cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of Nano- and Microtechnologies in Clinical Point-of-Care Testing

There is increasing interest in point-of-care diagnostic testing in hospitals and within homes. Advances in engineering and innovation in diagnostic technologies are enabling miniaturized devices (e.g., lab-on-a-chip) at the micro or nanoscale and these devices may eventually provide most if not all of the current range of central laboratory clinical tests at the point-of-care. Specific benefits for miniaturized devices include integration of all steps in a clinical test in single device), replicate analysis for enhanced reliability, portability, low cost, implantability (e.g., in vivo devices), and simplified operation. However, often the true potential of these new technologies cannot be readily assessed because there is inadequate validation with real samples in a clinically relevant environment. It is important to know how common interfering substances (e.g., bilirubin, lipids, hemoglobin, drugs) present in some biological samples may affect a detection technology. Even if a technology can successfully negotiate these hurdles, it must be formatted or packaged to meet the essential requirements of point-of-care testing. This chapter explores the scope of micro and nanotechnologies in the context of point-of-care testing and discusses issues relevant to their implementation.
Deactivation of Supported Pt Catalysts during Alcohol Oxidation Elucidated by Spectroscopic and Kinetic Analyses

The selective oxidation of 1,6-hexanediol with O2 to product aldehydes and acids occurs readily in water over supported Pt nanoparticles. The initial turnover frequency of 0.54 s-1 (at 343 K and 1 MPa O2) decreases significantly with reaction time because of product competitive adsorption and irreversible adsorption of unknown strongly-bonded species. To identify the poisoning species, in situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy were applied in this work. In situ SERS during 1,6-hexanediol oxidation revealed an accumulation of di-σ-bonded olefinic species with features at ~1150 cm-1 and ~1460 cm-1 on the poisoned Pt surface. Consistent with SERS, results from 13C NMR spectroscopy of a Pt catalyst deactivated from oxidation of 13C-labeled 1,4-butanediol revealed a C=C feature associated with ethylene. Molecules containing olefinic groups are two orders of magnitude more effective at competing for Pt surface sites compared to the aldeh...
Conclusion: The Eco-Cosmopolitanism of Byron’s Nature

Byron’s cultural ecology characterizes the dynamic interdependencies between nature and culture as operating on a global scale, in contrast to most other Romantics, who work to preserve local, natural areas apart from modernity’s techno-domination. As many have remarked, eco-localism, the primary environmental strategy coming out of a Wordsworthian nature aesthetic, fails to address the global threat to ecosystem flourishing. In contrast, Byron’s eco-cosmopolitanism considers that a threat to any place is a threat to all places, pointing toward a contrasting environmental strategy of global collaboration for climate justice. Wordsworth’s nature and Byron’s nature form complementary poles of in the highly contested, broad environmental discourse of the Romantic period.
Empirical Ethics: Sense and Sensibility and Female Philosophy

This chapter argues that Austen redirects female intellectual life in the post-Wollstonecraft era by focusing on the ethical ramifications of two female philosophers’ approaches to epistemology. Through Marianne’s more deductive tendencies, Austen shows that the interpretation of experience through recourse to pre-existing theory causes social crises and the mistreatment of others. In contrast, through Elinor’s largely empirical practice Austen suggests that an attention to experiential detail might allow women to successfully navigate the many social dangers of a morally compromised world. It is through a minute attention to the details of experience that Elinor, the true female philosopher, develops the knowledge that increases her concern for others, and out of this process she is revealed to be the most genuinely feeling and truly ethical of the novel’s characters. In this way, Austen positions ethics as the end-point of the empirical practice of learning to feel for others by learning to know them, and thereby uses the true female philosopher to lay out a socially-committed, psychologically-based process that provides a solid basis for morality.
“Catch the word”: Violated contracts and prophetic confirmation in African American Pentecostalism

The image of a violated social contract has long held a distinctive place in African American Christian thought about injustice. This essay discusses the efforts made by members of Pentecostal churches in Buffalo, New York, to enter into forms of contract with God that supersede the broken social contracts they see as devaluing their lives. These believers listen to God’s words as expressed in prophetic utterances for “confirmation” of the significance of events. In their view, “catching the word” through faithful listening enables them to create social commitments on their own terms, whereas their creative capacities are liable to be alienated from them if they listen improperly. Applying David Graeber’s revisionist treatment of “fetishism” as a form of social creativity, this essay explores how believers create their blessings within a dialogic space involving themselves, God, the devil, and pastor-prophets with exceptional abilities to listen to and convey the terms of the divine contract.
Doctrinal Dialogues: Factors Influencing Client Willingness to Discuss Religious Beliefs

ABSTRACTReligious beliefs are an important part of daily life for many individuals; however, these beliefs are often not discussed in therapy, creating potential barriers to treatment. The current ...
Motion Perception Models

