cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hybridizing Ultraviolet Photodissociation with Electron Transfer Dissociation for Intact Protein Characterization

We report a hybrid fragmentation method involving electron transfer dissociation (ETD) combined with ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD) at 193 nm for analysis of intact proteins in an Orbitrap mass spectrometer. Integrating the two fragmentation methods resulted in an increase in the number of identified c- and z-type ions observed when compared to UVPD or ETD alone, as well as generating a more balanced distribution of a/x, b/y, and c/z ion types. Additionally, the method was shown to decrease spectral congestion via fragmentation of multiple (charge-reduced) precursors. This hybrid activation method was facilitated by performing both ETD and UVPD within the higher energy collisional dissociation (HCD) cell of the Orbitrap mass spectrometer, which afforded an increase in the total number of fragment ions in comparison to the analogous MS3 format in which ETD and UVPD were undertaken in separate segments of the mass spectrometer. The feasibility of the hybrid method for characterization of proteins on a...
Quantitative Evaluation of Myoglobin Unfolding in the Presence of Guanidinium Hydrochloride and Ionic Liquids in Solution

The use of ionic liquids in biochemical and biophysical applications has increased dramatically in recent years due to their interesting properties. We report results of a thermodynamic characterization of the chaotrope-induced denaturation of equine myoglobin in two different ionic liquid aqueous environments using a combined absorption/fluorescence spectroscopic approach. Denaturation by guanidinium hydrochloride was monitored by loss of heme absorptivity and limited unfolding structural information was obtained from Forster resonance energy transfer experiments. Results show that myoglobin unfolding is generally unchanged in the presence of ethylmethylimidazolium acetate (EMIAc) in aqueous solution up to 150 mM concentration but is facilitated by butylmethylimidazolium boron tetrafluoride (BMIBF4) in solution. The presence of 150 mM BMIBF4 alone does not induce unfolding but destabilizes the structure as observed by a decrease in threshold denaturant concentration for unfolding and an 80% decrease in t...
Plasma Volume Changes Related to Posture and Exercise

AbstractPlasma volume shifts were investigated in four male subjects who remained in either the upright or low-sit posture on a bicycle ergometer during 60 min of rest, 45 min of exercise, and 45 min of recovery. Rest in the upright and low-sit posture induced plasma volume decreases of 14 and 6.9%, respectively. When postural effects were partialed out, exercise in the upright posture resulted in minimal alterations in plasma volume. Work in the low-sit posture was characterized by hemoconcentration during the early phases of pedalling followed by a slight increase in plasma volume which remained stable for the duration of the exercise period. During recovery, plasma volumes returned rapidly to the pre-exercise levels associated with each seated posture. It is evident that when analyzing fluid shifts, posture and time should be rigorously controlled so as to differentiate between the effects of posture and exercise.
The Research of Automated Testing Framework Based on STAF

The present paper makes a research on the software automated testing based on the automated testing framework of STAF.The research builds a unified management platform to manage and maintain the use case of automated testing,using the technology XML data-driven model and virtualization.It solves the issues of increasingly complicated software automation test,different kinds of tools and those which are not easy to maintain.Through the implementation of the system,it can improve the software test automation and test efficiency,and it is unified with the advantages of ease for management,maintenance and expansion,etc.
Combined tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF–α) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) blockade in acute steroid refractory graft-versus-host disease (SR-GVHD) following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT)

7023 Background: SR-GVHD is a frequent and often fatal complication of HCT. A variety of inflammatory cytokines have been implicated in the pathogenesis of GVHD; single agent therapy against targets such as the IL-2 receptor α chain (daclizumab) or TNF-α (infliximab) has modest activity in SR-GVHD. We hypothesized that concomitant blockade of both TNF-α and IL-2 pathways would be more effective in controlling SR-GVHD than inhibition of either cytokine alone. Methods: The incidence of and outcome following SR-GVHD in 141 pts undergoing nonmyeloablative HCT from an HLA-matched family donor at our institution between February 2001 and November 2008 were analyzed. All SR-GVHD pts were treated with a combination of daclizumab (1 mg/kg, days1, 4, 8, 15, 22) and infliximab (10 mg/kg, days1, 8, 15, 22); in addition, aspergillus prophylaxis, empiric broad-spectrum antibiotics, and a rapid reduction in the dose of corticosteroids was initiated in order to minimize the risk of opportunistic infections associated wit...
Muscle biopsy findings in a child with NALCN gene mutation

