cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electrophoretic identity of proteins in a finite population and genetic distance between taxa.

Wehrhahn (1975) introduced the method of probability generating function to study the distribution of charge differences between homologous proteins in a population but considered only the special case where the population starts with a single allele. Some of his results, however, contained errors. In this paper, all the formulae are presented in general, correct yet much simpler forms. It is also shown that the method of diffusion equations (Ohta & Kimura, 1973) can produce the same results. Numerical computations show that the difference between the one-step and two-step models of charge changes is practically negligible. The results obtained have also been applied to study Nei's genetic distance. Numerical computations indicate that the genetic distance computed from electrophoretic data is about 10% smaller than the expected number of amino acid substitutions involving charge changes in the early stage of divergence of populations and may give a serious underestimate in comparisons between species.
Understanding user revisions when using information system features: adaptive system use and triggers

Post-adoptive system use is often characterized by cycles of adaptation, in which people actively revise how they use information systems. This paper investigates how and why individual users revise their system use at the feature level. A new concept, adaptive system use (ASU), is conceptualized as a user's revisions of which and how system features are used. This research identifies four specific ASU behaviors that collectively describe how people revise their use of system features. A model of ASU is developed based on Louis and Sutton's (1991) research on how people switch to active thinking from automatic thinking. The model specifies three antecedents of ASU (novel situations, discrepancies, and deliberate initiatives) and two moderators (personal innovativeness in IT and facilitating conditions). An empirical study of 253 Microsoft Office users largely supported the research model. The findings suggest that triggers--including novel situations, discrepancies, and deliberate initiatives--are a significant impetus to ASU. This research also confirms moderating effects of personal innovativeness in IT. The findings also show the relationships among triggers: in addition to their direct impact on ASU, novel situations and deliberate initiatives exert their influence on ASU indirectly by giving rise to discrepancies in system use. Moreover, a cluster analysis identifies three heterogeneous triggering conditions and reveals that people engage in different ASU behaviors under different triggering conditions.
Control Focused Soft Error Detection for Embedded Applications

Advances in integrated circuits present several key challenges in system reliability as soft errors are expected to increase with successive technology generations. Computing systems must be able to continue functioning in spite of these soft errors, necessitating the development of new methods for self-healing circuits that can detect and recover from these errors. We present an area-efficient control focused soft error detector (CNFSED) capable of nonintrusively detecting soft errors within the execution of a software application without modifications to the software application or the target processor. This soft error detector achieves an error detection rate greater than 90% for control errors and 85% of unmasked errors while incurring minimal area overhead.
Sound velocity measurements in thin films

The authors have developed a novel technique for measuring the phase velocity of elastic waves in self-supporting thin films. One edge of the film is fixed to an interdigital transducer (IDT) acting as a transmitter, while another IDT, the receiver, moves freely above the film. The coupling between the receiver and the film is made through a liquid bond. This allows a continuous variation of the path length, and the resulting change in phase and amplitude of the received continuous-wave (CW) signal permits a simultaneous and accurate measurement of the phase velocities of the different vibrational modes present in the foil. >
Bioactive Milk Peptides: A Prospectus

Bioactive peptides have been identified within the amino acid sequences of native milk proteins. Hydrolytic reactions, such as those catalyzed by digestive enzymes, result in their release. These peptides directly influence numerous biological processes evoking behavioral, gastrointestinal, hormonal, immunological, neurological, and nutritional responses. The specific bioreactions associated with each physiological class have been well characterized. Herein, we review the scientific literature and attempt to stimulate consideration of the continued use of bioactive peptides and their expanded development as a commercial product. Several applications have already evolved. For example, phosphopeptides derived from casein fractions are currently used as both dietary and pharmaceutical supplements. Potentially, the addition of bioactive peptides to food products could improve consumer safety as a result of their antimicrobial properties. Lastly, bioactive peptides may function as health care products, providing therapeutic value for either treatment of infection or prevention of disease.
An assessment of the developmental, reproductive, and neurotoxicity of endosulfan.

BACKGROUND: Endosulfan has been used for over 50 years. Although most analogs have been discontinued, endosulfan has less environmental persistence. Nevertheless, pressure groups are lobbying for a worldwide ban. The reasons are: possible rodent male reproductive toxicity, other endocrine effects and cancer; human epidemiology, and exposure studies; residues appearing in remote areas of the world, e.g., the Arctic. METHODS: The endosulfan toxicology database is described and risks of its use assessed. RESULTS: Endosulfan is an antagonist at the GABAA receptor Clionophore in mammalian CNS. Rat acute toxicity is moderate, LD50 5 48 (M) or 10 mg/kg/d (F), oral gavage; 130 (M), 70 mg/kg/d (F) dermal; LC50 5 34.5mg/L (M), 12.6mg/L (F), inhalation. Critical NOELs for risk assessment: acute oral (gavage) 5 0.7 mg/kg/d (rabbit developmental); Subchronic oral (diet) 5 1.2 mg/kg/d (rat reproduction); Chronic oral (diet) 5 0.6 mg/kg/d. There were no acceptable dermal toxicity studies. The critical acute and subchronic inhalation NOELs 5 0.001 mg/L, chronic inhalation 5 0.0001 mg/L (estimated). Toxicity to rat sperm occurred at doses causing neurotoxicity. Endocrine effects, resulting from P450 oxygenase(s) induction, were reversible. Increased cancer, genotoxicity, or histopathology in rodents was not observed in any organ. Possible effects on brain biogenic amine levels were probably secondary. CONCLUSIONS: Epidemiology and rodent studies suggesting autism and male reproductive toxicity are open to other interpretations. Developmental/ reproductive toxicity or endocrine disruption occurs only at doses causing neurotoxicity. Toxicity to the fetus or young animals is not more severe than that shown by adults. Birth Defects Res (Part B), 86:1-28, 2009. 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Multi Cloud Management for unified cloud services across cloud sites

