cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predicting which genes will respond to perturbations of a TF: TF-independent properties of genes are major determinants of their responsiveness

Background: The ability to predict which genes will respond to perturbation of a TF9s activity serves as a benchmark for our systems-level understanding of transcriptional regulatory networks. In previous work, machine learning models have been trained to predict static gene expression levels in a given sample by using data from the same or similar conditions, including data on TF binding locations, histone marks, or DNA sequence. We report on a different challenge -- training machine learning models that can predict which genes will respond to perturbation of a TF without using any data from the perturbed cells. Results: Existing TF location data (ChIP-Seq) from human K562 cells have no detectable utility for predicting which genes will respond to perturbation of the TF, but data obtained by newer methods in yeast cells are useful. TF-independent features of genes, including their preperturbation expression level and expression variation, are very useful for predicting responses to TF perturbations. This shows that some genes are poised to respond to TF perturbations and others are resistant, shedding significant light on why it has been so difficult to predict responses from binding locations. Certain histone marks (HMs), including H3K4me1 and H3K4me3, have some predictive power, especially when downstream of the transcription start site. In human, the predictive power of HMs is much less than that of gene expression level and variation. Code is available at https://github.com/yiming-kang/TFPertRespExplainer. Conclusions: Sequence-based or epigenetic properties of genes strongly influence their tendency to respond to direct TF perturbations, partially explaining the oft-noted difficulty of predicting responsiveness from TF binding location data. These molecular features are largely reflected in and summarized by the gene9s expression level and expression variation.
What Do CS Students Value in Industry Internships

Summer internships present an opportunity for Computer Science (CS) students to expand and test their skills in “the real world.” These multi-faceted experiences call on students to use technical tools and critical thinking in collaboration with others to solve problems. There are many opportunities for learning and growth: which of these do students find most valuable? In this project, we collect and analyze open-ended reflections by undergraduate CS students at the conclusion of a summer internship. We see that students focus on technical skills, expanding professional networks, and the satisfaction of completing a product that will be of use to others. These insights help inform academic programs that support Computer Science students engaging in these internships and strengthen their connection to on-campus education.
Aggressive T- cell Lymphomas: 2021: updates on diagnosis, risk stratification and management

Introduction Aggressive T-cell lymphomas continue to have a poor prognosis. There are over 27 different subtypes of peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), and we are now beginning to understand the differences between the various subtypes beyond histologic variations. Molecular pathogenesis of various subtypes of ptcl Gene expression profiling (GEP) can help in diagnosis and prognostication of various subtypes including PTCL-nos and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). In addition, mutational analysis is now being incorporated in clinical trials of novel agents to evaluate various biomarkers of response to allow better therapeutic choices for patients. Targeted therapies There are many targeted agents currently in various stages of clinical trials for PTCL that take advantage of the differential expression of specific proteins or receptors in PTCL tumors. This includes the CD30 directed antibody drug conjugate brentuximab vedotin. Other notable targets are CD25, CCR4, inhibition of PI3kinase - m TOR and JAK/STAT pathways. The ALK inhibitors are promising for ALK expressing tumors. Immunotherapies Allogeneic stem cell transplant continues to be the curative therapy for most aggressive subtypes of PTCL. The use of checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment of PTCL is still controversial. The most promising results have been seen in cases of extranodal natural killer cell/T-cell (ENK/T) lymphomas and cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL). Bispecific antibody based treatments as well as CAR-T cell based therapies are in clinical trials.
Neoadjuvant atezolizumab (atezo) and nab-paclitaxel (nab-p) in patients (pts) with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) with suboptimal clinical response to doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (AC).

592Background: Neoadjuvant anti-PD-(L)1 therapy confers an improvement in pathological complete response (pCR) rate in unselected TNBC. However, given the potential for long-term morbidity from imm...
COVID-19: The impacts of the global crises on African remittances and countries response to this an extreme crisis

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to afflict much of the global economy, the flow of African remittances is likely to suffer substantially. Therefore, the aims of this review were to assess and co...
Miniaturized Untethered Soft Robots Using Hydrogel-based Soft Voxel Actuators*

Current soft actuators rely on additional hardware such as pumps, high voltage supplies, light generation sources and magnetic field generators for their operation. These components resist miniaturization and embedding them into small-scale soft robots would be challenging. This limits their mobile applications where the entire system needs to be untethered especially in hyper-redundant robots where a high number of actuators are needed. Here, we introduce miniature and untethered robots made of soft voxel actuators (SVAs) – an active voxel using stimuli-responsive hydrogels actuated by electrical currents through Joule heating. SVAs weighing only 100 mg require small footprint microcontrollers for their operation which can be embedded in the robotic system. We have demonstrated the advantages of hydrogel-based SVAs through a hyper-redundant manipulator with 16 actuators and an untethered miniature robot for underwater mobile applications.
The use of business property tax incentives in Cook County, Illinois