A motion perception model is a theory or computation that relates visual stimuli or visual scenes that contain motion to the motion perceptions and motion-related actions of observers. After a historical background sketch of formal mathematical and computational models, the author examines Fourier analysis of motion stimuli, the Reichard detector for first-order motion detection, velocity detection, second- and third-order motion, the kinetic depth effect (structure from motion), and heading direction under self-motion.
Abstract 318: Inhibition of FASN induces apoptosis and senescence in breast cancer

Fatty Acid Synthase (FASN), the key multienzyme in de novo lipogenesis, is upregulated and activated in numerous carcinomas, including breast cancer. Fatty acids play a fundamental role in cellular structure, energy production and storage and are intermediates in the biosynthesis of hormones and other biologic molecules. Therefore, FASN is a novel therapeutic target for treatment in cancer cells that have upregulated FASN protein. BT474 breast cancer cells, which overexpress FASN, were treated with a pharmacologic FASN inhibitor and resulted in apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Inhibition of FASN simultaneously upregulates the pro-apoptotic BCL2 family members Bim, Puma, and Noxa; additionally, FASN inhibition alters the NDAPH/NADP+ balance and induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Most significantly, FASN inhibition induces sensitization of breast cancer cells to the BH3 mimetic navitoclax, a potential opportunity to use BH3 mimetics for the treatment of breast carcinomas. These results support further preclinical and potentially clinical development of a dual FASN and Bcl-2 treatment for breast cancer tumors that express FASN. In addition to apoptosis, there is an increase in cellular senescence in breast cancer cells overexpressing FASN when treated with FASN inhibitors. The increase in ROS, a known effect of FASN inhibition, is known to induce cellular stress, resulting in both apoptosis and senescence. Increased senescence was initially observed by x-gal staining of BT474 cells treated with FASN inhibitors via microscopy and FLOW. We also observed an increased expression of several pro-senescent genes both at the protein and mRNA levels, including p16/INK4a, p14ARF/p19ARF, p15, and p21. A hallmark of age-induced cellular senescence is the shortening of telomeres. However, telomere shortening was not observed, suggesting that senescence was a result of FASN inhibition and activation of senescence-induced genes. Therefore, inhibition of FASN appears to be an ideal target for therapeutic treatment of breast cancers that overexpress FASN through both apoptosis and senescence. Citation Format: Travis Vander Steen, Ruth Lupu. Inhibition of FASN induces apoptosis and senescence in breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 318.
Visual Search as a Probabilistic Sequential Decision Process in Software Autonomous System

Software systems now can replace a vast amount of human resources with their quasi-autonomous features. Adaptive nature helps the system to adjust their behavior in response to their environmental changes. Most of these changes are unknown which put the system under uncertainty while making decisions. Decision-making in the real-time environment requires through observation for searching and analyzing different features of the environment in which the systems are running to understand how humans select relevant information. In this way, a human and a software system can jointly evaluate the situations and make the decision. Earlier visual search (VS) models believe that the eyes move to locations with maximum saliency and every eye movement is planned. It is hard to choose any optimal searching process when the operating characteristics of any visual system vary over time. Furthermore, this method does not account how the brain coordinates its different regions to process information over time. To address these limitations, we propose visual process as an instance of deep reinforcement learning which represents a step towards building autonomous systems to understand the visual world more accurately. In this paper, we begin with different visual search algorithms, including reinforcement learning, followed by probabilistic sequential decision making. In parallel, we focus on various existing areas of related research and their advantages and drawbacks within the domain. Finally, we propose a model which can address the shortcomings of the existing algorithms.
Neuroscience and the Criminal Justice System

The criminal justice system acts directly on bodies, but fundamentally it cares about minds. As neuroscience progresses, it will increasingly be able to probe the objective, physical organ of the b...
The role of protocol layers and macro-cognitive functions in engineered system resilience

Abstract Engineered system resilience has emerged as an important concept for researchers, policy makers, and managers over the past two decades. It is critical to the operation of complex systems that are crucial to social and economic systems, such as interdependent critical infrastructures. While the measurement of infrastructure resilience is well-studied, in this paper the authors present the concept that a system's selected strategy for self-organizing is the mechanism for contending with unanticipated events. Self-organizing is a fundamental activity of temporarily modifying system processes and inter-organizational relationships to better respond to a disruptive event. The authors build on existing concepts of how complex systems manage resilience, and illustrate the new concept in the context of transportation networks. If strategies for self-organizing exist, they can be defined and characterized into a limited number of archetypes. This paper develops the concept of self-organizing as an important part of resilience management, and presents two illustrative case studies which are early attempts to characterize these strategies [4] . Understanding strategies for re-organization may help to improve understanding of how traditional resilience metrics are applied or how risk is assessed and managed in complex systems, by providing a context for how decision makers manage responses under uncertain circumstances.
A remainder term for Hölder’s inequality for matrices and quantum entropy inequalities

We prove a sharp remainder term for Holder’s inequality for traces as a consequence of the uniform convexity properties of the Schatten trace norms. We then show how this implies a novel family of Pinsker type bounds for the quantum Renyi entropy. Finally, we show how the sharp form of the usual quantum Pinsker inequality for relative entropy may be obtained as a fairly direct consequence of uniform convexity.
LBD29-Involved Auxin Signaling Represses NAC Master Regulators and Fiber Wall Biosynthesis.

