cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mining Relationship Between Video Concepts using Probabilistic Graphical Models

For large scale automatic semantic video characterization, it is necessary to learn and model a large number of semantic concepts. These semantic concepts do not exist in isolation to each other and exploiting this relationship between multiple video concepts could be a useful source to improve the concept detection accuracy. In this paper, we describe various multi-concept relational learning approaches via a unified probabilistic graphical model representation and propose using numerous graphical models to mine the relationship between video concepts that have not been applied before. Their performances in video semantic concept detection are evaluated and compared on two TRECVID'05 video collections.
Reaction of silica gel with trimethylsilyl donors under conditions useful for end-capping HPLC bonded phase packings

Abstract Several trimethylsilyl (TMS) donors including bis-N, O-trimethylsilylacetamide (BSA), bis-N, O-trimethylsilyltrifluoro-acetamide (BSTFA), hexamethyldisilane (HMDS), trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) with and without pyridine, 2-trimethylsiloxypent-2-en-A-one (TMSOP), trimethylsilyldimethylamine (TMSDMA), and trimethylsilylimidazole (TMSIM) were reacted with 60 A silica. TMSIM at 60°C with reaction times of one hour or less gave coverage of silica gel equivalent to that provided by refluxing TMCS and pyridine in toluene for 67 hrs. Reactivity of the TMS donors studied may be ranked in the following order: TMSIM > TMSDMA > BSTFA > BSA > TMCS > TMSOP > HMDS. TMSIM appears to be the reagent of choice for end-capping of alkyl bonded HPLC phases.
Parent Perspectives on the Design of a Personal Online Pediatric Immunization Record

Objective. To examine desired characteristics of an online immunization record for parents from a predominantly Latino, low-income population. Methods. Four focus groups were conducted with parents (n = 29) from an urban, primarily Latino, low-income population in New York. The data were collected and analyzed during winter 2008-2009. Results. Participants expressed interest in using an online immunization record that has the ability to show a child’s immunization status and to access consumer health information related to vaccinations. Participants suggested that the online record be translated into multiple languages and provide user-friendly interfaces. Participants were enthusiastic about the benefits offered by the online immunization record, highlighting having an electronic copy of their child’s immunization record available. Concerns over disclosing personal information were raised, and safeguards to protect confidentiality were requested. Conclusions. If concerns about privacy are adequately addr...
ADHD and Nutritional Supplements

Many children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) use nutritional therapies (supplements and elimination diets) as a treatment strategy. This article reviews the use of supplements in ADHD. Several nutrients have known roles in the support of brain function. Nutrient sufficiency during brain development is critical. Because 1) data indicate that many American schoolchildren do not meet nutritional recommendations, 2) the prefrontal cortex continues to develop into young adulthood, and 3) ADHD symptoms are thought to arise from inefficient functioning of the prefrontal cortex and its connections, the role of nutritional supplements in childhood ADHD is important to consider.
The Necessity of Rostrolateral Prefrontal Cortex for Higher-Level Sequential Behavior

SUMMARY Frontal neocortex is thought to support our highest intellectual abilities, including our ability to plan and enact a sequence of tasks toward a desired goal. In everyday life, such task sequences are abstract in that they do not require consistent movement sequences and are often assembled ‘‘on the fly.’’ Yet, remarkably little is known about the necessity of frontal sub-regions for such control. Participants repeatedly completed sequences of simple tasks during fMRI scanning. Rostrolateral prefrontal cortex (RLPFC) activation ramped over sequence position and reset at the initiation of each new sequence. To establish the necessity and function of RLPFC in this task, participants performed the sequential task while undergoing transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the RLPFC versus two prefrontal control regions. Across two independent experiments, only RLPFC stimulation increasingly disrupted task performance as each sequence progressed. These data establish RLPFC as necessary for uncertainty resolution during sequence-level control.
Stem Cells as Tools for Studying the Genetics of Inherited Retinal Degenerations

The ability to provide early clinical intervention for inherited disorders is heavily dependent on knowledge of a patient's disease-causing mutations and the resultant pathophysiologic mechanism(s). Without knowing a patient's disease-causing gene, and how gene mutations alter the health and functionality of affected cells, it would be difficult to develop and deliver patient-specific molecular or small molecule therapies. Many believe that the field of stem cell biology holds the keys to the future development of disease-, patient-, and cell-specific therapies. In the case of the eye, which is susceptible to an extremely common late-onset degenerative disease known as age-related macular degeneration, stem cell-based therapies could increase the quality of life for millions of patients worldwide. Furthermore, autologous, patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells could be a viable source to treat rare Mendelian retinal degenerative diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, Stargardt disease, and Best disease, to name a few.
Two human 35 kd inhibitors of phospholipase A2 are related to substrates of pp60v-src and of the epidermal growth factor receptor/kinase

