cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Augmented sample-based approach for efficient evaluation of risk sensitivity with respect to epistemic uncertainty in distribution parameters

Abstract This paper proposes a novel augmented sample-based approach for efficient evaluation of risk sensitivity with respect to epistemic uncertainty. Calculation of the risk sensitivity (i.e., Sobol’ indices) with respect to uncertain distribution parameters entails significant computational challenges due to the need to evaluate multi-dimensional integrals, e.g., using Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS). The proposed approach addresses the challenges by defining a joint auxiliary density in the augmented space of both the uncertain distribution parameters and input random variables. It first generates one set of samples from the joint auxiliary density and then based on the corresponding marginal samples estimates the marginal auxiliary densities for the uncertain distribution parameters using kernel density estimation (KDE). Then the KDE estimates are used to efficiently calculate the Sobol’ indices. It relies on only one set of simulations to estimate Sobol’ index for all uncertain distribution parameters without the need to repeat MCS for each distribution parameter. It is especially useful and efficient for evaluation of risk sensitivity for systems with expensive models and large number of inputs and uncertain distribution parameters. The good accuracy and high efficiency of the proposed approach are demonstrated through two illustrative examples and also for different risk definitions.
SCITO-seq: single-cell combinatorial indexed cytometry sequencing

The development of DNA-barcoded antibodies to tag cell-surface molecules has enabled the use of droplet-based single cell sequencing (dsc-seq) to profile the surface proteomes of cells. Compared to flow and mass cytometry, the major limitation of current dsc-seq-based workflows is the high cost associated with profiling each cell, thus precluding its use in applications where millions of cells are required. Here, we introduce SCITO-seq, a new workflow that combines combinatorial indexing and commercially available dsc-seq to enable cost-effective cell surface proteomic sequencing of greater than 105 cells per microfluidic reaction. We demonstrate SCITO-seq9s feasibility and scalability by profiling mixed species cell lines and mixed human T and B lymphocytes. To further demonstrate its applicability, we show comparable cellular composition estimates in peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained with SCITO-seq and mass cytometry. SCITO-seq can be extended to include simultaneous profiling of additional modalities such as transcripts and accessible chromatin or tracking of experimental perturbations such as genome edits or extracellular stimuli.
Assessment of caregiver expectations of physician communication in a pediatric setting

In pediatrics, communication often occurs through an intermediary such as a caregiver. The goal of this study is to assess caregiver communication expectations and determine if meeting expectations influences caregiver satisfaction or instruction retention. A survey study was performed at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Before the visit, caregivers completed a survey on communication expectations, Caregiver Expected Kalamazoo Essential Elements Communication Checklist (Caregiver Expected KEECC). After the visit, caregivers were surveyed on their perception of physician communication (Caregiver Perceived KEECC) and satisfaction. Caregivers were contacted 1 week after the clinic visit to assess instruction retention. Meeting of caregiver expectation was calculated by the difference between Caregiver Expected and Caregiver Perceived KEECC scores. 112 caregivers participated in the study. There was no significant difference in Caregiver Expected KEECC versus Caregiver Perceived KEECC score (4.39 vs 4.56). Caregiver communication expectations were exceeded in 51.5% of the visits. Communication expectations were exceeded more among caregivers with at a college education (p < 0.01) and more among White caregivers (p < 0.01). The average caregiver satisfaction score with the clinic visit was 4.67. Higher satisfaction scores were observed in caregivers who had their communication expectations met or exceeded (p < 0.01). Caregivers with communication expectations exceeded had higher percentage recall of physician instructions (p < 0.01). Caregiver communication expectations may be influenced by demographic factors. Communication expectation affects visit outcomes including caregiver satisfaction and instruction retention. Therefore, physicians need to be cognizant of caregiver communication expectations, which can impact quality of the healthcare experience.
Modeling the Response of Heart Muscle to Mechanical Stimulation In Vitro

This review summarizes current in vitro tools used for developing engineered heart muscle and studying the response of these tissues to mechanical loading changes that simulate the mechanical cues that heart muscle experiences in vivo. Advances in stem cell technology allow researchers to model genetically inherited disease phenotypes in vitro. However, one major challenge for in vitro disease modeling and drug screening is that the cardiomyocytes in simple monolayer culture are normally not exposed to the mechanical stimuli that the heart experiences in vivo. Mechanical loading is critical to heart development and pathophysiology. In vitro models have shown that cells in culture can respond to mechanical conditioning, and in some cases, this condition is critical for maturing stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. Tools from mechanobiology have broadened the view of how physical cues guide cardiomyocyte behavior and function. This review highlights in vitro technologies for developing cardiac models and studying cardiac responses to mechanical loading.
Patient Characteristics Associated With Choosing a Telemedicine Visit vs Office Visit With the Same Primary Care Clinicians.

