cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
International Coercion and the Diffusion of Regulatory Data Protection

Prior to 1990, regulatory data protection existed only in 14 highly developed countries. Since then, 60 additional countries have adopted regulatory data protection. New adopters include a large number of countries with no domestic pharmaceutical industry. These countries will face higher pharmaceutical prices as a result of offering regulatory data protection. Why would countries that stand to lose from offering regulatory data protection choose to do so? The author argues that the global diffusion of regulatory data protection can be directly traced to international coercion from the United States and the European Union (EU). The US coerces weaker trading partners into adopting regulatory data protection by requiring such protection as a condition of concluding trade agreements or bilateral intellectual property agreements. Meanwhile, the EU coerces applicants by demanding that they adopt such rights during EU accession negotiations, on average four years prior to accession. He tested these claims using a multi-method research design that combines event history analysis with evidence from leaked US diplomatic cables and public EU accession documents. His findings demonstrate that coercive diffusion can take place by means of threats, and that countries often actively oppose adopting intellectual property rights, but nevertheless adopt them due to international coercion.
Phylogeny and biogeography of dabbling ducks (genus: Anas): a comparison of molecular and morphological evidence

We constructed a phylogeny for the dabbling ducks (tribe Anatini) based on cytochrome-b and ND2 mitochondrial gene DNA sequences. This phylogeny differed in several important respects from a morphological phylogeny developed by Livezey (1991), including the distinctiveness of the blue-winged ducks from other dabbling ducks, the inclusion of the genus Tachyeres and exclusion of Callonetta from the subtribe Anateae, and the lack of support for Mareca as a genus separate from Anas. Characters from three other data sets showed greater consistency with the molecular topology than with the morphological topology. The molecular phylogeny divides the dabbling ducks into four distinct groups: (1) four South American genera, including Amazonetta, Lophonetta, Speculanas, and Tachyeres; (2) the Baikal Teal (Anas formosa); (3) the blue-winged ducks and allies; and (4) a large clade including wigeons, pintails, mallards, and several teal lineages. An examination of the distributions of species in light of the phylogeny indicates relatively little biogeographic structure. Geographic origin for most internal branches is ambiguous using several reconstruction methods. We suggest that the high dispersal ability of birds (especially dabbling ducks) has important implications for recovery of branches using molecular systematics.
Mechanism of Phenothiazine Inhibition of Ca2+-dependent Guanosine 3',5'-(cyclic) Monophosphate Phosphodiesterase of Brain

Trifluoperazine inhibition of a partially purified cerebral cortical phosphodiesterase having a high stimulatory response to a Ca2+-dependent regulatory (CDR) protein and specificity toward guanosine 39,59(cyclic) monophosphate was studied. Trifluoperazine (50 µM) completely blocked the Ca2+·CDR-stimulated activity but had no effect on the basal activity. The magnitude of the inhibition depended on the concentrations of both inhibitor and activator. With increasing concentration of CDR, the enzyme became less sensitive to the phenothiazine. Plots of 1/V vs 1/CDR and 1/V vs trifluoperazine concentration were nonlinear with upward curvature, in contrast to a previous report. Decreasing the pH of the reaction mixture from 8.0 to 6.8 enhanced inhibition while reducing the Km for cyclic GMP and produced no change in affinity of the enzyme for Ca2+·CDR. These results correlate well with previous reports on Ca2+·CDR-phenothiazine binding and provide further support for a mechanism in which trifluoperazine, upon binding to Ca2+· CDR, renders the latter ineffective in stimulating the enzyme, thus depleting the level of active CDR and inhibiting the activator-dependent phosphodiesterase. This reduction in active CDR may be involved in a mode of phenothiazine action on the activities of other Ca2+·CDR-dependent enzymes.
The results comparison of three methods to assay creatinine in urine with HPLC,spectrophotometry and creatinine diagnostic reagent kit

Objective: To inspect and verify the results comparison on three methods to assay cteatinine in urine with HPLC,spectrophotometry and creatinine diagnostic reagent kit.Methods: The three methods were used respectively to detect the creatinine in the collected same urine after the first day,the second day and the third day.The standard operation steps had been kept on the HPLC and the spectrophotometry.And the nonstandard method has been operated according to the kit′s instructions.Results: There were no significant differences of the creatinine in the collected same urine in the first and the second and the third day(P0.05);And there were significant differences of the creatinine in the collected same urine with HPLC,spectrophotometry and creatinine diagnostic reagent kit(P0.01).Conclusion: The results were incompared because there were significant differences of the creatinine in the collected same urine with HPLC,spectrophotometry and creatinine diagnostic reagent kit.
Abstract 4623: Transcriptional analysis of the functional differences between M1 and M2 macrophages to identify new targets for myeloid cell modulation in pancreatic tumors

