cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Why Innate Lymphoid Cells

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are positioned in tissues perinatally, constitutively express receptors responsive to their organ microenvironments, and perform an arsenal of effector functions that overlap those of adaptive CD4+ T cells. Based on knowledge regarding subsets of invariant-like lymphocytes (e.g., natural killer T [NKT] cells, γδ T cells, mucosal-associated invariant T [MAIT] cells, etc.) and fetally derived macrophages, we hypothesize that immune cells established during the perinatal period—including, but not limited to, ILCs—serve intimate roles in tissue that go beyond classical understanding of the immune system in microbial host defense. In this Perspective, we propose mechanisms by which the establishment of ILCs and the tissue lymphoid niche during early development may have consequences much later in life. Although definitive answers require better tools, efforts to achieve deeper understanding of ILC biology across the mammalian lifespan have the potential to lift the veil on the unknown breadth of immune cell functions.
The actor-observer effect as a function of performance outcome and nationality of other

The purpose in this study was to compare the reasons that individuals provided for their own academic performance outcomes and the outcomes of others of differing nationalities. For American self, as well as American other, Mexican, Canadian, English, Russian, and Japanese others, participants rated the influence of internal and external causal factors on both successful and unsuccessful examination outcomes. Predictions drawn from the integration of the actor-observer effect (Jones & Nisbett, 1971) and ego-serving bias theory (Miller & Ross, 1975) were tested. Results provided support for an extended overall actor-observer effect in that as the nationality of other became more dissimilar, individuals ascribed increasingly greater internal causation for the behavioral outcomes of others (as compared to self). Additionally, results provided support for the operation of a self-serving, self-other comparison process in that the actor-observer tendency emerged quite differently in successful, as compared to unsuccessful, performance outcome situations.
Abstract 1831: Phosphodiesterase-5 Inhibition Prevents Cardiac Hypertrophy, Independently of the Calcineurin Pathway

Cyclic GMP and its downstream kinase protein kinase G (PKG) negatively regulate cardiac hypertrophy. To date the only documented target of this cascade is the serine-threonine phosphatase calcineurin (Cn), whose activation is central to the development of pathologic cardiac hypertrophy. Recently, we reported that phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibition (sildenafil, SIL) activates myocardial PKG and prevents pressure-overload induced hypertrophy by suppressing multiple cascades including Cn. To test the centrality of Cn signaling to the in vivo anti-hypertrophic effects of SIL, we subjected mice deficient in the Cn-A β subunit (CnA β −/− ) to severe trans-aortic constriction (TAC) with or without SIL (100mg/kg/day, p.o.) for 3-wks. TAC induced less hypertrophy that was more concentric in CnA β −/− vs WT-controls (50% vs 100% increase in heart mass/tibia length, p β MHC) in CnA β −/− TAC hearts, while it inhibited LVH by 60% and suppressed ANP and β MHC in WT-TAC hearts. SIL improved cardiac systolic and diastolic function (pressure-volume analysis) in CnA β −/− TAC hearts much as in WT-TAC hearts. In CnA β −/− TAC hearts, phosphorylated calcium calmodulin kinase II (CaMK II) increased 10-fold versus only a 2-fold rise in WT-TAC, whereas Akt and glycogen synthase kinase 3 β (GSK3 β ) activation were comparable between groups. Extracellular response kinase (ERK) 1/2 was activated with TAC in WT hearts only. Importantly, SIL stimulated myocardial PKG and markedly inhibited the activation of CaMKII, Akt and GSK3 β similarly in both groups exposed to TAC. Thus, Cn is not required for the anti-hypertrophic effects of SIL. Though TAC-induced hypertrophy is less in CnA β −/− mice, SIL remains effective in suppressing the residual response by targeting alternative cascades such as CaMK II. These findings suggest that SIL acts either on multiple pathways concurrently, or at a node proximal to these pathways likely at or near the sarcolemmal membrane.
Experiencing Social Education

Isadora Duncan (1927/1996) famously said “What one has not experienced, one will never understand in print” (p. 60). Taking my cue from Isadora, I begin this chapter by dancing around barefoot with two very basic questions: what are the issues involved with modeling a social education philosophy around genuine communal experiences? And can communal experiences and the concepts of social education ever exist in a vacuum as two distinct pedagogical entities?
Shared Therapeutic Features of Psychotherapies

This presentation focusses on features shared by all forms of psychotherapy that contribute significantly to their effectiveness with all patients. In calling attention to these shared therapeutic features, I must emphasize that their existence is entirely compatible with the possibility that each of the approaches of my distinguished colleagues in this symposium may well have specific therapeutic effects and may be especially helpful for certain categories of patients, such as those with depression, phobias or borderline syndromes. Actually, a major research challenge is to disentangle the therapeutic effects that depend on features distinguishing one form of psychotherapy from another, from those produced by the features they all share.
Feature Level Fusion of Face and Gait at a Distance

