cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transitioning the Traditional Business Model for Television: Personal Data Sharing by Streaming Video Mobile Apps

Streaming video now represents more than half of all Internet bandwidth consumption and consumers are spending more of their time on mobile devices resulting in total video plays moving to mobile platforms.1,2 The rapid growth in popularity of television viewing on Internet devices, including mobile smartphones, is driving increasing “cord cutting” from traditional cable and satellite television platforms. Not surprisingly, advertisers are beginning to redirect their ad distribution to the mobile space and mobile ad spending is on track to become the dominant digital ad spending segment.3 This pivot to online provides a new, more interactive, platform of data and metric collection for advertisers to better direct their television advertisements than traditional broadcasting and cable platforms. The increase of mobile usage, video popularity, and the resulting new data collection vector from mobile ad providers, however, creates new areas of concern for the user’s privacy posture. A recent study conducted at the Federal Trade Commission examined privacy information leaks of the top 110 mobile apps, finding significant discrepancies in the actual flow of user data versus what the user has visibly approved to share.4 While the FTC study did include some video apps, it did not focus exclusively upon this market segment. In this paper, we only examine mobile video apps due to the increasing importance of this market (both as the dominant source of Internet traffic and time spent by users consuming the apps). This focus provides previously unidentified strategic insights and analysis of these apps. To accomplish this, the paper examines the user information shared by ten popular mobile video apps on both Android and iOS platforms, and compares this to the app privacy policies to identify potential private information leaks to third parties. The testing uses a Man-in-the-Middle web proxy and specialized wireless access point to capture data flows to and from each video app. The captured flows are then investigated for data leaks containing Personally Identifiable Information, location details, unique device characteristics, and user behavior. Utilizing an interdisciplinary approach, app vendor privacy policies are analyzed and compared to the captured app data leaks. The result of these comparisons frame how the video apps handle a user’s private information under normal operations as compared to what is being outlined and relayed to the user through the app vendor privacy policy. The role of advertisers and ad networks also will be analyzed with the data from the captured app information leaks. The result frames how video apps share user information with ad networks with some of these ad providers integrating with more than one app. Utilizing this methodology results in an increased understanding of the privacy implications of mobile video apps, and a description of how the advertising-based business model of television is transitioning to the online environment.
Experts' perspectives on the role of medical marijuana in oncology: A semistructured interview study.

Background Expansion of medical marijuana (MM) laws in the United States may offer oncology new therapeutic options. However, the scientific evidence for MM remains in infancy. This study qualitatively explored professional opinion around the role of MM in cancer care. Methods Semistructured interviews were administered to a sample of individuals with expertise at the interface of MM and oncology nationally. Key informant criteria included an oncologic clinical or research background and any of the following: publications, research, or lectures on cannabinoids or cancer symptoms; involvement in the development of MM dispensaries or legislation; and early adoption of state MM certification procedures. A gold standard, grounded, inductive approach was used to identify underlying themes. Results Participants (N = 15) were predominantly male, in their sixth decade, working in academic settings. Themes ranged from strong beliefs in marijuana's medical utility to reservations about this notion, with calls for expansion of the scientific evidence base and more stringent MM production standards. All participants cited nausea as an appropriate indication, and 13 of 15 pain. Over one-third believed MM to have a more attractive risk profile than opioids and benzodiazepines. Conclusions Expert opinion was divided between convictions in marijuana's medicinal potential and guardedness in this assertion, with no participant refuting MM's utility outright. Emergent themes included that MM ameliorates cancer-related pain and nausea and is safer than certain conventional medications. Participants called for enhanced purity and production standards, and further research on MM's utility.
Crystal structures of human glycine receptor α3 bound to a novel class of analgesic potentiators

Current therapies to treat persistent pain and neuropathic pain are limited by poor efficacy, side effects and risk of addiction. Here, we present a novel class of potent selective, central nervous system (CNS)-penetrant potentiators of glycine receptors (GlyRs), ligand-gated ion channels expressed in the CNS. AM-1488 increased the response to exogenous glycine in mouse spinal cord and significantly reversed mechanical allodynia induced by nerve injury in a mouse model of neuropathic pain. We obtained an X-ray crystal structure of human homopentameric GlyRα3 in complex with AM-3607, a potentiator of the same class with increased potency, and the agonist glycine, at 2.6-A resolution. AM-3607 binds a novel allosteric site between subunits, which is adjacent to the orthosteric site where glycine binds. Our results provide new insights into the potentiation of cysteine-loop receptors by positive allosteric modulators and hold promise in structure-based design of GlyR modulators for the treatment of neuropathic pain.
Building prediction models of large hierarchical simulation models with artificial neural networks and other statistical techniques

