cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fast 2D intra prediction (2DIP) mode decision for image and video coding

A 2D intra prediction with geometrical manipulations (2DIP) was proposed in [1] to enhance the intra coding performance of H.264/AVC. However, the complexity of 2DIP is high if the full search scheme is used. In this work, we investigate ways to speed up the intra prediction mode decision for 2DIP. To achieve this, we first conduct a block correlation analysis that reveals the unique characteristics of 2DIP. Based on the analysis, a fast 2DIP search scheme is proposed to reduce the encoder complexity, where a block classification method is used to identify blocks using LIP only, a good initial search position is predicted and a block pruning technique is introduced. It is shown by experimental results that the fast 2DIP search can reduce the complexity of the full search significantly with little loss in the RD performance.
Excimer laser photoablation with in-situ masking for fabrication of stretchable pressure sensor arrays

Stretchable sensor arrays have applications in robotics, structural health monitoring (SHM) devices, and electronic textiles applications where they can be mounted directly on nonplanar surfaces. For robotics, pressure sensor arrays mimic the human sense of touch, providing sensory feedback to help the robot move in a controlled manner. Our research investigates a novel microelectronic process sequence for fabricating stretchable capacitive pressure sensors on polymer substrates, where metal patterns serve both as functional electrode layers and as in-situ masks for excimer laser photoablation. This approach reduces the number of photomasks and processing steps, is scalable for large-area arrays, and is adaptable for a variety of materials and designs. Individual 200µm-sized sensors show a capacitance change of 60fF with an applied pressure of 500kPa. Pressure sensors are fabricated as a 4×4 array connected with redundant stretchable interconnects to demonstrate successful readout of different pressure profiles.
Solubility of Anthracene in Binary Diisopropyl Ether + Alkane Solvent Mixtures at 298.15 K

Experimental solubilities are reported for anthracene in six binary diisopropyl ether + alkane solvent mixtures at 298.15 K. The alkane solvents studied were hexane, heptane, octane, cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane, and 2,2,4-trimethylpentane. Results of these measurements were used to test a mathematical representation based on the combined nearly ideal binary solvent (NIBS)/Redlich−Kister equation. For the six systems studied, the combined NIBS/Redlich−Kister equation was found to accurately describe the experimental data, with an average absolute deviation between measured and back-calculated values being approximately ± 0.3 %.
A Review of: “The Body Remembers: The Psychophysiology of Trauma and Trauma Treatment”

Working with trauma appears to be one of the more precarious endeavors on which a therapist can embark. Regardless of the theory or interventions being used, there is a risk of a client's becoming ...
I Spit to Meet You on a Line Unfolding

This autoethnographic piece explores the relationships between the author’s personal stories and her capacities as a qualitative researcher. Relying on poststructural inquiry, the author thinks her stories through each other and the works of Deleuze, Butler, and Caputo in order to examine how these fabulas disallow her to meet the other face to face.
Free groups and regular expressions

Group events are defined as regular events recognized by partial group automata. Canonical forms are introduced for the class of regular expressions denoting group events. Algorithms are presented to find a canonical form from a recognizing automaton, to find a recognizing automaton from a canonical form, and to find a canonical form from a regular expression denoting a simple group event. Furthermore an algorithm is presented that decides whether or not two canonical forms denote the same event.
Domination, global harms, and the problem of silent citizenship: toward a republican theory of global justice

Many citizens across the globe suffer domination and injustice in silence. It is not a silence of apathy or approval, but is another sort of silent citizenship born of deep inequality. This article attempts to come to terms with the global scope of silent citizenship as a form of domination that has become increasingly common among the worst-off in society. I argue that identifying problems of silent citizenship requires us to give priority to injustice over justice in future efforts to promote global justice. To illustrate how this might be done, I broaden the scope of republican theories of nondomination to consider how they might be applied to silent citizenship from a global perspective.
THERMAL POSTBUCKLING OF COMPOSITE PLATES USING THE FINITE ELEMENT MODAL COORDINATE METHOD

A finite element formulation in modal coordinates is developed for the nonlinear thermal postbuckling of thin composite plates. The linear buckling mode shapes used to model the postbuckling deflection are investigated. Postbuckling of symmetrically lami nated, antisymmetric angle-ply, and deflection of unsymmetrically laminated composite plates under mechanical and thermal loads are studied. Deflection shape changes are observed in a long rectangular plate. The participation from each mode to the postbuckling deflection is presented quantitatively. The results show that the modal-coordinate method can reduce the number of nonlinear equations dramatically and obtain accurate thermal postbuckling behavior.
Bereitschaftspotential as a possible marker for non-epileptic psychogenic pseudo-myoclonus? (P2.094)