Video-based human recognition at a distance remains a challenging problem for the fusion of multi-modal biometrics. As compared to the approach based on match score level fusion (Chap. 10), in this chapter, we present an approach that utilizes and integrates information from side face and gait at the feature level. The features of face and gait are obtained separately using principal component analysis (PCA) from enhanced side face image (ESFI) and gait energy image (GEI), respectively. Multiple discriminant analysis (MDA) is employed on the concatenated features of face and gait to obtain discriminating synthetic features. This process allows the generation of better features and reduces the curse of dimensionality. The proposed scheme is tested using two comparative data sets to show the effect of changing clothes and face changing over time. Moreover, the proposed feature level fusion is compared with the match score level fusion and another feature level fusion scheme. The experimental results demonstrate that the synthetic features, encoding both side face and gait information, carry more discriminating power than the individual biometrics features, and the proposed feature level fusion scheme outperforms the match score level and another feature level fusion scheme. The performance of different fusion schemes is also shown as cumulative match characteristic (CMC) curves. They further demonstrate the strength of the proposed fusion scheme.
Review of the Stability/Capacity Trade-off in Silver Hollandite Lithium Battery Cathodes

Highly detailed structural characterization is required to understand the discharge mechanism in order to effectively investigate α-MnO2 structured lithium battery cathode materials. This paper discusses recent findings which elucidate the lithiation mechanism of silver-hollandite, AgxMn8O16. For Ag1.2Mn8O16, the structure is not significantly perturbed during the first 2 equivalents of lithiation and the electrochemistry is highly reversible. Upon 4 equivalents of lithiation, the structure becomes highly distorted, in correlation with capacity fade observed over 40 cycles. Notably, regarding capacity fade, modifications to Ag/Mn ratio are less impactful than modifications to the α-MnO2 crystallite size. This is shown in comparisons of two materials with the same stoichiometry (Ag1.4Mn8O16) and differing crystallite size (10 and 15 nm).
Interdisciplinary Treatment for Pediatric Feeding Disorders

Feeding disorders are among the most common comorbid challenges for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and can have serious implications for growth and development as well as daily living and social functioning. Interdisciplinary approaches to feeding problems unite the expertise of relevant medical, psychosocial, and allied health professions and have emerged as the most effective modality for treating these complex issues. This chapter provides an overview of feeding disorders in children with ASD, describes the members of the interdisciplinary teams formed to serve these children, and reviews the key assessment and intervention strategies used in this population. Finally, the evidence for interdisciplinary treatment approaches is assessed, along with a discussion of key co-occurring conditions.
Determination of Model Parameters for the Hardening Soil Model

The Hardening Soil model, an elasto-plastic second-order hyperbolic isotropic hardening model, in Plaxis has seen many applications in finite element analysis of various earth structures. This technical note presents a protocol for determination of the model parameters of the Hardening Soil model from a set of triaxial compression tests. The technical note also describes details about how to determine the Mohr-Coulomb strength parameters c and ϕ for well-compacted fills (with and without cohesion), of which the failure envelopes are typically curved. The motivation for preparing this technical note came from a study on analysis of field-scale soil–geosynthetic composites in which the soil model and model parameters deduced from triaxial tests were able to predict with very good accuracy “all” measured results of five field-scale soil–geosynthetic composites under increasing applied vertical loads up to 1000 kPa (approximately five times the load level commonly used in design of reinforced soil bridge abutments). The model parameters were determined by a well-defined protocol. The protocol should be of value to researchers and engineers who use the soil model for sophisticated finite element analysis and design of earth structures.
Why Dax’s Case Still Matters

After nearly 50 years, the case of Dax Cowart still engages ethicists, lawyers, health professionals, students, and the general public. Why? Dax Cowart, who died of cancer on April 28, 2019, at th...
Divergent Courses: Preparing Graduate Students for Diverse Career Paths

Graduate students in engineering programs have diverse needs depending on their past experiences and future career goals. Many universities invest their limited resources in assisting non-native speakers of English in preparing scholarly papers. Such programs may ignore the needs of domestic students lacking adequate communication preparation as well as students uninterested in academic career paths. A broader approach is warranted to better assist all students to develop higher-level communication skills. This paper describes a two-course sequence in one graduate engineering program that addresses the unique needs of students interested in both industry career paths and academia, regardless of language background. One course prepares students for communicating persuasively and collaboratively in business environments, while the second course is focused on the traditional research genres of journal papers, conference presentations, and grant proposals. Both courses also include a significant emphasis on ethical decision making in business and research situations. Early indications from students are that the courses meet their needs in helping them communicate more effectively as engineers and/or scholars.
Ellen Winner Festschrift

Not every worthy scholar receives a Festschrift (literally: a celebratory book); circumstances can delay or prevent its appearance. And not every Festschrift lives up to expectation: Such collectio...
Encounter Decision Aids Can Prompt Breast Cancer Surgery Cost Discussions: Analysis of Recorded Consultations.

