cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Monte Carlo correction for the effect of Compton scattering in 3-D PET brain imaging

A Monte Carlo simulation has been developed to simulate and correct for the effect of Compton scatter in 3-D acquired PET brain scans. The method utilizes the 3-D reconstructed image volume as the source intensity distribution for a photon-tracking Monte Carlo simulation. It is assumed that the number of events in each pixel of the image represents the isotope concentration at that location in the brain. The history of each annihilation photon's interactions in the scattering medium is followed, and the sinograms for the scattered and unscattered photon pairs are generated in a simulated 3-D PET acquisition. The calculated scatter contribution is used to correct the original data set. The method is general and can be applied to any scanner configuration or geometry. In its current form the simulation requires 25 hours on a single Sparc10 CPU when every pixel in a 15-plane, 128/spl times/128 pixel image volume is sampled, and less than 2 hours when 16 pixels (4/spl times/4) are grouped as a single pixel. Results of the correction applied to 3-D human and phantom studies are presented. >
The Design of RPM: An FPGA-based Multiprocessor Emulator

Recent advances in Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) and programmable interconnects have made it possible to build efficient hardware emulation engines. In addition, improvements in Computer-Aided Design (CAD) tools, mainly in synthesis tools, greatly simplify the design of large circuits. The RPM (Rapid Prototype Engine for Multiprocessors) Project leverages these two technological advances. Its goal is to develop a common hardware platform for the emulation of multiprocessor systems with different architectures. For cost reasons, the use of FPGAs in RPM is limited to the memory controllers, while the rest of the emulator, including the processors, memories and interconnect, is built with off-the-shelf components. A flexible non-intrusive event logging mechanism is included at all levels of the memory hierarchy, making it possible to monitor the emulation in very fine detail. This paper presents the hardware design of RPM.
Corticular photosynthesis : A mechanism to enhance shrub expansion in coastal environments

Myrica cerifera L. (Myricaceae), the dominant woody species on many barrier islands along the southeastern coast of the United States, is expanding into grass-dominated, mesic, interdunal depressions where it forms dense thickets. Expansion may be attributed to a symbiotic nitrogen fixation with the bacterium Frankia, an evergreen leaf habit and, possibly, corticular photosynthesis (CP, i.e. refixation of respired CO2, %ref). We quantified seasonal variations in CP characteristics in first through fifth order branches of M. cerifera to determine the extent and relevance of CP to shrub expansion in coastal environments. Maximum mean %ref was 110±39 % of CO2 efflux in the dark (RD) in first order branches during winter. Minimum %ref was 18±3 % in fifth order branches during summer. Variations in %ref paralleled changes in incident photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD). As incident PPFD attenuated with increasing branch order, %ref decreased. A less dense canopy in winter led to increased PPFD and increases in %ref. Total chlorophyll (Chl) content and Chl a/b ratios were consistent with shade acclimation as branch order increased. CP may be a mechanism to enhance M. cerifera shrub expansion because of the potential increase in whole plant carbon use efficiency and water use efficiency attributed to refixation of respired CO2.
Kinetics of Innate Immune Response to Yersinia pestis after Intradermal Infection in a Mouse Model

A hallmark of Yersinia pestis infection is a delayed inflammatory response early in infection. In this study, we use an intradermal model of infection to study early innate immune cell recruitment. Mice were injected intradermally in the ear with wild-type (WT) or attenuated Y. pestis lacking the pYV virulence plasmid (pYV(-)). The inflammatory responses in ear and draining lymph node samples were evaluated by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. As measured by flow cytometry, total neutrophil and macrophage recruitment to the ear in WT-infected mice did not differ from phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) controls or mice infected with pYV(-), except for a transient increase in macrophages at 6 h compared to the PBS control. Limited inflammation was apparent even in animals with high bacterial loads (10(5) to 10(6) CFU). In addition, activation of inflammatory cells was significantly reduced in WT-infected mice as measured by CD11b and major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) expression. When mice infected with WT were injected 12 h later at the same intradermal site with purified LPS, Y. pestis did not prevent recruitment of neutrophils. However, significant reduction in neutrophil activation remained compared to that of PBS and pYV(-) controls. Immunohistochemistry revealed qualitative differences in neutrophil recruitment to the skin and draining lymph node, with WT-infected mice producing a diffuse inflammatory response. In contrast, focal sites of neutrophil recruitment were sustained through 48 h postinfection in pYV(-)-infected mice. Thus, an important feature of Y. pestis infection is reduced activation and organization of inflammatory cells that is at least partially dependent on the pYV virulence plasmid.
Fatal paraneoplastic systemic leukocytoclastic vasculitis as a presenting feature of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Abstract Background The most common paraneoplastic vasculitis is leukocytoclastic vasculitis (LCV), 1 75% of which are caused by hematological malignancies. 6 Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is associated with a multitude of auto-immune paraneoplastic syndromes. Data on LCV in association with CLL is restricted to isolated case reports, 3,4 none of which had systemic LCV. We present a unique case of fatal paraneoplastic, systemic LCV as an initial presentation of CLL in an elderly male with multiple co-morbidities. Case A 71-year-old man presented with a palpable, symmetric, purpuric rash on the lower extremities and an absolute lymphocytosis (white blood cell count 26.9; 23% lymphocytes). His co-morbidites included coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, and new critical aortic stenosis. Flow cytometry of peripheral blood demonstrated an abnormal population of B-cells, positive for CD5, CD19, and CD23, consistent with CLL. The skin biopsy specimen revealed neutrophilic inflammation in vessel walls indicative of LCV. Acute renal failure (creatinine 2 mg/dL), urinary red cell casts, and hypocomplementemia were concerning for a systemic vasculitis. The antinuclear antibody, cryoglobulin titer, antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody, serum protein electrophoresis, viral serologies were negative. On hospital day 6, he developed acute hepatocellular injury and acute respiratory failure. Continuous veno-venous hemodialysis was begun for worsening acidemia and hyperkalemia. Two days later he became obtunded on hospital day 8 and had an elevated lactic acid level with generalized abdominal tenderness worrisome for bowel ischemia. The same day he needed intubation with cardiopulmonary resuscitation for a brief episode of asystole. Despite aggressive treatment with high-dose steroids and plasmapheresis, he suffered worsening renal failure and shock. His family sought withdrawal of care on hospital day 11. Autopsy revealed diffuse LCV of the stomach, distal ileum, integument and alveoli with petechial hemorrhages, fibrin thrombi, and gangrenous patchy necrosis. Conclusion Paraneoplastic LCV is a rare syndrome and seldom occurs in association with CLL. This is the first reported case of fatal systemic paraneoplastic LCV from B-cell CLL. Dermatologic involvement is universal with LCV, and may portend systemic disease. More data on its pathogenesis in CLL is warranted.
Marinobufagenin, an Endogenous α-1 Sodium Pump Ligand, in Hypertensive Dahl Salt-Sensitive Rats