Macrophages exhibit dynamic plasticity in their function in response to the accumulating genetic alterations that occur during tumorigenesis, resulting in the establishment of an immune tolerized tumor microenvironment. However, depending on their environmental cues, they can switch between two functional phenotypes: pro-inflammatory/anti-tumorigenic (M1) or anti-inflammatory/pro-tumorigenic (M2). The importance of these two macrophage subsets is well-recognized; however, identifying and distinguishing M1 from M2 macrophages in patient tumors still remains a challenge. Prior studies have utilized transcriptome profiling of artificially skewed M1 and M2 macrophages from healthy donors to identify individual genes or gene clusters unique to each macrophage subset. However, these studies are limited to surface marker expression and gene expression profiles alone to distinguish subsets and lack functional validation of M1 and M2 macrophages. Surface marker and gene expression profiling of human M1 and M2 macrophages provide an incomplete characterization, as functionality is an important feature distinguishing these macrophage subsets. To improve the characterization of M1 and M2 macrophages, we performed a thorough three-step validation of artificially skewed M1 and M2 macrophages from healthy donor monocytes using surface marker expression, gene expression profiling, and multi-analyte ELISA analyses. Using our validation assays, we tested previously published protocols for their efficacy in generating M1 and M2 macrophages. While M1 macrophages using these protocols generated as expected M1 characteristics, M2 macrophages lacked hallmark functional features, particularly IL-10 secretion. This necessitated the generation of an optimized protocol to skew M1 and M2 macrophages that exhibited distinctive surface marker expression, gene expression profiles, and cytokine and chemokine production for their respective subset. We then performed RNA-sequencing to interrogate the transcriptional landscape of functional M1 and M2 macrophages and have found 1,472 transcripts that have at least a two-fold change in differential expression between M1 and M2 macrophages across 4 different donors. These results represent the most in-depth characterization of human M1 and M2 macrophages and provide insights into better biomarkers and targets for novel immunotherapy approaches. Citation Format: Kimberline R. Yang, Todd D. Armstrong, Elizabeth M. Jaffee. Transcriptional analysis of the functional differences between M1 and M2 macrophages to identify new targets for myeloid cell modulation in pancreatic tumors [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 4623. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-4623
Modeling of power transmission and stress grading for corona protection

Electrical high voltage (HV) machines are prone to corona discharges leading to power losses as well as damage of the insulating layer. Many different techniques are applied as corona protection and computational methods aid to select the best design. In this paper we develop a reduced-order model in 1D estimating electric field and temperature distribution of a conductor wrapped with different layers, as usual for HV-machines. Many assumptions and simplifications are undertaken for this 1D model, therefore, we compare its results to a direct numerical simulation in 3D quantitatively. Both models are transient and nonlinear, giving a possibility to quickly estimate in 1D or fully compute in 3D by a computational cost. Such tools enable understanding, evaluation, and optimization of corona shielding systems for multilayered coils.
A population-based evaluation of the natural history of chronic pancreatitis

Abstract Background Based on reports from tertiary care centers, chronic pancreatitis (CP) is considered to be a painful and debilitating disease frequently requiring invasive interventions. Our primary aim was to assess the natural course of CP in a population-based cohort using endoscopic and surgical interventions as surrogates for disease aggressiveness. Methods We identified all patients (n = 89, alcoholic [ACP = 46], non-alcoholic [NACP] = 43) with newly diagnosed definite CP from Olmsted County, Minnesota between 1977 and 2006. Patients were followed until death or censoring. Medical records were reviewed at time of diagnosis and during each follow-up. Both lifetime proportions and cumulative incidence since the initial manifestation of CP were estimated and compared. Survival was estimated with Kaplan-Meier methodology. Results Median age at CP diagnosis was 56 years (IQR, 48–67) and 56% were male. During median follow-up of 10 years, 68 (76%) experienced pancreatic pain, but only 27 (30%) needed any invasive therapeutic intervention: 23% had endotherapy and 11% had pancreatic surgery. During the clinical course, when compared with NACP, ACP patients had significantly more (all p Conclusions Our study suggests that CP at a population level may have a milder course than that reported from tertiary centers. We confirm that ACP has a more severe phenotype than NACP.
Influence of plasma cytokines on kynurenine and kynurenic acid in schizophrenia.