The authors use data on all business parcels and property tax incentives in Cook County to analyze the use of business tax incentives from 2012 through 2014. By law, Cook County commercial and industrial parcels are assessed at 25 percent of market value. Under certain conditions, however, these business parcels can be granted special assessments reduced to a lower fraction of market value (usually 10 or 12 percent) for more than 10 years from the date of the designation. These special assessments, assigned as incentive “classifications,” effectively reduce the tax payments of these parcels by 50 percent or more. More than 2,000 commercial or industrial parcels received special assessments that substantially lowered their property tax liabilities each year. These assessment reductions decreased county-wide property tax collections by approximately $250 million in 2014, which is 5.3 percent of the $4.7 billion of commercial and industrial property taxes that local governments (including school districts) billed in Cook County. Industrial assessment reductions decreased industrial property tax revenue by 20 percent or less in most municipalities, but in a few municipalities the incentives reduced industrial revenue by one half or more. Most municipalities that used commercial assessment reductions lowered commercial property tax revenue by 10 percent or less, but a small number reduced commercial property tax revenue by 30 percent or more. Nearly 50,000 commercial or industrial parcels were located in either Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts or Enterprise Zones (EZs), making the owners of these parcels eligible for development assistance such as access to land at reduced cost, parcel-specific or larger-scale infrastructure improvements, and sales and income tax reductions. A substantial number of these parcels received property tax assessment reductions as well. Total property tax redirections from local taxing authorities to TIF districts were more than twice the amount of industrial and commercial incentives in Cook County at $644 million in 2014. The data did not allow the authors to analyze the benefits firms obtained due to locations in EZs. The magnitude of incentive use and the interaction of different incentive programs suggest the need for increased scrutiny of their use and greater coordination of their administration.
Epidural steroids

Although possessing a long history of use, the therapeutic use of epidural steroid injections still needs substantiation. Refinements in our understanding of the pathophysiology of radicular pain and in the techniques used to deliver depo-steroids to the target tissue will lead to improved clinical outcomes and fewer technique and drug-related side effects. Administration of epidural steroids at lumbar spine sites is more common than at cervical spine levels, although the same pain management concepts are applicable. Comparative studies are necessary to clearly define the advantages and disadvantages of the use of fluoroscopy and the transforaminal technique.
It Centralizaton And Enterprise-Wide It Capabilities And Outcomes: A Public Sector Study

IT capabilities, including IT governance, are widely believed to affect the value organizations derive from IT. This paper focuses on what may be an important strategy for building enterprise-wide IT capabilities in large decentralized organizations: undertaking an IT centralizing reorganization to concentrate authority for IT activities and decisions at the headquarters level of an enterprise. IT centralizing reorganizations are theorized to change an organization’s IT governance in ways that promote capability development and enable enterprise-wide IT initiatives such as IT consolidation and outsourcing. These ideas are explored through a multi-method study of US state governments.
Evaluating Change in Rangeland Condition using Multitemporal AVHRR Data and Geographic Information System Analysis

Coarse-scale, multitemporal satellite image data were evaluated as a tool for detecting variation in vegetation productivity, as a potential indicator of change in rangeland condition in the western U.S. The conterminous U.S. Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) biweekly composite data set was employed using the six-year time series 1989–1994. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) image bands for the state of New Mexico were imported into a Geographic Information System (GIS) for analysis with other spatial data sets. Averaged NDVI was calculated for each year, and a series of regression analyses were performed using one year as the baseline. Residuals from the regression line indicated 14 significant areas of NDVI change: two with lower NDVI, and 11 with higher NDVI. Rangeland management changes, cross-country military training activities, and increases in irrigated cropland were among the identified causes of change.
Panel 1: Are Adequate Legal Frameworks in Place at the Domestic Level? Protections Provided by International Law

rights – not only in the U.S. but I would say world wide. I also feel privileged to teach these highly interesting classes here. I am also much honored to speak at this international conference. As you see, my contribution is starting the discussion – we are talking, as you said, not only about international law, but also about whether there are adequate legal frameworks in place at the domestic level, and my task is to give an introduction on what is the international law in this respect. Let us start with the obvious. The prohibition of torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment – which I will refer to as CIDT – is one of the very, very few absolute and non-derogable rights, like the prohibition of slavery and the slave trade. This means that there can be no exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether international or non-international armed conflict, threat of war, violence, threat of terrorism or organized crime under which torture or other ill-treatment could be justified. All attempts to undermine the absolute nature of the prohibition of torture, be it by academics, be it by politicians, are just wrong. They are violating a very well established principle of international law, which is based on very good grounds. This general prohibition is found in most constitutions of the world, but at the same time torture is practiced in most areas of the world, and all too often in a widespread and even systematic manner. So far, out of all my fact-finding missions, there was only one country – Denmark, including Greenland – where I did not find torture cases. In all the other countries, I found cases of torture. In two countries, in Nepal and recently Equatorial Guinea, I found systematic torture. If you look at the inquiry procedure of the Committee Against Torture, the Committee found systematic practice of Panel 1: Are Adequate Legal Frameworks in Place at the Domestic Level?
Factors affecting survival in 43 consecutive patients after surgery for spinal metastases from thyroid carcinoma.