Mutation in NALCN (Sodium leak channel, non-selective) gene in humans has been shown to present with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations including neurodevelopmental impairment, hypotonia and congenital contractures. Distinctive features including episodic ataxia and neuroaxonal dystrophy have also been reported. In this case report, we describe the muscle biopsy findings of a 3-year-old boy who presented with congenital arthrogryposis, hypotonia and developmental delay who has a heterozygous de novo C.965T>C (p.1332T) variant in the NALCN gene found by expanded whole exome sequencing (WES). Distal arthrogryposis and ulnar deviation of hands were prominent findings, which have been shown to be associated with de novo heterozygous mutations in this gene. He also presented with brief paroxysmal episodes of tremulousness; however, he has not clearly had episodes of episodic ataxia. Initial work-up including extensive genetic and metabolic tests was normal except for mildly elevated multiple metabolites in urine, suggestive of mild dysfunction of multiple mitochondrial enzymes. Muscle biopsy findings revealed ragged red fiber changes on trichrome staining and an increased number of mitochondria with non-specific crystalloid like inclusions ultrastructurally. The biochemical and muscle biopsy findings are suggestive of a possible mitochondrial bioenergetic dysfunction. The association of NALCN gene with secondary mitochondrial dysfunction remains unclear.
Some Lingering Concerns About the Precision Medicine Initiative

The Precision Medicine Initiative was launched in 2015 by the White House, in partnership with the NIH and other federal government agencies, academic and nonprofit organizations, and private sector entities. The NIH Cohort Program will assemble a repository of genomic information along with health and other records from 1 million volunteers. The goal is to develop individually tailored, precision medicine approaches to predictive health assessments, prevention, and therapies. Although the science is promising, some larger ethical and societal concerns should be addressed, including the following: (1) lack of broad access to expensive health technologies; (2) lack of health literacy and numeracy by individuals and lack of genomics expertise by clinicians; (3) lack of adequate health privacy and nondiscrimination protections; and (4) lack of policies on the increasing use of big data analytics to make fine grained predictions about the health and behavior of individuals.
A THEORY OF ENDOGENOUS TECHNICAL PROGRESS

This chapter explains a theory of endogenous technical progress. The study of technical change takes it for granted that there is a factor affecting the technology and that this factor is given exogenously to the economic system. The fact remains, however, that practically all types of technical change are determined within the economic system as the result of meaningful rational economic behavior of economic agents. That is to say, technical change is endogenous. The chapter also describes this process of endogenously determined technical progress as a process partly because of dynamic market forces of supply and demand, and partly because of dynamic technological forces of inventions and innovations. Technical progress is regarded as the result of dynamic processes of efficient allocation of limited resources under technological and market constraints. In the theory of the firm behavior, the firm postpones a fraction of profits in the form of research and development (R&D) investment for the purpose of enjoying future cost-saving benefits. Viewing technological change in an intertemporal context affords many possibilities to understand better the relationship between R&D and the efficiency increase in production of goods and services. Economists discovered long ago that a significant increase of productivity is largely because of R&D activities of the firm, industry, and economy as a whole.
Resource Review: I Learn America

I Learn America (Dissard & Peng, 2013) is a 92-minute documentary about four immigrant teenagers who recently arrived in the United States. The youth attend International High School at Lafayette i...
Transplantation for Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma is a disorder characterized by accumulation of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow, hypercalcemia, monoclonal protein, and end organ damage. Recently newer generation proteosome inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies and novel agents have been approved by FDA, which is undoubtedly increasing life expectancy of the patients. However, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation still remains the cornerstone of the treatment. In this chapter, we are discussing the autologous stem cell transplant, allogeneic stem cell transplant and total therapy trials with outcomes.
Use of Lysostaphin and Bacitracin Susceptibility for Routine Presumptive Identification of Staphylococci of Bovine Origin

A simple agar plate system based on susceptibility to lysostaphin and bacitracin to differentiate between staphylococci and micrococci is described. The system also uses susceptibility to novobiocin to aid in identification to species level of staphylococci. Growth from the agar plate can be used to prepare inocula for inoculation of rapid identification systems.
Do They Think We’re the Frenemy? Examining Student Anxiety and Service Perception in To-day’s Academic Libraries

This study utilized the Undergraduate Multidimensional Library Anxiety Scale (UMLAS) to survey students at two universities in the Southern United States during the 2012-2013 academic year, in order to determine how they felt about the Information Search Process (ISP), their re-search skills, and their attitude towards the library employees and library facilities. It was de-termined that, despite the availability of a broad collection of online library resources at two Universities in the South, a slim majority of students indicated they still prefer to use the library in person. Although most students reported feeling comfortable using a computer, they were less comfortable using a computer at home to access the library online than one might expect. In fact, many students appear to still struggle with basic research skills, such as locating e-books online and locating full text articles, as well as with technical competencies such as downloading articles to an e-reader. Many students also indicated they were not able to find the things they wanted at the library. These same students felt library staff were friendly and helpful but, at the same time, many appeared to believe library employees were too busy to help them and indicated a reluctance to use telephone reference and Interlibrary Loan (ILL) assistance. In addition, alt-hough most students indicated that they visit the library for scholastic pursuits, very few re-sponded that they were visiting the library in order specifically to get help from a librarian. The similarity in results from the two institutions suggests this data may imply a trend for academic libraries nationwide requiring further investigation.
Multiple Cardioembolic Strokes Caused by Caseous Calcification of the Mitral Annulus

• Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is a common echocardiographic finding, estimated at around 14%, and occurs especially in elderly women.
Diffusion of technology: Trends in robotic-assisted colorectal surgery

Abstract Following FDA approval, robotic-assisted colorectal surgery (RACS) has increased in prevalence. We aimed to identify trends in utilization and patient characteristics of RACS in the United States using the University HealthSystem Consortium database between October 2011–September 2015. Outcome measures were number and percentage of procedures performed with robotic-assistance. 7100 patients were identified. The most common procedures were low anterior resection, sigmoid colectomy, abdominoperineal resection, right colectomy, rectopexy, left colectomy, and total colectomy. There was a 158% increase in RACS procedures. As a percentage of all approaches, RACS increased from 2.6% to 6.6%. The number of centers performing RACS increased from 105 to 140. Over the study period, the complexity of patients increased, with the percentage of patients with ≥3 comorbidities rising from 18% to 24% (p = 0.03) and patients with a moderate severity of illness score increasing from 35% to 41% (p = 0.04). RACS has expanded significantly in volume, number of centers, and patient selection. Further studies evaluating outcomes and cost of RACS are required to determine whether these increases are justified by improved clinical outcomes.
Colocated Mental Health/Developmental Care:

The inadequacy of mental health and developmental services for children is a widely recognized and growing problem. Although a variety of solutions have been proposed, none has been generally successful or feasible. This research describes models of colocation that have evolved in primary care settings in Massachusetts and reports on pediatricians' and their colocated colleagues' impressions of their benefits and challenges. Pediatricians in 18 practices that included a colocated mental health/developmental specialist (MH/DS) were identified through a survey administered through the state American Academy of Pediatrics Chapter, and interviewed. Practices varied widely in the professional expertise/training and roles of the MH/DSs, communication among providers, and financial arrangements. The majority of pediatricians and MH/DSs reported being pleased with their colocated arrangements, despite the costs rarely being supported by billing revenues. This study suggests that further development of such systems hold promise to meet the growing need for accessible pediatric mental and developmental health care.
The stability of a gas sphere with vanishing normal pressure in D space time dimensions

By solving the spherically symmetric Einstein equations in D space time dimensions for a configuration of constant energy density and vanishing normal pressure we calculate the domain of stability of such a sphere using the post-Newtonian approximation. The analysis leads us to the result that gas spheres are unstable for dimensions of space time greater than or equal to four for the condition of vanishing normal pressure.
AMERICAS, NORTH | Arctic and Circumpolar Regions

With the disappearance of Late Pleistocene glacial ice the North American Arctic and Greenland are quickly colonized and occupied by a succession of cultural groups originating from Asia. The ameliorating climatic conditions and the stability of maritime resources (principally marine mammals) supported the evolution of chiefly societies in the Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea regions while in northern Alaska, the Canadian Arctic and Greenland a succession of Palaeo-Eskimo cultures – small bands of nomadic hunting families – adapted to the more extreme environmental constraints. Around 1000 AD global warming and reduced ice cover in the Beaufort Sea and the North Atlantic brought new cultural groups into the Arctic. Thule people – a whaling culture from Alaska and the ancestors of today's Inuit – rapidly expanded throughout the North American Arctic replacing Palaeo-Eskimo groups at the same time that expanding European-Norse settlers established colonies in southern Greenland and Newfoundland.
A simple capacitive proximity sensor experiment for exploring the effects of body capacitance and earth ground

Capacitive proximity sensors are well-suited for educational projects due to their low cost and simple design. Traditional undergraduate textbooks and lab exercises rarely highlight the fact that t...
Hindsight Is 20/20

Abstract A 17-year-old male adolescent presented to the emergency department initially with abdominal pain and headache which progressed to neck swelling and vision changes over a period of several weeks. He was noted to have a 4 cm by 4 cm right supraclavicular lymph node and visual acuity of 20/200 in the right eye and 20/70 in the left eye. Further testing, imaging, and a thorough history revealed the source of his illness and unusual ophthalmologic findings.
Intravascular Ultrasound in Carotid Web.

