cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
α-Synuclein fibril-induced inclusion spread in rats and mice correlates with dopaminergic Neurodegeneration

Proteinaceous inclusions in neurons, composed primarily of α-synuclein, define the pathology in several neurodegenerative disorders. Neurons can internalize α-synuclein fibrils that can seed new inclusions from endogenously expressed α-synuclein. The factors contributing to the spread of pathology and subsequent neurodegeneration are not fully understood, and different compositions and concentrations of fibrils have been used in different hosts. Here, we systematically vary the concentration and length of well-characterized α-synuclein fibrils and determine their relative ability to induce inclusions and neurodegeneration in different hosts (primary neurons, C57BL/6J and C3H/HeJ mice, and Sprague Dawley rats). Using dynamic-light scattering profiles and other measurements to determine fibril length and concentration, we find that femptomolar concentrations of fibrils are sufficient to induce robust inclusions in primary neurons. However, a narrow and non-linear dynamic range characterizes fibril-mediated inclusion induction in axons and the soma. In mice, the C3H/HeJ strain is more sensitive to fibril exposures than C57BL/6J counterparts, with more inclusions and dopaminergic neurodegeneration. In rats, injection of fibrils into the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) results in similar inclusion spread and dopaminergic neurodegeneration as injection of the fibrils into the dorsal striatum, with prominent inclusion spread to the amygdala and several other brain areas. Inclusion spread, particularly from the SNpc to the striatum, positively correlates with dopaminergic neurodegeneration. These results define biophysical characteristics of α-synuclein fibrils that induce inclusions and neurodegeneration both in vitro and in vivo, and suggest that inclusion spread in the brain may be promoted by a loss of neurons.
Gallium selenide (GaSe)-molybdenum disulfide (MOS 2 ) van der Waals heterojunction diodes

van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures enabled by two-dimensional (2D) semimetals and semiconductors [1] have shown interesting attractions and great promises toward realizing future-generation high performance electronic and optoelectronic devices. In this study, we demonstrate gallium selenide (GaSe) (p-type) /molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) (n-type) heterojunction. This heterojunction shows p-n junction diode behavior with good rectification ratio of ∼103 at zero gate voltage. In addition, it shows gate tunable behavior with n-type characteristics. Furthermore, we characterize photoresponse of the device under 532 nm laser illumination and obtain photoresponsivity of ∼71 mA/W.
An optimized transient technique and flow modeling for laboratory permeability measurements of unconventional gas reservoirs with tight structure

Abstract Considering the significance of pressure-dependent-permeability in characterizing fluid flow and production from gas reservoirs and the inaccuracy of the conventional transient technique in laboratory permeability measurements of core samples from unconventional reservoirs with tight structure and strong sorption potential, the conventional transient technique is optimized by using two equal-sized gas reservoirs mounted in the up and downstream sides of the experimental setup and creating same magnitude of pressure pulses in each reservoir concurrently. Applicability of the optimized transient technique is examined through both numerical simulation and laboratory tests. A mathematical model is firstly developed to numerically investigate fluid flow behavior in time and space domain. The results from numerical simulation showed that the optimized technique can greatly improve the efficiency and accuracy of the measurement, because a steady flow state as a function of time can be achieved much faster in comparison with the conventional transient technique when the same magnitude of initial pressure difference is established between the two ends of the sample. Given the difference in experimental design and procedures between the conventional and the optimized technique, it is questionable whether currently used analytical solutions developed for the conventional technique for permeability calculation can be applied for the optimized technique. Therefore, an analytical solution, corresponding to the optimized transient technique, has been then theoretically derived. It is finally experimentally verified that accurate permeability results can be obtained based on late-time pressure responses by the derived analytical solution. The optimized experimental method is capable of extending the application of the transient technique into permeability measurements of rocks with tight structure and strong gas sorption potential, providing a more reliable approach for laboratory permeability tests.
Treatment of Patients in First or Second Relapse

The treatment options for multiple myeloma patients with disease relapse have increased considerably in recent years, resulting in improvements in survival and quality of life. What were considered “novel” before, such as lenalidomide and bortezomib, are now considered standard components of treatment both at time of diagnosis and at relapse. Newer agents now include the next-generation immunomodulatory drug pomalidomide and newer proteasome inhibitors, carfilzomib and ixazomib. Drugs with new mechanisms of action—including the HDAC inhibitor panobinostat, the anti-SLAMF7 monoclonal antibody elotuzumab, and the anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody daratumumab—have been added to the portfolio of options. In concert with these additions are novel combinations of these drugs, especially recently described triplet combinations of carfilzomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone; elotuzumab, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone; or ixazomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone; as well as daratumumab-based combinations. This chapter will describe an approach to patients experiencing their first or second relapse.
Learning Socially Optimal Information Systems from Egoistic Users

