cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identification of Transmembrane Protein 134 as a Novel LMP1-Binding Protein by Using Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation and an Enhanced Retroviral Mutagen

Latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) of Epstein-Barr virus induces constitutive signaling in infected cells. LMP1 signaling requires oligomerization of LMP1 via its transmembrane domain, localization to lipid rafts in the membrane, and association of the LMP1 cytoplasmic domain to adaptor proteins, such as the tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factors (TRAFs). Protein complementation is a novel technique to examine protein-protein interaction through the assembly of functional fluorescent proteins or enzymes from inactive fragments. A previous study in our lab demonstrated the use of bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) to study the assembly of the LMP1 signaling complexes within the plasma membrane of mammalian cells. In the present study, LMP1 was used as bait in a genome-wide BiFC screen with an enhanced retroviral mutagen to identify new LMP1-binding proteins. Our screen identified a novel LMP1-binding protein, transmembrane protein 134 (Tmem134). Tmem134 is a candidate oncogene that is amplified in breast cancer cell lines. Binding, colocalization, and cofractionation between LMP1 and Tmem134 were confirmed. Finally, Tmem134 affected LMP1-induced NF-κB induction. Together, these data suggest that BiFC is a unique and novel platform to identify proteins recruited to the LMP1-signaling complex.
Clinical, Agricultural, and Evolutionary Biology of Myostatin: A Comparative Review

The discovery of myostatin and our introduction to the "Mighty Mouse" over a decade ago spurred both basic and applied research and impacted popular culture as well. The myostatin-null genotype produces "double muscling" in mice and livestock and was recently described in a child. The field's rapid growth is by no means surprising considering the potential benefits of enhancing muscle growth in clinical and agricultural settings. Indeed, several recent studies suggest that blocking myostatin's inhibitory effects could improve the clinical treatment of several muscle growth disorders, whereas comparative studies suggest that these actions are at least partly conserved. Thus, neutralizing myostatin's effects could also have agricultural significance. Extrapolating between studies that use different vertebrate models, particularly fish and mammals, is somewhat confusing because whole genome duplication events have resulted in the production and retention of up to four unique myostatin genes in some fish species. Such comparisons, however, suggest that myostatin's actions may not be limited to skeletal muscle per se, but may additionally influence other tissues including cardiac muscle, adipocytes, and the brain. Thus, therapeutic intervention in the clinic or on the farm must consider the potential of alternative side effects that could impact these or other tissues. In addition, the presence of multiple and actively diversifying myostatin genes in most fish species provides a unique opportunity to study adaptive molecular evolution. It may also provide insight into myostatin's nonmuscle actions as results from these and other comparative studies gain visibility in biomedical fields.
Derivation and application of a class of generalized boundary conditions (electromagnetic scattering)

Boundary conditions involving higher order derivatives are presented for simulating surfaces whose reflection coefficients are known analytically, numerically, or experimentally. Procedures for determining the coefficients of the derivatives are discussed, along with the effect of displacing the surface where the boundary conditions are applied. Provided the coefficients satisfy a duality relation, equivalent forms of the boundary conditions involving tangential field components are deduced, and these provide the natural extension to nonplanar surfaces. As an illustration, a metal-backed uniform dielectric layer is simulated. It is shown that fourth-order conditions are capable of providing an accurate simulation for layers at least a quarter of a wavelength in thickness. >
Random Walk Approach to Regret Minimization

We propose a computationally efficient random walk on a convex body which rapidly mixes to a time-varying Gibbs distribution. In the setting of online convex optimization and repeated games, the algorithm yields low regret and presents a novel efficient method for implementing mixture forecasting strategies.
THE 2010 ANTIPODE RGS-IBG LECTURE Wars of Interpretations

: Since 2006, when Mexico's President declared war against the drug trade, the people of the northern Mexican border city, Ciudad Juarez, have been living through a record-breaking escalation of violence, the occupation of their city by federal troops and police forces, unprecedented human and civil rights violations, and a pervasive experience of fear in public space. These events have occurred simultaneous to a devastating economic crisis. This paper asks the question, how can a feminist and Marxist geographer contribute to an analysis of what is happening in Ciudad Juarez? To address this question, I create a dialogue among activists in northern Mexico and post-structuralist feminist and Marxist positions regarding the meaning of public fear in this city for the city's residents, for Mexico's democracy and for the making of public knowledge about the Mexico–US border.
Transferability and Fine Mapping of genome-wide associated loci for lipids in African Americans