Importance Video or telephone telemedicine can offer patients access to a clinician without arranging for transportation or spending time in a waiting room, but little is known about patient characteristics associated with choosing between telemedicine or office visits. Objective To examine patient characteristics associated with choosing a telemedicine visit vs office visit with the same primary care clinicians. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study included data from 1 131 722 patients who scheduled a primary care appointment through the Kaiser Permanente Northern California patient portal between January 1, 2016, and May 31, 2018. All completed primary care appointments booked via the patient portal were identified. Only index visits without any other clinical visits within 7 days were included to define a relatively distinct patient-initiated care-seeking episode. Visits for routine physical, which are not telemedicine-eligible, were excluded. Data were analyzed from July 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019. Main Outcomes and Measures Patient choice between an office, video, or telephone visit. Relative risk ratios (RRRs) for patient sociodemographic characteristics (age, sex, race/ethnicity, neighborhood socioeconomic status, language preference), technology access (neighborhood residential internet, mobile portal use), visiting the patient’s own personal primary care clinician, and in-person visit barriers (travel-time, parking, cost-sharing), associated with choice of video or telephone telemedicine (vs office visit). Results Of 2 178 440 patient-scheduled primary care visits scheduled by 1 131 722 patients, 86% were scheduled as office visits and 14% as telemedicine visits, with 7% of the telemedicine visits by video. Choosing telemedicine was statistically significantly associated with patient sociodemographic characteristics. For example, patients aged 65 years and over were less likely than patients aged 18 to 44 years to choose telemedicine (RRR, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.22-0.26 for video visit; RRR 0.55; 95% CI, 0.54-0.57 for telephone visit). Choosing telemedicine was also statistically significantly associated with technology access (patients living in a neighborhood with high rates of residential internet access were more likely to choose a video visit than patients whose neighborhoods had low internet access: RRR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.06-1.14); as well as in-person visit barriers (patients whose clinic had a paid parking structure were more likely to choose a telemedicine visit than patients whose facility had free parking: RRR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.41-2.05 for video visit; and RRR, 1.73, 95% CI, 1.61-1.86 for telephone visit). Conclusions and Relevance In this cross-sectional study, patients usually chose an in-person visit when scheduling an appointment online through the portal. Telemedicine may offer the potential to reach vulnerable patient groups and improve access for patients with transportation, parking, or cost barriers to clinic visits.
What GI Physicians Need to Know During COVID-19 Pandemic

The worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality in both low- and high-income countries. Although COVID-19 is predominantly a respiratory illness, other systems including gastrointestinal (GI) system and liver may be involved because of the ubiquitous nature of ACE-2 receptors in various cell lines that SARS-CoV-2 utilizes to enter host cells. It appears that GI symptoms and liver enzyme abnormalities are common in COVID-19. The involvement of the GI tract and liver correlates with the severity of disease. A minority (10-20%) of patients with COVID-19 may also present initially with only GI complaints. The most common GI symptoms are anorexia, loss of smell, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Viral RNA can be detected in stool in up to 50% of patients, sometimes even after pharyngeal clearance, but it is unclear whether fecal-oral transmission occurs. Liver enzymes are elevated, usually mild (2-3 times), in a substantial proportion of patients. There are many confounding factors that could cause liver enzyme abnormalities including medications, sepsis, and hypoxia. Although infection rates in those with preexisting liver disease are similar to that of general population, once infected, patients with liver disease are more likely to have a more severe disease and a higher mortality. There is a paucity of objective data on the optimal preventive or management strategies, but few recommendations for GI physicians based on circumstantial evidence are discussed.
The Tailgate Study: differing metabolic effects of a bout of excessive eating and drinking

Abstract Introduction Excess energy intake by spectators at a sporting event (i.e., a tailgate) might cause acute negative health effects. However, limited data exist regarding the effects of overeating and alcohol consumption on lipid metabolism and the potential to gain intrahepatic triacylglycerols (IHTG). We tested the hypothesis that overconsumption of food and alcohol would significantly increase both hepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL) and IHTG. Methods Eighteen males (mean ± SD, age: 31.4 ± 7.3 years, BMI: 32.1 ± 5.9 kg/m2) were given alcoholic drinks to elevate blood alcohol for 5 h, while highly palatable food was presented. Blood samples were collected and DNL in TG-rich lipoproteins (TRL) was measured by GC/MS, IHTG was measured via MRS (n = 15), and substrate oxidation was measured via indirect calorimetry. Results Subjects consumed 5087 ± 149 kcal (191 ± 25% excess of total daily energy needs including 171 ± 24 g alcohol), which increased plasma insulin, glucose, TG, and decreased NEFA (ANOVA p ≤ 0.003 for all). Both DNL and TRL-TG increased (p Discussion This study demonstrates that acute excess energy intake may have differing effects on an individual's DNL and IHTG, and dietary carbohydrate may influence DNL more than alcohol.
Models: Maximally selective single cell target for circuit control in epilepsy

