cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modulators of Hepatic Lipoprotein Metabolism Identified in a Search for Small-Molecule Inducers of Tribbles Pseudokinase 1 Expression

Recent genome wide association studies have linked tribbles pseudokinase 1 (TRIB1) to the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). Based on the observations that increased expression of TRIB1 reduces secretion of VLDL and is associated with lower plasma levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, higher plasma levels of HDL cholesterol and reduced risk for myocardial infarction, we carried out a high throughput phenotypic screen based on quantitative RT-PCR assay to identify compounds that induce TRIB1 expression in human HepG2 hepatoma cells. In a screen of a collection of diversity-oriented synthesis (DOS)-derived compounds, we identified a series of benzofuran-based compounds that upregulate TRIB1 expression and phenocopy the effects of TRIB1 cDNA overexpression, as they inhibit triglyceride synthesis and apoB secretion in cells. In addition, the compounds downregulate expression of MTTP and APOC3, key components of the lipoprotein assembly pathway. However, CRISPR-Cas9 induced chromosomal disruption of the TRIB1 locus in HepG2 cells, while confirming its regulatory role in lipoprotein metabolism, demonstrated that the effects of benzofurans persist in TRIB1-null cells indicating that TRIB1 is sufficient but not necessary to transmit the effects of the drug. Remarkably, active benzofurans, as well as natural products capable of TRIB1 upregulation, also modulate hepatic cell cholesterol metabolism by elevating the expression of LDLR transcript and LDL receptor protein, while reducing the levels of PCSK9 transcript and secreted PCSK9 protein and stimulating LDL uptake. The effects of benzofurans are not masked by cholesterol depletion and are independent of the SREBP-2 regulatory circuit, indicating that these compounds represent a novel class of chemically tractable small-molecule modulators that shift cellular lipoprotein metabolism in HepG2 cells from lipogenesis to scavenging.
On grasping planar objects with two articulated fingers

The grasps attainable by mechanical hands with two opposing articulated fingers are examined. Such grasps are called planar, since all forces lie in plane defined by the contact points and the center of mass of the object. Assuming that the contact interaction can be modeled by point contact with Coulomb friction, the equilibrium equations for the grasped object are obtained. Satisfaction of force and moment equilibrium leads to the development of a compatability condition that relates object shape, contact locations and surface roughness as characterized by the coefficient of static friction μ. The set of all possible equilibrium grasps is determined for some examples and the results are presented as curves in a friction angle space. This representation permits choosing a grasp that is optimum in accordance with an independently developed criterion such as minimum dependence on friction forces.
Relation of Color, Size, and Canopy Placement of Prism Traps in Determining Capture of Emerald Ash Borer (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)

Abstract In 2008 we compared numbers of emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, captured on glue-coated prism traps of different sizes (standard, double-length narrow, and quarter), colors (green and purple), and height in relation to the canopy of ash host trees (mid-canopy (10–13 m) and ground level (1.5 m)). Standard-size prism traps caught more A. planipennis than did quarter-size prism traps, but catch per square metre of surface area did not differ significantly among the three trap sizes. Twenty percent of quarter-size prism traps failed to catch a single beetle, while all traps of the two larger sizes were successful. The larger traps therefore appear to be more useful as detection tools. In 2009 we compared purple and green standard-size prism traps at three heights: midcanopy (13 m), lower canopy (6 m), and ground (1.5 m). Green traps caught more adult emerald ash borers than did purple traps in the mid and lower canopy, but there was no difference between traps hung at 1.5 m. The rati...
TRPML: Transporters of metals in lysosomes essential for cell survival?

Key aspects of lysosomal function are affected by the ionic content of the lysosomal lumen and, therefore, by the ion permeability in the lysosomal membrane. Such functions include regulation of lysosomal acidification, a critical process in delivery and activation of the lysosomal enzymes, release of metals from lysosomes into the cytoplasm and the Ca2+-dependent component of membrane fusion events in the endocytic pathway. While the basic mechanisms of lysosomal acidification have been largely defined, the lysosomal metal transport system is not well understood. TRPML1 is a lysosomal ion channel whose malfunction is implicated in the lysosomal storage disease Mucolipidosis Type IV. Recent evidence suggests that TRPML1 is involved in Fe2+, Ca2+ and Zn2+ transport across the lysosomal membrane, ascribing novel physiological roles to this ion channel, and perhaps to its relatives TRPML2 and TRPML3 and illuminating poorly understood aspects of lysosomal function. Further, alterations in metal transport by the TRPMLs due to mutations or environmental factors may contribute to their role in the disease phenotype and cell death.
Recognition by ELAM-1 of the sialyl-Lex determinant on myeloid and tumor cells

Endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule-1 (ELAM-1) is an endothelial cell adhesion molecule that allows myeloid cells to attach to the walls of blood vessels adjacent to sites of inflammation. ELAM-1 recognizes the sialyl-Lewis X (sialyl-Lex) determinant, NeuAc alpha 2-3Gal beta 1-4(Fuc alpha 1-3)GlcNAc-, a granulocyte carbohydrate also found on the surface of some tumor cell lines. Binding of myeloid cells to soluble ELAM-1 is inhibited by a monoclonal antibody recognizing sialyl-Lex or by proteins bearing sialyl-Lex, some of which may participate in humoral regulation of myeloid cell adhesion. Stimulated granulocytes also release an inhibitor of ELAM-1 binding that can be selectively adsorbed by monoclonal antibody to sialyl-Lex.
SYNTHESIS AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF OVINE β‐LIPOTROPIN‐(41–91)‐HENKAIPENTEKONTAPEPTIDE

The 51-residue peptide ovine beta-lipotropin-(41--91) has been synthesized by the solid-phase method in about 5% overall yield. The synthetic product was characterized by partition chromatography on agarose gel, thin-layer chromatography in two solvent systems, paper electrophoresis at two pH values, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, amino acid analyses of acid and enzymic hydrolysates, and bioassay for lipolytic and melanotropic activities. The synthetic peptide is about 5.4 times as active on a weight basis as ovine beta-lipotropin in the lipolytic assay. In the melanotropic assay, it was about 2.4 times more active than the beta-lipotropin but only 5% as active as bovine beta-melanotropin. It had negligible opiate activity in the guinea pig ileum assay.
Carbon nanotube photonics: Single nanotube versus nanotube thin film

Semiconducting single-wall carbon nanotubes, quasi-one-dimensional materials with exciton energies that depend on their diameter, are currently examined for application in nano-photonics [1]. Fundamental photonic building blocks such as the single carbon nanotube light emitting p-i-n diode [2] and the single carbon nanotube microcavity-controlled light emitter [3] have recently been demonstrated. They can be considered important steps towards the demonstration of a fully integrated, electrically excited carbon nanotube quantum light source.
A Q-band phased-array front-end with integrated Wilkinson couplers for linear power combining in SiGe BiCMOS

A 4-element phased-array front-end receiver based on 4-bit RF phase shifters is designed for 36-46 GHz satellite communications. The phased-array uses a corporate-feed approach with integrated Wilkinson combiners for linear coherent power combining. The measured loss in the Wilkinson coupler is 0.5-0.6 dB at 30-50 GHz. The phased-array shows 10.4 dB of average power gain, les1.2 dB of RMS gain error, les8.7deg of RMS phase error and an IIP3 of -13.5 dBm per channel for all 4-bit phase states at 38.5 GHz. The chip consumes 118 mA from a 5 V supply voltage. The overall chip size is 1.4times1.7 mm2 and includes all the digital control circuits (address decoders, registers, etc.) for the array.
Dermofasciectomy in the management of Dupuytren's disease

Dupuytren's disease may present with well-defined subcutaneous cords or as more diffuse disease with involvement of the skin. Fasciectomy is the procedure commonly carried out for the full range of disease, but is associated with rates of recurrence of up to 66%. We reviewed 143 rays in 103 patients undergoing dermofasciectomy for diffuse disease with involvement of the skin. We found recurrence in 12 rays (8.4% of rays; 11.6% of patients) during a mean follow-up of 5.8 years, eight as cords and four as nodules. We suggest that dermofasciectomy is a better method of disease control than fasciectomy for the more diffuse type of disease with involvement of the skin.
Using a cell phone-based glucose monitoring system for adolescent diabetes management.

IntroductionMobile technology may be useful in addressing several issues in adolescent diabetes management.PurposeTo assess the feasibility and acceptability of a cell phone glucose monitoring system for adolescents with type 1 diabetes and their parents.MethodsThe authors recruited patients with type 1 diabetes who had been diagnosed for at least 1 year. Each adolescent used the system for 6 months, filling out surveys every 3 months to measure their usability and satisfaction with the cell phone glucose monitoring system, as well as how use of the system might affect quality of family functioning and diabetes management.ResultsAdolescents reported positive feelings about the technology and the service, even though a concerning number of them had significant technical issues that affected continued use of the device. Nearly all thought that the clinic involvement in monitoring testing behavior was quite acceptable. The use of the Glucophone™ did not, however, significantly change the quality of life of t...
Incorporating gene networks into statistical tests for genomic data via a spatially correlated mixture model

Motivation: It is a common task in genomic studies to identify a subset of the genes satisfying certain conditions, such as differentially expressed genes or regulatory target genes of a transcription factor (TF). This can be formulated as a statistical hypothesis testing problem. Most existing approaches treat the genes as having an identical and independent distribution a priori, testing each gene independently or testing some subsets of the genes one by one. On the other hand, it is known that the genes work coordinately as dictated by gene networks. Treating genes equally and independently ignores the important information contained in gene networks, leading to inefficient analysis and reduced power. Results: We propose incorporating gene network information into statistical analysis of genomic data. Specifically, rather than treating the genes equally and independently a priori in a standard mixture model, we assume that gene-specific prior probabilities are correlated as induced by a gene network: while the genes are allowed to have different prior probabilities, those neighboring ones in the network have similar prior probabilities, reflecting their shared biological functions. We applied the two approaches to a real ChIP-chip dataset (and simulated data) to identify the transcriptional target genes of TF GCN4. The new method was found to be more powerful in discovering the target genes. Contact: weip@biostat.umn.edu
Viewpoint: Telecommunications and Internet Broadband Policy: Sorting Out the Pieces for Telerehabilitation

