cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Academic Strengthening Through a Multi-disciplinary Ph.D. in Sustainable Development

Sustainable development is being integrated into higher education through diverse mechanisms. This paper describes a process that combines both the introduction of sustainable development and its use for a change process in an evolving environment. Thaksin University, located in the south of Thailand near the Malaysian border, is continuing its academic development through an international standard research-based Ph.D. program that spans all disciplines in the university. Beginning with the objective of strengthening the academy in an environment where Ph.D. programs are usually coursework-based and conducted in the Thai language, a strategic plan was developed to include engaging staff of international universities to assist in supervision and examination of research theses prepared in English. Research topics include sustainability within the subject and discipline being researched and so assist discussion within the wider university through candidate seminars and publications. Through this process, the university seeks to further embed sustainability principles in its other courses while further strengthening its regional image. In combination with other field-based activities, the approach has borne fruit in the form of commendations from national reviews and in university rankings. The paper describes the process of establishment of the university-wide Ph.D. in Sustainable Development in a manner that may be of value to other institutions with autonomous governance.
A 1.4GHz 20.5Gbps GZIP decompression accelerator in 14nm CMOS featuring dual-path out-of-order speculative Huffman decoder and multi-write enabled register file array

A $33,464 \mu \mathrm {m}^{2}$ GZIP decompression accelerator is fabricated in 14nm CMOS, achieving industry-leading 20.5Gbps throughput. The design features out-of-order speculative Huffman decoder to break the fundamental serial dependency resulting in 69% higher decode throughput. The hybrid dual-path decoder provides $2.3 \times $ higher performance with multi-write enabled register-file array increasing decompression throughput by up to 41%. The arithmetic-architecture-circuit co-optimized design operates at 1.4GHz at 750mV, $25 ^{\circ}\mathrm {C}$ with peak measured energy-efficiency of 1.86pJ/code at 280mV, $2.7 \times $ higher than previously reported implementations.
Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure in Immunocompromised Patients: The Role of Non-invasive Ventilation and High-Flow Oxygen Therapy

Over the last two decades, cancer survival rates have been progressively improving. This is believed to be due to earlier detection, advances in treatment options, and better supportive care [1]. As a result, more immunocompromised patients are seen in the intensive care unit (ICU) with a specific increase in the number of elderly patients. One of the major causes of ICU admission in this age group is the development of acute hypoxic respiratory failure (ARF), which has a rate ranging between 10 and 50% in patients suffering from cancer based on the most recent available data [2].
The safety of belimumab for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune inflammatory disease with extensive clinical variability. In 2011, the anti-BAFF monoclonal antibody, belimumab, be...
Chapter 4 – Integration Aspects of Advanced Ferroelectric Thin-Film Memories

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses and provide solutions for some of the technical challenges that both research and development (R&D) and industrial groups have encountered when ferroelectric thin film capacitors have been integrated with semiconductor devices. In this chapter, a practical approach to integration and process-related issues that pertain to ferroelectric thin film memories is adopted. However, some of these issues can be more generally applied to other ferroelectric thin film applications, as ferroelectric thin films have also been integrated on semiconductor circuits for these applications. This chapter is not intended to provide an exhaustive bibliography of the numerous publications on ferroelectric thin films, nor is it a complete list of all the technical challenges that have arisen in integrating these films with semiconductor devices. Rather, it is a summary, or sampling, of recent literature that documents the integration problems that have challenged many researchers and the solutions they have suggested. The chapter summarizes recent literature published on the topic of integrating ferroelectric thin films with semiconductor devices. Finally, it presents a summary and an outlook of the future. Due to intense industrial competition, some solutions to technical problems remain proprietary, causing an information gap in the literature over the last decade. The fact that only some published information is available on integration issues for low-density FeRAMs currently in production, points precisely to this gap.
Connecting with new business students: the role of socialization and core self-evaluations in university identification

Organizational identification has gained popularity in the organizational sciences and has important implications for the experiences of new undergraduate business students. Researchers have focuse...
A new genus and species of fish blood fluke, Achorovermis testisinuosus gen. et sp. n. (Digenea: Aporocotylidae), infecting critically endangered smalltooth sawfish, Pristis pectinata (Rhinopristiformes: Pristidae) in the Gulf of Mexico.

