effort to add clarity to the discourse, published research on false allegations is critiqued, and the results of a new study described. All cases (N = 136) of sexual assault reported to a major Northeastern university over a 10-year period are analyzed to determine the percentage of false allegations. Of the 136 cases of sexual assault reported over the 10-year period, 8 (5.9%) are coded as false allegations. These results, taken in the context of an examination of previous research, indicate that the prevalence of false allegations is between 2% and 10%.
Intracortical Distribution of Renal Blood Flow in Hemorrhagic Shock in Dogs

The effect of acute hypotensive hemorrhage on the intracortical distribution of renal blood flow was studied in anesthetized mongrel dogs with radioactive microspheres. In the early stages of shock, when carotid artery manipulation was avoided, outer cortical blood flow fell drastically and juxtamedullary flow was relatively well preserved. Carotid artery cannulation caused a redistribution of blood flow within the kidney even before hemorrhage, presumably by stimulating the carotid sinus reflex. Subsequently, with hemorrhage there was a parallel reduction in outer cortical and juxtamedullary blood flow. 138Xe washout curves agreed with the microsphere findings. It was concluded that when the carotid artery was not disturbed, juxtamedullary blood flow was selectively preserved in the early stages of acute hypotensive hemorrhage.
Comparative Taxonomic Richness and Abundance of Late Ordovician Gastropods and Bivalves in Mollusc-rich Strata of the Cincinnati Arch

Using a field analysis of Upper Ordovician mollusc-rich faunas of the Cincinnati Arch, this study tests whether the large-scale patterns of Ordovician gastropods and bivalves observed in a companion study are maintained at the finer scales of individual strata and localities, and when utilizing abundance data in addition to taxonomic richness. Non-metric multidimensional scaling and several statistical analyses show that the taxonomic richness and abundance of these classes within samples were significantly negatively correlated, such that bivalve-rich settings were only sparsely inhabited by gastropods and vice versa. There also were important environmental differences between these classes. Gastropods were most dominant in shallow, carbonate-rich, and generally low-turbidity settings. Gastropods also occurred in restricted lagoons, where bivalves were only minor elements. In contrast, bivalves were most dominant in deep subtidal, siliciclastic shales with high levels of turbidity. Both in terms of abundance and taxonomic richness, these results strongly support those observed at the larger scales of paleocontinents and the globe. Taken together, these results argue that, despite similar taxonomical diversification patterns of these classes at the global scale and heterogeneous patterns among paleocontinents and among regions within Laurentia, gastropods and bivalves had quite different, yet unchanging, environmental distributions throughout the Ordovician, and that these classes did not co-occur to a significant degree, either in terms of taxonomic richness or abundance.
Molecular cloning of human FKBP51 and comparisons of immunophilin interactions with Hsp90 and progesterone receptor.

A cDNA for human FKBP51 has been cloned and sequenced, and protein products have been expressed in both in vitro and bacterial systems. The deduced amino acid sequence for human FKBP51 is 90% identical to sequences of recently described murine proteins and is 55% identical to the sequence of human FKBP52. Human FKBP51 mRNA is expressed in a wide range of tissues, and the protein has peptidylprolyl isomerase activity that is inhibited by FK506 but not cyclosporine. FKBP51 is the same as a previously described progesterone receptor-associated immunophilin that, similar to FKBP52 and cyclophilin 40, is an Hsp90binding protein and appears in functionally mature steroid receptor complexes along with Hsp90 and p23. Each of the three receptor-associated immunophilins displays interactions with progesterone receptor that are more dynamic than Hsp90-receptor interactions. Whereas FKBP52 and FKBP51 compete about equally well for binding to Hsp90 in a purified system, FKBP51 accumulates preferentially in progesterone receptor complexes assembled in a cell-free system. This observation provides a precedent for differential interactions between Hsp90-associated immunophilins and target proteins such as steroid receptors. In the absence of hormone, progesterone receptor (PR) normally exists in hetero-oligomeric complexes with various components of the molecular chaperone machinery. The functionally mature progesterone receptor complex, which is competent for high-affinity progesterone binding, contains Hsp90, p23, and an immunophilin component; however, formation of the mature complex is preceded by PR interactions with chaperone components not present in the mature PR complex (33, 38). These earlier transient components include Hsp70, Hip, and Hop (p60). Hsp90 also appears at an intermediate assembly stage, but its interaction with the PR complex is biochemically distinct from its interaction in mature complexes (3). Three immunophilins have been identified in steroid receptor complexes, and it appears that multiple immunophilins do not reside in the same receptor complex. Present evidence suggests that the immunophilins enter receptor complexes in
Automatic indexing of software artifacts