Many information systems aim to present results that maximize the collective satisfaction of the user population. The product search of an online store, for example, needs to present an appropriately diverse set of products to best satisfy the different tastes and needs of its user population. To address this problem, we propose two algorithms that can exploit observable user actions e.g. clicks to learn how to compose diverse sets and rankings that optimize expected utility over a distribution of utility functions. A key challenge is that individual users evaluate and act according to their own utility function, but that the system aims to optimize collective satisfaction. We characterize the behavior of our algorithms by providing upper bounds on the social regret for a class of submodular utility functions in the coactive learning model. Furthermore, we empirically demonstrate the efficacy and robustness of the proposed algorithms for the problem of search result diversification.
18F-Radiolabeled Panobinostat Allows for Positron Emission Tomography Guided Delivery of a Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor.

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition is becoming an increasingly popular approach to treat cancer, as HDAC overexpression is common in many malignancies. The blood–brain barrier (BBB) prevents systemically delivered drugs from reaching brain at effective concentration, making small-molecule-HDAC inhibition in brain tumors particularly challenging. To circumvent the BBB, novel routes for administering therapeutics are being considered in the clinic, and a need exists for drugs whose deliveries can be directly imaged, so that effective delivery across the BBB can be monitored. We report chemistry for radiolabeling the HDAC inhibitor, panobinostat, with fluoride-18 (compound-1). Like panobinostat, compound 1 retains nanomolar efficacy in diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG IV and XIII) cells (IC50 = 122 and 108 nM, respectively), with lesser activity against U87 glioma. With a favorable therapeutic ratio, 1 is highly selective to glioma and demonstrates considerably less toxicity toward healthy astrocyte...
Sexual Harassment Law

This entry surveys the emergence of sexual harassment as a social problem and the way that common law courts interpreted statutes against sex discrimination to prohibit sexual harassment in employment and education. Evolving legal issues and standards are examined, with an emphasis on the rules for employer and school district liability. Keywords: employment; gender equality; inequality/inequalities; law; sexism
An Exploration of Design Cues for Heuristic-Based Decision-Making About Information Sharing

We report an exploratory study of web application interface cues that were designed to trigger cognitive heuristics thought to influence personal information disclosure. Building from prior work focused on identifying the presence and nature of such heuristics, we designed prototypes of simple web information applications that request personal information and inserted specific visual elements intended to evoke a heuristic . Using a combination of application walkthroughs (with think aloud comments) and retrospective interviews about what users’ experiences and reactions were, we investigated the possible impact of the interface cues and corresponding heuristics. Although we found little direct impact of the interface cues, users did share a variety of concerns and strategies related to their decision making. We discuss implications for the heuristics used in this study, as well as for the design of privacy-preserving interfaces.
Liberal Democracy and the Right to Religious Freedom

Foremost, this paper examines the current situation of the rights to religious freedom and democracy around the world, which deserve attention and concern. Civil liberties are currently in crossfire. This article examines the foundations of the right to religious freedom. Depending on the philosophical foundations, there are two different rationales for the right to religious freedom: liberal and anti-liberal. According to the liberal tradition, the best reason to protect religious freedom rests upon the autonomy of the individual conscience. It is clear that a constitutional democracy does not allow the establishment of any religion by the government, using either executive or legislative power. In other words, there are democratic restrictions to the autonomy of the collective consensus in the sphere of religious conscience. Behind the discussions of the separation between church and state and of different forms of government, there is a struggle between the autonomy of individual conscience and the autonomy * ALDIR GUEDES SORIANO is a citizen of both Brazil and Spain. He is an Attorney at Law and a professor of Public International Law at Oeste Paulista UniversityUnoeste in Presidente Prudente, Sao Paulo, Brazil. He received his postgraduate degree in Public Law from the Brasiliense Public Law Institute and in Constitutional Law from Salamanca University (Spain). He has published several works on human rights and religious liberty in books as well as doctrinal articles in newspapers and magazines. In 2002, he published his first book titled “Religious Liberty According to Constitutional and International Law.” He was also coordinator of a selection of excerpts on religious liberty with the participation of renowned scholars from several countries, which was released at the library of the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court in November 2009. He contributes to a blog located at http://direitoshumanoseliberdade.blogspot.com.br. The author would like to thank Fabio Sagebin for the initial translation of part of the text from the Portuguese to English and Lyndon Bradshaw, Travis Hunt, Adaury Rocha and Jose Milton Goncalves for their precious help in revising the English text. Paper presented at the 19th Annual International Law and Religion Symposium, 7-9 October 2012, at the J. Reuben Clark Law School on the campus of Brigham Young University–BYU, Provo, Utah – USA. DO NOT DELETE 1/29/2014 4:26 PM BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY LAW REVIEW 2013 582 of the collective consensus. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the importance of liberal thought as the foundation of democracy, religious freedom, and all of Western civilization. The paper also shows the risk to both democracy and religious freedom if a government was to adopt the anti-liberal viewpoint of religious freedom, or in other words, the full autonomy of the collective consensus. Individuals should be free to choose how they want to live and what to believe in.
Correlation of string/body resonances on a cello

