cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Labor Market Experience of Persons With Disabilities: The Conundrum

In the context of legislation to promote employment of persons with disabilities (Americans With Disabilities Act), trend data analysis results are showing employment rates that are moving in a downward rather than an upward direction. This review of two recent books on the labor market involvement and experience of persons with disability demonstrates this puzzle and points out some of the problems that may be contributing to those findings. The definition and measurement of disability in the data sets in use seem to be a key factor in the confusion, and both books contribute interesting material to address this aspect. Although The Labor Market Experience of Workers With Disability is well written with impressive analyses, it is in the traditional economics perspective, and while it introduces useful state policy information, it does not provide an answer to the puzzle. The Decline in Employment of People With a Disability uses an edited format to good effect, providing the reader with many creative app...
Truncation in CCND1 mRNA alters miR-16-1 regulation in mantle cell lymphoma

Cyclin D1 (CCND1) is a well-known regulator of cell-cycle progression. It is overexpressed in several types of cancer including breast, lung, squamous, neuroblastoma, and lymphomas. The most well-known mechanism of overexpression is the t(11;14)(q13;q32) translocation found in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). It has previously been shown that truncated CCND1 mRNA in MCL correlates with poor prognosis. We hypothesized that truncations of the CCND1 mRNA alter its ability to be down-regulated by microRNAs in MCL. MicroRNAs are a new class of abundant small RNAs that play important regulatory roles at the posttranscriptional level by binding to the 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of mRNAs blocking either their translation or initiating their degradation. In this study, we have identified the truncation in CCND1 mRNA in MCL cell lines. We also found that truncated CCND1 mRNA leads to increased CCND1 protein expression and increased S-phase cell fraction. Furthermore, we demonstrated that this truncation alters miR-16-1 binding sites, and through the use of reporter constructs, we were able to show that miR-16-1 regulates CCND1 mRNA expression. This study introduces the role of miR-16-1 in the regulation of CCND1 in MCL.
Gender differences in amniotic fluid cytokine levels.

Objective: Placental trophoblast invasion and amniotic fluid cytokine receptor levels have been reported to vary with fetal gender. We investigated whether fetal gender affects amniotic fluid levels of the inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10 and the pro-angiogenesis cytokine angiogenin.Methods: Specimens from singleton gestations undergoing mid-trimester amniocentesis for genetic indications were used. Inclusion criteria were (1) outcome information available, (2) no structural or chromosomal anomaly and (3) no conditions associated with preterm delivery. Amniotic fluid IL-6, IL-10 and angiogenin levels were measured by immunoassay. Statistical analysis included the Mann–Whitney U test and Fisher's exact test with p < 0.05 indicating significance.Results: A total of 74 samples were analyzed. Angiogenin levels were significantly lower in amniotic fluid samples from pregnancies with a male than with a female fetus (median (range): 22.2 (5.9–66.4) vs. 32.0 (11.4–159.2) ng/ml, p = 0.007), in c...
Electromigration in gold and copper thin film conductors

Abstract The electromigration behavior of gold thin film conductors with molybdenum, niobium, hafnium and zirconium adhesion layers and of copper thin film conductors with chromium and niobium adhesion layers was investigated under various fabrication and testing conditions. Niobium increases the electromigration lifetime of gold conductors by more than an order of magnitude, while hafnium and zirconium also improve it but by lesser amounts. Sputter-deposited gold conductors appear to be superior to vapor-deposited gold conductors. Pulse powering also increases the electromigration lifetime. In copper conductors chromium adhesion layers do not affect the electromigration lifetime, while niobium adhesion layers appear to reduce it.
Moment patterns in the Radon space: invariance to blur

Previously, we introduced the idea of moment patterns in the Radon space and described normalization procedures to render the patterns invariant to translation, rotation, and amplitude and geometric scaling. We extend our work toward rendering the patterns invariant also to blurring, which is modeled as a convolution by a linear shift-invariant filter. This is achieved by considering blur-invariant functions of the central moments of the projections, and normalizing them to eliminate the effects of both amplitude and geometric scaling. Results of simulation are presented to demonstrate the invariance of the new moment-based functions in the Radon space to translation, rotation, amplitude and geometric scaling, and blur.
Polyphenols downregulate PAI-1 gene expression in cultured human coronary artery endothelial cells: molecular contributor to cardiovascular protection.