Background: A recent, large genome-wide association study (GWAS) of European ancestry individuals has identified multiple genetic variants influencing serum lipids. Studies of the transferability of these associations to African Americans remain few, an important limitation given interethnic differences in serum lipids and the disproportionate burden of lipid-associated metabolic diseases among African Americans. Methods: We attempted to evaluate the transferability of 95 lipid-associated loci recently identified in European ancestry individuals to 887 non-diabetic, unrelated African Americans from a population-based sample in the Washington, DC area. Additionally, we took advantage of the generally reduced linkage disequilibrium among African ancestry populations in comparison to European ancestry populations to fine-map replicated GWAS signals. Results: We successfully replicated reported associations for 10 loci (CILP2/SF4, STARD3, LPL, CYP7A1, DOCK7/ ANGPTL3, APOE, SORT1, IRS1, CETP, and UBASH3B). Through trans-ethnic fine-mapping, we were able to reduce associated regions around 75% of the loci that replicated. Conclusions: Between this study and previous work in African Americans, 40 of the 95 loci reported in a large GWAS of European ancestry individuals also influence lipid levels in African Americans. While there is now evidence that the lipid-influencing role of a number of genetic variants is observed in both European and African ancestry populations, the still considerable lack of concordance highlights the importance of continued ancestry-specific studies to elucidate the genetic underpinnings of these traits.
Fluid model for a data network with alpha-fair bandwidth sharing and general document size distributions : two examples of stability

The design and analysis of congestion control mechanisms for mod- ern data networks such as the Internet is a challenging problem. Mathematical models at various levels have been introduced in an efiort to provide insight to some aspects of this problem. A model introduced and studied by Roberts and Massouli¶ (13) aims to capture the dynamics of document arrivals and departures in a network where bandwidth is shared fairly amongst ∞ows that correspond to continuous transfers of individual elastic documents. With gener- ally distributed interarrival times and document sizes, except for a few special cases, it is an open problem to establish stability of this stochastic ∞ow level model under the nominal condition that the average load on each resource is less than its capacity. As a step towards the study of this model, in a separate work (8), we introduced a measure valued process to describe the dynamic evo- lution of the residual document sizes and proved a ∞uid limit result: under mild assumptions, rescaled measure valued processes corresponding to a sequence of connection level models (with flxed network structure) are tight, and any weak limit point of the sequence is almost surely a solution of a certain ∞uid model. The invariant states for the ∞uid model were also characterized in (8). In this paper, we review the structure of the stochastic ∞ow level model, describe our ∞uid model approximation and then give two interesting examples of network topologies for which stability of the ∞uid model can be established under a nominal condition. The two types of networks are linear networks and tree networks. The result for tree networks is particularly interesting as there the distribution of the number of documents process in steady state is expected to be sensitive to the (non-exponential) document size distribution (2). Future work will be aimed at further analysis of the ∞uid model and at using it for studying stability and heavy tra-c behavior of the stochastic ∞ow level model.
Detecting rich-club ordering in complex networks

Uncovering the hidden regularities and organizational principles of networks arising in physical systems ranging from the molecular level to the scale of large communication infrastructures is the key issue in understanding their fabric and dynamical properties1,2,3,4,5. The ‘rich-club’ phenomenon refers to the tendency of nodes with high centrality, the dominant elements of the system, to form tightly interconnected communities, and it is one of the crucial properties accounting for the formation of dominant communities in both computer and social sciences4,5,6,7,8. Here, we provide the analytical expression and the correct null models that allow for a quantitative discussion of the rich-club phenomenon. The presented analysis enables the measurement of the rich-club ordering and its relation with the function and dynamics of networks in examples drawn from the biological, social and technological domains.
Population Dynamics and Production of a Planktonic Marine Copepod,. Acartia clausii, in a Small Temperate Lagoon on San Juan Island, Washington

The population dynamics and production of Acartia clausii, a planktonic marine copepod, were studied during 1973 and 1974 in a small temperate lagoon. An approach which integrated laboratory and in situ experiments with time-series sampling of the field population was used to analyze seasonal changes in the parameters of population growth (development, growth, fecundity, and mortality) and to elucidate the processes which affect these changes. The objective of the study was to understand the factors which control the seasonal cycle of abundance. The cycles of abundance were similar in the two years of study and were not affected by differences in the cycles of tidal inflow, temperature, and food availability even though the latter two factors appreciably affected growth, development, and fecundity rates. The abundance cycle is controlled by an annually consistent pattern of copepodid and adult mortality believed to be due to predation by the three-spined stickleback, the dominant fish species in the lagoon. Cannibalism and periodic tidal stimulation of hatching of accumulated eggs in the sediment help to regulate population abundance within seasonal limits. Production by the lagoon population was 229 kg C for the entire study period; 84—88% of the annual production occurred from April through July. In the area of the lagoon greater than 3-m deep the mean daily productions during the peak months of each year were 70 and 55 mg C m−2 for 1973 and 1974, respectively.
Large Scale Learning of Active Shape Models

