cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Detection of Exon-Centric Copy Number Changes and Mutations with Customizable Target Enrichment

Although targeted exome sequencing is a cost-effective method for identifying mutations in exons, high read depths from several neighboring regions away from exons are often required to provide confident copy number determination. There are significant limitations in exome sequencing to identify accurate aberration boundaries associated with potentially important regulatory regions outside of exons such as in introns or promoters. To enable higher resolution copy number calls in and around genes/exons of interest, we have augmented exonic tiling with custom target enrichment probes designed specifically to improve copy number variation (CNV) detection in these regions while maintaining exonic coverage of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and insertions and deletions (INDELs). Herein we describe custom OneSeq, enabling higher resolution, exon-centric CNV detection in any genes of interest. When deployed in conjunction with existing exonic probes, they improve detection of biologically relevant CNVs in and near exons, while simultaneously detecting exonic SNPs and INDELs. The targeted CNV regions can be customized to address only a subset of genes, thus maximizing sequencing efficiency. We demonstrate that our approach improves detection of copy number changes with resolution often spanning just one or a few exons. Additionally, we identify aberrations in samples with either SNP/INDEL or CNV at a particular locus, and in some cases, compound heterozygotes with different aberrations in both alleles of the same locus. The addition of customizable, exon-centric OneSeq probes provides a means to detect exonic, intronic and intergenic CNVs, together with SNPs/ INDELs in a single assay. Conflict of Interest: All authors are employees of Agilent Technologies.
COMMENTARY––A Public Interest View of Auditor Independence: Moving Toward Auditor Reliability When Considering and Promoting Audit Quality

ABSTRACT: A longstanding view inside and outside the auditing profession is that the public accounting profession rests on the foundation of independence (Previts and Merino 1998), with regulatory bodies requiring auditors to be independent both in appearance and in fact. For many decades, regulators and stakeholders alike have held the view that auditor independence is the auditor's endgame. We review recent research on the Reliability Framework, which recasts auditor independence with other professional constructs, including integrity, competence, and objectivity, as co-antecedents of auditor reliability and audit quality. On that basis, this commentary advocates that a public interest view of auditor independence must account for the auditor's real reason for existence based on what stakeholders want and need: reliable audit services that facilitate financial reporting quality and protect the public interest. Recent initiatives by the Center for Audit Quality and its member firms, as well as the profes...
Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Diabetes Who Exhibit Upper-Quartile Insulin Antibody Responses After Treatment with LY2963016 or Lantus® Insulin Glargine

Introduction We compared insulin antibody response (IAR) profiles in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) or type 2 diabetes (T2D) who received LY2963016 insulin glargine (LY IGlar) or Lantus® insulin glargine (IGlar) and evaluated the potential relationship between higher IARs and clinical and safety outcomes with a focus on patients who exhibited antibody responses in the upper quartile.
Dogs with Acute Myeloid Leukemia Have Clonal Rearrangements in T and B Cell Receptors.

Clonality testing for rearrangements in the complementarity-determining region 3 of the immunoglobulin heavy chain of B lymphocytes (B cell receptor) and the T cell receptor of T lymphocytes helps distinguish between clonal and non-clonal expansions of lymphocytes. There are rare reports of clonally rearranged T and B cell receptors in dogs with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Our objective was to determine the frequency of clonally rearranged T and B cell receptors in dogs with AML. Archived slides from historical cases of AML (from January 2010 to June 2013) and slides or liquid specimens (blood, bone marrow, body cavity fluid or tissue aspirates) from cases of AML diagnosed between June 2013 and February 2017 were used in the study. A diagnosis of AML was made on the basis of more than 20% immature neoplastic cells (“blasts”) in blood, bone marrow or extramedullary tissues, displaying features of myeloid differentiation. Myeloid differentiation was based on a combination of morphologic criteria, positive flow cytometric labeling for surface antigens typical of myeloid origin (e.g. CD11b, CD11c, CD14 with a general lack of expression of T or B cell markers), or positive cytochemical staining reactions for myeloid-associated enzymes (e.g. alkaline phosphatase, chloroacetate esterase). There were 63 cases of AML diagnosed during this period, however slides or liquid specimens with sufficient DNA for testing were only obtained from 25 dogs. Affected dogs represented various breeds and were a median of 8 years old, with more male (64%) than female (36%) dogs. Common clinical signs were peripheral or internal lymphadenopathy (10/25 dogs, 40%) and hepatomegaly or splenomegaly (10/25 dogs combined, 40%). Typical hematologic findings were bi- or pancytopenia (23/25 dogs, 92%), with circulating blasts (21/25, 84%). Solitary clonal (4 B cell, 6 T cell) and biclonal (6 B and T cell) rearrangements in B or T cell receptors were found in 16 dogs (64%). Our results indicate that dogs with AML can have a high frequency of clonally rearranged T or B cell receptors, including biclonality, and clonality testing should not be used as a tool to distinguish between acute leukemia of myeloid or lymphoid origin.
A Fish Story