NAM, ATAF1/2 and CUC2 (NAC) domain transcription factors function as master switches in regulating secondary cell wall (SCW) biosynthesis in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) stems. Despite the importance of these NACs in fiber development, the upstream signal is still elusive. Using a large-scale mutant screening, we identified a dominant activation-tagging mutant, fiberless-d (fls-d), showing defective SCW development in stem fibers, similar to that of the nac secondary wall thickening promoting factor1-1 (nst1-1)nst3-3 double mutant. Overexpression of LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES DOMAIN29 (LBD29) is responsible for the fls-d mutant phenotypes. By contrast, loss-of-function of LBD29, either in the dominant repression transgenic lines or in the transfer-DNA (T-DNA) insertion mutant lbd29-1, enhanced SCW development in fibers. Genetic analysis and transgenic studies demonstrated LBD29 depends on master regulators in mediating SCW biosynthesis, specifically NAC SECONDARY WALL THICKENING PROMOTING FACTOR1 (NST1), NST2, and NST3. Increasing indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) levels, either in stem tissues above a N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid–treated region or in plants directly sprayed with IAA, inhibits fiber wall thickening. The inhibition effect of naphthylphthalamic acid treatment and exogenous IAA application depends on a known auxin signaling pathway involving AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR7 (ARF7)/ARF19 and LBD29. These results demonstrate auxin is upstream of LBD29 in repressing NAC master regulators, and therefore shed new light on the regulation of SCW biosynthesis in Arabidopsis.
Effects of continuous positive airway pressure on blood pressure in obstructive sleep apnea patients: The Apnea Positive Pressure Long-term Efficacy Study (APPLES).

Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with hypertension, and short-term studies have demonstrated a modest reduction in blood pressure with continuous positive airway pressure therapy. We evaluated the effects of continuous positive airway pressure versus sham continuous positive airway pressure on blood pressure in 1,101 participants with obstructive sleep apnea from the Apnea Positive Pressure Long-term Efficacy Study, a randomized, sham-controlled double-blinded study designed to assess the impact of continuous positive airway pressure on neurocognition. Participants with apnea-hypopnea index ≥ 10 were randomly assigned to continuous positive airway pressure or sham continuous positive airway pressure. Blood pressures measured in the morning and evening at baseline, 2 months and 6 months were analysed post hoc using a mixed-model repeated-measures analysis of variance. The largest magnitude reduction was approximately 2.4 mmHg in morning systolic pressure that occurred at 2 months in the continuous positive airway pressure arm as compared with an approximate 0.5 mmHg reduction in the sham group (continuous positive airway pressure effect -1.9 mmHg, p = .008). At 6 months, the difference between groups was diminished and no longer statistically significant (continuous positive airway pressure effect -0.9 mmHg, p = .12). Sensitivity analysis with use of multiple imputation approaches to account for missing data did not change the results. Treatment with continuous positive airway pressure for obstructive sleep apnea reduces morning but not evening blood pressure in a population with well-controlled blood pressure. The effect was greater after 2 than after 6 months of treatment.
Secondhand Smoke exposure and risk of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Children

Abstract Objectives Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has a prevalence of 4% in children. Few studies have explored the role of secondhand smoke (SHS) on OSA severity and have shown contradicting results. Most studies have focused on the effect of SHS on snoring. This study explored the association of SHS exposure and OSA severity in children aged 3–18 years. Methods This is a retrospective single center IRB-approved study. Electronic Medical Records (EMR) were queried between 1/24/2015 and 1/24/2018 to obtain data on SHS exposure with standard questionnaires from perioperative database. SHS was analyzed as a binary variable and OSA was measured using obstructive apnea hypopnea index (OAHI) from polysomnography (PSG) as a continuous variable. Analyses were done on all children and in those with severe OSA (OAHI≥10/h) as a subgroup. Results EMR query yielded 101,884 children of whom 3776 had PSG. Limiting baseline PSG in 3–18-year-old and reliable information on SHS yielded 167 analyzable children of whom 70 had severe OSA. Children exposed to SHS had significantly more public insurance than non-exposed (p Conclusion Children aged 3–18 years with severe OSA who were exposed to SHS were found to have 1.48 increase in odds of OAHI than those without SHS exposure. Results could be limited by retrospective nature of study and EMR tools.
STUDIES OF CONDITIONING AND OTHER FORMS OF ADAPTATION IN THE MAMMALIAN CNS