Dahl salt-sensitive rats (DS), which have a mutation in the alpha-1 subunit of Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase, exhibit impaired pressure natriuresis and on a high-salt diet, retain Na(+) and exhibit increased blood pressure. Recently, we have shown that mammalian tissues contain a bufadienolide Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase inhibitory factor, marinobufagenin (MBG), that exhibits greater affinity for the alpha-1 than alpha-3 sodium pump isoform. The present study investigated the possible role of MBG in hypertension in DS on a high NaCl intake. Eight DS and 8 Dahl salt-resistant rats (DR) were placed on an 8% NaCl diet. Within 2 weeks, systolic blood pressure increased in DS (162+/-9 mm Hg at week 2 versus 110+/-2 mm Hg in baseline, P<0.01), and increased less in DR (124+/-3 mm Hg at week 2 versus 112+/-2 mm Hg in baseline). Renal excretion of MBG increased 4-fold (38.9+/-7.6 pmol versus 9.1+/-1.3 pmol in baseline, P<0.01) in DS, but by only 25% in DR (13.2+/-0.9 pmol versus 10.3+/-0.7 pmol in baseline). Excretion of endogenous ouabain did not change in either strain. MBG-immunoreactive material was purified from the urine of hypertensive DS by means of 2 steps of reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and compared with plant ouabain and amphibian MBG for its ability to inhibit the Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase from rat kidney (which expresses only alpha-1 Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase isoform). Unlike ouabain (IC(50)=248 micromol/L), serially diluted, HPLC-purified MBG immunoreactivity from DS and authentic MBG potently inhibited rat kidney Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase (IC(50)=70 and 78 nmol/L, respectively). Our results suggest that an alpha-1 Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase ligand, MBG, is elaborated to promote natriuresis in hypertensive DS. MBG acts as a selective inhibitor of the ouabain-resistant alpha-1 Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase subunit, ie, the major sodium pump isoform of the kidneys, as would be expected of a putative natriuretic hormone.
Extracting Author Meta-Data from Web Using Visual Features

Enriching digital library's author meta-data can lead to valuable services and applications. This paper addresses the problem of extracting authors' information from their homepages. This problem is actually a multiclass classification problem. A homepage can be treated as a group of information pieces which need to be classified to different fields, e.g., Name, Title, Affiliation, Email, etc. In this problem, not only each information piece can be viewed as a point in a feature space, but also certain patterns can be observed among different fields on a page. To improve the extraction accuracy, this paper argues that visual features of information pieces on a homepage should be sufficiently utilized. In addition, this paper also proposes an inter-fields probability model to capture the relation among different fields. This model can be combined with feature- space based classification. Experimental results demonstrate that utilizing visual features and applying the inter- fields probability model can significantly improve the extraction accuracy.
Nursery Nitrogen Loading Improves Field Performance of Bareroot Oak Seedlings Planted on Abandoned Mine Lands

