cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Serum prostate-specific antigen, clinical stage, pathologic grade, and the incidence of nodal metastases in prostate cancer

Abstract Objectives To evaluate the potential gains in using serum prostate-specific antigen ( PSA) levels for predicting the incidence of pelvic nodal metastases in patients with otherwise localized prostate cancer. Methods We reviewed 569 patients undergoing staging lymphadenectomy, and evaluatedthe correlation between clinical stage, tumor grade, presurgical PSA level, and the incidence of nodal metastatic disease using univariate and multivariate regression. Results In univariate analysis stage, grade, and PSA level were highly significant covariates with nodal metastasis. Nodal metastatic rates increased as stage increased: Stage T1 (A2), 6 of 127 (5%); Stage T2 (B), 41 of 243 (17%); Stage T3 (C), 95 of 199 (48%), (p Conclusions The gains in predictive accuracy from PSA beyond that obtained from stage and grade were small and in practice would benefit fewer than 15% of our patients. Staging pelvic lymphadenectomy remains the only satisfactory method for elucidating nodal status in the majority of patients with prostate cancer.
Factors associated with quality of life in individuals with autism spectrum disorders: A review of literature

Abstract This review study was conducted to synthesize the existing research on the level of quality of life (QoL) in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and the factors associated with their QoL. A total of 16 studies were included for this review. This study found that (a) the majority of the individuals with ASD had poor QoL; (b) behavior problems and leisure activities were associated with the QoL of the majority of adults with ASD; (c) autism severity, age, behavior problems, social skills, adaptive behavior, education, and comorbid psychiatric conditions were associated with the QoL of the majority of children with ASD. These findings may provide critical information to parents/caregivers of individuals with ASD and practitioners providing services to them.
Flexible simulation of multi-frequency averaged and high-fidelity switch-level models with control loops

Accurate and fast simulation environments are required for dynamic characterization and transient studies of switching converters. Fidelity of simulation depends on the level of detail considered in model formulation; High fidelity can be achieved by incorporating the higher-order parasitic effects in switch-level models, or by considering more harmonics in multi-frequency averaged models. A numerical multi-resolution simulation environment is developed that mathematically extract desired model order and, thus, the simulation resolution from a high-fidelity converter model. A simulation engine with flexible resolution levels results in an accelerated simulation speed in low-resolution mode. It can also utilize a high-resolution mode to “zoom-in” and study a higher frequency phenomenon.
Sulfate- and size-dependent polysaccharide modulation of AMPA receptor properties.

Previous work found evidence that α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA)-type glutamate receptors interact with and are functionally regulated by the glycosaminoglycan heparin. The present study tested whether dextran species affect ligand binding, channel kinetics, and calcium permeability of AMPA receptors. Dextran sulfate of 500 kDa markedly reduced high affinity [3H]AMPA binding in solubilized hippocampal membranes. In isolated receptors reconstituted in a lipid bilayer, the same dextran sulfate prolonged the lifetime of open states exhibited by AMPA-induced channel fluctuations. The large polysaccharide further changed the single channel kinetics by increasing the open channel probability five- to sixfold. Such modulation of channel activity corresponded with enhanced levels of calcium influx as shown in hippocampal neurons loaded with Fluo3AM dye. With an exposure time of <1 min, AMPA produced a dose-dependent increase in intracellular calcium that was blocked by 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione disodium (CNQX). Dextran sulfate, at the same concentration range that modified ligand binding (EC50 of 5–10 nM), enhanced the AMPA-induced calcium influx by as much as 60%. The enhanced influx was blocked by CNQX, although unchanged by the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist AP5. Confocal microscopy showed that the increase in calcium occurred in neuronal cell bodies and their processes. Interestingly, smaller 5–8-kDa dextran sulfate and a non-sulfated dextran of 500 kDa had little or no effect on the binding, channel, and calcium permeability properties. Together, these findings suggest that synaptic polysaccharide species modulate hippocampal AMPA receptors in a sulfate- and size-dependent manner. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The latent dimensionality of DIS/DSM-III-R nicotine dependence: Exploratory analyses

Decisions on DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence were based in part on latent structure analyses of field survey data on alcohol problems. Analogously, to investigate the latent structure of nicotine dependence in an epidemiological sample, we carried out a dichotomous item factor analysis of DSM-III-R symptom data gathered from 394 young adults who reported a history of sustained daily smoking. Smokers and their dependence symptoms were identified by means of the NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule version III revised, administered to a random sample of 1007 21-30-year-olds who were members of a health maintenance organization in the Detroit area. Comparing different latent structure models using LISCOMP software with bootstrap re-sampling, followed by multiple logistic regression, we found that a two-factor model indicating a 'general dependence' and a 'failed cessation' dimension best accounted for the observed data. Current smoking status (persistent vs. past smoking) was associated with the two factors independently. Replication and additional research on construct, discriminant and convergent validity are needed.
Distinct transcriptional profiles characterize oral epithelium-microbiota interactions.

