cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nuclear IRF-1 expression as a mechanism to assess "Capability" to express PD-L1 and response to PD-1 therapy in metastatic melanoma.

Predictive biomarkers for antibodies against programmed death 1 (PD-1) remain a major unmet need in metastatic melanoma. Specifically, response is seen in tumors that do not express programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), highlighting the need for a more sensitive biomarker. We hypothesize that capacity to express PD-L1, as assessed by an assay for a PD-L1 transcription factor, interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1), may better distinguish patients likely to benefit from anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. Samples from 47 melanoma patients that received nivolumab, pembrolizumab, or combination ipilimumab/nivolumab at Yale New Haven Hospital from May 2013 to March 2016 were collected. Expression of IRF-1 and PD-L1 in archival pre-treatment formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor samples were assessed by the AQUA method of quantitative immunofluorescence. Objective radiographic response (ORR) and progression-free survival (PFS) were assessed using modified RECIST v1.1 criteria. Nuclear IRF-1 expression was higher in patients with partial or complete response (PR/CR) than in patients with stable or progressive disease (SD/PD) (p = 0.044). There was an insignificant trend toward higher PD-L1 expression in patients with PR/CR (p = 0.085). PFS was higher in the IRF-1-high group than the IRF-1-low group (p = 0.017), while PD-L1 expression had no effect on PFS (p = 0.83). In a subset analysis, a strong association with PFS is seen in patients treated with combination ipilimumab and nivolumab (p = 0.0051). As a measure of PD-L1 expression capability, IRF-1 expression may be a more valuable predictive biomarker for anti-PD-1 therapy than PD-L1 itself.
Hematopoietic Stem Cells in Vascular Development and Ocular Neovascularization

Neovascular diseases of the eye include retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), and the exudative or “wet” form of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). Together these diseases affect all age groups and are the leading causes of vision impairment in developed nations [77].
Mouse models of multiple sclerosis

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and Theiler's murine encephalitis virus-induced demyelinating disease (TMEV-IDD) are two clinically relevant murine models of multiple sclerosis (MS). Like MS, both are characterized by mononuclear cell infiltrate into the central nervous system and demyelination. EAE is induced by either the administration of protein or peptide in adjuvant or by the adoptive transfer of encephalitogenic T-cell blasts into naive recipients. The relative merits of each of these protocols are compared. Depending on the type of question asked, different mouse strains and peptides are used. Different disease courses are observed with different strains and different peptides in active EAE. These variations are addressed, and grading of mice in EAE is discussed. In addition to EAE induction, useful references for other disease indicators, such as delayed-type hypersensitivity, in vitro proliferation, and immunohistochemistry, are provided. TMEV-IDD is a useful model for understanding the potential viral etiology of MS. This chapter provides detailed information on the preparation of viral stocks and subsequent intracerebral infection of mice. In addition, virus plaque assay and disease assessment are discussed. Recombinant TMEV strains have been created for the study of molecular mimicry; these strains incorporate 30 various amino acid myelin epitopes within the leader region of TMEV.
The Influence of Presentation Order on Probability Judgments in a Representative Market Setting

This field experiment investigated the contextual effect of presentation order on probability judgments supporting risky decisions in a representative setting: the betting markets of live horseraces. Participants were 54 contestants in a wagering tournament at a national thoroughbred racetrack. Prior to each of 11 races the expert gamblers recorded their estimated odds for all horses to win. Presentation order was manipulated by re-ordering the judgment-related information printed in the track’s program that had been provided for horses in an earlier race. Findings revealed the subjective probability estimates of most gamblers were not invariant with respect to presentation ordering. Probability judgments and risky choices were also associated with the predictive information provided for the gamble first processed during decision making. These results directly contradict calibration findings that probability judgments in this market are highly accurate and they are discussed in terms of the representative experimental design’s utility.
Examining the Dimensionality in Global Attitudes Toward Advertising: A Comparison of Perceptions of Chinese and United States Consumers

ABSTRACTThe present study compares the dimensionality of consumer attitudes in China and the United States. Specifically, attitudes towards advertising in general were compared with advertising as ...
Profound Neuromuscular Blockade: Advantages and Challenges for Patients, Anesthesiologists, and Surgeons

Rarely has the introduction of an anesthetic agent or adjunct been as anticipated or needed as that of sugammadex. Residual paralysis after neuromuscular blockade (NMB) occurs frequently and is associated with a range of adverse effects ranging from patient discomfort to respiratory complications and death. Residual neuromuscular block is due to a number of factors that include overdosing of neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs), inadequate monitoring of the effect of NMBAs, and the limitations of anticholinesterses to antagonize neuromuscular block (relatively slow onset of effect and inability to antagonize deep levels of NMB. Sugammadex, a selective relaxant binding agent, will, when dosed appropriately, rapidly and completely reverse the effects of vecuronium and rocuronium, steroidal NMBAs, from any depth of NMB. While this approach has the potential to increase safety in the perioperative use of NMBAs, it also allows clinicians to revise dosing paradigms to improve surgical conditions and, importantly, patient outcome.
Rates of Convergence and CLTs for Subcanonical Debiased MLMC