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the studies of conditioning and other forms of adaptation in the mammalian central nervous system. These studies concerned cellular mechanisms supporting conditioning in the cat. Two different types of adaptations were related to the development of the form of conditioning that was studied. The first was postsynaptic and involved neurons of the motor cortex and facial nucleus. The second involved the neurons of the association cortex and the supported reception and discrimination of the CS as opposed to the performance of the specific conditioned movement. Postsynaptic (Type I) adaptations were found in the motor cortex by studying the patterns of unit activity, one neuron at a time, over samplings obtained from cats before and after behavioral conditioning. A second type of adaptation (Type II) has been found elsewhere in the cortex after Pavlovian eyeblink conditioning. The parametric requisites for the development of each of the adaptations may be met in the course of the stimulus presentations needed for conditioning to occur.
Exogenous human growth hormone-releasing factor and ovine somatotropin improve growth performance and composition of gain in lambs

The objectives of this study were 1) to compare intermittent subcutaneous administration of human growth hormone-releasing factor (hGRF) at two doses with a similar regimen of ovine somatotropin (oST) for effects on growth and composition of gain in growing lambs and 2) to determine whether increasing the dietary amino acid availability enhances response to oST or hGRF. Eighty crossbred ewe and wether lambs (25.5 kg live weight) were assigned randomly in pairs to receive four daily injections of excipient, 40 micrograms oST/kg BW, 5 micrograms hGRF/kg BW or 10 micrograms hGRF/kg BW for 42 (n = 80) or 56 (n = 40) d. Doses were adjusted weekly for BW. Mean plasma oST concentrations increased from 2.03 ng/ml prior to treatment to 20.64, 4.80 and 5.45 ng/ml with oST, 5 and 10 micrograms/kg hGRF doses, respectively. Lambs did not become refractory to hGRF. Cumulative gain increased approximately 18% with 7 wk of treatment with oST and the low dose of hGRF (both P less than .01), and feed efficiency improved 21% with oST and 18% with both doses of hGRF (both P less than .05). Carcass lipid accretion rate decreased 22% to 30% (P less than .001), and carcass protein accretion rate increased 30% to 36% (P less than .001) with hGRF and oST treatment, respectively. Addition of fishmeal to the diet at 4% to replace an equal amount of soy protein improved gain 8.5%; it improved efficiency 14.2% (P less than .05) across all treatments, and it significantly enhanced the effects of oST on feed efficiency (interaction P less than .12) and hind leg muscle weights.
Heterogeneous UAV Multi-Role Swarming Behaviors for Search and Rescue

This work examines the relationships among drone swarm characteristics and how they affect swarm performance. A swarm of autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is implemented in simulation to cooperatively gather situational awareness data during the first few hours after a major natural disaster. The swarm is controlled by prioritized sets of relatively simple, reactive behaviors, the totality of which result in the emergence of a form of collective intelligence. The behaviors are designed to optimize the coverage area of a simulated camera mounted on each UAV. The behaviors are implemented in simulation on swarms of sizes from 10 to 50 UAVs. The UAVs are each assigned one of 3 different roles, or “personality types”: Social Searcher, Antisocial Searcher, or Relay. 100 different size and personality type distribution configurations were compared over 1000 simulation runs to determine explore the effect of swarm parameters on search success over the target area. The results show that the swarm is successful in locating over 90 % of survivors in less than 40 minutes using the most effective personality type distributions. Results also show that, within in the context of the particular simulation scenario, the addition of any number of Relay UAVs tends to decrease performance of the swarm when compared to a distribution that does not include any Relays. More generally, the work demonstrates the value of the novel approach of applying design of experiment principles to simulation experiments in order to explore optimal swarm configurations.
High-Performance Silicon-Nitride-Based Multiple-Wavelength Source

We demonstrate a stable complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor-compatible on-chip multiple-wavelength source by filtering and modulating individual comb lines from a parametric optical frequency comb generated in a silicon nitride microring resonator. We show comb operation in a stable low-noise state. Bit-error rate measurements demonstrate negligible power penalty from six independent frequency comb lines when compared with a tunable diode laser baseline. Open eye diagrams confirm the fidelity of the 10 Gb/s data transmitted at the comb frequencies and the suitability of this device for use as a fully integrated silicon-based wavelength-division-multiplexing source.
Advances and Obstacles in Homology-Mediated Gene Editing of Hematopoietic Stem Cells

Homology-directed gene editing of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) is a promising strategy for the treatment of inherited blood disorders, obviating many of the limitations associated with viral vector-mediated gene therapies. The use of CRISPR/Cas9 or other programmable nucleases and improved methods of homology template delivery have enabled precise ex vivo gene editing. These transformative advances have also highlighted technical challenges to achieve high-efficiency gene editing in HSPCs for therapeutic applications. In this review, we discuss recent pre-clinical investigations utilizing homology-mediated gene editing in HSPCs and highlight various strategies to improve editing efficiency in these cells.
Changes in Depressive Symptoms, Physical Symptoms, and Sleep-Wake Problems From Before to During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Emerging Adults: Inequalities by Gender, Socioeconomic Position, and Race