Summary Transcriptional profiling, bioinformatics, statistical and ontology tools were used to uncover and dissect genes and pathways of human gingival epithelial cells that are modulated upon interaction with the periodontal pathogens Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis . Consistent with their biological and clinical differences, the common core transcriptional response of epithelial cells to both organisms was very limited, and organismspecific responses predominated. A large number of differentially regulated genes linked to the P53 apoptotic network were found with both organisms, which was consistent with the pro-apoptotic phenotype observed with A. actinomycetemcomitans and antiapoptotic phenotype of P. gingivalis. Furthermore, with A. actinomycetemcomitans , the induction of apoptosis did not appear to be Fas- or TNF a a a
Resumption of menstruation among urban post-partum women in Bangladesh.

To investigate the return of menstruation among postpartum women in Dacca a random sample of 360 women (1-12 months postpartum) was selected from 4 Dacca hospitals for a cross-sectional study; another random sample of 200 women (< 1 month postpartum at time of interview) was selected from the same hospitals for prospective follow up. Many of the women were from rural areas who left the city after delivering their babies; most were under 25 years old at the time of interview. Results of the cross sectional study showed that 63% started menstruating by the 6th postpartum month; 10% were still amenorrhoeic by the 12th postpartum month; 46% were breastfeeding their infants by the 4th month; 90% resumed sexual relations and 48% were using contraceptives by the 6th month. Results of the prospective study showed that slightly more than half of the women started menstruating by the end of the 5th postpartum month; almost half stopped breastfeeding by the 5th month 88.8% were having sexual relations with their husbands and about 50.5% were on some form of birth control. The findings suggest a much shorter duration of lactational amenorrhea than has been claimed for a rural area of Bangladesh; they also suggest that urban women start menstruating earlier because of their primary reliance on supplementary feeding. The contraceptive effectiveness as well as health benefits to infants of prolonged and intensive lactation should be promoted to urban mothers.
Extreme Lamé Compliance in Anisotropic Crystals

For a crystalline material, Poisson's ratio depends upon two orthogonal directions, one corresponding to the applied uniaxial stress and another for the resulting transverse strain. Interest in dir...
Trends in Peptic Ulcer Disease and the Identification of Helicobacter Pylori as a Causative Organism: Population-based Estimates from the US Nationwide Inpatient Sample.

Background: Peptic ulcer disease can lead to serious complications including massive hemorrhage or bowel perforation. The modern treatment of peptic ulcer disease has transitioned from the control of gastric acid secretion to include antibiotic therapy in light of the identification of Helicobacter pylori as a causative infectious organism. We sought to determine trends related to this discovery by using a national database. Materials and Methods: Patient discharges with peptic ulcer disease and associated sequelae were queried from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, 1993 to 2007, under the auspices of a data user agreement. To account for the Nationwide Inpatient Sample weighting schema, design-adjusted analyses were used. Standard error was calculated using SUDAAN software (Research Triangle International, NC, USA). Results: Decreases in the incidences of gastrointestinal perforation, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and surgical procedures most specific to peptic ulcer disease were statistically significant over the study period [range of P value (two tailed) = 0.000 - 0.00353; significant at P < 0.001 to < 0.01]. The incidence of H. pylori rose dramatically, peaking at an estimated 97,823 cases in 1998 [SE = 3155; 95% CI = 6,184]. Since that time it has decreased and then stabilized. Conclusions: The identification of H. pylori as the causative agent in the majority of peptic ulcer disease has revolutionized the understanding and management of the disease. Medical conditions and surgical procedures associated with end-stage peptic ulcer disease have significantly decreased according to analysis of selected index categories. Resident physician education objectives may need to be modified in light of these trends. Review Criteria: We reviewed patients with peptic ulcer disease. The database used was the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, 1993 to 2007. Message for the Clinic: Medical therapy has resulted in decreased morbidity from H. pylori infection as it is the causative agent in the majority of peptic ulcer disease. Aggressive screening and treatment of this infection will lead to further reduction in morbidity.
Understanding and Consulting to Family Business Boards