Background. Patients frequently worry about care costs, but clinicians seldom address the topic. Cost information is not typically included in patient decision aids (DAs). We examined whether inclu...
A computational exploration of the effect of alignment and aspect ratio on alternating current conductivity in carbon nanofiber–modified epoxy:

Carbon nanofiller–modified polymers have been the subject of intense study for years due to their potential use in diverse and far-reaching applications. The effect of nanofiller network parameters...
THE AAUIA FROM 1916-1920: HOW THE AAUIA CONTRIBUTED TO THE EARLY DEVELOPMENTS OF ACCOUNTING EDUCATION

This paper explores how the formation of the American Association of University Instructors in Accounting ("AAUIA", the predecessor of the American Accounting Association) and its efforts towards a...
McConnell sign: an indication for catheter-directed thrombolysis in pulmonary embolism.

A 68-year-old man with no significant medical history was brought to the emergency department for an episode of syncope after exertion. He regained consciousness before arrival in the hospital. He reported some shortness of breath in the emergency room but denied any chest pain. In the emergency
HISTORY OF HEART FAILURE AS PREDICTOR FOR LENGTH OF STAY AND IN-HOSPITAL MORTALITY IN PATIENTS WITH ATRIAL FIBRILLATION WITH RAPID VENTRICULAR RESPONSE

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with increased risk of heart failure (HF) and mortality. There is a paucity of evidence for HF patients hospitalized with AF. We sought to investigate the short-term clinical outcomes in patients hospitalized for AF with rapid ventricular response (RVR). A
Reframing Our Approach to Facial Analysis

Facial analysis is a foundational aspect of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. Unfortunately, ideal proportions of beauty are commonly discussed without much thought regarding their histori...
Understanding barriers to lung cancer screening in primary care.

Background Low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scan for lung cancer screening is underutilized. Studies suggest that up to one-third of providers do not know the current lung cancer screening guidelines. Thus, identifying the barriers to utilization of LDCT scan is essential. Methods Primary care providers in three different healthcare settings in the United States were surveyed to assess provider knowledge of LDCT scan screening criteria, lung cancer screening practices, and barriers to the utilization of LDCT scan screening. Fisher's Exact, Chi-Squared, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare provider responses. Multivariable logistic regression was used to test the association between provider characteristics and the likelihood of utilizing LDCT scan for lung cancer screening. Results The survey was sent to 614 providers, with a 15.7% response rate. Overall, 29.2% of providers report never ordering LDCT scans for eligible patients. Providers practicing at a community or academic hospital more frequently order LDCT scans than those practicing at a safety net hospital. Academic- and community-based providers received a significantly higher mean knowledge score than safety net-based providers [academic 6.84 (SD 1.33), community 6.72 (SD 1.46), safety net 5.85 (SD 1.38); P<0.01]. Overall, only 6.2% of respondents correctly identified all six Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services eligibility criteria when challenged with three incorrect criteria. Common barriers to utilization of LDCT scan included failure of the electronic medical record (EMR) to notify providers of eligible patients (54.7%), patient refusal (37%), perceived high false-positive rate leading to unnecessary procedures (18.9%), provider time constraints (16.8%), and lack of insurance coverage (13.7%). Conclusions Provider knowledge of lung cancer screening guidelines varies, perhaps contributing to underutilization of LDCT scan for lung cancer screening. Improved provider education at safety net hospitals and improving EMR-based best practice alerts may improve the rate of lung cancer screening.
Initial Investigation of the Psychometric Properties of the Limited Prosocial Emotions Questionnaire (LPEQ)

Callous-unemotional traits, which include lack of remorse or guilt, callousness/lack of empathy, unconcern about performance, and shallow/deficient affect, were included as a specifier of conduct disorder in the current (fifth) edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders under the rubric Limited Prosocial Emotions (LPEs). The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a new rating scale, the Limited Prosocial Emotions Questionnaire (LPEQ). Caregivers (n = 1,050) of children (Mage = 8.42, SD = 2.31) completed the LPEQ and other measures. Results provide support for a single factor model of the LPEQ, with measurement invariance supported across child and informant sex. Both the reliability and validity of the LPEQ as a measure of LPEs were also well supported. Children identified with LPE had significantly greater average impairment and need for treatment relative to children without LPE. Children with conduct problems (i.e., conduct disorder or oppositional defiant disorder), as well those without conduct problems, had significantly more impairment if they were identified as having LPE. Our findings fit with the mounting evidence of the clinical utility of assessing LPEs in children. Future research should look to replicate our findings in clinical samples of youth.
Click chemistry-based amplification and detection of endogenous RNA and DNA molecules in situ using clampFISH probes