We have purified two 35 kd phospholipase A2 inhibitors from human placenta, which we refer to as lipocortin I and II. Both proteins exhibit similar biochemical properties and occur in placenta at about 0.2% of the total protein. By peptide mapping, sequence, and immunological analyses, we show that lipocortin I and the 35 kd substrate for the EGF-receptor/kinase from A431 cells are the same protein. By similar criteria, we determine that lipocortin II is the human analogue of pp36, a major substrate for pp60src, which has been characterized in chicken embryo fibroblasts and in bovine brush border preparations. The amino acid sequences of lipocortin I and II that we deduced from cDNA clones share 50% homology, indicating that they probably evolved from a common gene.
A high-Q electronically tunable evanescent-mode double-ridged rectangular waveguide resonator

This paper presents a novel concept to tune the resonant frequency of an evanescent-mode double-ridged rectangular waveguide resonator, while maintaining a high-Q in the tuned frequency range. The waveguide is loaded with a tuning element fabricated on the Rogers RT/duroid®5880 substrate, and equivalent to a variable capacitor. It is shown that, by positioning multiples of this tuning element inside the double-ridged waveguide, one can increase the number of achievable resonant frequencies. The tuning element can also be dimensioned properly for a prescribed frequency shift. To prove the introduced concept, a resonator was fabricated with a tuning element capable of generating three resonant frequencies (3.646 GHz, 3.775 GHz and 3.921 GHz respectively), while maintaining a high unloaded Q (884, 967, and 980 respectively).
Mitogenic Signaling of Urokinase Receptor–Deficient Kidney Fibroblasts: Actions of an Alternative Urokinase Receptor and LDL Receptor–Related Protein

ABSTRACT. The urokinase receptor (uPAR) attenuates myofibroblast recruitment and fibrosis in the kidney. This study examined the role of uPAR and its co-receptor LDL receptor-related protein (LRP) in the regulation of kidney fibroblast proliferation and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling. Compared with uPAR+/+ cells, uPAR−/− kidney fibroblasts were hyperproliferative. UPAR−/− fibroblast proliferation was 60% inhibited by an ERK kinase inhibitor. LRP protein was reduced and extracellular accumulation of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) proteins were greater in uPAR−/− cultures. Addition of functional uPA protein or LRP antisense RNA significantly increased ERK signaling and cell mitosis in both genotypes. Enhanced uPAR−/− fibroblast proliferation was reversed by a recombinant nonfunctional uPA peptide. The density of cell-bound fluor-uPA was similar between uPAR−/− and uPAR+/+ fibroblasts (78 ± 6 versus 92 ± 16 units). These data suggest that uPAR-deficient kidney fibroblasts express lower levels of its scavenger co-receptor LRP, resulting in greater extracellular accumulation of uPA and PAI-1. Enhanced proliferation of uPAR−/− fibroblasts seems to be mediated by uPA-dependent ERK signaling via an alternative urokinase receptor.
Using undergraduate teaching assistants in a research methodology course

In this article. I describe an undergraduate teaching assistant (TA) program in which TAs engage in the complimentary activities of course preparation, course instruction, and 1-on-1 tutorial assistance. Questionnaires completed by students enrolled in the beginning methodology course and from undergraduates serving as Tas indicated that both groups viewed the program as a learning experience. Seventy-three percent of the TAs rated their work as an excellent Laming experience. Over 91% of the students who worked with the teaching assistants rated the help they received as good to excellent.
Birth weight, infant mortality, and race: Twin comparisons and genetic/environmental inputs

Genetic and environmental inputs may shape population health disparities in varying ways. In this article, we use unique variation involved in twin births to attempt to untangle how genetic and prenatal environmental variation may make different contributions to infant health among white and black populations in the United States. Using twin fixed effects models and data from the 1995-1997 Matched Multiple Birth Dataset we compare birth weight-mortality associations across twin sex composition, zygosity, and race. Findings reveal suggestive differences between fraternal and imputed identical twin estimates for white and black twin pairs.
Feasibility of Administering Aminoglycoside Antibiotics by Continuous Intravenous Infusion

Eleven patients each received gentamicin sulfate, tobramycin, and sisomicin by continuous intravenous infusion after an initial loading dose. Subsequent doses of antibiotic were adjusted in an attempt to maintain constant serum concentrations. There was considerable variation in the serum concentration from patient to patient and in the same patient from day to day with each drug. Although the dosages of gentamicin sulfate and tobramycin were similar, the serum concentrations of the latter drug were consistently lower. Despite the daily administration of doses of at least 300 mg of gentamicin and tobramycin per m(2) and 160 mg of sisomicin per m(2), nephrotoxicity occurred in only three patients. This is a low frequency of nephrotoxicity, considering the dosages of drug administered. Although therapeutic efficacy was not an objective of this study, 8 of 11 documented infections were cured. This approach to the administration of aminoglycoside antibiotics deserves therapeutic trials.
The Relation Between Crystalline Phase, Electronic Structure, and Dielectric Properties in High‐K Gate Stacks

