cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Dissolved Oxygen Factor on the Shaking Culture of Cordyceps sinensis(Berk.)Sacc

The paper aimed to analyze the principal factor of affecting dissolved oxygen in the shaking culture of Cordyceps sinensis mycelia.Signal-factor test was carried out by measuring the yield of Cordyceps sinensis mycelia on different shaker speeds,liquid volumes and sealing modes,and then three factors of orthogonal test was carried out.Results showed that the appropriate conditions of dissolve oxygen were as follows:the shaker speed was 140 r/min;the liquid capacity was 50% and the seal mode was to use sealing film of aseptic culture vessel.The influencing significance of factors was in order of shaker speed,liquid capacity and seal mode.Determining result of active ingredient content under different shaker speeds showed that the shaker speed had no significant influence on the polysaccharide and oxalic acid contents of Cordyceps sinensis.
The Application Of An Interactive Algorithm To Develop Cyclical Rotational Schedules For Nursing Personnel

AbstractShift schedules for nursing personnel would ideally provide the exact staff coverage desired and exhibit attributes such as adjacent days off each week, frequent weekends off, and work stretches of reasonable length. Seldom are all objectives achieved simultaneously, however. This paper demonstrates the use of an interactive algorithm to help a scheduler focus upon the tradeoffs necessary to enable the production of acceptable cyclical rotational schedules. The techniques employed in the algorithm form useful building blocks for the development of other shift scheduling algorithms.
Can presynaptic depolarization release transmitter without calcium influx

Recent experimental evidence suggesting that presynaptic depolarization can evoke transmitter release without calcium influx has been re-examined. The presynaptic terminal of the squid giant synapse can be depolarized by variable amounts while recording presynaptic calcium current under voltage clamp and postsynaptic responses. Small depolarizations open few calcium channels with large single channel currents. Large depolarizations approaching the calcium equilibrium potential open many channels with small single channel currents. When responses to small and large depolarizations eliciting similar total macroscopic calcium currents are compared, the large pulses evoke more transmitter release. This apparent voltage-dependence of transmitter release may be explained by the greater overlap of calcium concentration domains surrounding single open calcium channels when many closely apposed channels open at large depolarizations. This channel domain overlap leads to higher calcium concentrations at transmitter release sites and more release for large depolarizations than for small depolarizations which open few widely dispersed channels. At neuromuscular junctions, a subthreshold depolarizing pulse to motor nerve terminals may release over a thousand times as much transmitter if it follows a brief train of presynaptic action potentials than if it occurs in isolation. This huge synaptic facilitation has been taken as indicative of a direct effect of voltage which is manifest only when prior activity raises presynaptic resting calcium levels. This large facilitation is actually due to a post-tetanic supernormal excitability in motor nerve terminals, causing the previously subthreshold test pulse to become suprathreshold and elicit a presynaptic action potential. When motor nerve terminals are depolarized by two pulses, as the first pulse increases above a certain level it evokes more transmitter release but less facilitation of the response to the second pulse.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Posthuman feminism and the rhetoric of silent cinema: Distributed agency, ontic media, and the possibility of a networked historiography

ABSTRACTThis essay pursues a pressing question in the study of posthuman rhetoric: Now that distributed agency has, to a degree, been theorized, to what use can it be put by feminists? In attempting one provisional response, the essay argues on behalf of the importance of a posthuman conception of ontic media, recuperating feminist agency not within a particular historical individual but, instead, in the relationships between her mediational networks and their nodes. Taking as its primary artifact Anita Loos’s groundbreaking 1916 film His Picture in the Papers, the essay historicizes and articulates Loos’s particular brand of indirect-qua-distributed feminist agency. In doing so, the essay gestures more broadly toward the role of such networks in the recovery of feminist critiques previously resistant to historicization due to their distributed nature.
Monte Carlo Investigation of Typical and Potential Sources for Endovascular Brachytherapy

Coronary disease is the leading cause of death in developed countries. The cost of care for coronary patients is increasing while our ability to preserve life incrementally improves.
Amplification of TLK2 Induces Genomic Instability via Impairing the G2-M Checkpoint.

Managing aggressive breast cancers with enhanced chromosomal instability (CIN) is a significant challenge in clinics. Previously, we described that a cell cycle–associated kinase called Tousled-like kinase 2 (TLK2) is frequently deregulated by genomic amplifications in aggressive estrogen receptor–positive (ER+) breast cancers. In this study, it was discovered that TLK2 amplification and overexpression mechanistically impair Chk1/2-induced DNA damage checkpoint signaling, leading to a G2–M checkpoint defect, delayed DNA repair process, and increased CIN. In addition, TLK2 overexpression modestly sensitizes breast cancer cells to DNA-damaging agents, such as irradiation or doxorubicin. To our knowledge, this is the first report linking TLK2 function to CIN, in contrast to the function of its paralog TLK1 as a guardian of genome stability. This finding yields new insight into the deregulated DNA damage pathway and increased genomic instability in aggressive ER+ breast cancers. Implications: Targeting TLK2 presents an attractive therapeutic strategy for the TLK2-amplified breast cancers that possess enhanced genomic instability and aggressiveness. Mol Cancer Res; 14(10); 920–7. ©2016 AACR.
Are Ambulatory Care–Sensitive Conditions the Fulcrum of Hospitalizations for CKD Patients?