OBJECT Spinal metastases account for the majority of bone metastases from thyroid cancer. The objective of the current study was to analyze a series of consecutive patients undergoing spinal surgery for thyroid cancer metastases in order to identify factors that influence overall survival. METHODS The authors retrospectively reviewed the records of all patients who underwent surgery for spinal metastases from thyroid cancer between 1993 and 2010 at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. RESULTS Forty-three patients met the study criteria. Median overall survival was 15.4 months (95% CI 2.8–27.9 months) based on the Kaplan-Meier method. The median follow-up duration for the 4 patients who were alive at the end of the study was 39.4 months (range 1.7–62.6 months). On the multivariate Cox analysis, progressive systemic disease at spine surgery and postoperative complications were associated with worse overall survival (HR 8.98 [95% CI 3.46–23.30], p < 0.001; and HR 2.86 [95% CI 1.30–6.31], p = 0....
Women as breadwinners: The gendered nature of side-bets and their influence on correctional officers' commitment to the organization

Abstract Increasingly, researchers have examined workplace factors that influence correctional officers' commitment to the organization, yet few have assessed the way in which factors outside the immediate work environment influence attachment or whether the effects differ for male and female officers. Making use of Becker's concept of side-bets, this study examined the gendered nature of outside influences on correctional officers' commitment to remain with the prison organization until retirement. The findings suggest that some measures of side-bets function differently for male and female officers, with those side-bets representing family affiliation and financial responsibility significantly influencing female, but not male officers' level of continuance commitment.
The incremental value of troponin-I testing in patients with intermediate risk unstable angina.

Background: Classification of patients with unstable angina (UA) by Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) guidelines in the emergency department reliably stratifies risk of death or myocardial infarction (MI) for triage to outpatient evaluation (low-risk), hospitalization (high-risk), or additional testing (intermediate-risk). Cardiac troponin-I elevation may identify patients at higher risk, but the incremental value may vary with AHCPR clinical risk. Hypothesis: The objective of this study was to determine whether cardiac troponin-I had any additional value beyond triage based upon history, physical examination, and electrocardiogram, in the evaluation of patients with UA. Methods: In all, 212 consecutive patients with UA and normal serum creatine kinase (CK)-MB levels and elevated troponin-I were risk stratified by AHCPR guidelines to evaluate the incremental value of adding routine troponin-I measurements to our current model for risk stratification. Results: Primary events (death/nonfatal MI) occurred in 35% of high-risk, 15% of intermediate-risk, and 0% of low-risk patients (p < 0.001 by chisquare for trend). High troponin-I (≥ 2.0 ng/dl) occurred in 48% of high-risk, 21% of intermediate-risk, and 19% of low-risk patients. The remaining patients in each risk group had indeterminate troponin-I levels (≥0.4 < 2 ng/dl). Of those with high troponin-I, a primary event occurred in 36, 42, and 0% in the respective high-, intermediate-, and low-risk groups (p < 0.001). High troponin-I levels corresponded with a statistically significant increased rate of primary events only in patients at AHCPR intermediate risk: 42.4 vs. 7.3%, p < 0.001. Conclusion: The AHCPR guidelines risk stratify patients with UA. High troponin-I adds significant (p < 0.001) prognostic value in the patients at AHCPR intermediate risk and should be evaluated further in larger trials of such patients.
Review of wetting and drying algorithms for numerical tidal flow models

SUMMARY A review of wetting and drying (WD) algorithms used by contemporary numerical models based on the shallow water equations is presented. The numerical models reviewed employ WD algorithms that fall into four general frameworks: (1) Specifying a thin film of fluid over the entire domain; (2) checking if an element or node is wet, dry or potentially one of the two, and subsequently adding or removing elements from the computational domain; (3) linearly extrapolating the fluid depth onto a dry element and its nodes from nearby wet elements and computing the velocities; and (4) allowing the water surface to extend below the topographic ground surface. This review presents the benefits and drawbacks in terms of accuracy, robustness, computational efficiency, and conservation properties. The WD algorithms also tend to be highly tailored to the numerical model they serve and therefore difficult to generalize. Furthermore, the lack of temporally and spatially defined validation data has hampered comparisons of the models in terms of their ability to simulate WD over real domains. A short discussion of this topic is included in the conclusion. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On the mechanism of nickel absorption in the rat jejunum

