cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
More than fishing for a cure: The promises and pitfalls of high throughput cancer cell line screens

High-throughput screens in cancer cell lines (CCLs) have been used for decades to help researchers identify compounds with the potential to improve the treatment of cancer and, more recently, to identify genomic susceptibilities in cancer via genome-wide shRNA and CRISPR/Cas9 screens. Additionally, rich genomic and transcriptomic data of these CCLs has allowed researchers to pair this screening data with biological features, enabling efforts to identify biomarkers of treatment response and gene dependencies. In this paper, we review the major CCL screening efforts and the large datasets these screens have made available. We also assess the CCL screens collectively and include a resource with harmonized CCL and compound identifiers to facilitate comparisons across screens. The CCLs in these screens were found to represent a wide range of cancer types, with a strong correlation between the representation of a cancer type and its associated mortality. Patient ages and gender distributions of CCLs were generally as expected, with some notable exceptions of female underrepresentation in certain disease types. Also, ethnicity information, while largely incomplete, suggests that African American and Hispanic patients may be severely underrepresented in these screens. Nearly all genes were targeted in the genetic perturbations screens, but the compounds used for the drug screens target less than half of known cancer drivers, likely reflecting known limitations in our drug design capabilities. Finally, we discuss recent developments in the field and the promise they hold for enabling future screens to overcome previous limitations and lead to new breakthroughs in cancer treatment.
The Adaptive Response of Human Lymphocytes to Radiation or Chemical Mutagens: Cross-Adaptation and Synergism

Exposure of human lymphocytes to tritiated thymidine ([3H]dThd) or low doses of X rays results in the induction of an adaptive response that makes the cells less susceptible to the induction of damage by subsequent high doses of X rays (Olivieri et al., 1984). Several features of this adaptive response have been established in a series of experiments (Wiencke et al., 1986; Shadley and Wolff, 1987; Shadley et al., 1987; Wolff et al., 1989). For instance, it was found that when cells are exposed to low levels of radiation from the incorporated radioisotope (Olivieri et al., 1984) or to X rays (Shadley and Wolff, 1987), which in themselves do not induce chromatid breakage, and were subsequently exposed to 150 cGy (150 rad) of X rays 6 hr before fixation, fewer chromatid aberrations were induced than by the high challenge dose of X rays alone. The low-dose pretreatments did not cause selection against a radiation-sensitive population of lymphocytes and so prevent them from contributing to the yield of aberrations found after the subsequent high challenge doses (Wiencke et al., 1986).
The development and organizational format of a radiotherapy patient treatment chart

An important and time consuming responsibility of the Dosimetrist is to ensure and supervise accurate recording of delivered dose and treatment methods. With the rapidly growing complexity of technology, data, treatment protocol regimens and treatment methods, the need for accurate recording in a clearly arranged fashion has become imperative not only for daily patient treatment, but also for legal purposes. This paper describes the process of designing a patient treatment chart based on a review of charts already in use in various departments and aided by the input of all members of the Radiation Oncology treatment team at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Measurement and Characteristics of Recurrent IPSPs Produced by Stimulation of Single Motor Axons

The study of the properties and organization of spinal synaptic pathways has benefited greatly from the use of techniques for recording the postsynaptic potentials produced by activity of single neurons, such as the method of spike-triggered averaging (see Kirkwood and Sears, 1980). We have combined spike-triggered averaging with methods for stimulating single motor axons in order to study the recurrent pathway to spinal motoneurons, a pathway which has generated considerable interest in its organization and functional significance since the pioneering studies of Renshaw (1941, 1946; for review, see Baldissera et al., 1981). In this report, these methods will be described and the characteristics of homonymous recurrent inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (RIPSPs) evoked by stimulation of single motor axons innervating the medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscle of the cat will be presented.
Targeted Muscle Reinnervation Treats Neuroma and Phantom Pain in Major Limb Amputees: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Objective:To compare targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR) to “standard treatment” of neuroma excision and burying into muscle for postamputation pain.Summary Background Data:To date, no intervention is consistently effective for neuroma-related residual limb or phantom limb pain (PLP). TMR is a nerve
Multivariate analyses link macrophyte and water quality indicators to seagrass die-off in Florida Bay

Abstract Multivariate analyses of macrophyte and water quality data at permanent transect locations in thirteen basins from January 2013 to December 2016 were used to investigate interactions before and after the seagrass die-off in Florida Bay in 2015. Water quality data were collected monthly/bimonthly; macrophyte communities were assessed along 50 m permanent transects at the same station locations twice per year. Transect locations in the five basins that underwent die-off had significantly different water quality and macrophyte communities prior to die-off compared to the eight basins that did not undergo die-off. Only basins that had sediment depths greater than 65 cm, averaged pH greater than 8.24 and greater than 45% Thalassia testudinum cover prior to the summer of 2015 underwent die-off. In the year following die-off, macrophyte communities and several water quality factors in die-off affected basins became similar to those in non-die-off basins, but phosphate levels increased to several times greater than those observed previous to die-off. Contrary to previous die-off reports, Thalassia testudinum was not the only seagrass to exhibit significant losses in 2015; Syringodium filiforme and Halodule wrightii cover also dropped by about 50% in the year following die-off. Extremely high temperature (35.9 °C) and salinity (66.3) were recorded immediately preceding the 2015 die-off that were not detected by the bimonthly sampling, indicating the value of maintaining the continuous monitoring stations. Our results support recent suggestions that diverting freshwater to central and western portions of the bay to decrease salinity may reduce the likelihood of die-off by favoring a lower-density mixed estuarine macrophyte community rather than very-dense beds dominated by the more marine T. testudinum and by decreasing the probability of stressful hypersaline events.
Enasidenib in the treatment of relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia: an evidence-based review of its place in therapy