OBJECTIVE AND BACKGROUND: The clinical problem of distinguishing psychogenic non-epileptic events (PNEs, NEPEs, pseudo-seizures) from true seizures - is enormous - the former are very common, and the morbidity and cost accumulated due to unnecessary treatment is grievious, due to intubation, induced coma, prolonged ICU stays. We had set out to examine the hypothesis that the presence or the absence of a Bereitschaftspotential (readiness potential, BP) in the EEG 1-1.5 seconds prior to the onset of movement, may distinguish a planned myoclonic-like spell in a patient with a psychogenic disorder, from a spontaneous unplanned movement in a patient with a real epileptic or propriospinal or reticular myoclonus. DESIGN/METHODS: Three patient cases were examined, with normal routine EEGs, and bilateral spasm-like axial and limb jerks. Between 36 and 60 individual events were recorded for each patient, A patient with known cortical myoclonus, and a healthy volunteer given randomized cues to imitate myoclonus, were used as controls. All events were averaged using the EEG artifact corresponding to the onset of movement, to phase-lock the evoked response. Wavelet-based filtering and smoothing was performed using heuristic thresholding in MATLAB. Averaged responses in pre-central, post-central and midline derivations C3, C4, Cz, P4, P3, Pz, were compared to the “neutral “ derivations T3, T5, T4, T6, O1, O2, against a common reference. RESULTS: We have found evidence of Bereitshaft potential in clinical recordings: a weak statistical evidence of an expected BP in a healthy imitator, no BP, as expected, in an epileptic patient with myoclonus, and possible but not statistically definite BP in three probands. CONCLUSIONS: This is a pilot study in the effort of identifying electrophysiological markers that may distinguish physiological seizures from psychogenic nonepileptic events, in cases where ictal EEG is noninformative. Disclosure: Dr. Barkan has nothing to disclose.
Hearing Threshold Comparisons between 2001-02 NHANES and 2003-05 Fort Bliss U.S. Army Service Components

ABSTRACTThis study compares population mean hearing threshold levels in decibels (dB) at 4 kHz among the 2001–02 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (n = 1,872) and the 2003–05 Fort Bliss Army Active Duty (AD) (n = 9,096), National Guard (NG) (n = 3,842), and Reserve Components (RC) (n = 2,025) and by gender. Comparisons between male populations show that mean hearing thresholds are not significantly different (p < 0.05) between U.S. Army Active Duty males and NHANES males, which differ from a 1984 U.S. Army Active Duty/1971–74 NHANES study showing significantly higher hearing thresholds for the Army Active Duty population. In addition, this study shows that Active Duty males have significantly lower hearing thresholds than National Guard males at ages <40 years old. Female groups generally have significantly lower hearing thresholds than male groups at all ages, but there are not significant differences between female military and civilian populations.
A simulation model of mire patterning

The genesis of flark-and-string mire patterns oriented perpendicular to the slope can be simulated by a simple stochastic model which presumes 1) that hummocks impede the flow of water across a mire surface more than do hollows, and 2) that as the water table is lowered the probability of hummock formation increases and the probability of hollow formation decreases. The model suggests that a critical minimum surface slope of the mire is required to produce this type of patterning. Furthermore, the supply of water to the mire must be sufficient to prevent the mire surface from being dominated by hummock-level conditions. The geographic distribution of patterned mires appears to be in agreement with the conditions for their formation that are suggested by the model.
Thermal stresses in micropolar elastic solids

Two general solutions to the linear theory of micropolar thermoelasticity are presented; one representation involves deformation potentials, the other employs stress-functions. The two representations are used to analyze the thermal stresses and thermal couple stresses in the vicinity of a cavity and a rigid inclusion during uniform heat flow.
Prevention of experimental arteritis in dogs by vitamin E.

Summary1. Twenty-two of 25 dogs fed a kennel diet of selected table scraps to which was added each day for 8 weeks or longer 3.0 cc/kg of cod liver oil developed typical arterial lesions when they died in uremia 7 to 35 days after the experimental production of renal insufficiency.2. When vitamin E (mixed natural tocopherols, 2.5 to 4.0 mg/kg/day by mouth) was administered along with the diet, none of 4 dogs subjected to the same experimental procedures developed any arterial lesions.3. Vitamin E was equally effective in preventing or retarding the arterial lesions when its administration by mouth was started 0, 1, and 2 days after renal insufficiency was induced.
Pathogenic Potential of Verticillium Albo-Atrum Protoplasts

A strepzyme lytic to Verticillium albo-atrum mycelium was obtained from a wild Strep? tomyces isolate cultured from local soil. Peak strepzyme production in a liquid mineral medium was 5 da. Treatment of 1 -da-old V. albo-atrum mycelium with concentrated, desalted strepzyme stabilized in 0.7 m MgS04 yielded maximum (ca. 95%) protoplast release in 20 h. The sequence of protoplast release, observed by phase contrast microscopy, was similar to that reported for other fungi. Equal numbers of V. albo-atrum protoplasts or conidia introduced into root xylem of Fcrt/d///wra-susceptible eggplants, tomatoes, and yellow-poplar seedlings resulted in vascular disease in eggplants and tomatoes only. Typical V. albo-atrum mycelium was recovered from diseased tissue by culture on a Verticillium-selective medium.
Are Many 1-1-Functions on the Positive Integers onto?