This story underscores the conflicts between environment and economics, between necessary habitats and bad habits. The author dramatizes the myopia of public policy which ignores a complex chain of problems, instead absurdly blaming the end users-fishennen-- for overfishing a population actually decimated by dams and silting of spawning areas.
IDENTIDAD URBANA DE VALPARAÍSO

A partir de una vision critica de la zona patrimonial oficial de Valparaiso, se busca entender esta ciudad como una red de fragmentos espaciales memorables que dan cuenta de su totalidad y complejidad. Los fragmentos se abordan como instancias que construyen un trozo de ciudad, y que reflejan el momento historico de esplendor puesto en valor por la UNESCO con la incorporacion de Valparaiso en la Lista del Patrimonio Mundial.
Gap Junctions and the Spread of Electrical Excitation

Historically, cardiac electrical activity has been separated into "passive" and "active" components; the passive component has included the membrane capacitance and tissue resistivity, and the active component has been defined in terms of the non-linear membrane ionic currents. We are now learning that there is little functional separation between passive and active components. Ionic currents (the "active component) are important in every phase of the cardiac action potential, from peak excitation to rest (1-2). Caridac structural properties (a contributor to the "passive component) can be highly variable during action potential propagation, changing with fiber orientation (3-4)., non-myocyte inhomogeneities(5, and disease state(6-9). Cardiac structure may also indirectly modulate the membrane ionic currents(10-11), altering their function during action potential generation and propagation.
Measuring Food Expenditure Poverty in SNAP Populations: Some Extensions with an Application to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

The adequacy of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits is always an important concern. This article extends the most common measure for evaluating the adequacy of SNAP, food expenditures, and uses more comprehensive metrics to evaluate the impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). These more comprehensive metrics are easy to implement with existing data, more closely tied to the purpose of the SNAP, and indicate a slightly larger impact of the ARRA.
Muscle injury in experimental intraoperative irradiation.

Complications reported for intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) in humans include fibrosis (Calvo et al. 1989a; Sindelar et al. 1986; Tepper et al. 1984), hemorrhage (Tepper et al. 1984), peripheral neuropathies (Calvo et al. 1989a; Kinsella et al. 1985), bone necrosis (Hoekstra et al. 1988), and pelvic pain (Tepper et al. 1984). Most patients were followed for a relatively short period of time, with few patients observed more than 2 years after irradiation.
Controllability, integrability and ergodicity

Systems preserving a smooth measure on the phase space, such as Hamiltonian systems of classical dynamics or incompressible flows of fluid dynamics attract a lot of interest in control theory. I describe some work on the notion of controllability in systems that are measure-preserving and possess drift. Relationship between controllability, a fundamental concept in control theory, and the concepts of integrability and ergodicity, fundamental in dynamical systems theory is addressed. The basic idea is that studying reccurence (or ergodic) properties of trajectories of the drift is key to establishing necessary and sufficient conditions for controllability in such systems. The benefit of this approach is that controllability proofs contain a constructive procedure for control.
Impact of a Communication Intervention Model on Teachers’ Practice with Children who are Congenitally Deaf-Blind:

This article presents findings from a larger study on the thinking and practices of two teachers regarding communication intervention for students who are congenitally deaf-blind, prior to and foll...
The Impact of Laboratory Report Format on Student Learning

This study sought to identify the effects on student learning of a brief `synopsis format' laboratory report versus the lengthier `traditional format' laboratory report. Fifty-six Iowa State University industrial technology students were randomized into one of two groups that were required to write five synopses followed by four traditional reports or vice versa. Latin Square Design analysis revealed no difference in exam scores between students who wrote synopsis reports versus those who wrote traditional reports. Exit survey results revealed that students preferred the synopsis format and perceived that the synopsis format required them to think more deeply about the content.
Trace Element Contamination in Benthic Macroinvertebrates from a Small Stream Near a Uranium Mill Tailings Site

