cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SOS: Stereo Matching in O(1) with Slanted Support Windows

Depth cameras have accelerated research in many areas of computer vision. Most triangulation-based depth cameras, whether structured light systems like the Kinect or active (assisted) stereo systems, are based on the principle of stereo matching. Depth from stereo is an active research topic dating back 30 years. Despite recent advances, algorithms usually trade-off accuracy for speed. In particular, efficient methods rely on fronto-parallel assumptions to reduce the search space and keep computation low. We present SOS (Slanted O(1) Stereo), the first algorithm capable of leveraging slanted support windows without sacrificing speed or accuracy. We use an active stereo configuration, where an illuminator textures the scene. Under this setting, local methods - such as PatchMatch Stereo - obtain state of the art results by jointly estimating disparities and slant, but at a large computational cost. We observe that these methods typically exploit local smoothness to simplify their initialization strategies. Our key insight is that local smoothness can in fact be used to amortize the computation not only within initialization, but across the entire stereo pipeline. Building on these insights, we propose a novel hierarchical initialization that is able to efficiently perform search over disparity and slants. We then show how this structure can be leveraged to provide high quality depth maps. Extensive quantitative evaluations demonstrate that the proposed technique yields significantly more precise results than current state of the art, but at a fraction of the computational cost. Our prototype implementation runs at 4000 fps on modern GPU architectures.
Characterization of a solid state reaction product from a lyophilized formulation of a cyclic heptapeptide. A novel example of an excipient-induced oxidation.

Purpose. To elucidate the structure of a degradation product arising from a lyophilized formulation of a cyclic heptapeptide, and to provide a mechanism to account for its formation.
The Molecular Genetics of Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

Activated JAK-STAT signaling is central to the pathogenesis of BCR-ABL-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) and occurs as a result of MPN phenotypic driver mutations in JAK2, CALR, or MPL The spectrum of concomitant somatic mutations in other genes has now largely been defined in MPNs. With the integration of targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) panels into clinical practice, the clinical significance of concomitant mutations in MPNs has become clearer. In this review, we describe the consequences of concomitant mutations in the most frequently mutated classes of genes in MPNs: (1) DNA methylation pathways, (2) chromatin modification, (3) RNA splicing, (4) signaling pathways, (5) transcription factors, and (6) DNA damage response/stress signaling. The increased use of molecular genetics for early risk stratification of patients brings the possibility of earlier intervention to prevent disease progression in MPNs. However, additional studies are required to decipher underlying molecular mechanisms and effectively target them.
Decreating Entrepreneurialized Art Education

As we experience the entrepreneurialization and creative destruction of institutional structures and processes at all levels of society, including government, technology, and learning, art educator...
Mid-Latitude Freshwater Availability Reduced by Projected Vegetation Responses to Climate Change

Plants are expected to generate more global-scale runoff under increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations through their influence on surface resistance to evapotranspiration. Recent studies using Earth System Models from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project ostensibly reaffirm this result, further suggesting that plants will ameliorate the dire reductions in water availability projected by other studies that use aridity metrics. Here we complicate this narrative by analysing the change in precipitation partitioning to plants, runoff and storage in multiple Earth system models under both high carbon dioxide concentrations and warming. We show that projected plant responses directly reduce future runoff across vast swaths of North America, Europe and Asia because bulk canopy water demands increase with additional vegetation growth and longer and warmer growing seasons. These runoff declines occur despite increased surface resistance to evapotranspiration and vegetation total water use efficiency, even in regions with increasing or unchanging precipitation. We demonstrate that constraining the large uncertainty in the multimodel ensemble with regional-scale observations of evapotranspiration partitioning strengthens these results. We conclude that terrestrial vegetation plays a large and unresolved role in shaping future regional freshwater availability, one that will not ubiquitously ameliorate future warming-driven surface drying. Projected responses of plants to rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations reduce runoff in large parts of the mid-latitudes as bulk canopy water demands grow, suggests an analysis of precipitation partitioning in climate model simulations.
Characteristics of internal medicine residents who successfully match into cardiology fellowships.

