cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nano/Microfluidics for diagnosis of infectious diseases in developing countries☆

Nano/Microfluidic technologies are emerging as powerful enabling tools for diagnosis and monitoring of infectious diseases in both developed and developing countries. Miniaturized nano/microfluidic platforms that precisely manipulate small fluid volumes can be used to enable medical diagnosis in a more rapid and accurate manner. In particular, these nano/microfluidic diagnostic technologies are potentially applicable to global health applications, since they are disposable, inexpensive, portable, and easy-to-use for detection of infectious diseases. In this paper, we review recent advances in nano/microfluidic technologies for clinical point-of-care applications at resource-limited settings in developing countries.
Three-beam-interference lithography: contrast and crystallography

Specific configurations of three linearly polarized, monochromatic plane waves have previously been shown to be capable of producing interference patterns exhibiting symmetry inherent in 5 of the 17 plane groups. Starting with the general expression for N linearly polarized waves, three-beam interference is examined in detail. The totality of all possible sets of constraints for producing the five plane groups is presented. In addition, two uniform contrast conditions are identified and discussed. Further, it is shown that when either of the uniform contrast conditions is applied and the absolute contrast is maximized, unity absolute contrast is achievable.
Effect of Hypophysectomy, Thyroidectomy, Castration and Adrenalectomy on Diurnal Food and Water Intake in Rats

SummaryHypophysectomy altered but did not abolish the rats' normal diurnal feeding rhythm. The diurnal ingestive rhythm of castrated male rats was comparable to the shams. Adrenalectomy did not att...
Relationships between parental input frequencies and children's language acquisition: a reanalysis of Brown's data.

To evaluate Brown's assertion that frequency of input is not a significant variable in language acquisition, some of Brown's data were reanalysed. The data pertaining to Adam, Eve, Sarah and their parents were predominantly obtained from Brown's (1973) book and were supplemented from the transcripts. Parental input frequency and the children's age at mastery were highly related for each of the three triads. Then Sarah's input and rate of language acquisition were compared with that of the other two children. The correlation between Sarah's relative input deprivation and her relative linguistic delay was 0·66. Finally, an analysis of Eve's acquisition of specific prepositional phrases involving the preposition in were made. Again it was found that frequency of input was highly related to frequency of production. Detailed analyses of parent-child interactions provided evidence also for short-term effects of input frequency.
Using Nonfinancial Measures to Improve Fraud Risk Assessments

SUMMARY: Nonfinancial measures (e.g., number of employees, square feet of operations, independent customer satisfaction, number of customer accounts) can be helpful in assessing the risk of revenue frauds. Companies committing such frauds may have a hard time falsifying nonfinancial measures, especially those produced independently (e.g., customer satisfaction). Auditors can benefit from examining relationships between nonfinancial measures and financial measures to validate financial statement data. A recent study, “Using Nonfinancial Measures to Assess Fraud Risk” (Brazel et al. 2009), provides empirical evidence concerning the relationship between various nonfinancial measures and revenue frauds. This article may be useful as a reference for auditors, or as a teaching tool in the classroom, as it reviews and summarizes Brazel et al.'s (2009) study and provides specific actual examples.
Transformative ecosystem change and ecohydrology: ushering in a new era for watershed management

As a result of human activities, forests and rangelands across the globe have undergone dramatic changes that have fundamentally altered ecosystem processes. Examples of these kinds of transformational changes include increasingly hot and extensive forest fires, die-off over vast areas of forest from insect infestations, large-scale encroachment of rangelands by woody plants and non-native invasive plants, and desertification. These changes have accelerated in pace, scale and magnitude in recent decades and have the potential to alter water, energy, and biogeochemical cycles in important but not fully understood ways. The related disciplines of ecohydrology and watershed management are being shaped and transformed by the need to understand the ecohydrological consequences of transformative landscape change as well as the need to mitigate and manage for these changes. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Air sterlization of spores with non-thermal plasma

Air quality control is important for facilities such as drug manufacturing plants and hospitals to prevent contaminations. The release of airborne biological weapons into the air circulation system is also a possible route of attack for military bases and large office buildings. Currently the most common method of air quality maintenance is the expensive HEPA filter system installed into the air circulation system. The HEPA filter requires routine maintenance and replacements of filters. But in dealing with deadly pathogens, even if the HEPA filter pores are small enough to filter out the pathogens, the filters do not inactivate them therefore threat is maintained. Also cost of the system and maintenance increases significantly with the level of air quality desired.
Structure of a Nonpathogenic Histomonad from the Cecum of Galliform Birds and Revision of the Trichomonad Family Monocercomonadidae Kirby