Introduction: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains a disease with high mortality, especially for older patients and those with relapsed/refractory (R/R) disease. With recent advances in molecular testing, targeting particular leukemogenic mutations such as those occurring in isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) became possible. Enasidenib is a new small-molecule inhibitor of mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase-2 (IDH2). Aim: The objective of this article is to review the evidence for the use of enasidenib in R/R AML, as well as to outline future directions of enasidenib therapy. Evidence Review: Enasidenib was approved in August 2017, after a successful Phase I/II trial showing an overall response rate (ORR) of 40.3% in R/R disease, with 19.3% of patients achieving complete remission (CR). Enrollees in the trial were mostly older adults. The most prominent toxicities were hyperbilirubinemia and IDH-differentiation syndrome (IDH-DS), though the drug was generally well tolerated and the maximum tolerated dose was not reached. A Phase III trial is currently ongoing. Conclusion: Enasidenib provides a new therapeutic option for patients with R/R AML. Further studies are ongoing to ascertain its role in combination with other agents and newly diagnosed disease.
Natural Products Containing the Oxetane and Related Moieties Present Additional Challenges for Structure Elucidation: A DU8+ Computational Case Study

Analysis of published NMR data for natural products containing the oxetane moiety, with the help of a recently developed parametric/DFT hybrid computational method DU8+, has revealed that oxetanes and related compounds constitute yet another significant challenge in structure elucidation and stereochemistry assignment, as more than 30 structures required revision. The most common pitfalls are discussed, and revised structures are suggested for 26 natural products.
Assessment of Tracheostomy and Laryngectomy Knowledge among Non-Otolaryngology Physicians.

Objective:Identify knowledge deficits about alternate airways (AAs) (tracheostomy and laryngectomy) among physicians across multiple specialties a tertiary institution and to assess the impact of a...
From atoms to aerosols: probing clusters and nanoparticles with synchrotron based mass spectrometry and X-ray spectroscopy

Tunable synchrotron radiation provides a universal yet selective scalpel to decipher molecular information in complex chemical systems when coupled to mass spectrometry and X-ray spectroscopy. At the Chemical Dynamics Beamline, the radiation emanating from the Advanced Light Source at Berkeley has been utilized by physical chemists and chemical physicists to probe chemical reactivity, energetics and spectroscopy for over two decades. Emerging themes are the study of molecular growth mechanisms, solvation, electronic structure and reactivity in clusters, complexes and nanoparticles. The ion-induced and neutral growth mechanisms in methanol and acetylene clusters are revealed by vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) single photon ionization mass spectrometry. The photoionization dynamics of glycerol show signatures of strong ionic hydrogen bonds, non-covalent interactions are explored in naphthalene water clusters, proton transfer pathways are revealed in acetaldehyde water clusters, and exciton charge transfer is probed in argon water clusters. X-ray spectroscopy provides a local probe of a sample's electronic structure with elemental and site-specificity and is thus ideally suited for probing solvation. Velocity map imaging X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy coupled to nanoparticle beams that allows for the visualization of dynamic processes in solvation and molecular growth processes is described. This technique is used to probe reactivity in aerosol chemistry, obtain phase and pH dependent information on aqueous nanoparticles and electron scattering cross-sections from hydrocarbon nanoparticles. We describe future opportunities in probing elusive radicals such as the cyclic 3,5-dehydroxyphenyl radical cation and excited states in water clusters formed in VUV photoionization, explore reactivity in confined spaces via X-ray spectroscopy and elucidate time dynamics with laser-synchrotron pump probe experiments.
FSO as backhaul and energizer for drone-assisted mobile access networks

Abstract Drone mounted base stations (DBSs) can be flexibly deployed over some areas (such as hotspots and disaster struck areas) to speed up the communication between terrestrial base stations (TBSs) and users. In order to increase the capacity of the backhaul link between a DBS and its TBS, free space optical (FSO) communications is applied as the backhaul solution. However, the DBS and its TBS should be in line-of-sight (LoS). Thus, a new DBS placement method is introduced to maximize the number of served users while guaranteeing the LoS between the DBS and its TBS. In addition, in order to prolong the hovering time of a DBS, we propose to deploy an optical beam to facilitate simultaneous communications and charging. That is, an optical beam transmitted from a TBS to its DBS carries not only data but also energy. The DBS mounted with a solar panel and an FSO receiver receives both the data and energy carried by the optical beam simultaneously. Numerical results demonstrate that using an optical beam to charge and communicate with a DBS can gain 25% extra hovering time of the DBS and achieve high network throughput.
Augmented Reality in Paramedic Training: a Formative Study