Achorovermis testisinuosus gen. et sp. n. (Digenea: Aporocotylidae) infects the heart of the smalltooth sawfish, Pristis pectinata Latham (Rhinopristiformes: Pristidae), in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Specimens of the new genus, along with the other blood flukes that infect batoids are similar by having an inverse U-shaped intestine and a curving testis as well as by lacking tegumental spines. The new genus differs from all of the other blood flukes infecting batoids by having an elongate body (>50 × longer than wide), a testis having >100 curves, and an ovary wholly anterior to the uterus. It differs from Ogawaia glaucostegi Cutmore, Cribb et Yong, 2018, the only other blood fluke infecting a rhinopristiform, by having a body that is >50 × (vs 75 × (vs 100 (vs <70) curves, an ovary wholly anterior to (vs lateral and dorsal to) the seminal vesicle, a uterus wholly posterior to (vs overlapping and lateral to both) the testis and ovary, and a sinuous (vs convoluted) uterus. The new species joins a small group of chondrichthyan blood flukes that lack tegumental spines: O. glaucostegi, Orchispirium heterovitellatum Madhavi et Rao, 1970, Myliobaticola richardheardi Bullard et Jensen, 2008, Electrovermis zappum Warren et Bullard, 2019. Blood flukes infecting batoids are further unique by having a curving testis. That is, the blood flukes infecting species within Selachii are morphologically distinct from those infecting species within the Batoidea (excluding Gymnurahemecus bulbosus Warren et Bullard, 2019). Based on the morphological similarity, we suspect that the new species shares a recent common ancestor with O. glaucostegi. The discovery of the new species brings the total number of chondrichthyan blood flukes to 11 species assigned to nine genera.
Subchondral focal osteopenia associated with proximal sesamoid bone fracture in Thoroughbred racehorses.

Background Proximal sesamoid bone (PSB) fracture is the most common fatal injury in Thoroughbred (TB) racehorses in the United States. Epidemiological and pathological evidence indicates PSB fracture is likely the acute culmination of a chronic stress-related process. However, the aetiopathogenesis of PSB fracture is poorly understood. Objective To characterise bone abnormalities that precede PSB fracture. Study design Two retrospective case-control groups of PSBs from TB racehorses with, and without, unilateral biaxial PSB fracture. Methods Proximal sesamoid bones were harvested post-mortem from TB racehorses subjected to euthanasia for unilateral biaxial PSB fracture (cases) or causes unrelated to PSB fracture (controls) while racing or training. The fractured medial PSB (FX-PSB) and contralateral intact medial PSB (CLI-PSB) from racehorses that sustained PSB fracture, and an intact medial PSB (CTRL-PSB) from racehorses that did not have a PSB fracture were collected as case and control specimens. Study 1 distributions of morphological features were compared among case and control groups using visual examination, photographs, radiographs and histology of whole PSBs and serial sagittal sections (10 FX-PSB, 10 CLI-PSB and 10 CTRL-PSB). Study 2 local bone volume fraction and mineral densities were compared among case and control PSBs using microcomputed tomography (9 FX-PSB, 9 CLI-PSB and 9 CTRL-PSB). Results A focal subchondral lesion characterised by colocalised focal discoloration, radiolucency, osteopenia, low tissue mineral density and a surrounding region of dense cancellous bone was identified in most case horses but not in controls. This subchondral lesion was found in a slightly abaxial mid-body location and was bilaterally present in most case horses. Main limitations The post-mortem samples may not represent the spectrum of abnormalities that occur throughout the development of the subchondral lesion. Lateral PSBs were not examined, so their contribution to biaxial PSB fracture pathogenesis is unknown. Conclusion Abaxial subchondral lesions are consistent with pre-existing injury and likely associated with PSB fracture.
Bmi-1 extends the replicative life span of normal human oral keratinocytes independently of p16INK4A

2826 Normal human oral keratinocytes (NHOK) undergo a limited number of replication in vitro and enter replicative senescence without spontaneous immortalization. Escape from senescence is therefore one of the earliest steps in cellular immortalization and tumorigenesis. The current study was undertaken to investigate the role of polycomb group (PcG) oncogene, Bmi-1, in control of replicative life span of NHOK. Secondary NHOK culture was infected with retroviral vector expressing full-length Bmi-1 or empty vector and was maintained in serial subcultures after selection with puromycin. Parental NHOK and those infected with the empty vector senesced after 16 population doublings (PDs), while the Bmi-1 expressing NHOK continued replication beyond 44 PDs, after which time the cells demonstrated features resembling senescent NHOK. Parental NHOK showed enhanced expression of p16INK4A during senescence, and p16INK4A expression remained at the elevated level in exponentially replicating NHOK expressing Bmi-1. During the Bmi-1-induced extended life span, telomerase activity was not detected, and the cells replicated with notable telomere shortening. Also, super infection of Bmi-1 expressing NHOK with a retroviral vector expressing E6 but not E7 oncoprotein of human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 further enhanced their replicative life span beyond that induced by Bmi-1 alone. These results indicate that Bmi-1 extends the life span of NHOK independently of the p16INK4A level but cannot immortalize them. This study was supported in part by the grants DE 15316 and DE 14147 from NIDCR/NIH.
Fast Correction of Eddy-Current and Susceptibility-Induced Distortions Using Rotation-Invariant Contrasts.