Direct measurement of the accumulation of non-radioactive trace elements in aquatic biota near uranium mining or processing sites has been relatively rare, with greater focus on the radiological activity in the adjacent soils and groundwater. To evaluate the potential ecological concern associated with trace elements at a former uranium mill site in southeastern Utah, benthic macroinvertebrates were collected and analyzed for 17 trace elements from multiple locations within a small on-site stream, Montezuma Creek, and a nearby reference stream. Key questions of this study relate to the spatial and temporal extent of contamination in aquatic biota, the potential ecological risks associated with that contamination, and the usefulness of benthic macroinvertebrates as a monitoring tool at this site. Composite samples of similar macroinvertebrate taxa and functional feeding groups were collected from each site over a two year period that was representative of normal and dry-year conditions. In both years, mean concentrations of arsenic, molybdenum, selenium, and vanadium were significantly higher (a factor of 2-4 times: P < 0.05) in macroinvertebrates collected from one or both of the two Montezuma Creek sites immediately downstream of the mill tailing site in comparison to concentrations from reference locations. Mean uranium concentrations in invertebrates immediately downstream of the mill site were more than 10 times higher than at reference sites. The site-to-site pattern of contamination in Montezuma Creek invertebrates was similar in 1995 and 1996, with mill-related trace elements showing a downstream decreasing trend. However, nine of seventeen contaminant concentrations were higher in the second year of the study, possibly due to a higher influx of deep groundwater during the drier second year of the study. A preliminary assessment of ecological risks, based on the benthic macroinvertebrate bioaccumulation data, suggests that aquatic and terrestrial population risks are low. Benthic macroinvertebrates appeared to be sensitive integrators of trace element inputs to the aquatic environment from a former uranium mill tailing site, and provided useful spatial and temporal patterns of contamination not easily obtained using conventional surface water or groundwater measures.
Nanofiber-Based Total Internal Reflection Microscopy for Characterizing Colloidal Systems at the Microscale

Bulk colloidal interactions are dictated by the physical properties of individual particles dispersed in solution. However, for many applications it remains challenging to predict system-level colloidal behavior. Comprehensive characterization typically requires disparate techniques that can observe correlations between microscale particle–surface interactions and physical properties of the particles. In this work, we present a unique tin dioxide (SnO2) nanofiber-based total internal reflection microscopy (TIRM) method to efficiently characterize colloidal behavior as a function of particle-level properties in complex fluidic conditions. We develop and model the device physics to understand the physical underpinnings of the raw device data and then use these models to design proof-of-concept experiments to verify device function. Statistical trends in the data collected from a nominal system of 80 nm gold nanoparticles correspond to theoretical predictions as we vary key design parameters such as particle...
Hiding within racial hierarchies: how undocumented immigrants make residential decisions in an American city

In the United States, the residential segregation of Latinos from whites has persisted but has fallen between Latinos and blacks. Demographers offer the size of the Latino population that is undocu...
Meta-analysis suggests early intervention for infants and toddlers at risk for autism may be effective for improving developmental outcomes1

Q What is the efficacy of interventions for children under 24 months with or at risk for autism?Design : Systematic reviewData sources: Studies included in this review were identified using four el...
Larval influx of Diadema antillarum to the Florida Keys linked to passage of a Tortugas Eddy

Lack of recovery of the sea urchin Diadema antillarum in the Caribbean region following a widespread epizootic in 1983–1984 has garnered great interest due to the role of this species as a grazer of macroalgae that exclude reef-building corals. In the Florida Keys, USA, previous research suggests that reestablishment of D. antillarum is limited by low fertilization success and a lack of larval supply. However, the physical mechanisms determining larval supply in the Florida Keys remain poorly resolved. Here, we use coupled biological and physical oceanographic datasets of D. antillarum larval supply to settlement collectors, sea surface temperatures and heights, and the Okubo Weiss parameter to examine a link between influx of larvae to the middle Florida Keys and Tortugas Eddy activity in the Straits of Florida. The greatest magnitude of settlement over 3 months of measurements occurred from late May to late June 2015, coinciding with the passage and dissociation of a Tortugas Eddy. Settlement occurred on collectors only at offshore bank-barrier reef sites, consistent with a temperature signal of a passing eddy at these sites. No D. antillarum were observed by divers at sites 1 yr following settlement on the collectors. The results indicate that despite the lack of population recovery, D. antillarum larval influx can occur during intermittent oceanographic events.
Dealing with an unexpected loss

Dealing with the unexpected loss of a patient can be a difficult and emotional experience. You may feel sadness over the patient's death, helplessness over the inability to effect a positive outcome, or fear over mistakes that might have been made. It may help to take some active steps to deal with these feelings. Here are some of the steps I took to deal with my feelings in a constructive way when a relatively young patient died …
EPHA genetics for prediction of paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy sensitivity.

532Background: Chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common, debilitating paclitaxel side effect that has been primarily attributed to cumulative systemic paclitaxel exposure. Pacl...
Implicit beliefs of emotion and anxiety in psychotherapy

Implicit theories about the malleability of emotion and anxiety (i.e., mindsets) are related to clinically relevant outcomes. However, a paucity of research in clinical samples highlights the importance of assessing the role of these mindsets in treatment. In the current study, treatment-seeking adults (N = 104, Mage = 25.29, SD = 8.42) at a university training clinic evidenced greater malleability in anxiety (but not emotion) mindset at their final treatment session as compared to their initial intake appointment. Surprisingly, neither anxiety nor emotion mindset exerted an indirect effect on the relationship between intake and final session levels of symptom distress, social role, or interpersonal functioning, while controlling for pre-treatment mindsets and session attendance. Yet, accounting for the same covariates, anxiety mindset at the final session was significantly associated with final session levels of symptom distress and social role. Findings contribute to the growing evidence regarding the relative importance of anxiety over emotion mindset in relating to clinical outcomes, while also highlighting the limitations of both mindsets in explaining treatment change.
A Brief Multimedia Intervention for the Transition to Parenthood: A Stage I Pilot Trial

