cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Striatal-enriched protein-tyrosine phosphatase (STEP) regulates Pyk2 kinase activity.

Proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2 (Pyk2) is a member of the focal adhesion kinase family and is highly expressed in brain and hematopoietic cells. Pyk2 plays diverse functions in cells, including the regulation of cell adhesion, migration, and cytoskeletal reorganization. In the brain, it is involved in the induction of long term potentiation through regulation of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor trafficking. This occurs through the phosphorylation and activation of Src family tyrosine kinase members, such as Fyn, that phosphorylate GluN2B at Tyr1472. Phosphorylation at this site leads to exocytosis of GluN1-GluN2B receptors to synaptic membranes. Pyk2 activity is modulated by phosphorylation at several critical tyrosine sites, including Tyr402. In this study, we report that Pyk2 is a substrate of striatal-enriched protein-tyrosine phosphatase (STEP). STEP binds to and dephosphorylates Pyk2 at Tyr402. STEP KO mice showed enhanced phosphorylation of Pyk2 at Tyr402 and of the Pyk2 substrates paxillin and ASAP1. Functional studies indicated that STEP opposes Pyk2 activation after KCl depolarization of cortical slices and blocks Pyk2 translocation to postsynaptic densities, a key step required for Pyk2 activation and function. This is the first study to identify Pyk2 as a substrate for STEP.
Simulating Voltage-Gated Na and K Ion Channel Kinetics Using Hodgkin- Huxley Mode

Abstract Voltage-gated sodium channels play an important role in action potentials. If enough channels open during a change in the cell's membrane potential, a small but significant number of sodium ( Na + ) ions will move into the cell reducing its electrochemical gradient and further depolarizing the cell. Voltage-gated Na + channels play a fundamental role in the excitability of nerve and muscle cells. Na + channels both open and close more quickly than potassium ( K + ) channels, producing an influx of positive charge ( Na + ) toward the beginning of the action potential and an efflux ( K + ) toward the end. The study of K + channels is essential as they appear to be more diverse in structure and function than any other types of ion channel. K + channels shape the action potential, set the membrane potential, and determine firing rates. There already are some drugs in clinical use that target K + channels which improve our ability to regulate excitability. In this research, we study the influence of voltage dependence on channel activation and inactivation by simulating different channel subtypes as well as the effect of different kinetic parameters on membrane excitability.
α1-Adrenoceptor-mediated sympathetically dependent mechanical hyperalgesia in the rat

The model of rolipram (a type IV phosphodiesterase inhibitor) induced prolongation (> 3 days) of the mechanical hyperalgesia produced by the intradermal injection of prostaglandin E2 in the hairy skin of the hindpaw of the rat, measured by the Randall-Selitto paw-withdrawal test, was employed to study mechanisms involved in the contribution of the sympathetic postganglionic neuron to mechanical hyperalgesia. Lumbar surgical sympathectomy prevented rolipram-induced prolongation of prostaglandin E2 hyperalgesia. Decentralization of sympathetic postganglionic neurons innervating the hindpaw did not, however, effect rolipram-induced prolongation of prostaglandin E2 hyperalgesia. Phentolamine, an alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist, and prazosin, an alpha 1-selective adrenoceptor antagonist, when given systemically or intradermally at the site of injection of prostaglandin E2 and rolipram, blocked rolipram-induced prolongation of prostaglandin E2 hyperalgesia. Intrathecal administration of phentolamine and prazosin were, however, without effect on rolipram-induced prolongation of prostaglandin E2 hyperalgesia. Yohimbine, an alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonist given systemically, intradermally or intrathecally also did not produce any alteration in rolipram-induced prolongation of prostaglandin E2 hyperalgesia. We propose that sympathetic postganglionic neurons are involved in rolipram-induced prolongation of prostaglandin E2 hyperalgesia and that this form of sympathetically dependent hyperalgesia, which is independent of activity in preganglionic sympathetic neurons, is mediated by a peripheral alpha 1-adrenergic mechanism.
Military system of systems architecting with individual system contracts

This paper studies the process of architecting a System of Systems (SoS) where the SoS architect can negotiate with individual systems. Particularly, the SoS architect aims to select a set of systems to provide a set of capabilities required for the SoS as well as the interfaces that enable communications amongst the selected systems. The SoS architect regards a set of three objectives: cost and deadline minimization and performance maximization. The performance levels of the capabilities provided by a system can be improved through additional funds contracted by the SoS architect. The system decides on how to use the allocated funds. We model the resulting Stackelberg game between the SoS architect and the individual systems as a multi-objective multi-level optimization problem. Three evolutionary heuristic methods are proposed and compared in a set of numerical studies. Further numerical studies illustrate the benefits of the modeling approach compared to system contracting after system selection.
The extinction coefficient of fibrinogen from man, dog, elephant, sheep, and goat at 280 mmu.