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on emerging adults is of global concern. We examine changes in depressive symptoms, physical symptoms, and sleep-wake problems from before to during the pandemic among college students and examine inequalities by gender, socioeconomic status (SES), and race (N = 263, 52% Black, 48% White, and 53% female). As compared to pre-pandemic levels, increases were evident in depressive symptoms, physical symptoms, and sleep problems. Females had greater increases than males in depressive symptoms, sleep problems, and physical symptoms. Students from disadvantaged SES backgrounds had greater increases in physical symptoms. Among White students, those from disadvantaged backgrounds also had greater increases in sleep problems. Last, daytime sleepiness increased more among Black male than White male students. Overall, findings suggest notable shifts in sleep and health during the early phase of the pandemic among emerging adults, and that attention to inequality by gender, SES, and race is warranted.
Stock prices, dividends, earnings, and investor sentiment

We investigate the relationship between fundamental market variables and investor sentiment. Our study focuses on empirical aspects that have not been explored by previous studies. We find that sentiment is co-integrated with earnings and sentiment changes cause earnings changes. Under extreme market events, however, sentiment changes tend to move more closely together with stock returns. We also find that the predictive power of sentiment changes increases with subsequent medium-term earnings changes and sentiment changes are asymmetrically more sensitive to high earnings. Our study provides a new insight to stock market participants.
{2-[1-(2-Meth­oxy-6-oxidophenyl-κO6)ethyl­idene]-N-methyl­hydrazinecarbo­thio­amidato-κ2N2,S}(tri­phenyl­phosphane-κP)palladium(II) ethanol monosolvate

In the title compound, [Pd(C11H13N3O2S)(C18H15P)]·C2H5OH, the PdII atom is tetra­coordinated in a slightly distorted square-planar environment by three donor atoms (NOS) from a thio­semicarbazonate ligand, forming five- and six-membered chelate rings, and a P atom from a neutral tri­phenyl­phosphane group. The five-membered ring adopts a distorted envelope conformation with PdII as the flap atom, while the six-membered ring forms a slightly twisted screw-boat conformation. A slightly distorted screw-boat form of a meth­oxy­phenyl group is fused to the six-membered ring. Weak C—H⋯O inter­actions form dimers in the asymmetric unit and along [001] which help to stabilize the crystal packing.
The Failure of Educational Research to Impact Educational Practice: Six Obstacles to Educational Reform

Publisher Summary Evidence based educational practice is the centerpiece of educational psychology since its inception more than 100 years ago. Much of today's educational practice remains remarkably uninformed by scientific evidence—using instructional methods that are popular but largely untested. This chapter examines six obstacles to educational reform based on research: basing reform on slogans obstacle, doctrinal obstacle, political agendas obstacle, and failing to base reform on appropriate measurable goals obstacle, methodologically sound research base obstacle, and educationally relevant theory of learning. The call for evidence-based practice raises several questions. The most contentious question concerns with what constitutes an appropriate research method. Experimental methods are the gold standard for educational psychology. The advantage of experimental methods is that they allow for drawing causal conclusions, and the major disadvantage is that they sometimes cannot be implemented in applied settings. Qualitative measures play an important role in educational research when they are used to test research questions or hypotheses. In some cases, quantitative measures may not be able to tap some of the more detailed aspects of learning and learning outcomes. A richer vision of how to improve educational practice emerges through a multilevel set of measures, which may include both quantitative and qualitative measures.
Corporate and Product Identity in the Post-National Economy: Rethinking U.S. Trade Laws

The trade laws of the U.S. are replete with references to “domestic industry,” “domestic” corporations, and “domestic” products. U.S. trade laws, like those of other countries in the world trading system, remain rooted in antiquated understandings of “nationality” and “national origin.” Without a thorough reassessment of these two concepts, the U.S. responds to the challenges posed by globalizations in a piecemeal manner, its trade laws vacillating between the pull of nationalism and internationalism. The Article proposes an alternative that balances the current global reality with the nationalist call for a return to the local. To the extent that a “national” market can still be accurately identified, its identification does not come from the traditional conceptions of a national corporation or a national product, but from the one factor in the production process that is still territorial rather than globally oriented: the national workforce. Any company that meets what is termed a substantial socioeconomic participation test should be granted the benefits of nationality available under U.S. trade laws. A product’s “national origin” should also be reassessed. Despite the calls from nationalists to fortify national boundaries to protect domestic products and industry, products that are globally sourced are in fact the products of no one country in particular. Country-of-origin designations thus merely perpetuate this chimera of nationality in a world of internationality. The Article proposes to revise the interpretation of current rules to accomplish two objectives: first, to reflect the emergence of the postindustrial economy, and second, to address the nationalist fault lines required to ensure the continued political survival of the current trading system.
Comment on "Geometric Phases for Mixed States in Interferometry"

We find for the unitary evolution of spin-1/2 systems that the "purely mathematical mixed state holonomy of Uhlmann limitedly agrees, in the case of evolution over geodesic spherical triangles, with the holonomy "in the experimental context of quantum interferometry" recently proposed by Sjoqvist, Pati, Ekert, Anandan, Ericsson, Oi and Vedral (Phys. Rev. Lett. 85 [2000], 2845-2848).
The Ethical Issues Confronting Managers in the Sport Industry

