cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An echo tail canceller based on adaptive interpolated FIR filtering

A computationally efficient two-stage echo canceller is proposed. The first stage is a direct form adaptive FIR filter to cancel the main part of the echo response. The second stage cancels the tail part of the echo response. The proposed tail canceller is an adaptive version of a previously reported interpolated FIR (IFIR) filter. It is shown that the two-stage canceller meets the 60-dB echo cancellation accuracy for various typical loops. Extensive simulations were carried out to study the effects of the main canceller length as well as the interpolator parameters on the performance of the proposed two-stage echo canceller in the U-interface transceiver for basic rate ISDN. It is shown that the proposed structure compares favorably with a recently reported two-stage canceller. >
A method for objective edge detection evaluation and detector parameter selection

Subjective evaluation by human observers is usually used to analyze and select an edge detector parametric setup when real-world images are considered. We propose a statistical objective performance analysis and detector parameter selection, using detection results produced by different detector parameters. Using the correspondence between the different detection results, an estimated best edge map, utilized as an estimated ground truth (EGT), is obtained. This is done using both a receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis and a Chi-square test, and considers the trade off between information and noisiness in the detection results. The best edge detector parameter set (PS) is then selected by the same statistical approach, using the EGT. Results are demonstrated for several edge detection techniques, and compared to published subjective evaluation results. The method developed here suggests a general tool to assist in practical implementations of parametric edge detectors where an automatic process is required.
Development of Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy Electron Beam Profile Imaging with Self-Assembled Monolayers and Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy

A method for demonstrating the scattering of the primary electron beam in the presence of a gas has been developed. A self-assembled decanethiol monolayer is damaged by primary beam electrons. The damaged portion of the mono-layer is exchanged with another thiol-containing molecule by immersion in solution. The resulting film is imaged using a secondary ion mass spectrometer. Three-dimensional reconstruction of the data yields a representation of scattered electrons in the gaseous environment of the environmental scanning electron microscope.
Micropayments: An idea whose time has passed twice?

During the dot-com boom, many predicted that micropayments would soon let Web sites sell all sorts of things individually. People could buy magazines article by article, or music a bar at a time, if they wanted. In 1998, Jakob Nielsen wrote that "most sites that are not financed through traditional product sales will move to micropayments in less than two years". MIT's Nicholas Negro-ponte predicted the same year that "you're going to see, within the next year, an extraordinary movement on the Web of systems for micropayments." Well, not much happened. Payments of less than $5 generated 1 percent of online content sales in 2002, adding up to only US$9.6 million. Many small sites have either disappeared or given up on attempts to charge, and many useful Web sites still don't have a straightforward way to support themselves. As advertising stopped being the magic solution for Web business plans, however, some entrepreneurs took another look at small-scale payment schemes.
Comparative Studies on Branded Enoxaparin and a US Generic Version of Enoxaparin

Enoxaparin, a complex, biologically derived low-molecular-weight heparin, is approved for a range of clinical indications. This study was carried out to compare the potency profile and pharmacodyna...
The cross-reactive idiotype of A-strain mice Serological and structural analyses

Idiolypes have been implicated in the induction and regulation of complex humoral and cell-mediated immune phenomena. Now, with the development of hybridoma technology, the enigma of the molecular basis of idiotypy is succumbing to systematic serological and structural analyses. Here Don Capra and his colleagues describe recent studies on one of the best known idiotype .systems, in the antibody response to arsonate.
On the Use of Stable Isotopes in Trophic Ecology

Stable isotope analysis (SIA) has proven to be a useful tool in reconstructing diets, characterizing trophic relationships, elucidating patterns of resource allocation, and constructing food webs. Consequently, the number of studies using SIA in trophic ecology has increased exponentially over the past decade. Several subdisciplines have developed, including isotope mixing models, incorporation dynamics models, lipid-extraction and correction methods, isotopic routing models, and compound-specific isotopic analysis. As with all tools, there are limitations to SIA. Chief among these are multiple sources of variation in isotopic signatures, unequal taxonomic and ecosystem coverage, over-reliance on literature values for key parameters, lack of canonical models, untested or unrealistic assumptions, low predictive power, and a paucity of experimental studies. We anticipate progress in SIA resulting from standardization of methods and models, calibration of model parameters through experimentation, and continu...
The Effect of Hypoglycemic Agents on Cholesterol Biosynthesis

In previous reports we showed that certain hypoglycemic agents (phenformin, tolbutamide, chlorpropamide) inhibit specific enzymic steps of cholesterol synthesis, and we used these agents to define pathways and intermediates of cholesterol biosynthesis (1,2). The purpose of this report is to describe recent data offering new insights into the mechanism of action of these drugs on the molecular events of cholesterol biosynthesis. Most of these studies were performed with phenformin and related biguanides (buformin and the hydroxy-derivative of phenformin) known to be effective hypoglycemic agents. The data were obtained using synthetic labeled cholesterol precursors as substrates for an enzyme system catalyzing cholesterol synthesis which we recently purified from rat liver (3). It is hoped that these studies in vitro will lead to an improved understanding of the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects observed in vivo during treatment of diabetics with biguanides (4).
US counties with higher rates of breast cancer screening have higher rates of incidence with no concomitant decrease in breast cancer mortality suggesting overdiagnosis.

