cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Response: inhibition of platelet activation by NO involves both cGMP-dependent and -independent mechanisms

We are grateful for the opportunity to reply to the letter from Tsikas et al[1][1] in regard to our recent publication in Blood .[2][2] Tsikas et al write that “Zhang and colleagues stated in their recent article that it was unknown until their study whether NO donors inhibit platelet function by
Enzymic and immunochemical properties of lysozyme. VI. Conformation, enzymic activity and immunochemistry of derivatives modified at arginine residues.

Abstract Modification of the arginine residues in lysozyme with cyclohexanedione has been carried out under two different conditions. The first derivative (CHD-Lysoz I) was prepared by reaction in 0·1 N NaOH. However, it was found that control lysozyme preparations subjected to these reaction conditions lost all enzymic activity, although their antigenic reactivity was not affected. To avoid this complication, a second derivative (CHD-Lysoz II) was prepared by reaction in 0·1 M triethylamine. In fact, lysozyme pretreated with this solvent retained entirely its enzymic activity and its antigenic reactivity. In both CHD-Lysoz I and CHD-Lysoz II, 10 arginine residues were modified. The two derivatives possessed identical conformations, as revealed from their optical rotatory dispersion and circular dichroism behaviors and from the availability of the disulfide bonds to reduction and susceptibility to chymotryptic attack, but were greatly unfolded relative to lysozyme. The two derivatives had no enzymic activity and very little antigenic reactivity with antisera to lysozyme. Conversely, with antisera to CHD-Lysoz I, lysozyme reacted only partially (60 per cent), and these sera showed appreciable (28 per cent) cross-reaction with CHD-human serum albumin. Interpretation of the enzymic and immunochemical data was complicated by the fact that too many (10) arginine residues were modified and that appreciable conformational changes were present. Preparation of a derivative with a least number of modified arginine residues was therefore desirable, and this was afforded by reaction of lysozyme with phenylglyoxal (PG-Lysoz). In PG-Lysoz, one arginine residue was modified and it was located at position 61. The derivative had identical optical rotatory dispersion and circular dichroism parameters with those of lysozyme. However, minor conformational changes were present, and these were only revealed by the slight increase in disulfide reducibility (0·26 bonds) and by a small increase in susceptibility to tryptic attack (from 0·16 bonds in lysozyme to 0·97 bonds in PG-lysozyme). The enzymic activity of PG-Lysoz was suppressed slightly (to 83 per cent) but the pH optimum was unaltered. With antisera to lysozyme, PG-Lysoz showed equal antigenic reactivity to that of lysozyme. Conversely, with antisera to PG-Lysoz, the reactions of lysozyme and PG-Lysoz were identical. Also, the two proteins had equal reactivities with antisera to CHD-Lysoz I (58–60 per cent relative to homologous antigen). It was, therefore concluded that arginine-61 is not located in an antigenic site of lysozyme. Also, the findings demonstrate that not all conformational changes will influence antigenic reactivity. The change in the latter will be dependent on the protein and on the nature of the conformational reorganization.
Denying Traditional Senses: lessons about programme change

Abstract Today, faculty are being challenged to rethink their course and programme offerings, and to bring them in line with the diverse needs of a new student population. In doing so, they are continually asked to confront their ‘traditional senses’ about teaching. This paper reports the struggles of faculty to build new notions about teachings, and learning styles and strategies as they recreated the real estate programme at Arizona State University. It then draws from their experience, certain lessons about programme change.
Uncertainty in Rank Estimation: Implications for Value-Added Modeling Accountability Systems:

Accountability for public education often requires estimating and ranking the quality of individual teachers or schools on the basis of student test scores. Although the properties of estimators of teacher-or-school effects are well established, less is known about the properties of rank estimators. We investigate performance of rank (percentile) estimators in a basic, two-stage hierarchical model capturing the essential features of the more complicated models that are commonly used to estimate effects. We use simulation to study mean squared error (MSE) performance of percentile estimates and to find the operating characteristics of decision rules based on estimated percentiles. Each depends on the signal-to-noise ratio (the ratio of the teacher or school variance component to the variance of the direct, teacher- or school-specific estimator) and only moderately on the number of teachers or schools. Results show that even when using optimal procedures, MSE is large for the commonly encountered variance ratios, with an unrealistically large ratio required for ideal performance. Percentile-specific MSE results reveal interesting interactions between variance ratios and estimators, especially for extreme percentiles, which are of considerable practical import. These interactions are apparent in the performance of decision rules for the identification of extreme percentiles, underscoring the statistical and practical complexity of the multiple-goal inferences faced in value-added modeling. Our results highlight the need to assess whether even optimal percentile estimators perform sufficiently well to be used in evaluating teachers or schools.
Development of craniofacial musculature in Monodelphis domestica (marsupialia, didelphidae)