We propose a framework to learn statistical shape models for faces as piecewise linear models. Specifically, our methodology builds upon primitive active shape models(ASM) to handle large scale variation in shapes and appearances of faces. Non-linearities in shape manifold arising due to large head rotation cannot be accurately modeled using ASM. Moreover overly general image descriptor causes the cost function to have multiple local minima which in turn degrades the quality of shape registration. We propose to use multiple overlapping subspaces with more discriminative local image descriptors to capture larger variance occurring in the data set. We also apply techniques to learn distance metric for enhancing similarity of descriptors belonging to the same class of shape subspace. Our generic algorithm can be applied to large scale shape analysis and registration.
Exploratory visualization of animal kinematics using instantaneous helical axes

We present novel visual and interactive techniques for exploratory visualization of animal kinematics using instantaneous helical axes (IHAs). The helical axis has been used in orthopedics, biomechanics, and structural mechanics as a construct for describing rigid body motion. Within biomechanics, recent imaging advances have made possible accurate high-speed measurements of individual bone positions and orientations during experiments. From this high-speed data, instantaneous helical axes of motion may be calculated. We address questions of effective interactive, exploratory visualization of this high-speed 3D motion data. A 3D glyph that encodes all parameters of the IHA in visual form is presented. Interactive controls are used to examine the change in the IHA over time and relate the IHA to anatomical features of interest selected by a user. The techniques developed are applied to a stereoscopic, interactive visualization of the mechanics of pig mastication and assessed by a team of evolutionary biologists who found interactive IHA-based analysis a useful addition to more traditional motion analysis techniques.
Biofunctionalized nanoneedles for the direct and site-selective delivery of probes into living cells.

Abstract Background Accessing the interior of live cells with minimal intrusiveness for visualizing, probing, and interrogating biological processes has been the ultimate goal of much of the biological experimental development. Scope of review The recent development and use of the biofunctionalized nanoneedles for local and spatially controlled intracellular delivery brings in exciting new opportunities in accessing the interior of living cells. Here we review the technical aspect of this relatively new intracellular delivery method and the related demonstrations and studies and provide our perspectives on the potential wide applications of this new nanotechnology-based tool in the biological field, especially on its use for high-resolution studies of biological processes in living cells. Major conclusions Different from the traditional micropipette-based needles for intracellular injection, a nanoneedle deploys a sub-100-nm-diameter solid nanowire as a needle to penetrate a cell membrane and to transfer and deliver the biological cargo conjugated onto its surface to the target regions inside a cell. Although the traditional micropipette-based needles can be more efficient in delivery biological cargoes, a nanoneedle-based delivery system offers an efficient introduction of biomolecules into living cells with high spatiotemporal resolution but minimal intrusion and damage. It offers a potential solution to quantitatively address biological processes at the nanoscale. General significance The nanoneedle-based cell delivery system provides new possibilities for efficient, specific, and precise introduction of biomolecules into living cells for high-resolution studies of biological processes, and it has potential application in addressing broad biological questions. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Nanotechnologies - Emerging Applications in Biomedicine.
What is evaluation of hematuria by primary care physicians? Use of electronic medical records to assess practice patterns with intermediate follow-up.

Abstract Background To determine whether patients found to have hematuria by their primary care physicians are evaluated according to best practice policy. Materials and methods The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center maintains institutional outpatient electronic medical records (EMR) that are used by all providers in all specialties. We conducted an Institutional Review Board approved observational study of patients found to have more than 5 red blood cells/high power field between March 2009 and February 2010. Results There were 449 patients of whom the majority were female (82%), Caucasian (39%), with microscopic hematuria (MH) (85%). Almost 58% of patients were initially symptomatic with urinary symptoms or pain. Evaluation for the source of hematuria was limited and included imaging (35.6%), cystoscopy (9%, and cytology (7.3%). Only 36% of men and 8% of women were referred to a urologist. No abnormality was found in 32% and 51% of patients with gross hematuria and MH, respectively ( P = 0.004). There were 4 bladder tumors and 1 renal mass detected. Male gender, ethnicity and gross (vs. microscopic) hematuria were associated with higher rate of urological referral. Advanced age, smoking, provider practice type, and the presence of urinary symptoms were not associated with an increase rate of urological referral. No additional cancers were diagnosed with 29-month follow-up. Conclusions While urinalysis remains a common diagnostic tool, most cases of both microscopic and gross hematuria are not fully evaluated according to guidelines. Use of cystoscopy, cytology, and upper tract imaging is limited. Further studies will be needed to determine the extent of the problem and impact on morbidity and survival.
How I do it: Lung ultrasound

