cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Linearized Motion Estimation for Articulated Planes

In this paper, we describe the explicit application of articulation constraints for estimating the motion of a system of articulated planes. We relate articulations to the relative homography between planes and show that these articulations translate into linearized equality constraints on a linear least-squares system, which can be solved efficiently using a Karush-Kuhn-Tucker system. The articulation constraints can be applied for both gradient-based and feature-based motion estimation algorithms and to illustrate this, we describe a gradient-based motion estimation algorithm for an affine camera and a feature-based motion estimation algorithm for a projective camera that explicitly enforces articulation constraints. We show that explicit application of articulation constraints leads to numerically stable estimates of motion. The simultaneous computation of motion estimates for all of the articulated planes in a scene allows us to handle scene areas where there is limited texture information and areas that leave the field of view. Our results demonstrate the wide applicability of the algorithm in a variety of challenging real-world cases such as human body tracking, motion estimation of rigid, piecewise planar scenes, and motion estimation of triangulated meshes.
Internal CO2 Corrosion of Mild Steel Pipelines under Inert Solid Deposits

Initial testing was directed towards defining and modeling the fundamental mild steel CO2 corrosion mechanisms occurring in the presence of clean inert solid deposits with different particle sizes and shapes (SiO2 powder, glass beads (GB) and sand). Experiments were conducted in a glass cell at a total pressure of 1 bar for temperatures of 25°C and 80°C. The mild steel sample was immersed in 1 wt% NaCl electrolyte for one day. Corrosion behavior was characterized by electrochemical techniques, including LPR (linear polarization resistance), EIS (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy) and potentiodynamic sweeps. Steel surface morphologies have been analyzed by using SEM (scanning electron microscope) and EDX (energy dispersive x-ray).
Association of Spinal Muscle Composition and Prevalence of Hyperkyphosis in Healthy Community-Dwelling Older Men and Women

Background. Older adults with hyperkyphosis are at increased risk of falls, fractures, and functional decline. Modifiable risk factors for hyperkyphosis have not been well studied. Our objective was to determine whether spinal muscle area and density are associated with hyperkyphosis, independent of age, race, sex, bone mineral density, and trunk fat.
A Time to be Born and a Time to Die

“I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity.” — —Gilda Radner US actress and comedienne (1946–1989) What would you do if you knew you had 6 months to live? How would you choose to spend your time? Would you be willing to try an experimental and risky therapy that might decrease your quality but increase your quantity of life? What would you do if you knew that your patient had 6 months to live despite current clinical stability? Would you tell him? Would you be more or less “aggressive” with treatment options? Article p 392 Physicians are often faced with life-or-death situations. In the abstract, we can conceptualize and rationalize biology, but the ability to convert our understanding of the natural course of a disease to a useful, sensitive, and realistic conversation with a patient and his or her family is something with which few are comfortable. This is especially true when the patient is awake, alert, and ambulatory. The word “prognosis” is derived from Greek, defined as “a forecast of the probable course or outcome of a disease.”1 Clinicians recognize that in most chronic illnesses, the prognosis is, at best, a guess but that ultimately death is inevitable. However, it is the time course, manner of death, and quality of life along the way that our patients most want to know. Physicians fear that delivering the news of a grave prognosis will send the patient into despair and rob them of any hope. Many clinicians still see death as professional failure and therefore …
Biomagnetic Imaging: A View From Fourier Space

Biomagnetic imaging is the estimation of electrical activity patterns in humans and animals from measurements of the magnetic fields this electrical activity generates. We concentrate our attention here on the mathematical procedures used to form these estimates. In particular, Fourier transforms will be used extensively to provide intuitive descriptions of these procedures. We present a very abbreviated history of biomagnetic imaging followed by descriptions of magnetic field generation. We show how Fourier transforms can be used to develop a transfer function description of imaging system properties as well as simplifying reconstruction algorithms. Finally, the problem of magnetic field extrapolation from limited sets of measurements is discussed and a Fourier transform based solution is presented.
Transient Simulation of Multiscale Structures Using the Nonconformal Domain Decomposition Laguerre-FDTD Method

In this paper, a full-wave transient domain decomposition method is proposed for solving multiscale electromagnetic problems. The proposed scheme is based on the unconditionally stable Laguerre finite-difference time-domain (Laguerre-FDTD) method. The entire computational domain is partitioned into several subdomains with independent meshing according to the physical sizes of each subdomain. Standard Laguerre-FDTD method is used to form the interior field equations of each subdomain, whereas interface field equations are formed by applying the equivalency between finite-element method and FDTD method. In addition, field continuity is enforced through the use of two sets of Lagrange multipliers at the domain interface. Schur complement is implemented for extracting the interface problem and each domain can be evaluated independently. Numerical results for multiscale structures are presented to demonstrate the capability, accuracy, and efficiency of the proposed method.
CLINICAL STUDIES OF THYROGONADAL CORRELATES. I. BASAL METABOLIC RATES AND ENDOMETRIAL RESPONSES