Emergency management of critically ill patients and a high expectation of mastery of technical medical skills are an essential aspect in a paramedics’ scope of practice. An entry level paramedic with limited exposure to high-risk critical patients is expected to perform interventions and utilize critical thinking skills at a mastery level when entering the workforce as reported by Zautchke et al. (The Journal of Emergency Medicine, 505–512, 1987). Paramedic programs in the USA continue to deliver the bulk of the course curriculum in a traditional classroom lecture format using 2-dimensional methods such as PowerPoint and lecture. Traditional, lecture-driven teaching methods rarely provide opportunities for paramedic students to directly witness the impact of their decisions and develop automaticity of their skills to reduce reaction times and prevent cognitive overload. Automacity is defined as making more automatic decisions and practices in the face of random incidences that occur in authentic conditions and is the result of repeated learning and practice. This definition is a classic example of a problematic circumstance which can utilize design thinking to resolve it. If the definition of design thinking is to use methods and processes for investigating ill-defined problems and finding solutions, then it is important for instructional designers to be innovative to assist them in recognizing these contexts, being creative in the generating appropriate solutions, and rationalizing/analyzing potential “best fit’ solutions. For years, EMT’s and paramedics have utilized mannequins (often called “Resuscitation Annies”) to teach recovery skills. Over the years, these mannequins have been augmented with technology to assist with skill development and to make them more interactive. Yet, as effective as they have been for the state of the art they represented, they have not been multifaceted enough for trainers to create an appropriate level of randomness that represent the ever complex situations paramedics and EMTs are becoming involved with. On top of that, the granularity and authenticity of the visual aspects caused these mannequins to suffer from a lack of a third dimensional realism, especially as it related, for example, to bodily fluids breakage and other sources of complications, for example.
Hospital-Associated Venous Thromboembolism in a Pediatric Cardiac ICU: A Multivariable Predictive Algorithm to Identify Children at High Risk.

Objectives Critically ill children with cardiac disease are at significant risk for hospital-associated venous thromboembolism, which is associated with increased morbidity, hospital length of stay, and cost. Currently, there are no widely accepted guidelines for prevention of hospital-associated venous thromboembolism in pediatrics. We aimed to develop a predictive algorithm for identifying critically ill children with cardiac disease who are at increased risk for hospital-associated venous thromboembolism as a first step to reducing hospital-associated venous thromboembolism in this population. Design This is a prospective observational single-center study. Setting Tertiary care referral children's hospital cardiac ICU. Patients Children less than or equal to18 years old admitted to the cardiac ICU who developed a hospital-associated venous thromboembolism from December 2013 to June 2017 were included. Odds ratios and 95% CIs are reported for multivariable predictors. Measurements and main results A total of 2,204 separate cardiac ICU encounters were evaluated with 56 hospital-associated venous thromboembolisms identified in 52 unique patients, yielding an overall prevalence of 25 hospital-associated venous thromboembolism per 1,000 cardiac ICU encounters. We were able to create a predictive algorithm with good internal validity that performs well at predicting hospital-associated venous thromboembolism. The presence of a central venous catheter (odds ratio, 4.76; 95% CI, 2.0-11.1), sepsis (odds ratio, 3.5; 95% CI, 1.5-8.0), single ventricle disease (odds ratio, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.2-3.9), and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support (odds ratio, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.2-5.7) were independent risk factors for hospital-associated venous thromboembolism. Encounters with hospital-associated venous thromboembolism were associated with a higher rate of stroke (17% vs 1.2%; p Conclusions We developed a multivariable predictive algorithm to help identify children who may be at high risk of hospital-associated venous thromboembolism in the pediatric cardiac ICU.
Workshop 65 – Immunological Tolerance

Publisher Summary This chapter provides details of a workshop held to discuss results of experiments conducted to study immunological tolerance. The workshop on immunological tolerance covered several aspects of current interest in this area. The topics discussed were tolerance versus immunological enhancement, effect of transferring normal cells to an unresponsive environment, tolerance to auto- and alloantigens, evaluation of unresposiveness with nonimmunogenic forms of antigen, and the effect of unresponsiveness on thymus cells, thymus-derived cells, bone marrow cells, and bone-marrow-derived cells. The results suggest that the degree of spontaneous blastogenesis in the tetraparental situation was considerably less than that observed when lymphocytes from the two parental strains were mixed in culture. Some interesting data were presented concerning the induction of tolerance to histocompatibility antigens. It appeared that allogeneic liver H-2 antigens were tolerogenic while the spleen H-2 antigens were immunogenic. A number of participants discussed the induction of unresponsiveness to haptens. It was apparent from the discussion that an unresponsive state could be induced to haptenic groups if confugated to carriers, but there was disagreement on the immunogenic properties of the carriers involved.
¿Dónde está lo “social” en trabajo social? Un análisis del uso de la teoría en la intervención de trabajadoras/es sociales