The transition to parenthood is one of the most difficult transitions that couples experience. Couples in this developmental stage often report increased stress and decreased relationship satisfaction. Prior research demonstrates that interventions can successfully improve relationship satisfaction during the transition to parenthood, but existing interventions have traditionally required lengthy time commitments and in-person attendance which is not always feasible for expecting and new parents. In turn, we developed and evaluated a brief multimedia intervention for couples during the prenatal phase using a multi-method analytical approach. Quantitative findings of 55 participants indicate those exposed to the intervention had higher levels of knowledge of expected changes to couple relationships. Qualitative thematic analysis findings suggested that participants found the intervention helpful and were likely to discuss the information with their partner and apply the skills in their relationship. Findings also indicated ways in which the brief intervention could be improved in future research. Overall, findings provide preliminary support for the brief multimedia intervention.
Prenatal maternal hair cortisol concentrations are related to maternal prenatal emotion dysregulation but not neurodevelopmental or birth outcomes.

Hair cortisol concentrations measured during pregnancy have emerged as a novel biomarker for prenatal stress exposure. However, associations between prenatal stress and distress, broadly defined, and hair cortisol concentrations during pregnancy are inconsistent. We examined relations among hair cortisol concentrations during the third trimester with (a) emotion dysregulation and (b) detailed measures of maternal prenatal stress. We also examined the predictive validity of maternal hair cortisol during pregnancy for adverse newborn health outcomes. Cortisol concentrations were derived from 6 cm of hair during the third trimester of pregnancy. Mothers reported on their emotion dysregulation and stress at this time. A standardized newborn neurobehavioral exam was conducted shortly after birth and newborn birth weight and gestational age were assessed from medical records. All hypotheses were preregistered on the Open Science Framework (osf.io/279ng). High levels of emotion dysregulation, but not stress, were predictive of high hair cortisol concentrations. Maternal prenatal BMI mediated the relation between maternal prenatal emotion dysregulation and hair cortisol concentrations. There was no association between hair cortisol and infant birth outcomes. This research supports the notion that transdiagnostic markers of psychopathology are important correlates of hair cortisol concentrations during pregnancy.
Physicians and Alzheimer Dementia: Past, Present, and Future.

Three systematic reviews in this issue have summarized evidence on brief cognitive tests to distinguish Alzheimer dementia from mild cognitive impairment or normal cognition, biomarker testing for ...
Incidence and risk factors for PTT prolongation in patients receiving low-dose unfractionated heparin thromboprophylaxis

Low-dose unfractionated heparin (LDUH) prophylaxis decreases the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in hospitalized patients, but increases the risk of bleeding events. Patients who develop a prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) while on LDUH may be at higher risk for bleeding complications. To determine the incidence and risk factors for aPTT prolongation in hospitalized patients receiving LDUH thromboprophylaxis, we performed a retrospective pharmacoepidemiologic cohort study of adult patients admitted to an academic medical center from September 2013 through September 2015. Among 3857 patients with at least one aPTT checked within 24 h of LDUH administration, aPTT prolongation > 1.5 times the upper limit of normal occurred in 131 (3.4%). Age 68–78 years (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.01–2.4), age > 78 years (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.3–2.9), female gender (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.4–2.5), black race (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1–2.3), low BMI (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.3–2.5), being admitted to a surgical service (OR 0.5, 95% CI 0.3–0.8), and receipt of high-dose (> 10,000 units in a day) unfractionated heparin prophylaxis (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.003–2.0), were independently associated with aPTT prolongation after LDUH exposure. LDUH VTE prophylaxis is associated with aPTT prolongation in 3.4% of general hospitalized patients. We demonstrated several factors independently associated with aPTT prolongation. Monitoring aPTT levels may be indicated for select patients on LDUH thromboprophylaxis who are at high risk or consequence of bleeding and for aPTT prolongation.
Linking signal detection theory and encoding models to reveal independent neural representations from neuroimaging data: Independent neural representation