The sport industry is an extremely diverse industry, including segments such as professional sport, intercollegiate athletics, health and fitness, recreational sport and facility management. The industry is currently experiencing rapid growth and development, and as it grows, sport managers in the different segments encounter ethical issues which are often unique to each segment. This article examines the professional sport, intercollegiate athletics, health and fitness, recreational sport and facility management segments of the sport industry and discusses the various ethical issues facing managers in each of these segments.
A comparison of interobserver agreement and quantity of usability data obtained using graphics-based and text-based data collection tools

This study compares two data collection tools to determine whether graphical and textbased observational systems yield different degrees of interobserver agreement, and different quantities of usability data. Consistency across observers is a necessary element of the reliability of data [3,10]. Additionally, increasing the quantity of data obtained in an observational study has a positive effect on the reliability of the data, and provides more complete information about the product being evaluated [1,4,7,9]. If the tool used to collect data affects interobserver agreement and quantity of data obtained, the tool itself must be considered a factor in the reliable collection and interpretation of usability data. Examining the particular characteristics of the tool can yield important information for improving the quality and quantity of usability data collected in an observational study.In this study we compare usability data obtained using a graphics-based observation database system designed to enable observers to log data by using point and click rather than keystroke (typing) data entry, and a stand-alone, text-based, online logging program. Four monitors trained in the use of both tools simultaneously observed and recorded the behavior of the same test participant in an in vitro situation. Each monitor used each tool once. Trials were counterbalanced to account for order and test subject effects. Data collected included task completion, task time, subject and monitor comments and subject behaviors, and an evaluation of each tool by the monitors. Data were analyzed for interobserver agreement within and between tools, and for quantity of anecdotal data collected with each. Additional analyses included monitor comments about and ratings of the tools. Results indicate somewhat similar interobserver reliability measures for the two tools. The graphics tool yielded somewhat more anecdotal data than the text-based system. Most monitors expressed no preference in favor of either tool, and gave the text-based tool a more favorable overall evaluation than the graphics-based tool. These results are examined with respect to these particular tools, and to the use of graphical and text-based observational database tools in general.
An Introduction to Symbolic Dynamics and Coding

From the Publisher: Although it originated as a method to study general dynamical systems, symbolic dynamics is useful in coding for data storage and transmission as well as in linear algebra. Requiring only a undergraduate knowledge of linear algebra, this first general textbook includes over 500 exercises.
Bacterial Distribution of the Use of Succinyl and Acetyl Blocking Groups in Diaminopimelic Acid Biosynthesis

The use of acetate, rather than succinate, as a blocking group in diaminopimelate biosynthesis has been found only in species of the genus Bacillus.
The Origins of French Art Criticism: From the Ancien Régime to the Restoration

List of Plates. List of Figures. Photographic Credits. Abbreviations. Introduction. 1: The Salon in Context. 2: The Salon. 3: In Search of an Art Public. 4: Between the Studio and the Salon. 5: Censorshop and Diffusion of Criticism during the Ancient Regime. 6: The Status of Criticism. 7: The Language of Art Criticism. 8: The Hierarchy of the Genres. Conclusion. Appendix I: Independent Exhibitions, Lotteries, and Subscrption Schemes. Appendix II: Some Extensions to Salon Exhibitions. Appendix III: Production of Salon Pamphlets and Press Reviews. Appendix IV. Bibliography. Index
Barriers to Recruiting an Adequate Sample in Rural Nursing Research

Recruiting an adequate sample in rural nursing research has its unique challenges. In this article, nurse researchers share their adventures in recruiting study participants from four studies in the rural West. Distilled from these adventures, the authors present several issues to consider when developing recruitment strategies as part of the overall planning of a rural study. These include: (a) uniqueness of the rural culture and context, higher costs of recruitment, (b) necessity for rural-sensitive recruitment materials, (c) over-sampling, and (d) lack of local research infrastructure.
Why Dissolved Organic Matter Enhances Photodegradation of Methylmercury

Methylmercury (MeHg) is known to degrade photochemically, but it remains unclear what roles naturally dissolved organic matter (DOM) and complexing organic ligands play in MeHg photodegradation. Here we investigate the rates and mechanisms of MeHg photodegradation using DOM with varying oxidation states and origins as well as organic ligands with known molecular structures. All DOM and organic ligands increased the rate of MeHg photodegradation under solar irradiation, but the first-order rate constants varied depending on the oxidation state of DOM and the type and concentration of the ligands. Reduced DOM photochemically degraded MeHg 3 times faster than oxidized DOM. Compounds containing both thiol and aromatic moieties within the same molecule (e.g., thiosalicylate and reduced DOM) increased MeHg photodegradation rates far more than those containing only aromatics or thiols (e.g., salicylate or glutathione, or their combinations). The mechanism is attributed in part to strong binding between MeHg and ...
Presynaptic dopaminergic function is largely unaltered in mesolimbic and mesostriatal terminals of adult rats that were prenatally exposed to cocaine