AMPLE CLINICAL DATA exist to justify the belief that there are intimate relationships between the functions of the thyroid and ovaries in producing the physiologic phenomena and pathologic aberrations of the gynecic sexual system. Few clinical studies have been made of the nature and extent of these interrelationships. Most clinical reports deal with the therapeutic applications of thyroid sub-stance in gynecic practice and give few factual data on the endocrine mechanisms of the functional dis-turbances treated or of the modus operandi of the therapeutic agent employed. Because of these facts, and ones equally true for the male, a comprehensive program of clinical study of thyro-gonadal associa-tions has been initiated. The present report deals with correlational data secured from basal metabolic determinations and from studies of endometrial specimens secured by biopsies.
Web mining for web image retrieval

The popularity of digital images is rapidly increasing due to improving digital imaging technologies and convenient availability facilitated by the Internet. However, how to find user-intended images from the Internet is nontrivial. The main reason is that the Web images are usually not annotated using semantic descriptors. In this article, we present an effective approach to and a prototype system for image retrieval from the Internet using Web mining. The system can also serve as a Web image search engine. One of the key ideas in the approach is to extract the text information on the Web pages to semantically describe the images. The text description is then combined with other low-level image features in the image similarity assessment. Another main contribution of this work is that we apply data mining on the log of users' feedback to improve image retrieval performance in three aspects. First, the accuracy of the document space model of image representation obtained from the Web pages is improved by removing clutter and irrelevant text information. Second, to construct the user space model of users' representation of images, which is then combined with the document space model to eliminate mismatch between the page author's expression and the user's understanding and expectation. Third, to discover the relationship between low-level and high-level features, which is extremely useful for assigning the low-level features' weights in similarity assessment.
Interaction of Dietary Calcium and Protein in Bone Health in Humans

Protein has both positive and negative effects on calcium balance, and the net effect of dietary protein on bone mass and fracture risk may be dependent on the dietary calcium intake. In addition to providing substrate for bone matrix, dietary protein stimulates the production of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), a factor that promotes osteoblast-mediated bone formation. Protein also increases urinary calcium losses, by several proposed mechanisms. Increasing calcium intake may offset the negative impact of dietary protein on urinary calcium losses, allowing the favorable effect of protein on the IGF-1 axis to dominate. Several, although not all, studies are either compatible with or support this hypothesis. Protein supplements significantly reduced bone loss in elderly hip-fracture patients in a study in which both the protein and control groups received supplemental calcium. In an observational study, total protein intake was positively associated with favorable 3-y changes in femoral neck and total body bone mineral density in volunteers who received supplemental calcium citrate malate and vitamin D, but not in volunteers taking placebos. In conclusion, an adequate calcium intake may help promote a favorable effect of dietary protein on the skeleton in older individuals.
Silencing of the Laminin γ-1 Gene Blocks Trypanosoma cruzi Infection

It is thought that Trypanosoma cruzi, the protozoan that causes Chagas' disease, modulates the extracellular matrix network to facilitate infection of human cells. However, direct evidence to document this phenomenon is lacking. Here we show that the T. cruzi gp83 ligand, a cell surface trans-sialidase-like molecule that the parasite uses to attach to host cells, increases the level of laminin γ-1 transcript and its expression in mammalian cells, leading to an increase in cellular infection. Stable RNA interference (RNAi) with host cell laminin γ-1 knocks down the levels of laminin γ-1 transcript and protein expression in mammalian cells, causing a dramatic reduction in cellular infection by T. cruzi. Thus, host laminin γ-1, which is regulated by the parasite, plays a crucial role in the early process of infection. This is the first report showing that knocking down the expression of a human gene by RNAi inhibits the infection of an intracellular parasite.
Rationality and the politics of gender difference

L'A. se demande dans quelle mesure la difference des sexes (ou les revendications de difference) influe sur les conceptions de la rationalite des hommes et des femmes
Active Semi-Supervision for Pairwise Constrained Clustering

Semi-supervised clustering uses a small amount of supervised data to aid unsupervised learning. One typical approach specifies a limited number of must-link and cannotlink constraints between pairs of examples. This paper presents a pairwise constrained clustering framework and a new method for actively selecting informative pairwise constraints to get improved clustering performance. The clustering and active learning methods are both easily scalable to large datasets, and can handle very high dimensional data. Experimental and theoretical results confirm that this active querying of pairwise constraints significantly improves the accuracy of clustering when given a relatively small amount of supervision.
Intrathymic Transplantation of Islet Antigen Affects CD8+ Diabetogenic T-Cells Resulting in Tolerance to Autoimmune IDDM