When the boards of family firms are active, their properties as groups shape the authority of the chief executive and the quality of advice that directors provide to management. An understanding of the group dynamics of the board and the board-management relationship helps to reach a satisfactory balance between family concerns and company interests. Boards of directors can improve their value to firms and to individual directors by developing a capacity for self-reflection.
Narrow-track differential head: performance on longitudinal and perpendicular disk media

This paper describes experimental spin-stand tests of a narrow-track differential head, reading back square-wave patterns on longitudinal and perpendicular recording media. The low linear density response of the transducer to recording signals of longitudinal and perpendicular media consisted of bipolar and unipolar pulses, respectively. The paper also presents the head responses to dibits and magnetic patterns recorded in longitudinal media. The head attained the highest linear resolution with a longitudinal thin-film medium, having an areal magnetic moment of M/sub r//spl delta/=0.5 memu/cm/sup 2/ and a coercivity of H/sub c/=3.0 kOe. The nominal full dynamic range of the transducer was tested with a longitudinal medium having M/sub r//spl delta/=1 memu/cm/sup 2/, but at the expense of a lower linear resolution. The transducer showed a considerably lower linear resolution, when reading back magnetic patterns of a dual-layer perpendicular medium. The experimental time-domain and spectral responses of the dual magnetoresistive head agreed well with those predicted by theory.
Locating indexing structures in engineering drawing databases using location hashing

Fast and robust localization of image regions that are likely to come from a query object is a critical operation needed in several image database applications. In this paper, we address this problem in the context of locating indexing structures in engineering drawing databases. Specifically, we present a general 2d pattern localization technique called location hashing and apply it to the problem of localizing title block structures in engineering drawings. Location hashing is a variation of geometric hashing that directly identifies locations in images of a database that are likely to contain a query object, possibly depicted under different imaging conditions. We also describe an engineering drawing indexing system that combines title block localization with test recognition to enable automatic index creation of engineering drawing databases.
The Mechanism of Henipavirus Fusion: Examining the Relationships between the Attachment and Fusion Glycoproteins *

The henipaviruses, represented by Nipah virus and Hendra virus, are emerging zoonotic viral pathogens responsible for repeated outbreaks associated with high morbidity and mortality in Australia, Southeast Asia, India and Bangladesh. These viruses enter host cells via a class I viral fusion mechanism mediated by their attachment and fusion envelope glycoproteins; efficient membrane fusion requires both these glycoproteins in conjunction with specific virus receptors present on susceptible host cells. The henipavirus attachment glycoprotein interacts with a cellular B class ephrin protein receptor triggering conformational alterations leading to the activation of the viral fusion (F) glycoprotein. The analysis of monoclonal antibody (mAb) reactivity with G has revealed measurable alterations in the antigenic structure of the glycoprotein following its binding interaction with receptor. These observations only appear to occur with full-length native G glycoprotein, which is a tetrameric oligomer, and not with soluble forms of G (sG), which are disulfide-linked dimers. Single amino acid mutations in a heptad repeat-like structure within the stalk domain of G can disrupt its association with F and subsequent membrane fusion promotion activity. Notably, these mutants of G also appear to confer a post-receptor bound conformation implicating the stalk domain as an important element in the G glycoprotein’s structure and functional relationship with F. Together, these observations suggest fusion is dependent on a specific interaction between the F and G glycoproteins of the henipaviruses. Further, receptor binding induces measurable changes in the G glycoprotein that appear to be greatest in respect to the interactions between the pairs of dimers comprising its native tetrameric structure. These receptor-induced conformational changes may be associated with the G glycoprotein’s promotion of the fusion activity of F.
Biophysical Control of Plant Cell Growth

INTRODUCTION ... ..... . 377 THE PHYSICS OF IRREVERSIBLE CELL ENLARGEMENT 378 Growth Equations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379 GROWTH OF MULTICELLULAR TISSUES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .... . . . . . . . . . . . . 381 Variation in Growth Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381 Geometry of Water Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 382 DOES WATER TRANSPORT LIMIT GROWTH? 385 Water Potentials of Growing Tissues . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385 Driving Forces for Water Uptake . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388 Propagation of Water across Tissues. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 389 YIELDING OF CELL WALLS 393 Stress Relaxation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....... 393 Turgor Pressure and Wall yielding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 396 The Yield Threshold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 398 SUMMARy 400
Imagining Radio: Mental Models of Wireless Communication