With ever–increasing medical costs and expectations for health systems to become more cost effective, strategies to reduce hospitalization are needed. Inpatient stays for ambulatory care–sensitive conditions (ACSCs), defined as illnesses or conditions that might not require hospitalization if
Genomic and Pathway Connectivity Analyses Identify Novel Strategies to Overcome mTOR Inhibitor Resistance In DLBCL

Abstract 436 mTOR inhibitors have been used with clinical success in solid tumors and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), and are attractive therapeutic options for DLBCL (diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, which has been shown to have constitutively active mTOR signaling). However, resistance to this class of agents remains problematic, and mechanisms of resistance are poorly understood. We performed candidate drug discovery using connectivity mapping and global gene expression profiling (GEP) to understand the pathways and genes responsible for resistance to the mTOR inhibitor Rapamycin (Sirolimus), which is the active metabolite of several clinically available mTOR inhibitors (eg, Temsirolimus, Everolimus). Treatment of DLBCL cell lines by Rapamycin at varying doses permitted stratification of cell lines into 2 groups of 3 cell lines each: sensitive (SU-DHL6, WSU-NHL, and Karpas-422) and resistant (SU-DHL4, OCI-Ly19, and Farage). Using the Affymetrix Human Gene 1.0 ST Array, we generated a profile of 1164 differentially-expressed genes (P Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Effect of death-to-preservation time on donor corneal epithelium.

Purpose Surface disease is one of multiple variables affecting the quality of the postkeratoplasty donor cornea. Trauma to Bowman’s layer before and during harvesting can denude the donor epithelium and result in epithelial defects in the donor following penetrating keratoplasty. Eye banks use death-to-preservation (DP) time intervals as long as 18 hours. This study evaluates the effects of higher DP time on the donor epithelium in storage medium and immediately following keratoplasty.
Toward an Innovative Poetics: Wang Changling on Yi 意 And Literary Creation

This article reveals the coherent theory of literary creation hidden within the multivalence of the term yi in Wang Changling's (ca. 698–ca. 756) writings on poetry. A close and intertextual reading demonstrates how Wang deftly appropriates various Daoist and Daoist-inspired notions of yi 意 to illuminate different phases of literary creation. Comparisons with the term's adaptations by earlier literary and calligraphy critics further accentuate Wang's unique and innovative approach. Looking into a hitherto neglected Buddhist source, the author uncovers a Buddhicized yi - xiang - yan 意-象-言 (conception-image-word) paradigm, one that allows Wang to move beyond the theories of Lu Ji (261–303) and Liu Xie (ca. 465–ca. 522). Borrowing the Buddhist sense of yi and yishi 意識, Wang demonstrates the creative mind's receptivity to the richness and nuances of the world, followed by its dynamic transformation of what it has absorbed in quietude. The result is a much more detailed view of the different phases of the creative process—one that leads to a new appreciation of its poetic results.
Application of conservation of resource theory with camp refugees

This study based on Conservation of Resources theory provides and explanatory model to understand how resources in camps can help refugees to augment their resiliency level to face subsequent stres...
Premature Rupture of Membranes

Preterm rupture of membranes is defined as rupture of membranes prior to the start of labor. It is more common in African American patients. Rupture of membranes increases the risk of perinatal infection and umbilical cord compression. Diagnosis is generally confirmed by either visualization of amniotic fluid from the cervical os, a vaginal pH of more than 6.0, or ferning on microscopic exam. Management is highly variable depending on gestational age and the clinical setting [1].
Multi-Homing and Strategic Re-Entry: Conflict and Behavioral Responses in the Rideshare Industry

This paper is an empirical study of conflict resolution in the rideshare industry. Drawing on fifty original interviews of Uber, Lyft, Juno, and other Transportation Network Company drivers from ac...
First principles model of electric and magnetic cable braid penetrations

In this paper, we report our recent findings about a first principles, multipole-based model of electric and magnetic cable braid penetrations. We consider for brevity a one-dimensional array of wires, but the model can be readily applied to realistic cable geometries. Comparisons between the first principles method and analytical formulas will be provided for both electric and magnetic penetration cases. These comparisons confirm that our first principles model works within the geometric characteristics of many commercial cables.
Brain metastasis as initial presentation of non-small cell lung cancer.

e19152 Background: Brain metastasis in patients with cancer is a predictor of poor prognosis. Metastasis to brain is identified upon initial diagnosis in approximately 10% of the patients with non-...
Disability and election administration in the United States: barriers and improvements

ABSTRACTAlthough people with disabilities are considerably less likely to vote than those without a disability, empirical explanations as to why remain underdeveloped. The present study investigate...
Connectome mapping with edge density imaging differentiates pediatric mild traumatic brain injury from typically developing controls: proof of concept

