cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Validation and assessment of discordance of the 8th edition AJCC (American Joint Committee on Cancer) clinical and pathologic staging systems in patients with p16+ oropharyngeal cancer treated with surgery and adjuvant radiation at a single institution.

Major updates have been made in the latest (8th) edition of the American Joint Commission on Cancer (AJCC) manual for staging of oropharynx squamous cell cancer (OPSCC)[1, 2] which are based on changes in epidemiology of OPSCC related to the emergence of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) as the major cause for OPSCC.[3, 4] It is now recognized that patients with HPV positive oropharyngeal cancer (HPV+OPSCC) have superior survival compared to patients with HPV negative oropharynx cancer (HPV-OPSCC).[5] One of the key characteristics of patients with HPV+OPSCC is a markedly improved prognosis despite advanced nodal disease when compared to patients with HPV-disease.[3, 6–8] Traditional risk factors predictive of outcome, such as positive margins and extranodal extension (ENE), are not accurate predictors of outcome in HPV+ patients.[9] Previous studies have reported that the AJCC 7th edition staging system has limited ability to differentiate prognosis accurately among stages in the HPV+OPSCC population.[6–8] As a result, a new clinical staging system (International Collaboration on Oropharyngeal cancer Network for Staging, ICON-S) and a new pathological staging system (HPV-Path) were introduced in 2016 specifically for HPV+OPSCC patients. The ICON-S staging system was developed from a study of 1907 HPV+OPSCC patients using an adjusted hazard ratio model that considered age, smoking status and use of cytotoxic chemotherapy.[10] This staging model was created from data of patients treated primarily with chemoradiation. In contrast, the HPV-Path system was created from a multi-institutional dataset of HPV+OPSCC patients treated with surgery, and thus the staging system was based on pathological variables that were not available in the ICON-S study.[11] The parameters of both staging systems have been incorporated into the new 8th edition of the AJCC staging system for OPSCC.[1, 2] The ICON-S system is the new AJCC 8th edition clinical staging system and the HPV-Path system the pathological staging system. A recent report has suggested the two staging systems result in discordant staging[12] The objective of our study was to validate the new clinical and pathological staging systems in an independent cohort of HPV+OPSCC patients who had received surgery as the initial treatment modality. We also determined which staging system was more appropriate for patients treated with surgery and evaluated the degree of discordance between the clinical and pathological staging systems.
Bounding Moments of an Order Statistic When Each K-Tuple is Independent

Let X = (X 1,…, X n) be an n-tuple of random variables X j each having the same known distribution function F and such that each k-tuple is independent. We develop a new method with many applications for determining often sharp lower and upper bounds for the distribution functions and moments of the associated order statistics.
The role of MMPs in the inflammatory process of acute lung injury

Acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS) manifests as non-cardiogenic pulmonary oedema, respiratory distress, hypoxemia and results from various processes that directly or indirectly injure the lung (e.g., during sepsis). The innate inflammatory response of the lung to infection, which triggers a cascade of events, including release of proinflammatory cytokines, influx of polymorphonuclear neutrophils in the lung tissue, and production of proteinases, such as matrix metalloproteinases, is central to host defence processes. However, in disease conditions, this chronic inflammatory response can become detrimental to the airways, causing degradation of the extracellular matrix in the lung. Matrix metalloproteinases are thought to play a critical role in this degradation, and has been the subject of intense research. In an attempt to prevent or control disease progression there has been great interest in the development of MMP inhibitors. However, to date, there are no effective therapeutic agents; hence, researchers continue to further elucidate the complex role of these proteinases.
Ethanol metabolism and hepatotoxicity. Does sex make a difference

The role of gender as a variable that might affect the metabolism of ethanol and thus the hepatotoxicity of ethanol is evaluated. First, the pharmacodynamics of ethanol are reviewed with particular attention to hormone effects on ethanol absorption and metabolism. Specific differences between males and females relative to ethanol pharmacokinetic parameters are discussed, including gender differences in the volume of distribution and putative hormonal effects on achieved blood alcohol levels. In addition, attention is directed toward the metabolic capacity of alcohol dehydrogenase and the microsomal ethanol-oxidizing system with respect to effects of both sex differences and hormonal manipulations on the activity of these ethanol-metabolizing enzymes. Finally, the studies on the concept of sex-related differences in susceptibility to alcohol hepatotoxicity are examined.2
Advancing Pharmacy Through Entrepreneurial Leadership By combining principles of entrepreneurship with those of leadership, pharmacists can create value in emerging, innovative pharmacy-based services and products.

