cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Increased Levels Of Tissue Factor, Adhesion Molecules, Nitric Oxide and Adiponectin In End Stage Renal Disease. A Complex Interplay

Introduction End stage renal disease (ESRD) represents the fifth (final) stage of chronic kidney disease characterized by an established kidney failure (GFR <15 mL/min/1.73 m2). To further understand the pathophysiology of ESRD, this study was designed to measure the circulating levels of tissue factor (TF), adhesion molecules, such as p-selectin (P-Sel), soluble ICAM (s-ICAM), nitric oxide and adiponectin (AD). Methods This study included 119 ESRD patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis in conjunction with an ongoing IRB approved protocol on the profiling of inflammatory markers in this syndrome. Citrated blood plasma samples were collected from these patients prior to the routine dialysis session. Nitric oxide levels (NO) were measured using a commercial kit from R&D systems (Minneapolis, Minnesota) and ELISA based methods for TF, P-Sel, s-ICAM and adiponectin were also purchased from R&D systems. Chromogenic and thrombin substrate method were used to measure the anti-Xa activity thrombin generation. Results Tissue factor levels were found to be increased in the ESRD group (20.4±6.1pg/ml) vs the control (11.9±2.8pg/ml). The nitric oxide level was markedly higher in the ESRD group (32±17uM) vs the controls (7±3uM). The p-selectin levels were also elevated in the ESRD group (46±20ng/ml) vs the control (31±3ng/ml). The soluble ICAM levels were higher in the ESRD group (250±112ng/ml) vs the control (180±19ng/ml). Interestingly, the adiponectin levels were also increased in the ESRD group (19.2±9.3ug/ml) vs the control (11.2±4.1ug/ml). The pre-dialysis samples of the ESRD patients exhibited detectable levels of heparin. Summary/Conclusions These studies suggest that TF, NO, p-selectin and s-ICAM levels are increased in the ESRD patient. It is of interest to note that despite that a significant number of ESRD patients were diabetic; the AD levels were increased in this group. These results suggest that while ESRD represents a pro-inflammatory/hypercoagulable state, the repeated administration of heparin and other drugs may contribute to the regulation of the hemostatic process and inflammatory balance. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Understanding NSF funding opportunities: keynote address

This session highlights programs in the National Science Foundation (NSF) of particular interest to computer science educators. Topics include a description of program goals, guidelines, review process as well as strategies for writing competitive proposals. The presenter is a NSF Program Officer in the Division of Undergraduate Education and has a wealth of experience working with NSF-funded principle investigators.
Adherence in Adolescence

An understanding of adolescence and adolescent development is critical for clinicians who wish to be able to help their patients with adherence and illness control. Many teens seem perfectly capable of managing a chronic illness, yet to the surprise of many clinicians, adherence is often at its worst in adolescence, as is chronic illness control. In this chapter we explore the reasons why adherence in adolescence is so challenging and frustrating for patients, parents, and providers alike. We argue that some degree of nonadherence is actually likely to be normative due to the developmental, neurodevelopmental, and cognitive changes of this period, which are almost antithetical to maintaining consistent adherence behaviors. Continued parent involvement will therefore turn out to be a key component of successful illness management in the teenage years. Of course, this involvement is not without its own challenges and costs. We conclude that encouraging a focus on supporting patient autonomy (i.e., volitional behavior) without pushing youth independence (i.e., acting alone) can foster youth development without necessitating a withdrawal of needed parental assistance with illness management.
Problems and Promises of an Uncertain Future

To assert that the world looked very different in 1998 from what it was in 1980 is an understatement. Who would have predicted in 1980 that the Soviet Union would cease to exist, that Russia would be a democracy that has privatised many of its state-owned enterprises or that Eastern Europe would be liberated to pursue democracy and free markets? Or that regions of China would become thriving market economies growing at a breathtaking pace? Or that the two Germanies would be unified and the process would create serious economic problems for western Germany? Or that Francois Mitterrand, after winning the presidency on a socialist platform would later in the 1980s be presiding over an economy hardly more socialist than its neighbours and having a strong currency and at times a lower inflation rate than Germany? Or that Mexico would abandon its import substitution policies, open its economy to the rest of the world and have shares in some of its privatised companies traded on the New York Stock Exchange along with those of many other ‘emerging markets’? Or that India would rid itself of many of its tight controls over its industries and, despite memories of the East India Company, open itself to foreign investors? Or that Korea, already a ‘newly industrialised country’ in 1980, would achieve such a high level of real wages that some of its firms would migrate to China and Vietnam, attracted by lower wages?
Taxonomy of Cocrystal Ternary Phase Diagrams

A taxonomy of cocrystal ternary phase diagrams is presented. It is based upon an enumeration of distinct ternary phase diagrams as functions of the free energy of formation for each of a selected set of crystalline phases. In addition to topologically distinct diagrams, phase diagrams are distinguished as to the congruent or incongruent dissolution of the cocrystalline phase. The diagrams are organized according to the set of solid phases and the number of three-phase regions. Phase diagrams and free energy surfaces are provided for representative examples of each illustrated case.
The impact of diabetes and obesity on endometrial cancer outcomes.