SummaryFibrinogen from the plasma of man, dog, elephant, sheep, and goat was isolated, purified, and dialyzed free of (NH4)2SO4 against 0.005 M sodium citrate. The optical density at 280 mμ and the total nitrogen (micro-Kjeldahl) were determined on serial dilutions from each specie and the extinction coefficient E (0.1%) calculated. In the case of the dog, least square analysis of 38 determinations reveals that the equation y = 1.583x — 0.044 is the line of best fit, with correlation coefficient of 0.998. The extinction coefficient for a 0.1% solution of dog fibrinogen in 0.005 M sodium citrate is thus 1.583. Extinction coefficients, calculated as the ratio of optical density to fibrinogen concentration without least square analysis, for fibrinogen from other species have also been determined. These extinction coefficients show mean values of 1.55 for man, 1.58 for dog, 1.57 for elephant, 1.55 for sheep and 1.56 for goat, with the average value for all five species being 1.56. The use of this average valu...
Lysophosphatidylcholine uptake and metabolism in the adult rabbit lung

Tracer quantities of 3H-labeled lysoPC and 32P-labeled natural rabbit surfactant were given intratracheally via a bronchoscope and [14C]palmitate was given intravenously to 25 rabbits with labeled PC and lysoPC measured in the alveolar wash, lung homogenate, lamellar bodies and microsomes at five times from 10 min to 6 h after tracheal injection. Surprisingly, only 31% of the administered lysoPC remained in its original form in the total lungs (alveolar wash + lung homogenate) by 10 min, of which 77% was in the alveolar wash. Meanwhile, by 10 min an additional 37% was already converted to PC, of which more than 98% was in the lung homogenate. LysoPC continued to be rapidly and efficiently converted to PC, with 62% conversion measured at 3 h. The converted lysoPC initially appeared with high specific activity in microsomes, then in lamellar bodies, and finally in the alveolar wash. The intravascular palmitate labeled lung PC had similar specific activity-time profiles in the subcellular fractions, while intratracheally administered natural rabbit surfactant had a constantly low specific activity in microsomes and much higher specific activities in lamellar bodies and alveolar wash. Another 25 rabbits received intratracheal lysoPC labeled in both the choline and palmitate moieties and then were studied from 1 to 24 h after tracheal injection. The ratio of the palmitate to choline labels indicated uptake and conversion to PC primarily by direct acylation rather than transacylation and by intact reuptake and conversion rather than breakdown and resynthesis. LysoPC is an attractive 'metabolic probe' of surfactant metabolism which undergoes very rapid and efficient intracellular conversion to PC via a subcellular pathway that parallels the remodeling and de novo synthetic pathways.
A self-approximating transluminal access technique for potential use in NOTES: an ex vivo porcine model (with video)

Background NOTES (natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery) is an area of active research in experimental endoscopy and has the potential to significantly advance the field of minimally invasive surgery. Several investigators have illustrated the need for a transluminal access technique that is safe, reliable, and reproducible. Currently used methods directly cut through the organ wall into the peritoneum; however, rare difficulty in closing the defect with negative outcomes have been described. Objective To evaluate an alternative method for transluminal access. Design An ex vivo, experimental endoscopy study. Setting Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Animal Research Laboratories. Methods By using ex vivo porcine esophagus, stomach, and colon, a submucosal tunnel was created as a means of physically separating the lumen from the peritoneum during transluminal access. Postprocedure leak testing was performed, and all procedures were video recorded. Results Results of the self-approximating transluminal access technique (STAT) in porcine esophagus and stomach demonstrated the technical feasibility of this approach. The STAT was not felt to be feasible in the porcine colon. Limitations This investigation was a limited, ex vivo pilot study and will require further testing in an adequate number of live animals. Conclusions The STAT is technically feasible in porcine esophagus and stomach, and may have advantages over currently used techniques.
Degraded protein adducts of cis-2-butene-1,4-dial are urinary and hepatocyte metabolites of furan

Furan is a liver toxicant and carcinogen in rodents. On the basis of these observations and the large potential for human exposure, furan has been classified as a possible human carcinogen. The mechanism of tumor induction by furan is unknown. However, the toxicity requires cytochrome P450-catalyzed oxidation of furan. The product of this oxidation, cis-2-butene-1,4-dial (BDA), reacts readily with glutathione, amino acids, and DNA and is a bacterial mutagen in Ames assay strain TA104. Characterization of the urinary metabolites of furan is expected to provide information regarding the structure(s) of the reactive metabolite(s). Recently, several urinary metabolites have been identified. We reported the presence of a monoglutathione-BDA reaction product, N-[4-carboxy-4-(3-mercapto-1H-pyrrol-1-yl)-1-oxobutyl]-l-cysteinylglycine cyclic sulfide. Three additional urinary metabolites of furan were also characterized as follows: R-2-acetylamino-6-(2,5-dihydro-2-oxo-1H-pyrrol-1-yl)-1-hexanoic acid, N-acetyl-S-[1-...
A review of evidence for a genetic component in the determination of handedness