By combining principles of entrepreneurship with those of leadership, pharmacists can create value in emerging, innovative pharmacy-based services and products.
A Neglected Science: Applying Behavior to Aquatic Conservation

Behavioral theories, insights, and techniques are too frequently ignored by conservation biologists. Yet an animal's survival and reproductive success clearly depend on its behavior. Using examples from marine, freshwater, and terrestrial realms, I assert that behavioral information is invaluable in five conservation areas: (1) managing wild species (e.g., designing marine reserves; reducing animal–human conflicts; understanding and managing species' responses to human-induced environmental stress such as fishing, introduced species, and chemical, visual, and acoustic pollution); (2) actively reversing the decline of imperiled wild species (e.g., reducing bycatch by improving selectivity of fishing gear; re-establishing breeding populations and boosting reproduction); (3) assessing biodiversity (e.g., modeling population viability; censusing and monitoring populations and species); (4) captive breeding and reintroduction programs (e.g., minimizing loss of valuable phenotypes; teaching or maintaining valuable survival skills); and (5) changing human behavior in resource exploitation (e.g., using principles from social psychology). Both realized and potential applications to fishes are stressed. Finally, behavioral diversity, a valuable but neglected element of biodiversity, needs to be explicitly conserved to maintain diverse populations. Arguments are presented that the conservation of species diversity and genetic diversity alone does not necessarily protect important behavioral diversity. The maintenance of both individual and population variability may be essential for the preservation of a species.
Surgical variance between postconceptional and preconceptional minimally invasive transabdominal cerclage placement.

Recent data show that transabdominal cerclage placement via laparoscopy carries better obstetrical outcomes in comparison to transabdominal cerclage placement via laparotomy. In this surgical tutorial, we review the technique for minimally invasive abdominal cerclage and highlight the surgical differences between preconceptional and conceptional cerclage.
Multi-time-scale biomolecular ‘quasi-integral’ controllers for set-point regulation and trajectory tracking

Recent trends in synthetic biology to move from prototypes to applications have triggered higher expectations on the robustness, predictability and responsiveness of biomolecular circuits. Therefore, a systematic approach to designing biomolecular controllers for regulating gene expression is needed. Although a number of integral control motifs (ICMs) have been proposed for set-point regulation, their performance in vivo is challenged by integration leakiness due to dilution, which cannot be neglected in growing cells. In this paper, we study a class of quasi-integral controllers designed based on existing ICMs and multiple time-scale separations. We demonstrate that by engineering all controller reactions to be much faster than dilution, set-point regulation can be achieved even in the presence of a leaky integrator. Furthermore, by engineering controller parameters for a second layer of time-scale separation, arbitrarily small tracking error can be achieved under certain technical conditions. We demonstrate a realization of our design principle through a small RNA feedback circuit.
The Contribution of Social Political Networks to Democracy

According to voter choice behavior theory, voters’ motives and perceptions in different political markets could be different, though the voters’ basic cognitive structure is similar. Still, it is p...
Extension operators and automorphisms

Abstract Many of the commonly studied extension operators that take a normalized locally univalent function f defined in the open unit disk D ⊆ C to a normalized locally biholomorphic mapping of the unit ball B ⊆ C n , n ≥ 2 , are of the form f ↦ Ψ ∘ Φ 0 [ f ] , where Φ 0 [ f ] ( z ) = ( f ( z 1 ) , f ′ ( z 1 ) z ˆ ) , z ∈ B , z ˆ = ( z 2 , … , z n ) , is the Roper–Suffridge extension of f and Ψ is a first-coordinate shear, an automorphism of C n of the form Ψ ( w ) = ( w 1 + g ( w ˆ ) , w ˆ ) , where g : C n − 1 → C is holomorphic and contains no terms of degree 0 or 1 in its Taylor expansion at the origin. Other studies have considered the Roper–Suffridge extension operator with the multiplier f ′ ( z 1 ) replaced by a different expression. Recently, it has been shown that the set of restrictions of automorphisms of C n to B satisfying some geometric property such as convexity or starlikeness is dense in the full respective family of geometric mappings when n ≥ 2 . We study large families of biholomorphic mappings on B generated by automorphisms of C n , abstract generalizations of the Roper–Suffridge extension operator, unitary rotations, and families of locally univalent functions on D . In many cases, families arising from distinct automorphisms will be seen to be disjoint, despite the fact that they contain the restrictions of the respective automorphisms to B and the previously noted density result. Of particular interest given our consideration of more general automorphisms related to extension operators, we show that the compositions of the Roper–Suffridge extension operator with a particular class of first-coordinate overshears, automorphisms of C n of the form Ψ ( w ) = ( h ( w ˆ ) w 1 + g ( w ˆ ) , w ˆ ) for g , h : C n − 1 → C holomorphic and h never 0, extend certain bounded starlike mappings of D to starlike mappings of B . We conclude with several open questions inspired by this work.
Multi-Modal Signatures of Tau Pathology, Neuronal Fiber Integrity, and Functional Connectivity in Traumatic Brain Injury.

Abstract [18F]AV-1451 (aka 18F-Flortaucipir, [18F]T807) was developed for positron-emission tomography (PET) imaging of paired helical filaments of hyperphosphorylated tau, which are of interest in...
Twisted light in a fiber: Science and applications

Polarisation- and phase-vortices are emerging as light-beams of immense interest in several scientific and technological applications. We review recently developed techniques for generating them, as well as manipulating their nonlinear optical properties, with optical fibers.
Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, is rare but ecologically established and widely dispersed in the environment in Puerto Rico.