Abnormalities in the kynurenine pathway (KP) of tryptophan degradation, leading to the dysfunction of neuroactive KP metabolites in the brain, have been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia (SZ). One plausible mechanism involves dysregulation of various pro-inflammatory cytokines associated with the disease, which affect indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), a key enzyme for tryptophan to kynurenine conversion. In order to test this hypothesis directly, we measured plasma levels of the major KP metabolites kynurenine and kynurenic acid (KYNA), as well as four major cytokines, in a sample of 106 SZ patients and 104 control participants. In contrast to the replicable findings of elevation of KYNA in the central nervous system in SZ, plasma levels of KYNA were significantly lower in SZ compared to controls (p = .004). Kynurenine levels were significantly correlated with levels of interferon-γ (p < .001), which is involved in the regulation of IDO, in both patients and controls. However, although patients had higher levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) compared to controls (p = .012), IL-6 levels were not correlated with kynurenine or KYNA, and did not explain group differences in KYNA. Based on the lack of evidence that pro-inflammatory cytokines were significantly related to the KP abnormality in SZ despite an adequate sample size, further studies must consider alternative hypotheses to identify the origins of the KP abnormalities in SZ.
A computationally efficient pipeline for 3D point cloud reconstruction from video sequences

This paper presents a computationally efficient pipeline to achieve 3D point cloud reconstruction from video sequences. This pipeline involves a key frame selection step to improve the computational efficiency by generating reliable depth information from pair-wise frames. An outlier removal step is then applied in order to further improve the computational efficiency. The reconstruction is achieved based on a new absolute camera pose recovery approach in a computationally efficient manner. This pipeline is devised for both sparse and dense 3D reconstruction. The results obtained from video sequences exhibit higher computational efficiency and lower re-projection errors of the introduced pipeline compared to the existing pipelines.
Agricultural Improvement at China’s First Agricultural Experiment Stations

The first agricultural experiment stations in China were established at the beginning of the twentieth century by political reformers who sought to improve the country’s agriculture through scientific research. Inspired by institutional models of agricultural research in Japan and the USA, reformers and agricultural specialists used the experiment stations as testing grounds for new inputs and methods of cultivation. They took a special interest in trying to raise agricultural productivity by importing and experimenting with many new varieties of crops and by testing old and new fertilizers using new knowledge about soil and chemistry. The work of the central government’s experiment station in Beijing on plant propagation, acclimatization, soils, and fertilizers exemplified the research agenda of Chinese agricultural science in this era. In the 1920s, the prominence of the first experiment stations faded as the locus of Chinese agricultural research shifted toward universities and their work in plant breeding.
Designing spoken tutorial dialogue with children to elicit predictable but educationally valuable responses.

How to construct spoken dialogue interactions with children that are educationally effective and technically feasible? To address this challenge, we propose a design principle that constructs short dialogues in which (a) the user’s utterance are the external evidence of task performance or learning in the domain, and (b) the target utterances can be expressed as a well-defined set, in some cases even as a finite language (up to a small set of variables which may change from exercise to exercise.) The key approach is to teach the human learner a parameterized process that maps input to response. We describe how the discovery of this design principle came out of analyzing the processes of automated tutoring for reading and pronunciation and designing dialogues to address vocabulary and comprehension, show how it also accurately describes the design of several other language tutoring interactions, and discuss how it could extend to non-language tutoring tasks.
The long-term effect of trauma history on adolescent depression treatment.

Background Childhood trauma is associated with the development of depression during adolescence. Prior research suggests that traumatic experiences may result in differential acute treatment outcomes for depressed adolescents. However, the long-term effects of trauma on treatment response remain unclear. Method Participants (N = 318) with a primary diagnosis of major depressive disorder were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups: cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), fluoxetine (FLX), or their combination (COMB). All participants received 36 weeks of active treatment followed by 1 year of open follow-up. We hypothesized that (a) adolescents without a trauma history would have greater symptom reduction over the course of treatment compared to those with a trauma history and (b) there would be an interaction between trauma history, treatment arm, and time such that adolescents without trauma histories in combination treatment would improve the most rapidly. Linear mixed effects modeling, factorial ANOVAs, and log-linear analyses were used to test these hypotheses. Results The linear mixed effect model revealed a significant 3-way interaction of time, trauma, and treatment type. In the CBT and COMB groups, adolescents without trauma histories improved more rapidly than traumatized adolescents. In the single-time-point analyses, there were no significant differences between adolescents with trauma histories and those without trauma histories. Conclusions Whereas all treatment groups experienced significant reductions in depression regardless of trauma history, adolescents without trauma histories receiving psychotherapy demonstrated more rapid improvements in depression symptom severity. Treatment response did not differ between traumatized and nontraumatized youth at long-term follow-up. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Micelle-Encapsulated Fluorescent Probe: Chemoselective and Enantioselective Recognition of Lysine in Aqueous Solution.