Abstract Epidemiologic data have indicated that the intake of polyphenols is inversely associated with mortality from cardiovascular disease. Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are ubiquitous signaling proteins that have been associated with gene regulation. This study determined whether polyphenols (catechin and quercetin) activated kinase-signaling cascades that suppress PAI-1 expression and whether this suppression is at the transcription level in human coronary artery endothelial cells (ECs) remains unresolved. ECs were incubated in the absence/presence of polyphenols and RNA and protein were analyzed by real-time PCR and Western blot analysis. MAPKs were analyzed using antibodies to active form of p38, JNK, and ERK1/2. ECs were transiently transfected with a 1.1-kb PAI-1 promoter (pPAI110/luc) and promoter activity were assays after treatment with polyphenols. Catechin and quercetin decreased EC PAI-1 mRNA in a time- and dose-dependent manner, reaching a maximum at 4 and 2 h, respectively. These polyphenols activated EC p38 and ERK1/2 within 2.5 and 5 min, respectively, while maximal JNK activation occurred at 10–15 min. An inhibitor of p38 MAPK had no effect on polyphenol-induced repression of PAI-1. Inhibitors of ERK or JNK prevented polyphenol repression of EC PAI-1 gene expression. Exposing ECs transiently transfected with pPAI110/luc to polyphenols decreased promoter activity 50%. Polyphenols repress EC PAI-1 expression, in part, by activating ERK and JNK signaling pathways and this repression is at transcriptional levels. Thus MAPK seem to play an important role in polyphenol-induce repression of PAI-1 expression in ECs.
Baroclinic Vorticity Production in Protoplanetary Disks. I. Vortex Formation

The formation of vortices in protoplanetary disks is explored via pseudospectral numerical simulations of an anelastic-gas model. This model is a coupled set of equations for vorticity and temperature in two dimensions that includes baroclinic vorticity production and radiative cooling. Vortex formation is unambiguously shown to be caused by baroclinicity, because (1) these simulations have zero initial perturbation vorticity and a nonzero initial temperature distribution, and (2) turning off the baroclinic term halts vortex formation, as shown by an immediate drop in kinetic energy and vorticity. Vortex strength increases with larger background temperature gradients, warmer background temperatures, larger initial temperature perturbations, higher Reynolds number, and higher resolution. In the simulations presented here, vortices form when the background temperatures are ~200 K and vary radially as r-0.25, the initial vorticity perturbations are zero, the initial temperature perturbations are 5% of the background, and the Reynolds number is 109. A sensitivity study consisting of 74 simulations showed that as resolution and Reynolds number increase, vortices can form with smaller initial temperature perturbations, lower background temperatures, and smaller background temperature gradients. For the parameter ranges of these simulations, the disk is shown to be convectively stable by the Solberg-Hoiland criteria.
Effectiveness of generic and brand advertising on fresh and processed potato products

Since 1973, potato producers have used commodity advertising to increase the demand and value perception of fresh potatoes and processed potato products. Advertising dollars for generic promotion currently total $3.7 million annually, and these funds are generated from a check-off program which assesses producers 2.3 cents per hundredweight. Potato processors allocate an additional $46 million annually to advertise branded potato products. This research examines the effectiveness of these advertising dollars in increasing demand for potatoes. Results show that both brand and generic advertising are effective in stimulating demand for all processed potato products. Generic advertising does not positively impact the demand for fresh potatoes.
Endoscopic pancreatic function test using combined secretin and cholecystokinin stimulation for the evaluation of chronic pancreatitis

Background Current endoscopic pancreatic function test (ePFT) methods use either secretin or cholecystokinin (CCK) to measure pancreatic function. Objective To evaluate a novel ePFT protocol that includes both secretin and CCK stimulation and to assess which fluid parameters best discriminate patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP). Design Prospective, cross-sectional diagnostic study. Setting Single, tertiary-care institution. Patients Healthy volunteers and patients evaluated for CP were included. Interventions All patients underwent a combined secretin-CCK ePFT. Patients evaluated for CP also underwent EUS during the same endoscopic session. Main Outcome Measurements Duodenal fluid bicarbonate, lipase, and amylase concentrations were measured after CCK and secretin stimulation. Results were compared based on the presence of CP detected by EUS (≥5 features). Results Twenty healthy volunteers and 69 patients evaluated for CP completed the secretin and CCK ePFT. Patients with an EUS score of 5 or higher had significantly decreased peak bicarbonate concentrations (72 mmol) compared with patients with an EUS score lower than 5 (90 mmol) and healthy subjects (108 mmol) ( P Limitations Secretin and cholecystokinin endoscopic pancreatic function test (SC ePFT) results were not compared with those of single hormone ePFTs. Conclusions The addition of CCK infusion and enzyme concentration measurement to a standard secretin ePFT does not enhance the diagnosis of CP.
Thermal conductivities of electrospun PAN and PVP nanocomposite fibers incorporated with MWCNTs and NiZn ferrite nanoparticles

Abstract Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) solutions incorporated with multi wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and NiZn ferrite (Ni0.6Zn0.4Fe2O4) nanoparticles were electrospun at various weight percentages, and then thermal conductivity values of these nanocomposite fibers were determined using a comparative method. During the electrospinning process, system and process parameters, such as concentrations, applied voltage, tip-to-collector distance, and pump speeds were optimized to receive the consistent nanocomposite fibers. Polymer composites with high thermal conductivities are required in many applications, such as electronic packaging, satellite devices, charging/discharging, energy dissipation, and low thermal expansions. The presence of conductive filler materials in polymers increased the thermal conductivity of MWCNTs-based fibers over 10 fold, which may be attributed to higher thermal conductivities of these filler materials. The electrospun fibers incorporated with NiZn ferrite did not show similar improvement.
Improved intraventricular conduction of premature beats after diphenylhydantoin