Introduction. A simple "paradox" relating to the enumeration of the elements in a countable set may be described in the following way. Every second a genie throws ten balls into an urn. The balls are numbered 1, 2, * * * and at every throw he adds the next ten numbers to the urn so that at the nth throw the balls numbered lOn-9, lOn-8, 10n(n_ 1) are added. This goes on forever. Another genie removes one ball from the urn after each addition, but he must guarantee that every ball will eventually be thrown out. If he can see the balls, there is of course no problem. He can remove the balls 1, 2, 3, * successively and for any natural number k, he knows when it enters the urn and when it is removed. It enters the urn at the [k/10] + 1st throw and is removed after the kth throw. Though the number of balls in the urn tends to infinity, any given ball is eventually thrown out. No ball stays in the urn forever. This is one of the paradoxes of infinity, stated by Georg Cantor and discussed as the "Tristam Shandy paradox" by Russell [7]. For every k, the length of time Tk spent in the urn by the ball k is given by
LD50 Values of Methyl Parathion and Endrin to Tobacco Budworms and Bollworms1 Collected in the Americas and Hypothesis on the Spread of Resistance in These Lepidopterans to These Insecticides

Tobacco budworms, Heliothis virescens (F.), collected in 1970 from cotton in the Mante-Tampico area of Tamaulipas, Mexico, and at Brownsville, Texas, were resistant to methyl parathion; those from Mississippi, southern and western Mexico, and South America were susceptible. The LD50values (mg/g after 48 hours) in the area of Waco Texas, were higher in 1970 than in 1969. Bollworms, H. zea (Boddie), collected in 1970 from cotton or tobacco in Central America and from one location in southern Mexico, were more resistant than those collected in northern Mexico, the United States, and South America.
Intraoperative determination of the adequacy of myotomy length during peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM): the double-endoscope transillumination for extent confirmation technique (DETECT)

Background and study aims: Precise identification of the gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) is a challenging prerequisite for adequate length of an esophageal myotomy. Multiple standard methods to identify the GEJ have been described; however, a more objective modality is needed to ensure effective peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM). Patients and methods: In the double-endoscope transillumination for extent confirmation technique (DETECT), an ultraslim gastroscope is passed to the most distal aspect of the submucosal tunnel created during POEM. A regular gastroscope is advanced into the stomach, and the visualization of transillumination from the ultraslim gastroscope enables identification of the extent of the submucosal tunnel. Results: A total of 10 patients underwent POEM with DETECT. Initial submucosal tunneling was performed based on a determination of the GEJ location via standard methods. DETECT indicated the tunnel extent to be inadequate in 50 % of patients, and the tunnel was extended a further 1 to 2 cm. The mean initial tunnel length was 15.4 cm, with a mean initial myotomy length of 11.9 cm. DETECT was performed in less than 10 minutes without complications. Conclusion: DETECT is an objective method for determining the adequacy of the submucosal tunnel length during POEM.
Did you tell me the truth? The influence of online community on eWOM

With the rapid development of online communities and social networks, marketers have started to use online opinion leaders to influence their social circles. In this study, we use a review dataset ...
Inverse-Design and Performance Analysis of Bend Swept Coupled Strut Fairing in Intermediate Turbine Duct

Bend swept coupled strut faring has been involved in the integration design of the intermediate turbine duct and strut faring in high bypass ratio turbofan engines. The bend swept coupled strut fairing has been inversely designed by the blading producing system in our research group,based on the inlet and outlet aerodynamic and geometry parameters of the strut fairing in intermediate turbine duct and combined with the standard airfoil thickness. Numerical investigation of the inverse design strut faring has been carried out for deeply understanding the mechanism of the bend swept coupled strut faring design effect on the total performance. The numerical results show that the inversely designed blade well matched the original data,then the fully 3-D numerical simulation of the integrated intermediate turbine duct with strut fairing and low pressure turbine guide vane was further carried on. The computational results show good agreements with experimental data. It is shown that the inverse design method is available and feasible. Additionally,the bend swept coupled strut faring and appropriate duct profile can both improve the duct performance and enlarge the off-design marge of intermediate turbine duct.
Investigation of Infection Rate of Soil Transmitted Nematode Disease in Barkam County,2011-2013

Objective To study the infection rate of soil transmitted nematode disease in Barkam,and thus to provide references for formulating countermeasures and evaluating the efficacy. Methods The surveillance was conducted according to "The technical scheme of soil transmitted nematode disease( 2010) ". Results A total of 1500 individuals were examined and 75 were detected as infectors,all belonging to roundworm infectors. The average infection rate was 5. 0%,no whipworm,hookworm or pinworm infectors were found. The infection rate through200-2013 was respectively 6. 4%,4. 4% and 4. 2%. Conclusion The infection rate of soil transmitted nematode disease shows a downward tendency in Barkam county.
Structural requirements of peptide YY for biological activity at enteric sites.