Technological change is accelerating and with it regulatory upheaval. Most of us agree that providing universal telecommunication services to all our citizens is a worthy ideal. Nonetheless, many of us do not agree that regulation should be the means to make broadband Internet services widely available. This Viewpoint begins sorting out pieces of the emerging United States, regulatory and policy puzzle for broadband Internet with an eye to the interests of telerehabilitation providers and consumers. Just how might changes in legal authority, regulation and agency jurisdictions impact us?
Democracy and Ethnography: Constructing Identities in Multicultural Liberal States

Democracy and Ethnography: Constructing Identities in Multicultural Liberal States Carol J. Greenhouse and Roshanak Kheshti eds. (Albany: SUNY Press, 1998)
An accurate voltage-controlled negative resistance circuit

A novel voltage-controlled negative resistance circuit incorporating n-p-n current mirrors is presented. Fully compatible with silicon IC technology, the circuit provides linear negative resistance characteristics that can be set precisely with external resistors. Experimental results are presented for the basic circuit as well as some of its variants.
Cyclic AMP in pancreatic acinar cells: effects of gastrointestinal hormones

In the presence of 5 mM theophylline, secretin and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) each increased cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) in acinar cells isolated from guinea pig pancreas. Without theophylline, neither peptide altered cellular cyclic AMP. Glucagon, which is similar to secretin and VIP both in chemical structure and spectrum of biologic activities, neither stimulated cellular cyclic AMP nor inhibited the stimulation produced by secretin or by VIP. Other agents which were tested and found not to increase cellular cyclic AMP were cholecystokinin, carboxyl-terminal octapeptide of cholecystokinin, gastrin I, gastrin II, bovine pancreatic polypeptide, carbamylcholine, and prostaglandin E1. Neither carboxyl-terminal octapeptide nor gastrin I altered the stimulation of cellular cyclic AMP produced by secretin or VIP. With natural secretin a significant increase in cellular cyclic AMP could be detected at concentrations as low as 3 x 10(-10) M and maximal stimulation occurred at 10(-8) M. VIP was approximately 1% as potent as natural secretin and maximal concentrations of secretin plus VIP increased cellular cyclic AMP to the same value as was obtained with a maximal concentration of secretin alone.
Impaired synergic control of posture in Parkinson's patients without postural instability.

Abstract Background Postural instability is one of most disabling motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease. Indices of multi-muscle synergies are new measurements of movement and postural stability. Objectives Multi-muscle synergies stabilizing vertical posture were studied in Parkinson's disease patients without clinical symptoms of postural instability (Hoehn-Yahr ≤ II) and age-matched controls. We tested the hypothesis that both synergy indices during quiet standing and synergy adjustments to self-triggered postural perturbations would be reduced in patients. Methods Eleven Parkinson's disease patients and 11 controls performed whole-body tasks while standing. Surface electromyography was used to quantify synergy indices stabilizing center of pressure shifts in the anterior–posterior direction during a load-release task. Results Parkinson's disease patients showed a significantly lower percentage of variance in the muscle activation space accounted for by the first four principal components, significantly reduced synergy indices during steady state, and significantly reduced anticipatory synergy adjustments (a drop in the synergy index prior to the self-triggered unloading). Conclusions The study demonstrates for the first time that impaired synergic control in Parkinson's disease can be quantified in postural tasks, even in patients without clinical manifestations of postural instability. Synergy measurements may provide a biomarker sensitive for early problems with postural stability in Parkinson's disease.
Mesenteric vein thrombosis can be safely treated with anticoagulation but is associated with significant sequelae of portal hypertension