Background Carotid web (CaW) is a shelf-like linear filling defect in the posterior aspect of the internal carotid bulb, representing an intimal variant of fibromuscular dysplasia. The diagnosis of CaW is traditionally restricted to digital subtraction angiography (DSA), CT/MR angiography (CTA/MRA), and Duplex ultrasonography. In this series of patients with acute ischemic stroke, we evaluated the potential utility of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in further characterizing suspected CaWs. Methods This is a case series of three patients with suspected CaW who underwent DSA for treatment or investigation of large vessel occlusion strokes. In all cases the stroke investigation failed to identify an alternative cause, and the stroke etiology was attributed to a symptomatic CaW. The procedure consisted of positioning a guide catheter in the common carotid artery, navigating the IVUS probe distal to the carotid bulb, and then retracting the probe with a manual pullback. The acquired images were then reviewed in an independent workstation Results In two of the three cases, IVUS showed an isoechoic-to-hyperechoic focal eccentric area at the posterior carotid bulb, consistent with CaW. The endoluminal protrusion was inconspicuous on IVUS due to the low resolution of ultrasound not allowing a clear differentiation between fibrosis, thrombosis, and atherosclerosis. No abnormalities commonly associated with atherosclerotic disease or dissections were noted. The CaW could not be depicted in the third patient. Conclusion The use of IVUS in the diagnosis of CaW may have limited relevance. Continued investigation of other imaging modalities for accurate CaW diagnosis is recommended.
Measuring humility in musical contexts: Initial development of the Musical Humility Scale:

The purpose of this study was to construct and validate a psychometric measure of humility in musical contexts. Using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) (N = 423), we demonstrated initial evidence ...
Abstract P3-11-18: Partial RALBP1 loss depletes DNA repair pathway genes

TP53 (p53) functions as a stress-responsive, genome protective, tumor suppressor whose functions are lost or altered a majority of breast cancers. TP53 homozygous null mice uniformly die of spontaneous malignancy. The human RALBP1 gene (18p11.22) encodes is a stress-protective, anti-apoptotic mercapturic acid pathway transporter protein (RLIP76 or Rlip) regulated by the Ral/Rac/Rho pathways. In stark contrast to TP53 null mice, RALBP1-null mice are highly cancer resistant, even to the most potent known chemical carcinogens benzo[a]pyrene or dimethylbenzanthracene. We recently reported that pharmacologically or chemically induced haploinsufficiency of Rlip switches off spontaneous carcinogenesis in p53-null mice (Proc. Natl. Acad Sci USA, 2018; 115:3918), indicating an existential role of Rlip in p53-deficient cancer cells and suggesting the possibility that DNA-repair deficient cells could be particularly susceptible to Rlip depletion. Results of present studies demonstrated that RALBP1 depletion by antisense inhibited the growth of the MDA-MB231 cell line in-vitro and in xenografts. Remarkably, Rlip depletion with antisense or upon treatment with an orange-derived flavanone (2-hydroxyflavanone) depleted the expression of PALB2 as well as BRCA1 and BRCA2 in triple negative breast cancer cell lines, and synergistically increased the efficacy of PARP inhibition. These findings suggest that drugs that inhibit or deplete Rlip could be useful in sensitizing DNA-repair sufficient triple negative breast cancer to PARP inhibitors. Citation Format: Sanjay Awasthi, Chhanda Bose, Catherine Jones, Rakhshanda Rahman, Sharad S. Singhal, Sharda P. Singh. Partial RALBP1 loss depletes DNA repair pathway genes [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-11-18.
Low-risk myelodysplastic syndrome managed with an erythroid-stimulating agent for 10 years

A 57-year-old man with a history of diabetes and coronary artery disease was referred to haematology for the evaluation of anaemia in the setting of non-cardiac chest pain, fatigue, dyspnoea and dizziness. Previous investigations into these recurrent symptoms focused on a re-evaluation of his known ischaemic heart disease, which required multiple percutaneous interventions with stenting several years ago. In the year leading up to his referral, the patient required two transfusions during separate hospitalisations. Previously, his chronic anaemia was attributed to chronic inflammation because of unrevealing micronutrient and endoscopic evaluations. The patient underwent a bone marrow biopsy, which demonstrated normal karyotype myelodysplastic syndrome with ringed sideroblasts. This patient was found to have favourable cytogenetics and low-risk disease. His anaemia and associated symptoms improved with the administration of an erythroid-stimulating agent. Now 75 years old, he has remained on single-agent therapy for 10 years without need of transfusion.
Chekhov on Epic.

A little more of the patient's voice and a little more about the patient create an indelible picture of the patient as a person.
Characterizing complexity of non-invertible chaotic maps in the Shannon–Fisher information plane with ordinal patterns

Abstract Being able to distinguish the different types of dynamics present in a given nonlinear system is of great importance in complex dynamics. It allows to characterize the system, find similarities and differences with other nonlinear systems, and classify those dynamical regimes to understand them better. For systems that develop chaos it is not always easy to distinguish determinism from stochasticity. We analyze several non-invertible maps by projecting them on the two-dimensional Fisher–Shannon plane using ordinal patterns. We find that this technique unfolds the complex structure of chaotic systems, showing more details than other methods. It also reveals signatures common to most of the non-invertible maps, and demonstrates its capability to distinguish determinism from stochasticity.
Automated position and size selection of round applicators for AccuBoost breast brachytherapy.