Development of craniofacial muscles of Monodelphis domestica (Marsupialia, Didelphidae) is described. In a period of 4–6 days all craniofacial muscles in M. domestica progress from myoblast condensation, to striated myofibers that are aligned in the direction of adult muscles and possess multiple, lateral nuclei. This process begins 1 to 2 days before birth and continues during the first few days after birth. Compared to other aspects of cranial development, muscle development in M. domestica is rapid. This rapid and more or less simultaneous emergence of craniofacial muscles differs from the previously described pattern of development of the cranial skeleton in marsupials, which displays a mosaic of acceleration and deceleration of regions and individual elements. Unlike the skeletal system, craniofacial muscles show no evidence of regional specialization during development. M. domestica resembles eutherian mammals in the relatively rapid and more or less simultaneous differentiation of all craniofacial muscles. It differs from eutherian taxa in that most stages of myogenesis occur postnatally, following the onset of function. The timing of the development of muscular and skeletal structures is compared and it is concluded that the relatively early development of muscle is not reflected by any particular acceleration of the differentiation or growth of skeletal structures. Finally, the difficulties in accounting for complex internal arrangements of muscles such as the tongue, given current models of myogenesis are summarized. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Estimating Exposure to Methylmercury: Effects of Uncertainties

Uncertainties in exposures can lead to biased estimates of slopes and thresholds in the exposure-response relationships that are developed from regression analysis. This paper reviews published exposure and epidemiological studies of methylmercury (MeHg) from the perspective of the accuracy and precision of the estimates used to represent the actual doses received. Sources of such uncertainties, collectively referred to as “exposure errors”, include instrumental and analytical errors, sampling and survey uncertainties, and individual variability in the relationships between the exposure metrics and the actual doses to target organs. Because the relationship between maternal intake and the consequent dose to the fetal brain varies among individuals, epidemiological studies of the effects of prenatal exposure must necessarily be accompanied by larger exposure uncertainties than comparable studies of effects on the mothers. The increased exposure errors typically result in attenuated slopes of the dose-response functions and under-estimates of thresholds, so that part of the apparent increased sensitivity of the fetus that has been developed from epidemiological studies may in fact be due to their inherently less certain exposures. Sources and magnitudes of exposure error found in the literature are discussed and their statistical ramifications are explored with Monte Carlo simulations. The paper also finds that, after adjusting for exposure error, the relationship between dietary intake and blood concentration is consistent with an average half-life shorter than has typically been used and that using population averages yields a consistent but sub-linear relationship between dietary intake of Hg and hair concentration. Investigators are urged to obtain (and present) data on more than one exposure metric, so that their relative uncertainties may be assessed independently.
Serotonergic neuronal systems: what their anatomic organization tells us about function.

A review of the anatomic organization of ascending serotonin projections is followed by recent findings showing that these axonal projections are not diffuse but have an intricate and orderly pattern. The dorsal and median raphe nuclei and the B9 cell group have overlapping but differential projections to all parts of the forebrain. While most raphe projections extensively overlap, the dorsal raphe projects most heavily to frontal cortex and striatum, while the median raphe predominantly innervates hippocampus and septum. Small clusters of raphe cells project in a mosaic pattern to multiple, widely distributed islands of cortex. Yet, a coarse topographic order is preserved in the ascending dorsal raphe projections. Recent studies demonstrate two classes of serotonin axon terminals that differ in axon morphology, cells of origin, regional distribution, and response to psychotropic drugs. Dorsal raphe axons are extremely fine and highly vulnerable to certain neurotoxic amphetamines, e.g., 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine; median raphe axons have large varicosities and are resistant to these mood-elevating drugs. We propose that there are two anatomically and functionally distinct serotonergic projections to cortex and that neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus appear to play a major role in the control of affective state.
Nonspecific cytotoxic cells as effectors of immunity in fish

Abstract Nonspecific cytotoxic cells (NCC) may be the teleost fish equivalent of mammalian natural killer (NK) cells. Although significant differences exist between species regarding many characteristics of these cells, both NCC and NK cells share similarities: in the types of target cells sensitive to lysis; in mechanisms of target cell recognition; in the requirements for a competent lytic cycle; and both types of effectors participate in mediating the lysis of infectious microorganisms. A putative antigen binding receptor obtained from catfish NCC has now been characterized using monoclonal antibodies (mabs). This receptor is a vimentin-like protein. Preliminary studies indicate that NCC recognize a 40 kD protein on the membranes of susceptible target cells. Solubilized target cell protein can specifically bind to NCC and inhibit killing. Similar to NK cells, NCC require cell contact with the target cell to deliver the lethal cytotoxic hit. NCC appear to be the more potent cytotoxic cells because fewer are required to kill an individual target cell and less time is required for this action to occur than for NK cells. Unlike NK cells, NCC do not recycle under experimental conditions. Preliminary studies were also reviewed to characterize signal transduction responses. Monoclonal antibody against the vimentin-like protein receptor activates NCC cytotoxicity, initiates the production of significant increased levels of free cytoplasmic calcium, and causes the production of inositol lipid intermediates (specifically phosphotidylinositol 1, 4–5 trisphosphate). NCC may be important effectors of anti-parasite immunity. Although these cells probably do not elicit memory responses, data suggest that they do recognize antigen and can be activated and recruited into peripheral tissue where they mediate cytolytic responses.
CHARMED BARYONS: A NEW LABORATORY FOR CHARM STUDIES