Policy discussions about wireless communication are usually framed in terms of spectrum, signals, and radios. Spectrum is sometimes conceptualized as a space, and sometimes as a resource; sometimes those two are combined into a spatial resource - land. There are two common mental models for wireless signals: as objects moving through space, or as sounds, particularly speech. Radios are modeled as people. The spectrum/signals/radios approach is not the only way to model spectrum; a Wireless as Internet model is emerging. Mismatches between mental models and the underlying phenomena can inspire faulty intuitions. I explore the policy implications of mental models for wireless communication by analyzing three cases: the Open Spectrum movement, the FCC's Interference Temperature rule-making, and the Cognitive Radio research program. Powerful metaphors like "cognitive radio" carry the risk of generating unrealistic expectations and unwarranted reactions among policy makers, and may mislead researchers by conditioning their assumptions and interpretations in unjustified ways.
Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography of right ventricle to pulmonary artery shunts following Norwood 1 palliation in infants

The classic Norwood I palliation for the treatment of hypoplastic left-heart disease includes an atrial septectomy, neoaorta creation, and a systemic-to-pulmonary artery shunt. The Norwood I palliation has been modified by the use of a right ventricle-to-pulmonary artery shunt instead of a traditional systemic-to-pulmonary artery shunt. Right ventricle-to-pulmonary artery shunts were non-invasively imaged in four infants using gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography. Diagnostic MR angiograms were performed in all infants throughout the length of the shunt and were useful in the detection of shunt patency, stenosis, and aneurysm. Associated surgical conduits and shunts were also evaluated. All findings were verified by subsequent conventional angiography or surgery.
Practical uses of virtual machines for protection of sensitive user data

Systems running commodity software are easily compromised with malware, which may be used by attackers to extract personal information of the users of the systems. This paper presents Vault - a system that uses a trusted software component to prevent the exposure and abuse of sensitive user data in the presence of malware. Users input and store their sensitive data only in the trusted component, which is separated from the commodity system by a virtual machine monitor. We define a protocol framework for the interactions required between different system components in order to protect user secrets, even if the user is running a commodity operating system with arbitrary (and possibly malicious) software load, while introducing minimal changes to the user experience. Our design takes advantage of the isolation guarantees and safe I/O multiplexing of virtual machine technology to attain a high degree of security under a severe threat model. We demonstrate that our approach is practical by implementing prototypes for two applications: (1) submission of long-term secrets, such as password and credit card data, to a web server, and (2) SSH user authentication using ssh-agent. In both cases we made minimal changes to existing software components.
A 3-stage pollution identification system with an example of final stage decimation

St. Lucie, the southernmost inlet of the Indian River Lagoon, is affected by a variety of natural and artificial stresses including dumping from Lake Okeechobee, the second-largest freshwater lake in the U.S.A, through a system of canals. Just as pollutants, spills and organic enrichment are obvious sublethal effects of estuarine health, so too is the disappearance of organisms constituting essential links in the food chain. A baseline study established foraminiferal density, species richness, evenness and community structure in 1975/1976. Thirty years later in 2005, the same area again was sampled. In 1975/1976 the mean density was 280 per 20 ml of sediment. In 2005, we observed a mean of 46 per 20 ml, a decline of 83%. In 1975/1976, we observed 62 species while in 2005 we found only 13, a decline of 79%. The most abundant species, Ammonia tepida, constituted 42% of the fauna in 1975/1976; in 2005 it had risen to 76%, a dramatic increase in dominance. Based upon our newly-developed enrichment evaluation system for ecosystem decline over time, we find that the St. Lucie area is nearing, if not at the beginning of Stage 3 local extinction.
Pre-training of Hidden-Unit CRFs

In this paper, we apply the concept of pretraining to hidden-unit conditional random fields (HUCRFs) to enable learning on unlabeled data. We present a simple yet effective pre-training technique that learns to associate words with their clusters, which are obtained in an unsupervised manner. The learned parameters are then used to initialize the supervised learning process. We also propose a word clustering technique based on canonical correlation analysis (CCA) that is sensitive to multiple word senses, to further improve the accuracy within the proposed framework. We report consistent gains over standard conditional random fields (CRFs) and HUCRFs without pre-training in semantic tagging, named entity recognition (NER), and part-of-speech (POS) tagging tasks, which could indicate the task independent nature of the proposed technique.
Mixed Alkyl‐Perfluoroalkyl Silver Scorpionates: Synthesis, X‐ray Structures and Stabilizing Substituent Effects

We report the synthesis, spectroscopy and X-ray structural characterization of seven new mixed alkyl-perfluoroalkyl silver tris(pyrazolyl)borate complexes with the general formula TpAg, where RF = CF3 or C2F5. The metal is partly encapsulated in a fluorine-rich environment and exhibits high Lewis acidity, allowing additional coordination by toluene (Tol), triphenylphosphine (PPh3), methyldiphenylphosphine (PMePh2) and triphenylphosphine oxide (OPPh3). A single-crystal X-ray analysis of the new data proposes a structural model that predicts interatomic distances and may rationalize the relative stability of members of this class of compounds. The electronic and steric effects of Tp substituents, combined with those of additional ligands, can lead to remarkably stable compounds, both in solution and the solid state, even when an ion particularly prone to reduction, such as silver(I), is involved.
MOLECULAR DOMAINS IN EPITHELIAL SALT CELLNaCl OF CRUSTACEAN SALT GLAND (ARTEMIA)