Peptide YY (PYY) is a colonic hormone consisting of 36 amino acids that is a potent inhibitor of pancreatic exocrine, gastric acid, and insulin secretion. The objective of the present experiments was to characterize the structural requirements of PYY for inhibition of pancreatic exocrine, gastric acid, and insulin secretion, using conscious dogs prepared with gastric and pancreatic fistulas. Intravenous administration of PYY-(1-36), PYY-(3-36), or PYY-(4-36) (400 pmol.kg-1 x h-1) inhibited cholecystokinin-8-stimulated (25 pmol.kg-1 x h-1) pancreatic exocrine secretion (P < 0.05); however, PYY-(1-10), PYY-(1-20), PYY-(6-36), PYY-(10-36), PYY-(13-36), PYY-(24-36), and PYY-(27-36) did not inhibit pancreatic exocrine secretion. Intravenous administration of PYY-(1-36), PYY-(3-36), or PYY-(4-36) (200, 400, 800 pmol.kg-1 x h-1) inhibited pentagastrin (0.5 microgram.kg-1 x h-1)-stimulated gastric acid secretion (P < 0.05), as well as 2-deoxy-D-glucose-stimulated insulin release (75 mg/kg) in a dose-related manne...
Relationships between cytoprotection and mutation prevention by WR-1065

WR-2721, the leading compound that has emerged from the U.S. Army's Drug Synthesis and Development Program, has become the first clinically used cytoprotector in cancer therapy. The ability of its active thiol, WR-1065, to act as an antioxidant to scavenge free radicals, donate hydrogen atoms, and induce auto-oxidation is related to its cytoprotective effectiveness. However, at concentrations 10 to 20 times lower than those required for cytoprotection, this nonprotein thiol also affects gene expression, transcription factor binding, protein phosphorylation levels, and mutagenesis. For example, WR-1065 treatment activates binding of the redox-sensitive transcription factor NF-kappa B to DNA and affects expression of a number of genes, including thymidine kinase, c-myc, and manganese superoxide dismutase. At these lower drug concentrations, phosphorylation levels and subsequent activities on intracellular enzymes are also inhibited. These observations suggest that the mechanisms of action of WR-2721 and its metabolites to protect against cell killing are different from those that protect against mutagenesis and cancer formation. The ability to affect these postexposure processes makes WR-2721 an important agent in the reduction of the carcinogenic risks of environmental exposure to radiation or deleterious chemicals.
HCI Challenges for Consumer-Based Aging in Place Technologies

New, innovative technologies provide promise in helping older adults to age in place. However, the success of the technology and acceptance of it by the target users will be dependent on both function, i.e., whether it provides a worthwhile service, and the user experience, i.e., how easy it is to achieve the intended function. In this paper, we discuss the challenges in human-computer interaction (HCI), in the context of our experience with two applications designed to support older adults. The first is an in-home sensor system for detecting early signs of health changes and managing chronic health conditions. The second is an interactive remote physical therapy system that connects a therapist in the clinic with an older adult in the home. An overview of each application is presented. We discuss HCI challenges across these two applications.
Multilayer perceptrons applied to entropy-constrained image coding

To obtain low-complexity solutions for distributed block coding at the focal plane of a camera, we use an entropy-constrained vector quantizer (ECVQ) design algorithm to find a block encoder N that minimizes a rate-distortion Lagrangian cost J over all possible block encoders, and then apply a set of operations to constrain the structure of N to that of a multilayer perceptron (MLP) while keeping J small. The MLP is successful in emulating the ECVQ, with less than 0.2 dB quality loss.
Notched-noise precursors improve detection of low-frequency amplitude modulation.

Amplitude modulation (AM) detection was measured with a short (50 ms), high-frequency carrier as a function of carrier level (Experiment I) and modulation frequency (Experiment II) for conditions with or without a notched-noise precursor. A longer carrier (500 ms) was also included in Experiment I. When the carrier was preceded by silence (no precursor condition) AM detection thresholds worsened for moderate-level carriers compared to lower- or higher-level carriers, resulting in a “mid-level hump.” AM detection thresholds with a precursor were better than those without a precursor, primarily for moderate-to-high level carriers, thus eliminating the mid-level hump in AM detection. When the carrier was 500 ms, AM thresholds improved by a constant (across all levels) relative to AM thresholds with a precursor, consistent with the longer carrier providing more “looks” to detect the AM signal. Experiment II revealed that improved AM detection with compared to without a precursor is limited to low-modulation f...
Proof Without Words: Bounding the Euler–Mascheroni Constant

We show bounds for the Euler–Mascheroni constant using the trapezoidal and midpoint approximations for integrals.
Examining Summer Laboratory Research Apprenticeships for High School Students as a Factor in Entry to MD/PhD Programs at Matriculation.