The purpose of this research is to examine how to achieve suitable aggregation in the simulation of large systems. More specifically, investigating how to accurately aggregate hierarchical lower-level (higher resolution) models into the next higher-level in order to reduce the complexity of the overall simulation model. The initial approach used in this research was to use a realistic simulation model of a complex flying training model to apply the model aggregation methodologies using artificial neural networks and other statistical techniques. In order to test the techniques proposed, we modified a flying training model built for another study to suit the needs of our experiment. The study examines the effectiveness of three types of artificial neural networks as a metamodel in predicting outputs of the flying training model. Feed-forward, radial basis function, and generalized regression neural networks are considered and are compared to the truth simulation model, where the truth model is when actual lower-level model outputs are used as a direct input into the next higher-level model. The desired real-world application of the developed simulation aggregation process will be applied to military combat modeling in the area of combat identification (CID).
Regional relationships among the low vowels of U.S. English: Evidence from production and perception

The unconditioned merger of the low back vowels and the variety of realizations found for the low front vowel have been noted as leading to greater distinctiveness across U.S. English regional dialects. The extent to which the movements of these vowels are related has repeatedly been of interest to dialectology as well as phonological theory. Here, examining production and perception data from speaker-listeners across three major regions of the United States, the relationships among these low vowels within and across regions are investigated. Participants provided speech samples and took part in a vowel identification task, judging vowels along a continuum from /ae/ to /ɑ/. Results of acoustic analysis and statistical analysis of the perception results indicate that a structural relationship between /ae/ and /ɑ/ is maintained across regions and that listeners’ own degree of low back vowel merger predicts their perception of the boundary between /ae/ and /ɑ/.
Extracorporeal techniques in acute respiratory distress syndrome

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was first introduced for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in the 1970s. However, enthusiasm was tempered due to the high mortality seen at that time. The use of ECMO has grown considerably in recent years due to technological advances and the evidence suggesting potential benefit. While the efficacy of ECMO has yet to be rigorously demonstrated with high-quality evidence, it has the potential not only to have a substantial impact on outcomes, including mortality, but also to change the paradigm of ARDS management.
How Might the Relation of the Development of Hand Preferences to the Development of Cognitive Functions be Examined During Infancy: A Sketch?

Investigations of the relation of the development of hand preferences to the development of other sensorimotor and cognitive abilities are plagued by confusing and contradictory results. In part, the confusion derives from the failure to create accurate, appropriate and reliable descriptions of the development of hand preferences and the cognitive or sensorimotor ability of interest. This paper sketches an ideal longitudinal study (from birth through 5 years) with a large sample size that ought to be able toshould provide reliable evidence for the understanding of the relation of hand preferences to cognitive development. Since hand preference differences would affect the way infants engage in manual actions with objects and these differences would likely affect how they come to comprehend object relations, differences in the development of cognition across handedness groups would be a good test of certain forms of embodiment theory.
The 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season: Catastrophic Losses and Costs

The extremely active 2017 Atlantic hurricane season was one of the most destructive on record for the basin, with damage costs exceeding $250 billion in the United States alone. For the first time ...
Do Police Maximize Arrests or Minimize Crime? Evidence from Racial Profiling in U.S. Cities

It is difficult to know if racial discrepancies in police stop and search data are caused by racial bias or statistical discrimination. In part, this is due to uncertainty over the benchmark of unbiased police behavior: do officers aim to maximize arrests or to minimize crime? In this paper, I compare models of the two police objectives to data from U.S. cities. Empirical evidence is consistent with a model of arrest maximization and inconsistent with a model of crime minimization. These findings support the validity of existing tests for racial bias that rely on the assumption that police maximize arrests.
Risk assessment and mitigation for the hazards of electromagnetic radiation to fuel during high intensity radiated field testing of aircraft

High Intensity Radiated Field (HIRF) testing of, in, and around, aircraft, and aircraft subsystems, that contain fuel (or other potentially explosive atmosphere creating substances) pose particular hazards for Radio Frequency (RF) Induced ignition — Hazards of Electromagnetic Radiation to Fuel (HERF). The primary threat is considered to be from ignition by RF induced sparking/arcing, as this requires far less energy than direct heating effects. Accepted international guidance that is used is contained in “CENELEC CLC/TR 50427: Assessment of Inadvertent Ignition of Flammable Atmospheres by Radio-Frequency Radiation” to identify risks posed by the testing. Where hazardous levels of RF energy are identified as being used within a HIRF test, various mitigations can be used to reduce the overall risk, such as: Air frame/fuel-system review and/or inspection to reduce the probability of any dormant or undetected make/break arcing mechanisms within the flammable atmosphere/ullage; read-across of Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)/Lightning Strike design protection measures that would make the risk non-credible; specifying a minimum fuel load so arcing mechanisms are not in ullage space; use of alternate fuels to change the fuel/air mixture in the ullage to being too rich or too lean; injection of inert atmospheres into the ullage to prevent ignition; identification of alternate assessment strategies and/or potential restriction on HIRF test levels, to identify safe and cost effective assessment solutions for aircraft HIRF clearance activities.
Risk, Systems Analysis and Optimization

