cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dynamic environment exploration using a virtual white cane

The virtual white cane is a range sensing device based on active triangulation, that can measure distances at a rate of 15 measurements/second. A blind person can use this device for sensing the environment, pointing it as if it was a flashlight. Beside measuring distances, this device can detect surface discontinuities, such as the foot of a wall, a step, or a drop-off. This is obtained by analyzing the range data collected as the user swings the device around, tracking planar patches and finding discontinuities. In this paper we briefly describe the range sensing device, and present an online surface tracking algorithm, based on a Jump-Markov model. We show experimental results proving the robustness of the tracking system in real-world conditions.
On the Evolution of Interference in Time for Cellular Mobile Radio Networks

In this study, the behavior of interference is investigated for cellular mobile radio networks. More explicitly, this work focuses on examining how interference evolves with respect to time under long and short term fading together for the uplink of an FDD system. The results show that decorrelation distance of shadowing plays a crucial role in predicting future interference conditions. Given the initial interference measurement, it is shown that the future interference levels are highly dependent on maintaining the decorrelation distance through the observation interval. On the one hand, if the observation interval is kept too short in a mobile environment, then a drastic deviation in the new interference level from the previous one is not expected. On the other hand, if the observation interval is kept too long, then spatial correlation of shadowing loses its significance and drastic deviations are more likely in the new interference levels; furthermore, path loss might dominate the interference status due to longer displacements.
p38 MAP kinase mediates arsenite-induced apoptosis through FOXO3a activation and induction of Bim transcription

Sodium arsenite induces apoptosis in PC12 cells by activating the stress-activated p38 MAP kinase and the pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family protein BimEL. However, the relationship between p38 and BimEL in this apoptosis has not been fully defined. Here, we report that sodium arsenite stimulates the protein expression and promoter activity of BimEL in a p38-dependent manner. Sodium arsenite also caused nuclear translocation of FOXO3a, indicative of FOXO3a activation. Addition of a p38 inhibitor prevented FOXO3a nuclear translocation. RNAi knock down of FOXO3a inhibited Bim promoter activity, BimEL protein expression, and arsenite-induced apoptosis. Our data identify p38 activation of FOXO3a and subsequent induction of BimEL expression as a novel apoptotic mechanism. Together with our previous finding that BimEL is phosphorylated and activated by p38, these results demonstrate that p38 induces apoptosis by regulating BimEL at both the transcriptional and post-translational levels.
Stability of A15 type phases

Abstract Previous works dealing with the stability of the A15 phases are reviewed. Data for over 60 known A15 phases are used to develop criteria for stability which may be applied to hypothetical A15 phases. Occurrence of these phases is examined in terms of the valence bond concepts of the Engel-Brewer correlation and in its frequency with changes in electronic density of states. A15 is most favored when the “A” elements are V, Nb or Cr, when radii of the constituent atoms differ by no more than 8 per cent, at compositions determined by electron concentration, and at relatively low temperatures. Composition and temperature of formation are predicted for several likely hypothetical A15 phases.
Extracting Useful Information from Security Assessment Interviews

We conducted N=68 interviews with managers, employees, and information technologists in the course of conducting security assessments of 15 small- and medium-sized organizations. Assessment interviews provide a rich source of information about the security culture and norms of an organization; this information can complement and contextualize the traditional sources of security assessment data, which generally focus on the technical infrastructure of the organization. In this paper we began the process of systematizing audit interview data through the development of a closed vocabulary pertaining to security beliefs. We used a ground-up approach to develop a list of subjects, verbs, objects, and relationships among them that emerged from the audit interviews. We discuss implications for improving the processes and outcomes of security auditing.
In defense of a self: the theological search for a postmodern identity

The author's purpose in this essay is, first of all, to evaluate the recent assessments of the self given by Stanley Hauerwas and Rowan Williams. Second, in registering his reservations with these views, he claims that confessional theologians have rich resources for shaping a powerful and innovative redescription of the tradition of transcendental subjectivity that does not conclude in, or require, the self's disappearance (or the concomitant annihilation of interiority). The person willed by God into being possesses a certain formfulness that is neither pure intentionality nor interiority, a certain formful unity constitutive of its being created in the image of God. Third, the author argues that Dietrich Bonhoeffer's christological account of the self, supplemented by Eberhard Jungel's trinitarian account, offers a promising alternative to Hauerwas and Williams. The article's general concern is to show that modern theology does itself and Christian congregations a disservice if it fails to appreciate the depth, complexity and created dignity of human personhood.
Pregnancy in renal transplant recipients: more questions answered, still more asked.

