cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cryoelectron microscopy of a nucleating model bile in vitreous ice: formation of primordial vesicles.

Abstract Because gallstones form so frequently in human bile, pathophysiologically relevant supersaturated model biles are commonly employed to study cholesterol crystal formation. We used cryo-transmission electron microscopy, complemented by polarizing light microscopy, to investigate early stages of cholesterol nucleation in model bile. In the system studied, the proposed microscopic sequence involves the evolution of small unilamellar to multilamellar vesicles to lamellar liquid crystals and finally to cholesterol crystals. Small aliquots of a concentrated (total lipid concentration=29.2g/dl) model bile containing 8.5% cholesterol, 22.9% egg yolk lecithin, and 68.6% taurocholate (all mole %) were vitrified at 2min to 20 days after fourfold dilution to induce supersaturation. Mixed micelles together with a category of vesicles denoted primordial, small unilamellar vesicles of two distinct morphologies (sphere/ellipsoid and cylinder/arachoid), large unilamellar vesicles, multilamellar vesicles, and cholesterol monohydrate crystals were imaged. No evidence of aggregation/fusion of small unilamellar vesicles to form multilamellar vesicles was detected. Low numbers of multilamellar vesicles were present, some of which were sufficiently large to be identified as liquid crystals by polarizing light microscopy. Dimensions, surface areas, and volumes of spherical/ellipsoidal and cylindrical/arachoidal vesicles were quantified. Early stages in the separation of vesicles from micelles, referred to as primordial vesicles, were imaged 23–31min after dilution. Observed structures such as enlarged micelles in primordial vesicle interiors, segments of bilayer, and faceted edges at primordial vesicle peripheries are probably early stages of small unilamellar vesicle assembly. A decrease in the mean surface area of spherical/ellipsoidal vesicles was correlated with the increased production of cholesterol crystals at 10–20 days after supersaturation by dilution, supporting the role of small unilamellar vesicles as key players in cholesterol nucleation and as cholesterol donors to crystals. This is the first visualization of an intermediate structure that has been temporally linked to the development of small unilamellar vesicles in the separation of vesicles from micelles in a model bile and suggests a time-resolved system for further investigation.
83 Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy and Neonatal RDS: First Evidence of a Correlation

BACKGROUND Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP) impairs the placental clearance of bile acids (BA) and has been associated with perinatal morbidity but no adverse outcomes have been reported in the newborn. We have recently supposed a causative role of ICP in 3 cases of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in near term neonates in which the most common etiologies were excluded. For this reason we conducted a retrospective cohort study to verify the association between ICP and RDS and to clarify the role of BA in the RDS occurrence. METHODS We took data from our Division database about all newborns born during the years 2000 - 2004. Infants with Apgar's score < 7 at 5 minutes, any evidence of liver disease, major malformations or chromosomal aberrations were excluded from the study. Study neonates were 77 infants born from pregnancies complicated by the only ICP whereas control neonates were 427 infants born from pregnancy without any signs of ICP. In the ICP group we also studied maternal BA levels just before the delivery and neonatal BA levels during the first 24 hour of life. RESULTS Univariate analysis showed a double incidence of RDS among newborns from ICP pregnancies(28.6% vs. 14%; p < 0.001). In the multivariate analysis, after adjustment for gestational age, sex and rate of antenatal steroids, ICP still was a factor significantly associated to the occurrence of neonatal RDS. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that ICP can play a significant role in the genesis of RDS in near term and mild preterm infants in which other causes are uncommon. BA can produce surfactant inactivation in the alveoli reverting the reaction of phospholipase A2. In the lungs. Prospective studies are needed to answer several open questions.
New and Emerging Anticoagulant Therapy for Atrial Fibrillation and Acute Coronary Syndrome

Abstract Thrombosis is an underlying cause of many cardiovascular disorders, and generation of thrombi in the arterial circulation can lead to unstable angina, myocardial infarction, or ischemic stroke. Antithrombotic therapy is widely used, with proven benefit to prevent ischemic stroke and thromboembolic events in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) or to prevent further ischemic complications in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Traditional anticoagulants (including unfractionated heparin, low-molecular-weight heparin, and warfarin) and antiplatelet agents (including aspirin, clopidogrel, and prasugrel) are typically used for these indications. Limitations to their use include variable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles, inability to inhibit fibrin-bound thrombin, risk of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, delayed onset of action, numerous drug interactions, need for substantial laboratory monitoring and dosage titrations, hyporesponsiveness or resistance, hypersensitivity, adverse events, and bleeding. To overcome some of the limitations of traditional agents, new antithrombotic agents under development are highly selective for specific coagulation factors blocking the synthesis of thrombin. Clinicians must have an understanding of the new anticoagulants to aid in the selection of appropriate therapies for patients. We describe the most relevant phases II and III clinical trials that evaluated several recent emerging anticoagulant drugs for use in patients with AF or ACS. The advantages of many new agents include predictable pharmaco-dynamic response and pharmacokinetic parameters, allowing for fixed oral dosing with no need for laboratory monitoring. For patients with AF, dabigatran is already approved for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism, rivaroxaban appears to be an effective alternative to warfarin in high-risk patients, and apixaban may also be an effective alternative to aspirin in patients unable to take warfarin. Otamixaban shows promise as an intravenous alternative for patients with ACS in the acute care setting. Likewise, rivaroxaban, dabigatran, and darexaban with or without dual antiplatelet therapy may be beneficial for secondary prevention of ischemic events in patients with ACS.
Neutral Lipids in Snail Conditioned Water from Two Strains ofHelisoma trivolvis(Gastropoda: Planorbidae)