Commentary on: Harding C, Pompei F, Burmistrov D, et al. Breast Cancer Screening, Incidence, and Mortality Across US Counties. JAMA Int Med 2015. Published Online First. The goal of screening mammography is to decrease breast cancer mortality by diagnosing tumours at an earlier, more treatable stage. Meta-analyses of randomised clinical trials have estimated that breast cancer screening results in approximately a 20% decrease in breast cancer mortality.1 However, breast cancer incidence and treatment, as well as performance of screening mammography, have evolved since the conclusion of most of these clinical trials and it is unclear whether screening in the modern era confers the same benefit. Moreover, substantial uncertainty still exists regarding the extent of over diagnosis, the diagnosis of tumours that would not have become clinically apparent within a woman's lifetime in the absence of …
Replication of Han Chinese GWAS loci for schizophrenia via meta-analysis of four independent samples

Schizophrenia is a highly heritable psychiatric disorder with unclear aetiology. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in European populations have reported numerous susceptibility variants, while GWAS in East Asians also identified several risk loci but with fewer independent replications. Here we focus on nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which have shown genome-wide significant associations with schizophrenia in previous Han Chinese GWAS, and we tend to replicate the associations in four independent samples of East Asian origin including a total of 3977 cases and 5589 controls. The results showed that rs10489202 in MPC2 (BRP44) is significantly associated with schizophrenia in these East Asian replication samples (one-tailed P=5.75×10(-3), OR=1.12), and further meta-analysis after including previous GWAS data yielded a genome-wide significant association (two-tailed P=1.11×10(-10), OR=1.19), adding further support for the involvement of this locus in the genetic risk of schizophrenia, and future studies regarding the underlying molecular mechanisms of the risk association are necessary.
Doping Doctors: The Influence of the Marketing Departments of Pharmaceutical Companies on Physician and Researcher Behavior in Japan.

Recently, two Japanese clinical studies of antihypertensive drugs, supported by pharmaceutical companies and published in the Lancet by groups of Japanese investigators, were later withdrawn (Editors of the Lancet, 2009, 2013a). Four other studies of one of these drugs (Editors of the Lancet, 2013b; Uzu et al., 2008; Muramatsu et al., 2012; Narumi, Hakano, and Shindo, 2011), all funded by the Swiss company Novartis that supported one of the studies, but conducted by different Japanese research groups, were later found to be tainted by misconduct unacceptable by scientific standards (Review Committee for the Recent Cases of Clinical Study on an Antihypertensive Drug, 2013). In this article, we discuss deeply-rooted ties between clinical investigators and pharmaceutical companies that underlie these recently surfaced examples of impropriety in patient-oriented research in Japan, which have been banned in most major U.S. medical centers for some time (Conflict of Interest Policies at Academic Medical Centers, 2014). Typically, companies finance many clinical studies, then pick their preferred research data, and advertise the less-than-scientific conclusions through popular professors.
Regulations for Packaging and Shipping Laboratory Specimens

The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) requires anyone who causes specimens to be transported by public carrier to follow Dangerous Goods Shipping Regulations. That includes laboratory sendout staff, anyone who transports specimens, and, in my opinion, those who receive specimens. The responsibilities imposed on most laboratories are related to specimen packaging, labeling, documentation, and training of staff to follow regulations. This article concentrates on those aspects of the law and several of the most routinely used transport sources. The regulations are complex, and significant changes are being proposed by USDOT that may have an impact on courier services provided by laboratories.
Research and implementation of media player based on digital television middleware

Based on the hardware platform of digital television (DTV), the architecture and functions of the middleware model were analyzed with reference to the DVB-MHP standard. With the study of JavaTV and JMF, the core part of the middleware system called media player was implemented. A media player performance test was launched on the DTV platform and good broadcasting effect was got.
Effect of Sex on Lipogenic Activity in Swine Adipose Tissue