Background Burkholderia pseudomallei is a soil-dwelling bacterium and the causative agent of melioidosis. The global burden and distribution of melioidosis is poorly understood, including in the Caribbean. B. pseudomallei was previously isolated from humans and soil in eastern Puerto Rico but the abundance and distribution of B. pseudomallei in Puerto Rico as a whole has not been thoroughly investigated. Methodology/Principal findings We collected 600 environmental samples (500 soil and 100 water) from 60 sites around Puerto Rico. We identified B. pseudomallei by isolating it via culturing and/or using PCR to detect its DNA within complex DNA extracts. Only three adjacent soil samples from one site were positive for B. pseudomallei with PCR; we obtained 55 isolates from two of these samples. The 55 B. pseudomallei isolates exhibited fine-scale variation in the core genome and contained four novel genomic islands. Phylogenetic analyses grouped Puerto Rico B. pseudomallei isolates into a monophyletic clade containing other Caribbean isolates, which was nested inside a larger clade containing all isolates from Central/South America. Other Burkholderia species were commonly observed in Puerto Rico; we cultured 129 isolates from multiple soil and water samples collected at numerous sites around Puerto Rico, including representatives of B. anthina, B. cenocepacia, B. cepacia, B. contaminans, B. glumae, B. seminalis, B. stagnalis, B. ubonensis, and several unidentified novel Burkholderia spp. Conclusions/Significance B. pseudomallei was only detected in three soil samples collected at one site in north central Puerto Rico with only two of those samples yielding isolates. All previous human and environmental B. pseudomallei isolates were obtained from eastern Puerto Rico. These findings suggest B. pseudomallei is ecologically established and widely dispersed in the environment in Puerto Rico but rare. Phylogeographic patterns suggest the source of B. pseudomallei populations in Puerto Rico and elsewhere in the Caribbean may have been Central or South America.
Reducing Contrastive Knowledge

According to one form of epistemic contrastivism, due to Jonathan Schaffer, knowledge is not a binary relation between an agent and a proposition, but a ternary relation between an agent, a proposition, and a context-basing question. In a slogan: to know is to know the answer to a question. I argue, first, that Schaffer-style epistemic contrastivism can be semantically represented in inquisitive dynamic epistemic logic, a recent implementation of inquisitive semantics in the framework of dynamic epistemic logic; second, that within inquisitive dynamic epistemic logic, the contrastive ternary knowledge operator is reducible to the standard binary one. The reduction shows, I argue, that Schaffer’s argument in favor of contrastivism is compatible with a binary picture of knowledge. This undercuts the force of the argument in favor of contrastivism.
Change point estimation of deciduous forest land surface phenology

Abstract Dramatic phenological shifts and ecosystem responses of deciduous forests to global climate change have been reported around the world. Land Surface Phenology (LSP) derived from satellite imagery is useful to estimate the phenological responses of vegetation to climate variability and inform terrestrial ecosystem models at landscape to global scales. However, there is a large (and unquantified) uncertainty in estimated phenological dates due to the relatively coarse temporal resolution of typical data and methodological limitations. To assess responses of phenology and related ecological function and services, it is essential to decrease the temporal uncertainty of estimated phenological processes. In this study, we developed a new LSP estimation method using linear change point models to determine four phenological transitions using twice-daily Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) from 2000 to 2015. We evaluated the approach using long-term phenological ground observations and compare performance of four LSP estimations generated from two data sources (i.e. 8-day and twice daily EVI time series) and two methods (i.e. double logistic and change point estimation). We found that the LSP generated from change point estimation with twice daily EVI time series had the highest accuracy (i.e. lower Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), mean bias, and Mean Absolute Error (MAE)) for both spring and fall phenology evaluated by Harvard Forest phenology observations and a large citizen science database of phenological observations from the National Phenology Network. For example, change point estimation reduced the estimation error for fall senescence date from over 40 days in the standard MODIS phenology product (version 005) to 11.5–24 days of RMSE, −2.6 to −5.8 days of mean bias, and 7.9–20.1 days of MAE. The change point methodology also enables calculation of additional metrics to describe the biophysical process of vegetation, including rates of greenup, green-down, and senescence, EVI values at each phenological transition, and the estimation uncertainties for each transition date. Our LSP estimations will improve more comprehensive investigations of landscape phenology of deciduous forest and the associated ecosystem processes at regional to global scales.
Anatomical Variations of the Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve and Implications for Injury Prevention during Surgical Procedures of the Neck

