cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of rotationally symmetric and oriented channels for the hotelling observer for myocardial SPECT images

This study compared results given by the channelized Hotelling observer (CHO) with rotationally symmetric (RS) channels and the CHO with rotationally oriented (RO) channels for a myocardial SPECT defect detection study using simulated SPECT images. The 4D NCAT phantom was used to model a patient population with variations in anatomy, defects (size, location and contrast) and /sup 99m/Tc-sestmaibi uptake in the organs. Low noise, parallel projection data were generated using Monte Carlo simulation. Poisson noise was added to generate noisy realizations. Data were reconstructed using OS-EM at 1 & 4 subsets/iteration and at 1, 3, 5, 7 & 9 iterations and were then converted to 2D short-axis images. The CHO-RS used 3 RS frequency channels and the CHO-RO used 12 channels (3 frequency channels at 4 orientations) to form image vectors. For each OS-EM parameter setting, the detectability index was estimated from 864 defect-present & 864 defect-absent vectors. The CHO-RS and CHO-RO models predicted the same optimum OS-EM parameter setting of 4 subsets/iteration and 5 iterations and gave nearly the same ranking of all the parameter settings. The CHO-RO gave high absolute detectability values. In conclusion, for defect detection in simulated myocardial SPECT images, the CHO-RO model does not offer an advantage over the CHO-RS model.
Gastrointestinal peptides: the basis of action at the cellular level.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the basis of action of gastrointestinal peptides at the cellular level. The gastrointestinal peptide is released into the blood stream and carried to the target tissue where the peptide interacts with cell surface receptors. This peptide–receptor interaction initiates a series of biochemical changes in the cells that comprise the target tissue and the last of the changes—which is usually referred to as the hormone response—is one that acts to reverse the stimulus that initiated the release of the peptide from the production tissue. Secretion of acid by the stomach increases the concentration of hydrogen ions in the lumen of the upper gastrointestinal tract. Some gastrointestinal peptides clearly function as hormones, others function as neurotransmitters, and others function as paracrine regulators of cellular function. Another characteristic of the gastrointestinal peptides is that they can exist in multiple chemical forms in the circulation, for example, gastrin can exist in six different molecular forms.
Novel spin-orbit coupling driven emergent states in iridate-based heterostructures

Abstract Recent years have seen many examples of how the strong spin-orbit coupling present in iridates can stabilize new emergent states that are difficult or impossible to realize in more conventional materials. In this review we outline a representative set of studies detailing how heterostructures based on Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) iridates can be used to access yet more novel physics. Beginning with a short synopsis of iridate thin film growth, the effects of the heterostructure morphology on the RP iridates including Sr 2 IrO 4 and SrIrO 3 are discussed. Example studies explore the effects of epitaxial strain, laser-excitation to access transient states, topological semimetallicity in SrIrO 3 , 2D magnetism in artificial RP iridates, and interfacial magnetic coupling between iridate and neighboring layers. Taken together, these works show the fantastic potential for controlled engineering of novel quantum phenomena in iridate heterostructures.
A measure of vascular reactivity to overcome neurovascular uncoupling in functional imaging of brain tumors: initial results

Purpose: Preoperative functional MRI (fMRI) is limited by a muted BOLD response caused by abnormal vasoreactivity and resultant neurovascular uncoupling adjacent to malignant brain tumors. We propose to overcome this limitation and more accurately identify eloquent areas adjacent to brain tumors by independently assessing vasoreactivity using breath-holding and incorporating these data into the BOLD analysis. Methods: Local vasoreactivity using a breath-holding paradigm with the same timing as the functional motor and language tasks was determined in 16 patients (9 glioblastomas, 1 anaplastic astrocytoma, 5 low grade astrocytomas, and 1 metastasis). We derived a model based on coherence for analyzing BOLD fMRI that takes into account the altered hemodynamics adjacent to brain tumors. Results: Activation maps computed using the coherence model were overall similar to standard activation maps. However, the coherence maps demonstrated clinically meaningful areas of activation that were not seen using the standard method in 12/16 cases. This included localization of language areas adjacent to brain tumors, where the coherence method results were confirmed by intra-operative direct cortical stimulation. Enhanced task response maps based on vasoreactivity mapping demonstrated more robust, anatomically-correct activation, in particular adjacent to tumors as compared to maps obtained without vasoreactivity information. Conclusions: The present preliminary results demonstrate the principle that the neurovascular uncoupling known to affect the accuracy of BOLD fMRI adjacent to brain tumors may be, at least partially, overcome by incorporating an independent measurement of vasoreactivity into the BOLD analysis.
Enhanced Recovery Decreases Pulmonary and Cardiac Complications After Thoracotomy for Lung Cancer