Adipose tissue was obtained from male, female and male pigs castrated either at birth, 2 or 4 mo of age. Pigs were biopsied at 11 and 20 wk of age to obtain adipose tissue samples. Lipogenic capacity was assessed by measurement of in vitro glucose incorporation into lipids of adipose tissue slices. At 20 wk of age, males were less fat than females or males castrated either at birth or 20 mo of age. Adipocyte volume at 20 wk of age was smaller in males, females and recently castrated males (4 mo) than males castrated at birth or 2 mo of age. Lipogenic rate at 20 wk of age was lower in males than in castrated pigs; females had intermediate lipogenic rates. The results provide a partial metabolic explanation for the difference in subcutaneous fat deposition in the sexually diverse groups. There was no effect of estradiol-17 beta or testosterone in vitro on adipose tissue lipogenesis, suggesting that sex hormone effects in vivo may not be involved in short-term regulation of lipogenesis.
Perineuronal Nets Enhance the Excitability of Fast-Spiking Neurons

Perineuronal nets (PNNs) are specialized complexes of extracellular matrix molecules that surround the somata of fast-spiking neurons throughout the vertebrate brain. PNNs are particularly prevalent throughout the auditory brainstem, which transmits signals with high speed and precision. It is unknown whether PNNs contribute to the fast-spiking ability of the neurons they surround. Whole-cell recordings were made from medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB) principal neurons in acute brain slices from postnatal day 21 (P21) to P27 mice. PNNs were degraded by incubating slices in chondroitinase ABC (ChABC) and were compared to slices that were treated with a control enzyme (penicillinase). ChABC treatment did not affect the ability of MNTB neurons to fire at up to 1000 Hz when driven by current pulses. However, f – I (frequency–intensity) curves constructed by injecting Gaussian white noise currents superimposed on DC current steps showed that ChABC treatment reduced the gain of spike output. An increase in spike threshold may have contributed to this effect, which is consistent with the observation that spikes in ChABC-treated cells were delayed relative to control-treated cells. In addition, parvalbumin-expressing fast-spiking cortical neurons in >P70 slices that were treated with ChABC also had reduced excitability and gain. The development of PNNs around somata of fast-spiking neurons may be essential for fast and precise sensory transmission and synaptic inhibition in the brain.
RaceTM: Detecting Data Races using Hardware Transactional Memory (brief announcement)

Widespread emergence of multicore processors will spur development of parallel applications, exposing programmers to more hardware concurrency. Dependable multithreaded software will have to rely on the ability to dynamically detect data races, which are non-deterministic and notoriously hard to reproduce symptoms of synchronization bugs. In this paper, we propose RaceTM, a novel approach that exploits transactional memory support to detect data races. We introduce the concept of lightweight debug transactions that exploit the conflict detection mechanisms of transactional memory systems to perform data race detection. Debug transactions differ from regular transactions in that they do not need to be rolled back, and therefore require no versioning or checkpointing support. Debug transactions do not overlap with a regular transaction, thus providing a transparent mechanism to leverage existing transactional memory support for data race detection.
Cooperative output regulation of multi-agent systems with incomplete exosystem measurement

In this paper, we generalize the cooperative output regulation problem of multi-agent systems, and we consider the case where agents in the system only receive incomplete measurements from the exosystem. In other words, we consider the case where no agent receives sufficient information through its measurements to estimate the exosystem states. Under certain intuitive assumptions on the connectivity between the agents and their combined detectability property, we propose a distributed control law that solves the cooperative output regulation problem under the considered problem constraints. A numerical example is offered to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed control solution.
Approximate Synchronization by a Single Inhibitory Pulse

A simple way of synchronizing a population of neurons is to subject all neurons to the same inhibitory synaptic input pulse.
Incorporating lifecycle costs into product architecture decisions

The partitioning of a product into modules has a large impact on the design and manufacture of a product. It also has a large impact on lifecycle concerns such as repair and service. Previous work has developed product architecting rules using function structures to partition a product into modules. Straight application of these rules determines maximal modules. Often, however, subsets of these modules have varying failure rates, handling difficulties, and part costs. We develop here equations to incorporate these serviceability concerns into the architecting process. The service cost of any candidate module must incorporate part costs, labor costs, and failure rates. With this information, comparative service costs can be calculated for different modularization schemes. Examples are shown from document systems.
Automated Analysis of Lecture Video Engagement Using Student Posts

This work explores the feasibility of a learning analytic that would provide high level engagement data to instructors based on students’ text artifacts in online learning systems. Student posts from an online lecture video system were collected and manually coded by engagement using the ICAP framework. Analyses show what features are most indicative of engagement and the performance of using a neural network to classify posts by engagement.
From Augustine to Locke and Spinoza: Answering the Christian Case Against Religious Liberty

Critics of Christianity have sometimes accused it of having been, “for most of its existence… the most intolerant of world faiths, doing its best to eliminate all competitors,” using force if necessary. This is a paradox, since much Christian teaching condemns the use of force for any purpose, and the earliest Christians, fighting to be tolerated in the Roman Empire, often argued vigorously for religious liberty. This paper will contend that there are Christian teachings which can be used to justify religious intolerance, and consider what the best response to those teachings is. I claim that moderate responses, like Locke’s, are inadequate, and that what is needed is a more radical critique, of the kind to be found in Spinoza.
No-core Symplectic Model: Exploiting Hidden Symmetry in Atomic Nuclei