Abstract To determine the effect of diphenylhydantoin on intraventricular conduction in man, we utilized His bundle recordings and coupled atrial pacing to record the relative refractory period of the His-Purkinje system and the functional refractory period of the atrioventricular (A-V) node in 14 patients before and after administration of diphenylhydantoin at a rate of 50 mg/min. Before infusion of diphenylhydantoin (5 mg/kg at a rate of 50 mg/min) His-Purkinje conduction delay occurred with right bundle branch block in nine patients and with left bundle branch block in five patients. After infusion of diphenylhydantoin the onset or degree of His-Purkinje delay was altered in all patients. In nine patients diphenylhydantoin reduced the relative refractory period of the His-Purkinje system to a value less than that of the functional refractory period of the A-V node so that His-Purkinje conduction delay could not be demonstrated after diphenylhydantoin. In five patients, diphenylhydantoin reduced the relative refractory period of the His-Purkinje system or altered the degree of aberrant conduction, or both. Diphenylhydantoin reduced the minimal H 1 –H 2 interval achieved before the onset of His-Purkinje block from 421 ± 27 (standard deviation) to 384 ± 34 msec ( P P > 0.1). These results establish that diphenylhydantoin has a significant effect on intraventricular conduction in man.
Midbrain reticular stimulation and brightness detection

Abstract The threshold for brightness of four Rhesus monkeys was repetitively measured under five increasingly higher levels of electrical stimulation or the Midbrain Reticular Formation, at a distance of 20 ft from the visual stimulus. In a strictly controlled operant paradigm the threshold measurements were obtained for three levels of light adaptation. Significant lowering or brightness detection threshold ( P ) was observed for all subjects, at all three levels of light adaptation, for the highest level of stimulation.
Duet: library integrity verification for android applications

In recent years, the Android operating system has had an explosive growth in the number of applications containing third-party libraries for different purposes. In this paper, we identify three library-centric threats in the real-world Android application markets: (i) the library modification threat, (ii) the masquerading threat and (iii) the aggressive library threat. These three threats cannot effectively be fully addressed by existing defense mechanisms such as software analysis, anti-virus software and anti-repackaging techniques. To mitigate these threats, we propose Duet, a library integrity verification tool for Android applications at application stores. This is non-trivial because the Android application build process merges library code and application-specific logic into a single binary file. Our approach uses reverse-engineering to achieve integrity verification. We implemented a full working prototype of Duet. In a dataset with 100,000 Android applications downloaded from Google Play between February 2012 and September 2013, we verify integrity of 15 libraries. On average, 80.50% of libraries can pass the integrity verification. In-depth analysis indicates that code insertion, obfuscation, and optimization on libraries by application developers are the primary reasons for not passing integrity verification. The evaluation results not only indicate that Duet is an effective tool to mitigate library-centric attacks, but also provide empirical insight into the library integrity situation in the wild.
On lithography aware metal-fill insertion

Manufacturability and lithographic printability are growing concerns with advancing technology nodes. The two most important parameters which influence the printability of a design are lithographic process corner and pattern density of the design. Dummy metal-fills are used to improve post-chemical mechanical polishing surface planarity. Conventional metal-fills do not consider impact of fill on lithographic printability or critical area—this is the focus of our paper. Although systematic yield due to lithographic distortions is gaining prominence, paniculate defects still remain a significant source of yield loss. Increasing design density in conjunction with growing manufacturability issues necessitates lithography aware paniculate limited yield loss analysis. In this work, we propose a novel lithography aware metal-fill insertion technique taking both statistical lithographic variations and critical area into consideration. Specifically, the main contributions of this work are a) analyzing the influence of metal-fills on line width variation and critical area, b) synthesis of variational lithography-aware metal-fill to improve design yield. The solution is been built on existing commercial tools. Experiments on ISCAS'85 benchmark circuits reveal that in 45nm technology, metal-fills worsen the linewidth variation by as much as 15% for more than 30% of nets compared to no fill. By contrast, proposed lithography aware metal-fill reduces linewidth variation by −25% and critical area by −35% compared to conventional metal-fill solutions without sacrificing density, planarity and performance targets.
Algebraic Structure of Superconvergence Relations

How to express superconvergence relations for pion scattering as statements about the generators ${X}_{a}$ of chiral SU (2) \ensuremath{\bigotimes} SU (2) is shown. One of the superconvergence relations has a remarkable algebraic significance: The matrix $m{J}_{y}$ (where $m$ and $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{J}}$ are the mass and spin matrices) is the sum of a chiral scalar and the fourth component of a chiral four-vector.
Bimetallic Reactivity. Synthesis of Bimetallic Complexes of Macrocyclic Binucleating Ligands Containing 6- and 4-Coordinate Sites and Their Reactivity with Dioxygen and Other Oxidants