In this final chapter, we turn to the issue of using risk analysis to not only justify a policy, but to select an optimal strategy for reducing risk. Most pollution control strategies can be characterized as a single-medium, single pollutant, approach. Such an approach begins by dividing the environment into three primary compartments: air, water, and land (soil). Pollution problems then are grouped into three categories: air pollution, water pollution, and solid waste pollution problems. In the single-medium approach, these three categories of problems are managed independently without consideration of their interactions. For example, major air pollution sources may be required to install the best available control technologies (BACT) based purely on consideration of the risk from releases to air; industrial wastewater dischargers may be required to meet best available technology (BAT) effluent limitations based solely on the risk from releases to water; and RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) and CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act) impose restrictions on the options for land disposal of solid waste [1-3] based solely on the risk from burial. Similarly, the choice of manufacturing processes and pollution control technologies often reflects concern for a single primary pollutant that dominates current regulatory focus, while a facility may emit literally dozens of chemicals, metals, etc.
Microwave hyperthermia for choroidal melanoma in rabbits.

Radiation has provided excellent local control rates in choroidal melanoma, but significant impairment in visual acuity has occurred in 30-60% of patients due in part to the development of radiation vasculopathy in the fovea and optic disc. Hyperthermia has been shown to have a synergistic effect when added to radiation therapy in human malignancies. The use of hyperthermia in ocular melanoma may allow a reduction in the total radiation dose necessary to achieve local control. A 2450-MHz microwave plaque applicator with integral surface cooling was used to deliver hyperthermia treatments to rabbit eyes containing choroidal melanomas. Extensive thermal mapping was done in acute eyes. In 18 survival animals, a single 23-G needle thermocouple probe with three sensors was inserted into the tumor. Target temperatures of 41.0-46.0°C were maintained for 1 hour. All tumor-bearing eyes were followed for 1 month after treatment, or until tumor growth was noted, with serial ultrasound measurements and visual examinations. A 92% response rate was obtained in tumors treated at temperatures greater than 43.0°C for 1 hour with no significant toxicity. Heat alone has significant tumoricidal properties in this animal model. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 31:1754-1760, 1990
P086 UNOS UPLOAD TOOL (UUT): An easy automated system for updating and confirming unacceptable antigen results recorded in unet from laboratory results

Aim UNet is a data repository for transplant candidates and donors and is managed by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). Our laboratory updates UNet daily with unacceptable antigens for transplant candidates. We have developed and validated the UUT to automate generation of unacceptable antigen data for both upload and receipt confirmation of values recorded in UNet. Methods Unacceptable antigens are calculated from median fluorescent intensity (MFI) from HLA Class I and II LabScreen assays (One Lambda), analyzed on the Luminex 3D, and interpreted using Fusion (One Lamda). Data is stored in HistoTrac (SystemLink) for consultant sign off and reporting to the medical record. UUT interrogates HistoTrac and can be modified to query other databases (E.g. Fusion) using Excel Power Query and VBA. MFI and prozone data is organized to show recurrent patient data over time, highlighting significant signal changes and shifts above or below reporting cutoffs. After data review a file is generated based on unacceptable antigen criteria for export to UNet. Following upload to UNet, a report of unacceptable antigens for all active patients is exported from UNet. This report is imported to the UUT for confirmation of successful import and highlights changes in unacceptable antigens since the last time the patient was recorded. Results UUT was validated both retrospectively with historic data of patients with complicated histories as well as concurrently with live clinical data. UNet was manually reviewed to confirm that patient data was recorded correctly. Prior to implementing this tool our process required two people and ∼5 min per patient. With this tool the process is now performed by one person at ∼1.2 min per patient. Conclusions Use of the UUT in the automated upload of data to UNet reduces both workload and the potential for transcription errors while helping to highlight unexpected changes in patient data over time that could indicate technical artifacts.
Thesaurus: quantifying phosphoprotein positional isomers

Proteins can be phosphorylated at neighboring sites resulting in different functional states, and studying the regulation of these sites has been challenging. Here we present Thesaurus, a search engine that detects new positional isomers using site-specific fragment ions from parallel reaction monitoring and data independent acquisition mass spectrometry experiments. We apply Thesaurus to analyze phosphorylation events in the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and show neighboring sites with distinct quantitative profiles, indicating regulation by different kinases.
Peace Before Storm: The Concept of Trans-Asian Cinema and Peace After Storm (Yuguo Tianqing, 1931)