As high permittivity dielectrics approach use in metal‐oxide‐semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) production, an atomic level understanding of their electronic and dielectric properties is being rigorously examined. In our work we illustrate studies leading to such an understanding for the important materials HfO2 and ZrO2. Valence and conduction band densities of states for HfO2/SiO2/Si and ZrO2/SiOxNy/n‐Si structures were determined by soft X‐ray photoemission and inverse photoemission. First principles calculations were used to help in assigning valence band maxima and conduction band minima. The energies of defect states at the band edges were determined by comparing the theoretical and experimental results. From this information, we are able to show that both of these dielectric materials have high enough barriers for both electron and hole transfer. We show that the crystal structure in ultrathin ZrO2 films has considerable effects on permittivity as well as bandgap. The films reported here are predominantly amorphous below a critical thickness (∼5.4 nm) and transform to the tetragonal phase upon annealing, while thicker films appear tetragonal as grown. Finally, bandgaps obtained from combined PES and IPES studies were compared with the optical bandgap derived from ellipsometry measurements. The difference in the bandgap values found in this comparison can be attributed to the final state effects in the excitation processes of the spectroscopies involved. We discuss the interplay of the dielectric’s crystal phase, defects and electronic properties, as well as the impact of this understanding on possible tailoring of the film phase for improving band‐gap, band‐offset and leakage. Finally, we note that lack of sufficient understanding of the dielectric’s phase and electronic properties can have negative impact on the ability to correctly determine a film’s EOT.
Attitude, Subjective Norm, and Perceived Behavioral Control as Indicators for Nurse Educators’ Intention to Use Critical Thinking Teaching Strategies: a Structural Equation Model Analysis

ATTITUDE, SUBJECTIVE NORM, AND PERCEIVED BEHAVIORAL CONTROL AS INDICATORS FOR NURSE EDUCATORS’ INTENTION TO USE CRITICAL THINKING TEACHING STRATEGIES: A STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODEL ANALYSIS
Adults Who Were Adopted Contacting Their Birthmothers

ABSTRACT In the present study, adults (n = 90) who were adopted were surveyed about their contact experience and the types of relationships formed with their birthmothers as a result of the contact experience. Results showed that the majority of participants evaluated the contact experience as a positive experience and had established satisfactory relationships with their birthmothers. Participants who were not satisfied with the relationship with their birthmothers referred to a lack of interest on the part of the birthmother, discrepancies in lifestyle and values, and secrecy as reasons for their dissatisfaction. The general evaluation of the contact experience was predicted by the closeness established between the participant and the birthmother. Attachment to adoptive mother and resentment toward birthmother did not predict the outcome for the contact experience.
Metabolic signaling pathways asociated with fatty acid synthase activity

5479 Fatty Acid Synthase (FAS) is the enzyme responsible for the synthesis of the 16-carbon fatty acid, palmitate. FAS is overexpressed in many cancers including prostate, breast, colorectal, and ovarian, with little or no expression in corresponding normal tissues. In addition, FAS expression correlates with poor prognosis and aggressive disease. Because of the marked relationship between FAS expression and tumor status, FAS has become an attractive target for anti-tumor therapy. Inhibition of FAS by the newly described drug orlistat causes cell death in breast and prostate cancer cell lines and inhibits tumor growth in a xenograft model of prostate cancer. In the effort to characterize the mechanism of cell death caused by inhibition of FAS, various anti-apoptotic agents were tested in concert with orlistat. Neither Bcl-2, FADD-dN, nor the pan-caspase inhibitor, zVAD.fmk rescues cell death caused by orlistat. Because fatty acid synthesis and oxidation can modulate the ATP balance of a cell, we asked whether FAS inhibition affected AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) signaling. Inhibition of FAS by orlistat induces phosphorylation of AMPK indicating that ATP levels are depleted. When AMPK is active, energy consuming processes of the cell are blocked in favor of ATP production. One potential downstream target of AMPK is mTOR, the Ser/Thr kinase that also acts as a sensor for ATP and amino acid levels to balance nutrients for cell growth. Inhibition of FAS by orlistat induces phosphorylation of mTOR. Because mTOR plays a role in translational regulation, we asked whether cap-dependent translation may also be affected. Indeed, FAS inhibition by orlistat causes phosphorylation of eIF2α. Accordingly, orlistat treatment inhibits new protein synthesis which may lead to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Phosphorylation of eIF2α indicates that FAS inhibition may induce ER stress. Together these data indicate that FAS activity may serve to regulate several metabolic pathways, including those involved in ATP production and protein synthesis, to promote prostate cancer survival.
Corporate diversification and performance: evidence on production efficiency

This study utilizes the COMPUSTAT database to extract 31,002 firm-year observations for the firms publicly traded on US exchanges during the 1995–2001 period, and examines the relationship between corporate international diversification and technical productive efficiency. The parameters of a stochastic frontier function are estimated simultaneously with the firm-specific production inefficiency effects in a panel framework. After controlling for product diversification, industry and firm size, the author finds the degree of international diversification is positively related to production efficiency. The results are robust to the choice of multinationality variables including number of geographic segments, foreign income ratio and foreign tax ratio. In all, the results suggest that multinational corporations are utilizing their operating flexibility.
Quantum entanglement and metrology

For linear couplings of N systems to a parameter, quantum entanglement can improve the precision of parameter estimation from the 1/?N shot-noise limit to the 1/N Heisenberg limit. Intrinsic ?-body couplings improve this scaling further to 1/N?.
Application of coding theory to the construction of the Singer difference sets