Direct labeling and measurement of gene expression in single cells show the tremendous variability otherwise hidden in bulk measurements. Single-molecule RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) has become a mainstay in laboratories worldwide for measuring gene expression with precision. However, this method remains relatively low throughput because the total fluorescent signal produced is weak and requires long exposure times and high magnification microscopy, which limits the total number of cells sampled in each image. As such, it is experimentally difficult and time-consuming to sample a large enough population of cells to visualize and quantify specific gene expression of rare cells directly. Several FISH-based tools were recently developed that retain single-molecule sensitivity and specificity while greatly amplifying the fluorescent signal, thus making FISH-based analysis possible using standard microscopes with low magnification objectives. These tools have also enabled the detection of smaller and more specific targets like splice junctions or single nucleotide polymorphisms. Here we will describe one such tool, clampFISH, an oligonucleotide-based fluorescence amplification strategy for visualizing genomic loci and individual RNA transcripts in fixed cells. ClampFISH maintains specificity while amplifying fluorescent signals, making it amenable to high throughput assays such as low magnification microscopy, spatial transcriptomics, and flow sorting. The clampFISH technique involves probing the target RNA or DNA using a series of C-shaped oligonucleotide probes, each with a 3' azide and a 5' alkyne. Hybridization of the probe with the target nucleic acid brings the azide and the alkyne in close proximity, allowing for ligation via bioorthogonal click chemistry (CuAAC). As a result, the probe forms a closed loop around the target sequence, thus enabling stringent washes to remove nonspecific binding in further rounds of amplification and retention of signal throughout liquid handling steps. Iterative rounds of hybridization with C-shaped, fluorescently labeled probes exponentially amplify the fluorescent signal. ClampFISH is simple to implement and expands the utility of in situ hybridization for multiple high throughput techniques such as low magnification microscopy, flow cytometry, and sorting based on RNA expression levels.
Loop Ileostomy/Colostomy Reversal

When a previously created stoma is no longer indicated, a reversal of the ostomy should be performed. This is usually done through a small elliptical incision around the stoma. Several technical aspects are important to avoid post – operative obstruction or leak. This chapter describes the reversal of a loop ostomy.
Beyond the "Jewish panel": the importance of offering expanded carrier screening to the Ashkenazi Jewish population.

Objective To assess whether or not the current American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommendations regarding carrier screening are sufficiently robust in detecting mutations in the Ashkenazi Jewish (AJ) population. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Outreach program at university community center. Patient(s) Self-identified Jewish students, 18–24 years of age, interested in genetic carrier testing. Intervention(s) Expanded carrier screening (ECS) with the use of a commercially available targeted genotyping panel including >700 mutations in 180 genes. Main Outcome Measure(s) Gene mutations found in this population were grouped into three categories based on ACOG’s 2017 committee opinion regarding carrier screening: category 1: the four commonly recommended genetic conditions known to be a risk for this population; category 2: 14 genetic disorders that should be considered for more comprehensive screening, including those of category 1; and category 3: the ECS panel, which includes category 2. Result(s) A total of 81 students underwent screening and 36 (44.4%) were ascertained to be carriers of at least one mutation. A total of 45 mutations were identified, as 8 students were carriers for more than one condition. If testing were limited to category 1, 84% of the mutations would not have been identified, and if limited to category 2, 55% of mutations would have gone undetected. Conclusion(s) Individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish descent are at significant risk for carrying a variety of single-gene mutations and therefore they should be offered panethnic ECS to increase the likelihood of detecting preventable disorders.
Ritonavir blocks the growth of breast cancer line MDA-MB-231 in a mammary fat pad xenograft model, in part through calpain inhibition of cell cycle progression

534 The growth of the breast cancer line MDA-MB-231 is inhibited by the HIV protease inhibitor ritonavir, with an IC50 of 45 μM. Cell cycle arrest occurs at Go/G1 at the IC50 for proliferation by Hoechst 33342 dye/pyronine flow cytometry and there is induction of apoptosis, measured by propidium iodide/annexin V flow cytometry. Fluorometric analysis of protease inhibition in the MDA-MB-231 line reveals that ritonavir inhibits greater than 90% of calpain activity, but inhibits proteasome activity by only 10-20%, at the IC50 concentration for growth of 45 μM. Surface EGFR levels are down-regulated by 25% at the ritonavir IC90. Phospho-Akt is reduced by 70% after 48 h exposure to ritonavir. Calpain’s physiological inhibitor, calpastatin, also down-regulates phospho-Akt. Pharmacokinetic analysis was used to determine a dosing route and schedule for ritonavir in mice. Gavage did not result in adequate blood levels 1 h following administration and this approach was abandoned. IP injection of 40 mg/kg was found to result in ritonavir Cmax levels of 12-67 μM, measured 1 h following drug administration. The Tween 80 vehicle was well tolerated. A mouse mammary fat pad model was used to test the hypothesis that ritonavir will block the growth of solid tumors in a xenograft model. Tumors were established for 21 days before treatment. Daily ritonavir treatment, 40 mg/kg ip, resulted in arrest of growth of the MDA-MB-231 xenografts, with a plateau of tumor size, 300 + 20 mm3, compared to 800 + 200 mm3 for vehicle, by day 52 of treatment (P=0.002, by Gompertzian curve fitting). The ritonavir treatment was well tolerated and the mouse weights were 23 + 2 g at the beginning of drug treatment and 25 + 2 g on day 52. No effects of ritonavir on angiogenesis or EGFR levels were observed by immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis of tumors harvested at the end of the study. Data on phospho-Akt IHC and dose dense treatment will be presented. These results point to the development of ritonavir for treatment of solid tumors, because tumor growth inhibition is observed at well tolerated ritonavir doses.
A Two-Stage Three-Machine Flow Shop Assembly Problem Mixed with a Controllable Number and Sum-of-Processing Times-Based Learning Effect by Simulated Annealing Algorithms