Neurological and psychiatric disorders are associated with pathological neural dynamics. The fundamental connectivity patterns of cell-cell communication networks that enable pathological dynamics to emerge remain unknown. We studied epileptic circuits using a newly developed integrated computational pipeline. Control and preseizure neural dynamics in larval zebrafish and in chronically epileptic mice were captured using large-scale cellular-resolution calcium imaging. Biologically constrained effective connectivity modeling extracted the underlying cell-cell communication network. Novel analysis of the higher-order network structure revealed the existence of "superhub" cells that are unusually richly connected to the rest of the network through feedforward motifs. Instability in epileptic networks was causally linked to superhubs whose involvement in feedforward motifs critically enhanced downstream excitation. Disconnecting individual superhubs was significantly more effective in stabilizing epileptic networks compared to disconnecting hub cells defined traditionally by connection count. Collectively, these results predict a new, maximally selective and minimally invasive cellular target for seizure control.
Optimal Volatility Position Construction and Risk Management: A Linear Discrete Ill-Posed Problem With Box Constraints

This paper examines how volatility positions can be optimally constructed by modeling the selection process as a linear discrete ill-posed problem with box constraints. We show how this framework allows for a priori investor expectations and risk parameters to be applied in the optimization process for robust position risk management. We use implied volatility decreases following significant changes in firm fundamentals proxied by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) New Drug Application (NDA) events to construct a linear system where feasible solutions represent an investor’s optimal volatility position. Significant implied volatility drops from these events occur due to changes in the information environment surrounding a firm’s real growth options. It provides a natural laboratory to demonstrate how practitioners can use interior-point solvers to construct optimal positions under a priori constraints. The feasible solutions to these linear systems represent optimal volatility positions that provide better payoff structures than traditional option spread trading around these NDA events. Further, we show that this model can be applied dynamically to manage portfolio risk for positions with multiple options and an underlying stock hedge.
Log truck crashes before and after weight limit increases in North Carolina and Virginia, USA

Increasing timber transportation safety is essential to the timber harvesting and forest products industries. Log truck weight limits in the US South are lower than in other US regions. North Carol...
Family Environment and the Metabolic Syndrome: Results from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) Sociocultural Ancillary Study (SCAS)

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Very limited work has evaluated associations of sociocultural processes with prevalence of the MetS. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate associations between family environment (cohesion/conflict) and the MetS, in a multi-site sample of US Hispanics/Latinos. A total of 3278 participants from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos underwent a clinical exam and completed psychosocial measures including family environment (cohesion and conflict) as part of the Sociocultural Ancillary Study. The association between family environment and the MetS was moderated by sex. Among all women, higher family conflict was associated with MetS prevalence. Results by ancestry group showed that only among Cuban women, higher conflict was associated with the MetS, whereas only among Dominican men, greater cohesion was associated with the MetS. The family context may be a sociocultural protective or risk factor among Hispanics/Latinos in terms of MetS risk, but these associations may vary by sex and Hispanic background.
The Cellular Origin of the Light Peak

We studied the cellular origin of the light peak by DC electroretinography in two animal models — the intact cat and an in vitro lizard preparation (Gekko gekko). A change in the corneoretinal potential can originate from either or both the neural retina and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). By recording the potential change across each of these tissues we learned that the light peak originates solely from the RPE, as an increase in the trans-epithelial potential (TEP). An increase in TEP can originate from either or both RPE cell membranes; i.e., from the apical membrane, facing the neural retina or from the basal membrane, apposed to the choriocapillaris. By recording the potential of each membrane we found that the light peak originates as a depolarization of the basal membrane. This contrasts with the c-wave whose RPE component originates as a hyperpolarization of the apical membrane. The c-wave is caused by a light-evoked decrease of potassium in the subretinal space, while the light peak does not appear to be directly related to any change in retinal potassium concentration. The light peak is, however, accompanied by a decrease in the electrical resistance of the RPE basal membrane. The events that lead to the basal membrane’s depolarization and resistance change remain to be discovered.
Effects of adrenocorticotropic hormone on appetitive discrimination performance in rats

Albino rats received subcutaneous injections of either adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH, 50 U.S.P. units/kg) or isotonic saline following training sessions on a visual discrimination task for which leverpressing in the presence of a cuelight was reinforced with food. Upon attainment of criterion, half of the subjects under each training treatment received injections of ACTH prior to extinction sessions, while half received the saline. Acquisition performance of the rats receiving ACTH was comparable to that of their saline controls. The animals that received the same injection treatment for the two phases of the study responded more during extinction than did the animals for which treatment was changed. The hormone had no detectable effect on activity of the animals in an open field, but reduced body weight in relation to the control level. The extinction results are discussed in terms of a possible storage or cue-function state dependency determined by circulating ACTH.
The Story of Wickard v. Filburn: Agriculture, Aggregation, and Commerce

This article tells the story of Wickard v. Filburn, 317 U.S. 111 (1942). After providing a survey of American agriculture and its regulation between the World Wars, this article describes the constitutional landmark that began as a controversy over Roscoe Filburn's 1941 wheat crop. Wickard v. Filburn represents a pivotal moment in the Supreme Court's effort to define Congress's power [t]o regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes. Greater turmoil over commerce clause jurisprudence has breathed new life into Wickard v. Filburn.
Towards a third generation of control systems