Purpose AccuBoost is a complex non-invasive brachytherapy procedure for breast treatment. This technique requires a radiation oncologist to manually select applicator grid position and size by overlaying transparencies over a mammographic image to encompass surgical clips and resected tumor bed. An algorithm was developed in MATLAB™ to automate the selection of round applicators based on surgical clip position. Material and methods A total of 42 mammograms belonging to 10 patients were retrospectively analyzed. Images were pre-processed by masking imprinted localization grid and regions around the grid. A threshold was applied to isolate high-intensity pixels and generate a binary image. A set of morphological operations including region dilation, filling, clearing border structures, and erosion were performed to segment the different regions. A support vector machine classification model was trained to categorize segmented regions as either surgical clips or miscellaneous objects based on different region properties (area, perimeter, eccentricity, circularity, minor axis length, and intensity-derived quantities). Applicator center position was determined by calculating the centroid of detected clips. Size of the applicator was determined with the smallest circle that encompassed all clips with an isotropic 1.0 cm margin. Results The clip identification model classified 946 regions, with a sensitivity of 96.6% and a specificity of 98.2%. Applicator position was correctly predicted for 20 of 42 fractions and was within 0.5 cm of physician-selected position for 33 of 42 fractions. Applicator size was correctly predicted for 25 out of 42 fractions. Conclusions The proposed algorithm provided a method to quantitatively determine applicator position and size for AccuBoost treatments, and may serve as a tool for independent verifications. The discrepancy between physician-selected and algorithm-predicted determinations of applicator position and size suggests that the methodology may be further improved by considering radiomic features of breast tissue in addition to clip position.
Modeling ex vivo tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte expansion from established solid malignancies

Adoptive transfer of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) elicits the regression of metastatic malignancies, yet a low proportion of patients achieve complete durable responses. The high incidence of relapse in these patients highlights the need to better understand mechanisms of tumor escape from T cell control. While melanoma has provided the foundation for developing TIL therapy, much less is known about TIL efficacy and relapse in other malignancies. We sought to investigate TIL characteristics in mouse tumors which have not been studied in this setting. Here, we expanded murine TIL ex vivo in IL-2 from fragments of multiple tumor models, including oral cavity cancer models of varying immunogenicity. Additionally, TIL was expanded from pmel-1 mice bearing B16 melanoma, yielding an enriched population of tumor-infiltrating TCR transgenic T cells. Murine TILs are similar to human TIL in that they express high levels of inhibitory receptors (PD-1, Tim-3, etc.) and can be expanded ex vivo in IL-2 extensively. Of clinical relevance, we draw parallels between murine and patient TIL, evaluating relationships between PD-1, Lag-3, and Tim-3 on TILs from a cohort of oral cavity cancer patients. This platform can be used by labs even in the absence of clinical specimens or clean cell facilities and will be important to more broadly understand TIL phenotypes across many different malignancies.
Acute Gastric Dilatation: A Cause for Concern

Acute gastric dilatation is the radiological finding of a massively enlarged stomach as seen on plain film X-ray or a computerized tomography scan of the abdomen. It is a rare entity with high mortality if not treated promptly and is often not reported due to a lack of physician awareness. It can occur due to both mechanical obstruction of the gastric outflow tract, or due to nonmechanical causes, such as eating disorders and gastroparesis. Acute hyperglycemia without diagnosed gastroparesis, such as in patients with diabetic ketoacidosis, may also predispose to acute gastric dilatation. Prompt placement of a nasogastric tube can help deter its serious complications of gastric emphysema, ischemia, and/or perforation. We present our experience of 2 patients who presented with severe hyperglycemia and were found to have acute gastric dilation on imaging. Only one of the patients was treated with nasogastric tube placement for decompression and eventually made a full recovery.
After TikTok: International Business and the Splinternet

The internet is evolving from a globally connected and lightly regulated network to a ‘splinternet’ governed by diverging national policies. Governments are effectively re-creating national borders in digital space by asserting their authority over areas such as data protection, taxation, censorship, and national security. This increasing fragmentation of the internet creates new challenges for companies that use the internet to offer digital products and services (such as apps) internationally. Rather than addressing global markets more or less by default, these digital firms must make strategic choices with respect to foreign market selection, entry modes, local adaptation, and stakeholder management.
Accuracy and reliability of predictions of E. coli concentrations in water of irrigation ponds from drone-based imagery as affected by parameters of the random forest algorithm