The unique traits of residents who matriculate into subspecialty fellowships are poorly understood. We sought to identify characteristics of internal medicine (IM) residents who match into cardiovascular (CV) fellowships. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 8 classes of IM residents who matriculated into residency from 2007 to 2014. The primary outcome was successful match to a CV fellowship within 1 year of completing IM residency. Independent variables included residents’ licensing exam scores, research publications, medical school reputation, Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) membership, declaration of intent to pursue CV in the residency application personal statement, clinical evaluation scores, mini-clinical evaluation exercise scores, in-training examination (ITE) performance, and exposure to CV during residency. Of the 339 included residents (59% male; mean age 27) from 120 medical schools, 73 (22%) matched to CV fellowship. At the time of residency application, 104 (31%) had ≥1 publication, 38 (11%) declared intention to pursue CV in their residency application personal statement, and 104 (31%) were members of AOA. Prior to fellowship application, 111 (33%) completed a CV elective rotation. At the completion of residency training, 108 (32%) had ≥3 publications. In an adjusted logistic regression analysis, declaration of intention to pursue CV (OR 6.4, 99% CI 1.7–23.4; p < 0.001), completion of a CV elective (OR 7.3, 99% CI 2.8–19.0; p < 0.001), score on the CV portion of the PGY-2 ITE (OR 1.05, 99% CI 1.02–1.08; p < 0.001), and publication of ≥3 manuscripts (OR 4.7, 99% CI 1.1–20.5; p = 0.007) were positively associated with matching to a CV fellowship. Overall PGY-2 ITE score was negatively associated (OR 0.93, 99% CI 0.90–0.97; p < 0.001) with matching to a CV fellowship. Residents’ matriculation into CV fellowships was associated with declaration of CV career intent, completion of a CV elective rotation, CV medical knowledge, and research publications during residency. These findings may be useful when advising residents about pursuing careers in CV. They may also help residents understand factors associated with a successful match to a CV fellowship. The negative association between matching into CV fellowship and overall ITE score may indicate excessive subspecialty focus during IM residency.
Failure To Detect Prion Infectivity in Ticks following Prion-Infected Blood Meal

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an emerging and fatal contagious prion disease that affects cervids, including mule deer, white-tailed deer, black-tailed deer, red deer reindeer, elk, and moose. CWD prions are widely distributed throughout the bodies of CWD-infected animals and are found in the nervous system, lymphoid tissues, muscle, blood, urine, feces, and antler velvet. The mechanism of CWD transmission in natural settings is unknown. Potential mechanisms of transmission include horizontal, maternal, or environmental routes. Due to the presence of prions in the blood of CWD-infected animals, the potential exists for invertebrates that feed on mammalian blood to contribute to the transmission of CWD. The geographic range of the Rocky Mountain Wood tick, Dermancentor andersoni, overlaps with CWD throughout the northwest United States and southwest Canada, raising the possibility that D. andersoni parasitization of cervids may be involved in CWD transmission. We investigated this possibility by examining the blood meal of D. andersoni that fed upon prion-infected hamsters for the presence of prion infectivity by animal bioassay. None of the hamsters inoculated with a D. andersoni blood meal that had been ingested from prion-infected hamsters developed clinical signs of prion disease or had evidence for a subclinical prion infection. Overall, the data do not demonstrate a role for D. andersoni in the transmission of prion disease.IMPORTANCE Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an emerging prion disease that affects cervids, including mule deer, white-tailed deer, black-tailed deer, red deer reindeer, elk, and moose. The mechanism of CWD transmission in unknown. Due to the presence of prions in the blood of CWD-infected animals, it is possible for invertebrates that feed on cervid blood to contribute to the transmission of CWD. We examined the blood meal of D. andersoni, a tick with a similar geographic range as cervids, that fed upon prion-infected hamsters for the presence of prion infectivity by animal bioassay. None of the D. andersoni blood meals that had been ingested from prion-infected hamsters yielded evidence of prion infection. Overall, the data do not support a role of D. andersoni in the transmission of prion disease.
Constitutional Dimensions of Hearsay Reform: Toward a Three-Dimensional Confrontation Clause

What are the implications of acknowledging a third dimension to our understanding of the Confrontation Clause and employing a practical reasoning approach to Confrontation Clause cases? When a court considers the full, multidimensional meaning of confrontation, it becomes much more difficult to admit into evidence a statement made out-of-court and out of the physical presence of the defendant. This is a hearsay problem, but in a criminal case it becomes a constitutional problem as well.
Androgen action in cell fate and communication during prostate development at single-cell resolution

Androgens/androgen receptor (AR)-mediated signaling pathways are essential for prostate development, morphogenesis and regeneration. Specifically, stromal AR signaling has been shown to be essential for prostatic initiation. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying AR-initiated mesenchymal-epithelial interactions in prostate development remain unclear. Here, using a newly generated mouse model, we have directly addressed the fate and role of genetically marked AR-expressing cells during embryonic prostate development. Androgen signaling-initiated signaling pathways were identified in mesenchymal niche populations at single-cell transcriptomic resolution. The dynamic cell-signaling networks regulated by stromal AR were additionally characterized in relation to prostatic epithelial bud formation. Pseudotime analyses further revealed the differentiation trajectory and fate of AR-expressing cells in both prostatic mesenchymal and epithelial cell populations. Specifically, the cellular properties of Zeb1-expressing progenitors were assessed. Selective deletion of AR signaling in a subpopulation of mesenchymal rather than epithelial cells dysregulated the expression of the master regulators and significantly impaired prostatic bud formation. These data provide novel, high-resolution evidence demonstrating the important role of mesenchymal androgen signaling in the cellular niche controlling prostate early development by initiating dynamic mesenchyme-epithelia cell interactions.
Polyacrylamide hydrogel phantoms for performance evaluation of multispectral photoacoustic imaging systems