Diffusion MRI (dMRI) is typically time consuming as it involves acquiring a series of 3D volumes, each associated with a wave-vector in q-space that determines the diffusion direction and strength. The acquisition time is further increased when “blip-up blip-down” scans are acquired with opposite phase encoding directions (PEDs) to facilitate distortion correction. In this work, we show that geometric distortions can be corrected without acquiring with opposite PEDs for each wave-vector, and hence the acquisition time can be halved. Our method uses complimentary rotation-invariant contrasts across shells of different diffusion weightings. Distortion-free structural T1-/T2-weighted MRI is used as reference for nonlinear registration in correcting the distortions. Signal dropout and pileup are corrected with the help of spherical harmonics. To demonstrate that our method is robust to changes in image appearance, we show that distortion correction with good structural alignment can be achieved within minutes for dMRI data of infants between 1 to 24 months of age.
Interaction in Volumetric Film: An Overview

Volumetric filmmaking is a novel and inherently interactive medium. In volumetric film the viewer takes over the director's responsibility for selecting the point of view from which the story is being told. The viewer becomes the cinematographer and the editor of the film at the moment of viewing. In this paper, we provide an overview of interaction modes in volumetric film and compare volumetric film to both traditional film and 360 video.
Sensitivity of soil organic matter to climate and fire in a desert grassland

Drylands contain a third of the organic carbon stored in global soils; however, the long-term dynamics of soil organic carbon in drylands remain poorly understood relative to dynamics of the vegetation carbon pool. We examined long-term patterns in soil organic matter (SOM) against both climate and prescribed fire in a Chihuahuan Desert grassland in central New Mexico, USA. SOM concentration was estimated by loss-on-ignition from soils at 0–20 cm depth each spring and fall for 25 years (1989–2014) in unburned desert grassland and from 2003 to 2014 following a prescribed fire. SOM concentration did not have a long-term trend but fluctuated seasonally at both burned and unburned sites, ranging from a minimum of 0.9% to a maximum of 3.3%. SOM concentration declined nonlinearly in wet seasons and peaked in dry seasons. These long-term results contrast not only with the positive relationships between aboveground net primary production and precipitation for this region, but also with previous reports that wetter sites have more SOM across drylands globally, suggesting that space is not a good substitute for time in predicting dryland SOM dynamics. We suggest that declines in SOM in wet periods are caused by increased soil respiration, runoff, leaching, and/or soil erosion. In addition to tracking natural variability in climate, SOM concentration also decreased 14% following prescribed fire, a response that magnified over time and has persisted for nearly a decade due to the slow recovery of primary production. Our results document the surprisingly dynamic nature of soil organic matter and its high sensitivity to climate and fire in a dry grassland ecosystem characteristic of the southwestern USA.
Exploring the cloud of variable importance for the set of all good models

Variable importance is central to scientific studies, including the social sciences and causal inference, healthcare and other domains. However, current notions of variable importance are often tied to a specific predictive model. This is problematic: what if there were multiple well-performing predictive models, and a specific variable is important to some of them but not to others? In that case, we cannot tell from a single well-performing model if a variable is always important, sometimes important, never important or perhaps only important when another variable is not important. Ideally, we would like to explore variable importance for all approximately equally accurate predictive models within the same model class. In this way, we can understand the importance of a variable in the context of other variables, and for many good models. This work introduces the concept of a variable importance cloud, which maps every variable to its importance for every good predictive model. We show properties of the variable importance cloud and draw connections to other areas of statistics. We introduce variable importance diagrams as a projection of the variable importance cloud into two dimensions for visualization purposes. Experiments with criminal justice, marketing data and image classification tasks illustrate how variables can change dramatically in importance for approximately equally accurate predictive models. A set of predictive models can exist that predict equally well; however, the specific variables underlying these models may be important to some of them but not to others. Jiayun Dong and Cynthia Rudin demonstrate a method to visualize and quantify this effect of variable importance.
An analysis of crash-safety ratings and the true assessment of injuries by vehicle

Each year the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety release safety ratings for popular makes and models of vehicles produced. We link these safety ratings with the crash data provided in the National Automotive Sampling System General Estimates System to study the efficacy of safety ratings as a predictor of the likelihood a passenger will be injured in a crash. We also consider the case of predicting a severe injury or death as a function of safety rating. A web-based dashboard was developed to graphically explore the relationship among these datasets. By considering the proportion of occupants (severely) injured per crash, we find that vehicle safety ratings generally do not have as much of an effect on likelihood of injury as one might expect, although vehicles with higher ratings can result in significant relative improvement. Our web application allows a user to explore different aspects of crashes (e.g., use of alcohol, speeding, etc.) and compare injuries and safety rating performance based on these conditions. Lastly, our dashboard allows a user to see differences between the NHTSA and IIHS ratings systems and how they correspond to the crash records.
USPIOs as targeted contrast agents in cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging.