Although mine reclamation sites are important targets for ecological restoration, they are generally difficult to regenerate successfully. We evaluated the importance of nursery nutrient loading as a new approach to enhance forest restoration on abandoned mine lands. Northern red oak (Quercus rubra) and White oak (Q. alba) seedlings were nitrogen (N) loaded for 18 weeks at a bareroot nursery in southern Indiana, United States. Fertility treatments followed conventional or modified exponential functions to synchronize N supply with plant demand. Subsequently, nursery-grown seedlings were outplanted the following year onto a mine reclamation site in southwestern Indiana to evaluate effects of nursery N loading on first-year field performance. Nursery N loading promoted total plant dry mass production 25‐129% in Red oak and 50‐184% in White oak compared to unfertilized plants. Nitrogen loading increased N content 88‐145% and potassium (K) content 16‐71% for Red oak and N content 124‐250% and K content 16‐93% for White oak relative to controls. When outplanted, N loading resulted in high seedling survival (>84%) and increased total plant dry mass production 14‐30% for Red oak and 23‐52% for White oak. Nitrogen loading increased plant N uptake 14‐102% in Red oak and 32‐105% in White oak under field conditions. Exponential N loading demonstrates potential as a viable technique to improve seedling outplanting performance and reclamation success in Indiana and elsewhere.
Functional tumor imaging with dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging.

Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) is the acquisition of serial MRI images before, during, and after the administration of an MR contrast agent. Unlike conventional enhanced MRI, which simply provides a snapshot of enhancement at one point in time, DCE-MRI permits a fuller depiction of the wash-in and wash-out contrast kinetics within tumors, and thus provides insight into the nature of the bulk tissue properties. Such data is readily amenable to two-compartment pharmacokinetic modeling from which parameters based on the rates of exchange between the compartments can be generated. These parameters can be used to generate color-encoded images that aid in the visual assessment of tumors. DCE-MRI is used currently to characterize masses, stage tumors, and noninvasively monitor therapy. While DCE-MRI is in clinical use, there are also a number of limitations, including overlap between malignant and benign inflammatory tissue, failure to resolve microscopic disease, and the inconsistent predictive value of enhancement pattern with regard to clinical outcome. Current research focuses on improving understanding of the meaning of DCE-MRI at a molecular level, evaluating macromolecular and targeted contrast agents, and combining DCE-MRI with other physiologic imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography. Efforts to standardize DCE-MRI acquisition, analysis, and reporting methods will allow wider dissemination of this useful functional imaging technique. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2003;17:509–520. Published 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A flexible requirements process

Different software systems require different approaches to the requirements phase of the software process. We adapt a methodology that has been used effectively for the definition of generic application processes to define a generic requirements process. Tasks of this process are based on a distillation of the software engineering literature. The aim is to achieve for requirements engineering a capability level comparable to what Level 3 of the CMM is for the software process in general.
Appendix: Internet Sites on Nuclear Materials Safety Management, Environmental Safety and Health, Arms Control and Disarmament, Performance-Based Management, and Lessons Learned

A compilation of Internet web sites entitled “Internet Access to World Wide Web (WWW) Sites on Nuclear Materials Safety Management, Environmental Safety and Health, Arms Control and Disarmament, Performance-Based Management and Lessons Learned,” was prepared by the authors to facilitate future technical information exchange between the US and the Russian Federation participants in the corresponding NATO Workshop. These web sites were entered into the Amarillo National Resource Center’s Electronic Resource Library (ERL) for worldwide Internet access.
A method of biological pathway similarity search using high performance computing

Comparative study of biological pathway structures and composition can aid us in elucidating the functions of newly discovered pathways, understanding evolutionary traits, and determining missing pathway elements. A method has been developed to perform pair-wise comparison and similarity search of biological pathways. The comparison determines the differences of each pair of pathways represented in the XML format. The similarity search uses a scoring mechanism to rank the similarities of the pathway in question against those in the pathway repository. To achieve a reasonably good performance, the method is being implemented using the Condor high performance computing environment.
Great Expectations: Perceptual Challenges of Visual Surveillance in Lifeguarding

Summary The presence of lifeguards on beaches and at pools has the potential to prevent many drowning incidents. This article examines the visual components of the lifeguard's job, discussing some of the major challenges they face during surveillance. These include optical challenges (turbidity and turbulence of the water, light refraction, and glare), scene challenges (elevated set size affecting clutter and perceptual ‘blindnesses’), stimulus challenges (searching for multiple targets that are complex, dynamic, ill-defined, and rare), and attentional challenges, including but not limited to vigilance issues. The differences between basic laboratory research and the lifeguarding task are explored, with recommendations for future study. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Involvement of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors in Suppression of Antimicrobial Activity and Cytokine Responses of Alveolar Macrophages to Legionella pneumophila Infection by Nicotine

