cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Steroid treatment of hearing loss in enlarged vestibular aqueduct anomaly.

Summary Objective 1. Determine whether corticosteroid therapy improves hearing thresholds of patients with enlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA) anomaly. 2. Determine sample size for a future prospective study. Methods Retrospective chart review hearing loss in EVA patients comparing patients treated with corticosteroids and untreated patients. Results Eighty percent (n = 5) of patients treated with steroids for hearing loss demonstrated audiometric improvement, compared to 14.3% of patients (n = 7) not treated. The pure tone average improved by 17.7 dB in the steroid treated group. A prospective, placebo-controlled trial would need between 19 and 45 patients in each group, treatment versus no-treatment, to achieve statistical significance. Conclusion Patients with EVA who develop hearing loss have a high rate of hearing improvement when treated with corticosteroid therapy. The hearing improvement appears to be better than spontaneous recovery.
Immunopathogenic Mechanisms in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infections

Infection with HIV can result in a complex array of immunopathogenic effects. HIV infection involves both a direct quantitative depletion of T4 lymphocytes as well as an indirect qualitative effect on the function of several types of immune effector cells. The combination of T4-cell destruction and functional abnormalities contributes to the broad scope of immunologic aberrations and opportunistic diseases seen in HIV-infected individuals. In addition, HIV infection of monocyte/macrophages may play an important role as a reservoir or sanctuary of infection in the host and contribute to the characteristically long incubation period between HIV infection and disease. The activation of HIV from latent or chronically infected cells in vitro by mitogens, antigens, heterologous viruses, and cytokines represents a potential mechanism whereby HIV infection in individuals progresses from an asymptomatic carrier state to clinical AIDS. The release of virus from activated cells can lead to the spread of the virus to other target cells and result in both a qualitative or quantitative defect in immunocompetent cells and subsequent immunosuppression. It is also clear that HIV infection can result in the modulation of expression of certain cellular genes, thereby potentially compounding immunoregulatory abnormalities. Further knowledge of the complex relation between HIV and its target cells will be essential to our understanding of the myriad of potential pathogenic mechanisms of HIV infection and may lead to ways of interrupting the progression of HIV-induced disease.
Exploring relationships between ENSO and vegetation vigour in the south-east USA using AVHRR data

This research explores the relationship between El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO), captured by equatorial Pacie c Ocean Sea Surface Temperature (SST), and interannual variation in vegetation vigour in the south- east USA, captured by Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Normalized DiVerence Vegetation Index (NDVI), for the period 1982-1992. The moving average and 'baseline' methods (anomaly from the long term mean) were used to extract interannual patterns in the NDVI signature for croplands, decidu- ous forests and evergreen forests. The ENSO cycle was measured using mean SST anomalies and the percentage of SSTcells above certain threshold values (e.g. 1.0°C above the long term mean). The baseline method indicated a weak, yet persistent, negative correlation between ENSO warm phase events and vegeta- tion vigour in the south-east USA. The moving average method yielded similar results but produced higher correlation values (› 0.45 to › 0.76, signie cant at the 0.01 level). Use of the 2.0°C threshold SST anomaly was found to yield the highest correlation values as it capturesnot only the presence but also the intensity of ENSO warm phase events. These results indicate that there is a clear and recognizable, though inconsistent, relationship between ENSO and vegetation vigour in the south-east USA.
Measurement of Dispositional Affect: Construct Validity and Convergence with a Circumplex Model of Affect.

A circumplex model of affect has recently gained tentative acceptance by prominent researchers investigating the structure of dispositional affect. The present study examines the issue of construct validity of several existing measures of affect and their fit with the circumplex model. A traditional multitrait-multimethod matrix approach is utilized first, followed by a confirmatory factor analytic approach. These analyses demonstrate that the data collected using these four scales are characterized by generally good concurrent and discriminant validity. Furthermore, the data are in partial agreement with the proposed circumplex model of affect. Issues for the further development of the circumplex model and the use of these measures are discussed.
A Unified Probabilistic Framework for Spontaneous Facial Action Modeling and Understanding

Facial expression is a natural and powerful means of human communication. Recognizing spontaneous facial actions, however, is very challenging due to subtle facial deformation, frequent head movements, and ambiguous and uncertain facial motion measurements. Because of these challenges, current research in facial expression recognition is limited to posed expressions and often in frontal view. A spontaneous facial expression is characterized by rigid head movements and nonrigid facial muscular movements. More importantly, it is the coherent and consistent spatiotemporal interactions among rigid and nonrigid facial motions that produce a meaningful facial expression. Recognizing this fact, we introduce a unified probabilistic facial action model based on the dynamic Bayesian network (DBN) to simultaneously and coherently represent rigid and nonrigid facial motions, their spatiotemporal dependencies, and their image measurements. Advanced machine learning methods are introduced to learn the model based on both training data and subjective prior knowledge. Given the model and the measurements of facial motions, facial action recognition is accomplished through probabilistic inference by systematically integrating visual measurements with the facial action model. Experiments show that compared to the state-of-the-art techniques, the proposed system yields significant improvements in recognizing both rigid and nonrigid facial motions, especially for spontaneous facial expressions.
Multispectral image visualization with nonlinear projections