Abstract Densitometric thin-layer chromatography (TLC) was used to study neutral lipids in snail conditioned water (SCW) from two strains of Helisoma trivolvis (Colorado and Pennsylvania strains). Snail conditioned water with feces (SCW-WF) and snail conditioned water without feces (SCW-WOF) were analyzed. Free sterol was the major lipid fraction released during the first 2 h of incubation by the Colorado (CO) and the Pennsylvania (PA) strains. The major neutral lipid fraction in SCW-WF released by the CO strain within 4 h postincubation was free sterol, while the major fraction released within 4 h by the PA strain was free fatty acid. The mean ± SE of free sterol released within 4 h by the CO and PA strains, 0.6 ± 0.1 and 3 ± 2 μg per snail per ml of water, respectively, was not significantly greater than that released within 2 h, 0.5 ± 0.2 and 0.1 ± 0.5 μg per snail per ml of water, respectively. The free fatty acid released within 4 h by the CO and PA strains, 0.3 ± 0.1 and 4 ± 2 μg per snail per ml of water, respectively, was significantly greater than that released within 2 h, 0.04 ± 0.01 and 0.10 ± 0.02 μg per snail per ml of water, respectively. The major neutral lipid in SCW-WOF at 2 h postincubation was free sterol for both strains. The mean ± SE of free sterol released within 4 h by the CO and PA strains, 0.7 ± 0.2 and 0.9 ± 0.8 μg per snail per ml of water, respectively, was not significantly greater than that released within 2 h, 0.6 ± 0.2 and 0.7 ± 0.2 μg per snail per ml of water, respectively. By 4 h postincubation, the major neutral lipid in SCW from both strains was free fatty acid. The mean ± SE of free fatty acids released within 4 h by the CO and PA strains was 0.7 ± 0.5 and 3.1 ± 0.5 μg per snail per ml of water, respectively. The free fatty acid fraction released within 2 h by the CO and PA strains was below the quantification level of the experiment, 0.12 μg per snail per ml of water for each strain. Snails also released a hydrocarbon fraction that was not quantified. The lipids in the fecal and mucous extracts of both snail strains were analyzed qualitatively by TLC, and the zones were similar to those seen in the analyses of SCW-WF. However, the zones were more intense in fecal than in mucous extracts. The significance of these neutral lipids as chemoattractants remains to be determined.
Parallel Active Learning: Eliminating Wait Time with Minimal Staleness

A practical concern for Active Learning (AL) is the amount of time human experts must wait for the next instance to label. We propose a method for eliminating this wait time independent of specific learning and scoring algorithms by making scores always available for all instances, using old (stale) scores when necessary. The time during which the expert is annotating is used to train models and score instances--in parallel--to maximize the recency of the scores. Our method can be seen as a parameterless, dynamic batch AL algorithm. We analyze the amount of staleness introduced by various AL schemes and then examine the effect of the staleness on performance on a part-of-speech tagging task on the Wall Street Journal. Empirically, the parallel AL algorithm effectively has a batch size of one and a large candidate set size but eliminates the time an annotator would have to wait for a similarly parameterized batch scheme to select instances. The exact performance of our method on other tasks will depend on the relative ratios of time spent annotating, training, and scoring, but in general we expect our parameterless method to perform favorably compared to batch when accounting for wait time.
Oxidative Damage to Nucleic Acids in Severe Emphysema

Background Oxidative stress is a key element in the pathogenesis of emphysema, but oxidation of nucleic acids has been largely overlooked. The aim of this study was to investigate oxidative damage to nucleic acids in severe emphysematous lungs. Methods Thirteen human severe emphysematous lungs, including five with α1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), were obtained from patients receiving lung transplantation. Control lung tissue was obtained from non-COPD lungs (n = 8) and donor lungs (n = 8). DNA and RNA oxidation were investigated by immunochemistry. Morphometry (mean linear intercept [Lm] and CT scan) and immunostaining for CD68 and neutrophil elastase also were performed. Results Nucleic acid oxidation was increased in alveolar wall cells in emphysematous lungs compared to non-COPD and donor lungs (p 0.5 mm; p Conclusions We demonstrated for the first time that nucleic acids, especially RNA, are oxidized in human emphysematous lungs. The correlation between the levels of oxidative damage to nucleic acids in alveolar wall cells and the severity of emphysema suggest a potential role in the pathogenesis of emphysema.
The Role of Ethnicity in Father Absence and Children's School Enrollment in Guatemala