Background Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) pathways aim to improve postoperative recovery through evidence-based practices, including early ambulation, multimodal opioid-sparing analgesia, and reduction of surgical stress. This study evaluated outcomes after implementation of ERAS in patients undergoing resection for pulmonary malignancy. Methods A retrospective review compared outcomes for patients undergoing pulmonary resection for primary lung cancer. Analysis was performed between three periods: pre-ERAS (January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2011), transitional period with elements of ERAS (January 1, 2012, to August 31, 2015), and full implementation of ERAS (September 1, 2015, to December 31, 2016). Results We analyzed 2,886 lung resections (pre-ERAS, n = 1615; transitional, n = 929; ERAS, n = 342). For all patients, length of stay decreased in the ERAS and transitional periods compared with pre-ERAS (4 [3] versus 4 [3] versus 5 [3] days, p p = 0.004). Cardiac complications decreased with ERAS (12.3% versus 13.1% versus 18.1%, p = 0.001). There was less thoracic epidural use (2.9% versus 44.5% versus 75.5%, p p = 0.772) or mortality rates ( p = 0.417). After thoracotomy, ERAS was associated with decreased length of stay, fewer intensive care unit readmissions, and decreased frequency of pneumonia, atrial arrhythmias, and need for home oxygen (all p p = 0.046) and cardiac ( p = 0.001) complications on logistic regression after thoracotomy but not minimally invasive operations. Conclusions ERAS was associated with improved postoperative outcomes, including decreased length of stay and pulmonary and cardiac morbidity after thoracotomy, but not after minimally invasive operations. ERAS safety was demonstrated by low rates of adverse events without effect on hospital readmission or perioperative deaths.
All-optically tunable buffer for single photons.

We demonstrate a photon buffer for quantum communication systems via a quantum frequency conversion–dispersion technique based on Bragg scattering four-wave mixing. The all-fiber setup is capable of imparting all-optical and continuously tunable delays onto single photons with minimal photon noise and absorption. Tunable delays up to 23 times the photon duration are demonstrated with on/off efficiencies as high as 55%.
Full Factorial Microfluidic Designs and Devices for Parallelizing Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Differentiation

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are promising therapeutic tools for regenerative therapies and disease modeling. Differentiation of cultured hPSCs is influenced by both exogenous factors added to the cultures and endogenously secreted molecules. Optimization of protocols for the differentiation of hPSCs into different cell types is difficult because of the many variables that can influence cell fate. We present microfluidic devices designed to perform three- and four-factor, two-level full factorial experiments in parallel for investigating and directly optimizing hPSC differentiation. These devices feature diffusion-isolated, independent culture wells that allow for control of both exogenous and endogenous cellular signals and that allow for immunocytochemistry (ICC) and confocal microscopy in situ. These devices are fabricated by soft lithography in conjunction with 3D-printed molds and are operable with a single syringe pump, eliminating the need for specialized equipment or cleanroom facilities. Their utility was demonstrated by on-chip differentiation of hPSCs into the auditory neuron lineage. More broadly, these devices enable multiplexing for experimentation with any adherent cell type or even multiple cell types, allowing efficient investigation of the effects of medium conditions, pharmaceuticals, or other soluble reagents.
SeqReporter: Automating Next-Generation Sequencing Result Interpretation and Reporting Workflow in a Clinical Laboratory

A wide repertoire of bioinformatics applications exist for next-generation sequencing data analysis; however, certain requirements of the clinical molecular laboratory limit their use: i) comprehensive report generation, ii) compatibility with existing laboratory information systems and computer operating system, iii) knowledgebase development, iv) quality management, and v) data security. SeqReporter is a web-based application developed using ASP.NET framework version 4.0. The client-side was designed using HTML5, CSS3, and Javascript. The server-side processing (VB.NET) relied on interaction with a customized SQL server 2008 R2 database. Overall, 104 cases (1062 variant calls) were analyzed by SeqReporter. Each variant call was classified into one of five report levels: i) known clinical significance, ii) uncertain clinical significance, iii) pending pathologists' review, iv) synonymous and deep intronic, and v) platform and panel-specific sequence errors. SeqReporter correctly annotated and classified 99.9% (859 of 860) of sequence variants, including 68.7% synonymous single-nucleotide variants, 28.3% nonsynonymous single-nucleotide variants, 1.7% insertions, and 1.3% deletions. One variant of potential clinical significance was re-classified after pathologist review. Laboratory information system–compatible clinical reports were generated automatically. SeqReporter also facilitated quality management activities. SeqReporter is an example of a customized and well-designed informatics solution to optimize and automate the downstream analysis of clinical next-generation sequencing data. We propose it as a model that may envisage the development of a comprehensive clinical informatics solution.
Generation of the Membrane Potential

Knowledge of the existence of bioelectric potentials must certainly go back to the first unfortunate encounters that people had with electric fish, but an understanding of the origin of these potentials awaited the advances in physical chemistry that occurred near the end of the 19th century.
Stimulation of in vivo pancreatic growth in the rat is mediated specifically by way of cholecystokinin-A receptors