This paper describes the classification mechanism of ROSA, a software reuse system based on the processing of the natural language descriptions of software artifacts. The system supports the automatic indexing of components by acquiring lexical, syntactic and semantic information from software descriptions. Major goals of the approach are cost-effectiveness and retrieval precision. Some results from a first experiment with the classification system are discussed. >
Acceleration of spiking neural network based pattern recognition on NVIDIA graphics processors

There is currently a strong push in the research community to develop biological scale implementations of neuron based vision models. Systems at this scale are computationally demanding and generally utilize more accurate neuron models, such as the Izhikevich and the Hodgkin-Huxley models, in favor of the more popular integrate and fire model. We examine the feasibility of using graphics processing units (GPUs) to accelerate a spiking neural network based character recognition network to enable such large scale systems. Two versions of the network utilizing the Izhikevich and Hodgkin-Huxley models are implemented. Three NVIDIA general-purpose (GP) GPU platforms are examined, including the GeForce 9800 GX2, the Tesla C1060, and the Tesla S1070. Our results show that the GPGPUs can provide significant speedup over conventional processors. In particular, the fastest GPGPU utilized, the Tesla S1070, provided a speedup of 5.6 and 84.4 over highly optimized implementations on the fastest central processing unit (CPU) tested, a quadcore 2.67 GHz Xeon processor, for the Izhikevich and the Hodgkin-Huxley models, respectively. The CPU implementation utilized all four cores and the vector data parallelism offered by the processor. The results indicate that GPUs are well suited for this application domain.
UWM-TRIADS: Classifying Drug-Drug Interactions with Two-Stage SVM and Post-Processing

We describe our system for the DDIExtraction-2013 shared task of classifying Drug-Drug interactions (DDIs) given labeled drug mentions. The challenge called for a five-way classification of all drug pairs in each sentence: a drug pair is either non-interacting, or interacting as one of four types. Our approach begins with the use of a two-stage weighted SVM classifier to handle the highly unbalanced class distribution: the first stage for a binary classification of drug pairs as interacting or non-interacting, and the second stage for further classification of interacting pairs from the first stage into one of the four interacting types. Our SVM features exploit stemmed words, lemmas, bigrams, part of speech tags, verb lists, and similarity measures, among others. For each stage, we also developed a set of post-processing rules based on observations in the training data. Our best system achieved 0.472 Fmeasure.
Are intravitreal anti-VEGF antibodies safe?

In the past two years a major shift has occurred in the treatment paradigm for exudative AMD. Traditional palliative treatments, such as thermal laser photocoagulation and photodynamic treatment, h...
Can coverage be rescinded when negative trial results threaten a popular procedure? The ongoing saga of vertebroplasty.

To attain the anticipated benefits of increased investments in comparative effectiveness research, the results must translate into improved medical practice and policy. In this article we present an analysis of a case study of percutaneous vertebroplasty, a widely used invasive procedure to treat painful vertebral fractures by injecting bone cement into the spine. In August 2009, results from a pair of rigorous double-blind randomized controlled trials were published and reported that vertebroplasty provided no better pain relief than a sham procedure in which needles were introduced into the back without injecting cement. More than two years after publication of the two studies, insurers’ coverage of the procedure continues unchanged. This raises serious questions about the policy mechanisms that exist in the United States to interpret and act upon “negative” research findings from studies of popular health care interventions.
Lower trapezius activity during supported and unsupported scapular retraction exercise

Abstract Objective : To determine if the lower trapezius muscle responds to scapular retraction exercise in ranges of motion available to rotator cuff repair patients in the first two weeks following surgery. Study design Randomized repeated measures. Setting Biomechanics laboratory in a University setting. Participants Twelve healthy women and eight men free of rotator cuff pathology. Main outcome measures : Integrated (iEMG) and normalized EMG values. Results : ANOVA revealed a main effect and follow-up comparisons showed that mean iEMG values of the lower trapezius, infraspinatus, and upper trapezius were on average 65% greater for the 130° condition. For the 90° condition, the normalized values of the lower trapezius and deltoid were 40·3% and 7·2% of the 130° condition respectively. Conclusions : These findings suggest the lower trapezius muscle is more active in the 130° condition. Normalised iEMG data for the 90° condition suggest the lower trapezius muscle can be recruited in a range of motion attainable for acute rotator cuff repair patients.
Movable microprobes for the brain