The two-stage assembly scheduling problem is widely used in industrial and service industries. This study focuses on the two-stage three-machine flow shop assembly problem mixed with a controllable number and sum-of-processing times-based learning effect, in which the job processing time is considered to be a function of the control of the truncation parameters and learning based on the sum of the processing time. However, the truncation function is very limited in the two-stage flow shop assembly scheduling settings. Thus, this study explores a two-stage three-machine flow shop assembly problem with truncated learning to minimize the makespan criterion. To solve the proposed model, we derive several dominance rules, lemmas, and lower bounds applied in the branch-and-bound method. On the other hand, three simulated annealing algorithms are proposed for finding approximate solutions. In both the small and large size number of job situations, the SA algorithm is better than the JS algorithm in this study. All the experimental results of the proposed algorithm are presented on small and large job sizes, respectively.
Kāma, Preman, and Bhakti in Śrīdhara’s Commentary on Kṛṣṇa and the Gopīs in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa

Although the Bhāgavata Purāṇa presents an innovative soteriology of emotion that explicitly identifies kāma as the gopīs’ path to union with Kṛṣṇa, a close reading of his commentary on the rāsalīlā (and other passages treating the gopīs) reveals how Śrīdhara introduces preman into the narrative, sharply distinguishing kāma and preman. Śrīdhara also states that Bhāgavata 10.29–33 portrays Kṛṣṇa’s “victory over kāma” and that devotees who hear and recite the rāsalīlā likewise attain victory over kāma as the reward for their Kṛṣṇa-bhakti. This article shows that such claims disregard the Bhāgavata’s unambiguous statements about the gopīs’ kāma, and thus deny the Purāṇa’s subversive soteriology that legitimates various emotional modes of bhakti in order to enable everyone, including women, to experience an intimate and unmediated relationship with Kṛṣṇa.
The Biological/Physiological Utility of Hydropersulfides (RSSH) and Related Species: What Is Old Is New Again.

Significance: Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is reported to be an important mediator involved in numerous physiological processes. H2S and hydropersulfides (RSSH) species are intimately linked biochemicall...
A Low-Cost Liquid-Based Capacitive Sensor for PM 2.5 Monitoring

PM 2.5 is one of the main sources of air pollution and could negatively affect the human health. The available commercial PM monitoring devices are often bulky and expensive and thus not useful for personal use. Toward the implementation of personal/wearable PM monitoring devices, this paper presents a low-cost, liquid-based capacitive monitoring device that uses in-house fabricated electrodes and a custom PCB with off-the-shelf components. The fabricated device is designed to detect concentration of particles in a liquid environment which enables integration of the capacitive detection with future electrochemical-based analysis of PM elemental composition. In this liquid-based detection scheme, a minimum detection level of 4.6 x 106 particles/µL is achieved which corresponds to the particles sampled from an unhealthy level of PM 2.5 in the air. The detection response shows a linearity of R2=0.9934 during the experiments.
Visualization of Labeled Mixed-featured Datasets.

We develop methodology for visualization of labeled mixed-featured datasets. We first investigate datasets with continuous features where our Max-Ratio Projection (MRP) method utilizes the group information in high dimensions to provide distinctive lower-dimensional projections that are then displayed using Radviz3D. Our methodology is extended to datasets with discrete and continuous features where a Gaussianized distributional transform is used in conjunction with copula models before applying MRP and visualizing the result using RadViz3D. A R package $radviz3d$ implementing our complete methodology is available.
Pregnancy in a woman with premature ovarian insufficiency associated with blepharophimosis, ptosis, epicanthus inversus syndrome type I. A case report.

Background Blepharophimosis, ptosis, epicanthus inversus syndrome (BPES) type I is a rare disorder that causes a recognizable pattern of eye abnormalities and is associated with premature ovarian insufficiency. There is no data to guide the treatment of these patients when presenting with infertility. Case A 30-year-old, nulligravid woman with premature ovarian insufficiency associated with BPES type I presented to care secondary to a desire to conceive. Ovarian stimulation with gonadotropins was performed, and the patient conceived and delivered viable twins. Conclusion It is not known whether premature ovarian insufficiency associated with BPES type I follows the same clinical course as idiopathic premature ovarian insufficiency. In patients with BPES type I who present with infertility, ovarian stimulation with gonadotropins may be a reasonable therapeutic option.
The chemical consequences of radiation damage to DNA