In the last 15 years, a new imaging application of sonography has emerged in the clinical arena: lung ultrasound (LUS). From its traditional assessment of pleural effusions and masses, LUS has moved towards the revolutionary approach of imaging the pulmonary parenchyma, mainly as a point-of-care technique. Although limited by the presence of air, LUS has proved to be useful in the evaluation of many different acute and chronic conditions, from cardiogenic pulmonary edema to acute lung injury, from pneumothorax to pneumonia, from interstitial lung disease to pulmonary infarctions and contusions. It is especially valuable since it is a relatively easy-to-learn application of ultrasound, less technically demanding than other sonographic examinations. It is quick to perform, portable, repeatable, non-ionizing, independent from specific acoustic windows, and therefore suitable for a meaningful evaluation in many different settings, both inpatient and outpatient, in both acute and chronic conditions. In the next few years, point-of-care LUS is likely to become increasingly important in many different clinical settings, from the emergency department to the intensive care unit, from cardiology to pulmonology and nephrology wards.
A confluence matrix condition for exponential error convergence in overparametrized adaptive systems

Many practical adaptive feedforward systems are overparametrized and, for this reason, will not satisfy persistent excitation (PE) conditions. For these systems, a weaker PE condition is proposed under which it is shown that the while parameters may not converge, the cancellation error (the error between the desired and estimated outputs) still converges exponentially. Bounds are given on the exponential rate of convergence useful for understanding the various tradeoffs and for systematic optimization and design purposes. The convergence rate is determined by properties of the confluence matrix (defined herein) that plays a role similar to that played by the autocorrelation matrix for fully PE systems. As a case study, the structure of the confluence matrix is examined in detail for adaptive systems with a tap delay line (TDL) regressor and sinusoid excitation.
An Empirical Study Of Application & Usefulness Of Activity-Based Costing And Activity-Based Management Techniques In Practice

The extent to which ABC and/or ABM techniques have become an active part of decision making apparatus in American companies can be best determined by direct contact with the actual and potential users of these techniques. This way a researcher can empirically and effectively evaluate the degree of usefulness of these techniques in running business operations. Because of the prominent role of Fortune 500 largest Industrial Corporations in American industry, and also their ability to select and implement the latest and most sophisticated accounting techniques for their operations, these corporations were deemed to be the best actual or potential users of ABC/ or ABM techniques, and hence they were selected for this study. Copies of a questionnaire containing 21 questions were mailed to the managers and controllers (via the presidents) of all Fortune 500 corporations in the United States. It was expected that the results of this research would assist the researchers to reject the null and sub-null hypotheses and conclude the degree of use and usefulness of ABC/ or ABM models in business operations and decision-making apparatus.
The Feline Immunodeficiency Virus

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) was first isolated from a large multiple cat household in Petaluma, California, in 1986 (Pedersen et al., 1987). The discovery was prompted by an outbreak of acquired immunodeficiency-like disease among a large group of feline-leukemia-virus-negative cats housed in the same pen (Pedersen et al., 1987). Plasma and whole blood from three cats in this group were inoculated into two specific pathogen-free cats. The inoculated cats developed fever, leukopenia, and generalized lymphadenopathy after 4 to 6 weeks. A lentivirus was isolated in normal feline T-lymphocyte-enriched peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures co-cultivated with similar cells from the two experimentally infected animals.
An experimental investigation of the effect of program structure on program understanding

A within-subjects experimental design was used to test the effect of two variables on program understanding. The independent variables were complexity of control flow and paragraphing of the source code. Understanding was measured by having the subjects memorize the code for a fixed time and reconstruct the code verbatim. Also some subjects were asked to describe the function of the program after completing their reconstruction. The two groups of subjects for the experiment were students from an introductory programming class and from a graduate class in programming languages.The major findings were that paragraphing of the source had no effect for either group of subjects but that programs with simplified control flow were easier for the computer science students to understand as measured by their ability to reconstruct the programs. The dependent variable, rated accuracy of their description of the programs functions, did not differ as a function of either independent variable.The paper is concluded with a description of the utility of this experimental approach relative to improving the reliability of software and a discussion of the importance of these findings.
Oil extraction from sheanut (Vitellaria paradoxa Gaertn C.F.) kernels assisted by microwaves