Experimental evidence is marshalled in support of some arguments for a significant genetic component in the transmission of human handedness. Studies of infantile lateral asymmetries and their correlation with cerebral dominance, certain highly heritable traits, and handedness are discussed.
Identification of Genes Affecting Hydrogen Sulfide Formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A screen of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae deletion strain set was performed to identify genes affecting hydrogen sulfide (H2S) production. Mutants were screened using two assays: colony color on BiGGY agar, which detects the basal level of sulfite reductase activity, and production of H2S in a synthetic juice medium using lead acetate detection of free sulfide in the headspace. A total of 88 mutants produced darker colony colors than the parental strain, and 4 produced colonies significantly lighter in color. There was no correlation between the appearance of a dark colony color on BiGGY agar and H2S production in synthetic juice media. Sixteen null mutations were identified as leading to the production of increased levels of H2S in synthetic juice using the headspace analysis assay. All 16 mutants also produced H2S in actual juices. Five of these genes encode proteins involved in sulfur containing amino acid or precursor biosynthesis and are directly associated with the sulfate assimilation pathway. The remaining genes encode proteins involved in a variety of cellular activities, including cell membrane integrity, cell energy regulation and balance, or other metabolic functions. The levels of hydrogen sulfide production of each of the 16 strains varied in response to nutritional conditions. In most cases, creation of multiple deletions of the 16 mutations in the same strain did not lead to a further increase in H2S production, instead often resulting in decreased levels.
Graphics and engineering: computer generated color sound movies

Over the history of computing, substantial effort has been directed toward improving the throughput of digital computer systems. Only recently, however, has a significant effort been devoted to enhancing the intelligibility of output. Computers are excellent tools for the inhalation of massive quantities of input and the disgorgement of massive quantities of output. Frequently, as applications and systems programmers, our task is to create some order out of the chaos. The need for this effort is nowhere more apparent than in the display of computer-generated engineering data.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults Implications for Theories of Diagnosis

The diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults has been a source of controversy, with some prominent researchers questioning its very existence and others suggesting it is an urgent clinical problem. This article reviews five domains of data addressing the validity of adult ADHD: clinical correlates, family history, treatment response, laboratory studies, and long-term outcome. It then shows how the debate over adult ADHD reflects a clash of theoretical paradigms and concludes by suggesting ways in which psychological science can collect the data needed to clarify the validity of adult ADHD.
Perception of structure from motion: is projective correspondence of moving elements a necessary condition?

A fundamental assumption of almost all existing computational analyses of the perception of structure from motion is that moving elements on the retina projectively correspond to identifiable moving points in three-dimensi onal space. The present investigation was designed to determine the psychological validity of this assumption in several different contexts. The results demonstrate that the ability of human observers to perceive structure from motion is much more general than would be reasonable to expect on the basis of existing theory. Observers can experience a compelling kinetic depth effect even when the pattern of optical motion is contaminated by large amounts of visual noise (e.g., where the signal to noise ratio is less than 0.15). Moreover, the optical deformations of shading, texture, or selfoccluding contours, which would be treated as noise by existing computational models, are analyzed by human observers as perceptually salient sources of information about an object's three-dimensional form. These results suggest that the modular analyses of visual information that currently dominate the literature will have to be modified if they are to account for the high level of generality exhibited by human observers.
Neuron Learning to Brain Organization

The sequence of articles having been changed so that Professor Hubel’s article could appear first allows experiment, appropriately, to precede theory. Whether theory is at all possible in this area (not to say fruitful) is indeed one of the questions we must consider.
Influence of guest vapor‐liquid critical point on hydrate formation conditions

Hydrates are crystalline compounds consisting of water in a cage like structure around smaller guest molecules, such as methane, ethane, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. Many phase equilibria data are available for three natural gas hydrate crystal structures: structure 1, structure 2, and a recently discovered structure H. This note presents an interpretation of slope changes in pressure-temperature phase diagrams, with respect to hydrate crystal structure transitions.
IMPROVING WOMEN'S PERFORMANCE IN MIXED‐SEX SITUATIONS BY EFFORT ATTRIBUTIONS

Seventy-two males and 72 females in either mixed-sex, same-sex or alone situations were led to fail on an initial task. Prior to a second task, they were given either a neutral orientation or an ego-involving orientation emphasizing attributions to effort. Without the effort attribution, women in the mixed-sex situation had lower expectations than men, performed worse, rewarded themselves less and attributed their poor performance to a lack of ability more than men did. In the same-sex and alone situations, however, the women's expectations, performance and self-reward did not differ between the effort and neutral conditions, nor did their behaviors differ from the men's. The men's expectations, performance, and preference for task difficulty attributions were not affected by the experimental manipulations. These data demonstrated the benefit of “attribution therapy” for women working in the presence of men.
Eating among teens: Do family mealtimes make a difference for adolescents' nutrition?