In constructing debiased multi-level Monte Carlo (MLMC) estimators, one must choose a randomization distribution. In some algorithmic contexts, an optimal choice for the randomization distribution leads to a setting in which the mean time to generate an unbiased observation is infinite. This paper extends the well known efficiency theory for Monte Carlo algorithms in the setting of a finite mean for this generation time to the infinite mean case. The theory draws upon stable law weak convergence results, and leads directly to exact convergence rates and central limit theorems (CLTs) for various debiased MLMC algorithms, most particularly as they arise in the context of stochastic differential equations. Our CLT theory also allows simulators to construct asymptotically valid confidence intervals for such infinite mean MLMC algorithms.
Quasiconformality and quasisymmetry in metric measure spaces.

A homeomorphism f : X → Y between metric spaces is called quasisymmetric if it satisfies the three-point condition of Tukia and Vaisala. It has been known since the 1960’s that when X = Y = R (n ≥ 2), the class of quasisymmetric maps coincides with the class of quasiconformal maps, i.e. those homeomorphisms f : R → R which quasipreserve the conformal moduli of all families of curves. We prove that quasisymmetry implies quasiconformality in the case that the metric spaces in question are locally compact and connected and have Hausdorff dimension Q > 1 quantitatively. The main conceptual tool in the proof is a discrete version of the conformal modulus due to Pansu.
Twins and Related Structures

Intergrowths of crystals from the same species can assume many shapes and angular interrelationships. Many crystals contact each other in a purely accidental way as a result of uncoordinated growth. Other crystals form angularly-regular intergrowths indicative of coordinated growth. Feldspars show an extraordinary range of intergrowths whose characterization is particularly difficult.
Perception of corporate social responsibility actions - the case of retail store managers

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) actions can be critical for retailers to be competitive in global and local markets. Because store managers are often the key for the successful implementation of the CSR strategies, this study was structured to understand the impact of how store managers perceive retail companies' CSR actions and any inconsistency between managers' values and their employers' CSR actions on their job satisfaction and commitment. The authors hypothesised that a retailer's CSR actions influence its managers' perception of the firm, in relation to organisational prestige and organisational benevolence, and consequently their satisfaction and commitment to the organisation. Results supported previous research findings that CSR actions can strengthen employee's job satisfaction and commitment by strengthening employee's overall organisational perception (prestige and benevolence). However, perceived CSR inconsistency can have a negative effect on the relationship of the managers to the retailer.
Variability and Costs of Low-Value Preoperative Testing for Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery.

Background The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Choosing Wisely Top-5 list of activities to avoid includes "Don't obtain baseline laboratory studies in patients without significant systemic disease (ASA I or II) undergoing low-risk surgery - specifically complete blood count, basic or comprehensive metabolic panel, coagulation studies when blood loss (or fluid shifts) is/are expected to be minimal." Accordingly, we define low-value preoperative tests (LVTs) as those performed before minor surgery in patients without significant systemic disease. The objective of the current study was to examine the extent, variability, drivers, and costs of LVTs before carpal tunnel release (CTR) surgeries in the US Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Methods Using fiscal year (FY) 2015-2017 data derived from the VHA Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW), we determined the overall national and facility-level rates and associated costs of receiving any of 8 common LVTs in the 30 days before CTR in ASA physical status (PS) I-II patients. We also examined the patient, procedure, and facility factors associated with receiving ≥1 LVT with mixed-effects logistic regression and the number of tests received with mixed-effects negative binomial regression. Results From FY15-17, 10,000 ASA class I-II patients received a CTR by 699 surgeons in 125 VHA facilities. Overall, 47.0% of patients had a CTR that was preceded by ≥1 LVT, with substantial variability between facilities (range = 0%-100%; interquartile range = 36.3%), representing $339,717 in costs. Older age and female sex were associated with higher odds of receiving ≥1 LVT. Local versus other modes of anesthesia were associated with lower odds of receiving ≥1 LVT. Several facilities experienced large (>25%) increases or decreases from FY15 to FY17 in the proportion of patients receiving ≥1 LVT. Conclusions Counter to guidance from the ASA, we found that almost half of CTRs performed on ASA class I-II VHA patients were preceded by ≥1 LVT. Although the total cost of these tests is relatively modest, CTR is just one of many low-risk procedures (eg, trigger finger release, cataract surgery) that may involve similar preoperative testing practices. These results will inform site selection for qualitative investigation of the drivers of low-value testing and the development of interventions to improve preoperative testing practice, especially in locations where rates of LVT are high.
Compound Bias due to Measurement Error When Comparing Regression Coefficients.