The first generation of control systems can be regarded as analog control and the second generation as digital control. Over the past three decades since the advent of digital control, there have been great technological advances in computing hardware and software as well as in networking. We are therefore at the cusp of a third generation of control systems which consist of sensors and actuators connected by shared wired or wireless networks, and involving powerful computational nodes as well as software services. How does one facilitate the proliferation of such next generation control systems? We argue that it is important to develop the appropriate abstractions and a matching architecture for the (re)convergence of control with communication and computation. We propose an abstraction of virtual collocation to be manufactured by the supporting middleware, and a principle of local temporal autonomy for enhancing reliability. We provide an overview of efforts in the Convergence Laboratory at the University of Illinois.
On the Seasonalities of Mortgage-Backed Security Prices

In this paper, we investigate several well-documented seasonalities in the pricing of mortgage-backed securities. Parallel evidence to the equity markets is found in the GNMA pass-through markets f...
Mergers Among Debt Underwriters

This paper examines the impact of two large mergers of underwriters of corporate debt on their distribution and certification capacities. Compared to non-merging firms, the pure investment bank merger (Morgan Stanley and Dean Witter) and the hybrid merger (Citicorp and Salomon) both enhance distribution ability. Neither merger improves certification ability. Furthermore, mergers do not enhance these underwriters' prestige. In co-led syndicates, the listing of merging firms' names tend to follow those of non-merging investment banks, which implies that followers resort to more cumbersome mergers while leaders improve internally to stay competitive. Finally, all other commercial banks that underwrite corporate debt enhance their distribution ability similarly to the hybrid merger.
Cyber-Hookers AKA Providers: Off the Street and onto Craigslist

Craigslist has become the new virtual brothel. Call girls, escorts, and prostitutes (aka providers) using the erotic services and adult gigs sections post advertisements regarding what they have to offer, sexually, and how much this service costs. At first, law enforcement agencies overlooked these ads. In the last few years, however, agencies across the country have been conducting sting operations. The study addresses the use of Craigslist by providers as a cultural and social subject. The author conducts interviews with several women, both in San Diego and Tijuana, whom he contacted via their posts on Craigslist.
Frenemies: Signaling and Nutritional Integration in Pathogen-Microbiota-Host Interactions

The mammalian gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota is highly adapted to thrive in the GI environment and performs key functions related to host nutrition, physiology, development, immunity, and behavior. Successful host-bacterial associations require chemical signaling and optimal nutrient utilization and exchange. However, this important balance can be severely disrupted by environmental stimuli, with one of the most common insults upon the microbiota being infectious diseases. Although the microbiota acts as a barrier toward enteric pathogens, many enteric pathogens exploit signals and nutrients derived from both the microbiota and host to regulate their virulence programs. Here we review several signaling and nutrient recognition systems employed by GI pathogens to regulate growth and virulence. We discuss how shifts in the microbiota composition change host susceptibility to infection and how dietary changes or manipulation of the microbiota could potentially prevent and/or ameliorate GI infections.
Splines and Wavelets on Geophysically Relevant Manifolds

Analysis on the unit sphere $\mathbb{S}^{2}$ found many applications in seismology, weather prediction, astrophysics, signal analysis, crystallography, computer vision, computerized tomography, neuroscience, and statistics. In the last two decades, the importance of these and other applications triggered the development of various tools such as splines and wavelet bases suitable for the unit spheres $\mathbb{S}^{2}$, $\>\>\mathbb{S}^{3}$ and the rotation group $SO(3)$. Present paper is a summary of some of results of the author and his collaborators on generalized (average) variational splines and localized frames (wavelets) on compact Riemannian manifolds. The results are illustrated by applications to Radon-type transforms on $\mathbb{S}^{d}$ and $SO(3)$.
Silver(I) Perchlorate

[7783-93-9] AgClO4 (MW 207.32) InChI = 1S/Ag.ClHO4/c;2-1(3,4)5/h;(H,2,3,4,5)/q+1;/p-1 InChIKey = YDHABVNRCBNRNZ-UHFFFAOYSA-M (cyclization, dehydration, glycosylation, rearrangement of strained systems, solvolysis of halides) Physical Data: mp 486 °C (dec); d 2.806 g cm−3.2 Solubility: sol aniline, benzene, chlorobenzene, ethanol, glycerol, nitrobenzene, nitromethane, pyridine, toluene, water.2, 3 Form Supplied in: white crystalline anhydride; white crystalline monohydrate [14242-05-8]. Purification: dissolve 1g of the monohydrate per 6mL of benzene and heat at reflux under Dean–Stark conditions until the water is removed. Allow to cool and dilute with 4 mL of pentane per gram of the perchlorate. Filter the precipitate and place it in a desiccator containing P2O5 under high vacuum (1 mmHg) for 24 h.4 Handling, Storage, and Precautions: the anhydrous crystal readily forms the monohydrate, which is stable up to 43 °C and therefore should be stored in a desiccator. The salt is irritating to the skin and mucous membranes, corrosive, shock sensitive, and can be explosive in the presence of organic compounds.3, 4
Not letting ‘bad apples’ spoil the bunch: Democratization and strict international organization accession rules