General methods are described for the synthesis of amine macrocyclic ligand systems which can contiguously accommodate two metals, one in a 6-coordinate site and the other in a 4-coordinate location. The amine complexes of the type [M(amine ligand)(H+)2]n+, where M is in the 6-coordinate site and the other site contains two protons, are obtained from the previously described imine complexes, [M(imine ligand)(H+)2]n+, by BH4- reduction. The macrocyclic framework consists of two diamine links, one at each site. Ligands incorporating the trimethylenediamine (tn) and ethylenediamine (en) links were prepared, namely, the four ligands containing the tntn, tnen, entn, and enen combinations. Bimetallic complexes of the amine ligands are prepared under mild conditions from the monometallic complexes [M(amine ligand)(H+)2]n+ by addition of the second metal. The structures of these complexes were studied by 1H NMR spectrometry and by X-ray diffraction. The monometallic imine complexes, [CoII(imine ligand)(H+)2]2+, a...
Traumatic limb amputations and subsequent mortality from cardiovascular disease and other causes.

Abstract Men drafted into the Army, hospitalized during 1944–1945 for service-connected trauma to the extremities, and consequently separated for disability were followed for mortality from January 1946 to April 1977. Three groups were established consisting of those whose injury resulted in: 1. (a) limb amputation; 2. (b) disfigurement without loss of body part; 3. (c) loss of part of hand or part of foot. Group (a) had a mortality, standardized for age and calendar time, 1.4 times that of group (b), matched on age and length of service at admission, and 1.3 times that of group (c), similar in age and length of service to group (a). The excess mortality of limb amputees was statistically significant (p
Experimental observations of a nuclear matrix

Nuclei are intricately structured, and nuclear metabolism has an elaborate spatial organization. The architecture of the nucleus includes two overlapping and nucleic-acid-containing structures - chromatin and a nuclear matrix. The nuclear matrix is observed by microscopy in live, fixed and extracted cells. Its ultrastructure and composition show it to be, in large part, the ribonucleoprotein (RNP) network first seen in unfractionated cells more than 30 years ago. At that time, the discovery of this RNP structure explained surprising observations that RNA, packaged in proteins, is attached to an intranuclear, non-chromatin structure. Periodic and specific attachments of chromatin fibers to the nuclear matrix create the chromatin loop domains that can be directly observed by microscopy or inferred from biochemical experiments. The ultrastructure of the nuclear matrix is well characterized and consists of a nuclear lamina and an internal nuclear network of subassemblies linked together by highly structured fibers. These complex fibers are built on an underlying scaffolding of branched 10-nm filaments that connect to the nuclear lamina. The structural proteins of the nuclear lamina have been well characterized, but the structural biochemistry of the internal nuclear matrix has received less attention. Many internal matrix proteins have been identified, but far less is known about how these proteins assemble to make the fibers, filaments and other assemblies of the internal nuclear matrix. Correcting this imbalance will require the combined application of biochemistry and electron microscopy. The central problem in trying to define nuclear matrix structure is to identify the proteins that assemble into the 10-nm filaments upon which the interior architecture of the nucleus is constructed. Only by achieving a biochemical characterization of the nuclear matrix will we advance beyond simple microscopic observations of structure to a better understanding of nuclear matrix function, regulation and post-mitotic assembly.
A Study of the Evolutionary Relationships of Fundulus Topminnows (Teleostei: Fundulidae)

A hypothesis of the evolutionary relationships of thirty-four species of Fundulus and their closer relatives is presented. The study is restricted to morphological characters which could be determined to be primitive or derived using the methods of phylogenetic systematics. Following Parenti, a family Fundulidae is recognized. It is composed of four genera of North American killifishes. (Cyprinodontidae as usually constitutedis polyphyletic.) No convincing characters demonstrate that Fundulus is a natural group (a monophyletic group). However, all species of Fundulus share four derived characters with Lucania . The sister group (closest genealogical relative) of Fundulus plus Lucania is a group composed of the genera Adinia and Leptolucania . Four monophyletic groups of Fundulus can be recognized based on shared derived characters: (1) subgenus Fundulus (seven species excluding three species placed in Fontinus); (2) subgenus Fonlinus (six species); (3) subgenus Xensima (five species); and (4) subgenus Zygonectes (thirteen species). Three species, F. ( Plancterus) zebrinus, F. lima, and F. parvipinnis are of uncertain affinities within the Lucania-Fundulus clade
The Heat Is On: Tournament Structure, Peer Effects, and Performance

Qualification in track and field events involves runners competing against individuals within their heat and runners in other heats. Given that the heats are run sequentially, runners in each heat have different information about their competitors. Using data on track and field events from 2001-2011, this article examines whether an individual’s placement in a specific heat and their peers affect their performance and qualification probability. Results indicate that runners’ times and qualification are correlated with the abilities of their peers as well as heat-specific fixed effects. In addition, these effects differ according to runner ability.
Effect of instructional procedure and pupil locus of control on achievement and attitudes