Recently, there is appearing a multi Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) cloud site environment. It makes server users/administrators annoying because each cloud site is managed separately by each cloud owner and they have to make use of cloud sites individually. In this paper, we propose the Multi Cloud Management Platform that locates between cloud users and cloud sites and provides unified cloud services. It can decrease workloads of server users/administrators under a multi IaaS cloud site by a service catalog federation, a collaborative management, and an application virtual server migration services. We implement a prototype system, and show our approach is feasible.
A multimodality segmentation framework for automatic target delineation in head and neck radiotherapy

Purpose To develop an automatic segmentation algorithm integrating imaging information from computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to delineate target volume in head and neck cancer radiotherapy. Methods Eleven patients with unresectable disease at the tonsil or base of tongue who underwent MRI, CT, and PET/CT within two months before the start of radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy were recruited for the study. For each patient, PET/CT and T1-weighted contrast MRI scans were first registered to the planning CT using deformable and rigid registration, respectively, to resample the PET and magnetic resonance (MR) images to the planning CT space. A binary mask was manually defined to identify the tumor area. The resampled PET and MR images, the planning CT image, and the binary mask were fed into the automatic segmentation algorithm for target delineation. The algorithm was based on a multichannel Gaussian mixture model and solved using an expectation-maximization algorithm with Markov random fields. To evaluate the algorithm, we compared the multichannel autosegmentation with an autosegmentation method using only PET images. The physician-defined gross tumor volume (GTV) was used as the "ground truth" for quantitative evaluation. Results The median multichannel segmented GTV of the primary tumor was 15.7 cm(3) (range, 6.6-44.3 cm(3)), while the PET segmented GTV was 10.2 cm(3) (range, 2.8-45.1 cm(3)). The median physician-defined GTV was 22.1 cm(3) (range, 4.2-38.4 cm(3)). The median difference between the multichannel segmented and physician-defined GTVs was -10.7%, not showing a statistically significant difference (p-value = 0.43). However, the median difference between the PET segmented and physician-defined GTVs was -19.2%, showing a statistically significant difference (p-value =0.0037). The median Dice similarity coefficient between the multichannel segmented and physician-defined GTVs was 0.75 (range, 0.55-0.84), and the median sensitivity and positive predictive value between them were 0.76 and 0.81, respectively. Conclusions The authors developed an automated multimodality segmentation algorithm for tumor volume delineation and validated this algorithm for head and neck cancer radiotherapy. The multichannel segmented GTV agreed well with the physician-defined GTV. The authors expect that their algorithm will improve the accuracy and consistency in target definition for radiotherapy.
A novel two-step strategy for in vitro culture of early-stage ovarian follicles in the mouse.

Objective To develop an in vitro strategy to support the growth of early-stage follicles and produce mature oocytes competent for fertilization. Design Whole ovaries from 8-day-old mice were cultured for 4 days, and then secondary follicles were isolated and cultured for 12 days in a three-dimensional alginate or fibrin-alginate (FA) hydrogel matrix. Setting University-affiliated laboratory. Animals Mice. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measures Histologic evaluation of follicle development, steroid hormone production, and rates of oocyte maturation, oocyte fertilization, and embryo formation. Result(s) Culture of 8-day-old mouse ovaries for 4 days resulted in transition of the follicle population from primordial and primary follicles to secondary follicles, similar to that seen in a 12-day-old ovary. Isolated secondary follicles cultured for 12 days showed larger increases in oocyte diameter and more frequent antrum formation and theca cell differentiation in the FA-hydrogel matrix compared with the alginate matrix. Steroid hormone secretion patterns were consistent with the changes in follicle morphology and cell differentiation observed in the cultured follicles. Compared with oocytes from alginate follicle cultures, a greater number of oocytes retrieved from the FA-based follicle cultures progressed to metaphase I, reached metaphase II, and could be fertilized and cleaved to two-cell embryos. The organ culture plus FA-hydrogel follicle culture strategy produced a very high rate of oocyte progression to metaphase II (88 ± 8.7% [mean ± SEM]) and formation of two-cell embryos (54 ± 4%). Conclusion(s) A strategy combining whole ovary culture of early-stage follicles and subsequent FA hydrogel in vitro follicle culture produced a high percentage of oocytes competent for fertilization; this might provide new options for fertility preservation in women and prepubertal girls facing fertility-threatening diseases or treatments.
Beamforming in Wireless Relay-Interference Networks with Quantized Feedback