This project focuses on a 2001 Garavaglia full size acoustic cello, and investigates the resonance properties of a wooden body. Previous studies have estimated that the body resonance lies between the range of D3-F3 #. The goals are to investigate the radiation patterns of the produced sound waves, to take high-speed video of a played string to physically observe the standing wave, and to simulate the body resonance of the cello. A mathematical model is formed to approach the situation where a musician plucks a string. Typical approaches assume the surface area of a finger to be a point source, but the surface area is actually parabolic, forming a bend in the string that is continuous to the following straight line. High speed video was taken to try out methods for tracking a standing wave at 1000 frames per second for a maximum number of data points per period. We will correlate the waveform fits from the high speed videos to the Fourier transformations from the acoustic data. These same methods will be applied in an anechoic chamber to test “ideal” conditions in order to isolate the body resonances. We will correlate the data from body resonances to our string data.
Closeness of Performance Map Information Granules: A Rough Set Approach

This article introduces a rough set approach to measuring of information granules derived from performance maps. A performance map employs intuitive color-coding to visualize the behavior of system dynamics resulting from variations in system parameters. The resulting image is developed algorithmically via digital computation. With only moderate a priori knowledge, mathematical analysis of a performance map provides an immediate wealth of information. This study is motivated by an interest in measuring the separation between "islands" (collections of pixels with the same color) representing normal (e.g., black pixels) and potentially chaotic (e.g., red pixels) system behavior. A performance map island or sector is identified with groupings of cells in a mesh resulting from the partition of a performance map into equivalence classes. The information granules considered in this paper are associated with a feature set in an information system. The contribution of this article is the application of a measures of granule closeness based on an indistinguishability relation that partitions performance maps intervals into subintervals (equivalence classes). Such partitions are useful in measuring closeness of map cells containing color-coded pixels used to visualize dynamical system behavior.
The Ethnonationalism Problem: Is There a Feasible Solution in Sight? The Cases of the Uyghurs and Tibet

If, as Singapore National University’s Walker Connor has pointed out following German political sociologist Max Weber, a nation is not merely an economic or political construct, but rather a matter of group psychology, “a vivid sense of sameness or oneness of kind, which, from the perspective of the group, sets it off from all other groups in a most vital way, (and) this sense or consciousness of kind is derived from a myth of common descent (where) members of a nation feel or intuitively sense that they are related to one another,” then most of the 56 ethnic minorities living on Chinese soil are not part of the Chinese nation, let alone populations “integrated” by force like the Tibetans. Although Connor is right in pointing out that “by their very numbers, the Han Chinese furnish proof of being history’s most successful assimilators,” not least by using Confucianism as a tool of assimilation, this mastery seems to come to an end the more the modernization of China is proceeding.
Selected Commercial Products from Industry

A SIMD architecture is adopted in the development of the SNAP product from Hecht-Nielsen Neurocomputers (HNC) Software Inc. in San Diego, California. The term SNAP stands for SIMD Numerical Array Processor™. A Sun-SPARCstation can be used as a host computer to operate the SNAP acceleration boards. This dedicated hardware accelerator is suitable for various problems in signal processing, image processing, neural networks, and pattern recognition. It can be applied in a wide range of engineering, scientific, statistical, and economic problems, as well as in text searching through databases.
In Their Own Words: Clinician Experiences and Challenges in Administering Evidence-Based Treatments for PTSD in the Veterans Health Administration

The aim of the present study was to increase the understanding of clinician experiences with administering two evidence-based psychotherapies (EBPs) for PTSD (Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure therapy) in the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System (VA). The study assessed clinician perceptions through the use of two, one-hour focus groups and employed a rigorous data analysis approach, Consensual Qualitative Research. Clinicians who work in an outpatient PTSD clinic at a New England VA, and who routinely administer EPBs for PTSD, participated in the study. Results were categorized into seven domains by the coding team, including 1) EBP Strengths, 2) EBP Weaknesses, 3) Challenges Specific to the Veteran Population, 4) Perceived EBP Effectiveness, 5) Active Ingredients for Treating PTSD, 6) Treatment Structure and Process, and 7) Suggested Changes/Improvements to EBPs. These domains are discussed in detail, with several core ideas falling under each domain. Operational definitions and representative quotes are provided. Overall, clinicians provided a balanced perspective and identified both strengths and weaknesses of the EBPs for PTSD. They identified several challenges in applying these treatments to veteran populations, and shared their beliefs about treatment effectiveness, how they use these treatments in their clinical practice, and how they would change the treatments if given an opportunity to do so. In this way, the study offers a small but important step in attempting to address the science-practice gap related to EBP for PTSD implementation efforts in the VA.
PRECOOKED FROZEN FOODS AND THE NEW HANDLING CODE1