In this issue of CJASN , Bramham et al. identified pregnant kidney transplant recipients being managed by practitioners participating in the UK Obstetric Surveillance System, comparing their outcomes with those of a cohort consisting of two women without kidney transplants that had delivered at the
A role for the age‐dependent loss of α(E)‐catenin in regulation of N‐cadherin expression and cell migration

The aging kidney has a decreased ability to repair following acute kidney injury. Previous studies from our laboratory have demonstrated a loss in α‐catenin expression in the aging rat kidney. We hypothesize that loss of α‐catenin expression in tubular epithelial cells may induce changes that result in a decreased repair capacity. In these studies, we demonstrate that decreased α‐catenin protein expression is detectable as early as 20 months of age in male Fischer 344 rats. Protein loss is also observed in aged nonhuman primate kidneys, suggesting that this is not a species‐specific response. In an effort to elucidate alterations due to the loss of α‐catenin, we generated NRK‐52E cell lines with stable knockdown of α(E)‐catenin (C2 cells). Interestingly, C2 cells had decreased expression of N‐cadherin, decreased cell–cell adhesion, and increased monolayer permeability. C2 had deficits in wound repair, due to alterations in cell migration. Analysis of gene expression in the migrating control cells indicated that expression of N‐cadherin and N‐CAM was increased during repair. In migrating C2 cells, expression of N‐CAM was also increased, but the expression of N‐cadherin was not upregulated. Importantly, a blocking antibody against N‐cadherin inhibited repair in NRK‐52E cells, suggesting an important role in repair. Taken together, these data suggest that loss of α‐catenin, and the subsequent downregulation of N‐cadherin expression, is a mechanism underlying the decreased migration of tubular epithelial cells that contributes to the inability of the aging kidney to repair following injury.
High Quality Ultrathin Gate Dielectrics Prepared by In-Situ RTP

This paper reports on the formation of high quality ultrathin oxynitride gate dielectric by in-situ rapid thermal multiprocessing. Four such gate dielectrics are discussed here; (i) in-situ NO-annealed SiO2, (ii) N2O- or NO- or O2-grown bottom oxide/RTCVD SiO2/thermal oxide, (iii) N2O-grown bottom oxide/Si3N4/N2O-oxide (ONO) and (iv) N2O-grown bottom oxide/RTCVD SiO2/N2O-oxide. Results show that capacitors with NO-based oxynitride gate dielectrics, stacked oxynitride gate dielectrics with varying quality of bottom oxide (O2/N2O/NO), and the ONO structures show high endurance to interface degradation, low defect-density and high charge-to-breakdown compared to thermal oxide. The N2O-last reoxidation step used in the stacked dielectrics and ONO structures is seen to suppress charge trapping and interface state generation under Fowler-Nordheim injection. The stacked oxynitride gate dielectrics also show excellent MOSFET performance in terms of transconductance and mobility. While the current drivability and mobilities are found to be comparable to thermal oxide for N-channel MOSFET’s, the hot-carrier immunity of N-channel MOSFET’s with the N2O-oxide/CVD-SiO2/N2O-oxide gate dielectrics is found to be significantly enhanced over that of conventional thermal oxide.
Pain Management: Legal Risks and Ethical Responsibilities

This paper addresses ethical and legal issues related to effective pain management and palliative care. It documents the nature, extent and duration of the problem of undertreated pain, and notes the paucity of literature on ethical implications of the problem. The multiple factors contributing to the problem are discussed, in particular the phenomenon of opiophobia which pervades American culture. The author defends the contention that the failure of healthcare professionals to effectively treat the pain experienced by their patients by following the recently developed clinical practice guidelines constitutes both unethical and professionally negligent practice, for which they should be held liable.
Combating desynchronization attacks on blind watermarking systems: A message passing approach

We address the question of constructing practical blind watermark decoders that are resilient to scaling and amplitude modulation attacks. We cast the watermark decoding problem as a probabilistic inference problem on a factor graph and solve it via message passing. Our decoder performs nearly as well as a decoder that has exact knowledge of the desynchronization parameters. Experimental results, on both synthetic and natural images, suggest that the decoding algorithm is capable of handling moderate to strong desynchronization attacks very well.
Integrated fluid and packet network simulations

A number of methods exist that can be used to create simulation models for measuring the performance of computer networks. The most commonly used method is packet level simulation, which models the detailed behavior of every packet in the network, and results in a highly accurate picture of overall network behavior. A less frequently used, but sometimes more computationally efficient, method is the fluid model approach. In this method, aggregations of flows are modeled as fluid flowing through pipes, and queues are modeled as fixed capacity buckets. The buckets are connected via pipes, where the maximum allowable flow rate of fluid in the pipes represents the bandwidth of the communication links being modeled. Fluid models generally result in a less accurate picture of the network's behavior since they rely on aggregation of flows and ignore actions specific to individual flows. We introduce a new hybrid simulation environment that leverages the strong points of each of these two modeling methods. Our hybrid method uses fluid models to represent aggregations of flows for which less detail is required, and packet models to represent individual flows for which more detail is needed. The result is a computationally efficient simulation model that results in a high level of accuracy and detail in some of the flows, while abstracting away details of other flows. We show a computational speedup of more than twenty in some cases, with little reduction in accuracy of the simulation results.
Comparative cephalometric study of nasal cavity growth patterns in seven animal models