5523 Background: Diabetes (DM) is a known risk factor for endometrial cancer (EC), yet its effect on cancer outcomes remains unclear. We sought to investigate of the relationship between DM, obesit...
Potential Postharvest Use of Radiography to Detect Internal Pests in Deciduous Tree Fruits

Radiographic techniques were investigated for their potential to detect internal pests in deciduous tree fruits. Two non-destructive methods, X-ray CT imaging and film X-ray, were used to detect larval feeding damage caused by codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), in apples. In addition, CT imaging was used to detect larvae of the codling moth and western cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis indifferens Curran (Diptera: Tephritidae), in cherries. Both techniques showed evidence of codling moth feeding tunnels in apples, as well as in cherries using CT imaging. CT images of cherries infested with fruit fly larvae showed retraction of the fruit pulp from the seed. This study supports the use of radiography to detect internally damaged fruits for sorting on the commercial packing line.
Evaluation of low-frequency operational limit of proposed ITER low-field-side reflectometer waveguide run including miter bends

The present design concept for the ITER low-field-side reflectometer transmission line (TL) consists of an ∼40 m long, 6.35 cm diameter helically corrugated waveguide (WG) together with ten 90° miter bends. This paper presents an evaluation of the TL performance at low frequencies (33-50 GHz) where the predicted HE11 mode ohmic and mode conversion losses start to increase significantly. Quasi-optical techniques were used to form a near Gaussian beam to efficiently couple radiation in this frequency range into the WG. It was observed that the output beams from the guide remained linearly polarized with cross-polarization power levels of ∼1.5%-3%. The polarization rotation due to the helical corrugations was in the range ∼1°-3°. The radiated beam power profiles typically show excellent Gaussian propagation characteristics at distances >20 cm from the final exit aperture. The round trip propagation loss was found to be ∼2.5 dB at 50 GHz and ∼6.5 dB at 35 GHz, showing an inverse increase with frequency. This was consistent with updated calculations of miter bend and ohmic losses. At low frequencies (33-50 GHz), the mode purity remained very good at the exit of the waveguide, and the losses are perfectly acceptable for operation in ITER. The primary challenge may come from the future addition of a Gaussian telescope and other filter components within the corrugated guide, which will likely introduce additional perturbations to the beam profile and an increase in mode-conversion loss.
Flocking, Swarming, and Communicating

AS WE have seen, Durkheim and others attempted to explain of how groups of humans come together as a collective. One of the most beautiful innovations of twentieth century physics was the ability to analyze such behavior with statistical methods and computational models. This has enabled researchers to quantify the specific aspects of a group of individuals that change as the individuals coalesce into a crowd. For the first time, a quantitative step could be taken toward answering the question when does a group become a separate individual in its own right?
On the energy consequences of information for spacecraft systems

Conventional wisdom in the spacecraft domain is that on-orbit computation is expensive, and thus, information is traditionally funneled to the ground as directly as possible. The explosion of information due to larger sensors, the advancements of Moore's law, and other considerations lead us to revisit this practice. In this article, we consider the trade-off between computation, storage, and transmission, viewed as an energy minimization problem.
Struggles in Defining and Addressing Requests for "Family Balancing": Ethical Issues Faced by Providers and Patients.

This study – the first to explore how infertility providers confront several critical dilemmas concerning sex selection of embryos for nonmedical, social reasons – highlights key challenges and questions. Clinicians struggle, for instance, with how to define “family balalancing”, when to offer it, and how to decide.
Global Gene Expression Response in Mouse Models of DNA Repair Deficiency after Gamma Irradiation

In the event of an improvised nuclear device or “dirty bomb” in a highly populated area, potentially hundreds of thousands of people will require screening to ensure that exposed individuals receive appropriate treatment. For this reason, there is a need to develop tools for high-throughput radiation biodosimetry. Gene expression represents an emerging approach to biodosimetry and could potentially provide an estimate of both absorbed dose and individual radiation-induced injury. Since approximately 2–4% of humans are thought to be radiosensitive, and would suffer greater radiological injury at a given dose than members of the general population, it is of interest to explore the potential impact of such sensitivity on the biodosimetric gene expression signatures being developed. In this study, we used wild-type mice and genetically engineered mouse models deficient in two DNA repair pathways that can contribute to radiation sensitivity to estimate the maximum effect of differences in radiosensitivity. We ...
Investigation of hydrophobic substrates for solution residue analysis utilizing an ambient desorption liquid sampling-atmospheric pressure glow discharge microplasma