To solve their domestic and international problems, democratizing states often form new international organizations. In doing so, they face the question of institutional design: what types of rules and provisions should be included in the charter of the new international organization? We analyze this question through the lens of accession rules, with an emphasis on voting rules. We argue that democratizing states have strong incentives to design organizations with strict accession rules. Organizations with strict accession rules allow the founding members to regulate entry. This is particularly useful for transitional democracies, as democratizing states are initially unable to gain entry into the lucrative existing international organizations operated by the established democracies. Using original data on accession voting rules in 324 international organizations, we find strong evidence in support of our claims.
Viologen embedded zeolites

Abstract Reactions between molecules leading to new materials are complex processes. In an effort to understand these complex systems chemists have understandably attempted to minimize complexity. This has resulted in a distinct preference for study of reactions in homogenous, rather than in heterogeneous media, despite the fact that heterogeneous reactions in real world situations are ubiquitous. Nevertheless, the advantages of heterogeneous systems in terms of environmental friendliness and in the ability to control reaction outcome are widely recognized and as a result are attracting increased attention. Zeolites are excellent examples. The early use of zeolites focused entirely on their use as acid catalysts in petroleum processing and only recently has attention turned to their use in fine chemical synthesis. In this review we present recent results in the design and use of the very interesting heterogeneous host–guest viologen/zeolite complexes.
Ultradian rhythm of plasma noradrenaline in rhesus monkeys

KLEITMAN has postulated that a ‘basic rest-activity cycle’ exists which is an extension of the rhythmically recurring patterns of sleep cycles in man1. Such ultradian rhythms, with a periodicity of approximately 90 min in non-human primates, have been associated with motor activity2 and feeding behaviour3. Additionally, we have reported that plasma cortisol secretion in the rhesus monkey occurred in 90-min cycles which were synchronised for an entire group of monkeys over a 6-mth period, despite individual housing conditions of the animals4. Plasma noradrenaline (NA) is a reliable indicator of sympathetic nervous system activity5, in part because of its short half life of less than 2 min6. If Kleitman's hypothesis is correct, one might expect to see a basic 90-min rhythm for plasma NA, even though its short half life would favour the finding of a much faster rhythm. We have found a 90-min rhythm for plasma NA in the rhesus monkey, which was temporally synchronised for the experimental group as a whole. The presence of this rhythm suggests a tonic waxing and waning of sympathetic nervous system activity compatible with Kleitman's hypothesis.
Intelligent Control of Energy Usage in Commercial Buildings

Distributed energy resources hold great potential for meeting future energy needs. When operated in an optimized combined heat and power (CHP) mode distributed generation (DG) devices provide many operational and economic advantages over conventional energy supply options. This paper presents results of our research which has been focused on intelligent control of energy usage in commercial buildings by utilizing CHP systems. Operation of the CHP system is optimized through applications of Artificial Intelligence and advanced control systems. Energy usage in a commercial building, performance of a CHP system, and desiccant storage are mathematically modeled by using a neuro-fuzzy inference engine. Two commercial buildings are being used as testbeds to identify and analyze the technical issues associated with the deployment and operation of the CHP. Results from the energy control in these buildings are presented in this paper.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Rhapsody in C.

Do molecules have beauty? Is it possible to fall in love with one? Based on what Harry Kroto and others have written about buckminsterfullerene, Chris Toumey thinks that the answer to both these questions is yes.
Non-ideal behaviors of magnetically driven screws in soft tissue

This paper considers the requirements for stable control of simple devices that consist of a permanent magnet rigidly attached to a screw operating in soft tissue. Placing these devices in a rotating magnetic field causes the device's permanent magnet to rotate synchronously with the applied field, making the attached screw generate forward propulsion. Although there has been significant research in the area of magnetic screws, this paper describes magnetic phenomena that have not been addressed in prior work, yet will be critical in the design of future steering and control strategies for medical applications. Using a time-averaged model of magnetic torque, we analyze the magnetic torque present when intentionally steering the screw or due to naturally occurring disturbances in the screw's heading. We predict and experimentally demonstrate the existence of magnetic torques that simultaneously act to stabilize and destabilize magnetic screws operating in tissue. We find that there exists an applied field rotation speed, above which screws may become unstable, and we find that the interaction between the stabilizing and destabilizing magnetic torques may cause potentially undesired but predictable behavior while steering.
The demands of the summer season