Abstract Background/Aims: Cholecystokinin (CCK) and gastrin stimulate growth of rodent pancreas in vivo. However, it remains unclear whether these growth effects are mediated specifically by CCK-A receptors, CCK-B receptors, or both. To clarify this issue, the present study examined the effect of highly selective and biologically active CCK agonists on pancreatic growth. Methods: Rats were subcutaneously injected with either (1) CCK-8, a nonselective CCK agonist (2.50 μg/kg body wt); (2) A-71623, a selective CCK-A agonist, tert -butyl-oxycarbonyl-Trp-Lys (e- N -2-methylphenylaminocarbonyl)-Asp-( N -methyl)-Phe-NH 2 (1.84 μg/kg body wt); (3) SNF-8815; a selective CCK-B agonist, [(2 R ,3 S )-β-MePhe 28 , N -MeNle 31 ]CCK 26–33 (2.40 μg/kg body wt); or (4) saline (control) for 21 days. Rats were killed, and pancreatic weight, protein content, RNA content, DNA content, protein-DNA ratio, RNA-DNA ratio, pancreatic area per nucleus, and number of mitoses per 10,000 acinar cells were determined. Results: Nonselective CCK agonist significantly increased pancreatic weight, protein, RNA, and DNA contents, and number of mitoses per 10,000 acinar cells. Likewise, selective CCK-A agonist significantly increased pancreatic weight, protein, RNA, and DNA contents, protein-DNA ratio, RNA-DNA ratio, pancreatic area per nucleus, and number of mitoses per 10,000 acinar cells. In contrast, selective and biologically active CCK-B agonist had no effect. Conclusion: These findings indicate that pancreatic growth is mediated specifically by CCK-A receptors in the rat in vivo.
High-order stabilization for Navier-Stokes CFD algorithms

Publisher Summary Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) algorithms must be stabilized for practical applications, wherein the Navier- Stokes (NS) system Reynolds number (Re) becomes so large that the action of “physical” (laminar and/or turbulent) diffusion is rendered ineffectual in promoting stability. A theoretical approach to NS stabilization has been developed that yields predictive improvements in phase accuracy and asymptotic convergence rates (equivalent to “order of accuracy”) for CFD algorithms. The theory is completed in the continuum NS PDF expression prior to selection of any specific discrete implementation. This Taylor series-based (TS) approach generates a “modified” NS-conservation law system appending convective antidiffusive and tensor product diffusive-type terms. The classic Galerkin weak statement for Navier-Stokes conservation law systems is intrinsically unstable at practical Reynolds numbers. Taylor series analyzes identify lowest order discretization error terms, the appearance of which can be annihilated by commensurate modifications in the continuum to the parent Navier-Stokes system. The essential ingredients of this process are presented, followed by a summary of the spectral theory predicting comparative performance.
Hydrological drought persistence and recovery over the CONUS: A multi-stage framework considering water quantity and quality.

Abstract Hydrological droughts have considerable negative impacts on water quantity and quality, and understanding their regional characteristics is of crucial importance. This study presents a multi-stage framework to detect and characterize hydrological droughts considering both streamflow and water quality changes. Hydrological droughts are categorized into three stages of growth, persistence, retreat, and water quality variables (i.e., water temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration, and turbidity) are utilized to further investigate drought recovery. The framework is applied to 400 streamflow gauges across the Contiguous United States (CONUS) over the study period of 1950–2016. The method is illustrated for the 2012 US drought, which affected most of the nation. Results reveal the duration, frequency, and severity of historical droughts in various regions as well as their spatial consistencies and heterogeneities. Furthermore, duration of each stage of drought (i.e., growth, persistence, and retreat) is also assessed and the spatial patterns are diagnosed across the CONUS. Considering the water quality variables, increased water temperature (4 °C on average) and reduced dissolved oxygen concentration (2.5 mg/L on average) were observed during drought episodes, both of which impose severe consequences on ecology of natural habitats. On the contrary, turbidity was found to decrease during droughts, and indicate a sudden increase when drought terminates, due to increase in runoff. Varied drought recovery durations are perceived for different water quality variables, and in general, it takes about two more months for water quality variables to recover from a drought, following the hydrological drought termination.
UNIT 18.1 Introduction to Peptide Synthesis

This overview presents a review of classical and current solid-phase peptide synthesis techniques. Peptide synthesis has become a more practical part of present-day scientific research following the advent of solid-phase techniques, and has practical commercial and scientific implications. This unit provides information on solid-phase peptide-synthesis methodology, offering descriptions of different supports, coupling reagents, and practical approaches to the synthesis of modified residues and structures. It also presents information concerning protein synthesis and the purification and analysis of synthetic peptides. This methodology has great implications for the design of synthetic peptides to serve in antibody production.
The relationship between patient safety and quality improvement in neonatology

Patient safety and healthcare quality have become foundational components of neonatal care, and hospitals and neonatal intensive care units have developed robust programs and structures committed to improving outcomes through rigorous quality improvement methods. Despite increasingly more sophisticated frameworks for defining and understanding quality, the relationship between patient safety and health care quality is not clearly defined. Safety is often defined as the avoidance of injury and harm, while quality is typically defined as achieving the best possible health care outcomes. Safety can be considered one of multiple domains of quality, and safety can also be considered synonymous with quality. Regardless, both safety and quality are driven by systems of care, and improvement methods should focus on understanding and improving these systems. While many improvement methods will apply to safety goals or quality goals, there are unique aspects of patient safety that require specific tools and approaches. Achieving the safest and highest quality healthcare for our patients and families requires an understanding of the tools needed to improve both safety and quality.
Laser Lights and Designer Drugs: New Techniques for Descending Levels of Mechanisms “in a Single Bound”?