This paper is on quantized beamforming in wireless amplify-and-forward relay interference networks with multiple transmitter-receiver pairs. We design the quantizer of the feedback information specifically to optimize the union bound on the bit error rate performance. Two different quantization schemes are considered. First, using a global quantizer structure, we analytically show that a simple feedback scheme based on relay selection can achieve full diversity. Then, we design a local quantization scheme with distributed quantizer encoders, one at each receiver. We show that, with only a few feedback bits, high diversity gains can be obtained with the local quantizer structure as well. Simulations are also provided, confirming our analytical results. We observe that our designs guarantee an equal high diversity gain for each transmitter-receiver pair.
THE NORMAL FINE STRUCTURE OF OPOSSUM TESTICULAR INTERSTITIAL CELLS

The interstitial tissue of the opossum testis includes interstitial or Leydig cells, macrophages, and small cells which morphologically resemble mesenchymal cells. The latter are thought to give rise to mature interstitial cells. The most prominent feature of the interstitial cell cytoplasm is an exceedingly abundant agranular endoplasmic reticulum. This reticulum is generally in the form of a meshwork of interconnected tubules about 300 to 450 A in diameter, but occasionally it assumes the form of flattened, fenestrated cisternae resembling those of pancreatic acinar cells, except for the lack of ribonucleoprotein particles on the surface of the membranes. The interstitial cells vary considerably in their cytoplasmic density. The majority are quite light, but some appear extremely dense, and in addition usually have a more irregular cell surface, with numerous small pseudopodia. These differences may well reflect variations in physiological state. Cytoplasmic structures previously interpreted as "crystalloids" consist of long bundles of minute parallel tubules, each about 180 A in diameter, which seem to be local differentiations of the endoplasmic reticulum. The mitochondria are rod-shaped, and contain a moderately complex internal membrane structure, and also occasional large inclusions that are spherical and homogeneous. The prominent juxtanuclear Golgi complex contains closely packed flattened sacs and small vesicles. The results of the present study, coupled with biochemical evidence from other laboratories, make it seem highly probable that the agranular endoplasmic reticulum is involved in the synthesis of the steroid hormones produced by the interstitial cell. This finding therefore constitutes one of the first functions of the agranular reticulum for which there is good morphological and biochemical evidence.
Semantic Information Retrieval for Personalized E-Learning

We present an approach for personalized retrieval in an e-learning platform, that takes advantage of semantic Web standards to represent the learning content and the user/learner profiles as ontologies, and that re-ranks search results/lectures based on how the contained terms map to these ontologies. One important aspect of our approach is the combination of an authoritatively supplied taxonomy by the colleges, with the data driven extraction (via clustering) of a taxonomy from the documents themselves, thus making it easier to adapt to different learning platforms, and making it easier to evolve with the document/lecture collection. Our experimental results show that the learner's context can be effectively used for improving the precision and recall in e-learning content retrieval, particularly by re-ranking the search results based on the learner's past activities.
Reduced Road Salt Spillage Owing to Indoor Delivery and Loading

The authors analyze runoff and road salt delivery and loading data from an indoor salt storage facility in eastern Massachusetts over multiple deicing seasons. The facility converted its delivery/loading from outdoors to indoors. Data and simple theory document a fivefold decrease in spillage as a result of the conversion. A seasonally varying balance of first order dissolution and a spill fraction is used to quantify the improvement; the data and model suggest that 0.3% of the outdoor delivered/loaded road salt spilled onto the pavement. The conversion to indoor delivery/loading reduced the spillage fraction to 0.06%.
Numerical study of secondary flows and roll-cell instabilities in rotating channel flow

A numerical study is conducted on the pressure-driven laminar flow of an incompressible viscous fluid through a rectangular channel subjected to a spanwise rotation. The full nonlinear time-dependent Navier–Stokes equations are solved by a finite-difference technique for various rotation rates and Reynolds numbers in the laminar regime. At weak rotation rates, a double-vortex secondary flow appears in the transverse planes of the channel. For more rapid rotation rates, an instability occurs in the form of longitudinal roll cells in the interior of the channel. Further increases in the rotation rate leads to a restabilization of the flow to a Taylor–Proudman regime. It is found that the roll-cell and Taylor–Proudman regimes lead to a substantial distortion of the axial-velocity profiles. The specific numerical results obtained are shown to be in excellent agreement with previously obtained experimental measurements and theoretical predictions.
Rapid Molecular Microbiologic Diagnosis of Prosthetic Joint Infection

We previously showed that culture of samples obtained by prosthesis vortexing and sonication was more sensitive than tissue culture for prosthetic joint infection (PJI) diagnosis. Despite improved sensitivity, culture-negative cases remained; furthermore, culture has a long turnaround time. We designed a genus-/group-specific rapid PCR assay panel targeting PJI bacteria and applied it to samples obtained by vortexing and sonicating explanted hip and knee prostheses, and we compared the results to those with sonicate fluid and periprosthetic tissue culture obtained at revision or resection arthroplasty. We studied 434 subjects with knee (n = 272) or hip (n = 162) prostheses; using a standardized definition, 144 had PJI. Sensitivities of tissue culture, of sonicate fluid culture, and of PCR were 70.1, 72.9, and 77.1%, respectively. Specificities were 97.9, 98.3, and 97.9%, respectively. Sonicate fluid PCR was more sensitive than tissue culture (P = 0.04). PCR of prosthesis sonication samples is more sensitive than tissue culture for the microbiologic diagnosis of prosthetic hip and knee infection and provides same-day PJI diagnosis with definition of microbiology. The high assay specificity suggests that typical PJI bacteria may not cause aseptic implant failure.
Predicting ion charge state distributions of vacuum arc plasmas