A diblock copolymer, poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether-block-poly(l-lactide), is used to solubilize 3,3′-diformylBINOL (S)-1 in water to make the micelle-encapsulated fluorescent probe ML-S1. It w...
A Novel Physical Layer Security Technique Using Master-Slave Full Duplex Communication

In this work we present a novel technique for physical layer security in the Internet-of-Things (IoT) networks. In the proposed architecture, each IoT node generates a phase-modulated random key/data and transmits it to a master node in the presence of an eavesdropper, referred to as Eve. The master node, simultaneously, broadcasts a high power signal using an omni-directional antenna, which is received as interference by Eve. This interference masks the generated key by the IoT node and will result in a higher bit-error rate in the data received by Eve. The two legitimate intended nodes communicate in a full-duplex manner and, consequently, subtract their transmitted signals, as a known reference, from the received signal (self-interference cancellation). We compare our proposed method with a conventional approach to physical layer security based on directional antennas. In particular, we show, using theoretical and measurement results, that our proposed approach provides significantly better security measures, in terms bit error rate (BER) at Eve’s location. Also, it is proven that in our novel system, the possible eavesdropping region, defined by the region with BER < 10−1, is always smaller than the reliable communication region with BER < 10−3.
Developing a FHIR-based EHR phenotyping framework: A case study for identification of patients with obesity and multiple comorbidities from discharge summaries

Abstract Background Standards-based clinical data normalization has become a key component of effective data integration and accurate phenotyping for secondary use of electronic healthcare records (EHR) data. HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) is an emerging clinical data standard for exchanging electronic healthcare data and has been used in modeling and integrating both structured and unstructured EHR data for a variety of clinical research applications. The overall objective of this study is to develop and evaluate a FHIR-based EHR phenotyping framework for identification of patients with obesity and its multiple comorbidities from semi-structured discharge summaries leveraging a FHIR-based clinical data normalization pipeline (known as NLP2FHIR). Methods We implemented a multi-class and multi-label classification system based on the i2b2 Obesity Challenge task to evaluate the FHIR-based EHR phenotyping framework. Two core parts of the framework are: (a) the conversion of discharge summaries into corresponding FHIR resources – Composition, Condition, MedicationStatement, Procedure and FamilyMemberHistory using the NLP2FHIR pipeline, and (b) the implementation of four machine learning algorithms (logistic regression, support vector machine, decision tree, and random forest) to train classifiers to predict disease state of obesity and 15 comorbidities using features extracted from standard FHIR resources and terminology expansions. We used the macro- and micro-averaged precision (P), recall (R), and F1 score (F1) measures to evaluate the classifier performance. We validated the framework using a second obesity dataset extracted from the MIMIC-III database. Results Using the NLP2FHIR pipeline, 1237 clinical discharge summaries from the 2008 i2b2 obesity challenge dataset were represented as the instances of the FHIR Composition resource consisting of 5677 records with 16 unique section types. After the NLP processing and FHIR modeling, a set of 244,438 FHIR clinical resource instances were generated. As the results of the four machine learning classifiers, the random forest algorithm performed the best with F1-micro(0.9466)/F1-macro(0.7887) and F1-micro(0.9536)/F1-macro(0.6524) for intuitive classification (reflecting medical professionals’ judgments) and textual classification (reflecting the judgments based on explicitly reported information of diseases), respectively. The MIMIC-III obesity dataset was successfully integrated for prediction with minimal configuration of the NLP2FHIR pipeline and machine learning models. Conclusions The study demonstrated that the FHIR-based EHR phenotyping approach could effectively identify the state of obesity and multiple comorbidities using semi-structured discharge summaries. Our FHIR-based phenotyping approach is a first concrete step towards improving the data aspect of phenotyping portability across EHR systems and enhancing interpretability of the machine learning-based phenotyping algorithms.
Abandoning Belly Dance: Leaving Female-Dominated Serious Leisure

Although much scholarly attention has been devoted to examining the benefits and costs of leisure, few studies have investigated people who leave their leisure activities. Rather, leisure scholars typically conclude that benefits outweigh challenges, and people continue their leisure participation. Using qualitative interviews conducted in both 2006 and 2011 with ten former belly dancers, I explore why people leave a physically based, female-dominated artistic form of serious leisure. I show that women leave belly dance for a variety of social and psychological reasons, including having different goals, redefining the meaning of the dance, prioritizing other interests, financial challenges, and having familial responsibilities. Women also leave belly dance for physical reasons, such as aging and declining health. Beyond typical explanations of time and money, this study expands our understanding of why people may abandon leisure pursuits.
Trends in prevalence and treatment of depressive symptoms in adult patients with epilepsy in the United States.