Two visualization techniques based on nonlinear projections for fusing multispectral image data sets into a single most informative gray scale image are described. These techniques are fast, theoretically attractive, complement linear techniques, and may be of value in highlighting specific regions where the component images should be examined in detail.
Training metric accuracy in distance estimation skill: pictures versus words

Training metric accuracy in distance estimation skill for distances up to 300 m was done using three different feedback methods: Direct verbal feedback in the field, indirect visual feedback consisting of presentation of labelled markers in the field, and indirect visual feedback consisting of presentation of labelled markers in pictorial depictions of the field. Results from Experiment 1 showed that all three feedback methods resulted in rapid acquisition of skill in estimating perceived distance from a stationary viewpoint and that the skill transferred to a new field setting. Results from Experiment 2 replicated these results for the estimation of traversed distance along routes. These findings have important implications for the use of pictorial presentations, including virtual reality technology, to train generalizable spatial skills. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Putting Short-Term Memory Into Context: Reply to Usher, Davelaar, Haarmann, and Goshen-Gottstein (2008).

The temporal context model posits that search through episodic memory is driven by associations between the multiattribute representations of items and context. Context, in turn, is a recency weighted sum of previous experiences or memories. Because recently processed items are most similar to the current representation of context, M. Usher, E. J. Davelaar, H. J. Haarmann, and Y. Goshen-Gottstein (2008) have suggested that the temporal context model (TCM-A) embodies a distinction between short-term and long-term memory and that this distinction is central to TCM-A’s success in accounting for the pattern of recency and contiguity observed across short and long timescales. The authors dispute Usher et al’s claim that context in TCM-A has much in common with classic interpretations of short-term memory. The idea that multiple representations interact in the process of memory encoding and retrieval (across timescales), as proposed in TCM-A, is very different from the classic dual-process view that distinct rules govern retrieval of recent and remote memories.
Insulin content and insulinogenesis by the perfused rat pancreas: effects of long term glucose stimulation.

The dynamic response of the perfused pancreas differed between pancreases from fed and fasted rats. Insulin secretion was significantly lower in pancreases from fasted rats during the first 40 min of perfusion at glucose levels of 200 and 300 mg/dl. Thereafter, from 40-90 min, insulin secretion was similar by pancreases from both fed and fasted rats. The typical biphasic insulin secretory profile, consisting of a transient spike of insulin secretion followed by a slowly rising secretory phase, was observed in pancreases from fasted rats. In contrast, the transition from first to second phase secretion was accelerated in pancreases from fed rats. This suggests that transport of intracellular insulin stores may be accentuated due to the fact that insulinogenic sites (e.g. Golgi) in pancreases from fed rats may be fully primed for optimal secretion. Total pancreatic insulin measurements support this concept. Total pancreatic insulin content was determined under fed and 24-h fasted conditions after various times of perfusion (0, 60, and 90 min and 6 h) and in response to various glucose levels (0, 200, and 300 mg/dl). Fasting resulted in a significant decrease in insulin content at zero time compared with pancreases from fed rats (39.2 +/- 2.4 vs. 61.6 +/- 9.8 micrograms). In the fed rat pancreases, total insulin content decreased slightly after a 60-min glucose stimulus of 300 mg/dl, but returned to the basal level after 90 min and remained at that level during a 6-h period of perfusion. In the fasted state, insulin content remained constant as a function of time until 60 min, but increased by 90 min to a level comparable to that in pancreases from fed rats. The response to lower levels of glucose stimulation (200 mg/dl) was qualitatively similar by pancreases from fed and fasted rats compared to the response to a higher glucose dose (300 mg/dl), except that secretion was less. Insulin content remained relatively constant for periods of perfusion up to 60 min. Insulinogenesis (defined as de novo synthesis and conversion of existing preproinsulin and proinsulin to insulin, less intracellular degradation of insulin) was increased as a function of glucose concentration and differed temporally as a function of the food intake of the animal. At no time of perfusion with any level of glucose stimulation did the insulin content exceed the zero time value in pancreases from fed rats. This suggests that insulin secretion is the rate-limiting step for insulinogenesis.
Online feedback focusing algorithm for hyperthermia cancer treatment

Purpose: Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is increasingly being utilized to visualize the 3D temperature distribution in patients during treatment with hyperthermia or thermal ablation therapy. The goal of this work is to lay the foundation for improving the localization of heat in tumors with an online focusing algorithm that uses MR images as feedback to iteratively steer and focus heat into the target.Methods: The algorithm iteratively updates the model that quantifies the relationship between the source (antenna) settings and resulting tissue temperature distribution. At each step in the iterative process, optimal settings of power and relative phase of each antenna are computed to maximize averaged tumor temperature in the model. The MR-measured thermal distribution is then used to update/correct the model. This iterative procedure is repeated until convergence, i.e. until the model prediction and MR thermal image are in agreement. A human thigh tumor model heated in a 140 MHz four-antenna cylindrical...
Expression of Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein and Neurofilament mRNA in Gliosis Induced by Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