Recent results involving charmed baryons are discussed. In the past few years, many groups have new, higher statistics studies of the and Σc. Accurate mass measurements and more quantitative results on branching ratios have appeared. The new relative branching ratios are compared with theoretical predictions from quasi-two body calculations and statistical models. Absolute branching ratios are discussed, and various methods for setting an absolute scale are compared. New measurements of the Σc mass and production are discussed, and compared with theoretical models. The recent observation of the , , and Ωc allow a discussion of the charmed baryon mass spectrum. These recent measurements are compared with a number of theoretical predictions, both for the absolute masses and for mass splittings among multiplets. Finally, prospects for the future studies of charmed baryons are discussed.
Resistance of rat fetuses to nicotine-induced lipolysis.

Pregnant Long-Evans rats were fed stock diets containing 50 or 100 mg/kg of added nicotine during days 10–20 or 0–20 of pregnancy. Control rats were given stock diet during days 0–20. The mean nicotine intake ranged up to 6.03 mg/kg/day. In fetuses bled on day 20 there were no differences in levels of fetal plasma triglycerides, phospholipids, and cholesterol between the experimental and control groups. In another experiment single doses of 1 mg/kg nicotine were injected ip on day 20 into pregnant rats. Plasma free fatty acids (FFA) and triglycerides were determined at time intervals up to 30 min in the fetuses and 60 min in the females. Maternal values showed significant increases after nicotine, but fetal values did not change. Fetal adrenal and fetal whole body concentrations of epincphrinc and norepinephrine were determined up to 60 min. Fetal adrenal epinephrine decreased slightly after nicotine injection then rose and remained slightly higher than the control value. After saline injection there was no decrease in fetal adrenal epinephrine but instead there was a rise to a peak value greater than after nicotine. Fetal whole catecholamine concentrations were not changed after injection. These results are compatible with an increase in adrenal epinephrine release after nicotine. The resistance to change of fetal FFA after nicotine is probably due to a resistance to epinephrine-induced elevation of fetal FFA. The placenta may be responsible for maintaining the steady state in fetal plasma lipids.
Invariant-feature-based adaptive automatic target recognition in obscured 3D point clouds

Target recognition and classification in a 3D point cloud is a non-trivial process due to the nature of the data collected from a sensor system. The signal can be corrupted by noise from the environment, electronic system, A/D converter, etc. Therefore, an adaptive system with a desired tolerance is required to perform classification and recognition optimally. The feature-based pattern recognition algorithm architecture as described below is particularly devised for solving a single-sensor classification non-parametrically. Feature set is extracted from an input point cloud, normalized, and classifier a neural network classifier. For instance, automatic target recognition in an urban area would require different feature sets from one in a dense foliage area. The figure above (see manuscript) illustrates the architecture of the feature based adaptive signature extraction of 3D point cloud including LIDAR, RADAR, and electro-optical data. This network takes a 3D cluster and classifies it into a specific class. The algorithm is a supervised and adaptive classifier with two modes: the training mode and the performing mode. For the training mode, a number of novel patterns are selected from actual or artificial data. A particular 3D cluster is input to the network as shown above for the decision class output. The network consists of three sequential functional modules. The first module is for feature extraction that extracts the input cluster into a set of singular value features or feature vector. Then the feature vector is input into the feature normalization module to normalize and balance it before being fed to the neural net classifier for the classification. The neural net can be trained by actual or artificial novel data until each trained output reaches the declared output within the defined tolerance. In case new novel data is added after the neural net has been learned, the training is then resumed until the neural net has incrementally learned with the new novel data. The associative memory capability of the neural net enables the incremental learning. The back propagation algorithm or support vector machine can be utilized for the classification and recognition.
Can Clients Understand Our Instructions