The origin of and membership in the Association of Food and Drug Officials of the United States is described. The formation in 1956 and the objectives of the Joint Committee on Frozen Foods in the ...
The development and evolution of specialized face learning in paper wasps

Some animals are thought to exhibit cognitive specialization, as they have specialized cognitive modules that solve specific social or ecological problems instead of one general-purpose mechanism that addresses diverse problems. Although there are many examples of specialized cognition, little is known about whether specialization develops through experience or is produced by innate, species-specific differences. Previous work has shown that Polistes fuscatus wasps use face recognition to individually identify other wasps and that P. fuscatus are specialized for learning conspecific faces. Here, we test how experimentally altering face experience in three Polistes species influences the development of face specialization. We show face learning is influenced by both experience and innate, species-specific differences. In P. fuscatus, experience with conspecific faces is not required for the development of face specialization. In two related Polistes species that naturally lack individual face recognition, Polistes metricus and Polistes dominula, experience has different effects on specialization. Polistes metricus, a close relative of P. fuscatus, develops face specialization with experience. However, P. dominula, a more distant relative, uses general pattern recognition to learn faces regardless of experience. Therefore, some species have innate mechanistic architecture that facilitates the development of face specialization, while other species do not. These results suggest that selection shapes animal minds in a modular manner. The capacity for specialized cognitive skills evolves in response to specific ecological or social demands, such as social benefits associated with accurate individual face recognition.
Task-Specific Ionic Liquids Functionalized by Cobalt(II) Salen for Room Temperature Biomimetic Dioxygen Binding

Development of task-specific ionic liquids (TSILs) with delicately designed chemical functionalities allow selective chemisorption of specific gas components for separation applications based on membrane or sorbent systems. The present study explored syntheses of various types of TSILs for biomimetic dioxygen binding for room-temperature air separation. IL ligands composed of different combinations of phosphonium-type cations [PC1C2C3C4]+ (C1 = C2 = C3 = 2, 4, or 6; C4 = 5, 8, or 16) and anions including N-methylglycinate ([NmGly]−) or/and bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide ([Tf2N]−) were synthesized and complexed with Co(II)salen to yield 11 TSIL samples. Material characterizations (NMR, CHN, FT-IR, and UV–vis) confirmed the formations of the expected material structures and the coordination bonds between IL ligands and Co(II) metal centers. The dioxygen sorption capacity and reversibility of the as-synthesized TSILs were investigated via both gravimetric and volumetric approaches under various gas sorpt...
Advancing Translational Research Using NIMH Research Domain Criteria and Computational Methods

The NIMH Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) can aid in the translation of integrative neuroscience. We argue that the RDoC framework, with its emphasis on integration across units of analysis, leveraged with computational approaches, can organize intermediary treatment targets and clinical outcomes, augmenting the translational stream.
‘Removing Barriers’ and ‘Creating Distance’: Exploring the Logics of Efficiency and Trust in Civic Technology

Oriented around efficiency, civic technology primarily aims to remove barriers by automating and streamlining processes of government. While removing barriers is vital in many matters of governance, should it always be the aim of civic technology? In our ongoing ethnographic research to understand the work of community engagement performed by public officials in local government, we have observed how this orientation around efficiency in civic technology can inadvertently create distance in the relationships between citizens and governments. In this article, we discuss how an orientation around trust could open a space for civic technology that primarily aims to close distance in the relationships between citizens and public officials. We do so by first providing an account of how trust functions in the work of public officials performing community engagement, calling attention to where and when efficiency is at odds with the importance of relationship building between public officials and citizens. We build on ethnographic findings and a series of co-design activities with public officials to develop three strategies that operate under the logic of trust: historicizing engagement, focusing on experience, and mediating expectations. In all, by focusing on trust and the relational work of closing distance, civic technology can move towards addressing the growing crisis in confidence being faced in democracies.
Feasibility of an ethics and professionalism curriculum for faculty in obstetrics and gynecology: a pilot study