The acquisition of T-cell tolerance in the thymus is limited to those antigens expressed in the thymus at the time of T-cell development. Normally, islet antigens that are involved in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) are not present in the thymus, but we have previously shown that transplantation of islets expressing relevant antigens into the thymus at the time of T-cell maturation results in prevention of IDDM in the multidose streptozotocin model of diabetes mellitus (MDSDM). Although both CD4 + and CD8 + T-cells are involved in the pathogenesis of this disease, the cells affected by intrathymic transplantation of islets are unknown. In this study, we have identified which T-cell subsets are affected by intrathymic islet antigens. Streptozotocin (STZ)-treated syngeneic islets were transplanted into the thymuses of C57BL/KsJ mice, and CD4 + , CD8 + , or both subsets of cells were transiently depleted with monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). After T-cell repopulation, animals that had received intrathymic islets followed by anti-CD8 mAb ( P P P P + but not CD8 + cells, susceptibility to diabetes was restored and hyperglycemia ( P = 0.02) as well as insulitis developed. We conclude that the induction of tolerance after intrathymic transplantation of antigen-bearing islets affects developing CD8 + but not CD4 + diabetogenic T-cells.
Meat Goats in Hillside Pastures: Control of Undesirable Plant Species and GPS Collar Determination of Activity Patterns

ABSTRACT Pasture weed control is complicated by the steep hill side topography found in many areas of Kentucky. Meat goats (Capra hircus) are a possible alternative to mechanical or chemical weed control in these pasture situations. A study using 120 boer-cross female goats averaging 44 kg, was conducted in Carter County (2010–2012) to determine the impact of meat goats on undesirable plant species. Additionally, 15 goats chosen at random were fitted with GPS collars for 5 days to determine animal activity. Plant population and canopy density measurements were recorded at the start, middle, and end of the grazing season for two or three years. Goat periodic preference for particular plant species resulted in an increase in growth of other species for the same period or year. Bramble density in the upper canopy (90 cm and above) decreased during the study, particularly in the first year of grazing, but increased in the second year, as goat preference changed (P < 0.05). Overall, grass availability in the m...
The Sound of Legal Thunder: The Chaotic Consequences of Crushing Constitutional Butterflies

Time travel and chaos theory are staples of science fiction. This symposium introduction proposes the extension of those concepts to constitutional law. What consequences - positive, negative, unintended - would flow from the stomping of a single development in American constitutional history?
New Developments in Evidence 2003

The Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces relied on precedent and strict textual interpretation applying a firm approach to opinions involving uncharged misconduct, privileges, character evidence, expert testimony, hearsay, and others. This article examines categorizes the opinions by topic, and provides a very in depth analysis of the facts of each case, the arguments made, and the legal reasoning and conclusions of the court. At the close of each section, the author provides a conclusion summing up the practical implications of the opinions and the impact they will have on the Military Justice System. The conclusions are valuable to trial lawyers as they offer insight on how such evidentiary issues and challenges can be handled in the future.
Complexity of equilibrium in competitive diffusion games on social networks

In this paper, we consider the competitive diffusion game, and study the existence of its pure-strategy Nash equilibrium when defined over general undirected networks. We first determine the set of pure-strategy Nash equilibria for two special but well-known classes of networks, namely the lattice and the hypercube. Characterizing the utility of the players in terms of graphical distances of their initial seed placements to other nodes in the network, we show that in general networks the decision process on the existence of pure-strategy Nash equilibrium is an NP-hard problem. Following this, we provide some necessary conditions for a given profile to be a Nash equilibrium. Furthermore, we study players' utilities in the competitive diffusion game over Erdos-Renyi random graphs and show that as the size of the network grows, the utilities of the players are highly concentrated around their expectation, and are bounded below by some threshold based on the parameters of the network. Finally, we obtain a lower bound for the maximum social welfare of the game with two players, and study sub-modularity of the players' utilities.
States’ Regulation of Assisted Reproductive Technologies: What Does the U.S. Constitution Allow?

This paper addresses the extent to which the rights of privacy and reproductive liberty protected by the United States Constitution prevent states from regulating assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs). It concludes that under the best interpretation of the Supreme Court’s existing case law, states have ample room to regulate individuals’ decisions to procreate, including decisions to use ARTs. States, pursuant to their police powers, may regulate ARTs in order to protect the health, safety, and welfare of their citizens. However, courts will strictly scrutinize any regulation of procreation that distinguishes socially disfavored groups for different treatment. Similarly, even where a regulation would apply equally to all citizens, it must serve a legitimate governmental interest, rather than merely reflect “outmoded taboos.” A companion essay, Throwing the Baby Out with the Amniotic Fluid: Not All Reproductive Choices are Morally or Legally Equivalent, is available at http://ssrn.com/abstract=2127286. Two law review articles in progress, Rights To and Not To Procreate and Towards a Jurisprudence of Procreation, develop these ideas.
D-T diaphorase and NAD(P)H-NBT reductase activation: A biochemical and histochemical response of the lymph nodes of the rat to the administration of polycyclic hydrocarbons