Do summer laboratory research apprenticeships during high school have an impact on entry to MD/PhD programs? This quantitative study (n= 236,432) examines the connection between laboratory research...
Resident-Intruder Paradigms and Antiaggressive Drugs: Some Further Data

Treatment with a number of phenylpiperazine drugs induces a selective inhibition of attack behavior during resident-intruder encounters which has been interpreted as reflecting a drug-induced “serenic” state. Treatment with two well-characterized anxiogenic compounds (yohimbine, FG 7142), however, also closely mimicked the effects of phenylpiperazines on such attack. In addition, studies with two of the serenics revealed that they increased avoidance induced by novel stimuli (fluprazine) and/or nonaggressive conspecifics (fluprazine and eltoprazine). These data not only suggest that phenylpiperazines may be more properly characterized as anxiogenic, but the data also bring into question the usefulness of behavioral profiles derived exclusively from resident-intruder tests to infer anxiolytic or anxiogenic drug actions. Novelty-induced tearfulness is suggested to provide a useful instrument for the detection of generalized anxiolytic or anxiogenic effects whereas nonagonistic social interactions reveal more specific drug effects on reactivity to conspecifics. In addition, the fact that the attack-suppressing effects of fluprazine and yohimbine are also accompanied by increased sniffing behavior and altered conspecific odor preferences strongly suggests the need for a careful examination of olfactory function in the assessment of any putative antiaggressive drug.
Effect of Binder Content on Hybrid Magnetic Tool Behavior

This paper proposes the use of a hybrid magnetic tool, consisting of magnetic particles bonded with water-soluble glue, to improve both surface roughness and form accuracy of brittle materials such as ceramics. As the binder gradually dissolves into the lubricant, the bonded hybrid magnetic tool transforms to a particle brush in a magnetic field, increasing the deformability of the tool and its ability to conform to the target surface. This paper describes the effects of the tool transformation — from a bonded tool to a particle brush — on the characteristics of finished yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) laser ceramics. The bonded tool removes material to flatten and smooth the target surface at the start of the process, gradually transitions to a particle brush (starting at the tool periphery), and finally smooths the surface as a flexible particle brush. The tool deformability and transition speed are adjustable by the binder content.Copyright © 2017 by ASME
Sonographer Scanning Practices and Musculoskeletal Injury: Evaluation of an Occupational Health Issue Using the Health Belief Model:

Musculoskeletal injury (MSI) is a multifactorial occupational health problem affecting sonographers. Potential contributing factors to the development of MSI include the repetitive motion involved ...
Disrupted amygdala-prefrontal connectivity during emotion regulation links stress-reactive rumination and adolescent depressive symptoms

Rumination in response to stress (stress-reactive rumination) has been linked to higher levels of depressive symptoms in adolescents. However, no work to date has examined the neural mechanisms connecting stress-reactive rumination and adolescent depressive symptoms. The present work attempted to bridge this gap through an fMRI study of 41 adolescent girls (Mage=15.42, SD=0.33) - a population in whom elevated levels of depressive symptoms, rumination, and social stress sensitivity are displayed. During the scan, participants completed two tasks: an emotion regulation task and a social stress task. Using psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analyses, we found that positive functional connectivity between the amygdala and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) during the emotion regulation task mediated the association between stress-reactive rumination and depressive symptoms. These results suggest that stress-reactive rumination may interfere with the expression and development of neural connectivity patterns associated with effective emotion regulation, which may contribute, in turn, to heightened depressive symptoms.
Pathology and Immunohistochemistry in Thyroid Tumors

Immunohistochemical techniques are pivotal tools for achieving a correct diagnosis in both the histological and cytological fields and in predicting the clinical course of the disease. Immunohistochemical stainings are helpful in identifying the nature of the cells composing the thyroid neoplasms, especially those arising primarily in the gland. Some antibodies (defined as markers of malignancy, among which Hector Battifora mesothelial (HBME)-1, galectin-3, and cytokeratin 19 are the most effective) are expressed only in malignant follicular cells allowing the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant tumors. From the prognostic viewpoint, some antibodies such as connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), metalloprotease 2, caspase 3, and CD56 (NCAM) are especially expressed in differentiated carcinomas pursuing an unfavorable course. Analogously, CSC (cancer stem cell) markers, beta-catenin, and FOX A-1 are expressed in poorly differentiated and undifferentiated carcinomas which do not respond to the radioiodine treatment. Finally, some antibodies directed toward mutated genes may be used for identifying those patients who present the gene mutation and thus are candidates to a treatment with targeted drugs.
Motives for Patenting a Map Projection: Did Fame Trump Fortune?

John Parr Snyder claimed that patenting a map projection was largely pointless because essentially similar transformations are readily available in the public domain. Map projection patents are rar...
Polyglutamylation as a Factor in the Trapping of 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate by Cobalamin-Deficient L1210 Cells

Cobalamin-deficient L1210 mouse leukemia cells, developed by propagation in a medium from which cyanocobalamin was omitted and fetal bovine serum was replaced by bovine serum albumin, grew normally on excess folate or 5-formyltetrahydrofolate. These cells responded poorly, however, to 5-methyltetrahydrofolate unless exogenous cobalamin was added. A cobalamin dependency was also observed when low levels of folate or 5-formyltetrahydrofolate were used. With 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, optimal stimulation of growth was observed with free and transcobalamin II-bound cobalamin at 4,000 and 2 pM, respectively. Under cobalamin-replete conditions, the average cobalamin content was ca. 3,000 molecules/cell, and in the deficient state this value declined to < 10 molecules/cell. Optimal replication on 5-methyltetrahydrofolate required ca. 180 molecules/cell.
α-1 acid glycoprotein inhibits insulin responses by glucose oxidation, protein synthesis and protein breakdown in mouse C2C12 myotubes