Shea butter, is highly solicited in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, chocolates and biodiesel formulations. Microwave assisted extraction (MAE) of butter from sheanut kernels was carried using the Doehlert’s experimental design. Factors studied were microwave heating time, temperature and solvent/solute ratio while the responses were the quantity of oil extracted and the acid number. Second order models were established to describe the influence of experimental parameters on the responses studied. Under optimum MAE conditions of heating time 23 min, temperature 75 °C and solvent/solute ratio 4:1 more than 88 % of the oil with a free fatty acid (FFA) value less than 2, was extracted compared to the 10 h and solvent/solute ratio of 10:1 required for soxhlet extraction. Scanning electron microscopy was used to elucidate the effect of microwave heating on the kernels’ microstructure. Substantial reduction in extraction time and volumes of solvent used and oil of suitable quality are the main benefits derived from the MAE process.
Interim Administrative Resolution of Loss Disallowance Issues

This report sets forth a proposal for an administrative procedure under which loss disallowance issues could be resolved for companies that did not keep records that would permit them to trace built-in gains during the time that tracing was not permitted by then - existing regulations. Under the procedure, the loss disallowance rules would not apply to corporations that had owned active business subsidiaries for five years or more before selling their stock.
On the mechanics of large inelastic deformations : kinematics and constitutive modeling

In this paper we examine the complexities associated with the kinematics of finite elastoplastic deformations and other issues related to the development of constitutive equations. The decomposition of the total strain and strain rate tensors into elastic and plastic constituents is investigated by considering both a multiplicative decomposition of the deformation gradient and an additive decomposition of the deformation vector field. Physically based definitions for the elastic and plastic strain rate tensors are given and compared with other values found in the literature. Constitutive equations for the plastic flow are derived by considering both a phenomenological-energy approach and a physically motivatedmesomechanical approach based on the double-slip idealization. It is shown that by resorting to the mechanics of the double slip, specific relations for the plastic stretching and plastic spin can be rigorously derived, taking into account the effect of noncoaxiality and material rotation. Finally, the implication of such effects to large deformations is examined in connection with the localization phenomenon.
Synthesis and Optoelectronic Properties of a Reduced Band Gap Copolymer Derived from Silacyclopentadiene and Diketopyrrolopyrrole

This paper describes the synthesis and optoelectronic properties of a new reduced band gap copolymer based on the silacyclopentadiene (silole) and diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) cores. A 2,5-borylphenylsilole monomer was prepared using the Kumada-type nickel-mediated intramolecular cyclization reaction and then copolymerized with 3,6-bis(5-bromothiophene-2-yl)-N,N′-bis(2-decyltetradecyl)-1,4-dioxopyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole by a Suzuki cross-coupling polycondensation reaction to give P3. Two other silole–aryl polymers (P1 and P2) were prepared as a control to demonstrate the effect of the DPP moiety on the optoelectronic properties of the polymer. During the investigation of the optoelectrical properties of P3, the absorption spectrum revealed a small solvent effect with no real trend in solvent polarity. Based on the onset value from the absorption spectrum of the film, a band gap of 1.60 eV was calculated, whereas a value of 1.84 eV was determined by cyclic voltammetry. The polymer P3 exhibits nonreversible redox...
Water: Science and society

Water is an extraordinary natural phenomenon. Its attributes, its role in the functioning of the Earth, and its importance in society excite inte rest in all branches of knowledge. Because no life can sustain without it, water constitutes a source of economic and political power. The future of modern technological society in a world of burgeoning population may depend as much on judicious water management as on availability of cheap energy. The connections between scientific knowl- edge and the human context of water are examined to understand how the complex task of living with water may be judiciously approached. IN contemporary society, water is a major theme of scie n- tific, economic, political, s ocial, and human debate. There is widespread concern that the future of peace and pro s- perity in a finite Earth will depend on our civilized abil ity to share the limited water resources of the world. There is also recognition that such civilized sharing of water is fraught with unprecedented scientific, social, and human challenges interwoven in complex ways. Towards con- structively approaching these challenges, this paper out- lines our contemporary scientific understanding of w ater, the philosophical underpinnings that guide water ma n- agement, and the connections among these. The focus is on comprehen ding water as a natural phenomenon. It is fitting to start by noting the awe that water has i nspired in the minds of ancient and modern humans alike. In a comparative study of religions, Max Muller 1 exam- ined the Hindu perception of cre ation from the Rig-veda, in which two ideas of an uncreated and self-developing world, and of a creator or maker run side by side. The world is spoken of as having been originally water wit h- out light (salilam apraketam; Rig-veda, X.129.3). The water contained in an egg from which everything else sprang forth (Rig-veda, X.82.5). No one knows whence this creation emanated. Even the gods came after it. He who is called the seer in high heavens, he may know, or even he may not. This speculation of ancient Hindus is surprisingly compatible with current understanding of origin of life on the Earth. Based on fossil evidence from western Australia, eastern South Africa, and elsewhere, it is believed that single -celled bacteria and stromatolite colonies flourished in primitive oceans some 3.5 billion
Comparison of detection for nitrate in vegetables