La teoria sirve como fuente de conocimientos que orienta las intervenciones del trabajo social. Si lo que se busca es aportar a la transformacion y a la justicia social en el momento social y politico actual, las/os trabajadores sociales deben ser conscientes y analiticos al momento de fundamentar teoricamente sus intervenciones. Este estudio exploratorio y cualitativo busco examinar la manera en que las teorias son asimiladas por parte de trabajadoras/es sociales en los Estados Unidos, los propositos que justifican la eleccion de teorias y la orientacion hacia la transformacion y la justicia social que tenian sus intervenciones profesionales. Se realizaron veinte entrevistas semi-estructuradas con trabajadoras/es sociales, las que fueron analizadas mediante un analisis de contenido sumativo. Los hallazgos revelan que las/os trabajadores sociales utilizan teorias que tienen el proposito de resolver problemas a nivel individual principalmente. Solo un trabajador social dio cuenta de teorias orientadas al empoderamiento y dos trabajadoras sociales relataron el uso de la teoria con propositos de transformacion social mas estructural. Estos resultados sugieren una discordancia respecto de la definicion global de trabajo social, que promueve el cambio social y la justicia social como objetivos clave de la profesion y disciplina. Las intervenciones de las/os trabajadoras/es sociales participantes en este estudio reflejan el individualismo que esta a la base del capitalismo neoliberal. Finalmente, se discuten algunas consideraciones para una redefinicion de la intervencion de trabajo social comprometido con el cambio social y la justicia social.
Ontogenetic stability in the trophic niche of a common Gulf of Mexico fish, Ariopsis felis

Ariopsis felis (Hardhead Catfish) is an abundant yet understudied estuarine fish species in the US Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Very little is known about the species’ trophic role and place in coastal food webs. This study was designed to provide baseline information on A. felis stable isotope values and to examine for any ontogenetic changes. n = 126 A. felis were sampled in the summer of 2018 in Terrebonne Bay, LA, USA, and muscle tissue was analyzed for stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) values. Overall, we found little evidence for any ontogenetic trophic niche shifts, expansions, or contractions; mature males and females have similar isotopic values and little to no differences were detected between immature and mature fish. Ultimately, A. felis occupy a trophic niche similar to that of other common estuarine fishes; however, the lack of any ontogenetic change in trophic position suggests that A. felis may be occupying a more stable and long-term place in coastal food webs.
Understanding Mechanisms of Chamber-Specific Differentiation Through Combination of Lineage Tracing and Single Cell Transcriptomics

Abstract The specification and differentiation of atrial and ventricular myocardial cell types during development is incompletely understood. We have previously shown that Foxa2 expression during gastrulation identifies a population of ventricular fated progenitors, allowing for labeling of these cells prior to the morphogenetic events that lead to chamber formation and acquisition of bona fide atrial or ventricular identity. In this study, we performed single cell RNA sequencing of Foxa2Cre;mTmG embryos at the cardiac crescent (E8.25), primitive heart tube (E8.75) and heart tube (E9.25) stage in order to understand the transcriptional mechanisms underlying formation of atrial and ventricular cell types at the earliest stages of cardiac development. We find that progression towards differentiated myocardial cell types occurs primarily based on heart field progenitor identity, and that different progenitor populations contribute to ventricular or atrial identity through separate differentiation mechanisms. We identified a number of candidate markers that define such differentiation processes, as well as differential regulation of metabolic processes that distinguish atrial and ventricular fated cells at the earliest stages of development. We further show that exogenous injection with retinoic acid during formation of the cardiac primordia causes defects in ventricular chamber size and is associated with dysregulation in FGF signaling in anterior second heart field cells and a shunt in differentiation towards orthogonal lineages. Retinoic acid also causes defects in cell-cycle exit in myocardial committed progenitors that result in formation of hypomorphic ventricles with decreased expression of important metabolic processes and sarcomere assembly. Collectively, our data identify, at a single cell level, distinct lineage trajectories during cardiac progenitor cell specification and differentiation, and the precise effects of manipulating cardiac progenitor field patterning via exogenous retinoic acid signaling.
Integrating microbiomics in cancer management.