: We have previously shown that the content of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) gradually increases in the spinal cord of Lewis rats with acute experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), reaching a level 1.5–2 times greater than that in controls by 35 days postimmunization (dpi). We report here that the increase in GFAP mRNA level followed a completely different time course and reached higher levels relative to controls than did that of the protein. Total RNA was isolated using a modified version of current methods using phenol/chloroform extractions to ensure optimal recovery from spinal cord. Control animals yielded 323 ± 35 μg (mean ± SD; n = 34) of total RNA/spinal cord throughout the experimental period. EAE animals contained up to three times as much total RNA during 11–14 dpi, a finding largely reflecting the infiltration of inflammatory cells. By 65 dpi, total RNA levels closely approached control values. As early as 10 dpi, increased amounts of GFAP mRNA were detected in EAE animals relative to controls. During 11–14 dpi, GFAP mRNA levels reached six- to eightfold greater than values in controls and then slowly declined throughout the remainder of the time course, with a fourfold increase still detected at 65 dpi. However, coinciding with the height of inflammation and clinical signs at 12 dpi, the GFAP mRNA content dropped to ∼50% of the level at 11 dpi but rose again at 13 dpi. This dip was mirrored by a similar decrease in neurofilament mRNA content, but otherwise the level of this message remained relatively constant and equal to that in controls. The changes in GFAP message content contrasted sharply with those in protein content, which increases slowly and does not reach maximal levels until after 4 weeks. Elevated levels of GFAP mRNA, protein, and immunostaining persisted through 65 dpi, >40 days after clinical signs had resolved.
On the sensitivity analysis of the computational kinematics of the robotic manipulators

In the computational kinematics of robotic manipulators, accuracy and sensitivity of the results are highly dependent on the choice of the coordinate system, the metric system, and the appropriateness of performance evaluation measure. In this paper, these undesired sensitivities are examined and suitable performance criteria are developed to eliminate the coordinate system and metric system dependencies, and adverse numerical effects associated with them. Also a new formulation for the Jacobian matrix, joint velocities, and hand velocities, based on the Euler angles, is developed. This formulation, further improves numerical accuracy of the computations. Numerical experiments are included.
Fracture strength of silicon carbide microspecimens

Polycrystalline silicon carbide tensile microspecimens 3.1 mm long were produced by deep reactive ion etching of wafers on the order of 150 /spl mu/m thick. The gage sections, which were nominally 200 /spl mu/m wide, were either straight, slightly curved, or contained double notches in order to vary the size of the highly stressed region. The fracture stresses of 190 specimens from three process runs were measured in a novel test setup. The average local fracture strengths for the last run were: straight 0.38/spl plusmn/0.13 GPa, curved 0.47/spl plusmn/0.15 GPa, notched 0.78/spl plusmn/0.28 GPa. The corresponding Weibull characteristic strengths were, 0.42 GPa, 0.53GPa, and 0.88 GPa with respective moduli 3.3, 3.4, and 3.1. These results show a clear increase in the strength of the material as the size of the highly stressed region decreases. Fractographic analyzes showed failures initiating from the bottoms of side grooves left by the etching process. The grains of the material were quite heterogeneous, varying from a few microns in size to columnar grains through the entire specimen thickness. The curved specimens were used as the base for predicting the probability of failure of the other two shapes. While the Weibull approach was quite accurate for the straight shape, it over-predicted the strengths of the notched specimens. Given the microstructure of the material relative to the size of the specimen, a continuum analysis is questionable.
Localization of calcium signals by a mobile calcium buffer in frog saccular hair cells

A recent study (Roberts, 1993) of saccular hair cells from grass frogs (Rana pipiens) has suggested a mechanism by which the unusually high concentrations of calcium-binding proteins found in certain sensory receptors and neurons, particularly in the auditory system, can influence short-range intracellular calcium signaling. In frog saccular hair cells, the mechanism operates within arrays of calcium channels and calcium-activated potassium channels that are involved in the cells' electrical resonance and synaptic transmission. The present study tests the hypothesis that calbindin-D28k, one of the most abundant proteins in these cells, can serve as a mobile calcium buffer that reduces and localizes changes in the intracellular free-calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) by shuttling calcium away from the channel arrays. Based upon theoretical analysis and computer modeling, it is shown that [Ca2+]i near one or more open channels quickly reaches a steady-state level determined primarily by two properties of the buffer, the mean time (tau c) before it captures a free-calcium ion and a replenishment factor (R), which are related to the buffer's diffusional mobility (DBu), association rate constant (kon), and concentration (Bo) by tau c = (konB0)-1 and R = B0DBu. Simulation of calcium entry through a channel array showed that approximately 1.5 mM of a molecule with the diffusional and binding properties expected for calbindin-D28k (Bo approximately 8 mM calcium-binding sites) is needed to reproduce the previous experimental results. A lower concentration (B0 = 2 mM) was almost completely depleted within the channel array by a modest calcium current (8 pA = 12% of calcium channels open), but still had two important effects: it caused [Ca2+]i to fall steeply with distance outside the array (space constant < 50 nm), and returned [Ca2+]i quickly to the resting level after the channels closed. A high concentration of calbindin-D28k can thus influence the cell's electrical resonance and synaptic transmission. Its most important functions may be to localize regions of high [Ca2+]i and speed the return of [Ca2+]i toward the resting level.
Endonucleolytic Function of MutLα in Human Mismatch Repair