In being used for vegetable,contents nitrate detecting method carry out contrast in common asage,by parallel test and standard recovery.Results: Cadmium post deoxidation follows standard deviation 7.7,relative standard deviation 0.22%.Double wavelength follows standard deviation pair 18.65,relative standard deviation 0.54%.Carbolic acid follows standard deviation 23,relative standard deviation.0.7%.Make use of F-to check that difference,carries out valuation on the data accuracy if existence is notable.The t-being in progress again is checked,is makes valuation out to accurate degree determining result.Conclusion: Cadmium post deoxidation law accuracy accurate degree is maximal.Two wavelength is modeled after taking second place,carbolic acid law is that three kinds method are hit by a minimum's.
Urethral Hemangioma: Treatment by Total Excision and Grafting

Capillary hemangiomas of the urethra are rare benign tumors that may behave in a persistently recurrent manner. Radical extirpative surgery may be necessary to cure the patient. We describe a new 2-stage technique for replacing long segments of urethra.
Mars Sample Return and Biocontainment

In its continuing exploration of the solar system, NASA currently has plans to launch a sample return mission to Mars as early as 2005. The design of such a mission will utilize a variety of contam...
CHAPTER 5 – MEASURING QUALITY AND MATURITY

Publisher Summary Visual evaluation of quality characteristics by an expert judge, despite limitations, is still a widely used and accepted technique. Numerical scales for specific attributes are available for commodities when no chemical or physical measure is available that relates to a specific purchase characteristic. Such scales are treated as objective measures, but they suffer from many of the problems of sensory analysis without having many of the safeguards of those techniques. Sensory evaluation incorporates a much wider range of senses than merely taste. Taste is the sense that detects chemical properties of foods in the mouth in the absence of aroma. Usually considered to be limited to sweet, sour, salty, and bitter sensations, taste is probably more complex. Maturity of a crop is an assessment of physiological development. Physiological maturity is described as the stage of development when a plant or plant part will continue ontogeny even if detached. Whereas, commercial maturity is define as the stage of development when a plant or plant part possesses the prerequisites for utilization by consumers for a particular purpose. Maturity of a crop at harvest directly affects the color and size of an item, and thus its grade. Other important quality characteristics such as texture, flavor, and nutrient content, as well as perishability and susceptibility to adverse handling and storage conditions, are a function of harvest maturity.
Pyrogallol, an absorbable microbial gallotannins-metabolite and mango polyphenols (Mangifera Indica L.) suppress breast cancer ductal carcinoma in situ proliferation in vitro

Mango is rich in bioactive absorbable polyphenols, but also contains considerable amounts of unabsorbable gallotannins at varying degrees of polymerization. Gallotannins are not absorbable upon consumption and have rarely been considered in the discussion of health benefits of polyphenols. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the anti-proliferative activities of the major microbial metabolite of gallotannins, pyrogallol (PG) and a low molecular weight fraction of mango (Mangifera Indica L.) polyphenols (ML) and involved pathways including the AKT/mTOR signaling axis in an in situ breast cancer cell line, MCF10DCIS.COM. Fluorouracil (5-FU), a widely used genotoxic cancer therapeutic, was used a positive control and in combination with ML and PG to assess potential interactions. Concentrations that were non-cytotoxic in non-cancer cells were identified in non-cancer mammary fibroblasts (MCF-12F) and only non-cytotoxic dietarily relevant concentrations were selected for the investigation in MCF10DCIS.COM cancer cells. In addition to proliferation and viability, mRNA and expression of total and phosphorylated protein were investigated. Results show that both, ML and PG significantly reduced proliferation in MCF10DCIS.COM, but did not significantly reduce viability following a 48 h exposure. ML significantly reduced mRNA expression of mTOR and HIF-1α, while PG significantly reduced mRNA of IGF-1R, AKT, mTOR and HIF-1α. ML and PG reduced total protein expression of IGF-1R, IR, AKT, mTOR, and P70S6K. In addition, PG reduced IRS protein. Both treatments also had an effect on phosphorylated protein levels, with PG significantly reducing IGF-1R, AKT, and P70S6K levels. ML had a similar effect and significantly decreased IR, AKT, and P70S6K phosphorylation levels. Within the low concentration-range, ML and PG did not interact with the cytotoxic activities of 5-FU. Overall, the AKT/mTOR signaling axis appears to be implicated as causal in decreased proliferation induced by diet-relevant concentrations of ML and PG.
Structural characteristics of corn starches extruded with soy protein isolate or wheat gluten.