Increased plasma α-1 acid glycoprotein (AGP) is correlated with reduced growth rates in neonatal swine. The specific physiological mechanisms contributing to this relationship are unknown. This study was performed to determine if AGP can modify muscle metabolism by examining glucose oxidation and protein synthesis in the C2C12 muscle cell line. Cells were used for experiments 4 days post-fusion as myotubes. Myotubes were exposed to AGP for 24 h, with the last 4 h used to monitor 14C-glucose oxidation or to measure protein synthesis by incorporation of 3H-tyrosine. Treatment of C2C12 myotubes with mouse AGP (100 µg/ml) reduced glucose oxidation (P 0.05, n=6 trials), whereas incubation with both AGP and insulin reduced 3H-tyrosine release by 15% (P<0.01, n=6 trials). First, these data indicate that the acute phase protein AGP can interact with the skeletal muscle to reduce glucose oxidation, but this is not the result of an effect on glucose transport. Second, AGP can specifically reduce protein synthesis. Lastly, AGP can inhibit insulin-stimulated glucose oxidation, protein synthesis and breakdown.
Mechanics of Laminated Composite Plates and Shells : Theory and Analysis, Second Edition

The use of composite materials in engineering structures continues to increase dramatically, and there have been equally significant advances in modeling for general and composite materials and structures in particular. To reflect these developments, renowned author, educator, and researcher J.N. Reddy created an enhanced second edit
Empirical case for two pseudogaps in cuprate superconductors

Superconductivity in cuprates is achieved by doping holes into a correlated charge-transfer insulator. While the correlated character of the parent insulator is now understood, there is no accepted theory for the "normal" state of the doped insulator. I present a mostly empirical analysis of a large range of experimental characterizations, making the case for two pseudogaps: (1) a large pseudogap resulting from the competition between the energy of superexchange-coupled local Cu moments and the kinetic energy of doped holes; (2) a small pseudogap that results from dopant disorder and consequent variations in local charge density, leading to a distribution of local superconducting onset temperatures. The large pseudogap closes as hole kinetic energy dominates at higher doping and the dynamic antiferromagnetic correlations become overdamped. Establishing spatially-homogeneous $d$-wave superconductivity is limited by those regions with the weakest superconducting phase coherence, which tends to be limited by low-energy spin fluctuations. The magnitude of the small pseudogap is correlated with the doping-dependent energy $E_{\rm cross}$ associated with the neck of the hour-glass dispersion of spin excitations. The consequences of this picture are discussed.
Efficacy of rituximab plus FAB group C chemotherapy without CNS radiation in CNS-positive pediatric Burkitt lymphoma/leukemia: A report from the Children’s Oncology Group.

9501 Background: Historically, CNS-positive (CNS+) mature B-NHL in children and adolescents has been associated with a dismal outcome (Miles/Cairo, Br J Haematol, 2012). Adding CNS radiation and hi...
Cognitive Load, Anxiety, and Performance During a Simulated Subarachnoid Block

Abstract Background Numerous simulation-based studies have concluded that cognitive load is negatively related to performance. However, this relationship has not been studied in nurse anesthesia students. Furthermore, few studies have assessed the relationship between emotions and cognitive load. Methods This observational study grouped 41 nurse anesthesia students according to past experience with subarachnoid block placement. During subarachnoid block simulation, perceived overall cognitive load (POCL), state anxiety, and performance were measured using the Paas Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and a procedural checklist, respectively. Results Performance and POCL were negatively correlated (ρ = −0.48, p = .001). A positive correlation was found between POCL and state anxiety (ρ = 0.7, p = .000). There were significant experience-based, intergroup differences in POCL and performance. Conclusion Experiential background, POCL, and state anxiety should be considered when assessing nurse anesthesia student performance during subarachnoid block simulation.
Letter of Bankruptcy Law Professors to United States Trustee Requesting an Examiner in the Purdue Pharma Chapter 11 Reorganization

This letter sets forth the arguments of over 20 professors of bankruptcy law as to why an independent examiner should be appointed to investigate Purdue Pharma and its ultimate owners, the Sackler family. Section 1104(c) of the Bankruptcy Code provides in pertinent part that the bankruptcy court "shall order the appointment of an examiner . . . if such appointment is in the interests of creditors . . . and other interests of the estate." Here, we argue that the Purdue Pharma case presents unique challenges to the chapter 11 system which an examiner can address more effectively and efficiently than other available mechanisms.
Climate-Related Disclosure and Litigation Risk in the Oil & Gas Industry: Will State Attorneys General Investigations Impede the Drive for More Expansive Disclosures?