Abstract As photoacoustic imaging (PAI) begins to mature and undergo clinical translation, there is a need for well-validated, standardized performance test methods to support device development, quality control, and regulatory evaluation. Despite recent progress, current PAI phantoms may not adequately replicate tissue light and sound transport over the full range of optical wavelengths and acoustic frequencies employed by reported PAI devices. Here we introduce polyacrylamide (PAA) hydrogel as a candidate material for fabricating stable phantoms with well-characterized optical and acoustic properties that are biologically relevant over a broad range of system design parameters. We evaluated suitability of PAA phantoms for conducting image quality assessment of three PAI systems with substantially different operating parameters including two commercial systems and a custom system. Imaging results indicated that appropriately tuned PAA phantoms are useful tools for assessing and comparing PAI system image quality. These phantoms may also facilitate future standardization of performance test methodology.
Phospholipid alterations in the brain and heart in a rat model of asphyxia-induced cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary bypass resuscitation

Cardiac arrest (CA) induces whole-body ischemia, causing damage to multiple organs. Ischemic damage to the brain is mainly responsible for patient mortality. However, the molecular mechanism responsible for brain damage is not understood. Prior studies have provided evidence that degradation of membrane phospholipids plays key roles in ischemia/reperfusion injury. The aim of this study is to correlate organ damage to phospholipid alterations following 30 min asphyxia-induced CA or CA followed by cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) resuscitation using a rat model. Following 30 min CA and CPB resuscitation, rats showed no brain function, moderately compromised heart function, and died within a few hours; typical outcomes of severe CA. However, we did not find any significant change in the content or composition of phospholipids in either tissue following 30 min CA or CA followed by CPB resuscitation. We found a substantial increase in lysophosphatidylinositol in both tissues, and a small increase in lysophosphatidylethanolamine and lysophosphatidylcholine only in brain tissue following CA. CPB resuscitation significantly decreased lysophosphatidylinositol but did not alter the other lyso species. These results indicate that a decrease in phospholipids is not a cause of brain damage in CA or a characteristic of brain ischemia. However, a significant increase in lysophosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylethanolamine found only in the brain with more damage suggests that impaired phospholipid metabolism may be correlated with the severity of ischemia in CA. In addition, the unique response of lysophosphatidylinositol suggests that phosphatidylinositol metabolism is highly sensitive to cellular conditions altered by ischemia and resuscitation.
Soils of North Victoria Land

North Victoria Land (NVL) is that portion of the 3,500 km long Transantarctic Mountains (TAM) that extends from the Wilson Hills along the Pennell Coast at approximately 69° 30′ S to the Mawson Glacier at about 76° S (Fig. 7.1).
Event-based location detection

Location detection is an important problem area, which can be found in many business domains. Sample application scenarios are searching books in libraries, shirts in fashion stores or DVDs in department stores. This paper introduces an innovative approach for the localisation of items based on Complex Event Processing (CEP) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). It is shown how CEP can be used to localise items equipped with RFID transponders in a real-world scenario. One key feature of the proposed approach is that it allows the localisation of objects that has not been tracked and traced before. In particular, mobile RFID handheld readers are used for scanning items and providing location information for the CEP system while moving around. First, the CEP system determines the reader's geographical position by trilateration of the RFID signal strengths. Then the most probable direction to the searched item is calculated in real-time.
Resource allocation and management in computer networks

Resource Allocation and Management (RAM) in Computer Networks has been an active research topic for decades. The complexity of the problem has increased for many reasons, such as the available mix of many different networks and scarce network resources along with an exponential increase in user demands and types of applications. An additional problem in wireless networks is that the frequency spectrum is fixed while the user demands are growing exponentially. Therefore, the problem is how to use the limited resources over the diverse networks efficiently to meet application specific requirements, such as throughput, delay, and delay jitter. In this dissertation, our focus is on three main research areas over three different networks - Part I: Congestion control in Datacenter Networks (DCNs), Part II: Resource allocation and management in IEEE 802.16 WiMAX Networks, and Part III: Resource management in Next Generation Wireless Networks (NGWNs). These three parts reflect the growing complexity of the problem space and the sequence of latest developments in the networking industry. In the past, Infiniband and Fibre Channel were common in DCNs because they offer better resource management due to their sophisticated congestion and flow controls. There is a need to move to use Ethernet in data centers due to its low cost, but it lacks the congestion control mechanisms required for reliable transfer of large volumes of data. Part I deals with congestion control in DCNs. The second important recent development is that of the broadband wireless metropolitan area networks, i.e., IEEE 802.16 WiMAX. Since these networks use licensed spectrum, which is very costly and scarce, resource management in these networks is very important. One of the key approaches for resource management is to design an efficient scheduler that takes advantages of the characteristics of the targeted wireless technology. Being a paid service, one of the key features of WiMAX is its strong quality of service (QoS). The standard supports multiple QoS classes for voice, video, and data applications. Therefore, an efficient scheduler should be able to provide such kinds of services with quality guarantees. The IEEE 802.16 standard does not specify a standard scheduling mechanism and leaves it for vendor differentiation. This is Part II of this dissertation. In Part III, we investigate key features/factors/issues required for NGWNs. We also propose a framework to overcome the issues, i.e., mobility, multihoming, and location privacy, and to aid resource management in a multi-interface mobile scenario, commonly used in NGWNs.
Accurate Recasting of Parameter Estimation Algorithms Using Sufficient Statistics for Efficient Parallel Speed-Up