The effects of 3-methylcholanthrene, benz(a)pyrene and 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene on NAD(P)H dehydrogenation were studied in the mesenteric lymph nodes of the rat. The biochemical studies were performed in three different fractions, one fraction sedimented at 10,000 g, the other at 100,000 g and in the supernatant of the cells. The dehydrogenation of NAD(P)H by the soluble enzyme D-T diaphorase was increased several fold by the three chemicals, while the particulate enzymes which dehydrogenate NAD(P)H were not affected by the actions of these carcinogens. The enzymatic changes were dose dependent and were inhibited by dicumarol. Histochemically, the administration of the carcinogens markedly increased the NAD(P)H-nitroblue tetrazolium reductase activity in the cortical and in paracortical lymphocytes and in histiocytes. The histochemical reaction of the cells in the germinal centers was negative, even after the administration of the carcinogens. A correlation between the biochemical and histochemical finding are attempted in this communication.
Arena Test for Evaluating Chemical Repellency in Blattella germanica (L.) (Orthoptera: Blattellidae)

A method of evaluating relative repellency of chemicals to Blattella germanica (L.) is presented. The procedure was based on providing adult male cockroaches, deprived of food and water for 24 hr, with the choice of entering one of several identically baited harborages placed inside a stainless steel arena (1 m diameter). Harborage placement inside the arena was according to a latin square design randomized in two directions. One harborage was a control, treated on the exterior with water, while exteriors of other harborages were treated with test chemicals. All treatments were applied to harborages using an air brush and an apparatus powered by a gear motor. The designs of the treatment apparatus and arena are described. Results indicate that the arena test can provide a valid measure of the relative repellent activity of chemicals.
Lipid formation by fibroblasts cultured on serum from stressed animals.

SummaryCertain tissue cells, grown in vitro on media containing serum from stressed chickens, produce quantities of lipid deposited in droplets within their cytoplasm. Serum from non-stressed animals does not elicit this phenomenon. Being associated with a period of active proliferation, it cannot be said to be a degenerative process. Evidently it is not related to increased lipid content of the serum. The stress factor, if such there be, is more easily elicitable during physiological youth of the experimental animal. It is suggested that the phenomenon is humoral stimulated and may be a manifestation, in vitro of elevated circulating stress hormones in vivo.
Variations in myo-inositol in fronto-limbic regions and clinical response to electroconvulsive therapy in major depression.

Though electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an established treatment for severe depression, the neurobiological factors accounting for the clinical effects of ECT are largely unknown. Myo-inositol, a neurometabolite linked with glial activity, is reported as reduced in fronto-limbic regions in patients with depression. Whether changes in myo-inositol relate to the antidepressant effects of ECT is unknown. Using magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS), we measured dorsomedial anterior cingulate cortex (dmACC) and left and right hippocampal myo-inositol in 50 ECT patients (mean age: 43.78, 14 SD) and 33 controls (mean age: 39.33, 12 SD) to determine cross sectional effects of diagnosis and longitudinal effects of ECT. Patients were scanned prior to treatment, after the second ECT and at completion of the ECT index series. Controls were scanned twice at intervals corresponding to patients' baseline and end of treatment scans. Myo-inositol increased over the course of ECT in the dmACC (p = 0.042). A significant hemisphere by clinical response effect was observed for the hippocampus (p = 0.003) where decreased myo-inositol related to symptom improvement in the left hippocampus. Cross-sectional differences between patients and controls at baseline were not detected. Changes in myo-inositol observed in the dmACC in association with ECT and in the hippocampus in association with ECT-related clinical response suggest the mechanisms of ECT could include gliogenesis or a reversal of gliosis that differentially affect dorsal and ventral limbic regions. Change in dmACC myo-inositol diverged from control values with ECT suggesting compensation, while hippocampal change suggested normalization.
SURGICAL AND REHABILITATION OPTIONS IN THE TREATMENT OF THE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS PATIENT RESISTANT TO PHARMACOLOGIC AGENTS

People with rheumatoid arthritis whose disease is poorly controlled with pharmacologic agents require treatment designed to reduce pain and inflammation and promote function and mechanical alignment. The proper evaluation of the musculoskeletal system and the patient's functional level must be performed. Heat, cold, splints, adaptive equipment, exercise, alternative therapies, and surgery are important adjunctive treatments for disease modulation and to maintain function and well being.
Interventional Radiology Techniques for Intra-Arterial Chemoembolization

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) of hepatic malignancies has been described in the medical literature for more than two decades (1, 2, 3). This method exploits the fact that the liver has a unique dual blood supply. Although most of the blood flow to the liver is derived from the portal venous system, hepatic malignancies in general tend to derive their blood supply solely from the hepatic artery (Fig. 1). This unique property has led to the popular but controversial treatment method commonly referred to as TACE. TACE allows the interventionalist to catheterize branches of the hepatic artery selectively and to deliver high doses of chemotherapy and embolization agents directly to the target lesions.
Capstone experiences in small MPA programs in the United States

A capstone experience, as an exit degree requirement, allows Master of Public Administration (MPA) students to build quasi-experimental practices by applying learned knowledge and skills throughout...
Biomarker prediction of chemotherapy-related amenorrhea.