Although acute neurologic impairment might be transient, other long-term effects can be observed with mild traumatic brain injury. However, when pediatric patients with mild traumatic brain injury present for medical care, conventional imaging with CT and MR imaging often does not reveal abnormalities. To determine whether edge density imaging can separate pediatric mild traumatic brain injury from typically developing controls. Subjects were recruited as part of the “Therapeutic Resources for Attention Improvement using Neuroimaging in Traumatic Brain Injury” (TRAIN-TBI) study. We included 24 adolescents (χ=14.1 years of age, σ=1.6 years, range 10–16 years), 14 with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) and 10 typically developing controls. Neurocognitive assessments included the pediatric version of the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) and the Attention Network Task (ANT). Diffusion MR imaging was acquired on a 3-tesla (T) scanner. Edge density images were computed utilizing fiber tractography. Principal component analysis (PCA) and support vector machines (SVM) were used in an exploratory analysis to separate mild TBI and control groups. The diagnostic accuracy of edge density imaging, neurocognitive tests, and fractional anisotropy (FA) from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was computed with two-sample t-tests and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) metrics. Support vector machine–principal component analysis of edge density imaging maps identified three white matter regions distinguishing pediatric mild TBI from controls. The bilateral tapetum, sagittal stratum, and callosal splenium identified mild TBI subjects with sensitivity of 79% and specificity of 100%. Accuracy from the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 94%. Neurocognitive testing provided an AUC of 61% (CVLT) and 71% (ANT). Fractional anisotropy yielded an AUC of 48%. In this proof-of-concept study, we show that edge density imaging is a new form of connectome mapping that provides better diagnostic delineation between pediatric mild TBI and healthy controls than DTI or neurocognitive assessments of memory or attention.
Effects of sex, age, and season on the variation of blood analytes in a clinically healthy ex situ population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp.).

A comprehensive evaluation of the effects of sex, age, and season on blood analytes in a robust population size of ex situ bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp.) has not been investigated to date. To ...
Quantum traces in quantum Teichmuller theory

We prove that for the torus with one hole and p > 1 punctures and the sphere with four holes there is a family of quantum trace functions in the quantum Teichmuller space, analog to the non-quantum trace functions in Teichmuller space, satisfying the properties proposed by Chekhov and Fock in (3).
A faster algorithm for solving general LPs

The fastest known LP solver for general (dense) linear programs is due to [Cohen, Lee and Song’19] and runs in O*(nω +n2.5−α/2 + n2+1/6) time. A number of follow-up works [Lee, Song and Zhang’19, Brand’20, Song and Yu’20] obtain the same complexity through different techniques, but none of them can go below n2+1/6, even if ω=2. This leaves a polynomial gap between the cost of solving linear systems (nω) and the cost of solving linear programs, and as such, improving the n2+1/6 term is crucial toward establishing an equivalence between these two fundamental problems. In this paper, we reduce the running time to O*(nω +n2.5−α/2 + n2+1/18) where ω and α are the fast matrix multiplication exponent and its dual. Hence, under the common belief that ω ≈ 2 and α ≈ 1, our LP solver runs in O*(n2.055) time instead of O*(n2.16).
Prognostication of Asymptomatic Penetrating Aortic Ulcers: A Modern Approach

Background: Literature detailing the natural history of asymptomatic penetrating aortic ulcers (PAUs) is sparse and lacks long-term follow-up. This study sought to determine the rate of asymptomati...
Las estrategias del poder traumatizante de un dictador en "La fiesta del chivo" de Mario Vargas Llosa

En este articulo se analizaran las estrategias del control totalitario del dictador dominicano Trujillo, retratado en La fiesta del Chivo: el se proyecta como el Padre de la Patria imprescindible mientras que, al mismo tiempo, se empena en debilitar las estructuras familiares a traves de sus violaciones sexuales a mujeres dominicanas. Urania Cabral encarna bien el trauma sexual sufrido por estas victimas del dictador, y el concepto de “radical injustice” de Brett Levinson ayudara a iluminar el proceso dificil de recuperar de tal trauma en una sociedad posdictatorial.
Operationalizing manufacturing strategy

Reports that over the past several years, the concept of manufacturing strategy has been at the forefront of both managerial and academic thought, and that studies in the field lack a cohesive foundation that can guide researchers’ efforts in building a testing theory ‐ the research gap. States that an inability to relate specific programmes to long‐term objectives demonstrates the difficulty in bringing manufacturing strategy to the factory floor ‐ the practice gap. Believes that the unsatisfactory progress observed in research and practice is because of the failure to study rigorously the process of operationalizing manufacturing strategy. Builds a process model of manufacturing strategy and presents the results. Describes the model which focuses on three constructs of manufacturing strategy: competitive priorities, manufacturing objectives and action programmes for investment. Using data from a large‐scale survey, explores how manufacturing managers attempt to link their decisions in those three components of manufacturing strategy.
Status of the Jefferson Lab IR/UV High Average Power Light Source