The salt secretory cell has two distinct patterns of plasma membrane development. First, the basolateral surface forms a tubular labyrinth. It contains the subunit alpha-2 of the Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase bound together with a beta subunit for structural attachment within the lipid bilayer. Second, the apical plasma membranes form a multiple array of extending tufts. These tufts contain the subunit alpha-1 of the Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase bound together with a beta subunit for structural integrity within the lipid bilayer. The presence of an active transporter for chloride remains as an open question. It has been taken as preliminary evidence from brine shrimp cystic fibrosis toxicity that a cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator chloride channel could be present in the apical region. The presence of cytoskeletal elements being involved in the construction of a hypo-osmoregulatory apparatus is supported by the homeobox gene products derived from APH-1 m RNA found in the salt gland.
Construct Three-Dimensional Route From Blueprint Image of Building

An effective method of three-dimensional route retrieving in the building is introduced.Using topology theory and a serial of image processing methods including image thinning and line segment extraction from thinned hallways with single-pixel-width,a weighted route graph of single floor will be established.A three-dimensional route graph is eventually generated by connecting stairs and elevators of every two adjacent floors,which can be used in lots of fields,such as intelligence building,building auto-control-systems,firefighting application,and building security.
Thoughts on the relationship of knowledge organization to knowledge management

As the literature in both knowledge organization and knowledge management continues to flourish and address issues common to both fields, it becomes more difficult to delineate the boundaries of each discipline. By exploring the relationship between them, as well as the knowledge environment within which a knowledge management system must operate, it is clear that much of the functionality subsumed under the heading of knowledge management requires a strong knowledge organization foundation to support it. By understanding the differences between these two disciplines, as well as the areas of inquiry within knowledge organization that are essential to the successful implementation of knowledge management systems, a wide field of fruitful research directions becomes apparent for both knowledge organization and knowledge management researchers.
SHAPE reveals transcript-wide interactions, complex structural domains, and protein interactions across the Xist lncRNA in living cells

The 18-kb Xist long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) is essential for X-chromosome inactivation during female eutherian mammalian development. Global structural architecture, cell-induced conformational changes, and protein-RNA interactions within Xist are poorly understood. We used selective 2'-hydroxyl acylation analyzed by primer extension and mutational profiling (SHAPE-MaP) to examine these features of Xist at single-nucleotide resolution both in living cells and ex vivo. The Xist RNA forms complex well-defined secondary structure domains and the cellular environment strongly modulates the RNA structure, via motifs spanning one-half of all Xist nucleotides. The Xist RNA structure modulates protein interactions in cells via multiple mechanisms. For example, repeat-containing elements adopt accessible and dynamic structures that function as landing pads for protein cofactors. Structured RNA motifs create interaction domains for specific proteins and also sequester other motifs, such that only a subset of potential binding sites forms stable interactions. This work creates a broad quantitative framework for understanding structure-function interrelationships for Xist and other lncRNAs in cells.
Creating the ‘suffragette spirit’: British feminism and the historical imagination1

Abstract Recent work on the militant suffrage movement in Britain suggests that the Edwardian ‘Votes for Women’ campaign promoted in its participants a common identity forged through the experiences of the suffragette hunger strike and forcible feeding. Critical scrutiny of the texts upon which these analyses are based, however, reveals a more complex relationship between suffragettes' experiences and their representations of the same. In the 1920s and 1930s, a small group of former suffragettes created a highly stylized story of their participation in the Edwardian suffrage campaign that equated militancy with service to the nation during the First World War. While this story drew upon earlier representations of women's martyrdom and passivity, it more consistently promoted the agency and comradeship of women in the movement. This aspect of the narration of the subject of suffrage has played a significant, yet unexamined, role in the self-fashioning of British and American feminist scholars since the 1970s.
Portraits in Black: Styling, Space, and Self in the Work of Barkley L. Hendricks and Elizabeth Colomba

