cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Unequal alternating monocular deprivation causes asymmetric visual fields in cats

Kittens were reared so that each eye received normal patterned vision on alternate days. If the eyes received equal periods of stimulation, the visual fields were normal. If one eye received much more experience than the other, the field of the less experienced eye was restricted to the temporal hemifield. This change, which differs from that observed when one or both eyes are deprived continuously of patterned input, suggests that an imbalance in the duration of stimulation can influence the outcome of the normal competitive interaction between pathways from the two eyes and can cause a selective suppression of a portion of the input from the less experienced eye. This suppression may involve the ipsilateral retino-geniculo-cortical pathways or it may involve the entire cortical pathway from the less experienced eye, leaving the colliculus to control responses to visual targets.
Observations of infrasound from surf in southern California

[1] We observe 10,000's of infrasound signals annually, in the frequency range from 1–5 Hz, at the I57US infrasound array in Southern California. 75% of these signals arrive at I57US at azimuths between 260 and 320 degrees. There is a good correlation between the amplitudes of signals from 260–320° and wave height measurements offshore Southern California, providing firm evidence that the signals from these azimuths are caused by surf action. By modeling the propagation of infrasound for specific time periods (using 3D ray-tracing and up-to-date atmospheric models), we show that amplitudes of signals recorded at I57US are also dependent upon atmospheric winds. The modeled rays that return in the stratosphere fit observations more closely than modeled rays that return in the troposphere, suggesting the signals are from stratospheric returns. Our findings are the first observations of surf infrasound at a long-range from the source region. This suggests that surf signals might serve as a probe of the atmosphere, much like microbarom signals are used to probe the atmosphere at greater range.
Thermal Expansion of Metals over the Entire Liquid Range

This paper reviews the current state of the art for measuring liquid metal densities. Conventional high precision techniques for use below 2000K as well as new techniques for more extreme temperatures are addressed. Pertinent data, which have appeared since the last critical reviews, for elemental metals are discussed.
Quantitative measurement of syndesmophyte volume and height in ankylosing spondylitis using CT

Objective Syndesmophyte growth in ankylosing spondylitis can be difficult to measure using radiographs because of poor visualisation and semiquantitative scoring methods. We developed and tested the reliability and validity of a new computer-based method that fully quantifies syndesmophyte volumes and heights on CT scans. Methods In this developmental study, we performed lumbar spine CT scans on 38 patients and used our algorithm to compute syndesmophyte volume and height in four intervertebral disk spaces. To assess reliability, we compared results between two scans performed on the same day in nine patients. To assess validity, we compared computed measures to visual ratings of syndesmophyte volume and height on both CT scans and radiographs by two physician readers. Results Coefficients of variation for syndesmophyte volume and height, based on repeat scans, were 2.05% and 2.40%, respectively. Based on Bland–Altman analysis, an increase in syndesmophyte volume of more than 4% or in height of more than 0.20 mm represented a change greater than measurement error. Computed volumes and heights were strongly associated with physician ratings of syndesmophyte volume and height on visual examination of both the CT scans (p Conclusions This new CT-based method that fully quantifies syndesmophytes in three-dimensional space had excellent reliability and face and construct validity. Given its high precision, this method shows promise for longitudinal clinical studies of syndesmophyte development and growth.
Distinct Vascular Conduction With Cortical Spreading Depression

Cortical spreading depression (CSD) is associated with significant vasodilatation and vasoconstriction, but the relationship between the cortical parenchymal and vascular phenomena remains poorly understood. We used optical intrinsic signal (OIS) imaging and electrophysiology to simultaneously examine the vascular and parenchymal changes that occur with CSD in anesthetized mice and rats. CSD was associated with a propagated multiphasic change in optical reflectance, with correlated negative DC shift in field potential. Dilatation of cortical surface arterioles propagated with a significantly greater intrinsic velocity than the parenchymal CSD wavefront measured by OIS and electrophysiology. Dilatation traveled in a circuitous pattern along individual arterioles, indicating specific vascular conduction as opposed to concentric propagation of a parenchymal signal. Arteriolar dilatation propagated into areas beyond the spread of parenchymal OIS and electrophysiological changes of CSD. Conversely, vasomotor activity could be experimentally dissociated from the parenchymal CSD wave. Frequent repetitive CSD evoked by continuous stimulation was associated with a reduced or absent arteriolar response despite preserved parenchymal OIS and electrophysiological changes. Similarly, dimethylsulfoxide at high concentrations (10%) inhibited arteriolar reactivity despite preserved parenchymal OIS and electrophysiological changes. These results suggest a mechanism, intrinsic to the vasculature, for propagation of vasodilatation associated with CSD. Distinct vascular conduction could be important for the pathogenesis of conditions that involve CSD, including migraine, stroke, and traumatic brain injury.
National Survey of Providers Treating Patients With Metabolic Disorders Identified by Newborn Screening Demonstrates Challenges Faced by Clinical Care Systems