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of instructional procedures differing in degree of student control on achievement and attitudes of pupils identified as having an internal or external locus of control. Two sixth-grade classes (N=47) were divided into internal and external locus of control groups. Half of the internals and externals in each class were randomly assigned a structured instructional procedure and half assigned a contract procedure. A two-week unit on nutrition was taught to all students, using a structured or contract method. There were no significant differences in achievement among any of the groups. However, the internal-contract group seemed to show a more positive attitude toward the unit than did the other three groups. These results suggest that instructional procedure may not differentially affect achievement of internal and external sixth graders over a short period, but that attitudes toward instruction may be affected.
A method for determination of dimethyl benzoylphenyl urea (BPU) in human plasma by using LC/UV

Dimethyl benzoylphenyl urea (BPU) inhibited tubulin polymerization, caused microtubule depolymerization in vitro and demonstrated activity against solid tumors. BPU is being tested in phase I clinical trials. A rapid and speciﬁc method using LC/UV has been developed for quantitation of BPU in human heparin-containing plasma to perform pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies. BPU is extracted from plasma into acetonitrile:n-butyl-chloride using paclitaxel as the internal standard and separated on a Waters Symmetry C18 (3.9 × 150 mm, 5 µm) column with acetonitrile–water mobile phase (70:30, v/v) using isocratic ﬂow at 1 mL/min for a run time of 5 min. Ultraviolet detection was utilized and performed at 225 nm for BPU and paclitaxel. The retention times were 1.9 min for paclitaxel and 4.1 min for BPU. Calibration curves were generated over the range of 0.01–10 µg/mL with coefﬁcient of determination of >0.99. The values for within-day and between-day precision were ≤17.0% at the LLOQ and ≤7.4% at the low, medium and high quality controls; accuracy was ±5.4%. Following administration of BPU 320 mg as a weekly oral dose to a patient with advanced solid tumor malignancies, the maximum plasma concentration was 2 µg/mL and concentrations were quantiﬁable up to 168 h after administration. The lower limit of quantitation of 0.01 µg/mL allows for successful measurement of plasma concentrations in patients. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Infrared micro-particle image velocimetry in silicon-based microdevices

A non-intrusive diagnostic technique, infrared micro-particle image velocimetry (IR-PIV), is developed for measuring flow fields within micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) devices with micron-scale resolution. This technique capitalizes on the transparency of silicon in the infrared region, and overcomes the limitation posed by the lack of optical access with visible light to sub-surface flow in silicon-based microstructures. Experiments with laminar flow of water in a circular microcapillary tube of hydraulic diameter 255 μm demonstrate the efficacy of this technique. The experimental measurements agree very well with velocity profiles predicted from laminar theory. Cross-correlation and auto-correlation algorithms are employed to measure very low and moderate to high velocities, respectively; the former approach is suitable for biomedical applications while the latter would be needed for measurements in electronics cooling. The results indicate that the IR-PIV technique effectively extends the application of regular micro-PIV techniques, and has great potential for flow measurements in silicon-based microdevices.
The association between body mass index and hypertension is different between East and Southeast Asians

Background: Few studies have allowed direct comparison of the association between body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2) and hypertension in different Asian ethnicities. Objective: We compared the association of BMI with hypertension in Chinese, Indonesian, and Vietnamese adults and determined BMI cutoffs that best predicted hypertension in these populations. Design: We included 7562 Chinese, 18,502 Indonesian, and 77,758 Vietnamese participants aged 18–65 y. Blood pressure, weight, and height were measured by trained health workers. To define an optimal BMI cutoff, we computed and searched for the shortest distance on receiver operating characteristic curves. Results: Despite a low mean BMI, the prevalences of hypertension in Chinese, Indonesian, and Vietnamese men were 22.9%, 24.8%, and 14.4%, respectively, and in women were 16.6%, 26.9%, and 11.7%, respectively. At all BMI levels, the sex-specific prevalence of hypertension was higher in Indonesian adults than in Chinese and Vietnamese adults (P < 0.05 at almost all BMI levels). The overall and stratified analyses suggested optimal BMI cutoffs of 23–24, 21–22.5, and 20.5–21 for Chinese, Indonesian, and Vietnamese adults, respectively. The cutoffs were ≈0.5–1.0 units higher in women than in men and in the older (41–65 y) than in the younger (18–40 y) participants. Conclusions: The study showed an ethnic difference in the BMI-hypertension association and in optimal BMI cutoffs between Chinese, Indonesian, and Vietnamese adults. Country-specific or even country-, sex-, and age-specific BMI cutoffs might be needed to identify persons at high risk of cardiovascular diseases.
On Reversing Jensen's Inequality