This article explores the uses of portraiture by artists Barkley L. Hendricks and Elizabeth Colomba. First, it examines the ways both artists refigure canonical forms of the genre differently to evoke an understanding of black interiority through the stylization, fashioning, and social meanings of blackness and the body. Second, it argues that these artists directly challenge the seeming invisibility of black bodies in Western art history by reworking the linear trajectory of canonical discourses. They do not so much insert black bodies back into the Western canon as reveal where they were all along.
Orientation for New Faculty About Tenure and Promotion: Standards and the Review Process

Column Editor's NotesThis feature column, written by C. Jeffrey Belliston from Brigham Young University (BYU) in the United States of America (USA) takes up the challenge issued in the inaugural Library Workforce column. The article discusses the collegial process for tenure and/or promotion and highlights a critical process in the life cycle of the academic librarian. Using the lens of the BYU experiences, Belliston overviews and discusses tenure and promotion processes, which can be for the academic librarian with faculty status, both a familiar process and at the same time, an equally mysterious and stressful process.Beyond the library at the institutional level, the tenure and/or promotion process recognizes and establishes the academic librarian as part of The Academy. Imbedded in the process is shared responsibilities for the academic librarian, the library and the institution to work together to ensure career progression and success. For example, the University of Saskatchewan in Canada recognizes ...
P-Selectin Expression and Platelet Function Are Developmentally Regulated

Abstract Platelets have numerous well-defined roles during adult hemostasis, however little is known about whether these functions are developmentally regulated. In the adult, P-selectin is constitutively expressed in megakaryocytes and localized to the membrane of alpha granules. Activation of platelets results in granule secretion and P-selectin surface exposure allowing for recruitment of leukocytes to sites of vascular injury and the formation of leukocyte-platelet aggregates. Here, we examined the expression and function of P-selectin in platelets during murine embryogenesis. Platelets were isolated from timed pregnant outbred-ICR mice at embryonic day 12.5 (E12.5), E15.5, postnatal day 1 (PN1), PN7, PN21, and were assayed for thrombin induced integrin activation and P-selectin translocation. While no significant differences were seen in the ability of embryonic platelets to be activated by thrombin, P-selectin surface expression after thrombin stimulation was significantly reduced in embryonic compared to adult platelets (E15.5 p=.0006, E12.5 p=.0004, PN1 p=.01, n=3, unpaired t-test). Surprisingly, P-selectin expression began to appear on the surface of activated platelets only after birth, approaching 50% and 75% of maternal expression at PN7 and PN21, respectively. No significant difference was seen in VEGF secretion after thrombin activation of E12.5, E15.5 and adult platelets (n=5), suggesting that the lack of P-selectin surface expression was not due to a loss of alpha granule secretion. To further characterize expression of P-selectin, real-time qPCR was performed on mRNA harvested from platelets at E12.5, E15.5, PN1 and adult stages. P-selectin transcript levels were significantly lower in embryonic and PN1 platelets, suggesting that P-selectin expression is transcriptionally regulated. Consistent with this concept, Imagestream analysis indicates that P-selectin protein is absent in megakaryocytes derived from the fetal liver. P-selectin expression on platelets is an important mediator of platelet-leukocyte interactions; therefore, we assayed the ability of platelets to bind to leukocytes in embryonic whole blood. Preliminary data suggest that embryonic platelets do not form leukocyte-platelet aggregates upon ex vivo stimulation with AYPGKF, a Par4 agonist. Taken together, our data indicate that P-selectin expression is developmentally regulated in primary mouse platelets. The absence of P-selectin expression in embryonic platelets correlates with an impaired ability to interact with leukocytes. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Rod Outer Segment Development Influences AAV-Mediated Photoreceptor Transduction After Subretinal Injection

Vectors based on the adeno-associated virus (AAV) are currently the preferred tools for delivering genes to photoreceptors (PR) in small and large animals. AAVs have been applied successfully in various models of PR dystrophies. However, unknown barriers still limit AAV's efficient application in several forms of severe PR degenerations due to insufficient transgene expression and/or treated cells at the time of injection. Optimizations of PR gene therapy strategies will likely benefit from the identification of the cellular factors that influence PR transduction. Interestingly, recent studies have shown that the AAV transduction profile of PRs differs significantly between neonatal and adult mouse retinas after subretinal injection. This phenomenon may provide clues to identify host factors that influence the efficiency of AAV-mediated PR transduction. This study demonstrates that rod outer segments are critical modulators of efficient AAV-mediated rod transduction. During retinal development, rod transduction correlated temporally and spatially with the differentiation order of PRs when vectors were introduced subretinally but not when introduced intravitreally. All subretinally injected vectors had an initial preference to transduce cones in the absence of formed rod outer segments and then displayed a preference for rods as the cells matured, independently of the expression cassette or AAV serotype. Consistent with this observation, altered development of rod outer segments was associated with a strong reduction of rod transduction and an increase in the percentage of transduced cones by 2- to 2.8-fold. A similar increase of cone transduction was observed in the adult retinal degeneration 1 (rd1) retina compared to wild-type mice. These results suggest that the loss of rod outer segments in diseased retinas could markedly affect gene transfer efficiency of AAV vectors by limiting the ability of AAVs to infect dying rods efficiently. This information could be exploited for the development of more efficient AAV-based PR gene delivery procedures.
Technology to the Rescue: Appropriate Curriculum for Gifted Students