Objectives. To evaluate care processes for infants who are identified by newborn screening (NBS) and diagnosed with metabolic disorders during their first year of life. Methods. A survey instrument was used to assess the scope and intensity of services needed to provide quality health care for patients from birth to 1 year of age who have a metabolic disorder identified by NBS. Significance testing was not performed; descriptive analyses are reported. Results. Providers spend significant amounts of time on activities that are not direct patient care. The most challenging aspect of their work was the lack of reimbursement for care. Conclusion. Provision of genetics services for patients with a metabolic disorder is time and labor intensive, and insurance coverage and reimbursement for these services remain inadequate. Health care payment and/or system reform is necessary to provide optimal care to patients with metabolic disorders identified by NBS.
Internal Plenum Design and Testing for an Oscillatory Blowing Rotating Stall Suppression System

This paper presents results of an on-going effort to develop a new rotating stall suppression system. This system uses oscillatory blowing along the blade span on one or more airfoils in a row. The results presented herein focus on the flow characteristics of the internal plenum, and the performance of the oscillatory blowing system. A numerical simulation and an experimental investigation are being used to study the internal flow characteristics. The numerical simulation uses a Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes flow solver where the turbulence was modeled with the Shear Stress Transport model. The experimental setup developed for validating the oscillatory flow was developed to determine the relationship between the geometric configurations of the internal plenum and the resultant unsteady flow characteristics. The numerical simulations will be validated by data obtained from the experimental setup.
Secrecy, Information, and Politics: An Essay on Organizational Decision Making

The literature on organizational politics has described organizational decision making as a fluid, informal process characterized by conflict and compromise. One of the most important reasons decision making tends to become politicized is because decision situations are uncertain and open to multiple interpretations. The political process develops as coalitions attempt to define the decision context to gain control over the decision-making process. But the concept of information typically used to investigate organizational politics is defined in terms of the ability to predict future states of the world. This definition completely overlooks the socially constructed nature of information and the fundamentally socially constructed nature of the decision-making process. The result has been an ignoring or underestimating of the role the distortion and manipulation of information plays in communicating and decision-making processes. In this essay, information is understood as a socially constructed phenomenon ...
Carney's triad: gastric leiomyosarcoma, pulmonary chondroma and extra‐adrenal paraganglioma in young females

The case of a 13-year-old girl with a gastric leiomyosarcoma and a pulmonary osteochondroma is presented. The association of these two tumours and extra-adrenal paraganglioma has been described as a triad by Carney. The patient is free of recurrence of the gastric tumour with no evidence of paraganglioma 10 months after the operation. To our knowledge this is the first case of the triad reported in the UK.
Protein Structure Comparison and Alignment Using Residue Contexts

We introduce a method for comparing protein structures using the notion of residue contexts based on protein Calpha-atom backbones. The residue context is derived from the set of vectors from a given Calpha-atom to each other Calpha-atom in the molecule. A three-dimensional histogram is generated from these vectors, containing a relative distribution of the other Calpha-atoms for each Calpha-atom on the backbone for a protein. Histograms are compared using the chi2 test, resulting in the cost for matching any two given Calpha-atoms in a pair of protein molecules. An optimal alignment is made using the Smith-Waterman algorithm, and a score is calculated based on the length of the alignment and the RMSD, yielding a best alignment that can be displayed in an interactive user interface. Resulting alignments are compared with alignments generated by CTSS, DALI, and CE, yielding different aligned protein regions.
Tempering pediatric hospitalist supervision of residents improves admission process efficiency without decreasing quality of care

BACKGROUND Many academic pediatric hospital medicine (PHM) divisions have recently increased in-house supervision of residents, often providing 24/7 in-house attending coverage. Contrary to this trend, we removed mandated PHM attending input during the admission process. We present an evaluation of this process change. METHODS This cohort study compared outcomes between patients admitted to the PHM service before (July 1, 2011–September 30, 2011) and after (July 1, 2012–September 30, 2012) the process change. We evaluated time from admission request to inpatient orders, length of stay (LOS), frequency of change in antibiotic choice, and rapid response team (RRT) calls within 24 hours of admission. Data were obtained via chart abstraction and from administrative databases. Wilcoxon rank sum and Fisher exact tests were used for analysis. RESULTS We identified 182 and 210 admissions in the before and after cohorts, respectively. Median time between emergency department admission request and inpatient orders was significantly shorter after the change (123 vs 62 minutes, P < 0.001). We found no significant difference in LOS, the number of changes to initial resident antibiotic choice, standard of care, or RRTs called within the first 24 hours of admission. CONCLUSION Removing mandated attending input in decision making for PHM admissions significantly decreased time to inpatient resident admission orders without a change in measurable clinical outcomes. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2014;9:106–110. © 2013 Society of Hospital Medicine
Congenital dyserythropoietic anemia type I presenting as persistent pulmonary hypertension with pigeon chest deformity