Accurate knowledge of anatomical variations of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) provides information to prevent inadvertent intraoperative injury and ultimately guide best clinical and surgical practices. The present study aims to assess the potential anatomical variability of RLN pertaining to its course, branching pattern, and relationship to the inferior thyroid artery, which makes it vulnerable during surgical procedures of the neck. Fifty-five formalin-fixed cadavers were carefully dissected and examined, with the course of the RLN carefully evaluated and documented bilaterally. Our findings indicate that extra-laryngeal branches coming off the RLN on both the right and left side innervate the esophagus, trachea, and mainly intrinsic laryngeal muscles. On the right side, 89.1% of the cadavers demonstrated 2–5 extra-laryngeal branches. On the left, 74.6% of the cadavers demonstrated 2–3 extra-laryngeal branches. In relation to the inferior thyroid artery (ITA), 67.9% of right RLNs were located anteriorly, while 32.1% were located posteriorly. On the other hand, 32.1% of left RLNs were anterior to the ITA, while 67.9% were related posteriorly. On both sides, 3–5% of RLN crossed in between the branches of the ITA. Anatomical consideration of the variations in the course, branching pattern, and relationship of the RLNs is essential to minimize complications associated with surgical procedures of the neck, especially thyroidectomy and anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) surgery. The information gained in this study emphasizes the need to preferentially utilize left-sided approaches for ACDF surgery whenever possible.
A national analysis of pediatric falls from a building.

Abstract Introduction Falls remain the leading cause of unintentional pediatric trauma in the United States. Identifying risk factors for pediatric building falls would influence public health policy. We hypothesized that building falls disproportionately affect low income communities. Methods We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the Kids’ Inpatient Database for years 2006, 2009, and 2012. We identified cases (age Results There were 2,294 hospitalizations nationally for pediatric falls from a building. The victims were predominately male, in early childhood, non-Hispanic White, in the lowest income quartile, resided in urban settings, and occurred during summer. The mean age was 3.76 years. Logistic regression revealed males were 33% more likely than females, and as compared to non-Hispanic White youth, Black (33%) and Asian or Pacific Islanders (65%) were more likely to experience a fall from a building. Toddlers and those in early childhood were at significantly increased odds than those younger than one year old. Children in the highest income quartile were 29% more likely to experience a building fall. Conclusions Building falls are a common cause of injury in the U.S. for children under 12 years old. Injury prevention strategies focused on the parents of children aged 1–5 years has the potential to make a significant public health impact.
Sleep Spindles Preferentially Consolidate Weakly Encoded Memories.

Sleep has been shown to be critical for memory consolidation, with some research suggesting that certain memories are prioritized for consolidation. Initial strength of a memory appears to be an important boundary condition in determining which memories are consolidated during sleep. However, the role of consolidation-mediating oscillations, such as sleep spindles and slow oscillations, in this preferential consolidation has not been explored. Here, 54 human participants (76% female) studied pairs of words to three distinct encoding strengths, with recall being tested immediately following learning and again six hours later. Thirty-six had a two-hour nap opportunity following learning, whilst the remaining 18 remained awake throughout. Results showed that across six hours awake, weakly encoded memories deteriorated the fastest. In the nap group however, this effect was attenuated, with forgetting rates equivalent across encoding strengths. Within the nap group, consolidation of weakly encoded items was associated with fast sleep spindle density during non-rapid eye movement sleep. Moreover, sleep spindles that were coupled to slow oscillations predicted the consolidation of weak memories independently of uncoupled sleep spindles. These relationships were unique to weakly encoded items, with spindles not correlating with memory for intermediate or strong items. This suggests that sleep spindles facilitate memory consolidation, guided in part by memory strength. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Given the countless pieces of information we encode each day, how does the brain select which memories to commit to long-term storage? Sleep is known to aid in memory consolidation, and it appears that certain memories are prioritized to receive this benefit. Here, we found that compared to staying awake, sleep was associated with better memory for weakly encoded information. This suggests that sleep helps attenuate the forgetting of weak memory traces. Fast sleep spindles, a hallmark oscillation of non-rapid eye movement sleep, mediate consolidation processes. We extend this to show that fast spindles were uniquely associated with the consolidation of weakly encoded memories. This provides new evidence for preferential sleep-based consolidation and elucidate a physiological correlate of this benefit.
Blocking an Argument for Emergent Chance

Several authors have argued that non-extreme probabilities used in special sciences such as chemistry and biology can be objective chances, even if the true microphysical description of the world is deterministic. This article examines an influential version of this argument and shows that it depends on a particular methodology for defining the relationship between coarse-grained and fine-grained events. An alternative methodology for coarse-graining is proposed. This alternative methodology blocks this argument for the existence of emergent chances, and makes better sense of two well-known subjects of philosophical discussion: the Miners Puzzle and Simpson’s Paradox.
Mind-Body Interventions for Anxiety Disorders: A Review of the Evidence Base for Mental Health Practitioners.