Multiply charged ions are present in vacuum arc plasmas. The ions are produced at cathode spots, and their charge state distributions (CSDs) depend on the cathode material but only little on the arc current or other parameters as long as the current is relatively low and the anode is not actively involved in the plasma production. There are experimental data of ion CSDs available in the literature for 50 different cathode materials. The CSDs can be calculated based on the assumption that thermodynamic equilibrium is valid in the vicinity of the cathode spot, and the equilibrium CSDs "freeze" at a certain distance from the cathode spot (transition to a nonequilibrium plasma). Plasma temperatures and densities at the "freezing points" have been calculated, and, based on the existence of characteristic groups of elements in the Periodic Table, predictions of CSDs can be made for metallic elements which have not yet been used as cathode materials.
Artificial Dreams: GPS: The Origins of AI

We may hope that machines will eventually compete with men in all purely intellectual fields. – Alan Turing (1950) Computers are everywhere – on our desks, shelves, and laps; in our offices, factories, and labs; in grocery stores, gas stations, and hotels; and in our rockets, trains, and cabs. They are ubiquitous. Computers are also talked about in all types of places and by all types of people. These discourses about computers usually invoke common themes such as their enormous speed of operation, their humongous capacity for storing data, their effectiveness as communication and coordination mediums, their promise for enhancing our mental capabilities, and their potential for undermining our selfhood, identity, and privacy. Outstanding among these, however, is the theme of computers as “thinking machines.” It is to this theme that the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) owes its emergence. Computers are at the core of AI. In their current incarnation, almost all AI systems are built on the versatile silicon chip, the substrate of digital computers. An overall understanding of electronic computing is, therefore, a prerequisite for appreciating what AI is all about. To understand AI, however, one also must understand many other things that have contributed to its formation and development. These include intellectual history as well as the social, cultural, and institutional environment in which AI is practiced.
The Improvisational Art of Teaching/Learning

The ‘one’ arises from the ground of the ‘two.’ This ‘self’ is other of the ‘two,’ the third that emerges from the dialogic event occurring between ‘I’ and ‘thou.’ As ‘other’ it remains a stranger. The relation of the two, the ground of plurality, shows how the dialogic event is related to a third that is not present, and remains concealed, hidden, and spills over in the improvisational.
Improvement of Evacuated Aerogel Powder Insulation

The reduction of radiant energy transfer through silica by the introduction of aluminum, copper, nickel, and silver powders has been demonstrated by Hunter, Kropschot, Schrodt, and Fulk [1], These authors have reported apparent thermal conductivities, k, as low as 2.0μw/cm-°K for mixtures of fume silica and aluminum powders. This value is about one-tenth of the thermal conductivity of Santocel® A silica aerogel between room and liquid nitrogen temperatures. Mixtures of Santocel A and copper powders with k’s as low as 3.4 μw/cm-oK have been reported by Riede and Wang [2], Details such as particle sizes were not given. Black. Fowle. and Glaser [3] have described carbon-silica mixtures with k’s as low as 4.7 μw/cm-oK. The direct determination of infrared transmittance has been demonstrated by Stoy [4] as a possible screening method for insulating powders and opacifying agents.
Perceived Risk Dilution with Multiple Warnings

The application of multiple warning labels on consumer products and household appliances is now commonplace with increased public attention on safety issues. In the present study, the number of on-product warning messages was manipulated to examine perceived risk. Risk assessment for individual warning messages associated with a product and the overall perceived risk level for the product were examined and compared. We hypothesized that the number and contents of warnings may influence the perceived risk level for both the individual warning message and the overall perception of danger. Warning messages were presented in the format of either discrete messages or as messages as part of a group, then compared with regard to their perceived risk. The results showed that the perceived risk declined in a stepwise manner as a function of the number of low-criticality warning messages, thereby producing a dilution effect. This dilution effect appeared to take place as the number of low-risk warnings increased be...
Self-Incompatibility of Zinnia angustifolia HBK (Compositae): II. Genetics

The genetics of self-incompatibility (SI) was studied in Zinnia angustifolia (2n=2x=22). A population of 14 full-sib F 1 progeny was intercrossed in a full diallel and then was reciprocally blackcrossed to both parents
Recent Discoveries in Beer Foam

Combinations of ovalbumin, iso-alpha acid, and ethanol were prepared in buffers of different pH and foamed. A response surface model of foam height was constructed (R2 = 0.876). This indicated that intermediate ethanol levels lead to the best foam, with poorer foam at higher and lower ethanol contents, and that increasing pH leads to poorer foam. When ethanol was added to non-alcoholic beer, the effect on foam was somewhat similar to the model system. When a lager was adjusted in pH, the foam increased with increasing pH, opposite to the model system. Dimethyl formamide, dioxane, and NaCl solution were each added to the model system and beer. Salt greatly reduced foam in the model system, indicating mainly ionic interaction. DMF caused the largest reduction in commercial beer foam, indicating a hydrogen bonding mechanism. Barley lipid transfer protein 1 (LTP1) and proteins Z4 and Z7 have been associated with beer foam. Ovalbumin has considerable similarity to proteins Z4 and Z7, but is quite different fro...
Evidence of a Genetic Basis for Differences in Parasitization Success between Strains of Avetianella longoi (Siscaro).