SYNOPSIS. The nonpathogenic flagellate from the cecum of fowl, hitherto known as Histomonas wenrichi Lund, is an actively ameboid organism equipped with 4 flagella. Three of the flagella, subequal in length, are applied to one another for a short distance anterior to their origin in the kinetosomal complex and typically terminate in knob-like expansions; the 4th flagellum originates independently of the others and ends in a fine filament. A short, wide pelta is joined to the anterior part of the broad, spatulate axostylar capitulum applied to the left-ventral surface of the ellipsoidal, spheroidal, or ovoidal nucleus. Posterior to the nucleus the capitulum narrows into a slender axostylar trunk, which does not project beyond the body surface. The parabasal body, associated with a long, stout parabasal filament, is dorsal and to the right of the nucleus. On the basis of the flagellar number, the parasite is placed in a new genus Parahistomonas. A new subfamily, Protrichomonadinae, is created within the appropriately emended trichomonad family Monocercomonadidae for Parahistomonas wenrichi (Lund) comb. nov. as well as for Histomonas meleagridis (Smith) and Protrichomonas legeri (Alexeieff).
Development of a second-generation environmentally superior technology for treatment of swine manure in the USA

New swine waste management systems in North Carolina need to meet high performance standards of an environmentally superior technology (EST) regarding nitrogen, phosphorus, heavy metals, pathogens, ammonia and odor emissions, and remain affordable and simple to operate. The objective of this study was to develop a second-generation treatment system that can achieve high EST standards at reduced costs. The system used solids separation, nitrification/denitrification and phosphorus removal/disinfection, and was demonstrated at full-scale on a 5145-head swine farm during three production cycles (15-months). Removal efficiencies were: 98% suspended solids, 97% ammonia, 95% phosphorus, 99% copper and zinc, 99.9% odors, and 99.99% pathogens. The system met EST standards at 1/3 the cost of the previous version. Animal health and productivity were enhanced; hog sales increased 32,900 kg/cycle (5.6%). These results demonstrated that: (1) significant cost reductions were achieved by on-farm implementation and continued engineering improvements, and (2) the new waste management system substantially benefited livestock productivity. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
The prevalence and severity of late effects in normal rat duodenum following intraoperative irradiation

Abstract In humans, a portion of the duodenum is often at risk for radiation-induced complications following intraoperative radiation therapy for pancreatic carcinoma. To determine experimentally the prevalence and severity of late effects in the normal mammalian duodenum, 190 rats received single doses of 0, 15, 20, 25, 30, or 40 Gy orthovoltage X rays to temporarily exteriorized 3 cm circumferential segments of duodenum. The animals were killed 2, 6, 8, or 10 months later. Actuarial survival, change in body weight, and a radiation injury score based on eight histopathologic alterations were used as endpoints. Epithelial atypia, intestinal wall fibrosis, serosal thickening, and vascular sclerosis were the dominant histopathologic alterations at all dose levels throughout the 10-month observation period. The prevalence and severity of histologic radiation injury showed sigmoidal dose-response relationships with the plateaus starting at 20 Gy. Doses of 20 Gy or greater also resulted in a substantial loss of body weight and a high level of early deaths (20–80 days). All endpoints indicate that intraoperative doses of 20 Gy or greater are associated with unacceptable risks of late and irreversible complications.
Guided propagation in a step-index, multi-mode fiber: effect of index difference variation on allowable TM propagation constants

The eAect of variation of core and cladding index diAerence, Dna ncorencladding, on allowable values for the guided mode transverse magnetic propagation constants within a step-index, multi-mode optical fiber is investigated. We use a iterative computational technique to calculate the propagation constants for modes inside and outside the core that satisfy the boundary conditions contained within the characteristic eigen-equation for the TM field components. Evidence of a strong dependence of the allowable propagation constants on changes of Dn is shown. # 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Drosophila rosA gene, which when mutant causes aberrant photoreceptor oscillation, encodes a novel neurotransmitter transporter homologue.

The Drosophila receptor oscillation A (rosA) mutations, which cause electroretinogram (ERG) defects, including oscillations, were localized to the 24F4-25A2 region of chromosome 2L. Genomic fragments from this region, isolated from bacteriophage PI clones, included those that detect transcriptional defects in rosA mutants in RNA blot experiments. One of these genomic fragments was used to screen a head cDNA library. The largest cDNA clone (3.6 kb) isolated was shown to rescue a rosA mutant in P element-germline transformation experiments. The ROSA protein deduced from the open reading frame in the 3.6 kb rosA cDNA is 943 amino acids long and is 36-41% identical to members of the superfamily of Na+/Cl− -dependent neurotransmitter transporters, with no indication of higher sequence identity to any one subgroup within the superfamily. RNA blot experiments revealed multiple transcripts in various developmental stages, the most abundant one being a 3.7 kb transcript, particularly in the adult head. Tissue in s...
Cigarette smoking and lung cancer: chemical mechanisms and approaches to prevention