Multiple regression is often used to compare the importance of two or more predictors. When the predictors being compared are measured with error, the estimated coefficients can be biased and Type ...
Study on blood culture in blood of paratyphoid fever A patients

Objective To compare the yield and speed of detection of Salmonella subsp, enterica serotypo Paratyphi A from the blood of patients with suspected paratyphoid fever A. Methods With the BacT/ALERT 3D system and paired aerobic and anaerobic bottles (AEB, ANB) that were each filled with 5 ml of blood, the blood culture of 13 500 suspected paratyphoid fever A patients were performed. Results A total of 4 060 isolates were detected. About 3 149 were detected from both AEB and ANB. Four hundred and sixty-one isolates were detected only from the AEB and 450 were only from the ANB. The detection rates of the AEB and ANB were all 26.7% (χ =0.023, P=0.880). The increased detection rate attributed to the additional blood volume in the AEB and ANB were 11.3% and 11.1%, respectively. The detection speed differed between the two medium formulations. The time to detection was (23.66±15.89) h and (25.48±16.92) h for3 149 isolates, respectively (t=7.007, P<0.01).The mean time to detection was 31.80±20. 97 for 461 isolates discovered with AEB and (33.45±20.72) h for 450 isolates discovered with ANB. Conclusion The blood volume is an important factor in determining the detection rate of blood culture. Although no statistical difference for positive rate was found between the AEB and ANB, more isolates was detected earlier in AEB. Key words: Paratyphoid fever; Salmonella, paratyphi A; Colony count, microbial; Bacteriological techniques
The N34S mutation of SPINK1 may impact the kinetics of trypsinogen activation to cause early trypsin release in the pancreas

ABSTRACT The N34S variant of the trypsin inhibitor SPINK1 is the clinically most significant risk factor for chronic pancreatitis, but the underlying molecular mechanism could not be identified. Molecular dynamics simulations and docking of the generated conformational ensemble of SPINK1 to trypsin show that the mutation reduces the fraction of conformations that can directly participate in productive association, thereby reducing the association rate. The small change is difficult to detect by measuring the kinetics of SPINK1 binding to trypsin. However, kinetic modeling reveals that even a small change in the inhibition rate affects the trypsinogen to trypsin conversion rate at the early stage of the reaction when the trypsin concentration is very low, and the impact is substantially amplified by the autocatalytic mechanism of the conversion. Thus, the slightly reduced inhibition rate shortens the delay in the activation of trypsin release, which is therefore occurs within the pancreas.
Partial Coupling and Earthquake Potential Along the Xianshuihe Fault, China

The left-lateral Xianshuihe Fault is located at the eastern boundary of the Tibetan Plateau and is one of the most active faults in China. It is associated with substantial seismic potential, with ...
Sisters in Sustainability: Gender-Driven Agricultural Initiatives Promoting Socioeconomic, Environmental, and Cultural Sustainability

An increasing number of women are choosing to pursue careers in agriculture. A higher percentage of women are represented among sustainable farmers than are counted among conventional farmers. For example, in the United States, this percentage is 21percent as compared to 9percent. The way in which women farmers approach sustainable agriculture is consistent with the feminist ethic of care that encompasses responsibility, nurturing, relationality, and interdependence. These characteristics are expressed in a number of ways on women-owned or operated sustainable farms. Their farms, for example, have fewer acres than those of male farmers; they plant, cultivate, and harvest by hand much more than with heavy equipment; and they only very rarely use inorganic fertilizers. Also, their operations are more diversified. Women who farm also have a record of developing strong networks with their fellow women farmers. Thus, these sisters in sustainability appear to be applying gender-normativity to organic farming, prioritizing relationships and engaging in holistic, systems thinking. They integrate a broad range of relevant factors into their farming practices, such as the environment; food safety, nutrition, and public health; and home, farm, and community socioeconomic improvement. This is a much broader scale of “relevance” than would be considered in conventional agriculture, cultivating not only the social and economic sustainability of the farmer and her family but also of her network and local community. It also protects biodiversity, indigenous knowledge, and environmental sustainability and preserves the cultural sustainability of historical production methods and heritage seed varieties critical to food security.
The 'Intellectual Diversity' Crisis that Isn't: Liberal Faculties, Conservative Victims, and the Cynical Effort to Undermine Higher Education for Political Gain

The heated political climate of the past decade has placed higher education squarely under attack at the front lines of the ideological culture wars. Amidst claims that public universities are disproportionately populated by left-leaning faculty with a purported agenda to “indoctrinate” students with liberal thoughts and ideas, several states have considered, and in some cases passed, legislation purportedly aimed at enhancing the “intellectual diversity” of college campuses, including among faculties. Part II of this article places these efforts within a wider historical context, one in which conservatives (and some non-conservatives) have successfully framed universities as failing to foster a robust “marketplace of ideas” in contravention of their core mission, thereby leaving universities and their faculties vulnerable to recent political efforts to undermine academic freedom. Part III of the article analyzes what “intellectual diversity,” honestly defined, means within the context of higher education, a definition that notably contrasts sharply with what university critics mean when they purposefully, and disingenuously, deploy the term to frame the debate in a way that aids their true cause. Part IV demonstrates that the claims and “problems” that underlie the attack on higher education are unfounded, and that the proposed solutions are misguided and dangerous.
E-Cigarette Use, Systemic Inflammation, and Depression