Fast-scan cyclic voltammetry in brain slices and postmortem tissue content assessment were used to evaluate presynaptic dopaminergic function in the caudate putamen and nucleus accumbens of adult male rats (180+ days old) that were prenatally treated with either cocaine or saline. Experiments were carried out to test whether there were differences in dopamine release, reuptake, autoreceptor function or the tissue levels of dopamine and its metabolites between cocaine- and saline-exposed rats. We report that presynaptic dopaminergic function remains largely intact in adult rats that were prenatally exposed to cocaine. The ability of terminals in the caudate putamen and nucleus accumbens to release and regulate dopamine is unaltered by prenatal cocaine exposure. However the tissue content of dopamine in the caudate putamen was decreased, representing a diminution in the dopamine storage pool. We conclude, therefore, that behavioral changes that have previously been observed in rats that were prenatally exposed to cocaine are not mediated through alteration of presynaptic dopaminergic mechanisms in these brain regions.
Identifying Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in Hospitalized Patients: What Is the Role of Active-Surveillance Cultures?

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are an important cause of morbidity and mortality among hospitalized patients throughout the world. Controlling the emergence and spread of these organisms in healthcare settings requires multiple strategies, including strict attention to hand hygiene, vigilant disinfection of equipment and the environment, efforts to promote antimicrobial stewardship, and adherence to evidence-based bundles of care practices to prevent infections associated with the use of invasive devices such as central venous catheters and ventilators. Multiple studies have demonstrated that identification of patients who are colonized with organisms such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)7 and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), in conjunction with the use of contact precautions when caring for those who are colonized, can reduce rates of colonization and infection with these bacteria. Active-surveillance cultures (ASCs) for these organisms are currently recommended for hospitalized patients at high risk of carriage. Questions remain, however, regarding which specific populations should be screened, the optimal screening method, and which organisms should be targeted for ASC. In this Q&A, 5 experts with different roles in infection prevention and microbiology [including adult (S.S.H.) and pediatric (A.M.M.) hospital epidemiologists from the US and Europe (S.H.), an infection preventionist (S.A.D.), and a microbiology laboratory director (A.J.M.)] have been asked to comment on several unresolved issues regarding the use of ASC as a strategy to prevent the transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) in hospitals. The 2006 Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee guideline for the management of MDROs in healthcare settings notes that the target populations for ASC are not well defined. In what patient populations do ASCs make the most sense, and why are there differences between the “search and destroy” approach used in Europe and what is typically done in the United States? Susan Huang: ASC has been shown to be beneficial in high-risk hospitalized populations where …
The quality control theory of aging

The quality control (QC) theory of aging is based on the concept that aging is the result of a reduction in QC of cellular systems designed to maintain lifelong homeostasis. Four QC systems associated with aging are 1) inadequate protein processing in a distressed endoplasmic reticulum (ER); 2) histone deacetylase (HDAC) processing of genomic histones and gene silencing; 3) suppressed AMPK nutrient sensing with inefficient energy utilization and excessive fat accumulation; and 4) beta-adrenergic receptor (BAR) signaling and environmental and emotional stress. Reprogramming these systems to maintain efficiency and prevent aging would be a rational strategy for increased lifespan and improved health. The QC theory can be tested with a pharmacological approach using three well-known and safe, FDA-approved drugs: 1) phenyl butyric acid, a chemical chaperone that enhances ER function and is also an HDAC inhibitor, 2) metformin, which activates AMPK and is used to treat type 2 diabetes, and 3) propranolol, a beta blocker which inhibits BAR signaling and is used to treat hypertension and anxiety. A critical aspect of the QC theory, then, is that aging is associated with multiple cellular systems that can be targeted with drug combinations more effectively than with single drugs. But more importantly, these drug combinations will effectively prevent, delay, or reverse chronic diseases of aging that impose such a tremendous health burden on our society. Keywords: quality control theory of aging; endoplasmic reticulum; histone deacetylase; AMPK; beta-adrenergic receptor; aging intervention with drug combinations (Published: 23 May 2014) Citation: Pathobiology of Aging & Age-related Diseases 2014, 4 : 24835 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/pba.v4.24835
Quantum state-to-state cross sections for atom-diatom reactions : A chebyshev real wave-packet approach

We describe the implementation of a quantum mechanical method to calculate state-to-state differential cross sections for atom-diatom reactive scattering processes. The key ingredient of this approach is the efficient and accurate propagation of a real scattering wave packet in the Chebyshev order domain, from which the $S$-matrix elements can be extracted. This approach is implemented with Open MP and applied to compute differential and integral cross sections for the direct $\mathrm{H}+{\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ abstraction reaction and the more challenging $\mathrm{N}(^{2}D)+{\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ insertion reaction.
Proteinase and Peptidase Activities of Cell-Free Extracts from Mutant Strains of Lactic Streptococci