In this Journal Club, Hassan Brim and Hassan Ashktorab discuss a publication that reported the involvement of the microbiome in colorectal cancer metastasis.
Probabilistic comparison of gray and white matter coverage between depth and surface intracranial electrodes in epilepsy: a patient-specific modeling and empirical study

Objective. The objective of this study is to quantify the coverage of gray and white matter during intracranial electroencephalography in a cohort of epilepsy patients with surface and depth electrodes. Methods. We included 65 patients with strip electrodes (n=12), strip and grid electrodes (n=24), strip, grid, and depth electrodes (n=7), or depth electrodes only (n=22) from the University of Utah spanning 2010-2020. Patient-specific imaging was used to generate probabilistic gray and white matter maps and atlas segmentations. The gray and white matter coverage was quantified based on spherical volumes centered on electrode centroids, with radii ranging from 1-15 mm, along with detailed finite element models of local electric fields Results. Gray matter coverage was highly dependent on the chosen radius of influence (RoI). Using a 2.5 mm RoI, depth electrodes covered more gray matter than surface electrodes; however, surface electrodes covered more gray matter at RoI larger than 4 mm. White matter coverage was greatest for depth electrodes at all RoIs, which is noteworthy for studies involving stimulation mapping. Depth electrodes were able to record significantly more gray matter from the amygdala and hippocampus than subdural electrodes. Significance. This study provides the first probabilistic analysis to quantify gray and white matter coverage for multiple categories of intracranial recording configurations. Depth electrodes may offer increased per contact coverage of gray matter over other recording strategies if the desired signals are local to the contact, while subdural grids and strips can sample more gray matter if the desired signals are more diffuse.
Food Security/Insecurity, Food Systems

Food security has been defined as a situation that exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. This is not the case in 2020 for large numbers of the Earth’s populations especially in those less developed and developing nations, where for some, chronic food insecurity is a major problem. This is discussed in terms of soils, challenges of growing populations, food insecurity, increase in food production, food systems from production to consumption, and reduction of food waste.
Portfolio Management for Privately-Held Securities: Investment Selection and Performance Measurement

This paper develops a portfolio model for performance measurement and selection of investment securities for which there is no public market: investments such as venture capital investments, private placements, or real estate partnerships. The paper can be used as the basis of research to measure the risk/retum properties of privately-held securities, and such research can be used to develop portfolio measurement tools for these securities.
Multi-objective Optimization (MO)

We began with a discussion of what techniques should be included when we speak of MO techniques. We sought to define the scope of MO. A trial definition of scope was proposed: “MO necessarily produces multiple optimum designs”. Initially, there was a feeling by some that this definition of scope is too restrictive since it would exclude techniques that transform multiple objectives into a single objective such as the weighted sum method. However, advocates of the trial definition pointed out that if the weighted sum method was executed multiple times with different weighting factors, then multiple optimum designs would be produced, and it would be included as an MO technique. On the other hand, if the weighted sum method were executed only once to produce a single optimum design, it would be excluded as an MO technique. This is because the ultimate goal of MO is to produce a choice of good designs for the designer or decision-maker. Another suggestion was made to delete the word “optimum” from the trial definition since “multiobjective optimization” is itself an oxymoron. With this modification, a straw poll was taken on the trial definition of scope. Several people favored the definition. There was no opposition although there were abstentions.
How Are ‘the Others’ Doing? Highly Skilled Latin American Immigrants and Economic Crisis in the US and Spain

There is a tendency in the media to portray immigrants as a group of poor, low skilled people with little knowledge of the receiving country’s language or customs. While this general image might increase the natives’ awareness of the plight and problems of immigrants, it also leads to fear that immigrants profit from the financial resources of a country rather than contributing to the general wellbeing of the host society. One problem with this narrative is that it leaves aside an important part of the immigrant group, namely the highly skilled, a group that hardly can be described as using the resources rather than contributing to the welfare of the receiving country. In this chapter, we analyze the effects the 2008 economic crisis had on a subgroup of the highly skilled immigrants, namely Latin Americans in the United States and Spain. The general question that we want to answer is: what happens with this specific group of foreign born, with high human capital, during times of economic downturn? How affected are their unemployment and labor force participation rates by the Great Recession? Does the recession lead to marginalization or further marginalization of these immigrants? This paper is divided into three parts. In the first part, we introduce the topic and review the literature, focusing on the two dimensions of interest: human capital and context of reception. We use Iredale’s (2001) definition of high-skilled immigrants as those having at least a bachelor degree The second part presents and discusses the data on the labor force characteristics in the US and Spain and the third part includes the conclusion.
Metabolism of Phosphatidylglycerol and Lysyl Phosphatidylglycerol in Staphylococcus aureus

The metabolism of phosphatidylglycerol and lysyl phosphatidylglycerol was studied in Staphylococcus aureus under four conditions: growing at pH 7.0 and 5.2, and not growing (resting) at pH 7.0 and 5.2. Measurements of the amounts of phosphatidylglycerol and lysyl phosphatidylglycerol, as well as labeling and pulsechase experiments, revealed that the phosphate group of the former and the lysyl group of the latter were in a state of active turnover. A marked decline in the cellular level of phosphatidylglycerol observed when cells were resting at pH 5.2 was found to be caused by both a decrease in synthesis and an increase in catabolism. The level of lysyl phosphatidylglycerol was found to be relatively constant under the four incubation conditions, although the lysyl moiety was in a state of turnover. Experiments designed to test the possible role of lysyl phosphatidylglycerol as a lysyl group donor in biosynthetic processes or in lysine transport were negative; no evidence to support the hypothesis that lysyl phosphatidylglycerol serves as an intermediate was obtained.
Entity Resolution with crowd errors