Although nicotine is thought to be one of the major immunomodulatory components of cigarette smoking, how nicotine alters the host defense of the lung and, in particular, immune responses of alveolar macrophages, which are critical effector cells in the lung defense to infection, is poorly understood. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are the receptor for nicotine and may be involved in the modulation of macrophage function by nicotine. In this study, therefore, nicotine-induced suppression of antimicrobial activity and cytokine responses of alveolar macrophages mediated by nAChRs to Legionella pneumophila , a causative agent for pneumonia, were examined. The murine MH-S alveolar macrophage cell line cells expressed the messages for α4 and β2 subunits of nAChRs, but not α7 subunits, determined by RT-PCR. The nicotine treatment of MH-S alveolar macrophages after infection with L. pneumophila significantly enhanced the replication of bacteria in the macrophages and selectively down-regulated the production of IL-6, IL-12, and TNF-α, but not IL-10, induced by infection. These effects were completely blocked by a nonselective antagonist, d -tubocurarine, for nAChRs, but not by a selective antagonist, α-bungarotoxin, for α7-nAChRs. Furthermore, the stimulation of nAChRs with another agonist, 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperazinium iodide, showed the same effects, which were blocked by the antagonist d -tubocurarine, on the bacterial replication and cytokine regulation with that of nicotine. Thus, the results revealed that nAChRs, the major exogenous ligands of which are nicotine, are involved in the regulation of macrophage immune function by nicotine and may contribute to the cigarette-induced risk factors for respiratory infections in smokers.
The influence of phase inversion on the auditory evoked response.

The amplitude of the auditory evoked response (N1P2) was measured over repeated tests on 24 normal hearing listeners. 200 and 2 000 Hz were presented in-phase (S0) and out-of-phase (Sπ) at moderate intensity levels. Response amplitude for Sπ was significantly larger (p < 0.025) than that for S0 when the tonal stimulus was 200 Hz. The results of psychophysical tests ruled out the possibility that this finding could be attributed to differences in loudness between Sπ and S0. No statistically significant difference in response amplitude was found between Sπ and S0 when 2 000 Hz was employed. These data are discussed with reference to the research on masking level differences.
Distribution of He 3 between Liquid and Vapor He 4

The relative abundances of ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ in the liquid and vapor phases of atmospheric helium have been studied as a function of temperature above and below the $\ensuremath{\lambda}$-point. The relative abundance of ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$/${\mathrm{He}}^{4}$ in the vapor (${C}_{v}$) was determined by means of the mass spectrometer and the corresponding quantity for the liquid (${C}_{L}$) computed from ${C}_{v}$ and the mass balance and composition balance equations. From 5.2\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K to the $\ensuremath{\lambda}$-point the ratio $\frac{{C}_{v}}{{C}_{L}}$ increases as the temperature decreases, whereas below the $\ensuremath{\lambda}$-point this ratio sharply decreases to zero, showing that the vapor in equilibrium with superfluid helium contains no measurable amount of ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$. On the basis of these results a simple method of concentrating ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ is suggested.
A RARE CASE OF PATENT DUCTUS ARTERIOSUS WITH EISENMENGER SYNDROME IN ADULT

Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a congenital heart defect in which the ductus arteriosus that typically connects the aorta to the left pulmonary artery fails to spontaneously close after birth. Incidence of PDA is about 6 per 10,000 in full term infants and 1 per 3 in preterm infants. Unrepaired
The efficacy of sequential therapy and standard triple therapy for eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection in children

Objective To assessment the efficacy and feasibility of sequential therapy for Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori)infection in children.Methods Children with upper gastrointestinal symptoms who tested positive for H.pylori by 13C-urea breath test(13C-UBT)were randomly divided into three groups,sequential therapy group,PAC group,and PAM group.The sequential group was treated by omeprazole and amoxicillin for the first five days,followed omeprazole,clarithromycin,and metronidazole for the next five days.The PAC group was treated by omeprazole,amoxicillin and clarithromycin for ten days.The PAM group was treated by omeprazole,amoxicillin,and metronidazole for ten days.The H.pylori eradication was assessed by 13C-UBT 4 weeks after completion of the treatment.Results A total of 100 pediatric patients were recruited,34 in sequential group,33 in PAC grop and 33 in PAM group.Per-protocol(PP)eradication rates were respectively 91.18% for sequential therapy group,68.97% for PAC group and 76.67% for PAM group.PP eradication rate was significantly higher in sequential therapy group than in PAC group(χ2 = 5.01,P 0.05).There were no significant differences of PP eradication rate between sequential therapy group and PAM group(χ2 = 2.55,P 0.05)and between PAC group and PAM group(χ2 = 0.44,P 0.05).Conclusions The 10-day sequential therapy is better than standard 10-day triple therapies in eradication of H.pylori infection.It suggested that 10-day sequential therapy may be a new effective solution in treatment of H.pylori infections in children.
Effect of p-chlorophenylalanine on hydroxylation of tryptophan in pineal and brain of rats.