Fueled by advances in computer technology and online business, data collection is rapidly accelerating, as well as the importance of its analysis — data mining. Increasing database sizes strain the scalability of many data mining algorithms. Data clustering is one of the fundamental techniques in data mining solutions. The many clustering algorithms developed face new challenges with growing data sets. Algorithms with quadratic or higher computational complexity, such as agglomerative algorithms, drop out quickly. More efficient algorithms, such as K-Means EM with linear cost per iteration, still need work to scale up to large data sets. This paper shows that many parameter estimation algorithms, including K-Means, K-Harmonic Means and EM, can be recast without approximation in terms of Sufficient Statistics, yielding an superior speed-up efficiency. Estimates using today’s workstations and local area network technology suggest efficient speed-up to several hundred computers, leading to effective scale-up for clustering hundreds of gigabytes of data. Implementation of parallel clustering has been done in a parallel programming language, ZPL. Experimental results show above 90% utilization.
Functional Monitoring without Monotonicity

The notion of distributed functional monitoring was recently introduced by Cormode, Muthukrishnan and Yi to initiate a formal study of the communication cost of certain fundamental problems arising in distributed systems, especially sensor networks. In this model, each of k sites reads a stream of tokens and is in communication with a central coordinator, who wishes to continuously monitor some function f of *** , the union of the k streams. The goal is to minimize the number of bits communicated by a protocol that correctly monitors f (*** ), to within some small error. As in previous work, we focus on a threshold version of the problem, where the coordinator's task is simply to maintain a single output bit, which is 0 whenever f (*** ) ≤ *** (1 *** *** ) and 1 whenever f (*** ) *** *** . Following Cormode et al., we term this the (k ,f ,*** ,*** ) functional monitoring problem. In previous work, some upper and lower bounds were obtained for this problem, with f being a frequency moment function, e.g., F 0 , F 1 , F 2 . Importantly, these functions are monotone . Here, we further advance the study of such problems, proving three new classes of results. First, we provide nontrivial monitoring protocols when f is either H , the empirical Shannon entropy of a stream, or any of a related class of entropy functions (Tsallis entropies). These are the first nontrivial algorithms for distributed monitoring of non-monotone functions. Second, we study the effect of non-monotonicity of f on our ability to give nontrivial monitoring protocols, by considering f = F p with deletions allowed, as well as f = H . Third, we prove new lower bounds on this problem when f = F p , for several values of p .
ISRAEL'S NEED TO IMPORT FRESHWATER

Although Israel plans to remain self-sufficient in freshwater, that goal comes at a high cost. Both Israel and its neighbors would be better off if countries with an abundance of freshwater exported some of that resource to Israel, which would in turn share it with Palestine and Jordan. A simple 2×2×1 variant of the Heckscher-Ohlin-Samuelson model, incorporating costs of transport, illustrates the advantages of international trade in freshwater. Not only does trade foster an efficient allocation of a scarce resource across countries, but also, by establishing a highly visible market price for importing water, promotes its efficient allocation among competing uses within countries. The classic marginal conditions for efficient allocation of water across and within countries, that the present model derives, are applied to empirical data that illustrate how much more efficiently water can be utilized in the Middle East. Given the long and tragic background of strife and distrust in that part of the world, it is a hopeful development that Turkey is now shipping freshwater to Cyprus and is in talks with Israel to extend this trade to that country. There is also the potential for Egypt and Lebanon to profitably export water to Israel. Such trade will not only promote prosperity but, conceivably, can also reduce conflict and deter war in the region.
Tobacco brief intervention training for chiropractic, acupuncture, and massage practitioners: protocol for the CAM reach study.