Given a set of records, an Entity Resolution (ER) algorithm finds records that refer to the same real-world entity. Humans can often determine if two records refer to the same entity, and hence we study the problem of selecting questions to ask error-prone humans. We give a Maximum Likelihood formulation for the problem of finding the “most beneficial” questions to ask next. Our theoretical results lead to a lightweight and practical algorithm, bDENSE, for selecting questions to ask humans. Our experimental results show that bDENSE can more quickly reach an accurate outcome, compared to two approaches proposed recently. Moreover, through our experimental evaluation, we identify the strengths and weaknesses of all three approaches.
Software Reliability and Safety

This chapter contains sections titled: Risk Evaluation Objective Software Reliability Profile Implementation Conclusions References
The Demand for Health Insurance: A Preference for Certain Losses or Desire for Income Transfers If Ill?

Two alternative interpretations of the demand for insurance can be derived from the basic insurance model: (1) insurance is a preference for certain losses over uncertain ones of the same expected magnitude, or (2) insurance is a demand for an income transfer if the bad state of the world occurs. Although the former represents convention, many empirical studies show that people actually prefer uncertain losses to certain ones of the same expected magnitude. This paper presents the case that the second interpretation is more generally applicable and, with regard to health insurance, does not lead to the misleading empirical conclusions and misinformed public policy that the first, conventional interpretation has generated.
Specificity and competitive cation association to Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate model membranes

Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) is an active signaling lipid implicated, among other functions, in the regulation of cell growth by activating the tumor suppressor PTEN. Using synchrot...
Subsurface plankton layers in the Arctic Ocean

The first synoptic measurements of subsurface plankton layers were made in the western Arctic Ocean in July 2014 using airborne lidar. Layers were detected in open water and in pack ice where up to 90% of the surface was covered by ice. Layers under the ice were less prevalent, weaker, and shallower than those in open water. Layers were more prevalent in the Chukchi Sea than in the Beaufort Sea. Three quarters of the layers observed were thinner than 5 m. The presence of these layers, which are not adequately captured in satellite data, will influence primary productivity, secondary productivity, fisheries recruitment, and carbon export to the benthos.
Two Models of Brand Switching

It is well known that brand choice can be described by a Markov chain. In order to put some structure into the transition probabilities we model brand choice as a two-stage decision process: (1) whether to continue or whether to reconsider the last choice, (2) in the latter case which brand to choose. A distinction must then be made as to whether the last brand is ruled out (hypothesis II) or not (hypothesis I) giving rise to two different probability models. In the case of only two brands, the transition probabilities can always be modelled in either way.
Anthocyanins are absorbed in glycated forms in elderly women: a pharmacokinetic study

BACKGROUND Anthocyanins are potent antioxidants that are widely distributed in fruit, vegetables, and red wines. Anthocyanin products are also prescribed as medicines in many countries for treating various diseases. However, the pharmacokinetics of dietary anthocyanins are not known in humans because these glycosides were long considered nonabsorbable. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine whether anthocyanins can be absorbed as glycosides and to evaluate their pharmacokinetics in humans. DESIGN Four healthy elderly women consumed 720 mg anthocyanins. A series of blood and urine samples were collected before and after consumption of the anthocyanins. Anthocyanins were measured in plasma and urine by combining an octadecylsilane solid-phase extraction for sample preparation and an HPLC system with diode array for anthocyanin separation and detection. The structures of anthocyanins as glycosides in plasma and urine were further confirmed by using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. RESULTS Anthocyanins were detected as glycosides in plasma and urine. The maximum plasma concentration of total anthocyanins varied from 55.3 to 168.3 nmol/L, with an average of 97.4 nmol/L, and was reached within 71.3 min. The elimination of plasma anthocyanins appeared to follow first-order kinetics. The elimination half-life of plasma total anthocyanins was calculated to be 132.6 min. Most anthocyanin compounds were excreted in urine during the first 4 h. The excretion rate of total anthocyanins was 77 microg/h during the first 4 h and 13 microg/h during the second 4 h. CONCLUSION Anthocyanins are absorbed in their unchanged glycated forms in elderly women.
Reconciling Collective and Individual Rights: Indigenous Education and International Human Rights Law

This paper was written for the UCLA Journal of International Law and Foreign Affairs, which sponsored a symposium titled “Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in the International Human Rights Framework: A Comfortable Fit?”. This question of a “comfortable fit” is one that has informed my work as a member of the ILA Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which has been charged with the task of formulating a commentary on the newly adopted United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (“Declaration”). My research on the Declaration has focused on two primary areas of law: education and media. Elsewhere, I have argued that these two rights are essential to Indigenous Peoples’ struggles to strengthen and maintain their societies and cultures. This paper focuses primarily on the right to education under Article 14 of the Declaration, which is an area of international law that lends itself well to contemplating issues of individual and collective rights (the topic of our panel discussion). The underlying question of this paper is whether a body of law built primarily on the recognition of individual rights can also be a facilitator of collective rights. My research suggests that it can. First, this paper demonstrates that the current international human rights framework actually contemplates both collective and individual rights, and that the two are not mutually exclusive. Second, it analyzes one means by which international human rights law can facilitate collective rights — through the linking together of core human rights precepts. As we will see, the right to indigenous education under Article 14 of the UN Declaration makes little sense if it is not placed or analyzed within a wider range of human rights, such as the rights to self-determination and cultural integrity. Before expounding on either of these points, the paper briefly discusses the history surrounding Article 14 and the right to education.
Proper Orthogonal Decomposition technique for sub-optimal control of flexible aircraft wings using discrete actuators