Summary Much is now known about the carcinogens in cigarette smoke, their conversion to forms that react with DNA, and the miscoding properties of the resulting DNA adducts that cause the many genetic changes known to exist in human lung cancer. The chronic exposure of pulmonary DNA to a multitude of metabolically activated carcinogens is consistent with our current understanding of cancer as a disease resulting from many changes in key genes regulating growth. This review illustrates how this solid foundation of knowledge can be used to find new ways to prevent lung cancer. Three prevention-related topics are discussed: human uptake of tobacco carcinogens as a way of assessing risk and investigating mechanisms; individual differences in the metabolic activation and detoxification of carcinogens, which may relate to cancer susceptibility; and chemoprevention of lung cancer in smokers and ex-smokers. These new approaches are necessary as adjuncts to education and cessation efforts, which despite some success have not eliminated tobacco smoking.
An approximation approach of the standard clock method for general discrete-event simulation

The standard clock (SC) method is an efficient approach for discrete-event simulation. Its basic ideas are quite different from traditional approaches. SC has neither an event list nor event lifetimes, its applicability is limited, however, to exponential distributions and a class of nonexponential distributions. In this paper we provide an efficient approach to general distributions. Shifted exponential and hyperexponential distributions are used as second-order approximations to simulation input distributions. Numerical testing demonstrates that they serve as good approximations and preserve the advantages of SC. In addition, an nth order method is presented that provides arbitrarily good approximations. The idea of event insertion extends SC use to further applications and improves simulation efficiency on SIMD machines. >
Chromatographic determination and mass spectrometric identification of γ-glutamylphenylalanine, a urinary constituent in phenylketonuria

The occurrence of γ-glutamylphenylalanine in the urine of patients with phenylketonuria could be demonstrated using chromatographic techniques and mass spectrometry. Concentrations ranged up to 35 mg/l. Only a weak correlation between the urinary excretion of this compound and phenylalanine was seen. The ages of the patients investigated ranged from 2 weeks to 18 years. The origin of the dipeptide is discussed.
Morphological and experimental studies of the somitomeric organization of the segmental plate in snapping turtle embryos

SUMMARY The segmental plate mesoderm of snapping turtle embryos (Chelydra serpentina) was examined with stereoscanning electron microscopy imaging. A metameric pattern was detected along the entire length of the segmental plates. This pattern consisted of a tandem sequence of mesodermal units, called somitomeres. Each somitomere was oval to cubic in shape and the processes of the constituent mesodermal cells tended to be arranged in concentric rings about the centre of the somitomere. Several experiments from a previous study (Packard, 1980b) of snapping turtle segmental plates were repeated, but, instead of culturing the explants and observing the numbers of somites that formed, the explants were fixed immediately for scanning electron microscopy and the number of somitomeres was counted. The segmental plates were found to contain an average of 6-5 ± 0-7 somitomeres, which is almost identical to the average number of somites formed by such segmental plates when cultured (6-6 ± 1-2). Furthermore, the number of somitomeres was identical in right and left explants removed from the same embryo, and the number of somitomeres was consistent regardless of the length of the segmental plate. Both of these observations are identical to those made previously for somite formation in culture. This association between numbers of somitomeres and somites strongly suggests that one gives rise to the other. Finally, it was demonstrated that for each somite formed by a segmental plate in culture, the segmental plate contained one less somitomere. This showed in a direct manner that turtle somitomeres become somites. It was concluded that the segmental plate mesoderm of snapping turtle embryos is already segmented, and that the 'segmentation' seen under a dissecting microscope is actually the final stage of somitomere differentiation into an epithelial somite.
What Women Want: A Qualitative Study of Contraception in Jail.

Objectives. We undertook this study to understand women’s perceptions of receiving contraception at Rikers Island Jail.Methods. We conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews in 2011 to 2012 with 32 women incarcerated at Rikers Island Jail. We analyzed the data using standard qualitative techniques.Results. Almost all participants believed that contraception should be provided at the jail. However, many said they would hesitate to use these services themselves. Reservations were caused in part by women’s negative views of health care services at the jail. Fears about the safety of birth control, difficulties associated with follow-up in the community, and desire for pregnancy were other factors that influenced interest in accepting contraception.Conclusions. Contraception at the jail must be provided by trusted medical providers delivering high quality care with the goal of allowing women to control their own fertility; this would ensure that women could access birth control and cease using birth contro...
European Sugar Reforms

This paper provides an overview of the EU's sugar regime and its trading relationship with ACP sugar producers.
Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Wilson Disease-related Liver Cirrhosis.