Although primates have been the craniofacial growth models of choice, recent circumstances have stimulated the search for nonprimate models. In a series of studies we have described changes in various regions of the craniofacial complex for seven commonly used animal models. The present study examined the bony nasal cavity. One hundred and forty-four serial and cross-sectional lateral head x-rays were obtained for unoperated controls from previous growth studies. The sample consisted of data from 26 rats, 21 rabbits, 21 domestic cats, 23 domestic dogs, 17 baboons, 16 rhesus monkeys, and 20 chimpanzees. Comparative human data was taken from the Bolton Standards. The samples were divided into three age categories based on dental and somatic development. Midsagittal nasal cavity measurements included length, height, shape index, and area. Analysis was based on the percent increase in measures from the infant condition. Three major shapes were discerned at adulthood (1) vertical quadrangles (humans and cats); (2) triangles (chimpanzees, rhesus monkeys, and baboons), and (3) horizontal quadrangles (rabbits, rats, and dogs). Results showed that overall shape was best modeled by the chimpanzee and, as a nonprimate model, the laboratory cat. Rabbits and rats also showed similar percent changes for length or height dimensions at different ages, suggesting that these animals may be acceptable, inexpensive alternatives to primates in some experimental situations.
Ultraphytoplankton succession is triggered by deep winter mixing in the Gulf of Aqaba (Eilat), Red Sea

The seasonal dynamics of ultraphytoplankton for the northern Gulf of Aqaba (29”28’N, 34”55’E) were investigated in detail. Monthly analysis of pigments by HPLC and cell abundances by epifluorescence microscopy showed large fluctuations in ultraphytoplankton community structure concurrent with strong seasonal changes in water-column conditions. Following extensive winter mixing, ultraphytoplankton seasonal succession progressed rapidly as water-column stratification strengthened. Eucaryotic algae dominated in nutrient-replete winter mixing conditions, Synechococcus was the major component of the ultraphytoplankton during a spring bloom of massive proportions, and Prochlorococcus was dominant in nutrient-depleted summer-stratified waters. Over the fall-winter period, as water-column mixing progressed, succession was in the reverse order but at a much slower rate. Prochlorococcus was the major component of the community during summer stratification, yet was not detected at the height of the mixing event in late winter. The reestablishment of the population occurred only 3 months after the onset of stratification. This is the first report on seasonal succession involving all three ultraphytoplankton groups. We suggest that water-column stability is an important factor influencing seasonal variations in ultraphytoplankton community structure. For some time, water-column conditions have been known to affect phytoplankton community structure. In oceanic regions of low latitudes, conditions are fairly constant throughout the year, with stably stratified waters that are usually limiting in nutrients (with the exception of equatorial upwelling regions). As such, phytoplankton community structure in these environments is fairly stable (Campbell and Vaulot 1993; Cushing 1989). Subtropical and temperate latitude environments undergo noticeable changes in water-column conditions during the year. The seasonal thermocline existing in summer is progressively eroded by convective mixing that often reaches below the euphotic zone in winter. As a result, the euphotic zone alternates from a stratified water body with fairly constant levels of light and nutrients to a mixed water column in which the phytoplankton experience lower temperatures, continually changing light conditions, and higher concentrations of nutrients. Striking variations in phytoplankton community structure are
WNK4 kinase regulates surface expression of the human sodium chloride cotransporter in mammalian cells.

Pseudohypoaldosteronism type II (PHA II) is caused by mutations of two members of WNK ((with no lysine (k)) kinase family. WNK4 wild type (WT) has been shown to inhibit the activity and surface expression of sodium chloride cotransporter (NCC) when expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Here, we have studied NCC protein processing in mammalian cells in the presence or absence of WNK4 WT and its mutants, E562K and R1185C, by surface biotinylation, Western blot, co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and immunostaining. WNK4 WT significantly reduced NCC surface expression in Cos-7 cells (58.9±6.8% vs 100% in control, P n =6), whereas its mutant E562K has no significant effect on NCC surface expression (92.9±5.3% vs 100%, P =NS, n =6). Another mutant R1185C still partially reduces surface expression of NCC (76.2±11.8% vs 100%, P n =6). The reduction of NCC surface expression by WNK4 WT (62.9±3.3% of control group) is not altered by WT dynamin ((61.8±3.7% ( P =NS)) or its mutant K44A ((65.4±14.1% ( P =NS)). A Co-IP study showed that both WNK4 WT and WNK4 E562K interact with NCC. Furthermore, a proton pump inhibitor, bafilomycin A1, partially reverses the inhibitory effect of WNK4 WT on NCC expression. Our data suggest that WNK4 WT significantly inhibits NCC surface expression, which is not owing to an increase in clathrin-mediated endocytosis of NCC, but likely results from enhanced degradation of NCC through a lysosomal pathway.
Impact of a Group Prenatal Program for Pregnant Adolescents on Perceived Partner Support