In this chapter, I discuss the 1931 film Peace After Storm (Yuguo Tianqing), the first Chinese “sound-on-film” talkie as well as the film that used the first Japanese sound-on-film talkie system. I examine Peace After Storm as trans-Asian cinema, not only as a concept but also as an actual product in history. This film existed at the crossroads of two national cinemas. In order to understand the histories of those national cinemas in their unique cultural specificities I closely examine the production history of the film as well as many still images that I have acquired from the cinematographer Henry Kotani. I demonstrate that a genuine trans-Asian cinema came to exist at a certain historical moment before the war between China and Japan.
Real-Time Fluid Simulation on the Surface of a Sphere

We present a novel approach for animating incompressible fluids with Eulerian advection-projection solvers on the surface of a sphere by extending the recent work by Hill and Henderson [2016] with a staggered spherical grid discretization. By doing so, we avoid the infamous checkerboard null modes. We additionally introduce new, straightforward polar singularity treatments that avoid the previous need for any spectral filtering of high-frequency noise at the poles. Lastly, we enforce incompressibility with a fast Fourier solution to Poisson's equation for pressure in spherical coordinates. Our high-performance GPU-based framework combines scalability, art-directability, and ease of implementation, and reaches real-time speeds for various practical scenarios.
Summer Climate Change in the Midwest and Great Plains due to Agricultural Development during the Twentieth Century

AbstractAgricultural development is among the most significant forms of land-use change globally. In central North America it has consisted of cropland expansion in the early 1900s, yield intensifi...
Genome-wide association mapping of flooding tolerance in soybean

Flooding threatens soybean production and limits soybean yields worldwide. The most effective and economic approach to decrease loss of yield due to flooding is to develop flood-tolerant soybean cultivars. The objective of this study was to identify genetic loci and candidate genes associated with flooding tolerance. A panel of 384 soybean plant introductions (PIs) was evaluated for flooding tolerance in two consecutive years in the field. The plant foliar damage score was used to index soybean response to flooding stress. A total of 42,291 SNP markers were obtained from the Illumina Infinium SoySNP50K BeadChip database. After filtration for quality control, 31,125 SNPs were used for genome-wide association mapping utilizing four different models (regression linear model (GLM), mixed linear model (MLM), compressed mixed linear model (CMLM), and enriched compressed mixed linear model (ECMLM)). Fourteen SNPs were identified to be associated with flooding tolerance across all environments and models at a significance level of −Log10 (P) ≥ 2.5. Five SNPs were located within the coding regions of five candidate genes. Several PIs with lower best linear unbiased prediction (BLUPs) of the breeding values and a large number of favorable flood-tolerant alleles were found as new genetic sources for use in soybean breeding programs.
Development of a multivariable prediction model to identify patients unlikely to complete a colonoscopy following an abnormal FIT test in community clinics.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the 3rd leading cancer killer among men and women in the US. The Strategies and Opportunities to STOP Colon Cancer in Priority Populations (STOP CRC) project aimed to increase CRC screening among patients in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) through a mailed fecal immunochemical test (FIT) outreach program. However, rates of completion of the follow-up colonoscopy following an abnormal FIT remain low. We developed a multivariable prediction model using data available in the electronic health record to assess the probability of patients obtaining a colonoscopy following an abnormal FIT test. To assess the probability of obtaining a colonoscopy, we used Cox regression to develop a risk prediction model among a retrospective cohort of patients with an abnormal FIT result. Of 1596 patients with an abnormal FIT result, 556 (34.8%) had a recorded colonoscopy within 6 months. The model shows an adequate separation of patients across risk levels for non-adherence to follow-up colonoscopy (bootstrap-corrected C-statistic > 0.63). The refined model included 8 variables: age, race, insurance, GINI income inequality, long-term anticoagulant use, receipt of a flu vaccine in the past year, frequency of missed clinic appointments, and clinic site. The probability of obtaining a follow-up colonoscopy within 6 months varied across quintiles; patients in the lowest quintile had an estimated 18% chance, whereas patients in the top quintile had a greater than 55% chance of obtaining a follow-up colonoscopy. Knowing who is unlikely to follow-up on an abnormal FIT test could help identify patients who need an early intervention aimed at completing a follow-up colonoscopy. This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT01742065 ) on December 5, 2012. The protocol is available.
Effects of regulatory network organization and environment on PmrD connector activity and polymyxin resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli

Polymyxins are a class of cyclic peptides with antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative bacteria. In Enterobacteriaceae, the PhoQ/PhoP and PmrB/PmrA two-component systems regulate many genes that confer resistance to both polymyxins and host antimicrobial peptides. The activities of these two-component systems are modulated by additional proteins that are conserved across Enterobacteriaceae, such as MgrB, a negative regulator of PhoQ, and PmrD, a "connector" protein that activates PmrB/PmrA in response to PhoQ/PhoP stimulation. Despite the conservation of many protein components of the PhoQ/PhoP-PmrD-PmrB/PmrA network, the specific molecular interactions and regulatory mechanisms vary across different genera. Here, we explore the role of PmrD in modulating this signaling network in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli We show that in K. pneumoniae, PmrD is not required for polymyxin resistance arising from mutation of mgrB-the most common cause of spontaneous polymyxin resistance in this bacterium-suggesting that direct activation of polymyxin resistance genes by PhoQ/PhoP plays a critical role in this resistance pathway. However, for conditions of low pH or intermediate iron concentrations, both of which stimulate PmrB/PmrA, we find that PmrD does contribute to resistance. We further show that in E. coli, PmrD functions as a connector between PhoQ/PhoP and PmrB/PmrA, in contrast with previous reports. In this case, activity also depends on PmrB/PmrA stimulation, or on very high activation of PhoQ/PhoP. Our results indicate that the importance of the PmrD connector in modulating the polymyxin resistance network depends on both the network organization and on the environmental conditions associated with PmrB stimulation.
From Code to Bedside: Implementing Artificial Intelligence Using Quality Improvement Methods

Despite increasing interest in how artificial intelligence (AI) can augment and improve healthcare delivery, the development of new AI models continues to outpace adoption in existing healthcare processes. Integration is difficult because current approaches separate the development of AI models from the complex healthcare environments in which they are intended to function, resulting in models developed without a clear and compelling use case and not tested or scalable in a clinical setting. We propose that current approaches and traditional research methods do not support successful AI implementation in healthcare and outline a repeatable mixed-methods approach, along with several examples, that facilitates uptake of AI technologies into human-driven healthcare processes. Unlike traditional research, these methods do not seek to control for variation, but rather understand it to learn how a technology will function in practice coupled with user-centered design techniques. This approach, leveraging design thinking and quality improvement methods, aims to increase the adoption of AI in healthcare and prompt further study to understand which methods are most successful for AI implementations.
Challenges and Research Directions

In this chapter, we discuss several challenges and research directions. Specifically in the context of the methods discussed in this book, we review the need for SM benchmarks, trojan insertion and detection experiments, attack validation methods, and practical demonstrations. We also discuss several emerging and new research directions, including SM methods at higher levels of abstractions, SM for analog and mixed-signal designs, use of novel devices in SM, new attack models against SM, simultaneous optimization of SM manufacturability and security, and application of advances in ML for SM attacks and defenses.
Laminar compartmentalization of attention modulation in area V4 aligns with the demands of visual processing hierarchy in the cortex

Contrast is a key feature of the visual scene that aids object recognition. Attention has been shown to selectively enhance the responses to low contrast stimuli in visual area V4, a critical hub that sends projections both up and down the visual hierarchy. Veridical encoding of contrast information is a key computation in early visual areas, while later stages encode higher level features that benefit from improved sensitivity to low contrast. How area V4 meets these distinct information processing demands in the attentive state is not known. We found that attentional modulation of contrast responses in area V4 is cortical layer and cell-class specific. Putative excitatory neurons in the superficial output layers that project to higher areas show enhanced boosting of low contrast information. On the other hand, putative excitatory neurons of deep output layers that project to early visual areas exhibit contrast-independent scaling. Computational modeling revealed that such layer-wise differences may result from variations in spatial integration extent of inhibitory neurons. These findings reveal that the nature of interactions between attention and contrast in V4 is highly compartmentalized, in alignment with the demands of the visual processing hierarchy.
Sound speed, submesoscale, and spice: The role of rapidly evolving instabilities in setting upper ocean properties

Sound speed characteristics in the upper ocean are sometimes thought to be set by a combination of mostly one-dimensional vertical mixing processes and (slow) mesoscale advection and stirring. However, a series of recent projects have showcased the role of small-scale (tens of meters to tens of km horizontally), rapidly evolving (hours to days) submesoscale instabilities in setting both stratification and sound speed properties. The observations also reveal that sound speed structure set by such processes is fundamentally three dimensional, with significant lateral gradients at a broad range of scales. Some relevant processes are frontogenetic and create sometimes rapid secondary circulations near lateral density gradients. Some are associated with wind-driven near-inertial oscillations or internal waves. Some of the more interesting recent observations concern the intersection of submesoscale and internal wave processes. Here, I will review a few highlights from the last decade of observations on unbalanced, nonlinear processes that conspire to set density, spice, and sound speed profiles in several contrasting oceans.
Heterodyne Spectroscopy of the 63 μm O I Line in M42