In this paper we give a new and simple construction for the cyclic [(q m − 1)/(q − 1), q m−1, q m−2(q− 1)]—difference sets (q = p γ is a prime power) using the methods of coding theory. The construction is such that, in the case q = 2, the 2-ranks of both the incidence matrix and its complementary matrix are easily determined.
Phase I Trial of Parathyroid Hormone to Facilitate Stem Cell Mobilization

Abstract Autologous stem cell transplantation is a curative procedure for many patients with lymphomas, and has been shown to improve survival in patients with multiple myeloma. Approximately 20% of patients are unable to mobilize sufficient hematopoietic stem cells to proceed safely to autologous stem cell transplantation. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) affects osteoblasts and the stem cell niche, and has been shown to improve survival when given posttransplant in a mouse competitive transplant model. In this Phase I study, 20 subjects who had 1 or 2 unsuccessful stem cell mobilization attempts, received PTH in escalating doses of 40 μg, 60 μg, 80 μg, and 100 μg for 14 days. On days 10-14 of treatment, subjects received filgrastim 10 μg/kg. The PTH was tolerated well and there was no dose-limiting toxicity. Forty-seven percent of subjects who had failed 1 prior mobilization attempt met the mobilization criteria of >5 CD 34+ cells/μL in the peripheral blood. Forty percent of subjects who failed to reach adequate CD34+ cell counts in 2 prior mobilization attempts met the mobilization criteria. PTH was well tolerated at doses up to 100 μg in human cancer patients. The efficacy of PTH for mobilization of hematopoietic stem cells will need to be tested in a larger Phase II study.
Characteristics That Define a Successful Pharmacy Resident as Perceived by Residency Programs.

PurposeTo identify the subjective and objective characteristics that pharmacy residency programs use to define a successful resident and to determine what percentage of their 2009-2010 residency cl...
Challenges of Femtosecond Laser Technologies for Cataract Surgery

Due to its optically transparent media, the human eye is a favored target for laser surgery. Laser surgery in the eye using femtosecond (FS) lasers became technologically feasible for scientific use in the early 1990s. The highly localized tissue effects of FS lasers made them ideal devices for high precision ocular surgery. Due to relatively easy requirements for laser delivery through a contact lens placed, corneal surgery was the first application attempted with this technology in the late 1990s. During the first decade of the twenty-first century, these devices have become the dominant tool for LASIK flap cutting in many countries. The addition of high precision imaging techniques has enabled accurate targeting of deeper intraocular tissues such as anterior capsule and lens nucleus, to allow the development of FS laser cataract surgery. While the basic operating principles of corneal and cataract FS laser surgical systems are similar, there are considerable differences between these two categories of devices. In this chapter, technical challenges of FS laser technology for cataract surgery are detailed by contrasting device requirements with FS laser technology designed only for corneal surgery.
Diagnostic Cytology Training for Obstetrics and Gynecology Physicians

The efficacy of diagnostic cytology is increased through cooperation and communication between the cytopathology laboratory and clinician. Because diagnostic cytology is not included in most medical school curricula, many physicians do not have the basic knowledge required to effectively utilize cytologic services. It has become the responsibility of the cytopathology laboratory to establish physician education programs aimed at assisting practitioners in becoming better consumers of cytologic testing. During the past five years, the Division of Cytology at the University of Utah has administered a physician education program specifically designed for obstetrics and gynecology residents. The course was designed to increase the residents' understanding of the clinical utility of cytology, principles of specimen collection and preparation, cytohistologic features of common entities, and medical significance of specific cytodiagnoses. Variations in laboratory organization and function, diagnostic nomenclature, test costs, and methods of quality assurance were discussed. Since the institution of this educational program we have observed significant improvements in resident knowledge and practical skills and an enhanced interaction between our cytopathology laboratory and the obstetrics and gynecology department. The educational objectives, curriculum, instructional strategies, comprehensive lesson plans, and evaluation methods developed for this program will be described.
Abstract 4060: Radiation-inducible silencing of uPA and uPARin vitroandin vivoin meningioma

Stereospecific radiation treatment offers a distinct opportunity for temporal and spatial regulation of gene expression at tumor sites by means of inducible promoters. To achieve this, a plasmid, pCArG-U2, was constructed by incorporating nine CArG elements (in tandem) of EGR1 gene upstream to uPA and uPAR siRNA oligonucleotides in a pCi-Neo vector. Radiation-induced siRNA expression was detected in a meningioma cell line (IOMM-Lee). Immunoblotting and RT-PCR analyses confirmed downregulation of uPA and uPAR. A similar effect was observed in transfected cells followed by H2O2 treatment. Moreover, pre-treatment of transfected cells with N-Acetyl L-Cysteine blocked the silencing of uPA and uPAR, which further confirmed the oxidative damage-mediated downregulation. Cell proliferation assays and western blot analysis for apoptotic molecules confirmed cell death in a radiation-inducible fashion. Migration and Matrigel invasion assays also revealed a marked decrease in the migration and invasive behavior. Immunocytochemistry showed a marked decrease in uPA and uPAR levels in the transfected and irradiated cells. HE 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4060.
Phase-selective cation-exchange chemistry in sulfide nanowire systems.