We report on recent developments within the framework of the no-core symplectic shell model (NCSpM) that complements the no-core shell model (Navr?til, Vary, and Barrett) by exploiting the algebraic features of the symplectic shell model (Rowe and Rosensteel) while also allowing for high-performance computing applications, but in highly truncated, physically relevant subspaces of the complete space. The leading symplectic symmetry typically accounts for 70% to 90% of the structure of the low-lying states, a result that is only moderately dependent on the details of the selected inter-nucleon interaction. Examples for6Li,12C,16O, and20Ne are shown to illustrate the efficacy the NCSpM, and as well the strong overlap with cluster-like and pairing configurations that dominate the dynamics of low-lying states in these nuclei.
Point-of-Care Ultrasonography in Critical Care

The use of point of care ultrasonography to visualize the anatomy and function of the body in real-time in order to assist with establishing a diagnosis and management plan has revolutionized the care of critically ill patients. This article serves as an introduction to the series and uses a case-based approach to provide a brief overview of the applications of point-of-care ultrasonography in a patient with cardiopulmonary failure.
Recent advances in lipid separations and structural elucidation using mass spectrometry combined with ion mobility spectrometry, ion-molecule reactions and fragmentation approaches

Lipids are a vital class of molecules that play important and varied roles in biological processes, however, fully understanding these roles is extremely difficult due to the immense number and diversity of possible lipid species. While recent advances in chromatography and high resolution mass spectrometry have greatly progressed knowledge about distinct lipid species and functions, effectively separating many lipids still remains problematic. Isomeric lipids have made lipid characterization especially difficult and occur due to subclasses having the same chemical composition, or species having multiple acyl chain connectivities (sn-1, sn-2, or sn-3), double bond positions and orientations (cis or trans), and functional group stereochemistries (R versus S). To aid in isomer characterization, ion mobility spectrometry separations, ion-molecule reactions and fragmentation techniques have increasingly been added to lipid analysis workflows. In this manuscript, we review the current state of these approaches and their capabilities for improving the identification of lipid species.
Intersectionality and critical race parenting

AbstractThis conceptual article employs critical race theory (CRT) as a theoretical framework to explore the importance of intersectionality in critical race parenting. In particular, I focus on intersectionality to understand better how Whiteness and racial power play out in intimate relationships within the family, particularly between White parents and family members of color. Through autoethnography, I use my own experiences as a White parent in a multiracial family to argue for an intersectional approach to ParentCrit that ‘centers the uniqueness of racial oppression’ as well as the myriad ways in which Whiteness is socially constructed within social relations.
Creating Digital Collections: Museum Content and the Public

The internet is a valuable asset for making cultural heritage accessible to a broader audience, and in recent years many museums have experimented with methods of sharing their collections online. This move towards a digital presence for museums has raised questions about the role of curators, librarians, and other information professionals in creating and maintaining digital collections. If anyone can collect images, and display them together on their personal website, what work remains for cultural heritage professionals to do?
Action for the infrared regime of gauge theories and the problem of color transformations

It has been known for a while that there is spontaneous breaking of Lorentz symmetry in the nonzero charged sectors of quantum electrodynamics due to the infrared problem of soft photons. More recently, it has also been suggested that similar results hold for color transformations in a non-Abelian gauge theory. Here, we show that an action where a diffeomorphism has been carried out for the part describing hard gauge particles and matter fields can be used to analyze these issues. In addition to rederiving old results in this formalism, we also show that color transformations cannot be unitarily implemented on perturbative gluon states if gluon fields of arbitrarily low energy are allowed. Implications for confinement and mass gap are briefly commented upon.
Differential roles of melatonin in plant-host resistance and pathogen suppression in cucurbits.

Since the 1950s, research on the animal neurohormone, melatonin, has focused on its multiregulatory effect on patients suffering from insomnia, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease. In plants, melatonin plays major role in plant growth and development, and is inducible in response to diverse biotic and abiotic stresses. However, studies on the direct role of melatonin in disease suppression and as a signaling molecule in host-pathogen defense mechanism are lacking. This study provides insight on the predicted biosynthetic pathway of melatonin in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), and how application of melatonin, an environmental-friendly immune inducer, can boost plant immunity and suppress pathogen growth where fungicide resistance and lack of genetic resistance are major problems. We evaluated the effect of spray-applied melatonin and also transformed watermelon plants with the melatonin biosynthetic gene SNAT (serotonin N-acetyltransferase) to determine the role of melatonin in plant defense. Increased melatonin levels in plants were found to boost resistance against the foliar pathogen Podosphaera xanthii (powdery mildew), and the soil-borne oomycete Phytophthora capsici in watermelon and other cucurbits. Further, transcriptomic data on melatonin-sprayed (1 mmol/L) watermelon leaves suggest that melatonin alters the expression of genes involved in both PAMP-mediated (pathogen-associated molecular pattern) and ETI-mediated (effector-triggered immunity) defenses. Twenty-seven upregulated genes were associated with constitutive defense as well as initial priming of the melatonin-induced plant resistance response. Our results indicate that developing strategies to increase melatonin levels in specialty crops such as watermelon can lead to resistance against diverse filamentous pathogens.
Words Devilish and Divine: Eve as Speaker in Genesis B