Jefferson Lab is in the process of building an upgrade to our Free-Electron Laser Facility with broad wavelength range and timing flexibility. The facility will have two cw free-electron lasers, one in the infrared operating from 1 to 14 microns and one in the infrared operating from 0.25 to 1 micron [1]. In addition, there will be beamlines for Thompson-backscattered femtosecond X-rays, and broadband THz radiation. The average power levels for each of these devices will exceed any other available sources by at least 2 orders of magnitude. Timing of the available laser pulses can be continuously mode-locked at least 4 different (MHz) repetition rates or in macropulse mode with pulses of a few microseconds in duration with a repetition rate of many kHz. The status of the construction of this facility and a review of its capabilities will be presented.
ENVIRONMENTALLY-ORIENTED PROCESSING OF MULTI-SPECTRAL SATELLITE IMAGES: NEW CHALLENGES FOR BAYESIAN METHODS

Remotely sensed images from new generation satellites present an opportunity for scientists to investigate problems in environmental and earth science which have been previously intractable. The magnitude of data that will arise from these hyperspectral instruments create the need for innovative techniques to accomplish data reduction. This paper presents an algorithm which shows promise as a tool for reducing the dimensionality of data resulting from remote sensing. The optimality criteria for the algorithm is the Bayes Risk in the reduced dimension space.
Prostate cancer and other xenografts from cells in peripheral blood of patients.

Good models for the investigation of human prostate cancer are few. Cells from approximately 9.2-21 ml of peripheral blood from patients with metastatic prostate cancer or metastatic colon cancer were injected s.c. into nude mice. Prostate cancer from 2 of 11 patients and colon cancer from 1 of 3 patients were found to be growing as metastases in the lungs of the nude mice. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the formation of xenografts from carcinoma cells taken directly from the peripheral blood of patients. Expanding circulating cancer cells with this approach may have important translational applications including: (a) development of models of human cancers; and (b) sampling of cancers from specific patients for novel molecular and therapeutic approaches.
IL-17 Promotes Neutrophil Entry into Tumor-Draining Lymph Nodes following Induction of Sterile Inflammation

Blood-borne neutrophils are excluded from entering lymph nodes across vascular portals termed high endothelial venules (HEVs) because of lack of expression of the CCR7 homeostatic chemokine receptor. Induction of sterile inflammation increases neutrophil entry into tumor-draining lymph nodes (TDLNs), which is critical for induction of antitumor adaptive immunity following treatments such as photodynamic therapy (PDT). However, the mechanisms controlling neutrophil entry into TDLNs remain unclear. Prior evidence that IL-17 promotes neutrophil emigration to sites of infection via induction of CXCL2 and CXCL1 inflammatory chemokines raised the question of whether IL-17 contributes to chemokine-dependent trafficking in TDLNs. In this article, we demonstrate rapid accumulation of IL-17-producing Th17 cells in the TDLNs following induction of sterile inflammation by PDT. We further report that nonhematopoietic expression of IL-17RA regulates neutrophil accumulation in TDLNs following induction of sterile inflammation by PDT. We show that HEVs are the major route of entry of blood-borne neutrophils into TDLNs through interactions of l-selectin with HEV-expressed peripheral lymph node addressin and by preferential interactions between CXCR2 and CXCL2 but not CXCL1. CXCL2 induction in TDLNs was mapped in a linear pathway downstream of IL-17RA-dependent induction of IL-1β. These results define a novel IL-17-dependent mechanism promoting neutrophil delivery across HEVs in TDLNs during acute inflammatory responses.
The simultaneous determination of atmospheric radon by filter paper and charcoal adsorptive techniques.

Abstract A method is described for the simultaneous collection of radon and its daughters from environmental air samples by a two-stage sampling device. The radon daughter products are separated from the air stream by means of a membrane filter and radon itself is then adsorbed on activated charcoal in the sampler's second stage. Subsequent to collection, radon daughter activity is measured by alpha scintillation techniques, and gaseous radon concentration is determined by gamma spectrometry of the charcoal adsorption bed. Samples were taken under varying external environmental conditions, as well as indoors. Results are presented comparing atmospheric radon concentrations determined by direct and filter paper techniques.
Donor-gifted allograft urolithiasis: early percutaneous management

Abstract Objectives. To describe our successful early management of donor-gifted nephrolithiasis by percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Donor-gifted nephrolithiasis is a rare and frustrating complication of renal transplantation. In the past, initial conservative management with relief of obstruction and shock wave lithotripsy has been recommended. Methods. We treated 3 cases of donor-gifted cadaveric kidney transplant stones by a percutaneous approach 1 to 2 months postoperatively. Two patients presented with hydronephrosis-associated renal deterioration and febrile urinary tract infection, and the third was diagnosed incidentally on routine postoperative ultrasonography. Results. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy was performed with ultrasound stone fragmentation after initial nephrostomy tube drainage in 1 patient. In the second patient, the stone was successfully removed in a basket in an antegrade fashion. The third patient’s ureteral stone was successfully removed by antegrade ureteroscopy. Postoperatively, no residual stones were noted on nephrostography, and renal function returned to normal. Conclusions. Post-transplant renal calculi can be managed successfully by percutaneous techniques in the early postoperative period and renal function can be salvaged. Pretransplant renal sonography may be considered to limit donor-gifted calculi.
An investigation of the cytotoxicity and histocompatibility of in situ forming lactic acid based orthopedic biomaterials.