As a cation-deficient, p-type semiconductor, copper sulfide (Cu2–xS) shows promise for applications such as photovoltaics, memristors, and plasmonics. However, these applications demand precise tuning of the crystal phase as well as the stoichiometry of Cu2–xS, an ongoing challenge in the synthesis of Cu2–xS materials for a specific application. Here, a detailed transformation diagram of cation-exchange (CE) chemistry from cadmium sulfide (CdS) into Cu2–xS nanowires (NWs) is reported. By varying the reaction time and the reactants’ concentration ratio, the progression of the CE process was captured, and tunable crystal phases of the Cu2–xS were achieved. It is proposed that the evolution of Cu2–xS phases in a NW system is dependent on both kinetic and thermodynamic factors. The reported data demonstrate that CE can be used to precisely control the structure, composition, and crystal phases of NWs, and such control may be generalized to other material systems for a variety of practical applications.
Perimeter tracking by multiple UAVs based on a cyclic-pursuit algorithm

This work is intended towards the development of an integrated controller for cooperative pursuit and perimeter tracking in a multi-UAV system around dynamic perimeters, for applications that include forest fires and oil spills, among others. The integrated controller proposed here consists of two orthogonal components, a radial component that acts on each agent facilitating perimeter tracking, and a tangential component acting along the curve that defines the interaction of each agent with its immediate neighboring agent further along the curve, facilitating cyclic pursuit along the closed perimeter. The control model assumes no prior knowledge of the curve, and perimeter tracking and cyclic pursuit implementations rely purely on local, instantaneous observations of the perimeter within each agent’s field of view. It is demonstrated through numerical simulations that the integrated controller is stable and allows for consistent perimeter tracking while ensuring uniform agent separations around the perimeter and uniform agent velocities.
Monoaryloxide Pyrrolide (MAP) Imido Alkylidene Complexes of Molybdenum and Tungsten That Contain 2,6-Bis(2,5-R2-pyrrolyl)phenoxide (R = i-Pr, Ph) Ligands and an Unsubstituted Metallacyclobutane on Its Way to Losing Ethylene.

We report the synthesis of Mo and W MAP complexes that contain O-2,6-(2,5-R2-pyrrolyl)2C6H3 (2,6-dipyrrolylphenoxide or ODPPR) ligands in which R = i-Pr, Ph. W(NAr)(CH-t-Bu)(Pyr)(ODPPPh) (4a; Ar = 2,6-disopropylphenyl, Pyr = pyrrolide) reacts readily with ethylene to yield a metallacyclobutane complex, W(NAr)(C3H6)(Pyr)(ODPPPh) (5). The structure of 5 in the solid state shows that it is approximately a square pyramid with the WC4 ring spanning apical and basal positions. This SP′ structure, which has never been observed as an actual intermediate, must now be regarded as an integral feature of the metathesis reaction.
Evidence for only oxygenative cleavage of aldehydes to alk(a/e)nes and formate by cyanobacterial aldehyde decarbonylases.

Cyanobacterial aldehyde decarbonylases (ADs) catalyze the conversion of Cn fatty aldehydes to formate (HCO2–) and the corresponding Cn-1 alk(a/e)nes. Previous studies of the Nostoc punctiforme (Np) AD produced in Escherichia coli (Ec) showed that this apparently hydrolytic reaction is actually a cryptically redox oxygenation process, in which one O-atom is incorporated from O2 into formate and a protein-based reducing system (NADPH, ferredoxin, and ferredoxin reductase; N/F/FR) provides all four electrons needed for the complete reduction of O2. Two subsequent publications by Marsh and co-workers [Das, et al. (2011) Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.50, 7148−7152; Eser, et al. (2011) Biochemistry50, 10743–10750] reported that their Ec-expressed Np and Prochlorococcus marinus (Pm) AD preparations transform aldehydes to the same products more rapidly by an O2-independent, truly hydrolytic process, which they suggested proceeded by transient substrate reduction with obligatory participation by the reducing system (they u...
Egalitarians, sufficientarians, and mathematicians: a critical notice of Harry Frankfurt’s On Inequality

AbstractThis critical notice provides an overview of Harry Frankfurt’s On Inequality and assesses whether Frankfurt is right to argue that equality is merely formal and empty. I counter-argue that egalitarianism, properly tweaked and circumscribed, can be defended against Frankfurt’s repudiation. After surveying the main arguments in Frankfurt’s book, I argue that whatever plausibility the ‘doctrine of sufficiency’ defended by Frankfurt may have, it does not strike a fatal blow against egalitarianism. There is nothing in egalitarianism that forbids acceptance of the moral platitude expressed in sufficientarianism's positive thesis, (viz., it is morally important that everyone have enough). Nor is there anything in egalitarianism as such that makes it impossible to recognize the banal truth that there are many important things besides equality, and that many dimensions of human affairs are improperly appraised from a relational or comparative point of view. The fact that a relational or comparative point o...
Novel Endogenous ADP-Ribosylations of Proteins in Transformed Cells: Effects of Cellular Transformation and Differentiation