Objective There have been increased efforts to implement medical ethics curricula at the student and resident levels; however, practising physicians are often left unconsidered. Therefore, we sought to pilot an ethics and professionalism curriculum for faculty in obstetrics and gynaecology to remedy gaps in the formal, informal and hidden curriculum in medical education. Methods An ethics curriculum was developed for faculty within the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at a tertiary care, academic hospital. During the one-time, 4-hour, mandatory in-person session, the participants voluntarily completed the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, Handoff Clinical Evaluation Exercise, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine and overall course evaluation. Patient satisfaction survey scores in both the hospital and ambulatory settings were compared before and after the curriculum. Results Twenty-eight faculty members attended the curriculum. Overall, respondents reported less burnout and performed at the same level or better in terms of patient handoff than the original studies validating the instruments. Faculty rated the professionalism behaviours as well as teaching of professionalism much lower at our institution than the validation study. There was no change in patient satisfaction after the curriculum. However, overall, the course was well received as meeting its objectives, being beneficial and providing new tools to assess professionalism. Conclusion This pilot study suggests that an ethics curriculum can be developed for practising physicians that is mindful of pragmatic concerns while still meeting its objectives. Further study is needed regarding long term and objective improvements in ethics knowledge, impact on the education of trainees and improvement in the care of patients as a result of a formal curriculum for faculty.
Design and Impact of a Novel Surgery-Specific Second Victim Peer Support Program

Background Surgeons are prone to feelings of sadness, guilt, and anxiety when involved in major adverse events. We aimed to create and evaluate a second victim peer support program for surgeons and surgical trainees. Study Design The second victim peer support program was an intervention performed in the Department of Surgery at a tertiary care academic medical center. Surgical attendings and trainees participated as peer supporters or affected peers. In this article, we describe the design of the program and its 1-year impact, which was evaluated through the number of interventions attempted and realized and feedback received from all participants using an anonymous qualitative and quantitative survey. Results The program was established using the following 5 steps: creation of a conceptual framework, choice of peer supporters, training of peer supporters, multifaceted identification of major adverse events, and design of a systematic intervention plan. In 1 year, the program had 47 interventions distributed evenly between attendings and trainees; 19% of affected peers opted out of receiving support. Most participants expressed satisfaction with the program's confidentiality, the safe/trusting environment it provided, and the timeliness of the intervention (89%, 73%, and 83%, respectively); 81% suggested that the program had a positive impact on the department's “safety and support” culture and would recommend the program to a colleague. Several areas for improvement were identified, including the need to improve identification of events requiring outreach, and the desire for increased awareness of the program throughout the department. Conclusions We successfully designed, implemented, and assessed the impact of the first surgery-specific peer support program in the US. Our 1-year experience suggests that the program is highly used and well received, albeit with opportunities for improvement.
2020 Update in Perioperative Medicine

Abstract Important articles in perioperative medicine published and indexed on MEDLINE from February 2019 to February 2020 were compiled and reviewed. Three experts in perioperative medicine reviewed a total of 55 articles and independently voted on the most relevant studies that either had the potential to change clinical practice, confirm current practice, or bring attention to promising new areas in perioperative medicine. The top articles were chosen by consensus and presented at the “Clinical Update in Perioperative Medicine” session at the 15th Annual Perioperative Medicine Summit on March 12th, 2020 in Orlando Florida sponsored by The Society for Perioperative Assessment and Quality Improvement (SPAQI).
Employment is a critical mental health intervention

employment is critically important in mental health care. Unemployment worsens mental health and gaining employment can improve mental health, even for people with the most serious mental illnesses. In this editorial, we argue for a new treatment paradigm in mental health that emphasises employment, because supported employment is an evidence-based intervention that can help the majority of people with mental health disability to succeed in integrated, competitive employment. Unlike most mental health treatments, employment engenders self-reliance and leads to other valued outcomes, including self-confidence, the respect of others, personal income and community integration. It is not only an effective short-term treatment but also one of the only interventions that lessen dependence on the mental health system over time.
An ecotourist by whose standards? Developing and testing the Ecotourist Identification Scale (EIS)

Despite numerous attempts at operationalising ecotourism, none have explicitly incorporated the three tenets of ecotourism (i.e. nature, education, and sustainability) into scale development with t...
A Classic on Airborne Radar [Book and Software Reviews]