Abstract Nickel is taken up from the lumen of the perfused rat jejunum (step 1 of Ni absorption) by a mechanism closely resembling that responsible for step 1 of Cd adsorption. Both processes are depressed to a similar extent by Zn or the constituents of dried skimmed milk. They procede at a rate proportional to concentration up to 20 μM; at higher levels they approach apparent saturation. In contrast to the slow movement of Cd from mucosa into the body (step 2 of absorption), Ni is not appreciably retained in the mucosa. Retention of Ni is not increased by induction of metallothionein synthesis, in agreement with its low affinity for this protein. Several observations suggest that basolateral membranes may be passively permeable to Ni: (a) step 2 follows first order kinetics; (b) Ni is also taken up by the mucosa from the serosal side, in vivo and in vitro; and (c) no inhibitory effect of Zn could be shown. The ability of the mucosa to discriminate between the toxic, non-essential metal Cd and the essential metal Ni may depend therefore on the efficiency of mucosal trapping rather than the presence of Ni carriers on brush border or basolateral cell membranes.
A novel thermal face recognition approach using face pattern words

A reliable thermal face recognition system can enhance the national security applications such as prevention against terrorism, surveillance, monitoring and tracking, especially at nighttime. The system can be applied at airports, customs or high-alert facilities (e.g., nuclear power plant) for 24 hours a day. In this paper, we propose a novel face recognition approach utilizing thermal (long wave infrared) face images that can automatically identify a subject at both daytime and nighttime. With a properly acquired thermal image (as a query image) in monitoring zone, the following processes will be employed: normalization and denoising, face detection, face alignment, face masking, Gabor wavelet transform, face pattern words (FPWs) creation, face identification by similarity measure (Hamming distance). If eyeglasses are present on a subject's face, an eyeglasses mask will be automatically extracted from the querying face image, and then masked with all comparing FPWs (no more transforms). A high identification rate (97.44% with Top-1 match) has been achieved upon our preliminary face dataset (of 39 subjects) from the proposed approach regardless operating time and glasses-wearing condition.e
Effect of nitrocompounds on viruses of the psittacosis-lymphogranuloma group.

SummarySeveral substituted nitrobenzenes including chloramphenicol (Chloromycetin) show inhibitory activity against the viruses of meningopneumonitis, lymphogranuloma venereum, cat pneumonitis, and mouse pneumonitis. Several nitrofurans were also shown to inhibit the growth of these viruses. The chemotherapeutic activity of these various substances is compared and the relation of chemical constitution to activity discussed. Although chloramphenicol is probably the least toxic of the substances tested, it did not show striking superiority to other nitro-com-pounds in activity against viruses of the psittacosis-lymphogranuloma group under the conditions of these experiments.
A Simple Heuristic Approach to Simplex Efficiency.

Abstract Consider the standard linear program: Minimize cx subject to Ax=b, x⩾0 where A is an m × n matrix. The simplex algorithm solves this linear program by moving from an extreme point of the feasibility region to a better (in terms of the objective function cx ) extreme point (via the pivot operation) until the optimal is reached. In order to obtain a feel for the number of necessary iterations, we consider a simple probabilistic (Markov chain) model as to how the algorithm moves along the extreme points. At first we suppose that if at any time the algorithm is at the j th best extreme point then after the next pivot the resulting extreme point is equally likely to be any of the j −1 best. Under this assumption, we show that the time to get from the N th best to the best extreme point has approximately, for large N , a Poisson distribution with mean equal to the algorithm (base e) of N . We also consider a more general probabilistic model in which we drop the uniformity assumption and suppose that when at the j th best the next one is chosen probabilistically according to weights w i , i = 1, …, j −1.
Is elevated norepinephrine an etiological factor in some cases of epilepsy

It is well established that the neurotransmitter norepinephrine (NE) has anticonvulsant properties. However, NE may also have proconvulsant properties under some conditions, both in animal epilepsy models and in humans. This paper examines the hypothesis that this neurotransmitter has proconvulsant properties, where much of the pharmaceutical evidence comes from rodent models. In assessing the elevated NE epilepsy hypothesis, the following seven lines of evidence are examined that include studies of: (1) antidepressants that raise the level of NE; (2) clonidine and other alpha 2 adrenergic agonist drugs that lower the level of NE; (3) prazosin and other drugs that affect alpha adrenoceptors; (4) propranolol and other drugs that affect beta adrenoceptors; (5) pheochromocytoma, which is a rare cancer of the adrenal glands that can boost NE levels; (6) comorbidity of epilepsy with bipolar disorder, hypertension, and obesity, where all four conditions may involve elevated NE; and (7) psychological stress, which is associated with increased release of NE. The body of evidence supporting the NE proconvulsant hypothesis is consistent with the notion that elevated, endogenous noradrenergic transmission is an etiological factor in some cases of epilepsy.
Stanford-Binet: Fourth Edition short forms with underachieving and learning disabled students.