We have used a laser heterodyne spectrometer to resolve the emission-line profile of the 63 μm3P1-3P2 fine-structure transition of O I at two locations in M42. Comparison of the peak antenna temperature with that of the 158 μm C II fine-structure line shows that the gas kinetic temperature in the photodissociation region (PDR) near θ1C is 175-220 K, the density is greater than 2 × 105 cm-3, and the hydrogen column density is about 1.5 × 1022 cm-2. A somewhat lower temperature and column density are found in the IRc2 region, most likely reflecting the smaller UV flux. The observed width of the O I line is 6.8 km s-1 (FWHM) at θ1C, which is slightly broadened over the intrinsic line width by optical depth effects. No other significant differences between the O I and C II line profiles are seen, which shows that the narrow emission from both neutral atomic oxygen and ionized carbon comes from the PDR. The O I data do not rule out the possibility of weak broad-velocity emission from shock-excited gas at IRc2, but the C II data show no such effect, as expected from nonionizing shock models.
Transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding for microsystem packaging applications

This paper explores the use of transient liquid phase bonding for microsystem packaging applications. Two types of bonds are demonstrated: a thin-film evaporated indium-gold bond and an electroplated nickel-tin bond. Both bonds are formed at 300/spl deg/C for about 1.5 hours in a conventional wafer bonder. The wafers were heated to over 400 /spl deg/C for more than an hour after bonding without any signs of bond degradation. The indium-gold bond demonstrated good electrical contact, but poor permeability performance. However, the nickel-tin bond was void free and sealed cavities with bond ring widths as little as 50 /spl mu/m. The cross section of the nickel-tin TLP bond was analyzed with EDAX software to verify the formation of intermetallic compounds.
Microbial Fingerprinting using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS): Applications and Challenges

Recent threats posed by pathogenic microorganisms in food, recreational waters, and as agents of bioterror have underscored the need for the development of more rapid, accurate, and cost-effective methods of microbial characterization and identification. This chapter focuses on the use of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) to rapidly characterize and identify microorganisms through generation of characteristic fingerprints of intact cells. While most efforts have focused on bacteria, this technology has also been applied to fungi and viruses. Results of most studies suggest that MALDI-TOF MS can be used to rapidly and accurately characterize microorganisms. A variety of quantitative approaches have been employed in the analysis of MALDI-TOF MS fingerprints of microorganisms. The reproducibility of fingerprints of intact cells remains a primary concern and limitation associated with this approach. Protocols and instrumentation used have varied considerably and likely account for much of the variability in reproducibility reported. Key first steps to overcoming this limitation will be the development of standard approaches to quantifying reproducibility and the development of standard protocols for sample preparation and analysis.
Indomethacin delays gastric restitution: association with the inhibition of focal adhesion kinase and tensin phosphorylation and reduced actin stress fibers.

Repair of superficial gastric mucosal injury is accomplished by the process of restitution-migration of epithelial cells to restore continuity of the mucosal surface. Actin filaments, focal adhesions, and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) play crucial roles in cell motility essential for restitution. We studied whether epidermal growth factor (EGF) and/or indomethacin (IND) affect cell migration, actin stress fiber formation, and/or phosphorylation of FAK and tensin in wounded gastric monolayers. Human gastric epithelial monolayers (MKN 28 cells) were wounded and treated with either vehicle or 0.5 mM IND for 16 hr followed by EGF. EGF treatment significantly stimulated cell migration and actin stress fiber formation, and increased FAK localization to focal adhesions, and phosphorylation of FAK and tensin, whereas IND inhibited all these at the baseline and EGF-stimulated conditions. IND-induced inhibition of FAK phosphorylation preceded changes in actin polymerization, indicating that actin depolymerization might be the consequence of decreased FAK activity. In in vivo experiments, rats received either vehicle or IND (5 mg/kg i.g.), and 3 min later, they received water or 5% hypertonic NaCl; gastric mucosa was obtained at 1, 4, and 8 hr after injury. Four and 8 hr after hypertonic injury, FAK phosphorylation was induced in gastric mucosa compared with controls. IND pretreatment significantly delayed epithelial restitution in vivo, and reduced FAK phosphorylation and recruitment to adhesion points, as well as actin stress fiber formation in migrating surface epithelial cells. Our study indicates that FAK, tensin, and actin stress fibers are likely mediators of EGF-stimulated cell migration in wounded human gastric monolayers and potential targets for IND-induced inhibition of restitution.
Differential Role for p120-Catenin in Regulation of TLR4 Signaling in Macrophages