An appropriate curriculum for students who are gifted will meet their learning needs and motivate them to stay engaged in the learning process. In an effort to provide an appropriate curriculum for gifted students, one possibility is to provide a behavior trap. Behavior traps are learning activities that entice students to engage due to interest in the content or activity itself. Behavior traps motivate because they are easy to do at first and then reinforce motivation later to encourage continued engagement (Albert & Heward, 1996). Technology can be both a tool to provide a behavior trap and also a behavior trap in and of itself. Students who are gifted benefit when curriculum provides practice with complex topics, critical thinking, self-reflection, creativity, and access to mentors for scaffolding. Â This is essential for helping students who are gifted to reach their potential. Technology and what can be done with technology in educational settings can provide complexity in differentiated or individualized learning. Studentsâ€™ critical thinking skills and metacognition can be built through problem solving, projects, and simulations enhanced or provided by technology. Students can compare their work with peers in other locations or have access to mentors who might not otherwise be available. Specialized software and equipment can be used to help build academic skills and also develop creativity. Technology can help teachers meet the standards for gifted education programs, but only if teachers choose to implement technology in meaningful ways that meet the needs of students who are gifted. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.16.9.1
Comparing fMRI activation during smooth pursuit eye movements among contact sport athletes, non-contact sport athletes, and non-athletes.

Abstract Objectives Though sub-concussive impacts are common during contact sports, there is little consensus whether repeat blows affect brain function. Using a “lifetime exposure” rather than acute exposure approach, we examined oculomotor performance and brain activation among collegiate football players and two control groups. Our analysis examined whether there are group differences in eye movement behavioral performance and in brain activation during smooth pursuit. Methods Data from 21 off-season Division I football “starters” were compared with a) 19 collegiate cross-country runners, and b) 11 non-athlete college students who were SES matched to the football player group (total N = 51). Visual smooth pursuit was performed while undergoing fMRI imaging via a 3 Tesla scanner. Smooth pursuit eye movements to three stimulus difficulty levels were measured with regard to RMS error, gain, and lag. Results No meaningful differences were found for any of the standard analyses used to assess smooth pursuit eye movements. For fMRI, greater activation was seen in the oculomotor region of the cerebellar vermis and areas of the FEF for football players as compared to either control group, who did not differ on any measure. Conclusion Greater cerebellar activity among football players while performing an oculomotor task could indicate that they are working harder to compensate for some subtle, long-term subconcussive deficits. Alternatively, top athletes in a sport requiring high visual motor skill could have more of their cerebellum and FEF devoted to oculomotor task performance regardless of subconcussive history. Overall, these results provide little firm support for an effect of accumulated subconcussion exposure on brain function.
Superlinear speedup phenomenon in parallel 3D Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations of complex-shaped particles

Abstract Strong superlinear speedup has been discovered in large scale simulations of parallel 3D DEM for complex-shaped particles, which is based on an algorithm of spatial domain decomposition, and exhibits the “high-CPU-low-memory” characteristics. The interpretation of this phenomenon requires a careful examination of the speedup theory and practice in the field of parallel computing. The superlinear speedup is investigated from three perspectives: (i) memory footprint per process, (ii) cache miss rates of L1, L2 and L3 level caches, and (iii) uniprocessor performance, using a wide range of problem size (across five orders of magnitude of simulation scale regarding number of particles) and number of compute nodes (1–2048 nodes) on DoD supercomputers. The Performance-API (PAPI) is employed in the source code to measure cache miss rate and FLOPS. The strong scaling measurements show that cache miss rate is sensitive to the memory consumption shrinkage per processor, and the last level cache (LLC) contributes most significantly to the strong superlinear speedup among all of the three cache levels, and this is also revealed in the weak scaling measurements. The findings are associated with the inherently perfect scalability of 3D DEM: its memory scalability function is a nonlinearly decreasing function of the number of processors. In addition, a constant (non-increasing) uniprocessor FLOPS performance w.r.t problem size can also contribute to the superlinear speedup. The superlinear speedup is a common phenomenon for large scale 3D DEM simulations of complex-shaped particles, and the larger the scale, the stronger is the superlinear speedup. DEM researchers should take advantage of this effect to speedup their parallel simulations.
Ocean surface characterization using snapshot hyperspectral polarimetric imager