Background: E-cigarette use (vaping) is an emerging public health problem. Depression has been found to be associated with e-cigarette use, and vaping and depression are each associated with elevated systemic inflammation. To date, the role of inflammation in the relationship between vaping and depression has not been explored. Objective: To assess the independent associations between e-cigarette use, depression, and inflammation, and to investigate whether the likelihood of depression among current e-cigarette users is associated with systemic inflammation. Methods: Nationally representative NHANES data from 2015–2018 were used (n = 4961). Systemic inflammation was defined as serum C-reactive protein (CRP) ≥ 8.0 mg/L. Depressed individuals were characterized by a score ≥ 10 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Current e-cigarette users were defined as individuals who vaped at least once in the past 30 days and these individuals were stratified by use: exclusive users (reported smoking less than 100 combustible cigarettes in their lifetime), dual users (reported current use of electronic and combustible cigarettes), and e-cigarette users who were previous smokers. Bivariate analyses were used to assess independent associations between vaping, depression, and inflammation; and weighted logistic regression analyses adjusting for BMI, sex, and economic status were used to determine the odds ratios (ORs) for depression by e-cigarette category stratified by differential CRP levels. Results: Depression occurred in 16.7% of all e-cigarette users vs. 5.0% of those who never used e-cigarettes (p 0.05). Conclusion: While a pattern of greater ORs for depression among e-cigarette users with elevated CRP provides provocative findings that might suggest a potential role of inflammation in the association between vaping and depression, we failed to find evidence that inflammation clearly moderates this association. While it is possible that depression among e-cigarette users may be influenced by systemic inflammation, a reproduction of the current study is necessary among a larger cohort to elucidate the effect of inflammation on depression among e-cigarette users.
Kubrick’s 2001 and Vision of Techno-Dystopia

Chapter 9 provides an analysis of filmmaker Stanley “Kubrick’s 2001 and the Dangers of Techno-Dystopia.” Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke’s collaboration on their monumental adventure and philosophical masterpiece 2001 (1968) arguably took the science fiction film to new aesthetic and thematic vistas and helped resurrect the SF genre, while paving the way for later SF blockbusters such as the Star Wars, Star Trek, and Alien film franchises. Indeed, science fiction itself is a potentially visionary genre, putting in question our concepts of the ordinary and conventional sense of reality and presenting us with new ways of seeing, new experiences, and even new worlds. Science fiction projects Otherness, in the forms of civilizations, species, technologies, and ways of life that are other than our own and may present utopias that provide visions of a better life, or dystopias that present dangerous visions of catastrophic futures. Indeed, science fiction has often provided cautionary warnings about where certain current trends could be taking us, or frightening challenges that we could face in the future, as Roland Emmerich’s 2004 depiction of extreme world-altering climate change, The Day After Tomorrow.
Spray Displacements of Two Agricultural Nozzies Using Spray Patternator

The purpose of this paper was to measure the spray pattern displacements (SPD) of two agricultural nozzles using an experimental spray patternator in the laboratory. A SPD measuring technique was developed and SPD data gathered using Spraying System Co.'s 8004 fan nozzles and TK-SS2.5 flood tip nozzles. The mean SPD values for the 8004 fan nozzle were 30 percentage points lower (P<0.05) than that for TK-SS2.5 flood tip nozzle. As expected, the mean SPD values for the high-wind conditions were significantly higher (P<0.05) than that for the low-wind conditions for both the nozzles. This implies that the 8004 fan nozzle would do a better job of spraying and that the spraying should be carried out under low wind conditions.
Maurice Merleau-Ponty: Intertwining and Objectification

In chapter four of The Visible and the Invisible, titled “The Intertwining -- The Chiasm,” Merleau-Ponty considers the relation between the body as sensible, which is to say “objective,” and the body as sentient, that is, as “phenomenal” body. He makes this inquiry in the context of interrogating the access of such a sensible-sentient or objective-phenomenal body to Being. “Objectivity” and the objective body, as Merleau-Ponty defines it in the Phenomenology of Perception, are to be determined in relation to experience. Objectivity requires knowing how it is possible for determinate shapes to be available for experience at all. But the possibility of determinate shapes is also called into question by Merleau-Ponty insofar as the body is experienced as a point of view on things; thus every body would experience a different point of view, even though things are given as abstract elements of one total world. Since the two elements form a system, an intertwining, in which each moment (that of a body with a particular point of view and that of things in the totality of their world) is immediately expressive of each other, objectivity would seem to be hard to achieve. The relationship between body and things, point of view and world, if the relata continually express one another, would appear to be anything but determinate and the question of how objectivity is possible remains unanswered. This essay will explore this question in the light of Merleau-Ponty’s (mis-) reading of Henri Bergson and from the point of view of Sartre’s original expression of the relation of intertwining.
Simultaneously least favorable experiments