Background Mesenteric venous thrombosis (MVT) is a relatively uncommon but potentially lethal condition associated with bowel ischemia and infarction. The natural history and long-term outcomes are poorly understood and under-reported. Methods A single-institution retrospective review of noncirrhotic patients diagnosed with MVT from 1999 to 2015 was performed using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision and radiology codes. Patients were excluded if no radiographic imaging was available for review. Eighty patients were identified for analysis. Demographic, clinical, and radiographic data on presentation and at long-term follow-up were collected. Long-term sequelae of portal venous hypertension were defined as esophageal varices, portal vein cavernous transformation, splenomegaly, or hepatic atrophy, as seen on follow-up imaging. Results There were 80 patients (57.5% male; mean age, 57.9 ± 15.6 years) identified; 83.3% were symptomatic, and 80% presented with abdominal pain. Median follow-up was 480 days (range, 1-6183 days). Follow-up radiographic and clinical data were available for 50 patients (62.5%). The underlying causes of MVT included cancer (41.5%), an inflammatory process (25.9%), the postoperative state (20.7%), and idiopathic cases (18.8%). Pancreatic cancer was the most common associated malignant neoplasm (53%), followed by colon cancer (15%). Twenty patients (26%) had prior or concurrent lower extremity deep venous thromboses. Most patients (68.4%) were treated with anticoagulation; the rest were treated expectantly. Ten (12.5%) had bleeding complications related to anticoagulation, including one death from intracranial hemorrhage. Four patients underwent intervention (three pharmacomechanical thrombolysis and one thrombectomy). One patient died of intestinal ischemia. Two patients had recurrent MVT, both on discontinuing anticoagulation. Long-term imaging sequelae of portal hypertension were noted in 25 of 50 patients (50%) who had follow-up imaging available. Patients with long-term sequelae had lower recanalization rates (36.8% vs 65%; P = .079) and significantly higher rates of complete as opposed to partial thrombosis at the initial event (73% vs 43.3%; P P = NS). Conclusions Most cases of MVT are associated with malignant disease or an inflammatory process, such as pancreatitis. A diagnosis of malignant disease in the setting of MVT has poor prognosis, with a 5-year survival of only 25%. MVT can be effectively treated with anticoagulation in the majority of cases. Operative or endovascular intervention is rarely needed but important to consider in patients with signs of severe ischemia or impending bowel infarction. There is a significant incidence of radiographically noted long-term sequelae from MVT related to portal venous hypertension, especially in cases of initial complete thrombosis of the mesenteric vein.
Dear Lauren Soth: Must We so Nearly Despair?

DEAR Lauren: You end your remarkably stirring book on Farm Troubles* with the paragraph: "So we will continue to muddle along by compromise, experimentation, and half measures. This is the way of democracy, and it is the best way." Or at least it looks this way to you in contrast with what you saw on your recent tour of Russian agriculture. You strongly insist that the Number One problem facing our agriculture is that of improving the lot of our low-income farmers, and in your excellent chapter on "The Neglected One Third" outline a very specific set of measures for dealing with this problem. I agree that it is the Number One problem and pretty much with your set of proposed measures. But in your final chapter the best you can say as to a solution is: "Now there are a few signs that positive action will be taken" (p. 217). Your Number Two problem is "keeping farm income up" (Chapter 13). But in your final chapter all you can say is that as a result of 23 years of struggling with the surplus problem we now "know a good deal about it." But "the lessons have not been followed in practice," and "progress has been slight" (p. 217). And so on with the series of problems you deal with in Chapters 6 to 15. The question I ask is this: Do we need to be so nearly helpless to make progress along these and other lines you designate as your concluding chapter implies? Aren't there some things we can get a majority of our democracy to support that will step up the rate of progress importantly-not greatly at the very start perhaps, but acceleratingly thereafter? You yourself in your chapter on "Farmers in an Industrial Economy" call attention to the success of the procedures and organization set up under "The Employment Act of 1946" in introducing an increasing measure of orderliness into the behavior of the general economy. As you point out, in terms of economic magnitudes, agriculture is now only a very small fraction of our nation, but because of our political organization it weighs heavily in national elections and in decisions in Congress and The White House. If we could only have a fairly peaceful and contented agriculture for a decade or two, the upper levels of our federal, state and local governments would have much more time to deal with matters of far more consequence to most of our society.
Dose-dependent effects of adenosine antagonists on tacrine-induced tremulous jaw movements.

Abstract The present study examines the effect of three adenosine receptor antagonists on tremulous jaw movements (TJMs), an animal model of tremor. Forty-five rats were pre-treated with one adenosine antagonist: caffeine (0.0, 5.0, or 10.0 mg/kg; non-selective adenosine receptor antagonist), 8-cyclopentyltheophylline (CPT; 0.0, 5.0, or 10.0 mg/kg; selective adenosine A1 receptor antagonist), or SCH 58261 (0.0 or 8.0 mg/kg; selective adenosine A2A receptor antagonist) followed by TJM induction with tacrine (0.0, 0.75, or 2.5 mg/kg; acetylcholinesterase inhibitor). CPT and SCH 58261 both significantly reduced TJMs while caffeine did not. Unexpectedly, both SCH 58261 and CPT reduced TJMs even in the absence of tacrine. Also, CPT showed a robust reduction of TJMs, achieved at both (5.0 mg/kg) and (10.0 mg/kg) doses and regardless of tacrine dose. In conclusion, this study shows adenosine receptor antagonism to generally suppress low-dose tacrine-induced TJMs. In concert with two prior studies, these results are suggestive of behavioral evidence for a biphasic effect of adenosine A2A receptor antagonists (caffeine and SCH 58261) that is modulated by tacrine, and a model of this effect is proposed.
Molecular Insights in the Structure and Layered Assembly of Polyelectrolytes at the Oil/Water Interface