Microbial water quality monitoring is an essential component of food safety. E. coli bacterium is the major indicator organism used in assessing microbial water quality but dense sampling of water to assess spatial variability is impractical. The objective of this work was to test the hypothesis that sUAS imaging can provide information about the differences in E. coli habitats across two Maryland irrigation ponds and guide water sampling. We used modified GoPro cameras and a MicaSense RedEdge camera in flights shortly before sampling. Ponds P1 (0.37ha) and P2 (0.48ha) were sampled from a boat in the same locations, biweekly, during the 2018 growing season. Average concentrations of E. coli were 0.60±0.04 and 1.04±0.04 (mean ± st. error, log CFU/100 mL) in P1 and P2, respectively. The random forest (RF) machine learning algorithm was applied to relate ground sampling data with co-located image sections. The sensitivity of results to parameters of the RF algorithm was assessed with multiple scenarios. The most influential parameters for both ponds were maximum tree depth and minimum leaf size. The maximum R2 values in predictions of E. coli concentrations were 0.941 (0.943) and 0.532(0.565) in training and validation datasets, respectively, for pond P1 (P2). The most influential inputs for both ponds were red, blue, and green obtained after demosaicing images in the visible range, while P1 included red and blue obtained after demosaicing infrared images. Overall, accurate estimation of E. coli concentrations from imagery data is possible and benefits from tuning algorithm control parameters.
New Thin-Entrance window LGAD for Soft X-ray Detection at LCLS

New free electron lasers, such as SLAC's LCLS-II, will provide unique scientific imaging opportunities with soft xrays from 250eV-1.5KeV. In order to fully utilize these facilities, we need to develop detectors with both shallow entrance windows and adequate signal-to noise ratios to utilize the soft x-rays effectively. Low Gain Avalanche Detectors (LGADs) have the potential for improved signal-to-noise ratio due to the built-in amplification. However, the conventional LGAD structure is not conducive to a shallow entrance window. In this work, we propose a new LGAD device structure that can incorporate a shallow entrance window utilizing microwave annealing to activate the dopant in the entrance window. Process and device simulations are used to demonstrate the feasibility and performance of the proposed structure.
Should the Tax Law Require Current Accrual of Interest on Derivative Financial Instruments

This paper considers whether the original issue discount rules, which require current taxation of interest income regardless of whether it is paid, should be expanded to cover derivative financial instruments. The original issue discount rules were recently expanded to debt instruments with contingent payments (so-called "structured notes"), and commentators have advocated using similar principles to expand the rules to other derivatives. The paper argues that the original issue discount rules should not be expanded beyond their current scope. The current accrual requirement is inconsistent with the realization requirement, and expansion of the current accrual requirement merely moves the place where the rules are inconsistent. Expansion of the original issue discount rules cannot eliminate or even reduce the inconsistency in the law. Using a theory of the most efficient place to draw lines between inconsistent tax rules, the paper argues that current law is superior to an expansion of the original issue discount rules.
Individual, relationship, workplace, and societal recommendations for addressing healthcare workplace violence.

BACKGROUND: Workplace violence from coworkers, patients, and visitors is a problem affecting every occupational group in the health and social service sector [1-3]. Workplace violence is demonstrated by coworkers through bullying behaviors and by patients and visitors through physical threats and assaults. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to highlight the special issue authors' and guest editors' recommendations for protecting healthcare workers from being victimized and incurring the negative consequences of having experienced workplace violence.METHODS: Recommendations from the special issue were categorized and discussed in relation to the Social-Ecological Model and the prevention efforts targeting individuals, relationships, communities, and society.RESULTS: Individual-level recommendations focused on the personal risk reduction for healthcare workers. Relationship-level recommendations addressed the problem of bullying between coworkers and physical violence derived from patients and visitors. Workplace-level recommendations discussed a multi-faceted systems approach to violence management. Societal-level recommendations centered on a universal health policy approach.CONCLUSIONS: The use of a model such as the Social-Ecological Model can be helpful in planning violence prevention efforts in the healthcare setting. Language: en
Organization and ultrastructure of the dormant cambial zone in compression wood of Picea abies.