55 students referred to a Child Development Center for academic underachievement and suspected learning disabilities were administered the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale: Fourth Edition, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients of .98, .95, and .90 were obtained for the Test Composite with those for 6-, 4-, and 2-test Partial Composites derived from this administration, respectively. These values are compared with coefficients reported for other populations, and the suitability of the Stanford-Binet Partial Composites for screening underachievement and learning disabilities is discussed.
Optical spectra of sodium microclusters

Photoabsorption spectra have been measured for free neutral sodium clusters containing fromN=3 to 40 atoms. In the size range ofN≈3 to 5, a transition occurs from molecule-like absorption to collective excitations of the valence electrons. ForN≈6 to 12, the data are well described by an ellipsoidal shell model. In open-shell clusters, the multiple surface plasma resonances expected for spheroidal or ellipsoidal shapes are observed. The experimental resonance positions provide a sensitive measurement of the cluster distortions. ForN≳13, the per atom strength of these collective resonances is reduced; this may be due to peak fragmentation caused by interaction between the surface plasmon and nearby single-electron resonances. In three distinct wavelength regions, one of which corresponds to the position of the Na atom “D-lines”, additional absorption is seen in the spectra of all investigated clusters.
Plant responses to water deficits, water-use efficiency, and drought resistance

Abstract This paper reviews some of the more recent findings on metabolic and physiological aspects of plant—water relations within the context of the topic of this symposium. Examined first are some of the physiological bases for differences among species in water-use efficiency and drought resistance, with special attention given to CO 2 assimilation and transpiration. This is followed by a summary of important known plant responses to water deficits, mainly at the cellular level, and with some emphasis placed on growth as affected by changes in turgor pressure. Possible physicochemical mechanisms underlying these responses are also briefly discussed. The final section speculates on what several of these responses to water deficits may mean in terms of yield for some simple cases. Aspects considered include leaf area development, dry matter accumulation, and the growth of roots relative to that of leaves.
Need for pharmacist expertise in medication operations and systems

The focus on medication safety over the past decade has directed both health systems and regulatory agencies to critically evaluate each of the elements of the medication-use process. This approach is somewhat different from pharmacy’s efforts over the past several decades to develop clinical
Cytokines Induce Nitric Oxide-mediated mtDNA Damage and Apoptosis in Oligodendrocytes PROTECTIVE ROLE OF TARGETING 8-OXOGUANINE GLYCOSYLASE TO MITOCHONDRIA

Nitric oxide (NO) that is produced by inducible NO synthase (iNOS) in glial cells is thought to contribute significantly to the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis. Oligodendrocytes can be stimulated to express iNOS by inflammatory cytokines, which are known to accumulate in the multiple sclerotic brain. The potentially pathological levels of NO produced under these circumstances can target a wide spectrum of intracellular components. We hypothesized that one of the critical targets for damage that leads to disease is mtDNA. In this study, we found that cytokines, in particular a combination of tumor necrosis factor-α (50 ng/ml) and Ifnγ (25 ng/ml), cause elevated NO production in primary cultures of rat oligodendrocytes. Western blot analysis revealed a strong enhancement of iNOS expression 48 h after cytokine treatment. Within the same time period, NO-mediated mtDNA damage was shown by Southern blot analysis and by ligation-mediated PCR. Targeting the DNA repair enzyme human 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (hOGG1) to the mitochondria of oligodendrocytes had a protective effect against this cytokine-mediated mtDNA damage. Moreover, it was shown that mitochondrial transport sequence hOGG1-transfected oligodendrocytes had fewer apoptotic cells compared with cells containing vector only following treatment with the cytokines. Subsequent experiments revealed that targeting hOGG1 to mitochondria reduces the activation of caspase-9, showing that this recombinant protein works to reduce apoptosis that is occurring through a mitochondria-based pathway.
Dispersive, superfluid-like shock waves in nonlinear optics: Properties & interactions

We experimentally demonstrate dispersive optical shock waves in ID and 21), characterize their nonlinear properties, and observe the complex interactions when two such shocks collide.
The Effect of Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Dried Brewers Yeast and Condensed Fish Solubles on the Reproductive Performance of Turkeys

ABSTRACT THE hatchability of turkey eggs has been reported by numerous workers to exhibit a marked decline under practical conditions in a period from about the 8th week to the 12th week. Earlier reports have indicated that the decline in hatchability can be delayed by supplementing the diet with sources of unidentified factors. Some of the supplements reported to increase hatchability are pork liver meal, desiccated meat meal, fish meal, dried buttermilk, dried skimmilk, meat scraps, dehydrated alfalfa meal, distillers dried solubles, dried whey, and liver “L” (Nestler et al., 1936; Dickens et al., 1941; Atkinson et al., 1951, 1953, 1955b; Couch et al., 1954; and Ferguson et al., 1956). The fat soluble vitamins E and D, as well as pantothenic acid, have been shown to be necessary in the maintenance of hatchability (Stadelman et al., 1950; Jensen et al., 1953; Jensen, 1953; Jensen et al., 1956; Atkinson and Couch, 1954; . . .
Extraneous variables and their influence on reflectance-based measurements of leaf water content

Leaf water indices based on leaf reflectance may depend not only on the variable of interest, leaf water content, but may also be influenced by a variety of extraneous variables, leading to considerable data variability if such extraneous variables are not eliminated or taken into account. Here, we examined the nature of three potential extraneous variables: homogeneity of the leaf target area, the distance between a primary reflecting leaf and background material, and measurement sensitivity at various wavelengths. Although leaf water indices appear to be homogeneously distributed between major leaf veins, they may fluctuate substantially in areas where major veins are present. Leaf water indices may also depend to some extent on the distance between a primary reflecting leaf and any reflecting background material, at least for small distances. Leaf water indices utilizing the 970 or 1200 nm water absorption bands have been shown to be rather insensitive to changes in leaf water content, potentially resulting in low signal-to-noise ratios, an additional source of data variability.
Laminated composites with improved bend ductility and toughness