This quasi-experimental study compared family formation and perceived partner support among pregnant adolescents in a prenatal care program. Participants were assigned to either an intervention group utilizing centering pregnancy (CP) prenatal care and case management, or to a comparison group receiving case management only. Partners were invited to participate in CP group sessions. This study included 173 predominantly minority pregnant adolescents ages 15–18 years who were enrolled in a prenatal program and followed one month postpartum. Family formation included living and relationship arrangements. Perceived partner support included six domains of perceived social provisions. Data were collected through participants’ self-reports using computer-assisted self-interviews. Changes in family formation and perceptions of partner support from baseline to postpartum did not differ between intervention and comparison groups. Male partners who attended at least one CP session were perceived as more supportive at both the beginning and end of the program than partners who did not attend any sessions. After combining groups, pregnant adolescents reported a significant shift in family formation and increased monetary support from partners from baseline to postpartum. Partner support is important for ensuring positive pregnancy outcomes. Additional strategies are needed to engage young fathers who do not readily provide support during pregnancy.
Learning effects on reaction time among healthy subjects

健常人の反応時間に対する学習効果を筋電計とパーソナルコンピューターを用いて検索した。刺激パターンは学習前後で同一とした。また、対象は男性9名、女性11名の20名とし、平均年齢は26．8歳であった。測定回数を重ねるにしたがって、反応時間も短縮される傾向にあった事から、測定の中間に反応時間の変動要因を置き、反応時間の短縮が認められても、その全てを促通効果と見なすには一考を要すると思われた。
Generative Strategies, Working Memory, and Word Problem Solving Accuracy in Children at Risk for Math Disabilities.

This study investigated the role of generative strategies and working memory capacity on word problem solving accuracy in children with math difficulties (MD). Within classrooms, children in Grade 3 with MD (n = 69) were randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions: paraphrase question propositions (Restate), paraphrase relevant propositions (Relevant), and paraphrase all propositions (Complete), or to an untreated control. An additional control group included children without MD (n = 22). Mixed regression modeling showed that generative strategies significantly improved posttest scores for children with MD compared with the control condition, but outcomes were related to the type of dependent measures. The Relevant and Complete treatment conditions improved problem-solving accuracy, the Complete condition improved problem component identification, and the Restate and Relevant conditions improved operation span performance when compared with the control conditions. Only the Relevant and Complete...
New Clinical Practice Guideline on Tympanostomy Tubes in Children

Drs Simon and Baldassari have disclosed no financial relationship relevant to this commentary. This commentary does not contain a discussion of an unapproved/investigative use of a commercial product/device. The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery has published a clinical practice guideline on tympanostomy tubes (TT) in children.1 TT insertion is the most common surgery performed in children, with about 667,000 procedures performed per year in the United States in children under age 15 years.2 The purpose of this new guideline is to provide clinicians with evidence-based recommendations on patient selection, surgical indications, and management of tympanostomy tubes in children aged 6 months to 12 years. The guideline consists of 12 key recommendations. After stating that TT insertion is not recommended for a child with a single episode of …
Embedded Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Locally Perturb DOPC Phospholipid Bilayers

Understanding and controlling how carbon nanotubes interact with phospholipid membranes is necessary for preventing adverse effects of these relatively new, but still exciting, materials. Futuristic applications envision incorporating carbon nanotubes in liposomes for personalized medicine, controlled delivery, and imaging. Because of their ability to penetrate phospholipid bilayers, nanotubes could serve as nanoscale syringes to deliver molecular cargo and develop gene therapy. Several experimental reports available on the subject demonstrate the need for a better understanding, at the molecular level, of whether carbon nanotubes penetrate, reside, and perturb phospholipid bilayers. Using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, we quantify how short carbon nanotubes (∼6 nm in length) embedded within a DOPC phospholipid membrane perturb the structure, organization, and dynamics of the lipid molecules within the membrane. It is found that the structural perturbation is very short-ranged, although it becom...
Abstract 3384: The effects of mono- and combination-treatment of phytochemicals and antimicrotubule chemotherapeutic agents on prostate cancer cell proliferation and expression of EMT markers