Congenital dyserythropoietic anemia (CDA) type-1 is a rare genetic disorder of ineffective erythropoiesis, which manifests in macrocytic anemia. We report a CDA1 patient who as a newborn presented with macrocytic anemia and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) requiring mechanical ventilation. Post-infancy, the patient developed acral dysmorphism and pectus excavatum the latter rarely found in CDA1. Patient is a compound heterozygote for a known maternal-derived missense-mutation (c.1796A > G/p.Asn589Ser) and a novel paternal-derived deletion-mutation (c.1104_1106del/Phe365del) in CDAN1. This report highlights the importance of recognizing PPHN as a presenting symptom of CDA1 and expands the repertoire of the accompanying mutations and axial skeletal malformations. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2014; 61:1460–1462. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Disconnected Operation in the Thor Object-Oriented Database System

This paper discusses issaes raised by providing disconnected operation in the Thor object-ortented database system. Disconnected operation in such a system poses new challenges because of the small size of obiects, the richness and complexity of their interconnections, the huge number of them, and the fact that they are accessed within atomic transactions. We propose three techniques to address these challenges: (l) using the database query language for hoarding; (2) using dependent commits to tentatively com' mit transactions at the disconnected client; (3) using the high-level semantic of objects to avoidtransaction aborts.
Production of Microencapsulated Crawfish (Procambarus clarkii) Astaxanthin in Oil by Spray Drying Technology

In this study, an emulsion prepared with flaxseed oil containing crawfish astaxanthin, sodium caseinate, lactose, and water was spray dried to produce microencapsulated flaxseed oil containing crawfish astaxanthin powder (MCA). Production rate and energy used to produce MCA were estimated. Physicochemical properties and storage stability of MCA were determined. The energy required to spray dry the microencapsulated flaxseed oil containing astaxanthin was 2.36 × 104 kJ/kg of emulsion. The microencapsulation efficiency for MCA was 86.06%, which indicated that more oil was encapsulated than on the particles’ surfaces. The particle size of MCA ranged from 6 to 100 µm. The astaxanthin concentration in MCA was 13.76 μg/g powder and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) was the predominant fatty acid (53%) in MCA. Degradation of astaxanthin in MCA followed first-order reaction kinetics and could be well described by the Arrhenius equation. The astaxanthin in MCA was more stable when the powder was stored at 5°C than at 25 ...
Thermal Diffusivity of Refractory Oxides

A method of measuring the thermal diffusivity of refractory materials is described. The experimental procedure is based on transient heat conditions requiring the measurement of only the time interval and the change in temperature. The results obtained for alumina, magnesia, zirconia, and alumina-clay specimens show the variation of diffusivity with temperature. A comparison of the results with those of previous studies is given.
Microwave System Engineering Using Large Passive Reflectors

This paper will provide the microwave engineer with the basic techniques of microwave system engineering using large passive reflectors and will outline the many advantages of their use. Small passive reflectors of the "periscope type" have been used for many years on microwave systems. Large passive reflectors have also been used but to a much lesser degree. Large passives may be used at intermediate points on long (200 miles or more) microwave links in lieu of active repeaters. Most microwave engineers have little knowledge of system engineering using these reflectors. This paper describes their use in both the "near" and "far fields" in line-of-sight systems and describes how they may be used on non-line-of-sight systems (tropospheric scatter and diffraction systems). Formulas are developed and graphs provided which will enable the microwave engineer to determine the path loss of multihop passive reflector systems. Large passive reflectors should be considered as another tool which can be used by the microwave engineer for planning and engineering communications systems. When used effectively with line-of-sight, diffraction and tropospheric scatter modes of propagation, communication systems may be engineered more economically, with more reliability and with a decrease in the operating and maintenance problems.
Photoinduced electron transfer in the head group region of sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles

Photoinduced electron transfer between octadecylrhodamine B (a hole donor) and N, N-dimethyl-1-napthylamine (hole acceptor), located in the head group region of sodium dodecylsulfonate micelles, has been examined for different acceptor concentrations using time resolved fluorescence. The experimental results were analyzed using the Marcus distance-dependent transfer rate modified to take into account the heterogeneous nature of the micelles. Diffusion of the donor/acceptors is included in the theoretical analysis. The results are compared with earlier experiments involving the same donor–acceptor combination but in a different type of micelle. r 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. PACS: 78.47.+p; 82.33.Nq; 82.70.Uv
Detection of Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease Using Regadenoson Stress and 82Rb PET/CT Myocardial Perfusion Imaging

Our objective was to study the diagnostic performance of regadenoson 82Rb myocardial perfusion PET imaging to detect obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: We studied 134 patients (mean age, 63 ± 12 y; mean body mass index, 31 ± 9 kg/m2) without known CAD (96 with coronary angiography and 38 with low pretest likelihood of CAD). Stress left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) minus rest LVEF defined LVEF reserve. The Duke score was used to estimate the anatomic extent of jeopardized myocardium. Results: Regadenoson PET had a high sensitivity, 92% (95% confidence interval [CI], 83%–97%), in detecting obstructive CAD, with a normalcy rate of 97% (95% CI, 86%–99%), specificity of 77% (54/70 patients; 95% CI, 66%–86%), and area under the receiver-operator-characteristic curve of 0.847 (95% CI, 0.774–0.903; P
Prevalence and effect of fever on outcome following resuscitation from cardiac arrest