Mind-body interventions have gained increasing popularity for use with anxiety symptoms; however, it is unclear what role they play in the treatment of anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiet...
Disrupting porcine glutaminase does not block preimplantation development and elongation nor decrease mTORC1 activation in conceptuses

Elongation of pig conceptuses is a dynamic process, requiring adequate nutrient provisions. Glutamine is used as an energy substrate and is involved in the activation of mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) during porcine preimplantation development. However, the roles of glutamine have not been extensively studied past the blastocyst stage. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to determine if glutaminase (GLS), which is the rate-limiting enzyme in glutamine metabolism, was necessary for conceptus elongation to proceed and was involved in mTORC1 activation. The CRISPR/Cas9 system was used to induce loss-of-function mutations in the GLS gene of porcine fetal fibroblasts. Wild type (GLS+/+) and knockout (GLS–/–) fibroblasts were used as donor cells for somatic cell nuclear transfer, and GLS+/+ and GLS–/– blastocyst-stage embryos were transferred into surrogates. On day 14 of gestation, GLS+/+ conceptuses primarily demonstrated filamentous morphologies, and GLS–/– conceptuses exhibited spherical, ovoid, tubular, and filamentous morphologies. Thus, GLS–/– embryos were able to elongate despite the absence of GLS protein and minimal enzyme activity. Furthermore, spherical GLS–/– conceptuses had increased abundance of transcripts related to glutamine and glutamate metabolism and transport compared to filamentous conceptuses of either genotype. Differences in phosphorylation of mTORC1 components and targets were not detected regarding conceptus genotype or morphology, but abundance of two transcriptional targets of mTORC1, cyclin D1, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha was increased in spherical conceptuses. Therefore, porcine GLS is not essential for conceptus elongation and is not required for mTORC1 activation at this developmental timepoint. Summary sentence Knocking out glutaminase in porcine embryos does not prevent development to the blastocyst stage nor elongation of the conceptus to a filamentous morphology.
Sensing spermidine through tongue-tied translation prevents too much of a good thing.

Vindu et al. (2021) identify the yeast high-affinity spermidine transporter, elucidate the mRNA uORF/eIF5a-based translational mechanism by which spermidine levels are sensed, and demonstrate that excess spermidine competitively inhibits eIF5a function, resulting in decreased spermidine uptake.
Serendipitous conservation: Impacts of oil pipeline construction in rural northwestern Ecuador

Abstract Since the early 1980s investment has moved into the Nono-Tandayapa-Mindo-Los Bancos region of NW Ecuador largely through a rapid expansion of ecotourism facilities. Cows and pastures have been replaced with lodges and secondary growth forest. The creation of the Mindo-Nambillo Bosque Protector that was subsequently declared Birdlife International's first IBA (Important Bird Area) in South America, the completion of the tarmac Calacali-Independencia Highway in 1981 connecting Quito, Ecuador’s capital, to Mindo and then the coast, and the completion in 2002 of the New Trans-Andean pipeline Oleoducto de Crudos Pesados (OCP) seems to have facilitated this expansion. The new Calacali-Independencia road cut transit times from Quito to Mindo from 6 to 8 h to 2 h while the new OCP pipeline access road, renamed the “Ecoruta Paseo del Quinde,” provides access to the upper Choco endemic bird area. It appears that the OCP construction protests were a unifying force for good, motivating four distinct groups to challenge the building of the OCP oil pipeline; to try to develop ecological sound, sustainable development in Mindo, the Tandayapa Valley and Los Bancos; purchase conservation tracts; and initiate non-local investment in these three locations. Drawing on findings from unstructured interviews with NGO representatives, ecolodge owners, and key environmental activists in the region, this paper examines how Nono-Mindo-Tandayapa-Los Bancos region has become the most popular ecotourism destination in Northwest Ecuador.
Enzymatic Synthesis and Immunochemistry of α- and β-N-Acetylglucosaminylribitol Linkages in Teichoic Acids from Several Strains of Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract Teichoic acids have been prepared from Staphylococcus aureus strains H, Duncan, and 3528, in addition to strain Copenhagen studied previously. The teichoic acids of strains H and Duncan contain virtually all β-acetylglucosaminyl residues while that from strain 3528 contains virtually all α-acetylglucosaminyl residues and strain Copenhagen contains both. This structural feature of the teichoic acids is mirrored in the specificity of two uridine diphosphate acetylglucosamine polyribitol phosphate acetylglucosamine transferases found in these strains, although enzymes from all four strains have some capacity to catalyze the synthesis of both types of linkages. By hapten inhibition studies, it has been shown that these α- and β-acetylglucosaminyl residues are the determinants of an immunological specificity responsible for cell wall agglutination.
RL-MAC: A QoS-Aware Reinforcement Learning based MAC Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

This paper introduces RL-MAC, a novel adaptive media access control (MAC) protocol for wireless sensor networks (WSN) that employs a reinforcement learning framework. Existing schemes center around scheduling the nodes' sleep and active periods as means of minimizing the energy consumption. Recent protocols employ adaptive duty cycles as means of further optimizing the energy utilization (W. Ye et al., 2004)(T.V. Dam and K. Langendoen, 2003). However, in most cases each node determines the duty cycle as a function of its own traffic load. In this paper, nodes actively infer the state of other nodes, using a reinforcement learning based control mechanism, thereby achieving high throughput and low power consumption for a wide range of traffic conditions. Moreover, the computational complexity of the proposed scheme is moderate rendering it pragmatic for practical deployments. Quality of service can easily be implemented in the proposed framework as well
Separate Phosphodiesterases for the Hydrolysis of Cyclic Adenosine 3',5'-Monophosphate and Cyclic Guanosine 3',5'-Monophosphate in Rat Liver