9508 Background: Chemotherapy-related amenorrhea (CRA) is associated with infertility and may impact treatment decision-making. We investigated whether anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) levels before ch...
Using sperm testing to improve patient and offspring health: rational, evidence-based care of the infertile male in the ART clinic

In the modern world of infertility care, two realities facing most clinicians are the basic fact that in many situations limited financial resources are available to address the couple’s infertility, and second, couples desire to treat their infertility as quickly as possible (1). These factors have unfortunately justified in the minds of many clinicians the rush to the assisted reproduction therapy (ART) clinic and treatment with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), rather than traversing the morass of sperm assays with limited standardization and validated performance characteristics and usage guidelines (2,3). While the discovery of ICSI is undoubtedly the most useful development in infertility care since the introduction of in vitro fertilization (IVF), it has also unfortunately contributed to the decrease in efforts to accurately diagnose underlying etiologies and medically and surgically address the etiologies (4, 5). In the review by Agarwal et al. , we have a measured, rational explanation of the differences in sperm DNA damage assays, as well as a concise review of the data regarding medical and surgical intervention in patients with sperm DNA fragmentation (6).
Oxidative Stress Challenge Uncovers Trichloroacetaldehyde Hydrate-Induced Mitoplasticity in Autistic and Control Lymphoblastoid Cell Lines

Mitoplasticity occurs when mitochondria adapt to tolerate stressors. Previously we hypothesized that a subset of lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) from children with autistic disorder (AD) show mitoplasticity (AD-A), presumably due to previous environmental exposures; another subset of AD LCLs demonstrated normal mitochondrial activity (AD-N). To better understand mitoplasticity in the AD-A LCLs we examined changes in mitochondrial function using the Seahorse XF96 analyzer in AD and Control LCLs after exposure to trichloroacetaldehyde hydrate (TCAH), an in vivo metabolite of the environmental toxicant and common environmental pollutant trichloroethylene. To better understand the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mitoplasticity, TCAH exposure was followed by acute exposure to 2,3-dimethoxy-1,4-napthoquinone (DMNQ), an agent that increases ROS. TCAH exposure by itself resulted in a decline in mitochondrial respiration in all LCL groups. This effect was mitigated when TCAH was followed by acute DMNQ exposure but this varied across LCL groups. DMNQ did not affect AD-N LCLs, while it neutralized the detrimental effect of TCAH in Control LCLs and resulted in a increase in mitochondrial respiration in AD-A LCLs. These data suggest that acute increases in ROS can activate mitochondrial protective pathways and that AD-A LCLs are better able to activate these protective pathways.
Social networks: Sexual contacts and epidemic thresholds.

Distributions of the number of sexual partners reported in surveys show a pronounced skew, with most people having had one or no partners in the past year and a small fraction having had many1,2. Liljeros and colleagues3 infer from the results of a Swedish survey that there is a "scale-free" population distribution of sexual contacts, consistent with a preferential-attachment model3,4, in which “the rich get richer” and epidemics are driven by extremely promiscuous individuals. Here we reanalyse the data from Sweden and from other countries, using more appropriate statistical tools. Our findings support the conventional wisdom that epidemic thresholds exist in these populations, and indicate that current public-health strategies to reduce the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections do not need to be radically refocused.
Análisis prospectivo del sector industrial de plásticos en la ciudad de Bogotá D.C. bajo método Delphi

El articulo recoge los resultados del trabajo de investigacion llevado a cabo para determinar los factores estrategicos que debe tener en cuenta el cluster de plasticos en la ciudad de Bogota, para la construccion de escenarios futuros hacia el ano 2019 y de esta forma orientar las decisiones empresariales hacia un mejor comportamiento de la productividad. El documento hace una introduccion al proceso prospectivo, donde se identifica sus caracteristicas y bondades para, posteriormente, elegir el metodo Delphi como la mejor tecnica para lograr un consenso entre un selecto panel de expertos y conocer sus ideas frente a la problematica planteada. De esta manera, se configura un conjunto de variables claves, que mediante un analisis estructural, alcanzan un ordenamiento logico, coherente y confiable, que sirve de insumo para plantear un conjunto de eventos relevantes, relacionados entre si, para marcar una tendencia significativa que condicione el comportamiento futuro del sector industrial de estudio.
Urinary BPA and Phthalate Metabolite Concentrations and Plasma Vitamin D Levels in Pregnant Women: A Repeated Measures Analysis.