Abstract Objective Evaluate the prevalence of fever in the first 48 h after cardiac arrest and its effect on outcomes. Methods Review of patients treated between 1/1/2005 and 6/30/2010. Fever was defined as T ≥ 38.0 °C. We classified categories of post-cardiac arrest illness severity as (I) awake, (II) coma + mild cardiopulmonary dysfunction (SOFA cardiac + respiratory score Results In 336 patients, mean age was 60 years (SD 16), 63% experienced out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and 65% received TH. A shockable rhythm was present in 40%. Post arrest illness severity was category II in 38%, category III in 20%, and category IV in 42%. Fever was present in 42% of subjects, with a post-arrest median onset of 15 h in the non-TH cohort and 36 h in TH cohort. Fever was not associated with survival within the whole cohort (OR 0.32, CI 0.15, 0.68) or TH cohort (OR 1.21, CI 0.69, 2.14), but was associated with survival in non-TH cohort (OR 0.47, CI 0.20, 1.10). Fever was not associated with good outcomes in the whole cohort (OR 0.83, CI 0.49, 1.40), TH cohort (OR 1.09, CI 0.56, 2.12) or non-TH cohort (OR 0.34, CI 0.11, 1.06). Conclusions The development of fever within the first 48 h after ROSC is common. Fever is associated with death in non-TH patients. TH treatment appears to mitigate this effect, perhaps by delaying fever onset.
Analyzing Photothermal Heat Generation Efficiency in a Molecular Plasmonic Silver Nanomatryushka Dimer

We report on the numerically and analytically investigated plasmonic and photothermal responses of a nanomatryushka structure composed of silver concentric nanoshells which exhibited strong plasmon resonance localization in the optical frequencies. Illuminating an isolated silver nanomatryushka in an aqueous system, we calculated the photothermal response of the structure and quantified the absorbed optical power and generated photothermal heat. In addition, it is shown that a couple of nanomatryushka structures as a symmetric molecular dimer in weak and strong coupling regimes are able to support strong plasmon resonances in the visible to the near-infrared region. Utilizing strong near-field coupling in the metallic nanostructures and hybridization of plasmons, and also employing silver as a highly absorptive material at the visible spectrum, we increased the energy dissipation per unit volume almost three orders of magnitude in comparison to the other analogous subwavelength structures. Employing numerical methods, we showed that a symmetric metallic nanomatryushka dimer is able to generate enough photothermal heat which could result in a remarkable amount of temperature change (ΔT = 140 K) at the picosecond time scale. According to hybridization theory, the symmetric dimer is able to support strong bonding and antibonding plasmon resonant modes. Utilizing concentric nanoshells with high geometrical tunability facilitates using all of the surfaces and center of nanoparticles to generate heat with a large temperature change within a short relaxation time. This understanding opens new avenues to utilize simple nanoparticle orientations to generate significant heat power in an extremely short time scale for cancer therapy, photothermal therapy, and biological applications.
Percentage of Fecal Moss in Arctic Ungulates as an Indicator of Wintering Area Quality

Abstract I investigated local and regional differences in percent moss in the feces of muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) and reindeer or caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in northwestern Alaska, USA, and related fecal moss to forage availability, snow conditions, animal density, and terrain ruggedness on wintering areas. Reindeer are a partially domesticated form of Rangifer tarandus originating from Europe and Asia and differ physiologically and ecologically from caribou. Percent moss in feces of muskoxen differed locally among individual wintering areas. Because of the large local variation in moss content of muskox feces, regional differences between the 2 study areas were difficult to resolve. Percent of moss in the feces of reindeer–caribou did not differ between wintering areas within the same study area but did differ between study areas. On muskox wintering areas, fecal moss correlated negatively with graminoid cover and snow hardness and positively with moss cover and muskox density, but fecal moss did not c...
AFTER ANIMALITY, BEFORE THE LAW: interview with cary wolfe

This interview discusses Cary Wolfe's book Before the Law with a focus on how animals fit within the framework of biopolitics. Wolfe takes on the distinctions between Foucault's and Agamben's development of biopolitics and finds room within Foucault's conceptualization for rethinking the role of animals within culture and philosophy. Additionally, the interview explores current directions in posthumanism and the Minnesota University Press series oversees as editor.
Generation, Characterization, and Tunable Reactivity of Organometallic Fragments Bound to a Protein Ligand