Abstract Rat liver contains at least three active cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase fractions which differ in their substrate affinity, specificity, and subcellular distribution. These forms have been separated by DEAE-cellulose chromatography. Fraction I hydrolyzes cyclic guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cyclic GMP), and this activity is unaffected by cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP). This enzyme shows linear kinetics with a high affinity for cyclic GMP. Fraction II hydrolyzes both cyclic nucleotides with relatively low substrate affinities similar to those observed kinetically in the original homogenate. Each cyclic nucleotide acts as a noncompetitive inhibitor of the hydrolysis of the other nucleotide. However, cyclic GMP at low concentrations (1 µm) is an activator of cyclic AMP hydrolysis. Cooperativity is seen in the hydrolysis of both nucleotides by Fraction II at pH 7.4 but not at pH 8.0. Fraction III is a high affinity negatively cooperative cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase which is inhibited by cyclic GMP in a hyperbolic fashion. This activity is associated with 100,000 x g particles, while Fractions I and II are soluble.
Laboratory Measurements of Differential Diffusion in a Diffusively Stable, Turbulent Flow

Laboratory experiments were performed to determine the conditions under which differential diffusion occurs and to evaluate its effect on the mixing efficiency. Diffusively stable profiles of temperature and salinity were stirred steadily by horizontally oscillating vertical rods. The two-component stratification ensures that both scalars experience the same stratification and forcing, or Richardson and Reynolds numbers. The eddy diffusivities KT and KS, for temperature and salinity, were estimated by fitting theoretical solutions of diffusion equations to measured profiles, and the mixing efficiency was computed as the ratio of the potential energy change during a stirring interval to the work done in that interval. Differential diffusion occurred for «a/nN 2 , 300‐500, where «a is an average dissipation rate computed from an integrated energy budget. The diffusivity ratio d 5 KS/KT varied between 0.5 and 1 in the range 50 ,« a/nN 2 , 500. The experiments also show that differential diffusion can significantly affect the mixing efficiency. An important dimensionless parameter is the density ratio Rr, which is the ratio of the density change due to temperature to that due to salinity. Measurements in cases with low density ratio (Rr 0.25) and high density ratio (Rr 5) showed that the mixing efficiencies agreed well for weak stratification, or small Richardson number. For larger Richardson number, the efficiency for the highdensity-ratio case exceeded that for the low-density-ratio case by as much as a factor of 1.5.
Hinduism and Business Ethics

Hinduism is one of the dominant religions of India. It has evolved over a period of 3000 years and in the process absorbed a multitude of beliefs and valuesover the ages through global trade with people from other nations. Nevertheless, the basic tenets of the Hindu religion remain firmly ensconced in the psyche and value set of its followers. These include: Samsara which suggests a continuous cycle of life–death–rebirth where one's current life reflects one's actions in the previous life, and where one's actions in the current life would reflect one's status in the next life. Other tenets include Dharma, that is, one's duty; Karma (manifest destiny), and ultimately, Nirvana, when one's merger with GOD and in thus freed form worldly cycle of life + death and rebirth. At an intellectual level, Hindu religion provides both a basis for moral values and a prescriptive mode that influences one's conduct and actions. This flexibility in interpretation allows Hindus to adapt to different religions and mores. This approach has led India's leading companies to imitate the conduct of their foreign MNCs and adopt their exploitative practices for their own benefit while bemoaning the poverty and misery of the masses as their manifest destiny (Karma). Keywords: hinduism; moral principles; (karma) manifest destiny; hierarchy status; caste system
Comparison of estimates of first-year dairy manure nitrogen availability or recovery using nitrogen-15 and other techniques.

Measurements of dairy manure nutrient availability to crops typically show great variability. Approaches that are more accurate are needed to improve manure management and reduce nutrient loss to the environment. In this study, we compared direct ( 15 N recovery) and indirect (difference method [Diff Meth ] and fertilizer equivalence [FE] approach) methods of determining first-year dairy manure N availability or recovery during three cropping seasons. A field experiment was conducted on a Plano silt loam (fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Argiudolls) planted to corn (Zea mays L.). Plots received either manure, fertilizer N, or no N. Microplots receiving 15 N-labeled manure were also established each study year. Manure was applied to a new plot each cropping season. Whole-plant N uptake was the best crop parameter to use for FE estimates. Estimates of N availability by relative effectiveness (Rel Eff), which are derived from the Diff Meth, and FE were similar (32 and 41%, respectively) and higher than unlabeled N or N recovery measurements because these indices factor in N use efficiency. Measures of the Rel Eff of manure N use were highly affected by control plot N uptake. The FE approach is less influenced by control plots, but it requires the inclusion of several more treatments and use of mathematical functions to describe crop response to N. These limitations are reflected in the wide ranges obtained for N availability estimates (-60 to 148%). Although apparent N recovery by the Diff Meth (14%) or direct measurements of 15 N recovery (16%) were close on average, variability tended to be much lower for the N method. In addition, the Diff Meth was highly dependent on initial soil conditions. Use of 15 N-labeled manure, although more costly and time-consuming, provided more consistent and reliable results.
A note on the Burgers-Rott vortex with a free surface