Abstract Many research questions in visual perception involve determining whether stimulus properties are represented and processed independently. In visual neuroscience, there is great interest in determining whether important object dimensions are represented independently in the brain. For example, theories of face recognition have proposed either completely or partially independent processing of identity and emotional expression. Unfortunately, most previous research has only vaguely defined what is meant by “independence,” which hinders its precise quantification and testing. This article develops a new quantitative framework that links signal detection theory from psychophysics and encoding models from computational neuroscience, focusing on a special form of independence defined in the psychophysics literature: perceptual separability. The new theory allowed us, for the first time, to precisely define separability of neural representations and to theoretically link behavioral and brain measures of separability. The framework formally specifies the relation between these different levels of perceptual and brain representation, providing the tools for a truly integrative research approach. In particular, the theory identifies exactly what valid inferences can be made about independent encoding of stimulus dimensions from the results of multivariate analyses of neuroimaging data and psychophysical studies. In addition, two commonly used operational tests of independence are re-interpreted within this new theoretical framework, providing insights on their correct use and interpretation. Finally, we apply this new framework to the study of separability of brain representations of face identity and emotional expression (neutral/sad) in a human fMRI study with male and female participants. Author Summary A common question in vision research is whether certain stimulus properties, like face identity and expression, are represented and processed independently. We develop a theoretical framework that allowed us, for the first time, to link behavioral and brain measures of independence. Unlike previous approaches, our framework formally specifies the relation between these different levels of perceptual and brain representation, providing the tools for a truly integrative research approach in the study of independence. This allows to identify what kind of inferences can be made about brain representations from multivariate analyses of neuroimaging data or psychophysical studies. We apply this framework to the study of independent processing of face identity and expression.
Toxoplasma gondii Strain and Dose Effects on Feed Conversion Rate, Body Weight, Serum Antibodies Response, and Systemic Distribution in Intraperitoneally Infected Domestic Turkey Poults

Toxoplasmosis, caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, is an important foodborne zoonosis affecting a wide range of hosts, including birds. This study investigated the seroconversion, feed conversion rate, weight gain, and parasite tissue tropism as a function of parasite dose and virulence in turkeys. Twenty-five 4-wk-old female domestic turkeys (Meleagris gallapavo) were intraperitoneally infected with two different strains and two doses (105 and 108 tachyzoites/ml) of T. gondii tachyzoites, resulting in four treatment groups. A fifth group of 10 additional birds was intraperitoneally injected with sterile phosphate-buffered saline as a negative control. All birds remained subclinical except for three birds in the two high-dose groups (108 tachyzoites/ml). Survival rate was 88% (22/25). A 92% seroconversion rate was detected in T. gondii-infected birds using a modified agglutination test. Antibody titers as well as weight gain were related to the dose and strain of T. gondii used. Feed conversion rate was higher in the high-dose groups compared with low-dose and control groups, while weight gain was significantly lower at 14 days postinfection in the group infected with 108 tachyzoites/ml of virulent T. gondii strain. Gross lesions were detected in the pancreas and lungs of only one bird, and histopathologic findings varied depending on strain and dose. The organs that most frequently contained T. gondii DNA as detected by quantitative PCR were the brain and the heart, followed by the bursa of Fabricius and the lungs. This study confirmed that turkeys can be infected with T. gondii, and turkeys can show signs of infection when exposed to high doses. Given the increased practice of outdoor-raised livestock and wildlife consumption, continual experimental infection of T. gondii in wild and domestic animals should be pursued.
Safety, efficacy, length of stay and patient satisfaction with outpatient management of low-risk pulmonary embolism patients - a meta-analysis.

Introduction Annual health expense of hospital admissions, due to venous thromboembolism including pulmonary embolism, exceeds 10 billion dollars in the United States. Most of these patients still get admitted to the hospital despite the advent of novel oral anticoagulants. Our aim is to show that low-risk pulmonary embolism patients can safely be discharged from the emergency department with similar patient satisfaction and lower length of stay. Methods A comprehensive search in Medline indexed and non-indexed, Embase, and Cochrane Central was performed to search for all the randomized controlled trials that compared inpatient treatment of low-risk pulmonary embolism to outpatient treatment. Results Of 68 potentially relevant studies, a total of 2 studies (453 participants) met our inclusion criteria and had data available on patient satisfaction, length of stay, efficacy, and patient safety. The pooled estimate of the included studies showed that at 3-month follow-up, there was no statistically significant difference between inpatient and outpatient treatment of these low-risk patients. Conclusions In conclusion, our meta-analysis of 2 randomized controlled trials shows that low-risk pulmonary embolism patients can safely be discharged from the emergency departments in the limited studies available. We need more randomized controlled trials to confirm these findings.
Myofascial pain in temporomandibular disorders: Updates on etiopathogenesis and management.