Adolescents are at risk for poor dietary intake and unhealthy weight control behaviors. Family meals appear to play an important role in helping adolescents make healthier food choices and avoid engaging in unhealthy weight control and binge eating behaviors.
Aldehyde dehydrogenases: Widespread structural and functional diversity within a shared framework

Sequences of 16 NAD and/or NADP-linked aldehyde oxidoreductases are aligned, including representative examples of all aldehyde dehydrogenase forms with wide substrate preferences as well as additional types with distinct specificities for certain metabolic aldehyde intermediates, particularly semialdehydes, yielding pairwise identities from 15 to 83%. Eleven of 23 invariant residues are glycine and three are proline, indicating evolutionary restraint against alteration of peptide chain-bending points. Additionally, another 66 positions show high conservation of residue type, mostly hydrophobic residues. Ten of these occur in predicted beta-strands, suggesting important interior-packing interactions. A single invariant cysteine residue is found, further supporting its catalytic role. A previously identified essential glutamic acid residue is conserved in all but methyl malonyl semialdehyde dehydrogenase, which may relate to formation by that enzyme of a CoA ester as a product rather than a free carboxylate species. Earlier, similarity to a GXGXXG segment expected in the NAD-binding site was noted from alignments with fewer sequences. The same region continues to be indicated, although now only the first glycine residue is strictly conserved and the second (usually threonine) is not present at all, suggesting greater variance in coenzyme-binding interactions.
Effect of mask pattern fidelity on 193-nm lithography performance

As device technology shrinks beyond 0.13um, extensive resolution enhancement techniques such as PSM and OPC are employed in an attempt to gain usable photo process windows. Pattern fidelity on a mask measured in terms of corner rounding and line end shortening significantly influences the expected wafer performance. In this work, we report the effects of mask making parameters on the mask pattern fidelity and the resulting wafer pattern fidelity.
Complex ICA of Brain Imaging Data [Life Sciences]

This paper discusses the advantages of independent component analysis over traditional model based data analysis techniques, e.g. linear regression and its applications to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
A thermodynamic analysis of the secondary transition in the spontaneous precipitation of calcium phosphate.

A thermodynamic analysis has been made of the secondary transition stage in the spontaneous precipitation of calcium phosphate following the amorphous-crystalline transformation. The first formed crystalline material has a solubility similar to that of octacalcium phosphate (OCP) and the computed thermodynamic solubility product remains invariant in the pH range 7.00–8.60. The duration of the secondary stage is sensitive to pH and the transition appears to occur by hydrolysis of the first formed OCP-like phase to a more basic apatitic phase with a tricalcium phosphate (TCP) stoichiometry. The crystalline material at the end of this transition has an invariant solubility product, in the pH range 7.00 to 8.60, when the TCP-like molecular formula is assumed. Changes in the solution chemistry which accompany the solid-tosolid transitions are consistent with the above conclusions. The results of this study are also consistent with those of a previous study which suggest that the stability of the amorphous calcium phosphate phase is dependent upon the instability of the solution phase with respect to OCP formation.
Puccinia hemerocallidis, Cause of Daylily Rust, a Newly Introduced Disease in the Americas

A rust of daylilies was introduced recently into North and Central America. In order to confirm the identity of this rust as Puccinia hemerocallidis, numerous specimens from Costa Rica and the United States were examined morphologically and compared with specimens from China, Japan, Russia, and Taiwan. In addition, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal DNA was sequenced from six representative fresh specimens from the Americas and Asia. We conclude that the rust introduced into the Americas is P. hemerocallidis, for which a modern description is provided with illustrations of the uredinial and telial stages.
Studies on the in vivo induction and suppression of direct and lectin-dependent, cell-mediated cytotoxicity

Abstract Alloimmunization (C57BL/6, anti-P815) can result in the development of cytolytic effector cells capable of mediating direct antigen-specific, cell-mediated cytotoxicity (DCMC) and nonspecific lectin-dependent, cell-mediated cytotoxicity (LDCC). The induction of DCMC appeared to require challenge with large numbers (108) of viable replicating P815 cells, whereas LDCC reactivity was obtained following challenge with high or low (104) numbers of replicating or mitomycin C-treated P815 cells. Other alloantigen preparations, e.g., soluble antigen or membrane preparations, failed to induce DCMC or LDCC. An examination of the effects of high- and low-dose challenge using viable P815 cells demonstrated that high-dose challenge resulted in strong DCMC, LDCC, a readily detectable humoral response, and some delayed-type hypersensitivity, whereas low-dose challenge yielded LDCC, strong delayed-type hypersensitivity, and suppressor cell activity. The development of DCMC was severely suppressed in animals primed with a low-dose P815 challenge and subsequently rechallenged with 108 P815. Further development of LDCC was similarly suppressed. It appears that although both DCMC and LDCC effector cells are susceptible to previously activated suppression, during a primary in vivo response a portion of the LDCC effector cells develop beyond a critical stage before suppression is expressed.
Changing the view

It would be a daunting group for anyone with white-coat hypertension: eleven medical students, a faculty physician, three residents, and two other team members, one of whom is me. We slide through the doors of the intensive care room and draw the curtains, lest hospital visitors think the patient is
Midcareer and Senior Faculty Learning Communities: Learning throughout Faculty Careers.