The cytotoxicity and biocompatibility of polymer networks prefabricated from multifunctional lactic acid based oligomers that are being developed for orthopedic applications were assessed through in vitro cytotoxicity analysis and subcutaneous implantation. After 7 and 14 days, no significant difference was observed in the relative viability or alkaline phosphatase activity of primary rat calvarial osteoblasts cultured in the presence or absence of degrading polymer networks, indicating that the degradation products had no detrimental effect on the function or activity of the cultured cells. The tissue response to preformed lactic acid networks implanted in rats consisted of a mild inflammatory response with an increase in fibrous capsule thickness and inflammation correlating with faster degrading polymer compositions. This relatively neutral response is indicative of a biocompatible, degradable polymer that has potential medical applications. Finally, porous scaffolds were implanted subcutaneously in rats, and vascularized fibrous tissue infiltration was highly dependent on the scaffold porosity and architecture. This finding indicates that an in situ forming porous scaffold of this composition may support the infiltration of surrounding vascularized tissue, and thus be applicable to orthopedic treatments of large bone defects.
Length Regulation of Actin Filament Arrays

The cytoskeleton controls the movements of cellular substructures and governs dynamic changes in the cell shape. A key question in cell biology is how cytoskeletal structures are established and maintained. We use a combination of experiment and theory to develop quantitative models for describing the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton size and shape. In particular, we focus on actin cables in budding yeast cells, structures which are used for intracellular transport that is essential for polarized cell growth. In yeast, actin cables grow to span the entire length of the mother cell compartment and contour its curved surface. The regulation of cable length is essential because overgrowth of the cables causes misdirection of intracellular transport.Experiments suggest that key physical parameters in actin cable formation, such as the rates of assembly and disassembly of the actin polymers are controlled by specific actin-binding proteins. There is substantial amount of information about these individual proteins, but how their functions are integrated to produce the desired cable morphology is not well understood. Among the key proteins are formins, which catalyze both the nucleation and elongation of actin filaments. A recent experiment showed that another protein Smy1 binds to formins to decrease the actin elongation rate and that this interaction is critical for maintaining proper actin cable length and shape. Further, it was shown that the Smy1 proteins are transported by myosinV on cables to the bud neck, where the formins are anchored, suggesting a feedback mechanism that makes assembly rate length-dependent. Incorporating this mechanism, we compute the probability distribution of cable lengths as a function of parameters such as Smy1 binding strength and speed of myosin motors that deliver it to the formin. These results provide experimentally testable predictions of our proposed model of cable length control.
Computed tomographic characteristics of the normal thymus gland: Relationship to mediastinal hematoma

Computed tomography (CT) is frequently used in the screening process to determine the need for angiography in patients with possible blunt thoracic aortic injury. Misinterpretation of normal mediastinal structures (particularly the thymus in patients under age 40 years) as mediastinal hematoma may result in a significant number of false-positive scans.
Managerial philosophy of Chinese CEOs in modern business: A cross-cultural study

Abstract Contrasting between the Hofstede cultural dimensions and the philosophical constituents of Confucianism, this study discloses the idiosyncrasy and incongruence of the leadership and stakeholder management of Chinese corporate executive officers (CEOs) across mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. As supported by the dialogs from 54 pan-Chinese corporate leaders, such peculiarity is perceptible thanks to the practical variation in respective local culture in that mainland Chinese CEOs are more autocratic and power-lopsided, emphasizing Confucian loyalty and ritual/propriety; Hong Kongese CEOs are hierarchical but flexible, accentuating Confucian loyalty and integrity, and the leaders of Taiwan are alternatively modest and less patriarchal, avowing the importance of Confucian integrity, righteousness, and humaneness. For business practitioners around the world, a fundamental but thorough understanding of such cross-cultural managerial dissimilarity is crucial not only to enrich one's inter-personal and inter-corporate experience, but also to prosper mutual corporate relationships and business capacity.
Unsupervised walking therapy and atherosclerotic risk-factor management for patients with peripheral arterial disease: a pilot trial.