Jensen's inequality is a powerful mathematical tool and one of the workhorses in statistical learning. Its applications therein include the EM algorithm, Bayesian estimation and Bayesian inference. Jensen computes simple lower bounds on otherwise intractable quantities such as products of sums and latent log-likelihoods. This simplification then permits operations like integration and maximization. Quite often (i.e. in discriminative learning) upper bounds are needed as well. We derive and prove an efficient analytic inequality that provides such variational upper bounds. This inequality holds for latent variable mixtures of exponential family distributions and thus spans a wide range of contemporary statistical models. We also discuss applications of the upper bounds including maximum conditional likelihood, large margin discriminative models and conditional Bayesian inference. Convergence, efficiency and prediction results are shown.
PROTEIN EFFICIENCY RATIO AND AMOUNTS OF SELECTED NUTRIENTS IN MECHANICALLY DEBONED TURKEY MEAT

Three types of mechanically deboned turkey meat (MDTM) were obtained from a Pennsylvania poultry processing plant and studied for nutrient composition. Samples of MDTM included meat from turkey breast cages (protein 15.4%, fat 10.2%, moisture 71.3%), turkey racks (protein 13.4%, fat 17.0%, moisture 67.9%), and turkey backs (protein 13.0%, fat 21.7%, moisture 65.9%). Protein efficiency ratios (PER) were determined on each type, and with and without an antioxidant. Material without an antioxidant resulted in gross errors. Adjusted PER values of MDTM treated with an antioxidant were significantly higher than the 2.50 value for the standard casein diet. Amino acids, fatty acids, caloric content and selected minerals were also measured.
Missing Photos, Suffering Withdrawal, or Finding Freedom? How Experiences of Social Media Non-Use Influence the Likelihood of Reversion:

This article examines social media reversion, when a user intentionally ceases using a social media site but then later resumes use of the site. We analyze a convenience sample of survey data from ...
Structure functions, scaling exponents and intermittency in the wake of a wind turbine array

Hot-wire measurements obtained in a 3 × 3 wind turbine array boundary layer are utilized to analyze high order structure functions, intermittency effects as well as the probability density functions of velocity increments at different scales within the energy cascade. The intermittency exponent is found to be greater in the far-wake region in comparison with the near-wake. At hub height, the intermittency exponent is found to be null. Extended self-similarity scaling exponents of the second, fourth, and fifth order structure functions remain relatively constant as a function of height in the far-wake; whereas in the near-wake, these are highly affected by the passage of the rotor where tip vortices reside, thus showing a dependence on physical location. When comparing with proposed models, these generally overpredict the structure functions in the far-wake region. The probability density function distributions in the far-wake region display wider tails compared to the near-wake region, and the constant skewness hypothesis based on the local isotropy is disrupted in the wake.
Comment on: "Summary of the development of a signature for the detection of residual dust from collapse of the World Trade Center buildings".

Comment on: “Summary of the development of a signature for the detection of residual dust from collapse of the World Trade Center buildings”
Deciphering the glycosylation code.

Asparagine-linked carbohydrates profoundly impact glycoprotein folding, stability, and structure. However, the “glycosylation code” that relates these effects to protein sequence remains unsolved. We report atomically detailed replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations in explicit solvent that systematically investigate the impact of glycosylation upon peptides with the central sequon Pro-Asn-Gly/Ala-Thr-Trp/Ala. These simulations suggest that the effects of glycosylation may be quite sensitive to steric crowding by the side chain immediately following the glycosylation site but less sensitive to stacking interactions with the aromatic Trp residue. In addition, we compare our simulated ensembles with the known structures for full length glycoproteins. These structures corroborate the simulations and also suggest a remarkable consistency between the intraprotein and protein-glycan interactions of natural glycoproteins. Moreover, our analysis highlights the significance of left-handed conformations for...
Phase II chemoprevention trial of oral fenretinide in patients at risk for adenocarcinoma of the prostate

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in American men. The need to find effective means of preventing this disease is clear. Vitamin A and its analogues (retinoids) act as transcriptional regulators within the nucleus and have been tested as both preventative and therapeutic agents in human malignancy. Fenretinide (N-4-hydroxyphenyl retinamide) (4HPR) has been found to be relatively nontoxic in preclinical experiments and early clinical trials. Its toxicity and feasibility for use as a chemoprevention agent in men at high risk for prostate cancer was evaluated in this study. Twenty-two patients were entered into a clinical trial that involved taking 4HPR for twelve 28-day cycles. Eight patients with negative prestudy biopsies had positive prostate biopsies prior to or at the time of their 12th cycle evaluation. This led to early closure of the study. 4HPR was well-tolerated, and no major toxicities were associated with its use. The significance of this study is limited due to small sample size. Chemoprevention studies such as this can be difficult to complete because of the commitment required of otherwise healthy individuals; nevertheless additional dosages and schedules for 4HPR administration merit further investigation.
The Application of Grammar Space Entropy in RNA Secondary Structure Modeling