In this study laminated specimens were fabricated via co-extrusion to investigate the effects of a laminated structure on smooth bend properties. The composite material utilized was a 2××× series (wt%: 3.5 Cu, 1.5 Mg, 0.4 Zr, 0.21 Mn, balance Al) aluminium matrix, designated MB-85, reinforced with 15 vol% SiC particulates (average size 13 mm) and the ductile layer was nominally a 6061 aluminium. The composite and aluminium layers were bonded via co-extrusion at 370 o C
A Technique for the Nondestructive Detection of Voids and Composition Anomalies in Metal Matrix Composite Wires Using X or γ Rays

An initial study of a technique proposed for the nondestructive testing of metal matrix composites is the subject of this paper. These composites are manufactured in the form of approximately 1/2-mm-diameter “precursor” wires. Larger structures are fabricated by diffusion bonding of lay-ups. Reliable nondestructive quality control indicators of wire integrity have not yet been developed although a number of possibilities are being examined.1 Testing of the precursor wires is difficult because current manufacturing processes produce wires that may be entirely satisfactory but that vary in cross-sectional geometry, in surface properties, and sometimes in the amount of matrix material that is present. Techniques based on observations of wire resistance, surface emissivity, and sound emission signatures are difficult to interpret because of these characteristics. Wire imaging using x-ray or neutron techniques is also difficult because large lengths of wire must be examined with a resolution in the plane of the wire exceeding 50 line pairs per millimeter.
Glucan particles for selective delivery of siRNA to phagocytic cells in mice

Phagocytic macrophages and dendritic cells are desirable targets for potential RNAi (RNA interference) therapeutics because they often mediate pathogenic inflammation and autoimmune responses. We recently engineered a complex 5 component glucan-based encapsulation system for siRNA (small interfering RNA) delivery to phagocytes. In experiments designed to simplify this original formulation, we discovered that the amphipathic peptide Endo-Porter forms stable nanocomplexes with siRNA that can mediate potent gene silencing in multiple cell types. In order to restrict such gene silencing to phagocytes, a method was developed to entrap siRNA-Endo-Porter complexes in glucan shells of 2-4 μm diameter in the absence of other components. The resulting glucan particles containing fluorescently labelled siRNA were readily internalized by macrophages, but not other cell types, and released the labelled siRNA into the macrophage cytoplasm. Intraperitoneal administration of such glucan particles containing siRNA-Endo-Porter complexes to mice caused gene silencing specifically in macrophages that internalized the particles. These results from the present study indicate that specific targeting to phagocytes is mediated by the glucan, whereas Endo-Porter peptide serves both to anchor siRNA within glucan particles and to catalyse escape of siRNA from phagosomes. Thus we have developed a simplified siRNA delivery system that effectively and specifically targets phagocytes in culture or in intact mice.
Automated medication error studies with audit supplementation were effectively designed and analyzed by time series

Abstract Background and Objective To provide researchers with an efficient yet methodologically robust method to design and analyze studies of the effectiveness of quality improvement interventions targeted at medical errors. Methods An interrupted time-series design was chosen. Error rates of a preintervention observational period are compared to those of an intervention period (interrupted by a brief transitional period not used in the analysis). Potential errors are flagged by computerized analysis. The positive predictive value of this automated method is established by targeted expert review of random samples of monthly admissions with flagged errors. The lengths of the preintervention and intervention observational periods and number of audits per month are determined via power and type I error analysis. The setting was a future study of electronic alert systems for errors related to nephrotoxic agents in a medium-sized hospital. Results Based on these methods, a study was deemed feasible to be conducted over a 38-month period, auditing 40 potential errors per month. Conclusion A logistic monthly error process model with independent variables (1) time in months (same slope pre vs. postintervention), and (2) a discrete jump postintervention to assess the effect size, offers a flexible, easy-to-interpret way to attack this problem.
A Constitutive Model for Magnetic Shape Memory Alloys That Includes a Tilted Magnetic Easy Axis

Magnetic shape memory alloys (MSMAs) are materials commonly used for actuation, sensing, and/or power harvesting applications. While the actuation response of MSMAs can be fairly accurately predicted by currently available constitutive models, the power harvesting and/or sensing performance is not predicted as well. This suggests that current models lack features related to the change in magnetization. One such feature that is known to exist, but is not present in any current model, is the natural offset of the magnetic easy axis from the short axis of the tetragonal martensitic unit cell of MSMAs. Experimentally, Scheerbaum et al. [1] observed that this offset angle is in the range of 2° to 6°. While this is a relatively small angle, it is expected to make a dramatic difference in the evaluation of the power harvesting output, as it creates favorable domains even when the field is applied perpendicular to the short axis of the unit cell. Therefore, to facilitate the design of MSMA based sensing and power harvesting devices, a continuum model for the magneto-mechanical response of MSMAs, that accounts for the magnetic easy axis offset from the short side of the unit cell is derived from thermodynamic requirements and evaluated in this work.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Luteal maintenance in mares after transfer of equine trophoblastic vesicles