A practical method for preparation of solution residue samples for analysis utilizing the ambient desorption liquid sampling-atmospheric pressure glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (AD-LS-APGD-OES) microplasma is described. Initial efforts involving placement of solution aliquots in wells drilled into copper substrates, proved unsuccessful. A design-of-experiment (DOE) approach was carried out to determine influential factors during sample deposition including solution volume, solute concentration, number of droplets deposited, and the solution matrix. These various aspects are manifested in the mass of analyte deposited as well as the size/shape of the product residue. Statistical analysis demonstrated that only those initial attributes were significant factors towards the emission response of the analyte. Various approaches were investigated to better control the location/uniformity of the deposited sample. Three alternative substrates, a glass slide, a poly(tetrafluoro)ethylene (PTFE) sheet, and a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-coated glass slide, were evaluated towards the microplasma analytical performance. Co-deposition with simple organic dyes provided an accurate means of determining the location of the analyte with only minor influence on emission responses. The PDMS-coated glass provided the best performance by virtue of its providing a uniform spatial distribution of the residue material. This uniformity yielded an improved limits of detection by approximately 22× for 20 μL and 4 x for 2 μL over the other two substrates. While they operate by fundamentally different processes, this choice of substrate is not restricted to the LS-APGD, but may also be applicable to other AD methods such as DESI, DART, or LIBS. Further developments will be directed towards a field-deployable ambient desorption OES source for quantitative analysis of microvolume solution residues of nuclear forensics importance.
Bribery Cartels: Collusive Corruption in Bolivian Street Markets

Many Bolivians engage in corruption through intermediaries, like civil society representatives and lawyers, instead of paying officials directly. People vocally resent that intermediaries add an extra layer of costs and opaqueness to corruption but still choose to pay bribes through intermediaries that knowingly take advantage of them. Why do intermediaries facilitate corruption? While other studies on corrupt intermediaries find that they reduce uncertainty and transaction costs, this study contributes to corruption research by finding that intermediaries engage in cartel-like behavior by disproportionally helping officials and intentionally increasing uncertainty and costs for the average citizen. Ethnographic evidence from street markets in La Paz demonstrates that civil society actors like street vendors’ union representatives advance their careers by collecting and delivering bribes to specific bureaucrats. Collusive relationships between bureaucrats and intermediaries hide and perpetuate corruption, while giving the appearance of a transparent government that is responsive to civil society. Resumen Bastante bolivianos se involucran en la corrupcion a traves de intermediarios, como lideres de la sociedad civil y abogados, en vez de pagar funcionarios directamente. Ciudadanos no les gustan que los intermediarios agregan costos extras y opacidad a la corrupcion, pero aun asi eligen pagar coimas a traves de intermediarios que se aprovechan de ellos. ?Por que los intermediarios de la sociedad civil facilitan la corrupcion? Mientras otros estudios sobre intermediarios corruptos encuentran que los intermediarios reducen la incertidumbre y los costos de transaccion, este estudio encuentra que los intermediarios participan en carteles de coimas, porque ayudan desproporcionadamente a los funcionarios y aumentan intencionalmente la incertidumbre y los costos para ciudadanos. Evidencia etnografica original de los mercados populares de La Paz demuestra que los actores de la sociedad civil, como los lideres sindicales de los comerciantes populares, avanzan en sus carreras colectando y entregando coimas a funcionarios. Las relaciones colusorias entre los burocratas y los intermediarios de la sociedad civil ocultan y perpetuan la corrupcion. Al mismo tiempo, les dan la apariencia de un gobierno transparente que responde a la sociedad civil.
Coffee and alcohol use and the risk of ulcerative colitis

We performed a population-based, case-control study of the risk of ulcerative colitis associated with coffee and alcohol use among the 304,000 members of a prepaid health plan. We compared coffee and alcohol use histories before ulcerative colitis onset in 209 cases and an equal number of age- and sex-matched controls selected from the enrollment file of the prepaid health plan. Neither coffee use, amount of coffee consumed daily, or cumulative coffee consumption before disease onset altered the risk of developing ulcerative colitis. A decreased risk of ulcerative colitis was associated with alcohol consumption before disease onset among never-smokers only. This risk declined as daily alcohol consumption increased. These results suggest that alcohol consumption may lower ulcerative colitis incidence.
Social network ties and organizational citizenship behavior: evidence of a curvilinear relationship

We examine the relationships between employee friendship and advice network centrality and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Using social exchange theory as a basis, we argue that centrali...
Receiving Industry Payments is Associated with Prescribing Habits of Tadalafil

AbstractIntroduction:We evaluated whether industry payments for tadalafil are associated with prescribing habits among urologists and primary care physicians.Methods:The Medicare Part D Public Use ...
Intramolecular Diels-Alder route to 6-oxodecahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylates : intermediates for the synthesis of conformationally constrained excitatory amino acid antagonists

Abstract We report the preparation of a hydroisoquinoline intermediate potentially useful for the synthesis of some excitatory amino acid antagonists. The requisite stereochemistry is established by an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction, and the absolute stereochemistry is ultimately derived from S -aspartic acid. Also reported is an efficient synthesis of methyl N -CBZ aspartate β-aldehyde.
Architectural Design Innovation as a Contributive Factor for the Success of Battery Electric Vehicles in Automobile Industry