Macromolecular assembly at the interface between water and a hydrophobic surface underlies some of the most important biological and environmental processes on the planet. Important model systems for understanding this assembly at such interfaces are polyelectrolytes that have hydrophilic units interspersed along a hydrophobic polymer backbone, similar to many biological macromolecules. This feature article provides recent advances in the molecular factors that contribute to the adsorption and assembly of carboxylic acid-containing polyelectrolytes at the carbon tetrachloride–water interface, a model system for an oil–water interface. Using vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy and interfacial tension techniques, these unique set of studies presented herein identify the factors that dictate whether or not polyelectrolytes will adsorb to the oil–water interface and also describe the specifics of the adsorption process that depend upon factors such as polymer size, charge density, hydrophobicity, conformat...
Effect of microwave radiation on redissolving precipitated matter in fluorouracil injection

The effect on the stability of fluorouracil injection of using microwave radiation to redissolve precipitated matter was studied. Fifteen ampuls each of Fluorouracil Injection, USP, containing precipitate were heated to 60 degrees C in a microwave oven and water bath, respectively. The contents of each heated ampul and of 15 control ampuls (unheated, no precipitate) were assayed by high-performance liquid chromatography, and the pH value of each sample was measured. Each test group fell within USP concentration requirements and showed no significant decrease in potency. Among the microwave-heated ampuls, a mean drop of 0.03 pH units was significant (p less than 0.05) but did not affect drug stability or solubility, since all samples remained within the USP pH range of 8.6-9.0. Precipitated matter in fluorouracil injection can be redissolved by heating with microwave radiation without significantly affecting the drug's stability.
A Trajectory Recommendation System via Optimizing Sensors Utilization in Airborne Systems (Demo Paper)

Airborne sensory system is equipped on piloted or remotely-piloted aerial vehicles to collect and transmit imagery data back to the ground users. In traditional approaches where pilots to satisfy spatio-temporal tasks via image capturing, the pilot is required to manually decide an alternative trajectory to satisfy as many tasks as possible while maintaining a low deviation cost due to fuel constraint. Additionally, various constraints on tasks and original flight trajectory must be satisfied as well, such as temporal and Quality of Service constraints. We show a demo of a trajectory recommendation framework consists of two approaches to generate an optimized trajectory with the above goals by increasing sensor utilization via task aggregation and scheduling. We demonstrate a trajectory recommendation system that accepts user inputs and outputs visualization of intermediate processes and final trajectory.
The establishment and duration of Fasciola hepatica infections in two strains of rats and the development of acquired resistance

Male and female rats of the inbred Piebald Virol Glaxo ( PVG) and Sprague Dawley (SD) strains were infected with 20 metacercariae of Fasciola hepatica. Three months after infection there was a highly significant difference (P LESS THAN 0-001) in the fluke burden of the two strains. The PVG rats (average 9-4 flukes) were more susceptible than the SD strain (average 2-8 flukes). The PVG males (11-6 flukes) were also found to be significantly more susceptible than the PVG females (average 7-2 flukes) whereas the sex of the SD rats did not affect the fluke burdens significantly. Seven to eight months after infection the PVG rats had eliminated their flukes. These 'self cured' PVG rats were significantly resistant to oral challenge with 20 metacercariae. In marked contrast the SD rats had not eliminated their flukes at the termination of the experiment 12 months after infection.
Urolithiasis in rats with diabetes insipidus (Brattleboro strain rats)

Brattleboro strain rats homozygous for hypothalamic diabetes insipidus (DI rat) excrete nearly their body weight per day in dilute urine and yet can form bladders stones composed of struvite and apatite. Studies were undertaken to investigate this apparent paradox. The results show that DI rat urine is indeed undersaturated with respect to struvite and apatite. However, chronic infection of DI rat urine with a urease-containing organism (Proteus mirabilis) results in the rapid formation of large struvite/apatite bladder stones. It is concluded that the Brattleboro strain DI rat, like man and unlike other rats, forms struvite/apatite calculi only in the presence at chronic urinary tract infection.
Überspark: enforcing verifiable object abstractions for automated compositional security analysis of a hypervisor

We present uberSpark (uSpark), an innovative architecture for compositional verification of security properties of extensible hypervisors written in C and Assembly. uSpark comprises two key ideas: (i) endowing low-level system software with abstractions found in higher-level languages (e.g., objects, interfaces, function-call semantics for implementations of interfaces, access control on interfaces, concurrency and serialization), enforced using a combination of commodity hardware mechanisms and lightweight static analysis; and (ii) interfacing with platform hardware by programming in Assembly using an idiomatic style (called CASM) that is verifiable via tools aimed at C, while retaining its performance and low-level access to hardware. After verification, the C code is compiled using a certified compiler while the CASM code is translated into its corresponding Assembly instructions. Collectively, these innovations enable compositional verification of security invariants without sacrificing performance. We validate uSpark by building and verifying security invariants of an existing open-source commodity x86 micro-hypervisor and several of its extensions, and demonstrating only minor performance overhead with low verification costs.
Matrizen und Determinanten

Wir behandeln hier nur quadratische Matrizen, d. h. Matrizen mit gleich vielen Zeilen und Spalten.
Error Disclosure in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine: A Review of the Literature