We aim to discuss the diagnostic use of ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) including ferumoxytol in targeted cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Ferumoxytol is the only USPIO clinically available in the USA and is a negatively charged USPIO that has potential use for tracking and characterization of macrophage-infiltrated cardiovascular structures. As an iron supplement that is approved for treatment of iron deficiency anemia, the iron core of ferumoxytol is incorporated into the body once it is phagocytosed by macrophages. In organs or tissues with high-inflammatory cellular infiltration, such as atherosclerotic plaques and myocardial infarction, localization of iron-laden macrophages can be visualized on delayed MRI. The iron core of ferumoxytol alters the magnetic susceptibility and results in shortening of T2* and T2 relaxation rates. Areas with high concentration appear hypointense (negative contrast) on T2 and T2* MRI. Recently, in vitro findings support the potential specificity of ferumoxytol interactions with macrophage subtypes, which has implications for therapeutic interventions. With increasing concerns about gadolinium retention in the brain and other tissues, the value of ferumoxytol-enhanced MR for targeted clinical imaging is aided by its positive safety profile in patients with impaired renal function. This paper discusses pharmacokinetic properties of USPIOs with a focus on ferumoxytol, and summarizes relevant in vitro, animal, and human studies investigating the diagnostic use of USPIOs in targeted contrast-enhanced imaging. We also discuss future directions for USPIOs as targeted imaging agents and associated challenges.
Cognitive Stimulation in an Intensive Care Unit: A Qualitative Evaluation of Barriers to and Facilitators of Implementation.

Background Delirium in the intensive care unit is associated with poor patient outcomes. Recent studies support nonpharmacological therapy, including cognitive stimulation, to address delirium. Understanding barriers to cognitive stimulation implemented by nurses during clinical care is essential to translating evidence into practice. Objective To use qualitative methods through a structured quality improvement project to understand nurses' perceived barriers to implementing a cognitive stimulation intervention in a medical intensive care unit. Methods Data were collected through semistructured interviews with nurses in a medical intensive care unit. Data were categorized into themes by using thematic analysis and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. During cognitive stimulation, nurses reviewed with patients a workbook of evidence-based tasks (focused on math, alertness, motor skills, visual perception, memory, problem-solving, and language). Results The 23 nurses identified 62 barriers to and 26 facilitators of cognitive stimulation. These data were summarized into 12 barrier and 9 facilitator themes corresponding to the following Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research domains: Intervention Characteristics, Outer Setting, Inner Setting, and Characteristics of Individuals. Nurses also identified several facilitators within the Process domain. Patient-specific variables, including sedation, were the most frequently reported barriers. Other barriers included cognitive stimulation not being prioritized, nursing staff-related issues, documentation burden, and a lack of understanding of, or appreciation for, the evidence supporting cognitive stimulation. Conclusions Implementation of cognitive stimulation requires a multidisciplinary approach to address perceived barriers arising from the organization, context, and individuals associated with the intervention, as well as the intervention itself.
Chronic Anticholinergic Toxicity Discovered in a Pharmacogenomics, Polypharmacy Patient.

Objective To report a case of chronic anticholinergic toxicity in a referred, pharmacogenomics (PGx), polypharmacy patient. Summary The patient is a 67-year-old male who was referred to the polypharmacy service for a PGx consult. This patient has had episodic fever of unknown origin, general cutaneous vasodilation, tremors, jerks, and brain fogginess which have been unexplained. He has seen specialists from infectious disease, rheumatology, endocrinology, and neurology with no contributory condition causing these symptoms, so he was referred for PGx testing and evaluation by the polypharmacy pharmacist. Conclusion This case demonstrates the importance of pharmacist-patient consultations and how a PGx consult may expose polypharmacy medicationrelated problems of greater significance than the PGx indication for the consult. In addition, the case demonstrates positive interprofessional collaboration between pharmacists and physicians to more effectively solve complex medication-related problems that may not be easily diagnosed through objective lab or diagnostic testing.
COVID-19, Banks, and Fintechs

The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and the social distancing measures implemented to stop its spread will leave its mark on people, industries, and government policies long after the disease's health risk recede. One of the industries that has been transformed is financial services. As the pandemic spread, customers flocked to online and mobile platforms for financial services. Banks turned to fintech companies for the technology and expertise to be able to safely provide these products. Thus the pandemic hastened the adoption of technology by traditional banks and opened new partnership opportunities for non-bank fintech companies. The pandemic also reoriented financial regulators toward technology. Like banks, regulators turned to technology to perform many of their supervisory functions. At the same time, by highlighting the risks that arise when technology does not live up to its promise, the pandemic encouraged regulators to scrutinize banks' use of technology and bank-fintech partnerships. Finally, the pandemic will accelerate the transformation of some fintech companies from agile disruptors operating largely outside significant regulatory framework, to mainstream financial services companies that are regulated more like traditional banks. Policymakers will have difficult decisions about the best way to bring fintech companies within the regulatory fold. Nevertheless, the pandemic emphasized that fintech is now a critical element of a modern financial system.
Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy, Lymph Node Dissection, and Lymphedema Management Options in Melanoma.