When the cerambycid, Phoracantha recurva, invaded California in the mid 1990’s a parasitoid wasp was imported from its native range in Australia as part of a biological control program. The wasp was later identified to be Avetianella longoi, which had already been released years earlier to control the congener longhorned beetle, Phoracantha semipunctata. Despite being recognized as the same species, the two wasps exhibited differential success on P. recurva eggs, indicating the presence of two separate strains. Here we determine if the differentiating factor between the two strains of A. longoi is a heritable genetic trait. All four pairings between the two strains were conducted, resulting in two homogenous and two heterogeneous crosses. All crosses except one produced viable F1 female offspring. F1 females were allowed to oviposit on P. recurva eggs and the survival of their offspring was compared to determine if survival can be affected by paternal contributions. The result was that the offspring of females with fathers from the second introduced strain showed significantly increased survival compared to F1 females with parents from the first introduced strain. This increased survival demonstrated that there is a heritable dominant trait that is associated with increased survival on P. recurva host eggs.
Construction of vectors encoding both wide type p53 protein and siRNA-mdm2 and their expressions in PC-3 cells

Objective To construct the recombinant vectors that coexpress wild type p53(wt-p53) and siRNA-mdm2 for gene therapy in androgen independent prostate cancer.Methods The subcloning,T-Acloning,and PCR technique were used to construct the recombinant vectors,named pcDNA3.1-p53,siRNA-mdm2,p53/siRNA-mdm2,and siRNA-scramble.The recombinant expression vectors mentioned above were transfected into PC-3 cells,the expression levels of the mdm2 siRNA and p53 after transfection were detected by the semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis and Western blotting analysis.MTT assay was used to detect the proliferation inhibition of PC-3 cells after transfection.Results The recombinant plasmids containing both wt-p53 and siRNA-mdm2 were successfully constructed,and confirmed by DNA sequence analysis.After transfected for 48 h,the expression of GFP was observed.The expression level of wt-p53 was increased,and the expression of mdm2 was decreased detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting.MTT assay showed that the inhibitory rate of proliferation of PC-3 cells was 40.4% after transfection.Conclusion The recombinant plasmids containing both wt-p53 and siRNA-mdm2 are successfully constructed,they can remarkablely inhibit the proliferation of PC-3 cells.
Effect of phosphorylated-ERK1/2 on NF-κB p65 expression in substantia nigra of mice with MPTP-induced Parkinson's disease

Objective To investigate the effect of phospholated-ERK1/2 on NF-κB p65 expression in the substania nigra(SN) of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine(MPTP)-induced mouse model of Parkinson's disease(PD). Methods PD mouse model was induced by MPTP and the behavior of mouse was observed.Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting analysis were used to observe the changes in expression of tyrosine hydroxylase(TH),NF-κB p65 and p-ERK1/2 in the SN of midbrain.Meanwhile,the above changes were also observed after treatment with U0126,a specific inhibitor of ERK.Results 1 h after the third MPTP administration,there were much more p-ERK1/2 positive cells than NF-κB p65 positive cells in the SN.24 h after the fifth injection of MPTP,NF-κB p65 positive cells were significantly increased and p-ERK1/2 positive cells were decreased,accompanied by marked loss of TH positive neurons.The above changes were greatly alleviated in animals treated with U0126.Conclusion ERK1/2 pathway may regulate NF-κB p65 activation in MPTP-induced mouse model of Parkinson's disease,which leads to loss of dopamine neurons.
A HoxD11 Homeobox Gene Mutation Associated With Congenital Absent Radius But Without The Thrombocytopenia Of The TAR Syndrome Or a HoxA11 Mutation