Rott's solution of the "bathtub vortex" problem, which neglects the depression of the free surface, is extended by allowing for a mildly sloping free surface of a shallow, rotating fluid.
Management of non-tuberculous mycobacteria in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Patients with CF are living longer with the present median survival close to 32 years of age. The increase in survival rates is attributed to better management of airway disease, including airway clearance techniques, better nutrition, new and innovative therapeutic approaches, and the development of broad-spectrum antibiotics. With improved survival, new pulmonary issues have developed. These include the emergence of multiresistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and as well as the emergence of organisms with increased virulence such as Burkholderia cepacia. Over the past few years several organisms have been identified with increasing frequency in the sputum of CF patients. These include Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Achromobacter (Alcaligenes) xylosoxidans and nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). The clinical ramifications of these organisms are not entirely clear. The emergence of these organisms may be due to selection pressure from the increased use of antibiotics, improved culture techniques and/or the changing flora of an aging population. NTM have been recognised since the 1950s as potential pulmonary pathogens. NTM organisms are routinely found in the environment and are easily aerosolised. There have been documented cases of nosocomial outbreaks from medical equipment that utilises water. Person to person transmission is unlikely.
ORGANOTYPIC CULTURE OF HUMAN OVARIAN SURFACE EPITHELIAL CELLS : A POTENTIAL MODEL FOR OVARIAN CARCINOGENESIS

The objective of this work was to establish an in vitro multidimensional culture system for human ovarian surface epithelial (HOSE) cells as a model for ovarian carcinogenesis. The epithelial origin of cell outgrowth from cells obtained from the ovarian surface was confirmed by keratin staining. Two cultures from two different patients were established, HOSE-A and HOSE-B. Cultures were infected with a retrovirus expressing human papillomavirus genes E6 and E7 to extend their life span. HOSE cells were seeded onto collagen gels containing NIH3T3-J2 fibroblasts as feeder cells and grown to confluence submerged in growth medium. The collagen bed was then raised to the air-medium interface for 7 d (organotypic culture). Microscopically, fixed cultures revealed a single layer of flat cells growing on the collagen surface, reminiscent of HOSE cells in vivo. Infected HOSE-A and HOSE-B cells exhibited aberrant growth because they stratified. In addition, established ovarian cancer lines grown in this fashion stratified and showed malignant phenotypes. Thus, cells grown in organotypic culture resemble their in vivo counterparts, providing a basis for establishing a system to study growth, proliferation, differential gene expression, and perhaps malignant transformation of HOSE cells.
The effects of inescapable shock on appetitive motivation

Exposure to inescapable shock is known to proactively interfere with the acquisition of instrumental responses to escape shock, as well as to obtain food. These effects have been termed learned helplessness. The present experiment investigated the possibility that the learned helplessness effect observed in an appetitive context may, at least in part, be due to the motivational effects of inescapable shock. The schedule-induced polydipsia paradigm, which is known to be sensitive to both deprivation level and incentive motivation, was used to assess the effects of inescapable shock on appetitive motivation. Despite the fact that learned helplessness was demonstrated in a shuttle escape task, no effect of inescapable shock was observed on polydipsia. Thus, the reinforcer generality of helplessness appears not to be due to shockinduced motivational factors.
Spectrophotometric determinations of traces of selenium by catalytic reduction of tetranitro blue tetrazolium

Abstract The method is based on the catalytic effect of selenium on the reduction of tetranitro blue tetrazolium by dithiothreitol; it is simple, rapid and effective with several forms of selenium. With this catalytic assay, 1.2 ng of Se as selenite, 21 ng of Se as selenocysteine or 150 ng of Se as selenocystine can be detected (3 × SD). The relative standard deviations of the method are 2.7%, 5.4%, and 9.1% for the determinations of 0.2 μg, 2 μg, and 5 μg Se as selenite, selenocysteine, and selenocystine, respectively. The method is free of interferences from common ions and most of the interfering cations can be masked with organic acids. Data are included on the effects of pH, temperature, and reagent concentrations.
LEDS in Ultra-High Strain-Rate Deformation

Regimes involving very high strains (e 900%) and high strain rates (e 10 4 to 10 7 s −1 ) provide intriguing and often systematic examples of low-energy dislocation structures (IEDS). In this broad study, microstructure evolution in plane-wave shock-loaded Ni and Cu is compared with microstructures observed in starting Cu and To shaped charge liner cones, and recovered jet fragments and slugs. These microstructures, in turn, are compared with corresponding end-point microstructures in a Ta explosively formed penetrator (EFP) utilizing TEM techniques. In addition, microstructures associated with a hypervelocity impact crater in Cu are compared with the Cu shaped charge microstructures. Dynamically induced grain refinement (subgrain formation) and recovery play varying and important roles in the evolution and features of observed LEDS, and are a manifestation of adiabatic heating due to high strain and strain-rate effects ( (e) (e)). LEDS, which are characteristic of high strain and ultra-high strain-rate deformation, cause an inversion in hardness and flow stress profiles since as these microstructures decrease in size, hardness will decrease. By contrast when low-temperature LEDS decrease in size hardness increases
Virtual Ecosystems in Social Business Incubation