ADP-ribosylation is a post-translational modification of proteins that utilizes NAD1 as a donor for the modification grohp (Ueda and Hayaishi, 1985). The reaction involves enzymatic transfer of the ADP-ribose moiety of NAD to specific acceptor amino acids on the target protein; nicotinamide being the released product of this reaction. ADP-ribosylation reactions are broadly classified into mono- and poly(ADPribosyl) ation on the basis of ADP-ribose chain length. However, there are other differences between the two groups. Mono(ADPribosyl) ations generally occur on the side-chain nitrogen atom of the acceptor amino acid, and depending upon this acceptor, can be classified as types A (arginine), C (cysteine) and D (diphthamide) respectively (Moss et al., 1980; Tanuma et al., 1988; Sayhan et al., 1986). On the contrary, poly(ADP-ribosyl) ation starts on the carboxyl groups and forms oglycosidic linkages on glutamic acid residues within the target protein. In some cases (e.g. in histone H1), COOH-terminal lysine may also be the site for poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation (Ogata et al., 1980).
Intoxicated copepods: ingesting toxic phytoplankton leads to risky behaviour.

Understanding interactions between harmful algal bloom (HAB) species and their grazers is essential for determining mechanisms of bloom proliferation and termination. We exposed the common calanoid...
432 RENAL AND SYSTEMIC RESPONSES TO NITRIC OXIDE BLOCKADE IN GP91PHOX KNOCKOUT MICE

An interactive role of nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide (O2-) in the regulation of renal function has been suggested in recent studies. NAD(P)H oxidase is known to be a major source of O2- production in the kidney. To understand further this NO-O2- interaction in the kidney, we have assessed the renal responses to systemic administration of NO synthase inhibitor, nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 0.2 μg/min/g BW) in inactin anesthetized knockout (KO, n = 8) mice, deficient of gene for gp91phox and compared these responses to that in wild-type (WT, C57BL/6, n = 7) mice. Renal blood flow (RBF) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were measured by PAH and inulin clearances respectively. Baseline mean arterial blood pressure (BP) recorded from a carotid arterial cannula was not different between KO (91 ± 4 mm Hg) and WT mice (92 ± 6 mm Hg). Basal RBF was higher in KO compared to WT (5.4 ± 0.5 vs. 4.3 ± 0.3 mL.min-1.g-1, p
Multilevel modeling of retention and disinfection efficacy of silver nanoparticles on ceramic water filters

This research examined how variations in synthesis methods of silver nanoparticles affect both the release of silver from ceramic water filters (CWFs) and disinfection efficacy. The silver nanoparticles used were stabilized by four different molecules: citrate, polyvinylpyrrolidone, branched polyethylenimine, and casein. A multilevel statistical model was built to quantify if there was a significant difference in: a) extent of silver lost, b) initial amount of silver lost, c) silver lost for water of different quality, and d) total coliform removal. Experiments were performed on location at Pure Home Water, a CWF factory in Tamale, Ghana using stored rainwater and dugout water (a local surface water). The results indicated that using dugout vs. rainwater significantly affects the initial (p-value 0.0015) and sustained (p-value 0.0124) loss of silver, but that silver type does not have a significant effect. On average, dugout water removed 37.5μg/L more initial silver and had 1.1μg/L more silver in the filtrate than rainwater. Initially, filters achieved 1.9 log reduction values (LRVs) on average, but among different silver and water types this varied by as much as 2.5 LRV units. Overall, bacterial removal effectiveness was more challenging to evaluate, but some data suggest that the branched polyethylenimine silver nanoparticles provided improved initial bacterial removal over filters which were not painted with silver nanoparticles (p-value 0.038).
High gain free electron lasers

Induction linac accelerators are specifically designed to produce high current electron beams. The high quality, high current beam made available by these accelerators enables one to build free electron lasers with extremely high single pass gain (>40 dB) and high extraction efficiency (>35%). Several high gain FELs have been built and operated at LLNL over the past 10 years, and a complete set of numerical models has been developed to guide the design of future FELs.
Headache and abdominal pain in a young woman.