Summary Half of hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer kindreds harbor mutations that inactivate MutLα (MLH1•PMS2 heterodimer). MutLα is required for mismatch repair, but its function in this process is unclear. We show that human MutLα is a latent endonuclease that is activated in a mismatch-, MutSα-, RFC-, PCNA-, and ATP-dependent manner. Incision of a nicked mismatch-containing DNA heteroduplex by this four-protein system is strongly biased to the nicked strand. A mismatch-containing DNA segment spanned by two strand breaks is removed by the 5′-to-3′ activity of MutSα-activated exonuclease I. The probable endonuclease active site has been localized to a PMS2 DQHA(X) 2 E(X) 4 E motif. This motif is conserved in eukaryotic PMS2 homologs and in MutL proteins from a number of bacterial species but is lacking in MutL proteins from bacteria that rely on d(GATC) methylation for strand discrimination in mismatch repair. Therefore, the mode of excision initiation may differ in these organisms.
Amino acid uptake by bovine mammary slices.

A method which measures amino acid uptake by bovine mammary slices is described. Slices of approximately 200 mg were preincubated for 1 h in a modified Krebs-Ringers bicarbonate buffer containing a physiological mixture of amino acids. After preincubation, slices were incubated with radioactive amino acid for 10 min. Slices then were homogenized in perchloric acid, centrifuged, and a sample of the supernate was counted for radioactivity. In parallel experiments, the percent tissue water was determined by drying slices to constant weight. Extra-cellular space of slices was measured with inulin. These measurements allowed uptake to be expressed in terms of amino acid concentration in the cell water. The in vitro uptake pattern of nine essential amino acids was compared to the known in vivo uptake pattern of these amino acids by the cow udder. The correlation between in vitro and in vivo uptake patterns was .91, suggesting that the tissue slice technique can be useful in further study of bovine mammary amino acid transport.
Parallelism-Aware Batch Scheduling: Enhancing both Performance and Fairness of Shared DRAM Systems

In a chip-multiprocessor (CMP) system, the DRAM system isshared among cores. In a shared DRAM system, requests from athread can not only delay requests from other threads by causingbank/bus/row-buffer conflicts but they can also destroy other threads’DRAM-bank-level parallelism. Requests whose latencies would otherwisehave been overlapped could effectively become serialized. As aresult both fairness and system throughput degrade, and some threadscan starve for long time periods.This paper proposes a fundamentally new approach to designinga shared DRAM controller that provides quality of service to threads,while also improving system throughput. Our parallelism-aware batchscheduler (PAR-BS) design is based on two key ideas. First, PARBSprocesses DRAM requests in batches to provide fairness and toavoid starvation of requests. Second, to optimize system throughput,PAR-BS employs a parallelism-aware DRAM scheduling policythat aims to process requests from a thread in parallel in the DRAMbanks, thereby reducing the memory-related stall-time experienced bythe thread. PAR-BS seamlessly incorporates support for system-levelthread priorities and can provide different service levels, includingpurely opportunistic service, to threads with different priorities.We evaluate the design trade-offs involved in PAR-BS and compareit to four previously proposed DRAM scheduler designs on 4-, 8-, and16-core systems. Our evaluations show that, averaged over 100 4-coreworkloads, PAR-BS improves fairness by 1.11X and system throughputby 8.3% compared to the best previous scheduling technique, Stall-Time Fair Memory (STFM) scheduling. Based on simple request prioritizationrules, PAR-BS is also simpler to implement than STFM.
Pressure support ventilation vs spontaneous ventilation via ProSeal™ laryngeal mask airway in pediatric patients undergoing ambulatory surgery: a randomized controlled trial.