Melanoma tumor thickness and ulceration are the strongest predictors of nodal spread. The recommendations for sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) have been updated in recent American Joint Committee on Cancer and National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines to include tumor thickness ≥0.8 mm or any ulcerated melanoma. Mitotic rate is no longer considered an indicator for determining T category. Improvements in disease-specific survival conferred from SLNB were demonstrated through level I data in the Multicenter Selective Lymphadenectomy Trial (MSLT) I. The role for completion lymph node dissection has evolved to less surgery in lieu of recent domestic (MSLT II) and international (Dermatologic Cooperative Oncology Group Selective Lymphadenectomy Trial [DeCOG-SLT]) level I data having similar melanoma-specific survival. Treatment options for the prevention of treatment of lymphedema have progressed to include immediate lymphatic reconstruction, lymphovenous anastomosis, and vascularized lymph node transfer.
Effects of Chronic Ethanol Feeding on Rat Hepatocytes

Ethanol was fed at a level of 35% of total caloric intake to mature male rats for intervals of one to 38 days. Mitochondrial content of cytochrome c oxidase per mg protein was maximally depressed, to 40% of control values, after 10 days feeding. After 15 days of ethanol feeding, leucine incorporation into total hepatocyte protein, as well as into total intracellular (subcellular fractions) or.extracellular (secreted) proteins was substantially inhibited. At the level of total protein, alterations in isotope ratio as a consequence of ethanol feeding were only manifest in the secreted proteins. However, when component proteins of subcellular fractions were separated by gel electrophoresis, two specific early effects of ethanol feeding on protein synthesis by the endoplasmic reticulum could be detected. Aberrant isotope ratios established that synthesis of two entities, of 20000 and 50000 apparent molecular weight, was depressed after intervals of one and five days, respectively, feeding of 10% ethanol.
Play, Creativity, and Social Movements: If I Can't Dance, It’s Not My Revolution

As we play, we step away from stark reality to conjure up new possibilities for the present and our common future. Today, a new cohort of social activists are using it to create social change and reinvent democratic social relations. In contrast to work or routine, play must be free. To the extent that it is, it infuses a high-octane burst of innovation into any number of organizational practices and contexts, and invites social actors to participate in a low-threshold, highly democratic process of collaboration, based on pleasure and convivial social relations. Despite the contention that such activities are counterproductive, movements continue to put the right to party on the table as a part of a larger process of social change, as humor and pleasure disrupt monotony, while disarming systems of power. Through this book, Shepard explores notions of play as a social movement activity, considering some of the meanings, applications and history of the concept in relation to social movement groups ranging from Dada and Surrealism to Situationism, the Yippies to the Young Lords, ACT UP to the Global Justice, anti-gentrification, community and anti-war movements of recent years.
Chapter 13 Amebo-flagellates as Research Partners: The Laboratory Biology of Naegleria and Tetramitus

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews amebo-flagellates as research partners and the laboratory biology of Naegleria and Tetramitus. Amebo-flagellates are a loose term, coined by Awerinzew and Rafalko, and applied loosely to taxonomically diverse amebae that can transform into flagellates. The flagellates have four flagella. These four flagella are described as arising from two “mastigonts,” that grow out of the cells and then split lengthwise into two flagella each-an extraordinary occurrence. The flagella are also described as passing toward the center of the cell through a “gullet-like tube.” Division is said to “also occur in the flagellate phase.” The “amebo-flagellates” do not encompass a consistent taxonomic group of organisms, but simply a collection of protists whose life cycles include unicellular ameboid and flagellated phases. The major concern of my laboratory has been. To study the ameba-to-flagellate transformation of Naegleria gruberi phenotypic conversion a methodological approach called the “transformation experiment” is developed.
Developing Content Knowledge for Teaching Assessments for the Measures of Effective Teaching Study

This report documents the development of assessments of content knowledge for teaching (CKT) as part of the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) study, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The MET study was designed to develop a set of measures that together serve as an accurate indicator of teaching effectiveness. The study was implemented during the 2009–2010 and 2010–2011 school years with more than 3,000 teachers in 6 predominately urban school districts. A total of 5 assessments of CKT were developed, piloted, and then administered as part of the MET study. The CKT assessments focused on the content knowledge used in recognizing, understanding, and responding to the content problems that teachers encounter as they teach a subject. In English language arts (ELA), 2 assessments were developed: 1 for teachers of Grades 4–6 and 1 for Grades 7–9. In mathematics, 3 assessments were developed: 1 for teachers of Grades 4–5, 1 for Grades 6–8, and 1 algebra I. A total of 2,080 final assessments were administered to 1,718 teachers in the 6 participating MET study districts. Assessment results for 194 teachers were excluded due to evidence that assessments were either completed together by 2 or more participants or that insufficient time was devoted to represent a good faith effort at answering the assessment questions. The final sample included 1,886 assessments. Assessment scores included both selected-response and constructed-response (CR) questions. We used information from item level statistics, including percent correct and biserial correlations, to systematically remove poorly performing items in order to improve assessment reliabilities. Item level statistics for each assessment are presented. Descriptive statistics and histograms indicate that participants are well distributed over the range of possible score responses. Assessments had moderate to strong levels of reliability, ranging from 0.69 to 0.83.
Experimental follicular cysts in mice. A histologic study.