Optogenetics and DREADDs (Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs) are important research tools in recent neurobiology. These tools allow unprecedented control over activity in specifically targeted neurons in behaving animals. Two approaches in philosophy of neuroscience, mechanism and ruthless reductionism, provide explicit accounts of experiments and results using tools like these, but each offers a different picture about how levels of mechanisms relate. I argue here that the ruthless reductionist's direct mind-to-cellular/molecular activities linkages "in a single bound" better fits with both the experimental designs using these tools and some of the scientists' own judgments about their results than does the mechanist's "nested hierarchies of mechanisms-within-mechanisms." So at least some important work in current neuroscience appears to be ruthlessly reductive. Mechanism may not correctly characterize all current work in neuroscience, despite its recent popularity.
Introduction (Part 1 of 2): Food Fraud Definitions and Scope

This chapter presents the introduction to the scope and definitions related to food fraud. The next chapter introduces many of the fundamental concepts. Before getting into a structured review of the definitions and related terms, there will be a foundation setting task that considers the end goal such as why do you care, how to start, how much is enough, and is the government doing enough.
Chronic allergen exposure drives accumulation of long-lived IgE plasma cells in the bone marrow, giving rise to serological memory

Immunoglobulin E (IgE) plays an important role in allergic diseases. Nevertheless, the source of IgE serological memory remains controversial. We reexamined the mechanism of serological memory in allergy using a dual reporter system to track IgE+ plasma cells in mice. Short-term allergen exposure resulted in the generation of IgE+ plasma cells that resided mainly in secondary lymphoid organs and produced IgE that was unable to degranulate mast cells. In contrast, chronic allergen exposure led to the generation of long-lived IgE+ plasma cells that were primarily derived from sequential class switching of IgG1, accumulated in the bone marrow, and produced IgE capable of inducing anaphylaxis. IgE+ plasma cells were found in the bone marrow of human allergic, but not nonallergic donors, and allergen-specific IgE produced by these cells was able to induce mast cell degranulation when transferred to mice. These data demonstrate that long-lived IgE+ bone marrow plasma cells arise during chronic allergen exposure and establish serological memory in both mice and humans.
Effects of dual antiplatelet therapy on graft patency after lower extremity bypass.

Abstract Objective Current guidelines recommend single-agent antiplatelet therapy for patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease and consideration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after surgical revascularization. The objective of this study was both to explore prescribing patterns of single antiplatelet therapy vs DAPT after lower extremity bypass surgery and to investigate the effects of antiplatelet therapy on bypass graft patency. Methods A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected nonemergent infrainguinal lower extremity bypass operations entered in the national Vascular Quality Initiative (2003-2018) with captured long-term follow-up was performed. Patients discharged on aspirin monotherapy or DAPT were identified. Linear regression investigated temporal trends in antiplatelet use. Multivariable Cox regression investigated predictors of primary, primary assisted, and secondary patency. Results Of the 13,020 patients investigated, 52.2% were discharged on aspirin monotherapy and 47.8% on DAPT. The proportion of patients discharged on DAPT increased from 10.6% in 2003 to 60.6% in 2018 (P Conclusions A significant and increasing proportion of patients are discharged on DAPT after lower extremity bypass revascularization. These patients represent a higher risk cohort with more medical comorbidities and higher risk bypass features. After controlling for these differences, DAPT therapy had no beneficial effect on overall bypass graft patency or major adverse limb events. However, on subgroup analysis, DAPT was associated with improved bypass graft patency in patients receiving prosthetic bypass conduits. Further study is warranted to investigate optimal duration of DAPT therapy and its possible bleeding complications in prosthetic bypass patients.
Deliberation and Non-Deliberative Communication

The goal of this work is to clarify how certain democratic goods — notably, empowered inclusion and mutual respect — can be both antecedents to and outcomes of successful communication. When exclusion or a lack of basic mutual respect prevent deliberation from happening in the first place, where do the antecedent conditions of empowered inclusion and mutual respect come from? To answer this question, I propose distinguishing between deliberation and non-deliberative communication. More specifically, I offer a typology that distinguishes between deliberation, political communication, non-political reason-giving and non-political communication. This framework clarifies theoretical disputes and empirical mixed findings in the deliberative democracy literature and offers insight to practitioners and activists interested in using communicative practices to achieve aims related to incentivizing inclusion or promoting mutual respect.
Big Data Analytics in Online Structural Health Monitoring