Presents a review of "Stimson’s Introduction to Airborne Radar, Third Edition" (Stimson, G.W., et al; 2014). There are four authors and nine expert contributors to this third edition of a classic introductory text. The original and key author, George Stimson, started the original manuscript when he was with Hughes Aircraft Company in the early 1960s to 1970s. As a private publication, the book was initially given away or sold at a nominal charge to Hughes’s customers and Stimson’s friends. He is a fine writer and has managed the production of the book for years. From the beginning, the book has had clear graphics and meticulous formatting of pages. This is an impressive book with a total of 52 chapters in 10 parts. It covers almost everything concerning airborne radar. It could serve as an airborne radar encyclopedia. Each chapter briefly introduces its subject, providing neither too much nor too little material. There are some mathematical equations, but all are at the algebra level and easy to grasp. The text includes many color graphs, drawings, and nice pictures, which makes it very easy to read. I would recommend this book to every radar designer, technician, operator, administrator, and program manager. The book covers the Doppler frequency of an aircraft, ground return, and return by a semiactive missile.
Surgical Management of Hereditary Breast Cancer

The identification that breast cancer is hereditary was first described in the nineteenth century. With the identification of the BRCA1 and BRCA 2 breast/ovarian cancer susceptibility genes in the mid-1990s and the introduction of genetic testing, significant advancements have been made in tailoring surveillance, guiding decisions on medical or surgical risk reduction and cancer treatments for genetic variant carriers. This review discusses various medical and surgical management options for hereditary breast cancers.
Whence Comes Man

The uniformity of genome size within mammals implies that all mammals are essentially endowed with the same genome in that most of the gene loci contained in the genome of one species are included in that of the other species. For instance, all placental mammals studied to this date contain three separate gene loci for lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) subunits in their genomes. A and B subunits are produced in a variety of tissues (Markert, 1964), while C subunits are produced only in the sexually mature testis (Goldberg, 1962). The above situation found in mammals is in sharp contrast to the situation found in teleost fish. Some teleosts with minimum-sized genomes, have only a single gene locus for LDH (Markert and Faulhauber, 1965), while tetraploid teleosts such as trout and salmon have as many as 8 separate gene loci for LDH subunits (Massaro and Markert, 1968). Similarly, all placental mammals appear to be characterized by having one gene locus each for the supernatant form and the mitochondrial form of NAD-dependent malate dehydrogenase as well as NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase. In the case of teleost fish, on the other hand, tetraploid species have two separate gene loci for the supernatant form of each enzyme (Bailey et al., 1969; Quiroz-Gutierrez and Ohno, 1970; Wolf et al., 1970).
Classifying smoking urges via machine learning

We examine different machine learning approaches to classify smoking urges.We use situational features associated with urges to smoke during a quit attempt.Feature selection algorithms make possible to obtain high classification rates.The classification tree method provides the best classification results. Background and objectiveSmoking is the largest preventable cause of death and diseases in the developed world, and advances in modern electronics and machine learning can help us deliver real-time intervention to smokers in novel ways. In this paper, we examine different machine learning approaches to use situational features associated with having or not having urges to smoke during a quit attempt in order to accurately classify high-urge states. MethodsTo test our machine learning approaches, specifically, Bayes, discriminant analysis and decision tree learning methods, we used a dataset collected from over 300 participants who had initiated a quit attempt. The three classification approaches are evaluated observing sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and precision. ResultsThe outcome of the analysis showed that algorithms based on feature selection make it possible to obtain high classification rates with only a few features selected from the entire dataset. The classification tree method outperformed the naive Bayes and discriminant analysis methods, with an accuracy of the classifications up to 86%. These numbers suggest that machine learning may be a suitable approach to deal with smoking cessation matters, and to predict smoking urges, outlining a potential use for mobile health applications. ConclusionsIn conclusion, machine learning classifiers can help identify smoking situations, and the search for the best features and classifier parameters significantly improves the algorithms' performance. In addition, this study also supports the usefulness of new technologies in improving the effect of smoking cessation interventions, the management of time and patients by therapists, and thus the optimization of available health care resources. Future studies should focus on providing more adaptive and personalized support to people who really need it, in a minimum amount of time by developing novel expert systems capable of delivering real-time interventions.
DEFUSE: a deterministic functional self-test methodology for processors

At-speed testing is becoming increasingly difficult with external testers as the speed of microprocessors approaches the GHz range. One solution to this problem is built-in self-test. However, due to their reliance on random patterns, current logic BIST techniques are not able to deal with large designs without adding high test overhead. In this paper, we propose a functional self-test technique that is deterministic in nature. By targeting the structural test need of manageable components with the aid of processor functionality, this technique has the fault coverage advantage of deterministic structural testing and the at-speed advantage of functional testing. Most importantly, by relieving testers from test application, it enables at-speed testing of GHz processors with low speed testers. We have demonstrated our methodology on a simple accumulator-based microprocessor. The results show that with the proposed technique, we are able to apply high-quality at-speed tests with no test overhead.
History Taking and Reformulation of the Presenting Complaints