Tryptophan hydroxylase activity was measured in vitro in the pineal gland, brain stem, and cerebral cortex of rats after treatment with p-chlorophenylalanine. Enzyme activity in the brain stem or cortex, assayed at 10 µM tryptophan, decreased to 5% of control 1-3 days after treatment with p-chlorophenylalanine. Enzyme activity in the pineal remained at 60-75% of that in control rats. When the tryptophan concentration was greater than 100 µM, tryptophan hydroxylase activity in the pineal did not differ between control and p-chlorophenylalanine-treated rats. Tryptophan hydroxylase in the pineal is thus relatively resistant to inhibition with p-chlorophenylalanine. p-Chlorophenylalanine depleted serotonin levels in the pineal as well as in the brain. Neither the pineal nor the brain could convert tracer doses of radioactive tryptophan to serotonin, indicating that the biosynthetic capacity was impaired by treatment of the rats with p-chlorophenylalanine. However, after injection of a large dose of L-tryptophan, the pineals of p-chlorophenylalanine-treated rats synthesized serotonin from tryptophan at almost the same rate as the pineals of control rats. Smaller doses of L-tryptophan were less effective in increasing serotonin levels. These results indicate that, although the pineals of p-chlorophenylalanine-treated rats retained tryptophan hydroxylase, the affinity of the enzyme for tryptophan was reduced. The differential sensitivity to p-chlorophenylalanine of pineal tryptophan hydroxylase as compared to the enzyme from various brain regions suggests that the pineal enzyme has distinctive molecular properties.
Synthesis and structure determination of SCR7, a DNA ligase inhibitor

Abstract In contrast to a published report, reaction of 4,5-diamino-6-hydroxy-2-mercaptopyrimidine with 2 equiv of aromatic aldehydes produces a mixture of 6,7-diaryl-2-thioxopteridine-4-one and 6,7-diaryl-2-thioxo-7,8-dihydropteridine-4-one rather than a diimine. These compounds represent the correct structure for SCR7, a substance reported to be an inhibitor of nonhomologous end-joining, a DNA repair pathway. The dihydropteridine can be isolated as a minor product, and it can be oxidized to the pteridine.
Low-temperature PEALD ZnO double-gate TFTs

We report double-gate ZnO thin film transistors fabricated using weak reactant plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) with a maximum process temperature of 200˚C. When operated as bottom gate only devices the TFTs have linear region mobility of 19 cm2/V⋅s and the top gate can be used to vary the bottom-gate TFT threshold voltage by more than 2 V. With top and bottom gates connected together the linear region mobility increases to 24 cm2/V⋅s, with a subthreshold slope of 160 mV/decade. The low process temperature of these devices allows simple fabrication on polyimide and other flexible polymeric substrates. Double gate TFTs are of interest to allow threshold voltage tuning, improved device performance and stability, and for circuit applications like mixers and analog circuits design. Double gate TFTs have been demonstrated using GIZO[1, 2]; however, these reports used a maximum process temperature of 350 °C, too high for flexible polymeric substrates. We have previously reported high quality ZnO TFTs fabricated on both glass and plastic substrates using weak reactant PEALD with a maximum process temperature of 200 °C[3, 4]. We now report double gate TFTs with the same maximum process temperature.
Hijab and Depression: Does the Islamic Practice of Veiling Predict Higher Levels of Depressive Symptoms?

Hijab or veiling is commonly practiced by Muslim women but remains controversial in the broader secular society. Some Western feminists argue that veiling is an oppressive behavior that negatively affects women by, for example, engendering depression. This article tests this hypothesis with a national sample of American Muslim women (N = 194). The results of the regression analysis did not support the hypothesis. Indeed, women who veiled more frequently reported lower, rather than higher, levels of depressive symptoms. In other words, wearing the hijab appears to be a protective factor in the area of depression. Given the prevalence of depression among women, the results have important implications for practice with Muslim women at both the micro and the macro levels.
Incorporating Telemetry Error into Hidden Markov Models of Animal Movement Using Multiple Imputation

When data streams are observed without error and at regular time intervals, discrete-time hidden Markov models (HMMs) have become immensely popular for the analysis of animal location and auxiliary biotelemetry data. However, measurement error and temporally irregular data are often pervasive in telemetry studies, particularly in marine systems. While relatively small amounts of missing data that are missing-completely-at-random are not typically problematic in HMMs, temporal irregularity can result in few (if any) observations aligning with the regular time steps required by HMMs. Fitting HMMs that explicitly account for uncertainty attributable to location measurement error, temporally irregular observations, or other forms of missing data typically requires computationally demanding techniques, such as Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). Using simulation and a real-world bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus) example, I investigate a practical alternative to incorporating measurement error and temporally irregular observations into HMMs based on multiple imputation of the position process drawn from a single-state continuous-time movement model. This two-stage approach is relatively simple, performed with existing software using efficient maximum likelihood methods, and completely parallelizable. I generally found the approach to perform well across a broad range of simulated measurement error and irregular sampling rates, with latent states and locations reliably recovered in nearly all simulated scenarios. However, high measurement error coupled with low sampling rates often induced bias in both the estimated probability distributions of data streams derived from the imputed position process and the estimated effects of spatial covariates on state transition probabilities. Results from the two-stage analysis of the bearded seal data were similar to a more computationally intensive single-stage MCMC analysis, but the two-stage analysis required much less computation time and no custom model-fitting algorithms. I thus found the two-stage multiple-imputation approach to be promising in terms of its ease of implementation, computation time, and performance. Code for implementing the approach using the R package “momentuHMM” is provided. Supplementary materials accompanying this paper appear online.
Pre-transplant Sensitization for Patient Awaiting Lung Transplant: Are We Concerned?