This essay argues that the Old English Genesis B is textured by a linguistic density that allows conflicting ideological concerns to come into play simultaneously, resulting in a re-evaluation of the deeply masculinist Christian hierarchy that lies at the heart of the Fall story. This perspective explicitly challenges a traditional symbolism that limits Eve to the "senses" and privileges Adam as "reason," and counters the many analyses of Genesis B that uphold such categories, perpetuating a characterization of Eve as weak, innately sinful, and inferior to Adam. what has often been noticed as the psychological realism of the poem applies not only to its portrayal of the anguish of choice, but works as well to dismantle static, deeply gendered interpretations. By reading closely what seem to be the poet's deliberate efforts to juxtapose "thick," ambiguous verbal situations with speeches of simplicity and clarity spoken by Eve, I suggest that Eve emerges here as a woman of intelligence and personal responsibility, one who demonstrates both honesty and intellectual and spiritual freedom.
Behavioral determinants of brushing young children's teeth: implications for anticipatory guidance.

Purpose The purposes of this study were to identify parents' motivation, support, and barriers to twice daily tooth-brushing of infants and preschool-age children and to discover new approaches to encourage this important health behavior. Methods Qualitative interviews were conducted with 44 rural parents about tooth-brushing habits and experiences. Results Forty of 44 parents reported that they had begun to brush their child's teeth; 24 (55%) reported brushing twice a day or more. Parents who brushed twice a day, vs less often, were more likely to describe specific skills to overcome barriers; they expressed high self-efficacy and held high self-standards for brushing. Parents who brushed their children's teeth less than twice daily were more likely to: hold false beliefs about the benefits of twice daily tooth-brushing; report little normative pressure or social support for the behavior; have lower self-standards; describe more external constraints; and offer fewer ideas to overcome barriers. Conclusions The findings support an integrative framework in which barriers and support for parents' twice daily brushing of their young children's teeth are multiple and vary among individuals. Knowledge of behavioral determinants specific to individual parents could strengthen anticipatory guidance and recommendations about at-home oral hygiene of young children.
Law, Society, and Setsuo: Miyazawa’s Influence on Socio-Legal Studies

What Setsuo has accomplished over these past 30 years is nothing short of remarkable. I can think of no other scholar within or outside of Japan who has had a greater impact on both the legal academic community and society more generally. Indeed, when Setsuo was still quite young he had already written a number of influential articles. But they turn out to represent only a fraction of his extraordinary output over the next years. In reflecting on Setsuo’s many achievements, I am particularly drawn to comment on three of them. First, his empirical and comparative law and society scholarship, which has set a gold standard for work on the Japanese legal system. Second, his work on reforming the Japanese legal system, particularly legal education. And third, his devotion to building institutions and organizations to support socio-legal research in and about Asia.
49 Collection of Day 7 equine embryos in aluteal cycles in mares

Serial administration of prostaglandin F2α (PGF2) in early diestrus has been recently shown to prevent luteal function in mares and is associated with delayed embryo development in induced aluteal cycles (progesterone deprived environment; 0.05). All embryos of both groups had less than 10% of blastomeres stained with 4’,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole. This study showed that morphologically normal equine embryos of acceptable quality can be collected on Day 7 in aluteal cycles.
Emissions factors from distributed, small-scale biomass gasification power generation: Comparison to open burning and large-scale biomass power generation

Abstract Waste woody biomass is one of the most readily available yet underutilized renewable energy sources. Small quantities of wood waste in remote locations are often openly burned when they are not economical to transport and burn in large-scale facilities. Small-scale (10–100 kW) distributed gasifier-generator systems offer an alternative use for this biomass. In this work, we present emissions factors experimentally measured from a commercially available gasifier-generator system. Average emissions factors per mass of dry biomass with high quality producer gas were found to be 1.53 kg-CO2, 11.3 g-CO, 8.7 g-CH4, 2.4 g-NOx, and 0.01 g-soot per kg of feedstock. On an energy basis, emissions were 2.04 kg-CO2, 30.3 g-CO, 18.6 g-CH4, 5.0 g-NOx, and 0.02-g soot per kWh of electricity produced at a maximum load of 15 kW. Our research found that producer gas heating value is inversely proportional to both power output and biomass moisture content. Low quality producer gas was found to significantly increase CO, CH4 and soot emissions from the system but decrease NOx emissions. Small-scale biomass gasification emits less CO2, CO, and soot than open burning, but further improvements are required before emissions from small-scale systems are competitive with emissions from large-scale biomass power generation.
Dose‐dependent pruritogenic and inflammatory effects of intradermal injections of histamine, compound 48/80 and anti‐canine IgE in healthy dogs