Commercially available corn starches containing 0, 25, 50 and 70% amylose were extruded with 10, 20 and 30% soy protein isolate (SPI) or wheat gluten (WG) at 22% moisture content (dry basis) in a C.W. Brabender single screw laboratory extruder using a 140°C barrel temperature and a 140 rpm screw speed. True, solid and bulk densities; percent total, closed and open pores; and shear strengths of the extrudates were determined. The microstructures of the extrudates were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The total pores of the extrudates were affected significantly (p < F=0.0001) by type of protein (SPI or WG) and starch amylose. The open or closed pores, were affected by protein type only. The interaction between amylose and protein contents was highly significant <(p < F=0.0001). In general, the total pores and bulk densities were higher for WG-starch extrudates compared to SPI-starch extrudates. These values decreased as amylose content increased from 0 to 25% and then increased thereafter. The open pores, on the other hand, increased with increasing protein content from 10 to 20% and then decreased. Extrudates containing WG had higher shear strengths than those containing SPI.
Highly Probable Drug Reaction With Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms Syndrome Associated With Lenalidomide

Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome is a life-threatening hypersensitivity reaction to medications. We report a case of a 75-year-old African American female who presented with generalized rash with desquamation and malodorous secretions. She was febrile and hypotensive, and required vasopressors for hemodynamic instability. Sepsis secondary to skin or soft tissue infection was considered initially. However, she recently was started on lenalidomide for treatment of her multiple myeloma, and her white blood cell count of 17 K/µL with 55% eosinophils along with peripheral smear showing eosinophilia suggested lenalidomide-induced rash. Lenalidomide was discontinued, and methylprednisolone was initiated. Four days after lenalidomide discontinuation, vasopressors were discontinued. Blood cultures did not exhibit any growth. The Niranjo Adverse Drug Reaction Probability Scale score of 9 suggests lenalidomide was a highly probable cause of DRESS syndrome. The temporal relation of lenalidomide administration and development of symptoms plus improvement of rash with the discontinuation of lenalidomide and reappearance on restarting lenalidomide in the follow-up clinic strengthens our suspicion of lenalidomide-induced DRESS syndrome. Cases of lenalidomide-induced DRESS syndrome are sparse; however, DRESS syndrome is fatal in approximately 10% of patients. Providers should be aware and keep a vigilant eye out for this adverse reaction with lenalidomide.
Studies on inflation of GEBV in single-step GBLUP for type

The purpose of this study was to evaluate sources of inflation of GEBV in single-step GBLUP (ssGBLUP) evaluations. Tests involved 10 102 702 records of 18 type traits from 6 930 618 Holstein cows. A total of 576k animals with genotypes were used in the analyses and included 23 174 sires, 27 215 cows and 49 611 young animals. The genomic relationship matrix ( G ) was scaled for compatibility with the pedigree matrix for genotyped animals ( A 22 ). Genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV) using phenotypes up to 2010 or up to 2014 were calculated considering a) inbreeding in A 22 but not in A, 2) inbreeding in both A and A 22 , 3) as previously but considering nonzero inbreeding of phantom parents, and 4) as previously but reducing the additive variance by one half. Reliabilities (R 2 ) and regression factors (b 1 ) were derived based on DYD2014 and GEBV2010 of 1711 sires with at least 50 daughters in 2014 but no daughters in 2010. For cases 1 to 4, the reliabilities were 0.48, 0.49, 0.49, and 0.50, respectively. The average regressions were 0.75, 0.85, 0.90, and 0.96, respectively. The b 1 factors could be close to 1 by multiplying G -1 - A 22 -1 by lambda and by multiplying A 22 -1 by omega. The optimal omega was 0.7 for case 1) and 0.9 for case 2). Both parameters are shown to account for ignored inbreeding in A. Inflation of GEBV in ssGBLUP can be eliminated by considering inbreeding in A, correction factors, and by reducing the additive variance. A comprehensive theory extending unknown parent groups to metafounders may automatically eliminate inflation of GEBV for arbitrarily complex populations including multibreed.
Resilient Circuits for Dynamic Variation Tolerance

Integrated circuits are susceptible to dynamic variations in supply voltage (VCC) and temperature. Abrupt changes in die-level switching activity induce large current transients in the power delivery system, resulting in VCC droop and overshoot fluctuations. The magnitude and duration of VCC droops and overshoots depend on the interaction of capacitive and inductive parasitics at the board, package, and die levels with changes in current demand [1]. Temperature variations depend on workload, environmental conditions, and the heat-removal capability of the package. These dynamic variations in VCC and temperature degrade the clock frequency (FCLK) of microprocessors. Conventional designs build a guardband into the operating FCLK to ensure correct functionality within the presence of worst-case dynamic variations. Consequently, these inflexible designs cannot exploit opportunities for higher performance by increasing FCLK or lower power by lowering VCC during favorable operating conditions. Since most systems usually operate at nominal conditions where worst-case scenarios rarely occur, these infrequent dynamic variations severely limit the performance and energy efficiency of conventional microprocessor designs.
Practice Improvement Modules