This manuscript explores the application of big data analytics in online structural health monitoring. As smart sensor technology is making progress and low cost online monitoring is increasingly possible, large quantities of highly heterogeneous data can be acquired during the monitoring, thus exceeding the capacity of traditional data analytics techniques. This paper investigates big data techniques to handle the highvolume data obtained in structural health monitoring. In particular, we investigate the analysis of infrared thermal images for structural damage diagnosis. We explore the MapReduce technique to parallelize the data analytics and efficiently handle the high volume, high velocity and high variety of information. In our study, MapReduce is implemented with the Spark platform, and image processing functions such as uniform filter and Sobel filter are wrapped in the mappers. The methodology is illustrated with concrete slabs, using actual experimental data with induced damage
Dog–Human Attachment as an Aspect of Social Cognition: Evaluating the Secure Base Test

The capacity for dogs to form attachment bonds to humans has been recognized by scientists for over two decades. However, evaluations of dog-human attachment styles, including to what extent dogs experience attachment security with their human caregivers, are relatively new. In humans, the development of secure attachments is considered a predictor of social wellbeing and positive cognitive outcomes including future relationship success, persistence, mental wellbeing and executive functioning. A better understanding of dog-human attachment relationships could have important scientific and applied implications. Here we provide an overview of attachment research as it relates to the dog-human bond, and take a closer look at one experimental approach, the Secure Base Test (SBT), currently used to evaluate dog-human attachment styles.
A NONLINEAR METHOD FOR PREDICTING UNSTEADY SHEET CAVITATION ON MARINE PROPELLERS

A method is presented which provides a basis for predicting the non-linear dynamic behaviour of unsteady propeller sheet cavitation. The method separates the fluid velocity potential boundary-value problem into two parts, static and dynamic, which are solved sequentially in a forward time stepping procedure. The static potential problem is for the cavity fixed instantaneously relative to the propeller and the propeller translating through the non-uniform wake field. This problem can be solved by standard methods. The dynamic potential represents the instantaneous reaction of the cavity to the static potential field and thus predicts the cavity's deformation and motion relative to the blade. A solution is obtained for the dynamic potential by using the concepts of slender-body theory to define near- and far-field potentials which are matched to form the complete solution. The theory is presented for the general foil and not specifically for propellers. However, the method incorporates features in its formulation which facilitate its application to marine propellers.
A Critique of SRISK as an Alternative to Regulatory Leverage Ratio

In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, Robert Engle and colleagues at New York University developed the NYU Stern Systematic Risk Model (SRISK), a market-based substitute for regulatory measures of systemic risk of financial institutions. This study identifies four shortcomings of SRISK. First, market value is not an adequate substitute for book value in measuring systemic risk. Second, SRISK fails to account for credit derivatives and other off-balance sheet risk. Third, the market data captured by SRISK itself relies on regulatory disclosures. Fourth, SRISK cannot be applied to private firms.
Entwurf und Modellierung geregelter arbeitsteiliger Anwendungssysteme

Entwurf und Modellierung geregelter arbeitsteiliger Anwendungssysteme sind klassische Aufgabenstellungen der Software-Entwicklung. In diesem Kapitel werden zunachst die wesentlichen Komponenten geregelter arbeitsteiliger Anwendungssysteme eingefuhrt. Der Entwurf dieser Komponenten wird daran anschliesend anhand grundlegender Konstruktionsprinzipien beschrieben. Die Verarbeitungsvorgange in geregelten arbeitsteiligen Anwendungssystemen konnen in verschiedenen Modellansatzen idealisiert abgebildet werden. Ein Vergleich dieser Modellansatze fuhrt dazu, das lediglich die sogenannten Vorgangsmodelle als Ansatz fur geregelte arbeitsteilige Anwendungssysteme in Frage kommen. Nach Auswahl der Vorgangsmodelle als Modellansatz werden sie hinsichtlich ihrer Beschreibungselemente und verschiedenen Beschreibungsformen kategorisiert. Aufgrund der enormen Bedeutung der Ablaufe in geregelten arbeitsteiligen Anwendungssystemen werden zum Abschlus des Kapitels mogliche formale Reprasentationsformen fur die Geregeltheit einer Anwendung aufgezeigt.
High performance computing and trends: connecting computational requirements with computing resources

Today networking, distributed computing, and parallel computation research have matured to make it possible for distributed systems to support high-performance applications, but: Resources are dispersed, Connectivity is variable, Dedicated access is not possible. In this talk we advocate the 'Computational Grids' to support 'large-scale' applications. These must provide transparent access to the complex mix of resources -- computational, networking, and storage -- that can be provided through aggregation of resources. The vision is of uniform, location independent, and transient access to the Computational, Catalogued data, Instrument system, Human collaborator, resources of contemporary research activity in order to facilitate the solution of large-scale, complex, multi-institutional/multidisciplinary data and computational based problems. It envisages these resources being accessible through a Problem Solving Environment appropriate to the target community.
Powerpoint Presentation of Secret Liens and the Financial Crisis of 2008; Paving the Way for the Next Financial Crisis