Tobacco use remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the US. Effective tobacco cessation aids are widely available, yet underutilized. Tobacco cessation brief interventions (BIs) increase quit rates. However, BI training has focused on conventional medical providers, overlooking other health practitioners with regular contact with tobacco users. The 2007 National Health Interview Survey found that approximately 20% of those who use provider-based complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are tobacco users. Thus, CAM practitioners potentially represent a large, untapped community resource for promoting tobacco cessation and use of effective cessation aids. Existing BI training is not well suited for CAM practitioners’ background and practice patterns, because it assumes a conventional biomedical foundation of knowledge and philosophical approaches to health, healing and the patient-practitioner relationship. There is a pressing need to develop and test the effectiveness of BI training that is both grounded in Public Health Service (PHS) Guidelines for tobacco dependence treatment and that is relevant and appropriate for CAM practitioners. The CAM Reach (CAMR) intervention is a tobacco cessation BI training and office system intervention tailored specifically for chiropractors, acupuncturists and massage therapists. The CAMR study utilizes a single group one-way crossover design to examine the CAMR intervention’s impact on CAM practitioners’ tobacco-related practice behaviors. Primary outcomes included CAM practitioners’ self-reported conduct of tobacco use screening and BIs. Secondary outcomes include tobacco using patients’ readiness to quit, quit attempts, use of guideline-based treatments, and quit rates and also non-tobacco-using patients’ actions to help someone else quit. CAM practitioners provide care to significant numbers of tobacco users. Their practice patterns and philosophical approaches to health and healing are well suited for providing BIs. The CAMR study is examining the impact of the CAMR intervention on practitioners’ tobacco-related practice behaviors, CAM patient behaviors, and documenting factors important to the conduct of practice-based research in real-world CAM practices.
Electrogenerated chemiluminescence: Part IL. Emission from acetonitrile solutions containing no added luminescors

Abstract Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) was observed from MeCN solutions containing only tetrabutylammonium tetrafluoroborate (TBABF4) as supporting electrolyte when very negative potentials ( units and suggested that polyacetonitrile is the species responsible for the ECL and fluorescence.
Clean Coal: A new power generation process with high efficiency, carbon capture and zero emissions

Abstract An environmentally friendly electricity generation process using coal gasification and solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) produces electricity with high efficiency, 99.95% carbon capture and essentially zero atmospheric emissions. Coal is gasified into syngas, cleaned and shifted to hydrogen gas to fuel SOFCs. The primary waste products, CO2 and H2O, are separated with a very small energy penalty. The carbon dioxide purity is high enough to meet most specifications for geological sequestration. Even with carbon capture capability, the power plant has a higher efficiency (4-10 percentage points) than standard pulverized coal or integrated gasification combined cycle processes without carbon capture and consumes significantly less fresh water. If cooling towers are replaced with dry-cooling technology, net water can be produced and recovered, rather than consumed. Moreover, under a cap-and-trade scenario, the process has the lowest cost-of-electricity, even with carbon capture, for carbon prices above $5-10/tonne.
A comparison of nonlinear equalization methods for the US digital cellular system

Two forms of nonlinear equalization for the US digital cellular channel are considered. First, the decision feedback equalizer is examined. With the rapidly adapting recursive least squares algorithm, it is seen to adapt and track the channel with some error propagation problems. Second, the maximum likelihood sequence estimator (MLSE) with an adaptive channel estimator is developed. Simplifications are presented to reduce the complexity of the algorithm. An adaptive, predictive channel estimator is described which attempts to mitigate the effects of delay in the MLSE algorithm. Comparisons of performance and complexity are made. >
Development of a CdSe thin film solar cell

The application of the inherently simple MIS-technology to polycrystalline CdSe films leads to thin film solar cells which can be fabricated solely by standard vacuum evaporation processes.
Parenting the Custodial Grandchild: Implications for Clinical Practice edited by Bert Hayslip Jr. and Patricia Kaminski

In 2008, the first African American President of the United States, Barack Obama, took valuable time away from his presidential campaign to go to the bedside of his ailing grandmother. At the time,...
A Longitudinal Analysis of Computing in the Home

This paper reports on the use of personal computers in the home. Analyses were conducted on US Census Current Population Survey data on computer usage from 1984 to 1997. Findings are presented with regard to the diffusion of ownership and usage pattems of personal computers in the home. Implications on social impact of home computing are discussed.
Upregulated TRP and enhanced capacitative Ca2+ entry in human pulmonary artery myocytes during proliferation

A rise in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]cyt) due to Ca2+ release from intracellular Ca2+ stores and Ca2+ influx through plasmalemmal Ca2+ channels plays a critical role in mitogen-mediated ce...
Validation and characterization of optical redox ratio measurements with a microplate reader in breast cancer cells