There has been an increasing focus on quality improvement within the field of medicine. Until recently, the American Board of Internal Medicine required that physicians demonstrate involvement in a clinical quality improvement project. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has also identified the need for residents to be trained in quality improvement and practice-based learning as tools and skills for their future clinical practice. The ACGME requires that internal medicine residents receive practice data at least semiannually and residents are expected to develop a practice-based plan for improvement based on these data sets. While there is no specific requirement for inpatient versus outpatient data, the ideal source for this information resides within the resident’s continuity clinic panel. This chapter will describe the utility of practice improvement modules for quality improvement within the clinic and to develop experience in quality improvement for all providers, including residents.
Methotrexate for the Treatment of Pediatric Crohn's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background Methotrexate (MTX) is an immunomodulator used for the treatment of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). There are currently no RCTs that assess the treatment efficacy of methotrexate within the pediatric IBD patient population. This systematic review and meta-analysis assesses the efficacy of MTX therapy among the existing pediatric literature. Methods A systematic literature search was performed using MEDLINE and the Cochrane library from inception until March 2016. Synonyms for 'pediatric', 'methotrexate' and 'IBD' were utilized as both free text and MESH search terms. The studies included contained clinical remission (CR) rates for MTX treatment of pediatric IBD patients 18 yrs old, as mono- or combination therapy. Case studies with <10 patients were excluded. Quality assessment was performed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Meta-analysis calculated pooled CR rates. A random-effects meta-analysis with forest plots was performed using R. Results Fourteen (11 monotherapy, 1 combination therapy, 2 both; n = 886 patients) observational studies were eligible out of 202 studies. No interventional studies were identified. The pooled achieved CR rate for pediatric CD patients on monotherapy within 3-6 months was 57.7% (95% CI 48.2-66.6%), (P =0.22; I2 = 29.8%). The CR was 37.1% (95% CI 29.5-45.5%), (P = 0.20; I2 = 37.4%) for maintenance therapy at 12 months. Sub-analysis could not identify CR differences between MTX administration types, thiopurine exposure. Conclusions This meta-analysis demonstrated that, over 50% of pediatric Crohn's disease patients induced with methotrexate achieved clinical remission, while 12-month remission rate was only 37%. Prospective controlled interventional trials should assess treatment efficacy among patient subgroups. 10.1093/ibd/izy078_video1izy078.video15774883936001.
Does a Rubber Baseline Guarantee Cost Overruns on Defense Acquisition Contracts

A common assertion in defense literature is that an unstable budget baseline contributes to cost overruns on defense acquisition contracts. Using cost performance data from over 400 defense acquisi...
Experimental Results on Phase Aberration Correction for Two-Dimensional Conformal Arrays

Very large, two-dimensional anisotropic arrays (also known as 1.5 dimensional arrays) have been proposed to enhance low contrast detectability for diagnostic ultrasound.1 These arrays are undersampled in the non-scan direction to reduce channel number. They are not suitable for real-time three-dimensional imaging due to limited steering capability in elevation. Nevertheless, they can provide full three-dimensional focus. Moreover, if used with a fully adaptive front-end, they can correct for beamforming artifacts associated with a large aperture.
Virtue, Equality, and Inequality in Aristotle’s Politics

The topic of equality comes up in a variety of contexts in Aristotle’s Politics from Book II to VII. The desire for equality with equals and superiority to inferiors seems to play an important explanatory role for Aristotle in determining the characteristics of the constitution of a state and being a significant causal factor in constitutional change. He distinguishes between types of equality, numerical and proportional, and equality relative to some interest and unqualified equality. Aristotle appeals to his conception of equality in his explanation of the nature and types of democracy and oligarchy in the differentiation of the three types of good constitutions—monarchy, aristocracy and polity—and their less than ideal counterparts—tyranny, oligarchy and democracy—as well as in his analysis of political stability and constitutional change. Despite the complexity of his conception of equality and its political importance, Aristotle’s detailed descriptions of actual constitutions and constitutional changes seldom mention equality. How the desire for equality is explanatory or which type of equality is realized in a specific constitution is left to the reader to determine. The goal of this paper is to discover whether a coherent account of equality can be extracted, on Aristotle’s behalf, from what he does say. In the first two sections, we will look at the role equality plays in Aristotle’s descriptions of actual constitutions in Politics IV and V. The third section will examine the role equality plays in his design of an ideal constitution in Politics VII and VIII. We will conclude by summarizing the strengths and weaknesses of Aristotle’s approach to equality.