A 59-year-old white man with atypical presentations of WD was initially diagnosed with HCC. Subsequent follow-up evaluations supported the diagnosis of WD with a strong family history, elevated serum ceruloplasmin levels, increased urinary copper, and significant copper deposition in the liver. The development of HCC in WD is most likely secondary to excessive copper deposition in the liver and concurrent cirrhosis.
A Comparative Morphological Study of the Prothoracic Glandular Bands of Some Lepidopterous Larvae with Special Reference to Their Innervation

Very few papers deal with the prothoracic glandular bands of lepidopterous larvae. Toyama (1902) described them in Bombyx mori under the name “hypostigmatic gland,” and more recently Ke (1930) described the variations in the same species under the name “prothoracic glands” In the present paper descriptions of the gland and its innervation are given for thirteen other genera representing eight different families of the order.
Toward a Science of Business Administration

Emphasizes the development and extension of the science portion of business administration. Criticism of business courses and business administration books; Factors involved in the internal and ext...
Daily Measurements of Mucor Miehei Lipase Activity

Mucor miehei was cultured in a defined liquid medium for 7 da (45 C). Daily measurements of lipase activity revealed that maximum activity occurred after 3 da of incubation. The optimum pH for lipa...
Keratinocyte-Secreted Heat Shock Protein-90alpha: Leading Wound Reepithelialization and Closure

Significance: Delayed and nonhealing wounds pose a health, economic, and social problem worldwide. For decades, the conventional wisdom pointed to growth factors as the driving force of wound healing and granted them a center stage for therapeutic development. To date, few have obtained US FDA approvals or shown clinical effectiveness and safety. Critical Issue: Wound closure is the initial and most critical step during wound healing. Closing chronic wounds to shut down continued infection is the primary and likely the only achievable goal at the clinic in the foreseeable future. The critical question here is to identify the factor(s) in wounded tissues that drives the initial wound closure. Recent Advances: We made an unexpected discovery of the secreted form of heat shock protein-90alpha (Hsp90α) for promoting skin cell motility, reepithelialization, and wound closure. Secreted Hsp90α possesses unique properties to remain functional under the hostile wound environment that compromises conventional growt...
Studies on gluconeogenesis and ketogenesis in isolated hepatocytes from alloxan diabetic rats.

SummaryGluconeogenesis and ketogenesis were studied in isolated hepatocytes obtained from normal and alloxan diabetic rats. Insulin treatment maintained near-normal blood glucose levels and caused an increase in glycogen deposition. The third day after insulin withdrawal the rats displayed a diabetic syndrome marked by progressive hyperglycemia and glycogen depletion. Net glucose production in liver cells isolated from alloxan diabetic rats progressively increased with time up to 72 hr after the last in vivo insulin injection. Maximal glucose production was observed at 72 hr with 10 mM alanine, lactate, pyruvate, or fructose. Glucose production decreased at 96 hr. The same pattern was observed with the incorporation of labeled bicarbonate into glucose. Ketogenesis in liver cells and hepatic lipid content also peaked at 72 hr.
Study on the effect of methamphetamine on the HIV-1 replication in macrophages in vitro

Objective To determine the effect of methamphetamine on the replication of HIV-1 in macrophages. Methods Macrophages were assigned randomly into four groups:( 1) the methamphetamine /SCH 23390 co-treatment group;( 2) the methamphetamine treatment group;( 3) the SCH 23390 treatment group;( 4) the control group. Firstly,( 1) and( 3) group were treated with 10- 5mol / L of SCH 23390 for 1 hour. Secondly,( 1) group were treated with 10- 4 mol / L of methamphetamine for 24 hours and( 2) group were treated with 10- 5mol / L,10- 4mol / L and 2. 5 × 10- 4mol / L of methamphetamine for 24 hours. And then all groups were infected with equal amounts of HIV-1 strain. HIV-1 p24 antigen in culture supernatants collected at days 4,6,8 and 10 after infection were tested and then the difference between the antigen expressions of the groups were compared. Results On the 4th day,6th day,8th day and 10th day of macrophages infected with HIV-1,the expressions of p24 antigen in the control group were significantly decreased compared to the three different concentrations of methamphetamine treatment group( all P 0. 01); The increased folds of p24 antigen expressions in different concentrations of methamphetamine-treated groups compared with that of the control group,appeared to have an increasing trend with HIV-1 infected time. This enhanced result showed a significant time-course effect( F = 155. 94,P 0. 001); There was no significant difference between the methamphetamine / SCH 23390 co-treatment group, the SCH 23390 treatment group and the control group( all P 0. 05). Conclusions Methamphetamine has the ability to enhance HIV-1 replication in macrophages,and this enhanced result shows an increasing trend with HIV-1 infected time; The effect of methamphetamine on promotion of HIV-1 replication can be inhibited by the dopamine D1 receptor antagonists.
Transfusion-transmitted viral infections other than hepatitis and human immunodeficiency virus infection. Cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, human herpesvirus 6, and human parvovirus B19.

During the last decade, there has been a sharp increase in the number of tests routinely used to screen all volunteer whole blood donations for evidence of transfusion-transmissible infection. These measures have had a dramatic effect on improvements in transfusion safety, especially as far as hepatitis viruses and the human immunodeficiency virus are concerned. Although all blood donations are not routinely screened for evidence of possible transmissibility of cytomegalovirus, some are, since there is now a clearer understanding of the categories of patients in whom this infection must be avoided. Recent studies have also pointed to a role for leukocyte filtration of transfusion products as an alternative to donor screening for selected patients at risk of cytomegalovirus infection
Improving staff perception of a safety climate with crew resource management training.