Background: Although only a small percentage of patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) have claudication, many more suffer from atypical leg symptoms.Purpose: This pilot trial evaluated a risk-factor modification program to improve walking ability in patients with PAD and leg symptoms other than intermittent claudication.Methods: Patients 18 years or older with an ankle-brachial index (ABI) of 0.50 to 0.89 completed a baseline assessment of current walking ability, physical activity level, health-related quality of life, glycosylated hemoglobin values, and fasting lipid profiles. Patients were randomized to usual care (control group) versus usual care plus an educational intervention on risk-factor management (intervention group). We compared functional outcomes between and within groups using the Student’s t test and control and intervention group outcomes at 12 weeks using analysis of covariance with the baseline value as the covariate.Results: We randomized 50 patients into two treatment arms. There was no difference in the mean age of patients in each group. At baseline, mean ABI for the control versus the intervention group was 0.72 (SD=0.10) and 0.75 (SD=0.10), respectively, and mean stair-climbing values did not differ between groups. At 12 weeks, mean stair-climbing values were 40.2 (SD=30.2) for the control and 61.2 (SD=32.8) for the intervention group. The difference in adjusted mean walking distance between groups at 12 weeks was not significant. Analysis of covariance associated assignment to the intervention versus the control arm with a significant increase at 12 weeks in the ABI (p=.008) and stair-climbing ability (p=.02).Conclusions: Patients in the intervention group improved objective measures of blood flow and reported stair-climbing ability.
Data-based tests in custody evaluations

Abstract Interviews and observations, whether conducted in professional offices or participant homes, have limitations in generating data useful in custody evaluations. Data-based tests that measure children's “unconscious” (whole-organism, gut-level) perceptions of each parent can circumvent many of these obstacles.
Development of pooled suppression subtractive hybridization to analyze the pangenome of Staphylococcus aureus.

We describe the development and application of a Pooled Suppression Subtractive Hybridization (PSSH) method to describe differences between the genomic content of a pool of clinical Staphylococcus aureus isolates and a sequenced reference strain. In comparative bacterial genomics, Suppression Subtractive Hybridization (SSH) is normally utilized to compare genomic features or expression profiles of one strain versus another, which limits its ability to analyze communities of isolates. However, a PSSH approach theoretically enables the user to characterize the entirety of gene content unique to a related group of isolates in a single reaction. These unique fragments may then be linked to individual isolates through standard PCR. This method was applied to examine the genomic diversity found in pools of S. aureus isolates associated with complicated bacteremia infections leading to endocarditis and osteomyelitis. Across four pools of 10 isolates each, four hundred and twenty seven fragments not found in or significantly divergent from the S. aureus NCTC 8325 reference genome were detected. These fragments could be linked to individual strains within its pool by PCR. This is the first use of PSSH to examine the S. aureus pangenome. We propose that PSSH is a powerful tool for researchers interested in rapidly comparing the genomic content of multiple unstudied isolates.
Vendor agnostic, high performance, double precision Floating Point division for FPGAs

Double precision Floating Point (FP) arithmetic operations are widely used in many applications such as image and signal processing and scientific computing. Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are a popular platform for accelerating such applications due to their relative high performance, flexibility and low power consumption compared to general purpose processors and GPUs. Increasingly scientists are interested in double precision FP operations implemented on FPGAs. FP division and square root are much more difficult to implement than addition and multiplication. In this paper we focus on a fast divider design for double precision floating point that makes efficient use of FPGA resources including embedded multipliers. The design is table based; we compare it to iterative and digit recurrence implementations. Our division implementation targets performance with balanced latency and high clock frequency. Our design has been implemented on both Xilinx and Altera FPGAs. The table based double precision floating point divider provides a good tradeoff between area and performance and produces good results when targeting both Xilinx and Altera FPGAs.
A note on multiple comparison procedures for detecting differences in simply ordered means

Abstract In the one-way ANOVA, we consider procedures that determine whether μ i = μ j or μ i μ j when the means are known a priori to be nondecreasing. It is known that the one-sided Studentized range test (OSRT) controls the familywise error rate, but the one-sided least significant difference test has larger powers. We show that for balanced designs, the familywise error rate of the latter is largest when all of the means are equal but one. This leads to a modification of the one-sided least significant difference procedure that controls familywise error rate and has larger powers than the OSRT. Some recommendations for unbalanced designs are also given.
Computer output display of cells and cell features

Abstract In recent years, several computer programs have been presented for the extraction of features from biological data in the form of digitized pictures. Most of these programs have dealt with the extraction of features from chromosomes or simple cells. In this paper a procedure and computer program is presented which locates and extracts features from a nerve cell characterized by having a cytoplasm, nucleus, and a nucleolus. The procedure design and use is facilitated because it is implemented in an interactive system where computer output display of digitized cells, histogram of cell optical density, and extracted cell features can be displayed.
In Vitro-Generated Autoimmune Regulatory T Cells Enhance Intravitreous Allogeneic Retinal Graft Survival