Summary Trophoblastic vesicles have been used to study maternal recognition of pregnancy in several domestic species. Because of the unique aspects of pregnancy recognition in mares, this study was conducted to examine the ability of trophoblastic vesicles from Day 12 to 14 equine conceptuses to prolong luteal maintenance in mares. Trophoblastic vesicles formed in vitro from conceptus fragments were transferred surgically to the uterus of mares (n=15) at Days 6, 8 or 10 after ovulation. Sham-operated mares (n=8) served as controls. Luteal maintenance was assessed by daily serum progesterone concentrations and by evaluation of interovulatory intervals. Interovulatory intervals were longer (p<0.1) in treated than in control mares (30.2 ± 2.6 vs. 22.6 ± 2.9, respectively). Trophoblastic vesicle transfer at Day 10 after ovulation resulted in more (P=0.16) treated than control mares with interovulatory intervals of at least 42 days (5 of 9 vs 0 of 3, respectively). Progesterone concentrations differed (p<0.05) between treated mares with prolonged interovulatory intervals, and control or treated mares without prolonged interovulatory intervals, by Day 14 or 15 after ovulation, respectively. Although luteal maintenance was prolonged in 56 per cent of the treated mares that received vesicles at Day 10, trophoblastic vesicles did not enlarge spherically in utero sufficiently for detection by transrectal ultrasonography.
A computer simulated phantom study of tomotherapy dose optimization based on probability density functions (PDF) and potential errors caused by low reproducibility of PDF

Lung tumor motion trajectories measured by four-dimensional CT or dynamic MRI can be converted to a probability density function (PDF), which describes the probability of the tumor at a certain position, for PDF based treatment planning. Using this method in simulated sequential tomotherapy, we study the dose reduction of normal tissues and more important, the effect of PDF reproducibility on the accuracy of dosimetry. For these purposes, realistic PDFs were obtained from two dynamic MRI scans of a healthy volunteer within a 2 week interval. The first PDF was accumulated from a 300 s scan and the second PDF was calculated from variable scan times from 5 s (one breathing cycle) to 300 s. Optimized beam fluences based on the second PDF were delivered to the hypothetical gross target volume (GTV) of a lung phantom that moved following the first PDF. The reproducibility between two PDFs varied from low (78%) to high (94.8%) when the second scan time increased from 5 s to 300 s. When a highly reproducible PDF was used in optimization, the dose coverage of GTV was maintained; phantom lung receiving 10%-20% prescription dose was reduced by 40%-50% and the mean phantom lung dose was reduced bymore » 9.6%. However, optimization based on PDF with low reproducibility resulted in a 50% underdosed GTV. The dosimetric error increased nearly exponentially as the PDF error increased. Therefore, although the dose of the tumor surrounding tissue can be theoretically reduced by PDF based treatment planning, the reliability and applicability of this method highly depend on if a reproducible PDF exists and is measurable. By correlating the dosimetric error and PDF error together, a useful guideline for PDF data acquisition and patient qualification for PDF based planning can be derived.« less
Proper/Residually-Finite Idempotent Semirings

An idempotent semiring (= ISR) is called L-E if its underlying additive Abelian semigroup is generated by join-primes. Not all ISRs are L-E; not even when finite. The submodule of “linear-recognizable” elements of an ISR \(\mathcal {M}\) is denoted \(\mathcal {C}\mathcal {M}\), and \(\mathcal {M}\) is called proper if there are enough elements in \(\mathcal {C}\mathcal {M}\) to separate points. If there are enough finite-index congruences to separate points, \(\mathcal {M}\) is called residually-finite. Finite and proper ISRs are always residually-finite, but finite ISRs are not always proper, unless they are L-E. For certain classes of ISRs, conditions are given to guarantee proper and residual-finiteness. Among these is one which requires that the compact elements of the linear dual of \(\mathcal {M}\) belong to \(\mathcal {C}\mathcal {M}\). Another condition requires that the recognizable subsets of a certain underlying monoid remain recognizable under the closure operator relative to a certain natural topology. These conditions are automatic for any finite L-E ISR, or any L-E ISR arising from a bounded, distributive lattice. Thus, a large class of proper/residually-finite ISRs exists. Moreover, the theorem of Malcev for semigroups (finitely-generated, commutative implies residually-finite) is shown to fail for ISRs in general.
Physiological influences on perfusion imaging in transient myocardial ischaemia: importance of early distribution of thallium-201