Abstract Background Communication failure is one of the top root causes in patient safety adverse events. Crew resource management (CRM) is a team building communication process intended to improve patient safety by improving team dynamics. First, to describe implementation of CRM in a Veterans Affair (VA) surgical service. Second, to assess whether staff CRM training is related to improvement in staff perception of a safety climate. Material and methods Mandatory CRM training was implemented for all surgical service staff at a VA Hospital at 0 and 12 mo. Safety climate questionnaires were completed by operating room staff at a baseline, 6 and 12 mo after the initial CRM training. Results Participants reported improvement on all 27 points on the safety climate questionnaire at 6 mo compared with the baseline. At 12 mo, there was sustained improvement in 23 of the 27 areas. Conclusions This is the first published report about the effect of CRM training on staff perception of a safety climate in a VA surgical service. We demonstrate that CRM training can be successfully implemented widespread in a surgical program. Overall, there was improvement in 100% of areas assessed on the safety climate questionnaire at 6 mo after CRM training. By 1 y, this improvement was sustained in 23 of 27 areas, with the areas of greatest improvement being the performance of briefings, collaboration between nurses and doctors, valuing nursing input, knowledge about patient safety, and institutional promotion of a patient safety climate.
Modeling chirp and sag effects in high-peak-power laser-diode-bar pump sources for solid-state lasers

In high-peak-power diode-pumped solid-state laser systems, diode chirp and sag during the pump pulse can play a major role in determining the pump energy absorbed in the laser medium. For pulse durations, 10 < τ < 1000 μs, typically used for diode-pumped solid-state lasers, we find that transient output power and wavelength chirp of high-peak-power laser-diode bars can be modeled assuming one-dimensional heat flow and linear temperature dependences for chirp and efficiency. The model is in good agreement with experimental data for Si heatsink mounted 940 nm laser-diode bars operating at an initial power of 100 W/cm. The figure-of-merit for a heatsink material in this application is (ρCpK)1/2 where ρCp is the volumetric heat capacity and K is the thermal conductivity. As an example of the utility of the derived expressions, we determine an effective absorption coefficient as a function of pump pulse duration for a diode-pumped solid-state laser utilizing Yb:Sr5(PO4)3F (Yb:S-FAP) as the gain medium.
An Analysis of Communicative Language Functions in the Speech Patterns of Bilingual Korean and Mexican Immigrant Children

For children from immigrant families, opportunities to develop additive bilingualism exist, yet bilingual attainment has varied widely. Given the significance of language development opportunities in home settings, this study examines the home language use of 20 second-generation children (ages 6-8) of Mexican and Korean descent in the United States. Using a language function framework, we provide a descriptive analysis of the communicative functions performed by these children and how their proficiency level, the interlocutors, and their home settings may influence their language use. Data include English and heritage language proficiency assessments, interviews with children and their mothers, and multiple video recordings of home interactions. Findings show little variation in the kinds of language functions performed by these children who mainly used language to convey or seek factual information, unless they were involved in imaginary play. Moreover, children found creative ways to communicate different linguistic functions as needed, even among those with limited proficiency. Interestingly, the Mexican American children had a greater tendency to use more heritage language in the home than the Korean American children, who used more English. The children rarely engaged in intersentential code-switching. Implications for educators, parents, and researchers are discussed.
Quercetin affects glutathione levels and redox ratio in human aortic endothelial cells not through oxidation but formation and cellular export of quercetin-glutathione conjugates and upregulation of glutamate-cysteine ligase.

Endothelial dysfunction due to vascular inflammation and oxidative stress critically contributes to the etiology of atherosclerosis. The intracellular redox environment plays a key role in regulating endothelial cell function and is intimately linked to cellular thiol status, including and foremost glutathione (GSH). In the present study we investigated whether and how the dietary flavonoid, quercetin, affects GSH status of human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC) and their response to oxidative stress. We found that treating cells with buthionine sulfoximine to deplete cellular GSH levels significantly reduced the capacity of quercetin to inhibit lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced oxidant production. Furthermore, incubation of HAEC with quercetin caused a transient decrease and then full recovery of cellular GSH concentrations. The initial decline in GSH was not accompanied by a corresponding increase in glutathione disulfide (GSSG). To the contrary, GSSG levels, which were less than 0.5% of GSH levels at baseline (0.26±0.01 vs. 64.7±1.9 nmol/mg protein, respectively), decreased by about 25% during incubation with quercetin. As a result, the GSH: GSSG ratio increased by about 70%, from 253±7 to 372±23. These quercetin-induced changes in GSH and GSSG levels were not affected by treating HAEC with 500 µM ascorbic acid phosphate for 24 h to increase intracellular ascorbate levels. Incubation of HAEC with quercetin also led to the appearance of extracellular quercetin-glutathione conjugates, which was paralleled by upregulation of the multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1). Furthermore, quercetin slightly but significantly increased mRNA and protein levels of glutamate-cysteine ligase (GCL) catalytic and modifier subunits. Taken together, our results suggest that quercetin causes loss of GSH in HAEC, not because of oxidation but due to formation and cellular export of quercetin-glutathione conjugates. Induction by quercetin of GCL subsequently restores GSH levels, thereby suppressing LPS-induced oxidant production.
Estimating boreal forest canopy height and above ground biomass using multi-modal remote sensing; a database driven approach