Organotransition metal complexes catalyze important synthetic transformations, and the development of these systems has rested on the detailed understanding of the structures and elementary reactions of discrete organometallic complexes bound to organic ligands. One strategy for the creation of new organometallic systems is to exploit the intricate and highly structured ligands found in natural metalloproteins. We report the preparation and characterization of discrete rhodium and iridium fragments bound site-specifically in a κ2–fashion to the protein carbonic anhydrase as a ligand. The reactions of apo human carbonic anhydrase with [Rh(nbd)2]BF4 or [M(CO)2(acac)] (M=Rh, Ir) form proteins containing Rh or Ir with organometallic ligands. A colorimetric assay was developed to quantify rapidly the metal occupancy at the native metal-binding site, and 15N-1H NMR spectroscopy was used to establish the amino acids to which the metal is bound. IR spectroscopy and EXAFS revealed the presence and number of carbon...
Evidence for increased dopaminergic inhibition of secretion of thyroid-stimulating hormone in hyperprolactinemic patients with pituitary microadenoma.

The administration of a dopamine-receptor antagonist, metoclopramide (10 mg, intravenous bolus), elicited a significant increase in the circulating concentration of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) which was substantially greater for hyperprolactinemic patients with pituitary microadenoma than for normal women during the early follicular phase of the cycle. This study provides evidence of an inhibitory role of hypothalamic dopamine in the regulation of secretion of TSH and suggests an increased dopaminergic inhibition of secretion of TSH in these patients with prolactin-secreting tumors. (Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 137:653, 1980.)
LINE-1 silencing by retinoblastoma proteins is effected through the nucleosomal and remodeling deacetylase multiprotein complex

Background Long Interspersed Nuclear Element-1 (L1) is an oncogenic mammalian retroelement silenced early in development via tightly controlled epigenetic mechanisms. We have previously shown that the regulatory region of human and murine L1s interact with retinoblastoma (RB) proteins to effect retroelement silencing. The present studies were conducted to identify the corepressor complex responsible for RB-mediated silencing of L1.
Parents and Young Children with Disabilities: The Effects of a Home-Based Music Therapy Program on Parent-Child Interactions

Background Responsive parenting style and synchronous parent-child interactions have a positive impact on children in terms of language, cognitive, and social-emotional development. Despite widely documented benefits of music therapy on parent-child interactions, empirical evidence for the effects of music therapy on parent-child synchrony is lacking. Objective To examine effects of parent-child dyads' participation in a six-week home-based music therapy program on parent response, child initiation, and parent-child synchrony, as well as parents' daily use of musical activities with their child. Methods Twenty-six parent-child dyads participated in this pretest-posttest within-subject single-group design study. Participating dyads included parents and their child with disabilities or developmental delays (ages 1-3 years inclusive). Parent-child dyads participated in a home-based music therapy program that included six weekly 40-minute sessions, and incorporated five responsive teaching strategies (i.e., affect, match, reciprocity, shared control, and contingency). Observational data were recorded for parent-child interactions and parent-child synchrony. Results Parents' positive physical and verbal responses, as well as children's positive verbal initiations, increased significantly pre- to post-intervention; however, children's positive physical initiations did not increase significantly. Parent-child synchrony also improved significantly pre- to post-intervention. Conclusions Findings support the use of home-based music therapy programs to facilitate parent-child interactions in the areas of parental responsiveness and child-initiated communication, as well as parent-child synchrony.
Adaptive gain, equalization, and wavelength stabilization techniques for silicon photonic microring resonator-based optical receivers

Interconnect architectures based on high-Q silicon photonic microring resonator devices offer a promising solution to address the dramatic increase in datacenter I/O bandwidth demands due to their ability to realize wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) in a compact and energy efficient manner. However, challenges exist in realizing efficient receivers for these systems due to varying per-channel link budgets, sensitivity requirements, and ring resonance wavelength shifts. This paper reports on adaptive optical receiver design techniques which address these issues and have been demonstrated in two hybrid-integrated prototypes based on microring drop filters and waveguide photodetectors implemented in a 130nm SOI process and high-speed optical front-ends designed in 65nm CMOS. A 10Gb/s powerscalable architecture employs supply voltage scaling of a three inverter-stage transimpedance amplifier (TIA) that is adapted with an eye-monitor control loop to yield the necessary sensitivity for a given channel. As reduction of TIA input-referred noise is more critical at higher data rates, a 25Gb/s design utilizes a large input-stage feedback resistor TIA cascaded with a continuous-time linear equalizer (CTLE) that compensates for the increased input pole. When tested with a waveguide Ge PD with 0.45A/W responsivity, this topology achieves 25Gb/s operation with -8.2dBm sensitivity at a BER=10-12. In order to address microring drop filters sensitivity to fabrication tolerances and thermal variations, efficient wavelength-stabilization control loops are necessary. A peak-power-based monitoring loop which locks the drop filter to the input wavelength, while achieving compatibility with the high-speed TIA offset-correction feedback loop is implemented with a 0.7nm tuning range at 43μW/GHz efficiency.
Sonographic Prenatal Diagnosis of a Vascular Ring in an In Vitro Fertilization Fetus

The use of assisted reproductive technology, specifically in vitro fertilization, has been shown to increase the risk for the fetus having a congenital malformation as compared with a fetus conceiv...
Accelerated actin filament polymerization from microtubule plus ends.