Investors increasingly recognize climate-related risks and opportunities as relevant to the financial health of a company and to their own investment decisions. Investors are demanding more information from energy companies on expected climate-induced physical impacts and their plans for a future with a different energy mix. This growth in interest in climate-related disclosures initially coincided with regulatory and policy efforts in the U.S. and abroad to address climate change. But as the federal government retreats on climate policy, U.S. political leaders at other levels have vowed to pick up the slack. Among them, state attorneys general (AGs) have significant powers to influence federal and corporate actors and have aimed their powers at energy industry targets, including a focus on the adequacy of oil and gas company climate disclosures. Despite shifts in U.S. climate policy, investor interest in climate planning remains high. Yet, uncertainties about regulatory efforts, legal, and technical concerns have hindered widespread adoption of consistent climate-related disclosure practices. Questions of when climate risks become legally material and how to treat scenario analysis in disclosures remain significant topics of conversation among corporate and financial actors. Meanwhile, state investigations of corporate climate disclosures illuminate a new challenge for companies. Relying on different legal principles, the parallel efforts of investors and the AGs could work at cross-purposes, potentially impeding improved disclosure of climate risks. This Article explores the parallel legal regimes and actors pressuring energy companies for expanded climate disclosure and whether delicately balanced efforts to increase meaningful climate-risk disclosure are at risk.
Hematocrit estimates comparing centrifugation to a point-of-care method in beef cattle living at high altitude.

BACKGROUND The hematocrit (Hct) or packed cell volume (PCV) reflects the blood volume occupied by red blood cells. The development of point-of-care (PoC) instruments can accelerate the ease of measuring Hct/PCV compared with traditional capillary centrifugation (TCC) methods. However, no studies have compared Hct/PCV levels in cattle at high elevation with other measurement methods. OBJECTIVES In this study, we aimed to compare methods to estimate Hcts/PCVs of rangeland cattle at high elevation. We specifically wanted to determine if Hct/PCV levels measured with a commercial PoC instrument (i-Stat with CHEM8+ cartridges [PoCi ]) were comparable to Hct/PCV levels measured with traditional laboratory methods. METHODS We assessed the Hct/PCV of 94 mature beef cattle (black Angus; Bos taurus) at ~2195 m above sea level using paired analyses of the PoCi and TCC methods from each animal. We used paired samples t-tests to compare mean Hct/PCVs. Correlation analyses relative to the line of identity and Passing-Bablok regression were used to assess systematic and proportional differences, respectively, and Bland-Altman plots were used to assess agreement between the two methods. RESULTS The PoCi estimated a Hct of 28.2% ± 0.7% (SE), which was lower than the TCC estimated PCV of 39.2% ± 0.5%. The Bland-Altman plot revealed poor agreement between the two methods in addition to a -11% bias for the PoCi . The Passing-Bablok regression revealed both systematic and proportional bias between the two methods. CONCLUSIONS Point-of-care blood instruments were not comparable to TCC methods for quantifying Hct/PCVs of cattle living at high elevations.
Identification and Determination of Heroin in Illicit Seizures by Combined Gas Chromatography-Infrared Spectrophotometry

The identification and determination of heroin in illicit preparations is important especially with regard to providing information for drug intelligence investigations and for dosage regulation in methadone maintenance programs.
Historic Overview of Food Virology

The earliest approaches to detection of viruses in water and in food were derived from those used in diagnostic clinical virology. Early detection methods were based on demonstrable infection of a susceptible host system, ideally a cell culture. Media for primary cell cultures often comprised a balanced salt solution plus an enzymatic hydrolysate of lactalbumin and some blood serum. Virus replication in cell cultures was often demonstrated with the aid of a microscope: death of host cells maintained in fluid medium was called the cytopathic effect. Characterization of the viruses of interest was complicated by the lack of laboratory hosts. Eventually, viruses were classified as having RNA or DNA, as having or lacking a lipid-containing envelope, and by size category. Detection of viruses in food extracts originally implied the use of primary monkey kidney (PMK) cell cultures, as was also done for diagnostic purposes. Propagation of viruses in cell culture and development of the plaque technique introduced much more quantitative precision into inactivation experiments. The bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) epidemic appears to have resulted from a change in the rendering process used in the United Kingdom. The BSE infective agent could be detected in the brain, spinal cord, retina, trigeminal and dorsal root ganglia, tonsils, and distal ileum of symptomatic BSE-infected cattle; but extensive tests have failed to detect it in muscle meat or in milk. Most food-borne viruses are human specific, so this has generally entailed the use of human volunteers.
Range sensor and silhouette fusion for high-quality 3D Scanning

We consider the problem of building high-quality 3D object models from commodity RGB and depth sensors. Applications of such a database include instance and object recognition, robot grasping, virtual reality, graphics, and online shopping. Unfortunately, modern reconstruction approaches have difficulties in reconstructing objects with major transparencies (e.g., KinectFusion [22]) and/or concavities (e.g., visual hull). This paper presents a method to fuse visual hull information from off-the-shelf RGB cameras and KinectFusion cues from commodity depth sensors to produce models that are substantially better than either approach on its own. Extensive experiments on the recently published BigBIRD dataset [25] demonstrate that our reconstructions recover more accurate shape and detail than competing approaches, particularly on challenging objects with transparencies and/or concavities. Quantitative evaluations indicate that our approach consistently outperforms competing methods and achieves under 2 mm RMS error. We plan to release our code after the review process.
Exploiting Redundancy for Autonomous Calibration of a Planar Robot