Data synergy or fusion is a mechanism whereby discrete types of data are used together to achieve a better understanding than was possible with each individually. While the DESDynI missions have been reduced and renamed, their original goal to fuse several sensor modalities to achieve an understanding of the global carbon cycle is still valid. Spanning over 30% of the Earth's landmass, the global forest plays a significant role in numerous planetary systems; the carbon cycle included. The objective of this paper is to couple simulated forest stands with measured datasets from various instruments to estimate a forest's mean canopy height and aboveground dry-biomass. We use existing datasets to develop and validate our fusion and extrapolation approach, which involves using our four sensor simulators, including our fractal-based tree geometry generator, in tandem with our in-house parameter estimation software which performs fusion and retrieval functions. We then use existing field and radarlidar-VNIR data for the Boreas southern study area to validate our simulators in this region and construct a large set of boreal trees for use in our fusion and extrapolation processes.
Immunotherapy in ovarian cancer

Immunotherapy aims to develop combination approaches that simultaneously augment immunity while preventing local immune suppression. Despite advances in combinatorial chemotherapy regimens and the advent of intraperitoneal chemotherapy administration, current therapeutic options for patients with ovarian cancer are inadequate. Advances in immunotherapy offer a promising frontier for treating ovarian tumors. Multiple immunotherapeutic modalities are currently developed and tested in clinical trials. Antibody-based therapies, immune checkpoint blockade, cancer vaccines, and chimeric antigen receptor-modified T cells have demonstrated preclinical success and entered clinical testing. In this review, we discuss these promising immunotherapeutic approaches and emphasize the importance of combinatorial treatment strategies and biomarker discovery.
Corneal Infection and Ulceration

Microbial keratitis is a sight-threatening infection of the cornea. Without timely treatment, it can lead to corneal perforation, endophthalmitis, and even loss of the eye. Even with treatment, scar resulting in permanent vision loss is common. The epidemiology of these cornea infections varies with geographic region, occupation, and socioeconomic status. Both intrinsic (e.g., ocular surface disease) and extrinsic (e.g., trauma) risk factors are reviewed. Infection may be caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites. Pearls relevant to specific organisms are discussed, as are several diagnostic algorithms. The immediate goal of the clinician is to clear the infection and prevent the abovementioned complications. This is usually done medically with topical antimicrobial drops, but surgery is sometimes indicated. Later, after the infection has resolved, measures to restore vision may be applied. These include updated spectacle prescriptions, the use of rigid contact lenses, and cornea transplant surgery.
What is "Obamacare"?: health literacy, e-commerce, and the affordable care act's online content

This study audits and analyzes the online content provided by the U.S. government for The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). In order to both educate Americans about the ACA and enroll those who needed insurance into plans offered by the U.S. and/or state governments, policy analysts, communication designers, and web developers at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) created and published a substantial array of online content. These policy statements, infographics, blog posts, videos, forms, and other resources were designed to engage the public and translate the complexities of the ACA into usable information for patients. However, a content audit and analysis of ACA-related online content reveals the ways that this content did not provide a navigational structure for patients newly insured (or already insured) to find them, as over time the e-commerce function of the site buried its educational purpose. From this analysis, designers of online public policy information will gain a better understanding of how to design as a part of a strategy to balance multiple, critical user roles and tasks.
Is it time for quadruple therapy to be first line

Current therapy for Helicobacter pylori infection requires a combination of at least three separate medications. Bismuth-based triple therapy was one of the earliest therapies used for the treatment of H. pylori infection. Bismuth-based triple therapy has eradication rates of approximately 80% in the US (Product Information, Pepto-Bismol, Procter & Gamble), with worldwide pooled eradication rates of approximately 85%1. When a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) is combined with bismuth-based triple therapy, however, eradication rates over 95% have been achieved in some studies2–4. This combination of PPI plus bismuth-based triple therapy has been labelled ‘quadruple therapy’.
Proportionality and Personalization: BWG 2013

The 2013 amendment of the German Federal Election Law (Bundeswahlgesetz 2013, BWG 2013) is described. The seat apportionment obeys strict proportionality by political parties. All second votes in the country acquire practically equal success values. Thereafter a party’s countrywide seats are allocated among its various state-lists of nominees. Direct seats that are won via first votes in single-seat constituencies are granted priority by using the direct-seat restricted variant of the divisor method with standard rounding. Its feasibility is ensured by an initial house size adjustment that usually raises the Bundestag size above the nominal level of 598 seats. The amended electoral system is exemplified with the September 2013 election to the 18th Bundestag.
Cellular Origin, Formation and Turnover of the Vitreous