Microtubules (MTs) govern actin network remodeling in a wide range of biological processes, yet the mechanisms underlying this cytoskeletal cross-talk have remained obscure. We used single-molecule fluorescence microscopy to show that the MT plus-end–associated protein CLIP-170 binds tightly to formins to accelerate actin filament elongation. Furthermore, we observed mDia1 dimers and CLIP-170 dimers cotracking growing filament ends for several minutes. CLIP-170–mDia1 complexes promoted actin polymerization ~18 times faster than free–barbed-end growth while simultaneously enhancing protection from capping proteins. We used a MT-actin dynamics co-reconstitution system to observe CLIP-170–mDia1 complexes being recruited to growing MT ends by EB1. The complexes triggered rapid growth of actin filaments that remained attached to the MT surface. These activities of CLIP-170 were required in primary neurons for normal dendritic morphology. Thus, our results reveal a cellular mechanism whereby growing MT plus ends direct rapid actin assembly.
Antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection: a review of current medications and therapies.

BACKGROUND: Management of HIV infection has been revolutionized in the past 3 years by the introduction of drugs significantly more potent than those previously available. Simultaneously revelations about dynamics of HIV infection and viral replication have altered concepts about HIV disease, as well as the need for therapeutic interventions. METHODS: A literature search was conducted of journals listed in the Index Medicus, as well as abstracts from annual meetings of the American Society for Microbiology, the Infectious Disease Society of America (Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections), and the International Conferences on AIDS. RESULTS: Antiretroviral drugs of four differing pharmacologic classes are able to achieve profound suppression of viral replication when combined in varying regimens. Costs of medications remain high, many toxicities are associated with drug therapy, and regimens are both complex and daunting. In spite of many difficulties associated with highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART), many patients are able to achieve improved quality of life and longer survival. CONCLUSIONS: Optometrists, as members of the health care team, play a role in diagnosis and management of HIV patients, in providing encouragement and empathy to patients--particularly emphasizing the need for adherence to complex therapy regimens, as well as the importance of regular followup.
Social Media Mining: Data Mining Essentials

Mountains of raw data are generated daily by individuals on social media. Around 6 billion photos are uploaded monthly to Facebook, the blogosphere doubles every five months, 72 hours of video are uploaded every minute to YouTube, and there are more than 400 million daily tweets on Twitter. With this unprecedented rate of content generation, individuals are easily overwhelmed with data and find it difficult to discover content that is relevant to their interests. To overcome these challenges, we need tools that can analyze these massive unprocessed sources of data (i.e., raw data ) and extract useful patterns from them. Examples of useful patterns in social media are those that describe online purchasing habits or individuals' website visit duration. Data mining provides the necessary tools for discovering patterns in data. This chapter outlines the general process for analyzing social media data and ways to use data mining algorithms in this process to extract actionable patterns from raw data. The process of extracting useful patterns from raw data is known as Knowledge discovery in databases (KDD) . It is illustrated in Figure 5.1. The KDD process takes raw data as input and provides statistically significant patterns found in the data (i.e., knowledge ) as output. From the raw data, a subset is selected for processing and is denoted as target data . Target data is preprocessed to make it ready for analysis using data mining algorithm. Data mining is then performed on the preprocessed (and transformed) data to extract interesting patterns. The patterns are evaluated to ensure their validity and soundness and interpreted to provide insights into the data.
HealthiManage: An Individualized Prediction Algorithm for Type 2 Diabetes Chronic Disease Control

This paper describes a prediction algorithm for blood glucose in Type 2 diabetes. An iPhone application was developed that allows patients to record their daily blood glucose levels and provide them with relevant feedback using the prediction algorithm to help control their blood glucose levels. Several methods using theoretical functions were tested to select the most accurate prediction method. The prediction is adjusted with each glucose reading input by the patient taking into consideration the time of the glucose reading and the time after the patient’s last meal, as well as any physical activity. The individualized prediction algorithm was tested and verified with real patient data and also validated using a non-parametric regression method. The accuracy of prediction results varied from different approaches and was adequate for most of the methods tested. The predicted results merged closer to the patients’ actual glucose readings after each additional input reading. The findings of the research were encouraging and the predictive system provided what we believe to be helpful feedback to control, improve, and take proactive measures to regulate blood glucose levels.
Shaping and Instructing Performance Descriptions During Computer-Interactive Problem Solving