The 1989 four-part series on the seasons of dentistry continues with summer—an established practitioner relies on continuing education, balancing career and family, and participating in professional dental organizations to anticipate fall’s harvest. Dentistry in the summer season of a practice can be a balancing act in integrating career and family needs. In addition, the complex concerns of continuing education, participating in professional organizations, and changing financial planning needs must be addressed in this stage. Although dental schools are responsible for formal education, continued learning for personal and professional growth rests with the individual.
Cunningham: a BLAST Runtime Estimator

BLAST is arguably the single most important piece of software ever written for the biological sciences. It is the core of most bioinformatics workflows, being a critical component of genome homology searches and annotation. It has influenced the landscape of biology by aiding in everything from functional characterization of genes to pathogen detection to the development of novel vaccines. While BLAST is very popular, it is also often one of the most computationally intensive parts of bioinformatics analysis. In our workflows, BLAST typically takes the majority of cpu time, and we need to parallelize to finish in a reasonable time frame. Waiting for BLAST to finish without having any clue of how long it’s going to take is kind of depressing, and you could waste a day of work trying to run a job that would never finish. If you feel the same way we do, then check out Cunningham, a tool we designed to estimate BLAST runtimes for shotgun sequence datasets using sequence composition statistics. We’ve trained its models on real metagenomic sequence data using the Amazon EC2 cloud, and it will provide a relatively quick estimate for datasets with up to tens of millions of sequences. It’s not perfect, but it’ll give you at least some idea of expected runtime, how large a cluster you’re going to need, how much you’ll need to partition your data, etc. We use it all the time now, so we hope it’ll be useful to someone else out there. Cunningham has been implemented in CloVR for efficient autoscaling in the cloud and is freely available at http://clovr.org.
Reconfigurable optical networks: a cross layer approach

This paper presents the Pruning with Memory (PWM) algorithm, which computes a cross layer optimal reconfiguration sequence in reconfigurable IP/MPLS over optical networks.
Computational model theory: an overview

The computational complexity of a problem is the amount of resources, such as time or space, required by a machine that solves the problem. The descriptive complexity of problems is the complexity of describing problems in some logical formalism over finite structures. One of the exciting developments in complexity theory is the discovery of a very intimate connection between computational and descriptive complexity. It is this connection between complexity theory and finite-model theory that we term computational model theory. In this overview paper we offer one perspective on computational model theory. Two important observations underly our perspective: (1) while computational devices work on encodings of problems, logic is applied directly to the underlying mathematical structures, and this “mismatch” complicates the relationship between logic and complexity significantly, and (2) first-order logic has severely limited expressive power on finite structures, and one way to increase the limited expressive power of first-order logic is by adding fixpoint constructs. These observations motivated the introduction of two absract formalisms: that of finite-variable infinitary logic and that of relational machines. This paper is the story of how these formalisms are used in computational model theory and their interrelationship.
An Integral Representation for Eigenfunctions of Linear Ordinary Differential Operators.

Abstract This paper generalizes an integral representation formula for eigenfunctions of Sturm-Liouville operators, known as the Volterra transformation operator in the theory of the inverse scattering problem, to higher-order differential operators. A specific fourth-order initial value problem is considered: Lφ = k 4 φ, L = d 4 dx 4 + d dx (q d dx ) + r φ(0) = 1, φ′(0) = 0, φ″(0) = −k2, φ‴ = 0 The solution for complex k is expressed as an inverse-Laplace-Borel transform. Jump formulae are obtained relating the representing kernel directly to the coefficients of L. The result admits obvious generalization to operators of arbitrary order.
Two Cell Lineages, myf5 and myf5-Independent, Participate in Mouse Skeletal Myogenesis

In skeletal muscle development, the myogenic regulatory factors myf5 and myoD play redundant roles in the specification and maintenance of myoblasts, whereas myf6 has a downstream role in differentiating myocytes and myofibers. It is not clear whether the redundancy between myf5 and myoD is within the same cell lineage or between distinct lineages. Using lineage tracing and conditional cell ablation in mice, we demonstrate the existence of two distinct lineages in myogenesis: a myf5 lineage and a myf5-independent lineage. Ablating the myf5 lineage is compatible with myogenesis sustained by myf5-independent, myoD-expressing myoblasts, whereas ablation of the myf6 lineage leads to an absence of all differentiated myofibers, although early myogenesis appears to be unaffected. We also demonstrate here the existence of a significant myf5 lineage within ribs that has an important role in rib development, suggested by severe rib defects upon ablating the myf5 lineage.
Environmental Revolution Starts at Home