The vitreous body (VB) is a gelatinous extracellular matrix (ECM) structure that fills the posterior cavity of the eye. It is composed of about 40 ECM and a long list of non-ECM proteins, such as albumin, tranferrin, and vitellogenin. Major protein constituents for the embryonic chick vitreous ECM are collagen II, V/XI, IX, fibrillin, and fibronectin. In situ hybridization showed that the prominent site of synthesis for most of these ECM proteins is the ciliary body with minor contributions from the retina, the hyaloid vasculature, and the optic disk. Quantification of protein and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels showed high concentrations of the ECM proteins and their mRNAs in the embryonic eye and very low concentrations in the adult eye. Further analysis revealed a precipitous downregulation of VB protein synthesis during late embryogenesis and early postnatal life. The major postnatal downregulation of the de novo synthesis of VB ECM proteins indicates that the vitreous ECM is maintained with little turnover throughout the adult life. The data are consistent with the fact that the VB gel undergoes an age-dependent liquefaction, a continuous and irreversible loss of collagen IX along the collagen II fibrils, and the fact that the ECM network of the VB does not regenerate after vitrectomy.
Quality Management Practices in China

Recently, increasing numbers of Western business practitioners and academics have shown interest in China, along with the awareness of the important role China has played in the global economy. Little research, however, has been done to explain what is ..
Mandible Reconstruction with Free Fibula Flap

The mandible is an essential element of the form and function of the face. Without a normal mandible, normal speech, mastication, deglutition, and, perhaps most importantly, social interaction are all partially if not completely impeded. It is therefore not an overstatement to say that a functional and esthetic reconstruction of the mandible following tumor extirpation is of paramount importance to a patient’s very being.
Man Helping Man: In Memoriam: A Tribute to Leonard S. Dreifus, MD

![Figure][1] “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived; this is to have succeeded.”—Bessie Stanley [(1)][2] Leonard S. Dreifus, MD, died at home in Heathrow, Florida, on March 30, 2017, at age 92 years with his devoted wife of 59 years, Seline, at his side, and
ICCAD-2015 CAD Contest in Incremental Timing-driven Placement and Benchmark Suite

At modern technology nodes, improving routability and reducing total wirelength are no longer sufficient to close timing. Incremental timing-driven placement (TDP) seeks to resolve timing violations while limiting the impact to the original placement in an effort to achieve timing closure. To improve the timing landscape in localized regions, some latches or nets may require specialized attention that may not be available in other traditional placement flows (e.g., wirelength-driven). To address this problem, the ICCAD-2015 contest encourages advanced research in incremental timing-driven placement, by providing (i) a flexible timing-oriented placement framework, including a publicly-available and high-quality academic timer, (ii) a set of realistic benchmarks that facilitates academic and commercial collaboration, (iii) an evaluation metric that objectively defines the quality of newly-developed algorithms.
Evaluation of strategies to train visual search performance in professional populations.

Visual search, the act of finding targets amongst distractors, is central to many professions with life-or-death implications including aviation security, radiology, lifeguarding, military, and more. As such, every effort should be taken to improve visual search performance. One potential path to improvement is to ensure that workforces are optimally trained. Broadly, there are three general components to train: (1) specific use of the machinery and user interface (i.e. ‘knobology’), (2) target and distractor identification, and (3) search strategy. The current review considers the cognitive psychology aspects of these three components; each is evaluated in light of short-term and long-term training goals, as well as profession-specific constraints.
Reconciling λ-Returns with Experience Replay

Modern deep reinforcement learning methods have departed from the incremental learning required for eligibility traces, rendering the implementation of the λ-return difficult in this context. In particular, off-policy methods that utilize experience replay remain problematic because their random sampling of minibatches is not conducive to the efficient calculation of λ-returns. Yet replay-based methods are often the most sample efficient, and incorporating λ-returns into them is a viable way to achieve new state-of-the-art performance. Towards this, we propose the first method to enable practical use of λ-returns in arbitrary replay-based methods without relying on other forms of decorrelation such as asynchronous gradient updates. By promoting short sequences of past transitions into a small cache within the replay memory, adjacent λ-returns can be efficiently precomputed by sharing Q-values. Computation is not wasted on experiences that are never sampled, and stored λ-returns behave as stable temporal-difference (TD) targets that replace the target network. Additionally, our method grants the unique ability to observe TD errors prior to sampling; for the first time, transitions can be prioritized by their true significance rather than by a proxy to it. Furthermore, we propose the novel use of the TD error to dynamically select λ-values that facilitate faster learning. We show that these innovations can enhance the performance of DQN when playing Atari 2600 games, even under partial observability. While our work specifically focuses on λ-returns, these ideas are applicable to any multi-step return estimator.
Underwater Deployment and Performance of Curved Spiral Antennas in Mussel Backpacks