Twelve graduate and undergraduate students participated in one of two experimental preparations. During baseline, subjects in both groups performed computer-interactive math problems during 2-min cycles of multiple random-time (RT) random-ratio (RR) schedules of monetary reinforcement. During the RT component, response-independent reinforcement was delivered in the context of a blue screen, and during the RR component, contingent reinforcement was delivered on a white screen. However, during every 1-min blue-screen component, response rates in excess of 15/min terminated all random-time reinforcement for the duration of that min. Between cycles of the multiple RT RR schedule, students responded to computer- posted descriptions of the most efficient method of accessing monetary reinforcement. For Group 1, selections of performance descriptions were differentially reinforced (shaped) in opposition to scheduled contingencies, and subsequently shaped in conjunction with contingencies. Group 2 subjects were instructed in opposition to contingencies and later instructed in conjunction with scheduled contingencies. Thus, subjects in both groups could earn money in two ways: (1) Points/money was delivered throughout each 2-min cycle of the multiple RT RR schedule and (2) between cycles, subjects could obtain additional money by responding to computer-posted performance descriptions. In this way, performance descriptions between cycles of problem solving could be placed in opposition to or in conjunction with scheduled reinforcement. Results suggest that during computer-interactive responding, shaping performance descriptions was a more powerful procedure for influencing rates of problem solving. Implications regarding the differential effects of response-independent and scheduled reinforcement, shaping and instructing verbal performance descriptions are discussed.
A new adaptive technique of estimation of steady state auditory evoked potentials

A novel technique of fast estimation of steady state auditory evoked potentials (SSAEPs) for rapid assessment of the functionality of the human auditory nervous system is presented. The proposed SSAEP signal estimation is based on a new nonlinear adaptive signal processing method that has shown a great promise in the fast extraction of weak signals buried under large amounts of noise. Currently, the main technical impediment in the widespread clinical use of the SSAEP testing for hearing assessment is the excessively long measurement time needed for the estimation process due to the presence of large amounts of background noise. The studies in this paper show significant reduction in the measurement time achieved by the proposed technique.
Changing Trends of Diagnostic Virology in a Tertiary Care Medical Center

Mayo Clinic (MC) has 290,000 new patient registrations each year in a multidiscipline tertiary care practice located in a small community with a population of 75,000. Many of the patients are immunosuppressed such as those undergoing treatment for neoplastic or rheumatologic diseases. Others are admitted with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or receive organ transplants (cornea, kidney, bone marrow, liver, pancreas, cardiothoracic) in a program that has involved 2,362 procedures. The increasing numbers of immunosuppressed patients, compared to 10–15 years ago, has had a profound effect on both the frequency and types of viruses recovered in the clinical laboratory. This communication compares the detection of viruses during a period from 1974–1982 with our experience in 1988.
Acceptability of Accelerated-Processed Pork1

Five market hogs were slaughtered to determine the microbial, organoleptic and appearance differences between accelerated and conventionally processed pork. The left side of each carcass was processed 4 h after slaughter, whereas the right side was fabricated at 24-h postmortem. Microbial sampling was conducted. Appearance and organoleptic characteristics were evaluated. Conventionally processed cuts of pork were rated higher for color and overall appearance than the accelerated-processed cuts until 120 h. Taste panel data revealed no significant difference in tenderness and juiciness between the accelerated and conventionally processed cuts. Differences in microbial load between the two processes after 120 h of storage were negligible; however, the accelerated processed cuts had a higher microbial load than the conventionally processed cuts except at 120 h. No measurable differences were found in the genera of microorganisms among samples from the accelerated and conventional methods. TBA values suggested little difference in rancidity between the two processes. Differences between the accelerated and the conventionally processed samples of pork were not enough to merit the preference of pork from one processing technique over the other method.
Impact of Killing in War: A Randomized, Controlled Pilot Trial.

Objective The purpose of this pilot study was to test the effectiveness of Impact of Killing (IOK), a novel, cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) aimed at reducing mental health symptoms and functional impairment. Method Participants were 33 combat Veterans with a posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis who had completed trauma-focused psychotherapy and reported distress regarding killing or feeling responsible for the deaths of others in war. Veterans were randomized to either IOK treatment or a 6-week waitlist condition, after which Veterans could receive IOK. IOK is a 6- to 8-session, weekly, individual, CBT, lasting 60–90 minutes, and focused on key themes, including physiology of killing responses, moral injury, self-forgiveness, spirituality, making amends, and improved functioning. Results We found that compared to controls (N = 16), the IOK group (N = 17) experienced a significant improvement in PTSD symptoms, general psychiatric symptoms, and quality of life functional measures. Veterans who received IOK reported that the treatment was acceptable and feasible. Conclusion These results provide preliminary evidence that Veterans can benefit from a treatment focused on the impact of killing after initial trauma therapy.
Discovery of Penicillidmus in the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea, with description of a new species from Lavongai (New Hanover) Island (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae)