Results of measurements by a novel snapshot hyperspectral polarimetric imager are presented using several data sets acquired from ocean platforms. Based on the unique availability of the pixel-to-pixel total, sky and water leaving radiances at multiple wavelengths, variations of these parameters for wind-roughened surface are assessed and possible errors in measurements of these parameters are estimated. Measurements made by the imager are compared with coincident ones from the green-band SALSA Stokes vector imaging camera, a push-broom hyperspectral polarimetric imager operated by Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), and with simulations using a vector radiative transfer code, all demonstrating excellent agreement.
Machining Economics and Optimization

The term machining economics is applied to a class of optimization problems associated with machining or grinding. Like all optimization problems, the first thing that has to be done is define a criterion that can be either minimized or maximized as a function of variables that can be controlled in machining.
Activation of a novel metabolic gene regulatory pathway by chronic stimulation of skeletal muscle.

To determine whether expression of a nuclear gene encoding a mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation enzyme is regulated in parallel with skeletal muscle fibre-type-specific energy substrate preference,...
THE ISOZYMES OF TWO HUMAN ADIPOSE TISSUE LIPOLYTIC ACTIVITIES

ABSTRACT. Two lipolytic activities of human adipose tissue have been shown to have multiple molecular forms. Alkaline lipolytic activity (ALA, hydrolysis of tributyrin at 47°, pH 8.0) exists as three fractions separable by Sephadex gel filtration: ALA-I, ALA-II and ALA-III. ALA-I is a lipid-protein complex of ALA-II and has no mobility during starch gel electrophoresis. ALA-II is a smaller molecule than ALA-I and exists primarily as four electrophoretically separable bands of activity. ALA-III is considerably smaller than ALA-II, is a subunit of ALA-II, and exists primarily as a fifth band of electrophoretically separable activity. A genetic variant of ALA in rabbit adipose tissue has been characterized by slower migration during starch gel electrophoresis, a decreased tendency to dimerize, and reduced enzymatic activity in contrast to the wild type. No genetic variation has been observed in man, and the function of this soluble esterase of human adipose tissue in unknown.
Learning personalized query modifications

The continuous development of the Internet has resulted in an exponential increase in the amount of available information. A popular way to access this information is by submitting queries to a search engine which retrieves a set of documents. However, search engines do not consider the specific needs of every user and they retrieve the same results for everyone. This suggests the necessity to create a profile that incorporates the search preferences of every user. We present an intelligent system that is capable of learning the search profile of a particular user given a set of queries. We represent the search profile with a probabilistic network that incorporates semantic information and create and implement a gradient-based learning algorithm to update the profile. The ultimate goal of the system is to modify original queries to improve the degree of relevance between the user’s search interests and the retrieved documents. The proposed system is a client-side application that is dependent on the search engine. We demonstrate the system by learning a search profile that is used to suggest query modifications within a specific domain of interest.
Disorders of Water Homeostasis

1. To understand that disorders of sodium balance are related to conditions that alter extracellular fluid volume.
The Qat Experience

By this time perhaps the reader is convinced that qat is central to Yemeni life. I now want to demonstrate this further by examining the phenomenology of qat use in Yemen, the subjective experiences associated with the drug and the meanings attached to its use. Exploration of the subjective aspects of qat use should illustrate how cultural beliefs and norms interact with psycho-physiological effects in creating and sustaining qat experiences, and provide more understanding of why people use, and occasionally abuse this drug.
B-Spline Pdf: A Generalization of Histograms to Continuous Density Models for Generative Audio Networks

Many modern neural networks use histograms to efficiently model continuous random variables. This implies that the parametric space of the multinomial distribution is easier for training large neural networks. In applications like generative audio networks, this approach introduces audible quantization noise to the generated signal. This work presents a novel probability density function (PDF), referred to as B-Spline PDF, that is a direct generalization of histograms to continuous densities while retaining the multinomial parameter space. The latter uses k-th order B-Splines to ensure continuity up to the $(k-1)-\text{th}$ order derivative. B-Spline PDF is amenable for neural network training via closed-form gradients that are easy and fast to compute. For other applications, one may use a novel algorithm, referred to as the Expectation algorithm, to efficiently estimate the model parameters. Further, a novel sample generation algorithm is derived that is fast and simple. The theoretical results, coupled with illustrative examples, suggest that B-Spline PDF may directly replace histograms in many related applications.