This essay proposes how architectural design innovation relates to the development of incremental innovation triggered by new technology, building upon the architecture, but continuously reshaping to meet new requirements by defining new sets of functions or forms. Besides, analysis is centralized around the theoretical application of architectural design innovation for live systems such as automobiles, which are continuously adapting to new sets of requirements. To elaborate the practice of this application, a case study of Tesla BEVs is provided to offer unprecedented attributes for an automobile. Furthermore, methodologies on executing architectural design innovation have been established on in this essay, which as well examines the contributions of it in the product dimension, not only helping reconfiguring selected elements of the architecture, but enabling completely redesigning it to clearly deliver value along the system and where the behavior of the system could be traced back to the needs of the stakeholders.
Fatigue Performance of Polyamide 12 Additively Manufactured Structures Designed with Topology Optimization

Additive manufacturing technologies can produce structures with complex geometry, generally as time goes on at higher levels of quality and repeatability. Complex geometry is attractive because it allows for mass redistribution to structural regions where stress is highest, which is comparatively advantageous to solid section designs. Additively manufactured structures, however, are sensitive to stress concentrations either from geometry or defects reducing the overall strength and fatigue performance. It is, therefore, important to address stress concentrations from a design perspective, formulating a process that ensures fatigue performance. A topology optimization process is presented for designing a beam subjected to three-point loading with objectives to reduce structural volume/mass while representing the expected fatigue life as a function of the stress. The design process produced structures with between 28 and 67 % of the original volume of material for a given volumetric constraint with material redistributed to reduce stress concentrations. Two designs were fabricated of polyamide 12 using selective laser sintering and tested mechanically to failure under quasistatic and cyclic fatigue loading. Experimentally, digital image correlation was used to observe the onset of failure and strain response in the structure, which showed that vertical members typically failed by buckling and material yielding. Load, displacement, cycles to failure, and heat generation were measured during fatigue loading, capturing significant viscoelastic self-heating and plasticity behavior in the vertical structural members.
Anesthetic Care for a Pediatric Patient With Anti-N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Encephalitis

First characterized in 2007, anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor encephalitis is an autoimmune disorder with the production of antibodies against the NMDA-type glutamate receptor. The process results in a constellation of psychiatric signs and symptoms with disorders of motor and respiratory function. We describe the anesthetic management of a patient with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis who required anesthetic care during radiological imaging. Primary perioperative concerns include the potential for arrhythmias, hemodynamic compromise, respiratory failure, and central nervous system involvement including seizures, altered mental status, and psychiatric manifestations. J Med Cases. 2019;10(6):151-154 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jmc3310
A novel neurobehavioral framework of the effects of positive early postnatal experience on incentive and consummatory reward sensitivity.

Abstract Early postnatal experience has a profound influence on the development of organisms. In this integration, we provide a novel framework of the neurobehavioral pathways through which positive early postnatal experience acts to enhance adult reward sensitivity. The heterogeneity of the construct of reward and the underlying neurotransmitter systems (i.e., dopamine in incentive reward, opioids in consummatory reward, and oxytocin in orienting the reward systems to social cues) are first described as a means of organizing the discussion. Then, for each neurotransmitter system, their early postnatal ontogenesis is depicted for identifying potential sensitive periods for the effects of early experience. This is followed by the presentation of a model of the neurobehavioral foundation of two main forms of positive early postnatal experience that, with their essential components – novelty and positive tactile stimulation, facilitate the development of incentive and consummatory reward systems. Next, a detailed analysis of the major effects of positive early prewean and postwean experience on the neural and behavioral functioning of each neurotransmitter system is reviewed. The data support the neurobehavioral model presented, which theorizes that essential components of positive early experience enhance incentive and consummatory reward sensitivities through early activation of particular neural pathways. These activity-dependent effects are sustained via structural modifications of underlying neural circuitries.
In Union There is Strength: Philadelphia in the Age of Urban Consolidation: by Andrew Heath, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2019, Pp. 296, $49.95 (hbk), ISBN 9780812251111

When specialists in comparative urban history think of nineteenth-century Philadelphia, about four things come to mind. First, the City of Brotherly Love began the century as a modest-sized city ma...
Universal Entropy and Hawking Radiation of Near-Extremal AdS$_4$ Black Holes.