Background: In addition to its well-established role in maintaining skeletal health, vitamin D has essential regulatory functions in female reproductive and pregnancy outcomes. Phthalates and bisph...
Preliminary evidence that hydrostatic edema may contribute to the formation of diffuse alveolar damage in a Holstein calf model

Background: Two notable findings of clinically healthy feedlot cattle suggest they may have pulmonary hydrostatic edema during the finishing phase of production: increased pulmonary arterial wedge pressures and pulmonary venous hypertrophy. The goal of this study was to determine if increased pulmonary arterial wedge pressure (PAWP) in a Holstein calf could lead to diffuse alveolar damage consistent with the early, exudative phase of acute interstitial pneumonia of feedlot cattle. Methods: Six male Holstein dairy calves were given daily subcutaneous injections of the nonspecific s-adrenergic agonist isoprenaline (10 mg/kg/d), to induce left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, or sterile water for 14 days. On Day 14, pulmonary arterial pressures and wedge pressures were measured, echocardiography performed, and the ratio of mitral valve flow velocity (E) to septal lengthening velocity (e’) calculated. Calves were euthanized on Day 15 and lung lesions semi-quantitatively scored. Results: Mean PAWP was 12 ± 1 mm Hg in calves that received isoprenaline and 7 ± 1 mm Hg in controls ( P = 0.01). Calves that received isoprenaline tended to have greater relative wall thickness than control calves ( P = 0.15) and greater E/e’ ratios ( P = 0.16), suggestive of concentric hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction, respectively. Calves that received isoprenaline also tended to have a left ventricle and interventricular septum that was 29 ± 10 g heavier than control calves ( P = 0.10) when controlling for body mass. Hyaline membranes, the hallmark feature of diffuse alveolar damage, were evident in lung sections from all calves that received isoprenaline but none of the controls. Conclusions: Consistent with prior pathological and physiological studies of feedlot cattle, this study provides preliminary evidence that cattle presenting with clinical signs and pathology consistent with early stage acute interstitial pneumonia could be attributable to hydrostatic edema associated with left ventricular failure.
La orientación teológica de la metafísica de Francisco Suárez

The common narrative concerning the metaphysics of Francisco Suarez among a diverse number of thinkers is that the Jesuit presents an «indifferent» ontology that neglects the traditional medieval conception of God as utterly transcendent and unique. Though the critiques leveled against Suarez are legion and equally as diverse as the critics from whom they derive, as I see it, there is a common, albeit unexpressed, conviction that the Jesuit’s thought ultimately results in the secularization of metaphysics. By «secularization» I mean that, as frequently asserted, Suarez’s analysis of the nature of being transpires entirely without the need for adverting to any overarching theological framework. In this essay, I challenge that view and argue that Suarez’s metaphysics is thoroughly determined by his theological vision and project.
The p53-signaling pathway and colorectal cancer: Interactions between downstream p53 target genes and miRNAs

INTRODUCTION We examined expression of genes in the p53-signaling pathway. We determine if genes that have significantly different expression in carcinoma tissue compared to normal mucosa also have significantly differentially expressed miRNAs. We utilize a sample of 217 CRC cases. METHODS We focused on fold change (FC) > 1.50 or <0.67 for genes and miRNAs, that were statistically significant after adjustment for multiple comparisons. We evaluated the linear association between the differential expression of miRNA and mRNA. miRNA:mRNA seed-region matches also were determined. RESULTS Eleven dysregulated genes were associated with 37 dysregulated miRNAs; all were down-stream from the TP53 gene. MiR-150-5p (HR = 0.82) and miR-196b-5p (HR 0.73) significantly reduced the likelihood of dying from CRC when miRNA expression increased in rectal tumors. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that activation of p53 from cellular stress, could target downstream genes that in turn could influence cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and angiogenesis through mRNA:miRNA interactions.
A Novel Counterfeit Detection Approach for Integrated Circuit Supply Chain Assurance

The electronics industry has become a primary target in the global market of counterfeiting. Counterfeit electronic parts transverse through the supply chain end up in critical avionics, industrial, medical, and military systems, and the financial loss due to these parts is in the billions. A vast majority of counterfeit parts within the electronics industry are integrated circuits. In this paper, a new (near real-time) counterfeit detection process, which is based upon infrared thermal imaging, intensive statistical analysis, and machine learning, to differentiate between authentic and inauthentic electronic parts is presented and then showcased as a highly accurate and cost-effective method to verify hardware authenticity.
Regulatory Interactions Among E2Fs and Cell Cycle Control Proteins