The title of J. Liu and J. Diamond's Policy Forum, “Revolutionizing China's environmental protection” (4 January, p. [37][1]), implies a novel solution to China's environmental problems, but suggesting that China must reform its environmental governance is nothing new ([1][2]). What's more, criticizing a nation because economic performance is still its main criterion for choosing government leaders hardly seems fair. What criterion guides U.S. national leadership? If the U.S. economy appears greener than China's—and less pollution and greenhouse gases are indeed generated per dollar of U.S. GDP—this is only because the United States has exported the “dirty” industries that produce most of what it consumes to China and other nations that need hard currency from abroad to develop their economies. ![Figure][3] Smog in Shanghai. Pollution in countries such as China is due in part to the outsourcing of “dirty” industries by countries such as the United States. CREDIT: KEN SILLS China's environmental failings reflect the same basic challenge faced by all governments: how to enforce environmental regulations when these conflict with economic development. Even Liu and Diamond admit that China's government has already attempted to couple environmental performance with governance and has a plethora of environmental regulations on the books. The main problem seems to be an inability to enforce most of these in the face of overwhelming economic pressures. The reason that China has dramatic environmental problems is not a mystery. China's once small economy is booming, moving large numbers of people into a modern consumer life-style. Given that this development is linked to the expansion of China's industry and energy use, as it has been everywhere else, and that a large share of this is dedicated to manufacturing what the rest of the world consumes, those busy consuming the fruits of all of this industrial production should share some of the responsibility for the environmental results. This would indeed be a revolution: finding a way to make consumers pay for the environmental costs of their consumption, even when they are incurred on the other side of the world. In a globalized economy, the environmental revolution ought to begin at home. 1. 1.[↵][4] 1. V. Smil , China's Environmental Crisis: An Inquiry into the Limits of National Development (M. E. Sharpe, Armonk, NY, 1993). [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1150416 [2]: #ref-1 [3]: pending:yes [4]: #xref-ref-1-1 "View reference 1. in text"
Immunosuppressive Exosomes: A New Approach for Treating Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease and one of the leading causes of disability in the USA. Although certain biological therapies, including protein and antibodies targeting inflammatory factors such as the tumor necrosis factor, are effective in reducing symptoms of RA, these treatments do not reverse disease. Also, although novel gene therapy approaches have shown promise in preclinical and clinical studies to treat RA, it is still unclear whether gene therapy can be readily and safely applied to treat the large number of RA patients. Recently, nanosized, endocytic-derived membrane vesicles “exosomes” were demonstrated to function in cell-to-cell communication and to possess potent immunoregulatory properties. In particular, immunosuppressive DC-derived exosomes and blood plasma- or serum-derived exosomes have shown potent therapeutic effects in animal models of inflammatory and autoimmune disease including RA. This paper discusses the current knowledge on the production, efficacy, mechanism of action, and potential therapeutic use of immunosuppressive exosomes for arthritis therapy.
BCL-6, a POZ/zinc-finger protein, is a sequence-specific transcriptional repressor

Approximately 40% of diffuse large cell lymphoma are associated with chromosomal translocations that deregulate the expression of the BCL6 gene by juxtaposing heterologous promoters to the BCL-6 coding domain. The BCL6 gene encodes a 95-kDa protein containing six C-terminal zinc-finger motifs and an N-terminal POZ domain, suggesting that it may function as a transcription factor. By using a DNA sequence selected for its ability to bind recombinant BCL-6 in vitro, we show here that BCL-6 is present in DNA-binding complexes in nuclear extracts from various B-cell lines. In transient transfectin experiments, BCL6 can repress transcription from promoters linked to its DNA target sequence and this activity is dependent upon specific DNA-binding and the presence of an intact N-terminal half of the protein. We demonstrate that this part of the BCL6 molecule contains an autonomous transrepressor domain and that two noncontiguous regions, including the POZ motif, mediate maximum transrepressive activity. These results indicate that the BCL-6 protein can function as a sequence-specific transcriptional repressor and have implications for the role of BCL6 in normal lymphoid development and lymphomagenesis.
Market, State, and Society as Codes of Moral Obligation*

Economics, political science, and sociology are, in this paper, understood to be not only scientific but also moral languages. An economic approach to moral obligation emphasizes that obligations t...
Antimutagenicity of fermented milk.

Abstract Reconstituted nonfat dry milk was fermented by Lactobacillus helveticus CH65, Lactobacillus acidophilus BG2FO4, Streptococcus salivarius ssp. thermophilus CH3, Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus 191R, and by a mixture of the latter two organisms. The fermented milks were then freeze-dried, extracted in acetone, dissolved in dimethylsulfoxide, and assayed for antimutagenicity in the Ames test ( Salmonella typhimurium TA 100) against N-methyl, N'-nitro, N-nitroso-guanidine, and 3,2'-dimethyl-4-amino-biphenyl. Dose-dependent activity was significant against both mutagens in all extracts. Maximal inhibitory activity against 3,2'-dimethyl-4-aminobiphenyl and N-methyl, N'-nitro, N-nitroso-guanidine was 2- and 2.7-fold greater, respectively, than that exhibited by extracts of unfermented milk. Extracts of milk fermented by L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus 191R were examined further. Compounds that were responsible for activity against both mutagens were less soluble in aqueous solutions than in dimethylsulfoxide. Adjustment of milk fermented by L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus 191R to pH 3, 7.6, or 13 prior to freeze-drying and acetone extraction did not significantly alter the activity specific for 3,2'-dimethyl-4-aminobiphenyl. In contrast, compounds with activity specific for N-methyl, N'-nitro, N-nitrosoguanidine were less extractable at pH 7.6. The weak antimutagenicity of unfermented milk was not increased by addition of 2% L-lactic acid.
The genus Macrocerca Hanitsch with descriptions of new species (Blattaria, Blattidae: Macrocercinae, subfam. n.)