Autonomous calibration techniques are applied to the calibration of two sensors of a planar robot: a platen sensor and a coordination sensor. The redundant angle measurements of the platen sensor are used to identify its parameters, improving its output accuracy by better than a factor of two. Redundant position measurements using both sensors are also used in an attempt to further improve the platen sensor accuracy and identify the relative position of the two sensors.
Chapter 12 Carbohydrate Moiety of Vertebrate Collagens

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the carbohydrate moiety of vertebrate collagens. The collagen superfamily of glycoproteins is comprised of eighteen known types consisting of 33 genetically distinct polypeptide chains. These types have common structural features along with considerable structural diversity. These regions associate intermolecularly to generate a three-chained triple-helical protomer. All collagens contain noncollagenous sequences that border on or are interspersed among the collagenous sequences of the polypeptide chain. They form noncollagenous domains in the three-chained protomers. This chapter briefly reviews the eighteen types of collagen with respect to structure, chain organization, and tissue distribution, and then focuses on the nine types that are characterized, to a varying extent, with respect to amount, location, structure, and function of the carbohydrate moieties. Collagens can be divided in two major classes on the basis of their primary structure and supramolecular structure: fibril-forming and non-fibril-forming collagens.
Relationships Among Virus Spread, Cytopathogenicity, and Virulence as Revealed by the Noncytopathic Mutants of Newcastle Disease Virus

Abstract We have studied protein synthesis in cultured cells infected with the six noncytopathic (nc) mutants of the Australia-Victoria strain (AV-WT) of Newcastle disease virus and their plaque-forming revertants. Virus-specific polypeptides accumulated at 30 to 63% of wild-type levels in nc mutant-infected cells and between 66 and 175% of wild-type levels in revertant-infected cells. An exception was the L polypeptide, which accumulated in nc mutant-infected cells at only 5 to 20% of the levels found in wild-type infection. The reduced accumulation of the L polypeptide did not appear to be due to increased degradation of that polypeptide. A new polypeptide (X) accumulated instead of polypeptide P in cells infected with mutants nc4 or nc16 and in virions released from them. Peptide mapping identified X as an altered form of P. A revertant of mutant nc4 (nc4S1), which forms larger hemadsorbing spots, but still does not form plaques, accumulated P instead of the X polypeptide. Thus, a lesion in P can affect virus spread without affecting cytopathogenicity. Virions of mutant nc7 and two naturally occurring avirulent strains of Newcastle disease virus (NJ LaSota and B1-Hitchner) contained polypeptides (F7 and FA, respectively) related to, but migrating more rapidly than, F0 in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. As previously reported for avirulent strains, a brief treatment of nc7 virions with trypsin converted F7 to F and increased infectivity. Similarly, culturing nc7-infected cells in the presence of trypsin facilitated fusion from within and viral spread from cell to cell. A plaque-forming revertant of nc7 still accumulated F7 in virions, indicating that the lesions responsible for the F7 and noncytopathic phenotypes are genetically separable. The virulent parental strain, AV-WT, exhibited a mean embryo death time of 42 h. Both the larger-spot-forming revertant of nc4 (nc4S1) and the small-plaque-forming revertant of nc7 exhibited a decrease in mean embryo death time (increase in virulence) from 74 to 63 h. A second-step, plaque-forming revertant derived from nc4S1 (nc4S1R1) exhibited a further decrease in mean embryo death time from 63 to 44 h. The results suggest that the FA-F7 and X lesions affect the ability of virus to spread from cell to cell. In addition, these lesions appear to be genetically separable from those responsible for the noncytopathic phenotype. However, both types of lesions cause an extension of mean embryo death time and, thus, may be relevant to virulence in vivo.
The Roles of Immediacy and Redundancy Relative Subjective Workload Assessment

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Targeted Delivery of Hormones to Tissues by Plasma Proteins

The sections in this article are: 1 Organ Physiology of Solute Exchange Through Capillary Walls 1.1 Quantitation of Capillary Solute Transport: Kety-Renkin-Crone Equation 1.2 Capillary Geometry, Organ Blood Flow, and Capillary Transit Times 1.3 Capillary Membrane Permeability 2 Capillary Physiology of Steroid and Thyroid Hormone Transport 2.1 Plasma Protein–Binding Kinetics 2.2 Dissociation-Limited Transport 2.3 Enhanced Dissociation Mechanism of Plasma Protein–Mediated Transport 2.4 Transcapillary Transport of Protein–Hormone Complex 2.5 Physiology-Based Model of Cellular Bioavailable Hormone 2.6 Experimental Attempts to Measure Free Cellular Hormone 3 Molecular Physiology of Hormone-Binding Plasma Proteins 3.1 Albumin 3.2 Prealbumin (Transthyretin) 3.3 Thyroid Hormone–Binding Globulin 3.4 Corticosteroid-Binding Globulin 3.5 Sex Hormone–Binding Globulin 3.6 α1-Acid Glycoprotein (Orosomucoid) 4 Summary