This electron microscopy study is concerned with the dormant cambial cells in compression wood of Picea abies (L.) Karst. The cambial zone comprised 4–8 rows of fusiform cells. Each radial file contained the group known as Sanio's four, namely an initial, a mother, and two daughter cells. Groups of three, resulting from a failure of a mother or a daughter cell to divide, were also present. Undifferentiated xylem tissue cells occurred singly, in pairs, or in groups of four. These cells and the last-formed tracheids were often enclosed by a common primary wall. The fusiform cells had a large, elongated nucleus, numerous small vacuoles, and a frequently infolded plasma membrane. Golgi apparatus and endoplasmic reticulum were rare, while plastids, amyloplasts, and lipid droplets were common. Cambial ray cells contained much lipid material. The tissues were similar to cambial tissues in normal wood of conifers. The present results can only be interpreted in terms of the single layer of initials and sequence of cell divisions established by Sanio. The initial can be located by several criteria in dormant and active cambial regions in conifers. It could be shown that the existence of the group of Sanio's four is better documented in the literature than has so far been recognized. The occurrence of a variable number of primary cell walls is discussed with reference to the concentration of lignin in the middle lamella of mature xylem.
Preventing Weight Gain in Young Adults. A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

Context Weight gain in young adults is an important public health problem and few interventions have been successful. Background This pilot study evaluated the preliminary efficacy of two self-regulation approaches to weight-gain prevention: Small Changes (changes in energy balance of roughly 200 kcal/day) and Large Changes (initial weight loss of 5–10 lbs to buffer against future weight gains). Intervention Participants were enrolled in 8-week programs teaching Small or Large Changes (SC; LC). Both approaches were presented in a self-regulation framework, emphasizing daily self-weighing. Design Randomized controlled pilot study. Setting/participants Young adults (N=52) aged 18–35 years (25.6±4.7 years, BMI of 26.7±2.4 kg/m 2 ) were recruited in Providence RI and Chapel Hill NC. Main outcome measures Adherence to intervention, weight change, and satisfaction/confidence in approach assessed at 0, 8, and 16 weeks. Data were collected in 2008 and analyzed in 2008–2009. Results Participants attended 84% of sessions, and 86.5% and 84.5% of participants completed post-treatment and follow-up assessments, respectively. Participants adhered to their prescriptions. Daily weighing increased markedly in both groups, whereas the eating and exercise changes observed in the SC and LC reflected the specific approach taught. Weight changes were significantly different between groups at 8 weeks (SC= −0.68±1.5 kg, LC=−3.2±2.5 kg, p p =0.006). Participants in both groups reported high levels of satisfaction and confidence in the efficacy of the approach they were taught. Conclusions Both Small and Large Change approaches hold promise for weight-gain prevention in young adults; a fully powered trial comparing the long-term efficacy of these approaches is warranted.
Empirical approximation for Lyapunov functions with artificial neural nets

An artificial neural network is proposed as a function approximator for empirical modeling of a Lyapunov function for a nonlinear dynamic system that projects stable behavior as potentially observable in its state space. The theoretical framework for the methodology of designing the so-called Lyapunov neural network, which empirically models a Lyapunov function, is described. Algorithms for training the Lyapunov neural network for a neurodynamics system are presented.
Individual antigenic specificity of immunoglobulins.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the existence of idiotypic determinants that are useful in pursuing investigations related to the structure and biosynthesis of antibodies. As defined, idiotypy applies to determinants recognized by an antiserum prepared in the same species and the term, individually specific antigenic determinant, is generally used with reference to determinants defined by an antiserum prepared in a heterologous species, such as a rabbit antiserum directed to a purified human antibody or myeloma protein. The original definitions of idiotype and individually specific antigenic determinant do not specifically consider such cross-reactions. In estimation, the discovery of cross-reactions or identity among immunoglobulins from different donors would not compromise the usefulness of these terms and the definitions might be qualified accordingly. A contribution of the constant region to an individually specific determinant is possible, but individually specific differences among proteins must reflect differences in the variable regions. It may be noted that isotypic and allotypic antigenic determinants similarly reflect particular amino acid sequences, which in many instances have been defined.
Reader's Choice : A Reading Skills Textbook for Students of English As a Second Language

Reader's choice: a reading skills textbook for students of English as a second language , Reader's choice: a reading skills textbook for students of English as a second language , مرکز فناوری اطلاعات و اطلاع رسانی کشاورزی
Single–Cell Light Scatter as a Probe of Refractile Body Formation in Recombinant Escherichia Coli

Accumulation of foreign proteins as inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli was investigated using single–cell light scatter measurements from flow cytometry. Significant increases in forward–angle light scatter and right–angle light scatter were observed for E. coli strains overproducing two types of interferon and two types of veterinary growth hormone. The original host morphology before the induction of foreign gene expression was found to have a significant effect on the subsequent enhancement of light scatter by inclusion body formation. The light scatter distributions obtained by flow cytometry differed significantly from volume distributions obtained using Coulter sizing. Thus flow cytometry may provide information on cloned gene product accumulation at the single–cell level that is not available from other methods.
Local News Coverage and the Incumbency Advantage in the U.S. House

Much of the incumbency advantage in the U.S. House of Representatives is attributed to incumbents' efforts to address constituents' needs. Yet House members do not win reelection simply by performing well in office, but also by informing constituents of how well they are doing their jobs. I examined the value of local news coverage for legislators seeking to publicize their legislative work on behalf of constituents. I found that incumbents who win more newspaper coverage are viewed as being more in touch with the district and are more likely to win support from constituents during bids for reelection.
Voting on issues and on platforms