This article explains the roots of financial crises in one of the oldest and most fundamental problems of commercial law: hidden leverage. Common law courts wrestled with this problem for centuries and developed a time – tested solution: the doctrine of secret liens. If the debtor becomes insolvent, the doctrine of secret liens punishes secret lien holders by subordinating their claims to those of other creditors. In other words, by overriding privately negotiated payment priorities, the doctrine of secret liens creates incentives for transparency. This article argues that legal changes over the last 80 years eroded the doctrine of secret liens, and thereby led to the financial crisis. Due to these legal changes, complex and opaque financial products received the highest priority in bankruptcy, and creditors' incentives were therefore to structure transactions using these favored financial products. The opaque credit environment that resulted permitted debtors – particularly investment banks – to hide the extent of their leverage, to the detriment of all creditors. This article argues that Congress can prevent future financial crises by restoring the doctrine of secret liens, or by adopting a modernized regulatory regime built on the doctrine of secret liens' fundamental insight – that creditors should be compelled to disclose their claims in exchange for payment priority.
Pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

This chapter explores the genetic toolbox available for the study of Mycobacterium tuberculosis physiology, the immunology relating to M. tuberculosis infection, and relevant animal models to probe the corresponding disease course. The development of better vaccines is contingent on an understanding of the mechanisms by which M. tuberculosis evades the innate and adaptive immune responses. A primary tuberculosis (TB) infection in humans generally results from the inhalation of a small number of bacilli. These bacteria are deposited in the lungs and are taken up by alveolar macrophages and dendritic cells (DC). M. tuberculosis is moderately resistant to many forms of reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) due to the expression of typical detoxification enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase and catalase-peroxidase-peroxinitrase (KatG). Transmission electron microscopy experiments performed in the late 1960s by D’Arcy Hart suggested that M. tuberculosis resides within tightly associated membranous vacuoles that fail to fuse with lysosomes. Programmed cell death has a role in controlling mycobacterial replication, as decreases in the bacterial burden are correlated with macrophage cell death. Infected cells are detected by T cells through the recognition of antigens presented on major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) molecules by the receptor on the CD4 T cells, leading to the initiation of the bactericidal activity of macrophages. The immune-system evasion mechanisms of M. tuberculosis are fundamental for the success of the pathogen, and a clearer understanding of these processes will advance vaccine and chemotherapy development.
Thermoelectric effect in a nonequilibrium superconductor

As Ginzburg1 first noted, there exists in a superconductor the possibility of a simultaneous flow of a normal current of density \( {\vec j_n} = {L_T}( - \vec \nabla T) \) and a supercurrent \( {\vec j_s} = - {\vec j_n} \). Recently2 calculations based on the two fluid model have predicted that this flow of normal current in a superconductor will give rise to a non-quantized contribution to the magnetic flux in a loop made up of two different superconductors. Experimental data3–5 indicate the existence of such a magnetic flux with a value of as much as five orders of magnitude5 larger than predicted by theory. However, more recent work6 has suggested that this magnetic flux may be due to the temperature dependence of the penetration depth. This discrepancy, coupled with the opportunity to study quasiparticle transport and relaxation processes in a nonequilibrium superconductor, prompted us to make measurements of the pair and quasi-particle electrochemical potentials in a superconductor held in a temperature gradient. It has been predicted7 that in nonequilibrium situations in which the electron and hole branches of the quasi-particle excitation spectrum are unequally populated, the quasi-particles in a superconductor may be described by a different electrochemical potential than that which describes the pairs. This paper reports initial results showing experimental evidence for a pair-quasiparticle electrochemical potential difference in a superconductor in a temperature gradient.
Generational differences in informational technology use & political involvement

While Internet access steadily expands, the ability to take advantage of that increasing access hinges on information technology literacy (ITL) levels among citizens. Structural inequality is reproduced as social factors intersect with infrastructural barriers to IT access. The lack of access to and the desire to use IT among economically disadvantaged and aging citizens exacerbates their ability to function as citizens in a democratic society. Community members, particularly in certain more economically vulnerable groups, often lack basic skills and concepts required when navigating an expanding electronic interface with government. Information technology (IT) makes it easier for some citizens to participate in a democratic system; by the same token, it widens the gap between the haves and have-nots. Digital inequality is further compounded as the technology changes by leaps and bounds; existing skills become antiquated, and no ready path is available to acquire new skills. This study assesses the impact of generational and SES differences on IT literacy and political participation. Technological literacy, almost by its very definition, is evocative of generational differences in orientations to politics and of age-related differences in levels of political interest and political involvement, up to and including voting in elections at all levels. The theory that undergirds our research is redolent with generation gaps and evokes the notions of a younger "cyber generation" and an older generation for which Internet technology is somewhat episodic if not producing a mild case of technophobia. High school and college students who can program and Websurf circles around their parents provide a stereotype that often reflects reality.
Porcine Somatotropin Affects the Dietary Lysine Requirement and Net Lysine Utilization for Growing Pigs