There is a need for accurate, high-throughput measures to gauge the efficacy of potential drugs in living cells. Metabolism is an early marker of drug response in cells, and NADH and FAD are autofluorescent cellular metabolic coenzymes that can be non-invasively monitored using optical techniques. Relative rates of glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation in a cell are quantified by the redox ratio, defined as the autofluorescence intensity of NADH divided by that of FAD. Microplate readers are high-throughput instruments that can rapidly measure NADH and FAD autofluorescence intensities for hundreds of wells, and are capable of identifying receptor status and resolving drug response in breast cancer cell lines. This study tests the accuracy and repeatability of plate reader experiments measuring the redox ratio in breast cancer cell lines. NADH and FAD fluorescence levels remained constant over the course of multiple measurements (p<0.1), ruling out the incidence of photobleaching. The contribution of media to background fluorescence signal was also investigated. Media fluorescence levels for both coenzymes were significantly lower (p<0.0001) than those from wells containing cells, and replacing the media with saline resulted in the same redox ratio trends among cell lines as initial measurements with media. Following treatment with carbonyl cyanide p-fluorodeoxyphenylhydrazone (FCCP), an oxidative phosphorylation inhibitor, the redox ratio decreased (p<0.05), validating NADH and FAD as the primary fluorescence sources. These findings verify that autofluorescence measurements taken by microplate readers accurately and reliably characterize NADH and FAD fluorescence, validating their promise in the areas of metabolic monitoring and drug development.
acr-16 encodes an essential subunit of the levamisole-resistant nicotinic receptor at the Caenorhabditis elegans neuromuscular junction.

The Caenorhabditis elegans neuromuscular junction (NMJ) contains three pharmacologically distinct ionotropic receptors: γ-aminobutyric acid receptors, levamisole-sensitive nicotinic receptors, and levamisole-insensitive nicotinic receptors. The subunit compositions of the γ-aminobutyric acid- and levamisole-sensitive receptors have been elucidated, but the levamisole-insensitive acetylcholine receptor is uncharacterized. To determine which of the ∼40 putative nicotinic receptor subunit genes in the C. elegans genome encodes the levamisole-resistant receptor, we utilized MAPCeL, a microarray profiling strategy. Of seven nicotinic receptor subunit transcripts found to be enriched in muscle, five encode the levamisole receptor subunits, leaving two candidates for the levamisole-insensitive receptor: acr-8 and acr-16. Electrophysiological analysis of the acr-16 deletion mutant showed that the levamisole-insensitive muscle acetylcholine current was eliminated, whereas deletion of acr-8 had no effect. These data suggest that ACR-16, like its closest vertebrate homolog, the nicotinic receptor α7-subunit, may form homomeric receptors in vivo. Genetic ablation of both the levamisole-sensitive receptor and acr-16 abolished all cholinergic synaptic currents at the NMJ and severely impaired C. elegans locomotion. Therefore, ACR-16-containing receptors account for all non-levamisole-sensitive nicotinic synaptic signaling at the C. elegans NMJ. The determination of subunit composition for all three C. elegans body wall muscle ionotropic receptors provides a critical foundation for future research at this tractable model synapse.
The Dopamine D2 Receptor: New Surprises from an Old Friend

Drugs acting at dopamine D2 receptors (D2R) are commonly used to alleviate symptoms produced by diseases such as Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, and depression. A limitation to the use of these drugs is that they sometimes afflict patients with severe side effects. This review discusses recent evidence for several proteins that represent novel mediators of the downstream consequences of D2R activation, since selective targeting of particular D2R-mediated signaling pathways could lead to the development of improved treatments for these devastating diseases.
Genetic effects of thirteen Gossypium barbadense L. Chromosome substitution lines in topcrosses with upland cotton cultivars: II. Fiber quality traits

Thirteen chromosome substitution lines (CS-B) lines with individual 3-79 Gossypium barbadense L. chromosome or arms substituted into TM-1, G. hirsutum L., were crossed with fi ve Upland cultivars and additive and dominance effects for fi ber micronaire, elongation, length, and strength were measured over four environments. Additive genetic effects were considerably larger than dominance or environmental interaction effects. Fiber strength of 3-79 and FM966 were 282 and 240 kN m kg −1 , respectively. FM966 had greater additive effects for fi ber length (1.13 mm) and strength (12.90 kN m kg −1 ) than any CS-B line; however, CS-B25 had the greatest additive effects (8.97 kN m kg −1 ) for strength among CS-B lines. The greatest negative additive effect for fi ber length was −1.29 mm (CS-B22sh). Although several CS-B lines had negative additive effects on strength, none was more negative than TM-1 (−5.31 kN m kg −1 ). CS-B02 and CS-B25 had additive effects on strength of 2.36 and 8.97 kN m kg −1 . SG747 had the greatest negative additive effect (−12.13 kN m kg −1 ) for strength among cultivars and CS-B lines. CSB07 and CS-B18 had negative additive effects for fi ber strength but had signifi cant and positive dominance effects with FM966. When individual CS-B lines were crossed with elite cultivars benefi cial alleles for fi ber properties were uncovered on specifi c chromosomes or chromosome arms that should aid introgression of alleles from 3-79 into Upland.
A nanoparticle dispersion method for in vitro and in vivo nanotoxicity study.

The dispersion in air of nanoparticles of different sizes, materials and morphologies with controlled agglomeration involving aerosol delivery for in vivo and in vitro studies is one of the most di...
Postpartum venous thromboembolic risk: one size may not fit all.