Distributed parameter systems are, generally, described by a set of partial differential equations. Control design of these systems is a very complex task as compared to that of the lumped parameter systems that are defined by a set of ordinary differential equations. In this paper, we present a stabilizing state-feedback control design approach for a class of second order system, where the system can be controlled by discrete actuators in the spatial domain. The control methodology is developed by combining the technique of `Proper Orthogonal Decomposition' and Approximate Dynamic Programming. The Proper Orthogonal Decomposition technique is utilized to obtain a low-order nonlinear lumped parameter model of the underlying infinite dimensional system. A sub-optimal state-feedback controller is, then, designed using the single-network adaptive-critic technique. A flexible aircraft wing model is used in this study to demonstrate the online implementation of the controller as designed from the presented methodology.
Isotopic exchange of ingested calcium between labeled sources. Evidence that ingested calcium does not form a common absorptive pool

We studied the extent of salt dissociation during absorption of calcium from sources of differing absorbability by measuring fractional absorption from loads in the range of 200–300 mg in healthy adult women. Sources were labeled both intrinsically and extrinsically with45Ca and47Ca, respectively, and were fed alone and in combination with one another. We first confirmed our previous observation of superior absorbability of calcium oxalate over spinach calcium in a randomized cross-over design in 20 women. Spinach calcium exhibited only half the absorbability of the same load of calcium presented as the oxalate. Then, in 14 women fed spinach with both an intrinsic and an extrinsic label, apparent absorption of the extrinsic label averaged 0.130±0.041 and of the intrinsic label, 0.029±0.023. Thus, the extrinsic tag was partially, but not completely, bound by the spinach. In the same 14 women, milk absorption averaged 0.331±0.092 when ingested alone. However, when coingested with spinach, apparent milk calcium absorption fell to 0.267±0.079 and apparent spinach calcium absorption rose to 0.111±0.039. Thus, there was significant but incomplete label exchange between the two sources, indicating that at least some of the calcium from both sources enters a common preabsorptive, ionic pool. By contrast, we had previously shown no tracer exchange when labeled oxalate was co-fed with labeled milk. We conclude that (1) the presence of calcium as the oxalate in spinach is not a sufficient explanation for the poor absorbability of spinach calcium; and (2) oxalate calcium and spinach calcium are absorbed by different mechanisms, one involving a common preabsorptive pool and the other not. We suggest that oxalate calcium absorption is by passive diffusion of the intact complex and spinach calcium absorption by active transport of the free cation.
Nimodipine decreases the minimum alveolar concentration of isoflurane in dogs.

Nimodipine is a calcium antagonist that binds with high affinity to neuronal membranes. It is a potent cerebrovasodilator and has been demonstrated also to affect neurotransmitter synthesis and release. Because patients undergoing surgery for intracranial aneurysms are frequently receiving nimodipine, the authors determined the MAC of isoflurane in six dogs before and during three infusion doses of nimodipine (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 μg · kg−1 · min−1). MAC was also determined in five dogs before and during infusion of the drug vehicle (10 μl · kg−1 · min−1). Nimodipine produced a reduction in MAC from 1.47 ± 0.33% to 1.19 ± 0.18, 1.15 ± 0.18 and 1.15 ± 0.09% during infusions of nimodipine 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 μg · kg−1 · min−1, respectively (P < 0.05). Infusion of drug vehicle alone produced no change in MAC (1.39 ± 0.15%). This reduction in anaesthetic requirement by nimodipine may be due to its effect on neurotransmission. Adjustments in anaesthetic dosage may be necessary in patients receiving nimodipine.
Potenciales neuro-sensoriales del nervio cutáneo medial en el diagnóstico del síndrome neurogénico del desfiladero torácico