Having obtained all the information he can about the patient’s presenting complaints, how does the evaluator go about deciding whether or not the patient is someone who would benefit from STAPP? In this and the next two chapters I shall describe the steps that are necessary to accomplish this task. There are four integral factors which are involved in the overall evaluation process: 1. The complete biographical history taking and reformulation of the presenting complaints 2. The specific criteria for selection for STAPP 3. The psychodynamic formulation, therapeutic focus, and contract 4. The specification of criteria for successful outcome A word of caution should be added at this point so as not to give the impression that each one of these four factors is a separate entity or that it is independent of the others. Rather, it is crucial that the evaluation process be understood as a global assessment of the patient’s psychopathology which the evaluator must scrutinize extensively.
How do Corporate Boards Balance Monitoring and Advising? The Situational Use of Special Committees in Corporate Takeovers

This paper extends the literature on corporate governance by analyzing the voluntary use of special committees during corporate takeovers. These committees are comprised of disinterested target firm directors and serve as an additional mechanism to enhance the oversight of potential conflicts. Our sample spans post Sarbanes-Oxley from 2003 through 2007, under which boards of directors are subject to increased scrutiny and additional regulatory mandates. This period is also characterized by a high level of buyout activity that can exacerbate conflicts. Our results show that special committee use is positively related conflicts and negatively related to factors and situations where insider knowledge is particularly valuable. Moreover, the propensity to form a committee is negatively related to the board’s overall independence; hence special committees substitute for the monitoring not found in the overall board composition. Special committees, on average, are formed well in advance of the merger agreement, employ additional financial advisors, and are more likely to run an auction process. Collectively, they provide the ability of boards to adapt to situational conflicts, which may help explain when independent directors matter for corporate governance.
DETECTION OF THE LIVER BELOW THE COSTAL MARGIN : COMPARATIVE VALUE OF PALPATION, LIGHT PERCUSSION, AND AUSCULTATORY PERCUSSION

The comparative value of palpation, light percussion, and auscultatory percussion for detecting the liver below costal margin was studied in 45 normal subjects and 20 patients. The presence of the liver 2 cm or more below the costal margin was considered abnormal, since this organ was found no more than 1 cm below in a few normal subjects only by auscultatory percussion. In the patient group, auscultatory percussion detected the liver of 12; four livers and one case of gallbladder-hydrops were detected only by this method. Also, auscultation behind the right flank during percussion identified one hydronephrotic kidney. The liver was detected by palpation in 12 patients and was found only by this method in 6 of them. Light percussion detected the liver in only 6 patients, but was useful in 2 for determining that the liver dome had been depressed in the rib cage. Results of liver function tests were abnormal in 15. These findings suggest that these methods were valuable for detecting liver diseases in patients.
Actinomyces bowdenii ulcerative keratitis in a dog.

A 5-year-old spayed female diabetic mixed-breed dog underwent phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation to correct bilateral hypermature cataracts. Two months postsurgery, the patient presented with ulcerative keratitis and multifocal stromal abscessation OD, which was controlled, but never resolved, with topical fluoroquinolone therapy. The patient re-presented 2 months later with a new, raised, white gritty corneal opacity associated with hyperemia, chemosis, and blepharospasm OD. Cytology of the right cornea revealed filamentous bacteria, suggestive of Actinomyces spp. Actinomyces bowdenii was subsequently isolated in pure culture and identified via 16s rDNA sequencing. Actinomyces bowdenii has never before been described as a cause of ocular infection. An immunosuppressed corneal environment likely contributed to this opportunistic Actinomycosis. The infection was not controlled with fluoroquinolone therapy, and the isolate, in vitro, was resistant to three fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and levofloxacin), which also has not been previously reported for this species of Actinomyces. A superficial keratectomy with conjunctival graft was employed to successfully manage the infection.
Capital, Interrupted: Agrarian Development and the Politics of Work in India – By Vinay Gidwani

The article reviews the book "Capital, Interrupted: Agrarian Development and the Politics of Work in India," by Vinay Gidwani.
Tcf7l1 proteins cell autonomously restrict cardiomyocyte and promote endothelial specification in zebrafish.