This study was designed to determine whether or not clients in an ambulatory care setting read at a level that allowed them to comprehend the written materials available for patient education. First, 106 adults waiting for clinic appointments were interviewed, and their reported and actual reading levels were compared. Reported reading levels, indicated by the clients' last grade completed in school, were significantly higher (mean—3.1 grades) than their actual reading levels, indicated by scores on the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT). Second, the readability levels of written materials available for patient education were evaluated. The mean readability level for the 28 instructional texts examined was 11.2 grades. The majority (54.7%) of study participants read at levels that did not allow them to comprehend any of the patient education materials available at their site of primary care. In addition, 25 percent of the texts examined were beyond the comprehension of all participants.
A hybrid numerical method for high contrast conductivity problems

We introduce and test extensively a numerical method for computing efficiently current flow in media with high contrast conductivity. This method combines our analytical understanding of the form of the flow field near narrow channels with standard numerical methods elsewhere in the flow regime and so it is a hybrid numerical method.
Evidence for surface effects in an electron-capture detector

Abstract We have found surface effects in a conventional electron-capture detector that are signifacantly reduced in an experimental, more inert version of this detector, both by Varian. These surface effects generate unique patterns of solute response for both pesticides—herbicides, and derivatized cytosine strong electrophores. They also cause a minimum followed by a more pronounced maximum in the response factor with increasing solute concentration, demonstrated with lindane. Certain speculations are presented to account for these observations.
Trapping polystyrene radicals using nitrones: Synthesis of polymers with mid-chain alkoxyamine functionality

Abstract Polystyrene radicals were formed in the presence of NtBPN under a variety of reaction conditions and reactant ratios, forming polymer dimers of twice the molecular weight of the monobrominated polystyrene (PStBr) precursors. The polystyrene radicals were generated by the activation of the monohalogentated polystyrene precursors, prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The extent of radicals trapped by the nitrone, and therefore containing mid-chain alkoxyamine functionality, was determined by thermolysis of the polymer dimers, with the C–O bond in this functionality being cleaved and reverting the chains back to the approximate size of the precursors. Polymer dimers could also be formed simply by radical–radical combination of the chain-ends, which is conventional atom transfer radical coupling (ATRC) and thus contains a head-to-head C–C bond, rendering them inert to thermolysis under conditions that cleave the C–O bond. It was found that near quantitative alkoxyamine mid-chain functionality could be achieved by activating the PStBr in the presence of 10 equivalents of nitrone, 5 equivalents of copper bromide, and 2 equivalents of copper metal. Further reducing the amount of copper metal led to incomplete coupling, while increasing the equivalents beyond 2 generated polymer dimers with less than quantitative mid-chain functionality. Monochlorinated polystyrene (PStCl) precursors gave much poorer coupling results compared to reactions with PStBr, which is consistent with the stronger C–Cl bond resisting activation and the formation of the polystyryl radicals.
Bisphosphonates in the treatment of patients with lung cancer and metastatic bone disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose Bisphosphonates are known to prevent skeletal-related events (SREs) in advanced breast cancer, prostate cancer, and multiple myeloma. This systematic review assessed the efficacy of bisphosphonates in preventing SREs, controlling pain, and overall survival in patients with bone metastases from lung cancer.
Racial disparities in age at preventable hospitalization among U.S. Adults.

Background Similar to the well-documented racial inequities in health status, disease burden, healthcare access, and hospitalization, studies have generally found higher rates of hospitalization resulting from ambulatory care–sensitive conditions for blacks compared to whites. Beyond identifying disparity in rates of disease or risks of hospitalization, identifying disparity in age at hospitalization may provide deeper insight into the social and economic effects of disparities on individuals, families, and communities. Purpose The objective of this paper is to evaluate potential racial disparities in age of preventable hospitalizations as measured by ambulatory care–sensitive conditions. Methods Differences in mean age at hospitalization for ambulatory care–sensitive conditions were evaluated in a nationally representative sample of 6815 hospital discharges using the 2005 National Hospital Discharge Survey. Linear regression using robust SE procedures was used to evaluate differences among nine chronic and three acute conditions. Analyses were conducted in 2008. Results After adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics, blacks were hospitalized ≥5 years earlier than whites across all conditions combined and for chronic and acute conditions separately. The largest differences were seen for uncontrolled diabetes (adjusted difference= −12.0 years) and bacterial pneumonia (adjusted difference= −7.5 years). Conclusions Racial disparities in age at preventable hospitalization exist across a spectrum of conditions. This difference in age at hospitalization places an undue burden on individuals, families, and society with long-term health and financial sequelae. Promoting equity in disease prevention, management, and treatment should be a priority of any healthcare reform efforts.
Clinical Effect of a Sanguinaria Dentifrice on Plaque and Gingivitis in Adults

A clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of a sanguinaria-zinc chloride dentifrice on the prevention of plaque formation and gingivitis. A total of 59 young adults, 18 to 30 years of age, either performed supervised brushing with a 0.075% sanguinaria0.05% zinc chloride dentifrice, a 0.24% sodium fluoride dentifrice, or rinsed daily with a 0.05% NaF solution. Clinical evaluations for plaque and gingivitis were performed after 7, 14, and 21 days of the test regimen. After 21 days, all subjects resumed twice daily supervised brushing and flossing and post-test evaluations were conducted after two weeks. The results showed that after 7, 14, and 21 days both groups using dentifrices had significantly less plaque and gingivitis than the group using the rinse, and there were no significant differences between the two groups using either the sanguinaria-ZnCl2 or the NaF dentifrices.
Education and the reproduction of economic inequality in the United States: An empirical investigation

Abstract This study investigates the relationship between family background and both college completion and earnings for a cohort of young adults. The study is based on sample of 8901 respondents from the National Education Longitudinal Study who were first surveyed as eighth graders in 1988 and last surveyed 12 years later and who were working and not attending school at the time of the last survey. The study finds that social class background has a powerful effect on college completion. The odds of completing college for a student from a high SES background are more than six times higher than for a student from a lower social class background, even when controlling for other predictors such as test scores, grades, and college expectations. The effect of social class background on young adult earnings is more modest, but consistent with other studies. In both cases, the relationship varies widely among gender and racial and ethnic groups.
Site and clinical significance of Alloscardovia omnicolens and Bifidobacterium species isolated in the clinical laboratory

Most of the members of the genus Bifidobacterium, including the related organism Alloscardovia omnicolens, are inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tract and oral cavity of humans and animals and have been considered nonpathogenic for humans. However, the actual site of isolation and the clinical significance of A. omnicolens and of Bifidobacterium species are unclear. This may be due in part to the difficulties in distinguishing these organisms from other genera such as Actinomyces. To determine the potential disease-causing role of these organisms, we analyzed the clinical significance of 15 A. omnicolens and Bifidobacterium isolates identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing from a clinical laboratory. All of the organisms in this study were isolated from sterile sites or in significant numbers by standard clinical microbiological culture methods. Our 15 clinical strains fit into only four species: A. omnicolens (five isolates), Bifidobacterium scardovii (four isolates), B. longum (two isolates), and B. breve (four isolates). All five A. omnicolens isolates, one of the B. breve isolates, and three of the four B. scardovii isolates were cultured from urine at 105 CFU/ml. One B. scardovii isolate was from a patient with a genitourinary tract wound infection, two B. longum isolates were from abdominal wounds, and three B. breve isolates were from blood cultures. This study enlarges the spectrum of diseases and clinical sources associated with A. omnicolens and Bifidobacterium species and addresses identification problems.
An optimal opportunity cost selection procedure for a fixed number of designs

The expected opportunity cost is an important quality measure for the selection for the best simulated design among a set of design alternatives. It takes the case of incorrect selection into consideration and is particularly useful for risk-neutral decision makers. In this paper, we characterize the optimal selection rule which minimizes the expected opportunity cost by controlling the number of simulation replications allocated to each design. The observation noise of each design is allowed to have a general distribution. A comparison with other selection procedures in the numerical experiments shows the higher efficiency of the proposed method.
Age at Coresidence, Premarital Cohabitation, and Marriage Dissolution: 1985–2009

Does the age at which premarital cohabitors moved in together explain why they have been found to have an increased risk of marital dissolution? Explanations for the increased risk of marriage dissolution among those who marry young center on marital role preparation; for premarital cohabitors, many, if not most, of these roles began at the onset of cohabitation, not marriage. Analyses of the 1995, 2002, and 2006–2010 waves of the National Survey of Family Growth (N?=?7,037) revealed that age at coresidence explained a substantial portion of the higher marital dissolution risk of premarital cohabitors. In comparisons standardized by age at coresidence, the difference in risk of marital dissolution between premarital cohabitors and those who married without prior cohabitation (“direct marriers”) was much smaller than in comparisons standardized by age at marriage, and in some models this difference was not significant. Selection into direct marriage and premarital cohabitation was also examined.
On the power of reconfiguration in fault-tolerant distributed databases

Dynamic reconfiguration is used to significantly increase fault-tolerance in replicated databases. This is illustrated for both unstructured and logically structured replicated databases. Previous work on reconfiguration was mainly concerned with changes within a particular replica management protocol. The authors extend this approach to apply reconfiguration from one protocol to another. A generalized reconfiguration mechanism is proposed for designing large and scalable distributed databases. Reconfiguration not only ensures a high degree of fault-tolerance but also provides high performance. Finally, the generalized reconfiguration mechanism can be used by the database designers to dynamically adapt database performance and availability to changing application needs and underlying network conditions. >
Things You Should Care About in the New Patent Statute

A brief outline of the twenty most significant changes in the new patent statute, organized by when those changes happen.
Genetic Map of Diploid Wheat, Triticum monococcum L., and Its Comparison With Maps of Hordeum vulgare L.