Background Scratching behaviours associated with intradermal (i.d.) injection of pruritogens such as histamine and compound 48/80 into the skin of mice and humans is the commonly used model to advance itch research and drug development. The predictive validity of this model is poorly documented in dogs. Objectives To evaluate the dose-dependent effects of pruritogenic substances, each with a different mechanism of action, in healthy dogs. Animals Ten healthy laboratory beagles. Methods and materials All dogs were video-recorded for 30 min post-injection (mpi) of i.d. goat anti-canine IgE (4 and 25 μg/site), histamine and compound 48/80 (50, 100, 200, 400 μg/site); two buffered saline injections served as controls. Two blinded investigators reviewed the pruritic behaviours of all video recordings. Global wheal scores were evaluated at 30 min by a blinded investigator. Results All dogs showed wheal and erythema at the pruritogen injection site; global wheal scores at 30 min of each substance significantly increased at all concentrations compared to control (P ≤ 0.05). A blinded evaluation revealed that all pruritogens induced mild acute pruritic behaviours at the site of injection. There was no injection site pain seen in any dog. Compared to controls, injections of pruritogens did not significantly affect the pruritic seconds or occurrence of pruritic episodes for any of the substances. Conclusions and clinical significance These preliminary results suggest that i.d. injections of the studied pruritogens can induce cutaneous wheal and flare response in healthy dogs; but inconsistencies occur in the induction of itch, even with the different concentrations of pruritogens.
Vibrio cholerae CsrA Directly Regulates varA To Increase Expression of the Three Nonredundant Csr Small RNAs.

ABSTRACT CsrA, an RNA-binding global regulator, is an essential protein in Vibrio cholerae. V. cholerae CsrA is regulated by three small RNAs (sRNAs), namely, CsrB, CsrC, and CsrD, which act to sequester and antagonize the activity of CsrA. Although the sRNAs were considered to be largely redundant, we found that they differ in expression, half-life, and the ability to regulate CsrA. Further, we identified a feedback loop in the Csr system in which CsrA increases the synthesis of these antagonistic sRNAs. Because the Csr sRNAs are positively regulated by VarA, we determined the effects of CsrA on VarA levels. The level of VarA was reduced in a csrA mutant, and we found that CsrA directly bound to varA mRNA in an electrophoretic mobility shift assay in vitro and in an CsrA-RNA immunoprecipitation assay in vivo. Thus, varA mRNA is an in vivo-verified direct target of CsrA in V. cholerae, and this is the first demonstration of CsrA directly binding to a varA/uvrY/gacA homolog. Additionally, we demonstrated that a varA translational fusion was less active in a csrA mutant than in wild-type V. cholerae, suggesting that CsrA enhances varA translation. We propose that this autoregulatory feedback loop, in which CsrA increases the production of the nonredundant Csr sRNAs by regulating the amount of VarA, provides a mechanism for fine-tuning the availability of CsrA and, thus, of its downstream targets. IMPORTANCEVibrio cholerae is a major human pathogen, causing epidemics and pandemics of cholera. V. cholerae persists in the aquatic environment, providing a constant source for human infection. Success in transitioning from the environment to the human host and back requires the bacterium to rapidly respond and to adjust its gene expression and metabolism to these two very different habitats. Our findings show that CsrA, an RNA-binding regulatory protein, plays a central role in regulating these transitions. CsrA activity is controlled by the antagonistic sRNAs CsrB, CsrC, and CsrD, and these sRNAs respond to changes in the availability of nutrients. CsrA autoregulates its own activity by controlling these sRNAs via their primary regulator VarA. Thus, the change in CsrA availability in response to nutrient availability allows V. cholerae to alter gene expression in response to environmental cues.
Microservices Architecture: Challenges and Proposed Conceptual Design

Microservices Architecture has evolved in the recent past and has gained significant popularity offering various benefits as compared to existing architectures addressing various serious concerns of the recent era in Software Engineering. This paper will first briefly introduce the microservices architecture and its evolution being still in inception phase. After enlisting its offered benefits, its envisaged implementation challenges will be addressed including various options available for coping up with those challenges by using empirical and conceptual method. Based on the challenges and available options, a conceptual design of microservices architecture including major components and their role will be proposed. This paper addresses the new comers for understanding of microservices architecture, researchers and the practitioners for verification of evolved conceptual design and future prospects.
A Crisis of Authority in Predominantly Black Schools