Penicillidmus Jaloszynski, 2014 was established to accommodate two Australian species of Glandulariini. Penicillidmus masseyensis Jaloszynski, 2014 and P. unicolor Jaloszynski, 2014 are known to occur in Cape York, northern Queensland. With the adult body length ranging from 0.83 to 0.86 mm, these species are among the smallest Australian scydmaenines. Another, yet undescribed species represented by a female, is also known to occur within the same area (Jaloszynski 2014). Penicillidmus resembles similarly small adults of Microscydmus Saulcy & Croissandeau, 1893, but can be easily distinguished on the basis of remarkable cephalic and prothoracic structures. Unlike any other Glandulariini, species of Penicillidmus have a unique system of carinae on the flattened ventral surface of the head, located posterior and lateral to the mouthparts. The submental carina runs along the anterior margin of the submentum and extends laterally along cardinal bases; the longitudinal lateral carina runs at each side of mouthparts and extends from the anterior margin of the head capsule to the 'neck' region; and the transverse carina connects each longitudinal lateral carina with the mesoventral margin of the compound eye. Additionally, the apex of the terminal maxillary palpomere is thickened, and the pronotum bears a thick posterolateral brush of several long setae. The latter character is most easily observable; under a stereomicroscope the brush appears as a solid rod-like structure, individual setae can be recognized in transparent mounts under a compound microscope.
Human activity recognition using inertial measurement units and smart shoes

This paper presents an intelligent fuzzy inference (IFI) algorithm using inertial measurement units (IMUs) and smart shoes to recognize human activities. IFI algorithm recognizes the activities based on ground contact forces (GCFs) and the knee joint angles. The smart shoes are designed to measure GCFs exerted by the wearer. A total of four IMUs are mounted on bilateral thighs and shanks to provide acceleration and angular rate data. To calculate knee flexion extension, a calibration procedure is adopted which eliminates the need for an external camera system. Then, an extended Kalman filter (EKF) is used to estimate the relative orientations of thigh and shank segments, from which knee angle is calculated. Random forest search (RFS) technique is used as a baseline to compare with the performance of the IFI algorithm. To evaluate the performance of this algorithm, several outdoor experiments are conducted on two healthy subjects for six activities including sitting, standing, walking, going upstairs, going downstairs and jogging. The results show that the algorithm is capable of classifying six activities with higher precision and less update time compared to the baseline approach for both subject dependent and independent tests. Also, the algorithm detects transitions between all the activities smoothly such as sit-to-stand or stand-to-walk with higher precision.
Acute ethanol modulation of neurocircuit function in the nucleus of the tractus solitarius.

The nucleus of the tractus solitarius (NTS) is a brain stem region critical to many physiologic processes and has been implicated in addiction to multiple classes of abused drugs, including alcohol (EtOH). That said, the mechanism by which EtOH modulates NTS neurocircuit activity is not well characterized and has yet to be examined utilizing electrophysiologic methods in mouse models of alcohol use disorders. To begin to address this gap in knowledge, we sought to use whole-cell and cell-attached recordings to determine the mechanism of acute EtOH action on GABAergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission, as well as on action potential firing in the NTS of adult male, EtOH naive mice. Bath application of EtOH (50mM) significantly enhanced the frequency of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic current events, while increasing the amplitude of these events in half of the neurons tested. This finding suggests a presynaptic mechanism of EtOH action on GABAergic transmission in the NTS as well as a postsynaptic mechanism in subsets of NTS neurons. EtOH application was further associated with a significant decrease in action potential firing in most, but not all, NTS neurons tested. EtOH induced a small but significant decrease in spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic current frequency, indicating that EtOH may also inhibit NTS glutamatergic signaling to some degree. Intriguingly, in vivo EtOH exposure (4g/kg IP) enhanced c-FOS colocalization with tyrosine hydroxylase via immunohistochemical methods, indicating that NTS norepinephrine neurons may be activated by acute EtOH exposure. Although future work is needed, the current data indicate that acute EtOH may enhance GABAergic signaling in local NTS circuits resulting in disinhibition of NTS norepinephrine neurons. Such a finding has important implications in understanding the role of the NTS in the development of alcoholism.
Spinal Abnormalities in a Specimen of the Panamanian Knifefish Apteronotus rostratus (Apteronotidae: Gymnotiformes) with Comments on Gymnotiform Locomotion

Skeletal deformities among fishes are well documented in the aquaculture industry and husbandry studies. However, these deformities are noticeably less prevalent among wild caught animals, likely due to their deleterious effects on the fitness of affected individuals particularly at earlier life-history stages. Here we use micro-CT imaging to describe, for the first time, spinal abnormalities in a Neotropical electric fish (Apteronotus rostratus). We find that the deformed specimen exhibits scoliosis and kyphosis of pre-caudal vertebrae 11–14 and an additional fusion of a hemal spine into the descending blade of the anterior displaced hemal spine. We also find that the abnormal specimen was able to reach sexual maturity and forage effectively (as evidenced by ripe ovaries and the presence of insect larvae in the digestive tract) despite exhibiting several spinal deformities. We infer that a highly specialized form of gymnotiform locomotion allowed the deformed specimen to reach maturity and avoid predatio...