HoxA11 and HoxD11 are homeobox genes critical for normal development of the forearm and thus are potential candidate genes for involvement in the pathogenesis of the thrombocytopenia/absent radius (TAR) syndrome. However, we previously reported an absence of coding sequence mutations in either HoxA11 or HoxD11 in a series of 10 unrelated TAR syndrome patients (Fleischman RA et al., Br J Haematol., 116:367-75, 2002). Despite this negative finding, interest in the potential role of homeobox genes in the TAR syndrome has been supported by a report of a HoxA11 mutation occurring in two kindreds with amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia and radio-ulnar synostosis, a less pronounced more proximal pattern of radial malformation (Thompson AA and Nguyen LT. Nat Genet., 26:397-8, 2000). Unlike HoxA11, however, no mutations in the human HoxD11 gene have been described thus far that would help elucidate the potential role of this paralogous gene in megakaryopoiesis or the TAR syndrome. We now describe a novel mutation in human HoxD11 that results in a polyalanine sequence expansion, (GCG)6→ (GCG)8, and report that this mutation is associated with a unilateral absent radius in the affected propositus. A familial syndrome is suggested in this kindred, moreover, by the prior observation of a bilateral absent radius in a deceased maternal aunt. This mutation was not present in more than 100 unrelated normal subjects or 8 other unrelated individuals with sporadic absence of the radius. Two other living maternal relatives also carried the mutation but did not exhibit any radial defects, a finding consistent with autosomal dominance with incomplete penetrance, an inheritance pattern reported for short polyalanine expansion mutations in the related homeobox gene HoxD13 which cause synpolydactyly. In contrast to the reported HoxA11 mutation, however, neither the propositus nor the mutation carriers of this HoxD11 mutation exhibited thrombocytopenia or any other cytopenias or congenital defect. The results suggest that at least one class of mutation in human HoxD11 may be sufficient to cause an absent radius syndrome but unlike the reported HoxA11 mutation, does not adversely affect megakaryopoiesis. The findings further suggest that additional studies of the TAR syndrome may be necessary to exclude as yet undetected non-coding mutations in promoter or enhancer sequences that alter the expression of HoxA11, HoxD11 or other homeobox genes critical for radial development and/or megakaryopoiesis. This work was supported by a VA Merit Award. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
The Raz Bladder Neck Suspension: Results in 206 Patients

AbstractWe reviewed the charts of 206 patients who underwent the Raz bladder neck suspension between January 1984 and June 1990 for stress urinary incontinence. Mean followup was 15 months. Overall, our results demonstrated a successful outcome (cure or rare stress urinary incontinence not requiring protection) in 186 of 206 patients (90.3%). Cox multivariant analysis showed that the only predictor of outcome was the degree of preoperative stress urinary incontinence (mild, moderate or severe, p <0.001). When the results were stratified by degree of incontinence preoperatively 20 of 21 patients (95%) with mild, 151 of 162 (93%) with moderate and 15 of 23 (65%) with severe incontinence had a successful outcome. No statistical correlation was found with patient age, number of prior operations, hysterectomy, urgency incontinence or menopause. For the patients who failed, the mean interval to recurrent stress urinary incontinence was 5 months. Significant urgency incontinence was present preoperatively in 58 ...
Information Technology and Firm Profitability in Network Environments

Despite prolific research on IT business value, this stream of research still encounters considerable limitations such as inconsistent findings of the direct link between IT and firm profitability and the demonstration of the indirect relationship between IT and specific aspects of firm value without explicitly considering network environments. To overcome the limitations caused by utilizing the static and narrow definition of IT and investigating firm profitability in a secular business environment, this study adopts the dynamic capability theory to propose the concept of dynamic IT capability and tests its impact on firm profitability under networked environments. We tested research hypotheses by collecting secondary data of 26 companies across 19 industries during 1994-2008 and analyzing data using a multilevel modeling technique. The initial data analyses showed strong supports on dynamic IT capability’s direct and significant impact on firm profitability. It also was found that dynamic IT capability significantly interacted with network factors such as centrality and structural holes.
Metabolism of retinaldehyde by human liver and kidney.

In mamian organisms retinoids and their derivatives are important in regulation of divershysiological functions. Retinoic acid, the most potent of naturally occurring retinoids, only rntly has been recognized as a major hormone in cell differentiation and development (Gudas994). In mammals biosynthesis of retinoids proceeds via central or excent cleavage of carotene to retinaldehyde followed by its reduction to retinol or oxidation to retic acid (Goodman and Huang, 1965; Olson and Hyashi, 1965; Wang et al., 1996b)
Changes in the Microflora of Bovine Colostrum During Natural Fermentation

Colostrum from five cows was collected and pooled separately and allowed to ferment naturally for 21 days. During this time the pH decreased and was approximately 4.0 at the end of the fermentation. The titratable acidity of the colostrum at this time was 1.5% or more. Numbers of total aerobic bacteria, fecal streptococci, coliform bacteria, and gram-negative bacteria increased rapidly during the first 2–3 days of fermentation. After several days of reasonable stability, numbers of aerobic bacteria and coliform bacteria declined, whereas numbers of fecal streptococci and gram-negative bacteria remained fairly constant. The number of yeasts and molds increased much more slowly than did those of bacteria and in some instances growth of these organisms was still evident when the fermentation was terminated.
Potential short-term neurobehavioral alterations in children associated with a peak pesticide spray season: The Mother's Day flower harvest in Ecuador.