The complexity of today global context hinders the emergence of innovative endeavors; this inner enhancement of capabilities springs out from worldwide entrepreneurs that reveal procuring the best environmental conditions and technologies to nourish new ingenious ventures whether of social or any capitalist profile. Social entrepreneurs noticeably understand that making an intensive use of new technologies engenders innovation and scales impact effects in society; that is why ICTs, and especially the web 2.0, have constituted catalysts to accelerate collaborations for social change: social innovation labs, social e-enterprise incubators, social innovation centers, social innovation park, etc. This article reviews the main experiences of social entrepreneurial empowerments, pinpointing those pioneering projects that exploit new technologies to provide services and get access, with no boundaries, to a significant number of communities. It is structured as follows: it starts analyzing the emergence and development of social enterprise, its encouragement and empowerment. Later, there are examined some key initiatives for social entrepreneurs, more in particular those offered virtually e-empowerment. It is concluded with a brief summary of final thoughts.
Polysialyltransferase-1 Autopolysialylation Is Not Requisite for Polysialylation of Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule

Abstract Polysialyltransferase-1 (PST; ST8Sia IV) is one of the α2,8-polysialyltransferases responsible for the polysialylation of the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM). The presence of polysialic acid on NCAM has been shown to modulate cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. We previously reported that the PST enzyme itself is modified by α2,8-linked polysialic acid chainsin vivo. To understand the role of autopolysialylation in PST enzymatic activity, we employed a mutagenesis approach. We found that PST is modified by five Asn-linked oligosaccharides and that the vast majority of the polysialic acid is found on the oligosaccharide modifying Asn-74. In addition, the presence of the oligosaccharide on Asn-119 appeared to be required for folding of PST into an active enzyme. Co-expression of the PST Asn mutants with NCAM demonstrated that autopolysialylation is not required for PST polysialyltransferase activity. Notably, catalytically active, non-autopolysialylated PST does not polysialylate any endogenous COS-1 cell proteins, highlighting the protein specificity of polysialylation. Immunoblot analyses of NCAM polysialylation by polysialylated and non-autopolysialylated PST suggests that the NCAM is polysialylated to a higher degree by autopolysialylated PST. We conclude that autopolysialylation of PST is not required for, but does enhance, NCAM polysialylation.
Measurement and prediction of voltage flicker magnitude and frequency

Voltage flicker refers to a slow-0.5 to 30 Hz-modulation of the power system voltage magnitude. This periodic fluctuation can be modelled as an amplitude modulated signal, where the fundamental power frequency represents the carrier signal and the voltage flicker represents the modulating signal. An algorithm based on this premise is developed to estimate the instantaneous magnitude and frequency of the voltage flicker. The algorithm, which is based on Kalman filter estimation, can also be used to predict the instantaneous flicker level. >
Odd pricing effects: an examination using adaptation‐level theory

Purpose – Using adaptation‐level theory as a conceptual framework, the purpose of this research is to determine what effect, if any, marketplace conditioning has on consumer price estimates and product evaluations.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 475 subjects participated in two experiments that required them to read a scenario, evaluate a series of advertised products, and perform an aided price recall task.Findings – The results suggest consumers are more likely to recall the correct price when more of the rightmost digits end in 0 or 9. Moreover, when prices are incorrectly recalled, consumers are likely to inadvertently assume prices end in commonly used rightmost digits (i.e. 5 and 9). Combined, the results demonstrate odd pricing effects are likely a result of marketplace price conditioning rather than truncation of rightmost digits as suggested by the analog model of numerical cognition.Practical implications – Findings suggest that use of atypical rightmost digits in odd prices fails as a ...
Can We Minimize the Influence Due to Gender and Race in Age Estimation

Automatic human age estimation has attracted a great deal of interest in the past few years. Although many advancements have been made by researchers, there are still many challenges: such as age estimation across different image acquisition methods, different expressions, gender and races. The influence due to race and gender seems to be the most common issue, because collecting a large amount of face images with comprehensive racial diversities seems impractical. The performance will degrade when estimating face images of races that differ from the training set. In this work, we present a new scheme to mitigate the influences of race and gender in the problem of age estimation. Our system will contribute a robust solution to solve the problem of age estimation across races and genders. This study is essential for developing a practical age estimation system (with mixture of races and gender.) To evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm, we run comprehensive experiments on one widely used big database - MORPH-II, which contains more than 55, 000 images. On an average, an improvement of more than 20% has been achieved using the proposed scheme.