Since the 1990s, the fields of anatomic and clinical pathology have made strong commitments to improving patient safety, including the creation of formal and informal guidelines for assessing and reporting quality lapses. Unfortunately, some medical errors are inevitable. Patient safety experts advocate full and complete disclosure of all serious medical errors in an effort to preserve the patient-physician relationship and minimize the risk of harm to patients. While evidence suggests that most pathologists disclose serious medical errors, many do not disclose such errors to patients. A literature review of articles published on diagnostic error disclosure in pathology and laboratory medicine suggests that there are in fact persistent barriers to the disclosure of diagnostic errors that are specific to pathology. A number of these barriers are considered here, followed by recommendations for improving patient safety in pathology.
Optimal Capture of a Tumbling Object in Orbit Using a Space Manipulator

This paper introduces an optimal capture strategy for a manipulator based on a servicing spacecraft to approach an arbitrarily rotating object, such as a malfunctioning satellite or a piece of orbital debris, for capturing with minimal impact to the robot's base spacecraft. The method consists of two steps. The first step is to determine an optimal future time and the target object's corresponding motion state for the robot to capture the tumbling object, so that, at the time when the gripper of the robot intercepts the target the very first instant, the resulting impact or disturbance to the attitude of the base spacecraft will be minimal. The second step is to control the robot to reach the tumbling object at the predicted optimal time along an optimal trajectory. The optimal control problem is solved with random uncertainties in the initial and final boundary conditions. Uncertainties are introduced because sensor and estimation errors inevitably exist in the first step, i.e., determination process of the initial and final boundary conditions. The application of the method is demonstrated using a dynamics simulation example.
Chemical and isotopic composition of nitrogen and boron in septic tank wastewater samples

Most of earth’s population depends on onsite sewage systems to dispose of their wastewater to the environment. Samples used to estimate contaminant transport in the environment have typically been collected from nitrogen loads external to the septic tank. Here we characterize the isotopes of boron, nitrate–nitrogen and nitrate–oxygen in partially clarified liquid collected directly from within septic tanks located in Florida. Among other parameters, total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) and total boron were also evaluated. Nitrate–nitrogen isotopes from three samples ranged from +1.25 to +10.00‰, and boron isotopes from five samples ranged from +8.8 to +31.3‰. Nitrate–oxygen isotopes ranged from −3.23 to +19.96‰ and were indicative of an anoxic environment. On average, residential septic tanks were found to contain 96 µg L−1 total boron and 63 mg L−1 TKN. Utilizing isotopes of boron, among other parameters, our findings show that the partially clarified liquid in septic tanks contains a distinguishable δ11B signature.
Mixed Beam Murine Harderian Gland Tumorigenesis: Predicted Dose-Effect Relationships if neither Synergism nor Antagonism Occurs.

Complex mixed radiation fields exist in interplanetary space, and little is known about their late effects on space travelers. In silico synergy analysis default predictions are useful when planning relevant mixed-ion-beam experiments and interpreting their results. These predictions are based on individual dose-effect relationships (IDER) for each component of the mixed-ion beam, assuming no synergy or antagonism. For example, a default hypothesis of simple effect additivity has often been used throughout the study of biology. However, for more than a century pharmacologists interested in mixtures of therapeutic drugs have analyzed conceptual, mathematical and practical questions similar to those that arise when analyzing mixed radiation fields, and have shown that simple effect additivity often gives unreasonable predictions when the IDER are curvilinear. Various alternatives to simple effect additivity proposed in radiobiology, pharmacometrics, toxicology and other fields are also known to have importa...
Assessing distress in patients with gastrointestinal tumors during radiotherapy.

524 Background: Psychosocial distress during radiotherapy (RT) for gastrointestinal tumors is poorly characterized. Since 2012, patients receiving RT in our clinic have been prospectively screened ...
Influence of the Dimensionality and Organic Cation on Crystal and Electronic Structure of Organometallic Halide Perovskites

Layered perovskites open a plethora of possibilities for tuning organometallic halide perovskite (OMHP) properties via the incorporation of larger organic cations. Promising applications of this increased structural freedom include enhanced chemical stability and tunable exciton binding. Owing to the larger cation, crystal and electronic structures vary with layer stacking, having layered bulk and a monolayer as limiting cases. Using ab initio calculations, here we study the atomic and electronic structures of such a layered material, (C6H5C2H4NH3)2PbI4, which has recently attracted attention as a promising solar cell material. The reduction of layer thickness between the bulk and a monolayer is investigated and compared to that of the benchmark OMHP, (CH3NH3)PbI3, showing that the bulkier C6H5C2H4NH3 cations largely preserve the two-dimensional nature of the electronic structure in the layered bulk OMHP.
Influence of owner impression and contract framing: could it be used to manipulate construction contractors’ perception of risk?