Abstract Background Exposures to cholinesterase inhibitor pesticides (e.g. organophosphates) have been associated with children’s neurobehavioral alterations, including attention deficit and impulsivity. Animal studies have observed transient alterations in neurobehavioral performance in relation to cholinesterase inhibitor pesticide exposures; however, limited evidence exists regarding transient effects in humans. Methods We estimated the associations between neurobehavioral performance and time after Mother’s Day flower harvest (the end of a heightened pesticide usage period) among 308 4-to 9-year-old children living in floricultural communities in Ecuador in 2008 who participated in the ESPINA study. Children’s neurobehavior was examined once (NEPSY-II: 11 subtests covering 5 domains), between 63 and 100 days (SD: 10.8 days) after Mother’s Day harvest (blood acetylcholinesterase activity levels can take 82 days to normalize after irreversible inhibition with organophosphates). Results The mean (SD) neurobehavioral scaled scores across domains ranged from 6.6 (2.4) to 9.9 (3.3); higher values reflect greater performance. Children examined sooner after Mother’s Day had lower neurobehavioral scores than children examined later, in the domains of (score difference per 10.8 days, 95%CI): Attention/Inhibitory Control (0.38, 0.10–0.65), Visuospatial Processing (0.60, 0.25–0.95) and Sensorimotor (0.43, 0.10–0.77). Scores were higher with longer time post-harvest among girls (vs. boys) in Attention/Inhibitory Control. Conclusions Our findings, although cross-sectional, are among the first in non-worker children to suggest that a peak pesticide use period may transiently affect neurobehavioral performance, as children examined sooner after the flower harvest had lower neurobehavioral performance than children examined later. Studies assessing pre- and post-exposure measures are needed.
Application of convolutional artificial neural networks to echocardiograms for differentiating congenital heart diseases in a pediatric population

In this paper we describe a pilot study, where machine learning methods are used to differentiate between congenital heart diseases. Our approach was to apply convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to echocardiographic images from five different pediatric populations: normal, coarctation of the aorta (CoA), hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), transposition of the great arteries (TGA), and single ventricle (SV). We used a single network topology that was trained in a pairwise fashion in order to evaluate the potential to differentiate between patient populations. In total we used 59,151 echo frames drawn from 1,666 clinical sequences. Approximately 80% of the data was used for training, and the remainder for validation. Data was split at sequence boundaries to avoid having related images in the training and validation sets. While training was done with echo images/frames, evaluation was performed for both single frame discrimination as well as sequence discrimination (by majority voting). In total 10 networks were generated and evaluated. Unlike other domains where this network topology has been used, in ultrasound there is low visual variation between classes. This work shows the potential for CNNs to be applied to this low-variation domain of medical imaging for disease discrimination.
Nearly assumptionless screening for the mutually-exciting multivariate Hawkes process

We consider the task of learning the structure of the graph underlying a mutually-exciting multivariate Hawkes process in the high-dimensional setting. We propose a simple and computationally inexpensive edge screening approach. Under a subset of the assumptions required for penalized estimation approaches to recover the graph, this edge screening approach has the sure screening property: with high probability, the screened edge set is a superset of the true edge set. Furthermore, the screened edge set is relatively small. We illustrate the performance of this new edge screening approach in simulation studies.
Trend Analysis of Fragmented Time Series for mHealth Apps: Hypothesis Testing Based Adaptive Spline Filtering Method With Importance Weighting

The growth of mobile devices has provided significant opportunities for developing healthcare apps based on the mobile device ability to collect data. Unfortunately, the data collection is often intermittent. Missing data present significant challenges to trend analysis of time series. Straightforward approaches consisting of supplementing missing data with constant or zero values or with linear trends can severely degrade the quality of the trend analysis. In this paper, we present a robust adaptive approach to discover the trends from fragmented time series. The approach proposed in this paper is based on the hypothesis-testing-based adaptive spline filtering (HASF) trend analysis algorithm, which can accommodate non-uniform sampling and is therefore inherently robust to missing data. HASF adapts the nodes of the spline based on hypothesis testing and variance minimization, which adds to its robustness. Further improvement is obtained by filling gaps by data estimated in an earlier trend analysis, provided by HASF itself. Three variants for filling the gaps of missing data are considered, the best of which seems to consist of filling significantly large gaps with linear splines matched for continuity and smoothness with cubic splines covering data-dense regions. Small gaps are ignored and addressed by the underlying cubic spline fitting. Finally, the existing measurements are weighted according to their importance by simply transferring the importance of the missing data to their existing neighbors. The methods are illustrated and evaluated using heart rate data sets, blood pressure data sets, and noisy sine data sets.
Rapid preconcentration of viable bacteria using magnetic ionic liquids for PCR amplification and culture-based diagnostics

In this study, a series of magnetic ionic liquids (MILs) were investigated for the extraction and preconcentration of bacteria from aqueous samples. By dispersing small volumes (e.g., 15 μL) of MIL within an aqueous cell suspension, bacteria were rapidly extracted and isolated using a magnetic field. Of the seven hydrophobic MILs examined, the trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium Ni(II) hexafluoroacetylacetonate ([P66614 +][Ni(hfacac)3 −]) MIL exhibited the greatest enrichment of viable Escherichia coli K12 when coupled with microbiological culture as the detection method. The MIL-based strategy was applied for the preconcentration of E. coli from aqueous samples to obtain enrichment factors (E F) as high as 44.6 in less than 10 min. The MIL extraction approach was also interfaced with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification where the positive detection of E. coli was achieved with the [P66614 +][Co(hfacac)3 −], [P66614 +][Ni(hfacac)3 −], [P66614 +][Dy(hfacac)4 −], and [P66614 +][Nd(hfacac)4 −] MILs. While direct sampling of an aqueous cell suspension at a concentration of 1.68 × 104 colony-forming units (CFUs) mL−1 yielded no amplicon when subjected to PCR, extraction of the sample with the [P66614 +][Ni(hfacac)3 −] MIL under optimized conditions provided sufficient enrichment of E. coli for amplicon detection. Importantly, the enrichment of bacteria using the Ni(II)-, Co(II)-, and Dy(III)-based MILs was compatible with real-time quantitative PCR amplification to dramatically improve sample throughput and lower detection limits to 1.0 × 102 CFUs mL−1. The MIL-based method is much faster than existing enrichment approaches that typically require 24-h cultivation times prior to detection and could potentially be applied for the preconcentration of a variety of Gram-negative bacteria from aqueous samples.
Leveraging Positive Psychological Capital (PsyCap) in Crisis: A Multiphase Framework