A genetic map of diploid wheat, Triticum monococcum L., involving 335 markers, including RFLP DNA markers, isozymes, seed storage proteins, rRNA, and morphological loci, is reported. T. monococcum and barley linkage groups are remarkably conserved. They differ by a reciprocal translocation involving the long arms of chromosomes 4 and 5, and paracentric inversions in the long arm of chromosomes 1 and 4; the latter is in a segment of chromosome arm 4L translocated to 5L in T. monococcum. The order of the markers in the inverted segments in the T. monococcum genome is the same as in the B and D genomes of T. aestivum L. The T. monococcum map differs from the barley maps in the distribution of recombination within chromosomes. The major 5S rRNA loci were mapped on the short arms of T. monococcum chromosomes 1 and 5 and the long arms of barley chromosomes 2 and 3. Since these chromosome arms are colinear, the major 5S rRNA loci must be subjected to positional changes in the evolving Triticeae genome that do not perturb chromosome colinearity. The positional changes of the major 5S rRNA loci in Triticeae genomes are analogous to those of the 18S-5.8S-26S rRNA loci.
Epilepsy informatics and an ontology-driven infrastructure for large database research and patient care in epilepsy.

The epilepsy community increasingly recognizes the need for a modern classification system that can also be easily integrated with effective informatics tools. The 2010 reports by the United States President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) identified informatics as a critical resource to improve quality of patient care, drive clinical research, and reduce the cost of health services. An effective informatics infrastructure for epilepsy, which is underpinned by a formal knowledge model or ontology, can leverage an ever increasing amount of multimodal data to improve (1) clinical decision support, (2) access to information for patients and their families, (3) easier data sharing, and (4) accelerate secondary use of clinical data. Modeling the recommendations of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) classification system in the form of an epilepsy domain ontology is essential for consistent use of terminology in a variety of applications, including electronic health records systems and clinical applications. In this review, we discuss the data management issues in epilepsy and explore the benefits of an ontology-driven informatics infrastructure and its role in adoption of a “data-driven” paradigm in epilepsy research.
The Strategic Decision Framework: Effect on Students' Business Ethics

Abstract It has been observed that the regular curriculum of the business school embodies a number of hidden assumptions that may occasionally be leading business students to infer that unethical or less-than-ethical decisions are necessary for success. This study examined the effects of a strategic decision framework commonly taught to undergraduate business students on their ethical consciousness and decisionmaking. After a 4-month period, students exposed to the use of the strategic decision framework were noted as giving less consideration to societal- and system-level ethical issues involved in decisionmaking than students not exposed to this decision framework. lmplications of the findings for teaching business ethics are also discussed.
Computational model of rib movement and its application in studying the effects of age-related thoracic cage calcification on respiratory system

A 3D finite element model of rib cage movement is developed and used to study the role of age-related costal cartilage and sternocostal joint calcification, as well as respiratory muscle weakness on the ‘bucket-handle’ movement of human rib. The volume displacement of the rib cage is related to changes in its circumference using an empirical equation presented by Agostoni et al. (1965, J Appl Physiol, 20:1179–1186). A systematic study is carried out to quantify the role of costal cartilage, sternocostal joint calcification and muscle weakness on the volume displacement of the rib cage. The results provide insight into some of the mechanisms underlying age-related changes in the respiratory system.
Blood Pressure Beyond the Clinic: Rethinking a Health Metric for Everyone

Blood pressure (BP) is typically captured at irregular intervals, mostly in clinic environments. This approach treats BP as a static snapshot for health classification and largely ignores its value as a continuously fluctuat-ing measure. Recognizing that consumers are increasing-ly capturing health metrics through wearable devices, we explored BP measurement in relation to everyday living through a two-week field study with 34 adults. Based on questionnaires, measurement logs, and interviews, we examined participants' perceptions and attitudes to-wards BP variability and their associations of BP with aspects of their lives. We found that participants modi-fied their use of BP devices in response to BP variabil-ity, made associations with stress, food, and daily rou-tines, and revealed challenges with the design of current BP devices for personal use. We present design recom-mendations for BP use in everyday contexts and de-scribe strategies for re-framing BP capture and reporting.
Comparative Study of Feature Measures for Histopathological Images of the Lung

Texture features of histopathological images of lung carcinoma have been evaluated using gray level co-occurrence matrices and multiwavelets. The investigation is done from a pathological perspective resulting in optimum subset of features for classification.
Abscisic Acid Is a General Negative Regulator of Arabidopsis Axillary Bud Growth