Neuroscientists have long recognized the significance of using microelectrode arrays for recording extracellular potentials from populations of neurons, and a number of such devices have been developed so far. However, current implantable microelectrode technologies to monitor single neuronal function in-vivo often fail in chronic situations primarily due to mechanical drift in positioning mechanisms, micromotion of brain tissue and gliosis around the implant site. We report here two novel microactuator (electrostatic and electrothermal) and associated microelectrode technologies that enable precise repositioning of microelectrodes after implantation in the event of failure or otherwise. Both microactuator technologies are capable of bi-directional motion of the microelectrodes. The movement resolution of electrostatic microactuators is in the order of 1 /spl mu/m and that of the thermal microactuators in the order of 9 /spl mu/m. However, the thermal microactuators are mechanically more robust. Multi-unit data obtained from in vivo animal models using both technologies are reported. This is first successful demonstration of a micromachining approach to the fabrication of movable microprobes. These movable microprobes will potentially lead to better long-term interfaces with single neurons in vivo.
PyStream: Compiling Python onto the GPU

PyStream is a static compiler that can radically transform Python code and run it on a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). Python compiled to run on the GPU is ~100,000x faster than when interpreted on the CPU. The PyStream compiler is specially designed to simplify the development of realtime rendering systems by allowing the entire rendering system to be written in a single, highly productive language. Without PyStream, GPU-accelerated real-time rendering systems must contain two separate code bases written in two separate languages: one for the CPU and one for the GPU. Functions and data structures are not shared between the code bases, and any common functionality must be redundantly written in both languages. PyStream unifies a rendering system into a single, Python code base, allowing functions and data structures to be transparently shared between the CPU and the GPU. A single, unified code base makes it easy to create, maintain, and evolve a highperformance GPU-accelerated application.
Association of Preoperative Narcotic Use With Postoperative Complications and Prolonged Length of Hospital Stay in Patients With Crohn Disease.

Importance The use of narcotics among patients with Crohn disease (CD) is endemic. Objective To evaluate the association between preoperative use of narcotics and postoperative outcomes in patients with CD. Design, Setting, and Participants Patients undergoing abdominal surgery for CD at a tertiary referral center between January 1998 and June 2014 were identified from an institutional prospectively maintained CD database. Main Outcomes and Measures Primary end points were overall morbidity, postoperative hospital length of stay, and readmission. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to assess possible associations between postoperative outcomes and demographic and clinical variables, including preoperative narcotic use. Results Of the 1331 patients included, the mean age for patients who had at least 1 pharmacy claim for narcotics within 1 month before surgery was 41.5 years and 41.1 years for patients without a pharmacy claim. Of 1461 abdominal operations for CD, 267 (18.3%) were performed on patients receiving preoperative narcotics. Patients receiving narcotics were more likely to have a current smoking habit ( P P = .046) and undergoing treatment with biologics ( P = .04). Patients with preoperative narcotic use had a longer mean (SD) length of stay (11.2 [8.9] vs 7.7 [5.5]; P P P = .04) and prolonged hospital stay (estimate = 2.91; SE = 0.44; P Conclusions and Relevance Preoperative use of narcotics in patients undergoing abdominal surgery for CD is associated with worse postoperative outcomes. Before starting regular narcotic use, patients with CD should be considered for surgical intervention.
Trademark Anti-Dilution Laws – Technology and the Internet – Lost in an Abyss? Perspectives from Australia, the United States and Canada

Trademark anti-dilution laws are given little recognition in Australian law. The Trade Marks Act 1995 (Cth) (TMA 1995) appears to a very limited degree allude to the concept of ‘dilution’ in section 120(3). This is in stark comparison to Canada and the United States (US). Dilution of trademarks, whilst fundamentally a US ‘concept’, has the potential to erode a company’s incentive to invest in the development of brands (and indeed famous names) – in both an actual and inverted sense.
Curve of Distribution of Activities in the Curriculum

(1917). Curve of Distribution of Activities in the Curriculum. American Physical Education Review: Vol. 22, No. 5, pp. 257-272.
Trail Laying by Larvae of Chlosyne lacinia

Eggs of the patch butterfly, Chlosyne lacinia Geyer, are laid in a single mass on the underside of a leaf of the larval host plant, Helianthus annuus L. or Ximenesia encelioides Cav. Larvae hatch synchronously and feed gregariously as a family unit under a fine web of silk on the underside of a single leaf until the 4th instar. They then disperse to different leaves and plants, where they feed singly.
Polyatomic molecules under intense femtosecond laser irradiation.