We compute the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy of near-extremal asymptotically AdS$_4$ electrically charged rotating black holes using three different methods: (i) from the gravity solution, (ii) from the near-horizon Kerr/CFT correspondence and (iii) from the boundary conformal field theory. The results from these three different approaches match exactly, giving us a unique and universal expression for the entropy and the microstate counting of near-extremal AdS black holes via the AdS/CFT correspondence. In the second method, we extend the Kerr/CFT correspondence to the near-extremal case to compute the left and right central charges. We also use hidden conformal symmetry of the near-horizon geometry to compute the Frolov-Thorne temperatures. From the results of the near-extremal AdS$_4$ black hole entropy, we provide a microscopic foundation for Hawking radiation.
Η βυζαντινή μνημειακή ζωγραφική και το αρχιτεκτονικό της πλαίσιο

Στο άρθρο διeρeυνάται το αρχιτeκτονικό πλαίσιο της μνημeιακής ζωγραφικής στις βυζαντινές eκκλησίeς. Μια λeπτομeρής ανάλυση της αρχιτeκτονικής και του ζωγραφικού διακόσμου δeίχνeι ότι η συνeργασία ανάμeσα στους οικοδόμους και τους ζωγράφους δeν πρέπeι να θeωρeίται δeδομένη, ωστόσο αυτή η έλλeιψη συντονισμού μπορούσe να οδηγήσeι σe καινοτόμeς λύσeις. Μeλeτώντας προσeκτικά τη σχέση της αρχιτeκτονικής και του τοιχογραφικού διακόσμου, μπορούμe να κατανοήσουμe καλύτeρα τις αλλαγές στην αντίληψη των Βυζαντινών για τον ιeρό χώρο αλλά και τις αισθητικές eπιλογές που συνέβαλαν στη δημιουργία νέων μορφών μνημeιακής ζωγραφικής.
Novel morphometric based classification via diffeomorphic based shape representation using manifold learning

Morphology of anatomical structures can provide important diagnostic information regarding disease. Implicit features of morphology, such as contour smoothness or perimeter-to-area ratio, have been used in the context of computerized decision support classifiers to aid disease diagnosis. These features are usually specific to the domain and application (e.g. margin irregularity is a predictor of malignant breast lesions on DCE-MRI). In this paper we present a framework for extracting Diffeomorphic Based Similarity (DBS) features to capture subtle morphometric differences between shapes that may not be captured by implicit features. Object morphology is represented using the medial axis model and objects are compared by determining correspondences between medial axis models using a cluster-based diffeomorphic registration scheme. To visualize and classify morphometric differences, a manifold learning scheme (Graph Embedding) is employed to identify nonlinear dependencies between medial axis model similarity and calculate DBS. We evaluated our DBS on two clinical problems discriminating: (a) different Gleason grades of prostate cancer using gland morphology on a set of 102 images, and (b) benign and malignant lesions on 44 breast DCE-MRI studies. Precision-recall curves demonstrate DBS features are better able to classify shapes belonging to the same class compared to implicit features. A support vector machine (SVM) classifier is trained to distinguish between different classes utilizing DBS. SVM accuracy was 83 ± 4.47% for distinguishing benign from malignant lesions on breast DCE-MRI and over 80% in distinguishing between intermediate Gleason grades of prostate cancer on digitized histology.
An Antagonist IL-15/Fc Protein Prevents Costimulation Blockade-Resistant Rejection

IL-15 is a powerful T cell growth factor (TCGF) with particular importance for the maintenance of CD8+ T cells. Because costimulation blockade does not result in universal tolerance, we hypothesized that “escape” from costimulation blockade might represent a CD8+ and IL-15/IL-15R+-dependent process. For this analysis, we have used an IL-15 mutant/Fcγ2a protein, a potentially cytolytic protein that is also a high-affinity receptor site specific antagonist for the IL-15Rα receptor protein, as a therapeutic agent. The IL-15-related fusion protein was used as monotherapy or in combination with CTLA4/Fc in murine islet allograft models. As monotherapies, CTLA4/Fc and an IL-15 mutant/Fcγ2a were comparably effective in a semiallogeneic model system, and combined treatment with IL-15 mutant/Fcγ2a plus CTLA4/Fc produced universal permanent engraftment. In a fully MHC-mismatched strain combination known to be refractory to costimulation blockade treatment, combined treatment with both fusion proteins proved to be highly effective; >70% of recipients were tolerized. The analysis revealed that the IL-15 mutant/Fc treatment confers partial protection from both CD4+ and CD8+ T cell graft infiltration. In rejections occurring despite CTLA4/Fc treatment, concomitant treatment with the IL-15 mutant/Fcγ2a protein blocked a CD8+ T cell-dominated rejection processes. This protection was linked to a blunted proliferative response of alloreactive T cells as well silencing of CTL-related gene expression events. Hence, we have demonstrated that targeting the IL-15/IL-15R pathway represents a new and potent strategy to prevent costimulation blockade-resistant CD8+ T cell-driven rejection.
An instructive role for C. elegans E-cadherin in translating cell contact cues into cortical polarity

Nance and colleagues report that the E-cadherin HMR-1 recruits the RhoGAP PAC-1 to cell–cell contact and thereby drives symmetry breaking in C. elegans embryos.
Application of haemagglutination and complement-fixation techniques to the identification and serological classification of arthropod-borne viruses