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL PURPOSE: Treatment of androgen-independent metastatic prostate cancer with chemotherapeutic agent Estramustine showed diminishing success. Epidemiological studies showed an association between reduced cancer risk and dietary intake rich in phytochemicals from fruits and vegetables. We studied the molecular mechanisms through which phytochemicals muscadine grape skin extract (MSKE) and camalexin act individually, or in combination with Estramustine, to affect epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process involved in prostate cancer progression. EMT can be induced by transcription factors such as Snail, and is associated with decrease in cell adhesion molecules like E-cadherin, and increase in mesenchymal markers such as vimentin. METHODOLOGY: MSKE, Camalexin, and Estramustine, were used in varying concentrations individually, and in combination, to conduct MTS proliferation assay on C4-2 and ARCaP prostate cancer EMT model overexpressing constitutively active Snail cDNA. EMT markers, E-cadherin and vimentin, were examined by Western Blot Analysis following treatments. RESULTS: MSKE or Camalexin with or without Estramustine significantly decreased cell proliferation of C4-2 cells. Surprisingly, ARCaP-Snail cells were more sensitive to MSKE and Estramustine treatments, and showed significant decrease in viability, as compared to control ARCaP-Neo cells. ARCaP-Snail cells treated with 5µg/ml MSKE showed a reversal in EMT as shown by increased E-cadherin and decreased vimentin levels. CONCLUSION: Both mono and combination treatments retarded prostate cancer cell proliferation and may show promise as a therapeutic agent to abrogate EMT and prostate cancer metastasis in the future. Supported by grants P20MD002285-01 & G12RR003062-22. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3384. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-3384
DSSnet: A Smart Grid Modeling Platform Combining Electrical Power Distribution System Simulation and Software Defined Networking Emulation

The successful operations of modern power grids are highly dependent on a reliable and efficient underlying communication network. Researchers and utilities have started to explore the opportunities and challenges of applying the emerging software-defined networking (SDN) technology to enhance efficiency and resilience of the Smart Grid. This trend calls for a simulation-based platform that provides sufficient flexibility and controllability for evaluating network application designs, and facilitating the transitions from in-house research ideas to real productions. In this paper, we present DSSnet, a hybrid testing platform that combines a power distribution system simulator with an SDN emulator to support high fidelity analysis of communication network applications and their impacts on the power systems. Our contributions lay in the design of a virtual time system with the tight controllability on the execution of the emulation system, i.e., pausing and resuming any specified container processes in the perception of their own virtual clocks, with little overhead scaling to 500 emulated hosts with an average of 70 ms overhead; and also lay in the efficient synchronization of the two sub-systems based on the virtual time. We evaluate the system performance of DSSnet, and also demonstrate the usability through a case study by evaluating a load shifting algorithm.
Clinical study of continuous blood purification in treatment of acute lung injury

Objective To investigate the effect of continuous blood purification(CBP) in acute lung injury(ALI).Methods The patients who were diagnosed ALI in our hospital between 2010-06 and 2012-04 were internalized in our study.On the basis of combined modality therapy,the diversity of breathing mechanics,hemodynamics,oxygenation index,the level of inflammatory factor,lactic acid,electrolyte and the function of important organs of ALI children were observed.Results After CBP treatment in ALI children,static compliance of lung,oxygenation index improved.Airway resistance,tumor necrosis factor-α,interleukin-1(IL-1) in comparison between pre-and post-CBP treatment showed sigificant decrease,respectively,(4.48±2.35)kPa·s-1·L-1 vs(3.88±2.12)kPa·s-1·L-1,(429.60±284.71) pg/L vs(254.72±102.21) pg/L,(39.37±10.29) μg/L vs(12.47±2.83) μg/L.But IL-4 and IL-10 raised significantly,(19.56±8.17) pg/L vs(40.12±19.29) pg/L,(14.39±8.45) pg/L vs(31.92±20.59) pg/L.CRP,lactic acid,liver function,renal function and myocardial enzyme also significantly showed decrease.But there were no statistical discrepancy in blood pressure,heart rate,ejection fraction,Na+,K+ and CO2CP(P0.05).Conclusion CBP treatment is good for cleaning inflammatory factors and improving breathing mechanics,oxygenation index and the function of important organ in ALI patients,but it has no significant influence on hemodynamics and homoiostasis.
A new concept concerning treatment of exstrophy of the bladder: 20 years later.