It is generally accepted that the primary factor in determining construction projects’ cost and duration is the contractor’s perceived risk. The goal of the research was to develop and test scienti...
Atomic force phase imaging for dynamic detection of adsorbed hydrogen on a catalytic palladium surface under liquid

Abstract Dynamic observation of hydrogen on catalytic metal surfaces is a challenging aspect of studying liquid-phase heterogeneous catalysis. Current methods suffer from one or more of the following limitations: the requirement to observe the surface in high vacuum, the inability to provide nanometer-level spatial resolution, the inability to deal with opaque catalysts and/or liquid immersion phase, the lack of real-time scanning of the surface area, and the inability to assess pronounced topographies or mixed materials. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) phase-shift imaging remedies these issues and provides an opportunity for dynamic direct observation of catalyst surfaces at or near actual reaction conditions immersed in liquid. Hydrogen was delivered to a palladium surface immersed in water by diffusion through a support film of dense polycarbonate. The palladium surface was continuously probed by tapping-mode AFM. The theoretically predicted time-dependent appearance of hydrogen on the water-covered palladium surface matched the experimental observation reasonably well. The technique demonstrated here is unique in that the appearance of hydrogen is dynamically detected in real time on a catalyst surface immersed in water with nanometer-scale spatial resolution. The results presented here supply a new level of information for heterogeneous catalysis that is not available with existing techniques. This work opens new avenues in the study of heterogeneous catalysis, a field with tremendous practical importance and serious analytical challenges.
Localized Gray Matter Changes in Acute Stroke (P05.244)

OBJECTIVE: We investigated 1)gray matter differences between acute stroke patients, patients with risk factors for stroke, and healthy controls and 2)gray matter changes associated with behavioral performance after a stroke. BACKGROUND: Global grey matter volume decreases with age.There is also evidence that changes in sub-cortical gray matter volume is associated with cognitive impairment after stroke(3-6 months period). DESIGN/METHODS: Patients with stroke(N=11, non-cortical ischemic stroke within 7 days of stroke onset, mean age 58,6M), patients with risk factors for stroke (N=5,mean age 69 ,3M) and age-matched healthy controls (N=17,mean age 56, 10 M) were scanned on a GE 3T MRI scanner. High-resolution 3D T1-weighted whole brain BRAVO FSPGR images were collected with: repetition time TR = 8.13 ms, echo time TE=3.18ms, flip angle=12,156 slices, voxel resolution 1 mm isotropic. The subjects performed a letter fluency task. Gray matter changes were assessed using VBM8 and SPM8 in Matlab. RESULTS: There was a significant group difference between acute stroke patients and healthy controls on the verbal task(p CONCLUSIONS: There are localized gray matter changes notably in the temporal lobe in acute period of stroke showing significant association with verbal fluency deficits in these patients. This suggests that acute stroke may induce regional changes in gray matter volume. This could be attributed to stroke as well as chronic changes due to risk factors for stroke. Further studies will test this. Disclosure: Dr. Gupta has nothing to disclose. Dr. La has nothing to disclose. Dr. Jensen has nothing to disclose. Dr. Chacon has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sattin has nothing to disclose. Dr. Nair has nothing to disclose. Dr. Prabhakaran has nothing to disclose.
Shape Factors for Nozzle Corner Cracks.

Epoxy pressure vessels with fatigue cracks in the nozzle corner were burst.1 The remains were cut into beams forKIc measurements. With nominal stress from burst pressures, crack sizes from measurements and stress intensities fromKIc, the shape factors were determined from the fundamental equation of fracture mechanics.
An Eco-Friendly System for the Production of Value-Added Materials from Dairy Manure

A concept is outlined for the production of materials/commodities from a polluting waste. A preliminary evaluation is presented for a proposed integrated dairy farm manure management system consisting of a two-stage anaerobic digester coupled with a polyhydroxyalkanoate reactor, algae cultivation system (ACS) and a biomass treatment system, such as fast-pyrolysis or hydrothermal liquefaction, to sequester carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus into value-added products (e.g., bioplastics, biogas, fertilizer, soil amendment and livestock bedding) rather than releasing them into the environment. Mass flows through the system are presented for a 10,000-cow dairy. The integrated manure treatment system can reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus released from the manure by 50.9% and 38.1%, respectively. Without an ACS, the reduction drops to 19% and 27%, respectively. Greenhouse gas emissions can potentially be reduced by 44,200 MT CO2e/year over the referenced open lot dairy.
Random Hyperplanes, Generalized Singular Values & “What’s My β?”