In this issue of Blood, Abdul Sultan et al describe risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE) after pregnancy with consideration of duration of risk in differing clinical circumstances.1 They provide essential information toward a data-driven foundation on which clinical guidelines may be refined.
Polyribonucleotides containing thiopurines: synthesis and properties.

Abstract The synthesis of poly(1-methyl-6-thioinosinic acid) and a comparison of its properties with those of poly(6-thioinosinic acid) and poly(6-methylthiopurinylic acid) are reported. In contrast to 6-thioinosine 5′-diphosphate, 1-methyl-6-thioinosine 5′-diphosphate was found to be a substrate for polynucleotide phosphorylase-catalyzed homopolyribonucleotide synthesis. Poly(1-methyl-6-thioinosinic acid) appears to form a single stranded helical array with a highly cooperative melting transition (Tm = 12°C) and a very large bathochromic shift (12 nm) in the absorption maximum upon melting.
Self-Assembly of Nanovoids in Solids

Experiments show that vacancies in a solid may coalesce into voids and self-organize into a super-lattice. The voids have diameters around 10 nm and spacing of tens of nanometers. This paper develops a thermodynamic model to explain and simulate the remarkable phenomena. We incorporate free energy of mixing, interface energy and elasticity into a continuous phase field model. It is well known that the total interface energy reduces when the voids grow larger. Simulations show that elastic anisotropy may limit the coarsening. Starting from randomly distributed vacancies, the process of coalescence and void lattice formation demonstrates rich dynamics. Long-range elastic interaction and elastic anisotropy are found to play a significant role that determines the self-assembled super-lattice.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
The next generation HAPPEX experiments

A new generation of parity violating electron scattering experiments began running in Summer 2004 at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. HAPPEX-H will measure the parity violating asymmetry in polarized electron scattering from protons at Q 2 = 0.11 (GeV/c)2. This asymmetry is sensitive to a linear combination of the strange electric and magnetic form factors of the proton. HAPPEX- He will measure the parity violating asymmetry in polarized electron scattering from a 4He target at the same value of Q 2, using the same spectrometers and similar detectors, accessing the strange electric form factor cleanly. PREX will use parity violating electron scattering to determine the neutron radius of the 206Pb nucleus.
Miscible Polymer Blends: Local interaction energy theories and simulations†

Polymer blends of two components, in general, are not miscible. However, according to Karasz-MacKnight theory, intramolecular repulsion may outweigh intermolecular repulsion and cause two polymers to have a net interaction. Using a simple short chain molecular model incorporating both interand intramolecular interactions, estimates of net interaction energies for a series of polymeric imides, benzimidazoles and related high-performance polymers can be calculated and used to predict miscibility in excellent agreement with experimental results, thus providing a useful confirmation of theory and a focus for the direction of further experimental work.
Simulation of Concrete Paving Operations on Interstate-74

The objective of this paper was to study and optimize the concrete paving operations taking place in the reconstruction project of Interstate-74 using computer simulation. To achieve this objective, field data were collected during construction, and were then used to determine adequate probabilistic density functions for the activities' duration and to test a developed simulation model. Upon testing, the developed model was used to study the impacts of resources on the flow of operations and on the cost effectiveness of the construction process. In general, application of simulation methods to concrete paving operations was successful and its accuracy was acceptable as compared to field measurements. Based on the results of a sensitivity analysis of the critical resources, multiple factors were considered in the decision-making process to ensure that all aspects of the operation are evaluated. This includes total operation time, productivity, costs of the operation, average truck delay, and idle times for the paver and the spreader. For the conditions pertinent to this construction site, ten trucks, one paver and one spreader, and three finishing and plastic-covering crews are recommended. Using this set of resources would result in a prompt and effective execution of the operation. Practical implementation and limitations of the developed model in similar construction operations is discussed.
Improving Cloud Service Reliability -- A System Accounting Approach

Nowadays an increasing number of companies only deploy their enterprise application services over the Internet. Software as a Service (SaaS) in a cloud computing environment allows these companies to focus on providing more competitive services instead of maintenance. As delivery of computing as a service, a trustworthy cloud service widely depends upon its reliability. For this reason, a newly defined Quality of Reliability (QoR) for cloud services is proposed in this paper. To achieve a good QoR, we not only analyze system events from both service consumers and providers, but also provide a layered composable system accounting architecture for cloud systems. A pipelined approach and a dependence estimation algorithm are introduced for pattern recognition and event analysis and prediction. A self-healing layer is also designed to achieve automatic recovery by re-composing services according to their functionalities and non-functional requirements. An implementation of this framework in an education services environment confirms the advantages over extant system accounting systems.
Role of the thymus in transplantation tolerance in miniature Swine: IV. The thymus is required during the induction phase, but not the maintenance phase, of renal allograft tolerance.