Thirty patients undergoing bilateral ureterostomies as temporary diversion had bladder defunctionalizafion ranging from 1 to 66 mo. The bladder capacity and func ~ tion were evaluated prior to reestablishing urinary continuity. Of 23 patients where cystograms were obtained prior to diversion, all had normal capacity bladders. In the defunctionalized group, 15 patients had normal capacity bladders, and 15 had markedly reduced bladder capacity. Eight of the 15 with reduced capacity could be distended by hydrostatic pressure. Seven bladders had capacities of less than 30 ml and could not be distended. The authors presented three cases as illustrative examples. Causes of the contracted bladder are discussed, and the authors make a distinction between the reduced-capacity bladder that can be hydrostaticalIy returned to normal capacity, and the seven cases where the bladder could not be distended. They postulate that the difference is due to the replacement of bladder muscle by fibrous tissue as a result of deep infection. Cystograms a n d hydraulic testing of defunctionahzed bladders as well as possible bladder biopsy are advocated, prior to restoring urinary continuity.--S. Kim
The adenosinetriphosphatase activity of myofibrils from the horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus.

Abstract 1. 1. Horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) myofibrillar ATPase has good Ca2+ activation at pH 9 with activity ranging over 1 μmole P (mg protein)−1 (5 min)−1 at 25°C. 2. 2. Magnesium also activates this enzyme system at neutral pH with activities only one-third or one-quarter as high but nevertheless a true activation when compared with the activity in the absence of divalent cations. 3. 3. Manganese activates but only slightly at pH 7, whereas the activity at pH 9 is almost as high as the activity of isolated myosin B with Mn2+. 4. 4. There is a double pH optimum, at pH 7 and 9, and the system hydrolyzes ATP, ITP, UTP and CTP. 5. 5. EDTA and EGTA appear to inhibit the Ca2+ system by chelating an equimolar amount of Ca2+. 6. 6. Inhibition of the Mg2+ system, on the other hand, cannot be explained by chelation of the activating Mg2+.
MATHEMATICS OF FINANCE

This chapter discusses the basic mathematics used in finance. If P = principal (amount borrowed), r = interest rate (a percentage per year), t = time (in years that the principal is held), and S = amount, then the simple interest formula is S = P (1 + rt ). If the number of annual conversions is imagined to increase indefinitely, then a situation is approached in which interest is compounded continuously. The continuous compound interest formula is given by S = Pe rt . The chapter also discusses the effective rate of interest formula, effective interest rate for continuous compounding, simple discount, the future value of an ordinary annuity, and the sinking fund formula. The chapter discusses the present value formula and present value of an ordinary annuity. A table that lists the amount of interest and amount of principal repayment in each periodic payment of an amortized loan is called an amortization schedule.
Dichotomous roles of TGF-β in human cancer

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) mediates numerous biological processes, including embryonic development and the maintenance of cellular homeostasis in a context-dependent manner. Consistent with its central role in maintaining cellular homeostasis, inhibition of TGF-β signaling results in disruption of normal homeostatic processes and subsequent carcinogenesis, defining the TGF-β signaling pathway as a tumor suppressor. However, once carcinogenesis is initiated, the TGF-β signaling pathway promotes cancer progression. This dichotomous function of the TGF-β signaling pathway is mediated through altering effects on both the cancer cells, by inducing apoptosis and inhibiting proliferation, and the tumor microenvironment, by promoting angiogenesis and inhibiting immunosurveillance. Current studies support inhibition of TGF-β signaling either alone, or in conjunction with anti-angiogenic therapy or immunotherapy as a promising strategy for the treatment of human cancers.
Informing management with monitoring data: the value of Bayesian forecasting

Inventory and Monitoring Programs in the National Park Service (NPS) provide information needed to support wise planning, management, and decision making. Mathematical and statistical models play a critical role in this process by integrating data from multiple sources in a way that is honest about uncertainty. We show the utility of Bayesian hierarchical models for supporting decisions on managing natural resources of national parks. These models can assimilate monitoring data to provide true forecasts, resulting in probabilistic predictions of future states of park ecosystems accompanied by rigorous estimates of uncertainty. We discuss a novel approach for communicating these forecasts to decision makers who need to evaluate the probability that NPS goals will be met given different management actions, including the null model of no action. We illustrate how this approach has been used successfully to inform decisions on the elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) population management in Rocky Mountain National Park based on 47 yr of monitoring data. Forecasts from a discrete time, stage-structured population model assimilated with annual census and sex and age classifications are being used annually to help park managers decide on actions needed to meet goals for elk and vegetation. In particular, park managers were able to determine the probability that the elk population would fall within a desired population range, which led to both population reduction actions and no action depending on the year of interest. Moreover, this approach allowed multiple survey methodologies from the last 47 years to be incorporated into a single model with associated estimates of uncertainty. Models like this one are especially useful for adaptive management where continuous improvement in models and data results in long-term improvement in the wisdom of policy and management.
Perceptions of socioeconomic mobility influence academic persistence among low socioeconomic status students