Abstract Objectives Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are an umbrella term encompassing disorders of both the temporomandibular joint (TMJD) and masticatory musculature (MMD). The objective of this review is to provide an overview of the etiopathogenesis, clinical features and diagnosis of MMD, and to summarize the current trends in the therapeutic management. Methods A review of the literature was performed from 1985 to 2020. The keywords included were “temporomandibular disorders OR temporomandibular joint disorders” AND “myofascial pain OR masticatory myofascial pain OR trigger point”. A total of 983 articles were screened with abstracts and approximately 500 full text articles were included in the review based on their relevance to the topic. Results MMD's present significant challenges in diagnosis and treatment. Effective treatment requires a clear diagnosis based on an understanding of pathophysiologic mechanisms, a detailed history with assessment of predisposing local and systemic factors, perpetuating factors, a comprehensive clinical evaluation and a diagnostic workup. Conclusion A thorough history and clinical examination are the gold standards for diagnosis of MMD. Serological testing may help identify underlying co-morbidities. Recent diagnostic modalities including ultrasound sonoelastography and magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) have shown promising results. The treatment goals for MMD are to control pain, restore mandibular function and facilitate the return to normal daily activity and improve the overall quality of life of a patient. Conservative modalities including home care regimens, pharmacotherapy, intraoral appliance therapy, local anesthetic trigger point injections, physiotherapy and complementary modalities may be beneficial in patients with MMD's.
Strategies to Maximize Recombinant Protein Expression in Maize Kernels

Recombinant DNA technology has been used to add new functionalities to maize seed. Some of these added functionalities, such as the production of pharmaceuticals or the introduction of enzyme pathways to increase nutritional value, rely on the efficient expression of heterologous proteins. Maize is an exemplary system for the production of recombinant proteins, particularly those that are used for human and veterinary health, because it is a safe and abundant crop. This chapter reviews some of the traits that make maize a popular choice for recombinant protein production, assesses the various factors that contribute to the high-level expression of heterologous proteins, and analyzes examples of successful approaches. It also considers strategies to minimize the inadvertent mixing of recombinant plants with food and feed streams, and the unintended escape of genetically engineered germplasm.
An analog VLSI neural network architecture with on-chip learning

A user-configurable analog VLSI feedforward neural network architecture that adds only 10% to chip area relative to a fixed topology is described. Central to the architecture is a novel synapse circuit that consumes 4500 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ in a 2-/spl mu/m technology. Hybrid dynamic and non-volatile weight storage allows fast learning as well as reliable long-term storage. Measured synapse current-voltage curves from a test chip are presented. The synapse includes a weight increment circuit that adds offset of only 1 part in 13 bits allowing analog-domain on-chip learning. Weight update circuits that implement a semiparallel weight perturbation learning algorithm are presented. >
Predictors of avoidance towards personalization of restaurant smartphone advertising: A study from the Millennials’ perspective

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the effect of privacy concern, irritation and personalization on Millennials’ perceptions of personalized smartphone advertising avoidance in a restaurant context. The hospitality industry has witnessed a huge surge in mobile activity over the past few years. Mobility opens up a new communication channel and allows industry to connect with their guests in a more personalized way. However, not all customers welcome the personalized advertisements. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 159 Millennials enrolled in a large state university in the Eastern USA using an online self-administered survey. These Millennials were asked to use a restaurant’s smartphone application for 30 days and then complete a survey based on their perceptions of personalized advertising. Descriptive analysis, reliability, factor analysis and regression analysis were used to evaluate the relationships among the four constructs: privacy concern, irritation, personalization and adv...
Solubility of membrane proteins in aqueous media.

Abstract Human red blood cell ghosts are severely disrupted by the removal of inorganic cations, and in the presence of 5 x 10-3 m EDTA or 0.1 m (CH3)4NBr the membrane proteins are almost totally soluble in aqueous media without the use of detergents or organic solvents. These soluble proteins have been partially fractionated by column chromatography as a preliminary step to studying their physical and functional properties. Optical rotatory dispersion spectra indicate no major conformational change upon removal of the proteins from the insoluble lipid in the solvent systems studied. Preliminary investigation of porcine cerebral myelin and bovine heart inner mitochondria suggest that the interaction between lipid and protein differs in these two systems from that in the human erythrocyte membrane.
The influence of Hispanic ethnicity on nonsmall cell lung cancer histology and patient survival: an analysis of the Survival, Epidemiology, and End Results database.

BACKGROUND: Most studies exploring ethnic/racial disparities in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compare black patients with whites. Currently, the effect of Hispanic ethnicity on the overall survival of NSCLC is poorly understood. Therefore, the authors carried out a large-scale, population-based analysis using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data base to determine the impact of Hispanic ethnicity the survival of patients with NSCLC. METHODS: The authors identified 172,398 adult patients with pathologically confirmed NSCLC from the SEER data base who were diagnosed between 1988 and 2007. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to determine the impact of race/ethnicity on overall survival. Pair-wise comparisons were used to determine whether Hispanic ethnicity influenced NSCLC histology or stage at diagnosis. RESULTS: Compared with non-Hispanic white patients, Hispanic white patients had a statistically significant better overall survival (hazard ratio [HR], 0.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.83-0.87), and black patients had worse survival (HR, 1.091; 95% CI, 1.072-1.109). Within the bronchioalveolar carcinoma (BAC) subtype, Hispanic-white patients tend to be over represented (8.1% Hispanic whites vs 5.5% non-Hispanic whites vs 3.7% blacks; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The current study demonstrated that Hispanic-white patients with NSCLC had a decreased risk for overall mortality compared with non-Hispanic whites and blacks. Moreover, Hispanic patients were over represented within the BAC histologic subtype. Thus, the overall survival advantage of Hispanic NSCLC patients may be because of their predilection toward developing certain histologic subtypes of NSCLC. Further studies are warranted to determine the etiologies of such predilections and may reveal certain genetic, environmental, and/or epigenetic factors associated with Hispanic ethnicity. Cancer 2012. © 2012 American Cancer Society.
The Five Elements of Negligence