Stochastic context-free grammars (SCFGs) have been used in RNA secondary structure modeling. An SCFG consists of a set of grammar rules with a probability for each rule. Given a grammar design, finding the best set of probabilities that yield optimum performance can be challenging. Although current expectation maximization (EM) maximum likelihood (ML)-based model training approaches have been effective, there is no guarantee that they provide parameter sets for the grammar to have optimum performance. In this work, an analytical measure of the largeness of the model space, denoted here as grammar space (GS) entropy, is introduced and calculated for various RNA folding models in the literature. It is shown that more accurate models have lower GS entropy. Finally, based on the GS entropy, a novel SCFG-based RNA secondary structure model training approach is proposed.
Surveillance and analysis of antimicrobial resistance of bacterial pathogens isolated from patients with diarrhea in Urumqi in 2010

Objective To investigate antimicrobial resistance of bacterial pathogens isolated from patients with seasonal diar-rhea in Urumqi so as to provide evidence for rational use of drugs.Methods Bacterial pathogens were isolated from fecal speci-mens from diarrheal patients,and identified by biochemical and serological methods.Antimicrobial resistance was tested using K-B diffuse method.Results Totally 103 pathogenic bacteria strains were isolated from 392 samples,mainly including 47 Shigella spp.strains,33 diarrheagenic Escherichia coli strains and 15 Salmonella spp.strains.The isolated strains were generally resistant to am-plicillin with the resistance rate of 75.7%,and to a certain degree resistant to common antimicrobial agents,such as β-lactams,cephalosporins and quinolones.A few isolates were found to be resistant to carbapenems.Conclusions Shigella spp.,diarrheapa-thogenic E.coli and Salmonella spp.are the major pathogens causing the seasonal diarrhea in Urumuqi,and severe antimicrobial re-sistance has been observed.
Attending the White Man’s Schools

Indian children bore the brunt of the United States government’s campaign of cultural genocide. Many non-Indian reformers threw up their hands in despair at the cultural conservatism of Indian adults but believed that children could be changed, and thereby “saved.” Children represented the future and, in the eyes of American reformers and educators, the only hope for Indian people to adapt and survive into the twentieth century. Educating Indian children in the white man’s ways was nothing new — several colonial colleges had attempted it — but in the late nineteenth century, the United States launched a sustained campaign to rid Indian children of their tribal heritage and reeducate them in the skills and values they deemed necessary for life in modern America.
Thermal aspects of post-arc recovery dielectric strength of solid insulators

Thermal conditions in the track of an arc on a solid insulator are analyzed from the point of view of the recovery dielectric strength. It is shown quantitatively that feedback from the arc-track can delay the recovery of the residual arc column. Relationships to estimate the temperature diffusion from the “melted” arc-track are presented. These are compared with the temperature decay in the residual arc column. The power flow into the insulation body required for thermal analysis was determined experimentally.
A cautionary note on the effects of laboratory air contaminants on ambient ionization mass spectrometry measurements.

RATIONALE Ambient ionization mass spectrometry methods are convenient, sensitive and require little sample preparation. However, they are susceptible to species present in air surrounding the mass spectrometer. This study identifies some challenges associated with the potential impacts of indoor air contaminants on ionization and analysis involving open air methods. METHODS Unexpected effects of volatile organic compounds from floor maintenance activities on ambient ionization mass spectrometry were studied using three different ambient ionization techniques. Extractive electrospray ionization (EESI), direct analysis in real time (DART) and ionization by piezoelectric direct discharge (PDD) plasma were demonstrated in this study to be affected by indoor air contaminants. Identification of contaminant vapors was verified by comparison with standards using EESI-MS/MS product ion scans. RESULTS Emissions of diethylene glycol monoethyl ether and ethylene glycol monobutyl ether are identified from floor stripping and waxing solutions using three ambient ionization mass spectrometry techniques. These unexpected indoor air contaminants are capable of more than 75% ion suppression of target analytes due to their high volatility, proton affinity and solubility compared with the target analytes. The contaminant vapors are also shown to form adducts with one of the target analytes. CONCLUSIONS The common practice in MS analysis of subtracting a background air spectrum may not be appropriate if the presence of ionizable air contaminants alters the spectrum in unexpected ways. For example, volatile organic compounds released into air from floor stripping and waxing, are capable of causing ion suppression of target analytes.
Tendon Transfer for Irreparable Rotator Cuff Tears

Tendon transfer procedures provide treatment options for younger patients without significant glenohumeral arthritis with irreparable rotator cuff tears (RCT). These interventions can restore the glenohumeral joint force couple, allowing restoration of near-normal shoulder kinematics. Benefits include reliable pain relief, increased function, and increased strength. Proper selection of donor tendon is crucial, and the principles of tendon transfer procedures must be adhered to for maximal benefit. The purpose of this article is to provide evidence-based techniques to reconstruct massive, irreparable rotator cuff tears.
Future heat waves and surface ozone