This study was conducted to determine the effects of exogenous porcine somatotropin (pST) on the dietary lysine requirement and efficiency of absorbed lysine utilization for pigs during the 20- to 60-kg phase of growth. Seventy-two crossbred pigs (20 +/- 0.7 kg body wt) received daily intramuscular injections of either excipient (0 dose) or pST (150 micrograms/kg body wt) and were fed diets in which protein and lysine concentrations ranged from 6.4 to 23.5 g/100 g diet and from 0.40 to 1.48 g/100 g diet, respectively. Nutrient density was altered to compensate for reduced feed intake with pST, but diets were approximately isocaloric. Rate and efficiency of gain and whole-body protein accretion rate exhibited a dose-response improvement (P < 0.01) to increases in dietary protein for both excipient and pST-treated pigs. Pigs receiving pST grew more rapidly and more efficiently than control counterparts (P < 0.01). Treatment with pST improved the rate of protein accretion (P < 0.01) at all but the lowest level of dietary protein. The net lysine utilization for lysine accretion and maintenance was 0.46 for control pigs and 0.57 for pigs receiving pST, a 24% improvement in the efficiency. Thus, treatment with pST increased the maximum rate of protein accretion as well as the partial efficiency with which dietary lysine is used for protein accretion. Consequently, only a 9% increase in dietary lysine was required to maximize protein deposition in pST-treated pigs, because the metabolic efficiency of lysine utilization was improved.
Fast approximate whitening ladder filter

The process of whitening or decorrelating is used extensively in detection and estimation problems. Far situations where the signal characteristics are time varying, adaptive processing that will track are necessary. The standard block data autoregressive model are computationally inefficient when applied to sliding data frames with high percentage overlaps. Recursive techniques, either of the gradient or exact solution type using exponential weighting of post data, have been shown to track time varying spectral characteristics quite accurately. However when the data sampling rate is very high, the computational complexity is too much for real time implementation or requires several expensive multiplier chips. When the model coefficients are required to have only limited accuracy to meet transmission bandwidth or storage memory requirements, the technique presented here can be used to reduce the hardware implementation requirements. The fast approximate whitening ladder filter uses the ladder structure and reflection coefficients of the fast tracking recursive algorithms above. As in the recursive ladder algorithms, it performs an approximate stage by stage orthogonalization of the input signal, in a computationally and implementationally simple fashion. The accuracy of the reflection coefficient has been compromised for this simplicity. but similar accuracy as that used in speech model can be obtained. At each stage in the ladder, to estimate the reflection coefficient polarity coincidence counting and a table lookup is all that is required. Using a sliding memory where only the sign of the data is stored, this estimation technique can used to adapt to changing signal characteristics. The virtue of the fast approximate whitening ladder filter is its ability to adaptively decorrelate (whiten) a process sampled at rates faster than that possible using computations requiring multiplier chips.
Treatments to restore respiratory function after spinal cord injury and their implications for regeneration, plasticity and adaptation

Spinal cord injury (SCI) often leads to impaired breathing. In most cases, such severe respiratory complications lead to morbidity and death. However, in the last few years there has been extensive work examining ways to restore this vital function after experimental spinal cord injury. In addition to finding strategies to rescue breathing activity, many of these experiments have also yielded a great deal of information about the innate plasticity and capacity for adaptation in the respiratory system and its associated circuitry in the spinal cord. This review article will highlight experimental SCI resulting in compromised breathing, the various methods of restoring function after such injury, and some recent findings from our own laboratory. Additionally, it will discuss findings about motor and CNS respiratory plasticity and adaptation with potential clinical and translational implications.
Physical mechanisms in carbon formation in flames

A molecular beam-sampling system, combined with electrical deflection of the beam andelectron microscope analysis of beam deposits, was used to measure the size, size distribution, number concentration, and fraction charged of carbon particles down to about 15diam in a flat acetylene-oxygen flame at 20 mm Hg. Coagulation of carbon particles occurs at all positions sampled in the flame, which process combines with surface growth to form particle clusters that gradually change from roughly spherical, at early and intermediate stages of growth, to chainlike in the flame tail. Particle-diameter distributions, in which chainlike clusters are assigned the volume-equivalent sphere diameter, progress from being mainly Gaussian in the early stages of carbon formation to mainly lognormal in the later stages. The particle number concentration increases rapidly to a peak value at an early stage, and decreases thereafter. The rate of nucleation and coagulation each exhibit a maximum approximately 6 msec after the onset of carbon formation and, using the same time reference, the rate of surface growth decreases approximately linearly from about 20 /sec at the first sampling point (1.67 msec) to zero at about 10 msec. In the early stages of carbon formation, nucleation is fast relative to coagulation and the rate of increase of mean particle radius is considerably less than the surface growth rate. This is later reversed when coagulation rules. The number fraction of charged particles is 10% to 40%. The measured coagulation rate constant agrees with the theoretical value if the increase due to Van der Waals and electrical forces is a factor of about 30. Electrostatic interaction between particles is responsible for the formation of particle clusters in chains instead of more-compact shapes.
Full tensor CSEM and MT for subsalt structural imaging in the Red Sea: Implications for seismic and electromagnetic integration