Abstract Cell-free extracts prepared from two lactose-negative, proteinase-negative mutant strains of lactic streptococci, Streptococcus lactis (25Sp), and S. cremoris (KHA2), and the parent strains, S. lactis C2 and S. cremoris (KH), were evaluated for proteinase and peptidase activities. Of the mutant cultures tested, the extract from S. lactis (25Sp) had the highest aminopeptidase activity as determined with the substrates L-lysyl-para-nitroanilide, L-leucyl-para-nitroanilide, and L-prolyl-para-nitroanilide. Extract from the same strain also had the highest dipeptidase (DL-alanylglycine and DL-leucylglycine served as substrates) activity when cells were initially grown in a suitable medium with pH maintained at 6 or 6.5 by addition of NH 4 OH. The cell-free extracts from S. lactis (25Sp) and S. cremoris (KHA2) had higher enzyme activities (aminopeptidase, and dipeptidase) and had lower intracellular proteinase activity (N,N-dimethyl casein served as substrate) than did extracts of the parent strains when they were grown at pH 6.5. Electrophoretic patterns of cell-free extracts indicated different bands with various enzyme specifities. Both mutant strains had similar specificity for different aminoacyl-β-naphthylamides. Minor differences were noted for dipeptidase activities.
Delayed fracture healing in iNOS knockout mice

Abstract Introduction: Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is expressed in osteoblasts and is detected in the initial stages of fracture healing with expression localized to cells within the intra-membranous region of the fracture callus. In this study, we examined fracture healing in iNOS knockout (KO) and wild type (WT) mice with injury consisting of an open femur fracture. Methods: iNOS KO and WT mice (n = 10/group) were subjected to femur fracture under anesthesia. Histological and x-ray analyses as well as expression of osteoblast-related genes, such as osteoactivin, type I collagen and osteocalcin were performed using RT-PCR analysis. Results: Histological analysis of normal, non-fractured femurs from WT and iNOS mice showed an increase in trabecular bone volume in iNOS KO compared with WT littermates. At one and three weeks-post fracture, x-ray analysis showed a marked delay in fracture callus formation in iNOS KO compared with WT mice. These results were confirmed by histological analysis. In non-fractured femurs, osteoactivin, type I collagen and osteocalcin were over-expressed in iNOS KO compared with WT mice. In fractured femurs, osteoactivin, type I collagen, and osteocalcin expression were highly up-regulated in WT but not in iNOS KO mice. Conclusions: These data suggest that increased bone formation occurs after fracture in iNOS KO mice compared with WT mice and furthermore, that iNOS regulates osteoblast development and function. Thus, iNOS also plays a major role in fracture healing.
Comparative utilization of sterols by the OomycetesLagenidium giganteum and Lagenidium callinectes

Abstract The mosquito-parasitizing Oomycete Lagenidium giganteum requires exogenous sterols before it can produce the infective zoospores. In contrast, L. callinectes will synthesize small quantities of cholesterol and produce zoospores. Since the former is a promising biological control agent it was important to delineate the metabolic role(s) and fate(s) of these sterols in zoosporogenesis. Twenty-three different sterols were administered to growing cultures of both organisms. These compounds were reisolated after 7 days, along with any metabolites produced from them. This approach was designed so as to lead to the outline of some of the metabolic sequences which were present. The data show that both organisms possess very similar patterns of sterol transformation. The apparent metabolic route leading to cholesterol is cycloartenol →→ fucosterol →→ cholesterol, which is similar to the overall metabolic sequence observed in many algae. Some transformations that were indicative of obvious intermediate biosynthetic steps were apparent. Both Lagenidium spp. transformed 24-alkylidene but not 24-alkyl sterols to cholesterol. The organisms reduced cholesta-5,7-dienol to cholesterol, metabolized cholestanol to cholesterol, and transformed 3-ketosteroids to 3β-hydroxysterols. Coprostanol was changed to cholestanol.
Towards effective genomic information retrieval: The impact of query complexity and expansion strategies

The goal of this study is to examine the influence of query complexity and different query expansion strategies on the effectiveness of genomic information retrieval. Query complexity is defined as the average number of terms in a query. The query expansion strategies are based on the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) Metathesaurus. The combination of string/word indexing on concept/term level provides four different automatic UMLS expansion strategies. The test collection for the study is the TREC Genomic Track 2006 data set (24 topics). We use the Mean Average Precision (MAP), 11-point precision/recall, and average precision/recall at maximum recall point for the retrieval performance evaluation. In general, we found that applying query expansion did not improve the retrieval effectiveness as compared to the baseline. Our results also indicated that string index expansions are more effective than word index expansions. Queries with a smaller number of terms outperform queries with a larger number of terms and the difference is statistically significant. String index on term level is the best automatic UMLS expansion strategy for queries with a smaller number of terms. The worst case scenario is applying word index expansions on queries with a larger number of terms. Based on these findings, we recommend that genomic information retrieval systems should support flexible query expansion strategies to best accommodate queries with different levels of complexity.