Para confirmar el diagnostico de sindrome neurogenico del desfiladero toracico (SNDT) todavia no se dispone de un examen objetivo fiable. Durante los 20 ultimos anos, se ha sugerido que, con este objetivo, podrian usarse las respuestas a la estimulacion del nervio cutaneo medial (NCM) del antebrazo y las de la raiz nerviosa C8. En el presente estudio, investigamos este supuesto. Se establecio un diagnostico clinico de SNDT en 41 pacientes, todos los cuales se sometieron a descompresion quirurgica. Preoperatoriamente, todos los pacientes se estudiaron con determinaciones de los potenciales de accion neuro-sensoriales (PANS) del NCM y la estimulacion de la raiz nerviosa C8. Como controles se incluyeron 19 individuos voluntarios, sanos, asintomaticos. La latencia sensorial de NCM en los 79 lados examinados de individuos de control fue de 1,5-2,4 ms, mientras que la latencia en los 41 pacientes sintomaticos vario desde 2,2 a 2,8 ms. En 30 pacientes se observo una latencia de 2,5 o mayor (especificidad del 99% y sensibilidad del 73%), lo que confirmo el diagnostico de SNDT, mientras que, en los 11 pacientes restantes (27%), los valores de latencia de 2,2-2,4 ms se clasificaron en los limites de la normalidad. En los casos control la diferencia de la latencia entre el lado izquierdo y el lado derecho fue de 0-0,2 ms en 17 (89%), mientras que en pacientes con SNDT en 31 se detecto una diferencia de 0,3 ms o mayor (sensibilidad del 89% y especificidad del 63%). En 77 de 79 lados de control se observaron amplitudes de 10 μV o mayores, mientras que fue inferior a 10 μV en 28 pacientes (especificidad del 97% y sensibilidad del 68%). En los casos control los cocientes de amplitud entre el lado izquierdo y el derecho fueron de 1,7 o menos. En 25 pacientes se determinaron cocientes de 2,0 o mayores (especificidad del 100%, sensibilidad del 61%). Utilizando los cuatro criterios diagnosticos (latencia de mas de 2,4 ms, diferencia de latencia entre ambos lados de 0,3 o mas, amplitud inferior a 10 μV y cocientes de amplitud de 2,0 o mas), en 40 de 41 pacientes se identifico, como minimo, uno de los cuatro criterios diagnosticos, en 23 (56%) se detectaron tres o cuatro criterios positivos y 12 (29%) presentaron dos. Las respuestas de la estimulacion de la raiz nerviosa C8 fueron inferiores a lo normal (56 M/s) en el 54%. Las determinaciones sobre el NCM constituyen una tecnica fiable para confirmar el diagnostico de SNDT. La determinacion de la latencia parecio ser un parametro ligeramente mas constante en el presente estudio pero tambien fueron de utilidad la amplitud y la estimulacion de la raiz nerviosa C8. La estrategia mas fiable parece ser una combinacion de estas tecnicas.
Improved satellite image compression and reconstruction via genetic algorithms

A wide variety of signal and image processing applications, including the US Federal Bureau of Investigation's fingerprint compression standard [3] and the JPEG-2000 image compression standard [26], utilize wavelets. This paper describes new research that demonstrates how a genetic algorithm (GA) may be used to evolve transforms that outperform wavelets for satellite image compression and reconstruction under conditions subject to quantization error. The new approach builds upon prior work by simultaneously evolving real-valued coefficients representing matched forward and inverse transform pairs at each of three levels of a multi-resolution analysis (MRA) transform. The training data for this investigation consists of actual satellite photographs of strategic urban areas. Test results show that a dramatic reduction in the error present in reconstructed satellite images may be achieved without sacrificing the compression capabilities of the forward transform. The transforms evolved during this research outperform previous start-of-the-art solutions, which optimized coefficients for the reconstruction transform only. These transforms also outperform wavelets, reducing error by more than 0.76 dB at a quantization level of 64. In addition, transforms trained using representative satellite images do not perform quite as well when subsequently tested against images from other classes (such as fingerprints or portraits). This result suggests that the GA developed for this research is automatically learning to exploit specific attributes common to the class of images represented in the training population.
TORSION-FREE ABELIAN GROUPS WITH FINITE RANK ENDOMORPHISM RINGS

Abstract We show that if A and C are torsion-free abelian groups with ∩{ker f|f: A → C} = 0 = ∩{ker g|g: C → A}, and if A has a left Artinian quasi-endomorphism ring then A and C share a nonzero quasi-summand. Some consequences explored.
Stable bellows cup electrode demonstrates low-frequency properties of long-term electroretinographic recordings in the Limulus lateral eye

Conventional methods have long been used to record electroretinograms (ERGs) from the surface of the lateral eye of Limulus, the horseshoe crab. But, using these methods, the convexity of this eye has sometimes led to electrode problems that deterred acceptance of the validity of unexpected and unfamiliar phenomena. To deal with the electrode problem, a new gel/bellows cup electrode has been devised which was created from a small bellows suction cup. Coated with a recording gel and positioned by a massive apparatus arrangement, it maintains a secure connection to the convexity of the lateral eye for many days without requiring any attention after its placement. This new electrode has now been used for thousands of hours of ERG research during which crabs have often been left undisturbed in the apparatus for many days. This new method has revealed the existence of a novel low-frequency phenomenon demonstrated by the occurrence of noise-like fluctuations in successive ERGs. The frequency of these fluctuations is low relative to the properties of the ERG itself. Several converging tests of this new electrode system indicated that this new phenomenon is not an artifact but rather a genuine expression of endogenous bioelectric events.