BACKGROUND: The authors' laboratory previously demonstrated that long-term tolerance to class I-disparate renal allografts in miniature swine can be induced by a short course of cyclosporine A (CsA), and that this stable tolerance is dependent on the presence of an intact thymus. In the present study, the authors have examined the requirement for a thymus during the pretransplant, induction, and maintenance phases of tolerance. METHODS: Twenty-two miniature swine underwent class I major histocompatibility complex-mismatched renal transplantation, with a 12-day course of CsA. Thymectomies were performed on days -21, 0, +8, +21, and greater than or equal to +42, in relation to the day of transplantation. Historical controls consisted of euthymic and sham-thymectomized recipients. RESULTS: Euthymic, sham-thymectomized, and day-greater than or equal to +42 thymectomized recipients demonstrated stable renal function and minimal anti-donor cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) responses. In contrast, day -21 and day 0 thymectomized recipients demonstrated allograft dysfunction, marked cellular infiltrates, with severe vasculitis and glomerular changes, and strong anti-donor CTL responses. Animals thymectomized on days +8 and +21 did not undergo severe rejection, but likewise did not demonstrate a stable clinical course. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that the requirement for thymic function in the induction of rapid and stable tolerance is greatest during the first 8 days and then diminishes over the next 2 weeks posttransplant. Failure of thymectomy to affect the course of tolerance after day +21 suggests that thymic function is not required for the maintenance of tolerance. Understanding the role of the thymus in establishing tolerance may permit the development of tolerance induction strategies, especially for pediatric transplant recipients.
A rapid purification method for calf thymus casein kinase II

Abstract We report here the rapid purification to homogeneity of a cyclic nucleotide-independent protein kinase sensitive to 5,6-dichloro-1-β-D-ribofuranozylbenzimidazole (DRB), identical to the previously described casein kinase II, from lyophilized calf thymus by chromatography on phosphocellulose and Mono-Q FPLC columns.
Medical care expenditures associated with chronic kidney disease in adults with diabetes: United States 2011

Abstract Objective Approximately 1 in 3 adults with diabetes have CKD. However, there are no recent national estimates of the association of CKD with medical care expenditures in individuals with diabetes. Our aim is to assess the association of CKD with total medical expenditures in US adults with diabetes using a national sample and novel cost estimation methodology. Research design and methods Data on 2,053 adults with diabetes in the 2011 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) was analyzed. Individuals with CKD were identified based on self-report. Adjusted mean health services expenditures per person in 2011 were estimated using a two-part model after adjusting for demographic and clinical covariates. Results Of the 2,053 individuals with diabetes, approximately 9.7% had self-reported CKD. Unadjusted mean expenditures for individuals with CKD were $20,726 relative to $9,689.49 for no CKD. Adjusted mean expenditures from the 2-part model for individuals with CKD were $8473 higher relative to individuals without CKD. Additional significant covariates were Hispanic/other race, uninsured, urban dwellers, CVD, stroke, high cholesterol, arthritis, and asthma. The estimated unadjusted total expenditures for individuals with CKD were estimated to be in excess of $43 billion in 2011. Conclusions We showed that CKD is a significant contributor to the financial burden among individuals with diabetes, and that minorities and the uninsured with CKD may experience barriers in access to care. Our study also provides a baseline national estimate of CKD cost in Diabetes by which future studies can be used for comparison.
Near-infrared spectroscopic measurement of physiological glucose levels in variable matrices of protein and triglycerides

Selective calibration models are generated for glucose over the 1−20 nM concentration range by use of partial least-squares regression analysis of near-infrared spectra from 5000 to 4000 cm-1. Two spectral data sets are used to simulate triglyceride and protein variations in clinical samples. Triacetin is used in one data set to simulate variations in triglyceride levels, and bovine serum albumin (BSA) is used in the second data set to simulate variations in blood protein levels. Although these matrix components possess strong absorption bands that overlap and overshadow the absorption bands of glucose, successful calibration models can be generated with no evidence of prediction bias caused by the different levels of the matrix components. Furthermore, the benefits of using digital Fourier filtering as a preprocessing step are evaluated in terms of calibration performance. The resulting calibration models provide standard errors of prediction of 0.5 and 0.2 mM in triacetin and BSA matrices, respectively....
Self-heating of the partial reflection experiment

Abstract Recent improvements in the D -region partial reflection experiment include higher power transmitters and higher gain antennas, both of which contribute to an increased effective radiated power. It is well known from artificial ionospheric heating experiments that high radiated powers can modify the ionosphere in the form of an increase in electron collision frequency; hence the partial reflection experiment is susceptible to self-perturbation. This paper presents, first, a theoretical examination of this self-heating effect based on a volume model of partial reflections and, second, actual observations of the effects of power on the data of the partial reflection experiment. The theoretical model is simulated on a digital computer with results presented for 2.66 MHz and 4.50 MHz for two different assumed electron density profiles. The actual data were taken at 4.50 MHz.