After centuries of glacial development in the English forms of action, negligence law in America began to take shape during the 1830s and 1840s as a general theory of liability for carelessly caused harm. Conveniently (if roughly) dated to Chief Judge Shaw’s 1850 decision in Brown v. Kendall, negligence emerged as a distinct tort sometime during the middle of the nineteenth century. The essence of the tort was that a person should be subject to liability for carelessly causing harm to another. Also essential to negligence, evident from an early date, was the necessity of a causal connection between the defendant’s breach of duty and the plaintiff’s damage that was natural, probable, proximate, and not too remote. As early courts and commentators explored the developing tort of negligence, they increasingly divided it into its essential pieces— “elements”—centered on a defendant’s failure to exercise due care and the plaintiff’s proximately resulting harm. As negligence law proceeded to evolve, its elements were stated in a variety of ways, but most courts
Evolution and structure of the fibrinogen genes: Random insertion of introns or selective loss?☆

Chromosomal linkage as well as sequence homologies provide unequivocal evidence that the genes for the alpha, beta and gamma chains of fibrinogen arose by successive duplication of a single ancestral gene. Yet, when the three fibrinogen chains are aligned by amino acid homology, the positions of intervening sequences coincide at only two positions for all three chains. While one additional intron occurs at a homologous site in the beta and gamma chains, none of the positions of the remaining 11 introns in the three genes is shared. This arrangement of introns in the three fibrinogen genes suggests that either introns were selectively lost, implying that there is essential information in the retained introns, or the common introns were present in the ancestral fibrinogen gene and introns have been randomly inserted since the triplication of the original gene. The more likely possibility of selective loss of introns implies that the ancestral gene, as it existed about one billion years ago, must have been composed of numerous small exons.
NC-SRAM - a low-leakage memory circuit for ultra deep submicron designs

In this paper, we present a novel N-controlled SRAM (NC-SRAM) design for reducing the subthreshold leakage in cache and embedded memories using a dual-V/sub t/ process. We combine the use of high V/sub t/ transistors in the leakage path and gating the supply voltage to reduce leakage in unused SRAM cells. This circuit-level technique overcomes the potential limitations in the existing techniques for reducing leakage in memory circuits. In this design, the data stored in the cell is retained even when the memory is put in the stand-by mode, with no additional complexity or circuit overhead. Simulation results indicate that NC-SRAM has better leakage savings as compared to other techniques. In addition, our results on 100 nm and 70 nm processes show 21% and 18% reduction in total power and 77% and55 % reduction in leakage power, respectively, with very minimal impact on performance and area, as compared to a conventional 6T-SRAM.
Temperature Stability of AuGeNi Ohmic Contacts to GaAs

To achieve reliable, thermally stable ohmic contacts to n-GaAs, surface preparation and thickness of the AuGeNi films must be properly chosen. In this work the contact resistance as a function of the alloying temperature cycle has been studied for different AuGeNi thickness and sputter cleaning conditions. In-situ X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of the sputter-cleaned GaAs-surface showed that the As 2 O 3 was removed first, leaving a sputter damaged layer of GaAs containing 0.3 - 1 nm of Ga 2 O 3 . If a thin As 2 O 3 layer was left on the surface, the contact resistance was large and non-uniform. At the optimum sputter cleaning conditions, when 5 nm of Ni was deposited first followed by 100 nm of AuGe, 30 nm of Ni and 50/100 nm of Au, the contact resistance was low and uniform with Rc?0.1 ? - mm. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis showed that a high density of uniform NiAs(Ge) grains at the GaAs interface is responsible for the much improved uniformity and thermal stability. Spread in contact resistance is due to the s - AuGa phase contacting the GaAs.
Participation: the New Tyranny?