A concept of worst-case-sufficiency is defined, generalizing Le Cam's approximate sufficiency. Instead of using total variation norm, as did Le Cam (1964), neighborhoods are described by upper expectations. A corresponding version of the theorem of Le Cam-Blackwell-Sherman-Stein is proved in the case of finite parameter space. As a main tool serve standard experiments and their upper limits, here to be called upper standard functionals. A characterization of simultaneously least favorable experiments dominated by a family of upper expectations is proved. It says that least favorable experiments exist if and only if the upper standard functional acts additively on a cone of concave functions.
The Underemphasized Role of Established Firms as the Sources of Major Innovations

We argue that established firms, including industry incumbents and diversifying entrants, play vital all underemphasized roles as the sources of major innovations in many industries The study presents empirical evidence showing that established firms are often sources of major innovations in the telecommunications and medical sectors. We conduct an exploratory investigation of how variation in the types of technical and market change influence whether industry incumbents, diversifying entrants or nets companies are the sources of major innovations Copyright 1996 by Oxford University Press.
Market-Based Policy Instruments for Systemic Bank Restructuring

Since the early 1980s, well over 100 countries have experienced systemic bank insolvencies. An important innovation among the resulting policies for reestablishing bank soundness has been the reliance on market-based instruments and policies, in contrast to the largely non-market-oriented approach taken in the 1930s during the last big wave of banking crises. This paper surveys and assesses market-based policy instruments employed to overcome systemic bank problems. Considerations regarding the design and mix of instruments as well as cost-sharing arrangements are shown to be key aspects of effective bank restructuring. Selected country examples are used to illustrate best practices.
Preclinical models of pediatric solid tumors (neuroblastoma) and their use in drug discovery.

Neuroblastoma is the most common pediatric abdominal solid tumor. This aggressive embryonal malignancy of neural crest origin has a peak age of onset of 22 months, and accounts for ∼11% of all pediatric cancers and 15% of all pediatric cancer deaths. With current treatment protocols, including high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplantation, radiation, and surgery, ∼80% of high-risk patients go into remission, although the majority relapse and succumb to therapy-resistant tumors. Long-term survival rates (>5 years) are <50%. Mouse models of neuroblastoma provide clinically relevant tools for studying the growth and metastasis of this aggressive malignancy, and for testing the efficacy of potentially novel therapeutics in vivo. This unit describes an orthotopic murine model of neuroblastoma using cultured human cells that closely mimics the clinical condition in terms of the bulky intra-abdominal tumors and other aspects of metastatic disease. Also described are methods for in vivo imaging and monitoring of tumor growth, and procedures for necropsy and tumor preservation for pathological analysis. Curr. Protoc. Pharmacol. 52:14.17.1-14.17.18. © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Keywords: neuroblastoma; xenograft; orthotopic; in vivo imaging; bioluminescent imaging; athymic nude mice
On the feasibility of prefetching and caching for online TV services: a measurement study on hulu

Lately researchers are looking at ways to reduce the delay on video playback through mechanisms like prefetching and caching for Videoon-Demand (VoD) services. The usage of prefetching and caching also has the potential to reduce the amount of network bandwidth usage, as most popular requests are served from a local cache rather than the server containing the original content. In this paper, we investigate the advantages of having such a prefetching and caching scheme for a free hosting service of professionally created video (movies and TV shows) named "hulu". We look into the advantages of using a prefetching scheme where the most popular videos of the week, as provided by the hulu website, are prefetched and compare this approach with a conventional LRU caching scheme with limited storage space and a combined scheme of prefetching and caching. Results from our measurement and analysis shows that employing a basic caching scheme at the proxy yields a hit ratio of up to 77.69%, but requires storage of about 236GB. Further analysis shows that a prefetching scheme where the top-100 popular videos of the week are downloaded to the proxy yields a hit ratio of 44% with a storage requirement of 10GB. A LRU caching scheme with a storage limitation of 20GB can achieve a hit ratio of 55% but downloads 4713 videos to achieve such high hit ratio compared to 100 videos in prefetching scheme, whereas a scheme with both prefetching and caching with the same storage yields a hit ratio of 59% with download requirement of 4439 videos. We find that employing a scheme of prefetching along with caching with trade-off on the storage will yield a better hit ratio and bandwidth saving than individual caching or prefetching schemes.
Will the Courts Go Bi-Bi? IDEA 1997, the Courts, and Deaf Education:

An innovative instructional philosophy in the field of deaf education—bilingual-bicultural (bi-bi) education—is likely to raise new questions for courts to consider in interpreting the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This article reviews past litigation concerning the education of children who are deaf or hard of hearing and explores the new language of IDEA ′97 as it affects communication issues for these children. Arguing that IDEA ′97 and the 1999 implementing regulations make it more difficult for schools to ignore the primary language and preferred mode of communication of children who are deaf the authors speculate that courts may be less likely to view language and communication modes as educational methods and, therefore, less likely to defer to the decisions of school authorities than in past court cases.
The genome of an industrial workhorse

Sequencing of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger offers new opportunities for the production of specialty chemicals and enzymes.
Scattering of electromagnetic waves from a dense medium consisting of correlated mie scatterers with size distributions and applications to dry snow

The scattering of a plane electromagnetic wave obliquely incident on a layer of dense medium consisting of dielectric spherical particles of finite sizes and with size distributions is studied. The spherical particles are of sizes comparable to wavelength so that Mie scattering is used to describe the single particle scattering characteristics. The coherent wave is studied with quasicrystalline approximation using the cross pair distribution functions of multiple sizes governed by Percus-Yevick approximation. The incoherent scattered wave is calculated with the distorted Born approximation with the result expressed in terms of a product of the T-matrices of particles of different sizes and permittivities and the Fourier transform of the cross pair distribution functions. The coherent wave effective propagation constants, the attenuation rates and the backscattering coefficients are illustrated numerically, with examples chosen to illustrate microwave and millimeter wave scattering from snow cover in the f...
Immune cells and the hypothalamic-Pituitary axis in major depression

Abstract To explore changes in immune cell status with changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary (HP) axis in 20 patients with major depression as compared with 20 age-, sex-, and race-matched control subjects, we examined peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) for total T-cells (T3), total B-cells (B1), two T-cell subsets (T4 and T8), and natural killer cells (NKH1), and we measured the plasma level of cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), growth hormone (GH), and prolactin (PRL). The ratio of T4/T8 was increased in the patients. Within the group of control subjects only, increasing age correlated significantly with decreasing plasma PRL. Within the group of patients only, GH positively correlated significantly with T8 and NKH1, as did PRL with NKH1. No between groups difference was found for T3, B1, T4, T8, NKH1, cortisol, ACTH, GH, or PRL.
Racial Socialization in Cross-Racial Families.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how multiracial people of African descent experience racism in schools and to understand how their parents or guardians prepare them to cope with incide...
Chattanooga Shale—An Important U. S. Mineral Resource

Abstract Chattanooga shale, a major component of the eastern Devonian shales, covers a wide area from lower Kentucky through Tennessee and into northern Alabama. It contains sizable resources of oil and several critically needed metals. Leaching experiments with sulfuric acid have demonstrated that excellent trace metal solubilization can be obtained from hydroretorted Chattanooga shale, i.e. the solid residue remaining after the raw shale has been processed to produce oil and/or gas.
Audit committee characteristics and loss reserve error

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate two audit committee characteristics – independence and expertise of the audit committee – and the property‐liability insurers' financial reporting quality, which is proxied by loss reserve error.Design/methodology/approach – The authors' hypotheses are tested using multivariate analysis where the loss reserve error is the dependent variable, and audit committee independence, and four types of audit committee financial expertise (accounting, finance, supervisory, and insurance expertise) are the testing variables.Findings – It is found that accounting, finance, and insurance financial expertise are associated with more accurate loss reserve estimate. In contrast, a supervisory financial expertise and an independence audit committee are not found to be associated with better loss reserve quality.Research limitations/implications – The sample includes publicly‐held property‐liability insurers. Although the results from publicly‐held insurers could provide...
A 13/24/35-GHz concurrent tri-band LNA with feedback notches

A new concurrent tri-band LNA (TBLNA) operating around 13/24/35 GHz has been designed using a novel tri-band load for stable and high stop-band rejection. The tri-band load is composed of two passive LC notch filters with feedback. The TBLNA fabricated on a 0.18-μm SiGe BiCMOS process achieves power gain of 22.3/24.6/22.2 dB at 13.5/24.5/34.5 GHz, respectively. It has the best noise figure of 3.7/3.3/4.3 dB and the IIP3 of -17.5/-18.5/-15.6 dBm, at each pass-band, respectively. The TBLNA consumes 36 mW from a 1.8 V supply, and occupies 920 μm × 500 μm.
Discrete bars, conductive heat transfer and elasticity

Abstract An arithmetic, energy conserving formulation of n-body interaction is applied to discrete models of heat transfer and elasticity. Computer examples are given for discrete bar models.
Coincidence of function space topologies

Abstract We consider conditions under which the compact-open, Isbell, or natural topologies on the set of continuous real-valued functions on a space coincide. To this end, we consider the natural topology on the set of upper semicontinuous set-valued functions and give a concrete description of its open sets. This description allows us to give a number examples of function spaces where the compact-open, Isbell, and natural topologies do or do not agree. We show that R -concordance and local compactness coincide for metric spaces. We find the first example of an R -harmonic non-locally compact space. Also, under some set-theoretical hypotheses, we find the first example of an R -concordant non- R -harmonic space.
Adaptive multimedia services provisioning in wireless communication networks