If a social decision has to be made regarding a number of independent issues, then it makes a crucial difference if the issues are voted on singly or jointly. It is shown that the platform that takes on each issue the least preferred alternative may be Pareto superior, i.e. preferred by every voter, to the platform which takes the most popular alternative on each issue. Some normative implications of these results are explored.
An Investigation of Drawbead Models for Springback Prediction

Accurate prediction of springback for rail-type structures remains a significant challenge for automotive stamping. A major characteristic of forming such parts is that metals go through drawbeads and die-entry radii and often end up within part geometry (i.e., inside trimline). The bending-unbending stresses generated by drawbeads contribute significantly to the eventual springback. In production springback simulation, line drawbead models are generally used to represent the restraining forces provided by the real drawbeads for computational efficiency. While such models can be well correlated to match overall deformation of the part, the bending stresses could not be accurately captured. In the present study, a model of an aluminum U-channel is used to evaluate springback predictability of line drawbead model, which is then compared against simulations that employ detailed drawbead geometry. The results show that the line drawbead model largely under-predicts the springback and the bending moment. The accuracy of the prediction cannot be improved through different binder simulation strategies such as displacement-control or force-control. The study suggests that either real drawbeads be modeled, or the bending stress be incorporated into the line model to improve springback prediction.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
ACUTE SKIN TOXICITY FOLLOWING STEREOTACTIC BODY RADIATION THERAPY FOR STAGE I NON-SMALL-CELL LUNG CANCER: WHO'S AT RISK?

Purpose We examined the rate of acute skin toxicity within a prospectively managed database of patients treated for early-stage non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and investigated factors that might predict skin toxicity. Methods From May 2006 through January 2008, 50 patients with Stage I NSCLC were treated at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center with 60 Gy in three fractions or 44–48 Gy in four fractions. Patients were treated with multiple coplanar beams (3–7, median 4) with a 6 MV linac using intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and dynamic multileaf collimation. Toxicity grading was performed and based on the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Effects. Factors associated with Grade 2 or higher acute skin reactions were calculated by Fisher's exact test. Results After a minimum 3 months of follow-up, 19 patients (38%) developed Grade 1, 4 patients (8%) Grade 2, 2 patients (4%) Grade 3, and 1 patient Grade 4 acute skin toxicity. Factors associated with Grade 2 or higher acute skin toxicity included using only 3 beams (p = 0.0007), distance from the tumor to the posterior chest wall skin of less than 5 cm (p = 0.006), and a maximum skin dose of 50% or higher of the prescribed dose (p = 0.02). Conclusions SBRT can be associated with significant skin toxicity. One must consider the skin dose when evaluating the treatment plan and consider the bolus effect of immobilization devices.
A large volume double channel 1H-X RF probe for hyperpolarized magnetic resonance at 0.0475 T.

Abstract In this work we describe a large volume 340 mL 1 H-X magnetic resonance (MR) probe for studies of hyperpolarized compounds at 0.0475 T. 1 H/ 13 C and 1 H/ 15 N probe configurations are demonstrated with the potential for extension to 1 H/ 129 Xe. The primary applications of this probe are preparation and quality assurance of 13 C and 15 N hyperpolarized contrast agents using PASADENA (parahydrogen and synthesis allow dramatically enhanced nuclear alignment) and other parahydrogen-based methods of hyperpolarization. The probe is efficient and permits 62 μs 13 C excitation pulses at 5.3 W, making it suitable for portable operation. The sensitivity and detection limits of this probe, tuned to 13 C, are compared with a commercial radio frequency (RF) coil operating at 4.7 T. We demonstrate that low field MR of hyperpolarized contrast agents could be as sensitive as conventional high field detection and outline potential improvements and optimization of the probe design for preclinical in vivo MRI. PASADENA application of this low-power probe is exemplified with 13 C hyperpolarized 2-hydroxyethyl propionate-1- 13 C,2,3,3- d 3 .
Quantitative evidence for cochlear, non-neuronal norepinephrine☆

Endogenous norepinephrine was quantitatively measured in cochlear tissues of pigmented and nonpigmented animals by high-performance liquid chromatography and electrochemical detection. Epinephrine, dopamine and serotonin were not detected. The cochlear norepinephrine content of the pigmented animals was found to be more than double that present in corresponding albinos. Cochlear norepinephrine was only minimally depleted 48 h after surgical removal of the superior cervical ganglion. 12 h after administration of reserpine (5 mg/kg), cochlear norepinephrine was partially depleted. These results indicate that the norepinephrine located in the cochlea is probably not confined entirely to noradrenergic nerve terminals.