The goal of this paper is to highlight the changes in detection, management, and prognosis of pre-transplant sensitized candidates and recipients. With improvements in technology, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibody testing has identified a significant proportion of lung transplant candidates with pre-transplant HLA antibody detection. Pre-transplant antibodies are associated with worse early outcomes after lung transplant if not addressed with targeted antibody therapy. There are promising new therapy plans to address pre-transplant HLA antibodies and potentially ameliorate the early risk of antibody-mediated graft injury. Pre-transplant sensitization continues to be a difficult problem in lung transplant. Detailed HLA antibody reports allow for precise identification of antibodies. The future challenge is how to manage these antibodies pre- and peri-transplant.
What Is There for Industry in Oceanography

(1966). What Is There for Industry in Oceanography? Research Management: Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 193-200.
Nuclear and atomic moments and hyperfine-structure parameters of $sup 253$Es and /sup 254m/Es

The atomic-beam magnetic-resonance method has been used to study atoms of the isotopes $^{253}\mathrm{Es}$ and $^{254m}\mathrm{Es}$. The parameters of the Hamiltonian which fit the experimental data for $^{253}\mathrm{Es}$ are $I=\frac{7}{2}$, $J=\frac{15}{2}$, $A=817.153(7)$ MHz, $B=\ensuremath{-}4316.254(76)$ MHz, ${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{I}=4.10(7){\ensuremath{\mu}}_{N}$, and ${g}_{J}=1.185138(5)$. The spectroscopic nuclear electric quadrupole moment calculated from the $B$ factor is ${Q}_{s}=6.9(8)$ b. For $^{254m}\mathrm{Es}$ the parameters $I=2$, $A=1020(12)$ MHz, and $B=\ensuremath{-}2387(160)$ MHz fit the data. The magnetic dipole moment and electric quadrupole moment inferred from these values are ${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{I}=2.90(7){\ensuremath{\mu}}_{N}$ and ${Q}_{s}=3.8(5)$ b. The high precision of the Land\'e $g$-value determination was used to calculate an atomic ground-state eigenvector. For $^{253}\mathrm{Es}$ the ratio of the measured $A$ factor to the nuclear magnetic moment agrees well with the calculations of Lewis et al.
Our Lady of Zeitoun (1968–1971): Egyptian Mariophanies in Historical, Interfaith, and Ecumenical Context

This article situates the mass mariophanies reported at Zeitoun (Cairo), Egypt, from 1968 to 1971 in their historical, political, interfaith, and ecumenical contexts. The series of luminous apparitions above St. Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church were first observed by nearby Muslim public transit workers. Soon after, the site attracted tens of thousands of Christian and Muslim pilgrims, many of whom observed bright light in the form of the Virgin Mary in addition to other manifestations, such as dove-shaped lights hovering above or near the church. Miraculous healings were also reported. The Zeitoun apparitions serve as a unique instance within the broader study of Marian apparitions by providing a non-Catholic example that took place within a Muslim-majority nation over a span of nearly three years. Moreover, full contextualization of the events in Zeitoun requires interdisciplinary attention spanning Middle Eastern, Islamic, and ecumenical studies; as such, the apparitions invite further and fuller examination in the secondary literature.
Transport phenomena in SrVO3/SrTiO3 superlattices

Epitaxial [(SrVO3)7/(SrTiO3)4] r (SVO/STO) superlattices were grown on (0 0 1)-oriented LSAT substrates using a pulsed electron-beam deposition technique. The transport properties of the superlattices were investigated by varying the number of repetitions of the SVO/STO bilayers r (1 ≤ r ≤ 9). A single SVO/STO bilayer (r = 1) was semiconducting, whereas an increase in the number of repetitions r resulted in metallic behavior in the superlattices with r ≥ 3. The transport phenomena in the SVO/STO superlattices can be regarded as conduction through parallel-coupled SVO layers, the SVO layer embedded in the superlattices showed a great enhancement in the conductivity compared with the single SVO layer. This work provides further evidence of electronic phase separation in the SVO ultrathin layer that has been recently discovered, the SVO ultrathin layer is considered as a 2D Mott insulator with metallic and insulating phases coexisting, the coupling between SVO layers embedded in the SVO/STO superlattices creates more conduction pathways with increasing number of repetitions r, resulting in a crossover from insulating to metallic behavior.
Comparison of Exposure in the Kaplan Versus the Kocher Approach in the Treatment of Radial Head Fractures.

Background The aim of this study was to compare the complete visible surface area of the radial head, neck, and coronoid in the Kaplan and Kocher approaches to the lateral elbow. The hypothesis was that the Kaplan approach would afford greater visibility due to the differential anatomy of the intermuscular planes. Methods Ten cadavers were dissected with the Kaplan and Kocher approaches, and the visible surface area was measured in situ using a 3-dimensional digitizer. Six measurements were taken for each approach by 2 surgeons, and the mean of these measurements were analyzed. Results The mean surface area visible with the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) preserved in the Kaplan approach was 616.6 mm2 in comparison with the surface area of 136.2 mm2 visible in the Kocher approach when the LCL was preserved. Using a 2-way analysis of variance, the difference between these 2 approaches was statistically significant. When the LCL complex was incised in the Kocher approach, the average visible surface area of the Kocher approach was 456.1 mm2 and was statistically less than the Kaplan approach. The average surface area of the coronoid visible using a proximally extended Kaplan approach was 197.8 mm2. Conclusions The Kaplan approach affords significantly greater visible surface area of the proximal radius than the Kocher approach.
Tuning Confinement in Colloidal Silicon Nanocrystals with Saturated Surface Ligands