PURPOSE. The authors demonstrated that in vitro-generated -melanocyte stimulated hormone (MSH)-induced Treg cells specific to ocular autoantigen suppress ocular autoimmune disease in vivo when adoptively transferred. They examined the possibility of using these ocular autoantigen-specific Treg cells to promote the survival of a retinal allograft placed in the mouse vitreous. METHODS. Enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP)-C57BL/6 neonatal retinal microaggregates were injected into the vitreous of B10-RIII mice before the adoptive transfer of interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP; an ocular antigen) or ovalbumin (OVA)-specific -MSH-induced Treg cells. GFP transplants were imaged in vivo on days 7 and 12. In addition, on day 12, the eyes were cryosectioned and immunostained with a panel of neuronal and immune cell markers. RESULTS. GFP allografts underwent no detectable changes in size on days 7 and 12 in the B10-RIII mice injected with IRBP-specific Treg cells; however, mice that received OVAspecific Treg cells or no Treg cells experienced remarkable reductions in graft size on day 12. Only one quarter of the original size was seen. Using neuronal-specific markers, immunohistochemistry showed that the architecture of the retinal allografts in the IRBP Treg cell-injected group had intact rosettes and neuronal cells on the outermost layer, whereas the allografts in the OVA Treg cell-injected mice were disorganized. Immune cell-specific markers demonstrated that Treg cells and activated microglial cells were found in the retinal allografts of the mice injected with IRBP Treg cells, but not in the retinal allografts of the OVA Treg-injected mice. CONCLUSIONS. These results demonstrate that adoptive transfer of -MSH-generated IRBP-specific Treg cells promotes retinal allograft survival and development. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2007;48:5112‐5117) DOI:10.1167/iovs.07-0175
Predictive maintenance policy optimization by discrimination of marginally distinct signals

The necessity of discrimination of marginally distinct measured signals is one of the main problems in the creation of maintenance policies. Applying classical methods of statistical classification of observations to the solution of this problem entails considerable difficulties caused by the need to discriminate signals in a gray area between absolutely healthy and fully degraded system. In the gray area, the difference between population parameters inferred from samples is hardly noticeable. Instead of the classical discrimination criteria, a discriminant function that minimizes the expected sum of losses (for example, losses of time) relevant to system preventive maintenance and recovering of the system after its failure is used. This discriminant function is developed on the basis of the representation of the observed system degradation process as a Discrete Parameter Markov chain. The extremum of this function determines the discrimination boundary and the optimal time for maintenance. The requirements for the possible deviation of the experimentally obtained Markov process parameters that do not invalidate the obtained optimal rule of maintenance are specified. The developed methods are illustrated on synthetic data reminiscent of the operation of a database management system.
Probability-based Latin hypercube designs for slid-rectangular regions

Existing space-filling designs are based on the assumption that the experimental region is rectangular, while in practice this assumption can be violated. Motivated by a data centre thermal management study, a class of probability-based Latin hypercube designs is proposed to accommodate a specific type of irregular region. A heuristic algorithm is proposed to search efficiently for optimal designs. Unbiased estimators are proposed, their variances are given and their performances are compared empirically. The proposed method is applied to obtain an optimal sensor placement plan to monitor and study the thermal distribution in a data centre.
The diagnosis of tuberculosis

Diagnostic testing for tuberculosis has remained unchanged for nearly a century, but newer technologies hold the promise of a true revolution in tuberculosis diagnostics. New tests may well supplant the tuberculin skin test in diagnosing latent tuberculosis infection in much of the world. Tests such as the nucleic acid amplification assays allow more rapid and accurate diagnosing of pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis. The appropriate and affordable use of any of these tests depends on the setting in which they are employed.
On the dynamics of operant conditioning.

Abstract Simple psychological postulates are presented which are used to derive possible anatomical and physiological substrates of operant conditioning. These substrates are compatible with much psychological data about operants. A main theme is that aspects of operant and respondent conditioning share a single learning process. Among the phenomena which arise are the following: UCS-activated arousal; formation of conditioned, or secondary, reinforcers; a non-specific arousal system distinct from sensory and motor representations whose activation is required for sensory processing; polyvalent cells responsive to the sum of CS and UCS inputs and anodal d.c. potential shifts; neural loci responsive to the combined effect of sensory events and drive deprivation; “go”-like or “now print”-like mechanisms which, for example, influence incentive-motivational increases in general activity; a mechanism for learning repetitively to press a bar which electrically stimulates suitable arousal loci in the absence of drive reduction; uniformly distributed potentials, driven by the CS, in the “cerebral cortex” of a trained network; the distinction between short-term and long-term memory, and the possibility of eliminating transfer from short-term to long-term memory in the absence of suitable arousal; networks that can learn and perform arbitrarily complex sequences of acts or sensory memories, without continuous control by sensory feedback, whose rate of performance can be regulated by the level of internal arousal; networks with idetic memory; network analogs of “therapeutic resistance” and “repression”; the possibility of conditioning the sensory feedback created by a motor act to the neural controls of this act, with consequences for sensory-motor adaptation and child development. This paper introduces explicit minimal anatomies and physiological rules that formally give rise to analogous phenomena. These networks consider only aspects of positive conditioning. They are derived from simple psychological facts.
Sterols of the phylum Zygomycota: Phylogenetic implications