Abstract Epithelium-lined cysts formed over the crowns of tooth germs which had been transplanted heterotopically to mammary fat pads. A healthy follicular epithelium was necessary for cyst formation. The stimulus for cyst induction may have been a curtailment of the blood supply, but completion of the cysts was dependent upon establishment of the graft in its new environment with concomitant revascularization. Additional although indirect evidence is presented which further links an unsuccessful eruption process with follicular cyst formation.
Course 2 Novel phenomena in double layer two-dimensional electron systems

Publisher Summary This chapter elaborates many interesting aspects of double layer 2D electron systems. On the immediate theoretical side, it is clear that while a good qualitative picture of the excitonic phase at v T = 1 exists, the quantitative situation is poor. Excess dissipation in the counterflow channel and the persistence of the Josephson-like tunneling peak to significant in-plane magnetic field strengths are only the most obvious outstanding questions. Beyond v T = 1, there are several virtually unexplored directions to pursue. At v T = 1/3, there is the likelihood that two distinct quantized Hall effects (QHE) phases exist—one possessing interlayer phase coherence and the other not—in addition to a compressible phase at large layer separation. At v T = 1/2, Coulomb drag experiments might be able to clearly distinguish between the Halperin state and other possible ground state wave functions.
Proff that the H- ion has only one bound state: A review, a new result, and some related unsolved problems

The H- ion, made up of a proton and two electrons, has long been known to have at least one bound state below the lowest breakup threshold. Variational calculations of sufficient accuracy to demonstrate this appeared shortly after the discovery of the Schrodinger equation. A rigorous demonstration that additional bound states do not exist below the lowest breakup threshold first appeared in 1977.1,2 The present paper will review that proof, prove the new result that the three electron system H- has no bound states below the continuum in the spin 3/2 sector, and discuss related unsolved problems.
Chronic exposure to corticosterone enhances the neuroinflammatory and neurotoxic responses to methamphetamine

Up-regulation of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in brain ("neuroinflammation") accompanies neurological disease and neurotoxicity. Previously, we documented a striatal neuroinflammatory response to acute administration of a neurotoxic dose of methamphetamine (METH), i.e. one associated with evidence of dopaminergic terminal damage and activation of microglia and astroglia. When we used minocycline to suppress METH-induced neuroinflammation, indices of dopaminergic neurotoxicity were not affected, but suppression of neuroinflammation was incomplete. Here, we administered the classic anti-inflammatory glucocorticoid, corticosterone (CORT), in an attempt to completely suppress METH-related neuroinflammation. METH alone caused large increases in striatal proinflammatory cytokine/chemokine mRNA and subsequent astrocytic hypertrophy, microglial activation, and dopaminergic nerve terminal damage. Pre-treatment of mice with acute CORT failed to prevent neuroinflammatory responses to METH. Surprisingly, when mice were pre-treated with chronic CORT in the drinking water, an enhanced striatal neuroinflammatory response to METH was observed, an effect that was accompanied by enhanced METH-induced astrogliosis and dopaminergic neurotoxicity. Chronic CORT pre-treatment also sensitized frontal cortex and hippocampus to mount a neuroinflammatory response to METH. Because the levels of chronic CORT used are associated with high physiological stress, our data suggest that chronic CORT therapy or sustained physiological stress may sensitize the neuroinflammatory and neurotoxicity responses to METH.
Premixed flame propagation in an optically thick gas

Flame propagation in both the optically thin and the optically thick regime of radiative transport was studied experimentally using particle-laden gas mixtures. Data on flame shapes, propagation rates, peak pressure, maximum rate of pressure rise, and thermal decay in the burned gases are consistent with the hypothesis that, at low particle loadings, the particles act to increase the radiative loss from the gases, whereas at higher loadings, reabsorption of emitted radiation becomes significant. The reabsorption acts to decrease the net radiative loss and augment conductive heat transport. It is speculated that, in sufficiently large systems, in which the absorption length is much smaller than the system size, flammability limits might not exist at microgravity conditions because emitted radiation would not constitute a loss mechanism.
Correcting User's Head and Body Orientation Using a Comfort Pose Function