Freshwater mussels are bio-indicators of pollution in rivers because their periodic opening and closing of valves is correlated with the nitrogen content of the water. Our previous work developed noninvasive electronic sensors that are mounted on mussels to measure the valve movement. The backpacks are equipped with a broadband curved spiral antenna that communicates with a surface station through a very low frequency (VLF) radio in freshwater environment. Compared to the conventional flat spiral antennas, their curved counterparts are geometrically suited for deployment on the rounded shell surface. In this work, we present results from measurement and characterization experiments while deploying these such antennas in freshwater. Our experiments indicate relatively constant reflection coefficient of curved spiral antenna in freshwater at 300 MHz with values comparable with the flat spiral geometry.
Sparse Linear Discriminant Analysis for Multi-view Structured Data

Classification methods that leverage the strengths of data from multiple sources (multi-view data) simultaneously have enormous potential to yield more powerful findings than two step methods: association followed by classification. We propose two methods, sparse integrative discriminant analysis (SIDA) and SIDA with incorporation of network information (SIDANet), for joint association and classification studies. The methods consider the overall association between multi-veiw data, and the separation within each view in choosing discriminant vectors that are associated and optimally separate subjects into different classes. SIDANet is among the first methods to incorporate prior structural information in joint association and classification studies. It uses the normalized Laplacian of a graph to smooth coefficients of predictor variables, thus encouraging selection of predictors that are connected and behave similarly. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our methods on a set of synthetic and real datasets. Our findings underscore the benefit of joint association and classification methods if the goal is to correlate multi-view data and to perform classification.
Assessment of Enrichment of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Based on Plasma and Mitochondrial Membrane Potentials

Background: Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are utilized preclinically and clinically as a candidate cell therapy for a wide range of inflammatory and degenerative diseases. Despite promising results in early clinical trials, consistent outcomes with hMSC-based therapies have proven elusive in many of these applications. In this work, we attempt to address this limitation through the design of a stem cell therapy to enrich hMSCs for desired electrical and ionic properties with enhanced stemness and immunomodulatory/regenerative capacity. Materials and Methods: In this study, we sought to develop initial protocols to achieve electrically enriched hMSCs (EE-hMSCs) with distinct electrical states and assess the potential relationship with respect to hMSC state and function. We sorted hMSCs based on fluorescence intensity of tetramethylrhodamine ethyl ester (TMRE) and investigated phenotypic differences between the sorted populations. Results: Subpopulations of EE-hMSCs exhibit differential expression of genes associated with senescence, stemness, immunomodulation, and autophagy. EE-hMSCs with low levels of TMRE, indicative of depolarized membrane potential, have reduced mRNA expression of senescence-associated markers, and increased mRNA expression of autophagy and immunomodulatory markers relative to EE-hMSCs with high levels of TMRE (hyperpolarized). Conclusions : This work suggests that the utilization of EE-hMSCs may provide a novel strategy for cell therapies, enabling live cell enrichment for distinct phenotypes that can be exploited for different therapeutic outcomes.
The Role of B7 Costimulation by Murine Acute Myeloid Leukemia in the Generation and Function of a CD8+ T-Cell Line With Potent In Vivo Graft-Versus-Leukemia Properties

Relapse is more frequent after autologous than allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT), due in part to lack of T-lymphocyte mediated allogeneic graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effects. Infusions of leukemia-reactive T cells to patients after autologous BMT may be a means for providing a GVL effect. Costimulation of T cells by binding of the CD28 receptor on T cells with B7-counter receptors on antigen presenting cells amplifies antigen-specific T-cell responses. To enhance generation of leukemia reactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), the murine B7-1- and B7-2-costimulatory molecule cDNAs were introduced into the MHC class I+, class II-, murine meyloid leukemia cell line C1498. B7-1 expression greatly enhanced the ability of the leukemia cells to generate and expand leukemia reactive CTL in vitro. A highly cytolytic and C1498 specific CD8+ CTL line was generated by B7-1 costimulation. This CTL line proliferated autonomously and produced interleukin-2 when provided B7-1 or B7-2 costimulation by C1498 leukemia cells. To test the in vivo antileukemia properties of this CTL line, irradiated syngeneic BMT recipients were given graded doses of leukemia cells on day 0, followed by CTL infusions beginning on day 1 post-BMT. Recipients of 10(7) CTL had a 3 log reduction in leukemia burden such that 100% of mice were protected from a supralethal leukemic cell dose. Sustained immune responses were detectable up to 3 months postinfusion of the CTL line. B7-1 or B7-2 costimulation in vivo did not augment antileukemia effects of infused CTL post BMT. These results suggest that B7 costimulation of leukemia reactive CTL may be important for their ex vivo generation and expansion for use in human adoptive immunotherapy of leukemia.
Opportunities for improving conservation early warning and alert systems

The authors thank Dr. Dawn Biehler for her conceptual feedback and the reviewers for their exceptional guidance and suggested edits. This publication was made possible by the University of Maryland Graduate Student Association and a gift from Betty and Gordon Moore.