A global Earth system model is used to study the relationship between heat waves and surface ozone levels over land areas around the world that could experience either large decreases or little change in future ozone precursor emissions. The model is driven by emissions of greenhouse gases and ozone precursors from a medium-high emission scenario (Representative Concentration Pathway 6.0–RCP6.0) and is compared to an experiment with anthropogenic ozone precursor emissions fixed at 2005 levels. With ongoing increases in greenhouse gases and corresponding increases in average temperature in both experiments, heat waves are projected to become more intense over most global land areas (greater maximum temperatures during heat waves). However, surface ozone concentrations on future heat wave days decrease proportionately more than on non-heat wave days in areas where ozone precursors are prescribed to decrease in RCP6.0 (e.g. most of North America and Europe), while surface ozone concentrations in heat waves increase in areas where ozone precursors either increase or have little change (e.g. central Asia, the Mideast, northern Africa). In the stabilized ozone precursor experiment, surface ozone concentrations increase on future heat wave days compared to non-heat wave days in most regions except in areas where there is ozone suppression that contributes to decreases in ozone in future heat waves. This is likely associated with effects of changes in isoprene emissions at high temperatures (e.g. west coast and southeastern North America, eastern Europe).
Self-Organization and Spatio-Temporal Chaos in Phase-Locked Semiconductor Laser Arrays

Phase-locked semiconductor laser arrays are of great technological interest as sources of high output power in a well-collimated beam. In this talk we discuss the dynamic stability of these arrays, the mechanism of synchronization, the formation of spatial patterns, and the onset of spatio-temporal chaos. It is shown that laser arrays can be accurately modeled by a set of coupled van der Pol type oscillators. The nonlinearity responsible for both synchronization and instability is the carrier density dependent refractive index. Some experimental results will be presented.
Selectivity by Accessory Structures

We have already considered some examples of the ability of sensory receptors to transduce specific forms of energy. Further differences in receptor responses are determined by accessory structures that selectively affect the energy before it reaches the receptive cells where the transduction takes place (figure 3.1). Accessory structures, such as the optics of the eye and the mechanical elements of the middle ear, attenuate, amplify, or in other ways modify selected parts of the energy before it reaches a specific receptor. This process is often the first step in determining the modality of a sensory system. This chapter will be concerned with these accessory structures.
Dealing with an insufficient future liver remnant: Portal vein embolization and two‐stage hepatectomy

Colorectal liver metastases (CLM) are not always resectable at the time of diagnosis. An insufficient future liver remnant is a factor excluding patients from curative intent resection. To deal with this issue, two-stage hepatectomy was introduced approximately 20 years ago. It is a sequential treatment strategy for bilateral CLM, which consists of preoperative chemotherapy, portal vein embolization, and planned first and second liver resections. This study reviews current evidence supporting use of two-stage hepatectomy.
Abstract 4502: The role of A-to-I RNA editing in diversifying the microRNA functions in cancer

Both miRNAs and A-to-I RNA editing, a widespread nucleotide modification mechanism, have recently emerged as key players in cancer pathophysiology. However, the functional impact of RNA editing of miRNAs in cancer remains largely unexplored. Here, we systematically characterized the miRNA editing profiles of ~9000 samples across 20 cancer types from miRNA sequencing data of The Cancer Genome Atlas and identified adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing hotspots. Focusing on the RNA editing hotspot in miR-200b, a key tumor metastasis suppressor, we found that the miR-200b editing level correlates with patient prognosis opposite to that pattern for the wild-type miR-200b expression. We further experimentally showed that in contrast to wild-type miRNA, the edited miR-200b can promote cell invasion and migration through its impaired ability to inhibit ZEB1/ZEB2 and acquired concomitant ability to repress new targets including LIFR, a well-characterized metastasis suppressor. In another example, an ADAR2 -catalyzed RNA editing site within the miR-379 is under-edited in tumors relative to normal tissues, with a high editing level being correlated with better patient survival times across cancer types. We demonstrate that in contrast to wild-type miRNA, edited miR-379 inhibited cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis in diverse tumor contexts in vitro . Importantly, through nanoliposomal delivery, edited miR-379 mimics significantly inhibited tumor growth and extended survival of mice. Our study indicates a role of RNA editing in diversifying miRNA function during cancer progression and highlights the translational potential of edited miRNAs as new class of cancer biomarkers and therapeutics. Citation Format: Han Liang. The role of A-to-I RNA editing in diversifying the microRNA functions in cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4502.
Play it by Ear: An Immersive Ear Anatomy Tutorial

The anatomy of the ear and the bones surrounding it are intricate yet critical for medical professionals to know. Current best practices teach ear anatomy through two-dimensional representations, which poorly characterize the three-dimensional (3D), spatial nature of the anatomy and make it difficult to learn and visualize. In this work, we describe an immersive, stereoscopic visualization tool for the anatomy of the ear based on real patient data. We describe the interface and its construction. And we compare how well medical students learn ear anatomy in the simulation compared with more traditional learning methods. Our preliminary results suggest that virtual reality may be an effective tool for anatomy education in this context.
Quantifying beauty in aesthetic surgery

I recently attended the Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery of Southern Africa (APRASSA) Congress 2019 in the Drakensberg, South Africa (SA), where I enjoyed an excellent meeting with my SA colleagues.