The use of inertial sensors for tracking is becoming common in the development of VR applications due to their low-cost, high quality and availability. However, even if they are very sensitive and precise, inertial sensors work with incremental information, easily introducing errors in the system. The most important is that head tracking both in head mounted displays (HMD) and other systems based on inertial sensors suffer from drifting. In this paper we present some important limitations that still prevent the wide use of sensors like a single Kinect for full body tracking in immersive VR systems. Inevitably, to compensate for the drifting, the user moves away from the suitable pose in front of the Kinect, being a restrictive limitation for this kind of tracking. In this work we introduce a software solution for this problem and evaluate it experimentally. Results show that our comfortable pose function is effective on eliminating drifting. The efficiency and accuracy of this method makes it suitable for a number of applications in immersive VR.
Tumor necrosis factor-alpha attenuation of luteinizing hormone-stimulated androstenedione production by ovarian theca-interstitial cells: inhibition at loci within the adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate-dependent signaling pathway.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) blocks LH-stimulated androstenedione production by immature rat theca-interstitial cells (TIC) in vitro. The mechanism for TNF inhibition of LH-induced androstenedione is unknown and was investigated. LH stimulation of androstenedione synthesis in TIC is mediated via a cAMP-dependent signaling pathway. LH-stimulated cAMP in TIC-conditioned medium was reduced in a biphasic manner by TNF at 1 and 48 h, but not at 4 and 24 h. To determine whether inhibition of cAMP resulted from TNF interference of LH binding, TIC were given TNF for 24 and 48 h, and LH binding was determined. TNF inhibited LH binding at 24 and 48 h. Scatchard analysis revealed a TNF-induced decrease in LH receptor number without altered affinity. TIC were given TNF and cAMP analogs [N6-benzoyl-cAMP, 8-thiomethyl-cAMP, 8-(6-aminohexyl)amino-cAMP, and N6-2'-O-(Bu)2cAMP], which selectively activate cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) type I and/or PKA type II, respectively. At 48 and 96 h, TNF blocked androsten...
Coral recruitment in blasted and unblasted sites in Indonesia: assessing rehabilitation potential

Widespread blast fishing destroys living scleractinian corals and creates vast fields of shattered coral rubble that can only recover to coral dominance through a successional process that includes coral recruitment. Given the extent of damaged areas on many SE Asian reefs, successful recruitment and survival of juvenile corals will be important components of either natural recovery or human-assisted rehabilitation. Early scleractinian coral recruitment to tiles was assessed in blasted and unblasted sites in Komodo National Park, Indonesia, from 1998 to 2000. A total of 6530 corals recruited to 527 tiles (each 400 cm 2 ), primarily of the families Acroporidae (27.1 %), Pocilloporidae (44.7%) and Poritidae (12%). Acroporids settled primarily during NW monsoon months (October-April), while pocilloporids and poritids settled year-round. Standardized recruitment rates averaged from 285 to 772 spat m -2 yr -1 across all sites, with a site maximum of 2663 spat m -2 yr -1 . While significant spatial and temporal variation was detected across sites and seasons, no significant difference in abundance of coral spat was found between blasted and unblasted sites. Results from this study suggest that these blasted sites are not recruitment-limited, and that failure of corals to recover in rubble fields is due to post-settlement mortality.
Synthesis and biological activities of a fluorescent photoaffinity analog of vasopressin.

The present study describes the synthesis and biological activities of a vasopressin (VP) analog which binds covalently to receptors via a photoreactive p-azido group in position 3 and which contains a rhodamine label in position 8 for localization of hormone-receptor complexes by image-intensified fluorescence microscopy. l-Deamino[3-(p-azidophenylalanine)]-N’-rhodamyllysine-VP (Rhod-N3-dLVP) was obtained in a two-step procedure from the precursor 1-deamino[3-(paminophenylalanine)]-LVP which was synthesized by a solid phase technique. The rat antidiuretic activity of this compound was 0.34 ± 0.3 U/mg. Although both Rhod-N3-dLVP and its congener without a rhodamine label, N3-dLVP, did not have any hydroosmotic activity in the isolated toad urinary bladder in the absence of UV light, after UV irradiation they increased both urea and water transport across the bladder wall. Moreover, these permeability effects of Rhod-N3-dLVP persisted during prolonged and repeated periods of washout, suggesting that the ph...
Extinction of muscle-specific properties in somatic cell heterokaryons

Abstract In studies of gene regulation using somatic cell fusion techniques, the analysis of heterokaryons circumvents several problematic aspects of the more traditional approach utilizing proliferating hybrid cells. We have analyzed the expression of muscle specific properties in heterokaryons between muscle and nonmuscle cells in order to investigate whether differentiating cells contain regulatory factors that repress the expression of alternative developmental pathways. Heterokaryons and cybrids were derived from polyethylene glycol-mediated fusion of differentiated mononucleate chicken myocytes with mouse melanoma cells, mouse melanoma cytoplasts, chicken fibroblasts, or other chicken myocytes. Our results demonstrate that fusion of a myocyte with a nonmyogenic cell generally results in extinction of muscle-specific properties in the immediate fusion product. Myocyte × melanoma heterokaryons ceased to express the skeletal muscle forms of myosin, desmin and creatine kinase, reinitiated DNA synthesis, and showed a loss of spontaneous fusion competence within 96 hr after their formation. Although chicken myocyte × mouse melanoma heterokaryons showed extinction of muscle specific properties, they continued to synthesize protein and to incorporate [ 3 H]hypoxanthine, presumably due to the continued production of constitutive chicken HPRT. That presence of the melanoma nucleus was required for extinction to be observed was demonstrated by the continued expression of muscle proteins in cybrids between chicken myocytes and melanoma cytoplasts. Significantly, heterokaryons between chicken myocytes and chicken fibroblasts also exhibited extinction of muscle proteins, demonstrating for the first time that extinction is not restricted to fusions in which at least one parental cell type was derived from an established cell line. Our results strongly support the notion that extinction reflects cell-type specific gene regulatory mechanisms operative during development.
Partial purification and properties of acyl-CoA reductase from Clostridium butyricum.