An adaptive system to support multimedia applications in a wireless network environment is investigated in this research. The proposed system is hierarchical in nature with a cluster of mobile end-hosts connected to a base station, and base stations are connected to a supervisory node, which is in turn connected to a wired infrastructure. Based on our previous experience, the system is designed with an improved service model and a novel call admission scheme that enables more efficient radio channel usage. The service model takes into account both user mobility and the nature of multimedia traffic. Specifically, delay- and/or rate-adaptive services are explored to increase the network performance and utilization under highly variable network connectivity and transmission capacity. The new call admission control scheme is developed under a hybrid call admission control framework. Together with an adaptive resource reservation scheme, it can be adapted to the network situation as well as application requirements. Simulation studies are conducted to show the performance improvement of the proposed scheme.
Curriculum integration for the ECE undergraduate core courses in electronics

This paper discusses the work in progress to restructure the Electronics curriculum in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) in order to improve the system integration learning experience gained by the undergraduate students. The goals of restructuring the ECE Electronics curriculum are as follows: a) train and prepare students to design and analyze complex electronic systems first at the subsystem and system level before teaching and learning electronics at the component level; and b) strengthen the infrastructure for the system integration learning experience with other courses such as power electronics through the use of integrated projects developed for the Electronics curriculum. To realize these goals, the curriculum of Electronics I and Electronics II are redesigned. Electronics I is designed to focus on the design and analysis of electronic circuits, devices, and processes at the system and subsystem level. Electronics II is designed to focus on the study, operation, and analysis of electronic circuits, devices, and processes at the component level. Centralized projects are selected as platforms to allow students to develop the skills in designing and analyzing electronic systems. The students' performance and survey show that the Electronics curriculum restructure has a positive impact on students' learning.
Markers of inflammation and risk of ovarian cancer in Los Angeles County

Factors that increase inflammation have been suggested to influence the development of ovarian cancer, but these factors have not been well studied. To further investigate this question, we studied the role of talc use, history of endometrioisis and use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and risk of ovarian cancer in a population-based case-control study in Los Angeles County involving 609 women with newly diagnosed epithelial ovarian cancer and 688 population-based control women. Risk of ovarian cancer increased significantly with increasing frequency and duration of talc use; compared to never users risk was highest among long-duration (20+ years), frequent (at least daily) talc users (adjusted relative risk (RR) = 2.08, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.34-3.23). A history of physician-diagnosed endometriosis was statistically significantly associated with risk (RR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.01-2.75). Women who were talc users and had a history of endometriosis showed a 3-fold increased risk (RR = 3.12, 95% CI = 1.36-7.22). Contrary to the hypothesis that risk of ovarian cancer may be reduced by use of NSAIDs; risk increased with increasing frequency (per 7 times/week, RR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.14-1.43) and years of NSAID use (per 5 years of use, RR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.10-1.42); this was consistent across types of NSAIDs. We conclude that risk of ovarian cancer is significantly associated with talc use and with a history of endometriosis, as has been found in previous studies. The NSAID finding was unexpected and suggests that factors associated with inflammation are associated with ovarian cancer risk. This result needs confirmation with careful attention to the reasons for NSAID use.
Preoperative serum CA-125 levels in borderline tumors of the ovary

Preoperative serum CA-125 levels were evaluated in 38 patients who underwent primary surgery for epithelial ovarian tumors of borderline malignancy at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital between 1981 and 1990. Surgical staging was Stage I in 25 (66%) patients, Stage II in 2 (5%) patients, Stage III in 10 (26%) patients, and Stage IV in 1 (3%) patient. The mean sizes of mucinous and serous ovarian tumors were 21.9 and 10.3 cm, respectively (P = 0.0002). All 13 patients (100%) with mucinous tumors had Stage I disease, while 12 (50%) of 24 patients with serous tumors were Stage I. Combining all cell types, 10 (40%) of 25 patients with Stage I disease had an elevated preoperative CA-125 level, while 2 (100%) of 2, 9 (90%) of 10, and 1 (100%) of 1 patient with Stage II, III, and IV disease, respectively, had increased preoperative levels. Among patients with serous tumors, 3 (25%) of 12 Stage I patients had an elevated preoperative CA-125 level, while 11 (92%) of 12 Stage II-IV tumors had elevated levels (P less than 0.001). These data suggest that preoperative CA-125 level correlates with stage of disease in patients with serous borderline ovarian tumors.
A re-evaluation of the role of tetrahydropapaveroline in ethanol consumption in rats