A 19-year-old woman with a history of hydrocephalus treated at age 2 weeks with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt, last revised at age 15, presented to the emergency department with 2 weeks of diffuse abdominal pain and increasing girth and 2 days of right frontal headache relieved by lying supine. She initially had nausea and vomiting, which resolved after several days, leaving her with anorexia. There had been no fever or change in her bowel movements. Her blood pressure was 101/58 mm Hg, and her neurological examination was normal. An abdominal ultrasound examination showed extensive ascites and normal ovaries and uterus. Computed tomography revealed a cystic accumulation of fluid in the lower abdomen. Because of a slow irregular pulse, an electrocardiogram was recorded and showed sinus bradycardia and arrhythmia with occasional junctional escape complexes (Figure). Figure. Electrocardiogram recorded in a young woman with headache and abdominal pain. See text for explication. At craniotomy, the proximal catheter from the fourth ventricular Dandy-Walker cyst was found to be obstructed and was replaced. The distal catheter was then replaced. Postoperatively, the patient's abdominal pain resolved, and her headache decreased. The Dandy-Walker deformity is a congenital malformation that occurs in approximately 1 in 20,000 newborns. Noncommunicating hydrocephalus is often part of the syndrome and is usually treated with ventriculoperitoneal shunting, as in this patient (1). One hundred and fifteen years ago, Harvey Cushing, Dandy's and Walker's predecessor in neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins, described high blood pressure, bradycardia, and terminally a slow respiratory rate in patients with increased intracranial pressure (2). Although this patient may have had increased intracranial pressure, in the absence of high blood pressure this cannot be called Cushing's phenomenon. In fact, no definite abnormality is noted in the electrocardiogram shown here. Sinus bradycardia and arrhythmia with occasional junctional escape complexes are not rare in healthy young adults. Also, the T-wave inversion in leads V1 to V3 is fairly common in normal young women.
Art and Science of Cerebrovascular Event Prevention After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has been established as a standard of care worldwide in patients with degenerative severe aortic stenosis deemed at high or prohibitive risk for surgical aortic valve replacement. Since its early inception, stroke has been the most feared potential complication. In the early experience, rates of clinical stroke at 30 days after TAVR ranged between 4% and 6%. The substantial improvements in case selection, procedural technique, device technology development, and operator experience overtime dropped this rate substantially.1 Of note, in a large high-risk TAVR trial with a self-expandable device, the risk of stroke over 3 years was higher in the control group of patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement.2 Despite the availability of surgical aortic valve replacement for long time, the issues discussed hereafter have not yet been investigated in prospective, randomized fashion. Although we focus on TAVR, owing to the 2 papers we are commenting upon, we should acknowledge upfront that cerebrovascular event (CVE) prevention remains a common theme for all kinds of bioprosthetic aortic valves, via surgical or transcatheter implantation. See Articles by Kapadia et al and Kleiman et al CVE during or after TAVR is a multifactorial phenomenon with clinical, anatomic, procedural, and pharmacological factor contributions.1,3 During TAVR, the predominant pathological mechanisms may be cerebral embolism of calcific or atherothrombotic debris during positioning and implantation of the valve prosthesis.3 After TAVR, thromboembolic mechanisms may include endovascular thrombosis (including upon small size emboli), late embolization of calcific or atheromatous debris from the native aortic valve, ongoing thrombotic pannus (or mural thrombus layer) formation on the surface of the implanted prosthesis, and other mechanisms, including new-onset atrial fibrillation or the progression of atherothrombotic vascular disease.3 However, definitive scientific evidence characterizing the CVE risk peri-TAVR is still lacking. In …
A wavelet de-noising signal processing method for overall noise-to-signal (NSR) profile extraction, characterization and comparison of 3μm-5μm MWIR strained-layer super-lattice (SLS) photo-detectors enhanced with microsphere lenses of different material structures and sizes

MWIR detectors have received a lot of attention due to their importance and high viability in many civilian and military applications, such as target identification, bio-imaging, medical field, and defense. One crucial component in achieving high-sensitivity performance in MWIR photo-detectors, is obtaining reasonable MWIR high detector signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) profiles. The classical IR photo-detector SNR model is limited as it does not reflect modeling of all physical factors, including detector environment sources causing undesired noise. In general, there is a need for better empirical methods to accurately estimate and extract the detector integrated-sources of imperfection noise. In this paper we present and discuss a non-parametric wavelet-based de-noising signal processing method for accurate extraction, characterization and comparison of the overall combined effects of detector sources of noise, including spectral fabrication imperfection noise, electronics testing equipment imperfection noise, and microsphere lens material fabrication/alignment imperfection noise, among others, of eleven (11) 3μm-5μm MWIR InAS/GaSb strained-layer Superlattice (SLS) single photodetectors enhanced with microsphere-lenses of different material structures/sizes. With the collected spectral FTIR data considered and the detector wavelet-denoising-based extracted NSR, the results show that there is a decrease (improvement) of about 71 % (difference between lens-enhanced and no-lens-enhanced NSR values divided by no-lens-enhanced NSR) in the noise-to-signal ratio (NSR) of the SLS photodetector of size 40μm and enhanced with a microsphere-lens sapphire of size 300μm in the targeted 3μm–5μm MWIR wavelength-band considered.
Use of material dielectric properties in agricultural applications

ABSTRACTThe use of dielectric properties of materials for applications in agriculture is reviewed, and research findings on the use of dielectric heating of materials and on sensing of product moisture content and other quality factors are discussed. Dielectric heating applications include treatment of seed-borne pathogens, stored-product insect control, seed treatment to improve germination, soil treatment for pest control, and conditioning of products to improve nutritional value and quality maintenance. Quality sensing applications reviewed include the sensing of moisture content in grain, seed, fruit and nuts, and other quality attributes of fruits and vegetables.
Lamellar events related to insulin‐like growth factor‐1 receptor signalling in two models relevant to endocrinopathic laminitis