The mapping of complex salt, subsalt sediments, and basement structures in the Red Sea was addressed through the integration of coincident high-resolution wide-azimuth (WAZ) 3D seismic data, full tensor gravity gradiometry (FTG), and MT/CSEM techniques. The data acquisition was designed to enable advanced multi-geophysical integration schemes to image the subsalt geologic structures. Multi-offset, multicomponent electromagnetic measurements were recorded for both MT and CSEM with overlapping frequency bands. The analysis of the data and the preliminary 3D inversion results indicate that the two methods provide coherent information for the evaporitic overburden and the subsalt sediment sections. In addition, the MT data also show sensitivity to the deep basement structures. The obtained resistivity distributions strongly correlate with imaged seismic events from the 3D migrated seismic volumes and with the lateral- and vertical-velocity variations in the salt and presalt sections. These data suggest that t...
Parental satisfaction in child abuse and neglect : A review of standardized measures

Low levels of parental satisfaction have been implicated in parents' utilization of harsh disciplining strategies and perpetration of child abuse and neglect. Although measures of parental satisfaction have been present for more than 3 decades, the employment of these instruments in child maltreatment populations has been limited, perhaps due to a lack of empirical evaluation. This paper reviews extant studies that demonstrate the need to examine the relationship between parental satisfaction and child maltreatment, and provides a critical examination of existing measures of parental satisfaction, including their psychometric support and application to child maltreatment. Recommendations are offered regarding the utility of these measures in child maltreatment.
Letter by Magalhaes et al Regarding Article, “Long-Term Survival and Repeat Coronary Revascularization in Dialysis Patients After Surgical and Percutaneous Coronary Revascularization With Drug-Eluting and Bare Metal Stents in the United States”

We attentively read the article by Shroff et al entitled, “Long-Term Survival and Repeat Coronary Revascularization in Dialysis Patients Following Surgical or Percutaneous Coronary Revascularization With Drug-Eluting Stents or Bare Metal Stents in the United States.”1 The authors present important data regarding this unique and underrepresented population.2 They have documented that dialysis patients undergoing revascularization still have poor long-term survival and that the cumulative probability of repeat revascularization is higher in the …
Effect of broad‐band ultraviolet and visible radiation on hydrogen peroxide formation by cultured rose cells

Broad-band radiation from a high-pressure Hg-vapor lamp, including ultraviolet wavelengths from 290 to 400 nm, blue, green and red wavelengths, did not induce the synthesis of H2O2 in cultured rose cells. This was in contrast to the effects of shortwave (254 nm) ultraviolet radiation, even though, like shortwave ultraviolet radiation, the UV-B component of the broadband radiation induced a striking K+ efflux from the cells, and this efflux has been associated with H2O2 synthesis in a previous report. The UV-A and visible wavelengths were shown to inhibit the synthesis of H2O2. This effect was associated with inhibition of peroxidase, an enzyme reported to be involved in the synthesis of H2O2 in cell walls. UV-B radiation inhibited the alternate pathway for mitochondrial electron transport, but there was no evidence that this effect contributed to the inhibition of H2O2 synthesis in cells treated with broad-band radiation.
Fidelity of After‐School Program Implementation Targeting Adolescent Youth: Identifying Successful Curricular and Programmatic Characteristics

BACKGROUND: This study consisted of a formative evaluation of an after-school health education program designed for adolescent females, entitled Girls on Track. Evidence-based after-school programs have potential to supplement the traditional school day, encourage social and emotional skill development, improve the quality of student health, and contribute to a healthier school environment. Implementing comprehensive programs outside of the classroom, however, is challenging and gaps exist in the literature regarding implementation fidelity. METHODS: The national program was in a cohort of adolescent females from 11 Girls on Track locations in fall 2008 and 10 locations in spring 2009. Mixed-method analyses evaluated fidelity of lesson implementation, described curricular and programmatic characteristics associated with implementation fidelity, and assessed coach perceptions toward program quality and feasibility. RESULTS: Specific lesson characteristics associated with higher rates of implementation fidelity and favorable coach perceptions toward program feasibility included improved lesson clarity, more time to process health topics, teaching and learning objectives that were well aligned with lesson activities, incorporation of alternative activities for less-motivated participants, and provision of resources on key health topics for coaches. CONCLUSION: Girls on Track is currently being implemented across the United States and Canada, reaching over 5000 adolescent females annually. Identifying and incorporating specific curricular and programmatic characteristics associated with high levels of implementation fidelity can enhance the quality and benefits of after-school programs. Language: en