Abstract Despite facing daunting odds of academic success compared with their more socioeconomically advantaged peers, many students from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds maintain high levels of academic motivation and persist in the face of difficulty. We propose that for these students, academic persistence may hinge on their perceptions of socioeconomic mobility, or their general beliefs regarding whether or not socioeconomic mobility—a powerful academic motivator—can occur in their society. Specifically, low-SES students' desire to persist on a primary path to mobility (i.e., school) should remain strong if they believe that socioeconomic mobility can occur in their society. By contrast, those who believe that socioeconomic mobility generally does not occur should be less motivated to persist academically. One correlational and two experimental studies provide support for this hypothesis among low (but not high) SES high school and university students. Implications for future intervention efforts are discussed.
Bringing the HEET: The Argument for High-Efficacy Early Treatment for Pediatric-Onset Multiple Sclerosis

Pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) is rarer than adult-onset disease, and represents a different diagnostic and treatment challenge to clinicians. We review POMS clinical and radiographic presentations, and explore important differences between POMS and adult-onset MS natural histories and long-term outcomes. Despite having more active disease, current treatment guidelines for patients with POMS endorse the off-label use of lower-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) as first line. We review the available MS DMTs, their evidence for use in POMS, and the contrasting treatment strategies of high-efficacy early treatment and escalation therapy. We introduce a new treatment approach, the "high-efficacy early treatment", or HEET strategy, based on using directly observed, high-efficacy intravenously infused DMTs as first-line therapies. Like other proposed POMS treatment strategies, HEET will need to be prospectively studied, and all treatment decisions should be determined by an experienced neurologist, the patient, and his/her parents.
Precision medicine and next generation sequencing: challenges and opportunities Culling Memorial Lecture

The C.F.A. Culling Memorial Lecture was established in honor of a dedicated scientist and friend to the National Society for Histotechnology, Professor Charles Culling, and is sponsored by PolyScie...
Measuring and improving student engagement in clinical training.

Purpose: Volunteer service learning activities, including Student Run Clinics (SRCs), are becoming an increasingly popular extracurricular component of medical education. While there are reports th...
Letter by Mutlu and Budinger Regarding Article, "Particulate Matter Exposure and Stress Hormone Levels: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Crossover Trial of Air Purification".

We read with interest the recent article, “Particulate Matter Exposure and Stress Hormone Levels: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Crossover Trial of Air Purification,” in which Li et al1 elegantly show that exposure of healthy humans to particulate matter air pollution resulted in the systemic release of catecholamines accompanied by an increase in systemic markers of oxidant stress and inflammation. A question raised by this article and other human exposure …
Applications of dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization in chemistry and biochemistry

Sensitivity of detection is one of the most limiting aspects when applying NMR spectroscopy to current problems in the molecular sciences. A number of hyperpolarization methods exist for increasing the population difference between nuclear spin Zeeman states and enhance the signal-to-noise ratio by orders of magnitude. Among these methods, dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization (D-DNP) is unique in its capability of providing high spin polarization for many types of molecules in the liquid state. Originally proposed for biomedical applications including in vivo imaging, applications in high resolution NMR spectroscopy are now emerging. These applications are the focus of the present review. Using D-DNP, a small sample aliquot is first hyperpolarized as a frozen solid at low temperature, followed by dissolution into the liquid state. D-DNP extends the capabilities of liquid state NMR spectroscopy towards shorter timescales and enables the study of nonequilibrium processes, such as the kinetics and mechanisms of reactions. It allows the determination of intermolecular interactions, in particular based on spin relaxation parameters. At the same time, a challenge in the application of this hyperpolarization method is that spin polarization is nonrenewable. Substantial effort has been devoted to develop methods for enabling rapid correlation spectroscopy, the measurement of time-dependent signals, and the extension of the observable time window. With these methods, D-DNP has the potential to open new application areas in the chemical and biochemical sciences.
Publisher Correction: A craniofacial-specific monosynaptic circuit enables heightened affective pain

In the version of this article initially published, ORCID links were missing for authors Erica Rodriguez, Koji Toda and Fan Wang. The error has been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions of the article.
Retirement is associated with change in self-esteem.

We examined the course of self-esteem during the transition to retirement in a sample of 690 retirees (ages 51-81) and a propensity-score matched-comparison group of 515 nonretirees drawn from a nationally representative longitudinal study in the Netherlands. The average retiree decreased in self-esteem in the 5 years before retirement and remained stable in self-esteem in the 5 years following retirement. We also found significant individual differences in retirees' self-esteem trajectories but failed to identify moderators that may account for these individual differences. We discuss the implications of these results for theory and future research on life span self-esteem development.
Job strain, long work hours, and suicidal ideation in US workers: a longitudinal study