Abstract Two viruses, Chikungunya virus and Makonde virus, which were isolated at the Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda, during an epidemic in Southern Province, Tanganyika Territory, in 1952–1953, have been studied by means of the haemagglutination-inhibition, complement-fixation and neutralization tests. Chikungunya virus is shown to belong to Group A of the arthropod-borne viruses and to be more closely related serologically to Mayaro and Semliki viruses than to any of the other known members of the group. Makonde virus is shown to belong to Group B and to be serologically indistinguishable from Uganda S virus.
Losing Face: An Environmental Analysis of Privacy on Facebook

This Article contributes to the ongoing conversation about privacy on social network sites. Adopting Facebook as its primary example, it reviews behavioral data and case studies of privacy problems in an attempt to understand user experiences. The Article fills a crucial gap in the literature by conducting the first extensive analysis of the informational and decisional environment of Facebook. Privacy and the environment are inextricably linked: the practice of the former depends upon the dynamics and heuristics of the latter.The Article argues that there is an environmental element to the Facebook privacy problem. Data flow differently on Facebook than in the physical world, and the architectural heuristics of privacy are absent or misleading. This counterintuitive informational environment waylays privacy practices, opens a gulf between expectation and outcome, causes a crisis in self-presentation, and facilitates what Professor Helen Nissenbaum calls a loss of contextual integrity.The Article explores possible interventions. It explains how regulatory solutions and market forces are themselves hindered by the the deficient privacy environment of Facebook and can’t solve all of its problems. This Article recommends renovating the design of Facebook to privilege privacy practices and proposes specific interventions drawn from the computer science and behavioral economics literature. It concludes with a message of cautious optimism for the emerging coalition of engineers, academics, and practitioners who care about privacy on networked publics.
Electromagnetic models for slotless PM synchronous motor drives

A model defines the relationships amongst the parameters which govern the behavior of a system over the operating range of interest. This paper presents magnetic, electrical and electro-mechanical models to support the design of slotless, star-wound, permanent-magnet synchronous motor drives. Modeling assumptions and limitations are discussed. The validity of these models, under the given assumptions, is established by reverse engineering an existing motor and comparing its measured performance with the model predictions, and through comparison with the results of a two-dimensional finite-element analysis program. >
Simulation-Based Uncertainty Quantification for Additively Manufactured Cellular Structures

Additive manufacturing (AM) processes are capable of producing complex shapes which introduce significant computational difficulties related to material characterization and reliability evaluation. Certification of AM-fabricated components for mission-critical roles has been challenging due to the complexity in modeling and variability in performance of tested parts. This paper discusses how multiscale modeling and simulation can be used in characterizing AM materials. Specifically, polynomial chaos expansion is employed to handle input uncertainties and an efficient upscaling method is applied to match probabilistic performances in fine- and coarse-scale models. The procedure is integrated into the multiscale modeling of AM-fabricated parts. The presented example clearly demonstrates how the upscaling procedure can identify homogenized properties under the consideration of uncertain inputs.
A Dynamic Collaboration Capability as a Source of Competitive Advantage

The resource-based view of the firm argues the essence of decision making is to determine how firm and supply chain resources can be configured to achieve inimitable advantage and superior performance. However, combining resources found among diverse members of a supply chain requires higher levels of coordination than exist at most companies. Manifest cross-functional and interorganizational conflict impedes the relational advantages of collaboration. This research employs a multimethod—survey and interview—approach to evaluate collaboration's influence on operational and firm performance. Our findings show that collaboration, as a dynamic capability, mediates the conflict resulting from functional orientations, and improves performance. Specific structural enablers to enhance an organization's collaborative capability are identified and described, providing insight into how firms can exploit interfirm resources for competitive advantage.
Evidence for early dualism and a more direct path to afterlife beliefs

Ample evidence for dualism in early childhood already exists. Young children have explicit knowledge of the distinction between mental and physical phenomena, which provides the foundation for a rapidly developing theory of mind. Belief in psychological immortality might then follow naturally from this mentalistic conception of human existence and thus require no organized cognitive system dedicated to producing it.
Heterozygous inactivation of Gnas in adipose-derived mesenchymal progenitor cells enhances osteoblast differentiation and promotes heterotopic ossification