Abstract Tcf7l1 (formerly Tcf3) proteins are conserved transcription factors whose function as transcriptional repressors is relieved through interactions with β-catenin. Although the functions of Tcf7l1 proteins have been studied in many developmental contexts, whether this conserved mediator of Wnt signaling is required for appropriate cardiomyocyte (CM) development has not been investigated. We find that Tcf7l1 proteins are necessary during two developmental periods to limit CM number in zebrafish embryos: prior to gastrulation and after the initial wave of CM differentiation. In contrast to partially redundant roles in anterior neural patterning, we find that Tcf7l1a and Tcf7l1b have non-redundant functions with respect to restricting CM specification during anterior mesodermal patterning, suggesting that between the two zebrafish Tcf7l1 paralogs there is a limit to the transcriptional repression provided during early CM specification. Using cell transplantation experiments, we determine that the Tcf7l1 paralogs are required cell autonomously to restrict CM specification and promote endothelial cell (EC) specification, which is overtly similar to the ability of Wnt signaling to direct a transformation between these progenitors in embryonic stem cells. Therefore, these results argue that during anterior–posterior patterning of the mesoderm Tcf7l1 proteins are cell autonomously required to limit Wnt signaling, which balances CM and EC progenitor specification within the anterior lateral plate mesoderm. This study expands our understanding of the in vivo developmental requirements of Tcf7l1 proteins and the mechanisms directing CM development in vertebrates.
Progress toward Monte Carlo–thermal hydraulic coupling using low-order nonlinear diffusion acceleration methods

Abstract A new approach for coupled Monte Carlo (MC) and thermal hydraulics (TH) simulations is proposed using low-order nonlinear diffusion acceleration methods. This approach uses new features such as coarse mesh finite difference diffusion (CMFD), multipole representation for fuel temperature feedback on microscopic cross sections, and support vector machine learning algorithms (SVM) for iterations between CMFD and TH equations. The multipole representation method showed small differences of about 0.3% root mean square (RMS) error in converged assembly source distribution compared to a conventional MC simulation with ACE data at the same temperature. This is within two standard deviations of the real uncertainty. Eigenvalue differences were on the order of 10 pcm. Support vector machine regression was performed on-the-fly during MC simulations. Regression results of macroscopic cross sections parametrized by coolant density and fuel temperature were successful and eliminated the need of partial derivative tables generated from lattice codes. All of these new tools were integrated together to perform MC–CMFD–TH–SVM iterations. Results showed that inner iterations between CMFD–TH–SVM are needed to obtain a stable solution.
Introduction to “charting, tracking, and mapping: new technologies, labor, and surveillance”

Advances in information technologies over the last two decades have offered the promise of revolutionizing workplaces and other settings by expanding the capabilities of individuals working in various professions. Enabled by high-speed computing systems and marked by an intensification of command and control properties, new technologies have expanded, and in some cases intentionally surpassed, the scope of the senses. Technologies such as drones, surveillance cameras, and airport and border security systems promise the seemingly infinite catchment and infinitesimal account of human actions, while computer processing software provides real-time data on large-scale transactional processes occurring in monetary systems and security markets. Charting, tracking, and mapping functions open up new vistas for quantifying social behaviors and detecting misbehaviors, creating new frontiers for criminal justice, the military, and economic activity. The papers in this special issue reveal the processes guiding the ra...
Molecular recognition of chem/biowarfare agents using micromechanical sensors

Recent terrorists events have shown that an urgent and widespread need exists for development of novel sensors for chemical and biowarfare agents. The advent of inexpensive, mass-produced microcantilever sensors, promises to bring about a revolution in detection of terrorists threats. Extremely sensitive chem/biosensors can be developed using microcantilever platform. Both frequency and bending of microcantilevers can be used to detect the chemical and biological species in air or solution. The specificity is achieved by immobilizing chemically-specific receptors the cantilever. This short report will give an overview of chemical/biological warfare agents sensor recently developed based on microcantilevers.
Combined DFT and electrostatics study of the proton pumping mechanism in cytochrome c oxidase.

Abstract Cytochrome c oxidase is a redox-driven proton pump which converts atmospheric oxygen to water and couples the oxygen reduction reaction to the creation of a membrane proton gradient. The structure of the enzyme has been solved; however, the mechanism of proton pumping is still poorly understood. Recent calculations from this group indicate that one of the histidine ligands of enzyme's CuB center, His291, may play the role of the pumping element. In this paper, we report on the results of calculations that combined first principles DFT and continuum electrostatics to evaluate the energetics of the key energy generating step of the model—the transfer of the chemical proton to the binuclear center of the enzyme, where the hydroxyl group is converted to water, and the concerted expulsion of the proton from δ-nitrogen of His291 ligand of CuB center. We show that the energy generated in this step is sufficient to push a proton against an electrochemical membrane gradient of about 200 mV. We have also re-calculated the pKa of His291 for an extended model in which the whole Fea3–CuB center with their ligands is treated by DFT. Two different DFT functionals (B3LYP and PBE0), and various dielectric models of the protein have been used in an attempt to estimate potential errors of the calculations. Although current methods of calculations do not allow unambiguous predictions of energetics in proteins within few pKa units, as required in this case, the present calculation provides further support for the proposed His291 model of CcO pump and makes a specific prediction that could be targeted in the experimental test.