Despite the historical prevalence of single motherhood in Latin America and its rise in recent years, there is limited knowledge on the magnitude and consequences of father absence as experienced by children. Using a nationally representative sample from the 2002 Guatemalan Reproductive Health Survey, this study provides unprecedented documentation on the national prevalence of children’s separate living arrangements from their biological fathers and nonresident fathers’ paternity establishment and child support payments. Using random-intercept models, this study further demonstrates that father absence has a negative effect on the school enrollment of indigenous children of both sexes and Ladino male children. Increased poverty in father-absent households explains a smaller proportion of this adverse effect on indigenous children, suggesting that their fathers, when present, play a stronger social, rather than economic, role compared to their Ladino counterparts. Finally, child support payments attenuate the negative effects of father absence, particularly among Ladino male children.
Going‐Concern Audit Opinions and the Provision of Nonaudit Services: Implications for Auditor Independence of Bankrupt Firms

SUMMARY: Researchers in the area of auditor independence have examined the relationship between auditors' opinions and auditor‐provided services. While DeFond et al. (2002) and Geiger and Rama (2003) fail to find auditor impairment for distressed U.S. companies, Sharma (2001) and Sharma and Sidhu (2001) find a negative relationship between the likelihood of a going‐concern (GC) opinion and nonaudit fees paid to auditors for bankrupt Australian companies. These conflicting results may arise from jurisdictional differences between Australia and the U.S. or differential managerial incentives and firm costs between distressed and bankrupt firms. In light of these differences, an empirical question exists as to whether the results of the Australian studies will obtain in the U.S. We examine the relationship between the propensity of auditors to render GC opinions and nonaudit fees (and other auditor fees) for a sample of bankrupt U.S. firms. We do not observe any association between GC opinions and nonaudit fe...
An Exploratory Examination of Burnout in NCAA Division II Athletes

The purpose of this study was to assess the causes of burnout among student-athletes in Division II institutions. The authors distributed the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ) to 125 undergraduate student-athletes enrolled at three Division II colleges and universities. The athletes competed in various sports. A 2 (Gender) × 2 (Type of Scholarship) × 2 (School Status) analysis of variance revealed that women and men reported different levels of burnout dependent upon type of scholarship. Men with no scholarship reported the lowest levels of burnout among the three types (None/Academic/Athletic), whereas women with no type of scholarship reported the highest levels of burnout. The authors discuss the results and offer implications, limitations, and future directions.
Adaptive parallel distributive join algorithm for skewed data

We present an adaptive version of the parallel distributive join (DJ) algorithm that we proposed in (Chung and Yang, 1996). The adaptive parallel DJ algorithm can handle the data skew in operand relations efficiently. We implemented the original and adaptive parallel DJ algorithms on a network of Alpha workstations using the Parallel Virtual Machine (PVM). We analyzed the performance of the algorithms, and compared it with that of the parallel Hybrid-Hash (HH) join algorithms. Our results show that the parallel DJ algorithms perform comparably with the parallel HH join algorithms over the entire range of the number of processors used and for different join selectivities. A significant advantage of the parallel DJ algorithms is that they can easily support non-equijoin operations.
New Strategies in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer: Improving Outcomes in Chemoradiotherapy for Locally Advanced Disease

The past decade has seen significant breakthroughs in our knowledge of the tumor biology of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Signaling pathways that are vital for tumor growth have been identified and have been effectively targeted for pharmacologic intervention. Furthermore, advances in imaging and treatment delivery have allowed radiation oncologists to deliver therapy more precisely to mobile tumors, while minimizing the dose to surrounding critical structures. This article summarizes the implications of these advances for the patient with unresectable locally advanced NSCLC and highlights ongoing work to improve clinical outcomes in this disease.
Phosphorylated S6 as an immunohistochemical biomarker of vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia

As life expectancy lengthens, cases of non-viral-associated vulvar squamous cell carcinoma and its precursor lesion, so-called differentiated vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN), continue to increase in frequency. Differentiated VIN often is difficult to recognize and failure to detect it before invasion results in morbidity and mortality. Thus, identification of a reliable biomarker for this type of lesion would be of great clinical benefit. Our recent studies have identified activation (ser235/236 phosphorylation) of ribosomal protein S6 (p-S6) in basal epithelial cells as an event that precedes and accompanies laminin γ(2) overexpression in most preinvasive oral dysplasias. To test this as a potential biomarker of vulvar dysplasia, we immunostained seven differentiated VINs and nine papillomavirus-related 'classic' VINs, most of which were associated with carcinoma, for p-S6. All carcinomas, all differentiated VINs, and most classic VINs contained regions of p-S6 staining in the basal layer, whereas basal and parabasal cells of normal vulvar epithelium and hyperplastic and inflamed lesions lacking cellular atypia were p-S6 negative. Laminin γ(2) was expressed in a subset of VINs, always occurring within basal p-S6 positive regions, as we had found previously for oral dysplasias. Lichen sclerosus is considered a potential precursor of vulvar carcinoma. Two lichen sclerosus lesions of patients with a concurrent carcinoma and one of six lichen sclerosus lesions without atypia or known concurrent carcinoma were basal p-S6 positive. In summary, there is a distinct difference in p-S6 basal cell layer staining between benign and neoplastic vulvar squamous epithelium, with consistent staining of differentiated VIN and of some lichen sclerosus lesions. These results support further studies to assess the potential of p-S6 as a biomarker to identify vulvar lesions at risk of progressing to invasive cancer.
The Effects of Construction on the Wear Wrinkling of Dacron®/Wool Suitings