The last few years have seen an explosive growth in research on E2F transcription factors. Originally characterized as cellular proteins that are critical for adenovirus gene expression and replication, E2Fs have come to be seen as central players in the control of the animal cell cycle. This view comes about largely as the result of the remarkable finding that E2Fs are stably bound and regulated by the pRB tumor suppressor protein. The direct connections between E2Fs and the cell cycle control machinery go far beyond the pRB:E2F association, however, and are now realized to comprise a network of interactions among members of the pRB, E2F, cyclin, and cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) protein families.
Development and use of a laboratory apparatus to study the effect of soil texture, crop history, and water potential on soil loss

A laboratory apparatus was designed and developed to simulate the field conditions of soil structure, texture, and water potential, as well as field flooding and slope. The apparatus successfully duplicated water potential and slope of the field. The soil structure could not be duplicated identically because it was quite difficult to disturb the soil from the field and still maintain original soil tilth conditions. The apparatus performed well in initial experiments. Decreased water potential increased the shear strength of the soil. Tensiometers successfully measured soil water potential levels and were read Jay a pressure transducer.
Understanding the Working in Working Waterfronts: The Hidden Faces of the Industries That Make up the Working Waterfront

Working waterfront industries are reliant upon water access and encompass everything from wild harvest and cultured seafood to towboats, shipping, and marine research. Many of the industries along Oregon’s working waterfronts are inaccessible to the public or hard to see, even though they play critical social and economic roles in the local community. Working waterfront industries thrive when there is local understanding of, and support for, the work and the people doing this work. This chapter explores the connection between working waterfront industries and coastal community resilience and vitality using examples of infrastructure, family and gender, education, and changing demographics.
A special role for input codes in solving the transverse patterning problem

Rats require a hippocampus to solve the transverse patterning problem. Here, a hippocampal model also solves this configural learning problem. The problem is hard: A learning paradigm, called progressive learning, is required. It is required by rats, humans, and the model. Second, input patterns within a sequence must be repeated. Such repetition increases the statistical dependence, a surprising observation if you assume statistical dependence is undesirable. Such repetition of the same patterns in a sequence facilitates the formation of local context neuronal firings. These neuronal firings are critical, and we hypothesize that they are analogous to place cells found in behaving animals.
SiRNA knockdown of CYR61 inhibits proliferation of breast cancer cell lines.

3496 CYR61 is a cysteine-rich secreted protein that binds to the extracellular matrix and has autocrine and paracrine effects on integrin receptors. In breast cancer, we and others have shown that CYR61 has oncogenic properties. Ectopic over-expression of CYR61 in the MCF7 breast cancer cell line increases its cancer-related characteristics including increased growth in soft agar and when implanted in immunodeficient mice. We have examined the effect of siRNA knockdown of CYR61 on transformed properties of the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line, which constitutionally has high expression of CYR61. Four vectors expressing siRNA (shRNA) under control of the U6 promoter were made, including a control with a disrupted stem. One of the four, CYR352, was found to reduce accumulation of CYR61 by 80%, while the three others had no detectable effect on growth or Cyr61 expression. Stable integration of CYR352 into MDA-MB-231 showed that CYR61 knockdown (80%) caused a marked decrease in clonal recovery (90 % ↓) and in liquid culture (75 % ↓). These cells are also morphologically distinct from wild-type MDA-MB-231with fibroblastic morphology. Cell cycle analysis showed on accumulation of cells in G0/G1 (64 % vs. 47 % in wild type control MDA-MB-231 cells). These studies demonstrated that CYR61 is intrinsic to the rapid and malignant growth of MDA-MB-231 and is an excellent therapeutic target in breast cancer.
INTERVAL ARITHMETIC OPTIONS IN THE PROPOSED IEEE FLOATING POINT ARITHMETIC STANDARD

I. ABSTRACT Implementors of the proposed standard, described in a special issue of the SIGNUM Newsletter (1) and in an article by J. Coonen in the IEEE Journal “COMPUTER” (2), are encouraged to provide two “directed rounding modes” by which the endpoints of intervals may be rounded outward automatically without unnecessarily spreading degenerate (one-point) intervals. This feature alone should bring the cost of interval arithmetic down by a substantial factor. Moreover, the standard provides symbols for infinity and specifies default responses to over/underflow in ways intended, among other things, to satisfy the needs of interval arithmetic. Finally, the standard is being implemented, options and all, by more than one major microcomputer manufacturer, so we will all get a chance soon to try it out.
Maritime Piracy and Kidnapping

Maritime piracy (MP) refers to robbery, plundering, kidnapping, and related crimes that are perpetrated at sea or around coastal and territorial waters. Agents who do not have a commission from a sovereign country commit these crimes. MP is a controversial term. One problem has to do with the site of the crime. According to Article 101 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, piracy is committed on the high seas (Mo 2002). However, 72% of MP attacks occur while the vessel is berthed or anchored in port (Dillon 2000, June 22).
Globotics and its Ramifications

This article combines the thoughts from two different books: "The Globotics Upheaval: Globalization, Robotics and the Future of Work" by Richard Baldwin (an economist) and "Moving Beyond Fear: Upending the Security Tales in Capitalism, Fascism and Democracy" by Charles Derber and Yale Magrass (sociologists).
Cannabis Use in Children With Pantothenate Kinase–Associated Neurodegeneration:

Background:Pantothenate kinase–associated neurodegeneration is characterized by severe, progressive dystonia. This study aims to describe the reported usage of cannabis products among children with...
The stringent response regulator (p) ppGpp mediates virulence gene expression and survival in Erwinia amylovora

The nucleotide second messengers, i.e., guanosine tetraphosphate and pentaphosphate [collectively referred to as (p) ppGpp], trigger the stringent response under nutrient starvation conditions and play an essential role in virulence in the fire blight pathogen Erwinia amylovora. Here, we present transcriptomic analyses to uncover the overall effect of (p) ppGpp-mediated stringent response in E. amylovora in the hrp-inducing minimal medium (HMM). In this study, we investigated the transcriptomic changes of the (p) ppGpp0 mutant under the type III secretion system (T3SS)-inducing condition using RNA-seq. A total of 1314 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was uncovered, representing more than one third (36.8%) of all genes in the E. amylovora genome. Compared to the wild-type, the (p) ppGpp0 mutant showed down-regulation of genes involved in peptide ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters and virulence-related processes, including type III secretion system (T3SS), biofilm, and motility. Interestingly, in contrast to previous reports, the (p) ppGpp0 mutant showed up-regulation of amino acid biosynthesis genes, suggesting that it might be due to that these amino acid biosynthesis genes are indirectly regulated by (p) ppGpp in E. amylovora or represent specific culturing condition used. Furthermore, the (p) ppGpp0 mutant exhibited up-regulation of genes involved in translation, SOS response, DNA replication, chromosome segregation, as well as biosynthesis of nucleotide, fatty acid and lipid. These findings suggested that in HMM environment, E. amylovora might use (p) ppGpp as a signal to activate virulence gene expression, and simultaneously mediate the balance between virulence and survival by negatively regulating DNA replication, translation, cell division, as well as biosynthesis of nucleotide, amino acid, fatty acid, and lipid. Therefore, (p) ppGpp could be a promising target for developing novel control measures to fight against this devastating disease of apples and pears.
SAFER diagnosis: a teaching system to help reduce diagnostic errors in primary care.

There is increasing evidence that errors in diagnosis are relatively common in primary care and that the vast majority are preventable.1,2 The human and financial cost of diagnostic errors is significant, leading the World Health Organization to declare that reducing diagnostic errors in primary care should be considered a global priority, adding that, ‘Training focused on the causes and impact of diagnostic error might help providers become more competent in error prevention.’ 3 Although research has been published on how GPs perform diagnostic reasoning and on the causes of diagnostic errors in primary care, very little information is available on how to prevent or detect diagnostic errors.4–6 This article describes a mnemonic, SAFER AAA’S (Box 1), which can be used to both prevent and detect those diagnostic errors that are the most likely to cause serious harm to patients in the primary care setting. | S = Have you excluded the serious, ‘must-not-miss’ diagnoses? | || | A = Have you considered the alternative, ‘must-always-consider’ diagnoses? | | F = Have you checked for any findings that do not fit with your preliminary diagnosis, or fit better with a different diagnosis? | | E = Have you considered that this could be an early/atypical presentation of something serious? | | R = Have you checked for the red flags and risk factors for a serious illness or complication? | | A = Have you assessed the patient and the quantity and quality of the information gathered? | | A = Have you analysed the preliminary diagnosis, or only relied on pattern recognition? | | A = Have you avoided a diagnostic reasoning malfunction or dysfunction? | | S = Have you safety-netted the patient? | Box 1. SAFER AAA’S The ‘mechanics of diagnosis’ is a simple concept to facilitate discussion about how a diagnosis is made and where errors can occur in the diagnostic process (Figure 1). In this model, establishing the correct diagnosis becomes a function of possessing the correct medical knowledge, gathering the correct information during the clinical assessment, and performing diagnostic reasoning correctly. Conversely, diagnostic errors occur when the correct medical knowledge is either not acquired, or not applied during the consultation; when the correct information is not gathered during the clinical assessment; or when diagnostic reasoning is not performed correctly. In primary care, patients present with a symptom, not a diagnosis, so it is important that a symptom-based, patient safety-focused approach …
Public Perceptions of Mosquitoes and Mosquito Control

The Prevent & Protect publication series focuses on the creation of different material formats to resonate with various audiences and ways to maximize efficacy in communicating about mosquito-related risks and mosquito control topics to the public. This new 3-page publication of the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication provides a background of public opinion on various aspects of mosquito control covered in the Prevent & Protect campaign. Written by Shelli Rampold, Ricky Telg, Alena Poulin, Sandra Anderson, Angela B. Lindsey, Ashley McLeod-Morin, and Phillip Stokes.