Abstract Objective Depressive symptoms are a common comorbidity among adults with epilepsy (AWE). Prior estimates regarding prevalence and treatment of depressive symptoms in AWE have been largely based on samples of tertiary care cohorts that may not be generalizable. We aimed to provide a representative population estimate of the prevalence and treatment of depressive symptoms over time in AWE in the United States as measured by a validated depression screen. Method Data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) were analyzed from 2004 to 2015 to determine the prevalence of “screen positive” depressive symptoms (SPDS) among AWE as evaluated by the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2). We defined pharmacotherapy for depressive symptoms as the prescription of any antidepressant, antipsychotic, anxiolytic, or central nervous system stimulant for the “Clinical Classification Code” of mood disorders within the year sampled, and psychotherapy as any outpatient or office-based visit for “mood disorders” for that year sampled. We analyzed temporal trends and explanatory variables for treatment using the Cochran–Armitage test and logistic regression, respectively. Results Our sample included 2024 AWE, representing 1,736,023 patients nationwide. This included 517 AWE with SPDS (AWE-SPDS), representing 401,452 AWE, and 1507 AWE who screened negative for depressive symptoms (AWE-SNDS), representing 1,334,571 AWE. The prevalence of SPDS was 23.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 20.6%–25.8%). Women (odds ratio [OR]: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.05–1.87), patients ages 35–49 (OR: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.23–2.72; compared with patients ages 18–34), and patients with Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥ 1 (OR: 1.92, 95% CI: 1.41–2.61) had higher odds of SPDS. There was no significant change in depressive symptoms' prevalence or treatment in AWE between the epochs of 2004–2006 and 2013–2015. Conclusions Despite a quarter of AWE in the United States with SPDS, fewer than half received treatment. This indicates a need for improved efforts to screen AWE for depression and treat appropriately.
Systems Biological Analysis of Immune Response to Influenza Vaccination

The last decade has witnessed tremendous progress in immunology and vaccinology, owing to several scientific and technological breakthroughs. Systems vaccinology is a field that has emerged at the forefront of vaccine research and development and provides a unique way to probe immune responses to vaccination in humans. The goals of systems vaccinology are to use systems-based approaches to define signatures that can be used to predict vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy and to delineate the molecular mechanisms driving protective immunity. The application of systems biological approaches in influenza vaccination studies has enabled the discovery of early signatures that predict immunogenicity to vaccination and yielded novel mechanistic insights about vaccine-induced immunity. Here we review the contributions of systems vaccinology to influenza vaccine development and critically examine the potential of systems vaccinology toward enabling the development of a universal influenza vaccine that provides robust and durable immunity against diverse influenza viruses.
Spectral characterization for small clusters of silicon and oxygen: SiO2, SiO3, Si2O3, & Si2O4

Abstract Rocky bodies are made of minerals comprised largely of silicon and oxygen. How these minerals are formed from their constituent atoms is not fully known. The rovibrational IR spectral data produced in this work may help to observe small molecules containing silicon and oxygen so that these potential molecular intermediates can be observed. These molecules have strong absorption features between 7.0 ​μm and 8.0 ​μm, most notably, and are fully characterized in the IR from the present quantum chemical data. The antisymmetric Si−O stretches of small silicon oxide clusters also fall in this range and have large intensities. Hence, this quantum chemical analysis provides spectral data for such molecules that may be of significance for astrochemical classification and could play a role in the formation or degradation of mineral nanocrystals from or into their constituent atoms. Both explicitly computed anharmonic fundamental vibrational frequencies and those determined from scaled harmonic frequencies agree well with known experimental data, and spectroscopic constants are provided herein such that astronomical rotational spectral characterization may also be possible for the C2v SiO3 and Si2O3 molecules.
A Model Problem: 1-D Elastostatics

In most problems of mathematical physics the true solutions are nonsmooth, i.e., they are not continuously differentiable. Thus, we cannot immediately apply a Galerkin approach. For example, in the equation of static mechanical equilibrium
The Convergence Insufficiency Masquerade

Fusional convergence insufficiency is a routinely encountered condition including eyestrain, blurring and diplopia during near work. A large number of patients who present with these asthenopic sym...
Synthesis and Antiviral Activity of a Series of 2'-C-Methyl-4'-thionucleoside Monophosphate Prodrugs.

The NS5B RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a validated target for nucleoside antiviral drug therapy. We endeavored to synthesize and test a series of 4'-thionucleosides with a monophosphate prodrug moiety for their antiviral activity against HCV and other related viruses in the Flaviviridae family. Nucleoside analogs were prepared via the stereoselective Vorbruggen glycosylation of various nucleobases with per-acetylated 2-C-methyl-4-thio-d-ribose built in a 10-step synthetic sequence from the corresponding ribonolactone. Conjugation of the thionucleoside to a ProTide phosphoramidate allowed for evaluation of the prodrugs in the cellular HCV replicon assay with anti-HCV activities ranging from single-digit micromolar (μM) to >200 μM. The diminished anti-HCV potency of our best compound compared to its 4'-oxo congener is the subject of ongoing research in our lab and is proposed to stem from changes in sugar geometry imparted by the larger sulfur atom.
On the rational homology of high-dimensional analogues of spaces of long knots

We study high-dimensional analogues of spaces of long knots. These are spaces of compactly supported embeddings (modulo immersions) of ℝm into ℝn. We view the space of embeddings as the value of a certain functor at ℝm, and we apply manifold calculus to this functor. Our first result says that the Taylor tower of this functor can be expressed as the space of maps between infinitesimal bimodules over the little-disks operad. We then show that the formality of the little-disks operad has implications for the homological behavior of the Taylor tower. Our second result says that when 2m+1<n, the singular chain complex of these spaces of embeddings is rationally equivalent to a direct sum of certain finite chain complexes, which we describe rather explicitly.
Internships and promises of diversity: how anticipatory psychological contracts shape employment intentions in the U.S

Our paper bridges psychological contract and recruitment literatures, examining the relationship between diversity messages on recruitment websites and internship outcomes, through the lens of anti...
Quantum State Classification via Quantum Fourier.