This paper describes a systematic investigation of the effects of fabric construction on the wear wrinkling of worsted spun "Dacron" polyester/wool blend fabrics. Variables studied were blend ratio...
Patterns of toxicological effects in ecosystems: A modeling study

Differences in patterns of response in a pelagic ecosystem due to seasonal exposure and differential sensitivities of populations and trophic levels to chemical stress were examined with a simulation model. Simulations of constant 7-d exposures initiated at different times of year demonstrated that stresses imposed during the spring reduced average producer and consumer biomass. Stresses imposed later in the year reduced grazer biomass and permitted increased phytoplankton production. Simulated exposures to phenol, naphthalene and four heavy metals (Cd, Hg, As, Pb) predicted different effects when toxic sensitivities of populations and trophic levels were ignored. Risks of increased blue-green algae production or decreased game fish production were estimated from repeated simulations that extrapolated uncertainties associated with individual toxic effects parameters. Estimates of risk that included population-specific toxicities were two or three times greater than risks estimated from trophic level toxicities alone.
Personal Reflections on Terminal Illness after Twenty Years of Teaching a Death and Dying Course

The late L. Eugene Thomas applies his personal experience of facing a terminal illness to the teaching of courses in Death and Dying. He realized that the content of the courses as he taught them had emphasized the human search for meaning in Death. The other part of the course covered the anticipation of severing relationships and the meaning of the loss to those left behind. He found that the first part was easy; the second part was the more difficult for him. The surge of creativity that often accompanies the acknowledgment of limited time to live brought with it an urgent need to make relationships right, and to ease the loneliness of dying. The author urges the continuation of introducing students to the philosophical concepts that lead to an authentic life, particularly the honest awareness of death in life and the search for ultimate meaning. He would emphasize also the importance of leaving relationships as part of the process of dying, and its role in creativity.
THEORY OF GAS-SURFACE COLLISIONS

Abstract : A theory of gas surface interaction should predict the distribution of molecules re-emitted from a surface in function of the properties of the incident flux and the physics of the surface. It depends on our uncertain knowledge of free-bound heterogeneous molecule interactions and our equally uncertain knowledge of atomic lattice dynamics. The paper critically summarizes and compares with experimental results an increasingly detailed lattice model which gives plausible energy exchange predictions and a geometrical (hard cube) model which shows promise as a correlator of data on scattering direction distribution. Both these models are based on classical interaction mechanisms; some potential generalizations to quantum models are suggested. (Author)
Overdiagnosis of Clostridium difficile Infection in the Molecular Test Era

Importance Clostridium difficile is a major cause of health care–associated infection, but disagreement between diagnostic tests is an ongoing barrier to clinical decision making and public health reporting. Molecular tests are increasingly used to diagnose C difficile infection (CDI), but many molecular test-positive patients lack toxins that historically defined disease, making it unclear if they need treatment. Objective To determine the natural history and need for treatment of patients who are toxin immunoassay negative and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive (Tox−/PCR+) for CDI. Design, Setting, and Participants Prospective observational cohort study at a single academic medical center among 1416 hospitalized adults tested for C difficile toxins 72 hours or longer after admission between December 1, 2010, and October 20, 2012. The analysis was conducted in stages with revisions from April 27, 2013, to January 13, 2015. Main Outcomes and Measures Patients undergoing C difficile testing were grouped by US Food and Drug Administration–approved toxin and PCR tests as Tox+/PCR+, Tox−/PCR+, or Tox−/PCR−. Toxin results were reported clinically. Polymerase chain reaction results were not reported. The main study outcomes were duration of diarrhea during up to 14 days of treatment, rate of CDI-related complications (ie, colectomy, megacolon, or intensive care unit care) and CDI-related death within 30 days. Results Twenty-one percent (293 of 1416) of hospitalized adults tested for C difficile were positive by PCR, but 44.7% (131 of 293) had toxins detected by the clinical toxin test. At baseline, Tox−/PCR+ patients had lower C difficile bacterial load and less antibiotic exposure, fecal inflammation, and diarrhea than Tox+/PCR+ patients ( P P = .003) and was similar to that in Tox−/PCR− patients (2 days; interquartile range, 1-3 days), despite minimal empirical treatment of Tox−/PCR+ patients. No CDI-related complications occurred in Tox−/PCR+ patients vs 10 complications in Tox+/PCR+ patients (0% vs 7.6%, P P = .001). Conclusions and Relevance Among hospitalized adults with suspected CDI, virtually all CDI-related complications and deaths occurred in patients with positive toxin immunoassay test results. Patients with a positive molecular test result and a negative toxin immunoassay test result had outcomes that were comparable to patients without C difficile by either method. Exclusive reliance on molecular tests for CDI diagnosis without tests for toxins or host response is likely to result in overdiagnosis, overtreatment, and increased health care costs.
Asymmetric twin-waveguide 1.55-μm wavelength laser with a distributed Bragg reflector