Branching is an important process controlled by intrinsic programs and by environmental signals transduced by a variety of plant hormones. Abscisic acid (ABA) was previously shown to mediate Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) branching responses to the ratio of red light (R) to far-red light (FR; an indicator of competition) by suppressing bud outgrowth from lower rosette positions under low R:FR. However, the role of ABA in regulating branching more generally was not investigated. This study shows that ABA restricts lower bud outgrowth and promotes correlative inhibition under both high and low R:FR. ABA was elevated in buds exhibiting delayed outgrowth resulting from bud position and low R:FR and decreased in elongating buds. ABA was reduced in lower buds of hyperbranching mutants deficient in auxin signaling (AUXIN RESISTANT1), MORE AXILLARY BRANCHING (MAX) signaling (MAX2), and BRANCHED1 (BRC1) function, and partial suppression of branch elongation in these mutants by exogenous ABA suggested that ABA may act downstream of these components. Bud BRC1 expression was not altered by exogenous ABA, consistent with a downstream function for ABA. However, the expression of genes encoding the indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) biosynthesis enzyme TRYPTOPHAN AMINOTRANSFERASE OF ARABIDOPSIS1, the auxin transporter PIN-FORMED1, and the cell cycle genes CYCLIN A2;1 and PROLIFERATING CELL NUCLEAR ANTIGEN1 in buds was suppressed by ABA, suggesting that it may inhibit bud growth in part by suppressing elements of the cell cycle machinery and bud-autonomous IAA biosynthesis and transport. ABA was found to suppress bud IAA accumulation, thus confirming this aspect of its action.
Solubility inversion effects on diffusion from collapsing bubbles

Abstract This work discusses the dissolution of gas bubbles in liquids subjected to a sudden pressure surge, as well as lending insight to studies on rectified diffusion. The bubble growth rates for rectified diffusion under isothermal conditions as predicted in previous studies are much lower than the rate found experimentally. The assumption of isothermal conditions can be justified only for infinite thermal diffusivity. For real gas bubbles collapsing in a large body of liquid, however,the thermal condition lies between the isothermal and adiabatic limits. Our analysis was undertaken to establish diffusion conditions for a collapsing cavity under the adiabatic limit. Contrary to the case of isothermal collapse, where the increased pressure (and hence the surface concentration) can result only in an outward diffusional flux, the solubility inversion effect for gases can cause first inward and then outward diffusional flux during the same phase of adiabatic collapse. In particular, when the heat of solution, Δ H s , of the gas is less than (γ BT 0 )/(1-γ), where γ= C p / C v , and B = gas constant), the diffusional flux changes direction at Even in situations where flux reversal does not occur, the net diffusional outflux during collapse is less in the adiabatic case than that in the isothermal case. Further descriptions of mass transfer from a bubble collapsing adiabatically in a large body of liquid are presented.
Regularization of the stress-energy tensor for vector and scalar particles propagating in a general background metric

Abstract We study the regularization of the stress-energy tensor for massless vector and massless and massive scalar particles propagating in a general background metric, using covariant point-separation techniques. We find a prescription which leads to a stress-energy tensor which is conserved (provided, in the scalar case, that ξ = 1 6 ) and which is traceless in the conformal invariant limit. The prescription, however, is not a unique one, since the conventionally renormalized stress-energy tensor contains an undetermined multiple of a term, which can be formally reinterpreted as arising from an addition to the gravitational action which is quadratic in the Weyl curvature tensor.
Pheromones, the Vomeronasal System, and Communication: From Hormonal Responses to Individual Recognition

The functions of the vomeronasal and olfactory systems are evaluated within the broad context of chemical communication in mammals. Five main points are stressed. First, there are a variety of types of chemical signals, ranging from classic pheromones to odor quality signals, all of which are important for communication. Second, the vomeronasal organ is primarily responsible for mediating responses to some, but by no means all, pheromone-like signals. Third, the olfactory system mediates responses to some pheromone-like signals. Fourth, the vomeronasal system mediates some responses to odor quality signals. Thus, not all receptors in the vomeronasal organ are involved in detection of pheromones. Fifth, the vomeronasal and olfactory systems often interact to mediate responses to odor signals. In sum, it is important to maintain a broad, balanced view and to avoid oversimplifications if we are to advance our understanding of the sensory mechanisms underlying responses to chemical signals and other odors.
Chromaticity coordinates of frequency-limited functions

We compute the gamut of coordinates in the Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage chromaticity diagram that correspond to positive frequency-limited functions having only three degrees of freedom (a trichromatic system). The results suggest that practical colors are either suitably frequency limited to be represented by three samples or have suitably frequency-limited metamers.
Scaling and universality of the thermal conductivity of liquid 4He near the superfluid transition and in restricted geometries