We study learning from quantum data, in particular quantum state classification which has applications, among others, in classifying the separability of quantum states. In this learning model, there are $n$ quantum states with classical labels as the training samples. Predictors are quantum measurements that when applied to the next unseen quantum state predict its classical label. By integrating learning theory with quantum information, we introduce a quantum counterpart of the PAC framework for learning with respect to classes of measurements. We argue that major challenges arising from the quantum nature of the problem are measurement incompatibility and the no-cloning principle -- prohibiting sample reuse. Then, after introducing a Fourier expansion through Pauli's operators, we study learning with respect to an infinite class of quantum measurements whose operator's Fourier spectrum is concentrated on low degree terms. We propose a quantum learning algorithm and show that the quantum sample complexity depends on the ``compatibility structure" of such measurement classes -- the more compatible the class is, the lower the quantum sample complexity will be. We further introduce $k$-junta measurements as a special class of low-depth quantum circuits whose Fourier spectrum is concentrated on low degrees.
Temperature-insensitive silicone composites as ballistic witness materials: the impact of water content on the thermophysical properties

In this work, different formulations of a room-temperature silicone composite backing material (SCBM) composed of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), fumed silica and corn starch were investigated using different characterization techniques, i.e., differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and small-angle X-ray scattering, as a function of controlled relative humidity. At ambient relative humidities in the range of about 20–80%, the equilibrium water content in the SCBM ranges from approximately 4–10%, which is predominantly absorbed by the corn starch. This amount of water content has been shown to have minimal effect on thermal transition temperatures (melting and glass transition) of the SCBMs. The enthalpy of melting increases with increasing relative humidity, which reflects the heterogeneous semicrystalline structure of starch granules and the role of moisture in facilitating the formation of amylopectin double helices mainly in the imperfect crystalline regions. The thermal degradation of SCBM exhibits three major mass loss steps that correspond to dehydration, decomposition of corn starch and decomposition of PDMS. The XRD patterns reveal a characteristic diffuse peak for amorphous PDMS and an A-type crystallinity for the corn starch. The XRD results show no observable changes in the crystal type and crystallinity as a function of moisture content. Results from this work help clarify the fundamental structure–property relationships in SCBMs, which are important for future development of documentary standards, especially the handling and storage specifications of next-generation ballistic witness materials for body armor testing.
Real-Time Data Quality Analysis

Data quality is critically important for big data and machine learning applications. Data quality systems can analyze data sets for quality and detection of potential errors. They can also provide remediation to fix problems encountered in analyzing data sets. This paper discusses key features that of data quality analysis systems. We also present new algorithms for efficiently maintaining updated data quality metrics on changing data sets. Our algorithms consider anomalies in data regions in determining how much different regions of data contribute to overall data metrics. We also make intelligent choices of which data metrics to update and how frequently to do so in order to limit the overhead for data quality metric updates.
High Holy Days

It was hot. A size too large, my wool winter suit scratched. Indian summer flaring up through fall. The shul's broken window bled sunlight on the congregation; the Red Sea of the center aisle parting the women from the men. Mother next to daughter, father next to son, flipped through prayerbooks in unison trying to keep the place. Across the aisle, my father wore a borrowed prayer shawl. A black yarmulke covered his baldspot.
Potential risks of chronic sildenafil use for priapism in sickle cell disease.

ABSTRACT Introduction Priapism is a common concern in sickle cell disease. With a high frequency of recurrences and serious long‐term sequela, a preventative, rather than traditionally reactive approach, needs to be taken in these patients. Reports have shown successful use of sildenafil as a prophylactic treatment but have failed to address adverse outcomes, including vasoocclusive pain crises, of chronic sildenafil therapy in sickle cell patients. Aims We wish to draw attention to the potential adverse outcomes of this therapy on the overall state of the patient's disease for consideration in future studies. Methods We used sildenafil in a patient suffering from almost daily attacks of priapism. Results Sildenafil was successful in decreasing the frequency of priapism; however, our patient experienced an increased frequency of vasoocclusive crises, something not previously addressed. Conclusion Future studies of sildenafil use in sickle cell disease need to assess the global state of the disease, not just the frequency of priapism. Lane A and Deveras R. Potential risks of chronic sildenafil use for priapism in sickle cell disease. J Sex Med 2011;8:3193–3195.
Phenomenological linear theory of gravitation: Part I. Classical mechanics