Abstract A long chain acyl-CoA reductase of Clostridium butyricum has been partially purified from the 100,000 g supernatant fraction of cell extracts. The enzyme reduces acyl-CoA derivatives to aldehydes in the presence of NADH. It is stable in dithiothreitol-containing buffers at 4 °C, heat-labile, and sensitive to sulfhydryl reagents. It is active with palmitoyl-CoA, stearoyl-CoA, oleoyl-CoA, and myristoyl-CoA. Its apparent molecular weight on Sephadex G-100 column chromatography is 50,000. In crude extracts and at low purification, an NADPH-dependent reduction of palmitaldehyde to cetyl alcohol was also observed. An acyl-CoA hydrolase was also observed in crude extracts.
A potential bias in safety evaluation during open‐label extensions of randomized clinical trials

Purpose To describe a bias that can occur in the analysis of data from certain randomized trials. Methods and Results Although randomized trials are effective at preventing confounding, a potentially strong confounding can arise in certain therapeutic drug trials in which follow-up is extended in an open-label phase that allows switching treatments. Many trials implement eligibility screening that excludes those at high risk of morbidity and mortality. In these trials, disease rates and death rates for the study population can rise rapidly during follow-up as the effect of screening wanes. During the open-label follow-up, a preponderance of patients may switch to the new therapy. If so, then any evaluation of the new therapy that includes follow-up from the open-label phase, as is often the case for safety evaluations, will be confounded. The confounding arises because the person-time experience of those on the new treatment will be more heavily weighted with the open-label phase experience, during which morbidity and mortality rates may be much greater than in the initial phase of follow-up. This confounding may be strong and will be in the direction of making the new treatment look worse, provided that the net switching is toward the new treatment during the open-label phase. Conclusions The confounding described here is not prevented by randomization because it develops in a non-randomized add-on analysis to the trial. The bias can be removed, however, by controlling for time since randomization in the analysis of the data. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Stylized video cubes

We present a new set of non-photorealistic rendering (NPR) tools for processing video. Our approach is to treat the video as a space-time volume of image data. Previous tools to process video for an impressionist effect have painted collections of two-dimensional strokes on each successive frame of video. In contrast, we create a set of "rendering solids." Each rendering solid is a function defined over an interval of time; when evaluated at a particular time within that interval, it provides parameters necessary for rendering an NPR primitive. Rendering solids can be rendered interactively, giving immediate feedback to an artist along with the ability to modify styles in real time.Benefits of our approach include: a more unified treatment of the video volume's spatial and temporal dimensions; interactive, aesthetic flexibility and control; and the extension of stylized rendering techniques for video beyond the impressionist styles previously explored. We show example styles inspired by impressionist, cubist, and abstract art of the past century.
Stable Swarming by Mutual Interactions of Attraction/Alignment/Repulsion: Fixed Topology ⋆

In this paper we present a general decentralized controller for a swarm of mobile agents with fixed topology to move in a given environment. The controller utilizes the widely accepted hypothesis of Attraction/Alignment/Repulsion (A/A/R) interactions for fish schools in mathematical biology community. We assume that during the swarm's motion, each agent can sense and interact with its neighbors via A/A/R interactions, while follow the path clue of the environment. The environment is assumed to have identical effect on all agents. Under the assumptions of connected graph, the controller is proved to make the velocities of all swarm members asymptotically converge to a common value. The advantage of this controller is that all the information it needs can be locally sensed, therefore, communication link and associated issues (such as communication noise and time delay) are avoided. Simulations of a swarm with a fixed topology are presented to verify the proposed controller.
The effect of elastic strain on the resistance anomaly and the thermopower of NbSe3

We have investigated the effect of elastic strain on the resistance and thermopower of NbSe3 for T < 40 K. Below a critical strain ec ≈ 0.5 % the piezoresistance DRR(0) = [R(e) − R(0)]R(0) and the piezothermopower DSS(0) = [S(e) − S(0)]S(0) increase linearly with strain at a T dependent rate. Above e1 ≈ 0.50% ± 0.10% both exhibit a plateau-like feature up to a temperature dependent strain value e2(T). The width of the plateau decreases as T increases and the plateau vanishes near T = 40 K. This behavior is similar to the magnetoresistance and magnetothermopower reported by Coleman et al., Hundley et al. and Lin et al. respectively. By comparing the magnetic, pressure, and elastic strain effects, we suggest that elastic strain leads to a depletion of an electron pocket at the Fermi surface.