Activation of TLR signaling through recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns is essential for the innate immune response against bacterial and viral infections. We have shown that p120-catenin (p120) suppresses TLR4-mediated NF-кB signaling in LPS-challenged endothelial cells. In this article, we report that p120 differentially regulates LPS/TLR4 signaling in mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages. We observed that p120 inhibited MyD88-dependent NF-κB activation and release of TNF-α and IL-6, but enhanced TIR domain-containing adapter-inducing IFN-β-dependent IFN regulatory factor 3 activation and release of IFN-β upon LPS exposure. p120 silencing diminished LPS-induced TLR4 internalization, whereas genetic and pharmacological inhibition of RhoA GTPase rescued the decrease in endocytosis of TLR4 and TLR4-MyD88 signaling, and reversed the increase in TLR4-TIR domain-containing adapter-inducing IFN-β signaling induced by p120 depletion. Furthermore, we demonstrated that altered p120 expression in macrophages regulates the inflammatory phenotype of LPS-induced acute lung injury. These results indicate that p120 functions as a differential regulator of TLR4 signaling pathways by facilitating TLR4 endocytic trafficking in macrophages, and support a novel role for p120 in influencing the macrophages in the lung inflammatory response to endotoxin.
Pulmonary vascular resistance of horses decreases with moderate exercise and remains unchanged as workload is increased to maximal exercise.

This study was carried out to examine changes in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) induced by moderate and strenuous exercise; the objective being to understand why pulmonary artery blood pressure of exercising horses increases progressively as work intensity increases. Pulmonary arterial and wedge pressures (referenced at the point of the left shoulder) were determined simultaneously with cardiac output in 2 groups of healthy, sound, exercise-trained horses. Horses in Group 1 (n = 8) were studied at rest and during exercise performed at 8 and 13 m/s; the latter workload eliciting maximal heart rate (mean +/- s.e. 212 +/- 3 beats/min). Horses in Group 2 (n = 7 Thoroughbreds) were studied at rest and during galloping at 14.5 m/s on 5% uphill grade, a workload which elicited maximal heart rate (217 +/- 3 beats/min) and could not be sustained for > 90 s. Pulmonary vascular resistance was calculated by dividing pulmonary perfusion pressure gradient (i.e. mean pulmonary arterial pressure minus mean pulmonary wedge pressure) with cardiac output. Pulmonary arterial and wedge pressures, pulmonary perfusion pressure gradient and cardiac output increased significantly (P < 0.05) with exercise in both groups. There were no differences in PVR between the 2 groups of horses at rest. In Group 1 horses PVR decreased significantly (P < 0.05) with exercise at 8 m/s, but further pulmonary vasodilation did not occur as workload increased to 13 m/s. During exercise at 14.5 m/s on 5% grade, PVR of Group 2 horses also decreased significantly and was not different from values for 8 or 13 m/s in Group 1 horses. It is concluded that PVR reaches its nadir during moderate exercise, presumably due to upper limit of recruitment and distension having been reached. Therefore, in accordance with Ohm's law (P alpha Q x PVR), in going to higher workloads pulmonary blood flow (Q) remained the sole determinant of the rise in pulmonary arterial blood pressure (P). Our data also indicate that pulmonary artery wedge pressure is another variable that is important in determining the absolute value of pulmonary arterial blood pressure.
Singular linear systems of differential equations with delays

The differential equation Ax + Bx = Cx(t-l) + f is studied where A, B, C are square matrices. All matrices are allowed to be singular. Examples are given to show that not all initial functions are consistent and that for consistent initial conditions, solutions may be continuous for only a finite time period. Solutions are given explicitly by a recursion formula and consistent initial conditions are explicitly characterized
Coregulation of collagenase and collagenase inhibitor production by phorbol myristate acetate in human skin fibroblasts

Abstract Phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), a tumor promotor known to stimulate collagenase production in fibroblasts and endothelial cells, was examined with regard to its ability to regulate the expression of the collagenase inhibitor secreted by human skin fibroblasts. Confluent human skin fibroblasts were incubated with concentrations of PMA ranging from 10−11 to 10−7 m , and the conditioned medium was analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for both immunoreactive collagenase and collagenase inhibitor. PMA stimulated the production of both collagenase and collagenase inhibitor in several cell lines to maximal rates that were very similar, 300 to 350 vs 230 to 330 pmol 10 μg DNA−1 48 h−1, respectively. Due to differences in the basal levels of expression of these proteins, such rates reflected a two- to sevenfold stimulation in collagenase production, in comparison to a more uniform two- to threefold enhancement in inhibitor synthesis. Production of inhibitor was 50% of maximal at 7 × 10−9 m and maximal at 10−7 m phorbol. This concentration-dependent effect was very similar to that observed for collagenase expression. Total protein synthesis by the phorbol-conditioned cells, as studied by incorporation of [3H]leucine into newly synthesized protein, was not significantly increased, nor was cellular DNA content. The onset of the effect of PMA on inhibitor production occurred between 4 and 8 h, was maximal by 8 h, and continued undiminished for at least another 64 h. After the first 8 h, inhibitor production continued at a roughly constant rate of ~ 10 pmol 10 μg DNA−1 h−1. Interestingly, following the removal of phorbol from culture medium, such fibroblasts continued to produce increased quantities of inhibitor protein for at least 72 h. Metabolic labeling studies in which fibroblasts were exposed to [3H]leucine followed by immunoprecipitation using inhibitor-specific antibody suggested that stimulation of inhibitor production by PMA was mediated via an increased synthesis of new inhibitor protein. Therefore, in response to the tumor promoter, PMA collagenase and collagenase inhibitor expression by human skin fibroblasts appear to be coregulated.
Supine approach to the sciatic nerve in the popliteal fossa