Abstract Reasons are given why a linear theory of gravitation, if not the final word on gravity, yet is of considerable interest. Starting from a theory of considerable generality, we narrow down this generality by choosing the various constants in the theory on considerations of convenience as well as adjustment to experimental data; two of the constants are made zero. The number of facts predicted by the theory exceeds the number of adjustable constants appearing in it. Our theory differs from both Birkhoff's or Moshinsky's theory and from the linearization of Einstein's theory. In the present paper we explain the choice of the gravitational Lagrangian and discuss the choice of interaction of gravity with particles and other fields. We calculate the static gravitational field around the sun assumed to be at rest. Gravitational effects due to stresses inside the sun are taken into account as they are of a slightly larger magnitude than the relativistic effects leading to the advance of the perihelion. We discuss the equations of motion of a point mass in this gravitational field and consider both slow particles (e.g. Kepler orbits of planets) and fast particles (e.g. photons passing the sun). When the slow-particle case is expanded to second-order terms in v 2 c 2 , the advance of the perihelion is found. The results are compared with available experimental evidence, and the choice of the constants of the theory is given as a function of the more accurate results which future experiments may procure. Some possible choices of the constants are indicated.
A distance-based method for detecting horizontal gene transfer in whole genomes

As the number of sequenced genomes has grown, we have becomeincreasingly aware of the impact of horizontal gene transfer on our understandingof genome evolution. Methods for detecting horizontal gene transfer fromsequence abound. Among the most accurate are methods based on phylogenetictree inference, but even these can perform poorly in some cases, such as whenmultiple trees fit the data equally well. In addition, they tend to be computationallyintensive, making them poorly suited to genomic-scale applications. Weintroduce a new method for detecting horizontal transfer that incorporates thedistances typically used by phylogeny-based methods, rather than the treesthemselves. We demonstrate that the distance method is scalable and that it performswell precisely in cases where phylogenetic approaches struggle. We concludethat a distance-based approach may be a valuable addition to the set oftools currently available for identifying horizontal gene transfer.
Inventory logistics cost analysis model for the proposed EU intermodal loading unit -- A business case

This study focuses on the new initiative of the European Union (EU) which deals with simplifying the intermodal product shipment approach that may lead to improvement in the available transportation logistics infrastructure. The analysis involves determining the significance in the difference between the mean total costs in using a motor carrier, an intermodal platform, or the new intermodal loading unit (ILU). The study found a clear difference between the mean total costs for a motor carrier, a regular intermodal transportation and the use of the new ILU. Sensitivity analysis showed that the regular intermodal transportation is less competitive than the new ILU. The study provides rationale for the transportation industry to more closely examine the benefits of complying with the new EU ILU standard.
Dietary Protein, Aryl Hydrocarbon Hydroxylase and Chemical Carcinogenesis in Rats

The relationships of dietary protein to changes in hepatic aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity and 7,12 dimethylbenz(a)anthracene ( DMBA ) carcinogenesis were studied in female Sprague-Dawley rats. Iso- energetic casein based purified diets containing 7.5, 15, or 45% protein equivalent were fed for 4 weeks, at which time rats were killed for enzyme assays. Aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase, an enzyme system which metab olizes polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as DMBA, showed increased activity as dietary protein increased. The role of protein in the initiation phase of DMBA carcinogenesis was examined in rats fed 7.5, 15, and 45% protein for 4 weeks whereupon each rat received 2.0 mg of DMBA/100 g body weight in a single oral dose. Thereafter all rats were ad libitum fed the 15% protein diet for 25 additional weeks. The percentage of rats with tumors and the number of tumors per rat were lower as protein intake was increased prior to DMBA administration. The influence of protein on the promotion phase was examined by feeding the 15% protein diet to all rats prior to DMBA administration whereupon the rats were assigned to the three experimental diets for an additional 25 weeks. With this regimen, dietary protein concentration had no effect on tumor incidence or latency during the promotion phase. Our evidence supports the hypothesis that in creasing dietary protein may decrease the concentration of potential car cinogenic DMBA metabolites reaching the mammary gland by stimulating the hepatic metabolism of DMBA. J. Nutr. 109: 55-62, 1979.
Stimulating Upstream Engagement: An Experimental Study of Nanotechnology Information Seeking

Objectives The current study examines upstream engagement initiatives using the issue of nanotechnology as a case study. Methods A series of logistic and OLS regression analyses explore data from a laboratory experiment on information-seeking behavior, knowledge, and willingness to engage with the issue of nanotechnology in the future. Results Our results fail to offer evidence of positive relationships between anticipated discussion and learning and the willingness to engage with the issue of nanotechnology in the future. In addition, our results show that anticipated discussion with opposing others actually encourages individuals to seek out an editorial or opinion piece first as opposed to a news item. Conclusion Our findings point toward important variations in the kinds of information-seeking behaviors likely to emerge from different conditions under which individuals may be motivated to learn more about emerging science issues, and provide practical insights into which kinds of information-seeking behaviors are most conducive to knowledge gain and issue engagement.
Estimating gluon condensation