Summary Aim: To investigate the advantages of using pressure support ventilation (PSV) vs spontaneous ventilation via ProSeal™ laryngeal mask airway in children undergoing ambulatory surgery. Background: In our ambulatory surgical unit, the use of unassisted spontaneous breathing via laryngeal mask airway is a common anesthetic technique during general anesthesia. However, this may be associated with inadequate ventilation. PSV is a ventilatory mode that is synchronized with the patient’s respiratory effort and may improve gaseous exchange under general anesthesia. Materials and methods: After the approval from the ethics committee, a randomized controlled trial involving 24 pediatric patients was conducted in our ambulatory surgical unit. They were randomized into two groups, namely Group PSV (receiving PSV) and Group SV (unassisted spontaneous ventilation). Outcome measures included intraoperative respiratory and hemodynamic parameters as well as recovery room data. Results: There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups. Patients in Group PSV had lower ETCO2 (42.8 ± 5.8 vs 50.4 ± 4.0, P = 0.001) and higher expiratory tidal volume per kg bodyweight (8.3 ± 1.8 ml kg−1 vs 5.8 ± 0.8 ml kg−1, P = 0.001) compared with patients in Group SV. There were no significant differences in other respiratory and hemodynamic parameters or recovery room data between the two groups. Conclusion: Pressure support ventilation via ProSeal™ laryngeal mask airway during general anesthesia improves ventilation in pediatric patients undergoing ambulatory surgery. However, this did not translate to a difference in clinical outcome among our study patients.
Alterations in Caveolin Expression and Ultrastructure After Bladder Smooth Muscle Hypertrophy

Purpose: Partial bladder outlet obstruction in male rabbits causes detrusor smooth muscle hypertrophy and voiding dysfunction similar to that observed in men with benign prostate hyperplasia. Using this model, we analyzed the protein expression and ultrastructure of caveolae and the intermediate size filament in detrusor smooth muscle following partial bladder outlet obstruction induced hypertrophy.Materials and Methods: Detrusor smooth muscle sections from bladder body were processed for immunofluorescence and electron microscopy. Western analysis was performed to determine the expression of caveolin isoform-1, 2 and 3, and intermediate size filament proteins.Results: Detrusor smooth muscle cells from both normal and hypertrophied bladders contain orderly arrays of thick and thin myofilaments, interspersed with dense bodies. In addition, there was an increase in intermediate size filaments in the hypertrophic detrusor smooth muscle cells. The dense plaques in the inner membrane of hypertrophied detrusor ...
Bisphosphonate Therapy Improves the Outcome of Conventional Periodontal Treatment: Results of a 12-Month, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study

Background: Bone loss in periodontitis results from inflammatory reactions that stimulate osteoclastic bone resorption. Bisphosphonates inhibit bone resorption and increase bone mass. This study evaluated the effect of bisphosphonate therapy as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal treatment in patients with moderate to severe chronic periodontitis. Methods: Patients were randomized (2:1) to one of two bisphosphonate therapies or placebo for 1 year. All patients received non-surgical periodontal treatment (scaling, root planing) and periodontal maintenance therapy every 3 months. Clinical assessments at baseline and 6 and 12 months included clinical attachment level (CAL), probing depth (PD), and bleeding on probing (BOP). Periodontal bone mass was assessed by dental radiographs at baseline and 12 months using fractal analysis and digital subtraction radiography (DSR). Results: Seventy patients were randomized, 43 to the bisphosphonate group and 27 to the placebo group. Bisphosphonate therapy significant...
A conjointly well localized quadrature mirror filterbank

This paper proposes the use of conjointly time-frequency well localized filters that constitute a perfect reconstruction quadrature mirror filterbank. The time-frequency measure to determine optimality is the product of a filter's time and frequency variances, which has already been proposed. An in depth analysis of parameter selection and novel use of polynomial fitting to ensure perfection reconstruction of the optimal quadrature mirror filterbank are provided in this paper. The output of the separably extended 2-D analysis filters of the optimized 1-D perfect reconstruction quadrature mirror filter-bank illustrates the best space-frequency localized decomposition of the original image.
High-level synthesis of accelerators in embedded scalable platforms

Embedded scalable platforms combine a flexible socketed architecture for heterogeneous system-on-chip (SoC) design and a companion system-level design methodology. The architecture supports the rapid integration of processor cores with many specialized hardware accelerators. The methodology simplifies the design, integration, and programming of the heterogeneous components in the SoC. In particular, it raises the level of abstraction in the design process and guides designers in the application of high-level synthesis (HLS) tools. HLS enables a more efficient design of accelerators with a focus on their algorithmic properties, a broader exploration of their design space, and a more productive reuse across many different SoC projects.
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma causing acute liver failure: a rare case of survival.

Acute liver failure is a rare but life-threatening illness with an incidence of 2–8 per million population. The most common causes of acute liver failure include drug ingestion and viral hepatitis followed by ischaemic hepatocellular injury and, less commonly, malignancy. Our patient presented with acute liver failure, which was found to be secondary to hepatic infiltration by diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. He received early treatment and has been in remission for more than a year after his initial presentation. To the best of our knowledge, our patient is the second reported survivor of acute liver failure caused by malignant hepatic infiltration by diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
The Necessity of a Standard Blood-Agar Plate for the Determination of Hemolysis by Streptococci