* 1. The Case for Participation as Tyranny - Bill Cooke and Uma Kothari * 2. 'People's Knowledge', Participation and Patronage: Operations and Representations in Rural Development - David Mosse * 3. Institutions, Agency and the Limitations of Participatory Approaches to Development - Frances Cleaver * 4. Pluralism, Participation and Power: Joint Forest Management in India - Nicholas Hildyard, Pandurang Hegde, Paul Wolvekamp, Somasekhare Reddy * 5. Participatory Development at the World Bank: The Primacy of Process - Paul Francis * 6. Beyond the Formulaic: Process and Practice in South Asian NGOs - John Hailey * 7. The Social-Psychological Limits of Participation? - Bill Cooke * 8. Insights into Participation from Critical Management and Labour Process Perspectives - Harry Taylor * 9. Participatory Development: Power, Knowledge and Social Control - Uma Kothari * 10. Beyond Participation: Strategies for Deeper Empowerment - Giles Mohan * 11. Participation as Spiritual Duty: Empowerment as Secular Subjection - Heiko Henkel and Roderick Stirrat * Bibliography
Relations of neighborhood environment influences, physical activity, and active transportation to/from school across African American, Latino American, and White girls in the United States

BACKGROUND: Neighborhood environment influences may be particularly important for understanding physical activity (PA) patterns across ethnic subgroups of early adolescent girls. PURPOSE: This study examined relationships between neighborhood variables, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and active transportation to/from school across African American, Latino American, and White early adolescent girls living in an urban/suburban community in the northwestern U.S.A. Relations between the neighborhood variables across ethnic groups also were examined. METHOD: The sample comprised 372 African American, Latino American, and White girls living in the U.S.A. (mean age = 12.06 years; SD = 1.69). RESULTS: Data were analyzed using multiple-sample structural equation modeling. RESULTS showed that girls' MVPA was positively related to physical activity facility accessibility and negatively related to age. Active transport was positively related to physical activity facility accessibility, neighborhood walkability, and age, and negatively related to distance to the nearest school and household income. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the importance of both perceived and objective neighborhood influences on girls' MVPA and active transport. Consistencies in findings across African American, Latino American, and White girls suggest that neighborhood-level PA promotion has the potential for broad impact across all three ethnic groups. KW: SR2S Language: en
The clinical stages and prognostic factors of children with enterovirus type 71 infection developing pulmonary edema and hemorrhage

Pulmonary edema/hemorrhage was the most severe complications of EV 71 associated hand–foot–mouth disease and usually led to cardiopulmonary failure. The mortality rate was 92% in the 1998 outbreak (11/12). During 2000 and 2001 outbreaks, the mortality rate had been reduced to 33% (8/24). This report was an observation of the clinical stages, risk factors and outcomes. There were 24 children brought to our PICU from May 2000 to June 2001. There were 10 females and 14 males. The age ranged from 5 to 93 months old (mean = 19.8). The EV 71 infections were confirmed by either positive virus isolation (71%, 17/24) or elevated serum neutralization antibody (> 1:8, 96%, 23/24). We found most of the patients (58%, 14/24) presented five clinical stages: (1) hand–foot–mouth disease; (2) meningoencephalitis; (3) cardiopulmonary failure; and (4) convalescence stage. The third stage was divided into two substages, (3A) hypertension stage and (3B) hypotension stage. The risk factors associated with mortality/morbidity were age, CSF leukocytosis, increased troponin I, episodes of cardiac arrest, decreased ejection fraction, need of high dosage inotropes support, lack of hypertension stage which might mean delayed hospital visit, initial very high serum glucose and very low worst PaO2-FiO2 ratio. Fifty percent of survivors (8/16) had moderate to severe neurological sequelae and needed long-term respiratory care.
Clustering and Differential Alignment Algorithm: Identification of Early Stage Regulators in the Arabidopsis thaliana Iron Deficiency Response

Time course transcriptome datasets are commonly used to predict key gene regulators associated with stress responses and to explore gene functionality. Techniques developed to extract causal relationships between genes from high throughput time course expression data are limited by low signal levels coupled with noise and sparseness in time points. We deal with these limitations by proposing the Cluster and Differential Alignment Algorithm (CDAA). This algorithm was designed to process transcriptome data by first grouping genes based on stages of activity and then using similarities in gene expression to predict influential connections between individual genes. Regulatory relationships are assigned based on pairwise alignment scores generated using the expression patterns of two genes and some inferred delay between the regulator and the observed activity of the target. We applied the CDAA to an iron deficiency time course microarray dataset to identify regulators that influence 7 target transcription factors known to participate in the Arabidopsis thaliana iron deficiency response. The algorithm predicted that 7 regulators previously unlinked to iron homeostasis influence the expression of these known transcription factors. We validated over half of predicted influential relationships using qRT-PCR expression analysis in mutant backgrounds. One predicted regulator-target relationship was shown to be a direct binding interaction according to yeast one-hybrid (Y1H) analysis. These results serve as a proof of concept emphasizing the utility of the CDAA for identifying unknown or missing nodes in regulatory cascades, providing the fundamental knowledge needed for constructing predictive gene regulatory networks. We propose that this tool can be used successfully for similar time course datasets to extract additional information and infer reliable regulatory connections for individual genes.