Human genetic disorders sharing the common feature of subcutaneous heterotopic ossification (HO) are caused by heterozygous inactivating mutations in GNAS, a gene encoding multiple transcripts including two stimulatory G proteins, the α subunit of the stimulatory G protein (G(s)α) of adenylyl cyclase, and the extralong form of G(s)α, XLαs. In one such disorder, progressive osseous heteroplasia (POH), bone formation initiates within subcutaneous fat before progressing to deeper tissues, suggesting that osteogenesis may involve abnormal differentiation of mesenchymal precursors that are present in adipose tissues. We determined by immunohistochemical analysis that GNAS protein expression is limited to G(s)α in bone-lining cells and to G(s)α and XLαs in osteocytes. By contrast, the GNAS proteins G(s)α, XLαs, and NESP55 are detected in adipocytes and in adipose stroma. Although Gnas transcripts, as assessed by quantitative RT-PCR, show no significant changes on osteoblast differentiation of bone-derived precursor cells, the abundance of these transcripts is enhanced by osteoblast differentiation of adipose-derived mesenchymal progenitors. Using a mouse knockout model, we determined that heterozygous inactivation of Gnas (by disruption of the G(s)α-specific exon 1) abrogates upregulation of multiple Gnas transcripts that normally occurs with osteoblast differentiation in wild-type adipose stromal cells. These transcriptional changes in Gnas(+/-) mice are accompanied by accelerated osteoblast differentiation of adipose stromal cells in vitro. In vivo, altered osteoblast differentiation in Gnas(+/-) mice manifests as subcutaneous HO by an intramembranous process. Taken together, these data suggest that Gnas is a key regulator of fate decisions in adipose-derived mesenchymal progenitor cells, specifically those which are involved in bone formation.
Improving the efficiency of database-system teaching

The education industry has a very poor record of productivity gains. In this brief article, I outline some of the ways the teaching of a college course in database systems could be made more efficient, and staff time used more productively. These ideas carry over to other programming-oriented courses, and many of them apply to any academic subject whatsoever. After proposing a number of things that could be done, I concentrate here on a system under development, called OTC (On-line Testing Center), and on its methodology of "root questions." These questions encourage students to do homework of the long-answer type, yet we can have their work checked and graded automatically by a simple multiple-choice-question grader. OTC also offers some improvement in the way we handle SQL homework, and could be used with other languages as well.
Dystrophin and Utrophin have Distinct Effects on the Microsecond Dynamics of Actin

This study addresses the molecular mechanisms of actin's interaction with dystrophin and utrophin, in relationship to the pathology of muscular dystrophy. Dystrophin and utrophin bind actin in vitro with similar affinities, but with different molecular contacts. It has been proposed that these differences alter the elasticity of actin-dystrophin and actin-utrophin linkages to the sarcolemma, affecting the cell's response to muscle stretches. To test this hypothesis, we have determined the effects of dystrophin and utrophin on the microsecond dynamics of erythrosin iodoacetamide-labeled actin using transient phosphorescence anisotropy (TPA). Binding of dystrophin or utrophin to actin resulted in significant changes in the TPA decay, revealing similarities as well as differences in the structural effects of each protein on actin. At a low level of actin saturation (≤20%) both proteins induced similar changes in actin dynamics, but at higher levels of saturation, utrophin was more effective than dystrophin and induced more pronounced changes in the final anisotropy, correlation time, and initial anisotropy of actin. The simplest interpretation of these changes is that utrophin restricted the amplitude and increased the rates of motion of the probe to a substantially larger extent than dystrophin. Further analysis indicated that the actin-utrophin complex is much more torsionally flexible than the actin-dystrophin complex. We propose that these differences between dystrophin and utrophin in their effects on actin dynamics affect elastic properties of actin-mediated linkages with the sarcolemma. Future experiments using expressed fragments of dystrophin and utrophin and their functionally relevant mutants will determine which structural elements of these proteins are critical in determination of the flexibility of actin filaments and what level of actin flexibility is physiologically optimal.
Effector proteins from P450cam and methane monooxygenase: lessons in tuning nature's powerful reagents

Abstract Effector proteins alter the kinetic or catalytic course of many oxygenase reactions. One of the first oxygenase effectors to be described was putidaredoxin, which serves to gate electron transfer into oxy-P450cam. In the nonheme, methane monooxygenase (MMO) system, the B-component (MMOB) serves a distinct effector function by gating substrate and oxygen into the active site of the hydroxylase component (MMOH). Here the binding parameters and binding surfaces of the MMOB–MMOH complex are determined by site-specific labeling, fluorescence titrations, chemical cross-linking, and MALDI-TOF peptide identification. Based on these data, a model for the bimolecular complex is described and a hypothesis for the structural basis for the effector function is elaborated. The bearing on the putidaredoxin effector function is discussed.
Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 in Chronic Proliferative Immune Complex Nephritis

In rats with chronic serum sickness, proliferative immune complex glomerulonephritis progresses in three discrete stages, designated mild, moderate, and severe. One distinguishing immunopathologic feature, the progressive increase in the number of glomerular macrophages, is closely correlated with decreasing kidney function. We hypothesized that monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, a β-subfamily chemokine with potent monocyte-specific chemotactic activity, might contribute to this macrophage accumulation. Immunohistochemical methods were used to identify monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in kidney tissue sections. Total RNA was extracted from the kidneys of rats at each stage of chronic serum sickness, and age-matched controls, and Northern blot analysis was performed with a rat monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 cDNA probe. Tissue staining localized monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 to the glomerular capillary wall and mesangium in chronic serum sickness. Minimal quantities of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 mRNA were detected in the kidneys of normal control rats, with marked increases in mRNA as chronic serum sickness nephritis progressed to the moderate stage. There was then an apparent decrease in monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 mRNA in the severe stage. The degree of protein staining and mRNA levels paralleled each other. We conclude that monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 is a potentially important chemotactic agent in chronic serum sickness nephritis.
WE‐E‐BRB‐02: Feasibility Study of Helical Tomotherapy for Dose Painting