ABSTRACTDespite recent advancements in understanding of leadership in context, there is surprisingly little insight into leadership in crisis. To provide insight into how leaders navigate crisis, we utilize historical sources of Sir Winston Churchill’s leadership during World War II to analyze which resources are used by leaders during a crisis and how they leverage these resources to lead through and out of the crisis. We discover that psychological capital (PsyCap) is a core individual resource that leaders leverage in crisis. Our findings suggest that leaders leverage PsyCap in varying ways based on the phase of the crisis. That is, different dimensions of PsyCap are used to lead ahead of, into, through, and out of the crisis. This study contributes to the strategic leadership and positive organizational behavior literatures by empirically illustrating the dynamic nature of PsyCap and how leaders leverage it to navigate crisis.
Prevalência de Síndrome de Burnout em Médicos de Família da Secção Regional do Norte da Ordem dos Médicos

Objectivos: Os medicos de familia sao os profissionais de saude que realizam o primeiro contacto entre os utentes e o sistema de saude, tendo uma interaccao continua e mais proxima com os pacientes, a qual pode desencadear quadros de ansiedade e medo. Os sentimentos negativos potenciam a exaustao fisica e mental que podera conduzir a um estado de Burnout. A conjuntura portuguesa recente apresenta factores que podem potenciar o aumento da prevalencia de sindrome de Burnout nos medicos de familia. Este estudo procura reavaliar a prevalencia de sindrome de Burnout nos medicos de familia da Seccao Regional do Norte da Ordem dos Medicos. Tipo de estudo: Estudo transversal, observacional e descritivo com componente analitica. Local: Portugal. Populacao: Medicos inscritos como medicos de familia na Seccao Regional do Norte da Ordem dos Medicos. Metodos: Estudo realizado atraves de um questionario online constituido por dados demograficos, profissionais e o Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey, validado para portugues, enviado aos medicos de familia sob a forma de censo no dia 11 de Novembro de 2016 e valido para submissao de respostas ate ao dia 5 de Dezembro de 2016. Resultados: A prevalencia de Burnout encontrada nos medicos de familia foi de 17,0% (IC 95% [13,1; 20,9]) Os medicos de familia apresentaram exaustao emocional alta de 66,0% (IC 95% [61,1; 70,9]), despersonalizacao alta de 45,7% (IC 95% [40,5; 50,9]) e baixa realizacao profissional de 48,2% (IC 95% [43,0; 53,4)]. A despersonalizacao associou-se ao sexo masculino e aos individuos com idades inferiores a 45 anos. A sindrome de B urnout tambem esteve associada com a idade inferior a 45 anos e com uma duracao da actividade como medico de familia inferior a 20 anos. Conclusoes: A prevalencia da sindrome de Burnout foi ate quatro vezes maior que os valores obtidos em estudos anteriores . As associacoes encontradas sao consistentes aquelas verificadas em estudos anteriores, sendo a sindrome mais prevalente em medicos mais jovens e com menor experiencia como medico de familia. Palavras-chave: Prevalencia; Stress Psicologico; Burnout Profissional; Medicos de Familia; Portugal
Endotoxin protection from oxygen toxicity: effect on pulmonary neutrophils and L-selectin.

The mechanisms by which sublethal doses of endotoxin protect against hyperoxic lung injury are not completely understood. We hypothesized that endotoxin treatment would result in a decreased inflammatory response to hyperoxia and that this would be accompanied by activation of neutrophils (as evidenced by loss of L-selectin) in the peripheral circulation. Adult rats were injected with endotoxin 0.5 mg/kg prior to and 24 hr after onset of exposure to ≥98% O2. After 56 hr of hyperoxia, pulmonary neutrophils were lower in the O2/endotoxin group compared to O2 controls as measured by myeloperoxidase in lung homogenates and neutrophil counts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Circulating neutrophils were also significantly lower in the O2/endotoxin group compared to O2 controls at 56 hr. Expression of the neutrophil adhesion molecule, L-selectin, was lower at 4 and 24 hr in the endotoxin-treated rats compared to O2 controls. There were no differences at 48 hr. Expression of CD18 rose significantly in the O2/endotoxin group after 4 hr, but thereafter did not differ from O2 controls. In summary, endotoxin protection from O2 toxicity was associated with reduced neutrophils in the lung and a loss of L-selectin from peripheral blood neutrophils.