BACKGROUND Insulin dysregulation, obesity, and exposure to high-nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) forage are risk factors for equine metabolic syndrome-associated laminitis (EMSAL); high systemic insulin concentrations in EMSAL are proposed to induce cellular dysregulation in the digital lamellae through activation of the insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor. OBJECTIVES To use a dietary challenge model (DCM) and a euglycaemic-hyperinsulinaemic clamp (EHC) model to assess lamellar growth factor-related signalling. STUDY DESIGN Lamellar phospho (P)-protein concentrations of signalling proteins important in growth factor-related signalling were assessed in 2 models: 1) lean and obese ponies on a low- or high-NSC diet; and 2) EHC model using Standardbred horses. METHODS Ponies stratified for body condition (lean [LN, n = 11] and obese [OB, n = 11]) were exposed to a low-NSC diet (LO, n = 5 per group for LN LO and OB LO) or a high NSC diet (HI, n = 6 per group for LN HI and OB HI groups) for 7 days. For the EHC model, horses were administered insulin (constant rate infusion [6 mIU/kg bwt/min] combined with 50% dextrose, EHC group, n = 8)] or saline (0.57 mL/kg bwt/h, CON group, n = 8) for 48 h. Immunoblotting was employed to assess concentrations of activated/phosphorylated and total protein for members of the PI3K/Akt/mTORC1 and Ras/ERK pathways in lamellar samples from both models. RESULTS In the DCM, lamellar P-(Ser 240/244) RPS6 was increased in OB HI ponies (vs. OB LO, P 0.5) between Day 7 basal serum insulin concentrations and lamellar concentrations of P-p70S6K and P-(Ser 240/244) RPS6. In the EHC model, lamellar concentrations of P-Akt, P-p70S6K, P-ERK 1/2, P-p90RSK, and both P-(Ser 235/236) and P-(Ser 240/244) RPS6 were increased in the EHC group (vs. CON, P<0.05). MAIN LIMITATIONS The primary limitations of this study are the small number of animals per group in the DCM study, and the fact that many animals did not develop laminitis as that was not the endpoint of either study. CONCLUSIONS These results support further investigation of mTORC1/RPS6 signalling as a potential therapeutic target(s) in EMSAL. The Summary is available in Chinese - see Supporting Information.
Discriminative recurring signal detection and localization

Recognizing and localizing a recurring pattern is a problem with a variety of applications such as classification and localization of home appliances from their activation signals and estimating the relative alignment between records of a natural repetitive electrocardiography (ECG) signals in Bio-medical data. Most common approaches for recognizing a recurring pattern are generative and focus on discovering and capturing the characteristics of the recurring pattern. One limitation of such generative approaches is that they are more sensitive to variations of the recurring signal. In this paper, we present a discriminative approach for finding a recurring pattern and localizing it within a collection of signals. We evaluate and compare our method to a generative approach [1] on both synthetic data and real-world home appliance data.
Using a Device State Library to Boost the Performance of TCAD Mixed-Mode Simulation

Technology computer-aided design (TCAD) device and small circuit simulations use numerical and physics models to investigate the properties and performance of circuits before they undergo fabrication. Thus, these simulations play a significant role in VLSI design, optimization, and verification. However, they suffer from poor convergence and high CPU times, especially when performing TCAD mixed-mode simulations. In this paper, we propose a new simulation flow to address this challenge. We use device states captured from single devices to build a device state library. Then, we leverage device-level solutions to form a global initial guess for circuit-level simulations that are based on the full Newton algorithm. This leads to a significant efficiency enhancement. The average speedup for quasi-stationary (or dc) operating point establishment for a standard cell library and a mirror adder is $6.9\times$ and $21.2\times$ , respectively, whereas the CPU time for static random access memory static noise margin extraction is reduced by 47.0%.
Real-time motion analytics during brain MRI improve data quality and reduce costs

Head motion systematically distorts clinical and research MRI data. Motion artifacts have biased findings from many structural and functional brain MRI studies. An effective way to remove motion artifacts is to exclude MRI data frames affected by head motion. However, such post-hoc frame censoring can lead to data loss rates of 50% or more in our pediatric patient cohorts. Hence, many scanner operators collect additional 'buffer data', an expensive practice that, by itself, does not guarantee sufficient high-quality MRI data for a given participant. Therefore, we developed an easy-to-setup, easy-to-use Framewise Integrated Real-time MRI Monitoring (FIRMM) software suite that provides scanner operators with head motion analytics in real-time, allowing them to scan each subject until the desired amount of low-movement data has been collected. Our analyses show that using FIRMM to identify the ideal scan time for each person can reduce total brain MRI scan times and associated costs by 50% or more.
An Unusual Presentation of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and an Example of How Hickam’s Dictum and Ockham’s Razor Can Both Be Right

Patients can have more than one neurological problem, and sorting out acute from chronic disease can be challenging. The authors report a middle-aged patient who presented with ataxia, right hemiparesis, and abnormal nystagmus. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a Chiari and an arachnoid cyst with brainstem compression that appeared to explain his abnormal examination. Shortly after admission, he was noted to have intermittent abnormal behavior and confusion. History from family revealed significant acute and chronic psychiatric problems that appeared to explain his abnormal mental status; this delayed the diagnosis of intermittent complex partial seizures. The multitude of various symptoms resulted in a delay of the final diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), which in retrospect explained the entire new physical examination, seizures, and mental status changes.