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the chemical consequences of radiation damage to DNA. Irradiation of DNA causes ionizations in all parts of the DNA molecule, namely, the bases, the sugar-phosphate moiety, and any closely bound water; in addition, bound proteins are also ionized. Even though ionizations occur throughout the DNA molecules, initial radicals have been observed only on the DNA bases in low-temperature ESR studies of moist DNA. Radiation damage to DNA occurs in a number of ways, which, are classified as either direct or indirect. The direct effect corresponds to direct ionization of the DNA resulting in the formation of radical cations and radical anions on the DNA itself. The indirect effect corresponds to energy deposition in the surrounding phase followed by attack by radicals from this phase. However, in complex systems such as the cell, damage may also be caused by irradiation of molecules bound to the DNA that transfer positive holes and/or electrons to the DNA strands or later react by cross-linking or hydrogen abstraction. The quasi-direct effect refers to a third process, where ionizations from irradiation result in holes and dry electrons in biomolecular species and hydration water very near the DNA. These then undergo fast transfer to the DNA to form ion radicals on the DNA itself. The indirect effect produces many of the same radicals and diamagnetic products as the direct and quasi-direct effects.
Numerical Modeling of Acoustic Propagation In a Variable Shallow Water Waveguide

Abstract : Random variability in shallow water will induce variability in a propagating acoustic field. The long-term goal of this research is to quantify how random variability in the ocean environment translates into random variability in the acoustic field and the associated signal processing algorithms. Particular emphasis is placed on the effects of time-varying shallow water internal waves.
Retributivism in a World of Scarcity

The economic analysis of criminal law focuses exclusively on deterrence as the justification and motivation for resource expenditures on apprehending, prosecuting, and punishing offenders. Based on this concept, legal economists derive conditions for optimal deterrence based on efficient allocation of scarce resources to the police, courts, and prisons. This approach is criticized by retributivists, who argue that offenders must be caught and punished as matter of justice and right, regardless of any expected welfare effects stemming from deterrence. But a purely retributivist system of justice is idealistic, demanding that whatever means necessary be taken to bring offenders to justice. In a world of scarcity, however, trade-offs must be made, which the deterrence-oriented economic approach realizes, but the retributivist denies. This chapter aims to address the following question: How can a positive retributivist system of punishment, that demands that the guilty be punished, be implemented in a world of scarcity? Assuming that not all guilty persons can be apprehended, prosecuted, and punished, sacrifices will have to be made-but where? I preview this discussion with a brief summary of the economic treatments of retributivism up to now, and also the prospects for basing penalties on "hybrid" theories of punishment that mix deterrence and retributivism. Then I turn to retributivist penalties for offenses and how they would compare to deterrent ones. Finally, I confront the difficult idea of how retributivism would work in the real world, the world of scarcity, and what sacrifices would be most acceptable to achieve this.
Analysis of genetic diversity and population structure within Florida coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) germplasm using microsatellite DNA, with special emphasis on the Fiji Dwarf cultivar.

Using 15 simple sequence repeat (SSR) microsatellite DNA loci, we analyzed genetic variation within Cocos nucifera germplasm collections at two locations in south Florida, representing eight cultivars. The loci were also used in a parentage analysis of progeny of the 'Fiji Dwarf' variety at both locations. A total of 67 alleles were detected, with eight the highest number at any one locus. These loci identified 83 of the 110 individual palms. Gene diversity of the 15 loci ranged from 0.778 to 0.223, with a mean of 0.574. 'Fiji Dwarf', 'Malayan Dwarf', 'Green Nino' and 'Red Spicata' cultivars resolve as distinct clusters in a neighbor joining tree using modified Rogers distance, while the tall varieties form two aggregates. The highest gene diversity was found in the tall cultivars (Ĥ = 0.583 cumulatively), and the lowest in the 'Malayan Dwarf' (Ĥ = 0.202). After the tall coconuts, the 'Fiji Dwarf' was most genetically diverse (Ĥ = 0.436), and had the largest number of unique alleles. Genetic identity is highest among the 'Malayan Dwarf' phenotypes, and between the tall varieties. The 'Red Malayan Dwarf' is genetically distinct from the 'Green' and 'Yellow Malayan Dwarf' phenotypes, which cannot be distinguished with the SSR loci used. Off-type 'Malayan Dwarf' phenotypes (putative hybrids with talls) can be identified genotypically. Parentage analyses of 30 'Fiji Dwarf' progeny propagated from five adults surrounded by other cultivars estimate that only 20% of the progeny were out-crossed to the other varieties, while 40–46% were possible selfs. This suggests that a seed-production orchard of the variety maintained at reasonable distance from other varieties, will likely yield only 'Fiji Dwarf' genotypes. Our data are discussed in the context of hypotheses of coconut dissemination around the world.
Sharing and visualizing infectious disease datasets using the WNV-BOT portal system

Infectious disease outbreaks are critical threats to public health and national security. Information systems play a central role in developing an effective comprehensive approach to prevent, detect, respond to, and manage infectious disease outbreaks of plants, animals, and humans.
Interference-Constrained Maximum Flow in Wireless Sensor Networks with Directional Antennas

Directional antenna offers a variety of benefits for wireless networks, one of which is the increased spatial reuse ratio. This feature gives rise to the improved throughput through multipath routing in resource limited wireless sensor networks. Given a pair of source and destination nodes, we formulate the maximum flow problem in wireless sensor networks with switched beam directional antennas constrained by interference as an optimization problem. The solution of this LP centralized problem determines the maximum flow. The method works for both single beam antenna and multi-beam antenna, with minor variation of the conditions.
Treponema pallidum-immobilizing antibodies in guinea pig experimental syphilis.