We tested the hypothesis that visualisation of defects on thallium-201 (201T1) myocardial perfusion images (MPI) depends on the duration of the ischaemic state between 201T1 injection and the time of reperfusion of an occluded coronary artery. Praecordial imaging with a gamma camera was performed in 24 anaesthetised, open-chest dogs with transient coronary occlusion. Results indicated that if the duration of the ischaemic state after 201T1 injection was less than 3 min before reperfusion, then the MPI 5 to 15 min after 201T1 injection was falsely negative (201T1 activity in ischaemic zone (IZ)/normal zone (NZ)>0.85). Dogs which were ischaemic more than 5 min always had MPI defects 5 to 15 min after 201T1 injection (IZ/NZ 201T1 ratio<0.85). MPI results (201T1 IZ/NZ)15 min after 201T1 injection were determined by the duration of the ischaemic state after 201T1 injection (r= −0.86) because prolonged ischaemia allowed 201T1 to distribute from blood to myocardium before reperfusion: 201T1 (IZ/NZ)=0.356± 1.00 (fraction of total 201T1 remaining in blood at the end of the ischaemic state), r=0.94.
The dorsal defect of the patella.

The dorsal defect of the patella is described and 16 cases are presented. The typical dorsal patellar defect is a round, radiolucent lesion surrounded by a zone of sclerosis located on the superolateral aspect of the dorsal surface of the patella. The location, radiographic appearance and clinical course of the defect are unique, distinguishing it from other lesions of the patella. The authors suggest that the dorsal defect is an anomaly of ossification and of little clinical significance.
Incorporating usability techniques into the Web lifecycle

As usability professionals, we know the appropriate methodology for incorporating usability into a product: define the user requirements; do task and workflow analysis; create a prototype; test the prototype on a sample of users; iterate the process, etc. Some of us have even been fortunate enough to put many of these methods into practice to design and deliver a usable product. However, how do usability professionals adhere to standard methodology when a company releases something new on its site every week or even every day? What kind of rapid usability methods are appropriate to fit into the Web lifecycle? How do we keep the business units from releasing something on the site just for the sake of keeping up with the competition, without any regard for its usability?
Absolutely monotonic functions and connection coefficients for polynomials

Abstract Sufficient conditions for the (real) analyticity of an infinitely differentiable function ƒ(x) are deduced using sequences of polynomial (differential) operators. This generalizes the concept of an absolutely monotonic function. The primary method uses the connection coefficients between pairs of sequences of polynomials, {(x + cn)n} and {Pn(x)}, for n ⩾ 0, where c is a constant and {Pn(x)} is in some general class.
Serving as an Educator: A Southern Case in Embedded Librarianship

This is a case study at Mississippi State University where a business librarian taught a one-credit financial literacy course for undergraduate freshmen during the 2010 Fall term. In this case, the librarian acted as a faculty teacher and an instructional librarian to teach the students financial literacy as well as information literacy. The course curriculum was embedded with a library orientation to introduce the library services. Pre- and post-course assessments were conducted to analyze the students’ learning level in financial knowledge and the level of familiarity with various library services.
Lack of Pesticide Toxicity to Echinostoma trivolvis Eggs and Miracidia

Pesticides can elevate trematode infections in amphibians. However, direct adverse effects of pesticides on embryos and free-living stages of trematodes have not been thoroughly explored, despite the potential for these effects to reduce amphibian trematode infections. We measured the effects of atrazine, glyphosate, carbaryl, and malathion on embryo and miracidium (free-living stage) survival of Echinostoma trivolvis, a common trematode of amphibians. We found no evidence of biologically relevant effects of these pesticides at ecologically relevant concentrations.
Identification of the mouse homologue of human discs large and rat SAP97 genes.

Abstract The human homologue of the Drosophila discs large (dlg) tumor suppressor gene encodes a 926 amino acid protein, hDlg, which is a member of the MAGUK (Membrane Associated GUanylate Kinase homologues) family of proteins. To facilitate the development of murine model system for functional studies in vivo, the primary structure of the mouse homologue of hDlg has been determined. Dlgh1 encodes a ∼5.5 kb transcript that is ubiquitously expressed in murine tissues. Mouse mDlg is a 927 amino acid protein that is 95% identical to hDlg and 94% identical to rat synapse associated protein, SAP97. The unusually high conservation of the primary structure of murine and human Dlg proteins across their distinct protein domains suggests a conserved function in vivo.
Dissipated Energy Ratio as a Feature for Earthquake-Induced Damage Detection of Instrumented Structures

AbstractThe paper proposes an energy-based damage feature to detect the presence of earthquake-induced structural damage in instrumented buildings. The proposed feature is a function of the ratio between the hysteretic dissipated energy and the total dissipated energy. The main contribution of the paper consists in deriving an expression to estimate the dissipated energy ratio from a measured vibration response at a limited number of degrees of freedom. The proposed methodology is successfully implemented in the context of simulated multistory shear buildings and in a real instrumented building during two independent seismic events; one where the building did not sustain damage and the other were significant damage occurred. In both cases the proposed methodology performed the correct diagnosis.