Interaction of intense laser pulses with atoms and molecules is at the forefront of atomic, molecular, and optical physics. It is the gateway to powerful new tools that include above threshold ionization, high harmonic generation, electron diffraction, molecular tomography, and attosecond pulse generation. Intense laser pulses are ideal for probing and manipulating chemical bonding. Though the behavior of atoms in strong fields has been well studied, molecules under intense fields are not as well understood and current models have failed in certain important aspects. Molecules, as opposed to atoms, present confounding possibilities of nuclear and electronic motion upon excitation. The dynamics and fragmentation patterns in response to the laser field are structure sensitive; therefore, a molecule cannot simply be treated as a “bag of atoms” during field induced ionization. In this article we present a set of experiments and theoretical calculations exploring the behavior of a large collection of aryl alky...
Pathogenesis of spontaneous idiopathic colitis in cotton-top tamarins ( Saguinus oedipus )

The pathogenesis of cotton-top tamarin (CTT) spontaneous idiopathic ulcerative colitis was investigated. A 6-yr examination (endoscopy and mucosal biopsy) of forty 4- to 7-yr-old CTTs at 2- to 3-month intervals has shown that CTT spontaneous colitis resembles the human disease in its time course, age dependence, varying periods of exacerbation and remission, and eventual susceptibility of the animal to colon cancer. Considerable animal-to-animal variation existed, as is seen in humans. Active colitis (increased PMNs) was superimposed upon chronic (inactive) colitis and occurred either asymptomatically or symptomatically. While age had little effect on body weight and stool condition, the severity of the colitis (mild vs. severe) and the duration of the disease dramatically affected both CTT body weight and stool condition. Spontaneous CTT colitis closely mimics pathogenesis of the human disease and further demonstrates its validity as an animal model; the model also offers promise of helping afflicted human patients through targeted therapeutics.
Fungal infections in the organ transplant recipient

Fungal infections constitute some of the most difficult clinical management problems encountered after solid organ transplantation. Although the predominant pathogens continue to be Candida species followed by Aspergillus species, emerging fungal pathogens including azole-resistant yeast, Fusarium, and dematiaceous fungi are becoming more significant. Identification of novel risk factors has expanded traditional concepts of the epidemiology of these infections. Optimal prophylaxis of fungal infections constitutes an area of active research. Diagnosis continues to be a challenge, but newer methods including antigen assays and panfungal or specific fungal polymerase chain reaction methodology are promising. Advances in therapy include lipid amphotericin formulations, newer azoles such as voriconazole, ravuconazole, and posaconazole, and echinocandins such as the recently approved drug caspofungin, as well as immunomodulatory therapy.
A Balancing Act

Stage A 50-year-old man with alcoholism was brought to the emergency department by his wife because of altered mental status. According to her, the patient had been drinking his usual case of beer (approximately 9 liters) each night until 36 hours earlier, when he reported a frontal headache, which gradually increased in intensity and spread to the occipital area. A day later, the patient felt feverish and took aspirin at bedtime. On the morning of admission, he was difficult to arouse and, on awakening, was combative and confused. The patient's wife denied knowledge of recent head trauma, upper respiratory tract . . .
Government monetary and fiscal operations: generalising the endogenous money approach

The traditional endogenous money approach can be generalised substantially by including the insights of Modern Money Theory regarding the necessary coordination of fiscal and monetary policies. A monetarily sovereign government is composed of two entities involved in the issuance and redemption of government monetary instruments. As such, one should include the role of the Treasury in monetary policy and the role of the central bank in fiscal policy. The paper suggests a simple way to model that interaction, shows some of the theoretical insights that can be drawn from that interaction and illustrates the relevance of that interaction with the monetary and fiscal practices of the US Treasury and the Federal Reserve over the past century. Times of stress in the monetary system, such as the recent Great Recession, usually bring to light more forcefully this necessary interaction.
Effectiveness of Incentive Synergy in Knowledge Alliance

By exploring the links between balanced scorecard principle and knowledge alliance,a validity evaluation index system of incentive synergy was established on the basis of the balanced scorecard principle.According to the relevant index system,a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model was built to evaluate the validity of incentive synergy.The data from a knowledge alliance that composed of a college and a software development enterprise in Liaoning Province were obtained by questionnaire survey,and the weight of each index was determined by analytic hierarchy process.Finally,the effectiveness of incentive synergy was evaluated with the established fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model.