The optical properties of silicon nanocrystals (Si NCs) are a subject of intense study and continued debate. In particular, Si NC photoluminescence (PL) properties are known to depend strongly on the surface chemistry, resulting in electron–hole recombination pathways derived from the Si NC band-edge, surface-state defects, or combined NC-conjugated ligand hybrid states. In this Letter, we perform a comparison of three different saturated surface functional groups—alkyls, amides, and alkoxides—on nonthermal plasma-synthesized Si NCs. We find a systematic and size-dependent high-energy (blue) shift in the PL spectrum of Si NCs with amide and alkoxy functionalization relative to alkyl. Time-resolved photoluminescence and transient absorption spectroscopies reveal no change in the excited-state dynamics between Si NCs functionalized with alkyl, amide, or alkoxide ligands, showing for the first time that saturated ligands—not only surface-derived charge-transfer states or hybridization between NC and low-lyin...
Effect of Local Alpha-Adrenergic Blockade on Human Penile Erection

Recent data suggest that selective local blockade of the alpha-adrenergic receptors of the sympathetic innervation within the corpora cavernosa of the penis will result in erection in normal and impotent subjects. To examine this hypothesis we studied in a randomized, double-blinded fashion 8 impotent patients and 2 normal controls. The organic nature of the impotence was documented with nocturnal penile tumescence testing, sacral latency examination, Doppler penile blood flow measurements, hormonal evaluation and psychological testing. The 2 normal controls had full erections for 5 to 7 minutes after the intracorporeal injection of 5 mg. phentolamine. All of the impotent subjects had tumescence without full erection after a similar injection. The tumescence was augmented by standing upright and diminished by assuming a supine posture, and lasted for several hours. Possible mechanisms, and diagnostic and therapeutic implications are discussed.
Multiple Routes for Survival: Understanding How Cancer Evades Apoptosis

Apoptosis is a process of programmed cell-death encoded in all multicellular organisms. The system is designed to remove damaged, unhealthy or unneeded cells during development and under certain stresses. At the tissue level, it plays a key role in maintaining tissue homeostasis. For example, the typical human body produces approximately 50–70 billion new cells by mitosis each day (Karam 2009), and the same number of cells will be terminated by apoptosis to maintain total cell homeostasis, suggesting that there is a functional link between growth and cell death by apoptosis. Malfunctions of the apoptotic system, in either its regulators or effectors, have been linked to a variety of human diseases. Examples include: (1) human degenerative diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, which are known to be associated with abnormally high activities of apoptosis, and (2) cancer that is considered by some as a disease of abnormally low activities of apoptosis.
Detailed Performance Analysis of Distributed Tensorflow on a GPU Cluster using Deep Learning Algorithms

Long training times for building a high accuracy deep neural networks (DNNs) is impeding research for new DNN architectures. For example, time for training GoogleNet with the ImageNet dataset on a single Nvidia K20 GPU almost takes 25 days. Therefore, there is a great need in the AI community to speed up the training phase, especially when using a large dataset. For this, we need Distributed Deep Neural Networks (DDNNs) that can scale well with more computation resources. However, this involves two challenges.First, the deep learning framework or training library must support inter-node communication. Second, the user must modify the code to take advantage of the inter-node communication. The changes to the code can be minimal to significant depending upon the user expertize in the distributed systems. Current DNN frameworks support distributed learning using MPI. However, these frameworks come with poorly understood overheads associated with communication and data management. Tensorflow provides APIs for distributed learning using MPI programming model and gRPC. These APIs are not easy to use for a domain expert for designing an efficient distributed learning model. Recently, Uber Inc. provides the Horovod Framework which gives a fast and easy way to support distributed learning using Tensorflow, Pytorach, and Keras. In this paper we provide a detailed performance analysis of distributed Tensorflow using Horovod. We implemented distributed learning for AlexNet, GoogleNet, and ResNet50 using Horovod. We used Nvidia K 40,K80, and P100 GPUs for our experimentation. We used synthetic image data with different runtime variables (batch size and number of GPUs). Our results shows that the Horovod framework gives almost linear throughput (images/sec) scalability up to 256 GPUs.
2087. Comparison of Alere™ i Influenza Flu A and B 2 and Cobas® Influenza A/B Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests for Detection of Influenza A/B in Nasopharyngeal Swabs Collected from Children

Background Early diagnosis of influenza virus is critical for patient management and infection control. Both, Alere™ i Influenza A and B two assay (Alere i; Abbott Laboratories) and Cobas® Influenza A/B nucleic acid test (LIAT; Roche Molecular Systems Inc.) are rapid sample-to-answer CLIA waived molecular assays for flu detection. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of these two commercially available flu assays.
Comparison of various machine learning algorithms for estimating generalized propensity score