Faculty members' productivity may shift over time, not as a function of age but as a function of the amount of time a senior faculty member spends with colleagues (Bland and Bergquist, 1997). This chapter shows how faculty learning communities can provide the opportunities and connections that senior and midcareer faculty need to continue productive academic lives.
Head and neck cancer metastasis prediction via artificial neural networks

Cancers in head and neck tends to spread to nearby lymph nodes. Lymph nodes trap the spreading tumor cells but then the tumor starts to grow in these nodes and then spread further. Our project is aimed to (1) predict the secondary regions of lymph nodes where a given primary tumor can metastasize, and (2) to generalize a pattern for lymph nodes metastasis of head and neck cancer by using artificial neural networks (ANN). The raw data for the analysis is provided by Dr. Lincoln Gray, Acta Otolaryngologica 2000, of 130 cases of pathologically-positive oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) from UK. Seven primary sites for tumors are identified: 1) buccal mucosa, 2) tongue, 3) retromolar trigone, 4) floor of mouth, 5) ventral tongue, 6) oropharynx, 7) lower alveolus. Ten secondary regions of lymph nodes metastasis are observed: five regions each on the same/opposite side (ipsilateral/contralateral) as the primary tumor site. In our oral squamous cell carcinoma study using ANN, we explore data analysis approach with two ANN methods: (1) a supervised multilayer feed forward back propagation (back-prop) method, and (2) an unsupervised self organizing map (SOM) method. This experience provides insight into implementation of ANN and directions to future investigation. The results from back-prop are comparable to that using multidimensional scaling (MDS) with respect to prediction of lymph nodes that have highest percentage of being metastasized, while SOM requires further work to identify clustering for individual primary cancer as well as next level of lymph node metastases.
Determination of rate constants for polymerization of styrene initiated by 2,2′‐azobisisobutyronitrile by utilizing steady‐state population densities

A theoretical description of chain-growth polymerization is presented in terms of a distributed parameter model. Analysis of molecular distributions of macromolecular materials results in graphical procedures capable of yielding absolute values for kinetic constants. A steady-state analysis of styrene polymerizations initiated with 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile in toluene yielded the following rate information, which is in qualitative agreement with previously published results: f = 0.4; Ki = 1.58 × 1015 exp {−30,800/RT} Ktc/K2p = 1.10 × 10−5 exp {13,200/RT}.
Commentary: Causal pathways of relative motor vehicle crash fatality risk are hard to estimate from police records

Comments on: Lardelli-Claret P, et al. Association of age, sex and seat belt use with the risk of early death in drivers of passenger cars involved in fatal traffic crashes. Int J Epidemiol 2009;38:1128-34. Language: en
Depressed liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy of germ-free, athymic and lipopolysaccharide-resistant mice

A hypothesis has been proposed by this laboratory that endogenous gut-derived lipopolysaccharide is responsible for systemic endotoxemia in animals with acute liver injury particularly after partial (67%) hepatectomy. Systemic lipopolysaccharide and possibly fibrin aggregates or tissue debris then elicit release of cytokines from phagocytizing macrophages and/or monocytes that may be essential for normal liver regeneration. To test this hypothesis liver regeneration was assessed in germ-free euthymic mice that lack the gram-negative bacterial source of lipopolysaccharide, as well as being deficient in lymphoid tissue and relatively resistant to endotoxin. To complement the germ-free animals, conventional athymic nude BALB/c mice and conventional lipopolysaccharide-resistant C3H/HeJ mice were also examined. Liver regeneration, quantified by [3H] thymidine incorporation into hepatic DNA after partial hepatectomy was performed on mice anesthetized with ether, was significantly depressed in germ-free euthymic and conventional athymic BALB/c mice and delayed in conventional lipopolysaccharide-resistant C3H/HeJ mice, as compared with conventional control BALB/c and C3H/HeN animals. Pretreatment of conventional euthymic control mice with lipopolysaccharide 24 hr before surgery significantly stimulated hepatic DNA synthesis after 67% liver resection. Germ-free euthymic, conventional athymic, and conventional lipopolysaccharide-resistant mice pretreated with endotoxin did not manifest significant stimulation of liver regeneration. Evidence is reviewed that cytokine release in response to endotoxin was depressed in germ-free euthymic, conventional athymic, and conventional lipopolysaccharide-resistant mice as compared with conventional euthymic controls.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Channel probing for opportunistic access with multi-channel sensing

We consider an opportunistic communication system consisting of multiple independent channels with time-varying states. We formulate the problem of optimal sequential channel selection as a restless multi-armed bandit process, for which a powerful policy-Whittle's index policy-can be implemented based on the indexability of the system. We obtain Whittle's index in closed-form under the average reward criterion, which leads to the direct implementation of Whittle's index policy. To evaluate the performance of Whittle's index policy, we provide simple algorithms to calculate an upper bound of the optimal performance. The tightness of the upper bound and the near-optimal performance of Whittle's index policy are illustrated with simulation examples. When channels are stochastically identical, we show that Whittle's index policy is equivalent to the myopic policy, which has a simple and robust structure. Based on this structure, we establish the approximation factors of the performance of Whittle's index policy. Furthermore, we show that Whittle's index policy is optimal under certain conditions.
An analysis of therapist treatment effects: Toward providing feedback to individual therapists on their clients' psychotherapy outcome