We demonstrate a single frequency, 1.55 /spl mu/m wavelength laser based on an asymmetric twin-waveguide structure using a single growth step and a simple fabrication process. The external Bragg grating is formed on the passive ridge waveguide, optically coupled to the twin-guide gain section using a low loss, tapered mode transformer. The grating is produced by near-field holographic printing using a phase mask. Output powers >11 mW in a small-spot waveguide with a side-mode suppression ratio >40 dB and a slope efficiency of 0.11 W/A are obtained under pulsed operation. These performance characteristics are comparable to conventional, nonintegrated, conventional discrete DBR lasers, although the twin-waveguide design is compatible with photonic integrated circuits such as monolithic transmitters and WDM coherent receivers.
Mammalian cytosine methylation at a glance.

In mammals, methylation at symmetric CpG dinucleotides is necessary for the heritable silencing and regulation of many different classes of DNA sequences. These include highly abundant retrotransposons, such as the long terminal repeat (LTR)-based endogenous retroviruses, [e.g. intercisternal A
Look Who's Talking Now: "Choose Life" License Plates and Deceptive Government Speech

In March 2006, the Sixth Circuit upheld a Tennessee statute1 allowing drivers to purchase specialty license plates bearing a "Choose Life" slogan but not making available plates with an alternative pro-choice message.2 Two years earlier, the Fourth Circuit struck down a nearly identical South Carolina statute,3 claiming it violated the First Amendment by discriminating based on viewpoint.4 Despite uncertain constitutionality, legislation allowing "Choose Life" plates has passed in thirteen states.5 None of these states offer pro-choice tags. The First Amendment issue boils down to whether specialty license plates are government or private speech. When the government speaks, it "may take legitimate and appropriate steps to ensure that its message is neither garbled nor distorted," and therefore need not accommodate competing or conflicting viewpoints.6 But "[i]n the realm of private speech or expression, government regulation may not favor one speaker over another."7 "Choose Life" plates are constitutional if government speech, unconstitutional if private speech. The Fourth and Sixth Circuits decided the issue differently because they used different tests to determine which messages qualify as government speech. The Sixth Circuit found that the "Choose Life" message is government speech because the Tennessee legislature "determines the overarching message [of the specialty plate] and Tennessee approves every word on such plates."8 The court applied the definition of government speech used in Johanns v. Livestock Marketing Ass'n,9 in which the Supreme Court held that the federal
Stimulation of steroidogenesis in cultured rat adrenocortical cells by unsaturated fatty acids

The hypothesis that the stimulatory action of free fatty acids (FFA) in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis occurs in part at the adrenal cortex was evaluated. Pathophysiological concentrations of oleic and linoleic acids, but not stearic or caprylic acid, stimulated steroidogenesis from cultured rat adrenocortical cells (concentrations eliciting 50% of maximal responses, approximately 60 and 120 microM, respectively), with a latency of 90 min. Maximal stimulation of steroidogenesis by both acids was < 50% of that produced by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and was blocked by cycloheximide. The maximal steroidogenic response to ACTH was inhibited approximately 50% by oleic acid. The actions of oleic and linoleic acids were not associated with an increase in adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) secretion but appeared to require intracellular oxidation. None of the lipids influenced cell viability or corticosterone radioimmunoassay. The latency of the steroidogenic response, the putative requirement for intracellular oxidation, and the apparent lack of involvement of cAMP suggest a mechanism of action of FFA distinct from that of ACTH, yet still requiring protein synthesis. It is concluded that the modulation of steroidogenesis by these abundant naturally occurring lipids may be an important component of the control mechanisms within the HPA pathway in disorders of lipid homeostasis (e.g., obesity, starvation, or diabetes).
Phase Noise Impairment and Environment-Adaptable Fast (EAF) Optimization for Programming of Reconfigurable Radio Frequency (RF) Receivers

In order to support a multi-standard platform, a reconfigurable RF front-end needs an optimal configuration that adapts to a dynamic communication condition. To find an optimal configuration efficiently, we previously proposed the Environment-Adaptable Fast (EAF) optimization in terms of the RF impairments of gain, nonlinearity and noise figure. However, this preliminary study did not include the important impairment of phase noise. In this paper, we extend the EAF optimization algorithm to phase noise impairment in a reconfigurable RF front-end. In this study, we will propose a novel statistical estimation tool for obtaining phase noise spectrum information with the Interpolated FIR (IFIR) model and the least mean squares (LMS) adaptive algorithm. We formulate the calculation of the Signal-to-Interference-and- Noise Ratio (SINR) which hastens the optimization process. Phase noise is included in the SINR calculation. We demonstrate the efficient performance of the EAF optimization method even with phase noise impairment. This study shows that while finding an optimal configuration, the EAF optimization significantly reduces simulation time compared to the other four conventional optimization methods.
Measurement-based modeling of interference in wi-fi networks: techniques and applications