Purpose Sciatic nerve block in the popliteal fossa (popliteal nerve block, PNB) is an anaesthetic technique well-suited for operations below the knee. However, difficulty with positioning the patient in the prone position often precludes the classical, posterior approach to the block. In this report, an alternative approach to PNB that can easily be performed with a patient in the supine position is described.
Applying ethical principles to the decision to build the Red Hill Creek Expressway

When making decisions about budget expenditures, governments often confront stakeholders with dramatically opposing positions. These stakeholders attempt, through lobbying, to impress on politicians a preferred decision. Frequently forgotten in the process are issues of ethics. The bitter divide of a community over a funding decision would be improved if politicians incorporated the ethical principles of differing values, equal consideration, equitable participation, distributive justice and emphasis on non‐quantifiable factors into the decision process. These five principles are examined in this paper through the evaluation of the decision to build the Red Hill Creek Expressway in the region of Hamilton‐Wentworth in Ontario, Canada. The region’s failure to consider these fundamental principles in their decision‐making process is highlighted by examples from this case.
Stories of the Smartphone in everyday discourse: conflict, tension & instability

As the smartphone proliferates in American society, so too do stories about its value and impact. In this paper we draw on advertisements and news articles to analyze cultural discourse about the smartphone. We highlight two common tropes: one calling for increased technological integration, the other urging individuals to dis-integrate the smartphone from daily life. We examine the idealized subject positions of these two stories and show how both simplistic tropes call on the same overarching values to compel individuals to take opposing actions. We then reflect on the conflicts individuals experience in trying to align and account for their actions in relation to multiple contradictory narratives. Finally, we call for CHI researchers to tell and provoke more complicated stories of technologies and their relationships with values in conversations, publications, and future designs.
Anticipatory postural adjustments during standing in below-the-knee amputees.

Abstract Objective. We studied the role of adaptive changes within the central nervous system in anticipatory postural adjustments seen in unilateral below-the-knee amputees. Design. Changes in electromyographic and mechanical variables were compared during standardized tasks performed by standing subjects. Background. Anticipatory postural adjustments represent an important mechanism of postural control which was expected to be changed in amputees because of both mechanical and secondary, neurological reasons. Methods. Six patients after a below-the-knee amputation and six control subjects stood on a force platform and performed fast bilateral shoulder movements and also dropped or caught a load from (into) extended hands. Anticipatory changes in the background activity of postural muscles were analysed. Results. In amputees, there were cases of marked asymmetry in anticipatory changes of the background muscle activity which were larger on the intact side of the body but were commonly small or absent on the side of the amputation. This asymmetry could lead to larger mediolateral forces and displacements of the centre of pressure. Conclusions. We suggest that asymmetrical patterns of anticipatory postural adjustments reflect central adaptive changes secondary to the amputation. Rehabilitation approaches would benefit from understanding and taking advantage of the adaptive changes within the central nervous system.
A COMPARISON OF THE RESISTANCE OF MALE AND FEMALE RATS TO CORTIN

WHEN LARGR AMOUNTS of cortin are administered to normal male rats Wthere occur atrophy of the adrenal cortices, atrophy of theHEN LARGE AMOUNTSthymus, cessation of body growth and loss of general body weight (i). In the present experiment male and female rats are compared in respect to their resistance t o large amounts of cortin. All of the rats used in this experiment had an initial body weight of 180 gm. Thirty male rats and 22 female rats were killed at this body weight in order to obtain control data on the weights of the adrenals and of the thymus. Thirty male rats and 32 female rats were treated for 1 week with varying amounts of cortin, which was administered in the drinking water. The choice of this method of administering cortin was based on previous comparisons (1, 2) of the drinking water method with the daily injection method in respect to its effects on the cortico'adrenal tissue of normal rats.