This study examined data collected on over 5,000 clients seen by 71 therapists over a 6-year period in a University Counseling Center. Clients were given the Outcome Questionnaire-45 (OQ-45) on a session-by-session basis to track their treatment response. Data were also collected on therapists' theoretical orientation, years of experience, gender, and type of training. Data were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to see if general therapist traits (i.e., theoretical orientation, type of training) accounted for differences in clients' rate of improvement. Data were then analyzed, again using HLM with therapists as a fixed effect, to compare individual therapists to see if there were significant differences in the efficiency of treatment. In addition, pre- minus posttest OQ-45 scores were examined to see if there were differences in the overall outcome of clients. There was a significant amount of variation among therapists' clients' rates of improvement. Therapist feedback reports were generated to summarize client outcome for individual providers in contrast to center averages and in an attempt to improve client outcome.
Application caching for cloud-sensor systems

Driven by critical and pressing smart city applications, accessing massive numbers of sensors by cloud-hosted services is becoming an emerging and inevitable situation. Naively connecting massive numbers of sensors to the cloud raises major scalability and energy challenges. An architecture embodying distributed optimization is needed to manage the scale and to allow limited energy sensors to last longer in such a dynamic and high-velocity big data system. We developed a multi-tier architecture which we call Cloud, Edge and Beneath (CEB). Based on CEB, we propose an Application Fragment Caching Algorithm (AFCA) which selectively caches application fragments from the cloud to lower layers of CEB to improve cloud scalability. Through experiments, we show and measure the effect of AFCA on cloud scalability.
Observations of fibre orientation in simple shear flow of semi-dilute suspensions

The orientations of fibres in a semi-dilute, index-of-refraction-matched suspension in a Newtonian fluid were observed in a cylindrical Couette device. Even at the highest concentration (nL3 = 45), the particles rotated around the vorticity axis, spending most of their time nearly aligned in the flow direction as they would do in a Jeffery orbit. The measured orbit-constant distributions were quite different from the dilute orbit-constant distributions measured by Anczurowski & Mason (1967b) and were described well by an anisotropic, weak rotary diffusion. The measured ϕ-distributions were found to be similar to Jeffery's solution. Here, ϕ is the meridian angle in the flow-gradient plane. The shear viscosities measured by Bibbo (1987) compared well with the values predicted by Shaqfeh & Fredrickson's theory (1990) using moments of the orientation distribution measured here.
Structural basis of nucleoside and nucleoside drug selectivity by concentrative nucleoside transporters

DNA molecules are made from four bases—often named ‘G’, ‘A’, ‘C’, and ‘T’—that are arranged along a backbone made of sugars and phosphate groups. Chemicals called nucleosides are essentially the same as these four building blocks of DNA (and other similar molecules) but without the phosphate groups. Proteins called nucleoside transporters are found in the membranes that surround cells and can pump nucleosides into the cell. These transporters also allow drugs that are made from modified nucleosides to enter cells; however, it was previously unclear how different transporters recognized and imported specific nucleosides. Like other proteins, nucleoside transporters are basically strings of amino acids that have folded into a specific three-dimensional shape. A protein's shape is often important for defining what that protein can do, as often other molecules must bind to proteins—much like a key fitting into a lock. Johnson et al. have now revealed the three-dimensional structure of one nucleoside transporter protein bound to different nucleosides and nucleoside-derived chemicals, including three anti-cancer drugs and one anti-viral drug. Some of these chemicals were shown to bind more strongly to the transporter protein than others, and examining the three-dimensional structures revealed that the different chemicals interacted with slightly different amino acids in the transporter protein. Johnson et al. then used this information to chemically modify an anticancer drug so that it is transported more easily into cells and is imported by only one of the subtypes of nucleoside transporters that are found in humans. This provides proof of principle that information about the structure and function of a transporter protein can help to redesign chemicals such that they can enter cells more efficiently, and to tailor them for transport by specific transporters. A similar approach may in the future allow researchers to design new nucleoside-derived drugs that are better at getting inside specific cells and, as such, provide effective treatments against cancers and viral infections.
Slipping the Surly Bonds of the Medical/Rehabilitation Model In Expert Witness Testimony

This essay asserts that the new academic discipline of disability studies challenges the medical/rehabilitation models of disability and that this challenge has an impact on expert witness testimony. This assertion is based on the author’s experience in a civil sexual assault trial involving a male resident of a group home facility assaulted by another male resident of the group home. The author was surprised to find that her status as a visiting professor in the new academic discipline of disability studies trumped the testimony of the clinical expert witnesses, including a licensed psychologist, a behavioral specialist, and a case manager.
TRANSATLANTIC SOLIDARITY IN THE AGE OF GLOBALIZATION