Characterizing interference is critical to understanding the performance of a wireless network. Many protocol and algorithmic work fundamentally depend on such characterization. However, current research considers interference models that are either over-simplified or too abstract with unknown parameters limiting their use in practice. We address this issue in connection with WiFi networks (i.e., IEEE 802.11-based) due to their widespread use. We first develop a practical, measurement-based model to estimate the capacity of any given link in the presence of any given number of interfering links in an actual deployed 802.11 network, carrying any specified amount of offered load. For a network with N nodes, only O(N) measurement steps are needed to gather metrics for individual links that seed the model. We provide two solution approaches: one based on direct simulation (slow, but accurate) and the other based on analytical methods (faster, but approximate). We also show that as a by-product of our research we can create a highly accurate simulation model (e.g., using a packet level simulator such as ns2) of a real deployed network by seeding the simulator with measurement data. In an application of the above-mentioned capacity model, we address the issue of supporting voice-over-IP (VoIP) calls in a wireless mesh network. Specifically, we propose solutions for call admission control (CAC) and route selection for VoIP calls. Call admission decisions are made by using the capacity model to predict whether the capacity constraints at various nodes will be satisfied if a new call is admitted with a given route. We also develop a polynomial-time algorithm to search for feasible routes. In addition to studying feasibility, we study several routing metrics such as shortest feasible path and maximum residual feasible path. The above modeling approach requires active measurements. Also, it requires instrumentation access to network nodes. These could be impractical in many deployment scenarios. To address this issue, we develop an approach to estimate the interference between nodes and links in a live 802.11 network by passive monitoring of wireless traffic using a distributed set of sniffers. We model the 802.11 protocol as a Hidden Markov Model (HMM), and use a machine learning approach to learn the state transition probabilities in this model using the observed wireless traffic traces. This in turn helps us to deduce the interference relationships. We show the effectiveness of this approach via simulations and real experiments.
Characterization of the Chain-Ends and Branching Structures in Polyvinylidene Fluoride with Multidimensional NMR

Multidimensional solution NMR (19F, 1H, and 13C) has been used to determine chain-ends and backbone branching points and to obtain unambiguous 19F and 1H resonances assignments from these chain-ends and branching structures in poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF). The multidimensional NMR methods employed in this study not only enabled the resonance assignments of the last monomer of the chain but also provided assignments for the last three monomer units of chain-end structures. The chain-end signals from PVDF were determined using spin–lattice relaxation measurements and 2D diffusion ordered spectroscopy (DOSY) analysis. 2D-NMR analyses were also used to assign resonances of chain branching points along the backbone of the polymer.
Inheritance of nut traits in filbert (Corylus avellana L.)

A filbert breeding program was initiated at Oregon State University in 1969 to develop improved cultivars for the Pacific Northwest. Nut traits were evaluated in parents and progenies and the first published inheritance data for this crop species are presented. Correlation coefficients of progeny means and mid-parent values are 0.92 for percent kernel, 0.84 for nut weight, 0.68 for amount of fiber on pellicle, 0.89 for kernel shrinkage, 0.70 for number of nuts per cluster, and 0.34 for estimated husk length. It is concluded that all but one of the evaluated traits is highly heritable and that additive gene action is principally responsible.
Optimal Dynamic Pricing in the Presence of Network Externalities of the Duopolistic Marketing

This paper analyzes the dynamic pricing decision of a duopolistic marketing,a new product or service whose consumption value increases with the expansion of the "network" of adopters.We characterize an optimal pricing strategy,which maximizes the present value of the duopolistic profits,subject to the dynamics of the demand for network access.The dynamics depends,among other factors,on the current price and consumer anticipations about future network growth.We examine the effects of changes in the growth anticipations and the discount rate on the optimal equilibrium access price and network size.It is shown that higher growth anticipations and a lower discount rate result in a lower equilibrium price and a larger network,which is similar to the monopolist marketing.
Schottky barrier infrared focal plane arrays

Schottky barrier IR diodes exhibit low quantum efficiency in the 0.01-2.0% range. This is much lower than the 40-70% attainable in compound semiconductor diodes such as mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) or indium antimonide (InSb). However, the actual performance of platinum silicide (PtSi) Schottky diodes in a staring array is comparable due to the low noise and 10% pixel nonuniformity, we show that PtSi arrays are superior in performance for many subatmospheric applications. This outstanding performance combines with the excellent antiblooming characteristics and low cost high reliability monolithic silicon technology of the Schottky arrays.
Alcohol oxidations using reduced polyoxovanadates