The manner of growth of streptococci on blood-agar plates, as first suggested by Schottmiiller, has been found a valuable means of differentiation. Schottmiiller1 found that by growth on a mixture composed of 2 c.c. of defibrinated human blood and 5 c.c. of plain agar, streptococci can be differentiated into 3 groups, which he describes as follows: Streptococcus longus seu erysipelatos, which appears after from 18 to 24 hours' incubation as a grayish circular colony surrounded by a zone of hemolysis from 2 to 3 mm. in diameter; Streptococcus mitior seu viridans, which appears after 24 hours' incubation as a very small greenish colony, no hemolysis being present except where the medium is very thin; and Streptococcus mucosus, which appears after 24 hours' incubation as a mucoid greenish very moist growth. These results have been investigated by a great number of workers and Schumacher,2 Silverstrom,3 Mandelbaum4 and many others have accepted the method in general as a valuable means of differentiation. On the other hand Bietske and Rosenthal5 claimed that hemolytic strains could be changed into nonhemolytic and vice versa. Mandelbaum4 ascribes the different results to the use of different media. He found that on blood-agar plates made according to the formula of Schottmiiller a type of hemolysis is produced by Streptococcus mitior which he describes as follows: "hemolytic zone in mitior appears rarely in 24 hours, most often at 48 to 96 hours' incubation; microscopically one finds blood cells directly beneath the colony, while many discolored cells remain in the clear zone becoming more abundant further away from the colony." Smith and Brown6 have called atten-
Industry Returns Over the Political Cycle

As pointed out by Henisz (2000) and others, political policy can effect stock market returns through two basic ways: Macroeconomically, where arbitrary changes in economic policy, regulation and taxation can lead to greater investment uncertainty, thus leading to an overall increase in the price of market risk; secondly, through economic rent seeking, firms in favored industries can earn economic rents and/or alter their exposure to market risk by shifting investment to seeking economic rents. The effects of Democratic versus Republican (Liberal versus Conservative regimes) is tested at the industry level. While little support is found for the idea that different presidential parties leads to an overall increase in market risk, evidence supporting rent-seeking by industries is found.
Personalized Oral Medicine and the Contemporary Health Care Environment

There are major drivers required to realize the “tipping point” for personalized oral medicine—the scientific foundation, proof of principle to precede implementation, and a cultural and economic environment that celebrates innovation and emphasizes quality and cost-effective health prevention. In Malcolm Gladwell’s acclaimed book The Tipping Point, he argues that success, such as emergence of Social Security legislation in the mid-1930s, Medicare and Civil Rights legislation in the 1960s, the recently enacted Affordable Health Care Act, and even personalized oral medicine, is dependent on people with social gifts at a specific time and place in history. We are about to reach the “tipping point” when society, patients, health policy and governments, industry, and health professionals embrace personalized diagnosis, treatment plans, therapeutics, and procedures that optimize comprehensive and cost-effective health care with predictable outcomes for all people. The completion of the Human Genome Project (HGP), recent cost-effective and rapid whole genome-wide sequencing methods, and instrumentation, along with bioinformatics to handle and annotate data collections, enable clinicians to formulate decisions based upon the patient’s genotype and phenotype. Despite challenges, now is the time for health professionals to prepare for personalized oral medicine through pre- and postgraduate education programs.
Evaluation methods for polymeric insulation systems in a high voltage, outdoor environment

The selection of polymeric materials for use in high voltage insulators for outdoor applications has been based, historically, on individually developed evaluation methods.
Customizing Question Selection in Conversational Case-Based Reasoning.

Conversational case-based reasoning systems use an interactive dialog to retrieve stored cases. Normally the ordering of questions in this dialog is chosen based only on their discriminativeness. However, because the user may not be able to answer all questions, even highly discriminative questions are not guaranteed to provide information. This paper presents a customization method CCBR systems can apply to adjust entropy-based discriminativeness considerations by predictions of user ability to answer questions. The method uses a naive Bayesian classifier to classify users into user groups based on the questions they answer, applies information from group profiles to predict which future questions they are likely to be able to answer, and selects the next questions to ask based on a combination of information gain and response likelihood. The method was evaluated for a mix of simulated user groups, each associated with particular probabilities for answering questions about each case indexing feature, in four sample domains. For simulated users with varying abilities to answer particular questions, results showed improvement in dialog length over a non-customized entropybased approach in all test domains.
Computing with Carbon Nanotubes

The silicon semiconductor industry has chugged along for more than 50 years. Like a steamroller, it has trundled over bumps and holes, while defying repeated warnings that it was running out of fuel or was about to be overtaken by flashier competitors.
No God but Gain: The Untold Story of Cuban Slavery, the Monroe Doctrine & the Making of the United States

Stephen Chambers' No God but Gain tackles the three major questions spelled out in the subtitle, clarifying the interdependence of Cuban slavery, the Monroe Doctrine of 1823 and American developmen...
The Endocrine Pancreas and Control of Blood Glucose

This chapter describes the histological arrangement of cells within the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. It describes the chemical nature or insulin and the stimuli for its secretion by the β cells of the islets. It shows the pattern of insulin secretion. Next, it shows the mechanism of insulin action on cells to increase glucose uptake peripherally. The chapter then describes glucagon and its secretagogues. It describes the mechanism of action of glucagon, particularly on the liver, to increase glycogenolysis and increase gluconeogenesis. The overall metabolic control during the postprandial absorptive phase is described, and this is contrasted to metabolic control during the fasting state when metabolic reserves are mobilized.
Publication Analysis of the Use of Nonwovens in Landscaping, Building and Road Construction