Abstract Treponema pallidum-immobilizing (TPI) antibodies were examined in intradermally infected inbred strain 13 and adoptively immune inbred strain 2 guinea pigs. Both strains of animals produced TPI antibodies at or after 90 days of infection. TPI antibodies were not associated with the protective mechanism(s) operative after challenge in adoptively immune animals.
The Bed and its Human Factors Aspects

Activities performed requiring the use of the bed were investigated where their frequency of occurrence and their potential for physical stress of the bed were analyzed. A total of 35 bed related activities, in addition to sleeping, were reported through the use of a questionnaire survey of 92 middle class adults. Implications for bed design criteria are discussed. Language: en
Aristotle’s Teleology

Teleology is the study of ends and goals, things whose existence or occurrence is purposive. Aristotle’s views on teleology are of seminal importance, particularly his views regarding biological functions or purposes. This article surveys core examples of Aristotle’s invocations of teleology; explores philosophically puzzling aspects of teleology (including their normativity and the fact that ends can, apparently, act as causes despite never coming to exist); articulates two of Aristotle’s arguments defending commitment to teleology against critics who attempt to explain nature solely through appeal to nonteleological efficient and material causes; and argues that Aristotle was an ontological realist when it came to teleology: he conceived of ends as an irreducible and ineliminable aspect of the causal structure of reality. Other interpretive controversies are addressed more briefly.
Novel Method for Pharmacophore Analysis by Examining the Joint Pharmacophore Space

We propose a novel method for pharmacophore analysis by examining the Joint Pharmacophore Space of chemical compounds, targets, and chemical/biological properties. The proposed approach is a notabl...
Dynamic posterior shift test An adjuvant in evaluation of posterior tibial subluxation

The dynamic posterior shift test, a clinical method for evaluating both straight posterior instability and posterolateral rotatory instability, (PLRI), is a simple, dynamic, and reliable (reproducible) test that serves as an adjuvant to other clinical tests designed to evaluate an injury or insufficiency of posterior structures in the knee. The examiner maintains the hip at near 90 degrees of flexion to control rotation of the femur while slowly extending the knee passively. The hamstrings should be stretched to maintain their tightness. The tightened hamstrings assist gravity in subluxating the tibia posteriorly; they also provide dynamic axial loading to the joint as the knee is extended. In knees with posterior instability, the posteriorly subluxated tibia suddenly reduces as the knee joint nears full extension, and a jerk or "clunk" is felt by both the patient and the examiner. Thus, the patient's feeling of instability is reproduced by the test. We have used the dynamic posterior shift test for 5 years (as an adjuvant in our physical examination) to evaluate signs of posterior instability of the knee. Not only is the test reliable, but it is more definitive than other tests in evaluating straight posterior instability and PLRI. It is easy to perform and the results are reproducible. Because this test is dynamic rather than passive, it enhances the accuracy of evaluating posterior instability of the knee.
Beneficial effects of suplatast tosilate (IPD-1151T) in a rat cystitis model induced by intravesical hydrochloric acid.

OBJECTIVE To examine the effects of suplatast tosilate (IPD-1151T), a Th2 cytokine inhibitor recently recognized to improve the symptoms in patients with interstitial cystitis (IC), in a rat model of HCl-induced chronic cystitis, to elucidate the possible mechanisms by which the drug improves the symptoms of IC. MATERIALS AND METHODS Chronic cystitis was induced by intravesical instillation of 0.2 mL of 0.4 m HCl in female adult rats. After a once-daily oral administration of IPD-1151T (0.1–100 mg/kg) or prednisolone (5 mg/kg) for 7 days, cystometry was performed under urethane anaesthesia. The bladder from HCl-induced cystitis rats was also assessed histopathologically. RESULTS On cystometrography there was frequent voiding in cystitis rats. Administration of IPD-1151T for 7 days after intravesical HCl instillation dose-dependently increased the micturition volume and intercontraction intervals. Treatment with prednisolone had similar therapeutic effects. Histological analyses in the bladder from cystitis rats revealed oedema and infiltration of inflammatory cells such as mast cells and eosinophils in the lamina propria and the transitional epithelial thickening. These histological changes and the number of mast cells and eosinophils were reduced by administration of IPD-1151T or prednisolone. CONCLUSION The present results indicate that IPD-1151T improves bladder function and pathological changes in HCl-induced cystitis rats, as previously observed in patients with IC. The rat cystitis model induced by HCl could provide useful information for studying proposed therapies for IC which might involve T cell-dependent inflammatory responses as one of its potential pathophysiologies.
Inhibition of human androgen-independent PC-3 and DU-145 prostate cancers by antagonists of bombesin and growth hormone releasing hormone is linked to PKC, MAPK and c-jun intracellular signalling.