Background/ContextBlack students are no less engaged or more disruptive than other students of similar achievement levels and socioeconomic status. However, because Black students are more likely t...
Proteome Profiling of Muscle Cells and Muscle Tissue Using Stable Isotope Labeling by Amino Acids

Comprehensive and accurate proteome profiling of skeletal muscle remains challenging owing to the large proteome dynamic range in this tissue and the increased sensitivity needed to detect low-abundant proteins. Sarcomeric and glycolytic enzymes are by far the most abundant proteins in muscle, masking detection and quantification of low-abundant proteins such as dystrophin, dystrophin-associated protein complex, cell signaling proteins, and transcription factors. About 5400 unique proteins have been identified so far in skeletal muscle using extensive pre-fractionation methods and mass spectrometry [1]. While this is good for cataloging the muscle proteome, pre-fractionation methods are often not compatible with quantification or comparative proteomics because of inherent technical variability from experiment to experiment leading to false and inaccurate quantification. To overcome these challenges, several stable isotope labeling strategies have been developed and tested in the past in different cell culture models and tissues. Typically, the two samples to be compared are tagged with heavy and light stable isotope-labeled moieties, respectively, either at the peptide level, after digestion of proteins with a protease (e.g., trypsin or endoproteinase Lys-C), or even at the cellular level before protein extraction and processing. This book chapter, we will focus on stable isotope labeling by amino acid in cell culture (SILAC), which is by far the most accurate method for quantitative proteomics in cell culture systems.
A constraint-based approach to automatic data partitioning for distributed memory execution

Although data partitioning is required to enable parallelism on distributed memory systems, data partitions are not first class objects in most distributed programming models. As a result, automatic parallelizers and application writers encode a particular partitioning strategy in the parallelized program, leading to a program not easily configured or composed with other parallel programs. We present a constraint-based approach to automatic data partitioning. By introducing abstractions for first-class data partitions, we express a space of correct partitioning strategies. Candidate partitions are characterized by partitioning constraints, which can be automatically inferred from data accesses in parallelizable loops. Constraints can be satisfied by synthesized partitioning code or user-provided partitions. We demonstrate that programs auto-parallelized in our approach are easily composed with manually parallelized parts and have scalability comparable to hand-optimized counterparts.
Association Between Dysphagia and Inpatient Outcomes Across Frailty Level Among Patients ≥ 50 Years of Age.

Frail patients may have heightened risk of dysphagia, a potentially modifiable health factor. Our aim is to examine whether the relationship between dysphagia and adverse health outcomes differs by frailty conditions among inpatients ≥ 50 years of age. Medical or surgical hospitalizations among patients ≥ 50 years of age in the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project’s National Inpatient Sample from 2014 through the first three quarters of 2015 were included. Adverse outcomes included length of stay (LOS), hospital costs, in-hospital mortality, discharge status, and medical complications. Dysphagia was determined by ICD-9-CM codes. Frailty was defined as (a) ≥ 1 condition in the10-item Johns Hopkins Adjusted Clinical Groups (ACG) frailty measure and a frailty index for the (b) ACG and (c) a 19-item Frailty Risk Score (FRS) categorized as non-frail, pre-frail, and frail. Weighted generalized linear models for complex survey designs using generalized estimating equations were performed. Of 6,230,114 unweighted hospitalizations, 4.0% had a dysphagia diagnosis. Dysphagia presented in 3.1% and 11.0% of non-frail and frail hospitalizations using the binary ACG (p < 0.001) and in 2.9%, 7.9%, and 16.0% of non-frail, pre-frail, and frail hospitalizations using the indexed FRS (p < 0.001). Dysphagia was associated with greater LOS, higher total costs, increased non-routine discharges, and more medical complications among both frail and non-frail patients using the three frailty definitions. Dysphagia was associated with adverse outcomes in both frail and non-frail medical or surgical hospitalizations. Dysphagia management is an important consideration for providers seeking to reduce risk in vulnerable populations.
Access to IUD removal: Data from a mystery-caller study