Two known species of the blattid genus Macrocerca Hanitsch are redescribed, and 7 new species from New Guinea are described. A key is provided to distinguish the adults. The genus, previously in the Blattellidae, is placed in the Blattidae: Macrocercinae (subfam. n.), between the Blattinae and Polyzosteriinae.
Comparative performance of the AUDIT-C in screening for DSM-IV and DSM-5 alcohol use disorders

Objective Under the proposed DSM-5 revision to the criteria for alcohol use disorder (AUD), a substantial proportion of DSM-IV AUD cases will be lost or shifted in terms of severity, with some new cases added. Accordingly, the performance of the AUDIT-C in screening for DSM-IV AUD cannot be assumed to extend to DSM-5 AUD. The objective of this paper is to compare the AUDIT-C in screening for DSM-IV and DSM-5 AUD.
18F-FDG and Diabetic Foot Infections: The Verdict Is…

See page [1012][1] A diabetic foot infection is defined as an inframalleolar infection in a person with diabetes mellitus. These infections are common, complex, and costly. They cause substantial morbidity, are responsible for the largest number of diabetes-related hospital bed-days, and are the
Functional synaptogenesis and the rat pineal gland: a pharmacological investigation.

Pineal glands obtained from rats of different ages were incubatedin vitro with drugs known to specifically alter pre- or postsynaptic noradrenergic neurotransmission to determine when during development nerve terminal or receptor mediated control of glandular N-acetyltransferase (NAT) activity might reach functional maturation. Basal daytime NAT activity measuredin vitro was lowest in fetal rats, increased dramatically by the day of birth, peaked at 10 days postnatally, and subsequently declined to near adult levels by 25 days of age. Drugs (isoproterenol, norepinephrine, or pro-pranolol) known to influence pineal gland NAT activity by acting directly on pinealocyte postsynapticβ-noradrenoceptors produced comparable changes in enzyme activity at all ages studied, although larger doses of the receptor agonist were required in fetal animals to elevate NAT activity. In contrast,in vitro incubation with indirect acting drugs (amphetamine or 1-dopa) which require functional presynaptic nerve terminals to exert their pharmacological effects, failed to increase pineal gland NAT activity until early in postnatal life. Hence, postsynapticβ-noradrenoceptors may function to control pineal gland NAT activity prior to the time when the presynaptic sympathetic neurons innervating the gland attain maturational status.
Biosynthesis of Phytosterol Esters: Identification of a Sterol O-Acyltransferase in Arabidopsis

Fatty acyl esters of phytosterols are a major form of sterol conjugates distributed in many parts of plants. In this study we report an Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) gene, AtSAT1 (At3g51970), which encodes for a novel sterol O-acyltransferase. When expressed in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), AtSAT1 mediated production of sterol esters enriched with lanosterol. Enzyme property assessment using cell-free lysate of yeast expressing AtSAT1 suggested the enzyme preferred cycloartenol as acyl acceptor and saturated fatty acyl-Coenyzme A as acyl donor. Taking a transgenic approach, we showed that Arabidopsis seeds overexpressing AtSAT1 accumulated fatty acyl esters of cycloartenol, accompanied by substantial decreases in ester content of campesterol and β-sitosterol. Furthermore, fatty acid components of sterol esters from the transgenic lines were enriched with saturated and long-chain fatty acids. The enhanced AtSAT1 expression resulted in decreased level of free sterols, but the total sterol content in the transgenic seeds increased by up to 60% compared to that in wild type. We conclude that AtSAT1 mediates phytosterol ester biosynthesis, alternative to the route previously described for phospholipid:sterol acyltransferase, and provides the molecular basis for modification of phytosterol ester level in seeds.
Fourier Transform Infrared Emission Spectroscopy of SeH.

The infrared vibration-rotation bands of SeH have been measured in the X(2)Pi ground state using a Fourier transform spectrometer. The bands were observed in a microwave discharge of a mixture of H(2) and Se in the presence of He. The rotational structure of the 1-0, 2-1, 3-2 bands of the X(2)Pi(3/2) spin component and the 1-0 band of X(2)Pi(1/2) spin component has been observed in the 1800-2600 cm(-1) region. The principal ground state molecular constants obtained are omega(e) = 2421.7153(234) cm(-1), omega(e)x(e) = 44.6012(110) cm(-1), omega(e)y(e) = 0.20697(236) cm(-1), B(e) = 7.899187(696) cm(-1), alpha(e) = 0.220749(399) cm(-1), and r(e) = 1.464319(64) A. This work is the first determination of the equilibrium molecular constants of the X(2)Pi state of SeH. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.