A full account of our recently communicated room temperature alcohol oxidation using reduced polyoxovanadates (r-POVs) is presented. Extensive optimizations revealed optimal conditions employing 0.02 equiv of r-POV catalyst Cs5(V14As8O42Cl), 5 equiv tert-butyl hydrogen peroxide (tBuOOH) as the terminal co-oxidant, in an acetone solvent for the quantitative oxidation of aryl-substituted secondary alcohols to their ketone products. The substrate scope tolerates most aryl substituted secondary alcohols in good to quantitative yields while alkyl secondary and primary activated alcohols were sluggish in comparison under similar conditions. Catalyst recyclability was successful on a 1.0 mmol scale of starting alcohol 1-phenylethanol. The oxidation was also successfully promoted by the VIV/VV mixed valent polyoxovanadate (POV) Cs11Na3Cl5(V15O36Cl). Finally, a third POV, Cs2.64(V5O9)(AsO4)2, was investigated for catalytic activity using our established reaction protocol, but proved ineffective as compared to the other two r-POV catalysts. This study expands the field of POM-mediated alcohol oxidations to include underexplored r-POV catalysts. While our catalysts do not supplant the best catalysts known for the transformation, their study may inform the development of other novel oxidative transformations mediated by r-POVs. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Wireless and continuous intraocular pressure sensors using transparent graphene

The measurement of intraocular pressure (IOP) is essential for diagnosis and monitoring of glaucoma. The traditional MEMS-based IOP sensors have a capacitor based on opaque and rigid structures, which limit the field of view in patients. In this paper, a flexible IOP sensor using transparent graphene is presented. This novel wireless sensor is composed of graphene as a capacitor in series with a copper coil, which forms a LC tank resonant circuit. The experiment results show that the working resonant frequency is around 302 MHz. The responsivity is 160 kHz/mmHg and sensitivity is 507 ppm/mmHg.
Friedrich Waismann and the Distinctive Logic of Legal Language

Schauer starts from Waismann’s staunch anti-reductionism to ask what the relationship between technical and ordinary language could be. Pairing Waismann’s views on fiction, open texture and his mature criticisms of ordinary language philosophy with questions of normativity, constitutional law and modern legal theory Schauer gives us an account of legal decision making. If the legal system, in a majority of cases, does not know what to say but is forced to say something nonetheless, if it faces open texture on regular basis together with the necessity of making a decision about what the relevant language is going to mean, and not what it meant in the past, the language of law could arguably constitute its own language stratum with its own goals and a structure that is importantly different most other languages. Schauer concludes that Waismann may have provided some tools for making some progress in addressing the question of technical language.
Abstract 700: Characterization of the mode of action of Fenretinide treatment in alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma cells

Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (aRMS) is a highly malicious childhood malignancy characterized by a specific chromosomal translocation encoding the oncogenic transcription factor PAX3-FOXO1. As aRMS cells are addicted to the tumor-specific fusion protein, it may serve as an ideal therapeutic target. Previously, we have identified from a large drug library screen the compound Fenretinide (retinoic acid p-hydroxyanilide), which is already in clinical use, to affect both PAX3-FOXO1 expression as well as aRMS cell viability. The aim of this study was therefore to characterize the mode of action of Fenretinide in more detail. First, we were able to show that Fenretinide induced the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mitochondria. A more detailed characterization revealed that the Fenretinide-induced ROS derived from an interaction of Fenretinide around complex II of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, leading to the production of superoxides. ROS scavenging as well as complexing of iron ions completely abolished cell death. To identify the mode of cell death involved, we then used a range of pharmacological inhibitors of specific cell death pathways including Z-vad (pan -caspase inhibitor), Necrostatin-1 (necroptosis pathway inhibitor (RIP-1 kinase inhibitor)), 3-Methyadenine (3-MA) (autophagy pathway inhibitor (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor)) and Ferrostatin (ferroptosis pathway inhibitor) during Fenretinide treatment. Surprisingly, none of these inhibitors alone was able to prevent cell death and even different combinations were not sufficient to completely inhibit cell death. CRISPR/Cas9 mediated depletion of key players in the apoptotic and necroptotic pathway (Bak, Bax and RIPK1) confirmed the pharmacological data. We therefore conclude that other, less characterized cell death pathways or a combination of several pathways including apoptosis and necroptosis might be crucial. Interestingly, electron microscopic examination of cells pointed towards an excessive accumulation of vacuoles to be characteristic. Taken together, our data show that Fenretinide shows high potential for the treatment of aRMS, inducing several forms of cell death mediated through the production of ROS. These properties open the search for additional compounds acting in a combinatorial manner. Citation Format: Eva Brack, Marco Wachtel, Beat W. Schaefer. Characterization of the mode of action of Fenretinide treatment in alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 700. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-700
Intermittent Glucocorticoid Dosing Improves Muscle Repair and Function in Mice with Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy

The muscular dystrophies are genetically diverse. Shared pathological features among muscular dystrophies include breakdown, or loss of muscle, and accompanying fibrotic replacement. Novel strategies are needed to enhance muscle repair and function and to slow this pathological remodeling. Glucocorticoid steroids, like prednisone, are known to delay loss of ambulation in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy but are accompanied by prominent adverse effects. However, less is known about the effects of steroid administration in other types of muscular dystrophies, including limb-girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMDs). LGMD 2B is caused by loss of dysferlin, a membrane repair protein, and LGMD 2C is caused by loss of the dystrophin-associated protein, γ-sarcoglycan. Herein, we assessed the efficacy of steroid dosing on sarcolemmal repair, muscle function, histopathology, and the regenerative capacity of primary muscle cells. We found that in murine models of LGMD 2B and 2C, daily prednisone dosing reduced muscle damage and fibroinflammatory infiltration. However, daily prednisone dosing also correlated with increased muscle adipogenesis and atrophic remodeling. Conversely, intermittent dosing of prednisone, provided once weekly, enhanced muscle repair and did not induce atrophy or adipogenesis, and was associated with improved muscle function. These data indicate that dosing frequency of glucocorticoid steroids affects muscle remodeling in non-Duchenne muscular dystrophies, suggesting a positive outcome associated with intermittent steroid dosing in LGMD 2B and 2C muscle.
Quantification of Efficient Plasmonic Hot-Electron Injection in Gold Nanoparticle-TiO2 Films.

Excitation of localized surface plasmons in metal nanostructures generates hot electrons that can be transferred to an adjacent semiconductor, greatly enhancing the potential light-harvesting capabilities of photovoltaic and photocatalytic devices. Typically, the external quantum efficiency of these hot-electron devices is too low for practical applications (<1%), and the physics underlying this low yield remains unclear. Here, we use transient absorption spectroscopy to quantify the efficiency of the initial electron transfer in model systems composed of gold nanoparticles (NPs) fully embedded in TiO2 or Al2O3 films. In independent experiments, we measure free carrier absorption and electron–phonon decay in the model systems and determine that the electron-injection efficiency from the Au NPs to the TiO2 ranges from about 25% to 45%. While much higher than some previous estimates, the measured injection efficiency is within an upper-bound estimate based on a simple approximation for the Au hot-electron e...
Does Auditor Locality Matter in Financial Reporting Quality

SUMMARY: In this paper, we describe recent findings that auditor localities serve as a conduit for contagion of financial reporting quality between client firms. This “auditor locality contagion” is distinct from contagion within the same audit office and is incremental to national trends in financial reporting quality. These findings are important as practitioners consider factors that may affect audit quality across engagements and within certain audit offices.
Macroprudential Policy Effectiveness: Lessons from Southeastern Europe

This paper presents a detailed account of the rich set of macroprudential measures (MPPs) implemented in Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, and Serbia during their synchronized boom and bust cycles in 2002–12, and assesses their effectiveness in managing credit growth. Only strong MPPs helped contain domestic credit growth during the boom years, but circumvention via direct external borrowing offset their effectiveness to a large extent. MPPs taken during the bust had no discernible impact. The paper concludes that (i) proper calibration of MPPs is of the essence; (ii) only strong, broad-based MPPs can contain credit booms; (iii) econometric studies of macroprudential policy effectiveness should focus on concrete policy measures rather than on instruments use; and (iv) in so doing should allow for possible non-linear and state-contingent effects.
Perioperative myocardial injury and the contribution of hypotension

Mortality in the month following surgery is about 1000 times greater than anesthesia-related intraoperative mortality, and myocardial injury appears to be the leading cause. There is currently no known safe prophylaxis for postoperative myocardial injury, but there are strong associations among hypotension and myocardial injury, renal injury, and death. During surgery, the harm threshold is a mean arterial pressure of about 65 mmHg. In critical care units, the threshold appears to be considerably greater, perhaps 90 mmHg. The threshold triggering injury on surgical wards remains unclear but may be in between. Much of the association between hypotension and serious complications surely results from residual confounding, but sparse randomized data suggest that at least some harm can be prevented by intervening to limit hypotension. Reducing hypotension may therefore improve perioperative outcomes.
Correlates of Intergroup Transfer in Male Grey-cheeked Mangabeys

We studied factors influencing intergroup transfer in male mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena) inhabiting 7 social groups in Kibale National Park over a 2-year period. The sample consisted of 40 males including 36 that we captured and marked during the study. Intergroup transfers are movements between groups that culminate in either long-term (dispersal) or short-term (visits) residency by males in the new groups. Both dispersers and visitors had a greater tendency to move into groups that contained higher numbers of estrous females than their prior group. Using averages of weekly group counts, we found a significant positive relationship between the number of estrous females in a group and the number of adult males in a group, but not between the number of nonestrous females and the number of adult males in the 7 study groups. There is no evidence that dispersal events were released by aggression. For a sample of males followed ≥2 mo before emigration, aggression did not increase just before emigration. Results suggest that spatiotemporal availability of estrous females is a major proximate factor influencing intergroup transfer in mangabeys. The results also suggest that dispersing males are more sensitive to relative numbers of estrous females than to measures of female availability such as operational sex ratio, socionomic ratio, and the number of excess females that take into account the potential for male-male competition.