Dans cet article, l'A fait part de ses refexions concernant la culture francaise a l'heure de la mondialisation. L'A revient sur les principes universalistes de la culture francaise en opposition au modele d'integration americain, pour deconstruire les stereotypes socioculturels ayant cours des deux cotes de l'Atlantique
Photoacoustic microscopy of arteriovenous shunts and blood diffusion in early-stage tumors

Angiogenesis in a tumor region creates arteriovenous (AV) shunts that cause an abnormal venous blood oxygen saturation ( sO2 ) distribution. Here, we applied optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy to study the AV shunting in vivo. First, we built a phantom to image sO2 distribution in a vessel containing converged flows from two upstream blood vessels with different sO2 values. The phantom experiment showed that the blood from the two upstream vessels maintained a clear sO2 boundary for hundreds of seconds, which is consistent with our theoretical analysis using a diffusion model. Next, we xenotransplanted O-786 tumor cells in mouse ears and observed abnormal sO2 distribution in the downstream vein from the AV shunts in vivo. Finally, we identified the tumor location by tracing the sO2 distribution. Our study suggests that abnormal sO2 distribution induced by the AV shunts in the vessel network may be used as a new functional benchmark for early tumor detection.
Nuclear cyclophilins affect spliceosome assembly and function in vitro.

Cyclophilins are ubiquitously expressed proteins that bind to prolines and can catalyse cis/trans isomerization of proline residues. There are 17 annotated members of the cyclophilin family in humans, ubiquitously expressed and localized variously to the cytoplasm, nucleus or mitochondria. Surprisingly, all eight of the nuclear localized cyclophilins are found associated with spliceosomal complexes. However, their particular functions within this context are unknown. We have therefore adapted three established assays for in vitro pre-mRNA splicing to probe the functional roles of nuclear cyclophilins in the context of the human spliceosome. We find that four of the eight spliceosom-associated cyclophilins exert strong effects on splicing in vitro. These effects are dose-dependent and, remarkably, uniquely characteristic of each cyclophilin. Using both qualitative and quantitative means, we show that at least half of the nuclear cyclophilins can act as regulatory factors of spliceosome function in vitro. The present work provides the first quantifiable evidence that nuclear cyclophilins are splicing factors and provides a novel approach for future work into small molecule-based modulation of pre-mRNA splicing.
Goal Attainment Scaling in Fieldwork: Client Competencies and Student Achievement

Date Presented 4/17/2015 A program evaluation using Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) was conducted to assess student learning and level of client goal attainment. Analyses revealed significant improvements and support the use of GAS as a useful method for measuring both student learning and client outcomes.
When Will We Agree on the Origin and Meaning of 'Wellbeing'?

Quality of life is a nebulous term that is applied in medicine to assess the impact of disease states on the overall health of affected patients. It is difficult to measure, subject to interpretation based on the relative experiences of those assessing and reporting it, and there are no assessments or tools available to describe or determine the relative contributions of particular disease states and the affected person’s constitution and pre-morbid state or personality to their quality of life.
142 PLASMA CELL LEUKEMIA

Background Plasma cell leukemia (PCL) is an aggressive and uncommon plasma cell dyscrasia. It occurs in 2-4% of all cases of multiple myeloma and is diagnosed by a plasma cell count greater than 2 × 109/L in the peripheral blood, and/or plasma cells (PC) comprising greater than 20% of the peripheral leukocytes. Approximately 60-70% of cases present as primary disease and the rest as a secondary transformation of myeloma into a leukemic phase. PCL is characterized by an aggressive presentation, including extramedullary involvement, profound thrombocytopenia, and a high tumor burden marked by elevated lactate dehydrogenase levels. Methods A 65 year old white male was transferred to our hospital after presenting with low back pain and a gastrointestinal bleed. He was found to have erosive esophagitis as well as renal failure, anemia, thrombocytopenia, and hypercalcemia. After stabilization, the patient was transferred to our hospital. His laboratory workup revealed a calcium of 11.4, creatinine of 4.2, albumin of 2.6, leukocyte count of 17,300, hemoglobin of 11.4, platelet count of 21,000, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) of 694 and β2-microglobulin (B2M) of 16.8. Radiographic studies revealed a compression fracture of the second lumbar vertebra as well as lucencies of his skull. Results Serum and urine protein electrophoresis and immunofixation revealed monoclonal production of kappa light chains in the urine. Flow cytometry was performed when plasma cells and atypical lymphocytes were found in peripheral blood. A large population of cells marked for CD38, CD56, and CD138 but negative for CD19, CD20, CD45, and CD79A. Cytogenetic analysis revealed monosomy 20 and a deletion of chromosome 1p. The diagnosis of plasma cell leukemia was made and combination chemotherapy was initiated using vincristine, Adriamycin, and dexamethasone. Conclusion We report a case of primary PCL with an aggressive presentation and a course that is typical of this disease. There was a high tumor burden, as marked by the elevated LDH and B2M. The median survival is approximately seven months. Survival is significantly improved by combination chemotherapy over melphalan and prednisone.
Introduction to Remote Sensing