This paper seeks to predict the increase and possible number of publications about the use of nonwovens in construction for the next 5 years. Based on the overall number of publications in the years 2000 to 2015 about nonwovens in general the percentage of papers about the use of nonwovens in construction in buildings, roads and landscaping is calculated and graphically displayed. Based on the gained data the numbers are then extrapolated to estimate a possible number of publications about the use of nonwovens in landscaping, building and road construction in numbers and percentage in comparison to the overall possible numbers of publications about nonwovens is estimated for the next 5 years.
Additive manufacturing of NiTiHf high temperature shape memory alloy

Additive manufacturing of a NiTi-20Hf high temperature shape memory alloy (HTSMA) was investigated. A selective laser melting (SLM) process by Phenix3D Systems was used to develop components from NiTiHf powder (of approximately 25-75 m particle fractions), and the thermomechanical response was compared to the conventionally vacuum induction skull melted counterpart. Transformation temperatures of the SLM material were found to be slightly lower due to the additional oxygen pick up from the gas atomization and melting process. The shape memory response in compression was measured for stresses up to 500 MPa, and transformation strains were found to be very comparable (Up to 1.26 for the as-extruded; up to 1.52 for SLM).
New source of southern chinch bug (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae) resistance in a diploid selection of St. Augustinegrass.

Over 400,000 ha of St. Augustinegrass, Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walt.) Kuntze, are managed as a turfgrass in the southern United States, and the southern chinch bug, Blissus insularis Barber, is it...
Electrochemical determination of the gallium-nitride photocorrosion potential in acidic media

Gallium nitride-based semiconductors have demonstrated their usefulness as efficient light absorbers with fast kinetics for photoelectrochemical water splitting, but they still need to demonstrate long lifetime stability in aqueous solutions. It is therefore necessary to understand how corrosion reaction potentials relate to the water splitting reactions, and to the conduction and valence bands of the semiconductor light absorber/reactor. In this study the previously established acidic media photocorrosion reaction of GaN to Ga3+ and 1/2N2 is electrochemically investigated. By using Mott–Schottky analysis the photocorrosion potential is found to be −0.66 ± 0.07 V vs. RHE (pH 1) relating it to Ga surface states acting as hole traps. The photocorrosion potential found by Mott–Schottky analysis is found to also relate to the Fermi level of GaN before and after etching as determined by XPS. SEM imaging is additionally used to confirm the photocorrosion potential, and shows that introducing hole scavengers to the electrolyte can limit the rate of photocorrosion.
The Optimum Number of Test Units for Military Standard 781-B

The sequential tests of MIL-STD 781-B are based upon the accumulated test hours of a number of test units. The number of test units, however, is not specified and may be varied to suit the testing ...
Plugging the Pipeline: Realizing the Value of Natural Gas in the 1930s United States

Questions of value lie at the heart of current debates over capital–nature relations in nature–society geography. The moments of valorization and realization of value occur within the broader circu...
Rapid Detection of Clostridium difficile Toxins in Serum by Raman Spectroscopy.

Abstract Background Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is due to the effects of toxins, toxin A and toxin B on the host. Severe CDI is associated with systemic signs of infection. Animal models of CDI demonstrate a strong correlation between systemic toxemia and the occurrence of severe disease. However, current technologies have low sensitivity to detect C difficile toxemia in human subjects. Raman spectroscopy (RS) is an upcoming technology that is used to detect bacteria and their toxins. We speculate that RS may be a sensitive method to detect clinically relevant concentrations of C difficile toxins in serum. Materials and methods Serum samples were spiked with varying concentrations of toxin A, toxin B, and both. RS was performed on an air-dried serum drop that was placed on a mirror-polished stainless steel slide. Raman spectra were obtained, background corrected, vector normalized, and analyzed by Partial Least Square Linear Discriminant Analysis and Support Vector Machine for Classification. Model accuracy was measured by cross-validation and bootstrap methods. Results Toxin-spiked sera of various concentrations (1 ng/mL, 1 pg/mL, and 0.1 pg/mL) were distinguished from control serum 100% with cross-validation error rate ranging from 0% to 18% and bootstrap error rate ranging from 0% to 12% for various concentrations. The sensitivity ranged from 87% to 100% and specificity ranged from 77% to 100% for various concentrations of toxin-spiked serum. Conclusions We conclude that RS may be a sensitive method to detect clinically relevant concentrations of C difficile toxins in serum and thus to help diagnose severe CDI in patients in real-time at the point of care.
Role of Diaphragm Ultrasound When NIV Fails in COPD Exacerbations

In this issue of Respiratory Care, Cammarota et al[1][1] explored the usefulness of diaphragm ultrasound in 22 subejcts admitted with a COPD exacerbation who required noninvasive ventilation (NIV). They obtained ultrasound measurements before initiating NIV and after the first and second hours of
Effect of Diagnosed Sleep Disorders on Baseline Concussion Symptom, Cognitive, and Balance Assessments in Collegiate Athletes:

Background:Symptoms, cognition, balance, and other domains are commonly assessed at baseline testing as part of comprehensive preseason evaluations among collegiate student-athletes. Although appro...
Cysteine 202 of cyclophilin D is a site of multiple post-translational modifications and plays a role in cardioprotection.