Abstract Objective This study describes access and barriers to intrauterine device (IUD) removal appointments in 10 mid-sized cities in the United States. Study Design This mystery caller study utilized a sampling frame of health centers in 10 mid-sized cities gathered from 3 search engines. We gathered data about the timing of the next available appointment, the requirements for additional appointments prior to IUD removal, and the out-of-pocket cost. We used descriptive statistics to describe the availability and cost of IUD removal visits, and compared results between primary care clinics and family planning or gynecology clinics. Any additional information regarding why a visit was not available or other requirements for IUD removal that was provided to the researcher was also recorded. Results Of 229 clinics included for analysis, 60.7% could offer an IUD removal appointment to the mystery caller, and the majority of these could provide an initial appointment within 2 weeks (61.2%), with a median of 10 days. Of clinics offering IUD removal, 17.3% required more than one visit before removing the IUD, and 43.2% confirmed that IUD removal would occur at the first visit. Five clinics (5.6%) reported that they would not remove an IUD that was not placed at their clinic. Sliding scale fees were offered at 16.3% of clinics. For the clinics that cited an out-of-pocket cost and did not offer sliding scale fees, the median cost of the IUD removal was $262, with a range of $50 to over $1000. Neither appointment availability nor cost differed between primary care and family planning or gynecology clinics. Conclusions Overall, timely IUD removal appointments were available at the clinics we sampled, but both financial and clinic policy barriers to IUD removal were documented, including the need for multiple appointments and the total out-of-pocket costs. Implications In our current climate focused on improving access to IUDs, it is essential to address and reduce barriers to IUD removal when desired, in order to preserve reproductive autonomy.
The Student Experience: What Is It Like Being a Student in a Research Methods Course?

This book is mostly focused on the experience of the professor and how we can create a successful course. Oftentimes, when we teach a class, we lose track of what the student’s interests and fears are and focus more on how we think that the course should be taught. This chapter focuses on the student experience: what their interests, needs, and fears are and what we can learn from them to create a more successful class.
CHAPTER 5 – Statistical Estimation

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses numerical estimates of certain characteristics of interest of the parent distribution. While testing hypotheses is concerned with drawing general conclusions about the characteristics of the distribution, the problems of estimation are concerned with the actual value of the characteristic. A statistical model can be formulated that expresses the available information concerning the type of distribution under consideration. Parametric models specify parametric families of distributions. It is assumed in these cases that the observations in the sample are generated from a parent distribution belonging to the prescribed family. The estimators applied in parametric models depend in their structure and properties on the specific parametric family under consideration. If one do not wishes to subject the estimation procedure to strong assumptions concerning the family to which the parent distribution belongs, a distribution-free procedure may be more reasonable.
A Multimodal Theranostic Nanoformulation that Dramatically Enhances Docetaxel Efficacy Against Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer

Abstract In this work, a multifunctional hierarchical nanoformulation composed of biodegradable chitosan (CS) coated poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanocarriers loaded with docetaxel (Doc) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) small interfering RNA (siRNA) electrostatically bound to upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), is developed to treat castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). This theranostic nanoformulation facilitates simultaneous delivery of chemotherapy and gene therapy, as well as a bimodal optical and magnetic resonance imaging agent that could enable image-guided combination therapy. Poly- d -lysine coated NaYF4; Yb20%, Er2%@NaYF4; Gd50% core@shell UCNPs are effective siRNA transfection agents, and Er3+ doping provides upconversion imaging capabilities, while Gd3+ doping enables magnetic resonance contrast enhancement. These properties are maintained upon encapsulation in PLGA-CS. PLGA-CS nanocarriers containing Doc and UCNP-siRNA are 235 ± 5 nm with a zeta potential of +17 ± 4 meV, and have a high Doc encapsulation efficiency of 57 ± 6%. Compared to free Doc, this PLGA-CS nanoformulation containing Doc and UCNP-siRNA exhibits a dramatic decrease in IC50 of ~14,000 fold (p
Iterated g-Fractional Vector Bochner Integral Representation Formulae and Inequalities for Banach Space Valued Functions

Here we present very general iterated fractional Bochner integral representation formulae for Banach space valued functions. Based on these we derive generalized and iterated left and right: fractional Poincare type inequalities, fractional Opial type inequalities and fractional Hilbert–Pachpatte inequalities. All these inequalities are very general having in their background Bochner type integrals. See also [4].
Sex in Geriatric Care Facilities: Sexual Violence or Self-Determination?

Maintaining intimacy is recognized as an integral aspect of aging. Benefits of intimate touch can be appreciated after cognitive decline in other areas, which can be a significant quality of life issue for couples. While interest in sexual activity varies among older adults, whether the capacity to consent to intimacy is preserved in individuals with neurocognitive impairment is a salient issue. While consent may not be problematic among couples living in their own homes, care facilities must be more protective. As a rule, sexual assault exists where there is no consent, placing the nonimpaired participant at risk for receiving criminal charges. In this article, we examine the tension between concepts of privacy and self-determination on one hand and legal constraints on the other. Long-term care facilities have begun to confront the delicate balance between compassionate permission to allow sexual behavior and legalistic proscriptions. We endorse that care facilities have policies about residents being intimate within their walls. We also suggest that individuals who are cognitively intact consider drafting advance directives to make their wishes for intimacy known for future instances where capacity to consent may be questioned. The concept of the sexual advance directive is an extension of law and policy that have been in place for decades. There remains a question of whether consent to sex can be given via substituted judgment, since there would have to be an exception in the criminal law.