To investigate whether chronic psychosocial work stressors (low job control, high job demands, job strain, low supervisor and coworker support, job insecurity, and long work hours) are longitudinally associated with suicidal ideation in a working population. Five-hundred seventy-eight workers (aged 34–69) were chosen for this analysis from those who participated in both project 1 (2004–2006 at baseline) and project 4 (2004–2009 at follow-up) of the Midlife Development in the United States II study. The median time interval between the two projects was 26 months (range 2–62 months). About 11% of the workers reported suicidal ideation at follow-up, while 3% of them reported moderate/severe suicidal ideation at follow-up. After controlling for age, marital status, race, family history of suicide, and suicidal ideation at baseline, low skill discretion and job strain (a combination of low job control and high job demands) were associated with total suicidal ideation. After excluding those with suicidal ideation at baseline from analysis and further controlling for other work stressors, job strain was strongly associated with moderate/severe suicidal ideation: ORs, 4.29 (1.30–14.15) for quartile-based job strain and 3.77 (1.21–11.70) for median-based job strain. Long work hours (> 40 h/week vs. ≤ 40 h/week) also increased the likelihood for moderate/severe suicidal ideation: OR 4.06 (1.08–15.19). Job strain and long work hours were longitudinally associated with moderate/severe suicidal ideation. Increasing job control and ensuring optimal level of work demands, including 40 h or less of work per week may be an important strategy for the prevention of suicide in working populations.
Parameters important in the oxidation of tritium at a stainless steel surface

The heterogeneous reaction between oxygen/helium gas, tritium and stainless steel was studied at the back surface of a stainless steel tube. The yield of tritiated water was determined as a function of oxygen concentration, tritium concentration, protium concentration, flow rate, and temperature. This report describes the results for two sets of runs done at 550/sup 0/C with and without 15 ppm protium in the oxygen/helium gas. At oxygen concentrations of 40 ppm, the presence of excess protium in the oxygen/helium produced a reduced yield of tritiated water. At oxygen concentrations >1000 ppm, the two yields were equivalent, 98%.
Control of Crayfish Escape Behavior

Professor Cornelis Wiersma, whom we honor in this volume, introduced the giant fiber system of the crayfish (Johnson, 1924) into modern neurophysiology in an important series of papers published from 1936 to 1952 (Wiersma, 1938, 1947a, b, 1949, 1952b; Wiersma and Schalleck, 1947, 1948; Wiersma and Turner, 1950). Wiersma showed that the giant fibers are “command neurons” for escape, which, by a single firing, produce a fast flexion and extension of the abdomen and a variety of ancillary motor reactions involving hundreds of motor neurons (MNs) distributed along the length of the neuroaxis. A host of later workers who have built on the findings of Wiersma and his collaborators have brought crayfish escape behavior to a point where there is perhaps no equally complex behavior in the repertoire of any animal that is so well understood in neuronal terms.
Magnetic Property Evaluation of Creep Damaged Cr-Mo Steel Components used in Power Plants

Magnetic properties of steel are sensitive to the total volume of magnetic inclusions in the material [1]. These magnetic inclusions may be precipitates or microscopic voids. When a material is subjected to an elevated temperature under stress for extended periods, slow plastic flow of material occurs which eventually leads to microscopic voids, cavities and finally macroscopic cracking. This process is known as creep damaged. Depending on the strain rate within the material, the creep process can be divided into three categories. In the early stage of the creep process known as primary creep, the material deforms rapidly with time. But this strain rate gradually decreases and becomes independent of time. This stage of creep process is known as secondary, or steady state, creep. In the final stage which is known as tertiary creep, the strain rate again increases with time and deformation continues until the material fails.
Using Twitter data for transit performance assessment: a framework for evaluating transit riders’ opinions about quality of service

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have drastically altered the way information is generated and disseminated. These platforms allow their users to report events and express their opinions toward these events. The profusion of data generated through social media has proved to have the potential for improving the efficiency of existing traffic management systems and transportation analytics. This study complements existing literature by proposing a framework to evaluate transit riders’ opinion about quality of transit service using Twitter data. Although previous studies used keyword search to extract transit-related tweets, the extracted tweets can still be noisy and might not be relevant to transit quality of service at all. In this study, we leverage topic modeling, an unsupervised machine learning technique, to sift tweets that are relevant to the actual user experience of the transit system. Sentiment analysis is further performed based on the tweet-per-topic index we developed, to gauge transit riders’ feedback and explore the underlying reasons causing their dissatisfaction on the service. This framework can be potentially quite useful to transit agencies for user-oriented analysis and to assist with investment decision making.
Transgender Patient Care in Urology: Evaluation of Attitudes, Knowledge and Practice Patterns among Urologists in the New York Metropolitan Area

AbstractIntroduction:Transgender individuals suffer from significant health disparities, due in part to deficiencies in physician knowledge or comfort with addressing transgender health care needs....
Problems with the concept of capitalism in the social sciences

The paper argues that the term “capitalism” carries with it baggage that interferes with our ability to understand contemporary market economies. The evolution of work in the “varieties of capitali...