Bombesin/gastrin-releasing peptide (BN/GRP) antagonists RC-3940-II and RC-3940-Et, and growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) antagonists MZ-J-7-118 and RC-J-29-18 inhibit the growth of human androgen-independent PC-3 and DU-145 prostate cancers in nude mice. Additive inhibitory effects were observed after treatment with both classes of analogs. In the present study, we investigated the effects of these antagonists on intracellular signalling pathways of protein kinase C (PKC), mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPK) and c-fos and c-jun oncogenes that are involved in tumour cell proliferation. In PC-3 tumours, antagonists of BN/GRP and GHRH decreased significantly the expression of PKC isoforms alpha (α), eta (η) and zeta (ζ) and increased that of delta (δ) PKC protein. MAPK was not detectable. In DU-145 tumours, which constitutively express MAPK, all treatments strongly decreased the levels of p42/44 MAPK. Treatment with the antagonists tended to reduce m-RNA for c-jun in both tumour models. In proliferation assays in vitro, inhibitors of PKC and MAPK diminished growth of DU-145 and PC-3 cells. These findings suggest that antagonists of BN/GRP and GHRH inhibit the growth of androgen-independent prostate cancer by affecting intracellular signalling mechanisms of PKC, MAPK and c-jun.
Fast computation of convolution operations via low-rank approximation

Methods for the approximation of 2D discrete convolution operations are derived for the case when a low-rank approximation of one of the input matrices is available. Algorithms based on explicit computation of discrete convolution and on the Fast Fourier Transform are both described. Applications of the described methods to the computation of cross-correlation and autocorrelation are discussed and illustrated by examples. Both theory and numerical experiments show that the use of low-rank approximations makes it possible to determine accurate approximations of convolution, cross-correlation, and autocorrelation operations at competitive speeds.
Correlation of the Pressor Activity of the Renal Venous Effluent with Excretory Function and Other Tests in Focal, Parenchymal, and Vascular Renal Disease

A series of 170 hypertensive patients suspected of suffering from renovascular disease have been subjected to various tests designed to identify the presence of a surgically remediable lesion. The presence of a pressor agent in the renal venous effluent, as determined by bioassay on the rat, has proven to be an accurate method for detecting the presence of renovascular hypertension responsive to surgical treatment. Split-function excretory tests, aortography, and other tests used for this purpose could not be relied on as the sole criterion as to whether surgical intervention is indicated in a given patient.
Differentiating pediatric epileptic brain tissue from normal brain tissue by using time-dependent diffuse reflectance spectroscopy in vivo: comprehensive data analysis method in the time domain

This research investigated the feasibility of using time-dependent diffuse reflectance spectroscopy to differentiate pediatric epileptic brain tissue from normal brain tissue. The optical spectroscopic technique monitored the dynamic optical properties of the cerebral cortex that are associated with its physiological, morphological, and compositional characteristics. Due to the transient irregular epileptic discharge activity within the epileptic brain tissue it was hypothesized that the lesion would express abnormal dynamic optical behavior that would alter normal dynamic behavior. Thirteen pediatric epilepsy patients and seven pediatric brain tumor patients (normal controls) were recruited for this clinical study. Dynamic optical properties were obtained from the cortical surface intraoperatively using a timedependent diffuse reflectance spectroscopy system. This system consisted of a fiber-optic probe, a tungsten-halogen light source, and a spectrophotometer. It acquired diffuse reflectance spectra with a spectral range of 204 nm to 932 nm at a rate of 33 spectra per second for approximately 12 seconds. Biopsy samples were taken from electrophysiologically abnormal cortex and evaluated by a neuropathologist, which served as a gold standard for lesion classification. For data analysis, spectral intensity changes of diffuse reflectance in the time domain at two different wavelengths from each investigated site were compared. Negative correlation segment, defined by the periods where the intensity changes at the two wavelengths were opposite in their slope polarity, were extracted. The total duration of negative correlation, referred to as the "negative correlation time index", was calculated by integrating the negative correlation segments. The negative correlation time indices from all investigated sites were sub-grouped according to the corresponding histological classifications. The difference between the mean indices of two subgroups was evaluated by standard t-test. These comparison and calculation procedures were carried out for all possible wavelength combinations between 400 nm and 800 nm with 2 nm increments. The positive group consisted of seven pathologically abnormal test sites, and the negative group consisted of 13 normal test sites from non-epileptic tumor patients. A standard t-test showed significant difference between negative correlation time indices from the two groups at the wavelength combinations of 700-760 nm versus 550-580 nm. An empirical discrimination algorithm based on the negative correlation time indices in this range produced 100% sensitivity and 85% specificity. Based on these results time-dependent diffuse reflectance spectroscopy with optimized data analysis methods differentiates epileptic brain tissue from normal brain tissue adequately, therefore can be utilized for surgical guidance, and may enhance the surgical outcome of pediatric epilepsy surgery.