In this paper, we conducted a simulation study to evaluate the performance of four algorithms: multinomial logistic regression (MLR), bagging (BAG), random forest (RF), and gradient boosting (GB), ...
Remediation of heavy-metal-contaminated sediments in USA using ultrasound and ozone nanobubbles

The lower 12·875 km of the Passaic River (NJ, USA) is heavily contaminated due to industrial activities – specifically heavy metal extraction from chromium (Cr)-ore-processing plants and production...
Professional Identity and Information Use: On Becoming a Machine Learning Developer

Recently, information behavior (IB) research has drawn attention to the broader life of information, noting its role in discursive practices around social and organizational identity. We explore information’s role in occupational and professional identity and identification. How information use figures into the ways that individuals become interested in certain professions (and the barriers to entry they experience) can be helpful in developing policy interventions to foster occupational diversity and inclusion, a particular concern in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. This paper reports on a qualitative interview study of machine learning (ML) developers, examining their accounts of how they became interested in the ML field, the barriers they experienced when entering the field, and their patterns of information use in these processes. We discuss the implications of our findings, which reveal information use as an organizing principle that simultaneously defines and continually binds a professional community of practice together.
From Ignorance to Knowledge: Deriving Epistemic Virtues from the Qur’ānic Conception of Ignorance

This chapter aims at an analysis of the Qur’ānic concept of ignorance in the light contemporary virtue epistemology with its focus on intellectual virtues. In Sect. 2.1 below I give a brief set of introductory remarks about the contemporary emergence of virtue epistemology and the directions in which it is evolving. Sosa’s seminal work for bridging the divide between foundationalism and coherentism through the concept of intellectual virtue is noted along with early work done by Montmarquet and Code on intellectual responsibility and conscientiousness. Sosa’s reliabilist and Zagzebsky’s responsibilist positions are highlighted. This overview sets the stage for casting a careful look in Sect. 2.2 at all the verses of the Qur’ān that talk about remediable blameworthy ignorance in humans with the purpose of deriving from them what the Qur’ān takes to be central epistemic virtues. The analysis brings out various intellectual virtues that mostly seem to be forms of epistemic conscientiousness.
Reversal of Severe Multiorgan Failure Associated With Sickle Cell Crisis Using Plasma Exchange: A Case Series.

Objective:Red blood cell exchange (RBCE) is the standard of care for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) who present with severe vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC). However, subsets of these criticall...
The Role of Proxy Advisors and Large Passive Funds in Shareholder Voting: Lions or Lambs?

Proxy advisory firms and large passive mutual funds have faced criticism both for being too powerful and not exercising diligence in proxy voting. We document that the ``Big 3'' passive fund families, Blackrock, State Street, and Vanguard, are increasingly likely to vote with management, and their support is paramount in approving controversial proposals. Meanwhile, mutual funds overall are increasingly less likely to vote according to ISS recommendations. Moreover, neither ISS nor Glass-Lewis recommendations are predictive of controversial proposals passing, especially post-financial-crisis. Our findings suggest that the Big 3 are increasingly influential in voting, and that ISS appears less influential over time.
PrEP Product Acceptability and Dual Process Decision-Making Among Men Who Have Sex with Men.

Advances in short- and long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) technologies have incentivized the need to understand how individuals make trade-offs and competing decisions regarding PrEP modalities. The purpose of this review was to examine how researchers have conceptualized and measured attributes that are either intuitive and emotional (System 1) or deliberative and cognitive (System 2) in conjoint analysis or discrete choice experiments focused on diverse PrEP technologies among men who have sex with men (MSM). Across the 9 studies meeting inclusion criteria, 5 included oral PrEP, 3 included topical rectal microbicides, 4 included PrEP injectables, and 1 study focused on an HIV prevention vaccine. Studies have not used uniform metrics, making comparisons difficult. Researchers measured attributes linked to System 2 processing (e.g., cost, efficacy), yet none examined System 1 processing. There is not one product or attribute preferable to all groups. Prevention products will need to be developed and promoted to reflect that diversity. Given that PrEP technologies have been solely informed by System 2 attributes, efforts to integrate System 1 attributes into ongoing and future PrEP choice experiments are pivotal to advance PrEP acceptability research and interventions to support their implementation.
7 – Allosteric Drug Antagonism

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses various aspects of allosteric drug antagonism. A major molecular mechanism of receptor antagonism involves the binding of the antagonist to its own site on the receptor separate from the binding site of the endogenous agonist. Allosteric effects are defined by the interaction of an allosteric modulator at an allosteric binding site on the protein to affect the conformation at the probe site of the protein. Allosteric modulators affect the interaction of the receptor and probe molecules by binding to separate sites on the receptor. These effects are transmitted through changes in the receptor protein. Allosteric modulators possess properties different from orthosteric ligands. It is found that allosteric effects are saturable and probe dependent. The dextral displacement reaches a maximal value leading to a curvilinear Schild regression. Allosteric modulators that block receptor function produce insurmountable antagonism. It is observed that modulators that block function also can alter affinity.