Abstract The role of tetrahydropapaveroline (THP), a condensation product of a dopaldehyde with dopamine, in the regulation of alcohol consumption was investigated. In the first experiment, rats received intraventricular injections of either racemic THP hydrobromide (0.65 or 1.3 μg/μl), R -(+)-THP (0.66 or 1.4 μg/μl), or an equal volume of vehicle. The lower doses of both (±)-THP and (+)-THP significantly increased volitional alcohol intake. For the racemic compound, the increase was significant at 7–13% concentrations. The R -(+)-enantiomer increased consumption at 4–11 and 15–20% concentrations of ethanol. The higher doses of both compounds did not significantly alter alcohol preference. A second experiment evaluated the chronic effect of THP delivered subcutaneously via osmotic minipump. Animals receiving THP (0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 mg/ml) did not differ in their alcohol intake, compared to vehicle-treated controls. Whether or not endogenously formed THP participates in the etiology of alcohol addiction remains unclear. Nonetheless, there are few known compounds that induce a preference for unsweetened alcohol solutions over water in laboratory animals.
Evaluating the Comparability of Paper- and Computer-Based Science Tests across Sex and SES Subgroups.

As access and reliance on technology continue to increase, so does the use of computerized testing for admissions, licensure/certification, and accountability exams. Nonetheless, full computer-based test (CBT) implementation can be difficult due to limited resources. As a result, some testing programs offer both CBT and paper-based test (PBT) administration formats. In such situations, evidence that scores obtained from different formats are comparable must be gathered. In this study, we illustrate how contemporary statistical methods can be used to provide evidence regarding the comparability of CBT and PBT scores at the total test score and item levels. Specifically, we looked at the invariance of test structure and item functioning across test administration mode across subgroups of students defined by SES and sex. Multiple replications of both confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch differential item functioning analyses were used to assess invariance at the factorial and item levels. Results revealed a unidimensional construct with moderate statistical support for strong factorial-level invariance across SES subgroups, and moderate support of invariance across sex. Issues involved in applying these analyses to future evaluations of the comparability of scores from different versions of a test are discussed.
Public Policy and Mental Illnesses: Jimmy Carter's Presidential Commission on Mental Health

President Jimmy Carter's Presidential Commission on Mental Health was intended to recommend policies to overcome obvious deficiencies in the mental health system. Bureaucratic rivalries within and between governments; tensions and rivalries within the mental health professions; identity and interest group politics; the difficulties of distinguishing the respective etiological roles of such elements as poverty, racism, stigmatization, and unemployment; and an illusory faith in prevention all influenced the commission's deliberations and subsequent enactment of the short-lived Mental Health Systems Act. The commission's work led to the formulation of the influential National Plan for the Chronically Mentally Ill, but a system of care and treatment for persons with serious mental illnesses was never created.
Energy consumption in optical modulators for interconnects

We analyze energy consumption in optical modulators operated in depletion and intended for low-power interconnect applications. We include dynamic dissipation from charging modulator capacitance and net energy consumption from absorption and photocurrent, both in reverse and small forward bias. We show that dynamic dissipation can be independent of static bias, though only with specific kinds of bias circuits. We derive simple expressions for the effects of photocurrent on energy consumption, valid in both reverse and small forward bias. Though electroabsorption modulators with large reverse bias have substantial energy penalties from photocurrent dissipation, we argue that modulator diodes with thin depletion regions and operating in small reverse and/or forward bias could have little or no such photocurrent energy penalty, even conceivably being more energy-efficient than an ideal loss-less modulator.
Mutagenesis of conserved region I in the DNA polymerase from human adenovirus serotype 2

The functional importance of the conserved region I (YGDTDSLF) found in several prokaryotic, eukaryotic, and viral DNA polymerases has been probed by site-directed mutagenesis of the adenovirus DNA polymerase (Ad Pol). Three different adenovirus-specific assays have been used to measure the in vitro activity of region I mutants of Ad Pol expressed in transiently transfected CMT-4 cells. In general, both conservative and nonconservative changes generally showed a greater than 5- to 10-fold reduction in activity in three different assays for activity. However, several replacements at the glycine residue showed activities closer to wild-type levels. For example, replacements of this glycine with cysteine (found in bacteriophage phi 29, another protein primed replication system), with serine, or with methionine had little effect on the activity observed in adenovirus-specific assays, such as initiation and elongation. These studies confirm the importance of this region of Ad Pol in specific initiation and elongation reactions on Ad DNA templates.
Recombinant human insulin

Insulin is a well-characterized peptide that can be produced by recombinant DNA technology for human therapeutic use. A brief overview of insulin production from both traditional mammalian pancreatic extraction and recombinant bacterial and yeast systems is presented, and detection techniques, including electrophoresis, are reviewed. Analytical systems for insulin separation are principally based on reversed-phase chromatography, which resolves the deamidation product(s) (desamido insulin) of insulin, proinsulin, and insulin. Process-scale separation is a multistep process and includes ion exchange, reversed-phase, and size exclusion chromatography. Advantages and/or disadvantages of various separation approaches, as described by the numerous literature references on insulin purification, are presented.