Abstract We present measurements of the thermal conductivity λ ( t , P , L ) = l / ρ ( t , P , L ) near the superfluid transition of 4 He at saturated vapor pressure and confined in cylindrical geometries with radii L = 0.5 and 1.0 μm ( t ≡ T / T λ ( P ) − 1). For L = 1.0 μm measurements at six pressures P are presented. At and above T λ the data are consistent with a universal scaling function F ( X ) = ( L / ξ o ) x / ν ( ρ / ρ 0 ), X = ( L / ξ o ) 1/ ν t valid for all P ( ρ 0 and x are the pressure-dependent amplitude and effective exponent of the bulk resistivity ρ ( t , P , ∞) = ρ 0 t x and ξ = ξ 0 t − ν is the correlation length). Indications of breakdown of scaling and universality are observed below T λ .
Visipedia circa 2015

Visipedia is a network of people and machines designed to harvest and organize visual information and make it accessible to anyone who has a visual query. We discuss technical challenges arising from Visipedia and discuss their implications for pattern recognition, computer vision, machine learning and visual psychology. Amongst these are discovering visual information that is implicit in experts’ brains and in crowds of people and estimating its accuracy. To motivate our thinking we explore a case study, an automated field guide to the birds of North America. We conclude by discussing research directions that are necessary to make progress on Visipedia. An important realisation is that the study of ‘computer vision’ and ‘machine learning’ has to be broadened to include the process of information discovery and the dynamic interaction of people and machines in this context. Human-machine systems with no oracle are now within the scope of pattern recognition, machine learning and computer vision.
Reconsidering the IUD.

Critical comment is provided on the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) with the use of IUDs and specifically the Dalkon Shield. The reopening of the issue of IUD and PID was precipitated by the reanalysis of the Womens Health Study (WHS) data by Kronmal et al. The focus of the discussion is on the description of an epidemiological case control study the WHS assessing the criticisms of the study the possible biases and an interpretation of the conflicting analyses. The WHS was conducted in 8 health care centers in the US between 1976-78 and included hospitalized PID cases. Controls were other hospitalized patients. Burkman in 1981 and Lee et al in 1983 published results of their analyses of the WHS data. Burkman estimated a 1.6 risk of PID among IUd users relative to all other contraceptive users and 1 or 2.1 relative to women with no history of PID. Lee estimated risk among Dalkon Shield users as 8.3 relative to women not using any contraceptive method prior to hospitalization and 1.6 among users of other IUDs; analysis excluded women with a prior history of PID. Recently Kronmal et al found fault with the WHS on 10 counts which are provided in detail. Their reanalysis indicates there is no increased risk of PID for IUd users. However the question is raised as to the appropriate reference group -all other users of contraceptives or nonusers. Another question pertains to whether subjects should all or just those without a prior PID history be included. Due to the protective effect of oral contraceptives the reference group should be nonusers of any type as analyzed by Lee et al. Lee et al. also excludes those with a prior PID history which is the best solution to the 2nd question. The Kronmal analysis allowed those with a prior PID history and the reference group was all women regardless of use. The Kronmal analysis also describes ways in which selection bias is involved in the higher risk of PID among Dalkon Shield users relative to nonusers. Some of the reasons are that women using the Dalkon Shield may have been less likely to seek early medical care to have a greater likelihood of having their diseases properly diagnosed and to identify more easily the Dalkon Shield as their IUD type. This reasoning is found to be excessive and unrealistic to explain a difference between a risk of 8.3 vs. 1.6 and the Dalkon Shield was deservedly removed as an unsafe product. Support for the IUD is better served by discussing the careful selection of users to reduce PID meticulous insertion techniques and close monitoring.
Post-licensure surveillance of quadrivalent inactivated influenza (IIV4) vaccine in the United States, Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), July 1, 2013-May 31, 2015.

Background Quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccines (IIV4) were first available for use during 2013−14 influenza season for individuals aged ≥6 months. IIV4 is designed to protect against four different flu viruses; two influenza A viruses and two influenza B viruses.
Period-Doubling Bifurcations in Atomic Force Microscopy

The dynamic response of an atomic force microscope cantilever probe is studied for off-resonance excitation and interactions with a soft silicone rubber material. The dynamic response of the probe is simulated using a three-mode approximation of the Euler-Bernoulli beam model for excitation at two-and-a-half times the probe’s fundamental frequency. These simulations are conducted in order to reproduce the period-doubling bifurcation experimentally observed in the response of the probe of a commercial atomic force microscope. In order to duplicate this behavior, parameters within the surface force model are tuned to account for variations in the characteristics of the sample material. Through this work, the relationship between the sample material’s effective stiffness and the response behavior of the probe are studied in an effort to develop the means to identify the local material properties of a sample by characterize the nonlinear response of the probe.© 2009 ASME
Development of resistance to malathion in cat flea (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae).

Cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouche’), under continual selection pressure with malathion exhibited a 12-fold increase in resistance ratio at LC50 after eight generations. Malathion-resistant fleas were twice as susceptible to D-limonene as were unselected fleas.