We streamline the treatment of the Jacobi ensemble from random matrix theory by providing a succinct geometric characterization which may be used directly to compute the Jacobi ensemble distribution without unnecessary matrix baggage traditionally seen in the MANOVA formulation. Algebraically the Jacobi ensemble naturally corresponds to the Generalized Singular Value Decomposition from the field of Numerical Linear Algebra. We further provide a clear geometric interpretation for the Selberg constant in front of the distribution which may sensibly be defined even beyond the reals, complexes, and quaternions. On the application side, we propose a new learning problem where one estimates a $\beta $ that best fits the sample eigenvalues from the Jacobi ensemble.
Forest harvest legacies control dissolved organic carbon export in small watersheds, western Oregon

This study examined physical and biological controls on dissolved organic carbon (DOC) fluxes from conifer-forest watersheds in the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest of Oregon. We tested how DOC export was related to streamflow and legacies of wood on the forest floor three to five decades after harvest of old-growth forest in seven watersheds spanning the rain to snow elevation gradient. Three watersheds had old-growth forest and four had 30 to 50-year-old forest established after clearcutting of old-growth forest. Mean annual DOC flux in the watersheds was related to the biomass of forest floor wood, which was two or three times higher in watersheds with old-growth forest compared to young forest, and was inversely related to elevation, a measure of snowpack depth and duration. In contrast, fluxes of inorganic elements such as Si and Ca did not vary with harvest history or forest floor characteristics. Annual fluxes of DOC, Si, and Ca were linearly related to annual runoff, and annual volume-weighted concentrations of these ions declined by < 0.6% with several-fold increases in annual runoff. Across all years, DOC concentrations peaked before the peak of the hydrograph in all watersheds, which we interpret as representing movement, likely via preferential and surficial flow, of organic materials mineralized and solubilized during the long dry summers in this ecosystem. DOC concentrations relative to stream flow exhibited clockwise hysteresis loops in each water year, also suggesting that soluble DOC produced in the dry summer is exported in the fall. DOC concentration differences between reference and harvested watersheds also peaked in late summer or early fall, suggesting that the source of the additional DOC from reference watersheds came from coarse woody debris that remains moist during the dry summers and that was significantly greater in watersheds with elevated DOC. Taken together, our results suggest that forest floor wood is a previously unappreciated control on the supply of DOC that can be exported, and runoff is a secondary control on total DOC flux to streams. The legacy of forest harvest on DOC flux can be observed for decades, as total ecosystem carbon stocks, especially coarse woody debris, may require centuries to develop after old-growth forest harvest.
Using 18 U.S.C. Section 242 to Prosecute Private Security Personnel for Civil Rights Violations: An Analysis

AbstractThis exploratory study examines the use of U.S. federal statute 18 U.S.C. § 242 in criminally prosecuting private security personnel in the United States for violating a person’s rights und...
A Scalar Curvature Bound Along the Conical Kähler–Ricci Flow

Starting with a model conical Kahler metric, we prove a uniform scalar curvature bound for solutions to the conical Kahler–Ricci flow assuming a semi-ampleness type condition on the twisted canonical bundle. In the proof, we also establish uniform estimates for the potentials and their time derivatives.
Getting Mouthy: The Displayed Authority of Dr. Katharine Berry Richardson

Female physicians in the late 1800s and early 1900s struggled to carve out space for themselves in the male-dominated medical profession. They were rare and generally unwelcome in most public and professional discourses. It was in this time and place that Katharine Richardson, M.D. raised enough money from the Kansas City, Missouri, community to build and operate a free pediatric hospital. This essay seeks to delineate the rhetorical approaches she employed to gain the respect and funds of Kansas City, using the hospital newsletter she wrote for and edited as source material. The research of Carolyn Skinner and Susan Wells provide a framework through which the ethos of Richardson can be examined more closely. Her stances as both a physician and as a philanthropist are contrasted with one another and often found complementary.
Number-conserving analysis of measurement-based braiding with Majorana zero modes

Majorana-based quantum computation seeks to encode information nonlocally in pairs of Majorana zero modes, thereby isolating qubit states from a local noisy environment. In addition to long coherence times, the attractiveness of Majorana-based quantum computing relies on achieving topologically protected Clifford gates from braiding operations. Recent works have conjectured that mean-field BCS calculations may fail to account for nonuniversal corrections to the Majorana braiding operations. Such errors would be detrimental to Majorana-based topological quantum computing schemes. In this work, we develop a particle-number-conserving approach for measurement-based topological quantum computing and investigate the effect of quantum phase fluctuations. We demonstrate that braiding transformations are indeed topologically protected in charge-protected Majorana-based quantum computing schemes.
Cold Technique in Adult Tonsillectomy Reduces Waste and Cost

Objectives:To quantify differences in waste and cost of disposable equipment between different tonsillectomy techniques.Methods:Prospective study of waste attributable to disposable waste produced ...
Human-Inspired Socially-Aware Interfaces

Social interactions shape our human life and are inherently emotional. Human conversational partners usually try to interpret – consciously or unconsciously – the speaker’s or listener’s affective cues and respond to them accordingly. With the objective to contribute to more natural and intuitive ways of communicating with machines, an increasing number of research projects has started to investigate how to simulate similar affective behaviors in socially-interactive agents. In this paper we present an overview of the state of the art in social-interactive agents that expose a socially-aware interface including mechanisms to recognize a user’s emotional state, to respond to it appropriately and to continuously learn how to adapt to the needs and preferences of a human user. To this end, we focus on three essential properties of socially-aware interfaces: Social Perception, Socially-Aware Behavior Synthesis, and Learning Socially-Aware Behaviors. We also analyze the limitations of current approaches and discuss directions for future development.