Abstract We make an independent estimate of 〈0| G μν α G μν α |0〉 and show that its value may be higher than previously thought.
The determination of plutonium isotopic composition by gamma-ray spectroscopy

Abstract We discuss the general approach, computerized data analysis methods, and results of measurements used to determine the isotopic composition of plutonium by gamma-ray spectroscopy. The simple techniques are designed to be applicable to samples of arbitrary size, geometry, age, chemical, and isotopic composition. The combination of the gamma spectroscopic measurement of isotopic composition coupled with calorimetric measurement of total sample power is shown to give a totally nondestructive determination of sample plutonium mass with a precision of 0.6% for 1000 g samples of PuO2 with 12% 240Pu content. The precision of isotopic measurements depends upon many factors, including sample size, sample geometry, and isotopic content. Typical ranges are found to be 238Pu, 1 to 10%; 239Pu, 0.1 to 0.5%; 240Pu, 2 to 5%; 241Pu, 0.3 to 0.7%; 242Pu (determined by isotopic correlation); and 241Am, 0.2 to 10%.
Lewis acid activation of molybdenum nitrides for alkyne metathesis

The substantial kinetic barrier to molybdenum nitride–alkyne metathesis is facilitated by precomplexation of the borane Lewis acid B(C6F5)3, providing convenient access to metathesis-active molybdenum alkylidynes. Spectroscopic and X-ray structural analysis suggest MoN bond weakening upon borane complexation.
Detection of Age-Related Changes in Thoracic Structure and Function by Computed Tomography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and Positron Emission Tomography

It is useful to understand the normal changes in structure and function in the thorax that occur with age. Thus, we present the following quantitative preliminary data obtained from retrospective quantitative analysis of computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET) examinations in subjects 0 to 90 years of age: Mean lung standard uptake values were found to significantly increase with increasing age and with increasing body mass index (BMI). Mean lung attenuation was seen to statistically significantly decrease with increasing age in subjects who had a CT scan, had a nonsignificant tendency to decrease with increasing age in subjects with a PET/CT scan, had a nonsignificant tendency to increase with increasing BMI, and was seen to significantly increase with increasing mean lung standard uptake values. Mean lung volumes were not noted to significantly change with increasing age in adult subjects whether or not they were normalized to the craniocaudal thoracic lengths, although mean lung volumes significantly increased with increasing age in pediatric subjects. Mean lung volumes had a nonsignificant tendency to decrease with increasing BMI, although normalized mean lung volumes significantly decreased with increasing BMI. Lung metabolic volumetric products were not noted to significantly change with increasing BMI or with increasing age. In this work, we also review the literature regarding normal structural and functional changes in the thorax with age.
SPATIAL DEPENDENCE OF INCOME INEQUALITY AMONG TRADING PARTNERS

Questions surrounding income inequality have received great attention in the recent economic literature. Traditionally the literature does not attempt to investigate how income inequality in a country could be affected by the income inequality of countries economically related to it. Using Trade Spatial Lags, this paper shows that a country's income inequality is affected by the inequality of its top trading partners. This investigation shows a strong positive relationship of the Gini coefficient among major trading partners. To conduct the study, we use panel data for a sample of 180 countries from 1960 to 2008.
Aggregate culture: A more accurate predictor of microcystin toxicity for risk assessment

Aggregate or spheroid culture has emerged as a more biologically relevant method for screening pharmaceutical compounds and understanding exact mechanism of action. Here in, the aggregate approach applied to the freshwater toxins, microcystins, further unearths exact mechanism(s) of toxicity and provides a markedly improved in vitro predictor of toxicity. Microcystins result in acute intoxication by binding covalently to protein phosphatase 1/2A, resulting in hepatocellular necrosis, hemorrhaging and death. Hepatocellular uptake by organic anion transporting polypeptides (OATPs), in addition to other intracellular sequelae, is considered essential for toxicity. In aggregate HepG2, expression of OAT1B1 and OATP1B3 significantly increased relative to monolayer culture. Uptake of two fluorescently labeled substrates significantly increased in aggregates compared with monolayer, confirmed by inhibition of uptake with known competitive substrates. Increased reaction oxygen species (ROS) production occurred following a three-hour exposure of microcystin LR at concentrations from 100 nM to 100 μM, with reversal by ROS scavengers, in contrast with no response in monolayers. These results suggest monolayer culture inadequately predict intracellular effects of microcystins and support evidence that aggregate culture more closely approximates in vivo form and function. The approach results in more reliable prediction of microcystin toxicity in vitro.