Purpose: Important limitations for dose painting are due to treatment planning and delivery constraints. The purpose of this study was to determine the sensitivity of dose conformity to optimization parameters using the clinical TomoTherapy Hi‐Art treatment planning system (TPS). Materials and Methods: Uptake data from a patient who underwent a [ 61 Cu ]Cu‐ATSM PET/CT (surrogate of hypoxia) scan was retrospectively extracted for treatment planning. Extracted data was reformatted from voxel‐based to level‐based for compatibility with the Hi‐Art TPS. Optimized treatment plans were generated with physical objectives for each prescription sub‐volume modifying pitch, jaw width, modulation factor and iteration number. Effects of variations in plan parameters were simulated varying one physical parameter while keeping the other parameters unchanged. Avoidance structures were not used. The conformity of treatment plans to their non‐uniform prescriptions was evaluated via quality‐volume histograms (QVH) and percent receiving planned dose within 2 percent of prescription (Q0.98–1.02). Results: In general, the conformity of treatment plans to dose prescriptions was found to be adequate for delivery of dose painting plans. The conformity was better as the jaws decreased in width from 2.5 cm to 1.0 cm (Q0.98–1.02:64% vs 73%) and as the pitch increased from 0.122 to 0.443 (Q0.98–1.02:71% vs 73%). The effects on dose conformity of modulation factor and iteration number seem to be insensitive to change. Treatment delivery times varied from 5–11 minutes for changes in field width (2.5 cm to 1.0 cm) and from 11–25 minutes for changes in pitch (0.443 to 0.122). Conclusions: This investigation demonstrates the ability of the helical tomotherapy to create and deliver plans with non‐uniform dose distributions. Results indicate that agreement in prescription dose and planned dose distributions for all treatment plans are sensitive to physical parameter changes such as pitch and field width but insensitive to changes in modulation factor and iteration number.
Architecture and performance of a network-processor-based frame selection and distribution unit (SDU) for CDMA-2000

Third Generation Wireless Systems are rapidly moving towards the development after the successful completion of prototypes, demonstrating the core functionality. CDMA-2000 is a third generation mobile wireless system on which integrated voice and data applications will be supported. In an IS-634 wireless access network, the Selection Distribution Unit (SDU) performs the frame selection and distribution of traffic frames carrying voice, data, and signaling between a mobile station and the wireless network. In this paper we present architecture of a SDU based on a network processor and analyze the performance of CDMA-2000 voice traffic on it. We also include the performance results obtained on a general-purpose processor based SDU. The performance results indicate that a network processor based SDU has significant better throughput performance over the SDU unit equipped with general-purpose processors.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Ambient odors associated to failure influence cognitive performance in children.

We investigated whether odors can become conditioned to emotionally salient experiences such that when later encountered they influence performance consistent with a previously associated event. To test this hypothesis, 5-year-olds were given the experience of failure/frustration on a cognitive maze in a room scented with fragrance and later given another cognitively challenging test in a different room scented with either the same odor, a different odor, or no odor. Results revealed that subjects who performed the test in the presence of the same odor as the maze task did significantly worse than subjects in any other group. Performance in the different odor and the no odor groups were equivalent. Facial expressions and verbal remarks made during the maze task indicated a predominant display of negative affect. These findings show that odors can become conditioned to experiential states and when later encountered have directional influences on behavior.
Coalitions in organizational buying

Abstract It has been argued that many, if not most, organizational buying decisions are made not by individuals, but by coalitions. At the same time, coalition formation has been all but ignored in theoretical and empirical research on the buying process. This article discusses the nature of coalitions and their likelihood in industrial buying. Managerial implications of the presence of coalitions are drawn for both the industrial buying and selling organization.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning During Natural Disasters: The Hurricane Rita Experience

We report the incidence and mechanisms of carbon monoxide exposure during the first 5 days after Hurricane Rita, as experienced by a Disaster Medical Assistance Team staffing the only open health care facility in the Beaumont, Texas region after the storm. Improper placement of portable generators in indoor locations or proximate to home air conditioning intake systems were completely responsible for the 21 exposures including 5 fatalities, 1 brain dead, 2 transfers for hospitalization, and 13 treated and released. We discuss the clinical presentations and treatment approaches, provide a brief overview of carbon monoxide and offer novel preventive recommendations. Portable generator use after disasters represents a predictable risk to the public. Proper ventilation requirements for generators are not adequately appreciated and engineered safeties should be explored to mitigate illness.