The sterol composition of 42 fungal species representing six of the eight orders of the Zygomycota was determined using gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to assess whether the distribution of major sterols in this phylum has taxonomic or phylogenetic relevance. Ergosterol, 22-dihydroergosterol, 24-methyl cholesterol, cholesterol, and desmosterol were detected as the major sterols among the species studied. Ergosterol was the major sterol of the Dimargaritales, Zoopagales, and 13 of the 14 Mucorales families included in this study. Desmosterol appeared to be the characteristic sterol of the Mortierellaceae (Mucorales). 24-Methyl cholesterol was the major sterol of the Entomophthorales genera Entomophthora, Conidiobolus and Basidiobolus, but cholesterol was the sole sterol detected in Delacroixia coronatus. The Kickxellales species analyzed in this study were characterized by 22-dihydroergosterol as the major sterol. These results suggest that certain orders of the Zygomycota may be distinguished on the basis of major sterol. Also, if sterol structure has phylogenetic implications, then orders might be arranged in the order Kickxellales (C28Δ5,7) → Dimargaritales, Zoopagales and Mucorales (C28Δ5,7,22) on the basis of evolution of the predominant and presumably most competent sterol, ergosterol. Although the Entomophthorales would be expected to be more primitive than the above orders based on the predominance of C28Δ5,, it is not apparent from these data that members of the Zygomycota with ergosterol or its precursors as major sterols evolved from this taxon or the Chytridiomycota.
Lymphoma in a black patient with actinic reticuloid treated with PUVA: Possible etiologic considerations

A 47-year-old black man with a chronic photocontact dermatitis that evolved into actinic reticuloid was treated with systemically administered PUVA for 15 months. Subsequently an isolated nodule of non-mycosis fungoides T cell lymphoma developed. The use of PUVA may have predisposed this patient to the development of a frank malignancy.
Syntheses of four D- and L-hexoses via diastereoselective and enantioselective dihydroxylation reactions.

Abstract An expeditious approach to various protected hexoses has been developed by the use of the Sharpless catalytic asymmetric dihydroxylation reaction. Applying the Sharpless catalytic asymmetric dihydroxylation reaction on vinylfuran, diols with high enantioexcess are produced. The resulting diols can be stereoselectively transformed into either protected d - or l -mannose in five steps and approximately 39% yield from furfural. Similarly, both d - and l -talose and gulose have been synthesized in 19% overall yields, respectively. Using a modified strategy, both protected d - and l -gulo- and allo-sugar-δ-lactones were synthesized in eight steps and ∼20% overall yield from furfural.
A method for preamplifier-decoupling improvement in quadrature phased-array coils.

Purpose To improve preamplifier decoupling in a quadrature phased-array coil using a new quadrature combiner configuration. Materials and Methods A commercial six-element quadrature cervical-thoracic-lumbar (CTL) coil was used on a 1.5 T GE Signa Lx Scanner. The new combiner configuration is designed based on the fact that when one compares the amount of flux linkage of two loops with butterfly elements separated by the same distance, the loop elements have much higher coupling than the butterfly elements. Results The results are demonstrated using an imaging-based element coupling measurement method. The new quadrature combiner configuration has introduced an approximately −8dB improvement in preamplifier decoupling. Conclusion One-dimensional quadrature phased arrays can be built even if the preamplifier is not integrated in the coil. If the combiner is placed between the coil and the preamplifiers, the butterflies should be on the high impedance side of the quadrature combiner. The loops should see the low input impedance of the preamplifiers. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2004;19:255–258. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Analysis of parameters in a biophysical model of animal performance versus forage availability

Abstract A mathematical model of animal performance versus forage availability is evaluated, and reformulated using biophysical analysis. The revised model is used to derive parameters that can be interpreted as measures of the pasture—animal interaction. Simulations of average daily gain as a function of animal weight and forage availability are presented to illustrate the model behavior.
Salicylate stimulates the degradation of high-molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by Pseudomonas saccharophila P15

Pseudomonas saccharophila P15 was isolated from soil contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and previously was reported to degrade a variety of low- and high-molecular weight PAH. Strain P15 grows on phenanthrene by a known pathway in which salicylate is an intermediate. Preincubation with phenanthrene and downstream intermediates through salicylate stimulated PAH dioxygenase activity and initial rates of phenanthrene removal, suggesting that salicylate is the inducer of these activities. Salicylate also greatly enhanced initial rates of removal of fluoranthene, pyrene, benz[a]anthracene, chrysene, and benzo[a]pyrene, high-molecular weight substrates that strain P15 does not use for growth.The specific rate of removal of benzo[a]pyrene was at least 2 orders of magnitude lower than that of the four-ring compounds and nearly 5 orders of magnitude lower than that of phenanthrene. The mineralization of phenanthrene, benz[a]anthracene, chrysene, and benzo[a]pyrene was stimulated by preincubation with phenanthrene or salicylate, although significant mineralization of phenanthrene, benz[a]anthracene, and chrysene occurred in uninduced cultures. Further experiments with chrysene indicated that chrysene does not appear to induce its own mineralization. The results suggest that P. saccharophila P15 expresses a low level of constitutive PAH metabolism which is inducible to much higher levels and that high-molecular weight PAH metabolism by this organismmore » is induced by the low-molecular weight substrate phenanthrene and by salicylate.« less