Aims Cyclophilin-D is a well-known regulator of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (PTP), the main effector of cardiac ischaemia/reperfusion injury. However, the binding of CypD to the PTP is poorly understood. Cysteine 202 (C202) of CypD is highly conserved among species and can undergo redox-sensitive post-translational modifications. We investigated whether C202 regulates the opening of PTP. Methods and results We developed a knock-in mouse model using CRISPR where CypD-C202 was mutated to a serine (C202S). Infarct size is reduced in CypD-C202S Langendorff perfused hearts compared to wild type (WT). Cardiac mitochondria from CypD-C202S mice also have higher calcium retention capacity compared to WT. Therefore, we hypothesized that oxidation of C202 might target CypD to the PTP. Indeed, isolated cardiac mitochondria subjected to oxidative stress exhibit less binding of CypD-C202S to the proposed PTP component F1F0-ATP-synthase. We previously found C202 to be S-nitrosylated in ischaemic preconditioning. Cysteine residues can also undergo S-acylation, and C202 matched an S-acylation motif. S-acylation of CypD-C202 was assessed using a resin-assisted capture (Acyl-RAC). WT hearts are abundantly S-acylated on CypD C202 under baseline conditions indicating that S-acylation on C202 per se does not lead to PTP opening. CypD C202S knock-in hearts are protected from ischaemia/reperfusion injury suggesting further that lack of CypD S-acylation at C202 is not detrimental (when C is mutated to S) and does not induce PTP opening. However, we find that ischaemia leads to de-acylation of C202 and that calcium overload in isolated mitochondria promotes de-acylation of CypD. Furthermore, a high bolus of calcium in WT cardiac mitochondria displaces CypD from its physiological binding partners and possibly renders it available for interaction with the PTP. Conclusions Taken together the data suggest that with ischaemia CypD is de-acylated at C202 allowing the free cysteine residue to undergo oxidation during the first minutes of reperfusion which in turn targets it to the PTP.
Allocating outreach resources for disease control in a dynamic population with information spread

Infected individuals must be aware of disease symptoms to seek care, so outreach and education programs are critical to disease control. However, public health organizations often only have limited...
Chromatin-mediated alternative splicing regulates cocaine reward behavior

ABSTRACT Alternative splicing is a key mechanism for neuronal gene regulation, and is grossly altered in mouse brain reward regions following investigator-administered cocaine. It is well established that cocaine epigenetically regulates transcription, yet mechanism(s) by which cocaine-induced epigenetic modifications regulate alternative splicing is largely unexplored. Our group and others have previously identified the histone modification, H3K36me3, as a putative splicing regulator. However, it has not yet been possible to establish the direct causal relevance of this modification to alternative splicing in brain or any other context. We found that mouse cocaine self-administration caused widespread alternative splicing, concomitant with enrichment of H3K36me3 at splice junctions. Differentially spliced genes were enriched in the motif for splice factor, Srsf11, which was both differentially spliced and enriched in H3K36me3. Epigenetic editing led us to conclude that H3K36me3 functions directly in alternative splicing of Srsf11, and that Set2 mediated H3K36me3 bidirectionally regulates cocaine intake.
A hotspot analysis of critical hydrocarbons infrastructure in Colombia: ELN (Ejército de Liberación Nacional) and FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) attacks on Colombian pipelines

Abstract The oil and gas sectors in Colombia are significant components of the Colombian economy, attracting approximately 20% of the FDI, and providing almost a fourth of total government revenues. These sectors of critical infrastructure have suffered systematic targeting from guerrilla internal conflict. For example, the hydrocarbons infrastructure was attacked 829 times between 2007 and 2015. With data from the Ministry of Defense and data from CINEP (Centro de Investigacion y Educacion Popular), we compare spatial patterns of pipeline attacks with violent activity of the two main leftist guerrilla groups, the ELN and the FARC. We use local indicators for spatial association (LISA) to determine overlapping among high activity and presence (hot spots) of guerrilla presence and pipeline attacks. We identify vulnerable areas of the pipeline infrastructure that the government should prioritize for protection, and examine if areas of attacks are related to the general presence and activity of guerrilla groups or if there is evidence of strategic targeting of the pipelines.
Reply: A Review of Pharmacologic Neurostimulant Use During Rehabilitation and Recovery after Brain Injury.

Objective:To describe the efficacy and safety of pharmacologic neurostimulants after neurological injuries such as ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI), critically evalua...