Remote sensing is a field of technology designed to enable people to look beyond the range of human vision. Whether it is over the horizon, beyond our limited human range, or in a spectral range outside human perception, we are in search of information. The focus here will be on imaging systems that extend our range of perception, particularly in the realms of intelligence, strategy, tactics, and military applications. To begin, consider one of the first remote-sensing images. Figure 1.1 shows a photograph by Gaspard-FA©lix Tournachon (Gaspard was also known by his pseudonym, Nadar). Gaspard took this aerial photo of Paris in 1868 from the Hippodrome Balloon, tethered 1700 ft above Paris. Contrast this with the cover photo taken by Apollo 17, just one hundred years later. This is a fairly classic remote-sensing imageâa representation from a specific place and time of an area of interest. What sorts of things can be learned from such an image? Where, for instance, are the streets? What buildings are there? What are the purposes of those buildings? Which buildings are still there today? These are the elements of information that we want to extract from our imagery. In the material that follows, a model is established for extracting information from remote-sensing data. Following that section, remote-sensing data from a variety of systems is introduced to provide an early overview of the domains of the field.
Human Evolution and Progress

Abstract The process of evolution appears as obviously progressive. The earliest organisms on earth were no more complex than today's bacteria. Three billion years later, their descendants include orchids, ants, sharks, alligators, and eagles, which have appeared successively over several hundred million years, and our species, Homo sapiens, which came into existence within the last 200,000 years. But what do we mean when we say that there has been progress in the evolutionary process? Organisms may be progressive with respect to some attributes, but regressive with respect to others. For example, bacteria are able to synthesize all their components; human beings depend on other organisms. Moreover, most evolutionary lineages became extinct. Change, evolution, and directionality are concepts related to, but importantly different from the concept of progress. The concept of progress implies directional change toward a better state or condition. It contains two elements: one descriptive, that directional change has taken place; the other evaluative, that the change represents an improvement or amelioration. According to the continuity of the direction of change, progress may be uniform or not. According to the scope of the sequence under consideration, progress may be general or particular. There are many criteria by which particular forms of net progress have occurred in evolution. Among the most meaningful is the ability of the organism to obtain and process information about the environment, which in multicellular animals is mediated by the nervous system. The ability to perceive the environment and to integrate, coordinate, and react flexibly to what is perceived has attained its highest degree in the human species.
High-Dose Citalopram and Escitalopram and the Risk of Out-of-Hospital Death.

Objective Studies demonstrating that higher doses of citalopram (> 40 mg) and escitalopram (> 20 mg) prolong the corrected QT interval prompted regulatory agency warnings, which are controversial, given the absence of confirmatory clinical outcome studies. We compared the risk of potential arrhythmia-related deaths for high doses of these selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) to that for equivalent doses of fluoxetine, paroxetine, and sertraline. Methods The Tennessee Medicaid retrospective cohort study included 54,220 persons 30-74 years of age without cancer or other life-threatening illness who were prescribed high-dose SSRIs from 1998 through 2011. The mean age was 47 years, and 76% were female. Demographic characteristics and comorbidity for individual SSRIs were comparable. Because arrhythmia-related deaths are typically sudden and occur outside the hospital, we analyzed out-of-hospital sudden unexpected death as well as sudden cardiac deaths, a more specific indicator of proarrhythmic effects. Results The adjusted risk of sudden unexpected death for citalopram did not differ significantly from that for the other SSRIs. The respective hazard ratios (HRs) for citalopram versus escitalopram, fluoxetine, paroxetine, and sertraline were 0.84 (95% CI, 0.40-1.75), 1.24 (95% CI, 0.75-2.05), 0.75 (95% CI, 0.45-1.24), and 1.53 (95% CI, 0.91-2.55). There were no significant differences for sudden cardiac death or all study deaths, nor were there significant differences among high-risk patients (≥ 60 years of age, upper quartile baseline cardiovascular risk). Escitalopram users had no significantly increased risk for any study end point. Conclusions We found no evidence that risk of sudden unexpected death, sudden cardiac death, or total mortality for high-dose citalopram and escitalopram differed significantly from that for comparable doses of fluoxetine, paroxetine, and sertraline.
Wider einen Technisierungswahn!? Neue Medien zwischen Euphorie undApokalypse

Zusammenfassung. Fur viele sind neue Medien der Schlussel, um Bildung und Erziehung zu revolutionieren. Aber was wissen wir uber ihren Einfluss auf den Lernprozess? Welche Moglichkeiten und Grenzen sind mit dem Einsatz von neuen Medien verbunden? Und welche Konsequenzen ergeben sich daraus fur padagogische Interventionen? Diese Fragen werden im vorliegenden Beitrag diskutiert und am Beispiel von Schule und Unterricht konkretisiert. Zentral ist dabei die These, dass derzeit ein Technisierungswahn zu beobachten ist. Dieser lauft Gefahr, mehr Schaden als Nutzen anzurichten, weil er neue Medien als Heilsbringer fur Bildungserfolg stilisiert und damit aber einen didaktischen Grundsatz aus den Augen verliert: Padagogik vor Technik.